Laurie’s Wolves(52)

Laurie pursed her lips and stared at him, clearly not convinced.

Zach lifted his face and met the angry glares coming from his neighbors, several of whom were whispering among themselves. It took all his energy to keep himself from approaching them.

Corbin returned from the front of the condo. “Shouldn’t take long to air out the place.”

“Why would someone fill the condo with gas?” Melinda asked. “That isn’t really logical. Gas alone won’t kill anyone.”

“It would if the same someone was waiting out back for the occupants to return so they could toss a flame into the mix.” Corbin ran both hands through his already disheveled hair.

Laurie gasped. She yanked her hand free of Zach’s and turned toward Melinda. “I’m a little overwhelmed. Did you tell Mimi we were coming this morning? I’ve hardly spent any time with her, and I need to understand everything that’s happening to me better.”

Melinda ran her hand over her sister’s cheek. “I’m certain she would be happy to see you. And, like I said last night, it might help if the three of us bump heads anyway.”

“Should we call her?”

Melinda chuckled. “Trust me. Mimi knows we’re coming.”

Zach shuddered at the thought. He realized Laurie had been thrust headfirst into a world she’d never known existed, but from his vantage point, that same world was in another dimension. Completely wonky.

»»•««

Laurie followed Melinda as they approached Mimi’s front porch. It had taken some convincing to get Corbin and Zach to agree to let her go for the day, but hell, they both had jobs to do, and it seemed Laurie wasn’t going to be working anywhere in any capacity in the near future.

Neither woman had their car with them—their next hurdle.

Corbin agreed to drop them off at Melinda’s tiny condo, where they grabbed Melinda’s car. Laurie’s rental was at Corbin’s. Melinda would take her to it later.

Mimi sat on the front porch, swaying back and forth on the porch swing, the creak of the chains announcing her presence with every push of her small foot against the wooden floor. She smiled as her granddaughters approached.

“Mimi.” Melinda leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

“Rough morning, girls?”

“To say the least.” Laurie sat in a chair across from Mimi while Melinda sat next to her grandmother on the swing.

A lump formed in Laurie’s throat as she watched the two women interact.

If it hadn’t been for the bigoted opinions of several of her own Native American side of the family, she would have known a lifetime of swinging with her grandmother. Instead, the two of them were virtually strangers.

Twenty-seven years of separation all because the elders of the Yobuka tribe at the time chased a young pregnant Joyce and her mate off the land. And why? Because her mate was white. Laurie’s mother had been threatened to the point that she didn’t dare return until the last of that generation of elders was dead. It would seem now that perhaps years of bigotry had not died with that group of elders. Laurie feared for her safety and the safety of her entire extended family.

“Talk to me, child.” Mimi’s voice was soft as she smiled at Laurie.

It was cold out, but that wasn’t what brought the chill to Laurie’s skin. What startled her was the feeling of closeness she felt toward Mimi, as though the two of them were bonding in a strange hyper-intense way. An invisible web bridged the space between the two of them, uniting them.

Laurie shook her head to clear her wandering mind. When she met Mimi’s gaze again, she felt warmth rush over her. Soothing. Comforting.

The woman was silently inviting her to spill everything.

“Some people from the rez attacked us last night at Corbin’s apartment. They threw bricks through the windows and screamed threatening bigoted remarks about their hatred for our mating.” Sarcasm oozed.

She continued, “Corbin stayed with the apartment while Zach and I went back to Cambridge to get a few hours’ sleep at his condo. Except we received an equally unwelcoming party there in the form of a house filled with gas fumes. Gotta assume there are people on both ends of the lake who aren’t pleased with our mating.

“And frankly, I don’t even know what bugs people most, the fact that there are three of us or the fact that we’re mixing races.” She took a deep breath. “I know your family has experienced racism recently, and I get that I’m a victim of it from birth, but I wasn’t raised in such a racist community. At least I didn’t feel the same vibe from anyone I’ve ever met.”

Melinda gave a shove with her foot, making the swing rock faster. “Perhaps you would have found dissension anywhere if you had mated?”