Cynful: Halle Shifters, Book 2 (13 page)

“Nope.” She was serious. If she ever went off the rails like that she wouldn’t want to drag Glory and Tabby down with her. They’d suffered enough in their lives.

Besides, they were her family.

“Huh.” Marie shrugged. “I don’t think Livia was ever that altruistic.”

“Perhaps.” Cyn tapped her fork against her plate. “It’s also possible she thought Belle would rat her out. Let’s face it, from what I’ve heard Belle has more than proven her loyalty to the Pride. It could be that Livia pointed her toward Simon without once mentioning why she was supposed to be distracting him.” Cyn tore into another breadstick. Damn, they were
good
. Almost as good as the lasagna. “Wasn’t Belle in love with Simon? I’m pretty sure she could have been persuaded to keep him occupied.” Even Cyn had heard of Belinda and Simon; she’d been in the same high school, just a year or two behind Belle.

“She
was
in love with him. Desperately.” Marie stroked her forehead. “Maybe you’re right. But I wasn’t the only one who thought Belle had betrayed our alphas. Most of the Pride agreed with me.”

“What did they do?” God, the lasagna here was
incredible
. She’d have to drag Super Bear’s butt here sometime soon. The best part was there were no Bears or Foxes in sight.

“Everyone practically shunned Belinda.” Cyn noticed that Marie never once called the Luna Belle the way everyone else did. It was as if she refused to admit that Belle wasn’t the woman she’d always thought her to be. “But she helped Becky when she got sick, then sacrificed herself to save Sheri, and attitudes started to change. Emma and Becky both agreed that Belinda hadn’t done anything wrong. Even Max and Simon believed her.”

“But you don’t.”

Marie shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t. She had to see something was going on that night. It’s like those women who marry serial killers. How can they not know that their husbands are crazy?”

“Sometimes you see what you want to see, instead of what’s right in front of you.” Cyn had lived with someone just like that. Her mother had adored everything about her father, even the things that weren’t good for her. Oh, her father had never been abusive, but he’d controlled every aspect of their lives. Her mother had fallen apart after his death, and was still picking up the pieces.

Marie shrugged. “True.”

“So what does this have to do with my friendship with Emma?”

“I’m hoping you could put in a good word for me.” Marie winced. “It’s a lot to ask, but this isn’t just about me anymore. There are a number of Pumas who feel the same way I do about Belinda, but none of us want the Curana’s anger directed at us. We just want to heal the breech in the Pride.” She stared at Cyn, her gaze determined, and sad. “It’s gone on too long.”

Cyn had no clue what she could do to ease Marie’s pain. The woman had obviously brought this on herself. “Have you apologized?”

“Should I apologize for something I believe to be true?”

“If Belle proved to her Alphas beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was innocent, shouldn’t you grant her the courtesy of belief?”

Marie took a deep breath, then let it out in a rush. “I’ll give it some thought.”

“I hate to say it, but I think the healing needs to come from you, and all the ones who feel the way you do. I think you’re the only ones who can end it.”

Marie nodded slowly, but it was obvious she was unhappy about it. “I’ll talk to them. Thanks, Cyn.” She smiled softly. “I think we’re going to be good friends.” Marie suddenly grinned. “Now, on to more important things.” She leaned forward, her gaze darting to Cyn’s neck. “When is that hunka hunka going to mark you?” She waggled her brows with a lecherous grin.

Cyn snorted, amused. “Please. He hasn’t been properly trained yet.”

Marie laughed. “Call me if you need any pointers. Those men of ours need to be reminded who really rules the roost. Oh!” She started digging through her purse. “I have the cutest little safari hat you can borrow.

Cyn giggled as Marie shoved a cell phone in her hand. On it was a picture of Marie, safari hat perched on her head, her mate at her side. “Are those bear ears?”

“Yup. I totally made him dance too.”

“You’re nuts.” But she was Cyn’s kind of nuts. Marie was right; they were going to be good friends.

Satisfied that her Dr. Phil moment was over for the week, she polished off her lasagna and wondered what Julian would have to say about all of this.
 

