Behind the Eight Ball (2 page)

Seriously?
Clinching my teeth, I turned to glare at the human who interrupted me. “What I want is not to be interrupted while talking to my friends.” The waiter was a kid with big brown eyes and a mess of hair hanging in his face. “Think maybe you could do that?”

The cheerful smile faded from his face. “Oh. I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to… I’m new, and I guess I was a bit too eager.”

“It’s no problem,” Dolf soothed the waiter. “Someone hasn’t had his coffee yet, so excuse him. Now I’d like the number four with my eggs scrambled, bacon, and hash browns with cheese.”

Once we placed our orders, our waiter left.

“Heller.” Dolf narrowed his eyes at me. “Was that necessary?”

Crap.
Disapproval radiated off Dolf. “What?”

“Did you have to speak to him like that?” Dolf glanced in the direction our waiter had fled. “He’s just a kid—new to boot—and you just slapped him down.”

And?
I shrugged. “It’s not like he’s one of ours.”

Kirk leaned across the table. “He’s a
kid
, Heller, and you cut him off at the knees for such a little mistake. Did you see his face? He was all happy and bubbly. You certainly cured him of that.”

I glanced around the table and saw the disgruntled looks on Tal and Dolf’s faces. “Look, I know since you used to be a—”

“Oh, good grief, how did I know you were going to go there?” Kirk rolled his eyes. “What I used to be and what I am now has nothing to do with it, Heller. I have what’s called manners. Compassion. You’re a grown man. Although after that little display, I’m wondering.”

Yeah, takes one to know one, dude.
I leaned closer to Kirk too. “Funny. And as far as compassion goes? Most of them wouldn’t know compassion if it bit them on the ass. Just because they’re young doesn’t mean they can’t be total assholes.”

“
They
aren’t the only ones who have a corner on that market.” Kirk’s voice dropped. “Want to talk about what happened to me several months ago? Remember that? I nearly died thanks to one of—”

“Okay, that’s enough. This isn’t the time or place. Remember where we are, both of you.” Dolf pinned me with a glare. “We all know how you feel, Heller, but back off it some, will you? I’d like to enjoy my breakfast, and at the rate you two are going, that’s not going to happen.”

I sat back. What was I doing picking a fight with Kirk in the middle of a restaurant? Dolf was right. This was not the place. They’d asked me to breakfast, and here I was acting like an ass. Again.

“You’re right.” I dropped my gaze and tilted my neck as a sign of submission to Dolf. “I didn’t mean to ruin breakfast. Maybe I should just go.”

“For crying out loud, why do you always run off when things get heavy?” Kirk threw a napkin at me.

I threw it back at him. “I don’t always—”

“Yeah, you do, but we’ll stir up that hornet’s nest another day.” Kirk huffed out a breath. “Don’t leave, please? Look, maybe you have reasons to feel like you do, but you can’t paint all of them with the same brush, man. I just wish you’d try.”

I’m still here, aren’t I? I’d say that’s trying.
“I’m sorry, Kirk. I’ll, ah, apologize to the waiter too.”

I saw the looks on their faces. Even though they’d only been together a year, the bond between them was tight. I swear they sometimes knew what the others were thinking. I knew mates were close, but this was creepy. Especially since I knew they were disappointed in me. Story of my life lately.

The waiter returned with our food. Eyes downcast, he passed out the plates.

“Hey, kid, I’m sorry snapped at you earlier,” I offered.

Our waiter nodded but didn’t make eye contact at me. “No problem, sir.” After he handed out the plates, the kid hustled off. I ground my teeth. Stupid kid. I said I was sorry. What more did he want? That right there was just another reason humans weren’t worth dealing with.

Even our Alpha, Armonty, was against Dolf and Tal mating Kirk in the beginning, but Dolf took a stand. He threatened to go rogue and claim Kirk. Even more shocking was Tal did too. Our Alpha backed down, and Kirk eventually brought him around just as he had most of the clowder.

“Most” being the key word. There were still clowder members who hadn’t changed how they felt about humans or human mates. I made an effort to watch what I said for the rest of the meal, and we finished breakfast on a lighter note.

I enjoyed the banter between Dolf and his mates. The love between the three men was undeniable. My throat tightened as I saw the little touches they shared or the affection in their eyes as they looked at one another.

