Two Minutes (Seven Series Book 6) (27 page)

Before, I was the American girl living in England who never quite fit in. Now I was home and blended in like one of the spices in my mom’s famous stew. I couldn’t imagine belonging anywhere else.

The main door opened and from it poured music, laughter, and two women in a hurry. I watched them climb into a black sedan and speed off. I was beginning to wonder how I was going to get home with all the mates having showed up. They were probably going to want private time together. Just as I turned to go back inside, a man startled me so severely that I clutched my heart.

“Evening.”

I blew out a breath. “You scared me. I didn’t hear anyone else come out.”

The man who had managed to creep up without a sound was blocking my view of the bar. He was stocky with a thick mustache. I glanced down and wondered how hot his feet must have been in those tan work boots.

A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. “I haven’t seen you around these parts.”

“I’m with the Weston pack.” The best response around Shifters was to announce which pack you were in so they wouldn’t waste time trying to recruit.

I sensed his alpha energy, and a shiver skated down my spine.

A stick broke in the shadows to my right and snagged my attention. One of the shadows moved toward us, and when the lamplight illuminated Denver’s face, all I saw was wrath.

He stepped between us and curved his left arm in front of me, holding it there like a shield.

“Well, well,” the man said. “If it isn’t the delivery boy.”

I gripped Denver’s arm. “I thought you were at home?” I whispered.

He turned his head toward me but didn’t take his eyes off the man. “I got bored.”

“Lover’s quarrel?” the man asked. He gave me a penetrating stare, enough to make Denver stand even closer to me.

“I think you need to turn your eyes away, Bromus. She’s in the Weston pack.”

“Looks like an unclaimed bitch to me. Just reached her first change, didn’t she? I can always smell it. Word is she doesn’t have a mate. I think I know
exactly
how Austin can settle what’s between us.”

“Maizy, go inside,” Denver said, his voice low and dangerous.

Bromus flicked his hand in a quick wave and a man just outside the main door stood up from his chair. “Maizy’s a real pretty name. I take it you think she’s yours.”

“We’re not afraid to take this to the Council.”

The man stepped forward and his lips peeled back. “I want her.”

Denver radiated heat, growling each word through clenched teeth. “You can’t have her.”

“You took one of my men and still owe me a breathing body. Think again what I’m entitled to.”

“You can’t trade me against my will,” I spat out.

“She’s right,” Denver said. “The laws won’t support you on this.”

Bromus smirked. “Laws? I think I can be persuasive enough. Packmasters prefer to settle disputes outside of the Council, otherwise it makes us look pretty damn incompetent.”

“That’s a big word for an uneducated dickhead like you. Don’t come at our pack in dark corners like a big pussy.”

I tried to hide my snort but Bromus caught it.

“I’ll give you something to laugh about,” he snapped. “Seems like you’re a little cocky because you just went through the change. That kind of back talk doesn’t go on under my roof. I know just how to keep a bitch in her place, and keeping her mouth shut isn’t so hard as long as my cock is in it.”

I barely had time to form a cohesive thought. I knew only one thing: Denver was about to commit murder.

“You just insulted the wrong woman!”
Denver roared. He slammed his fist into the Packmaster’s face, and I grimaced at the bone-crunching sound it made.

Bromus bared his teeth and swung back. Denver barely flinched, and a feeling of dread took over as the two men circled around each other.

“Denver, stop!” I shouted. “Let it go.”

“The hell I’ll let it go.” He kept throwing punches until Bromus spat blood.

Knowing a Packmaster would never harm a woman, I ran forward and wedged myself between them.

“Don’t let him use this against us.” I pushed at Denver’s chest, which felt like granite against my palms.

“Looks like the Weston boys can’t control their bitches. Here, let me.”

Bromus grabbed a handful of my hair and jerked me out of the way. I fell on my butt, stunned that a Packmaster would have put his hands on me like that.

Denver’s eyes blazed with something so hellish that I shuddered. In a fluid movement too fast to track, he shifted into his wolf. Bromus responded, shifting into a solid black alpha.

They lunged, snarling and snapping. White fangs gleamed beneath the moonlight as they rose to their hind legs.

I scooted away from them, unable to breathe. My muscles clenched as my wolf fought to get out, sensing a packmate who needed her. Oh God, I was going to shift. This was all too new; I didn’t know how to control it.

“Austin!” I screamed. “Austin!”

The wolves drew blood, growling and widening their jaws.

With no time to waste, I sprang to my feet and ran toward the door. But Bromus’s packmate blocked me from entering.

I shoved at him and he laughed, pushing me back.

“Austin!” I screamed again.

“No one can save your pup now,” the man said in thick, menacing words. “No wolf has ever insulted Bromus and lived to tell about it.”

Impervious to his threats, I ran up the steps and ducked beneath his arm. He snatched me by the waist, so I elbowed him in the back.

“Fuck!”

I wriggled free and then shoved him so hard that he fell backward into the parking lot. I wasn’t raised to fear or obey anyone.

