and flocked to the bookstore. The stupid surprise gift. She looked at Laurie who met her gaze with no apology.
Julie sighed, resigned, and Laurie took it as her cue to move to the front door and turn the Open sign to Closed.
Trapped.
* * * *
Brendan watched his mate as they gathered around some tables. She wouldn’t meet his gaze, which worried him more than he’d like to admit. Why wouldn’t she look at him?
“Julie got flowers and a bottle of champagne delivered this morning.” His head shot up. Flowers and champagne? He pushed down a growl. Julie was his . “She said it was from an ex, but the note in the trash was addressed from someone different. It wasn’t particularly worrisome, except for the fact that Julie panicked while reading it.” Laurie passed the note around, and Julie glared at her sister.
“You went digging through the trash,” she accused. Brendan put a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her while inside his gut burned with jealousy and worry.
He looked at the note as Jason passed it to him. The Premier hadn’t let go of his mate since entering the bookstore and held her on his lap, refusing to let her have her own seat.
Brendan read the words, and the growl he’d tried to contain burst out.
“Who the hell is Jay?” he asked, holding back his snarl. Julie flung a glare at him, but he couldn’t help himself. His emotions were too close to the surface. Instinct screamed at him to bundle her onto his lap and hold her the same way Jason held Samantha.
She glanced around the room, searching the faces of her siblings. It bothered him that she sought support from others. Everyone must have shown her the same determination he did, because she clenched her fist and whispered a curse toward the ceiling before looking at him, an apology in her eyes.
“Do you remember the guy I told you about when you–” She paused, sparing a quick glance at her brothers before clearing her throat, “uh, brought pizza to my place?”
He nodded, remembering the moment of fear she’d tried to conceal. At the time, she’d said it was over.
“The flowers were from him. But I met him a few towns over and never gave him any information. Just my name. My first name.”
“Who is this guy?” Danny asked, looking down at the card.
“He hit on her. She said no.” He explained what he knew. Whoever he was, he was stalking the wrong girl. Brendan would rip him limb from limb just for scaring Julie.
His mind flashed to her broken apartment door. Whoever this man was, he’d signed his own death warrant.
“We’ve got bigger problems,” Jason announced, clasping his arms around Samantha’s waist. “We got a letter at the office this morning,” Danny took over, “threatening Samantha if we didn’t agree to back some policy being passed through the shifter council. It’s a ridiculous proposal and would undoubtedly set all canine and felines against each other. I don’t know why the cheetah prides are trying to get it passed to begin with.”
“Why is that a bigger problem than Julie’s letter?” Brendan asked, looking around the room. Both issues were concerning.
“This is my mate,” Jason said, as if that explained everything. Brendan felt his face flush with anger.
“And this is my mate and your sister! You’re just going to abandon her whenever something more important comes up? She needs your protection too.” How dare they think of Julie as an acceptable loss. He’d always thought of the Callahans as nurturing, but this was a side of the family he’d never expected. Throw the youngest and weakest to the wolves, so the rest of them stayed safe. Was this typical behavior for her family? If so, he’d take her away so quickly their heads would spin.
“Brendan, calm down. None of us are abandoning or ignoring Julie’s problems. We just need to figure out how to keep both of them safe,” Danny said from across the room.
“No. This thing with Samantha is more important,” Julie
Julie sighed, resigned, and Laurie took it as her cue to move to the front door and turn the Open sign to Closed.
Trapped.
* * * *
Brendan watched his mate as they gathered around some tables. She wouldn’t meet his gaze, which worried him more than he’d like to admit. Why wouldn’t she look at him?
“Julie got flowers and a bottle of champagne delivered this morning.” His head shot up. Flowers and champagne? He pushed down a growl. Julie was his . “She said it was from an ex, but the note in the trash was addressed from someone different. It wasn’t particularly worrisome, except for the fact that Julie panicked while reading it.” Laurie passed the note around, and Julie glared at her sister.
“You went digging through the trash,” she accused. Brendan put a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her while inside his gut burned with jealousy and worry.
He looked at the note as Jason passed it to him. The Premier hadn’t let go of his mate since entering the bookstore and held her on his lap, refusing to let her have her own seat.
Brendan read the words, and the growl he’d tried to contain burst out.
“Who the hell is Jay?” he asked, holding back his snarl. Julie flung a glare at him, but he couldn’t help himself. His emotions were too close to the surface. Instinct screamed at him to bundle her onto his lap and hold her the same way Jason held Samantha.
She glanced around the room, searching the faces of her siblings. It bothered him that she sought support from others. Everyone must have shown her the same determination he did, because she clenched her fist and whispered a curse toward the ceiling before looking at him, an apology in her eyes.
“Do you remember the guy I told you about when you–” She paused, sparing a quick glance at her brothers before clearing her throat, “uh, brought pizza to my place?”
He nodded, remembering the moment of fear she’d tried to conceal. At the time, she’d said it was over.
“The flowers were from him. But I met him a few towns over and never gave him any information. Just my name. My first name.”
“Who is this guy?” Danny asked, looking down at the card.
“He hit on her. She said no.” He explained what he knew. Whoever he was, he was stalking the wrong girl. Brendan would rip him limb from limb just for scaring Julie.
His mind flashed to her broken apartment door. Whoever this man was, he’d signed his own death warrant.
“We’ve got bigger problems,” Jason announced, clasping his arms around Samantha’s waist. “We got a letter at the office this morning,” Danny took over, “threatening Samantha if we didn’t agree to back some policy being passed through the shifter council. It’s a ridiculous proposal and would undoubtedly set all canine and felines against each other. I don’t know why the cheetah prides are trying to get it passed to begin with.”
“Why is that a bigger problem than Julie’s letter?” Brendan asked, looking around the room. Both issues were concerning.
“This is my mate,” Jason said, as if that explained everything. Brendan felt his face flush with anger.
“And this is my mate and your sister! You’re just going to abandon her whenever something more important comes up? She needs your protection too.” How dare they think of Julie as an acceptable loss. He’d always thought of the Callahans as nurturing, but this was a side of the family he’d never expected. Throw the youngest and weakest to the wolves, so the rest of them stayed safe. Was this typical behavior for her family? If so, he’d take her away so quickly their heads would spin.
“Brendan, calm down. None of us are abandoning or ignoring Julie’s problems. We just need to figure out how to keep both of them safe,” Danny said from across the room.
“No. This thing with Samantha is more important,” Julie
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