Ready to Bear Page 4

  “I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit,” Thea said. She felt a head rush and faltered for a moment. She found herself in Billy’s arms once again. She should push him away, but she didn’t. She needed to stay in the present, and she enjoyed being in this man’s presence. She wasn’t ready to think about what had happened in the alley. It was the past now. Time to forget. “After all, you are a sheriff and a councilmember of your clan. Surely you’ve mastered the fine art of negotiation and dealing with tricky people.”

  “I’ve noticed that a certain kind of person, particularly those of the female persuasion, seem to have a far greater influence than I do most of the time.” Thea noticed that prospect didn’t seem to faze Billy. He was simply saying it as a matter of a fact.

  “Some men would find that frustrating or annoying, if they thought that undermined their own authority.”

  “There are simply more than one ways to skin a cat. I’m open to any of them,” Billy said. That twinkle in his eye was back. “Are you feeling a bit steadier on your feet?”

  Thea realized that she was still standing in the circle of his arms. She blushed and sat down breaking the circle. “Sorry. I think I’m just a little bit shaken still.”

  Billy sat down next to her. Although their legs didn’t touch, she felt the proximity of his body to hers. She glanced at him from beneath the curtain of her eyelashes. He looked different than earlier today, when she had seen him outside the airport. More self-assured and definitely cockier. She had seen him expose a vulnerability earlier, but it didn’t seem to bother him at all. In fact, he was looking her over now without bothering to keep his appreciation in check.

  He caught her assessment, and he shook his head with a grimace. “Sorry. After what you’ve been through, I’m ogling you like some asshole. I’m sorry. I was just thinking about what a coincidence that we’ve run into each other again. But now really isn’t the time for pleasantries, is it? You need a little time to process and decompress.”

  He was right. She had just been through a traumatic experience, but for some reason, she felt calm. She wasn’t completely settled yet, but having Billy next to her had an effect that she couldn’t put her finger on. She didn’t feel as if she had anything to be afraid of. She almost said so, but stopped herself when she heard the knock on the door.

  “You decent in there?”

  She wanted to sink into the floor. Billy stood up with a start, but Thea waved him to sit back down. “It’s okay. She’s with me.” She thought about her words and grimaced. “Come in, Sophie.”

  Her best friend swept into the room with her usual dramatic flourish. Thea was dismayed to see that Sophie looked even more attractive than normal, but of course, it was a fight night. Sophie was the lead bartender at the main bar at Urban Dwellers, and she knew how to dress to maximize tips from the crowd.

  In addition to wearing three-inch heels (Thea had no idea how Sophie worked in them through her long shifts), Sophie wore skintight black leather pants and a matching bustier that more than accentuated her ample bosom. Her blond hair fell in perfect ringlets framing her heart-shaped face. Sophie’s silver eyeshadow should have looked overdone, but instead it made her icy blue eyes pop, even in the fluorescent light of the office lights overhead.

  She realized that Sophie was waiting for an introduction. She sighed. One look at Sophie, and she was sure that Billy would find her meager attributes lacking in comparison. She brushed that thought aside, though. Why did she care what Billy Miller thought of her or Sophie? “Sophie, this is Billy Miller. Billy, this is Sophie. She works downstairs.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Sophie. How are you this evening?” Billy said.

  “I’m doing just fine, sugar,” Sophie said, batting her eyes. Thea felt as if she wanted to vomit.

  “You bringing shoes for our friend?” he asked.

  Sophie produced a pair of black ballet flats and a bottle of whiskey from behind her back. “I’ve got them. And I brought this too.” From behind her back in her other hand, Sophie revealed three shot glasses.

  “Oh no,” Thea said, shaking her head. “I hate whiskey.”

  Sophie knelt down in front of her, and her face softened. Thea saw her concerned friend there beneath the showy makeup. “I heard Eric whispering to Big Mike that somebody attacked you in the alley. You okay?”

