Legend reached into the vanity drawer, pulled out a toothbrush still in its wrapper, and handed it to Gabe. "I'll go make sure the doctor is on his way while you brush your teeth."

Gabe nodded, accepting the toothbrush before Legend left. He scrubbed, feeling as if he was going to be sick again. He stood there, waiting, but the nausea passed.

He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Hopefully the doctor brought something with him to get rid of whatever was wrong with Gabe.

He tossed the toothbrush aside, rinsed, and then headed down the hallway. Gabe rolled his eyes and hurried past Legend when he spotted Stripper coming down the stairs, naked.

Legend must have spotted him as well because he hurried from the living room. Sam shook his head. "You'll get used to things around here."

Gabe curled up on the couch, thankful that Sam had supplied a few soft pillows. "I just have to deal with it for a few weeks."

Sam stilled, his brows furrowing, but said nothing.

There was definitely something cryptic going on in this house.

Chapter Eight.

Legend wasn't sure why he was denying the truth. He'd tried to convince himself that it really was a stomach virus. It could be the fact that he didn't know how to explain things to Gabe. Legend was tougher than nails in every aspect of his life, yet, when it came to Gabe, he had wussed out. He wasn't sure what that said about him, but it sure as hell made him pace the hall as the doctor examined Gabe.

It had started out as a simple attraction. But Legend should've known. His bear had never gone that crazy to be near anyone. He rubbed his hand over his head and glanced at the door, wondering how Gabe would react if he really was pregnant. Legend wanted to rush in there and find out, but the doctor insisted on giving Gabe privacy.

T-Rex was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, watching Legend pace a hole in the rug. It wasn't Legend's favorite pastime, but he couldn't seem to stand still. He'd never once given fatherhood any thought. Being constantly on the move, always in dangerous situations, Legend didn't think it was possible for him to settle down.

"So you haven't told him anything?" T-Rex asked.

Legend scrubbed his hands over his hair before he shook his head.

"What were you waiting on, for him to give birth?"

T-Rex was now being Legend's fucking conscience. Where had that reproachful voice been when Legend should have been using his head and not his hormones? It was true. He should have laid his cards on the table before things had gone too far with Gabe. But it was too late now and he'd have to deal with any fallout.

"The time just never seemed right," Legend answered. "We were too busy running and then Gabe got sick."

"I'm pretty sure you could have mentioned you were a bear before fucking the guy. It takes a second to slip a condom on and a second to say, 'Oh, by the way, you just might get pregnant.'"

"Why are you being such an ass?" Legend asked. He wasn't in the mood for this shit. He had enough on his mind already. Legend was beating himself up as it was. He didn't need T-Rex joining in. He could feel like shit without the guy helping.

T-Rex shrugged. "Call me Gabe's advocate. He should have been aware of what he was getting himself into."

Great, now Legend really did feel lower than cow dung. But if Gabe was his mate, then their road would have led them here anyway. His eyes strayed to the bedroom door and Legend wondered what was taking the doctor so long.

"I'm just fucking with you," T-Rex said. "It's messed up that you didn't tell him, but you know I have your back no matter what goes down." The man didn't look the least bit apologetic. "Sparrow came to me while you were gone. He said that the men on the Triple-B want to help us start up our own ranch."

That caught Legend's attention. He stopped pacing as he asked, "What the hell do we know about ranching?"

"You know we have a lot of downtime," T-Rex said. "We have to start somewhere, do something. I'm not one for sitting on my ass."

"I'm not breeding horses." The thought turned Legend's stomach. There was no way in hell he was milking a horse. The idea almost made him gag.

"Harland knows a guy who can become our foreman, who can teach us about ranch life. We don't have to breed. We can run a cattle ranch. Trade, sell, and buy cattle."

"That does not sound appealing." Legend glanced at the door when he thought he heard it open. It was still shut tight.

"The other guys think it's a great idea."

"And what about when we go on missions? Sometimes we're gone for weeks at a time," Legend argued. "What will the cows do then, milk themselves?"

T-Rex chuckled. "Cattle, dumbass. And we'll make sure that we have reliable men who can run things in our absence. I talked things over with Harland. We can build a bunkhouse out back for the cowboys we pull on board."

