“I was thinking I’d save our family home and restaurant, and I’m a grown woman, and I can make my own decisions!” Savannah’s face was turning red as she yelled. “And Austin had no say in it whatsoever, so do not blame him, and do not hit him!”
“Savannah! I can live without the house, I can live without the restaurant! Do you think I can live without you?” Laurel burst into tears. They ran down her plump cheeks in little rivers, and her shoulders quivered, and her whole body shook with sobs.
Savannah flinched, looking mortified. Austin didn’t blame her. He almost wanted to start blubbering himself, he felt so badly. He knew that Laurel was piling it on thick, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t working.
“Damn it, Mom. Don’t cry,” Savannah said, her voice drenched in misery. “Couldn’t you just punch me again? Right in the face?”
“Don’t tempt me.”Her mother pulled a handkerchief from her skirt pocket and dabbed at her eyes.
Savannah hugged herself, staring glumly at the ground. “Who’s watching the restaurant?”
“I was forced to leave your sister and Niall in charge.” Her mother’s brows pinched together. “Not an ideal situation. Oh, and Anthony’s back there, with his brothers. They’re sleeping in the living room and helping to wait tables.”
“Oh. Right. Anthony. I guess he told you everything.” Savannah winced.
“After I twisted his ear half off? You bet he did,” her mother said fiercely.
“Hey,” Austin said, a bolt of alarm shooting through him. “If you’re over here,who’s watching Roy?“
“Oh my God.” Savannah went white.
The three of them raced back. The door of the truck was open, and Roy was gone. Just gone.
They ran around to the other side of the truck.
Roy was leaning on the side of the truck, free, in human form – with shattered chain links lying all around him on the ground.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” he said, his lips curved up in a sarcastic smile.
Austin clenched his fists and snarled. Savannah froze where she stood.
Laurel marched right up to him and slapped him in the face.
Savannah cried out in horror, and Austin leaped forward, standing right by her side, ready to fight. But Roy just smirked and rubbed his cheek.
“Mom!” screamed Savannah. She ran over to her mother and grabbed her arm. “Have you gone insane? You can’t run around hitting everyone! Especially crazy wolves who are going to kill you for it!”
Then she looked suspiciously at Roy as Austin moved again, angling his body between Savannah and Roy.
“Why aren’t you killing us?” she demanded.
“Youwantme to kill you?” He looked annoyed. “First you’re shooting me with tranqs so I can’t kill you, and your boyfriend is threating to skin me if I even look at you wrong, but now I should kill you? And people thinkI’mfucked in the head. Ow!” he added as Laurel hit him in the arm. “Damn, woman, you’re twenty pounds of crazy in a ten-pound bag.”
“I have no idea what that means. Watch your language in front of my child,” Laurel said huffily.
“You’ll have to excuse my mother, she’s not usuallyquitethis demented,” Savannah said.
Austin cocked an eyebrow and made a “maybe, maybe not” motion with his hand. “Jury’s still out on that one.”
“I slapped you because you threatened my daughter. Anthony told me what you said,” Laurel said angrily.
“So you’re the lady who made the sandwiches? Did you bring some more?” Roy looked at her with interest.
Laurel just glared at him.
“Okay, okay. I apologize for threatening your daughter. I have changed my mind. I’m not going to kill anybody here. Mostly because with the way these two idiots are going—” he gestured at Austin and Savannah “—I won’t even have to. They’ll die of their own stupidity.”
“That did not earn you a sandwich,” Laurel said coldly.
