CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Adam had never been so out of his mind with worry in his entire life. Seeing the images of Joy chained to that fucking bed and the bruises on her face, he wanted to knock that guy’s head off his shoulders again. This time in slow motion so he could enjoy the simple act of brutality. His only mistake was doing the deed in front of Joy. If he could take that part of it back, he would.
But he couldn’t.
“Fuck!” he growled, pacing back and forth in the kitchen. It had been more than forty-five minutes since Gerri had taken Joy back to her room to get her cleaned up. Forty-five damn minutes and he hadn’t heard so much as a peep out of either of them.
Was everything okay? Was Joy okay? Was she freaking the fuck out? He was ready to beat down the door. The only reason he hadn’t forced the issues was because his bear knew his mate was in the other room. She was safe and sound, and he would have to be content with that knowledge for now.
There was a knock at the front door. He sniffed the air to be sure it was the food delivery before he opened the door. When the fresh scent of food hit his nostrils, he pulled his wallet from his pocket and popped the door open.
“Delivery for Adam?” the girl asked, looking like she was having a problem carrying the large bags of food.
“Yep. That’s me.” He took the bags and handed the girl three hundred dollar bills. “Keep the change.”
“But, sir! This is way too much money for what you ordered,” she protested.
“You’re honest. I like that,” he said, handing her another hundred-dollar bill. “Have a great day,” he said to the stunned driver and kicked the door closed behind him.
“Sounds like you made her day,” Gerri said as she stepped quietly into the living room.
“I’m sure she can use it. It’s nice to be nice every once in a while.” He truly meant it. There was something about helping others and surprising them that he enjoyed.
“Oh, I’m sure. It’s nice to see people who are in a position to help others actually do it.”
“How’s Joy?” he asked, setting the bags on the table.
“She’s a bit shaken up. I think she’s just collecting her thoughts at this point, trying to figure everything out. Trying to figure you out. She said a few things that left me wondering, though.”
“Like what?” he asked.
“Well, she said something about the guy who kidnapped her, that he wanted to keep her just to have kids with, and he wondered if they would be more like her or him. Do you know what he meant by that? Or who it was that was going to pay him to abduct her?” Gerri asked.
Adam nodded for her to join him in the kitchen. Before opening his mouth to speak, he double-checked the bedroom door to make sure it was still closed. He didn’t want Joy to hear what he was about to say.
“Yeah,” Adam whispered. “I do. Well, some of it.”
“Like what?” Gerri asked. “Why are we whispering?”
“When I was still in Alaska, I went to meet with the North Slope Clan, my clan, and what they told me … well, I’m still having a problem believing it.”
“What did they say?” Gerri asked.
He lowered his voice even more. “That Joy is like me, from my clan. She’s a polar bear shifter as well.”
“What!” Gerri exclaimed.
“Shhh.”
“Sorry,” she whispered. “How is that possible? Does she even know?”
“Her mom met a human when she was already pregnant. She fell in love with him and moved south. Unfortunately, our kind needs to be around the poles, or we weaken and die. Joy’s mom died giving birth to her. She was raised in the south with her dad and stepmom, so she’s never activated her shifter nature.”
“I knew it!”
“Knew what?” Joy asked as she entered the room.
“Knew that the food was here. I could smell it!” Gerri felt the lie slip from her tongue. She grabbed her purse from the counter. “I need to head out. I have a client I’m meeting this evening. I’ll text you later to check in on you.” She gave Adam a quick hug and a drive-by peck on the cheek for Joy.