By the Tail

Chapter Seven

Monday morning, Quince stared at the records Dana had handed him and turned to Rain. “Does this make sense to you?”

Rain, a tight-lipped male at the best of times, shook his dark head. “No. We should be square on resources. But according to those files, we’re invested in a shell corporation being funneled into one of Lex’s old accounts. Except with Lex dead, who the hell is collecting that money?”

A definite problem Quince’s brain couldn’t handle. “I need you and Oliver to work this out.” Between Oliver’s knowhow and Rain’s incredible mind, the pair should be able to smooth things over before the rest of the pride got wind of more financial problems. Damn it. He thought they’d taken care of these issues.

Rain paused, and his cautious demeanor alerted Quince to pay attention to what the man wasn’t saying.

“What, Rain?”

“Nothing.”

“Not nothing. Say what’s on your mind.”

Jace entered the office without asking. Rarely did he have to knock, because Quince trusted him and Ellis like he used to trust Miles. Like he believed in Joy. At the thought of her, his tension eased a bit.

“Bad time?” Jace asked.

Rain shook his head before Quince could. “No. Actually, you should hear this too.” Then, to Quince’s surprise, Rain moved to the door and locked it.

“Rain?” Jace frowned. “What’s up?”

“We have a problem.” Pulling answers out of Rain was normally like pulling teeth, so for the taciturn feline to speak willingly said volumes.

“Go on.” Quince leaned forward on his desk and watched with Jace as Rain paced back and forth.

“I’ve had my suspicions for a while, but this nails it.” He scowled. “Dana and Willow have been working hard with Joy to deal with the females. Jace and Ellis are too busy putting out fires in their divisions to handle the financials. Plus I just don’t think they have a head for numbers.”

“Thanks, I think,” Jace muttered.

“Quiet,” Quince said, understanding without wanting to what Rain was getting at. “But…?”

“But Oliver fits the bill. To a T.” Rain stopped pacing and swore. “Fuck. I’ve been trying to ignore the obvious, but I can’t any longer. Dana might have been screwing with the numbers. She’s smart and she’s sly enough not to get caught. But she’s solid. She likes things better now. Hell, all the females do. But Oliver… You don’t realize it, but he was in thick with Ronnie.”

“Ronnie Gates?” Quince started. “Lex’s younger brother? He was a stooge.”

“Yeah, but he had access to pussy and drugs. I think Oliver is addicted to meth.”

“No way. I’d be able to tell. We’d be able to smell it on him,” Jace protested.

“Not if he used Hunter’s mist.” Quince had used the spray any number of times when trying to avoid detection.

“And where would he get that?” Jace quieted, then answered his own question. “From Lex and the Hunters he was consorting with. Shit.”

“Are you sure?” Quince had to know.

Rain looked miserable. “I don’t want to be, but it has to be Oliver. And this account isn’t the only one he’s fucking up. He’s started on our West Coast efforts. The joint account.” They had a few investments out West, but the joint account funneled money to their sister pride in California.

“Oh shit.”

“Yeah. I nailed down that one with Dana’s help, but it’s all I can do to plug the holes he’s creating. He’s good. Really good. And since we’ve been struggling to rebuild, I haven’t paid as much attention to online security.” Rain swore under his breath. “I’m sorry.”

“Fuck.” Quince stood.

Jace shook his head. “I hate to say this, but I told you so.”

“What?” Quince spun to face his lieutenant.

“You haven’t solidified your claim as pride leader. Until you do, or until you take out the opposition, you’re going to keep having these problems.”

“He’s right, Quince,” Rain agreed. “I can help with the security issues now that I know what to look for. But Oliver and the others aren’t going away. And the rumors…”

“What rumors?”

Jace answered, “Talk has it that you and Joy are planning to mate. Alissa’s been spreading lies about you blackmailing Joy into sleeping with you to grab Miles’s attention and support. You have to know she’s backing Ayers.”

“Great. That’s all I need. Miles Bermin up my ass again.” Miles had been surprisingly quiet the last few days, giving Quince and Joy more time to learn each other.

“Thing is, it’s not just Miles you need to worry about,” Rain told him. “Michael’s mate died, but he was already pride leader at the time. The truth is, there’s a clause in the mandate of rule. You have to be mated to officially take over. Lex ignored it, although he was planning to claim Stacey Bermin, so maybe he just thought he could take leadership then mate after the fact. But after what he did, the elders are sticking closer to the rules. Recent talk has it that you’re not fit to rule, because you’re both a cheat—thank Oliver—and a single male.”

