Puma Pride, page 33
“You want to talk,” he sighed.
“Yes,” she grinned when he grimaced. “Then I want a bath with you underneath me.”
He went still knowing she meant to make love with him in the tub. “What about?”
“I thought about running,” she cupped his face. “I thought if I disappeared, it would make some of this go away.”
“Not for Bryan and Mia,” Brady said.
“That’s part of what I was thinking about. I know I’ve been… emotional I guess, but I don’t want to run anymore. I’ve got my family and I don’t want to give any of you up. What we have here is worth fighting for. You’re worth fighting for.”
“If you want to run, I’ll come with you,” he said. “But you don’t think that’s the right thing.”
“No. Look at all the lives which have been ruined,” Jolyn said. “We must expose this. It’s why we did the horrible interviews. By the way, I like us but I don’t like telling the world about us.”
“I agree,” Brady kissed her. “Okay so we’ll fight.”
“I don’t want to lose anymore,” Jolyn said. “I don’t want to walk away from all the good we have here.”
“Then we won’t,” Brady said. “Can we go inside now?”
“You want to make love,” she grinned.
“Always,” Brady grinned. “You only have yourself to blame.”
“True. I guess I’ll have to submit to your needs,” she squealed when he lifted her up. “I need you naked.”
“Here and now,” he asked.
“Inside,” she pressed her lips to his.
15
“There’s a lot of changes,” Brooks said as he set their suitcases down in the front room.
“You heard all they’ve been through,” Molly said. “Chet, how are you? Where is everyone?”
“Bryan and Mia are in the office working,” Chet said. “Brady went to get Jolyn. She’s with the little ones.”
“Mom, Dad,” Bryan crossed the front room to greet his parents. “We weren’t expecting you.”
“When you call in the full legal team, we feel the need to be here,” Brooks said. “Mia, you look stunning as always.”
“Oooh,” Molly hugged Mia. “You look lovely. How are you feeling? Do you know the genders? Have you picked names?”
“I’m feeling good,” Mia said. “The pregnancy has been good so far. No and no for gender and names.”
“I want to hear everything,” Molly said.
“We’ll have tea and a chat,” Mia hugged Molly appreciating her excitement.
“There they are,” Brooks took in the woman. Brown hair, honey colored eyes, curves, and nervous.
“Brady,” Molly held out her arms to her son. “You look good.”
“Mom, dad,” Brady hugged his mother before turning to Jolyn and putting his arm around her. “This is my mate, Jolyn.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Jolyn held out her hand to Molly.
Molly took her hand and pulled her close for a hug. “I’m so glad he finally found you,” Molly said.
“I’m glad he found me too,” Jolyn admitted.
“You can call me Molly or mom whichever suits you,” Molly held her by her upper arms.
“Thank you,” Jolyn said. “Mom.”
Molly grinned. “Now that grumpy puss is Brooks or you can call him dad. He’s my mate and often grumpy.”
“Sir,” Jolyn held out her hand.
“Don’t listen to a word she says,” Brooks pulled her into his arms and held her close. “Always wanted a daughter. Looks like I got another stunner. If he doesn’t treat you right, let me know I’ll kick his butt.”
“Thank you,” Jolyn grinned. “He treats me very well, sir.”
“Dad, call me dad,” Brooks said. “Now tell me all about you. I want to hear it all.”
Jolyn glanced at Brady nervously. “There’s a lot to tell,” she confessed.
“Let’s settle in somewhere comfortable and get some food,” Brooks said keeping his arm around Jolyn. “I want to hear all of it.”
“Are you sure,” Jolyn asked.
“We sure do,” Molly said.
“What do you mean you’ve called in all the members,” Bryan asked. “We’re handling the situation.”
“Has the DA agreed to file charges?” Brooks tipped his glass of whiskey to sip the fifty year old malt.
“We’re handling the issues,” Brady said.