She pushed thoughts of Julian aside for later. Right now, she had tiramisu to conquer.

Chapter Ten

“I’m glad you didn’t have any trouble while you were out last night.” Gabe Anderson snatched the tapping pencil out of Tabby’s fingers. “I still think it was reckless, though.”

“That’s not what Glory told me you said.” Cyn rolled her eyes and thought about how insane her friend was being. “I hate to say this, I mean I
really
hate to say this, but I think somebody should just bite her ass.” Maybe then she’d get over the massive cranky fit she was having.

“You’re just saying that because I’ve been singing Weird Al Yankovic all morning.” Glory smirked at them as she worked on the belly button ring display.

Cyn turned and glared at her. “This is revenge for the Super Grover comment.”

Glory’s baby blues went wide with fake innocence. “Can I help it if I love ‘Perform This Way’?”

Gabe cleared his throat, gaining their attention once more. “I’ll be checking in regularly with you ladies, but just in case here’s my cell number. Call me if anything seems to be even remotely off. Until we find out what these guys are after I’m not going to risk your safety.” Gabe tossed the pencil back to Tabby and sauntered out of the shop.

Glory set the display back in the case and dusted off her hands. “Be right back. Feel free to talk about me while I’m gone.”

“What the hell is up with her?” Tabby’s accent had thickened into a deep Georgia drawl, an indication of exactly how upset she was. “She’s acting like a total brat.”

“It’s that whole don’t tie-me-down thing that’s tripping her up.”

“Maybe I should change her.” Rat-a-tat-tat went Tabby’s pencil. “Maybe then she’ll understand why Ryan’s close to losing it.”

“Might not be a bad idea. If she feels that mate pull you guys talk about she’ll stop fighting it so hard.”

“At least you’ve stopped fighting it.”

Cyn shrugged. She couldn’t say she’d completely stopped fighting it, but it was more girl slap now than
Gears of War
. Julian was proving he was nothing like her father, and she was proving to herself she was nothing like her mother. Now if only she could get over the fear that he’d do a complete one-eighty once he bit her they’d be golden.

“Did I tell you, Micah called me again?” Tabby’s tapping pencil picked up speed.

The new Alpha of Tabby’s old Pack had been relentless in his attempts to try and speak with her. “Did you pick up the phone this time?”

“Hell, no. Alex still wants to go down there and find Dennis Boyd and rip him a new one. You think I’m really going to open up that can of whoop-ass on the Marietta Pack?”

Cyn shrugged. “What about your parents, have they called too?”

Tabby snorted. “Please. They tossed me away like last week’s garbage. Even if they wanted to speak to me, I don’t want to speak to them.” She wrinkled her nose as if smelling the garbage she spoke of. “Besides, my pack and my family are here.”

As long as Tabby was happy, Cyn didn’t give a rat’s ass if her friend never spoke to her biological family again. “In that case the next time he calls, tell him to fuck off.”

“Genteelly, of course.” She picked up the pencil and stared at it cross eyed.

“Uh-huh.” What the hell was Tabby doing?

“Because I’m a lady.” She sniffed along the pencil, starting when she poked her nose with the tip.

“More like a puppy. Don’t eat that, you don’t know where it’s been.”

Cyn ducked as Tabby threw the pencil at her head. She sniffed the air in short staccato bursts, then snorted much like a dog would. “What is that funky smell?”

The sound of a toilet flushing made Cyn giggle.

“Not that!” Tabby’s nose scrunched up. “Although that’s pretty ripe too.”

Glory stepped out from behind the employees’ only curtain and eyed Cyn, who was still giggling like a loon. “What the hell is wrong with her?”

“Do you smell something funky?”

Glory blushed and dug her toe into the worn linoleum. “Um, yeah, I’m sorry about that. See, I had cheese with lunch, and—”

“No! It doesn’t smell…biological.”

Cyn took a deep breath, but all she could smell was the shop itself. It was a combination of ink and paper and dust and glass cleaner, just like always. “I don’t smell anything.”

