Love's Baggage Read online

  "Let's grab something to eat. After which, one of you can drive for a while. My back's getting stiff."

  "Getting old, are you?" Gianni punched him in the arm.

  "Not as old as you, I bet." He chuckled before grimacing as his back muscles twitched. "Just an old injury."

  "Sounds rough." Gianni shrugged. "If you trust me, I'll drive. I know where we're going."

  "Fine with me."

  He held open the door and allowed the other three to go in before him. They got a booth and settled in. After giving the waiter their drink orders, he looked each one in the eye.

  "Have any of you spent much time out in the human world?"

  Roman snarled. "Our time was mostly spent behind bars in the fucking freak show."

  "I've only be in human towns long enough to find evidence of the brothers. I didn't spend a lot of time in them. Why?" Gianni frowned.

  "I spent most of two years in the city, living as a human, not a wolf."

  Bandit fell silent as the waiter approached. Drinks were delivered and food orders taken. He allowed the young man to get beyond earshot before he continued.

  "If we're going to be out in the human world for a while, we have to make sure not to do anything suspicious. We don't want Grime and his fucking band of crazies trying to grab us. With as many as he has, I don't think the four of us would survive."

  Gianni looked ready to argue, but Allen spoke up.

  "You're right. We don't have the power to fight off Grime, plus if you end up hurt, your mother will skin me alive, Bandit. And it won't matter if I'm more powerful than she is." Allen shuddered.

  Bandit laughed. "Yeah, she's pretty scary. I've never seen anyone meet her without worrying about her taking his balls. Spike isn't much kinder."

  "What's going to happen when your mother isn't able to run the pack anymore?" Roman asked.

  "Spike will take over the pack, and the girls will stay. Rover's going to be leaving some time soon. Probably after this whole thing with Grime and the non-preters is done. He's too alpha to stay and let someone else make the decisions for him."

  Bandit leaned back to let the waiter set his food in front of him. His stomach grumbled as he inhaled the delicious scents of his lunch. He picked up the burger and started eating, watching as the others did the same. Being a lycan had its advantages. He could eat as much as he wanted because he metabolized food far quicker than normal humans.

  "But don't you or your other brothers want your own packs?" Gianni inquired.

  Bandit shook his head. "None of us are alpha enough to lead our own packs. We're happy being betas or just members of the pack. I know, for sure, Lou isn't interested in leading a pack. He'd be hassled for having a human mate."

  Gianni nodded in agreement. "Most of the packs don't like non-preters, and their dislike has gotten worse since this whole 'destroy preternaturals' campaign."

  "Roman and I have more reason than most to hate humans, but I have to say, I like Ray. He's a pretty nice guy," Allen interjected.

  "He is, and I've given them both a lot of shit since they've gotten together, but I don't think Lou could find another person more perfect for him." Bandit smiled as he remembered some of the things he'd done to jerk Lou around.

  "Ray stood up for you last night." Allen dipped a fry in some ketchup before meeting Bandit's gaze.

  "Really?" Bandit rested his arm on the back of the booth, studying Allen. "Why would he do that?"

  "Not sure. Just told your mother the way they treated you wasn't right. They should respect you more." Allen ate another fry. "I think he's right."

  Bandit shook his head. "No."

  All three of them looked at him in surprise, and he grimaced.

  "I know I haven't acted like an adult since I've come home. Mostly I do everything I can to irritate them, but at times, I can't take it. Maybe it's because I've lived out in the world and not in a pack for so long. I don't accept authority as easily as I once did." Bandit closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  Allen reached over and tapped his arm. He opened his eyes and met Allen's gaze.

  "Why not? It's genetically coded in us to obey our alphas or those more powerful than us. How do you get away with subverting her authority?"

  Bandit snorted. "I'm not subverting her authority. No one in the pack listens to me anyway. It's just I've seen too many people use their power for evil and, while my mother isn't evil, I have seen her throw her weight around to get us to do what she wants. It's not how I want to live."

