After August, when Jono had put Nicholas on his knees in the challenge ring, forced him to shift, and made him show throat, Jono honestly thought the other man would lose his status as dire for the New York City god pack. Nicholas hadn’t been seen again until sometime in September—after probably being punished severely for his failure.
Jono believed Estelle and Youssef had taken their anger out on the other man over the course of that time frame. Werecreatures healed fast, but several weeks was a long time to hurt. Normally, Jono would be bloody pissed about a situation like that, but Nicholas reaped what he sowed. Jono wasn’t going to waste sympathy on an arsehole.
Jono was still surprised Nicholas had somehow kept his position as dire.
“Seems like you’ve had lousy business lately,” Nicholas drawled.
“Not lousy enough to close, if that’s what you were hoping,” Sage said, her wine abandoned in favor of facing off with Nicholas.
Nicholas’ gaze flicked around the bar, taking in those who were human and oblivious to their interaction, the magic users who were looking askance at them, and the werecreatures who had all stopped talking and sat tense in their seats. Jono could hear their hearts pounding in their chests from having been caught where they shouldn’t be.
“Bar is open to anyone. Even you,” Jono said as he headed toward Nicholas. “Doesn’t mean you’ll get a nice welcome.”
Nicholas’ smile was slight and condescending. “I’ll take a beer.”
“And I’ll take your money first.”
Capitalism at its finest meant money was exchanged for a pint before business was dealt with. Jono shoved the cash into the register before pouring Nicholas a beer and placing the drink in front of him. Jono braced his hands against the edge of the lower work counter where a couple of rows of clean glasses were stacked.
“What do you want?” Jono asked.
“You know the drill. This isn’t the first time I’ve come around to check on you,” Nicholas shot back.
Jono didn’t blink, gaze boring into Nicholas’. “Still employed. Still not your business.”
Nicholas gestured at the rest of the bar and the werecreatures seated within. “They are.”
Heartbeats spiked in Jono’s ears, and fear pushed through the embedded smell of alcohol in the bar.
“They’ve done nothing but come in out of the rain for a drink,” Sage said, having moved from her first seat to take up one closer to Nicholas.
The empty barstool between them was an invisible wall Jono knew Sage would have no qualms about crossing if Nicholas forced her hand. Considering Sage was a master at manipulating words, he doubted Nicholas would get that far.
“The alphas gave an order. They expect to be obeyed.” Nicholas raised his pint glass to his mouth and took a sip. “You’ve been getting visitors you shouldn’t have.”
Somehow, Jono didn’t think Nicholas was talking about the ones in the bar. He kept his heartbeat steady and calm, letting nothing seep through his scent that would give away his true feelings.
“You think so?” Jono asked.
In response, Nicholas pulled out his mobile and tapped at the screen a few times before turning it so Jono could see. The picture was taken from inside a car, the pouring rain and water running down the windshield distorting the picture. He could still make out the figures on the sidewalk and the faint glow of Patrick’s mageglobe in the photograph.
Jono hadn’t smelled anything out of the ordinary the other night. Which meant whoever had taken the picture had been passing through or used an artifact to hide their presence on the street while keeping watch.
Jono kept a stranglehold on his anger at being spied on, refusing to give Nicholas the satisfaction of an emotional response.
“I’m certain the SOA will be thrilled to know you’re threatening a witness vital to their investigation into your pack,” Sage said. When Nicholas looked at her, she pointedly tapped the edge of her mobile where she had it balanced against the bar to record. “I’ll be sure to pass the video along to Agent Collins.”
Nicholas’ eyes narrowed and his hand tightened around his mobile before he shoved it back into his pocket. “I didn’t consent to be recorded.”
“New York is a one-party consent state, and I’m sure Jono doesn’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Jono replied easily enough.
“There we go.” Sage tapped at the screen a couple of times before calmly placing her mobile aside and out of Nicholas’ reach. “I’ve sent the video to Patrick.”
Nicholas clenched his jaw, letting go of his pint glass. “You place too much assurance on his job to save you.”
“You’re only pissed because that’s leverage you don’t have,” Jono said, giving him a sharp smile. He kept his teeth human-shaped, knowing the lack of fangs would tell Nicholas he didn’t see the other man as a threat.
