Under the Full Moon (Crimson Romance) (8 page)

“Gotta agree with Moss. Though we know squat about the bear, my gut tells me they, if nothing else, are the lesser of two evils.” Damien cracked his knuckles and nodded at Moss.

Grace was at a loss as to what Damien meant about a bear.

“We don’t know. Trick overheard the society members speaking about the other group and referring to them as the bear.”

Grace whipped around toward Trick wondering how missed the part that he not only knew about the society, but actually was with them. Her gaze must have been murderous because the kid quickly threw his hands up in a “whoa” like move.

“Easy there. I wasn’t a guest, I promise you. I was locked up there and right before they released me into the swamp, I overheard a few things amid the chaos.”

Grace maneuvered around to where she could view Damien, eye to eye, while she questioned Trick about why this so called evil society would release him. What if the kid was a rat Demetrius sent to report back to him?

“And they just let you go? No strings, no bargaining. Complete freedom. Why?” Beth glared at the kid, suspicion anchored in her stiff posture.

“Wow, she’s a real ball buster, isn’t she?” Trick whispered in Moss’s direction grinning from ear to ear.

Grace sensed his words were not from outrage, but because he was impressed Beth had noted and questioned the obvious oddity. Grace kinda liked the kid and hoped like hell his answer rang true with her.

Damien, on the other hand, didn’t seem okay with the kid’s blunt response and went to snatch him up by the back of his collar until she raised a staying hand.

“Told you … dude is seriously strung tighter than grandma’s hemorrhoids.”

Moss barked with laughter as Beth spewed tea out her nostrils. Damien’s scowl proved he wasn’t a fan of Trick’s humor.

“Just kidding, dude, chill already. Okay, to answer your question the only reason they granted my freedom was because they wrongly thought I’d lost my memory.”

“You hadn’t?” Grace drilled, still not buying Trick’s story.

“Yes, for the most part I had. But in the beginning I truly had no memories other than being with them. Shortly before my release, a few fleeting memories returned. I wisely kept them to myself.”

“Doesn’t really explain why they let you go though.” Grace understood she probably came off rabid in her questioning, but she needed to be sure.

“The only explanation I can offer is that their assumption I had no memory of my past coupled with being drilled we’d never be able to return to the world outside the swamp without being killed like a freak of nature,” Trick brought his pointed finger to his throat and made a slashing sign, “made it safe to release us. Maybe they wanted to test how we would react out on our own. I don’t really know.”

“I’ve often wondered if they somehow tracked our movements. Cameras or monitoring devices in certain areas perhaps?” Moss offered while seeming to roll around Trick’s comments.

Which did make a little sense. Damien and Moss had both been returned to the swamps under Octavia’s watchful glare. Maybe they did have some way of monitoring their movements or at the very least were able to make sure none left certain perimeters. While there was no real way to block off the swamp, there might be magical wards that would alarm them when someone tried. Would even explain how Octavia knew Beth had entered the swamp when she met Moss.

With so much to question, Grace had no choice but to go with her instincts and Damien’s on whether Trick was trustworthy. Other than his anger when Trick dissed her by calling her a ball buster — she knew Damien believed the kid. She’d felt no lies rolling from him and his aura remained clear.

For now it appeared Trick would remain a part of their group. But she’d be keeping a close eye on him in the coming days.

A cell phone went off, and strangely enough, it turned out to be Damien’s, though no one but she, Moss, and Beth had his number. Considering they were all standing in the same room and none held their cell phone, it screamed shit was about to get real.

Grace noted the serious, precise movements of Damien’s steps. He paced the small cabin, cell phone planted in his ear, answering in strict, short yeses and nos. She couldn’t quite pick up enough of his conversation to establish what the call concerned, only the serious nature of it.

“Fine. We will meet you then. What does B.E.A.R. mean? You’re fucking joking, right? Alrighty then.” He snapped the phone closed with a semi laugh before facing them. “That was B.E.A.R. and they want to meet with us.”

