Chapter 51 - Unexpected (Ansel Conrad POV) Pt.3

ugh, almost freaked out because I was trying to update this chapter and wattpad said:

'you have too many parts in this story, please delete some and then try again.'

anyways, it worked... hopefully... I do wish they'd create a merge chapters options... that'd be cool instead of having to delete parts.

Chapter 51 – Unexpected (Ansel Conrad POV) Pt.3

It's simply breathtaking, I think as I step off the bus on my grandfather's property. It had taken him and my grandmother many years but they've cleaned the place up. The sun shone on the deep browns turning everything a brilliant orange.

One by one, the trucks and cars following pulled up behind us, lining up by the garage on the cobble stone pathway. At ease knowing that the true exterior of our travel method hidden since Boise, Idaho.

The large mature Sequoia's swayed in the cool breeze but still gave the property privacy and seclusion our kind needed, as above white flakes danced in the air.

My grandparents had gotten this property thirty years ago, slowly building and fixing things to their liking. The barn that was extended, the rustic feel of everything shone through and through. It was what my grand was the proudest of, that he built a home for my grandmother like the one she had a child. Granted, they had upgraded to indoor plumbing and electricity but they were still a far way from something that resembled the plans inside the house.

We had been here before with Nick, the alarms in my head go off.

There weren't many female werecats here, but then again, there were four more here than someplace where there were none. Exhausted, I have to check my own thoughts as though dazed by the riddle.

I had relocated two broken families here to live with my granddad. My aunt Michelle came here ten years ago when her husband went missing with four sons and three daughters.

Dad departs the bus, walking a few feet ahead of me, twisting his body, stretching out as he took in the broad skies.

The next person out, comes to my right, resting against the bus and my side. Angela.

"I might be wrong," she says nonchalantly. Who is she trying to convince here? "Really Ansel. I'm working with too many variables, and maybe one has nothing to do with the other."

Under my breath though I'm sure she can hear me, I stop her. "Angie-"

"No Ansel, just listen. I did not think of Nick, because once I learned that Taylor had money that we both know isn't from you stolen or any other forms, I thought 'Angie, someone used her to get the laptop or feed them information...' you know?"

I bob my head once, eyes straight ahead.

"Then, I thought maybe the money Taylor has had nothing to do with us."

"How does a girl come up with ten grand?" I scoff.

"Well... if she's desperate? I can think of a few ways. Selling drugs, being an escort... she's intelligent, for the most part if you're excluding her inability to understand Samson's disinterest in her."

I shift my gaze down to my feet, holding in the chuckle ready to burst out of me.

"She could be doing homework or writing papers for classmates not in her program or at the college. I mean, really it's how far she's willing to go."

"Like help Nick or someone else-"

"Even if she did that, I don't think it was done maliciously," I snap my head at Angela, gaping as though she had grown three heads.

"No, I mean, it's wrong. No doubt, but I had no reason to believe the money was connected to Nick, to the missing or dead that had sought you out for help."

"Ansel," she crosses her hands against her chest, leaning forward, "Hell, for a minute I even went as far to think that maybe she was somehow helping the Elders. Heck, I thought that before Nick ever crossed my mind."

The words make my heart clench uncomfortably and panic internally.

"The Elders?" I shake my head. "Taylor is... she has seen first hand what the Elders are capable of Angie, I don't think-"

"My mind went there because of the way she has pursued Samson," She cuts me off. "I mean, it's one thing to have a crush on someone, let that build but sooner or later, you face reality. That person isn't into you," I nod once. "Well, she's after Samson like her damn life depends on it Ansel. I mean I'm fairly certain that half of the reason that Samson went with Faith is because he was sick of Taylor, Devin, Brennan, Cynthia, Leslie and Shannon, talking crap to or about that girl."

Food for thought.

"Not to mention I saw her tampering with Faith's computer, sneaking around..."

"You're giving me heart palpitations," I groan rubbing my temples. "Exactly," Angela says spinning to stand in front of me. "There are too many variables, some might be related, but how do we know?"

