Faith (Wolves of Walker County #3) - Kiki Burrelli Page 0,1
be to think you came all the way here for a taste of my coffee, I don't think that's the case."
"Are you asking me what I'm doing here?" He set his cup down and leaned back so that his blue-and-white polo stretched tight over his trim chest.
"I know what you're doing here." I bat my eyelashes. "Saving me from an afternoon of boredom."
"I see." The man nodded. "So, I'm here to serve you. There isn't anyone waiting for you at home? No one depending on you?"
That was an odd question, but not the oddest, all things considered. The answer was a little more difficult. There were a ton of people depending on me.
Not solely me, but all of us, my two cousins, twin brother, and two mates. We lived together, looked after one another. It wasn't as if any of us, Riley and Phin included, had very much experience with children. Nor had we spent our lives dreaming of the day we'd have them. But the little tykes were hashtag blessed—as I liked to call it—and they'd come despite the odds or the lack of birth canal. I didn't want to bring all that into this conversation, though.
This conversation was supposed to block out all of that, not become the highlight. "Nope, no one is depending on me."
The corner of the man's mouth twitched. "Not even a pet?"
My smile stretched over my face. He could have no idea why that was so funny, both because I could turn into a wolf and because there was a little inside joke going that we did have a dog. I couldn't explain either of those things to this man, though. "I wouldn't mind a dog, but no. No pets depending on me either."
My head buzzed like I was the one sucking down coffee. I enjoyed every part of the hunt, but this part, where one wrong word could mean disaster, thrilled me. What did this guy have planned that he needed to know my whole evening was clear of responsibility?
"What about you?" I asked as the bell over the door chimed, indicating a new customer. Jasper was here. He'd help whoever came in while I helped myself.
"I'm a cat person."
He wouldn't be tonight. If I had my way, we'd both be howling to the moon.
"What about enemies?" the man asked. "Got any of those?"
My eyebrows squished together, following the direction of his glance. Paul and Tyrone from the pack stood behind the bar. Paul held a manila envelope while Tyrone had his smooth brown arms crossed menacingly over his chest. It certainly looked like I had enemies. But Paul was a family friend, and Tyrone had only ever been friendly with me. Judging from the looks on their faces, they weren't here to shoot the shit. They were here on pack business.
"I've got tons of enemies," I mumbled. "Excuse me for one moment. Don't move."
I slipped out from behind the bar. Paul and Tyrone slunk back into the corner, and I gestured to the table in the corner for us to sit. "What's up, guys?" Months ago, I would've been pissed that the pack had seen fit to come into my business with what was clearly their business, but things were murkier now.
"Elder Delia sent me," Paul said. He didn't often address his pack sponsor with her official title outside of pack lands.
I never did because Delia was a soulless demon who cared about money and power. And she was my aunt.
My curiosity sufficiently piqued, I spun a chair around and sat on it with my forearms braced over the back. "She thought you'd need muscle?" I jerked my chin to Tyrone. He hadn't taken a seat.
Tyrone was new to the packs. I didn't know a whole lot about him, other than that he always seemed to be where Paul was. Paul had joined within the year as well, but already it was hard to imagine life without him. He was friends with Riley and Phineas and was always at our house when he wasn't on pack lands.
Some days, I thought the interest he showed in me veered a little too far in the romance direction, but I saw Paul as a little brother. Firmly off-limits, and not in the forbidden, sexy sort of way where you meet up to have sex in a rest stop bathroom because no one can find out. The kind of off-limits that wasn't difficult not to cross because he was family. "What's going on, guys?"