Page 15 of Combust
Thanks to the unexpected generosity of Bearpaw Ridge’s finest, at least he wouldn’t be having this confrontation naked and hungry.
Chapter Five - Second Chances
Cade took the opportunity to study Dane Swanson as he reached the bottom of the stairs. There, Swanson paused, looking around the cellblock.
Cade’s first impression of the man was of strength, good humor, and the unshakable confidence of a true alpha male.
As expected, the senior male and enforcer of the Swanson Clan was a bear shifter in the prime of life, tall, with a powerful build and shoulders as wide as two ax handles. His short dark hair was silvered at the temples, and he had the tanned face of someone who’d spent his life mostly outdoors. He was clean-shaven, with smile lines bracketing his firm mouth and radiating out from the corners of his hazel eyes.
He was dressed in faded jeans, sturdy work boots, and a flannel shirt under a thick sheepskin jacket. He had a well-worn felt cowboy hat tucked under his arm.
Swanson smiled as he caught sight of Cade. “Cade Hunter, I presume?”
“Yes, sir,” Cade said. “Pleased to meet you.” Before he could think about it, he added, “I know why you’re here. And I don’t have any hard feelin’s. I do regret the circumstances.”
Swanson nodded gravely. His gaze swept over Cade, assessing.
Cade was acutely aware that he was unwashed, unshaven, and wearing borrowed sweats a size too small.
“Speaking of your circumstances,” Swanson said, casting a look around at the bare concrete and steel bars surrounding them. “Before I make any final decisions about hiring you, tell me your version of what happened last night.”
Final decision?That sounded like he might still be thinking about it. Cade stared at Swanson in disbelief.Is he really gonna give me a second chance?
Even weirder, the other shifter wasn’t exhibiting any of the hostility and suspicion Cade had expected from a clan enforcer encountering a clanless shifter in his territory. Especially one who’d been arrested and jailed for drunk-and-disorderly.
Well, what the hell, Cade thought. Even if Swanson was jerking him around, he wanted the opportunity to tell his side of the story.
“I’d only just rolled into town,” Cade began. “And I wanted to grab some dinner before I looked for a motel…”
Swanson listened intently as Cade related the whole sorry tale. He didn’t interrupt or ask questions. Cade wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.
“…and then a cop showed up and arrested us both,” Cade finished. He gestured at his surroundings. “You know the rest.”
“I see. So, Andrew Brunborn shifted first?” Swanson asked.
Firmly squashing the tendrils of hope sprouting in his chest, Cade nodded. “Yes, Mr. Swanson. After that, I didn’t have a choice about shiftin’ too.”
“I understand. And call me Dane,” the older man invited. “Everything you’ve told me so far squares with Maggie’s account of events.”
“You, uh, know her?” Cade had noticed a definite family resemblance between the two Swansons.
Dane smiled; a genuine expression of warmth infused with paternal pride. “My daughter. And I appreciate you coming to her aid.” Then the smile vanished. Suddenly, Dane looked genuinely fucking scary. “Maggie can handle herself just fine in most situations. But fending off a full-grown male bear shifter isn’t one of them.” He looked around at the otherwise-vacant cellblock, his eyes narrowed. His voice dropped to a low rumble infused with a growl around the edges. “Mr. Brunborn put his hands onmydaughter against her will. He’s very lucky that he’s not here right now.”
“Yeah, he was a real asshole,” Cade agreed. He couldn’t help grinning at the notion of Stuffed Shirt facing this guy. The resulting beat-down would be epic.
Fact was, Dane Swanson reminded Cade strongly of his own dad.
George Hunter had been a man who’d spoken softly and treated his family and neighbors with loving kindness. But he’d also effortlessly and ruthlessly dealt with anyone who threatened his clan.
“In any case, my mother will be having words with Kathy Brunborn. She’s in charge of the Brunborn clan, and I wonder if she knows what her grandson has been up to,” Dane said, grimly.
Cade nodded, doing his best to suppress a smirk. In bear shifter clans, the most senior women served as clan heads. In his experience, these grannies—his own late Nan included—were even scarier than their enforcers.
Good ol’ Stuffed Shirt’s gonna get what’s coming to him, one way or another.The thought warmed him.
“Dane, you doing okay down there?” Tringstad called down the stairs.
“Everything’s fine, Annika,” Dane replied. “Thanks.”
