“What are you doing?” Clover looked at the car door and back at Sam.
“I am bringing you evidence,” he said. “I was bearnapped yesterday. I apologize for Marjorie taking off and leaving you there. I was shouting at her to stop and she ignored me. She’d driven all the way off the property, yelling at me that she was going to get our family banned from the Jamboree forever if I didn’t fire you, before I finally shifted and punched a hole in the roof of their car. Then when she pulled over, I climbed over her daughter and ripped the door off of their car and climbed out. I’m pretty sure that she won’t try to fix me up with any of her family members again.” He looked genuinely delighted at that.
He held up the tattered metal door. “So there you go. My apology present. I ran all the way back to your office yesterday, carrying the car door, but you were already gone by the time I got there.”
“Huh.” She stared at the car door, shaking her head. “Well, as apology presents go, it’s pretty…uh…”
“Terrible?” Sam asked. She nodded.
“Terrible, but unique. But mostly terrible,” she added hastily, because he was still a total bastard.
He turned and tossed the car door back into the bed of his pickup truck, where it landed with a resounding clang.
“Are you really getting kicked out of the Jamboree?” she asked.
“Hope so. I personally hate it. Marjorie is apparently now lobbying to the committee to get us kicked out.” He shrugged indifferently.
Autumn walked up. Of course she’d ignored Clover’s orders to stay in the store. “So I’m guessing that he’s the hottie you were going to murder the other day and then he gave you a job because he totally wants you?” Autumn asked. She surveyed him with a critical eye. “Well, you do have acceptable taste.”
Clover felt her face instantly flame crimson.
“Autumn, I thought you were going to go buy some coffee,” she said, smiling through gritted teeth.
Autumn flashed her an innocent look. “Coffee? At my age? It would stunt my growth. I’m shocked that you have so little regard for my health.”
She smiled winningly at Sam. “I’m Autumn, Clover’s sister. So, did you ask her out yet? If you’re not nice to her, you should know that I can jimmy open windows, I move like a cat, and I will shank you in your sleep. I’m way meaner than Clover is.”
Sam burst out laughing as Clover choked with indignation.
She grabbed Autumn, spun her around in the direction of the coffee shop, and said, “Leave. Go buy whatever, right now.”
“Fine. This is Autumn Jones you’re talking to. Buy whatever? I believe I’ll buy some submachine guns and hand grenades for Twilight and Moonlight to play with.”
“Good. Enjoy.” Clover gave her a shove.
“And some dynamite!” Autumn yelled over her shoulder as she marched off.
“I’ll give you the matches!” Clover shouted.
“Twilight, Moonlight, Autumn, Sapphire, and Clover,” Sam observed.
“And my brother Lennon. Do not go there. It is a burden we all have to live with.” She shot him a look that dared him to tease her for their names.
“I think they are lovely names. Hey, my aunt’s nickname is Blue. Who am I to judge?”
Clover managed a smile – and then suddenly went pale. “Oh God,” she cried out.
“What?” Sam looked concerned.
“I left them inside the store unsupervised.”
She thought she might cry. How was it that they hadn’t been arrested yet? It had been minutes – entire minutes. She rushed into the store with Sam on her heels.
“Don’t worry, I was watching them through the picture window,” Sam said.
“I’m not worried that somebody will hurt them. I’m worried that they’ll have committed several major felonies in the short time that I was outside.”
“Call them all over here,” Sam said.
With a sigh, she did.
“Sam McCoy, head of security for the bears of Blue Moon Junction,” he said, and shook hands with each of them as they introduced themselves.
Then he fixed them with a stern look. “You know how I got my job? By being very good at what I do. Moonlight and Twilight, return the wallet. Now.”
“That lady was making faces at us and saying we looked like rag-pickers.” Moonlight scowled. “I don’t know what a rag-picker is, but she’s a total—” Then she saw the look on Clover’s face and quickly hurried off. She passed by a chubby female jaguar shifter, her arm moved so fast that Clover barely saw her dropping a wallet into the woman’s purse, and then she walked off.
They are way too good at that, Clover thought, stricken.
“Lennon. Return the cell phone.” Sam raised an eyebrow. Lennon had a smirk on his face as he walked right up to a woman who was examining a blouse. He tapped her on the arm and handed her a cell phone. “Pardon me, ma’am, you seem to have dropped this,” he said.
“Oh. Thank you.” She looked startled.
Lennon walked back, looking pleased with himself. Clover looked at him suspiciously. “What did you do?” she demanded.