Poppy lifted a hand when Leo opened his mouth. Maybe because she knew he was about to tell me once again that I was Daniel’s mate.
“Leona approached the town council about selling acreage the town owns outside of the city limits. It was purchased with plans for expansion in the future. She’s been trying to buy it for several years now and, every time, the council has refused to consider the sale. With Daniel at the lead.” Poppy glanced over at Leo, who merely shrugged and gestured for her to continue. “Well, this weekend, she approached them again, using some little loophole from the town charter to keep the mayor out of it. Considering all but one of the five council members have said no in the past, I wasn’t worried. Until three suddenly supported the idea.”
“Why does she want the land?” I asked.
Poppy shrugged and looked at Leo. “I don’t know. Do you?”
He sighed. “My mother doesn’t tell me everything. She always has schemes turning and building. She doesn’t trust me with most of them as I’m a terminal source of disappointment.”
I cocked my head and stared at him. He said the words as though they were truth but there was an edge of sarcasm there. As though he didn’t truly give a shit if his mother considered him a disappointment. As thoughshewere the one who’d let him down. Having met Leona, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover she’d let him down. A lot.
I wanted to ask him more about that, but I was distracted by the door to the office opening once again, the little antique bell on top of the door frame tinkling.
Three burly men and a huge woman entered the office. I gaped at them because they were the largest people I’d ever seen. Not fat, but tall and broad as though they worked out all day every day and broke bricks with their foreheads. They were people I wouldn’t want to mess with based on their size and demeanor. Not only did they seem big and strong, they wore expressions that said they’d seen and done lots of things I wouldn’t want to know about, much less experience.
Poppy immediately stiffened, so I assumed her sense of smell was telling her something beyond what my eyes were telling me.
“You fucker!” she snarled, stepping between me and the huge people. “You treacherous bastard!”
My eyes widened as claws shot out of Poppy’s fingers and she grew a few inches taller.
“Calm down, Ms. Kent,” Leo said. “This doesn’t have to be ugly. Nor does it need to be painful. I promise that you and Ms. Shelton will remain unharmed as long as you cooperate.”
When Poppy growled at him, sounding like a large, pissed-off dog, he sighed.
“Your word means shit,” she snarled again, her voice dropping deeper, as though her chest was expanding.
“I didn’t want to have to do this,” he said.
Then, he pulled out a gun and shot her three times.
I screamed, reaching for Poppy, but one of the huge guys grabbed her before she hit the ground and slung her over his shoulder. Leo appeared before me, his tawny golden gaze almost…rueful.
“Don’t make this difficult, Ms. Shelton. I give you my word you will remain unharmed.”
“Considering you justshotPoppy three times, I don’t believe a damn word you say!” I yelled.
With another sigh, he grabbed me around the hips and slung me over his shoulder as well. “She will be fine,” he assured me. “Other than a headache from the tranquilizer when she wakes in a few hours.”
Like I could believe a damn word he said. I wanted to scream at him and fight, kicking and punching, but I knew it would be useless. Daniel had tempered his strength with me, even from the beginning. I sensed that Leo and his goons wouldn’t do the same.
The sidewalk was empty as he carried me out, but I saw a flash of color out of the corner of my eye. I glanced over and locked stares with Marjorie, who stood at the window of her bakery, cleaning the glass.
Her eyes widened and she took two steps back, pulling her phone out of her pocket. I hoped that she was going to call Poppy’s brother.
Our gazes stayed on each other until Leo hauled me into the back of a black van and slid the door shut.
16
Iused my toe to nudge Poppy.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She snored in answer.
I nudged her again, this time harder.
“Poppy!” I hissed.
