VEX: Valley Enforcers, #1 (13 page)

“None of that. Your mom has cried enough for everyone. Come here, Acacia, and introduce me to your friend.”

I had completely forgotten about Vex. He was there in the back of my mind, feeding me strength and comfort, but his physical presence slipped my mind. I blushed and looked over at him. He seemed completely out of place in the hospital room, but somehow, he fit into the hodge podge that was my family.

“This is my boyfriend, Vex,” I announced.

And he wants me forever. Can you believe it?

“Boyfriend, huh?” My dad motioned for him to come over. He joked while Vex approached. “You think you can keep up with Acacia? Has she talked your ear off about Bigfoot yet?”

“I love listening to her talk, sir. I don’t care if it’s about a Sasquatch or if she’s reading me the phonebook,” Vex said with sincerity.

My dad’s lips curved. Vex had passed some mysterious father test. I never brought boys home, and though I was twenty seven and he was in the hospital after having a serious heart attack, my dad seemed to want to break out the interrogation routine. “Call me Mike, not sir.”

“I’m sorry we had to meet like this,” Vex commented. He placed a hand on my lower back. “Acacia talks about you a lot. I live on a chunk of land along the Kootenai, and she has told me a lot stories about your hiking and camping trips.”

“They’re just making a fuss about me,” My dad dismissed, waving his hand in front of his face.

“You nearly died, Mike!” My mom drew back and gave him an angry look. 

“We nearly die every day and just don’t know about it,” My dad countered with a witty smirk. “Besides, I haven’t seen that new
Terminator
movie yet. You think I’d kick the bucket before I had a chance to take you out for a fancy meal and then a kickass dose of Arnold?”

My dad was still my dad. I didn’t understate the seriousness of what happened, but he was sitting up in bed acting like himself. I noticed that if he moved a certain way he’d get a little pinched expression, but for the most part it was the same game he always played.

There was a quick knock at the open door. A woman in an embroidered lab coat walked in holding a slim file. She looked to be my parent’s age, and unlike most doctors I had encountered, she had kind eyes and a genuine smile. The healthcare field wasn’t muddied or unmotivated, but the professionals were stretched beyond their limits. The doctor could have just started her shift or be a new resident, but she didn’t look drained from long hours and too little coffee.

There were too many of us in the room, but she didn’t seem to mind the way we bent the rules of visitation. She greeted us with a smile and introduced herself before the medical jargon started flying from her lips.

“I notice a few new faces here, so I’ll go over what happened again so you can ask me any questions. There are three main arteries in your heart that supply blood and oxygen and all the essential stuff you need to stay alive. One is to the right, and there are two to the left. The left anterior descending artery, or the LAD, is the main artery that supplies the entire front wall of the heart and much of the side with blood. Your father had 99% blockage in his mid-LAD.

“The term ‘widow maker‘ is often tossed around when people discuss LAD heart attacks because they are so serious. It’s true. The survival rate for blockage in that area is extremely low. The symptoms are like most other heart attacks. Some are severe, others go completely  unnoticed. It may seem like a cliché, but if Mike’s secretary hadn’t called an ambulance when she did, he would have died within the hour – if not within a few minutes. We had a crash team waiting when he arrived and we got him straight into the cath lab for an angioplasty and stent placement. Coronary artery stents are little mesh tubes that expand in your artery, and it keeps the artery from closing up again and hopefully it will prevent this from happening again.

“It will still take us another day or so until we get a full picture of your heart, Mike, and what we really were dealing with. What I
can
tell you is that it seems that you are more vascular than a lot of men your age, meaning you have more blood carrying capillaries per unit volume of cardiac muscle. You also lead a relatively healthy lifestyle and have no pre-existing medical conditions. All of these are great in terms of recovery.”

“See, Erin? I told you I’ll be fine,” My dad gripped.

The doctor looked between my parents. “We’ll be keeping him for a little longer to make sure he’s recovering from the surgery and the attack. Depending on the final reports, he’ll have cardiac rehab for at least two weeks and will undergo a special heart conditioning program we have here at Rosary for heart attack survivors.”

The doctor, who had introduced herself as Dr. Dane, stayed for a few minutes answering our questions. I learned that there was no reason that he had the heart attack or why he had the blockage. Sometimes a heart attack is brought on by high cholesterol or obesity, and sometimes the universe doesn’t give any explanation or plausible cause. Regardless of
why
it happened, Dr. Dane seemed confident that my dad would make a steady recovery. She left after that note, having installed enough faith in all of us to allow us to rest easily.