As I hurried inside, I scanned the crowd with wide eyes. I didn’t see Austin, but Reno caught sight of me. He was the kind of guy who was always watching the front door and aware of his surroundings. He rose to his feet the second he saw my frantic condition.

Austin
, I mouthed.

He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. Within seconds, Austin flew into sight from a crowded area and rushed toward the door. He gripped my arms. “Reno said
level red
. What is it?”

“Hurry!”

I ran out the door, and when Bromus’s man tried to grab my arm, Reno severed the contact with a series of maneuvers while Austin rushed past them to see the commotion.

“Who the fuck is that?” Austin shouted. No doubt he could sense the wolf was an alpha. The question was whether or not he was rogue or a Packmaster.

“Bromus,” I replied. “We have to stop them!”

A yelp sounded and Denver locked his jaws on the wolf’s neck, thrashing until Bromus’s wolf lay still below him. Austin charged toward them and grabbed Denver’s hind legs. “Submit!”

A Packmaster wasn’t stupid enough to grab a wolf by the head who had blood in his mouth.

Denver growled low as he defied Austin’s orders.

“Submit!” Austin pulled him so hard that he dragged him back a foot. Denver’s jaws were still locked onto the alpha. “Reno, get over here, goddammit!”

But Reno was busy subduing the second man.

I jogged closer and Austin held out his hand to warn me to keep my distance. Ignoring him, I crossed into Denver’s line of view and knelt down. “Denny?”

His eyes flicked up and he tugged on the wolf’s throat even more. Blood covered his mouth, staining the snow-white part of his face.

“Please, Denny. Let him go.” I reached forward and brushed my hand over his muzzle.

“Maizy, get away from him!” Austin shouted. “He’s got blood in his mouth.”

Denver’s wolf snarled in response, his eyes rolling back as if trying to look behind him.

I brushed my hand over his head, seeing the recognition in his eyes. “Come out of there, Denny. I want to go home.” When tears hovered on my lashes, Denver’s wolf relaxed his jaws and stepped forward, pressing his body against mine. I hugged him hard and wept against his neck.

“He’s dead,” Austin said. “Fuck. We have to call this one in.”

“This is problematic,” Reno said gruffly. “Let me call William first.”

“I saw it all!” the other man shouted, his nose bloody. He was on his knees and slowly rose to his feet, raising an accusing finger. “He attacked my Packmaster. You’re going down for this!”

“I’m going to snap your head off if you don’t shut up. How ’bout that?” Reno put the man in a headlock and gave him a hard shake. “Now sit down and keep your trap shut.”

I leaned back and gave Denver’s wolf a grievous stare. “Why did you have to do it? Now they’re going to take you away.”

Austin knelt down beside us. “What happened?”

“The Packmaster threatened to blackmail you.”

“Did he put his hands on you?”

I had to think for a moment. Everything was racing in my head. “He pulled my hair.”

“What made Denver shift?”

I looked down at the wolf and stroked his face. “Bromus said some vulgar things about what he wanted to do to me. Denver lost control.”

Austin cursed under his breath and covered his face with one hand. “I knew Bromus was going to be a problem. I offered him a hefty settlement and he said he’d think about it, but I knew that was a line of bullshit. Look, when the Council sends someone out, don’t talk to him unless I’m present. Don’t answer any questions. Do you understand?”

I nodded.

“Good. Maybe they’ll be lenient because of the threats and attempts at blackmail, but I don’t know. Denver killed a Packmaster. Do you realize how serious that is?”

I knew by the tone of his voice. The Bromus pack was now disbanded, so it was more than just a life lost. The Council would have to either find a replacement alpha to take the role or else the packmates would be on their own. Anyone who killed a Packmaster could be sentenced to death. I didn’t know if the laws had exceptions since I’d never heard of anyone committing the crime.

Austin softly stroked Denver’s ear and said, “Shift.”

In a quick motion, the wolf changed form and became a man. Denver blinked a few times and looked between us. When he saw our grave expressions, he turned around and stared at the wolf’s lifeless body.

After a pregnant pause, he spat on the wolf. Then he gave Austin a cursory glance. “You wouldn’t happen to know of a place nearby that makes fried hush puppies, would you?”

Austin smacked him in the head. Denver’s shift craving was deep-fried hush puppies. Now wasn’t the time for jokes, but that’s just how he dealt with things.

“So now what?” Denver asked. “Should I run?”

Austin shook his head. “You need to face the Council. If you don’t own up to your actions in this life, they’ll catch up with you in another. I thought you were learning to be less impulsive.”

Denver tipped his head to the side. “And tell me what you would have done to a man who threatened to put his cock in Lexi’s mouth to keep her quiet?”

Austin went rigid.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He stood up and found his jeans, yanking them on. “I don’t make apologies for defending my woman. Ever. So let’s just clear the air on that one. I have no control over my wolf, Aus. Not where Maizy’s concerned. Fuck Bromus and any man who lays down a threat on my woman.”

“Maybe you can tell them you’re my watchdog,” I suggested.

