Big Bad Beast

CHAPTER 25

Dee woke up on Fourth of July morning alone. But on the pillow next to her was a note and a granola bar.

Had to run into town with Stein for more breakfast food—damn lions! We’ll be back soon. Please eat this until I return. I’m afraid you’ll start feeding on your own muscle mass if you don’t get some food in you.

Chuckling, Dee sat up and ate her granola bar. She was nearly done when she heard the howling from beneath her window.

“What?” she asked her cousin once she’d opened the window.

“Couldn’t you put on a T-shirt or something?”

“It’s not like you haven’t seen my tits before, Sissy Mae.”

“That’s not the point. There’s a time and place!”

“When did you become Sally Etiquette?”

“Just get your suit on. We’re hittin’ the beach.”

“I just woke up and—”

“Not a request. Just move your ass, cousin.”

“Fine.”

“I know it’s fine. In fact, it better be goddamn fine!”

“Heifer.”

“Rich man’s whore!”

“At least mine can cook the food he eats. And replaces it, too.”

“Now see, Dee-Ann Smith. That was just mean!”

Ric adored farmer’s markets. Fresh produce and dairy and relatively friendly people, and a healthy mix of full-humans and shifters. It was perfect. Even his cousin’s constant complaints couldn’t bring him down.

“Do you think Dee’s more a roses kind of girl? Or lilies?” he asked.

Stein stared at him. “Honestly? I think a machine gun and ample ammo is more your scary girlfriend’s speed, cousin.”

“See how you are?” Ric shook his head. “She keeps telling me I shouldn’t be so tough on you, and here you are, talking shit about her.”

“I wasn’t talking shit about her. God, please don’t tell that woman I was talking shit about her. She’s liable to cut my head off and wear it on her jacket as a brooch. And you are being too tough on me. I haven’t had a moment to relax or enjoy the pool, get in a little tennis, nothing, since I’ve become your indentured servant.”

“You owe me, Stein. Don’t forget what you owe me.”

“How can I? You won’t let me.”

“Is it so impossible for you to realize that you have to work your way back up? That you’re still not going to get a kitchen when you haven’t been trained?”

“How is washing dishes and scrubbing floors training?”

“My best cooks started off washing dishes and scrubbing floors.”

“They’re also not blood relations and they’re mostly immigrants.”

Ric faced his cousin, but didn’t say anything. He let Abby do the talking for him. She’d tagged along with them for the trip since she’d been up bright and early, eating food she’d dug out of the trash. Why she felt the need to do that when she had an entire refrigerator of fresh food at her disposal, Ric had no idea. Although they were low on things because of the cats, they still had food.

Abby snarled and snapped at Stein, nipping at his feet and forcing him to back up several steps.

“This is Abby Vega,” Ric told his cousin. “I’m thinking right now she does not like you.”

“Great,” Stein sighed. “I’m stuck on the politically correct team.”

“Does it ever occur to you that sometimes you shouldn’t speak?” Hannah asked Stein, standing off to the side. She’d come along because she seemed to fear she’d have to, in her words, “talk to Dee” at some point today. Ric wasn’t sure what Hannah was so worried about. If she was afraid she’d have to have some big, psychological discussion with Dee-Ann Smith about her inability to shift to her hybrid form when seriously threatened by hyenas, she was wasting her time. Dee didn’t have big, psychological discussions. That’s what Ric liked about her. His friends talked to him all the time about their problems, and although he didn’t mind, he enjoyed Dee’s lack of complaining. Besides, it was fun trying to figure out what had pissed her off at any given moment and how he could fix it.

“I didn’t know you were capable of creating a sentence, sub-adult,” Stein shot back. “I thought you could only brood and glare. Ow! Motherfu—”

“Stein,” Ric warned.

“She’s eating my leg!”

Abby had latched on to Stein’s leg, and was doing her best to rip out his calf muscle.

“Then maybe you should be nicer.”

“You really hate me, don’t you?”

“If I hated you, cousin, I would have let Dee-Ann tear your colon out when she had the chance.”

“What about bread?”

Ric and Stein looked over at Hannah, surprised by her sudden question.

“What about it? Ow! Get off me, crazed female!”

“Are you going to provide bread? Because if you think any is left after those cats wake up, you’re delusional.”

“She’s right,” Ric agreed. “But I don’t have time to make bread this morning.”

“They’re selling fresh French bread right over at that stall.”

“Bought bread?”

“You act like I just suggested roach-infested bread from Satan’s bakery.”

“I do fresh or I don’t do bread.” All right, kind of a lie, but she didn’t need to know that.

