huh?”
“Yep.”
“Wonder why he didn’t take out a bounty on
me
,” Xavier said, looking a little hurt. “I was there too.”
“You were unconscious, with a broken arm,” Diego said.
“True,” Xavier said. “Now I remember. All the pain, the thirst, the stink. Good times.”
“I should have shot him when I had the chance.” Diego took the phone from Graham.
Joe indicated which of the unnamed numbers was Miguel’s, and Diego tapped it.
“Miguel,” Diego said in a cheerful voice when someone clicked on at the other end.
“This is Diego Escobar.” He went into a string of Spanish Cormac didn’t understand.
Diego was still smiling, but his eyes were hard. Joe must have understood the words,
because he winced.
“The easy way would have been to surrender to the Shifters looking for you earlier
this year,” Diego said to Miguel, switching to English. “The hard way is going to
be me and every Shifter I know coming after you. You’d better keep an eye over your
shoulder, day and night, waking and sleeping, because we’ll be right behind you, Miguel.
And when we find you this time, we’re not going to be so nice. No, that’s it. You
don’t get to talk.” Diego clicked off the phone, tucked it into his leather coat,
and kept his smile as he turned to look at Joe.
Joe’s body tightened under Diego’s scrutiny. “Let it be known I was cooperative,”
the man said quickly.
“I haven’t decided what to do with you yet,” Diego said. “The human police can be
obtuse, which is why I started my private firm. DX Security is more open-minded. I
don’t think any of us want a bounty hunter willing to kill Shifters running around
loose, do we?”
“Nope,” Graham said. He smiled too, and his smile held evil.
“I could let Graham explain a few things to you,” Diego said to Joe. “He’s thorough.
I don’t know Cormac well, but I expect that when he gets a little better, he’ll be
just as thorough. But I think I’ll have you talk to Eric. He’ll be nice and let you
have a beer, but Eric’s little chat will stick with you. Forever.”
Jace grinned, looking much like Eric at the moment. “Good idea.”
Joe had gone pale. The man still didn’t fear Shifters enough, but Cormac suspected
that after today, he’d learn to fear them as he should.
“We done here?” Cormac asked, his voice scraping. “I love a good early morning woodland
snowfall, but right now I’d rather have a roof over my head and a mattress under my
back. And then a good breakfast. Pancakes. With honey. Lots and lots of honey.”
“Bleh,” Graham said, the big man’s nose wrinkling. “Bears.”
“Brody can cook,” Nell said. She slid down next to Cormac, snuggling up to him, the
tension easing from her again. “Take us home, Diego.”
***
Nell knew that Cormac was worse off than he claimed. When she and Brody got him out
of the pickup and into Nell’s house—and onto her bed—he collapsed against the pillows.
His eyes half closed, he remained motionless for a long time.
Nell got him undressed—he’d resumed a shirt and jeans in case any humans saw them
after the rescue. Exhausted, she sank down onto the bed next to him. She still wore
the black party dress, now torn, burned, and stained with soot and blood.
Cormac had refused to go to a clinic, and said Graham’s patching up would do. The
wound had been clean, the bullet exiting without touching anything major, and Shifters
were good at healing. Plus his Collar had never gone off, he said, because he hadn’t
attacked anyone. He’d have no Collar fatigue to slow down his recovery.
Stupid bear.
Nell closed her eyes, but the image of Cormac leaping inside the burning cabin had
seared into her. She’d thought her heart would stop. Then Cormac had found Shane and
shoved him out—had done everything to keep Shane safe.
If Cormac hadn’t been there, if he’d never come out to this
“Yep.”
“Wonder why he didn’t take out a bounty on
me
,” Xavier said, looking a little hurt. “I was there too.”
“You were unconscious, with a broken arm,” Diego said.
“True,” Xavier said. “Now I remember. All the pain, the thirst, the stink. Good times.”
“I should have shot him when I had the chance.” Diego took the phone from Graham.
Joe indicated which of the unnamed numbers was Miguel’s, and Diego tapped it.
“Miguel,” Diego said in a cheerful voice when someone clicked on at the other end.
“This is Diego Escobar.” He went into a string of Spanish Cormac didn’t understand.
Diego was still smiling, but his eyes were hard. Joe must have understood the words,
because he winced.
“The easy way would have been to surrender to the Shifters looking for you earlier
this year,” Diego said to Miguel, switching to English. “The hard way is going to
be me and every Shifter I know coming after you. You’d better keep an eye over your
shoulder, day and night, waking and sleeping, because we’ll be right behind you, Miguel.
And when we find you this time, we’re not going to be so nice. No, that’s it. You
don’t get to talk.” Diego clicked off the phone, tucked it into his leather coat,
and kept his smile as he turned to look at Joe.
Joe’s body tightened under Diego’s scrutiny. “Let it be known I was cooperative,”
the man said quickly.
“I haven’t decided what to do with you yet,” Diego said. “The human police can be
obtuse, which is why I started my private firm. DX Security is more open-minded. I
don’t think any of us want a bounty hunter willing to kill Shifters running around
loose, do we?”
“Nope,” Graham said. He smiled too, and his smile held evil.
“I could let Graham explain a few things to you,” Diego said to Joe. “He’s thorough.
I don’t know Cormac well, but I expect that when he gets a little better, he’ll be
just as thorough. But I think I’ll have you talk to Eric. He’ll be nice and let you
have a beer, but Eric’s little chat will stick with you. Forever.”
Jace grinned, looking much like Eric at the moment. “Good idea.”
Joe had gone pale. The man still didn’t fear Shifters enough, but Cormac suspected
that after today, he’d learn to fear them as he should.
“We done here?” Cormac asked, his voice scraping. “I love a good early morning woodland
snowfall, but right now I’d rather have a roof over my head and a mattress under my
back. And then a good breakfast. Pancakes. With honey. Lots and lots of honey.”
“Bleh,” Graham said, the big man’s nose wrinkling. “Bears.”
“Brody can cook,” Nell said. She slid down next to Cormac, snuggling up to him, the
tension easing from her again. “Take us home, Diego.”
***
Nell knew that Cormac was worse off than he claimed. When she and Brody got him out
of the pickup and into Nell’s house—and onto her bed—he collapsed against the pillows.
His eyes half closed, he remained motionless for a long time.
Nell got him undressed—he’d resumed a shirt and jeans in case any humans saw them
after the rescue. Exhausted, she sank down onto the bed next to him. She still wore
the black party dress, now torn, burned, and stained with soot and blood.
Cormac had refused to go to a clinic, and said Graham’s patching up would do. The
wound had been clean, the bullet exiting without touching anything major, and Shifters
were good at healing. Plus his Collar had never gone off, he said, because he hadn’t
attacked anyone. He’d have no Collar fatigue to slow down his recovery.
Stupid bear.
Nell closed her eyes, but the image of Cormac leaping inside the burning cabin had
seared into her. She’d thought her heart would stop. Then Cormac had found Shane and
shoved him out—had done everything to keep Shane safe.
If Cormac hadn’t been there, if he’d never come out to this
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