We listened to my mom drone on about my dad’s dietary habits and exercise patterns for a few minutes. Vex’s arm had been curled around my side the entire time like a security blanket I never knew I needed. It was strange. I had never felt closer to my family than I did in that tiny, sterile hospital room after hearing my dad was going to be okay.

Vex’s phone started playing a familiar tune and he momentarily stiffened before excusing himself to the hall. I was too wrapped up in a story Aiden was telling to even really pay attention to Vex’s absence; but when he returned moments later with a grave look on his face, my stomach did summersaults.

“There was another breech. We have to go –
I
have to go. I’m sorry.”

“Breech?”

I looked over at Jade and easily worked my way around the explanation. “Vex works security for a classified group.” I directed my furrowed brows at Vex. “I can’t leave. I just got here. How uh… how serious is it?”

He nodded towards the hall before giving a rueful goodbye to my family. “I’m sorry I have to leave like this. It was nice to meet you.” I followed him to the hall and watched as he took his hair down raked through his tangled locks. “Are you staying?”

“Of course I’m staying,” I huffed.

Abruptly, he pulled me into his arms and buried his nose in my hair. There was a soft whining noise that didn’t entirely sound human, and when he pulled back, I was struck with the impassioned look he was giving me. “It hurts to think about leaving you here, but I can’t stay. It’s bad, Acacia. There’s footage.” The severity of his words sunk in as he kissed me roughly. Almost like he’d never see me again. His voice grated against my skin. “Promise me you’ll come home. I have so much I need to tell you, and there is never enough fucking time. Just promise me, okay?”

Home.
It sounded right when it came from his lips. There were so many unspoken words between us. In that moment something clicked and I understood what it meant to be Vex’s mate. We shared something that was bigger than the both of us. I nodded my head somberly.

He kissed me one more time before he disappeared down the hall. I swear, part of my soul went with him.

Acacia

Cradling the paper cup to my chest like a precious gemstone, I watched my feet sway back and forth until they were a blur. Two days had passed since Vex left, and other than a quick text letting me know he made it back to the Valley, I hadn’t heard from him. The first day I was busy catching up with my family and dodging as many Vex related questions that I could. It kept my mind off his absence – off the strange ache in my chest. But sitting alone in a dark hospital room while my dad slept gave me too much time to reflect.

“You can turn the light on, Cia.”

I snapped my head up, startled by my dad’s voice. It sounded like he had been awake for a while. I cleared my throat. “You’re up.” I nervously rubbed my arm. “Mom went down to the cafeteria. She should be back soon. Do you need me to call the nurse?”

“I’m not broken. Why are we sitting in the dark still?” He spoke over the motor of the hospital bed as it lifted him to a sitting position. I reached over and flicked the switch the room glowed with an unnatural white light. “You don’t have to be here all the time, Acacia. You look tired. Why aren’t you at Jade and Eric’s?”

“Jade has threatened to ban me from seeing Noah and Ava a half dozen times this year. I didn’t want to push my luck. And I thought you’d want someone here other than Mom. She’s been a little high energy. Last night she printed out thirty five pages on heart attack recovery.”

“Great,” He huffed sarcastically.

“You’re telling me.” I lightened my tone and shifted my gaze away from him. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired of being asked that question. That’s how I’m feeling. The incision from the surgery hurts, and I’m more tired than I’ve probably ever been. Otherwise I feel the same. You look like shit though, Cia.”

“Thanks,” I drawled.

“Is this because of Vex?”

I cringed inwardly. I didn’t want to talk about my love life with my father. I especially didn’t want to talk about how much more worried I was about Vex’s safety than my dad’s. I felt like a shitty daughter – hence the Acacia sized butt imprint on the chair next to his bed. I knew my dad would be okay. The articles my mom forced me to read drove that point home. But Vex? I had no idea what he was doing or even where he was. He had a potentially dangerous job, and after meeting his Alpha, I was even more concerned. I hated that I felt so dependent on Vex after just a few weeks, but I couldn’t deny the ache in my chest or the restlessness that plagued me. I played a game where I imagined all the worst possible scenarios and then remembered all the mean things I said to him. I didn’t want that to be his memory of me. I didn’t want him to disappear
or worse
without knowing how important he was to me.

