Punt: A British Bad Boy Football Romance (29 page)

M
addie awoke
to perfect silence and darkness. Sitting up in the strange bed, she saw that Jasper’s spot was empty, though he’d pulled the curtains around the bed to let her sleep in. Pulling one of the curtains open, Maddie saw that it was well into midday by now. Jasper would be working somewhere, probably in his office.

Maddie stretched, a smirk touching her lips when she felt that morning-after-great-sex soreness. Jasper might be conflicted and heavy-handed outside the bedroom, but inside it he was incredible. He’d given her exactly what she’d needed, and not a second before she’d needed it. She blushed as she thought about how she’d begged him for release only hours before.

Maddie tried to put the thought out of her mind, rushing through a quick shower and pulling on dark skinny jeans and a fitted black tee shirt. She hesitated for a moment, looking in the mirror. Just to be on the safe side, she looped a oversized, lightweight red scarf around her neck to cover her cleavage. No sense provoking another incident like yesterday’s.

Dressed and ready, Maddie decided that she would explore the Bunker today. She wanted to get a better sense of the pack’s personality, to find out if there was a way she might be able to help Jasper better bond with his pack. After hearing of Jasper’s torment over being Alpha, Maddie couldn’t just sit around and wait for another setback to pop up.

Heading downstairs, Maddie found a note on the kitchen counter next to the door.

M
addie shook
her head as she left Alpha’s House, heading for the Bunker. She stepped onto the porch, looking around the courtyard. There were four sets of doors leading into the main building, so Maddie did a lap around the house to check out each one and determine where she should go. One led into the offices, one into a gym. One led into an empty mess hall, which left the last set of doors as the entryway to the dormitories.

Once inside the glass breezeway, she swung open a second set of doors and stepped inside, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the ill-lit hallway. She dithered for a moment, taking a deep breath.

She turned right and headed down the long, dim passageway lined with doorways. Each door was marked with a number, but was otherwise completely impersonal. Maddie felt a jolt of surprise. Back in Maddie’s pack’s communal dormitory, each owner marked their doorway with photos, drawings, knickknacks, and sometimes even a chalkboard for leaving messages. Sure, this pack was run like a boot camp, but the lack of personal touches was something else altogether.

She walked the length of the first-floor hallway, stopping and staring at the lone communal area. Two couches and a love seat, all worn and dingy. There was a lone book shelf on one wall, stocked with a set of encyclopedias and a few dog-eared paperbacks. The living room was even darker than the hallway, and there wasn’t a window or even a lamp. Obviously it didn’t see a lot of use.

Maddie really didn’t know what to make of the Bunker’s sad situation. The Den’s dorm was festive, and it felt lived-in. The common areas were stocked with books, board games, TVs, and comfy furniture.

The Bunker, in contrast, felt a bit like a cheap motel. It wasn’t dirty, but nothing was new or nice. It looked as if the pack members could each just pick up and leave at a moment’s notice. It didn’t help that the place was completely empty of pack members, with everyone apparently working similar hours. Very military, Maddie thought. A little depressing, too.

The barracks ended abruptly, and Maddie opened a door which fed into the gym. The gym was also desolate and dark, just a few sets of chipped free weights and a few mats for stretching. No TVs, no towels, nothing fancy at all. The place was straight-up bleak.

Maddie walked the length of the gym, noticing little things here and there: wear and tear on the weight benches, areas where the carpet was worn and fraying at the edges, even a broken mirror on the wall that had never been taken down.

Shaking her head, Maddie puzzled over why the Bunker was in such poor repair. She turned over several possibilities in her mind as she walked to the mess hall, her stomach rumbling. Checking her watch, she saw that it was only one in the afternoon. Still lunchtime, she thought with relief.

When she swung open the door, Maddie found every single pack member staring directly at her. After a second, each male forced his gaze away, making her feel even more conspicuous.

“Over here, Madd,” Jasper said, standing and waving her over to his table. He sat with Gwen and two other males, all avoiding looking at her. Maddie nodded and headed over to him, feeling horribly out of place.

“I’ll grab you a tray,” Jasper offered. Maddie noticed that even Jasper refused to look her in the eye, and her stomach fluttered. What the hell was with everyone today?

Jasper stalked off toward a folding table, where a small buffet was set up. Maddie looked over to Gwen and raised a questioning brow.

“He told the males not to so much as look at you,” Gwen replied.

