Page 21 of Brandon’s Mate

“Any idea where he might be?” she asked.

“Thut the fuck up, Jax,” Caleb snarled.

The panther ignored him. “Farville Auto Repair, out on Sawmill Road. You might leave Caleb his gun, though. They cost money, and this bar isn’t exactly a cash cow.”

Kitty just smiled at him. “Cost of doing business,” she said. “I’m sure he can take it off his taxes.”

She backed out of the bar, eyes on the crows, and then headed back to her car, staying out of the line of fire from the door.

She was halfway to her car when she heard a soft hiss from behind the corner of the building. Kitty turned, raising the gun, but lowered it immediately when she saw the person was unarmed.

It was the woman she’d seen cutting limes. She glanced over her shoulder towards the back of the building, like she was afraid someone would see her, but she gestured Kitty over.

It didn’t smell like a trap. Kitty walked over, gun at her side, wondering what she had to say.

She was a bit shorter than Kitty, with dishwater-blond hair and scared eyes, but her mouth was tight with determination.

Here outside the bar, her scent was stronger. Definitely not cougar—another kind of cat Kitty didn’t recognize. Something small—she didn’t have the heavy presence of a really big cat. Bobcat, maybe?

At least this was Kitty’s chance to get some intel.

“Hey,” she said, trying to look reassuring. “Do you know where this garage is?”

The woman nodded. “Go back through town, take a left on County Road 13, and then about a half-mile down take another left onto Sawmill Road. A mile more and you’ll see it. But—”

The woman glanced over her shoulder again.

“What?” Kitty asked.

The woman bit her lips. “Just—be careful. Caleb sent three of his guys down to the garage to work Ray over—they might still be there.”

Three? Kitty wondered what Brandon had done to piss them off that much.

“Should I be worried?” Kitty asked. “If they’re anything like those guys in there, Ray can handle them.” She gestured with the gun. “Or I can.”

The woman gave a faint smile. “You probably can,” she said softly. “But since it’s Ray’s place, he can’t exactly walk out like you did. Even if he had the sense to, which men usually don’t.”

Kitty grinned. “Truth,” she said. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

The woman nodded. She hesitated, then said, “I was wondering…”

An enraged bellow came from the back of the bar. “Callie!”

The woman’s eyes went wide, and fear laced her scent. “It’s Caleb,” she whispered. “I have to go.”

Dammit, this wasn’t right. Kitty put a hand on her arm. “Are you okay here?”

Callie shrugged, her face turning to a mask of bitterness. “Where else would I go?”

The bellow came again. “Callie? Where the fuck are you? I need some goddamned ice!”

And before Kitty could say anything else, Callie had pulled away and vanished around the side of the building.

Chapter 8

Brandon was spending the afternoon in the auto repair shop, going through the bills and paperwork and trying to ignore the ghosts that wandered through the walls every now and then, setting his cat off.

Today’s mail held a batch of stuff from Brandon’s mail drop service. He kept it on, even though hardly anyone sent snail mail anymore. It was the only mailing address he ever used—they collected the mail there and held it until he told them where to send it.