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“I’m her fiancé,” Joe said in a raspy tone.
Both shifters froze. Shiya rolled her eyes. Seriously, Joe? Jealousy now, when Kotori almost snapped your neck?
“Be quiet,” she demanded. “If you hadn’t jumped the gun in the first place, none of this would have happened.”
She expected Birk to accuse her of not only sleeping with the enemy like a two-bit whore, but also not respecting the commitment he thought she had to Joe. He said nothing. Rather, he strolled to the door, still standing open, and left. Kotori grabbed a towel for his arm and followed his friend, shutting the door behind him. Shiya took in the destroyed state of the lock and recalled the way the door wobbled now on its hinges. How the heck would she explain it to the manager? She closed her eyes and sank to the floor. A raging headache pulsed behind her eyes. The last twenty-four hours had gone from amazing to a nightmare, and it had all started to go wrong when she elected to veer off the path set before her.
“Shiya,” Joe called out behind her.
She twisted around to look at him and took in the ugly purple bruises beginning to form on his neck. She wondered about Kotori’s injury and hoped no major arteries had been cut. Would the hospital be able to help him? Or would Birk treat him in secret?
“Shiya!”
“What!”
“I will have to report this to Kasen and your dad.”
She swore. Like she would ever marry this bastard in a million years. If he loved her, he would cover it all and say something went wrong, not that she screwed up. Well, she didn’t need his help. She could explain it to her dad. Not about the sex, but about misjudging Birk and Kotori. That everyone would know she wasn’t cut out for the field was fine. She never wanted to do it again, and her experience with Birk and Kotori could remain an insane memory—one that would fade over time into something unreal.
Chapter Six
Shiya stood over her baggage, staring as if it would pack itself. She had decided to leave, to go back to San Diego and tell her dad she’d washed out. He’d be disappointed, but the situation couldn’t be helped. Her cell phone rang, and she picked it up to check the display. The muscles in her stomach tightened as she punched the connect button.
“Hey, Kasen.”
“Do you know where Marine Way and Franklin is?”
She thought about it and remembered that was near the Red Dog Saloon, close to where the Juneau Public Library was located. She’d walked all along that area with Birk and Kotori. “Yes, I know.”
“Be there in forty-five minutes.” He hung up, and she frowned. Who the hell did he think he was? She didn’t answer to Kasen. Well, not directly. Her dad had given her special permission to handle this job, and he did not say Kasen would be her leader.
Shiya examined her outfit, jeans and layered tops that she could remove if the weather turned a bit warmer. She decided she didn’t need to change, and
Kasen didn’t warrant a special outfit either way.
After checking the clock on the nightstand, she figured she had enough time to complete her packing. While she did so, she thought about why Kasen had come down from Anchorage. Joe must have followed through with his threat to report what happened with the guys. The question remained what Kasen felt about it. Would he let it go and agree with her going home?
She left the room, eyeing the handwork of the locksmith who had fixed her door. Not more than a couple hours passed before it was done, and the relief at not being tossed out on her ear had lifted a weight from her shoulders.
When she reached the street, Joe met her and walked along beside her. She frowned at him. “I guess I have you to thank for arranging to get the door fixed? You moved fast. What did you tell the inn manager to keep them from throwing me on the street?”
For a moment, Joe gave her a blank stare. He glanced over his shoulder toward the room, and then his face cleared. “Oh, uh, yeah, it was nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“I do worry about it, because I don’t want to owe you, Joe, and we still haven’t talked about you claiming to be my fiancé. We’re not involved, and we never will be again.”
He slowed his gait, but she kept her speed. When he realized she wouldn’t slow down, he jogged to walk beside her again. “Can you stop a minute, Shiya?”
“No, I’m meeting Kasen.”
“Shiya.” He grabbed her arm, but she shook him off and whirled on him. “What’s your problem?”
“What’s yours?” She glared at him, hands on her hips. “You expected me to thank you for telling Kasen what happened, that I failed? What, I was supposed to get back with you so you can tell my dad at least one plan went right—the one you orchestrated? I know, you thought you’d give this as evidence of why I should stay in the office and not do fieldwork, that you’re a hero because you saved his daughter from the big bad bears!”
The incredulity in his expression served to piss her off even more because she knew he wasn’t real. He reached out to touch her arm again, but she scowled so hard, he withdrew as if she’d tried to bite him.
“Shiya, I hate that you think of me that way. Wasn’t I there for you?”
“Weren’t you there for every dinner party my father threw?” she countered.
