Page 4 of Nanny's Mate

“The hell it is,” Caleb said. “Thanks, Sarah. Keep ’em coming.”

She smiled at them and walked away. “She was eyeing you, Mike,” Caleb grinned.

“I don’t have time,” Mike said immediately. He had no interest in dealing with the confines of a relationship. “So, tell me more about the clubs.”

Nate shrugged. “I’m stretched thin watching The Naked Wolf and The Thirsty Wolf. I’ve got The Sassy Wolf, and I’m worried I won’t do a good job with my own pub. At least Mason has Lael managing The Thirsty Wolf.”

He grinned. “She’s been there, what? How many years now? I don’t even know. She knows all the ins and outs, and she’s a witch who can see the future. That helps keep trouble away, which is mighty convenient, I might add. To give credit where credit is due, Karla has really stepped up. She’s been an absolute asset, and I don’t know what I would do without her.”

That took Mike by surprise. He set his bottle on the table and then immediately picked it back up when two waitresses brought out the food. The smell of fried appetizers and greasy burgers wafted through the air, and he immediately reached for a deep-fried pickle.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” he growled. After washing it down with more beer, he turned his attention back to Nate. “How is it possible that Karla is working that much with the triplets at home?”

Nate finished chewing a massive bite of his burger before answering. “We hired a nanny, Beatriz. Oh, my God, the woman is a gift. The kids love her. She loves the kids. We wouldn’t be able to do it without her.”

“No kidding. Well, now that I’m back, I’m happy to help with the clubs, too. As long as Tristan doesn’t need me for anything else.”

“Thanks,” Nate said with a mouthful of food. “My father will be thrilled to have his best enforcer back.”

Mike took a bite of his burger, and caught Aric’s eye. He immediately lowered his gaze, but the strange look wasn’t lost upon Mike. “What?” he questioned.

Aric and Nate exchanged a look. “He should know,” Aric growled, even though to Mike, it looked like Aric would rather not discuss whatever was on his mind.

“Know what?” Mike asked, his interest piqued.

The tension at the table became palpable. Caleb set his bloody burger down. Aric’s attention became completely focused on the chair he was sitting on, and Nate ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“What the hell is going on?” Mike snarled. “Someone tell me.”

Nate sighed. “The Wolfe Pack is currently facing a … drug problem.”

Mike raised a dark brow in response. “What do you … mean? Drugs don’t affect shifters.”

“I wish,” Caleb piped up. “There’s a designer drug out now that makes wolves monstrous and their psyches crazed. They turn into these rabid animals that cannot be controlled. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Mike frowned, horrified at the news. “Why the hell would anyone want that? How do you fix it?”

Aric shrugged. “There’s no cure that we could find. Once a shifter uses too much, there’s no coming back from that feral, rabid state. They have to be … taken out.”

Nate leaned in close to Mike. “My father had to exterminate two pack members. He tried everything to help them, Mike. Absolutely everything he could think of, but they were uncontrollable. They were a danger to everyone, including women and children.”

Mike leaned back in his chair, trying to process everything they had just told him. He knew Tristan felt horrible about having to take down his own pack members. He also knew the alpha would never do something like that unless it was absolutely necessary.

Caleb pushed Mike’s beer toward him before taking a long swig of his own. “This is supposed to be a relaxing night. We thought you should know what’s going on, but for tonight, let’s put our worries to the side. We might have sent Tristan to Nate’s to spoil his grandkids. Kelvin went with him to help babysit so we could let loose a little bit. Let’s go crash the ladies’ night.”

Mike’s eyes grew wide at the sacrilegious suggestion. “Is that wise?”

“You kidding? Ellie is so proud of her new bar that she’ll give us a free pass. She’s been dying to show it off to anyone that’ll step foot in there.”

Nate was inclined to agree with his friend. “I don’t think the women will care, honestly. He’s not kidding when he says Ellie will open those doors to anyone who wants to see it. Besides, I’m sure they would love to see you, Mike. It’s been a while.”

Mike popped the rest of his burger in his mouth and washed it down with the remains of his beer. “Sounds good to me. I’d love to see what Ellie did with that old building.”

The four of them stood and pushed their chairs in before making their way out the door.

THREE

BEATRIZ

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