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“No.” I wanted to catch Suzanne in action, off guard, but not with a crowd like this. Now that we were here, I refused to turn back. People gasped and murmured to their friends when they realized I was here. Not that it was a surprise. I stood head and shoulders above most humans, and Stephanie was recognizable in her own right after three seasons withThe Real Werewives, not to mention she didn’t go anywhere without her camera.
Soft boxes and LED lights illuminated the lobby. Suzanne stood in the middle of it all, dressed like she was about to sell someone a timeshare. Her hair was an unnatural shade of red, and her face had been plumped with fillers.
“And that, my friends, isThe Scoop with Suzanne.”
The crowd broke into applause as she put down the microphone. I recognized a few of the guys on the crew. At first, they waved, happy to see me, before they realized this wasn’t a friendly reunion.
Suzanne had a smile plastered on her red lips as she posed for pictures with some of the audience. That smile turned to shock when she turned to find me.
“Hello, Bjorn,” she said.
“Suzanne.” I gave her a nod. The chatter in the room dropped off. “I was hoping you’d have a moment to chat.”
She shook her head. “As you can see, I’m very busy.The Scoopis enjoying a comeback, which I’m not surprised about after we dumped the dead weight off our team. The recent interest rivals our heyday in the early 2000s. Who knew everyone would be so interested in this little town?”
I took a step closer to her, and her eyes widened as she backed away. “Tell me when you can talk. I’ve got all the time in the world.”
Her lips curled into a smile. “Bjorn Bernard, are you threatening me?”
“My record shows I would never do such a thing.” There was no way her staff wasn’t recording every word of this conversation, and even though I’d come to this meeting with a plan, I would have to choose every word carefully because all of them could be used against me. “But I think you’ll find what I’d like to talk about very interesting.”
“Oh.” She licked her lips. “Well, in that case, let’s chat.”
“Alone.” I wasn’t letting her have the upper hand in any part of this conversation. It wasn’t something that was usually important to me. I was a big guy with a deep voice who sometimes shifted into a polar bear. All those things came with a fair amount of privilege in situations like this. People usually didn’t fuck with me unless their name was Suzanne Marlowe.
Suzanne’s gaze landed on Stephanie and then back to me. “Just you and me. No cameras. No microphones.”
“I have nothing to lose.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Suzanne motioned for me to follow her.
She led me to an office that was just before the spa area. It was obviously her office, with familiar-looking whiteboards and images hung on the walls. She closed the door and sat behind the desk, motioning for me to take the seat in front of her.
I shook my head.
“What do you know about shifters?” I asked before she could try to take control of this situation. I knew I’d be on her turf, confronting her here, but it was my only chance to get her one-on-one. Still, my bear was crawling inside me, desperate to get out. It was a dangerous feeling, and honestly, I wasn’t sure who would have the final say—him or me.
Her eyes narrowed so briefly that if I weren’t a shifter, an animal skilled in hunting, fueled by instinct, I might have missed it. She did not like that question.
“I know enough,” she finally said.
“Enough to make you dangerous?”
She laughed, but it was short-lived. She leaned closer to me. “Bjorn, stop wasting my time and get to the point. You know damn well I’m dangerous without having to rely on some animal entity to back me up.”
“This is the point. But since you don’t deal in subtleties, I’ll make it really clear for you. These stunts you’re pulling might be great for the rebirth ofThe Scoop, and you know what? I’m happy for you. I never wanted you to fail, Suzanne. I wanted you to stop hurting other people to get what you wanted. But you didn’t get that message either. So here it is—you being here, using a sacred shifter artifact like some toy you got with a fast-food meal, is hurting Marissa.”
Suzanne rolled her eyes. “Enlighten me.”
“Let me count the ways.” There was only one way to deal with Suzanne. Never let her think she had the upper hand. “Her boss is questioning her loyalties, and you damn well know, in reality TV, loyalty is everything. The local shifters aren’t willing to uproot their lives to get her out of any shit she’ll inevitably step in when you invite outsiders to ogle things that don’t belong to them—”
“What about you? Are you bear enough to stand up for her?”
“What do you think I’m doing right now?”
“I’ve been trying to figure that out, but you keep ducking the question.” She rolled her eyes. This woman was so fucking frustrating. “Your family’s in town. I have to admit, it’s pretty wholesome to watch them walking around Main Street, taking family photos in front of all the major attractions. And your sister’s kids are adorable. You must be having so much fun playing uncle.”
I growled, and it made Suzanne jump. Good. “You stay away from my family.”
