Abby's Heart (Bryant Station Curves) (2 page)

Abby shook her head. “Let’s get the hole drilled and put in the camera. With a little luck,
there’s nothing there that will cause any kind of delays. I want to get the reinforcements in place by the end of the month so we can start gutting the buildings by the middle of next month. I’ve got too many people already lined up to have any delays.”

Billy smiled.

Abby’s love of old buildings and her engineering degree had convinced the Alpha to expand the construction company into renovation.  Abby’s innovations and her eye for details caused the renovation side of the company to expand, and it was now number one in profits of all the Wolfe Enterprises companies. They could select what projects they wanted to do from the multiple requests they received each month.

Abby walked up and down the wall, studying it. “I think this may be the best place.” She looked up. The wall went all the way up to the ceiling of the basement. “Take it slow when you drill. Don’t force it,” she said as she looked over at Billy. He was standing just outside the light, but she could see his shadowed outline.

Billy handed Abby the pen camera case and set the plastic drill case on the floor several feet from the wall. As soon as he took out the drill and a couple of drill bits, Abby put her tablet into the drill case and closed it. She opened the camera case, pulled out the pen camera, and set it up.

“Are you ready?”

Abby glanced over at her cousin. “I’m ready.” She pointed her flashlight to the section of wall she wanted him to drill into.

Billy nodded. He stepped up to the wall and started drilling a hole into it.

The wall made several strange popping and cracking noises as he drilled through it, but not one chunk fell.  After several minutes, the drill bit broke through the other side of the wall. Billy stepped back and put the drill down. “You want me to do that?” he asked Abby.

“I’ve got it.” She stepped forward and slowly pushed the pen camera into the opening Billy had made. The wall made several loud pops.

“Abby get away from the wall!”

She heard
Billy’s warning and looked up. Abby dropped the pen camera and jumped back just as the wall fell, burying her under bricks and plaster.

Skylar put the file into the file cabinet and closed the drawer. He looked around the office. His desk was finally clear of paperwork and receipts. It had only taken him all morning, but it
was done.

“I really need to hire a new secretary to take care of all the paperwork,” he said aloud. “Too bad she’s not here to put the notice in the newspaper.”

He grabbed his yellow hardhat off the top of the file cabinet and plopped it onto his head. Without another look back, he opened the door and stepped out of the trailer that served as his office on construction sites. Closing and locking the door, Skylar went down the steps.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky as he slowly let it out. He really hated being cooped up inside with paperwork. Skylar looked around the construction site. The apartment buildings were in various stages of completion. The whole place buzzed with activity.

Skylar smiled. “This is where I belong, outside in the middle of the action.”

We belong with our mate.

Skylar sighed.
She ran away from us.

Not we.
You. She ran away from you because of what you did,
growled his bear.

It
doesn’t matter who she ran away from, all that matters is that she is gone.

You were stupid. We could have our mate and cubs. You should have gone after her.

I tried,
said Skylar.

You tried when it was too late. You may not want our mate, but I do.
His bear growled and swatted at Skylar’s ribs.

Quit that and settle down.

Find our mate!

I
couldn’t find her then, what makes you think I could find her now? It has been fifteen years.

Find our mate.
His bear raked his claws across Skylar’s insides causing him to almost double over from the pain.

Go lay down now. Too many years have passed. Our mate is gone. We just have to deal with that fact.

His bear made an odd, lonely grunt. It shook its massive head at Skylar before it turned its back to the man.

Skylar sighed. It had been years since he stupidly lost his mate. It was bad enough that he blamed himself, but his bear refused to speak of anything except finding their mate. Skylar wished he knew where to look. He tried finding her right after she disappeared, but it was as if she had dropped off the face of the earth.

“Hey Anderson, looks like you survived that mountain of papers,” said Jerry Morton, the new foreman Skylar hired a couple of months ago.

“Don’t know about that. I’ve got a few paper cuts.” Skylar was glad for the distraction from the thoughts of his missing mate.

“I hate to do this to you, but I’ve got more papers for you.” Jerry held out a handful of receipts and work orders.

“Great, just what I wanted.”

“It sucks running a company. You don’t have enough money to pay me to do it.” Jerry laughed. His entire body shook. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” He turned and walked away.

“Fuck!” Skyler turned around and went back up the stairs. “Can this day get any worse?” He unlocked the door and went back inside the trailer, slamming the door behind him. He threw his hardhat on top of the file cabinet. It slid over the side and bounced across the floor. Skylar clenched his jaws. He closed his eyes and counted to ten. Between needing a secretary to deal with the mundane paperwork chores, the way his bear was acting, and his own buried feelings, Skylar was ready to pound something.

The shrill chirp of his cellphone filled the trailer.

Skylar jerked the cellphone out of the clip on his belt. “Anderson.”

“Uncle Skylar, you have to go save her. I don’t know how bad she’s hurt, but she is hurt.”

“Whoa, slow down. What are you talking about Ben? Where are you?”

“I’m at home. Grandma just dropped off Haley.”

“How bad is Haley hurt?” A chill went down Skylar’s spine. He knew Jason and Tara were coming home today from a book signing in Dallas. He glanced at the clock. They
wouldn’t be home for a couple more hours.

“Haley’s not hurt.
I'm not talking about Haley. Haley is fine. I’m talking about your mate. She’s hurt.”