“He what?” Maddie asked, flustered. She felt heat rise in her cheeks at the thought of Jasper commanding the pack about something so personal.

“Yeah, he’s acting a little overprotective,” the other woman said, her irritation obvious.

Maddie frowned, feeling irritated herself. She wanted to talk to Jasper about it, but not in front of Gwen and the whole pack. It wouldn’t help matters if Maddie to undermined the Alpha in front of everyone, no matter what their relationship might be in private. Maddie pulled out a chair and sat down, trying not to look as ticked off as she felt.

Jasper returned, placing a cafeteria tray in front of Maddie and reclaiming his seat next to her. Maddie looked down at the tray to find several large brown lumps, with a pile of greyish-white sludge and a bit of yellowish liquid on the side. Maddie blanched, looking up to find everyone else eating the same thing.

Maddie couldn’t help comparing the Bunker to the Den again, thinking about the incredibly great woodfire-grilled steaks, decadent pastas, savory crepes, and other dishes that the Den regularly served up. The Den did all the cooking with flair, plus any maintenance, cleaning, or other services the pack needed. They never needed to worry that fresh towels would get to the gym every day, or whether the fax machines would malfunction, or any of that. The Den simply did it all.

Clearly, that was not the case at the Bunker. Maddie looked over at Jasper, who was also staring down at his tray as if trying to guess at the contents of his meal.

Pushing her tray away, Maddie stood up. Everyone looked at her, and then pointedly looked away again.

“Jas?” she asked, pasting a smile on her face.

“Mm?” he said, poking at his food with a fork.

“Can I have a word with you in the hallway?” she asked, trying to keep her tone light. Jasper cleared his throat and stood, dropping his fork. He shrugged and followed Maddie out the main door into the corridor. She waited until the door slammed closed behind them, trying to decide what to bring up first.

“I know you have a lot of questions,” Jasper said holding up a hand as if to ward off the tongue lashing he sensed coming.

“You’re damned right I do. Why is no one looking at me or speaking to me except you and Gwen?” Maddie asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes dangerously.

“I might have gone a little overboard in the pack meeting this morning,” Jasper admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Gwen said you told them they’re not allowed to look at me! Do you know how weird that feels?” Maddie said, exasperated.

“It’s better than almost getting raped,” Jasper snapped, his face heating with anger.

“How have we come to the point where those are my options?” Maddie asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“It’s reality.”

“That is not a good way to handle the situation! You can’t just go around dictating who I talk to, it’s totally irrational. Besides, I think you’ve made it clear what happens to anyone who attempts to hurt me.”

“I’m doing the best I can, okay? I’ve never had to protect a female from something like this before. There’s never been anyone to protect!” he said, throwing up his hands.

“
J
ust
… okay. I see why you did it. But next time let’s talk it over before you decide something that affects me like that, Jas.” Maddie cocked her head, trying to get a sense of what he was feeling and thinking.

“Fine,” he said, his jaw tensing. He didn’t like taking orders from anyone, even when she was being as nice as she knew how to be. He turned to go back into the mess hall, but Maddie stopped him.

“That’s not why I pulled you out here.”

Jasper hesitated before he turned to face her.

“What’s going on with this place? The food is disgusting, there are no lights anywhere, the gym is all run down…” Maddie ticked off the problems on her fingers.

Jasper was silent for a long moment, studying her face. At last he sighed and shook his head.

“We’re not sure. Things have been this way for several years, since before… since Ennis was still Alpha. Gwen thinks he messed around with the Faery magic that makes up the Bunker, screwed it up somehow.”

“So, what, Ennis does some mumbo jumbo and suddenly the food tastes bad and the lights get dimmer? That doesn’t make sense,” Maddie said.

“It’s not that. The Bunker no longer makes any food, so the pack takes turns cooking meals. Obviously today is a poor example of the concept.”

“And the lights and everything else?”

“The Bunker doesn’t do maintenance anymore, either. We catch up with it when we can. Basically the only thing that still works is the cloaking shield, and even that can be hit or miss sometimes.”

“Who’s in charge of organizing maintenance and meals and all this stuff? Your procurer?” Maddie asked.

“We haven’t had a procurer in years,” Jasper admitted, rubbing his neck again.

