Love's Baggage Read online

  "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you. We were told you chose to leave the pack and we were forbidden to look for you." Gianni snarled. "It was only in the last year we discovered you were turned over to the non-preters. I followed every lead until finally someone told me the Canis pack might know where to find you."

  Allen looked at his brother and surprise rocked him. Roman stared at Gianni like a diabetic would look at a chocolate cake--lust and need mixed with a helping of knowing it wouldn't be good for him.

  "Get up, Gianni. You don't need to kneel before me. I'm not your alpha. I'm not even a member of your pack anymore."

  Gianni stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Allen noticed how Gianni's gaze kept wandering over to Roman. He gave a small smile. The trip was going to be lots of fun since it looked like Gianni reciprocated Roman's feelings.

  "You are my alpha, Allen. I recognized your power long ago. Don't you remember when I swore my oath to you?"

  Allen laughed. "We were ten, and I thought you were playing."

  "A lycan doesn't play with his oath," Gianni reminded him. "When you disappeared, I asked everyone about you, but no one except Kinsey and your father would give me an answer."

  Allen held out his hand, and Gianni grabbed it, yanking him forward into a quick hug. He let the big man squish him for a moment before breaking free and gesturing to the nearest table.

  "Let's sit and talk." He thought about something and turned to Rover. "Is it all right if we stay here? Or do you want to close and go home for the night?"

  Rover chuckled. "I live behind the bar. If I get tired, I'll give you the key and let you lock up. It's not open to customers, so we're good. What would you like to drink?"

  "I'll have a Corona," Gianni said.

  "I just want water." Allen didn't drink. He hadn't liked not having control over his actions and too much alcohol caused problems for him.

  "Corona's fine with me." Roman sat and rested his elbows on the table, staring at Gianni from under his lashes.

  Gianni waited until Allen sat before pulling out a chair and swinging it around. He laid his arms on the back of the chair and glanced at the others.

  "So you're the Canis pack?"

  Savannah nodded and didn't seem bothered by Gianni's lack of submission toward her. Maybe she thought Allen would keep him in line, and she was right. Allen might not want to be alpha of any pack, but he wouldn't let anyone disrespect the woman who opened her pack to his brother and him without any questions.

  "I thank you for taking Allen and Roman in when they needed it." Gianni bowed his head to her, and Savannah returned the gesture.

  "You're welcome. Now come on, everyone. We'll leave them to discuss things. Rover, take care and I'll see you at dinner tomorrow night. We'll go over what needs to be done while Spike and I are gone."

  "Yes, ma'am." Rover nodded before herding everyone else out of the bar. He locked the door behind them. "I'll be balancing books in the back office if you need me. Just knock on the door when you get ready to leave."

  "Thanks, Rover." Allen accepted the drinks the lycan handed them.

  "You stood up for Bandit, and I appreciate it. It might seem like we don't respect him, and while it's true for Mom and Spike, it's not true for me. I have a lot of respect for my brother. He's a pain in the ass, but he's gone through a lot of shit he's never told any of us about."

  Allen shrugged slightly. "At times, I think I know where he's coming from. He's seen things the rest of you haven't, and it's changed him in ways he doesn't want you to know about. Also, he doesn't want it touching you."

  Rover nodded. "That's Bandit for you. Always trying to protect the rest of us. Even though he isn't an alpha, he has the right mentality."

  Rover squeezed Allen's shoulder in gratitude and wandered off behind the bar and down the hallway. Allen waited until he heard the door shut before meeting Gianni's gaze.

  "Why are you here now?"

  "I told you. It's taken me this long to finally track you down. It's like I've been chasing after ghosts at times. I'd arrive in a town and be told you left two days earlier. I was beginning to lose hope of ever finding you."

  Allen tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Who told you to come to Canis territory?"

  Gianni closed his eyes like he was conjuring up the image of his informant in his mind. "He was an older man, with dark hair and dark eyes. A wolf like us, but he'd been injured, so he was moving slow. Told me to come to the Wolf Pack bar and ask for Savannah. He said she would know how to get in touch with you."

