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"Thank you for being there, Zeke," Tanner said but didn't open his eyes. Zeke reached over, took his hand, and held it as they made their way through town to the Zephyr Club. Tanner would be safe there. No one would dare attack the Zephyr unless they had a death wish.
"I will always be there for you." He told him. Tanner rolled his head to the side and opened his eyes.
"I believe you." That was the sweetest response Zeke could have asked for. They pulled in behind the club and parked next to the back door. They were just getting out of the vehicle when Noa and Parc met them and escorted them inside.
They proceeded to the main room, where Cross was seated at the bar with Ames. He was told that Lowell was in the surveillance room monitoring the area immediately outside the Club. Hofer was on the roof with a high-powered rifle, and Cross had the bear clan on standby. He was prepared, and Zeke appreciated his thoroughness.
Tanner stayed close to Zeke and held his hand as everyone sat at one of the large tables. Tanner was apprehensive, which was understandable. He didn't know these guys the way Zeke knew them. To him, they were all strangers. Zeke introduced him to everyone and informed them that Tanner was aware of the paranormal. "His previous roommate, Salem, was a fox shifter, and he came home injured one night and happened to shift in front of my mate."
"It was shocking," Tanner commented but did not elaborate. Cross eyed him curiously.
"I'm sure it was," Cross said, and Tanner looked up at him.
"I won't say anything. I understand the need for secrecy. I've never mentioned it to anyone except Zeke, and I only mentioned it to him because I had a feeling he might be a shifter." Tanner was explaining himself, and it was not necessary.
"We trust you, Tanner," Cros told him, and that seemed to be all Tanner needed. He turned to Zeke with a smile of more than just relief; he looked pleased.
"You're good; you're one of us now," Zeke said, and the others at the table agreed. Tanner's smile got a little wider. They began discussing the situation at hand when Cross got a call and excused himself from the table.
"Why don't you and Tanner take the apartment next to mine and Danny's. The two on the third floor aren't large enough for a tiger shifter of your size." Parc offered, and Zeke agreed.
"So, where do you actually live, Zeke?" Tanner threw that observation out there and caught him up short for a moment. "Do you have a home or an apartment? My guess is that you own a home with a large lot." Tanner continued and gave Zeke a teasing side-eye.
"I own a home in a nice residential neighborhood with a two-acre lot. It's a three-bedroom ranch with a large porch, a two-car garage, and a barn for my recreational vehicles." Zeke gave him the whole truth.
"He likes a lot of room," Noa interjected with a chuckle.
“You didn’t strike me as an apartment kind of guy, but my rent was due, and you wanted to move in right away, so I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.”
"I'm glad you didn't look too closely; otherwise, I would have been stuck outside keeping an eye on you instead of enjoying the warmth and hospitality of your home." Zeke leaned over and gave Tanner a sweet kiss on the lips.
“We didn’t think there would be a problem, but Zeke was really worried about your safety. We’re glad he followed up on his concerns.” Parc commented.
"So am I." Tanner chimed in. Just then, Cross returned to the table.
“Is anyone familiar with the name Blake Christopher?” He asked and looked around the table.
"He's Salem's boyfriend. Salem moved in with him a few days ago. It's the reason I was looking for a new roommate." Tanner spoke up.
"I met him yesterday," Zeke interjected. "He's a wolf shifter and pretty full of himself.
“He was really upset that I rented to you rather than a friend of his that he sent over. It was some guy named Loren Fish, but he gave me a bad feeling I would have never rented to him.” Tanner added.
"That was Griff's brother who called. He told me that Blake is the money man; he hired all these guys, and he put the hit on Griff." Cross told them, and although it was unexpected, Zeke wasn't really surprised.
"Loren Fish was one of the men from the parking lot. He's the one who killed Griff. Griff's clan has already eliminated him along with many others that were involved in setting up Griff." Cross glanced around at his men there at the table.
“I wonder how many men Blake has left.” Noa speculated.
"Depends on how many more he can hire," Parc responded with disdain.
"We're going to have to be vigilant over the next few days. According to Griff's clan, Blake Montgomery is losing it, so to speak. He knows that they want him, and his pack which consists of the men who work for him at his real estate firm, and at his banking interests are less than capable of taking on a bear clan. He's looking for clout, and he's looking for some payback." Cross clarified.
"Payback from whom?" Zeke asked, confused as to what Blake thought was owed to him. His heart sank when Cross looked straight at Tanner.
"He believes that Tanner is the one who alerted the bears. He believes that Tanner saw his men kill Griff. Blake knows that he is aware of the paranormal, so in his messed-up thinking, he put it together that Tanner was the source of his pain and possible downfall." Cross finished, and there was silence for a few seconds.
"We don't have to worry about his pack; they're useless, and most of his hired muscle has been dealt with. The bears are on Blake's trail, so we just wait." Cross stated, and it sounded like a good idea, but Zeke was not comfortable with someone like Blake out there possessing evil intent against his innocent mate.
