“He’s got a room here,” Nero said. “We just need to get him there.”
“I can walk,” Wulfric said.
“Maybe you can,” Bruce said, “but no one looks macho passing out. And I don’t think your face could take another hit.”
“My face has seen a lot worse,” Wulfric answered, but he gestured his acquiescence. “I am at your mercy.”
It took time and coordination to move Wulfric out of the car and onto the backboard, then carry him inside to the guest area of the main house. The pizza farm was also a quaint B&B that had been completely rented out by Wulf, Inc. Wulfric’s room was the first on the right, and they gently set him down on the bed.
“Thank you,” Wulfric said, his voice melodic. Lying there on the bed in his bloody clothes, he looked small and vulnerable. Then he looked at Josh, Laddin, and Bruce in turn. “Welcome to Wulf, Inc. Mother and I are grateful for your work.”
He spoke with old-world charm that should have seemed strange, but it still managed to touch Laddin’s heart. He didn’t mention that none of them had fully signed on yet, especially Bruce. Or that Laddin intended to leave after the next moon.
Exhaustion seemed to kick in, and Wulfric’s eyes drifted shut. Bruce set down the heavy field medical kit and looked to Nero. “I’ll stay here until the… whomever arrives. He shouldn’t be left alone.”
Nero dropped his hands on his hips and looked Bruce over from head to toe. “Josh, stay with Wulfric for now. Your brother and I are going to have a little chat.”
Bruce rocked back on his heels, set his jaw, then turned to Josh. “Never thought I’d see the day you blindly took orders from anyone.”
Oh shit. There was that grumpy guy taunt. Obviously Bruce didn’t like anyone ordering his brother around. But instead of facing off with Nero, he had to poke Josh—probably to get Josh to fight for himself. But whether Bruce realized it or not, Nero was in charge. So as Josh’s face grew ruddy and his jaw jutted forward, Laddin quickly stepped in to interrupt the fight before it started.
“Yes, Josh will obey,” he said. “Because Nero’s his trainer and the alpha. That means Josh has to take orders until Wulf, Inc. decides he’s safe to go free.”
Bruce’s jaw tightened and a muscle over his eye twitched in anger. Well, he’d better buckle up, because it was about to get worse.
“And furthermore,” Laddin said as he rounded on Nero, “Mr. Paramedic is my problem, so if there’s anything toget straight, I’ll be the one to do it.” That was a dicey position to take because technically Nero was the highest-ranking person in the room except for the unconscious Wulfric. But new recruits were always touchy. That was why they had one person in charge of each new puppy. And though Laddin had zero experience training a newbie, he was still the only one who should be disciplining Bruce. Those were the rules, after all. But would Nero abide by them?
He and Nero engaged in a heavy stare down, but eventually Nero dipped his chin. Thank God, because Laddin had been sweating.
“Fine,” Nero growled. “You get him under control. And then get him back to base. He’s a liability here.”
“Yeah, because you’re overrun with medical knowledge,” Bruce taunted. “What are you going to do if he goes into arrhythmia, has a brain bleed, or spinal stuff happens?”
Nero flushed as his own words were flung back at him, and Josh came around the far edge of the bed to face off with his brother.
“You don’t know jack shit here, Bruce, so shut up and listen.”
This was ridiculous. They were having a “who’s in charge” argument in a sickroom. So Laddin—who was arguably the shortest and smallest one there—jumped in front of Bruce and pointed his finger straight at his nose.
“Not a word. Outside.”
Bruce stiffened, and it looked like he was going to argue. But he was a firefighter, which meant he understood the chain of command. Laddin watched as he swallowed down whatever he wanted to say, gave a mocking bow, then sauntered out the door.
Laddin didn’t wait for it to close before spinning around to glare at Nero. “Get your puppy in line or mine is going to kill him.”
Nero and Josh answered at the exact same moment, “He could try.”
Maybe it took an only child to see the obvious, but Nero was being head-up-his-ass stupid. “You don’t think sibling shit is powerful? That it can cut deep and dig up the most awful stuff at the worst fucking moment? What happens if Bruce goes off the rails?” He stared at Nero. “What happensto Joshif we have to kill his own brother in front of him? Or worse, if Josh is the one who has to take him down?”
Laddin watched as his words hit both men. They blanched and swallowed, looking appropriately chagrined. Meanwhile, a low chuckle came from the bed. Apparently Wulfric wasn’t unconscious after all.
“Never underestimate the little ones,” he said. “We have to be smarter.”
Laddin felt his lips twitch. Yes, by werewolf standards, he was below average in size, but that didn’t make himlittle. Still, he couldn’t deny that being included in a “we” with Wulfric made his inner child do a happy dance. “I’m the fastest too,” he said. Josh started to object because—honestly—the guy’s long-legged body was built for speed, but Laddin interrupted. “I’m fast because I know where everything is stored. Like the backboard and my laptop.”
He had them both there. Josh had indeed misplaced his laptop dozens of times in the lab.
And with that parting shot, Laddin stepped outside to confront Bruce. The man was leaning against the wall, a smirk on his face.
