CHAPTER
25
D ee woke up on Fourth of July morning
alone. But on the pillow next to her was a note and a granola
bar.
Had to run into town with Stein for more breakfast food—damn lions! We’ll be back soon. Please eat this until I return. I’m afraid you’ll start feeding on your own muscle mass if you don’t get some food in you.
Chuckling, Dee sat up and ate her
granola bar. She was nearly done when she heard the howling from
beneath her window.
“What?” she asked her cousin once
she’d opened the window.
“Couldn’t you put on a T-shirt or
something?”
“It’s not like you haven’t seen my
tits before, Sissy Mae.”
“That’s not the point. There’s a time
and place!”
“When did you become Sally
Etiquette?”
“Just get your suit on. We’re hittin’
the beach.”
“I just woke up and—”
“Not a request. Just move your ass,
cousin.”
“Fine.”
“I know it’s fine. In fact, it better
be goddamn fine!”
“Heifer.”
“Rich man’s whore!”
“At least mine can cook the food he
eats. And replaces it, too.”
“Now see, Dee-Ann Smith. That was just
mean!”
Ric adored farmer’s markets. Fresh
produce and dairy and relatively friendly people, and a healthy mix
of full-humans and shifters. It was perfect. Even his cousin’s
constant complaints couldn’t bring him down.
“Do you think Dee’s more a roses kind
of girl? Or lilies?” he asked.
Stein stared at him. “Honestly? I
think a machine gun and ample ammo is more your scary girlfriend’s
speed, cousin.”
“See how you are?” Ric shook his head.
“She keeps telling me I shouldn’t be so tough on you, and here you
are, talking shit about her.”
“I wasn’t talking shit about her. God,
please don’t tell that woman I was talking shit about her. She’s
liable to cut my head off and wear it on her jacket as a brooch.
And you are being too
tough on me. I haven’t had a moment to relax or enjoy the pool, get
in a little tennis, nothing, since I’ve become your indentured
servant.”
“You owe me, Stein. Don’t forget what
you owe me.”
“How can I? You won’t let
me.”
“Is it so impossible for you to
realize that you have to work your way back up? That you’re still
not going to get a kitchen when you haven’t been
trained?”
“How is washing dishes and scrubbing
floors training?”
“My best cooks started off washing
dishes and scrubbing floors.”
“They’re also not blood relations and
they’re mostly immigrants.”
Ric faced his cousin, but didn’t say
anything. He let Abby do the talking for him. She’d tagged along
with them for the trip since she’d been up bright and early, eating
food she’d dug out of the trash. Why she felt the need to do that
when she had an entire refrigerator of fresh food at her disposal,
Ric had no idea. Although they were low on things because of the
cats, they still had food.
Abby snarled and snapped at Stein,
nipping at his feet and forcing him to back up several
steps.
“This is Abby Vega,” Ric told his
cousin. “I’m thinking right now she does not like
you.”
“Great,” Stein sighed. “I’m stuck on
the politically correct team.”
“Does it ever occur to you that
sometimes you shouldn’t speak?” Hannah asked Stein, standing off to
the side. She’d come along because she seemed to fear she’d have
to, in her words, “talk to Dee” at some point today. Ric wasn’t
sure what Hannah was so worried about. If she was afraid she’d have
to have some big, psychological discussion with Dee-Ann Smith about
her inability to shift to her hybrid form when seriously threatened
by hyenas, she was wasting her time. Dee didn’t have big,
psychological discussions. That’s what Ric liked about her. His
friends talked to him all the time about their problems, and
although he didn’t mind, he enjoyed Dee’s lack of complaining.
Besides, it was fun trying to figure out what had pissed her off at
any given moment and how he could fix it.
“I didn’t know you were capable of
creating a sentence, sub-adult,” Stein shot back. “I thought you
could only brood and glare. Ow! Motherfu—”
“Stein,” Ric warned.
“She’s eating my leg!”
Abby had latched on to Stein’s leg,
and was doing her best to rip out his calf muscle.
“Then maybe you should be
nicer.”
“You really hate me, don’t
you?”
“If I hated you, cousin, I would have
let Dee-Ann tear your colon out when she had the
chance.”
“What about bread?”
Ric and Stein looked over at Hannah,
surprised by her sudden question.
“What about it? Ow! Get off me, crazed
female!”
“Are you going to provide bread?
Because if you think any is left after those cats wake up, you’re
delusional.”
“She’s right,” Ric agreed. “But I
don’t have time to make bread this morning.”
“They’re selling fresh French bread
right over at that stall.”
“Bought bread?”
“You act like I just suggested
roach-infested bread from Satan’s bakery.”
“I do fresh or I don’t do bread.” All
right, kind of a lie, but she didn’t need to know
that.