“You— you haven’t—” Maddie broke off, the pieces suddenly coming together. The military uniforms, the dead lightbulbs, the lack of personal flair in the dorms. There was no one to order and bring in the most basic necessities, much less personal items for the pack members.

Maddie closed her eyes for a moment, calling on the fragility of their truce to keep herself from shouting at him. It wasn’t exactly negligence, but it wasn’t a good way to run a pack either. No doubt Ennis McDonough had driven off the last procurer, and Jasper had simply never appointed a new one.

“Okay,” she said, opening her eyes again. “Okay. This is something I can fix.”

When Jasper looked at her with a blank expression, Maddie stomped her foot and huffed.

“Look. You and Gwen obviously have your hands full with trying to control the pack and the security business. You have no procurer, and no one around to fix all the little things that need doing. I, on the other hand, have nothing do to. If I’m going to be here, I might as well be useful.”

Jasper pursed his lips, weighing the idea.

“If that’s what you want,” he conceded at last.

“It’s not about what I want,” she started, pointing a finger at him. “And don’t you try to get me off topic.”

Jasper shrugged, noncommittal.

“I’m going to need someone to assist me. And access to the pack’s funds. What’s my budget like?” she asked, already starting a mental checklist of items to be purchased.

“We have more money than we could ever spend, but…” Jasper trailed off.

“But what, Jasper? This is not an optional service. These Shifters aren’t in the military, they’re part of a pack. A pack is like a family, each personality brings something to the table. How can your pack serve you if they’re not allowed to have their own personality, their own belongings?” Maddie asked, flinging an arm to indicate the blandness of the gymnasium.

“I was just going to request that someone I trust be the one to escort you. Kellan, or Kopelli. Just to be on the safe side,” he said, cocking an eyebrow in response to her outburst.

“Fine!” she huffed, giving him a scowl for no reason other than the fact that she’d been enjoying being the reasonable one for a minute there.

Jasper looked amused for a second, shaking his head. Maddie’s face flushed and she glared down at her feet.

“Are you coming back in?” he asked, waving a hand toward the mess hall.

“No. I think I’m going to visit Sadie,” Maddie said.

Jasper’s head snapped up.

“The human?”

Maddie nodded.

“I was thinking that she’s probably scared out of her mind, and lonely on top of that. I want to make sure she knows that we’re going to take care of her.”

Jasper’s eyebrows raised, surprised.

“I’ve never known you to be nice to a human,” he said.

Maddie shrugged, looking down at her feet.

“This is a special scenario. If the girl gets too freaked out, she’ll run. If she leaves our protection, someone’s probably going to start asking questions about her getting knocked up and disappearing for a while. It’s better for the pack if she stays here with us, and easier if it’s of her own volition.”

“That’s smart,” Jasper said, impressed.

“I do have good ideas from time to time,” Maddie said with a smirk.

“Do you want me to come with you to greet the girl?”

“No. I think she might be more comfortable with a female. Other than Gwen, I mean. Gwen probably scared her worse than anyone.”

Jasper chuckled, nodding in agreement.

“Alright, then. Let me know if I can help with anything.”

Maddie nodded, thinking aloud.

“Actually, you can. I think we should get a more comfortable room set up for Sadie. Somewhere other than the infirmary, I mean.”

“In the dormitories? Do you think that’s a good idea?” Jasper asked, frowning.

“Let’s set her up in the room next to Kellan’s. He can guard her easily that way, and she can get to him anytime she wants. It will give her a sense of security. Maybe even help them bond a little.”

Jasper cocked his head, giving Maddie a considering look.

“What?” she asked, raising a brow.

“Nothing. It’s just… you’re good at this.”

“I’ve trained as a procurer with the Louisiana pack,” she said with a shrug.

“No, not that. I meant that you’re a good Beta. A natural.”

Maddie didn’t know how to respond, flushing at his compliment and his reference to her as his Beta wolf. She let the moment draw out, her tongue in knots. Finally Jasper gave her a soft smile and turned to leave.

“I’ll get the room cleared for the girl,” he said.

“Sadie. Let’s call her by her name,” Maddie said.

Jasper’s smile broadened, revealing that dimple Maddie had come to love so well.

“As you wish, mate.”

He headed back to the dining hall, leaving Maddie to wonder what he could be thinking. Shaking her head, she decided that she’d probably grow old before she ever really understood what went on in Jasper’s head.

Rather than think on it any longer, Maddie took a deep breath and headed to the infirmary.