Billionaire Bear Shifters A Paranormal Romance Complete Series Boxset - Brittany White Page 0,194

door, leaving the pair alone.

The ballroom felt even larger with just the two of them and Brooke slid to the ground, crossing her legs and leaning back against the wall with a sigh. After a moment, Connor dropped down beside her.

“That went… well…” she tried.

“They don’t believe me, do they?”

“Nope. Not a word. Well, wait, Carlo does, and Angela could be convinced, maybe, but the rest of them? Not a chance.”

Neither of them spoke for a long moment, Brooke pitched sideways, letting her head fall against Connor’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Actions speak louder than words; I’m sure that when the elders arrive and they actually have a treaty in their hands, they’ll believe you.” She had meant to be reassuring, but Connor sat up straighter and her head slid from where it had been resting. She looked up at him, confused.

He stared back with a burning intensity that made her cheeks warm and her stomach tight.“I can do better than that,” Connor vowed, voice low and fervent. She swallowed. He took hold of her upper arms, turning her to properly face him, huge hands so gentle with her even though she knew they could do so much damage. “I can give you some money - enough for you to move the whole pack into some better housing.”

Brooke stared up at him, emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Her hands trembled, and her nose tingled as tears pricked her eyelids. What was it today with her and crying?

“That would be- God, Connor, that would mean so much.” She shook his hands off, and he let her, though he could have kept hold of her easily. He also let her grab his face and pull him down into a bruising kiss. “I love you, I love you so fucking much.”

“And I love you.” Connor grinned, resting their foreheads together, and they sat like that for a few moments, enjoying each other’s comforting presence.

“I should go,” she whispered after a while. “I’ve got work in the morning.” It felt ridiculous to be worrying about her job at Cole’s right now, but after all of this she ached for the familiarity of it.

“Okay.”

They climbed to their feet, walking back through the foyer and pausing just inside the entrance.

“You’ll come visit me, right?” she asked. Connor grinned, lifting her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles.

“You just try and stop me,” he said, eyes sparkling. Brooke laughed and watched him head back up to his office, pausing to wave at her before he shut the door, then stepped out into the afternoon light.

“Now!” The voice came from her left.

Brooke whirled, but couldn’t see anything before she was met with a figure crashing into her, sending her sprawling across the ground. She tried to get her feet under her but another figure joined the first, pinning her to the hot tarmac of the lodge’s parking lot before she could move. She tried to twist out of their grip, but it was no use. More hands were on her in an instant, and when she snapped her teeth at them someone took advantage and shoved a makeshift gag into her open mouth. It was greasy and tasted like stale burgers and cigarettes and Brooke retched. Something hit her across her head and the last thing she saw before her world turned black was Vince standing over her. Grinning. The bastard.

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Brooke

Brooke came to slowly, head throbbing dully. She opened her eyes and was immediately panicked when she was met with only darkness. She tried to scream but the noise was distorted, muffled; she realised the two bands of pressure round her head were the twin weights of a gag and a blindfold cutting into her skin. She tried to figure out what was happening, and the last thing she remembered was Vince’s awful, leering face. Fury burned in her chest. Fucking Vince.

She scented the air, trying to find the other shifter. Faintly, she could hear the sound of rushing water; she was somewhere in the forest at least.

Footsteps. She wasn’t alone. Brooke tensed, head turning to follow the noise and trying to get her feet under her, but heavy ropes bound her ankles and wrists so she could do little but squirm as those footsteps got louder and louder.

Not just him, she realized faintly. There were more footfalls all around her, anxious and restless. She tried again to talk but the gag was tied securely around her head, the knot of the stale tasting fabric digging into the