BK 4 - Chapter 42 - Another Rat
Dustin sat next to Breanne, holding her hand. She looked like she was sleeping and would wake up at any moment. He was grateful for Atzi, who continued to stay with her, chanting and using her oils.
"Where am I?" Dustin jumped up in shock when he heard Breanne speak. She was awake, looking around. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.
"We're at Valerie and Roger's house. How do you feel, sweetheart?" He asked, rubbing her cheek lightly. She smiled at him, and he felt tears running down his face. He had thought she was dead yesterday and feared he would never see that smile again.
"I'm thirsty." Atzi appeared with a cup of water and a straw.
"Drink this, dear." She said, holding the straw to Breanne's lips after raising the head of the bed. Breanne looked at Atzi with wide eyes.
"You came too?" She asked with a scratchy voice.
"Yes. Xipil and the boys came as well. We didn't want to leave you after the accident." Atzi replied. Breanne froze. The accident.
"We got hit by the truck, right?" Dustin nodded and saw Breanne close her eyes like she was trying to remember.
"Don't think about it." He said, not wanting to remember how she looked afterward.
"I saw the man that hit us." She said softly.
"I saw him too. I had him call 911." Dustin didn't like the look on Breanne's face; she looked even paler than she already was.
"No. I know him. Get Trey and Cat." She said, looking around. Breanne sat up, and suddenly, the aches and pains in her body were no longer bothering her. She had to tell them. Dustin got up and ran to the dining room, where everyone was eating breakfast.
"Good morning. Breanne is awake. Trey, Cat, she wants to talk to you. Something about the man that hit us is upsetting her." Trey, Cat, Lisa, and Jayce got up and followed him into the family room. Lisa ran over to her friend and hugged her tight.
"See what happens when I trust someone else to take care of you." She said through her tears. Breanne smiled despite the fear she was feeling when she saw Dustin shaking his head.
"I'm okay." She replied. Cat kissed her head and smiled.
"What did you want to tell us, honey?" Cat asked softly. She kept her arm around Breanne's shoulders to help calm her racing heart.
"I remember the man that hit us. I think it was about two years ago when we came up here from San Diego for Spring Break. You had a big barbecue with some of the people you used to work with when you were a detective." Trey nodded when she looked at him.
"A man there was asking you and Cat about the group homes. Almost like he was obsessed with them. You answered his questions, but he wouldn't stop. You and Cat walked away, but he stayed behind and talked to me. He continued asking me questions that I didn't know the answers to. I think his name is Dexter." Breanne stopped to take a sip of water.
"He started at the force after I retired but always comes when we get together. Is he the one that hit you?" Trey asked.
"Yes. He was looking right at us and started going even faster." Breanne started crying when she relived that moment. It was the last thing she remembered before waking up. "How long ago was that?"
"Yesterday," Dustin answered. She looked at him in shock.
"How is that possible? In fact, how am I even alive right now?" Breanne looked down at her body and saw no bruises or anything.
"I had already marked you, so you're already transitioning to a panther. My venom, mixed with your own, is speeding up your recovery. Not to mention everything Atzi has been doing." Dustin answered her. She looked at Atzi, who smiled at her.
"Thank you. I'm so sorry about your book. I'm sure it was ruined." Breanne said while taking Atzi's hand.
"Don't thank me, young lady, and don't apologize about the book. It's fine. I brought it with us, so you can still use it." She helped Breanne lay back down and gently rubbed some oil on her temples.
"Grandpa Trey, what are we going to do about this Dexter guy?" Lisa asked with her arms crossed. How many more people are they going to find who has been against them all along?
"The fewer people who know, the better," Trey replied, winking at her when she scowled. When would people stop treating her like a child?
"I don't like that answer. I'm a law student; everything you say and do will be confidential." Lisa said with a straight face. Everyone started laughing, and that irritated her even more.
"Don't worry, justice will be served, and it won't be through the judicial system," Trey stated. Lisa still wasn't happy but decided to let it go for now.