  Big Mike was the head bouncer at the Urban Dwellers. He had been one of the bouncers with Eric in the alley.

  Thea heard flashes of grunts in her mind and felt the phantom poke of the knife in her side again. She cleared her throat, wiping those thoughts away. “I’m fine. You know what? A shot sounds awesome.”

  Sophie’s face broke into a wide grin. “You came to the right place, sweetheart.” She quickly poured the amber liquid into the shot glasses, but when she tried to hand one to Billy he shook his head. “You on the clock or something, Sheriff? Surely you take a night off every now and then.”

  Billy looked surprised and cocked his eyebrow. Thea almost wanted to laugh. “Believe it or not, your name is fairly well-known around these parts.”

  “Me?” Billy looked chagrined. “Why?”

  “The big sheriff of Greyelf taking down all those bad guys and saving his alpha’s life last fall? Did you not read the news?” Thea asked.

  “We kept all of that out of the papers,” Billy said with a frown.

  “Shifter news isn’t the same thing as mainstream media,” Sophie said, tossing her curls over her shoulder. “Word gets around when something big goes down. Not to mention, your alpha has been quite the pain in the ass for a lot of people around here.”

  “That sounds about right,” Billy said. “Lukas has that effect on a lot of people. But he’s getting shit done.”

  “A fine justification,” Thea said. She took the shot glass from Sophie and considered it for a moment.

  “Bottoms up, baby,” Sophie said as she clinked her shot glass against Thea’s. Then they both knocked back the shot.

  The liquid burned going down the back of Thea’s throat, but it instantly warmed her limbs. She hadn’t realized that she was so cold.

  “Where’s Alex been tonight?” She knew that if she asked Sophie she’d get a straight answer.

  “Look, Eric’s had him in a separate VIP box all night. I think he put an Xbox in there or something to keep the kid occupied and off the floor. I’ve been checking on him. It’s not a big deal, Thea.”

  Thea felt her anger flare again. “It is a big deal. The club is no place for a fifteen-year-old boy.”

  “That boy could be phasing any day now,” Sophie said. “You can’t keep him away from the reality of the world he lives in.”

  “There are plenty of shifters out there who have no interest in seeing other shifters try to tear each other apart,” Thea said. It was the same argument over and over again with the people in her life. She wasn’t trying to shield Alex from the truth about his potential nature. She just didn’t see why he had to be up close and personal to the animalistic nature of it all. Her eyes landed on Billy. “You’re an impartial third party.”

  Billy put his hands up. “This sounds like business I shouldn’t be involved in.”

  “No,” Thea said. She grabbed the bottle of whiskey and poured herself another shot. “I’m not a shifter, so everyone around me seems to think that should mean that my opinion doesn’t matter as much as theirs does.” She looked pointedly at Sophie. Sophie was a panther shifter. Sophie rolled her eyes.

  “Well, yes, I am a shifter, but still, I’m not sure that I’m the best one to ask,” Billy said stiffly.

  “Please, indulge me,” Thea said. “My younger half-brother may or may not be a shifter. We don’t know yet, and he won’t consent to the blood test.” There was part of her that wished he would, just so that they’d know one way or another. Alex wanted so badly to be a shifter, though, that she thought avoiding the test was one way that he could stall the truth awhile longer if he wasn’t one. “Alex wants to k
now everything about what it means to be a shifter, and my stepbrother, in his infinite wisdom, thinks that by allowing him to witness a shifter fight, that will somehow answer questions for him about his true nature.”

  “Shifter fights are illegal,” Billy replied slowly. “So I’m going to pretend that I don’t know anything about any of that.

  “Then let’s pretend for a minute that you aren’t a sheriff,” Thea said sarcastically. It wouldn’t surprise her if Billy had caught wind before now that Eric and his partners ran shifter fights in the basement of the club. It was widely known in the shifter circles. It wasn’t exactly condoned by the city officials, but it served to keep the shifters in check, so they seemed willing to look the other way. “What do you think? Honestly?”

