Swift Move: A Crimson Hollow Novella Read online

  “But they’re dead now,” she reminded him.

  “Dead but never forgotten. They wouldn’t want you to remember them the way you do now. They’d want you to focus on the good times.”

  “How do you know? You never met them. I don’t know why you’re even here. Why does any of this matter to you?”

  “Let me tell you a story.” Needing space, he stepped away from her. He could sense the fear beginning to creep back into her but she was doing her best to suppress it. “At eighteen, I was wild, running with the wrong crowd, and basically needed a good ass kicking from my old man. I wanted freedom. I was tired of being stifled by their rules and customs. I thought I was tough and, to impress a girl, I borrowed a friend’s motorcycle. This didn’t go smoothly and, needing time to lick my wounds, I went on a drive. There was an abandoned farm a few miles out of town where we used to hang out, drinking and partying. That’s where I was heading.”

  When he fell silent, she probed him. “What happened?”

  “I parked a few miles away, planning on going for a run in the woods, but something stronger was calling my name. In the master bedroom there was a loose floorboard which I’d turned into my hidey hole for the bottle of whiskey I kept there. My anger controlled my beast enough that I wasn’t paying enough attention to my surroundings and I stumbled into something I should never have witnessed. Turns out I wasn’t the only one who wanted to use the house that night. Two guys were there with an older businessman. Over the howling of the wind, I couldn’t hear what they were saying but they must have heard me because they shot him and started to come after me.”

  He stood near the window but didn’t pull the curtains back so he could see outside. It wouldn’t have mattered because all he could see before him were the results of what he’d set into motion that night. “I was young and naive. They warned me if I said anything to anyone or went to the cops, I’d be the next one left for dead. But, did I listen?”

  “Being Mr. Tough Bear, I highly doubt it.”

  When he glanced over his shoulder at her, she had a small grin on her face. “You’re right, I couldn’t. The man’s family deserved to know what had happened to him. But I didn’t know what I was getting into. I didn’t know these guys were cops. They were on the take—”

  “Huh? On the take of what?”

  “They were being paid off not to do their jobs. Drug dealers were paying these guys to look the other way. The guy they killed was an accountant who skimmed money from his clients. He was late on a payment and they didn’t like that.” The scent of fear, sweat, and gunpowder filled his nose as if he had gone back in time. “I didn’t know who they were but I couldn’t sit and do nothing so I went to the one person I knew I could trust. Sergeant Black, a black bear I’d met a couple years before. They were gathering evidence on the guys and they needed my testimony to help bring them down. I had done some things I wasn’t proud of and to me this was my chance to make amends. Doing the right thing meant I could save someone else from that same fate. Bad cops like that taint the whole force.”

  “Good, assholes like that don’t deserve to be on the force. But I don’t understand what this has to do with anything.”

  “My actions had consequences.” He dragged his hand through his hair and down his face. “I expected them to come after me. Sergeant Black put me up in a safe house outside of town, leaving a careful trail for them to follow. We were ready for them when they made their move. What I wasn’t ready for was them going after my family.”

  “Oh, Brett, I’m sorry.”

  “They called my cell phone and I could hear my mother screaming in the background. Without taking the time to tell Sergeant Black, I jumped into my car and took off toward home. They wanted me, not my family. If only I could get to them in time. Desperate to save my family, I raced across town. We had our differences, but they didn’t deserve this. It was my fault they were in this situation.” He slammed his hand against the wall and, once again, he could sense her fear spiking. “Time wasn’t on my side. I was too far away and these assholes wanted to eliminate anyone that could be trouble. Mom, Dad, and Annie—they couldn’t live because they had seen the officers’ faces and could identify them. I wasn’t thinking, just reacting. I arrived too late.”

  “Brett, you don’t have to do this.”

  He ignored her and continued, “They saw my father as a threat and eliminated him before I arrived. The medical examiner said he’d been dead before I even received the call. I arrived just as another shot echoed through the air. When I opened the door, I found my mother slumped over and my sister screaming. She was bound to the chair; terror filled her eyes as tears streamed down her face. I offered myself up in her place.” He could see himself back in the living room of the house he’d grown up in. His parents’ bodies on the floor as the blood seeped out of their wounds…

  “It’s me you want, not her.” Willing to exchange his life for his sister’s, he moved farther into the house. “Let her go. I’ll do whatever you say.”

  “We warned you. Did you really think it wouldn’t come to this? You were off in a safe house protected, leaving your family vulnerable. We were within our rights to make them pay for your betrayal.”

  “Betrayal? That’s what you consider this? You killed a man.”

  “Since you couldn’t keep your mouth shut, your family will die and then so will you.”

  Officers descended on the house and chaos erupted. Shots rang out as he rushed toward Annie and his shoulder exploded with pain. This didn’t stop him—he had to get to Annie; he had to save his sister. She was all he had left. Fifteen years old, she hadn’t even started living yet. Reaching her, he sliced through the ropes that bound her to the chair, but it was too late. She was shot, her white t-shirt covered in blood. “Annie!” he screamed as he lifted her into his arms and ducked behind the kitchen counter. There was no way he’d make it out of the house. Not with all of the gunfire. “Annie, don’t you die on me!”

