A Promise To Bear (Second Chance Shifters 4) by Meredith Clarke

fierce with the light of the sun behind him.
    “Now stay there and listen!” he said angrily. “I made your parents listen too. They had to know the truth.”
    “My parents? What the hell do you know about my parents?” She tried to sit up, but she was afraid of what he might do to her, so instead, she reached behind her to find more jagged rock. All the smooth stones wouldn’t do enough damage for her to get away. If she could just keep him talking long enough to find a weapon, maybe she could get out of here.
    “I knew your mother was too smart for her own good. She figured out my little indiscretion just as quickly as you did. But she wasn’t even here when she figured it out. That wasn’t part of the plan. Once they were dead, I couldn’t have anyone else catching on.”
    “I don’t understand! What are you trying to tell me?”
    He laughed manically. Something wasn’t right about him. “The money, Twila. Your mother figured out that I was stealing money from your grandmother. And she confronted me, said that she was going to tell Grace. So I ended her. Your father was just a bystander, sad really. You had no idea what was going on. Getting the girl lost in the words was the perfect opportunity to get them away from everyone else.”
    Twila’s mouth dropped open. “Britney? You’re the one who got Britney lost in the woods?”
    He nodded thoughtfully. “You were so busy with Jasper that you didn’t even notice how many drinks she had. Or the stranger at the bar who was buying them for her—that was me. Just one roofie was all it took. I took her out to the words, and I hid her in my den and then, well, you know the rest.”
    “How could you? You ruined our lives!”
    He rolled his eyes. “Twila, you’re always so dramatic. Ruined your life? Do you even know who I am?”
    Twila shook her head. “I know you’re a killer! I don’t need to know anything else.” She finally located a rock behind her. This one had a sharp edge to do some damage to his shin. She would have to be swift in order for it to go into his skin. She prepared the rock in her hand, but just as she was about to deliver the blow, he continued to talk.
    “I’m your uncle. I guess Grace never told you that she had another daughter, Elizabeth. Nobody ever talked about her. We married young.” He looked off over the water, but he was lost in his memories. “She died during childbirth. She was my true mate. They say horrible things can happen to shifters when their mate dies. Nothing happened to me. I just went on existing, without her. This business was supposed to be left to us. When she died, Grace left it to you and your family. It wasn’t fair! They treated me like I didn’t even matter anymore. It wasn’t my fault she died. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but they all blamed me. But now, you actually have something to blame me for.”
    For a moment, she actually felt sorry for him. He was pitiful. “Why come back now?”
    “I heard Grace had passed. I needed to collect all the paperwork, cover up the trail. I tried to get Lauren to help me, but she wouldn’t listen. She never listens.”
    The boyfriend? Twila’s uncle, or whoever this man claimed to be, was Lauren’s crazy ex-boyfriend? The man who killed her parents was family? So many questions swam around in her head. None of this made sense, but then it all did at the same time. He wanted revenge. Plain and simple. But how far would he go to get it?

10

Jasper
    J asper’s truck was rambling down the dirt road. He was taking a shortcut to the highway that he knew Ranger Mills would be taking to get to the clan. He had his cell phone in his hand, and it started vibrating when he was about halfway there.
    “Jasper?”
    He looked down at the number. “Mills? Where the hell are you? You always text me before you go into the clan territory. I’m on my way there now. Are you all right?”
    “Jasper, you have to listen to me. I think Twila is in trouble. Somebody