  "But alphas must do whatever they have to do for the entire pack. Sometimes it isn't popular or necessarily a good thing, but they do it to keep the whole group safe," Roman pointed out.

  "It's what they say to keep everyone in line, but most of the time, it's just to serve the alpha. I don't trust most of them any farther than I can throw them." Bandit sighed and signaled the waiter. "Let's get out of here. Time to get back on the road."

  He'd effectively ended the conversation, and none of them seemed inclined to start it up again. He didn't want to talk about what he'd seen while he was away from the pack. The cruelty of people, not only humans to other humans, but other lycan to each other had shocked him. He was no longer innocent.

  "Hey, Gianni, here you go." He tossed the red-haired lycan his keys and climbed in the back.

  Allen joined him, while Roman took the passenger seat. They seemed to be pairing off, and while Bandit liked the idea of Allen wanting to spend more time with him, he wasn't sure if it was a good one.

  "I'm trying to give them time together," Allen whispered in his ear as they pulled out of the parking lot.

  He turned and pressed his lips to Allen's ear. "Why?"

  "I think they like each other." Allen's blue eyes twinkled.

  "Isn't that pretty quick? Didn't they just meet last night?" Bandit paused and realized something. "I never asked who the hell Gianni is."

  "No, you didn't. I think, since you were too concerned about leaving as soon as possible, you didn't stop to wonder where Gianni came from." Allen eased closer into Bandit's personal space.

  "Something's telling me you knew Gianni before last night."

  And the knowledge didn't make him happy.

  Allen nodded, his blond curls brushing over Bandit's cheek. "Yeah. He's from our original pack."

  "No fucking way." Bandit reared back and growled.

  Gianni slid to a stop on the side of the road and slammed the truck into park. He turned back to glare at Bandit.

  "What the fuck has you all in a tizzy?"

  Bandit shot from the truck and started pacing along the highway's edge, ignoring the cars zipping past him. Allen, Roman and Gianni joined him, but stayed out of his way.

  "You make a decision to go back to your home pack, and he suddenly turns up. He's a member of the pack that sold your asses to a human freak show. A pack that had no concern for you and your lives." Bandit waved his hands around as his annoyance grew. "That doesn't seem even the slightly bit convenient to you?"

  Gianni stood straight and snarled at Bandit. "I had nothing to do with what happened to Roman and Allen. I've been searching for them for a year now."

  "Yeah... right. Sorry if I don't believe you." Bandit gritted his teeth.

  "Who are you to question my motives?" Gianni stalked toward Bandit.

  "Who am I? Obviously, I'm the only one of the entire freaking pack who's thinking straight. Who cares if you're from their pack? You say you've been searching for them, but how do we know that? How do we know you're interested in helping them?" Bandit stood his ground.

  It might be another instance of him getting his butt kicked, but he would take the punishment. Why hadn't anyone else seen how suspicious Gianni's arrival looked? Christ! Was he the only one with doubts about the lycan's true reason for being here?

  Gianni growled and drew back his fist, causing to Bandit brace himself. After living with Rover and Spike as older siblings, he could take a punch.

  "St
op it, both of you." Allen's command burned between them.

  Bandit didn't move, even though he wanted to expose his throat in submission to Allen. He wouldn't do it because it would leave him vulnerable to an attack from Gianni. The other lycan shook his head, but backed down, letting his hand drop to his side.

  "I know you're trying to be the voice of reason amongst us, Bandit, but we trust him. Gianni's never done anything to make us doubt him."

  "Of course, he hasn't. You've just met up with him after how many years?" Bandit shrugged. "Fine with me, if you chose to believe him. I'll be happy to follow your example."

  "Good. Can we get moving? I don't want to stand on the side of the road for the rest of the day." Allen turned and headed back to the truck.

  It seemed the leader of their happy little pack was done discussing anything. Bandit glanced at Gianni, who glared at him. He took a deep breath.

  "Okay, I'm sure you're going to keep being angry with me because of my little episode here. I'm fine with that, and you being pissed off at me really doesn't bother me one way or the other. I'll try to be nice to you, but realize I don't trust you. Not one little bit." Bandit stuck his hands in his pocket. "You'll have to prove yourself to me, even if Allen and Roman seem to think you walk on water."