  "Max," Roman exclaimed. "Did he look all right?"

  Gianni shrugged. "He moved slow, but was healing fine, I guess. He definitely wasn't letting the wounds stop him. When I ran into him, Max was fighting two non-preters over a half-breed wolf. The half-breed had been beaten pretty badly, but Max wasn't going to let the humans finish him off. I joined in, not wanting to see either of my fellow wolves killed. After we won, I helped get the injured wolf to Max's truck. He asked what I was doing in town, and I explained who I was looking for. He gave me directions here and the rest is history."

  Allen and Roman shared a glance.

  "I wonder what Max does for a living. Maybe it's like some kind of lycan underground railroad. Getting the ones in danger out of harm's way or something like that," Roman speculated.

  Gianni caught the last part of it. "Were you guys in trouble? You didn't just leave?"

  "No. Our father convinced Kinsey to sell us to some non-preters who owned a freak show. We were prisoners there for ten years, until Max broke us out. He was taking us somewhere when humans attacked us to kill us. Ended up here and the rest is, as you said, history. The Canis pack is involved with some serious shit, so we're going to do what we can to help them."

  "And that involves you both going back home?" Gianni grimaced. "I have to tell you guys, the pack has gone downhill since you left. Alpha Kinsey's completely lost his mind, and your father is really in charge now, directing Kinsey's every decision. We know any order Kinsey gives comes from your father. He makes money by getting Kinsey to force pack members to fight to the death, while non-preters watch and bet on us. I've never understood why your father just didn't challenge your uncle and become alpha."

  "Because my father isn't alpha material. He likes to lead from the background." Allen sneered.

  Roman gagged. "That's terrible. No one thought to stop them?"

  "None of us are as powerful as they are. Only Allen could've done it and he wasn't there anymore. It's one of the reasons why I was sent looking for you. The rest of the pack wants you back. They want you to challenge the alpha and take over." Gianni grinned. "You can't be worse than the bastard we have now."

  Allen held up his hands in protest. "I don't want to be alpha. I have no interest in leading a pack."

  "Sometimes you have no choice in the matter, Allen. Sometimes fate chooses your destiny for you and you're stuck with it."

  They looked up to see Marvus standing there.

  "How did you get in?" Gianni looked at the closed door. "I didn't see you come in."

  "Do you really think I need to use a door?" Marvus chuckled. "I'm here to tell you, Allen. Fate has plans for you, and your destiny is intertwined with all that's going on. You have to go back to your pack and take over."

  "Who are you?" Gianni frowned.

  "He's an avatar, Gianni, and when he speaks, I have to listen. This is going to suck. Bandit's going to freak when he hears we're going to challenge for a pack." Allen didn't look forward to asking Bandit if he would help take over another pack.

  Chapter 2

  Bandit tossed his bag in the back of his truck and went back to sit on the front steps of his porch. He sipped from his mug, absorbing the caffeine in his coffee. He barely tipped his head when Lou and Ray showed up, joining him on the porch.

  "You do realize we tried to convince Mother not to do this without talking to you first, but she wouldn't listen to Rover or me." Lou bumped his sh
oulder against Bandit's. "You're a pain in the ass, Bandit, but you've got a good head on your shoulders. You should know everything about this trip."

  He tilted his head, gazing at his youngest brother from the corner of his eye. "What do you mean I should know everything about this trip? Is there something I don't know? Something that might get us into trouble if I didn't know?"

  Lou shook his head. "Not that I know of, but they don't tell me anything either."

  "You're right. We're like mushrooms. They keep us in the dark and feed us shit." Bandit went back to sipping his coffee. "There's coffee in the kitchen if you're interested. Is everyone going to show up to see us off? Or only Mom and Spike?"

  Ray wandered into Bandit's house, and Lou shrugged.

  "I'm not sure. I wanted to let you know I'll keep an eye on your house while you're gone. Make sure nothing happens and keep it clean."

  He looked over his front lawn at the bright flowers he'd chosen so carefully blooming along the walkway. "Thanks, Lou. I appreciate it. I don't know how long this is going to take. I'm hoping it won't be a big deal. I'll get them there, and they'll find out if their family's okay or if they need to stay."

