It wasn’t a hardship following Liam, though. The man had a fine ass cupped by snug jeans, and he walked easily in the heat. No wonder people came to Liam with their problems—he looked like a man who’d invite you to rest your head on his shoulder while he made everything bad go away. His brother had the same height and build, the same strength, the same blue eyes, but Kim would gravitate to Liam if she had to choose. Sean had a wariness, a pulling back that she didn’t sense in Liam.
The first block had a convenience store with a littered parking lot on one corner; another bar, closed, on the opposite end; and a boarded-up store and two bungalows left over from better times crammed in the middle. No one but the three of them walked here, and any street traffic sped through to newer and more prosperous parts of town.
Liam led Kim around the corner behind the derelict buildings. They passed through a wide-open gate in a chain-link fence and crossed a field. Kim winced and watched where she stepped, knowing her legs and feet would be open season for Texas chiggers.
When they reached the other end of the field, Kim stopped so quickly that Sean almost ran into her.
“This is Shiftertown?”
Liam grinned. “Not what you expected, eh, love?”
Kim had thought Shiftertown would be a slum, a ghetto of people not wanted in other parts of town. The houses were small and old, yes. The street itself was cracked and potholed because the city deemed repairs there a low priority. But Kim looked down the street at what appeared to be a beautiful and comfortable suburb. Every yard was green, with gardens or flower boxes running riot with summer flowers. The buildings were painted and in good repair, and most houses had deep porches filled with plants and furniture.
There were no fences anywhere. Kids played in yards and ran between houses without fear. One front yard sported a plastic wading pool filled with kids and a couple of dogs, while two moms watched from the porch steps. They were young women, casual in shorts and baggy T-shirts, legs stretched to the sun while the kids played. Everyone in the yard and on the porch, including the dogs, wore collars.
One of the women looked up and waved. “Good day to you, Liam,” she called. “Hello, Sean.” The other woman raised her hand in greeting but didn’t speak. Kim felt the gazes of both Shifter women on her dark gray suit and stupidly high heels.
Liam and Sean gave them a casual wave back. The kids jumped up and down, and one sent a big splash of water over the edge of the pool.
“Look, Liam, I’ve got my own swimming pool.”
“It’s grand, Michael. You look after your brother now.”
Michael turned to the littlest child in the pool, who was splashing happily. “I will,” the older boy said seriously.
They moved on. The Shifters didn’t hide in their houses, the way residents did in Kim’s neighborhood. They roamed outside in the hot weather, working in the yard, looking after kids, talking to their neighbors. Everyone they passed waved or smiled at Liam and Sean, some greeting them, “Now then, Liam. How’s your dad?”
By the time they reached the end of the block, Kim understood how Brian’s mother would know they were on their way without Liam calling ahead. Every Shifter they passed noted Liam and Sean, every Shifter recognized Kim for the human stranger she was. Someone would be on the phone or running through the backyards to alert Brian’s mother.
Brian had been living with his mother, Sandra Smith, at 445B Marble Lane, Kim knew from her files. She’d assumed the address meant an apartment or duplex, but it turned out to be a house set behind another house. A driveway ran past 445A and stopped at the garage of 445B.
Both houses had the look of the 1920s or ’30s, low-roofed bungalows with brick-pillared porches, dormer windows, and separate garages. The front screen door opened as they approached, and a slender woman leaned against the doorframe.
“You’ve brought her then,” she said.
Kim had never met Sandra Smith. When Kim first started putting together the case, she had requested that Sandra come to Kim’s office and talk to her. Sandra had refused, and after a while had stopped answering the phone when Kim called. That was part of the reason Kim wanted to talk to Liam, to find someone who could help her build a solid defense for Brian.
“I hope you don’t mind the intrusion, Mrs. Smith,” Kim began as they approached the porch.
Sandra abruptly turned and went inside, the screen door banging behind her. Kim winced. This interview was not going to be easy.
Liam and Sean pushed past Kim to enter the house, no human custom of standing back to let a lady through a door first. Brian had explained the apparent rudeness to her. To a Shifter, letting a female enter a room or building ahead of a male was ludicrous. You couldn’t be sure what danger lurked on the other side. The male checked it out and then gave the all clear for the female to enter. How could you protect your mate otherwise?
Kim followed them inside and stopped in surprise. Sean had taken Sandra into his arms, letting her lean against him while he rubbed his cheek on her hair. Liam moved to stand behind Sandra. Very close behind Sandra. He rested his chest on her back and both he and Sean murmured to her.
This was crazy. The way Liam had greeted his brother had made Kim think the two of them had something going on. Now she swore the brothers and Sandra were in a threesome.
Liam and Sean stepped away from Sandra, and Sandra wiped her eyes. Kim was struck by how young the woman looked, too young to have a twenty-five-year-old son. Sandra could be thirty, though her eyes spoke of a woman who’d seen far more of the world than Kim had.