Tanner kicked me out of his house at eleven reasoning that I still needed to let Violet cool down for a bit longer and finding me still sitting on the couch wasn't going to help with that. So, I had gone and joined the pack at the club house to work on our gun supply and Coyote problem. While Violet still took up much of my energy I still had responsibilities within the club and that's why we were sat around council table instead of continuing to drink.
"Number one problem right now is Joseph's shipment of guns. We've depleted what the club has on hand and I thank a lot of you for bringing in some of your personal stock to fill the order. I've looked it over and I think it'll appease him but we're going to have to give him a discount on his next order since it's not exactly what he wanted." Dan started.
I lit up a smoke, the action more than the nicotine soothing and focusing my mind. "That's great but then that leaves us short if we're attacked by the Coyotes." I held a hand up when Dan looked like he was going to start in on me. "Yeah I get that we don't usually just fight with guns but if they come our blazing instead of shifting well then we are going to need to swallow our pride and fire back."
"Ain't that the truth." Chris agreed with me.
There were nods around the table as everyone came to the realisation that we weren't going to be able to fight on our normal terms, but at least they were realising that.
"We should be able to get our personal stash back in working order by the middle of next week. Now does anyone have anything on the Coyotes or spotted a scent around town?" Dan opened the table up.
I hadn't been around but when I'd been into town I hadn't picked up on any Coyote scent. No one could add anything new by the silence and dejected looks on the men's faces but then with all of the smoke from the Cherry Trap there was no way that any of us could pick up a scent in that mess. A building fire was acidic with so many mixed scents that there was no way to track them from it.
Dan shook his head our alpha not annoyed with his pack but with the situation. "Ok keep you noses to the ground. Now I expect to see all of you helping at the carnival this weekend or Rita will have my ass." He chuckled.
We all knew what sort of fate we would have if we snubbed the carnival, no one wanted to face Rita's wrath.
"Is the carnival a wise idea with the Coyotes on the war path?" Christ asked.
An attack on the carnival would be a good way to hurt the pack but if the Coyotes did it would put them further on the radar of the local police and have them after their asses too. I stubbed the end of my smoke into the glass ashtray on the table. "We have to do the carnival. Not only would Rita kill us all if we pulled out of the carnival and never forgive us but the hospital needs the money that this weekend is going to raise. Its help's them out and it helps us out with good will with the town. The carnival will happen with or without us volunteering but what happens if the Coyote's attack them and we are not there?" One of the things that I enjoyed most about the club was the fact that we actively tried to give back to the community for putting up with us and looking the other way when we needed them too. The club actually did some real good for the town and the hospital really needed the cash. It made me feel like doing things like this took a little red out of my ledger for the illegal businesses that we are involved in.
"The carnival is still happening with or without us and I won't have the Coyotes stopping us or the town from enjoying a little family fun and raising much needed money. We'll just keep our eyes open but I don't think Andre would be stupid enough to attack us during a town event with the Sheriff's department in attendance. But I expect you all to be on your best behaviour and not the dogs that you truly are." Dan grinned closing council for the night to the resounding laughter of the pack.
Most of the guys stuck around to hang out; Chris went home to Lia explaining that if he went home now he was more than likely going to get some and Tanner left claiming to want to get the house cleaned up tonight rather than do it in the morning but I stuck around. I didn't really feel like going to an empty home right now, not after Violet had stayed last night. I could grab a few beers and if I was at the club with the guys distracting me I wouldn't go camp out at the hospital until Violet's shift was over. She had Wade and a witch protecting her, Violet would be fine.
I played pool with Heath shooting the shit and catching up on anything that I had missed lately sinking a few beers as we played, unwinding the same way that I would have done a week ago before everything had changed again. God, had it only been a week ago that Violet had come back into my life?
Dan stalked from the council room with his phone at his ear frustration coming off the alpha in waves as he beckoned me over hanging up. "Wade's just called. Violet and Summer finished their shift and got cleaned up; he stayed with them like he was meant to but when they went back into the underground parking garage they found a Polaroid photo stuck in the back door of their ambulance."
"Fuck, what sort of photos?" I growled. Why wouldn't this guy just take the hint and leave Violet alone? I was beginning to want this guy to come out of the woodwork just so I could kick his ass so bad that he would flinch anytime he ever thought about Violet.
Dan placed a hand on my shoulder gripping it tightly. "Wade didn't say but Violet gave him the photo and he's on his way over here but the ass hole had written on the bottom, 'I'd never make you cry like that.' Violet recognised that it was Decker's handwriting and said that the photo was of her today in the supermarket parking lot."