Quince stared at Rain. “Are you serious?” He turned to Jace. “I thought that clause was just a maybe. But you were serious about me wanting to mate to get control. Not just for looks, but because on paper, I have to.”

Jace shrugged. “I know you’re planning to mate her, so I didn’t want to put more pressure on you. But the rumors are growing in strength. We’ve all been struggling to put a lid on them.”

“And it’s not working,” Rain said. “I heard a few females just today talking about Greg Ayers looking prime to mate Alissa Roberto. He’s going to make a play to rule. I can feel it.”

“Fuck.” Reduced to one word responses, because Quince didn’t know what else to say.

“Yeah, you’re fucked unless you step things up.” Jace moved to Quince and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m with you man. You don’t want to rush the little lady, but if you don’t, we’re going to war again. I’ll be damned if I’ll let Lex’s cronies ruin the pride a second time.”

Rain nodded. “He’s right. The thing is, Quince, we can’t afford another civil war. The pride is barely recovering from before.” Quince knew the shit was getting serious when Rain suddenly turned into a chatterbox. He’d never heard the guy say so much in one sitting before.

Jace added, “If this keeps up, we’ll turn into a Cougar Falls pride. They have what, four or five cats, foxes, bears and a wolf? And I have to tell you, I’m not keen on sharing with other shifters. Miami is cat territory.”

“You’re damn right it is.” He hated to think he’d have to rush things with Joy, but maybe she might have some answers. It was time he relied on her intelligence to help them all. “Let me talk to her.” He paused in thought and asked his men, “Are we sure it’s just Oliver?”

He still had a hard time believing his friend would have turned on them. But knowing Oliver’s penchant for women and a good time, he could see how the guy might falter. Yet he knew how it felt to be falsely accused. Fucking Miles and his never-ending mistrust…

Miles.

“Hey guys. I have a few ideas that might help us. But I need to know we’re good—the three of us.”

“Four,” Jace corrected. “I’d bet my life on Ellis.”

“Six,” Rain said. “Count Dana and Willow in too. Dana helped me with Oliver’s missteps. And she and Willow want nothing more than to fix what’s broken. They know Ayers is a bad play. Watson too.”

“Okay.” Quince had to trust someone. He couldn’t do it all alone. “So how many do you think we need to deal with, all in all?”

Jace and Rain looked at each other before Jace answered, “Just shy of two dozen. Ayers and Watson are the big names. And Alissa. Her push is going to be hard to beat. A lot of the females like her, and her money definitely puts her in a power position in the pride.”

“Unless you had, say, the Bermins backing you,” Rain suggested.

“Yeah, I get that.” Quince made up his mind. “I need to talk to Miles.”

“Not Joy?” Jace sounded worried.

“Her too. But this needs to happen fast, and Miles has a finger on the company. She doesn’t.” And she was his woman, not someone to be used. Now Miles on the other hand… He intended to use Miles’s animosity to further his gain. “Tell me, Rain, does that old provision about the Pride Fight still stand?”

Both males gaped at him before Jace rasped, “Oh, hell no.”

“Yeah, it does.” Rain narrowed his eyes at Quince in what looked like understanding. “Think about it, Jace. Quince can take Ayers and Watson out without a problem if we do it officially. This might be our answer.”

“No, you idiot,” Jace snarled. “He’s planning on fighting Bermin, not Ayers. We talked about this before. He won’t do it.” Meaning Miles didn’t want to take over the pride. But Quince didn’t much care what Miles wanted. The more he thought about it, the more he thought Miles was the answer to his problems.

“You’re going to get Miles to fight you, aren’t you?” Jace prodded.

Rain paled. “What?”

“Yeah.” Jace huffed. “As if Ayers and Watson weren’t bad enough. I know you can beat them. But Miles wants your blood, man. Don’t do it. He wants to kill you. And unlike the others, he’s the one guy who might have a shot at it.”

Quince smiled through his teeth. “That’s just what I’m hoping. Keep this quiet, get Ellis and the others up to speed, and Jace, be ready to move when and where I tell you once this starts speeding up.”

“Fuck. Don’t listen to me or anything. Fine.”

Quince had known Jace wouldn’t like the idea. “Rain?”

Rain rubbed his neck. “I don’t like it either, but I think I see where you’re going with this.”

