He shrugged. “Now I will have to submit to Carl. Or not.”
Great. Male dominance taken to animal extreme. Not something she wanted to contemplate. But that was tomorrow’s problem after he fixed Vic. Meanwhile, she still had to keep him talking. “So back in Alaska, people figured out you could shift. Not just my brother, but the doctor. And the guards.”
“Yes.”
“And that means your CO, too.”
“He said no one would tell. He certainly couldn’t put it in a report. Who would believe it? But he expedited the paperwork for me to leave the military. Didn’t like having me under his command.”
And they were back to how Vic had destroyed his life. “So my brother’s stupidity cost you your military career.”
“Yes.” A wealth of fury in that word. But a moment later, he started to relax back against the seat. As if he were consciously releasing each muscle one by one. “Maybe it was time for me to leave. My grizzly had been changing. The mountain was too close.”
It sounded like rationalization. Or the beginning of acceptance. She couldn’t tell and maybe he wasn’t sure either. She opened her mouth to ask, but he held up his hand to stop her.
“I don’t have an answer,” he said. “Mount Denali is just a mountain. But it had a wildness to it that my grizzly liked very much. It made him more aggressive. Harder to contain.”
That wasn’t what she’d wanted to ask, but she’d go with it. “The mountain made it harder for you to stay human?”
“Harder to keep from ripping your brother’s throat out for not listening to me.”
She heard that. Except whenever she felt that way about Vic, it was an exaggeration. She was pretty sure Simon couldn’t say the same.
“Then you come home, pissed off and suddenly without a career, and everything’s different. This Carl wants you to submit, but you’ve got anger issues. So off you go to UP to get your head on straight only to shift to bear and stay there. For ten months. And then I show up. Have I got that right?”
“Yes.” The word was clipped and angry, but he didn’t elaborate. Good because when he took that tone, he scared the shit out of her. Fortunately, he made no moves. He just sat there and brooded as the miles sped by.
She judged it prudent to let him be for a bit, but an hour later they had to stop for gas. He’d been pretty cooperative so far, but he hadn’t exactly promised to help Vic. In fact, even at his most uncommunicative, he’d said he’d be no help to her brother at all. But the gas tank wasn’t going to refill itself, so she had to take the risk.
“I need to get gas,” she said by way of opening. Typically, he didn’t comment so she was forced to ask the question bluntly. “Can I trust you to stay with me? That you’ll go to Detroit and see if you can help Vic?”
“I cannot help him. I’m sorry.”
“Vic says you can.” Then she held up her hand rather than rehash the same argument. “Just say you’ll come with me to see him. Please.” She hated that she had to beg the man, but what other choice did she have? When he didn’t immediately answer, she tried for a light joke. “Besides, what else have you got to do?”
“I have been out of touch for ten months,” he said. “There is a great deal I should do.”
Like have a dominance fight with his alpha? No way was she letting that happen before he saw Vic.
“But you can take a day or so, right? See Vic while you remember how to be a guy?”
She held her breath while he seemed to think about it. And while she waited, they passed a freeway sign. There was an exit coming up with gas and fast food. She’d managed to snag a piece of pizza before it was gone, but she’d kill for a strong cup of coffee. This was the perfect place to stop, but only if he promised not to run.
“Simon—”
“I cannot read yet,” he said, his gaze dropping to his hands. “Numbers have come back, but the words aren’t there.”
“So you need time to remember. I can help you, if you like.”
He took a deep breath, his nostrils expanding as if he were pulling in her scent. “I would like your help.”
“Deal.” Relieved, she headed toward the exit. “I’ll help you remember how to read. You see if you can help my brother.”
His lips pulled back into a dark smile. “I will kick Vic’s ass for worrying you with this lie.”
She’d take it.
