The Mane Squeeze
Page 35
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Oh. Wow. The bear lumbered out from her laundry room, holding a piece of broken pipe in his hand.
This kind of snapped off. Shed lost track of how many things had kind of snapped off in the ten minutes the grizzly had been on her territory. From the second hed walked into her house, hed been exploring and the level of damage was killing her. I was just trying to see how sturdy it wasnot very, Id have to say.
Im sure it was an accident, Lock, the Van Holtz wolf said casually while watching Sharyn. That bastard had unleashed that beast on her home, proving what shed always knownthe Van Holtzes were assholes.
It was. Definitely. The bear gave a small shrug. Im really sorry about that. Ill be happy to replace it.
Shaking her head, Sharyn focused back on the wolf. So we were on your territory? So what? Who gives a fuck?
The bear stood in front of Sharyns prized curio cabinet. Shed spent years getting that together. Hitting yard sales all over Staten Island, Long Island, and Jersey. She swallowed as the bear leaned around to examine the back of the case.
The Van Holtzes give a fuck, Miss McNelly. Even more troublesome, your Pack attacked guests on my territory.
She didnt bother to hide her sneer. Mixed breeds? Thats what youre protecting?
The wolf smiled. Mixed breedsand guests. Thats the important part, dont you think?
Fed up, Sharyn pointed a finger at the wolf. You show up at my fucking house in your fancy limo and you think Im just going to roll over and give you what you want? Over some crossbreeds? Is that what you think?
No. I think youll do what I want because its the right thing to do and because
He let the sentence dangle out there as the bear tugged on her cabinet and her hands turned into fists, her eyes cutting back to the wolf. He smiled at her.
Dont mind him. Hes naturally curious. His head dipped down a bit. You know how bears are.
Yeah, she knew. Thats why she wasnt surprised when she heard something tear and turned back to see the bear easily holding her six-foot-tall cabinet in one hand and feeling around the now-tattered wall it had once been attached to with the other.
I didnt know this was attached to the wall until it came out. The bear winced. Sorry.
He pushed the cabinet back into place, but with such force the curios inside were slammed together. Im sure I can fix it.
No! She stood up and the wolf rose with her. Just leave it. The bear stepped away from the cabinet, but his attention wasquickly snagged by her television. Since that television was worth nearly seven grand and shed only paid one grand for it in a back alley, she wasnt about to lose it to a frickin bear. Spit it out already, Van Holtz. What do you want?
What the Board says anyone with a first-offense territory breach is owed. Twenty-five hundred for me and twenty-five for Brendon Shaw.
You want me to pay that cat?
The Board represents all of us. It protects all of us.
Fine. Whatever. Just get out.
Of course. And thank you for your assistance. You can send the money directly to the Board secretary.
Hell be expecting it and it will be split up appropriately.
He headed toward the door. Lock? You
A snap of thick plastic cut off the wolfs words and they both looked over. The bear held the sixty-five-inch flat screen in one hand like it weighed nothing and half of the TVs base in the other. Umdo you have another stand for this TV?
Just put it down, Sharyn growled out between clenched teeth.
I can get you a new stand or
Down.
The bear did as she asked and she walked the two interlopers to her front porch.
As the limo pulled off, Sharyns daughter and her idiot boyfriend walked up to her.
Everything okay?
Staring after the limo as it drove off her Packs Staten Island territory, Sharyn calmly asked, You went off neutral territory to nail that mixed cat on Labor Day weekend?
Donna Noreen Maire McNelly blinked a few times, which meant she was debating whether to lie or not.
Wellyou said to get her. So we got her.
Got her where?
Donna licked her lips. We tracked them to lion territory. Found the mutt first, went after her, and ONeill showed up.
Then you chased them into Van Holtz territory? And brought that rich asshole wolf right to her door.
Wellyeah.
Sharyn backhanded her daughter, sending her flying across the porch.
What the fuck was that for? Donna screamed, blood dripping from her cut lip, while her useless boyfriend, Jay Ross, leaned against the porch railings and kept busy by texting his clients.
First you didnt even kill the bitch like I told you to. Then you opened that fat yap of yours and led a goddamn Van Holtz to my fuckin door!
It wasnt me!
Then who?
