Page 64 of The Return
Matt gave a shy grin. “Better than you think. They all started clamoring that he was obviouslytheirbodyguard, while the lawyer kept asking them for quiet so he could read the will. When they started trying to order Kinsey around, he shook his head and said, ‘What in the hell makes you think any of you shitbags are Alpha? Mr. Tate made it very clear that the Council, not lineage, would choose his successor, and he was adamant it not be any of you.’”
Matt snickered. “If you thought they were loud before, you should have heard them after that. They were screaming and raving about how their grandfather would never do that to them. Then Kinsey turned, opened the door, and ushered in a young woman. She strode in like she owned the place, and Kinsey stood there with a huge smile on his face. He gestured to the newcomer and said, ‘Let me introduce you to Kayla Martino. Your new Alpha.’”
Jonas snickered. “I’m waiting to hear how bad it got.”
“Ugly bad,” Matt replied. “A fistfight broke out in the office, and the lawyer yelled at Kinsey to stop it. Kinsey shook his head and pointed at Ms. Martino. ‘I’m her bodyguard, and as long as they stay away from her, they can kill each other as far as I’m concerned.’ Then he looked up and saw me. I’d backed into a corner, trying to keep from being pulled into the fray. He whispered something to the new Alpha, his eyes narrowed and nostrils flared. She nodded, and Kinsey waded through everyone to get to me, shoving them aside if necessary, knocking two of them off their feet, then hefted me into his arms and carried me back across the room to where she stood and put me down beside her. He bent and whispered to me to stay near him, and he’d protect me too. I was in love.”
“So why didn’t you both quit and run away together?” I asked.
Matt’s eyes widened. “We had contracts. His was the standard one. Mine…. Well, I wasn’t exactly indentured, but I was beholden to the Council. My parents went into debt, and they worked it out that I would be in service to the Council for fifteen years.”
My gaze snapped to Jonas. “You fucking have slaves?”
“No!” Matt whispered harshly, shaking his head. “I agreed to it because my family was in deep debt and had no way out. In fact, it was me who suggested it. You have to understand, I love my parents more than you can know. They never had much, but they gave me everything. If I could make their lives better by doing this, then it was worth it to me. My mom tried to talk me out of it, and my dad said he’d go in my place. But they also had my brothers and sisters, so one less mouth to feed would help.”
Jonas reached for Matt’s hand. “You do for everyone, don’t you?”
Matt’s cheeks flushed. “I like to make people smile. It’s probably one of my greatest joys in life.”
“Then why are you a chauffeur? Why not do something where you can make everyone happy? Like, say, working as a barista in a coffee shop?”
“Oh, I couldn’t,” Matt said. “I’m all thumbs and have two left feet. Kinsey always… he….” And the tears started again. Matt scrubbed a hand over his eyes and gave a pitiful look. “I’m sorry, it’s just….”
“No, I’m sorry, Matt,” Jonas said. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
He shook his head. “It’s okay. I just… until I met Corey, Kinsey was the only person who ever really saw me, you know? Whenever we’d end up at the same job, he protected me as much as he was able. I always thought he had a white-knight complex going, you know, take care of the helpless? But he told me that I should never listen to anyone but him. He swore he’d never lie to me, and even if it hurt he’d tell me the truth.”
Jonas stood. “Okay, you know what? I’m going to find out how he’s doing.” He marched to the counter and leaned in to speak to one of the nurses.
Meanwhile, I sat beside Matt and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “We’re going to be okay, Matt. I promise you.”
He shook his head. “If something happens to Kinsey, I don’t want to be okay. I want to go with him.”
It took several moments for me to wrap my head around what he was saying. “No.”
“Yes. I can’t live in a world that Kinsey isn’t in.”
What was I supposed to say? I couldn’t offer some useless platitude that would make everything better. I couldn’t tell him how important he was, because only Kinsey made him feel that way.
“I… understand,” I told him. “When Jonas disappeared, I had dark days. Thoughts about how could I go on without him. When I was at my lowest, I’d often considered options I would never have given thought to otherwise.”
Matt turned to me. “And what did you do?”
I shrugged. “I pushed on, because I knew that Jonas would want me to. What do you think Kinsey would say if you told him this?”
A plump lower lip jutted out. “He’d tell me he’d kick my ass. He’s forever telling me how important I am, and if I were to give up and let go, he’d be… angry and disappointed.”
“Then keep that in mind before you make any kind of decision, okay? I won’t tell you what to think, because I don’t know your mind. I do know that I would miss you terribly. You’re like my brother, if I had one. Before you do anything, come talk to me, okay? Let me see if I can help.”
He nodded.
A moment later, Jonas came back, his expression dark like a storm cloud. “He’s still in surgery. The bullet did a lot of internal damage, but the doctors are sure he’ll recover. He’s a strong wolf.”
“And he’s got something to live for,” I added.
“Would you like to know what Kinsey told me?” Jonas asked Matt.
“Yes, please, Alpha.”