Pausing Angela, shakes her head, "at least this gives me something to look for Ansel. I have my eyes open now, you know?" she says passionately. "What really made you think of Nick being connected to the girls Angie?" I wanted to hear what she thought. I was analytic, but for Angela to even take my by surprise with this, then I would be a fool not to use the insight she was offering.

Lifting her right hand and placing on top her head, with a heavy sigh, she glances back at the cars behind us. Shifting her gaze to me fully, she shrugs. "I've been keeping track of the people you've tried to help but they just fell off the face of the earth," I wait for her logic.

"It's easy to hide maybe... your face for example, but I've run facial recognition and they haven't come up. But again, when you're living as a shifter, you tend to go to those small towns where they won't have as much CCTV," again she's right.

"But Ansel... how does someone just disappear? None of the women have touched their bank account, used their social or names anywhere. I mean if you use cash, but that goes to the not using their funds."

If the women I was meant to help used cash that could give some leeway. Angela was right, but in a way it was still more open-ended.

"Nick is like ten steps to being full on Alpha Monet," she balks, "so I realized that we had Cynthia in your cellar-"

"He might be hiding those women somewhere," I finish seeing her logic. "He just... you don't call the Elders with maybe six female werejaguars. That's not enough-"

"Jonah! My boy!" my grandfather Lewis comes out finally, jovial smirk on his face, eyes for my dad. My grandmother Valerie right behind him pushes him out of the way, bolting for my father. "My baby," she croons, though dad is no baby.

"Hey Ma," dad chuckles at his moms antics, wrapping her up and lifting her clear off the ground. "Oh you've brought everyone! Where are those great grandbabies of mine?"

"We've become chopped liver, the scraps," Angela says conversationally. I snort shaking my head, but otherwise remain silent.

"Oh, Ma, they're all on their way to another home, we're just stopping with most of the adults," he says when he's put grandma Valerie on the ground. "Well come in, come in, we're just sitting down to eat, we've made plenty," Valerie takes my fathers hand, ushering him and the growing group of people.

Waving everyone forward. Checking with me first, one nod and Liam, the older kids, Scotty and those following us on this route follow my father and his mother inside.

When Kalenah comes out, she's with my mom, Naomi, Andy and Danny's younger children; Stella, Danny Junior and Genesis.

My grandfather, Lewis watches everyone with a baffled expression on his face. Just like my father, he's analyzing this impromptu visit. Mom and Kalenah rush inside with the younger kids, while I hang back, with Angela. When the last set of people have entered the large cobblestone and painted red wood barn, granddad Lewis saunters over to the two us.

"My grandson, how is the leader of his Den doing?" he embraces me, before opening his arms to Angela next. "I'm good Pops," I chuckle out, but it's forced and the tension rolling off me is hard to miss.

"Let me guess," he rubs his hand over his bearded chin, eyeing the motorbus. "You've found someone and want to settle them down here?" his eyes filled with light and acceptance. I blanch.

Eh... in I don't know when, but maybe soon, this land will be as safe as living with Alpha Monet or the Elders! The thought ricochets right through all the stress and chaos in my mind.

"You know we always have room," I nod woodenly, avoiding Angela's peering gaze on me. "Is it for that girl? The one that you and Kalenah took in, Jonah said her name was Fay-"

"Fatima – Faith. We call her Faith," I almost snap out, but ease my tone back. "No – no, we didn't bring anyone down here to stay," I say and again it dawns on me after I've spoken how much of a double meaning that was.

Lewis nods, narrowed eyes shifting all over my face.

"Granddad," I sigh, looking behind him, "we had to leave Bend," I start with that first.

"Well I didn't think this was just a visit," he agrees roughly, brown hair caught in the wind, blue eyes like my father, my children, and mine. Intense and focused solely on me.

"Where is the rest of everyone? The children?"

Shaking my head, I huff. "I sent them maybe two or three hours before everyone here-"

Alarm on his face is immediate, "And they haven't arrived here Ansel?" playing my words over I catch my mistake easily, whipping my head from side to side.

