Love's Baggage (3 page)

"What if they find a reason to stay there? What if Allen ends up challenging the alpha and takes control of the pack?"

"Have you heard something?" Bandit finally looked Lou in the eye. "Tell me what you know."

Lou grinned. "I don't know anything, Bandit. I'm just saying what if. You can't know for sure what's going to happen in the future. You should be prepared for anything."

Before Bandit could answer, Spike's car pulled into the driveway. He watched as Spike and Savannah climbed from it. Allen and Roman joined them, along with a red-haired stranger. Bandit stood, a growl low in his throat as the stranger took Allen's elbow and led him up the walkway. He started to lunge forward, needing to jerk Allen away from whoever the lycan was. Lou grabbed him and shook his head to warn Bandit not to do anything.

Instead, Bandit glanced down at his watch and said, "Right on time. My bag's already in the truck. Why don't we get yours in there? I hope you have directions because no one's seen fit to tell me where we're going."

The unknown lycan snarled and stood in front of Allen. "You don't talk to him like that."

Bandit raised his eyebrows and met the lycan's gaze. "I don't know who you are, but considering I'm being ordered to do this and no one asked if I wanted to go, I'll talk to him however I want."

Allen started to say something, but Bandit shook his head. He held out his hand to the stranger. "I'm Bandit Canis. Who are you?"

"Gianni Valten."

They shook hands, and Bandit didn't try to dominate Gianni. No point in trying to prove who was stronger. Bandit could tell he was more dominant than Gianni, but he didn't care. After they let go, Bandit turned to Allen.

"Where are your bags? We'll get them put away and head out. Oh, if you're interested in coffee, there's some made in the kitchen. There are also some travel mugs."

"I have them here." Ray stepped from the house, carrying four of them. "I heard an extra voice, so I brought another one."

"Thank you," Allen said as he took one.

Bandit followed Gianni to Spike's car and grabbed a bag. "You're from their pack. What are you doing here?"

"I came looking for them. I've been looking for them since I found out what really happened to them. It's only been within the last couple of months I started getting recent sightings. Then I ran into Max in a town about an hour or two away from here. He told me to come here and ask the Canis pack about Allen and Roman."

"Are you always this chatty?" Bandit hoped not because it was going to be a long trip if he was.

"Are you usually this big an asshole?" Gianni met his gaze with frankness.

Bandit thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes, but I promise to try and not take my annoyance with my family out on Allen. I can't promise I won't be an ass to you or Roman."

"What makes Allen special?"

Turning with the bag in his hand, Bandit's gaze landed on Allen, standing next to the truck chatting with Ray. "Have you seen him?"

"Hmmm... I think I know."

Bandit didn't care if Gianni realized how much he liked Allen. It wasn't like Bandit was going to seduce the man. Gianni headed over to the vehicle and Bandit went with him. They tossed the bags into the back, and Bandit looked at his mother.

"I'll give you a call when we stop for the night, Mother."

"Listen to them, Bandit. You don't know anything about the pack you're going to visit." Savannah patted his cheek.

"Yes, Mom."

He didn't like being treated like a pup, but it wasn't worth pissing her off by protesting. He gestured for the other three men to climb in.

"Let's get going, gentlemen. We can stop for breakfast along the way." He slid behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition.

Roman and Gianni sat in the back, while Allen took the passenger seat. The slender lycan reached over and gripped Bandit's hand before he could put the truck into drive. He met Allen's gaze with a questioning look.

"I want to thank you for doing this. I know you'll say you didn't have a choice and you have to do what your alpha tells you, but you did. It would have made your mother angry, but I'm sure you've made her mad before. You could've turned your back on this trip."

Bandit didn't think about his actions. He reached out and rubbed his thumb over Allen's chin. "If it was just your brother going back home, I probably would've said screw him and dug in my heels about going."

"Hey," Roman protested.

Bandit ignored him, keeping his eyes on Allen. "I'm doing this for you because you need to have people at your back you can trust. I hope you know you can trust me, no matter what I might say or do. I wouldn't leave you hanging."

