“Maybe.” I sat down and motioned for them all to do the same. Bran settled in beside me on the piece of driftwood, so close I might as well have been in his lap.
Evan crouched next to Lisa and put his arm across her shoulders. He pulled her close to whisper something in her ear. She whimpered and tucked her face into his neck for a second before sitting up again.
“We have a situation.” I studied Evan’s face. If he bolted or ran I’d have little chance of catching him.
Red and Bran, on the other hand, just might.
I spoke slowly and carefully, watching both Evan and Lisa’s expressions. “I met with both your families to plead for peace and to allow you to return and continue your relationship.”
“Let me guess. My dad freaked,” Lisa said with a crooked smile. “He’s not very open to change.” She covered her mouth and giggled. “Took him forever to decide on a new car color when the old truck blew up.”
Evan didn’t laugh. He watched me with a seasoned hunter’s stare. “My mother did something, didn’t she?”
“I tried to negotiate with her and she took action. Dangerous action.” I licked my lips, not sure how to explain Mary Chandler’s thinking to her son.
“How dangerous?” Red interrupted. “A mother, she’s gonna go to the wall for her kit.” He looked sideways at Evan. “Don’t be holding it against her. It’s a natural thing.”
Evan nodded. “I understand.” His attention returned to me. “What did she do?”
“She’s kidnapped a friend of ours. A human friend.”
Red sucked in his breath. “That’s not right.” He looked at Bran. “We ain’t supposed to get too involved in human lives.”
“I’ve noticed,” Bran answered dryly.
“Your mother is demanding I either bring you back or tell her where you are so she can send someone to come get you.” The still-fresh scar on my left arm throbbed. “I’m assuming you know Nathan McCallister.”
Evan scowled. “He’s a punk. Ever since my dad died he’s been strutting around the farm playing cock of the walk, trying to get my mom’s attention. She’s not stupid enough to fall for that crap but he keeps chasing her tail hoping for a chance to make good.”
“Well he’s got it now,” Bran said. “Either he came up with the idea of kidnapping Angie on his own or she put him up to it. No matter who thought of it he’s grabbed her and taken her hostage.”
“Angie? You mean the woman who runs the drop in center? The one that drove us here?” Lisa dug her nails into Evan’s arm. “Her?”
Evan’s jaw tensed. “That’s not right. Angie’s got a good street rep. She doesn’t deserve this. Not because of us.”
“True,” I agreed. “You know what sort of danger she’s in when it comes to the family.” I was trying to be delicate.
“They could kill her,” Lisa whispered. Her nails twisted farther in Evan’s skin.
So much for delicate.
Evan reached over and carefully pulled her hand free. The inflamed crescents on his tanned skin began to fade as he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it in a silent soothing motion.
“We’ll make it right. Promise.”
I cleared my throat, bringing their attention back. “I wanted to talk to you, give you the choice of what to do.” I felt Bran’s body tense beside me. “I could have told them where you are and let you deal with McCallister on your own but part of being an adult is making your own decisions and taking responsibility for them.” I pointed at myself. “I wouldn’t want someone to do that to me so I’m not going to do it to you. You’ve got the choice here.”
“What if we run?” Lisa asked. “We can get out of here before you can get to McCallister, we can leave the city.” She squeezed Evan’s hand. “It’s one option.”
I rubbed my palms on my knees, trying to quell the sudden itching. “They’ll track you down. You could get lucky and escape right now but then you’d have to always hide, stay underground. Never contact another Pride, never come in contact with any other Felis.” I paused, letting my words sink in. “It won’t be easy.”
“And what happens to Angie?” Lisa whispered. “What happens to her if we run?”
I shook my head. “I don’t honestly know. The Board’s getting involved along with the Grand Council but that’ll take time and I don’t think it’s on our side. They might just dump her at the side of the road and tell her to forget it ever happened.”
“Or beat her,” Bran interrupted. “As payment for helping you escape. Or claw her up, maim or mutilate her.” His hand ran over my back. “I don’t know what your mother is capable of. You do.”
Evan chewed on his lower lip. “I knew she’d be pissed but this is beyond anything I thought.” He looked at me. “Did you see Dale?”
“If Dale’s your older brother, yes.” I resisted the urge to gloat. “Tried to challenge me to get the information on where you were.”
“And?” Lisa prompted.
“He’s probably still walking bow-legged,” Bran answered. “His nose might heal straight, if he’s careful.” He jabbed his thumb at me. “That’s why I let her lead.”
Lisa coughed back a laugh.
Evan grinned. “Dale’s such an ass. He talks smack but never does well in challenges.” He held up one arm and flexed. “I’ve beaten him enough times that he should know better.”
“He picked the wrong woman this time,” I said. “But that’s neither here or there right now.” I leaned in. “What do you want to do?”
“We can’t let an innocent suffer for our decision.” Evan looked at Red. “What do you think?”
The older Felis scratched his chin. “Give me a minute.”
We all watched the small campfire, the scraps of wood turning dark and falling away as the flames devoured them.
Red slapped his hands together. “Okay, I’m ready.”
We waited.
I felt Bran chuckle beside me, the stifled emotion shaking his body.
“I think you’re too pretty to be here.” Red addressed Lisa. “You don’t like being here much, do you?”
Lisa shook her head, her face flushed.
“This isn’t a soft life. You walk this path you’ll eat out of Dumpsters and wear rags, worry ’bout freezing overnight and roasting during the day.” Red tugged at his own well-worn jacket. “Charities are good but they can’t do everything.”
“We can get work,” Lisa said in a small voice.
“You finished high school?” He continued, seeing her shake her head. “You can’t get a job flipping fries without that much. What you going to do to make money?”
“Evan plays guitar. I figured I’d get a sketch book and do caricatures, get money that way.”
“No one’s going to come near you if you stink.” Red sniffed the air. “So you gotta be clean and look good. And that’s all fine when you’re young and healthy—what about when you’re my age?”
Lisa’s blank pale face said it all.
“I’m not going to throw you out of here,” Red said. “But at some point you’re going to be alone.” He pointed at Evan. “One day he ain’t going to be here, whether by choice or by the good Lord calling him home.” A weariness came over his face, the deep crow’s feet around his eyes darkening even more. “You don’t know how much you appreciate family until you ain’t got it.” He scratched his chin, short stubby nails tearing through the salt-and-pepper beard. “I’m old enough to remember that.”
Lisa’s grip tightened on Evan.
Evan touched her cheek with one finger, turning her toward him. “I’m not going anywhere for a long, long time. But I can’t let Angie suffer because of this damned feud. This crap has to stop and stop now. We’ve never dragged humans into this before. She doesn’t deserve this.”