"Couldn't you have dropped this in my lap sometime when I wasn't wearing a hole in the carpet?" The door to Legend's bedroom opened and his muscles grew tight. He tried to read the doctor's face, but the man only smiled.

"All done," the doctor said.

The man must have been getting some perverse pleasure out of withholding the most important news of Legend's life. Legend curled his hands into fists as he breathed out through his mouth, telling himself that yelling at the doctor wouldn't do him any good. The man had information Legend wanted so he'd play nice.

"Stop messing with him," T-Rex said to the doctor with humor in his tone. "Can't you tell he's about to fall apart?"

The doctor chuckled and nodded. "I suppose he is." The man switched his handbag from one had to the other. "Gabe Summerville is pregnant." Then the man added, "But I didn't tell him. It was your job to explain the whole shifter thing to him, Legend, so I left everything up to you."

Legend's body broke out in a cold sweat as he stared at the open door. "He doesn't know anything?"

"I left him the way I found him," the doctor replied. "Completely clueless."

It was what Legend deserved. He nodded before stepping into the room to see Gabe buttoning his shirt. The man glared at Legend. "Since when do doctors have to examine a man's groin for a stomach virus? I think the guy was feeling me up. You should seriously consider using someone else. He's a damn pervert." The man didn't look the least bit happy. "And he drew blood, mixing it with some weird stuff in a tube. What the hell is up with that?"

Legend closed the door for privacy before he steeled his nerves and faced Gabe. "He was checking to see if you were pregnant."

Gabe's hands stilled as he tilted his head to the side, his brows deeply furrowed in a frown. "Say that again."

Do I have to? Legend knew he did. He cleared his throat and closed the distance, taking Gabe's hands in his. The man would need an anchor. And Legend felt it wise not to leave Gabe's hands free to hit him. "I've never had to explain this before, so bear with me."

No pun intended.

"Okay." Gabe took a seat on the bed. "But please don't tell me I have something terminal. You have that strange look in your eyes that people have when delivering bad news."

"You're not going to die, but I might." Especially when Gabe realized Legend wasn't kidding.

"You are a very strange man," Gabe said. "Now tell me what's going on. The doctor was very evasive and wouldn't give me a straight answer."

There was no other way to break the news than to just come right out and tell the guy. So why was Legend stalling? "I'm a bear shifter."

Gabe laughed as he pulled his hands away. "You guys are really comical around here."

Legend didn't move and he didn't laugh. He gave Gabe his most sincere face. He kept his eyes locked with Gabe's gorgeous pale-blue ones and waited.

The laughter died and Gabe frowned again. "Prove it."

Legend held his hand out, letting his claws slip free.

Gabe fainted.

Max slowly woke as he tried to get his bearings. The room was bathed in darkness but he felt more than heard someone in the penthouse. Was it Gator or one of his men?

Slipping his hand under his pillow, Max retrieve the Glock he had shoved under their before going to bed. He eased out of bed, weapon in hand, as he silently made his way to the bedroom door.

He strained to listen. All was quiet. But Max didn't trust the silence. He moved to the other side of the doorframe and peeked out into the living room. It was empty. Max trusted his gut instincts and it was screaming that he wasn't alone.

Easing the bedroom door open, Max scanned the living room. He was in the penthouse suite with only one way onto his floor. If someone had gotten in, how had they bypassed Gator and his men? How had they bypassed the security codes to get into the penthouse?

A trickle of sweat slid down Max's temple. It had been too long since his days in the marines. Although Max stayed tiptop shape, his long-ago training wasn't fully with him. But he was still able to handle a gun and that was all he needed.

The doors to the library flew inward and four assailants rushed the room, automatic rifles drawn and leveled on him as Max dove for cover. Bullets sprayed as the penthouse was shredded. Glass shattered and artwork fell from the wall. Max was trapped behind the bar.

"Come out, Mr. Summerville."

Max glanced around the bar to see Savant walk into the fray. Resplendent in an expensive suit and polished shoes, Savant looked as if he should be strolling into a meeting instead. But it was Savant's boyish smile that took Max by surprise. The guy appeared innocent, unthreatening, and untouchable.

Savant brushed the feathers from the damaged couch and took a seat. "We have much to talk about."

