Page 90 of Skin Deep

“You serious?” Boone lowered the paper.

“Quite.” Shepherd folded his hands on the tabletop. “But the offer is good for only thirty seconds and ten have already passed.”

“Hold on a second,” Aleksi cut in. “I think I have the right to know what I’m agreeing to pay.”

“Thirty,” Shepherd supplied. “Half now, half once Sergei is dead.”

I did the math. That meant he’d offered Boone ninety thousand dollars for the job, which was considerably lower than the one twenty he said he couldn’t go below. I hadn’t missed the bonus Shepherd had mentioned though, but no one had brought up exactly what that was. It must’ve been a hell of a bonus if Boone was considering it. What was worth another thirty thousand that Shepherd had to trade?

Whatever it was, it was good enough for Boone. He grinned and stood, extending his hand across the table. “You got yourself a deal, professor.”

IcorneredShepherdafterward,backing him against a wall. “What the fuck did you offer him?”

Something dark flashed through Shepherd’s eyes, and, for the first time, I realized I might not actually be speaking with Shepherd. “Careful, Warrick.” He adjusted his suit jacket and flashed his teeth as if they were fangs. “My claws come out when my back is to the wall.”

I took a step back, whispering, “Keras?”

He adjusted his cufflinks before answering, “In the flesh.”

Fuck. I glanced down the hall to where Pax stood, waiting. Maybe I should call him to back me up.

No. I didn’t need backup, no matter which side of Shepherd I was speaking with. He was still my brother. Even Keras understood that hunting in a pack was more effective than being a lone wolf.

Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised to see him surface with as irritable as Boone made Shepherd. If he felt threatened, of course Keras would surface. Keras was his protector personality.

“The question still stands,” I said in a more measured tone. “This is my job, Keras. I’m responsible for the family, and if Boone comes to collect, I should know what to expect.”

He glanced up and down my body as if measuring my worth. “You have my word that it was personal. It doesn’t affect you or your family.”

It felt like he’d chosen his words carefully, as if he were skirting a line and he knew it, but I’d never known Keras to lie. If anything, he was strict about honesty. If he said it wouldn’t affect the family, he believed it.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t make any deals without running them by me first. Especially in front of people.”

“I have no designs to supplant you as the leader, Warrick. It would disrupt the order of things far too much. No, this is your place. You are the head, and I am the teeth and claws when you need me.”

“Is everything all right here?” Pax asked. He’d come down the hallway to stand close to me, obviously sensing that something was off.

Keras smirked, amused when Pax put a protective arm around my shoulders. “Everything is as it should be. You have no need to worry. Although I might see myself out. I’m feeling a bit peckish after that exchange.” He turned to go.

“We’re on lockdown,” Pax said. “You can’t leave.”

I wrapped a hand around Pax’s wrist and gave a subtle shake of my head, but it was too late.

Keras halted after a step and slowly turned. Something about the way he moved sent a chill through me. It was… unnatural. Predatory. Like watching a tiger stalk a child in the tall grass. “There is only one thing a man can’t do, Mr. Cooper.”

Pax seemed as transfixed as me by the transformation. He licked his lips and asked, “What’s that?”

Keras’s lips jerked up in a pale imitation of a smile. “Live forever. Everything else is fair game. See you at the climax.” He turned and walked away.

I let out the breath I’d been holding and suddenly felt like I was going to pass out.

“Jesus Christ,” Pax muttered. “Has Shepherd always been that creepy or…”

“That wasn’t Shepherd,” I said and squeezed Pax’s hand. I spun and threw my head against his chest, finally finding relief from the pounding pressure in my skull when I felt his heart beating. “Let’s go back. I need a shower after all of this.”

Pax put his arms around me, kissed the top of my head, and everything was right in the world again.

Weleftthroughtheside exit, avoiding the crowd of his brothers at the front. When we came within view of the front porch and saw both Yuri and Nikita standing there, War squeezed my hand. Yuri was sweeping the front porch while Nikita leaned against the railing, smoking a cigarette.

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