“Nope, he seems to have disappeared again.”
“I hope he’s okay. Oddly enough, I miss that crazy old nutbag. Don’t you?”
Austin barked out a laugh. “Miss him? Are you crazy? Hell no, I don’t miss him. That trip was the most miserable few days of my life. And I grew up with a dad who got his jollies from throwing me against walls.”
If he had to really think about it, he’d have to admit Roy had been helpful. Without him, there was a good chance Jason would have killed him. And he’d helped Austin to accept his visions. Once Austin and Savannah had had their mating ceremony, he’d begin studying with a Seer. He’d use his powers to keep his family safe.
He reached out and pulled Savannah to him, looping his arms around her waist.
“I am going to kiss you, and I don’t care if your mother turns the hose on us. Worth it.”
Savannah glanced across the parking lot. “That sounds absolutely— oh, hold on. Look who’s here. I should practice my curtsy. It’s the Lord of All Fartbreath.”
As they watched, Algernon pulled in to the parking lot in front of the restaurant.
Austin glanced at his watch. “An hour early, the little bitch,” he said.
Savannah and Austin headed across the lawn towards the restaurant. Laurel hurried out of the restaurant to join them. Niall, Anthony and Jessamine were on her heels. They stood on the front steps with Austin in front of them.
He fit right in, Savannah thought happily. He was one of them. They were his pack now, his blood.
Algernon walked across the lawn to greet them, baring his little teeth in a nasty smile. A small horde of his bodyguards followed him, their hands on their hip holsters, nervously fingering their pistols. Austin caught a whiff of silver; they had silver-coated bullets. They’d come well prepared.
“Nice,” Algernon said. “Looks like you cleaned this garbage dump up just in time for me to take over. Of course, it’s still a pigsty, and I’m going to be filing a lawsuit for all the damages you’ve caused tomyproperty. Lowering its value.”
“Yep,” Austin drawled. Savannah, standing next to him, pasted on her prettiest, least sincere smile.
“Wherever you work, I’ll be attaching your wages to make up for the damages,” Algernon snapped. “Pretty much forever.”
“Of course you will,” Austin said, nodding.
“Naturally,” Savannah agreed.
Algernon glared at them. He wanted to see them rattled. Upset. Begging.
“Don’t think that you can weasel your way out of it,” he snapped at Savannah.
“Wouldn’t dream of it. The law is the law.” She nodded politely.
Algernon fixed Austin with a cold glower. “I understand that your little bounty expedition fell apart and that psychotic wolf Roy is wandering around free somewhere. And you refused to take over the Washborn pack, which was stupid. They’re wealthy. You could have used the money to bail your girlfriend out. I guess you don’t care about her very much.”
“Is that a fact?” Austin put on his most polite smile.
Algernon’s face twisted with rage.
“You’re not even part of this conversation!” He tried to move past Austin to get to Laurel, and Austin bared his teeth in a snarl.
Algernon fell back a step – and a dozen of his men stepped forward, pulling their pistols out.
“Get off my property. Now,” he barked. “As of this minute, you’re trespassing on my land, and I am within my rights to have my men take you out. You don’t even have a pack to back you up anymore. You’re a lone wolf.”
Savannah let out a low, rumbling growl.Don’t fuck with my mate.“Watch yourself,” she snapped.
Algernon let out a little high-pitched giggle. His eyes glowed with malicious glee. “Who’s going to stop me? You? Because he’s got no rights here.”
“How about me?” Grant’s voice thundered over Austin’s shoulder. He stepped out of the front door of the restaurant and walked down the steps. He was holding an envelope in his hand.
A dozen more wolves filed out of the restaurant’s front door, crowding around him.
