Patrick raised his glass slightly in answer to that statement before slipping away so the next person could order. He took a sip of the whiskey, the flavor exploding over his tongue. It tasted delicious, though Patrick couldn’t help but wonder what it would taste like on Jono’s lips.
Can’t have everything you want, Patrick told himself.
If he could, he wouldn’t be in this situation.
Patrick slipped through the crowd toward the back of the bar, scanning the faces around him until he caught sight of a familiar one from earlier that day. Leon had a seat at the back corner table taken over by a group of people headed up by just the man Patrick was looking for.
Marek seemed far more at ease now than when they’d left him hunched over in pain in his office. The tech CEO sat beside a pretty Chinese American woman wearing a little black dress and gesturing with one hand while the other held a pint glass steady on the table. The people surrounding them were pressed in close, drinks in hand and empties shoved to the middle. The conversation looked friendly, the vibe open and relaxed.
That ended the moment Leon got eyes on Patrick.
Patrick drank down his whiskey in one long swallow as Leon stood up and headed his way, a scowl on his face and anger in his eyes. No sense in wasting good whiskey.
Leon slid through the crowd with deadly focus, and people instinctively pulled away. He came to a stop directly in front of Patrick, standing toe-to-toe with him, forcing Patrick to tilt his head back in order to look him in the eye.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Leon demanded.
Patrick held up his empty glass and wiggled it from side to side, ignoring the curious looks directed their way. “I thought it was obvious.”
“Get out.”
“Oh, you know I can’t do that.” Patrick smiled, showing his teeth in a challenge any werecreature would recognize. “A mutual acquaintance owes your boss some money for an answer. I’m here to discuss payment and trade.”
“There a problem, Leon?” Jono asked.
Patrick watched out of the corner of his eye as Jono slipped free of the crowd to stand at Leon’s right in an obvious show of support. Patrick inwardly sighed. Pack solidarity was in full force. Patrick doubted he’d ever get the chance to find out what Jono was like in bed now that they were standing on opposite sides.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” Leon replied.
“I guarantee you can’t handle me, Leon. But I’m not here to fight. I’m here to do my job,” Patrick said.
His gaze flickered around the bar, tracking the movements of the crowd and picking out people taking position to act as further backup. They weren’t being subtle about it. The noise level had quieted some as their little group became the focus of everyone in the bar.
“Your job gave me a migraine that cost me a thousand dollars to get rid of,” Marek said as he came up behind Leon and Jono.
“You can afford it.”
“What’s going on?” the Chinese American woman asked with a weight of authority to her voice that had Patrick reassessing the power balance in the group.
She was an alpha, and the only person in their small group who didn’t shift to give ground to her was Jono.
“This is the guy who came by with Casale this afternoon, Emma,” Leon said.
Dark brown eyes glared at Patrick angrily, but he let everyone’s animosity slide off him like water.
“You’re not welcome. Get the fuck out,” Emma said to Patrick.
Patrick ignored her and looked over her shoulder at where Marek stood behind the three. “You mind calling off your guard dogs?”
Leon’s hand shot out and grabbed the front of Patrick’s T-shirt, hauling him up on the balls of his feet in a sudden move that made Patrick’s teeth clack together. “That’s fucking it—”
“Leon,” Marek said sharply, grabbing at his shoulder. “Let him go. He’s a fucking cop.”
Patrick didn’t fight to break Leon’s hold, just smirked up at the taller man. He flipped the empty glass up in the air close to Leon’s head, forcing Leon to grab it with his free hand to keep from getting hit in the face with it. Patrick thought he heard the glass crack when he caught it.
“You heard him,” Patrick said. “Hands off.”
For a second, Leon didn’t move. Then he abruptly let Patrick go with a hard shove. Patrick stumbled backward a step but caught himself before he went too far. As he turned his head to look at Marek, something caught his eye.