Hell, there were times they finished each other’s sentences. It was a cuteness overload that annoyed me endlessly, and I was so jealous I could hardly stand it. I wanted what they had. Craved it in fact. But I wanted a shifter mate, and so far I hadn’t felt the mate pull.

Heller

I SPENT
the next morning working on a difficult website design for a client, so when my stomach growled, it surprised me. Leaning back in my chair, I did a mental run-through of what I had in the kitchen.

I thought about grabbing a sandwich, but then remembered the tar on my truck. I really needed to get that off. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
Ordinarily I was satisfied with my own company, but I found myself fishing out my cell to call Remi. Today I didn’t want to be alone.

I stared at the computer screen waiting for him to answer. “Hey, Remi.”

“Hey, man, what’s up?”

“Not much. I’m about to go get some lunch. You want to join me?”

“Are you at home?” Remi asked.

“Yeah. Where are you?”

“Aidric has guard duty today, so I came into the office. But yeah, I can take off and eat. Want to meet up somewhere?”

“That sounds good. Listen, I got tar all over my truck last night and need to get it cleaned. I usually wash it here at the house, but, well, tar. Can you recommend a place?”

“Sure. I go to The Perfect Touch.”

“Hmm.” I tried to visualize the place. “Is that the auto detailing shop at Goodman and Airways?”

“Yeah.”

“You know, the clowder could use a business like that.” I wrinkled my nose. “Then we wouldn’t have to use a human-owned one.”

“Well, that’s all well and good. Are you volunteering to open it?”

“Ha, right.” Like I had the time. “So do you want to meet me at that auto detail place in town? I can drop my truck off and ride with you to eat lunch.”

“You’re killing me, you know that, right?”

“Huh? Uh, what do you…?” Suddenly I flashed back to Remi’s burning car. “Oh man, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Any luck finding another Mustang?”

During the attack on Kirk several months ago, the killer set fire to Remi’s beloved ’69 Ford Mustang with Kirk inside. After the dust settled and things returned to normal, Remi had a bawling fit over the loss of his baby.

“I’m not sure I’m going to get another one. I mean, I
bought
that car right off the lot as soon as they came out. I spent a lot of time with her. I gave her the best of everything and—”

Leaning back in my chair, a smile crossed my face as I thought about that day. “I remember. You, me, and Dolf tried to drive the wheels off her that night.”

“Yeah.” Remi sighed wistfully. “Those were the days.”

“It was a good year. We watched that guy walk on the moon, and then later we slid around in the mud at Woodstock.” I met a hot shifter that weekend and spent more time fucking than listening to the music.

“Some folks thought the moon walk was faked.”

“Yeah, they couldn’t believe such a thing could happen.” The discussions that went on after the televised program were funny. If they had a clue what was walking around down here in their midst, they’d freak out. “Anyway, that’s enough of a trip down memory lane. What time do you want to meet?”

“How about in twenty minutes?” Remi asked. “Is that good for you?”

“Perfect,” I said. Good thing I showered and dried my hair when I got up. “I’ll see you there. Bye.”

A short drive later, I arrived at The Perfect Touch, and since I’d beat Remi there, I parked and waited outside the business. There were several vehicles even this late in the year, so I was glad I’d made plans. The last thing I wanted was to have to sit around and wait with a bunch of humans around me.

Remi arrived in one of his work trucks and parked next to me. I stepped out of mine and tapped on Remi’s window. Once I saw his T-shirt, I started laughing. It said:
Deja Moo. The feeling you’ve heard this bull before.
Remi had millions of T-shirts with sayings like that. His stupid shirts were damn near legendary in the clowder.

Remi rolled his window down. “Hey, give me a minute to pay and leave my keys. Then I’ll be ready to go.”

“Sure.”

I went inside, told the cashier what detail service I wanted, and left my key. The place was set up as a little gift shop with all sorts of miscellaneous items females seemed to like. This one had fancy purses, numerous candles, stuffed animals, hand lotions, cutesy baby blankets, and stationery.

It was the
last
place I wanted to spend any time. There was just too much stuff hanging everywhere and all those scents from the dozens and dozens of candles… I sniffed discreetly.
Huh, what’s that?
There was a faint scent lingering in the air—a clean saltwater smell that brought to mind images of sandy shores, sun-kissed days, and the ocean.