He flashed me an amused glance. “You’re too old. It would never fly. Plus you’re my girl, right?”

“Then protecting the honor of your girl?”

Austin stood up and dusted the dirt off his jeans. “Unless you’re his mate, he doesn’t have special rights. He only has the right of a packmate to protect you, and your life wasn’t in mortal danger.”

“So if he’d assaulted me, then that would be okay because my life wasn’t in danger?” I argued, standing up to face him.

“That’s not what I meant.”

My eyes traveled downward and I watched Denver threading his hands through his dirty-blond hair. He cursed under his breath as the reality was settling in that his wolf had gone too far.

I leaned toward Austin and lowered my voice. “Why can’t we just go to England? They’ll never think to look there.”

“If he flees, they’ll report it to the higher authority and a bounty will be put on his head—dead or alive. Don’t forget that I used to be a bounty hunter. There’s no ocean too big to travel where a cash reward is concerned. They pay well, and they don’t give a damn if he comes back breathing or not. Do you want to live your life on the run, afraid you’ll wake up one morning and find a bounty hunter at your door with a Glock and an itchy trigger finger?”

A burst of music and laughter flooded into the parking lot when the door swung open. Lexi and Lorenzo surveyed the scene before Lexi turned back inside.

“Seems like you’ve run into a little trouble, Cole,” Lorenzo said with cool confidence as he headed in our direction.

“Laugh it up, Church,” Austin grumbled. “I’m sure you’re enjoying this.”

Lorenzo nudged the wolf’s body with the toe of his shoe and his brows lowered. “Bromus is lucky to have lasted this long. Two seasons ago, I almost took him down myself for stealing off my land.”

Austin folded his arms. “Think we can build a case against him? Combine other complaints in the territory?”

Lorenzo stroked his chin thoughtfully. “We could always hide the body.”

Austin and Denver simultaneously gave each other a passing glance.

“That’s not an option,” Austin said.

“You’re fucking
dead!
” Bromus’s packmate growled.

Lorenzo pivoted on his heel and approached the man. “Is there something you wish to say?”

The man’s eyes widened. Clearly he knew who Lorenzo Church was and what kind of reputation preceded him.

“You may release him,” Lorenzo said to Reno, who still had him in a headlock. “I think he’ll sit quietly. Won’t you?”

Reno released his grip and the man immediately sat on the ground, hiding his face and mumbling to himself.

Austin rubbed the back of his neck, surveying the scene. “Church, you can take off. No need for you to get mixed up in this.”

“Respectfully, I prefer to stay,” Lorenzo replied. “Should they have questions about his character, I have no problem discussing our prior altercation. Perhaps that will bode well in your favor, but maybe not.”

“You’d do that?” I asked.

Lorenzo slanted his dark eyes toward Austin. “It’s in my best interest to not see my alliances broken apart. What happens to you has an indirect impact on my—”

I brushed past him. “It wouldn’t hurt to admit you cared.” Without a word, I wrapped my arms around Denver and he held me close.

“That’s a curious pairing,” Lorenzo murmured from behind me. “And since when is the little human a Shifter? You and I must talk privately when you settle these matters.”

“Agreed,” Austin said reluctantly. “For now, don’t mention it to anyone. One crisis at a time.”

***

After two members of the Council had arrived, the questioning began. Jake, the manager of Howlers, temporarily shut down the bar to give the Council privacy. Izzy drove April and Lexi home since she was the designated driver. Austin ordered Reno and Denver to stay behind, and the other men went home with their mates.

Denver sat on the tailgate of his yellow truck, talking to a Councilman. I kept my distance, watching them closely while trying to listen to the older Councilman as he continued to question me.

“That all Bromus said to you?” Turner asked me. He had a silver beard and reminded me of a celebrity from classic movies I’d seen, except with a Southern accent. “You know, I remember when you were a little squirt about this high.” He held his hand below his waist. “Never thought you’d grow up to get tangled up in such a mess.” He scratched at his white whiskers and waited for an answer.

“Denver was protecting me,” I repeated for the millionth time. “He’s been my watchdog for years, and you can’t expect him to just stop what comes natural. Bromus threatened me.”

“But we don’t have laws about verbal threats and hair-pulling, now do we?” He shifted his stance. “We
do
have laws about killing a man for it. I’m a straight shooter, except when I’ve been drinking.” He cackled a little and then coughed in his hand. “Sorry, I have bad timing when it comes to humor. I don’t see anything that stands in his favor. If he resists, we’ll have to call a Regulator, and that won’t look good for him. Let’s hope he goes willingly.”

“Goes where?”

He thinned his lips and glanced back at Denver. “Breed jail. No way around it. Had it been any other Shifter,
maybe
. But he took down a Packmaster. There aren’t as many alphas as you might think, and packs survive because of alphas who step up to be Packmasters. We have to keep order or we’ll end up with a bunch of wandering Shifters turning rogue. Packs not only offer protection, they keep Shifters busy with jobs and family. Keeps them out of trouble.”