Sheryl Nantus: Family Pride

There weren’t too many Felis who married humans.

“The Penscotta Board couldn’t have been too happy.” I glanced at Bran. He’d almost been killed by one of their overzealous members in an effort to keep another deep secret.

“A slight protest, more for show than anything else,” Jess said. “But it’s all for the best. We’ve got a few of them relocating up here, believe it or not.”

“Not Trace,” Bran growled.

“No.” There was a touch of joviality in Jess’s voice. “Don’t worry—he knows his place.”

“Far away from me. And Reb,” Bran answered.

I felt a little rush of pride. It’d taken time, effort and bloodshed but Bran had finally won the grudging acceptance of the Felis and declared me his mate. He didn’t have too many kind feelings for Trace, who had tried to convince me I’d be happier married to a Felis—specifically, him.

“You could have told me all this over the phone and avoided this entire situation,” I said.

“I could have.” Jess pulled an envelope out of her jacket pocket and laid it on the table. She turned the heat off under the screeching kettle and busied herself with filling the Brown Betty with hot water and fresh teabags. “I thought I’d stop on by and see how you were doing, given your new, ah, situation. Taking a human as a mate sounds...interesting.” A tinge of red dyed her cheeks.

Bran gave her a wide grin. “I’m enjoying it.”

She scowled at him but there was a trace of humor underlying her threat. “I’m talking to Reb. Don’t want her breaking you in half.”

Bran puffed his chest out and flexed his biceps. “I’m holding my own.”

She dragged her eyes over him just slowly enough to make Bran flinch. “I’ve seen better.”

I cleared my throat. “We’re fine, thank you.” I opened the package and flicked through the thick wad of twenty-dollar bills inside. “You already paid me.”

Jess pulled down three mugs from the cupboard and poured out the tea. “The Penscotta Board decided to send up a bonus. They may be pissed at us but they appreciated your help.” She added a dash of milk to two of them and passed one mug to me. “Seems you made quite the impression on them. The club is making the Pride a lot of money and it’s helping relocate the wanderers along with boosting the local economy.”

“I did my job.” I spun the tea around in the mug, watching the caramel-colored liquid swirl. “I did what you asked me to do. I found the killer.”

Bran slipped by me to prepare his own tea, accepting the subtle snub.

Jess took a tentative sip from the mug. “You kept our secret in a rather dicey situation. That’s more important.”

I shrugged, not wanting to pursue an argument. I wasn’t going to pass up free money. “Give them my thanks.”

“I will.” Jess gestured at the door. “The parents.”

“I’ll take care of it,” I said. “Don’t worry.”

“It’s my job to worry where you’re involved.” Jess looked at Bran. “You’d be best to remember that. Keep me informed on how this turns out.” She put the tea down half-drunk and walked out of the kitchen.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Damn. She still scares the shit out of me on the good days.” I fondled the thick packet of money. “But I am looking forward to putting this in the bank. Saving for a rainy day and all that—it’ll be nice not to worry about where my next paycheck is coming from for a bit.”

Bran’s expression turned solemn. “I am so damned sorry about this entire situation.” He cradled the mug in both hands, leaning on the counter. “I’d forgotten what bastards they could be.”

“I assume you’re talking about your parents. Consider it payback for me inflicting Jess on you.”

“Not equal by a long shot.” He took a drink. “I’d put my money on my parents over Jess, any day.” The fear returned to his voice. “I can’t believe they pulled the file on you.”

“They’re looking out for their son. Understandable.” I tried not to grit my teeth. “They’re not going to find anything.” I could hear the fear in my own words.

“Jess wasn’t impressed they dug up her name.” Bran finished off the tea in a gulp. “And neither am I. If they start digging too deep...” He bit down on his lower lip before continuing. “They use good investigators. Not too cheap and just pushy enough to get what they want. Scum.”

I raised one eyebrow.

“Present company excepted.”

“They can dig as much as they want as deep as they want. There’s nothing to find.” I poured out Jess’s tea into the sink and added Bran’s empty mug. “I went into the foster system at fifteen years old. I’ve got more documentation and paperwork out there on me than most people.” It took a concentrated effort to still my trembling fingers as I grabbed my own drink. “Jess’s people know their job. They won’t find anything other than what we want them to find.” I sipped the tea, relishing the warmth. “Better people have tried over the years and not succeeded. I doubt some overpaid punks are going to excavate anything worth worrying about.”

Bran tilted his head to one side and smiled. “Are you trying to convince yourself or me?”

I sighed. “Whatever’s needed to make this go away. We need it to go away.” I bit down on the last two words.

“I can’t believe they’re still pulling this shit at my age.” Bran huffed. “And now we’re going to Sergio’s for dinner. I am so bloody sorry about this.”

I pulled away from my worries about the report and fell into pre-dinner jitters. “What’s wrong with Sergio’s? I hear they’ve got nice food.” In my mind I flipped through my wardrobe, trying to find something appropriate. The classic black dress would have to do—I didn’t have anything else and there wasn’t time to go shopping.

“Sergio’s is where my father takes his business partners. It’s a way for him to show off how much money he’s got.”

“So what’s wrong with that?”

Bran grunted. “He never does anything without a reason. There’s someone there he wants to impress, some point he wants to make, someone he wants to see us there. He doesn’t go to Sergio’s other than to see and be seen.” He ran a hand through his red hair. “We should start getting ready. I have to go back to the condo and get a suit.” He gestured down at his bare chest and jeans. “Definitely not getting in like this.”

I moved in for a kiss, hoping to soothe his jangled nerves. “Good enough for me. And that’s all that matters.” I reached around and squeezed his ass. “I prefer you naked anyway.

“That’s a dress code I can get with.” He gave me a sheepish smile before pulling away. “I’ll come by at seven. Give us plenty of time to panic and for you to change outfits three times before heading out.”

I sighed. “You know me too well.”

He snatched a quick kiss before heading upstairs to find his shirt and shoes. “Don’t get stressed.”

“‘Don’t get stressed’ he says,” I groused to Jazz, who had managed to cover even more counter space, almost falling into the sink. “Because we nosh at Sergio’s every night.”

Jazz yawned and chewed on one of her toes, leaving me with half a pot of tea and a full stomach of butterflies. What had started out as a lazy, dazy day was quickly turning into a crisis of epic proportions.

The little black dress still fit, thank God—after a few tugs and pulls in various places. I dug up a pair of matching shoes with a respectable heel that wouldn’t cripple me. I wasn’t worried about running from the scene of the crime but I didn’t need to be wobbling like a newborn kitten.

The doorbell rang at seven exactly.