Trying desperately to shake Abby off
his leg, Stein prompted, “He wants you to make the bread, Hannah.
He’s under the happy-go-lucky delusion that being able to bake will
make you feel better.”
“Actually, I don’t think that
way”—much—“but if you want Blayne to think you’re involving
yourself in this weekend’s festivities—even if you’re off in a
corner by yourself, pounding dough—this is the way. It’ll get
Blayne off Dee’s back about your mental health, which will get Dee
off your back about pretending your mental health is fine so that
Blayne will leave her alone. Trust me, Hannah, it’s a win-win. So
make the damn bread.”
“Whatever,” she sighed, wandering off
to get what she needed.
“See?” Ric asked his cousin. “It’s all
about how you talk to people.”
“That’s great, but could you just get
this crazed bitch off my leg?”
“What did I just say about how you
talk to people?”
Dee put on more sunscreen and adjusted
the big umbrella so that her entire body was in the shade. She
didn’t plan to spend a moment of this weekend recovering from
sunburn.
“So I’m thinking about breeding,”
Ronnie Lee suddenly announced to their small group. “With Brendon,
of course.”
And Dee gave the only answer she could
think of. “So?”
“Could you at least pretend to be
happy for me?”
“I’m not unhappy for you. I guess I
just don’t care one way or the other.”
“What is wrong with you?” Ronnie
demanded.
“Nothin’. Why?”
“Sissy was happy for me! I got a hug
and tears. What do I get from you? A ‘so.’ ”
“Sissy’s your best
friend.”
“And what are you?”
“Your Packmate. On more occasions than
seems right, your drinking buddy.”
“That’s it? That’s how you see
me?”
“I don’t know why you’re so
upset.”
“Because we’re friends, and friends
are happy for each other.”
“When did we become
friends?”
Frowning, Ronnie asked, “We’re not
friends?”
Dee thought about it a moment and
finally answered, “No.”
At this point, Sissy Mae was lying on
her side, hysterically laughing, her arms around her
stomach.
“How could you say we’re not
friends?”
“We’re not enemies.”
“I don’t understand you
sometimes.”
“Thereby proving we’re not
friends.”
“Stop!” Sissy begged. “Stop! You two
are killing me!”
“I don’t think it’s funny, Sissy
Mae.”
“Is this where you tell me I hurt your
feelings?” Dee asked.
“Yes!”
“Sorry. Not my intent.”
“Are you like this with Ric?” Ronnie
Lee demanded.
“No. ’Cause with him I’m usually naked
when we’re having these kinds of conversations, which makes them a
lot less painful.”
“This is not funny, Sissy Mae!” Ronnie
bellowed.
“The hysterical snorting and feet
kicking would suggest she feels different on that.”
“Shut up, Dee-Ann.”
Dee shrugged. “I would, but you keep
talking to me.”
Stein ended up cleaning out the dairy
farmer’s supply of milk and eggs. But the man was a local bear and
once Stein explained he was feeding two male lions at their house
party, he completely understood. While the farmer’s sons took
Stein’s purchases to the SUV, Stein checked out the asparagus in
the next stall.
“Sir?” the girl behind the counter
asked.
“Uh-huh.”
“Did you know you have a dog attached
to your leg?”
“Yep. I choose not to discuss it.” He
smiled at the full-human girl. “So . . . what’s your name?”
And age. And breast size.
“Ow!” He glared down at the hybrid. “What is wrong with you?”
“Is it your dog?”
“Hardly.”
“Animal Control is out today, despite
the holiday. If you want, you can turn it over to them.” The girl
frowned. “What kind of dog is that anyway?”
“The annoying kind.”
Stein purchased several bags full of
asparagus and headed back to the car without bothering to get the
girl’s phone number. It wasn’t like he could hook up with her today
anyway, not with his cousin watching his every move like a hawk. He
was trying really hard not to be resentful over spending an entire
Fourth cooking and cleaning up after ungrateful shifters who
weren’t even in his Pack, but Stein knew Ric was right. If he ever
hoped to make it back into the family, he’d have to suck up the
pain and get the job done. That was what one did when one was a Van
Holtz. And though his uncle may have pushed him out of the Pack,
Stein’s bloodline would never change. Ric realized that and took
care of his own like always.
Stein reached the SUV and unlocked the
trunk. He found a spot to place the asparagus and quickly counted
what they had. Another shipment of meat would be arriving at the
house within the hour—only Ric was able to get that kind of
personal service on a holiday—and that should get them through
today and tomorrow morning. It was a good thing they were leaving
before noon, though. The way those cats ate, the cousins would be
back to the market for more supplies if they were staying any
longer.
