hand?”
“I think we’ll start with your wallet. Then you’ll tell us who your pack leader is. After that we’ll take a little walk.”
“Why do you want to know my pack leader is?”
“Because my pack is taking over, and we need to know who to kill.”
“I see. You realize I can’t let you do that, right?”
Shorty laughed. “Just what are you intending to d—”
Jack threw his elbows out to his sides, smashing into the chests of both men. At the same time he threw his head back and down, leaning under the slash of Blondey’s blade. The two men staggered back, and Jack straightened and spun around, the barstool still wrapped around his leg. It spun out to the side and smashed Blondey in the legs, knocking him to the floor.
Shorty came in fast, but Jack was faster. He dodged the first two punches, then caught the third and socked the man in the chin. He fell back and crashed into Choker’s table and was immediately grabbed by four of his gang. Jack turned back to Blondey.
The man was on his feet, though he kept all his weight on his right leg. A dark patch was spreading on the material covering his left knee.
“You’ll fucking pay for that,” the man spat.
His hands moved to the back of his pants and came back with twin butterfly knives. He sneered as he spun and twirled the blades, throwing and catching them with expert precision. Jack held his ground, watching the man come toward him.
“What’s the matter?” Jack asked. “Not man enough to fight without your little knives?”
Blondey laughed. “There ain’t no rules in fighting, asshole.”
“Oh. Well. In that case.”
As the man surged forward, Jack grabbed a half-empty whisky bottle from the bar and threw it with as much force as he could. The projectile smashed into Blondey’s face, turning his nose into a cloud of blood. He cried out and staggered back, dropping his knives. As he tried to clear the booze from his eyes, Jack moved in with an uppercut that took the man off his feet and deposited him five feet away on the hard floor. He didn’t try to get up.
“And that is why I want you in my crew,” Choker said from behind.
Jack turned to find the huge man holding Shorty in a stranglehold. He got the nickname for a reason.
“If I wasn’t happy where I was, you’d be my first call,” Jack said. “Now, I need a word with our friend here.”
“Huh. I’d better let him breathe, then.”
Choker let Shorty slump to the floor. He tried to stand but instead raised his hands when he spotted Blondey unconscious and bleeding.
“All right, man. I give up. Call the police.”
“Police?” Jack dropped to his haunches in front of the man. “Shifters don’t use police.”
Shorty’s face fell. “Then what are you going to do with me?”
“I have a few ideas, but my boss wouldn’t like it. So let’s start with some questions instead.”
“Fine.”
“First of all, since when is Mickey looking to take over?”
Shorty frowned. “Who the hell is Mickey?”
Chapter Five
Michelle closed the hotel door behind her and tried not to skip as she made her way to the elevator. What a night! When she’d first set foot in the room she’d been unsure as to whether she’d make it past the small talk. That had been two hours ago.
She pressed the button for the elevator and waited, a smile on her lips, and a delicious ache beneath her still-moist panties. Craig had met every one of her wildest dreams about how the night would go. He was great looking, intelligent, confident, and knew exactly what he was doing in bed. The way he’d gone from a slightly nervous but pleasant man to a beast of a lover had her blushing even now. The door opened with a ping, and she headed down to the bar to find Alison.
Her friend was waiting for her at the bar. She looked distracted, even a little worried, but the expression melted into smiles once she caught sight of Michelle’s own smile.
“How did it go?” Alison said as Michelle sat
Katherine Anne Porter, Darlene Harbour Unrue