Only After Dark The Boxed Set Books 1 - 4: Shifters Forever Worlds by Elle Thorne Page A
Authors: Elle Thorne
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guess I don’t consider this a business decision. It’s more of what I’d call a social one.”
“You know damned well that anything which involves other shifters is going to involve business, one way or another, sooner or later.” It already did. The underground fighting ring.
“So you’re going to Escape Weekend?”
“You also know damned well I have plans to infiltrate that damned underground fighting ring. I finally have an in, and they don’t have any idea who I am.”
Rory pulled out a dark wood, leather-upholstered chair and dropped his large frame in it. The chair yielded to his bulk with barely a protest.
Rory and Reese were both six-foot-five, broad-shouldered and thick chested, as Nielsen men tended to be. The Nielsens had been in the Houston area since the early 1800s when they came over with several German families.
A family of wolf shifters, the Nielsen group were a cryptic clan, low key, and tended to keep to themselves, which explained how they’d managed to stay off the radar of most of the other shifters in the southern U.S., until Rory and Reese were of age and became alphas.
Two wealthy good-looking men—also single—did not miss the eyes of the ladies on the hunt in the area. So the Nielsen clan was no longer as low-key as they wanted to be, certainly not as low-key as Reese craved.
“What kind of an in do you have?”
Reese paused. He rubbed his forehead, keeping his eyes trained on anything but Rory. Rory knew him too well. He couldn’t lie to his twin. “I have a chance to fight.”
“What? No, you can’t. Those fights are to the death.”
Reese nodded. He knew the risks involved. He raised his hand as soon as Rory opened his mouth, certain his brother was about to protest this decision. “Save it.”
Rory shook his head, looked out the window, studying the view of the tree-lined beltway from the eighteenth floor of their high-rise. “How’d you manage to wrangle yourself an opportunity to fight in the ring?”
There was an undertone in Rory’s voice, almost as if he were wondering why Reese didn’t tell him about it until it was a done deal.
Simple enough to answer, but Reese wasn’t going to bring it up unless his brother flat out asked. Of course, he wouldn’t have told Rory about it in advance. Why would he? Rory would try to talk him out of it. Or even worse, he’d have called their mother and stepfather in Barbados and had them up here trying to talk Reese out of it.
“They think I’m a rover, that I’m there for the money.”
“So why do you have to fight? Why can’t you just grab the guys that you made the arrangements with and rid this area of the ring?”
“Doesn’t work like that; if you want to kill the snake, you got to get rid of the head. Those guys aren’t shit when it comes to organizing. With them gone, the shot callers would just replace them and start it up again. I need to get rid of the bosses. That would send out a message not to fuck with us and not to try this shit near our territory.”
“I’m guessing Mom doesn’t know you’re planning on getting into the ring.”
Reese shot his brother a dirty look. “Naturally.”
“And you want me to keep it a secret.”
He didn’t care for Rory’s tone. “Not unless you want me to tell her about that night when—”
Rory held up his hand. “Nah, no need to tell Mom about that. Let’s make a deal.”
“Sounds like we already did. I won’t tell Mom about yours, you don’t tell her about this.”
Rory laughed. “The difference is, she can’t stop me from doing something I already did. She could try to stop you.”
Reese groaned. Rory had a point. A phone call that would bring their mother in to harangue, cajole, and beg him not to put his life at risk would suck. “I suppose you have a proposal…”
“You know me too well.” Rory wore the smile that Reese had seen on his face anytime he was victorious.
I’d like to wipe it off his face with my fist.
Okay, not
“You know damned well that anything which involves other shifters is going to involve business, one way or another, sooner or later.” It already did. The underground fighting ring.
“So you’re going to Escape Weekend?”
“You also know damned well I have plans to infiltrate that damned underground fighting ring. I finally have an in, and they don’t have any idea who I am.”
Rory pulled out a dark wood, leather-upholstered chair and dropped his large frame in it. The chair yielded to his bulk with barely a protest.
Rory and Reese were both six-foot-five, broad-shouldered and thick chested, as Nielsen men tended to be. The Nielsens had been in the Houston area since the early 1800s when they came over with several German families.
A family of wolf shifters, the Nielsen group were a cryptic clan, low key, and tended to keep to themselves, which explained how they’d managed to stay off the radar of most of the other shifters in the southern U.S., until Rory and Reese were of age and became alphas.
Two wealthy good-looking men—also single—did not miss the eyes of the ladies on the hunt in the area. So the Nielsen clan was no longer as low-key as they wanted to be, certainly not as low-key as Reese craved.
“What kind of an in do you have?”
Reese paused. He rubbed his forehead, keeping his eyes trained on anything but Rory. Rory knew him too well. He couldn’t lie to his twin. “I have a chance to fight.”
“What? No, you can’t. Those fights are to the death.”
Reese nodded. He knew the risks involved. He raised his hand as soon as Rory opened his mouth, certain his brother was about to protest this decision. “Save it.”
Rory shook his head, looked out the window, studying the view of the tree-lined beltway from the eighteenth floor of their high-rise. “How’d you manage to wrangle yourself an opportunity to fight in the ring?”
There was an undertone in Rory’s voice, almost as if he were wondering why Reese didn’t tell him about it until it was a done deal.
Simple enough to answer, but Reese wasn’t going to bring it up unless his brother flat out asked. Of course, he wouldn’t have told Rory about it in advance. Why would he? Rory would try to talk him out of it. Or even worse, he’d have called their mother and stepfather in Barbados and had them up here trying to talk Reese out of it.
“They think I’m a rover, that I’m there for the money.”
“So why do you have to fight? Why can’t you just grab the guys that you made the arrangements with and rid this area of the ring?”
“Doesn’t work like that; if you want to kill the snake, you got to get rid of the head. Those guys aren’t shit when it comes to organizing. With them gone, the shot callers would just replace them and start it up again. I need to get rid of the bosses. That would send out a message not to fuck with us and not to try this shit near our territory.”
“I’m guessing Mom doesn’t know you’re planning on getting into the ring.”
Reese shot his brother a dirty look. “Naturally.”
“And you want me to keep it a secret.”
He didn’t care for Rory’s tone. “Not unless you want me to tell her about that night when—”
Rory held up his hand. “Nah, no need to tell Mom about that. Let’s make a deal.”
“Sounds like we already did. I won’t tell Mom about yours, you don’t tell her about this.”
Rory laughed. “The difference is, she can’t stop me from doing something I already did. She could try to stop you.”
Reese groaned. Rory had a point. A phone call that would bring their mother in to harangue, cajole, and beg him not to put his life at risk would suck. “I suppose you have a proposal…”
“You know me too well.” Rory wore the smile that Reese had seen on his face anytime he was victorious.
I’d like to wipe it off his face with my fist.
Okay, not
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