“Or your father. He’s an alpha.”
I went to shut the front door. “Once my father sees a strange man lying in my bed, he’ll probably pull up a chair and watch him suffer.”
“Surely he’ll change his mind when you tell him that Tak saved your life.”
“He won’t see it that way. Once he hears all the facts, he’ll say that all my troubles started the day I met Tak. He’s old-fashioned. He’ll think that I somehow angered the spirits by inviting him in.”
“Well, your mother will talk some sense into him. You can’t just let a man suffer like that.”
“You don’t know my father. He makes blankets out of the pelts of his enemies. That’s not a rumor.”
Lakota stormed into the room, a swath of hair askew from his topknot. “What happened to him?”
I looked between them and rubbed my eyes. “Why don’t you two sit down, and I’ll make a pot of coffee. Then I’ll tell you the whole story from beginning to end.”
* * *
One hourand three cups of coffee later, Melody and Lakota were up to speed. I’d told them about the broken window, the death threat, the irate customer, the accusations I made in Dutch’s store, how Tak and I came to meet again, the stolen money, and Dumont setting the fire before going feral and trying to kill everyone.
I left out the part about falling in love because Lakota wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else. He obviously cared about Tak, but they hadn’t resolved their differences, so I didn’t know where their relationship stood. It was also premature to reveal my feelings to my brother when I hadn’t yet made any declaration to Tak.
Lakota set his empty mug on the kitchen island and turned it in circles. “So that bear was behind it all. You see? This is why you two need a security guard in your store. There are always scammers and extortionists.”
“I think I heard about that guy,” Melody said, twirling her hair around her finger. “I’d forgotten the story until just now. A couple of months ago, I was talking to a lady who runs an antique store, and she was telling me about some crazy customer who was harassing her, making threats, starting rumors. She even had her windshield busted out, but she had no proof that it was him doing it.”
“What happened?” I asked.
Mel’s gaze drifted up to the sunflower. “She wound up paying him a big chunk of money to leave her alone, and that was the end of it. It was just one of those cautionary tales we were sharing about bad customers, but maybe he was doing it to other shopkeepers. She thought it was an isolated case, but obviously it wasn’t. We should ask around.”
“It won’t matter to the Council since the case is closed,” Lakota pointed out. “From the sound of it, they already ruled in Tak’s favor for a justified killing. They’re not going to care about all those details since the guy’s dead.”
Mel tucked her hair behind her ears. “No, butIcare. Maybe if we had more communication in our neighborhood, we’d know what was going on. We could have stopped it before it landed on our doorstep. I would never have sold him that damn purse.” She turned to face me. “And I don’t know Dutch, but I hope he’s okay. He was the obvious suspect, so you had every right to go in and confront him. I would have done the same.”
Lakota chortled. “You would have set his car on fire.”
She sipped her coffee. “You underestimate my wrath.” Mel set down the cup and tucked her fist beneath her chin. “Maybe we need to create a community watch for store owners. Share information on vandalism and scams. We’re always so competitive with one another that maybe we might actually improve business if we worked together.”
“I think you’re right,” I said on a yawn. “If someone is blackmailing one of us for money, then everyone in the area has the right to protect themselves by blacklisting that person. If we can collect enough evidence, maybe the higher authority can lock them up or banish them from the city. No one should have their store burned down, let alone die. It might set an example for others who have the same ideas about messing with Starlight Road. The only challenge is getting others to feel the same way and show up to meetings. You know how people around here are, and they might not trust the new girls, especially the people who are prejudiced against Shifters.”
Lakota glanced at the microwave clock. “I should call Mother and see what’s holding them up. Maybe they went home first.”
All three of us jumped when a fist pounded against the door. “Open up, or I’m knocking it down!” my father demanded.
“The man is psychic,” Lakota muttered, hopping out of his seat and jogging toward the door.
Melody and I stood up and wandered into the living room to greet them.
“Where is she?” My father shoved past Lakota.
The moment he laid eyes on me, I felt like a dandelion about to lose all my white florets from an oncoming storm. I straightened my back and lifted my chin, ready for his rebuke as he stalked forward with a menacing stride.
To call my father an intimidating man would be an understatement.
The moment he reached me, he fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around my waist, speaking words of love in his mother tongue. My mother stepped beside him and kissed my cheeks many times, reminding me of her unwavering devotion.
There was no yelling, no anger, no judgment, no withholding of love.
When he finally rose to his feet, he pressed a kiss to my forehead and brushed his fingers across my old scars. It was something he did occasionally in moments of affection. That day had never left his thoughts any more than it had mine. His gaze sharpened when he scanned my body and noticed all the bloodstains.