“Ben, you’re not making much sense. Who is hurt?” Skylar’s frustration grew.

“I can’t leave Haley alone, and I can’t drive to town with her in the truck. I just got my driver’s license and if Uncle Todd already caught me driving without an adult with me. If he caught me driving with Haley and no adult in the truck, I would never get a driver’s license.” Ben sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. “Your mate is in danger. The darkness is after her. All I know is that she is hurt. I don’t know how bad her injuries are, but you have to go to her and help her.”

Skylar stared at his cellphone.

Our mate is hurt.

Skylar
didn’t answer his bear.

Must go save mate!
His bear stood up.

Skylar swallowed. His skin itched.

Want mate. Mate hurt
. His bear shoved against him.

Skylar shoved his bear hard.

“Uncle Skylar?”

“Ben, I don’t have a mate. You’re mistaken,” Skylar said through clenched teeth. Beads of sweat popped up across his forehead.

“Yes, you do, and she needs you,” said Ben.

Tremors shot through Skylar’s body as his bear tried forcing his way out. This
wasn’t the first time he had struggled with his bear for control, and he doubted it would be the last time. Skylar dug deep and pulled every extra reserve of strength. He quickly wrapped it around the bear, caging him.

“I’ve already told you. I
don’t have a mate. You have the wrong person.”

“No I don’t.”

“Shouldn’t you be worrying about making the Junior Varsity football team?”

Ben snorted. “You’re mate is here. The darkness will kill her. It wants to kill her. Only you can save her. Only you can save your mate. Only you can save Abby.”

Skylar’s legs gave out and he sank to the floor. “What did you say?”

Ben did not answer.

“Ben?” Skylar looked at his cellphone and realized Ben had hung up on him.

We must save our mate.
His bear pushed against its confines.

Skylar’s mind raced. He had not told anyone he had a mate or even what her name was, not even his dad knew about what had happened. So, how did Ben know? Was she
really here? What was she doing in Bryant Station? Skylar was afraid to hope, afraid it wasn’t her.

We must go to our mate.

You’re not going anywhere.

I am going to mate even if you are not.
His bear raked its claws against its confines.

She
didn’t want us. She ran away.

Because you showed her, she did not mean anything to you.

How can you say she didn’t mean anything? She was our mate,
said Skylar.

Mate should have been in bed, not bad smelling female who was not our mate.

I don’t know how I ended up in bed with her.

You are stupid. I pay for you being stupid. I do not have my mate.

I don’t have my mate either,
said Skylar.

You do not care about mate. You will not let me save her.

I care about her. I want her to be here as much as you do, but the sight of a thousand pound Kodiak bear running down Main Street will only get us shot by some foolish human.

Skylar’s
bear growled and rammed its head against the cage. It snarled one more time at Skylar then turned its back to him.

Skylar sighed. He pushed into a sitting position and leaned against the desk. He wanted to believe Abby was here in town, but he was afraid to hope. Would she talk to him, or would she run away again? Skylar closed his eyes. The thought of Abby being in danger ripped through his gut like a knife, but he had no idea where to look.

He picked up his cellphone and pulled up his contact list. Maybe Ben knew where she was. Skylar was about to press Ben’ name when the phone started chirping.

“What do you want?” asked Skylar as soon as he accepted the call from David, his cousin and architect.

“Is that how you answer your phone? Where the hell are you?”

“Yes, it is.
I’m at work. What do you want? I’m kind of busy right now.”

“You were supposed to be here, at my office, about ten minutes ago,” said David.

“Great!” Skylar ran his hand down his face. “Can anything else go wrong today?”

“Are you okay?” David heard a strained undertone in Skylar’s voice.

“Just another fight with my bear.”

There was a pause.

“We need to find out what’s going on with you two before one of you really hurts the other. This has been going on for too many years.” Concern filled David’s voice

“There’s not much anyone can do.”

“We can get the family together. We can figure out what’s wrong.” David knew there was something very wrong. The battles Skylar was having with his bear were getting worse. He wasn’t even sure when Skylar last shifted and let his bear run.

“There’s nothing you or anyone else in the family can do. I just have to deal with it. I’ll be at your office in fifteen minutes.” Skylar’s voice was icy cold.

“That would be good. You’re lucky. The people from Wolfe Renovations aren’t here either. Pull yourself together and get your butt over here.” 

The line went dead.

“What is the deal with everyone hanging up on me today?” Skylar shook his head.

His bear made a low grunt.

You had better behave yourself,
Skylar warned his bear.

Want my mate.

It has been fifteen years. It’s time for you to drop it.

His bear snorted, but put its head down on its paws.

Skylar got up off the floor. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a ragged breath. He didn’t know how much more he could endure. Something was going to give. Either he or his bear was going to snap. Skylar was surprised his family hadn’t shipped him off already.

Fifteen years of fighting with his bear.

Fifteen years of his bear caged up inside of him.

Fifteen years of celibacy because his bear refused to accept anyone but their mate.

Skylar knew his family was worried, but how could he face them and finally tell them the truth after fifteen years of lying to them. There was no way around it. He was an asshole, not only to his family
but to his mate.

Abby was right to run from him.

He didn’t deserve her.

Skylar turned out the lights and left the trailer.