He patted my head. “Stay out of trouble.”
* * *
HoursEarlier
Shortly after Tak’s strange run-in with the stunning woman on the side of the road, he located a gas station, purchased a map, and wound up even more lost than when he’d started. Somehow, he’d left Austin, and he almost ended up in San Antonio before realizing his mistake and turning the truck around.
Cities were confusing as hell. Too much traffic, misleading signs, and so many distractions.
Tak was born and raised on tribal land in Oklahoma, far from town. Everything his people needed to survive was on their land: food, herbs, meat, and weapons. They even made their own furniture and tools. But some liked gathering in the local bar or going to the grocery store to purchase luxury items. He’d even bought his truck directly from a local Shifter instead of a dealership. Tak’s tribe owned a television, so his exposure to the outside world was primarily through the news. But nothing had prepared him for the reality. The drive down to Austin was unmemorable until he reached Dallas. Panic raced through him each time the highway branched, and the locals were batshit crazy! They weaved in and out of traffic like angry little hornets.
Tak witnessed things he’d never seen before, like sexy women on giant billboards and vagrants begging for money on street corners.
He obeyed traffic signs and drove slow since patrol cars were pulling people over. The last thing he needed was the police locking him up for doing something wrong. Like every Shifter, Tak had a fake license, but he didn’t know much about human laws or which ones landed a person in jail.
After exiting the highway, he took his time searching for Melody’s apartment. The sun had set by the time he found the damn street. When he approached the front entrance, he waited by the locked doors until a resident came out. Tak sensed the man was Breed, so he gave him a friendly nod and slipped in through the door.
The elevator closed in around him like a metal coffin, and sweat beaded on his brow as he paced back and forth until the doors finally opened on the fifth floor. Once he located apartment 509, he pounded his fist against the door.
“Did you forget your key?” a woman called. When the door swung open, Melody dragged her gaze up and stared at him with wide green eyes. “Tak? What are you doing here?”
Melody looked just as he remembered, except her hair was a darker shade of purple, and her clothes were something a man would wear. Women in his tribe certainly didn’t dress in baggy sweats and oversized T-shirts.
She gave him a guarded look and turned her head away. “Lakota?”
Tak quietly waited in the hall, his hands clasped in front of him. Poor Melody was caught in the middle. Tak had nothing against her and had even given her a ring as a peace offering. The mating ceremony on his father’s land between Lakota and Melody had been a ruse, but their affection for one another was undeniable.
After Lakota had left the state, Tak thought he could move on and forget they ever knew each other. It was hard to forgive a man he trusted as a brother—one who’d tried to pin a murder on him. But there were too many unanswered questions. When Tak later found out that Lakota was a bounty hunter, it should have put his mind at ease.
But it hadn’t. The truth burrowed in him like a thorn. Lakota had completed his job investigating a murder but deceived Tak in the process, forging a fake friendship in order to infiltrate the tribe. Tak had never bonded with another male as he had with Lakota, and the betrayal haunted his dreams.
Melody stepped back when Lakota approached the door.
“Uh… H-hey, Tak,” he stammered. Lakota’s blue eyes searched his, no doubt deciphering if this was a friendly visit or one that would end in bloodshed. He probably wondered how much Tak knew about his current living situation.
Tak put his weight on the doorjamb. “Hey,brother. Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“Lakota,” Melody hissed.
Lakota looked over his shoulder at her, his voice stern. “Can you give us a minute?”
She flounced off to the left and out of sight.
Lakota stepped back and gave an imperceptible nod. “Come inside.”
Tak swaggered into the apartment and widened his eyes at the décor. “You have a pink couch,” he said, gravitating toward the kitchen, which made him feel more at ease.
Lakota strode ahead of him and reached inside the fridge. “How did you know I was here?”
“My father has Melody’s address. You know that.”
Lakota kicked the fridge shut with his heel, a bottle in each hand. “And you came all this way to see my mate?” he asked, his tone laced with suspicion.
When Lakota set the bottle of beer on the island, Tak sputtered with laughter. Tears wetted his eyes, and he wiped them away. Lakota’s hands were purple—the same color as Melody’s hair.
“Something funny?” Lakota gave him a blank stare, which made it even funnier.
Tak snorted and grabbed his beer. “Not at all. But I hope you didn’t take a piss right after you played hairdresser. Your woman might be frightened to see an eggplant coming at her in the bedroom.”