“Yes, there have been a number of incursions into our own territory and no one has paid the penalty,” Brooks stared down his two sons. “One of the hardest things as an alpha is to know when you’re out gunned and when you need to call in reinforcements.”
“The DA has not decided on any of the charges,” Mia said. “However, we’re dealing with humans in this case.”
“It’s better to be… subtle,” Jolyn said.
“Bullshit,” Brooks said. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not talking to you about how this would have been handled in the old days. My grandfather would have laid waste the man who’s behind this.”
“And in the process lost half the Pride,” Molly said. “It’s not that we don’t have confidence in you.”
“We do,” Brooks said. “But sometimes the humans need to be reminded we have claws and teeth and little tolerance for the finer details.”
“Dad,” Brady objected.
“All you’ll do is stir up problems,” Bryan said at the same time as Brady.
“Stop it,” Jolyn said. “The fact is that all of you are working so hard to protect Mia and myself.”
“Oh. I forgot to mention,” Brooks dropped another bombshell. “Your parents will be here tomorrow.” He patted Mia on her shoulder.
“What?” Mia rolled her eyes.
“You carry the first pair of twins in decades,” Molly said. “We all think this is worth protecting.”
“Do you think I don’t,” Bryan growled at his own mother.
“Of course you do,” Brooks said. “We’re just here to help, as the others will be here to help.”
Jolyn paced to the window, hands behind her back, and kept silent as the family argued.
“We know what we’re doing,” Brady asserted. “Security has been upgraded and refined. We have a team in the house and on the grounds. We have…”
“We’re not doubting your skills at all,” Brooks interrupted Brady. “We think you need more. We have lawyers arriving. Your aunts, uncles and cousins are all concerned this will have a ripple affect into a bigger political arena.”
“We have a good liaison with the police department,” Bryan explained.
“All of that sounds great,” Brooks said. “But if the DA won’t press charges on a person who has violated many of their own human laws, how will we get him prosecuted on the shifter laws?”
“With allowing humans into the Pride, you can now be held to more of their laws as there are more here. Well one anyways,” Molly said.
Brady’s head snapped up and he stepped back. “My mate is not the cause of this.”
“Of course she isn’t,” Molly said. “However, they feel you’ve kidnapped her.”
“In fact, you did initially,” Brooks pointed out. “On top of which you’ve admitted to the crime.”
“She lived in our neighborhood and appeared to have been part of a crime against the Pride,” Mia glanced at Jolyn to see how she took the argument.
“But not according to human law,” Brooks said. “At least that’s how the DA is assessing the situation.”
“Enough,” Jolyn said. “If my being here is a problem, I’ll leave. I’ve already told the public, the police, the DA and anyone else who came here, I was not held against my will. What more do you want me to do?”
“My dear girl,” Molly turned to her but Jolyn moved towards Brady.
“I won’t put all of you at risk,” Jolyn cupped his face. “I’ll go so you’ll be better able to protect the Pride.”
“Jo,” Brady pulled her close. “You wanted to stay.”
“Not if it puts all of you in danger,” Jolyn pulled him down into a kiss. Kept his lips busy as all of them watched. She stepped out of his arms. Sadness filled her face, “I’ll pack and be gone tonight. I’ll contact the DA and let him know I’m away from the Pride and he should move forward with the prosecution of Brent Ladika.”
Brady reached for her but she moved out of the room.
“We didn’t mean for her to go,” Molly frowned.
“She found Peter’s Pack after their slaughter,” Brady growled at his parents. “The idea of putting the Pride in danger terrifies her.”
“Go after her,” Brooks said. “She won’t leave. We can’t protect her if she leaves.”
Brady sped out of the room and ran to their room. He found her standing in the middle of their room. She touched the shelves he put up for her books.
“Jo,” he murmured her name.
“I should go. It will protect the Pride. I should pack my bag and leave.” She stared at the changes in the room. “But I look at what we’ve built here. I see the changes you’ve made. I think of sleeping alone and I feel shattered.”