"Which means that it was either Decker himself took the photo or he's close enough for his guy to get the photo to him and back to the ambulance in an afternoon." My stomach sank a little thinking about how Violet must be feeling. Maybe she would be ok with me heading over there, I could sleep on Tanner's couch or the floor hell I'd take one of the deck chairs and post up out back ready to shift if anyone so much as put a foot on the property.
Dan must have seen what I was thinking. "Don't worry about Violet son, Tanner's home and he's got his shot gun with him for Violet, that ass hole isn't getting anywhere near her there. Go home, get some rest because you are no good to her dead on your feet. Give her tonight and I'm sure in the morning the two of you will be thick as thieves again; she just needs some time to let her mind rest."
My Dad was right I needed to go home and crash out because I was nearly dead on my feet, get my head in the game and start fresh tomorrow.
I took the long way home essentially skirting the town and giving myself some time to cool off, enjoy the ride and see if my nose could pick up on any Coyote scent. Maybe I could talk Violet into coming for a ride with me tomorrow night, we used to spend hours on the back of my bike and were some of my fondest memories even if my legs and back had been killing me after so long on the bike it had been worth it. My house felt empty as I tossed my keys into the bowl and crashed face first onto the bed, Violet scent still clinging to the sheets and relaxing my body muscle by muscle so I could get the rest I needed. I almost didn't hear my phone ping from where I'd tossed it onto the side table so I rolled over and snagged it, unlocking and seeing the text from Violet.
Darlin: You awake?
The goofy smile couldn't be wiped from my face as memories of my seventeen- year old self came to the surface. This was Violet reaching out after a crappy day no matter what had happened between us.
Seth: For you always Darlin'. Bed's pretty cold over here but it still smells like you.
My phone practically beeped in a reply.
Darlin: I may or may not have stolen one of your shirts earlier, my bed smells like you too.
Something deep inside me was pleased that Violet had taken one of my shirts for my scent. My wolf hopped around happily agreeing with me. I liked the idea of Violet dressed in my clothes, it needed to happen more. She must be tired after the day she had on top of working her shift but here she was still awake and obviously wanting to talk about it.
Seth: Heard about the photo, you ok?
She took a little while to reply and I thought that she may have fallen asleep but them my phone lit up and started to ring and I answered it without having to check the caller ID. "Hey Darlin'."
Violet gave a deep sigh. "I'm ok, just tired of it all. I thought that coming home might change everything and that Decker might just leave me alone because I don't understand why he won't quit and stop chasing me, let's face it I'm not that special."
Violet sounded so resigned that I wanted to wrap an arm around her and never let her go. Rolling onto my back I stared at the ceiling and tucked my free arm behind my head. "While I can't comment on why a nut job stalker won't let up I can tell you that you're wrong, your special Violet don't ever think otherwise...I'm sorry that I made you cry today." It hurt that that asshole thought that he was still better for Violet after what he had done to her. We hadn't spoken about Violet's baby but I knew that she had always wanted kids and the loss of her child would have hurt her more than Decker actually hitting her.
"Can we just stop apologising to each other for everything that went on today? Did you really mean it when you said that you don't care if I'm damaged?" Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
That as an easy answer. I would happily spend the rest of my life showing Violet that she wasn't damaged or helping her make herself whole again if she would let me. "Yeah I did."
She was quiet on her end of the line but I didn't mind just listening to her breath. "Are you going to be at the garage tomorrow?"
"Sure am, got to pay the bills somehow."
Violet laughed and she sounded a little lighter than when she had first called me. "Sure, that's how you pay all your bills? After my class do you mind if I come hang out in the garage with you, I promise that I won't get in the way."
Violet had spent many an afternoon sitting up on the bench in the garage working on her homework or letting her dad teach her how to break down an engine and fix the problem. "Do you still remember how to break down an engine or has all that paramedic training taken its place?" I teased.
"I can still fix a car." I could hear the pride clear as day in her voice.
"Alright then, I can put you to work like we used to but you're going to need to get some sleep for that." I'd love nothing more than to keep talking to Violet all night like we used to but she needed to get some rest otherwise she would burn herself out, and I wouldn't be able to protect her if I couldn't keep my own eyes open.
"Ok, do you mind just staying on the line with me until I fall asleep?" she asked.
"I can do that Darlin', now turn yourself into a burrito like I know you're going to end up doing and think of me next to you fighting for the covers like the other night, tucked into my side with my arm around your middle." I told her and settled in myself. After a couple minutes of silence her breathing started to even out as she drifted off to sleep so I ended the call knowing that I'd be dreaming about the same thing she was.