“Where are you going?” I called out, wide-eyed as he sauntered toward the back.
I turned in my seat, and it was like watching a silent movie. Tak stood in the middle of the street in a sarong. He reached inside the driver’s side open window of the car behind us and opened the door.
My breath caught when he leaned inside the car. What was he going to do, kill a human for honking the horn? A dizzying wave of panic swept over me, and the temptation to speed away grew strong. I couldn’t get wrapped up in something like this. I’d be an accomplice.
Seconds later, Tak straightened, turned around, and swung his arm like a pitcher. A shiny cluster of keys somersaulted through the air, landing on top of a tire shop across the street.
Through the open door, a swarm of profanities flew at Tak. But he ignored the guy, casually swatting a bug on his neck as he headed back.
When he got in and shut the door, he took his time adjusting the seat to give him more legroom.
Thunderstruck, I kept staring.
He finally noticed. “Something wrong?”
“I… I thought you were going to kill him.”
He said something in his language.
“What does that mean?”
Tak’s knees came apart as he relaxed, and he turned his head and gave me a tight grin. “There are better ways to piss off a man than to break his nose. My people save their daggers for true enemies. My fists are to protect and serve. But assholes like that don’t get my time. People will never trust an alpha with a hot temper.”
I wanted to hit the gas, but the light had turned red again. “I need to drop you off at the motel.”
“No. You need to take care of business. Family first. Business second. Brain-damaged houseguests third.”
I chuckled and shook my head.
“You should do that more often,” he said. “You have a nice smile. Laughter is good for the soul.”
“I laugh all the time. It’s just hard to find humor when my life is falling apart.”
Tak suddenly reached over and turned my chin to face him. He brushed his fingers across my jaw and stroked my cheek with a compassionate touch—one that was unexpected and reassuring. The intensity of his gaze was so powerful that I couldn’t look anywhere else—it drew me in and held my attention. Within moments, my restless wolf settled, and I realized Tak was using his alpha power to calm me.
“If someone has made you afraid, I’ll take care of it,” he said, his words inviting no argument.
His promise wrapped around me like a blanket, and as much as I wanted to let him keep touching me, I drew back. I knew better than to let a wolf beguile me. Many were smooth talkers who would do anything to get what they wanted.
I knew all about that game of consequence.
Tak lowered his arm but kept looking at me.
When the light turned green again, I hit the gas. After a few turns, we arrived at my shop and were lucky enough to find an empty spot up front. People were strolling down the sidewalks with shopping bags, and one little girl in a pink dress flew by with an ice cream cone melting down her hand.
I opened my door. “Wait here. I’ll just be a few minutes.”
To my relief, the store window was miraculously intact as if nothing had occurred. I approached the door, scanning the sidewalk for glittering flecks of glass. Mr. Franklin and his men had done a superb job cleaning up, but I still planned to sweep and mop later on.
I whirled around when I caught Tak’s reflection in the window. He stepped up on the curb, and I thought how one strong gust of wind might blow that sarong clear across the street, where a bevy of women were gawking at him.
I quickly unlocked the door. “You’re going to ruin my reputation.”
He chuckled darkly and held the door open. “That’s what I do best.”
I rushed to the counter to make sure that all my jewelry was accounted for. I closely examined the locked displays and checked the safe where I hid the more expensive pieces. Everything looked okay, so I headed to the back of the store to make sure the door was locked.
When I returned, Tak was standing in the middle of the store with a bowling ball in his hands.
