Jackie had looked kind of sad when she’d come back into the kitchen to ask me to go to Garrett’s office. Liam noticed too, so to cheer her up, he asked if she’d like him to switch her hair back to her normal color again. She nodded without much enthusiasm and suddenly she was a gorgeous blonde once more. She thanked him and went out to sit on a lounge chair on the patio without even a book or an IPod, curling up to stare into the woods. I figured I’d talk to Garrett and see if there was anything I could do for her.
I took one of the chairs across from his desk. “Bridgett, your former pack has applied for protection. Apparently The Pine Ridge Pack, your uncle’s old pack, is harassing them. They are seriously outnumbered.” He sighed and relaxed back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. “To be honest I’d like to simply sit back and let both packs fight it out for themselves. A few less Brownlow and Pine Ridge weres around is not a problem for the fae or me. But we have to protect the shifters and the humans in the area. Their fight could spill over and innocents could get hurt.”
I thought about Fred and his sweet mate and his three adopted kids. All four of the remaining males had mates and families. I knew what my uncle’s pack was like. They wouldn’t just kill the men. They’d take the females and… I couldn’t let that happen.
Garrett was watching me when I lifted my head to meet his gaze. “I get why you don’t want to get involved, but I’m going to help them if I can. My uncle’s pack will kill the men and the children and take the women. They’ll get passed around. I know all of those families.”
“What are you going to do on your own?” He was smiling just a little bit, which gave me some hope.
“I’ll ask for help. I’ll ask Jackie and William and Maya and maybe Farrell, ’cause I don’t think Liam likes me too much. Oh, and I can ask Angel too, ’cause I have some of my own money now so I can pay him.”
“But you wouldn’t think of asking me for help?” He arched an eyebrow and tilted his head.
“I don’t think you like me very much either. And I don’t blame you.” My face warmed and I looked down at my folded hands.
“I didn’t care for you very much at first. You caused Jackie no end of problems and Liam is one of my closest friends. To be honest, I almost killed you the night Jackie was taken. But when I saw your courage with Kennet, I was surprised. I’ve grown to respect you, especially after you ignored your pain and stepped up and helped in the search, then apologized to the fae prisoners. I see in you some of the qualities that I admire in Jackie. I know you’ve been through a lot; losing your mother and your father. But you’re fortunate enough to have found a sister and along with her came a brother-in-law—me. I’m your family, too. Don’t ever hesitate to ask me for help. If I can’t or won’t, I’ll always tell you why.”
I said the only thing I could think of at the moment. “So will you help me?” He laughed and I blushed again. “I’m sorry, I should have said thank you first for all those nice things you said.”
“You’re welcome. Yes, we’ll help your pack. Do you have any attachment to anyone in your uncle’s pack?”
I shuddered. “No, not any adults. But I think the whole thing is kinda strange.”
“In what way?” He sat forward to listen.
“They’re not in good shape. My uncle was a really crappy alpha and he didn’t take care of his pack the way my dad did, or Aaron does. They’re physically weak, and even though there’s a bunch of them, I don’t think they’d leave their territory to attack another. They all have jobs and families and they’re struggling to make ends meet. Also we have a treaty with them, so they’re totally breaking it.”
“You think someone else may be behind this?”
“Yeah, definitely.”
“Thank you, Bridgett. We’ll meet with Fred and his pack tonight at nine, at the club. Please call him and let him know. Tell them to get their mates and children someplace safe, preferably out of town and not in a hotel. I can recommend a few safe houses if they need them. Then I want you to call Ethan and Kyle and I want one of them to call Sinc. They should meet us there at nine tonight.”
“They won’t have a lot of money to pay you with. I don’t think they’ve reopened the club yet. But I have money now, from my dad, and soon I’ll have some rent money from the club. And I guess I should think about selling the house.”
“Hold on to your money. Use it for college.” Jackie must have told him about our conversation because he grinned at me teasingly. “And you shouldn’t just rent the club to them. When it starts to make a profit again you need to ask for a percentage.”
“Really?” I liked that idea.
“I’ll contact my accountant.”
“Great. Thanks.” I think he was surprised when I hugged him. I turned back around before I got to the door. “Jackie seems really out of it today. Is there anything you can think of that I can do for her?”
“She’s battling depression. Just be around and make sure she eats, that’s really important. Liam has worked something out that should help her.”
“Okay, sure.” I left, then made my calls. Everything was good to go when I saw William walk in the front door.