  “Brett…” Her words were soft as she reached out to touch his chest.

  He couldn’t do anything for her as the darkness still surrounded him. He needed to finish the story, to get it off his chest once and for all. This was the first time he’d told someone everything and there was a bit of relief to it. “Sergeant Black must have heard me leave because the next thing I knew, he and his officers descended on the house. I rushed toward Annie, but before I could get there, another shot was fired, striking her in the chest. She died at the hospital later that day. All because of me. If I’d have kept my mouth shut, she’d still be alive. If I had been home, they’d still be alive.”

  “Or you might be dead.”

  He blinked away the past and looked down at her. “We’re both alive for a reason. While the memories of what we witnessed and the guilt will always be with us, we need to remember that we are alive and we owe it to those we love who died to take advantage of every moment. We have to live life to the fullest because of those who didn’t have the chance to do so.”

  Some days, that was harder to do than others, but now that he’d found her, maybe that would change.

  Chapter Three

  Standing before Brett, Swift couldn’t help but be amazed that he seemed so well put together. There was darkness in his eyes as he spoke, one that warned her he was dangerous, but she admired his ability to keep what had happened out of the present. She wanted to be able to do that. She wanted a normal life again.

  “How do you do it? How do you get up every morning and go on living after that? Don’t you want revenge?”

  “Revenge…” His jaw tightened and she could feel his bear edge toward the surface. “Every moment of every day, but you can’t get revenge on someone who is already dead. They didn’t make it out of my house. More than just them—some good officers went down in the battle. Sergeant Black was gravely wounded but managed to survive. He forced me to carry on even when I didn’t want to. There were days when I didn’t want to get out of bed. Do you thi
nk he’d have allowed me to mope around? Hell, no. He worked my ass every day and because of that, I joined the police force three years ago.”

  “Why did you leave?”

  “Ari and Kaden put the security system in my house in Texas. I wanted the best and they are the best. Over the years, we’ve stayed in touch and become good friends. They mentioned Jase was interested in recruiting guards for the tribe.”

  “You left Texas to come to Crimson Hollow? What about your job with the police department? Surely that would have been more rewarding than working for Jase?”

  He reached out and put his hands on her shoulders, drawing her a little closer. “Sergeant Black died six months ago. Since then, things haven’t been the same. I was alone in this world and seemed to have lost my reason for being. I stepped down, hoping I could find that again with others of my own kind. I spoke with Jase a number of times before making the decision but once I did that same night, I was on the road headed this way. My house is on the market, and I’m starting over. So far, the tribe has been what I needed.”

  She couldn’t picture giving up everything to start over in another state. She might have left Crimson Hollow because she would have been forced out anyways, but she was only two hours away. While it seemed far, it was the nearest town she could find work in without everyone questioning her. No one knew her here and that was what she needed. But, it also meant she was alone. Or at least she’d been until Noah and Brett showed up.

  “You asked me how I go on every day after everything that happened. The answer is simple.” He slid his hands down her arms, teasing along her skin. “I do it because the only other option is failure. I won’t fail my family. They died because of my actions and I’ve spent years trying to make amends for what I’ve done, by protecting others.”

  “You didn’t know what would happen to them; if you had, you’d have done something.” She ran her hand along his chest, giving him comfort where she could.

  “It doesn’t change the fact that their blood is still on my hands. That guilt is always with me but I’ve forced myself to move forward. You can, too. Let me help you.”

  “It’s different with me.” She stepped back, breaking their physical contact. “You couldn’t get to your family in time to save them, whereas I stood there and did nothing. My brother shoved me down behind this huge tree and ordered me to stay. Before I could argue, he ran toward the fighting. I watched everyone I knew and loved die. I was paralyzed with fear and did nothing. How am I supposed to live with that?”

  “You saved yourself. That’s what is important.” He took a step toward her but when she shook her head, he stopped. “Sin said your leash was outnumbered.”

  “We were a small leash, mostly family. We kept to ourselves.”

  “In the end, that was your demise. Foxes are small creatures. If it had been another shifter group trying to take over, you’d never stand a chance. With the humans, you would have had a chance if they hadn’t eliminated your best men immediately. The guards on duty were shot before they could even fight back. There was no perimeter fence to keep them out. Your guards were unarmed because there was peace in our world then. Humans hadn’t known about us as they do now. It’s a miracle that you and Sin survived. In the other leash that was attacked before yours, no one survived, which is why nobody learned about it before the second attack. It was weeks later before anyone knew about it because they kept to themselves.”

  She knew everything he was saying was the truth but it didn’t ease the tightness in her chest or the fear that ran through her veins. His words also sent a chill through her very core. Foxes are small creatures…they’d never stand a chance against another shifter group. He was a bear and even before he’d said these words, she knew she wouldn’t win if she had to fight him. But now she wondered if he was a threat to her…

  “Hey now…” He stepped closer to her. As she backed up, he continued to close the distance until her back was pressed against the wall and his body held her there. “Don’t, Swift.”