“You’re not leaving,” Brady put his arms around her. “Or more to the point, you won’t leave without me.”
“If my being here puts the Pride in danger,” she buried her face in his chest. Her voice became muffled as she talked into his chest. “I won’t survive another slaughter. I’d rather be dead with them.”
“No one’s dying,” Brooks said from the doorway. “We don’t want you to go, my dear.”
Brady snarled and she put her hand on him. “I’m right here,” she touched his chin.
“She’s already got you pegged,” Brooks laughed at his son.
“Oh good. You didn’t interrupt him ravaging her to entice her to stay,” Molly said. “Now we have a plan of sorts. It does not involve losing you or kicking you out to fend for yourself.”
“Besides, Starry will go on strike if you leave,” Bryan leaned in the doorway with Mia standing next to him.
“What’s your plan,” Jolyn asked as she held on tight to Brady.
“It’s a good one,” Brooks grinned.
Walking through the DA’s office, Jolyn took note of busy people around her. She recognized a couple shifters but mostly she thought the lawyers were human. She shook her head. “Is he in,” she asked the assistant sitting at the desk in front of his doors.
“Yes, ma’am,” Clarice Juniper flicked her bottle blond hair behind her shoulders to show off her bulging cleavage. “He’s not to be disturbed. He left strict instructions…Hey!”
Jolyn walked past the curvy blond and pushed open the doors to Dermot Romley’s office. He sat with his feet on his desk swirling whiskey in his glass. “Mr. Romley,” Jolyn said. “I’m here to officially submit to you a complaint which you have up until this point done nothing about. This complaint has to do with Brent Ladika and his group who experimented on my parents, myself, my sister, and others named in this complaint.”
“I’ve already made my decision on this complaint,” Dermot interrupted her. “There’s not enough evidence…”
“In that case, I and my Pride will take our issue to the governor to ask for an investigation. We’ve already discovered the Human Alliance group was a major contributor to your campaign. We believe you’re covering up for Brent Ladika and his group. Are you part of a conspiracy?”
“You cannot possibly think I would,” Dermot slammed his glass on his desk sloshing the whiskey up the sides.
Behind Jolyn, several lawyers accompanied her. “Why else would you refuse to even investigate a career making case,” Jolyn demanded. “This is my legal team. If you won’t prosecute those who contributed to your campaign, then we’ll take this to the governor.”
“Now hold on just a moment,” Dermot said. “Clarice close my doors.” He waited until Clarice followed his orders. “I have a pristine reputation. You cannot come barging into my office and demand I prosecute people. We prosecute people based on evidence. Your evidence is circumstantial at best. Therefore, I opted not to follow through with…”
“Right now gathering on the steps to this building are a number of journalists from across this state,” Jolyn said. “I have every intention of speaking to them. I will tell them how you have opted not to prosecute a man who raped and tortured human girls from this city and then experimented on them to try to create their own super shifter. I will then release all your campaign contributors and point out those who are against shifters.”
“Now hold on just a moment,” Dermot blustered as his face turned a puce color.
“Why? Why should I hold on? You threaten my mate and my Pride with prosecution when you’ve been told repeatedly and given sworn statements by me that I’m not being held captive. Also, you’ve been given briefs and all sorts of other legal documents affirming my membership to the Puma Pride and my connection to Brady Puma,” she declared.
“You’re the only human in the Puma Pride,” Dermot said. “They only made you his mate because they knew they broke our laws. You’ve got Stockholm’s and should be physically removed…”
“Here’s an injunction to prevent you from taking any action of removal,” Cousin Paul placed a paper on the desk.
“Here’s a psych evaluation of Jolyn Puma affirming she does not suffer from Stockholm’s and outlining the damage it would do to remove her from her mate,” Cousin Ellen placed another file on Dermot’s desk.
