Page 31 of Bear Haven
“He do this?”
“He said no.”
“And you?” Gus reached for Luke and this time, Bex let that move happen. “Where the fuck have you been?”
“Looking for this one,” he said, jerking his thumb at the Mayor. “Trying to get here before something happened.”
“You’re a little late.”
“Yeah. I noticed.”
“Father?” Beck’s voice was weak, but his good eye was bright, alert. Wary. “What are you doing here?”
The Mayor eased close to his son. “I had to know you were safe. That you were unharmed.”
“Why do you have blood on your face and clothes? What happened to you?”
“That doesn’t matter. You, Beckham. You are all that matters.”
“He’s not all that matters,” Gus ground out. Bex wrapped her hand around his arm, just as a loud crack came from the house. The more pieces and parts of her house came down, the more it broke through the shock that still held most of her mind hostage.
She looked over her shoulder to see one of the first floor ceiling beams had fallen and lay across what was left of the front porch.
More beams cracked and dropped as she watched. Sparks showered and rained through the house. It took everything she had in her not to run, not to shift, not to burst into tears.
“You have to leave,” the Mayor urged.
“Sir?” A paramedic, his arms loaded with bandages and ointments and other things Bex had no clue about, stepped down from the vehicle. He didn’t look pleased. “Sir, please put the oxygen mask back on. And…” He eyed Bex and the small group that had gathered and flanked Beck. “I don’t know who all of you are, but you need to back up and give him some room. You?” He pointed at the Mayor. “Do you need some help?”
The Mayor stepped back and straight into Gus’s father. “Uh, no.” He straightened. “No, I’m fine.”
“The paramedic didn’t seem convinced, but he finally nodded. “I’ll return in a moment.”
As soon as he was out ear shot, Beck took the oxygen mask back off. “Father…Youneed to leave. You shouldn’t have come.”
“No,” Gus added. “You shouldn’t have. There’s a cop wandering around, asking questions. I guess we could be done with this and call him over. That probably wouldn’t work out too well for you. He’ll see the blood. Ask you some questions. It’s only a matter of time before he finds something.”
The Mayor’s eyes narrowed with each word Gus spoke, but he didn’t move. He turned his attention back to his son. “Beck…”
“You made your position quite clear back at the cabin. And Gus is right. A cop seeing you wouldn’t be good for you.”
Once the Mayor realized Beck’s resolve, he nodded. “I just had to know you were okay.”
“I am. They got me out pretty quick. I need to know whose blood that is on your face and shirt.” Beck asked for the second time.
“Richard’s.”
“Uncle Richard? Where is he?”
“Dead.” There wasn’t an ounce of remorse or emotion in his voice and it sent chills up and down Bex’s spine.
“I don’t understand.” Beck’s confusion was written all over his face.
“He’s the one who did this. The one who set all this up. This wasn’t me. I would never do anything so foolish, so attention grabbing. I would never do anything to endanger your life.”
“You’re saying you didn’t know?”
“Not until it was too late.”