Sharyn looked over at the boyfriend and without even looking away from his phone, he said, Dont even.
This kind of snapped off. Shed lost track of how many things had kind of snapped off in the ten minutes the grizzly had been on her territory. From the second hed walked into her house, hed been exploring and the level of damage was killing her. I was just trying to see how sturdy it wasnot very, Id have to say.
Im sure it was an accident, Lock, the Van Holtz wolf said casually while watching Sharyn. That bastard had unleashed that beast on her home, proving what shed always knownthe Van Holtzes were assholes.
It was. Definitely. The bear gave a small shrug. Im really sorry about that. Ill be happy to replace it.
Shaking her head, Sharyn focused back on the wolf. So we were on your territory? So what? Who gives a fuck?
The bear stood in front of Sharyns prized curio cabinet. Shed spent years getting that together. Hitting yard sales all over Staten Island, Long Island, and Jersey. She swallowed as the bear leaned around to examine the back of the case.
The Van Holtzes give a fuck, Miss McNelly. Even more troublesome, your Pack attacked guests on my territory.
She didnt bother to hide her sneer. Mixed breeds? Thats what youre protecting?
The wolf smiled. Mixed breedsand guests. Thats the important part, dont you think?
Fed up, Sharyn pointed a finger at the wolf. You show up at my fucking house in your fancy limo and you think Im just going to roll over and give you what you want? Over some crossbreeds? Is that what you think?
No. I think youll do what I want because its the right thing to do and because
He let the sentence dangle out there as the bear tugged on her cabinet and her hands turned into fists, her eyes cutting back to the wolf. He smiled at her.
Dont mind him. Hes naturally curious. His head dipped down a bit. You know how bears are.
Yeah, she knew. Thats why she wasnt surprised when she heard something tear and turned back to see the bear easily holding her six-foot-tall cabinet in one hand and feeling around the now-tattered wall it had once been attached to with the other.
I didnt know this was attached to the wall until it came out. The bear winced. Sorry.
He pushed the cabinet back into place, but with such force the curios inside were slammed together. Im sure I can fix it.
No! She stood up and the wolf rose with her. Just leave it. The bear stepped away from the cabinet, but his attention wasquickly snagged by her television. Since that television was worth nearly seven grand and shed only paid one grand for it in a back alley, she wasnt about to lose it to a frickin bear. Spit it out already, Van Holtz. What do you want?
What the Board says anyone with a first-offense territory breach is owed. Twenty-five hundred for me and twenty-five for Brendon Shaw.
You want me to pay that cat?
The Board represents all of us. It protects all of us.
Fine. Whatever. Just get out.
Of course. And thank you for your assistance. You can send the money directly to the Board secretary.
Hell be expecting it and it will be split up appropriately.
He headed toward the door. Lock? You
A snap of thick plastic cut off the wolfs words and they both looked over. The bear held the sixty-five-inch flat screen in one hand like it weighed nothing and half of the TVs base in the other. Umdo you have another stand for this TV?
Just put it down, Sharyn growled out between clenched teeth.
I can get you a new stand or
Down.
The bear did as she asked and she walked the two interlopers to her front porch.
As the limo pulled off, Sharyns daughter and her idiot boyfriend walked up to her.
Everything okay?
Staring after the limo as it drove off her Packs Staten Island territory, Sharyn calmly asked, You went off neutral territory to nail that mixed cat on Labor Day weekend?
Donna Noreen Maire McNelly blinked a few times, which meant she was debating whether to lie or not.
Wellyou said to get her. So we got her.
Got her where?
Donna licked her lips. We tracked them to lion territory. Found the mutt first, went after her, and ONeill showed up.
Then you chased them into Van Holtz territory? And brought that rich asshole wolf right to her door.
Wellyeah.
Sharyn backhanded her daughter, sending her flying across the porch.
What the fuck was that for? Donna screamed, blood dripping from her cut lip, while her useless boyfriend, Jay Ross, leaned against the porch railings and kept busy by texting his clients.
First you didnt even kill the bitch like I told you to. Then you opened that fat yap of yours and led a goddamn Van Holtz to my fuckin door!
It wasnt me!
Then who?
Sharyn looked over at the boyfriend and without even looking away from his phone, he said, Dont even.