Trying desperately to shake Abby off his leg, Stein prompted, “He wants you to make the bread, Hannah. He’s under the happy-go-lucky delusion that being able to bake will make you feel better.”

“Actually, I don’t think that way”—much—“but if you want Blayne to think you’re involving yourself in this weekend’s festivities—even if you’re off in a corner by yourself, pounding dough—this is the way. It’ll get Blayne off Dee’s back about your mental health, which will get Dee off your back about pretending your mental health is fine so that Blayne will leave her alone. Trust me, Hannah, it’s a win-win. So make the damn bread.”

“Whatever,” she sighed, wandering off to get what she needed.

“See?” Ric asked his cousin. “It’s all about how you talk to people.”

“That’s great, but could you just get this crazed bitch off my leg?”

“What did I just say about how you talk to people?”

Dee put on more sunscreen and adjusted the big umbrella so that her entire body was in the shade. She didn’t plan to spend a moment of this weekend recovering from sunburn.

“So I’m thinking about breeding,” Ronnie Lee suddenly announced to their small group. “With Brendon, of course.”

And Dee gave the only answer she could think of. “So?”

“Could you at least pretend to be happy for me?”

“I’m not unhappy for you. I guess I just don’t care one way or the other.”

“What is wrong with you?” Ronnie demanded.

“Nothin’. Why?”

“Sissy was happy for me! I got a hug and tears. What do I get from you? A ‘so.’ ”

“Sissy’s your best friend.”

“And what are you?”

“Your Packmate. On more occasions than seems right, your drinking buddy.”

“That’s it? That’s how you see me?”

“I don’t know why you’re so upset.”

“Because we’re friends, and friends are happy for each other.”

“When did we become friends?”

Frowning, Ronnie asked, “We’re not friends?”

Dee thought about it a moment and finally answered, “No.”

At this point, Sissy Mae was lying on her side, hysterically laughing, her arms around her stomach.

“How could you say we’re not friends?”

“We’re not enemies.”

“I don’t understand you sometimes.”

“Thereby proving we’re not friends.”

“Stop!” Sissy begged. “Stop! You two are killing me!”

“I don’t think it’s funny, Sissy Mae.”

“Is this where you tell me I hurt your feelings?” Dee asked.

“Yes!”

“Sorry. Not my intent.”

“Are you like this with Ric?” Ronnie Lee demanded.

“No. ’Cause with him I’m usually naked when we’re having these kinds of conversations, which makes them a lot less painful.”

“This is not funny, Sissy Mae!” Ronnie bellowed.

“The hysterical snorting and feet kicking would suggest she feels different on that.”

“Shut up, Dee-Ann.”

Dee shrugged. “I would, but you keep talking to me.”

Stein ended up cleaning out the dairy farmer’s supply of milk and eggs. But the man was a local bear and once Stein explained he was feeding two male lions at their house party, he completely understood. While the farmer’s sons took Stein’s purchases to the SUV, Stein checked out the asparagus in the next stall.

“Sir?” the girl behind the counter asked.

“Uh-huh.”

“Did you know you have a dog attached to your leg?”

“Yep. I choose not to discuss it.” He smiled at the full-human girl. “So . . . what’s your name?” And age. And breast size. “Ow!” He glared down at the hybrid. “What is wrong with you?”

“Is it your dog?”

“Hardly.”

“Animal Control is out today, despite the holiday. If you want, you can turn it over to them.” The girl frowned. “What kind of dog is that anyway?”

“The annoying kind.”

Stein purchased several bags full of asparagus and headed back to the car without bothering to get the girl’s phone number. It wasn’t like he could hook up with her today anyway, not with his cousin watching his every move like a hawk. He was trying really hard not to be resentful over spending an entire Fourth cooking and cleaning up after ungrateful shifters who weren’t even in his Pack, but Stein knew Ric was right. If he ever hoped to make it back into the family, he’d have to suck up the pain and get the job done. That was what one did when one was a Van Holtz. And though his uncle may have pushed him out of the Pack, Stein’s bloodline would never change. Ric realized that and took care of his own like always.

Stein reached the SUV and unlocked the trunk. He found a spot to place the asparagus and quickly counted what they had. Another shipment of meat would be arriving at the house within the hour—only Ric was able to get that kind of personal service on a holiday—and that should get them through today and tomorrow morning. It was a good thing they were leaving before noon, though. The way those cats ate, the cousins would be back to the market for more supplies if they were staying any longer.

