“Yeah, Braxton.” Damon flipped him the bird.
Braxton arched an eyebrow. “I doubt he even drinks wine.”
“For your information, I drink Pinot Noir.”
“Are you fucking with me?” Braxton widened his eyes.
“It’s Ava’s favorite.” Braxton laughed.
“You’re so mated.”
Kate grinned and pulled out a bottle of wine. “I’m out of red wine. But I do have Pinot Grigio.”
“I’ll try it. Just so you know, I’m not as sophisticated as your boy there.” Damon shoved a finger in Braxton’s direction. “He’s the expert on all things alcoholic.”
“Fuck off.” Braxton scowled.
“Thanks.” Damon straightened when she handed him a platter with cookies and a glass of white wine.
***
Killian stared out of the window, his gaze skittering across the yard in search of some kind—any kind of movement. If he had to stay one more day in this cabin, he was going to fucking lose it. He flexed his fingers and leaned his neck side to side in an attempt to release some of the anxiety and anger that was slowly building up. He hadn’t expected a bartender to give him so much trouble. He was an Assassin, and he’d never let a contract kill get away. He hated lose ends.
He turned as Brutus came out of his bedroom.
Brutus nodded for Killian and Lorcan to follow him into the next room.
“I’ve heard from the Pack Master of Louisiana.” Brutus’s deadly voice bounced off the walls. “We seem to have pissed off a lot of people by not getting that bartender.”
“Who would have thought a civilian would be so hard to kill?” Killian eased himself into a chair and steepled his fingers.
“Who have we pissed off?” Lorcan cocked his head.
“Other than our Louisiana council, we now have the Arkansas Pack Master raising hell about shooting a werewolf during the day.” Brutus glared at Killian
Killian shifted uncomfortably.
“Now more than ever, it’s important that we find that fucker and take him out. The longer he’s out there, the more we risk exposing our race to the humans. Then we’ll be the ones with silver in our asses.”
“I might have a lead,” Lorcan offered.
“What is it?” Brutus asked, his eyes doing that “changing from blue to green” thing they did when he was getting all amped.
“I overheard a group of ladies at a restaurant down in Eureka Springs. They were talking about some bed and breakfast where they were staying. She was describing some guy that was staying there. Could be our guy.”
“Which bed and breakfast?” Brutus scowled.
Lorcan frowned. “She never said the name.”
Brutus let out a slow breath. “Do you have any fucking idea how many bed and breakfasts there are in Eureka Springs?”
“A fucking lot.” Lorcan arched a brow with his signature smart-ass reply.
“We need to leave within the hour. It could take days to find the right one.”
***
Braxton couldn’t take his eyes off Kate, completely in awe of everything she’d accomplished on her own. She’d managed to get a three-course breakfast cooked by the time the writers came down to eat the next morning.
“Damn, this is good,” Damon said around a mouthful of eggs Benedict.
“Thanks. I could give you the recipe for Ava.” Kate took a sip of her coffee.
Damon snorted. “Ava only cooks in the bedroom.”
“Ahhh. Isn’t that sweet, girls!” Barbara cast moon eyes at Damon. Damon scowled and ducked his head.
Braxton snorted. Since the writers had come down for breakfast, they’d constantly flirted with both him and Damon.
Braxton had choked on his coffee when Lynn had asked him to lift his shirt so she could see his abs. Though they seemed harmless enough, Braxton wanted the women to know that he only had eyes for Kate. She was the only one allowed to see his abs.
Since the writers arrived, he hadn’t had much time alone with Kate. She’d been a constant blur of activity, going from one task to another as she efficiently ran her business.
After breakfast, they had loaded the dishwasher and turned it on. Whatever part she’d gotten at the hardware store, she’d replaced and gotten the appliance working again. His respect for her grew immensely.
His stomach warmed as she moved upstairs to make the beds. He followed to give her a hand.
“They’ve only been here one night and already the rooms are a mess.” Clothes and books were scattered along the floor, while two laptops were plugged into an outlet by the door. He arched his eyebrow. “I had no idea women were so messy.”
Kate smiled, walked around the side of the bed and positioned the comforter. “Pull your side up.”
Braxton tugged the comforter to the top of the bed and smoothed out a wrinkle. She tossed him a pillow and he caught it midair.
“The solid color pillows down first. Then the striped.” Kate lined up pillows on her side of the bed and Braxton followed her lead until there were ten pillows in place.