Heat Rising [Brac Village 5] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (10 page)

And here he thought he was invincible when it came to love.

He needed to be committed.

Once all three were in the truck, Bear pulled from the police station. Spencer was seated in the middle, his thigh and arm touching Bear’s. All he wanted to do right now was show his mate just what the guy meant to him. He just had to figure out how.

“Where are we heading?” Spencer asked when Bear passed The Pit.

“You’ll see.” Even though Bear hadn’t a clue about broken hearts, he knew Spencer was right. They couldn’t just leave the poor guy to his own misery.

So, he was doing the only thing he could think of.

“Tate’s Resource Center?” Bailey asked as he glanced from the building Bear was pulling in front of over to Bear. “Why are you coming here?”

“Because,” Bear answered as he felt the argument coming. “You need help.”

“I’m not talking to a damn shrink,” Bailey protested, his eyes lowering to slits as he sat back, crossing his arms over his chest.

The man was forcing Bear’s hand. He didn’t want to be a prick, but he couldn’t let the man go home and cry himself to sleep in the dark, or do something he would regret. “Get the help you need or find another job.” Technically Bear couldn’t fire Bailey, but if Bailey didn’t know that, then he was going to use any means necessary to help the guy through this.

“You would seriously fire me?” Bailey nearly shouted as he jerked sideways in his seat. “That’s blackmail!”

“Call it what you want. Now, get out and follow me.” Bear used his no-nonsense tone, the one that told his men he was at the end of his rope and about to hurt someone. With stiff, jerky moves, Bailey got out of the truck, slamming the door behind him.

Bear didn’t give a shit how angry the man was. He needed help. If he had to bend the man’s arm to the point of breaking it, that was what he was going to do.

He would love to get a hold of that Harley fella and kick his ass out of town. But that wasn’t his call. Bear had learned in life that people like Harley always got what they had coming to them.

A person couldn’t go around messing with people’s hearts and not pay a price. If Bailey was feeling just an eighth of what Bear was going through, he was going to need some serious intervention. Bear didn’t protest when his mate laid an arm around Bailey’s shoulder and walked the man inside the resource center.

It was Monday and Spencer was back at work, his boss giving him the evil eye. Damn Bear and his talk about honesty. Priest looked as if he wanted to skin Spencer alive. He was trying his best to hide out in the office, but when Priest came in there and started slamming drawers of the cabinet, Spencer knew he needed some air.

“Spencer!”

And it looked like his day was going to crash and burn. Recker walked into The Pit, looking as if he was chewing nails. “Where the hell have you been?”

He so didn’t need this. Spencer was dealing with enough. He was still deeply shaken from watching the cashier at the gas station being shot, worried about Bailey, and Bear had asked Spencer to move in with him. On top of all of that, Priest was acting like a loon.

“Outside,” Spencer said angrily, pointing toward the exit. He loved Recker dearly, but the guy needed a hobby. Making sure everyone in the house never came to harm was not a healthy pastime.

And Recker focused more on Spencer than the rest because he was the smallest. Spencer needed a vacation.

“Where were you this weekend?” Recker asked before Spencer made it out the door. “You didn’t call or come back home.”

Spencer started to give his best friend a smart-ass reply, but knew Recker couldn’t help the way he felt. The man was terrified of losing someone else he cared about. Spencer grabbed the rhino’s hand and pulled him to the side of the building so they wouldn’t give anyone a show.

“Bear mated me. We were spending time together.”

Recker’s light-blue eyes darkened as he took a step closer to Spencer, grabbing his chin and turning his head to the side. “Yeah, then what was it I heard about you being hurt in a robbery?”

Spencer slumped his shoulders as he exhaled loudly. “I’m fine, Recker. I wasn’t hurt.”

“Why are you being so stubborn with me, Spence? Why are you getting mad because I care? You’ve changed.” Recker released Spencer’s jaw and he could see the hurt in Recker’s eyes. That wasn’t what Spencer wanted. He didn’t want to alienate his friend. But how could he explain to the unreasonable man that he was newly mated and Bear was his moon and stars?

