Big Bad Beast
Page 16

Hes your father.
He hates me.
Thats not true.
Mom. Ric laughed. Come on. You sent me to Uncle Vans every summer rather than risk me spending days home alone with just him and Wendell while you were out. Probably because you were afraid of what hed do while you were gone.
She snatched her hands back from his and stood, stepping away from her son. Ulrich Van Holtz!
That is a horrible thing to say about your own father.
Ric stood, shrugged. But not exactly inaccurate.
Dee walked into the Group offices cafeteria and immediately noticed how quickly all conversation stopped.
What now? she asked the room.
One of the coyote weapons technicians, with his legs up on one of the tables, grinned at her and asked, Youre working with KZS?
Yeah. And?
You? You?
Whats that supposed to mean? I work with the worthless, lazy evil felines around here all the time. It dont make me no nevermind.
Perhaps, one of the cheetahs sweetly suggested, referring to felines as lazy and evil
Dont forget worthless, Dee reminded her with a smile.
Right. Perhaps . . . that might suggest that you, of all beings on this planet, shouldnt be working with the pro-feline, noncanine-fan Katzenhaft members.
But why? When Im willing to overlook yalls flaws and annoying feline habits?
This isnt just some feline, a sloth bear pointed out over canine laughter. This is Bare Knuckles Malone. She used to play with the Nevada Slammers before she came out here. She ranks third in all-time penalty minutes behind The Marauder and that polar bear who tore off a hyenas jaw with his teeth.
Dee sweetly crossed her hands over her upper chest. Are yall worried about me?
No, the entire room kicked back, making Dee laugh until that hand slammed down on her shoulder, nearly ripping it out of her socket.
Smith, Malone said, smiling.
Malone. Dee glanced at the hand gripping her shoulder. You wanna keep those fingers, feline?
You wanna take your best shot, backwoods?
Wait, wait, a male wolf injected. Dont do this . . . He stood. Until we pull the tables back. Blayne Thorpe wiggled her cute little butt out from under the restaurants kitchen sink. All done!
Ric finished up the eggs, bacon, and toast, and placed it on the counter where Blayne would have her late breakfast.
Thanks for getting here so quick, he said, before wiping down his pans.Were completely booked for lunch and dinner, so a backed-up sink would have killed us.
No problem. Blayne scrubbed her hands clean before hopping up on a stool and enjoying her food while watching Rics crew get ready for their lunch service. She managed to light up the room without being intrusive. It was definitely a gift, especially in a busy restaurant kitchen.
So, she asked, are you going to give your dad the money? Ric rested his elbows on the counter and his chin on his raised fists. No, which is going to irritate him.
But dont you have to give him what he wants when he asks for it? Isnt that Pack rules or something?
Not unless you no longer want to have a Pack. Although Blayne was half wolf, her father hadnt been part of the Pack since shed been born. The Magnus Pack Alphaslike most wolf Packs at the time and some still todayrefused to let him stay if he insisted on keeping Blayne. So she had little experience with Pack law. She did, however, have a great father. Moody, a tad terse, but he loved his daughter. Ric briefly wondered what that was liketo know your father loved you. Due to the opposable-thumb flaw all shifters have, you take a huge risk that they might leave the Pack if you attempt to abscond with their money.
Aaaah. I forgot about the opposable-thumb flaw. She held up her hands, wiggled her thumbs.
Damn these thumbs. Damn them!
Ric laughed, so glad now that hed had sink problems. Blayne always had a way of getting his mind off . . . well, pretty much everything.
So heres my plan, she said, pouring herself more orange juice. July Fourth is coming up and Im thinking about getting Bo to throw a party for all my friends. Doesnt that sound great?
Why would you do that to us, Blayne? Ric asked honestly. You know we love you and you abuse that by trying to force us to spend time with that cretin.
He is not a cretin. Hes misunderstood!
Im surprised his knuckles arent dragging on the ground and that he can create whole sentences with subject-verb agreement.
She shook her finger in his face. I will make you and Lock and Bo get along. Nothing will stop me from making you three the best of friends!
You mean besides my and Locks moral outrage on Novikovs existence on this very planet?
Allowed to breathe our precious air?
Blaynes lips twisted briefly before she asked, Cant you just say you find him annoying?
I find Locks insistence I dont put enough honey in my honey glaze annoying. I find Novikov offensive and barbaric.