Joyce flinched. “What? I thought that was a thing of the past now. I never would have gone back or brought you along if I thought there were still bigots in town.” She stood, setting her hands on her face. “You think they’re a danger? Are you talking about white people or Natives?”
“Mom, there will always be bigots. Just because the man who threatened you and chased you out of town has died doesn’t mean there aren’t others willing to take his place, or worse—a coalition of angry racists.”
Her mother’s eyes widened. “What did they do? Your grandmother told me there were issues, but I didn’t realize it was this bad.” She resumed her spot on the bed, twisting her body to meet Laurie’s gaze. “Tell me.”
Laurie shivered again and tried to control her shaking body. She stiffened her legs where they were curled up to her belly. “Both races are having issues with us. And both have attacked us.”
“Attacked you. How?”
“You want the bricks thrown into Corbin’s windows in the middle of the night, leaving his peers standing outside shouting at us to get out of town? Or do you prefer the group of religious zealots in Cambridge who turned on the gas and let the condo fill with fumes while we weren’t home. That opponent is even worse if they intended to light a match after we stepped inside.
“Mom, people won’t even come to the ski resort because they’ve fallen for these rumors. I’m afraid both my mates could lose their jobs if I continue to walk the streets. People are furious.”
“Why didn’t they react this way to Zach’s older brothers and their mates? I’ve never heard a tale like this from Melinda.”
“No idea. I’m guessing they weren’t quite clued in. Melinda and Rebecca have lived significantly under the radar. And besides, Rebecca did have issues. She even had to quit her job at the hospital in Cambridge and take another in Sojourn where more of the clientele are shifters and slightly less condescending.”
“Sweetie, I’m so sorry. I had no idea it was that bad.”
“Oh, it gets worse. I’ve had the Native American spirit visit me multiple times. More than any other shifter in the area, including Melinda herself. And the weather has been weirder by the day. It can’t be a coincidence. Evidence would point to me as the common denominator in everything. My hands are tied, Mom. I need you to let me rest and get over this bug, and then we’ll talk again.”
Joyce stared at her. She tucked the blankets around her shoulders tighter and patted her arm. “Okay. I won’t fight you on this, but I’m warning you that I don’t need to fight you. Your body will do all the fighting. I spoke to my friend, Jenelle. She said she went through this. It was ugly. She gave it up before the end of one day.”
“One day? I’ve already been gone one day. And I’m not dying. I’ll live. I really think I just picked up a bug.”
Her mother stood. “Fine. I’ll let you go with that for now. I’ll check on you again in a bit. You’ll need to eat, sweetie. Hopefully we can get something in you. Rest for now. I’ll be back.”
Chapter Seventeen
When Corbin and Zach approached Mimi’s front porch, the woman was sitting on her swing slowly gliding back and forth.
“I was wondering when you two might get here.”
Corbin wasn’t surprised. He’d heard stories about Mimi knowing when people were coming. The woman insisted she wasn’t psychic, but he would beg to differ.
“Who told you we were coming?” Zach asked.
Corbin glanced at his mate and chuckled. “No one told her.”
Zach took a seat on one of the porch chairs across from Laurie’s grandmother. “Can you help us?”
“If by that you mean give advice? Yes. If by that you mean try to talk some sense into my granddaughter, no.”
Corbin sat next to Zach in another chair. He was fidgeting and exhausted. His legs bobbed up and down, and he couldn’t stop them.
Mimi smiled, but ignored his anxiety. “When did she leave?”
“Yesterday morning.”
“So, it’s been twenty-four hours.” She tapped her lips, thinking.
“Have you not spoken to her?” Corbin asked.
Mimi shook her head. “No. She blocked me. I assume she blocked both of you too.”
“Yes.”
Mimi lifted her gaze to a spot behind them. “Melinda’s coming.”
“Of course she is,” Zach muttered. He stood and began to pace, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
“How did you both get off work?”
Corbin chuckled. “Did we have a choice?”