“I’m glad one of us does,” Jace said nastily as Quince left the office in a hurry. He had to get to Miles before those rumors did. The cat was smart enough to see through a ruse if Quince couldn’t suppress some information while making up the rest.

He’d just made it to his SUV when he noticed Greg Ayers, Alissa Roberto and a half dozen scraggly looking cats waiting for him.

“Are you kidding me? In broad daylight?” On pride property? He crossed his arms over his chest, prepared to beat them all to a pulp. The glare he shot Alissa had her scowling back even as she stepped behind Scott and Bill, two of Ayers’s buddies.

Ayers grinned. The smug bastard. “I’m here with a word of warning. And a little tussle to remind you that you’re not as strong as you think you are.”

The men moved closer, none of them smiling anymore. Ayers, the dickhead, remained some distance back.

Quince refused to make this easy. He relished the idea of bashing some heads in. “I can’t thank you guys enough.” He uncrossed his arms and cracked his knuckles. The morons. He’d been bare-knuckle fighting for years while these pussies had been licking their daddy’s asses for trust fund money. Yeah, he recognized the spoiled bullies rallying behind Ayers. And he couldn’t wait to show them what they could expect from the new regime in town.

Joy stared glumly at her brother, wishing she’d delayed their meeting another few days. The weekend spent with Quince had been more than she’d hoped she might enjoy. The sex kept getting better. They’d played miniature golf, sunbathed on their private stretch of beach and had beaten a score of others in a volleyball tournament that guaranteed her bragging rights among the overly tanned Miami cats.

She’d reacquainted herself with a few women she hadn’t hung out with since before Lex’s days running the pride. Willow was a trip, and Cari had made her laugh so hard she’d cried. But her nights spent with Quince… To her bemusement, Jace, Ellis and Rain acted as if she and Quince were a foregone conclusion. The three lived in the estate house and shared meals together. Quince, his lieutenants and Rain were a tight group.

Throughout the laughter and talk during meals, though, Joy imagined Quince remembering the many times he and Miles had shared stories and swapped smiles. Quince even admitted to her later one night that he wished Miles might have been with them, for all that her brother was still acting like a schmuck.

“So this is what you designed for next year’s collection?” Miles asked, his voice subdued as he stood over her drafting table in the company warehouse, where Bermin fashion often came to life.

“Yeah, go ahead. Critique it. It sucks. It’s too juvenile for the junior crowd. Too colorful, too expensive to produce. Go ahead. I’m ready.” She stared morosely at her portfolio, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut and her designs hidden from Stacey. She never would have had the courage to branch out on her own line if Stacey hadn’t been snooping through her sketch book and convinced her to take a shot at it weeks ago.

Miles traced a finger over the laminate-covered sketch of her favorite—a black suit with a jaguar print, but styled to provide more coverage while alluding to the sexy, female shape. It still amazed her that two scraps of fabric could be designed to show off the female form in so many different ways.

“I like this.”

“What?” Surely she hadn’t heard him correctly.

Miles lifted his gaze to hers. “I said I like it.”

She watched him, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “But…”

“But nothing. How soon until we can get these into production? And I like the alternate colors, the bright purple and vivid teal especially.”

She nodded, not believing him. “Uh, well, if you’re good on it, we can have a few hundred ready to go in a month. I figured we’d get just a few made up, then set up some test beds in our boutiques along the strip.” Bermin Beauty had three stores devoted to their collections, but many of their clothes were sold in high-end boutiques in the southern states, where beachwear and high style were sought after.

They owned their own sewing contractor business, complete with a small collection of expert sewers, to do the actual labor of creating their clothing. Stacey, Amy and Melissa typically fashioned the patterns. Joy would nail down the materials, on Stacey’s say-so. Once everyone was satisfied with the overall product, depending upon its popularity, Miles might make the decision to hire a few other contractors. But the key to their success, thus far, had been that one couldn’t purchase a Bermin item from just anywhere. Not in a Target or Macy’s or Nordstrom’s. Only independently run businesses that could afford a bigger price tag met Miles’s and Stacey’s standards.

“Okay, do it.” Miles lifted his hand from her book and glanced around at the small space they had leased in North Miami to complement their main store in the Miami Design District—a primo spot they paid through the nose for, but which advertised their wares to the clientele that kept them in the black.

“I could get it done sooner if I wasn’t the pride’s new FL,” she said, pushing her luck.