  Gianni stopped and kept his gaze on the twins in the truck. Bandit stood beside him, and Bandit's heart skipped a beat when Allen met his gaze through the window and smiled at him.

  "I'm sorry my pride got the better of me for a moment there. I'm not used to anyone questioning my motives, but standing here and looking at them, I understand why you did it." Gianni inhaled deeply. "I know you're more interested in keeping Allen safe, while I'd lay down my life for Roman. Maybe we can use those protective instincts to help us find a way to work together. You don't know me, but my word is good and I swear I'm here to help them, not hurt them."

  "If you promise not to hit me, I'll promise to keep my opinions to myself until I'm proven wrong or right."

  Gianni nodded. "Deal."

  Bandit gestured toward the truck. "Let's get going or they'll probably leave us behind, and all my lycan instincts are telling me they're going to need us on this trip."

  "You don't know the half of it, my friend."

  He shot Gianni a glance. "Is the half of it going to be something I don't really want to know?"

  "Probably, considering how you reacted to finding out I just showed up last night." Gianni look at him. "Oh, Max said to tell you hi, and to thank you for helping him last time he needed it."

  Bandit held up his hand. "I don't talk about Max and anything I might have done for him. Not around anyone."

  "All right. I get it, and that must be why Max told me to talk to you alone about him."

  "Yeah."

  Roman leaned over and honked the horn.

  "I guess they're getting restless. Let's go and see if we can keep them safe from the world." Gianni lead the way.

  "I don't think it's possible," Bandit whispered, before opening the door and sliding in next to Allen.

  Chapter 3

  Allen flopped back on the bed with a sigh. Riding in the truck for ten hours stiffened every muscle in his body, but did nothing for the one part he wanted stiff. Roman walked in, and Allen looked at him.

  "Bandit wants to know if we want to go grab dinner, or just order a pizza and have it delivered."

  Allen scrubbed his hand over his face and grunted. "Considering the surprise we're about to drop on him, I think it's best if we eat in tonight."

  "Yeah. A good idea, since we don't want him going ballistic in the middle of a family restaurant." Roman turned back to the door. "I'll go tell him what we want on our pizza. Why don't you take a shower and change your clothes? We'll talk after we've eaten."

  "Gianni won't say anything to Bandit?"

  Roman shook his head. "No. This whole trip is on your shoulders, brother. I wouldn't be in your shoes for all the gold in the world."

  "Thanks," he muttered, as Roman left the room again.

  Allen decided his brother had a good idea. He wanted to rinse off the grime of riding in a vehicle all day. Plus he never got tired of having hot water to wash with and tended to take long showers or baths whenever possible. Having been held in a cage for years made him appreciate his little freedoms.

  He'd just finished dressing when Roman opened the door and peeked around it.

  "Pizza's here."

  "I'm coming." He slid on his socks before padding out into the hall and over to Gianni and Bandit's room.

  The pair had surprised him by agreeing to share a room together. Allen had figured Bandit wouldn't trust Gianni not to slit his throat during the night. But Bandit simply had said it would make Gianni and him feel better to share a room, instead of splitting up the brothers. Bandit was right because Allen didn't like sleeping alone. He'd finally learned to sleep in his own bed instead of sharing a bed with Roman, but he enjoyed the comfort of someone nearby.

  He wrinkled his nose. Bandit might be attracted to him, but once the lycan discovered all of Allen's neuroses, he was going to run for the hills, and Allen wouldn't blame him if he did. No mature man wants a lover who's afraid of the dark and can't sleep by himself.

  Gianni and Roman sat on one bed with a pizza box open between them. Bandit sat on the other bed. Allen looked around and spied a chair. He had a choice; either sit with Bandit on the bed or act like he was indifferent to the man and sit on the chair. Allen debated for a moment before taking a seat on the bed.