Allen nodded. "I know and thank you for being there. I'm afraid things have gotten more complicated than when we told you last night."

"Really?" Bandit smiled and settled back in his seat. "Why am I not surprised? Well, let's get started, and you can either tell me on the way or when we stop for something to eat."

"Maybe I should tell you right now. In case you decide you don't want to go." Allen wrung his hands.

Bandit laughed and glanced in the rearview mirror. Spike had pulled her car out from behind the truck, but both she and Savannah stood there in the front yard, watching them.

"You don't understand I have no real choice in the matter. I'm going with you, and nothing you say will change it. I might not be happy about what you tell me, but if I don't want to get my ass kicked by those two ladies out there, I do what I'm told."

Gianni grunted. "I don't blame you. Those women are scary."

"You have no idea." Bandit put the truck in drive and pulled out. He waved at his family as he drove by. "How far away are we going?"

"It'll take us two days to get there." Allen eased back in his seat and sipped his coffee. "If you're not going to back out of this, maybe we'll talk about everything when we stop for the night."

"Sounds like a great idea to me." He shot a look in the rearview mirror at the two wolves in the back seat. "Are you two hungry or can you wait for lunch?"

"Go through the drive thru and we'll grab some fast food," Roman suggested. "I'd like to get home as soon as possible."

"Works for me," Gianni agreed.

It was a consensus and Bandit went to the nearest fast food restaurant. After getting breakfast for them, he paused.

"Which direction, gentlemen?"

"Turn left and head to the highway. When you get there, go north."

So they were heading north for a little while anyway. He nodded and turned. He didn't really care about not knowing where they were headed. It was how he wandered when he left the pack a couple of years ago. At the time, it didn't seem to matter where he went or how he ended up. He just needed to be gone.

No one seemed inclined to talk, so he poked Allen with his finger to get his attention.

"You can be Captain Audio for our road trip here." Bandit pushed the display screen on the dashboard and pointed at the music icon. "You touch that button and it'll bring up my entire play list. I'm not picky about my music, so play whatever you feel like."

Allen grinned and started scrolling through the songs.

"You might regret that," Roman commented from the back.

"Why?"

"My brother has a weird obsession with eighties hair bands. If you have any of that music on there, we'll be listening to it."

"It's not weird. Some of them were really good." Allen pouted slightly.

Bandit winked at Allen. "Don't worry. Go to the playlist button. Hit it and it'll bring up all the different play lists I've set up. There's a list for everyone."

"Woot!" Allen pumped his fist in the air when he saw the 80s list. "Here we go."

"Ugh." Roman groaned.

Gianni and Bandit shared a smile in the mirror. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad a trip. He got on the highway and set the cruise, listening to the three men arguing the finer points of Bon Jovi versus Poison.

* * * *

Five hours later, he pulled into the parking lot of a chain restaurant. Allen and Roman had fallen asleep about hour into their journey. Gianni didn't try to start a conversation, which Bandit appreciated. Even with a large travel mug full of coffee, Bandit still wasn't much of a morning person.

When the truck ceased moving, Allen and Roman woke up. They stretched and looked around. Bandit tried not to ogle Allen's lithe body.
Shit!
He shifted in his seat, thinking about saggy boobs and wrinkly skin... anything to make his erection deflate.

The others climbed out and stood waiting for him. Gianni caught his eye with an understanding smirk. Damn it, he didn't want anyone to know how attractive he found Allen. Of course, it was too late for that since Roman had spotted Bandit's desire for his brother early on in their acquaintance.

"Let's grab something to eat. After which, one of you can drive for a while. My back's getting stiff."

"Getting old, are you?" Gianni punched him in the arm.

"Not as old as you, I bet." He chuckled before grimacing as his back muscles twitched. "Just an old injury."

"Sounds rough." Gianni shrugged. "If you trust me, I'll drive. I know where we're going."

"Fine with me."

He held open the door and allowed the other three to go in before him. They got a booth and settled in. After giving the waiter their drink orders, he looked each one in the eye.

"Have any of you spent much time out in the human world?"

