Chapter Thirty
I was sitting on the bed with my computer on my lap and headphones on when Sasha walked in and closed the door. He pulled the chair out from behind the desk, turned it around and straddled it, staring at me as he leaned on the chair back. I ignored him, even though he was pretty hard to ignore. I was listening to a song I liked and really didn’t want to have to hear some stupid lecture from Sex-on-a-Stick about how I should have stayed upstairs with William. Didn’t he understand that I knew those guys? He should have been happy that I’d handled them so well. I looked up. He was still staring at me, his expression even angrier than before.
I removed the headphones, shifted the computer from my lap to the bed and crossed my arms. “Go ahead and yell at me.”
He sighed and shook his head. “You don’t have any idea of the danger your big mouth put us in, do you?”
“I handled those guys fine. They weren’t even dangerous. I can’t figure out what you’re so mad about.”
“I’ll start at the beginning.” His voice was icy calm. “Do you remember Garrett saying I was in charge each evening when Rob left?” I nodded. “When did Rob leave this evening?”
“After dinner, around 7:00, I think.”
“And Farrell left around the same time, correct?” I nodded. “I told you to stay upstairs with Will. Sinc did as she was told, because she understands about chain of command and the importance of following orders. Also, she’s bright enough to know it was a smart decision. She is not trained as a fighter and neither are you or William. You should have stayed up here. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I distinctly remember hearing you tell Garrett you would do what I asked and not cause any trouble. Do you remember any of that?”
“Yes.” I wasn’t feeling quite so confident right now. I had promised Garrett.
“Not only did you come downstairs against my express orders, but you ran right up to the front, where you were an easy target. I am responsible for your safety and I don’t want to answer to Garrett if anything happens to you.”
“I know those guys. Nothing would have happened.” I hated how I sounded so defensive, but what I was saying was true.
“You cannot guarantee they came unarmed.” He’d clenched his fists. Not a good sign at all.
“Yeah, well I think I know them better than you do. Wolves don’t use guns.” My argument was pathetic and I knew it. My dad was against guns and discouraged their use, but some wolves loved to carry.
“In my experience, many wolves fight with guns as well as knives, swords, fists, fangs and claws.” I shrugged feebly. “To continue with the list of incredibly stupid moves, after blatantly ignoring my orders you started running your mouth off about how Garrett and Jackie will not return for several days. This gives your so-called buddies a very good guess as to our defensive position. You, Will, and Sinc are not trained to fight. Rick and I can only fight off so many and then that’s it. We’re dust. We can call in the Fae or Aaron’s pack, but at that moment, we didn’t know if these wolves were alone, had back-up in the woods or were perhaps even working for Kennett. He could be holding their families hostage to get this exact information. At this very moment he could be sending out a large group of his cronies to attack us.”
“But I know them. He was telling the truth. Those four are the only males left from the pack.”
“You knew them. Things could have changed. They lost their pack leader. His daughter has inherited. Maybe Fred is the next in line. Maybe he wants you dead.”
“Not Fred, he’s—”
Sasha stood, pushing the chair to the side. I scooted as far back on the bed as possible. “Then the cherry on top of it all, is you offering them an alliance with Garrett and Jackie. Who the hell do you think you are, to take it upon yourself to offer these weres an alliance? Do you have any idea how this shit works? Garrett and Jackie are like the king and queen and you want them to ally themselves with the rebel pack who tortured the Emperor’s people. Garrett would never betray his fae allies. What if this gets back to Lord Caelen?”
I was on the verge of tears. “But I… I just wanted to help them.”
Sasha sighed and sat back. “Bridgett, look at me.” I did, reluctantly. “I believe you’re safer here with me and Rick and Farrell than you would be at Maya’s. But I expect you to swear to me on your honor that you will follow all of my orders exactly, from now until Garrett returns. That includes me telling you to keep your mouth shut and not talk—at all. Maybe for hours.” I was biting back my tears, watching his eyes sparkle with silver. He was so angry with me. I felt like a complete idiot. “I need this promise from you, or I’m sending you back to Maya tonight, telling her to lock you up so you don’t go running off and recommending that Garrett not consider you for the team. If you can’t take orders, you’re useless to us.”
Oh god, I’d really screwed up. I blurted out, “I promise. I’m sorry. I don’t think clearly sometimes.”
It took Sash two long deep breaths to calm down enough to lose the silver in his eyes. “I’ll see you and Will in the backyard in ten minutes. Be prepared to work your ass off.” He opened the bedroom door and William was standing there, looking worried. “Go on in, you have ten minutes. If you’re late, you’ll be doing double the work. Leave the door open.”
My tears had left a wet trail down my cheeks. Will wiped them off with his shirtsleeve. I was choking back a sob when Will pressed his lips against mine. When his sweet kiss was over, he smiled at me. “Guess we both messed up today. Tomorrow will be better.”