Page 2 of Brutal Mate

It didn't take much to imagine what he was doing, standing like a loyal guard dog right behind Jack, ready to attack if someone so much as put a hair out of place.

Jack needed no protection from two humans, but he had it nonetheless.

“And I'm no fool, either,” Michael continued, unperturbed by Zander's warning growl. “I know something up here isn't right. This place reeks. You guys show up out of nowhere one day and Mr. Ryker and his men just disappear, practically overnight. The whole town knows you did something.”

“I would be very, very careful with where you are going with this, Mr. Peters,” Zander said, and the sound of boots on hardwood suggested he had closed the distance between himself and the human.

“Zander,” Jack said warningly before he continued, “Mr. Peters, think what you may, but my men and I only want what is best for Nightstar and we have done nothing to prove otherwise. If I were to accept what you're trying to offer, how would that look to the town?”

“We wouldn't tell a soul!” Michael's wife exclaimed, just as desperate as the husband.

Kane's nausea grew. His heart went out to the poor girl who belonged to these monsters.

“Mrs. Peters, your husband has just threatened me in my own home,” Jack pointed out, “and has proven to me that he is of low moral character already. Why should I even remotely believe you?”

“I…umm…what?” Mrs. Peters stammered, as if confused by Jack's words. Clearly, they had been too big for her.

“Please,” Jack continued. “Allow Zander to show you out. I shall hear no more of this nonsense.”

“But I—we—” Michael stuttered, but it was clear Jack was through with their meeting when Zander pulled open the door. He offered Kane only a curious glance before he exited the office.

Nothing more was said until the couple exited the office and Michael snarled under his breath, “I thought you said you'd help me convince them?”

Kane caught sight of the two of them and his blood ran cold. He had gotten the measure of Mr. Peters just from hearing him. Tall, yet hunched as if he spent much of his time slumped in a chair, with slicked back greasy hair and smart, yet disheveled, stained clothing. The woman was much the same, though she appeared to have tried a little harder. The makeup she wore did nothing to hide the bruises.

They really were trailer trash if ever Kane had seen it. And it utterly disgusted him.

He had met far too many of their kind in his life. In fact, he had grown up around the likes of them before he had been bitten. It was a past he'd rather forget. And so, he turned, attempting to slip away before anyone questioned what he was doing there.

Too late, he heard Jack speak from the study doorway. “Kane, I need to talk to you.”

Fuck, he thought, wondering if he was about to get his pelt clawed for eavesdropping.

When he entered the study, Jack was already back at his desk. “Please, close the door.”

Kane did as he asked, and when Jack gestured to the armchair across from him, Kane sat himself down in it. His nose wrinkled. Mr. Peters had most definitely been sat there before him. The smell of stale sweat and alcohol had soaked into the cushions.

“What was all that about?” Kane asked, deciding it was best to admit he had heard everything before Jack could start questioning him.

But to Kane's surprise, Jack shook his head and sighed, “Don't worry about it. We have bigger concerns.”

Kane gulped. “Bigger concerns than a man trying to sell his daughter to us?”

Jack looked at him in all seriousness and said, “Yes.”

“What is it?” Kane asked, perching on the edge of his seat. “What do you need me to do?”

Jack sighed even more deeply and leaned back in his chair. Running his fingers through his dark hair, he admitted, “Things aren't quite so quiet as we'd hoped in town. Mr. Peters is right about one thing. The town will start to notice if we don't clean things up properly.”

“What is there to clean up?” Kane asked, raising a brow. “We've cleaned up the streets. There's less crime than ever. You've dissolved all the tax debts Ryker put on everyone’s businesses for 'protection' and wolf god knows what else.”

Jack nodded acknowledgment before he explained, “A couple of humans came to my home this morning and notified me there have been some disappearances.”

Kane's chest tightened. “Disappearances?”

Jack nodded. He leaned over his desk and picked up some paper. “One was a Miss Lindsey Coleman who works at the bar. They say she's well known for disappearing for a day or two at a time. Apparently, she visits family over in Pine Valley, but isn't great at telling anyone beforehand. Only her family in Pine Valley hasn't seen her.”

Kane bit the inside of his lip before asking, “How long has she been missing?”

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