“How can I make my mortgage if I don’t have any customers? We’re in a recession. Who is going to pay to stay at the Bella Luna Inn when the competition in town is only half the price—plus has a pool?” She clenched her jaw against the sting of tears. She was tired of crying every time she thought about her situation. She needed a solution, not more tears.
Willy Montgomery, the bank president, had given her mother the loan for the Bella Luna years ago. She remembered the first time she’d met him as a little girl. They were walking out of the bank when he’d stopped them. Her shoestrings had come loose, and he’d bent down and tied them for her.
Strange how such a small act of kindness had stayed with her all this time.
“Maybe Mr. Montgomery will be willing to give me an extension.” Kate stood, a flicker of warm hope beginning to spread within her chest despite the winter chill. If she got an extension, then she could start making a plan to draw more customers and turn her business around.
She padded over to the porch railing and slowly exhaled. “I can’t lose this place. I refuse to let my mother down. Not again.”
The biting winter air stilled and the woods went silent. She looked toward the thick woods. The security light on the side of the house didn’t reach that far, leaving that side of the house shrouded in darkness. She had never minded before.
But tonight was different.
Tonight she felt like she wasn’t alone.
Wrapping her quilt around her, she hurried to the door. Once inside, she quickly locked the door and peered out the window.
She laughed. “I must be spending too much time alone. I’m starting to imagine things. Now, I’m talking to myself.”
She definitely needed some adult conversation. She made a mental note to call her best friend, Beau, the local veterinarian, and set up a lunch date.
The isolation she loved so much was making her imagination run wild.
***
“You need to let me out of here.” Braxton tried to stay calm, but he couldn’t keep the urgency out of his voice. The urge to shift into wolf pulled at him like never before. If he didn’t get out of the back of the police car soon, he was going to rip the inside of the car apart.
“I think you need to remember, hotshot, you have the right to remain silent. So why don’t you do that till we get to the precinct.” The older cop shot him a glare in the rearview mirror.
“I don’t think you understand…” Braxton’s breathing increased as the wolf inside him roared to life.
“I understand just fine. What you don’t understand, dipshit, is that you are two seconds away from me kicking your sorry ass.”
“Look, asshole, I’m telling you if you don’t let me out of this car, I’m going to rip your fucking throat out.” Braxton’s heart raced, the adrenaline of the wolf coursing through his veins. He gritted his teeth, attempting to shutter a growl, but it rolled out anyway.
The Assassins were coming for him, and if they found him trapped in the back of a police car, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
He wasn’t a fucking goldfish.
“That’s it.” The older cop pulled the cruiser into a deserted alley, slammed on the brakes, and killed the engine. Turning around, he sneered. “Now we’re going to have some fun.”
“Ahhh... Jerry, I don’t think…” The younger cop’s worried gaze flickered between him and his partner. “We should just keep driving to the station.”
Jerry glared. “Mike, when I want your fucking opinion I’ll ask for it. You got that?”
“Jerry. Your name’s Jerry. Like Ben and Jerry’s?” Braxton curled his fingers into fists, trying to force himself from shifting in front of the human cops.
“You son of a bitch. That’s it.” Jerry slid out of the front seat and opened the back door.
Braxton blew out an anxious breath and tried to slow his heart rate. Maybe if he could distract them long enough, he could shift and get the fuck out of there.
His relief was short-lived.
Jerry snatched him out of the car by his hair. Losing his balance, Braxton stumbled against the side of the car.
Jerry slammed his police baton across Braxton’s back. Pain exploded across his shoulders, buckling his knees and sending him into the dirty pavement.
Braxton growled, the pain fueling his body to shift into wolf, to protect himself.
“Jerry, what the hell are you doing?” The second cop held his hands up and stepped between them.
“I’m teaching this white trash some fucking manners.” Jerry stepped around his partner, but the younger cop blocked him.
“I can’t let you do this, man. This ain’t right.” Mike rested his hands on his partner’s shoulders.
Braxton laughed from his position on the ground.
Both cops turned to him.
“What’s so funny, asshole?” Jerry shook off his partner’s hold and narrowed his eyes.
Braxton met his gaze and gave him a sinister grin. “I’ve got something I want to show you.”
Braxton relaxed and let go of the chain restraining his inner beast as the shift began to pound through his veins.
He’d lost his job, his mother’s faith, and now, his future.