"Fine. What are we going to do about everything else? The cryptic note, the hunters who are suddenly on our side, and the laws? We have so much to do, and we're just trying to survive. How will we get it all done?" She didn't mention wanting to find out what happened to her birth mother. It was something Lisa wanted, but right now, they had bigger fish to fry.
"I think you should continue working on the laws with our guests. We'll see if the hunters have anything that they can add. We can have them come here because I'm not comfortable letting anyone meet them alone. The rest of us will work on identifying who else is involved with Mick and Dexter so we can eliminate that threat." Trey answered, looking around at everyone as they joined them in the living room. They had an extremely large family, and he believed they would be more successful if they worked in groups.
"We'll bring in a table and stay here with Breanne to review everything. I don't want to go to the pool house right now." Lisa said. She had two reasons she wanted to stay. The first was she wanted to be with Breanne. She also wanted to know if they were going to go after anyone because she planned to go with them. Ali was ready to sink her teeth into someone, no matter how rotten the meat. Lisa saw Cat hiding her smile and knew her grandmother knew exactly what she was up to.
"I'll call Travis and see if the hunters still want to give us a hand." Trey pulled out his phone and walked out of the room.
"Can we help?" Johnny and Cole walked over to Lisa with big eyes. They liked the fiery lioness and would do anything to make her happy. She smiled at them and nodded.
"Yes, we can use all the help we can get. Will you help Jayce and Alex get a table and chairs in here for us to use? After that, you can help us review some of the information we've compiled, okay?" Lisa asked them. They both nodded eagerly, causing her heart to melt. She looked at Jayce and smiled. She couldn't wait to have cubs of their own.
Alex found a table and chairs in the storage unit behind the house. He and Jayce, with the boys, cleaned everything and brought them into the family room. Dustin and Lisa helped Brenna get up so she could take a shower. She was a little unsteady, so Dustin carried her. Once she was dressed, they brought her back to the bed, where Cat and Melanie had put clean sheets on it for her. Valerie helped her eat some chicken noodle soup.
Once everyone was settled, they got to work. Breanne and Dustin looked through the book Atzi brought. While the others spoke with Kele and Tom to see what insight they may have. The hunters joined them soon after Trey called.
Lisa and Jayce explained what they were trying to do to Joe, who was also an attorney. Bill, who worked with fish and wildlife, also sat with them and took notes. He started pulling up laws regarding endangered species.
"Why are you looking at endangered species laws?" Lisa asked, confused.
"Endangered species laws protect those who are at risk for extinction. There are many of your kind now, but that may not be the case if everyone finds out about you. Shifters are also a unique species, along with vampires and witches. This may be one way to help protect all of you. The law says endangered species, not just animals." Bill explained. His face was red with embarrassment when he realized everyone was focused on him. At only twenty-one, he was young and quite fascinated with the lion family.
"I think you just became my new best friend." Lisa joked, making his face turn even redder. Bill had always been more comfortable with animals rather than people.
"Have you solved all the world's problems yet?" Jade asked, walking into the room. She put her arm over Lisa's shoulders, giving her a hug.
"We're working on it," Lisa replied. Bill stared at Jade with his mouth open. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, with her long black hair and green eyes. He quickly looked away before she caught him staring at her.
Jade saw the man staring at her but didn't say anything. He was cute enough, but she wanted her mate. She didn't believe she was like her brother and Melanie. They had known they were mates from the time Mealnie was conceived. Jade knew she wouldn't know who her mate was until she was at least eighteen. Just a few more days from now. As Lisa explained what Bill said, the buzzer at the gate let them know someone was there.
"Hello," Trey said into the panel on the wall.
"Hey, Trey, it's Dexter Nass. I wanted to see if I could talk to you for a minute." Trey looked at Lisa with a smirk.
"Sure, come on in." He pushed the buzzer to give him access as Lisa stood up. She walked to the door with her grandparents and saw Dexter getting out of his truck.
"Welcome to the lion's den, asshole. It's lunchtime, and our food just arrived."
