“Just here to clear something up,” Cal said politely. “One of my people tells me there’s a mountain lion’s been harassing her sister. Following her around, that sort of thing. You know anything about that? Or maybe your brother does?”
Ordinarily, Cal wouldn’t have leaned on the my people like that. But Gordon was one of those shifters who didn’t much respect the law, the town, the human world, or anything but shifter pack-bonds. So if Cal wanted to get a response, he had to present himself as a fellow alpha.
The frown deepened. “Wayne!” Gordon barked, without taking his eyes from Cal’s for a second.
There was a long pause, and then Wayne Hennessey’s face appeared in the doorway next to his brother’s. His appearance hadn’t changed since Cal had last seen him: longish brown hair and beard, narrow face, and he was wearing a dirty white tank top and jeans.
“You bothering the snow leopards?” Gordon asked him.
Wayne’s face twisted into a surprised scowl. “What? No, what do I care about the snow leopards?”
“How about Lillian Lowell?” Cal put in. “Nice lady, pretty, blonde? Complaining about a mountain lion stalking her at her work?”
Wayne’s expression turned truculent. “She ain’t a snow leopard.”
“Her sister is.”
“Well, send her sister on down here, then!” Wayne’s eyes widened, and he nudged his brother. “We’d be A-okay with some pretty lady snow leopard coming to pay us a visit, wouldn’t we, Gordy?”
“Sure would.” Gordon’s face was impenetrable.
“Wayne,” Cal said, mustering as much patience as he could find, keeping his leopard locked way down, “what’re you after from Ms. Lowell? You just having fun? Can’t get a date on your own?”
“I get plenty of ladies, thank you,” Wayne sniffed. “Nah, I guess you can tell the lady yourself if you want. It’s not her, it’s her husband. He owes me.”
Husband. Her husband. The word struck a heavy chord of wrongness in Cal. “Ms. Lowell isn’t married,” he said carefully.
Neither she nor Teri had mentioned a husband, and she hadn’t been wearing a ring. So she couldn’t be married. Right?
“She was,” Wayne said. “And hubby’s tapped dry, so now it’s her turn. So you tell her that she can deliver the money, or she’s going to have a lot worse to deal with.”
“Threats, Wayne?” Cal asked softly. His leopard was rising in his chest, ready to shift and pounce.
Suddenly Gordon was filling the doorway, taking up more space than he had before. “Doesn’t look like you’re in a position to handle threats, little snow kitty,” he rumbled. “There’s five of us in here, and one of you.”
It rankled to back
down, but it was the truth. If there was one thing he’d learned in the Marines, it was that trying to be a lone hero was one of the dumbest things a man could do.
“Wayne,” he said at last, “why didn’t you just tell this to Ms. Lowell instead of stalking her around town?”
Wayne grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. “This way’s more fun.”
“That all, snow kitty?” Gordon asked. “You want to interrogate me about my day too?”
“That’s all,” Cal said. “Be seeing you.”
“Sure will, I bet,” Wayne said, still grinning. Gordon shut the door with a final-sounding thunk.
Cal fought down his leopard’s snarling desire to beat the door down and make those mountain lions leave Lillian be. Nobody would benefit from him getting himself beaten up by five good-for-nothings. Least of all Lillian Lowell.
He sighed to himself, shifted, and headed back to town.
By the time he got back to his truck, it was late—after ten. He thought about his options, then called Teri.
“Hi,” she chirped, sounding cheerful as ever. “What’s up?”
“Found out a few things,” said Cal. “But it’s late enough to call it a day. I think your sister’s safe enough tonight. I’ll swing by tomorrow when you’re on your way to work, take over keeping an eye out for you, and talk the situation over.”