Page 13 of His Bear Hands (Bear Creek Grizzlies #1)

13

SIMON

S imon didn't generally like cars speeding up to his den, and he liked it even less when Zoe sat next to him. They finally had a real conversation, something that could lead to a discussion of their future together, and some asshole in a rental car ruined it. Simon clenched his jaw as he got up to punch whoever it was in the face, and then Tate jumped out of the car.

Simon blinked. "What the —"

"What the hell are you doing?" Tate didn't even slow down, marching up to Simon to shove him back. "Why did she call me in a panic? What did you do to her?"

Simon stood his ground and shoved him back, wanting to get space so he wouldn't trip over Zoe. He didn't know what pissed Tate off, but Simon's bear didn't feel like being pushed around in his own home. "Chill out, friend."

"Don't 'friend' me." Tate, breathing hard, looked around him at the porch. "Let's go, Zoe. Get your stuff. I'm getting you out of here."

"The hell you are." Simon bristled, advancing on his friend. He'd fight to the death to keep her. "She stays here. "

"You can go fuck yourself." Tate tried to elbow past him to where Zoe stood frozen next to the swing. "Zoe, I'm not kidding. We need to get moving. Castellano could have traced your call or he might have tracked me. I need to get you somewhere safe, fast."

"Isn't it safer here?"

Simon's heart sank to hear the uncertainty in her voice. He backed up to keep her close and away from Tate, and he didn't look back as the front door opened and Ethan eased onto the porch. "Is there a problem, boss?"

"Of course not. Zoe, go inside with Ethan." Simon nudged her closer to his friend, praying Ethan got the message and dragged her to safety.

But Zoe stood her ground and poked his side, making Simon jump. She looked suddenly fierce, like when she'd tried to shove him out of her room that first morning. "Don't tell me what to do."

"Exactly," Tate said. "Get your stuff, Zoe, and we'll —"

"You either." She dodged Simon's grab and strode forward to plant a finger in Tate's chest. "Just because you're my brother doesn't mean you can order me around. I'm a damn adult and you're being a jerk."

"Brother?" Simon said, just as Tate scowled and added, "You're being difficult on purpose, and you seem to be forgetting there are people who want to kill you ."

"I don't know what I want to do." She clenched her hands at her sides and gave them both a dark look. "But I will let you know when I decide."

She turned on her heel and marched away, taking the path to the river. Simon started after her, hating that she was upset, but Tate got in his way. "Don't try anything, dude."

Simon scowled at him. "Did she just say you're her brother? "

"Yeah." Tate ran a hand over his short hair, staring after where Zoe disappeared into the trees. "Half-brother."

"You never mentioned having a sister."

"I didn't know." Tate looked at him and then away, shaking his head. "I found out about her about five years ago. My old man died and she was at the funeral. Apparently he'd been hooking up with her mother while he was married to mine. Her mom is a drunk and an addict, if she's even still alive. A total mess. So I took Zoe away and helped pay for her school, got her set up in an apartment, tried to keep her safe. She got mixed up in this crazy shit with Castellano, and I didn't know what else to do. I trusted you, Simon. What the hell happened?"

"It's hard to explain." Simon gritted his teeth, wishing he could tell Tate about being a shifter. It made it a lot easier to understand why Zoe ran, but that didn't mean it would make it easier for him to leave Zoe there. If Tate even believed him, that is. Most humans still refused to believe shifters walked among them, despite evidence all over the internet. Simon took a deep breath. "She got scared. There were some bears in the meadow and she surprised them. They surprised her. She ran. I tried to stop her and she flipped out, got in my truck and drove off. I'm guessing that's when she called you. That's it. Nothing major."

He left out the part where she wrecked his truck and would have died if he hadn't turned her into the bear. That part could wait. And the part where Simon took her to bed. A couple of times. No reason for Tate to know that, either. Simon held his hands out, glad that the door to the lodge opened again and two more pairs of boots clomped onto the porch behind him. "You know me, brother. You know I wouldn't hurt her, and I sure as hell wouldn't let anything happen to her. "

Tate frowned at him, arms folded, and for a moment Simon thought they might end up brawling in the front drive of the lodge. He braced for the confrontation. At least the guests were all inside and wouldn't witness the mess.