Roman snarled. "Our time was mostly spent behind bars in the fucking freak show."

"I've only be in human towns long enough to find evidence of the brothers. I didn't spend a lot of time in them. Why?" Gianni frowned.

"I spent most of two years in the city, living as a human, not a wolf."

Bandit fell silent as the waiter approached. Drinks were delivered and food orders taken. He allowed the young man to get beyond earshot before he continued.

"If we're going to be out in the human world for a while, we have to make sure not to do anything suspicious. We don't want Grime and his fucking band of crazies trying to grab us. With as many as he has, I don't think the four of us would survive."

Gianni looked ready to argue, but Allen spoke up.

"You're right. We don't have the power to fight off Grime, plus if you end up hurt, your mother will skin me alive, Bandit. And it won't matter if I'm more powerful than she is." Allen shuddered.

Bandit laughed. "Yeah, she's pretty scary. I've never seen anyone meet her without worrying about her taking his balls. Spike isn't much kinder."

"What's going to happen when your mother isn't able to run the pack anymore?" Roman asked.

"Spike will take over the pack, and the girls will stay. Rover's going to be leaving some time soon. Probably after this whole thing with Grime and the non-preters is done. He's too alpha to stay and let someone else make the decisions for him."

Bandit leaned back to let the waiter set his food in front of him. His stomach grumbled as he inhaled the delicious scents of his lunch. He picked up the burger and started eating, watching as the others did the same. Being a lycan had its advantages. He could eat as much as he wanted because he metabolized food far quicker than normal humans.

"But don't you or your other brothers want your own packs?" Gianni inquired.

Bandit shook his head. "None of us are alpha enough to lead our own packs. We're happy being betas or just members of the pack. I know, for sure, Lou isn't interested in leading a pack. He'd be hassled for having a human mate."

Gianni nodded in agreement. "Most of the packs don't like non-preters, and their dislike has gotten worse since this whole 'destroy preternaturals' campaign."

"Roman and I have more reason than most to hate humans, but I have to say, I like Ray. He's a pretty nice guy," Allen interjected.

"He is, and I've given them both a lot of shit since they've gotten together, but I don't think Lou could find another person more perfect for him." Bandit smiled as he remembered some of the things he'd done to jerk Lou around.

"Ray stood up for you last night." Allen dipped a fry in some ketchup before meeting Bandit's gaze.

"Really?" Bandit rested his arm on the back of the booth, studying Allen. "Why would he do that?"

"Not sure. Just told your mother the way they treated you wasn't right. They should respect you more." Allen ate another fry. "I think he's right."

Bandit shook his head. "No."

All three of them looked at him in surprise, and he grimaced.

"I know I haven't acted like an adult since I've come home. Mostly I do everything I can to irritate them, but at times, I can't take it. Maybe it's because I've lived out in the world and not in a pack for so long. I don't accept authority as easily as I once did." Bandit closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Allen reached over and tapped his arm. He opened his eyes and met Allen's gaze.

"Why not? It's genetically coded in us to obey our alphas or those more powerful than us. How do you get away with subverting her authority?"

Bandit snorted. "I'm not subverting her authority. No one in the pack listens to me anyway. It's just I've seen too many people use their power for evil and, while my mother isn't evil, I have seen her throw her weight around to get us to do what she wants. It's not how I want to live."

"But alphas must do whatever they have to do for the entire pack. Sometimes it isn't popular or necessarily a good thing, but they do it to keep the whole group safe," Roman pointed out.

"It's what they say to keep everyone in line, but most of the time, it's just to serve the alpha. I don't trust most of them any farther than I can throw them." Bandit sighed and signaled the waiter. "Let's get out of here. Time to get back on the road."

He'd effectively ended the conversation, and none of them seemed inclined to start it up again. He didn't want to talk about what he'd seen while he was away from the pack. The cruelty of people, not only humans to other humans, but other lycan to each other had shocked him. He was no longer innocent.

"Hey, Gianni, here you go." He tossed the red-haired lycan his keys and climbed in the back.