All Spencer wanted to do was spend every free moment with the grizzly bear. Recker had never been in love and wouldn’t understand the emotional roller coaster he was experiencing. “I haven’t changed, Recker,” Spencer said as he bumped his arm into Recker’s. “I’m just in love.”

His best friend’s expression looked contemplative as he chewed on Spencer’s words. “But I don’t get to see you that much anymore. If that is what love does to a person, you can keep it.”

Spencer chuckled. “You say that now, but wait until you find your mate.”

Recker grunted.

“I tell you what. Why don’t you and I go catch a movie tonight?” Spencer slipped his arm into the rhino’s, pulling gently. “Come on, just you and me, like old times.”

That gained a smile from Recker. The man was truly stunning. Whoever his mate was, the guy was going to be one lucky fella. Recker—even with his short temper—was quite the catch. The man had a very bashful side that not many knew about.

“I’ll pick you up after work.”

Leaning up, Spencer pecked his friend on the cheek and then patted his arm. “We’ll gorge ourselves on popcorn and candy.”

“What color is my shirt?” Leigh asked jokingly as he walked through the parking lot, heading into the building.

Before Spencer could grab Recker, his best friend was across the parking lot. He landed a solid punch to Leigh’s jaw, sending the human flying. “Recker!” Spencer shouted as he jumped on the man’s back.

Oh, god! Was Leigh dead? Recker was thick with muscles and as solid as a brick wall. The man could cause fatal damage if he wasn’t careful. “What have you done?” Spencer whispered when he didn’t see Leigh moving.

“I didn’t mean to hurt him,” Recker said as he ran his hands over his head, agitation clear in his voice. “I just hate the way he teases me. He’s mean.”

“Shit!” Priest shouted as he hurried outside and dropped to his knees next to Leigh’s prone body. “Call an ambulance, Spencer.”

Recker backed up, his hands shaking as he watched Priest check Leigh. Spencer wasn’t sure what to do. He was so damn scared that he was dizzy. If Recker had killed the man…
Fuck!

Spencer had a difficult time dialing his phone. His fingers were trembling so badly. He dialed the emergency number as he hurried over to Recker. His best friend was covering his head with his hands, bending at the waist as he shouted that he didn’t mean to hurt Leigh.

Spencer ran his hand over the man’s head as he told the operator what happened and that they needed an ambulance. God, he was going to be sick. He couldn’t let his best friend go to jail, but he knew that what Leigh had done hadn’t warranted a death sentence.

“He’s breathing,” Priest said with relief over his shoulder. “But I think his jaw is broken. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a brain contusion as well.”

“I’m so sorry, Spence.” Recker rocked back and forth as he squatted. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered the second time.

Spencer quickly dialed the phone once again. He needed Bear here. The cops were going to show up, and he needed someone to help him keep Recker from going wild with guilt.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Priest shouted in Recker’s direction, the anger making the man’s eyes turn demonic. “You could have killed him!”

Spencer dropped his phone to the ground when Recker jerked to a standing position. He slammed his hands into the man’s chest, trying his best to keep Recker from going after Priest. The siren from the ambulance could be heard as well as another siren, a different tone. The cops were on their way as well.

“I didn’t mean to hurt him! He’s a very mean man. Someone needs to put a leash on him!” Recker was shouting at the top of his lungs when the ambulance pulled up. Spencer wasn’t sure what was going on. The paramedics didn’t get out. As a matter of fact, they backed the ambulance up.

A cop car flew into the parking lot seconds later, two officers jumping out, shielding themselves behind the door as they drew their guns. “Get on the ground!”

One cop was aiming his gun at Recker, the other at Priest. Spencer knew that all they saw were two extremely large men arguing with each other, a skinny guy passed out on the ground. They weren’t taking any chances.

“Recker, please,” Spencer begged. “Get on the ground before they shoot you.” He could feel the tears burning his eyes as he tried to get his best friend to look at him. Recker was becoming even more agitated. Spencer feared for his friend’s life. “Recker, get down!” Spencer shouted at his friend, trying to jolt him into focusing.