“A little,” I admitted. “Things have just been… hectic lately. I really, really like Vex. I’m just afraid, I guess. And I haven’t told you guys what really happened to Big Betty. I didn’t break down. It was an attack. That’s where the stitches came from. So a lot has been going on.”

“An attack? Why didn’t you tell us? What happened?”

I cleared my throat, deciding not to tell him about my Bigfoot theory. My dad had the most patience out of my family when it came to my ‘crazy ideas and beliefs’ but he that was probably pushing it a little too far for him. “It might’ve been a prank. The RV started rocking back and forth, like it was being shaken, and there was pounding all along it. My tires were slashed and a bunch of wires were cut. There aren’t any leads. It’ll probably go cold.”

“Jesus. You’re okay though. Right?”

“Vex has been great,” I said as I nodded. “I don’t have PTSD or anything like that. A little bruised still, but otherwise the same. My
X-Files
DVDs are safe and that’s all that matters.”

He chuckled, “Same old Acacia. So you really, really like Vex, huh? Sounds serious.
He’s
pretty serious.” His voice lowered. “He isn’t involved in anything illegal, is he?”

“Oh, God, no! I just can’t tell you
exactly
what he does.”

“You aren’t convincing me it isn’t illegal.”

“Do you think anyone with a man bun that beautiful would do something illegal?” I scoffed teasingly.

His eyes danced with amusement. “Man bun?”

“Yeah, man bun. Get with the 21
st
century, pops.”

“You know I just want what makes you happy, Cia. You haven’t had the easiest life. Some of those choices were yours to make, and I know your mother likes to scold you, but you were always my little girl and I won’t ever forgive myself for the mistakes I’ve made that have hurt you.”

“You haven’t made any mistakes,” I said, my voice cracking. “I don’t blame you for anything. You have always had my back, Dad. Always.”

There was a long silence made even longer by my desire to cry. I tasted blood in my mouth from biting my tongue. The wary look on my dad’s face lightened for a moment. “I saw him, Acacia.” When I gave him a dumbfounded look, he clarified. “After the mountain lions attacked us. I saw the man bear. I never told you because I was afraid, and I was hoping you’d forget about it… but I think that made you even more obsessed. I saw him, Acacia. I believe. My biggest regret as your father is making you feel isolated or like you were crazy.”

I was dumbfounded. Completely shocked. I wanted to throw a tantrum. I wanted to thrash and punch a hole in the drywall with anger. I spent the better part of my life being teased and made fun of by my peers
and my family
. I struggled with depression and anxiety. I hated myself some days, and others I hated everyone but me. My dad had looked me straight in the eyes and told me that he loved me, but I needed to ‘lay off on the werebear thing for a while’ because my mom was upset with me. And the entire time
he knew?
He believed? But countering that numbing anger was relief. My need to find the truth led me to Vex, and then suddenly… I didn’t care if anyone thought I was crazy. I didn’t want anyone else to know about shifters. I had waited for this moment nearly all my life, and now that it happened, I wanted him to take his words back.

I opened my mouth to tell him to forget that he ever saw anything when the door to his tiny private room opened and my mom came in. She saved us both from a trip down the rabbit hole. Visiting hours were almost over, but she settled into a chair and started talking to us about her run in with a third grade teacher in the cafeteria.

We began to say our goodbyes after the riveting tale of Sandra Owens and her son’s broken tibia. I gave my dad an awkward hug and turned into myself.

“Erin, I need you to take Acacia out to Spurs Auto tomorrow. Tell Bobby Southerland I’m callin’ in my favor. He should be able to get Acacia a good deal on a car. If she doesn’t have enough, pay for it. We have more than enough for something reliable.”

“What’s all this about?” My mom questioned.

I echoed her concerns. “Yeah, Dad, what’s going on?”

“I’m fine. I’m as healthy as I can be after a heart attack. You know what I see when I look at you, Acacia? A girl who’s heart is in two places. This is me telling you to go to Vex.”

“Mike!” “Dad!” My mom and I shouted out simultaneously.

“Do you love him?” My dad said with so much clarity it made me shiver.

I wanted to hesitate, but I couldn’t. I was 100% totally in love with Vex. “Yes.”