  "If they stay, will you stay as well?" Lou stared out into the driveway.

  "Why would I?" Bandit frowned.

  Lou frowned. "I don't know. Maybe it's how you look at Allen. I know you like him."

  Bandit snorted. "I want to fuck him, Lou. That's not a strong enough reason for me to stay in his pack instead of coming back home. Anyway, I think they consider us to be their pack now."

  "What if they find a reason to stay there? What if Allen ends up challenging the alpha and takes control of the pack?"

  "Have you heard something?" Bandit finally looked Lou in the eye. "Tell me what you know."

  Lou grinned. "I don't know anything, Bandit. I'm just saying what if. You can't know for sure what's going to happen in the future. You should be prepared for anything."

  Before Bandit could answer, Spike's car pulled into the driveway. He watched as Spike and Savannah climbed from it. Allen and Roman joined them, along with a red-haired stranger. Bandit stood, a growl low in his throat as the stranger took Allen's elbow and led him up the walkway. He started to lunge forward, needing to jerk Allen away from whoever the lycan was. Lou grabbed him and shook his head to warn Bandit not to do anything.

  Instead, Bandit glanced down at his watch and said, "Right on time. My bag's already in the truck. Why don't we get yours in there? I hope you have directions because no one's seen fit to tell me where we're going."

  The unknown lycan snarled and stood in front of Allen. "You don't talk to him like that."

  Bandit raised his eyebrows and met the lycan's gaze. "I don't know who you are, but considering I'm being ordered to do this and no one asked if I wanted to go, I'll talk to him however I want."

  Allen started to say something, but Bandit shook his head. He held out his hand to the stranger. "I'm Bandit Canis. Who are you?"

  "Gianni Valten."

  They shook hands, and Bandit didn't try to dominate Gianni. No point in trying to prove who was stronger. Bandit could tell he was more dominant than Gianni, but he didn't care. After they let go, Bandit turned to Allen.

  "Where are your bags? We'll get them put away and head out. Oh, if you're interested in coffee, there's some made in the kitchen. There are also some travel mugs."

  "I have them here." Ray stepped from the house, carrying four of them. "I heard an extra voice, so I brought another one."

  "Thank you," Allen said as he took one.

  Bandit followed Gianni to Spike's car and grabbed a bag. "You're from their pack. What are you doing here?"

  "I came looking for them. I've been looking for them since I found out what really happened to them. It's only been within the last couple of months I started getting recent sightings. Then I ran into Max in a town about an hour or two away from here. He told me to come here and ask the Canis pack about Allen and Roman."

  "Are you always this chatty?" Bandit hoped not because it was going to be a long trip if he was.

  "Are you usually this big an asshole?" Gianni met his gaze with frankness.

  Bandit thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes, but I promise to try and not take my annoyance with my family out on Allen. I can't promise I won't be an ass to you or Roman."

  "What makes Allen special?"

  Turning with the bag in his hand, Bandit's gaze landed on Allen, standing next to the truck chatting with Ray. "Have you seen him?"

  "Hmmm... I think I know."

  Bandit didn't care if Gianni realized how much he liked Allen. It wasn't like Bandit was going to seduce the man. Gianni headed over to the vehicle and Bandit went with him. They tossed the bags into the back, and Bandit looked at his mother.

  "I'll give you a call when we stop for the night, Mother."

  "Listen to them, Bandit. You don't know anything about the pack you're going to visit." Savannah patted his cheek.

  "Yes, Mom."

  He didn't like being treated like a pup, but it wasn't worth pissing her off by protesting. He gestured for the other three men to climb in.

  "Let's get going, gentlemen. We can stop for breakfast along the way." He slid behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition.

  Roman and Gianni sat in the back, while Allen took the passenger seat. The slender lycan reached over and gripped Bandit's hand before he could put the truck into drive. He met Allen's gaze with a questioning look.

  "I want to thank you for doing this. I know you'll say you didn't have a choice and you have to do what your alpha tells you, but you did. It would have made your mother angry, but I'm sure you've made her mad before. You could've turned your back on this trip."

