Not all groupies dressed up with fake Collars or wore fake cat’s ears or whiskers, thank God. Many looked normal, and Joe pretty much blended in.
Joe was good at blending in. He’d observed the people who came here, and had bought clothes they’d wear—in this case, jeans from a higher-end shop at the mall and a Harley T-shirt.
He knew from careful observation that Shane came to this bar quite often. Sometimes Shane left with a woman; sometimes he left with his brother or Shifter friends; sometimes he worked here as a bouncer. Only a matter of time before Joe would have the chance to corner Shane, maybe when the bear snuck out for a bit with one of the groupies. A drunk groupie woman could be taken out with a mild tranq before Joe tackled the harder job of tranquing and hauling away the bear.
Hardest of all would be lugging the bear carcass someplace out into the desert to dump it after the kill. He’d slay the bear in one of his cabins, which he’d already prepared, complete with plastic for keeping the blood off the floor and walls.
The Shifter paying the bounty said he’d take the head as proof of death. Joe would make sure Shane was in bear form when the bullets went into him. He knew a taxidermist who didn’t ask questions, so he could get the bear head stuffed before he tried to drive it across the border into Mexico. Less messy.
Shane walked into the club while Joe was going over his plans for about the hundredth time. He’d come with his brother, plus another bear Shifter Joe hadn’t seen before and a dark-haired Shifter woman who didn’t look too happy.
The table next to Joe’s had cleared out moments ago, and Joe kept his gaze on his beer bottle while Shane and friends approached that very table. Shane’s brother peeled away to go to the bar, and the Shifter woman sat heavily on the chair that the third Shifter man pulled out for her.
Joe took up his beer and concentrated on two sexy human women in tight red dresses gyrating on the dance floor, pretending not to notice the bears at all.
“I don’t even know why I’m here,” the Shifter woman was growling.
“Because Cormac wanted to see the place,” Shane said, sitting down. His back was about three inches from Joe’s chair. “You like Coolers, Mom. You come here all the time.”
“Sure, to talk to my friends. Not to get all dolled up like I’m just past my Transition. Why did you want me to wear this? You wanted to see if a large woman could stuff herself into a tight dress?”
She was glaring at the Shifter who must be Cormac. If she was Shane’s mother, Joe’s research put her as the bear Shifter Nell.
Nell didn’t look bad in her black, slinky dress. She called herself large, but she meant she had breasts the stripper he’d watched early this morning would envy, and hips that drew attention to her nicely shaped ass. If Joe were into Shifters, he might give Nell another look.
Nell’s entire attention was on Cormac, and Cormac’s on her. Shane got to his feet. “I’ll just go help Brody with the drinks.”
“You stay right where you are, Shane,” Nell said, in the tone of a person using anger to cover fear.
“If Brody has to carry more than two drinks, he’ll spill something. Better this way.”
Shane shoved his chair aside, backed up a step, and ran straight into Joe. Joe’s beer jolted, but Shane grabbed the bottle out of Joe’s hand in a swift move and set the beer down before it could spill.
“Sorry, man,” Shane said. “Want me to get you another?”
Joe shook his head, waving to indicate everything was fine. He didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to give the bear too many points of recognition. Shane shrugged and went across the floor in search of his brother.
“This isn’t going to work,” Nell said, as soon as Shane was gone.
The blue-eyed Shifter leaned back and sent her a smile. “Having Shane and Brody get the drinks?”
“Don’t pretend to be obtuse. I’ve been thinking about this all day, while you and my sons made so much noise in my kitchen. You felt some kind of obligation to find me when you read Magnus’s letter? It’s irrelevant now. He’s been gone for more than a century, and I didn’t even know about the stupid letter. It doesn’t mean you need to be my mate. Even if you are good at putting up shelves.”
Cormac listened to her adamant words, his expression one of interest and concern. When she finished, he casually draped his arm over the back of her chair. “When he died, why didn’t you go back to your own clan? You must have been out of your mind with grief, and scared witless.”
“Because they were about eight hundred miles away, and I had two little cubs and no money. All I could think about was survival, right then and there. Besides, no one had been happy with me accepting Magnus’s mate-claim, and we’d never gone through the sun and moon ceremonies. Magnus didn’t think they were necessary.” She sighed. “You know what it means that I couldn’t go back to my clan? Means I couldn’t have a Guardian send his body to dust. I had to burn him.”
Joe knew that when Shifters died, a Shifter called a Guardian stuck a sword through the dead Shifter’s heart. Apparently, they believed that this released the soul to the next life. Burial or cremation in the human form was anathema to them. Joe imagined the poor woman, two little kids clinging to her, having to make a decision to dispose of the body that went against all her beliefs. Must have been rough.
Cormac came forward and put his hands over both of Nell’s, his engulfing hers. “I am so, so sorry. I wish I could have found you then. But at least I’ve found you now.”
“Yeah? Well you’re about a hundred and thirteen years too late.”
“No.” Cormac’s voice was steady. “It’s never too late to not be alone.”
Nell studied Cormac with a kind of wide-eyed daze that was almost panic. “I’m used to being alone. I’ve done everything alone.”
“You might be used to it, but you don’t like it. You can’t lie to me, Nell. I can read you, and I can scent you. What I’m sensing is a Shifter who likes to take care of everyone, but doesn’t do many things for herself.”
“Hey, I get out. I come here. I’ve had a sex life, thank you very much. My boys are embarrassed about it.”
“Not the same thing as letting yourself look for happiness. Before you kick me out on my ass, give me a chance to help you find that happiness.”
Nell went silent. Shane and Brody sure were taking a long time fetching the drinks, and Joe saw the pain in Nell’s eyes when she glanced at the bar as though looking for her sons.
The guy Cormac was pouring out his heart. In Joe’s opinion, he was rushing Nell a little—sounded like he’d read some letter her mate had written and he’d showed up here because of it. Amazing how they talked about a century here, a century there, like humans talked about years. Must have been hard on her, being Shifter way back then, when Shifters had hidden their true natures, especially with kids to take care of.
Joe watched them out of the corner of his eye as he took another sip of beer. Both the Shifters wore Collars, and both were larger than humans, but they looked right together. They fit. With their fingers entwined, Nell looking at their joined hands, Cormac’s gaze fixed on Nell, Joe figured it was only a matter of time.
Cormac tugged Nell a little closer. “Tell you what. Why don’t we dance a little?”
Nell looked up, not liking that. “If we leave before Brody and Shane get back, we’ll lose the table.”
“There are other tables.” Cormac laughed. “You know half the people here. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind sharing.”