Page 5 of Warlander Beast Cat

“My friend for it,” she corrected him.

“I’ll make sure you don’t get drugged and I’ll get you home safe,” he told her. “Now, do you want to take care of this morning wood?” he joked, pointing to his still half-mast boner. “Or leave?”

With a frown, Cadence said, “Never, Kru. I choose leaving.”

But as she opened the door and left him standing alone in his kitchen, the smile fell from his face.

Why?

Because when she’d said the word “never”…she had lied.

Chapter Two

Yesterday’s early-morning conversation with Kru had re-played over and over in Cadence’s mind all morning. She’d been distracted getting ready for work, distracted driving through the mountains to work—so distracted that she’d missed the turn-off for the Gray Backs’ territory and had to double-back.

Her boss had given her maximum grief for being late at such a busy time of year, but she always forgave Cadence. She’d known Cadence her entire life. She’d held her when she was a baby, and was like a family member. A crazy aunt, if you will.

Crazy Aunt Willa.

She was printing labels in the main warehouse of Willa’s enormous worm farm when her boss announced to the entire warehouse staff, “Girl, you have boy problems. I can smell them from here.”

And okay, the warehouse staff consisted of two other people that she’d also known her entire life, but still, it was mortifying. Especially since Cadence had been so distracted, she hadn’t noticed Willamena Barns come in.

The petite redhead shoved a rolling pallet of boxes to the side and stepped over the chaos Cadence had created in the office area. She shoved her cat-eye glasses up her nose and leaned awkwardly against the desk.

“I don’t have boy problems,” Cadence argued primly.

Willa’s eyebrows arched high.

Cadence puffed air out of her cheeks and did her best to ignore her boss. She peeled another label off the sheet and pressed it carefully onto a box to ship out.

“I have been around for a while,” Willa said.

“You built this from the ground up, so I would say you’ve been around forever.”

“That’s not what I mean. I can see when a boy is dragging at a girl from a mile away. My mate dragged on me. Distraction is normal.”

“I’m not distracted,” she argued.

“Oh really?” Willa gestured to the boxes Cadence had packed neatly on the pallet to ship out this afternoon. “These all have the wrong labels on them.”

“What?” she asked, horrified. “No, no, no, I checked that I was on the right—” she frowned at the shipping sheet. Shhhhit. Willa was right.

Cadence slapped the sheets down on the desk and stifled a snarl in her throat. “I’ll re-do them all and pay for the supplies.”

“Who is it?” Willa asked, leaning down onto the desk and chewing on a Twizzler. Where had she even gotten that?

With a sigh that definitely tapered into a growl, Cadence slumped down in the rolling chair. “It’s not who it’s about. It’s about who it isn’t.”

“Lucas?”

“Or Gunner, take your pick. I don’t understand why it was so important that I be in this specific Crew.”

“You could’ve said no,” Willa pointed out.

“Yeah, but Beaston said…” Cadence frowned and shook her head. “Forget about it.”

“No, you’re in this deep. Plus, you know me. I won’t spill your secrets.”

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