Free Red And The Bear (Grimm Bears 1) by Natalie Kristen Page A

the wolf had come for her instead.
“If the wolf had swallowed me whole, like in the story, he
would have left my granddaughter alone,” Nan would shake her
head and sigh.
    Rose blew out a heavy breath.
She was the daughter of Little Red Riding Hood. She was Little Red,
but she would never make the same mistake as her mother.

CHAPTER
TWO

    Jack Grimm closed the trunk
of his car and turned to glance at the palatial mansion behind him.
The house used to ring with happy voices, laughter and the pitter
patter of small, running feet. But now, it was just a big, empty
house.
    Jack turned away, feeling his
heart clench. Everywhere he looked, every corner of the house,
reminded him of his little boy. Alex's toys could be found in almost
every room, and the sweet smell of his son pervaded the air, making
it hard to breathe.
    Jack turned at the sound of a
car roaring up his driveway. He stood and watched his brother's
Ferrari pull up just behind his car. His two younger brothers, Hans
and Derek, spilled out of the car even before Hans's car had come to
a complete stop.
    “Jack,” Hans
said, jogging up to him. Hans tucked his shades in his shirt pocket
and glanced at the house. The curtains had been drawn over all the
windows and the front door was locked. “You're really
leaving,” he said grimly.
    Jack nodded. “Yes.”
Jack threw his house keys to his brother and Hans caught it neatly
in his large palm. “I know the company is in good hands.
You're both capable of running it well.”
    His youngest brother, Derek,
stepped forward and said, “You're not really leaving, are you?
You're the CEO of the Grimm Group. The company needs you, Jack.
We...”
    “I'm stepping down.
Hans is the new CEO,” Jack answered evenly.
    “The hell I am,”
Hans snapped. “I will remain as the Chief Operating Officer,
and your second-in-command. I am not taking your place, Jack.”
    Jack faced his brothers
squarely and sighed. “I'm leaving, and I don't know if and
when I'm coming back. I need...I just need to get away and get my
head straight...”
    “There is nothing wrong
with your head,” Derek said firmly. “It's your heart.”
His tone softened as he put a hand on his eldest brother's shoulder.
“We loved Alex too. He meant the world to us. I miss the
little guy so much.” Derek swallowed and Jack realized that
his brother was fighting to keep his voice from breaking. “You
need to grieve. We understand. If you need to get away from all
this for a while, then go. But come back, Jack. You are not
disappearing on us. You hear me?”
    “I won't disappear,
baby brother,” Jack smiled. “Not on you guys.”
    “Then you're still the
CEO,” Hans said matter-of-factly. “There's no need for
me to take over anything.”
    Jack opened his mouth then
shut it. “Fine.” He understood that his brothers were
worried for him. They had always been close. Jack had thought that
it was better for the company and fairer to Hans and Derek if they
were promoted to the CEO and COO positions respectively in his
absence. His brothers worked damn hard for the Grimm Group and they
deserved the promotion and the recognition. At present, Hans was the
COO while Derek was the Chief Financial Officer.
    His brothers grinned finally
and Jack went to clasp them to him in a fierce hug. He would miss
them.
    “Take all the time you
need,” Hans said, gripping his shoulder. “We'll take
care of your house and keep an eye on the business while you're
gone.”
    “Let us know where you
are, okay?” Derek scowled to prevent his face from betraying
his feelings.
    “I will. You will
always know where to find me,” Jack promised. He squinted into
the distance and studied the road ahead. “I'll be taking a
long, winding journey I guess. I'm thinking I'll head south and stop
at one of the towns along the way.” With a lopsided smile, he
added, “You know, I've flown to almost all the major cities but
I've never really visited the small towns in our own