  He took a discreet breath and Bandit's lust-inducing scent filled his nostrils. His erection caused him to shift on the bed, trying to find a way to sit where Bandit wouldn't notice the tent in his sweat pants. A soft chuckle brought his attention to Bandit, who winked at him.

  Allen relaxed and grabbed a piece of pizza from the box. He should have known Bandit wouldn't make a big deal about Allen's attraction. Hell, if Roman hadn't played chaperon most of the time, Bandit and Allen would be lovers by now. He knew he came off shy and inexperienced, which he was, but something about Bandit pulled him like the moon circling the earth. One of these days they were going to crash into each other, and Allen couldn't wait.

  They ate in silence, and Bandit didn't seem inclined to ask about what their plan was when they got to pack territory. Finally, the pizza disappeared and Gianni took the empty boxes out to the dumpster. Bandit leaned back against the pillows and looked at them.

  "Tell me what I really don't want to know."

  Allen frowned and looked at Roman for encouragement. His brother nodded, letting him know it would be okay. Allen wasn't sure about that, but he did know Bandit wouldn't leave them. He might be pissed off when Allen told him, and Allen couldn't blame him for that. Yet Bandit took his role as protector seriously and since he didn't trust Gianni, he wouldn't leave Allen and Roman alone with the other lycan.

  Gianni returned and settled on the bed with Roman. All eyes were on Allen and he cleared his throat.

  "It appears we're going back to my pack to take it over."

  Bandit didn't move, though Allen saw his hands clench for a moment. "Oh, we are? When was this decided? And why are we taking it over when you don't want to lead a pack?"

  Allen breathed deep and spread his hands. "Good question. We talked about it last night after Gianni appeared and he told us what was going on in the pack."

  "Ah... after Gianni told you about the pack." Bandit nodded his head. "What's going on with the pack?"

  Allen opened his mouth to tell him, but Bandit held up his hand.

  "No. I want Gianni to tell me. In the end, he has the most to lose if we chose not to go on with this coup."

  Both Allen and Roman protested about not going on. Bandit ignored them, his gaze pinned on Gianni like he challenged the older lycan to tell the truth. In any other situation, Bandit's direct gaze would result in a fight. Yet Allen sensed Gianni understood what Bandit was doing and accepted the fact Bandit wouldn't back down.

&
nbsp; "It seems the alpha's plan to sell Roman and Allen to the non-preters was just the beginning. He's gone completely insane. He brings humans in and makes them fight to the death for the amusement of the pack. Also, he invites other local packs to come for the entertainment. He's even put pack members in the fight circles."

  Gianni growled low in his throat, and Allen wondered who'd died in the circles to make Gianni so angry.

  "How long has this been going on?" Bandit's eyes narrowed in thought.

  "Since shortly after Roman and Allen disappeared, so about ten years or so." Gianni looked at the twins. "Your father is in charge of the fights. Sometimes he pits lycans against non-preters and we know what happens then."

  "Yet I'm thinking one human survived the circle and disappeared before Roman and Allen's father could kill him," Bandit muttered.

  Gianni tilted his head. "How did you know that?"

  "We've been trying to figure out what caused Grime to go on a rampage against preternaturals. None of the different species remembers having a run-in with him, yet the fight circles your alpha put together would explain it." Bandit stood and paced in the cramped space of the hotel room. "It would explain why he chose Spike to flirt with. He knew about lycans, and even when we try not to, we give off certain signals to those who know what they're looking for."

  "It would explain the scar on his face as well," Roman pointed out.

  "Yeah." Bandit whirled and gestured to Gianni. "Keep talking. We need to know everything there is to know about your pack and what the fuck is going on there."

  Gianni nodded. "It seems to be the practice to sell or get rid of anyone who argues with the alpha or the beta. The other thing I've noticed lately is some pack members have disappeared without a trace, though there are whispers of them being taken by non-preters. They never come back."

  Allen grunted. "It's the practice of Grime and his men to capture preternaturals and torture them before killing them. They are searching for a way to get rid of us once and for all. Some friends of ours discovered a book holding spells that could be used to achieve those goals, but, unfortunately, someone stole it from them before they could hide it."