  Bandit didn't think about his actions. He reached out and rubbed his thumb over Allen's chin. "If it was just your brother going back home, I probably would've said screw him and dug in my heels about going."

  "Hey," Roman protested.

  Bandit ignored him, keeping his eyes on Allen. "I'm doing this for you because you need to have people at your back you can trust. I hope you know you can trust me, no matter what I might say or do. I wouldn't leave you hanging."

  Allen nodded. "I know and thank you for being there. I'm afraid things have gotten more complicated than when we told you last night."

  "Really?" Bandit smiled and settled back in his seat. "Why am I not surprised? Well, let's get started, and you can either tell me on the way or when we stop for something to eat."

  "Maybe I should tell you right now. In case you decide you don't want to go." Allen wrung his hands.

  Bandit laughed and glanced in the rearview mirror. Spike had pulled her car out from behind the truck, but both she and Savannah stood there in the front yard, watching them.

  "You don't understand I have no real choice in the matter. I'm going with you, and nothing you say will change it. I might not be happy about what you tell me, but if I don't want to get my ass kicked by those two ladies out there, I do what I'm told."

  Gianni grunted. "I don't blame you. Those women are scary."

  "You have no idea." Bandit put the truck in drive and pulled out. He waved at his family as he drove by. "How far away are we going?"

  "It'll take us two days to get there." Allen eased back in his seat and sipped his coffee. "If you're not going to back out of this, maybe we'll talk about everything when we stop for the night."

  "Sounds like a great idea to me." He shot a look in the rearview mirror at the two wolves in the back seat. "Are you two hungry or can you wait for lunch?"

  "Go through the drive thru and we'll grab some fast food," Roman suggested. "I'd like to get home as soon as possible."

  "Works for me," Gianni agreed.

  It was a consensus and Bandit went to the nearest fast food restaurant. After getting breakfast for them, he paused.

  "Which direction, gentlemen?"

  "Turn left and head to the highway. When you get th
ere, go north."

  So they were heading north for a little while anyway. He nodded and turned. He didn't really care about not knowing where they were headed. It was how he wandered when he left the pack a couple of years ago. At the time, it didn't seem to matter where he went or how he ended up. He just needed to be gone.

  No one seemed inclined to talk, so he poked Allen with his finger to get his attention.

  "You can be Captain Audio for our road trip here." Bandit pushed the display screen on the dashboard and pointed at the music icon. "You touch that button and it'll bring up my entire play list. I'm not picky about my music, so play whatever you feel like."

  Allen grinned and started scrolling through the songs.

  "You might regret that," Roman commented from the back.

  "Why?"

  "My brother has a weird obsession with eighties hair bands. If you have any of that music on there, we'll be listening to it."

  "It's not weird. Some of them were really good." Allen pouted slightly.

  Bandit winked at Allen. "Don't worry. Go to the playlist button. Hit it and it'll bring up all the different play lists I've set up. There's a list for everyone."

  "Woot!" Allen pumped his fist in the air when he saw the 80s list. "Here we go."

  "Ugh." Roman groaned.

  Gianni and Bandit shared a smile in the mirror. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad a trip. He got on the highway and set the cruise, listening to the three men arguing the finer points of Bon Jovi versus Poison.

  * * * *

  Five hours later, he pulled into the parking lot of a chain restaurant. Allen and Roman had fallen asleep about hour into their journey. Gianni didn't try to start a conversation, which Bandit appreciated. Even with a large travel mug full of coffee, Bandit still wasn't much of a morning person.

  When the truck ceased moving, Allen and Roman woke up. They stretched and looked around. Bandit tried not to ogle Allen's lithe body. Shit! He shifted in his seat, thinking about saggy boobs and wrinkly skin... anything to make his erection deflate.

  The others climbed out and stood waiting for him. Gianni caught his eye with an understanding smirk. Damn it, he didn't want anyone to know how attractive he found Allen. Of course, it was too late for that since Roman had spotted Bandit's desire for his brother early on in their acquaintance.