Page 47 of Glass
Gabe nods and pulls his wallet from his pocket. “The Lost protects the shifters it saves. No one would let the kids go without a fight. I wasn’t prepared to risk losing you…”
He opens the wallet and he’s standing just far enough away that I can’t see what he’s looking at. After a moment, he hands the wallet to me, and I stare down at a picture of a stranger. There’s an accordion style collection of small photos in the center of his wallet. I pull it out to reveal a whole string of people I don’t recognize.
“Shifters tell quiet tales of The Lost being a bunch of rogue outlaws not fit to live among the rest of us.” Gabe moves his gaze to Felix and stares steadily at my mate. “But the tides have changed, haven’t they? That version of The Lost doesn’t exist anymore. In its place is a shelter of shifters who needed to be saved. And that felt so much bigger than tearing our five youngest siblings away from a good place.”
My heart feels like it’s beating in my throat. Gabe is pointing out the same thing I noticed about The Lost. The people there needed a home the same as anyone. They weren’t scary or unfit to be loved and cared for… they were only looking for a safe place.
And they took care of five Glass kids with no questions asked. They gave them a place to grow without the scrutiny and pain the rest of us faced every day.
I’m so choked up that I can’t say anything as I pull away from Felix and fling myself toward my brother. The sob finally works its way out once he wraps his arms tightly around me. We have so much healing to do from all of this, but hearing the truth is a really good start.
And when Gabe is ready, I’ll stand at his side to tell the rest of our siblings.
“So sweet.” Frank snorts from the couch and then feigns a yawn when we collectively turn to glare at him. “Glad you worked out the melodrama. Now can we get on with what I’m doing here? There’s a chick at home waiting for me that used to do all that weird circus shit. The way she can contort herself…” He trails off, shoving his fist in his mouth like a gross creep to mime being turned on by the thought.
Gabe, Felix, and I all exchange unamused looks.
“You’re the one that brought him here,” I point out to Gabe.
He shrugs sheepishly. “I thought maybe you’d be more apt to hear me out if I brought a gift. Once I did some digging to figure out why the hell you were so scared about being followed last night, all roads led back to this dipshit. I tracked him down about a year ago to warn him off when he seemed to be sniffing around Acadia.”
“You were keeping an eye on them.” It’s not phrased like a question because it’s not one. Looking out for those kids is exactly the kind of thing Gabe would do. Keeping them safe while also punishing himself for his secret. My Goddess, my heart aches for him.
“Yeah, it felt like the least I could do.” Gabe scratches the back of his head. I don’t think he’s ready for me to show gratitude for that yet, but I make a mental note to thank him for it later.
He didn’t know he was doing more than keeping our siblings safe. He was unknowingly protecting my mate too.
“This asshole is a poacher. Work for hire. Any chance you know who’s been paying him to come after us?” Felix asks, his voice stony.
“I’m right here.” Frank has the actual audacity to sound annoyed.
Gabe shakes his head. “I never followed the chain any further. Honestly, I thought the guy backed off after my first warning.”
“I did,” Frank agrees with a smirk. “Until a better offer came along. Sure, I didn’t want you breaking both my legs, but enough zeroes could convince me to invest in a wheelchair.”
The man is gross, and I’m too disgusted to even look at him. I scowl at Felix, hoping he’ll take the hint and take the lead now that my issues with Gabe are put to rest, at least for the moment. My mate looks like he’s struggling to keep a handle on his self-control. His whole body is tensed, like he’s gearing up for a physical fight.
“Don’t let him rile you up,” Gabe warns. In a voice low enough that only our shifter-level hearing can pick it up, he tells us, “Get what you need out of him, and I promise to take care of the rest. He won’t bother you again.”
Felix gives my brother a barely perceptible nod.
I automatically move to follow Felix as he crosses to the other couch across from an amused look Frank and sits.
“All you care about is the money?” Felix asks with a raised eyebrow. I drop down on the couch beside him.
“A guy’s gotta eat.” He smirks again. For whatever reason, this asshole seems to think he has the upper-hand even though he sits here outnumbered.
“Name your price to out your buyer. Wolves from the Northeast aren’t exactly a hot commodity for poachers. Who would send you after us instead of something more valuable?” I’m amazed at how cool Felix is able to keep himself as he speaks, pulling away from his anger in order to talk to this guy.
Frank shrugs with his hands. “I could be convinced for… Say a hundred-thousand?” He grins as if he’s just made the best offer in the world.
“A hundred-thousand and you tell us the name of your buyer and what the hell he wants with a bunch of shifters.” Felix’s teeth gnash together as he clamps his mouth closed, waiting for an answer.
Frank wipes the grin from his face and sits up straighter. “You’re serious?”
Felix nods.
I want to protest, but I remember Gabe’s words and keep my mouth shut. There’s no way they let this guy walk out of here with a payday like that and live. Maybe I should feel guilty for how callously I think about wanting Frank dead, but nothing else couldeversatisfy me after he nearly hurt my siblings.