I wanted to purr and rub up against something. I wasn’t sure what that was about. I wasn’t much on all that frou-frou stuff, but I liked that light and breezy scent—in fact I liked it enough I considered actually buying the candle, if I could find it. Shifters had an enhanced sense of smell, so things like smoke or perfumes bothered us, but this didn’t, which was unusual.

I was tempted to look for it, but the press of human bodies was quickly becoming more than I could stand. Sweat beaded on my brow and slid down my hairline. Now I wished I’d tied my hair back and left my jacket in the truck. Tucking a stray strand behind my ear, I noticed my hand shook.

Suddenly my cat was pacing in my mind, aggravated and entirely too close to the surface. A strange yowl threatened to break loose.
What the hell?
Trying not to panic, I took a deep breath and that scent filled my lungs. Fuck, I had to get out of there—like, now.

There were too many humans, and that damn fragrance—along with the harshness of the chemicals used to wash the vehicles—was getting to me. I hurried out of the shop into the fresh fall air. Trying not to look like I was on the edge of a major freak-out, I hurried to Remi’s truck and got in.

“Hey, man, are you okay?”

Well, so much for Remi not noticing.
“I’m fine. Just too many smells and too many humans for me. I guess it kind of wigged me out a little.” I buckled up, yanking my hair out of the way. I was tempted to fan my hot, sweaty neck, but I didn’t. Not while Remi was staring holes in me. I tried to change the subject. “So where are we going to eat lunch?”

“Uh-huh.” Remi eyed me. “Does that happen to you often?”

So much for that.
“Look, you know I don’t like humans. I’m not comfortable around them, and with all the smells in there, it just got to me. It’s no big deal.”

“Okay.” With one last concerned look, Remi started his truck. “Want to go to that cafeteria right around the corner?”

“Sounds good to me.” I didn’t care where we went as long as Remi stopped staring at me like I was about to lose it.

As we drove to the cafeteria, Remi didn’t pursue how I had acted, and I was relieved. I didn’t know what set me off back there, and I damn sure wasn’t telling Remi my cat suddenly made its presence very well known. Aggressively so in fact. But now my cat had backed off.

It wasn’t calm, but the pressing need to shift wasn’t riding me now. But I
was
restless and jittery. It took me nearly the entire lunch, but I finally calmed down. Thankfully Remi wasn’t expecting titillating conversation because I wasn’t capable of it. Not that I was that great of a conversationalist on a good day, but today? Nope, wasn’t happening.

Remi didn’t say anything while we ate, but I caught the odd looks he flashed me. I didn’t want to think about how I’d acted in that store. If it continued I’d have to tell my Alpha and probably Dolf too. I could already see the disappointment in Dolf’s eyes, hear it in his voice. Dolf wouldn’t understand. No one did, for that matter. Damn humans.

Since I’d asked Remi to lunch, I paid after grumbling about how nothing they offered had bacon on it. What kind of place was this? I was so lost in thought I barely hid my surprise at how fast we arrived back at the car detail place. I’d spent the entire trip back lost in my head.

“Heller?”

“Yeah?”

“Anything you need to talk about?”

“Nope.” Hopefully Remi would leave it there.

Remi laid his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. I immediately tensed, and Remi chuckled as he removed his hand. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can see you’d rather I’d drop this, but you know me. No such luck. I’m just going to throw this out there—you seem distracted today. You know if you ever need to talk to me, I’m here.”

I rolled my neck, trying to pop it as I stalled. “I appreciate it, but really, there’s nothing wrong. Just antsy, I guess.” I smirked suddenly. “I need to get laid.”

“Hey, whatever works. This new jumpy you is rather irritating.” Remi parked and turned off his truck. We both sat there for a minute, watching several teenagers wipe my truck dry.

“According to you I’m irritating anyhow,” I finally said. Hell, I’d recite the pledge I took as a beta if it would break this silence.

“True,” Remi agreed good-naturedly. “You’re more so than normal today.”

“Funny man.” I punched Remi lightly in the shoulder.

“Hey!” Remi rubbed the spot I’d hit, a fake glare on his face. “Play nice.”

“I’ll tell you what I told my last hookup: I don’t know how.” Snickering, I winked as I opened the door.