After his roller-skating date with Jamie then a late dinner at Hash It Out, Sloane was beyond ready to head home. At least this time he hadn’t fallen a dozen times on his hip. Only four times.
Jamie slid into the passenger seat of the Charger, a yawn stretching across his face as he settled against the leather.
Movement in Sloane’s peripheral made every muscle lock. Footsteps approached from the alley between buildings. Sloane closed the passenger door with a soft click, sealing Jamie inside, then turned to face the approaching figure.
He recognized the silhouette.
Mack.
The wolf emerged from shadow like oil sliding across water. Same angular face, same calculating eyes that had made family gatherings a minefield since they were pups. Same swagger, too, like the world owed him something and he’d come to collect.
“Sloane.” His cousin’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. It never did. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Every instinct within him sharpened to a knife’s edge. Having Mack this close to Jamie made every protective instinct inside Sloane flare. His wolf wanted to bare teeth, establish dominance, make it clear his mate was off-limits. But revealing Jamie’s importance would paint a target on his back.
“Could say the same. What’re you doing in town, Mack?”
“Can’t a guy visit?” His gaze slid past him to the car. “Making new friends?”
That wasn’t curiosity. That was the first poke of a predator looking for weakness.
One wrong twitch and not even your memory will survive me. Sloane angled his body to block the view of Jamie, who’d dozed off to sleep. “Answer the question.”
“Business.” Mack shrugged, studying Sloane with an intensity that made his skin crawl. “Nothing that concerns you.”
Bullshit. Business meant trouble, always had with Mack. The family had severed ties years ago, but he had a way of resurfacing, a wound that still bled poison.
“How’s Logan?” Mack asked. Bringing up Sloane’s brother was like dropping a match near gasoline. For his cousin, this wasn’t concern, conversation, or even curiosity. It was a pressure point. A wolf nosing a fresh wound just to see the reaction.
Sloane catalogued the distance between them, the empty street, the way Mack’s jacket hung loose enough to hide weapons. He didn’t ask. Years of experience had taught him that Mack fed on reactions. He grew bolder with every flinch or snarl. It was better to be stone than give him ammunition.
“Give him my regards.” Mack’s smile widened, all teeth and no warmth. “Tell him I said hello.”
Like hell. Logan would lose his mind if he knew Mack was sniffing around town. Last time their cousin showed up, it had taken three pack members to pull Logan off him.
“You should go.” Not a suggestion. Sloane’s voice carried the kind of calm that preceded violence.
Mack raised both hands in mock surrender. “No need for hostility. Just passing through.” His gaze flicked once more to the car. “Cute passenger. Anyone special?”
The question slithered through the air. Sloane’s wolf snarled silently, his hackles rising at the threat, because that was what this was. His cousin didn’t do innocent questions.
“Nobody you need to concern yourself with.”
“If you say so.” Mack stepped backward, melting into shadow, like he’d never been there at all. “See you around, cousin.”
Sloane waited until he no longer heard footsteps before pulling out his phone. Logan picked up on the second ring.
“Let me guess. You need a wingman to close a deal.” He tsked. “Sorry, bro. Tonight you’re on your own.”
“Mack’s in town.” Sloane kept his voice low, eyes scanning the empty street. “Just ran into him outside Frothy Pine.”
Silence stretched across the line. Then Logan’s voice came back, harder than granite. “The fuck is he doing here?”
“Said he’s here on business, but you know how reliable his explanations are.”
“Get your ass home now.” The line went dead.
Sloane slid behind the wheel, and then the engine purred to life. He pulled away, Jamie’s soft breathing the only sound in the car. His wolf settled slightly, content at their mate right next to them.
