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“It isn’t that simple, and you know it,” Kane snapped. “Care to tell me what happened?”
Although the rest of Vaughn’s face telegraphed ‘you’re not the boss of me,’ his mouth said, “I rescued a damsel in distress.”
“Any damsel I know?” Kane asked.
“I don’t know her name. One of the Arrowhead wolves.”
I swallowed laughter. “I don’t think there’s a single she-wolf in the pack you can refer to as a damsel.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. I was leaving Monk’s when I saw two guys harassing her. I assumed it was unwanted sexual advances, not that I would know anything about that. She tried to get around them and they started kicking the absolute crap out of her.”
“So you decided to intervene?” Kane queried.
Vaughn adjusted his collar with the quick flick of his fingers. “I didn’t like her odds.”
“She didn’t shift?” I asked.
“None of them did until that new cop showed up, then the two cowards turned tail and ran into the woods.”
“Why arrest you?” I asked.
“Disorderly conduct. I got a few good punches in before they fled. Pretty sure one of them has a broken nose.”
“Can you describe the she-wolf?” Kane asked.
“Middle-aged brunette. Leather jacket. Permanent snarl. Major attitude.” Vaughn smiled. “Which I would’ve appreciated more if it didn’t end with her lip split open.”
There was only one werewolf in town that fit that description. “Anna,” I said. “Her name is Anna Dupree.”
Kane’s eyebrow quirked. “You know her?”
“We’ve crossed paths more than once. She and West are tight.”
“Too bad he wasn’t with her,” Vaughn said. “I have no doubt the world would be short two werewolves this morning, and I don’t mean Anna and West.” He rubbed his jaw. “I would’ve done it myself if not for the rules.”
Kane clapped Vaughn on the back. “The guild thanks you for your restraint.”
“I’m sure Anna would offer her thanks as well,” I said. “You still saved her, regardless of whether or not you killed her attackers.”
“I gave the sketch artist a description of the two attackers, and she nailed it.” He paused. “Speaking of which, if she weren’t so young, I’d want to…”
I leveled him with a look. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” Val had been wise not to summon the sketch artist back to see Vaughn. The handsome assassin could charm the skin off a snake.
Vaughn directed his remarkable jaw at the demon prince. “Are you going to give me a demerit?”
I laughed. “You give demerits? You’re assassins, not Boy Scouts.”
“A well-run organization requires a system,” Kane said. He glanced at the mage. “I’m undecided about the demerit. Give me a couple days.”
“Am I free to go?” Vaughn asked. “I have work to do.”
Kane nodded. “We’ll drop you off at home.”
Vaughn slid into the back seat without complaint. I’d half expected him to yell “shotgun” and steal the passenger seat out from under me.
“Why do you think Anna didn’t shift?” I asked. It seemed out of character for her to let two werewolves whale on her without reverting to her stronger form. And why would two werewolves be the ones attacking her? The pack had their squabbles, but they generally took them to West to be resolved rather than engage in physical combat in the parking lot of the local dive bar.
“Hell if I know,” Vaughn said. “She seemed almost frozen, like she didn’t know how to fight back.”
