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“Let’s go.” Lucia stands and taps the table to get Leon’s attention. “I’ll be in touch in the morning to firm up on the last details.”
Standing dutifully, I force my legs to follow Lucia out into the gloomy bar. Despite the bright sunlight streaming through the windows on the front wall, the back of the bar is dingy and dark. Belle stands behind the counter with her back to me. Her long brown hair swings from side to side as she puts glasses neatly on the shelves. My fingers itch to brush it aside so I can bury my face in her neck and breathe her in. I crave her.
How can I leave my mate here? Even if Leon and Lucia’s plan goes off without a hitch, I know in my heart he won’t let her leave.
Billy bursts through the front door, carrying a crate of wine. “Leaving so soon? Not going to stick around for a while?”
Lucia looks around the bar with disdain and wrinkles her nose. “We have preparations to make. Maybe next time.” Billy chuffs, knowing full well she has no intention of setting foot in this place ever again. He turns to me.
“So, I heard you ran a brewery in Grey Ridge?’ When I nod, he continues. “If you can’t stay, I’ll give you some beer I'm making to take with you. You can tell me what you think.”
Leon laughs. “It might kill you. Maybe wait until after this weekend to taste it.”
Billy scowls at his father before ducking behind the bar and reappearing with a brown paper bag which clinks from the bottles he’s shoved inside. Holding it at the bottom to stop them falling through the end of the flimsy sack, he strides across the floor and hands it over.
“Careful,” he warns and his eyes meet mine, just for a second, but something about the way he looks at me tells me he’s not just talking about the beer. With a nod, I balance the beers on one hand and reach out to shake his hand with the other.
“Thanks,” I say, wishing Leon and Lucia weren’t lingering close by so I could have a proper chat with him. Marcus has mentioned him in the past, and he seemed to think he might move to Grey Ridge someday. Hopefully that means he’s one of the good guys.
Billy squeezes my hand and nods decisively, his gaze flicking quickly to Belle, who still refuses to look my way. “Don’t worry about it.”
Praying that he really is hinting that he’ll watch out for Belle, I step back and release his hand, returning to Lucia’s side with the enthusiasm of a man walking death row.
“Goodbye, Belle,” she says coldly, and there’s a finality to her tone that sets me on edge. This bar isn’t the only thing Lucia doesn’t expect to see again after today. Belle twists around and narrows her eyes at Lucia, shooting daggers in her direction but refusing to rise to the bait. She’s going to need that fire if she’s going to make it out of here alive. What if this is the last time I see her, and this is how we leave it? Whatever happens next is going to be dangerous for both of us.
I know she’s smart and capable, and she’s only put herself in this position to help me. I couldn’t be prouder. I love her. Fuck, even without the bond, I know I love her, despite what she did to us.
She’s a warrior. She’ll do whatever she can to make sure Leon’s plans don’t work. And that scares me to death.
The door squeaks as Lucia opens it and steps out into the street, waiting. After taking one last look at my mate, I stride out the door. As I pass Leon, he lowers his voice and his tone turns deadly.
“If you fuck with me, I’ll fuck with her.” He sneers when I pull back and glare at him. “And I’ll enjoy every fucking second of it. Make sure you remember that if you’re tempted to do something to mess this up.”
43
BELLE
Leon and Billy both disappear straight after Ethan and Lucia leave; Leon with some of the bears from his inner circle, Billy to the house across the road with a pissed-off look on his face.
Something is going down and, given this is the weekend of the big alpha’s conference, I’m running out of time to figure out exactly what it is.
Dave sits at a table in the back, reading the paper and drinking coffee, not so subtly tasked with babysitting me until the others return.
Wandering around Leon’s headquarters, I’m unsurprised to see no evidence of his plans. If I had been hoping for a whiteboard with detailed instructions and a map, I'd have been sorely disappointed. The only thing of note is the appearance of a dark van parked to the rear of the bar, out of view from the street. I memorise the registration, but since Leon confiscated my phone as soon as I arrived, that’s all I can do.
“I don’t know what you think you’re looking for, but you won’t find it,” Dave comments as I wander from room to room pretending to clean.
Scowling at him, I roll my eyes. “I’m just bored.”
Dave laughs and shakes his head, lifting his eyes to mine briefly. “You won’t be bored much longer. Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day.”
Narrowing my eyes, I wait for him to elaborate, but he keeps his mouth shut, sipping his coffee without a care in the world.
“More guests, or are we going somewhere?” I venture, and he continues to stare down at his paper.
“Nobody is going to tell you diddly-squat. Everybody here has learnt the hard way that saying nothing is the only way to survive.” Dave’s frown becomes more pronounced when he realises I’m smiling at him. “What?!”
“Did you just say ‘diddly-squat’?” I can’t help teasing him. The longer I spend in his company, the more I’m convinced he’s not as bad as he lets on. Billy did warn me that a lot of people here have hardened themselves because they had to, not because they want to. I suspect Dave falls into that category.