“The what?” He frowned.

“Female Liaison. My job is to make sure we females aren’t getting screwed over, like when Lex was in power.”

He nodded slowly. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“It was Quince’s.”

At his name, her brother scowled. “Let’s talk about him, since you brought him up.”

“Oh, let’s.” Time to stop dancing around her big brother’s distaste. Joy liked Quince. Hell, her cat loved him, and to her anxiety, she thought she might be falling in love with him too. And so what if she was? Did she have to have Miles’s permission to date the guy? Hell no. But it bothered her that he didn’t like Quince. Though Miles acted like he disdained Dean, Stacey’s mate, he’d secretly confided that he thought Dean was the best mate Stacey could have chosen. That he didn’t mind her sisters living so far away from them, protected by another pride, spoke to his trust for the Chastells and the Catamount Pride in general.

“You can’t trust Quince.” He stepped closer to her and took her hand in his. “Honey, I love you. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

She didn’t understand his insistence Quince would harm her. “He’s a good man, Miles.”

“He’s a backstabbing traitor.”

“He didn’t side with Lex.” She knew that for a fact. “Michael was his idol. You know that.”

“Which is why I had such a hard time believing Quince might have harmed him. Or that he’d raped then killed Alissa’s cousin.”

“What?”

“Yeah.” His lips thinned and he let Joy go. “I held Belinda in my arms, watched the light fade from her eyes. She told me what had happened, what Quince had done. Hell, I saw him flee the scene.”

“No. No way.” Joy knew to her bones Miles was wrong about this. “Quince might be a lot of things, but he’d never resort to rape. Geez, Miles. He’s hot. He doesn’t have to.”

“You’re a woman. You know a man don’t rape because he can’t get the girl. It’s a power trip. A violent, evil rush he gets from abusing others. And you know Quince bullied Maya and Norton Jeffries. He broke the old man’s wrist, for Christ’s sake.”

“I know. He had to hurt them so Lex would leave them alone. But no way he hurt Belinda.” Yet Quince had never mentioned her to Joy. Why not? Even as doubt plagued her, she forced it away. One thing she knew to her soul—Quince had been raised to respect women. His mother, sister, Michael…they’d all had a hand in grooming him to be a fine man. He made mistakes. Who didn’t? But rape a woman? No way in hell.

Miles grimaced. “I admit I’m on the fence about him raping Belinda. That just seems so out of character… But then, I never would have imagined he’d side with Lex either. What do I really know?”

“Apparently, not much.” Hell, he didn’t even trust her to know her own mind.

“And what about your sister?”

“What about her?”

“Quince wanted Stacey. When she wouldn’t have him, he pushed the idea at Lex to claim her. That’s why Lex was so fixated.”

“Who the hell told you that?”

He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It sure the hell does.” She gripped him by the sleeve of his designer polo. “Who?”

“Alissa told me, okay? She might not be your favorite person, but it was her cousin who died. And Lex almost killed her too.”

“Really? When? Because from everything I’ve heard about the bitch, she was nearly Mrs. Lex Gates until Lex caught sight of Stacey and blew her off.”

“She…no. Alissa’s self-centered and yeah, at times petty. I know that. But she wouldn’t lie about something like that.”

“Wouldn’t she?” Joy snorted, pissed off at her close-minded brother. “You just can’t admit you’re wrong about Quince, can you? Because maybe Belinda lied. Maybe she was in with her best buddy, Alissa, the woman who was nearly a sister to her. Remember them? Thick as thieves lording how beautiful and wonderful they were over the rest of us poor slobs.”

“They did?”

“Oh please. Don’t look surprised.” She shouldn’t be talking bad about the dead, but Belinda had been nearly as bad as Alissa with her vanity. “Neither you nor Quince would give those women the time of day. Then all of a sudden, Lex is here with his bullies, and the Roberto women happen to be drawn to power. My bet is Belinda tried tangling with the wrong cat and unfortunately paid for it. Then to screw with you and Quince, she lied about what happened.

“Honestly, until Lex arrived, had you ever had reason to suspect Quince of anything that heinous?”

“Well, no.” He frowned. “But I saw Belinda… She was so hurt, Joy.” Miles looked pained.

“I hate to say it, but you’re a bigger sucker than I’d thought.” Time for some tough love, big brother. “Those felines were always trying to scam you. I knew you’d never fall for them, but I can’t believe you had no idea what a backstabbing bunch of witches they were. Are.”