Bear pulled up and got out, immediately putting his hands up in the air. His eyes flickered from Leigh, to Recker, and then finally landed on Spencer, before he glanced at the cops. “Fire Chief Bear Callahan. Can I try and talk to him?”

Both cops looked uncertain. “Just don’t get too close,” one of them warned.

Bear nodded. He turned toward Spencer. “Since I had no clue what was going on from the shouts I heard in the phone, I called Maverick.”

Spencer wanted to scream out his frustration. This was getting out of hand. Wasn’t he just planning an evening at the movies? How had everything gone so wrong? He waved toward Leigh, who was still unconscious. “Help him. Recker isn’t going to hurt anyone.”

The cops hesitated and then waved the paramedics over. They quickly collared Leigh and then placed him on some sort of board before hurrying him away from the scene. Spencer could hear the sound of motorcycles off in the distance and felt like he was going to throw up. If the alpha made Recker leave town, Spencer wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He wouldn’t let his friend go this alone.

“What happened, Recker?” Bear asked in a calm, even tone.

Recker dropped to his ass, his legs bent, and his arms resting on his knees. “I lost my temper.”

And that would be an understatement.

Spencer moved closer to Recker when Maverick pulled into the parking lot, riding five deep. His damn knees buckled when he saw the men with the alpha. He knew three of the men were the Santiago brothers that ran the motorcycle shop. Their expressions were deadly as they dismounted. There was no way in hell Spencer would ever want to tangle with those three.

The other person was Hawk.

Spencer’s mouth went dry. The man was not the same guy who had come over for the cookout. No, this guy looked like he murdered people for a living. Gone was the carefree smile, replaced by a lethal scowl.

“What’s going on?” Maverick asked as he pushed his kickstand into place and stood to his full height. He was the tallest person Spencer had ever met. The guy was so freaking tall that Spencer always felt like he was going to get a nosebleed whenever he looked up at the alpha. Pointing at the cops, Maverick said, “You can put those away.”

One of the cops shook his head rapidly. “I’m six foot tall and I feel like a midget around you men. I think I’ll keep my gun aimed at the mountain ready to explode.”

Spencer knew the cop was talking about Recker. He quickly told Maverick what had taken place. As badly as he wanted to skip the part where Recker damn near killed Leigh, Spencer knew lying to the alpha was never a good thing.

“Cuff him,” Maverick said to one of the cops. “I’m taking him with me for his punishment.”

“No!” Spencer shouted as he fought the cop, who was trying to cuff Recker. If the alpha was taking Recker, his best friend was doomed. “You can’t have him!”

Bear tried to pull Spencer off of Recker, but he bit his mate, struggling to get free. “Please…don’t take him…please, I’ll take his place!” Spencer was losing his slip on reality. Maverick was going to kill Recker, or punish him so severely that Recker would wish for death.

“Stand down!” Maverick barked at Spencer. He buckled in Bear’s arms, crying hysterically as the cops cuffed Recker and put him into the back of the car.

Recker hadn’t meant to hurt Leigh.

He hadn’t.

“Stop crying, Spence,” Recker said from the open window that held bars. “I should have listened to you and stopped letting what people said bother me.” Recker’s voice was filled with resignation, as if he knew what was about to happen to him.

“Recker, no!” Spencer shouted. He wanted to hurt everyone around him. This wasn’t fair.

“Shhh,” Bear said as he rocked Spencer in his arms. “It’ll work out.”

Spencer didn’t see how. His best friend was about to pay for his temper. Recker wasn’t a bad man.

He wasn’t.

Helplessly, Spencer watched as the cop car pulled from the parking lot, the ambulance following. Maverick and his men left as well.

“Take him home,” Priest said, his jaw ticking with tension. The man had every right to be angry. Other than his stupid remarks to Recker, Leigh was a really nice guy. Lazy, but nice. Priest cared about his employees, and it was probably tearing him up inside to know that Leigh was hurt.