Where the fuck was Gator? "The only thing we need to talk about is the color of your coffin," Max said.

"Not true," Savant answered. "I'm taking over since Ortega will more than likely never see the light of day. I've even arranged to marry his sister, who, by the way, inherits his mass fortune should something terrible happen to Ortega. Prison can be such a dangerous place."

"You just might find out for yourself," Max replied.

"Do you mean the FBI and ATF agents who've been watching me?" Savant asked. "They pose no threat. I have a few men on the inside who keep me abreast, letting me know their every move so that I may get out of the way before anything goes down."

Max already knew about Savant's moles and the departments were currently being flushed out. Only a few handpicked men were being used to bring Savant down.

"My Irish connections have become nervous," Savant continued. "I don't like when prospective buyers become wary. It's bad for business."

Max's eyes flickered to the other side of the apartment. He caught sight of Gator. The man pressed his finger to his lips as he moved silently through the shadows. Savant's cronies were standing behind the couch, keeping their boss safe, but leaving their backs exposed.

Bad mistake.

"Then get into another line of work," Max said. "It's a risk you take when dealing with shady characters."

"True," Savant answered. "But the money is too great to pass up."

"Greed will get you killed," Max replied.

Savant stood. "It might. But your death will come before mine. I must kill you in order to show Ortega's men that nobody is out of my reach." The man shrugged. "Nothing personal. It's purely a power play."

"Nothing personal," Max repeated before Gator took out two of Savant's men. Max aimed and fired, taking another man down. Travis appeared from one of the other bedrooms and took the fourth man out.

Savant stood there with three weapons aimed at him. He smirked at Max. "Well played."

Before Max could blink, Savant reached inside his jacket. All three men fired simultaneously. Savant's lifeless body fell to the floor before Max stood and walked from behind the bar.

"He paid off the doorman," Gator said. "The doorman led them up the back elevator and took out one of my men." Gator's jaw flexed as his eyes grew darker. "Fletcher was a good man and didn't deserve to die like that."

Max had known Fletcher. His heart went out to Fletcher's mate and sons. He knew the loss that she was about to go through and Max didn't wish that pain on anyone.

"I'll get ahold of the team in charge of taking Savant down," Travis said. "They'll want to know that one of their major players is no longer breathing."

Gator shook his head. "I got word that Ortega had an 'accident' in prison. He's dead."

"Which gets me off the hook," Max said. "With Ortega and Savant dead, the foot soldiers will be fighting amongst themselves. They'll be looking for a new leader."

"And the news will leak out that you and Savant were caught in the crossfire. I'll let you know how your funeral went."

Max had already sold off his shares at Summerville Savings and Loans. He had sold the bank and then had his money moved to an offshore account. Gator was made executive of Max's estate a few months back when he first suspected something wrong at his bank. He trusted the team leader to do what was necessary with his home and other assets.

He could finally retire and Max was looking forward to the downtime. He would never get out of the counterintelligence business, but he would disappear for a while until Ortega's organization restructured.

Max's phone rang. He scooped it off the bar to see Legend's phone number. Glancing around at the carnage, Max decided to take the phone call in his bedroom.

Chapter Nine.

Arteries of lightning lit the sky. The earth rumbled and rolled with the approaching storm as Gabe sat on the bed, reeling from Legend's earlier confession. He reached for the phone Legend had left on the nightstand and called his father.

Gabe was confused, angry, and...scared. He needed the comfort of his father, his wise words, and just to hear the man's voice. The wind rustled through the trees outside as Gabe dialed. A part of him wanted to run to Legend, to forgive the man for holding back such vital information. But right now Gabe was not in a forgiving mood.

Still, he couldn't help but ache to be in Legend's arms. Ugh, he was an emotional wreck right now. He wasn't sure if he was coming or going. And the whole bear thing? That was something he wasn't even going to think about right now. It was too freaky and something his brain couldn't wrap around at the moment.

"Gabe." His father's voice was a soothing balm.

Gabe opened his mouth to tell his father what was going on, but his voice caught in his throat. He whimpered, tears hot in his eyes. Fear welled up inside of him, gripped him, and he couldn't break free.

"What's wrong, Gabe?" His father's voice filled with concern at Gabe's silence.