How It Will Be by T. S. Joyce

Author:T. S. Joyce [Joyce, T. S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wicked Willow Press
Published: 2021-07-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Today had been something else.

Ren closed the tailgate of Moore’s truck and waved as they drove off. She put her hands on her hips and scanned the woods. Half of the pledges had been cut today, and the remaining ones had been sent off to find their own lodging for the night. She and Bron had hung back to help clean up, and now she got to just enjoy the quiet moment.

The sunset was casting the trees into long-stretching, peaceful shadows, and in the branches birds chirped softly. The breeze lifted the leaves in a soft song that said the woods were getting ready for sleep soon too.

“I like that smile on you,” Bron said from beside her.

“It’s nice here. It’s different.”

He nodded and told her, “When Krome first bought this place, we were a young Murder and none of us had much money. We had to all chip in. And back then, that was a big deal because we were all fighting for rankings. Just constantly brawling. Bunch of shit-head, testosterone-fueled Crow Blooded barely in control of our animals, much less our tempers. But we had this vision of being the Murder that stood as a line of defense between the bear shifters and humans. In our minds, we were the good guys.”

“You’ve always been a good guy.”

“You know how when we were younger, you always said everything happens for a reason?”

“I still say it.”

“Well good, because this next part is going to sting, and now it feels wrong to hurt you. More wrong than before.” He swallowed hard. “It hurts me when you’re hurt now.” He searched her eyes for understanding with his coal-black gaze.

The moment was about to be ruined. He had a secret, and he was going to take away from the fun day. The trash-talking, and the slight buzz she still had from losing to Cora and Trinity at beer pong. The betting on fights throughout the day, and the comfortable banter. The peace. He was about to take it away. She could tell.

She dropped her head and kicked at a tree root that stuck out of the dark soil. “Say it quick then.”

“We needed a down payment for this place. The deal was, Krome would pay us back as soon as the business he was building took off, but he needed help in the beginning for the investment on this place. It was going to serve as home base for this Murder, and until he paid us back, we could live here on the property too. I was doing the same shit back then I’m doing now. Working a construction crew when they needed extra hands, but my schedule was tricky because of my hours I was supposed to run surveillance on the bears, so I wasn’t rolling in the money at the time. I emptied out my savings and every penny I had for living for Krome. Almost twelve hundred bucks. The other boys brought about the same, some more, some less.

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