Duncan (The Protectors #3)
Teresa Gabelman
Chapter 1
Duncan Roark sat staring at his cluttered desk without seeing anything at all. Three months he had searched for her, and…nothing. Not even a hint of where she had disappeared to. The low growl escaping his lips rattled papers on his desk. He had failed her in more ways than any man worth having her should. His arms rested on the edge of the desk as if ready to dig into the pile of work that waited for him, but his clenched hands said otherwise, as did his darkening eyes.
Slowly, his hand reached for the drawer on the right; he then opened it cautiously, almost as if something would jump out. His fingers stretched to touch the silky black hair still bound by a simple rubber band. Anger gripped him without warning, causing him to slam the drawer shut. Picking up the closest object, he hurled a stapler at the wall in front of him.
Jared Kincaid opened the door to Duncan’s office at that exact moment. “Like what you’re doing with the place.” Jared eyed the stapler sticking out of the wall before looking back at Duncan.
“What do you want, Kincaid?” Duncan growled, running his hand through his shoulder-length blond hair that was coming loose from the leather tie. “I’m not in the mood.”
“Obviously.” Jared walked in and sat in one of the two chairs in front of Duncan’s desk, stretching out his long, muscled legs - settling in, totally ignoring Duncan’s foul mood.
“I’m in the middle of something, so spit it out, and then get out.” Duncan shuffled papers around not even knowing what they were.
Damon and Sid walked in also catching sight of the stapler sticking out of the wall. “Nice. you gonna frame it?” Sid walked over and sat in the other chair leaving Damon to lean against the wall.
“What is this?” Duncan leaned back in his chair, eyeing each Warrior.
“Tea time.” Sid’s smart-ass answer echoed in the room as he kicked his feet up on Duncan’s desk.
“The women are worried about you.” Damon’s deep voice broke the sudden silence.
Duncan sighed, shaking his head before his eyes zeroed in on Sid. “First off, get your big-ass feet off my desk before I break your legs.” He knocked them off anyway before Sid could comply. “Second of all, I’m fine. So go and tell your women thanks, but…butt out.”
Jared snorted. “You can tell them that yourself.”
“Well, we had a pow-wow and decided that you need to stop being an * and get your shit together.” Sid didn’t pull any punches. He thought about putting his feet back on the desk, but stopped at Duncan’s look.
“I’ve always been an *, and my shit is together, now get the f*ck out of my office,” Duncan growled, getting tired of the game.
“There’s talk that this may not be your office much longer.” Jared sat up straight, all fun and games gone.
“So be it.” Duncan shrugged his shoulders. He had figured as much. A lot had slipped in the three months she had been gone. He really didn’t care anymore. He had given his life to the Council, his life was now hers.
“So be it?” This time Sid sat up. “What the f*ck do you mean, ‘so be it’? It took me months to get used to working under you, being the * that you are. I sure as hell am not going to get used to someone else coming in here changing shit.”
“I never asked for this job,” Duncan replied, no emotion in his voice.
“Okay, enough with the bullshit.” Jared slammed his hand on the desk. “We’re all worried about Pam and we will find her, but until then, you need to step up and get your head out of your ass. We need you in this position so we can get shit done. We’re losing the war out there, buddy, and we need our leader.”
Duncan growled his frustration. He knew they were right, but his focus was on her, only her. “What the f*ck do you want from me?”
No one said a word, just stared at Duncan. Sid finally broke the silence by standing. “I may sound like the biggest * by saying this, but it needs sayin’.” He leaned over the desk, staring directly into Duncan’s eyes. “I have never had a family, even as a human. Everyone in this room, I consider my family, my brothers, and I would give my life for any one of you. I am behind you, in whatever you decide to do. You leave the Council, I walk behind you. We are going to find her, Duncan.”
Everyone watched a little wide-eyed as Sid finished and calmly walked out of the room, without slamming the door behind him.
“What a *,” Jared snorted then grinned, uncrossing his feet to stand. “Though I do second what he said. You walk - I walk.” He leaned over, slapping Duncan on the shoulder before following Sid out the door.
Duncan glanced at Damon who still leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “You think Jared’s going to give Sid hell for his little speech?”
“Without a doubt.” Damon grinned. “Never heard Sid talk like that before. Seriously didn’t know he had it in him.”
Running his hand down his face, Duncan sighed. “You need to take over for me until I find her.”
“No.” Damon’s answer was firm. “I will help you, but not by taking your place. You’re our leader, and that will not change.”
Anger flashed across Duncan’s features. “How can I be a leader when I don’t care about anything other than finding Pam?” Looking down at his desk littered with notes, files and shit he had no clue about, he pushed them aside. “Fuck!” That one word held so much pain and frustration, Damon flinched.