  Billy paused. Then he looked away. “I think it’s really hard to grow up feeling like you are different from everyone else. Then add to that the impulsive feeling of possibly spinning out of control and becoming something else at any moment. It’s like you share your body and mind with something that is a part of you but completely alien at the same time. There’s a certain feeling of helplessness that always simmers there just below the surface.”

  Thea was drawn in by Billy’s words. She could see that Sophie was equally captivated. Thea was also sensing that Billy wasn’t talking in general terms.

  “One of the first things you learn is that you have to be vigilant in all things. Once your animal self makes itself known, it is there all the time waiting for the moment when you let your guard down. It takes years to master it in a way that it knows which one of you is the master and which one is the servant. I don’t condone shifter fights. I think they are barbaric and set our species back decades as a whole. But at the same time, it is the ultimate sign of our will and control over those parts of us that would control us if we let them. It is a reminder to be ever vigilant. It’s a way of showing that despite which form we are in, we always remain in complete control.”

  Thea felt herself shudder again. Her breath came in short gasps, and her core burned with something that she had never experienced before. She would never have admitted it to Robert or Eric or Alex, but she was glad that she hadn’t been born into that kind of life. She was grateful that her problems were nothing more than the usual human variety. Yet there was something about the way that Billy spoke of being a shifter that lit something inside of her that was envious.

  “Okay, then,” she finally managed to say. “Thank you for your opinion.”

  “See? Even the sheriff agrees with us,” Sophie said.

  “I didn’t say that,” Billy said.

  “You didn’t not say it either,” Sophie said with a smirk. Her head whipped toward the door. “And that, I think, is the sound of it’s time for my exit.” She got to her feet. “You coming with me?”

  “No, I’m going to stay,” Thea said.

  “Your funeral.” Sophie tossed her curls again. “See you around, Sheriff.”

  “Nice to meet you, Sophie,” Billy said again with a slight inclination of his head.

  Thea watched the smoldering sway of Sophie’s hips as she crossed the room and exited through the door. She figured that she’d find Billy staring as well, but when she looked at him she found that his gaze was firmly planted on her. She flushed as she bit her lip and looked down at her hands. They twisted in her lap of their own accord.

  “Guess the party is about to get started,” she said.

  “The party is definitely here.” Anthony Atwood stepped into the room and immediately approached her. Kyle was right behind him, but Thea was surprised when Billy stepped in between them.

  “She needs space,” Billy said.

  “You can get the fuck out of my way, friend,” Tony said.

  “We’re not friends,” Billy said. His voice was even and calm.

  Thea wasn’t sure how to feel about Billy’s obvious protective stance around her. On one hand, she was delighted, and it made her a little bit hot. It had been a long time since anyone had acted so territorial when it came to her. On the other hand, the age of the Neanderthal man was long over. Thea was a modern woman.

  “It’s okay, Billy,” she said. After a short pause, Billy reluctantly stepped aside.

  Tony engulfed her in a huge hug. She felt out of breath, but she couldn’t help but laugh. Then Tony deposited her into Kyle’s arms. She suffered through another bear hug.

  “Thanks, guys. I’m all right, thanks to Billy,” she said. She eyed the silent man who had yet to enter the room. Eric hung back in the doorway watching them with a frown on his face.

  “Okay, Sheriff. You’re five minutes starts now,” Eric announced.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Billy wasn’t sure what had gotten into him. He hadn’t felt this kind of territorial need to stake a claim around something that was his in a long time, if ever. Ever since beating the goons off of Thea, something had snapped inside of him. It was his bear; he had no doubt about that. His bear was telling him that Thea was his, and that he needed to protect her.

  He was confused and thrown off guard at this recent turn of events, and he wasn’t sure how to react to anything now. He had to take care not to come on too strong. His bear was chomping at the bit to take Thea somewhere quiet and make her his forever.

  He forced the bear down inside his mind. He didn’t have time to mess with any of that. He’d deal with the bear later.