“He needs you. I’ll be fine.
We’ll
be fine. And in a few weeks when everything’s settled and I’ve got the green light, you two will visit for a cookout. It’s all I ask.” His eyes switched over to my mom. “Don’t give Cia any bullshit over this, Erin. You hound her enough as is. Let her go. It’s not doing her any good to sit here next to me in the dark feeling guilty for wanting to follow her heart.”

“But –”

“No buts. Instead of showing up here at the ass crack of dawn, take Acacia to Spurs and do what I said. Now as politely as I can say this, Acacia, sweetheart… I don’t want to see you tomorrow.”

Instead of driving back to my parent’s house, my mom drove us to Jade and Eric’s ranch style home on the edge of town. The silent drive was somber. I wasn’t sure if my mom was going to cry or lash out at me. She did neither. We parked along the curb and she turned to me with soft eyes.

“Do you really love Vex?”

“I don’t think love is a strong enough word,” I admitted with a slight blush. My mom and I weren’t the type to chat about our feelings, let alone boys.

She nodded slowly but never said anything. We stayed late at Jade’s that night. I took a selfie with Ava and Noah, who finally felt comfortable enough around me that they didn’t cry, and sent it to Vex with the caption
“Look how cute my niece and nephew are. Missing you a whole lot. Hope everything is okay”.
I spent quality time with my family and didn’t feel like an outcast. It was nice, but it wasn’t the same without my dad. I found myself turning to talk to Vex on multiple occasions. When we finally left my sister’s house and I said goodbye to everyone, part of me felt accepted. Finally, after years of feeling like the black sheep, I felt like I belonged… even if just a little bit.

It wasn’t until I was half asleep and holding a pillow that faintly smelled like Vex that I got a text back.

Not as cute as you. I miss you even more. Soon, baby.

He was about to find out just how soon we’d be together again.

Memories of the haunting roars clouded my head as I pulled up to the Wood Brothers Construction complex. I slammed to the door on my brand new 2003 Grand Am. The silver paint was chipped in a half dozen spots and the air conditioner didn’t work, but it was cheaper than dirt and got me from point A to point B. Point B being Brown Bear Valley. More specifically, the construction business owned by an Alpha and Beta duo that may or may not believe that I set cameras up on their property to expose them.

Keeping my head held high I walked into the office. I wasn’t sure if they were even going to be there, but I wanted to try to talk to them and get permission before I went searching for Vex’s house. The main entrance was empty when I opened the door.

“Hello?” I called out, cautiously peeking my head around the corners.

“Just a moment!” Came a reply in a stunning British accent that had a melodic trill to it. A few seconds later a short woman rounded a corner. Her hair was a perfect shade of blonde and came in light waves down past her shoulders. She had this strange beauty about her. I couldn’t stop staring at her as she came to the front counter. “Can I help you?”

“Um, hi. I’m Acacia Reed.”

“Acacia?” Her face wavered for a second before she released her bottom lip from her teeth’s grasp. “Vex’s Acaica?” When I nodded, she motioned for me to follow her. “Let’s talk in the back. It’s more private.” She stopped abruptly and held out her hand. “I’m Elizabeth Wood, Deacon’s wife and mate. Most people call me Libby.”

“Nice to meet you. I think.” She led me to an office, thankfully, and spared me the memory of the conference room. She took a seat behind the desk, which seemed comically large, and waited until I sat down to talk.

“Deacon doesn’t like to involve me in clan politics too much, but I do know about the suspicion surrounding your arrival. I think it’s safe to say that has been cleared, yeah?”

“I don’t know. Has it? I haven’t heard from Vex in a few days. I’m worried. That’s um, sort of why I’m here. I wanted to ask permission to go to his house on my own. I don’t even remember how to get to his place, really. I just… I just wanted to make sure he’s okay.”

Libby licked her bottom lip nervously. “Everyone is tied up at the reserve so I can’t phone them, and I was just getting ready to leave. It’s getting late. If I don’t go home soon Deacon will have a fit.” She looked up at me as if she were trying to decipher a secret code. “But I think being the Alpha’s wife lends me some authority on these things. I can see how much you care for Vex. Here, let me lock up and then you can follow me. Vex’s place is on the other side of the property, but I’ll send you in the right direction.”

“Thank you so much,” I rushed. It was nearly nine at night. I was tired and running on coffee, Red Bull, and gas station food. I was wearing clothes that dated back to my high school days, and I probably smelled like new car. More than anything, I missed Vex. And I was incredibly thankful that Libby trusted me enough to let me see him.