Dermot barely gave either document a second glance. “I will not…”
“Additionally, though this is not required, here is a statement from four other humans who are part of Puma Pride,” Ellen set another folder on his desk.
“You have two choices,” Jolyn crossed her arms and stared him down. “You can either prosecute those who committed actual horrendous crimes or you can take your chances. You might want to remember nearly seventy percent of the voters are shifters or are in some way connected to shifters.”
“I will not be blackmailed into prosecuting innocent men,” Dermot spluttered.
“On your own head be it,” Jolyn turned and left. Her group of lawyers prevented Dermot Romley from following.
When they reached the bank of elevators, Jolyn sighed.
“It’s all right,” Paul said. “We have a plan for this.”
“I know,” Jolyn said stepping onto the elevator. “I hoped he was a better person than he is.
“Do you want the statement,” Ellen asked as they crowded in with her.
“Yeah,” Jolyn said. “I hate this.”
“We could go back to the old ways,” Paul smirked as the elevator slowed to a stop.
“We’re not sending a hit squad after Ladika,” Jolyn said. “Not yet anyways.”
“Yes, we’re winning her over,” Paul teased.
“Bloodthirsty lawyers,” Jolyn smiled. She trembled but when she stepped out of the elevator Brady offered her his arm. She took it and leaned on him for a moment.
“One more step and then back to the safety of the compound,” he murmured.
“Yes,” Jolyn let go his arm, swallowed, and pushed open the door. She stood at the top of the steps and scanned the road. Traffic moved with the lights but a few news vans parked in front of the building, some illegally. “Here goes nothing.”
She walked down the steps and halfway, reporters crowded around her. She held up her hand as they threw questions at her.
“I’ll make a statement but I will not take questions,” Jolyn said. “I came here today to ask Mr. Romley if he planned to prosecute a man who has committed several crimes. He’s told me he would not. Instead, he threatened to have me physically removed from my mate and my Pride.” Brady put a hand on her waist, stepping closer to her. “He suggested I was mentally unstable and threatened to prosecute my alphas. My crime? I reported a crime, several crimes actually. I hoped Mr. Romley would do his duty as the district attorney but he clearly has his own prejudices. I’ll be going over his head by contacting the governor and other officials to see what the next steps will be for having the horrendous crimes prosecuted.”
Jolyn moved away from the reporters. Questions flew at her but she said nothing further. An SUV pulled up. Brady opened the door for her and she slid in. With the door closed, Brady jogged around to the other side. The lawyers shared several other vehicles and they all pulled away from the curb.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Jolyn touched Keyne’s shoulder once the door closed. “Joel, is Amanda feeling better?”
“Yes, Verity thinks it was a virus,” Joel said. “She’s resting today and determined to go back to the kids tomorrow.”
“Oh, me too,” Jolyn said. “All this stuff is ridiculous.”
“It’s a good thing we have an extensive library,” Mia rubbed her lower back as she sat at lunch a week later.
“It has been busy with all the lawyers in there,” Molly said. “Now I’m glad I insisted on the law books and we’ve got multiple computers in there now allowing them to access other law resources. I swear they are writing brief upon brief to counter all the nonsense the DA is doing.”
“Between the interviews Martha Graham has been releasing and the other reporters digging into the DA and his record, we’re getting good coverage,” Mia said. “Jolyn, why aren’t you eating?”
“I thought the men were joining us,” Jolyn pushed food around on her plate.
“They’ll be here shortly,” Molly said. “They’re working on a plan and making some changes to a few rooms.”
“More secret rooms,” Mia rolled her eyes.
“A comfortable panic room where all the children and pregnant women can go during another invasion,” Molly whispered.
Brooks’ booming laughter rang out across the dining room. Brooks slapped Brady on his back as soon as they stepped into the room. Brady hurried to Jolyn’s side. His lips touched hers lightly as he took a seat next to her.
“I missed you,” she murmured touching his face.
“Grampa, can I help with the building,” Minnie asked.