  He cleared his throat. “Lukas and I have been trying to get ahold of you for quite some time.”

  Eric looked at Tony and Kyle, and they each shrugged in turn. They were all expressionless. “Message must have gotten lost or deleted or something,” Tony said.

  “Lukas left at least half a dozen. From the moment I booked this trip three days ago until now, I’ve left you at least that many myself,” Billy said.

  “You must have had the wrong number,” Tony replied. He looked bored.

  “Right,” Billy said. He didn’t feel like he had the energy to put up with this nonsense. “Let’s cut the bullshit. I’m here because there is a man who we’ve been tracking for the last eighteen months who we think is here. I want to find him, and I will find him, come hell or high water. Now, it would certainly go a long way if you’d be willing to help me do that.”

  “Who’s this man you’re looking for?” Thea joined the conversation, and Billy could tell that Eric wasn’t happy about it. She looked intrigued.

  “He was involved in the murder of Markus Kasper and plotted to kill Lukas and his mate,” Billy said. He saw Thea’s eyes widen. So apparently there were some things that didn’t make it through the shifter grapevine. They’d been keeping Joshua’s involvement in the death of Lukas’s brother under wraps for a reason. Lukas wanted to be sure that when Joshua was found that he was the one who’d be able to deal with him. It was clan business, after all.

  “Tell us more,” Thea said when it became obvious that there weren’t going to be any further questions from the men.

  “He’s human and part of the Rally Against Claws organization. We know that after the attack just before the Shifter Summit last year he went underground. I found a passenger manifest of a recent flight to Copper City from Omaha that used one of Joshua’s known aliases. All I need is a little help on the ground in tracking him, or any info you might have on him.”

  “We don’t concern ourselves with organizations like RAC,” Tony said. “They are small potatoes, barely even large enough to be considered an organization at all. We have larger concerns.”

  “If you believe that, then you do have a larger problem on your hands,” Billy said. “The three of you run the shifters in this city like they are part of a clan. If there was anyone here that would threaten what you’ve built, I’m guessing you’d know all about it. That’s how RAC gets right under your nose and then strikes. RAC might appear small, but given the size of the shifter presence, I have no doubt they’re here, and they’re plotting something. If they have a chance to cause mischief, they will. T
hey’re smart, and I’ve discovered they are far better organized and funded than they let on.”

  “Thank you for the warning, but it sounds like this is something that is your problem and not ours. If someone was plotting something in this city against us, we’d have heard about it,” Eric said, pushing off the doorframe. “You’ve had your five minutes. I’m sorry, but we can’t help you.”

  “Joshua has some powerful allies,” Billy said. “And I know for a fact that despite his political leanings, he’s heavily motivated by money, and his allegiances can be bought for the right price from anyone willing to pay him.”

  “What does that mean?” It was the first time that Kyle Frost had spoken since entering the room.

  “It means that if you have any enemies, human or shifter, and they want to fuck with you, Joshua will be more than happy to help them out.” Billy let those words settle in the air. “He’s not above taking shifter money, either, if in his mind it means he can tear down a far larger shifter threat. I can’t go into any further details on how I know that. It’s confidential.”

  “Leave us the information you have,” Kyle said. Billy was wondering if might have underestimated who was actually in charge among the trio in front of him. “We’ll look into it. Come back tomorrow night.”

  Billy was relieved. It had felt easier to get their cooperation than he expected. “I’ve already sent it to you. It’s in the email. If you haven’t deleted it yet.”

  “Fine,” Kyle said. “I have to get back downstairs.”

  “I won’t take up any more of your time. Thank you,” Billy said. Anthony and Kyle moved past him without looking at him. Eric gave him a frustrated look that told him that he had clearly been outmaneuvered. He looked like he wanted to say more when a lanky teenager swept into the room.

  “I heard them whispering something about an attack. What happened?”

  “Alex,” Thea said, standing up again. “It was nothing.”