Read Online Bailey Bradford - Southwestern Shifters 06 - Reverence by Bailey Bradford - Free Book Online Page A

never trusted any of us to confide just how far Dobson went with that abuse. Whatever happened, I believe it was very bad. Harley hated every one of us, and we had to let him go home. Keeping him prisoner was just as wrong as what Dobson had done to him.”
Val couldn’t remember everything he thought he’d once known, there were occasional odd gaps in his memory, but he hadn’t forgot that Joshua Dobson had abducted Marcus Criswell and held him captive for six months, torturing him daily. What would Dobson have done to a human? Val’s stomach went warm and queasy at the thought of it.
Marcus cleared his throat, pulling Val’s attention back to him. “So, I’m sure you understand how…delicate,” Marcus stressed the word slightly, “this situation is. While there was some talk of killing Harley Johansen since he refused to be turned, or turning him against his will. I could not”—he nodded at Nathan—“ we could not condone any such thing. The only option, the only right thing to do, was to let Harley return to his world, and hope he doesn’t expose us to those who would destroy us, which would be pretty much every human being alive. They’d fear us, and what humans fear…”
“They destroy unthinkingly,” Nathan finished. He sighed and rubbed at his forehead. “And maybe we aren’t so different, but I really don’t want to be hunted down and experimented on and all that shit. I want to live my life here, with my mate, with our friends and family, and I want to help Marcus keep us all safe. But, even so, Harley had to be freed.” And now Nathan looked at him, pinning him with those intense gold-flecked green eyes. “Someone needs to keep an eye on Harley. Not just for our own good, but for his. There are definitely shifters who would kill him without hesitation if they get the chance.”
“I imagine there are,” Val murmured, frowning as he realised the truth to Marcus’ claim that this might be a lifelong job. He would need to keep Harley from blabbing about them and he would need to keep him alive—which could pose an ethical problem. Val canted his head to the side and traced over the scar running from his eyebrow to his jaw then down to his neck. “And if a shifter does try to eliminate Johansen…”
Marcus didn’t flinch at all when he answered. “Kill the shifter. All who know of him have been given orders to leave Harley alone. Anyone who goes against those orders goes against me. I will not tolerate any disobedience in this matter, and I need someone I can truly count on to see to it that my orders are followed. There are other things developing with a pack in Europe that may or may not affect us, and it’s looking like Nathan and I might be taking a trip very soon. I expect you to keep that information to yourself.”
“Yes, sir, of course I will.” Val didn’t ask about the European pack and the goings on there. Marcus would have told him as much as he wanted Val to know. But this Harley Johansen, he was either very lucky or he’d somehow come to mean something to Marcus. Although… Val sneaked a peek at Nathan, who was nodding in agreement. Perhaps it was Nathan who was fond of Harley. Then again, Marcus was nothing if not fair, and it wasn’t like this mess was Harley’s fault. Still, if it came down to pack safety—hell, all of shifterkind’s safety—wouldn’t Marcus do what needed to be done, and terminate Harley Johansen?
One look at Marcus’ icy brown-black eyes and Val had his answer. Marcus would be as fair as he could, but if it came down to Harley’s life or being exposed, the guy was toast. Val hoped Johansen knew that.
“Am I to simply observe?” Or what? Ingratiate himself to the guy, seduce him with his good looks and charm? Val gave himself a mental eye roll. There was his answer, he was just to observe. He was fucked up and blind in one eye and wouldn’t be able to seduce anyone with a lick of sense or decent eyesight.
“Nathan? What do you