"No, no, Pops! I sent them on another route," he exhales, nodding; breathe creating a white puff between us. "There was danger up there? Did the towns people find out about their little cat infestation problem?" he tries to lighten up the tension with a joke.

Little did he know that Nick was going to be doing that on purpose?

When I don't smile or laugh with him, and Angela looks on completely stone-faced, Lewis stops snickering, his brows creasing. Deep lines form on his forehead.

"One of the people in my Den, Nick Ramos," I would laugh at Pop's turned up expression when I say Nick's name, but again this is no laughing matter. "I knew that one was up to no good," granddad scoffs.

"Well he turned three families against me, taking them with him, or well deciding to stay with him while he not only outs shifters in Bend, but also to call the Elders."

"Has the man lost his got damn mind?" Lewis rages instantly, the silver in his eyes seeping into the blue. "And you say he got three families to remain there with him?" I nod slowly.

"Fools!" Lewis spits, "The lot of them," I glance at Angela from the corner of my eyes as she purses her lips and nods in agreement. "Granddad," I say this time my voice tighter, body rigid, the endearment only a pretense to the bad news I was going to deliver.

Not blinking, I hold his gaze, until I speak again. "He's trying to collect women werecat," I look behind him at the house.

I can almost see when he puts together what I'm trying to say. "And you think he'll come here for the girls? Michelle's triplets and the other girls."

Angela, though mostly silent, speaks out. "He's ready to hand over his own daughter, I don't think handing over aunt Michelle's would be a big deal," her tone not as scathing as granddad's.

"We've welcomed that man in our home," he says looking over his shoulders. "We've been here for thirty years," hanging his head, he shakes it slowly, focused on the ground.

"Ready to turn his own flesh and blood over," he mutters gruffly, as he jams his hands into his pockets.

"But... uhm, she didn't stay with him," Angela says in a small voice. Lewis snaps his head right up, checking with me. One nod, and he looks dazed. "His daughter left with you guys?" he asks slowly.

"Yes."

The air comes rushing out of him, and his eyes widen to the size of silver dollars. "And his son left his wife for someone in Ansel's Den..." I swallow my chuckles once again. Angela was seriously trying to do the impossible and kill Lewis.

"So, you mean to say two members of his own family, they stayed with you?" I nod, and Pops takes a step back, shock written all over his face. "Taking that kind of blow from a man like him," he rubs his mustache.

"He's gonna try to hurt you where it hurts, by attacking people you love..." Lewis mumbles. "This comes at such an inconvenient time," he adds. Frowning I look at Angela, before looking at Lewis.

"What do you mean?"

"Things are just starting to work out for everyone... Michelle is even dating the girl's Algebra teacher, this new guy, he's actually inside."

My eyes widen, but I'm happy.

"I was gonna call you Angela to actually check him out, just to make sure he's on the up and up you know?" My sister nods. "But she hasn't shown interest in anyone for nearly ten years since Gérard's death."

"What's his name Pops? I'll look him right up," Angela offers.

"Oh, it's Berty Dee'Lanor. D – E – E, apostrophe, L – A – N – O –R."

"Is he a shifter?" I ask not having heard from dad that my aunt Michelle was seeing anyone. "Yeah, he teaches at the triplets school and they were just raving about him," I nod, "at that Homecoming dance, Michelle volunteered at the school. He started talking her up around then."

"Are the boys as gungho about this guy as the girls?" I ask knowing that her four sons would rather that no man even eyed their mother. To the point where I had caught the two oldest glaring daggers at any lookers – no one was good enough for their mom.

"Nah, Peter says that it's like he's trying too hard," Lewis says but rolls his eyes. When the brief humor cuts some of the tension, granddad shakes his head, forcing the air inside him out with a loud 'whoosh.' "I'd hate to have to move everyone, but this Nick fellow... he's seeking payback for his daughter and son, I gather." His words hang in the air between the three of us as the snow begins to fall just a bit heavier than before.

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