The hybrid finally released him and
Stein let out a breath. “Finally! Thank—”
A big hand rammed Stein’s head into
the side of the SUV, black dots swirling through his vision. But
when his sight cleared, he stared up—way up—at three polar bears.
Dave Smolinski and his two brothers.
“Hiya, Steiny,” Dave said. “We’ve been
looking just everywhere
for you.”
Ric and Hannah were nearly back at the
SUV when Abby gripped the back of Ric’s jeans and held on. It
seemed as if she was trying to drag him back to the market, but he
had no idea why.
He stopped and gazed down at her. “Do
you know what she’s doing?” he asked Hannah.
“Why would I know?”
“You seem to spend the most time with
her.”
“She won’t leave me alone. It’s not
like I invite her anywhere.”
“Well, if you had to
guess.”
“She doesn’t want you to walk over to
the SUV.”
“Why?”
“This would be much simpler if she
would just shift to human.”
“Except there’d be a sixteen-year-old
naked girl biting at my jeans. I’m almost positive that would only
go badly for me.”
“That’s a valid point.”
Ric lifted his nose, sniffed the air.
“Bears.”
“That’s probably me.”
He turned his head, took another sniff
from her neck. “No. Not you.”
“All I have to say is . . . that was
kind of weird.”
“You’ll get used to it.” He sniffed
the air again. “Polar bears.” And fear. He smelled Stein’s fear,
and his rage. Yet something didn’t seem right to Ric. Why were the
bears lingering around? Did they want Ric to pay since they
couldn’t get their money from Stein? Maybe, but still . .
.
“Go back to the market, Hannah. Take
Abby with you.”
“Why?”
Ric added the bags he held to the
bunch Hannah had. “Don’t question. Just do.”
Hannah nodded and returned to the
market, Abby following behind her, but stopping every few feet to
look back at Ric.
“It’s all right, Abby.
Go.”
Once she and Hannah were gone, Ric
crouched down and pulled the gun he kept holstered on his ankle. He
stuck it into the back of his jeans and covered it with his
T-shirt. Taking a breath, he headed back to the SUV, easing around
the front of the vehicle. But he stopped short when he found
nothing. No bears. No Stein.
Ric casted for the scent again, locked
on, and followed. He tracked them to a row of stores closed due to
the holiday and around to the back. There were two of them
battering Stein around. The poor kid hit the ground, blood pouring
from gashes on his face and neck. When he saw Ric, he shook his
head. “Go, Ric. Go. It’s not me they—”
A tugboat of a foot slammed into
Stein’s gut, cutting off the rest of his words.
“That won’t be necessary,” Ric
explained, knowing that unlike some other species, bears could be
quite rational when one didn’t startle them into unnecessary
violence. “I can get you your money if you’d only allow me to—” Ric
abruptly spun, catching the hand holding the gun that was about to
be placed against the back of his head and slamming his foot into
the weak spot on the third bear’s kneecap, fracturing
it.
“I’ve spent months,” Ric explained
over the screaming of the bear at his feet, “learning to sense the
presence of the most lethal She-wolf in the world. So your
tiptoeing sounds more like an elephant stomping through dry brush
to me.”
He pressed the bear’s gun to the back
of its owner’s head. The safety was already off and Ric had the
feeling that his death was their intent, not merely getting money
from Stein.
“Why are you here?” he asked. The
bears stared at each other, the other two still holding on tight to
Ric’s cousin.
When no one answered, Ric pointed the
gun at the taller bear across from him and pulled the trigger.
Another kneecap damaged, the bear went down screaming.
“I’ll ask again because I really have
to get back and make breakfast for my guests. Why are you
here?”
“Why do you think?” the one he held
replied, his voice thick with pain while he lay on his
side.
“The kid’s debt was bought,” the
uninjured one volunteered. “But we were offered an extra fifty
grand on top of that.”
“As payment for killing
me?”
“Ain’t killin’ nobody for fifty K, but
we’ll mess you up good. Good enough that you won’t be gettin’ up
again for a while.”
Ric knew he should feel pain. Acute,
ripping pain deep into his soul at such a betrayal—but he felt
nothing. Not pain or surprise—not even fear.
“Thank you for the information,
gentlemen. I’ll assume I won’t be hearing from you
again.”
“You’re not really worth the
trouble—and we’ve already gotten the money for what he owed
us.”
“Let’s go, Stein.”
Stein picked himself up off the ground
and limped his way over to Ric’s side, following as Ric headed back
onto the deserted street. All the activity was on the other side of
the small town where they’d had a parade and set up a carnival with
rides for the locals and tourists.
“Who was he talking about?” Stein
asked him. “Who bought the debt? Who would do this to
you?”
Ric stopped and faced his cousin. “Who
do you think?” He shrugged a little. “My father.”