“I know there are issues among the females. Women in groups tend to go for the jugular.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please. Most of the women in the pride actually get along. We’re not all horny teenagers and desperate singles trying to catch a man. A solid ten percent are bitchy shrews. And guess what ten percent Alissa and her dead cousin belong to?” She felt badly for what had happened to Belinda, but that was no excuse for dragging Quince down with her.

Miles looked undecided, a first for her brother. “No. I’m sorry. I can’t believe a woman would lie about something like that.”

“Idiot. Women lie about shit all the time. About being pregnant, about their ages, weights, finances. We’re human—well, kind of. You know what I mean. The felines around here might be prettier and stronger than human women, but we have the same flaws. God, get your head out of your ass and think about it. Quince was your best friend nearly your entire life. So you got busy with business, and he started doing more for the pride the last few years. You know Quince. Would you really take Alissa’s word over his on something like this?”

Miles seemed troubled. He looked away from her and glanced back at her portfolio. “I want you to add the cover up and the matching skirts to the order as well.”

She gripped her hair and pulled on it so she wouldn’t wrap her fingers around Miles’s thick neck. “Did you hear anything I said?” Don’t you trust me to know the man I’m with?

“I don’t doubt all of Miami Beach heard you,” he snapped. “I don’t have time to dwell on the past. Just on the now. I have business matters to straighten out here. Since Lex is no longer a concern, I can take the time to reestablish our presence in the boutiques. I have people to see, things to do—”

“Argh. You are such an asshole.”

“Joy.” His disapproval made her want to smack him.

“Stop avoiding the fact that you’re wrong about him. And about me.”

“If this is so you can keep seeing him with my permission, I—”

“Fuck your permission. This is about making the pride strong again. Lex’s followers aren’t exactly gone, you know. And I’m tired of you treating me like I don’t have a brain. You’re my older brother, not my father. I love you, Miles, but you’re pissing me the hell off.” That felt so good to finally say. “Either you trust me to make my own decisions or you don’t. Which is it?”

He opened his mouth to retort when a loud knock was followed by the door crashing inward.

Miles immediately put himself between Joy and the threat. To her astonishment, Quince stood inside the door, bloodied and bruised, his shirt in tatters.

“I have something to say to you,” he growled at Miles. To her he said offhandedly, “Oh hey, baby.”

She saw her brother stiffen and sighed. “Miles, would you relax, already?”

“Why don’t you say what you came to say?” her brother asked Quince, ignoring her.

“How about this? Fuck off.” Quince stepped up to her brother and punched him in the jaw with such speed and force that her brother toppled and would have fallen like a sack of potatoes if Quince hadn’t caught him. He lowered him gently to the floor while she watched, trying to collect her thoughts.

“What was that for?” Joy stared from her unconscious brother to Quince. “I was making slow progress with him about you. But now it’s all shot to hell. Great going, bonehead.” She poked him in the chest and tried not to feel sorry for him when he flinched. He really did look like death warmed over.

“Come on. I need to talk to you. I’ll leave him a note so he won’t worry.” Quince hurried to her drawing table, grabbed a pen and paper, and drafted a message. Then he folded it and put in on Miles’s chest.

Joy bent down to read it, but before she could, Quince yanked her with him and hauled ass out the door.

She glanced over her shoulder. “But Miles—”

“Will be fine. Trust me. Dickhead has a forehead like granite.”

“Would you quit tugging me?” She glared at him, worried at the over-bright glare in his eyes. She put her hand on his forehead. “You’re burning up.”

“Healing is all.” He grimaced when she dragged her hand away and accidentally grazed his swollen cheekbone. He stuffed her in his SUV and then jumped behind the wheel. After starting up the vehicle, he pulled away from the parking lot just as her brother ran out of the building clutching the crumpled note in his hand.

“You bastard,” Miles roared.

“What the heck did you write down?” she asked, staring at her brother.

Quince whipped the SUV around and tore down the street. “We have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it. I need your help to fix our problems in the pride.”

“You’re asking me?” Flattered he thought she could help—such a change from her brother who apparently knew everything—she nevertheless didn’t trust the fever in his eyes. “Are you sure you’re up for a conversation?”

“Honey, I’m up for a healing blowjob to make me feel better. I’m definitely up for some conversation.”

She blushed but grinned at him. “Then speak freak, and speak freely.”