If anyone were to ask Parker how he and the wolf brothers made it to Main Street in so little time, he would have no answer for them. The only thing he knew for certain was that his girlfriend, the person he cared for the most in the world, was in danger.
He was sure of it.
Even his panther was positive that something bad was happening.
Thankfully, with the internet and power down, there was no one around to see two wolves, a panther, and a lion running down the main street and right into Half Moon Key bank. And if therewereany witnesses, no one could record it. The risk of exposure in the small town was safe.
The mix-matched pack … canine and feline … friends working together to stop Rueben before the monster did any damage to their beloved Half Moon Key … stopped by the diner, Moony’s. Lila was pacing the sidewalk in front of the diner, disheveled and frazzled. Mason ran right to her, and the woman’s eyes lit up in recognition. Though she was a human, she could recognize her mate’s animal form.
Parker’s chest tightened. Would he ever get a chance to have that bond with Jade? She wasn’t his true mate. His panther had stayed very quiet about that, unfortunately, but he didn’t care. As soon as he kicked Rueben out of Half Moon Key forever, he was going to make Jade his mate.
She was it for him. At that moment, Parker realized he loved her.
He loved Jade Curran.
“Mason, holy shit. The man who was in here? The one I think is a shifter? Well, he just went to the bank.Mrs. Francisis there right now!” Her eyes cut to him, the panther. “And obviously, Jade.”
He didn’t even have time to fully understand that Mason had told Lila that he was a panther shifter. He just booked it for the bank. He didn’t even need to look behind him to know that Cohen, Mason, and Jack were following behind him, hot on his heels.
Once again, the pack was running down the street as one. As if they had done this together before. It was pure instinct that led them. That and a need to protect their town and all of its residents.
They burst through the bank's door, and immediately, they could see the trouble had already begun. Pippa, the teller that worked with Jade, was held by a big man while another man had a hand firmly planted on Mrs. Francis’s shoulder, pinning the older woman to her chair.
Parker growled in warning, and the rough sound was soon joined with other animalistic growls when Cohen, Mason, and Jack spotted the oldest elder being so roughly treated by a foe.
Parker didn’t have time to tell Cohen and Mason that these men worked for Rueben, but he was confident in their intelligence. It would be obvious enough. He locked eyes with Cohen, and the sheriff tipped his head in acknowledgment. The panther booked it for the safe in the basement, certain that Rueben would be there with Jade. He could smell their scent and thoroughly disliked smelling them together. It was all wrong.
From behind him, he could hear the fighting happening upstairs. His three friends were defending Half Moon Key residents, but he was going to deal with Rueben. This washisproblem, and Jade washisto protect.
Rueben turned to face him before Parker was even fully in the room. The asshole had Jade’s wrist in a death grip. There would be bruises on her skin, and hehatedthe very thought. He inched low, readying his body to pounce on Rueben, but the mercenary was quick to put Jade in front of him.
If Parker pounced, he would land firmly on Jade, and there was no way he was taking that chance. He didn’t want her harmed at all.
Rueben grinned at him from over Jade’s shoulder. “You don’t like this little predicament, do you?” He laughed. “This is why you can’t get attached to people, Parker. That’s your weakness. Caring about people. About humans. They don’t matter.” He wrapped his free hand around Jade’s neck and gripped it tightly. “If I snap her head right now, you shouldn’t even care.Money, though.” His smirk turned cold. “Now, there is something worth fighting and dying over.”
Parker tried to inch closer, but Rueben tightened his grasp on Jade. The asshole even started to shift his hands, his claws slowly pushing through his skin. Soon, it would cut through to Jade. All Parker could do was growl.
“Easy. I’m just gonna tell you what I want from you now, got it? You got a lot of money for the company. You’re gonna give me all of it. All. Of. It. And I know exactly how much you made. Two hundred million?” He laughed dryly. “You got robbed.”
Rueben laughed again, apparently at his own joke. “See, you got robbed when you accepted such a low payment, and now you’re gonna get robbed again because I am gonna take it all away. Of course, I’m gonna take the rest of the town’s money too. Just ’cause it’s there, and I feel like being that much richer.”
“You’re insane,” Jade tried to say through the chokehold.
Parker wanted to tell her to be quiet and to keep her strength, but he couldn’t speak in his panther form. All he could do was give her a meaningful look and hope she understood. Immediately, Jade blinked at him.
She understood me. His panther roared with pride.How can that be?
Parker stalked forward a step, and Rueben shot him a warning look. “You think I won’t hurt her? I will. Open the safe, Jade. And I’ll let you and the women upstairs go, but this guy? Well, I’ll give him a fair shot to defend himself, but I am not making any promises that he’ll come back to you.”
Jade’s eyes flashed with anger, and Parker watched, frozen in fear, when she elbowed Rueben in the stomach. Her left foot was next. She used it to kick Rueben in the groin. Rueben coughed and sputtered in pain but didn’t let her go, but his reaction gave Jade enough time to try to free herself. She stomped on his foot and ran. Rueben reached out to grab her as he shifted into his jaguar.
As soon as Parker saw Rueben begin his shift, he launched himself at the other feline. His jowl was wide open, and his front paws were at the ready. He crashed into Rueben, and the two locked in a bottle of jaws and claws.
Parker was a good fighter, but Rueben was a mercenary. He fought dirty, but Parker didn’t mind. He would fight him hit for hit, and he would play as dirty as he could to make sure Jade was safe and never again bothered by Rueben. Sure, Rueben spent some of his time as a trained and hired gun, but Parker was a shifter in love who wanted to protect the woman he couldn’t live without.
Parker’s side was bleeding from a few landed blows, but he persisted. The smell of blood was heavy on the air, and it was a mix of Parker’s and Rueben’s. They were pretty well matched despite Rueben’s training.
It’s because he messed with our Jade. With our Rosebud.