Page 53 of Trusting Her Bear

“Thank you.”

“What are brothers for?” he says. He hits my shoulder and, in the next second, is gone.

Shit. He had to rub in the fact that it’s my fault that we haven’t been in each other's lives. I shake my head with a grin and start jogging back to the truck. It felt good to be with them again. I felt the need to push them away, but they didn’t do anything wrong. I was trying to escape my demons.

I hope Steph hasn’t eaten yet. Honestly, I don’t care what we do as long as I am in her presence. I have to tell her everything. I fear she won’t accept it and will look at me differently.

I reach the truck and jump in, grabbing my phone from the glove compartment. I power it on and see I have several missed calls from Sally. Before I can look at the messages, it rings.

“Sally, I promise I will let you have your first day tomorrow,” I say when I answer.

“You need to get here now,” she says urgently.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, panicked. I start the truck and hit the gas, turning around.

“Steph got a message.”

“Fuck,” I growl.

“Yes. It’s not good.”

“Right. I’ll be there in fifteen.” I end the call and throw the phone on the passenger seat.

I pray my mate has enough trust in me to believe the words I will have to say and love me in spite of them.

“Where is she?” I ask Sally and Breeane as I burst through the apartment door.

“She’s in the bedroom. She won’t come out or let us in,” Breeane says. “What is going on?”

“No offense, but I need to tell her that first.” I turn, holding the door open for them. “I need you to leave.”

“Quinn,” Breeane starts.

“Do you think I’m going to hurt her?” I ask harshly.

“Not physically. But there are other ways to hurt her.”

“I get it. I need to explain, and I don’t need an audience. I’ll have her call you when we are done.”

“Come on,” Sally says, grabbing her arm. “I’ll buy you some ice cream.”

I shut the door after them, locking it.

I walk to the bedroom door, take a deep breath, and wait until I hear the front door close, ensuring we are alone. I’m surprised the knob turns easily; I assumed she locked it. The room is dark as I step in, and I look toward the closet.

My heart breaks a little when I see my mate huddled under the blankets, sitting on the floor, her knees to her chest. I take slow, steady steps closer. Her eyes track my progress, but she doesn’t move. I stop in the doorway and crouch down, my arms hanging loosely over my knees.

“Will you listen?” I ask softly.

She holds my stare for a moment and then nods slightly. “Yes,” she whispers.

“Thank you.” I press my palm to the floor and ease to my ass, my back to the frame, my legs bent, my boots on either side of the door. “When my mom left when I was seventeen, I was so fucking angry. I hated everything. I fought anyone willing. I got in so much trouble, not only from my dad but the human police. My dad didn’t know what to do with me.” I rest my forearm on my knee. “The last time I walked out of a police station, a man was waiting for me. He was big and rough. I still don’t know how he knew about me, but since I’ve known him for years now, I assume he heard things and had me followed.

“He is a vampire, and his name is Micah. He is the one you met. He’s been around for a very long time. He offered me a way to channel my anger. The money was a big incentive since I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing with my life. I didn’t have a lot of experience with vampires, so of course, I was hesitant, but I agreed to listen.

“The jobs were dangerous, but so were the shifters we killed.” I stare at the wall, afraid to see her reaction. “Not all shifters are good. Just like in the human world, some shifters do the most brutal things you can imagine. There are serial killers who are human; imagine a shifter or vampire with enhanced abilities killing others to satisfy their sick desires. Those people were our missions. We tracked, researched, planned, and killed those of our kind.

“For twelve years, I worked with Micah, but we had another member of our team. His name is Heath.”

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