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“Fuck. Off.” Each word is emphasised with a particularly savage thrust. I grimace, thinking about the poor girl on the end of that pounding. She’s going to be walking funny for a week.
“Leon will expect you to stay put. If you try to run, you won’t get far before one of his boys picks up your scent. Don’t even try.” He opens the door to the bathroom and I hide a smile when he checks that I have towels. Such a bad boy.
“You can’t hang around all day asking questions, so I told him you should earn your keep in the bar: cleaning, clearing glasses, whatever. I should be there most of the time; when I’m not, keep your mouth shut and your head down. Things can get wild around here, but you can’t kick off, okay?”
He seems as nervous as I am that this goes well. Working in the bar offers me the best means of staying close to Leon that I could have hoped for.
“I won’t cause trouble for you.”
Billy eyes me dubiously, about to double down on his warning, but male grunting and a feminine cry tell us the show next door is over. A shockingly short amount of time later, the bedroom door opens and high heels click down the hall.
“I can’t believe I just heard your old ass come,” Billy makes a gagging face at his friend, who barges into my doorway, shirtless with his trousers still hanging open. Looking at his feet rather than his fly, I notice his boots are fully laced. This is as much of an effort to get undressed as he made for his lucky lady. What a gentleman.
“Just cos you’re clearly not gettin’ any.” Dave looks me over, sniffs, and then laughs. “Even if your old man didn’t already have dibs on her, she looks like a cold fish. You’d be better off getting Ruby back here. She might give you a discount.”
Zipping his fly, he continues to laugh as he turns away and disappears down the hall, tugging a black t-shirt over his head as he goes. Large tattoos adorn his back and neck, and his torso is thick and strong. These bears are formidable men.
“So, that’s my new neighbour?” I will definitely be locking my door at night. Hopefully Dave is done entertaining, and I can get some sleep.
“Nope. His room is just down the hall. The rooms here are mainly for… eh… guests and sleeping off a party.”
Oh, lovely. I’m in the sex pad side of the building. I take another look at my bed and wrinkle my nose. Billy said this place gets wild. Am I going to have a string of new neighbours during the night? “I’ll find you some earplugs,” Billy offers.
My face must look as disgusted as I feel because Billy pauses on his way out the door, turning back, “Most of the people here have nowhere to go. They’re here because my dad got them in trouble when they were young: they have a record and no options. Some have family here they can’t or won’t leave behind. Don’t judge them too harshly.”
I hope so. I hope there are more bears like Billy in this clan, because it’s going to be hell if they’re all like Leon Lennox.
“I’m not here to judge anyone. I just want to get the job done so I can go home.”
Billy nods, knowing that I’m not talking about getting rid of Lucia. Well maybe I am, but not in the way Leon Lennox thinks.
“I’ll help as much as I can. Just follow my lead.” Billy glances at his watch. “Grab a shower and be downstairs at 6. There’s a meeting later so it’ll be busy.”
Pointing at the door, he twists his hand, miming a turning key as a reminder that I need to lock it.
“Why are you doing this?” I blurt. I probably shouldn’t ask; I should be grateful and keep my mouth shut, but that’s never been my strong suit.
Billy’s mouth twists and worry lines appear in his forehead. “I could never picture myself away from here. Never thought I’d be given a chance, once anyone knew my roots and my record. And my mum’s here… but I’ve got something to fight for now. And I’m going to have to, because that son-of-a-bitch will ruin it for me if he gets the chance.”
Is he talking about a woman? Maybe it doesn’t matter. He knows that without leaving here, he can’t have a happy life his father won’t destroy.
“I’ll help you, any way I can,” I tell him, and I mean it.
“Oh, don’t worry. I know you will.” Billy squares his shoulders and taps his watch. “6. Don’t be late. Do as I tell you, and maybe we can both get the fuck out of here sooner than later.”
34
BELLE
After a few hours of trying to catch up on sleep, I give up. The physical side effects of rejecting my mate are still present: a dull ache in my chest, a vague nauseous feeling that won’t go away, and killer hot flashes.
One cold, sad shower later, with some stolen hotel toiletries and hard towels, I drag on Natalie’s clothes and wander downstairs. I’ve never met Marcus’s sister, but I heard how she dragged him from the fire where he almost died.
It’s hard to believe someone who could fit into these clothes could drag that mountain of a man out of a burning building, but, interestingly with shifters, it’s their animal form that dictates their strength.
Dressed in black jeans, with the cuffs rolled-up because Natalie’s taller than me, and a band t-shirt, stretched too-tight over my ample bust, I figure I probably look the part of the biker barmaid. Billy’s already here, and there’s no sign of Leon. Just as Billy said it would be, the place is already busy.
“Here.” Billy tosses a cloth straight into my face. “You can start by clearing glasses and wiping tables.”
