Apprehended: Twenty-Nine
I sat in the game room, watching Jared, Gav and Ethan playing pool with drinks in hand. Early evening had descended and it had been a few days since Ethan and I spoke of the reckless act he performed in the name of protecting the clan. We didn't revisit the subject. Sadly, I still felt unresolved. Trapped between Ethan's responsibility as an Alpha and his selflessness. It was the equivalent of being wedged between a rock and a hard place. Though the act served as a diversion to save the lives of those he cared about, he had no care for himself. Which was a serious issue considering he was the beating heart of the clan.
Lily sat beside me on the game room couch, mindlessly blabbering about a show on television whilst nursing yet another alcoholic beverage. Though-like the television-she had become background noise. As did Gavin mouthing off to his cousin, who had just drained whiskey like it was water.
I didn't know if I should've been impressed or disturbed by the idea that Ethan could drink that much liquor and still be rendered level-headed.
A booming ring indicated the doorbell going off, immediately halting all movement in the large room and causing all heads to swivel towards the direction of the foyer.
We never had visitors. Everyone we knew was already on the estate. Ethan had granted the night off for all clan members. He placed his pool stick to the side along with his empty glass. With efficiency, he prowled to the door like a boss, his bare feet patting across the wooden floor with purpose. He didn't say a word; merely taking control to answer the door without fear.
I straightened on the couch, tilting my head to the side to get a better look.
"Who could that be?" murmured Lily, rising to her feet.
Gavin shot her a look. "Where do you think you're going, female? Sit down."
She scowled. "I didn't even do anything!"
I would've laughed if the incessant doorbell didn't stop it's nagging. I was too focused on who it could be...and how they got onto the property without Ethan's knowledge.
Ethan didn't hesitate.
He opened the heavy panel, resting casually against the wood and folding his arms across his large chest as he stared, blinking a few times in silence before stepping to the side with a glower.
A large man walked into the foyer...
And spoke with a heavy Texas drawl. "Hey there, darlin'! Havin' a party without me?"
I gasped.
And rushed to my feet to run and hug a very cold Tony.
He chuckled and hugged me in return before Ethan slipped an arm around my waist. "Alright, alright. That's enough."
Tony winked, ignoring the whispered words spoken by other clan members at his unexpected arrival. He zeroed in on my stomach. "Lookin' pretty, cupcake. How you feelin'?"
Ethan was unamused. "She's fine, Anthony." He spit out the name like it singed his tongue-vehement and filled with obvious malice. "You want to tell me what the fuck you're doing here?"
It seemed separation did little to hinder the strain between the two. Everyone picked up on it as well. The room fell into a thick silence. One that was filled with so much tension, you could cut it with a knife.
Tony peeled off his cap, running a hand through his hair before stripping off his coat. "Here on business. Heard you came back home and decided to visit."
Ethan walked lazily to his pool stick and snatched it, deliberately powdering the tip and glaring before giving the balls a violent hit. They scattered like bullets, a few colliding into the side of the pool table with such force, they fell to the floor in a resounding boom. "Is that so?" he asked, rising to his full height. "Who told you that?"
Tony avoided a direct answer. "I have my ways."
"Too right," Ethan went on. "I'd also like to know how the fuck you got onto my property without my knowledge."
Tony smiled. "Garrett let me in."
Ethan spat out a juicy curse before hollering for the poor butler. Garrett arrived a few seconds later, bowing slightly at the assembled. "Master Dune."
Ethan's voice was clipped and to the point. "The next time you decide to answer doors when I'm here, I would appreciate you telling me who the fuck is knocking."
The poor man blubbered, stumbling over words before apologizing.
Ethan cut him off. "He is no stranger to us, true. Nonetheless, I will not allow anyone to come into my home with my very pregnant female on the grounds. I expect the same goes for all clan members and their mates. Is that understood?"
The butler bowed once more and apologized, turning a bright shade of red before leaving.
Tony took a seat on a nearby bar stool, grabbing a random glass half-filled with liquor and polishing it off before speaking again. "Nice to see how you treat your childhood butler," he commented dryly.
Uh-oh.
"I treat anyone any goddamn way I wish in my motherfucking house, Sheriff. Especially when it puts the life of my mate, my young and my clan at risk," Ethan shot back. He slammed the pool stick on top of the pool table, the wood splintering in two as it cracked under the pressure. "Let's get to the point, Anthony. What the fuck are you doing on my property in the middle of the fucking night and what do you want?"
Tony whistled low in his throat. "So touchy, Dom. I mean no harm. To you, your female, your young or your clan."
"Then tell me what you want."
Tony didn't answer. Instead, he redirected the conversation. "You left again, Dune. It seems you're making a habit of it when the going gets rough."
Ethan's growl was low with the promise of violence. "Are you accusing me of something, Anthony?"
Tony shook his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. I swallowed hard, knowing damn well that he knew what he was doing. He was testing Ethan's patience. And the bastard enjoyed it.
It seemed he also had a death wish.
"Are you confessing?" Tony countered.
"Guilty people confess," said Ethan. "I have nothing to hide."
The Sheriff placed the empty glass on the bar top and rose to his full height, tucking his shirt casually into the waistband of his low-lying jeans. "Mind if we talk in your office?"
Ethan cocked a suspicious brow. "Hiding something are we?"
Tony chuckled confidently and moved to head up the stairs as if he owned the house and everything in it. Ethan made a move to follow, muttering under his breath about disrespectful human males and murder.
It was like witnessing a novella.
"She comes too."
Everyone froze-including Ethan-as all eyes went on me. I gaped. "Uhhh...me?"
Tony tipped his head. "Yes, ma'am."
Ethan shifted his body and planted himself in front of me. "She stays here. If you have anything to say, you talk to me."
Tony clucked his tongue. "Laws don't apply only to males, Dune. She comes. That's final." He stopped at the lip of the stairs and leaned to the right to stare at me behind Ethan. "Let's get to gettin' there, sweetheart." He tapped the watch on his thick wrist with a blunt finger. "Time's a wastin'." He redirected himself and began the ascent to Ethan's office without a guide.
Ethan's fury was nearly uncontained. He reached out and grabbed my hand to lead me upstairs, stopping before Gavin with a glare. "You're coming with me."
Gavin ran a hand over his blond head. "I don't think that's such a great idea, Alpha. He wouldn't want me there. I have no information to offer-whatever it entails."
Ethan began walking with me in tow. "It wasn't for information. It's a precaution in the event I'm driven to kill the bastard."