The hybrid finally released him and Stein let out a breath. “Finally! Thank—”

A big hand rammed Stein’s head into the side of the SUV, black dots swirling through his vision. But when his sight cleared, he stared up—way up—at three polar bears. Dave Smolinski and his two brothers.

“Hiya, Steiny,” Dave said. “We’ve been looking just everywhere for you.”

Ric and Hannah were nearly back at the SUV when Abby gripped the back of Ric’s jeans and held on. It seemed as if she was trying to drag him back to the market, but he had no idea why.

He stopped and gazed down at her. “Do you know what she’s doing?” he asked Hannah.

“Why would I know?”

“You seem to spend the most time with her.”

“She won’t leave me alone. It’s not like I invite her anywhere.”

“Well, if you had to guess.”

“She doesn’t want you to walk over to the SUV.”

“Why?”

“This would be much simpler if she would just shift to human.”

“Except there’d be a sixteen-year-old naked girl biting at my jeans. I’m almost positive that would only go badly for me.”

“That’s a valid point.”

Ric lifted his nose, sniffed the air. “Bears.”

“That’s probably me.”

He turned his head, took another sniff from her neck. “No. Not you.”

“All I have to say is . . . that was kind of weird.”

“You’ll get used to it.” He sniffed the air again. “Polar bears.” And fear. He smelled Stein’s fear, and his rage. Yet something didn’t seem right to Ric. Why were the bears lingering around? Did they want Ric to pay since they couldn’t get their money from Stein? Maybe, but still . . .

“Go back to the market, Hannah. Take Abby with you.”

“Why?”

Ric added the bags he held to the bunch Hannah had. “Don’t question. Just do.”

Hannah nodded and returned to the market, Abby following behind her, but stopping every few feet to look back at Ric.

“It’s all right, Abby. Go.”

Once she and Hannah were gone, Ric crouched down and pulled the gun he kept holstered on his ankle. He stuck it into the back of his jeans and covered it with his T-shirt. Taking a breath, he headed back to the SUV, easing around the front of the vehicle. But he stopped short when he found nothing. No bears. No Stein.

Ric casted for the scent again, locked on, and followed. He tracked them to a row of stores closed due to the holiday and around to the back. There were two of them battering Stein around. The poor kid hit the ground, blood pouring from gashes on his face and neck. When he saw Ric, he shook his head. “Go, Ric. Go. It’s not me they—”

A tugboat of a foot slammed into Stein’s gut, cutting off the rest of his words.

“That won’t be necessary,” Ric explained, knowing that unlike some other species, bears could be quite rational when one didn’t startle them into unnecessary violence. “I can get you your money if you’d only allow me to—” Ric abruptly spun, catching the hand holding the gun that was about to be placed against the back of his head and slamming his foot into the weak spot on the third bear’s kneecap, fracturing it.

“I’ve spent months,” Ric explained over the screaming of the bear at his feet, “learning to sense the presence of the most lethal She-wolf in the world. So your tiptoeing sounds more like an elephant stomping through dry brush to me.”

He pressed the bear’s gun to the back of its owner’s head. The safety was already off and Ric had the feeling that his death was their intent, not merely getting money from Stein.

“Why are you here?” he asked. The bears stared at each other, the other two still holding on tight to Ric’s cousin.

When no one answered, Ric pointed the gun at the taller bear across from him and pulled the trigger. Another kneecap damaged, the bear went down screaming.

“I’ll ask again because I really have to get back and make breakfast for my guests. Why are you here?”

“Why do you think?” the one he held replied, his voice thick with pain while he lay on his side.

“The kid’s debt was bought,” the uninjured one volunteered. “But we were offered an extra fifty grand on top of that.”

“As payment for killing me?”

“Ain’t killin’ nobody for fifty K, but we’ll mess you up good. Good enough that you won’t be gettin’ up again for a while.”

Ric knew he should feel pain. Acute, ripping pain deep into his soul at such a betrayal—but he felt nothing. Not pain or surprise—not even fear.

“Thank you for the information, gentlemen. I’ll assume I won’t be hearing from you again.”

“You’re not really worth the trouble—and we’ve already gotten the money for what he owed us.”

“Let’s go, Stein.”

Stein picked himself up off the ground and limped his way over to Ric’s side, following as Ric headed back onto the deserted street. All the activity was on the other side of the small town where they’d had a parade and set up a carnival with rides for the locals and tourists.

“Who was he talking about?” Stein asked him. “Who bought the debt? Who would do this to you?”

Ric stopped and faced his cousin. “Who do you think?” He shrugged a little. “My father.”