“I think you’ve had enough.” Josh pulled the glass out of his hand and shook his head at the bartender. “Let’s get you home. My place is only a couple blocks from here. We can walk.”
Stan leaned on Josh as they staggered out of the bar and onto the street. He groaned, “I’m going to feel like shit in the morning.”
Josh laughed. “Serves you right.”
“Shit.” Stan stopped abruptly, grabbed Jack by the shirt, and stared down the street. Clouds of fog cleared for a moment and dark shadows appeared. “That’s my brother, Kyle, isn’t it?”
Jack tried to focus his drunken brain on the gang of swaggering young men.
“Look. It’s our fucking leader, all fucked up.” Kyle laughed, and his tattooed gang followed suit as if it was the funniest joke they'd ever heard. “Someone get you in the gut tonight? I heard you had to find a healer for a baby-boy hit. Time you retired, old man.”
Jack’s chest tightened and his insides went cold.That poisonous blast had come from Kyle?He shook his head.No way.It wasn’t in the nature of the cowardly drug addict to fight for leadership. What had changed in the equation?Holy Goddess. He should never drink like this. Couldn’t connect the dots. Jack started to raise his hand to blast the little twerp into oblivion but Josh caught his hand.
“What do you want?” Josh moved forward.
“I wanted Jack to meet my, mate.” Kyle grabbed a girl’s ass with one hand, her tits with the other, and kissed her roughly. He hung his arm over her shoulder and smirked. “She augments me.Perfectly.”
Bloody hell.The little shit was serious. Jack glanced at the girl. She didn’t look old enough to drive, let alone be someone’s mate.
Jack didn’t recognize her. She wasn’t Iesco, so where the hell had she come from?
“Things are going to change around here.” Kyle pointed at Jack and laughed. “I’m going to kill you. You’re lucky you’re too drunk and your family is with you, or I’d take the clan from you right now. C’mon, let’s get out of here. The stench of old people is depressing.”
Josh removed his hand from Jack’s shoulder when the gang turned back the way they came.
“And here I thought I’d already had the worst fuckin’ day of my life.” Jack sighed, his brain amazingly sober.
Stan seemed a lot more sober, too. “You think he meant it, I mean about the girl being a match? If so, he could have a real go at you.”
“I have no idea. It’s possible. I didn’t recognize that blast that hit me. I would’ve recognized Kyle’s energy unless it’s changed. We’ve fought often enough. If Kyle found a perfect match...” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “We’re screwed.”
“He’s what? Nineteen?” Josh shook his head. “Finding a perfect mate already? Highly unlikely. Besides, he’s so drugged up all the time, how would he even know?”
Stan smacked Jack on the back. “Whatever happens, you’ve got my support.”
Jack didn’t voice his doubts. “You know how it goes. If he calls me out for leadership, it’s just us, one-on-one.”
“You always win.” Josh kicked a stone on the pavement.
“I’ve never had a serious challenger. If that was his new power that zapped me”–he shook his head–“I’m a dead man. You might want to think about getting your families out of town. Our clan may be shifting back to darker ways.”
“I could shoot him for you.” Josh tilted his head as if he was considering the option.
Jack almost laughed. That was one way to deal with the little bastard. If it didn’t go against clan rules, he might take his brother up on his offer.
“Isn’t there anyone else, even remotely related in the clan who could beat him in a duel?”
“Shit, Josh. I just don’t know. You and Jase are the next most powerful. Either one of you ready to take him on?” Jack wished he could take the words back, but really? A man could endure only so much pressure, especially while inebriated.
Both Stan and Josh grimaced and walked the rest of the distance in silence.
When they reached the door to Josh’s house, Jack said in a more conciliatory tone, “Let’s sleep on it guys. Maybe we can think of something in the morning.”
Jack already knew what he had to do. He fumbled for his cell phone and called the familiar number.
* * *
Zoe had just fallen asleep when Olivia’s phone rang. She glanced at the clock and cursed into her pillow. It was three in the morning and she’d only been asleep for a couple of hours.