“How did they get your number? The only ones privy to the private number are right here in this room.” Nerves shot, Grace questioned everything. Far too many things had happened and way too fast for a mole not to be among them. Without proof, she was staying mum.

“I’m not sure,” Damien mumbled, appearing deep in thought.

“In this day and age with the computer technology we have available, anything is possible,” Trick mentioned.

“True.” Beth nodded in full agreement with the kid.

“So what else did they say? Who they are? What’s their intentions? How do they fit into all this … anything?” Grace pushed.

“Yes, yes and no.” Damien came to stand in front of them all. His long legs covering the distance in two strides and though the timing was shitty, Grace had to fight to keep her gaze on his face and not trail down the body that gave her such pleasure. “Bear turns out to be an acronym for ‘Beating Evil’s Ass Regularly’.”

Moss bellowed with laughter, earning a thud to his stomach from Beth, who chastised him to be quiet so they could listen to Damien’s recap of his mystery phone call.

“Turns out there were others who escaped the swamp witch’s curse, or more aptly, the Society’s, and they formed their own little group. Decided as survivors to try and stop the asshats from causing all the grief and chaos they toss out.”

“I like ’em already,” Beth spat.

“Where do they want us to meet them, and can we trust them?” Grace asked quietly looking only to Damien. His opinion mattered most.

“Actually, I do.”

“Why?” she pushed.

“Because they gave me directions to a meeting spot, from where I assume we will be taken to their headquarters. I don’t see some random group not meaning what they say, bringing us to their hideout. Do you?”

“Possibly. But I’m not seeing we have much choice if we want to learn the bigger picture.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“When are we to meet them?” Moss questioned.

“Now.”

“Potty break for me then.” Beth hopped up from her seat at the table and made a quiet motion for Grace to follow.

Taking advantage of the relative privacy, Beth turned the faucet on as an added precaution and drilled Grace for her take on everything.

“More is going on than what we’re aware of. I believe more people are involved and that either our group or B.E.A.R.’s has a mole within their structure.” There. She’d tossed her thought on the table.

“I agree, though I’m betting the mole resides in their group. I mean I haven’t spoken about this to anyone other than us and the oddities started before Trick showed up. So even though I can’t say I trust him one hundred percent, it rather rules him out.”

“I hope you’re right.”

They cleaned up and Grace got a good whiff from her shirt. She still reeked of smoke. After a quick change, she headed back out to meet the rest of the clan.

Trick lingered in the doorway with an uncertainty about him.

“You think they’re aware of my presence?”

Damien studied the kid a minute before replying.

“They didn’t say and I didn’t ask. Point is whether you like it or not, you’re in our group.”

Trick perked up a bit, but then Damien finished.

“It’s not about whether I trust you … it’s about keeping both your friends and enemies close. No offense, kid, but until we know more, you ain’t going anywhere.” Damien’s eyes held challenge and Grace thanked the stars when Trick wisely chose not to argue.

They piled into Beth’s new Jeep Explorer, which replaced her sunken hunk of junk. Granted, her other car had been paid off, but that was neither here nor there considering Octavia had managed to submerge the thing into the swamps.

“So, are you going to tell me where we are heading?” Beth asked as she pulled out of the drive.

“Head to Dead Man’s Bluff.”

They all glared at Damien incredulously.

“Hey, don’t look at me. That’s where they said to meet. Seems someone has a rather dry sense of humor at B.E.A.R.”

“Ya think?” Grace teased.

Thirty minutes later they arrived at the little cul-de-sac where local fishermen were known to put in their boats.

“Nobody’s here,” Beth said cupping her hands around the window to peer out into the darkening environment. “Should we get out? Maybe they are watching to see if we’re armed or something.”

“You three stay in the vehicle. Moss and I will check things out.” Trick bristled but didn’t argue.

Damien and Moss got out to stretch their long, cramped legs and began circling around the place. For the most part, Trick had remained quiet, but suddenly he announced no way was he remaining in the car with the chicks. Grace would have stopped him, but hell, the kid already appeared forlorn being left with them and until he was proven guilty of anything, she’d consider him an innocent young man full of testosterone that needed releasing.