  “Don’t what?”

  “You’re looking at me as if I’m about to kill you and your fear stains the air. I’m not here to hurt you, so quit looking at me like that.” He cupped the side of her face and gently traced his thumb over the curve of her jawbone. “I’ll protect and cherish you, if you’ll only allow me.”

  “Pro…protect me from what? You said it yourself: the men I fear are dead. Who do I need protection from? You?”

  “Never me. I’ve put my old ways behind me. I’ve changed. I mean you no harm and you know that. You’re scared and you’re letting your fears carrying you away from reality. The men who hurt your family are dead, and so are the ones who went after Zoe’s. I can’t kill someone who’s already dead. If I could, there’d be a list, starting with the assholes who killed Annie.” He took a deep breath and let it out again. “Trust me and I’ll help you through this. Come back to Crimson Hollow where you’re safe.”

  “You keep saying that. Why am I not safe here?”

  “I hadn’t planned on bringing this up but I feel it’s the best way to prove to you that you need to come home.” He looked down at her and their gazes locked before she closed her eyes to get away from the intensity of his scrutiny. “The attacks on shifters are getting worse. They choose a different animal each week and put a bounty on their head. If you can prove you’ve killed the animal of the week, you’re rewarded handsomely.”

  Startled, she’d have stepped back if she wasn’t pressed against the wall. Each night she watched the news but they never said anything. Since she had purposely avoided other shifters because she didn’t want anyone to know she was alone, she hadn’t heard about it from them, either. The news made her heart skip a beat. The world was dangerous and becoming more so each day. Maybe it would have been better if I had died with my family.

  “Are you listening to me?”

  “Are foxes…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the question.

  “No.” He slid his hand upwards to tangle his fingers in her hair. “Foxes haven’t been picked yet but it’s only a matter of time. We want to get you home before they decide to choose another animal.”

  “The threats to us…they never end, do they?”

  “Not as long as there’s scum walking this Earth.” He dropped his hand away from her and stepped back. “Now, with so many other horrors in the world, how about you trust me and let me help you?”

  “Why? Why would you want to help me? Because I’m your mate?”

  “Why should I help you?” Without breaking eye contact, he took a few steps back. “Even if you weren’t my mate, I’d help you. No one deserves what these bastards are doing. No one should have to live in fear. What happened to you is awful. You’re alive and you need to cherish each moment. I ask you again: Come back to Crimson Hollow where you’re safe. Jase, Sin, and everyone wants you back.”

  “If I can’t keep my emotions under control, Jase will have to ask me to leave.” She dragged her hands through her hair, tugging the strands just enough to feel. “I left once but if I go back, I’ll never have the courage to do it again. I’ve practically had to tie myself to the bed so I wouldn’t go running back with my tail between my legs. I’m no good for the tribe like this.”

  “We’ll work together; we’ll keep your anxiety at bay. You have to keep telling yourself that the shadows in the dark—the ones you fear—are dead. No one is coming for you. This terrorist organization hunting shifters will be eliminated, but it’s going to take time. I’ve reached out to my contacts and they’re working on stopping them. Until then, we’ve got to do our best to keep each other safe.”

  “Safe. What a joke. Is anywhere even safe anymore?” Her voice rising until she was almost yelling—but she couldn’t stop herself.

  “Jase, Ari, Kaden, and everyone else have put a lot of work into making Crimson Hollow safe. We’re stronger in a group. There are more of us to watch each other’s backs. Come home.”

  The do
or opened and Noah strolled in with the food. Even as the delicious aroma of Mexican fare drifted toward her, she couldn’t shut off her thoughts. Home. That one word sounded so heavenly. She wanted to be back there, surrounded by the people she had come to consider family. She wanted to see Sin again, and Jase, too. To be safely hidden behind the perimeter fence, with guards protecting the whole tribe. More than that, she wanted to be back in her own bed, in her own cabin.

  Chapter Four

  Brett respected Swift’s need to think it over but he’d be damned if he was going to leave her alone in that place without protection. Since there were no other rooms available in the hotel and both he and Noah agreed that she shouldn’t be alone, he was staying in her room. Thanks to some extra encouragement from Noah, she agreed to the arrangements, while Noah took a room at another hotel down the road. There were two beds and he was giving her time to think things through, but he wouldn’t allow her to be at risk just because she was stubborn.

  As she slept, he leaned against the headboard, scrolling through the channels, looking for something to watch. He hated the silence and downtime had never been something that suited him. He needed the action, to be on the go. Bears could be patient when they needed to be, but tonight wasn’t the night. Something hovered in the air, keeping his beast on edge.

  Tossing the remote on the bed, he rose and quietly crossed the room to the window. The light from the bathroom’s cracked open door was more than enough for him to see his way around the dark room. He hadn’t bothered to ask her why she’d left the light on, but the way she’d slightly opened the door so only a sliver of light streamed into the room let him know she wanted it on. It might have been because of the strange man in her room, or the unusual place—either way, if it made her feel more comfortable, he didn’t mind the light even if it shined directly on his bed.