Pride gleamed in his eyes when he spoke about the youngest of the pack learning to defend themselves and their families. It hadn’t taken him long to see what his father had been talking about. The Sitka bloodline was strong. All it needed was a little direction. They could’ve become a fearsome pack. One that boasted werewolf responsibility and strength. If only the hunters hadn’t shown up...
“Tell me about that night.” Stasia glanced down at her notes and then back up at him. Deep sorrow crossed her face. “Tell me about the ambush.”
“The hunters showed up at dawn.” Billy coughed as his throat dried up. “There were ten of them and fifteen of us. Luckily, the wind shifted just before we got into camp. I caught their scent and ordered the others back. But it wasn’t soon enough.”
She nodded her head, a frown on her face. “They attacked.”
He made a pained expression. “They had fire power that we could only dream of. The few months of training drills I’d put my new pack through couldn’t defend against that kind of attack. I ordered them to retreat while I flanked the hunters. Took out five of their guys before they realized what was happening. Would’ve taken them all out if it hadn’t been for...”
He clenched his jaw as his eyes clouded over. It felt like he was back there, in that forest. The random punch of gunfire raising goosebumps on his arms. There were screams of panic from his pack members. A child crying. Men yelling. And then eerie silence when he came face to face with the remaining hunters, their faces morphed into something evil as they held a struggling form between them, her cries sharp and piercing.
“The danger of hunters is still out there,” Stasia said, leaning forward in her chair, her eyes shining. “We forget that, sometimes, in the safety of the Monstrana haven. But there are still some who wish to exterminate the supernatural. Isn’t that right?”
He nodded, tight-lipped. “Yes.”
“And you experienced them first-hand.” She leaned back, bright red spots appearing on her cheeks. For the first time, she broke eye contact with him and looked down at her hands. “And your fiancée paid the price, didn’t she? Tell us how she died.”
His jaw dropped and his hands began to tremble. He stared at her, feeling a low growl rumble in his throat. “That wasn’t supposed to be part of the interview.”
“And why not?” Her eyes cut to him. “Esther deserves to be remembered, doesn’t she? She made the ultimate sacrifice.”
He bared his teeth and breathed heavily. “You don’t understand anything. And you certainly don’t understand sacrifice.”
She stuck out her chin. It was the same expression he remembered from their childhood. The expression that said she was going to get her way, others be darned.
“I think I understand sacrifice better
than most.”
“I’m not talking about this.” He jumped to his feet and tore the microphone from his shirt, throwing it on the chair. His heart thumped painfully in his chest and sweat trickled down the back of his neck. “This wasn’t part of the deal. I’m done.”
Marching across the room, he shoved through the door and slammed it shut behind him.
Chapter Eleven
Stasia sat glued to her seat for a long moment, the blood draining from her face. Her blood pressure had skyrocketed just before popping the big fiancée question to Billy and now it felt like her heart was going to burst. She had been hoping that Billy would see it her way. That Esther’s story deserved to be told. But he’d gone off the deep end and abandoned the interview.
Typical Billy Finley.
“Uh...sis?” Maxim approached her chair and awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder. “You going to be okay?”
“What?” She looked up into his concerned expression and blinked. “Oh, yes. I’m fine.”
“Should we wrap it up?” He frowned at Billy’s empty chair. “I don’t think the dude’s coming back.”
“No, no, leave the equipment up.”
She pulled the microphone off her shirt and stood. Guilt ate away at her insides as Billy’s stricken face flashed in front of her face once again. Maybe she’d gone about this all wrong. Ambushing him hadn’t been fair. She had to make this right. And just maybe, they’d still have a story.
“We’ll pick it up tomorrow. You guys are free to leave.”
“Sweet.” Maxim’s smile was dampened by guilt. “Are you sure?”
“Yep. Just lock up when you leave.” She headed toward the door, following in Billy’s footsteps. “I’ve got something important I need to do.”
It didn’t take long to track him down. In his fit of rage, he’d forgotten his truck on the side of the road and was hoofing it down the broken sidewalks of Molodoy, grumbling to himself. She jogged up beside him, waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t even bother to look her way, she jumped in his path and put a hand on his broad chest.
“Billy, I want to say I’m sorry.” A heavy weight lifted off her shoulders at the utterance of those simple words. “I shouldn’t have ambushed you with those questions. I had no right.”