Once the dark fully settled, the gang could see headlights heading down the bumpy road. Within moments an older style bus came into view.

Damien motioned for her and Beth to remain where they were while he, Moss and Trick met with the large burly man who exited the near ancient vehicle.

“Hey, you getting tired of being treated like the little helpless woman?” Beth asked, clearly growing impatient to find out what was going on.

“Yeah. They are rather bad about the whole female thing. Like having a vagina knocks us down the self defense steps a rung or two.”

“Well, they can kiss my ass — I’m going over.” Beth opened the handle and Grace joined her. She wasn’t keen on taking orders, no matter how well intended, either.

As they approached the guys, the big bus driver man shot her a funny expression before turning his attention back to Damien and Moss.

“It’s how we roll. Don’t like, don’t come. Everyone else has been introduced to the group this way. I understand your hesitations; however, it’s this way or no way.”

“What’s going on? What way or no way?” Beth asked, going to stand next to her man.

“We either agree to ride with him blindfolded or we go back home.”

“Oh hell no. No one is blindfolding me. Uh uh. No way, no how.” Beth shook her head backing toward her Jeep. “Been there, done that, not going back.”

Grace knew Beth referred to when Octavia had kidnapped her, but she understood B.E.A.R.’s need for caution. She wasn’t crazy about the plan either. No one with any common sense would trust strangers with such strong ties to the society, namely the departed Octavia, without some major reservations.

It was time to take a risk.

“I’m in,” Grace announced, stepping forward.

“Me, too,” Trick declared, also walking over to the side of the bus. “But dude, seriously … you drive the short bus?”

The big guy snorted and raised his chin, humor lighting his eyes.

“Are you crazy? You’re going to let some stranger blindfold you and drive you off to God only knows where?” Beth asked sounding both angry and incredulous.

“Think about it. All of us have ties, regardless of how bad they are, with Octavia and Demetrius. Would you trust us?” Grace answered trying to sound calm, even though her insides were bubbling with anxiety.

“True, but we don’t know him anymore than he knows us.”

Grace watched the debate roll through Beth’s eyes. Her niece didn’t want to go, but damn sure didn’t want them going along without her either.

“Fine. Let’s do this.”

Moss pulled Beth protectively into the crook of his arm.

The burly guy didn’t seem the least bit offended by any of their hesitations and waited patiently in the driver’s seat for them to load up. After everyone took their seats — Beth with Moss, she with Damien and Trick clear in the back by the emergency door — Branch, as he claimed he was named, blindfolded them.

You didn’t have to be magically inclined to feel the tension roiling off everyone. What choice did they really have? None. If there was even a shot in hell they could get some answers and end all this shit, she was taking it.

Grace just prayed the ending came with a happily ever after … and not the other kind. The dead kind.

They hadn’t even made it halfway to headquarters before shit happened. One minute they sat blindfolded on the short bus heading to meet with the ones claiming to have the answers to their questions, the next minute they were ass over end.

Grace heard the explosion at the same time as the others, and ripped her blindfold off to see the bus teeter off its wheels and slide down the highway on its side. Sparks flew as metal met asphalt in a hideous scraping motion.

Thunderous shots rang out, as shattering windows that rained glass down upon them all.

“Get to the front of the bus,” Branch bellowed amid the pandemonium. “The shots are coming from behind us.” The tree-sized man wobbled down the center aisle before the bus had even come to a stop. He had a gun in one hand and a radio in the other.

“B.E.A.R. to base — we’ve an emergency.” Grace prayed the walkie worked with the ungodly reception in these parts.

“Keep behind the seats until I tell you otherwise.” So much for that advice, Grace thought when both Damien and Moss jumped out an open window.

“They have guns and you don’t. Get your dumbass back on this bus,” Beth demanded, threatening to follow the guys if they didn’t listen.

Pssshhht

Grace breathed a sigh of relief when the radio cackled to life.

“We’re almost to you now, Branch. Just tell everyone to lay low. Help’s on the way. Base out.”

“Ten-four, read you loud and clear, my friend.”