Chapter Five
The evening was cold and clear. Three blocks away from the Lion’s Den, Finn stood in the middle of the street, towering over the prone body of a curled up, wheezing coyote shifter who’d tried to rob a local shopkeeper. Big mistake. The shopkeeper was under the protection of the Hudson pack.
The coyote shifter made a desperate gurgling sound and crawled towards the sidewalk. Finn had no sympathy. The coyote was a car mechanic – he had a good job that paid well. He also had a drug habit that ate up his paycheck, which was why he’d tried to rob the shop.
Finn kicked him in the leg and held up the necklace with the letter “H” which he’d yanked from the coyote’s neck.
“Come near our territory again, and I’ll make you into a fur coat,” he snarled as the coyote scrambled to his feet and limped off, whimpering with each step.
He didn’t really mean it.
The coyote’s drug habit had left him with dull, mangy fur; he’d make a hideous coat.
Jose strode up to Finn, who scraped his boot on the ground to wipe the blood off it.
“Hey, bro,” he said to Jose. “Just cleaning up the trash.”
“Righteous,” Jose said. “So, remember that Canadian lynx who’s not your girlfriend?”
Finn felt his heart speed up, and an unwelcome rush of blood to his groin. Yeah, he remembered her, all right. He’d barely slept last night as visions of her had drifted through his mind. And all day long she’d popped into his head at odd moments. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her?
He struggled to keep his tone casual. “Kinda. I guess. Sorta rings a bell. What about her?”
“She’s at the club. Came to leave a message for Krystle, and one of the managers gave her dinner. Blair – you know she’s always a soft touch. Anyways. Now there’s three of Ruben’s patrol standing out front, demanding to be let in. They claim she’s theirs.”
A black tide of fury roared through Finn, and his fangs shot from his gums. He let out a growl of rage.
Theirs?Hell no.
Finn hurried to the club with Jose right behind him. The bears were pacing around out front, scowling at the bouncers.
“Hey, Hudson! Let us in the damn club. She came into our territory. We scented her there. She’s ours!” one of them growled at him.
“Like hell,” Finn snarled, pushing past them and storming inside. There were a couple of dozen patrons there already, some clustered around the bar, some in the play area.
His gaze swept the room until he spotted Flora. She was sitting at a table at the back of the room, eating a sandwich, still wearing the same clothes as yesterday.
Finn heard a commotion behind him as the bears barreled through the front door.
His mind was racing. He barely knew this woman, but he knew that she was in over her head. She was a nice person. Far too nice to be here in Darwin, but it was too late for that now; she was already here and there was no way he was letting Ruben’s men get their filthy paws on her.
The last time he’d tried to protect a good woman, he’d failed. Failed so badly…
For a moment, he felt desert heat and dust choking him again, and he heard the screams of his squad. He saw Marybeth lying in the sand, the light fading from her eyes.
And then he forced himself back to the present.
He wouldn’t fail. Not again.
Quickly, he crossed the club until he was standing next to Flora, who stuffed the last of the sandwich in her mouth and looked up at him in surprise.
“Listen up!” Finn roared at the top of his lungs. Everyone stopped what they were doing. A lion stood frozen by a whipping post, bullwhip thrown back. Patrons paused with their drinks at their lips.
“I claim this woman! She is mine! Anyone who tries to touch her goes through me!”
“Excuse me,” Flora said politely. “Actually, as far as me being yours—”
Finn nodded at the bears. She turned and noticed them for the first time, and went pale.
