Page 62 of Warlander Beast Cat

“And if there’s not?” Lucas asked. “You will show up either way.”

“I’ll have to check my schedule, dick,” he muttered, scrubbing his hands down his face.

“Fine! Bring food, I don’t care.”

“I’ll bring the popcorn,” Cadence whispered. He knew he was supposed to be serious right now because Lucas looked mad, but Cadence made the mistake of looking at him and he burst out laughing. “Ow!” he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his ribs.

Lucas slapped him on the back of the head as he passed, but at the door, he stopped and muttered something under his breath. Kru was pretty sure he’d said something alone the lines of, “I’m glad you’re alive,” but the Alpha also could’ve said, “Off a cliff I’ll drive.” Who knew?

“Where’s Gunner,” Kru asked as he struggled to stand on shaky legs. “And also where are my clothes?” he muttered, frowning down at his dick that was definitely all the way out of the blanket that had fallen down his legs.

“You don’t remember?” Cadence asked.

“Did we fuck?”

“Five times,” she lied without missing a beat. “No, I have no idea how you made it back from the logging site to here, but you had your phone and your truck is parked outside.”

He buried his face in his hands and scrubbed his palms down his beard. “I’m going to be late for work.”

“You’re off work for a few days. Gunner destroyed your jobsite and the yarder is smashed to smithereens. Kong is the one who asked me to check on you. He doesn’t expect you back today. Trust me.”

“Where’s Gunner?” he asked again.

Cadence was on her way to the kitchen, and he could see the tension in her shoulders building. “Doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me,” he said softly.

“Lucas is making him pay for fighting his Crew. I think we’re supposed to leave him alone.”

That didn’t sit well with Kru. “I saw his eyes.”

Cadence pulled a Tupperware container of what looked like his mom’s casserole out of the fridge. “What do you mean?”

“He didn’t want to hurt me any more than I wanted to hurt him.”

“Yeah, well, he almost got you killed. Lucas has feelings about that, and I do too.” She turned to him and he could see the hurt in her eyes. “I thought I lost you.” She shook her head. “I never want to go through that again.”

And he couldn’t imagine it. He couldn’t imagine if the roles were reversed, and he was trying to get to Cadence when she was hurt. He would’ve gone mad. He got that, but still…he couldn’t unsee the look in Gunner’s eyes as he’d charged down the hill. It was as if the bear was pleading with him to just get out of the way.

“I understand the way Gunner is broken,” he murmured low.

Cadence stopped scooping casserole onto a paper plate and lifted her eyes to him. “You have control now.”

“Maybe. I remember how much I hated when I didn’t, though. Gunner isn’t there yet.”

“Lucas wants him punished. Lucas is Alpha.”

Kru nodded and said, “I understand that.”

“You’re still going to find him,” she guessed.

Kru allowed a smile. “I need you to let me. I need you to trust me.”

“You gonna save him, Kru?” she asked softly.

“I’m gonna try.”

She let off a sigh and locked her arms against the kitchen counter, leveled him with those gorgeous blue eyes of hers. “Last I saw him, he was headed into the woods.”

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