Luke nodded as he followed the Enforcer leader inside. “Any idea yet how the fire was started?”
“We’re still looking into the how, but this might explain the why. I mean, we all suspected it, especially since your door was barred, but now we have confirmation.”
Frowning, he followed Blake’s gaze to the bar. The liquor bottles that were usually stacked in front of the mirrored wall were smashed all to hell, and red spray paint decorated the mirror.
We’re coming for Luke—and anyone who stands in our way is going down.
Dread washed over him as his lion hissed, pacing circles in his chest. “No one saw who did this?”
“No, and we’re not sure when it happened. I assume it was when the fire was set, but I don’t know for sure. I didn’t see it when I checked out the bar earlier, but it was dark, and I was looking for fire, not spray paint.”
Spinning away, Luke copied his lion and began pacing. “Fuck. Maybe I should leave. For a while, at least. Until the threat is gone. Get some distance so y’all aren’t in danger.”
Noah hooked his hands on his hips. “I don’t think you should leave, but if you do, I’m going with you. I’ve been watching your back for years. I won’t stop now.”
Before he could protest, Blake cut in. “No one is going anywhere. This is what we’re trained for, Luke. We hunt the bad guys and we bring them in. Now there’s one right here, in our backyard, knocking on our door, and you want to run? To what, spare us from danger? Our fucking job is to head right into danger. No. No one’s leaving. We stay right here, and we finish this. All of us.”
“There’s a difference between us leaving to hunt down the bad guys and one of them coming here to threaten all the Enforcers because he wants me.”
Blake looked at him steadily, showing no indication of backing down. “Does it really matter why he’s here? I don’t really think it does. He is, so let’s take care of him.”
Cursing, Luke scrubbed his hand down his face as he paced faster. He clearly wasn’t going to change Blake’s mind on the sub
ject, and knowing the other Enforcers, they’d agree. He fucking hated the thought of them being in danger because of him, though.
Going on a mission was one thing. Being hunted because of him was another.
His thoughts turned to Tarun and he skidded to a stop, the breath whooshing out of his body like he’d been slammed in the stomach by a two-by-four. He might have to stay and face the threat, but she didn’t. She fought him last time he asked her to leave, but surely she’d see the wisdom in it now.
“I hope you’re not thinking what I think you are,” Noah muttered, eyeing him speculatively.
“Look, I might have to stay here, but she doesn’t. I’m sure she’ll understand that now.”
Blake snorted. “And what makes you think that? She refused to leave before. I’m positive she’ll dig her heels in even more after last night.”
Fuck. He was right. Luke glanced at him, thinking through options. “You could make her.”
“Yeah, right. I’d be taking my life in my hands if I got between a tigress and her mate.”
“Big, bad Enforcer leader scared of a girl,” he muttered. Pausing, his head whipped back toward Blake. “Mate?”
“First, we’ve both spent time with the tribe she was raised in, and I’ve seen firsthand how fierce she is. Hell yeah, I’m scared of her, and you should be, too. She might not have trained with the warriors, but I’m sure she picked up a thing or two. Especially considering who her brother is. And yeah, mate. Don’t try to deny it.”
“I’m not. I know she’s my mate, and I’d shout it from the rooftops if I could. I don’t think she knows yet, though.”
“If she doesn’t, she’s close. A woman like Tarun doesn’t sleep with just anyone. She won’t leave willingly, and I’m not going to force her. We can protect her, and what’s more, I think she can protect herself.”
“She was right, you know,” Noah said quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“You know I can sense what gifts shifters have and use them for my own. I borrowed hers. The threat is all too real, which we know. But that sense she has that you could be lost if she’s not around is one hundred percent accurate. And it was proven last night.”
Luke frowned, running through the events of the night. “How so?”
“Think about it. If she hadn’t been here, where would you have slept last night?”
Realization dawned. “I would have been in my bedroom.”