Tabby’s nose wrinkled. “You can’t smell that? It’s like, kind of, ick.” She was practically gagging. She pulled the edge of her shirt away from her neck and pulled it up to her nose, sniffing cautiously.

“Are you smelling coffee again?” Recently the smell of coffee made Tabby nauseous. Thank God she wasn’t living in the apartment anymore. Glory would’ve had to kill her. Glory without her morning coffee was like the Terminator without John Connor—bat-shit insane and absolutely lethal.

Tabby wrinkled her nose in disgust. “No, it’s not coffee. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything quite like it before.”

Cyn looked over at Glory who shook her head. “I can’t smell a thing.”

Cyn bit her lip, but it really wasn’t that hard a decision to make. “I think this qualifies as anything weird. Call Gabe.”

“On it.” Glory pulled out her cell phone. She must have put the sheriff on speed dial, because within two seconds she was talking to him.

“I’m going to find where the hell that’s coming from.” Tabby stalked out from behind the counter and headed toward the back, into the employee–only area. “What is it?” She was muttering to herself as she followed the scent to the back door.

Cyn stuck to her like glue. No way was she letting Tabby go out there by herself. She grabbed hold of Tabby’s arm. “Let’s wait for Gabe.”

Tabby’s eyes had turned golden brown, her Wolf’s eyes. “I have a
really
bad feeling about this.”

She trusted Tabby’s instincts. They’d sharpened since her friend had gotten pregnant. Cyn pulled Tabby back and away from the door. “Let’s get out of here.”

Glory was already out front, waiting for them. “I was just about to go in to pull you guys out. Gabe wants us to wait out here for him. He also wants to know what it smelled like.”

“It was plastic and metal and…motor oil? Maybe? And something I can’t even describe.”

Gabe pulled up to the curb, lights flashing but sirens silent. He got out of his cruiser and sprinted toward the girls. “All right, Tabby, come with me.” He pulled Tabby off to the side and whispered in her ear. Tabby in turn whispered back.

Gabe paled and pushed Tabby toward the street. “You three, get across the street
now
.” He then sprinted for the back of the shop at breakneck speed.

Cyn didn’t need to be told twice. She ran across the street and into the dry cleaners. “What the fuck is going on?”

Gabe came running back from around the corner of the building, his expression grim. He leaned into the cruiser, but Cyn couldn’t see what he was doing.

Before too long he was jogging across the street. “Follow me.”

Cyn, Tabby and Glory followed him to the corner. “Listen carefully.” He was talking so softly Cyn could barely hear him. “I think there’s a pipe bomb at your back door.”

“A
what
?” Cold fury rushed through her. Whoever was after them had gone too far. A pipe bomb wouldn’t just do property damage. The damn things were meant to kill people.

“I’ve already sent for the bomb squad. I want you girls to wait here until I tell you otherwise.”

Cyn clenched her fists. “Tabby, did you scent Cheetah again?”

“No. It was…strange. Not human, I know that.” She rubbed her nose. “It’s really weird. I’d swear I smelled deer.”

Cyn’s brows rose in surprise. “There are deer shifters?”

“No. That’s what’s so strange about it. I could scent deer and charcoal and wool, but nothing else.”

“Was that the scent that you couldn’t describe?” Glory was playing with her hair, twisting the curls around her fingers over and over again. She was scared, and desperately trying not to show it.

“No. Maybe it was the explosive I smelled.” Tabby groaned as a familiar motorcycle pulled up in front of them. “I didn’t do anything.”

The smile in Alex’s face was easy-going, but his dark brown bear’s eyes betrayed his uneasiness. “Tell me my mate wasn’t threatened
again
.”

Gabe sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s going to be a long day, isn’t it?”

Alex spun on his heel and marched toward the tattoo shop. Tabby raced after him and latched onto his arm. “No, Alex!”

“Come back here so I can explain everything to you.” Gabe grabbed hold of Alex’s other arm. “Look over there. My deputies are starting to clear out the businesses around the tattoo shop. You
can’t
go over there right now.”