Page 5 of Matched into the Mob

But my big bro shrugged and said I should do it. “You’ll have a laugh and some of the pack might find mates.” Because we didn’t live together as a group on pack lands, not everyone knew each other, so it was possible people might meet their mate, even though many of the La Luna Noir shifters attended full moon runs together.

“Thanks,Alpha,” I sneered.

Flint touched his brow in a mock salute before helping Tony gather their belongings. Hunter folded Kendric’s stroller and scooted out to our older brother’s car. After putting it in the trunk, he yelled, “Bye, everyone,” got in his vehicle, and drove off at speed.

Sneaky. He was staying out of Dad’s way, hoping to avoid my fate.

Dad returned with paper bags. “Take these home. It’s eucalyptus oil I made.”

Flint and I dutifully each took one. Only my dad would make something in his spare time that was used as an antiseptic for which shifters had no use. But he insisted it had other purposes, including in the kitchen to banish odors and mold.

I sulked all the way back to town thinking about wasting time at the speed-dating evening when I could have been searching for my mate.

While Flint and family, Uncle Arnie, and Dad all lived outside the city, I had a big apartment overlooking a park right in the center of town and down the street from our office. Having to drive home each night into the countryside wasn’t for me.

Besides the time involved, the more we traveled, especially on deserted roads, the more likely there’d be an attempt on our lives. And while we had bodyguards, they hadn’t been able to save my father and grandfather who had been murdered when first one and then the other headed the pack. And our entire family would have been assassinated if Flint hadn’t killed Emilio and the rest of the pack hadn’t slaughtered his band of traitors.

But today being Sunday, I’d given one of my two bodyguards the day off. Careless perhaps, but I found it claustrophobic to have someone always flanking me.

With my sports car safely tucked away in the parking garage, Ben, my bodyguard, rode up in the elevator with me and checked the apartment before bidding me goodbye. Once I set the alarm, I took the leftovers Uncle Arnie had given me—he was the cook, as Dad could barely boil water—and shoved them in the fridge.

Now that I was alone, I got out my phone and mapped the places where I’d scented my mate. It was a small area, only a few square miles, so I should be able to find him. But anxiety gnawed at my belly, thinking of the consequences if my mate was a member of The Obsidian Circle.

A text message popped up on my TV screen. Gods, I loved technology, except when it was my dad, reminding me of the dating thing.

Don’t be late tomorrow night or I’ll come get you.

THREE

MATT

“You’re coming with me!”

I swung my backpack in the direction of the voice and ducked down onto the pavement, slithering over the pitted concrete as I headed for a trash can, hoping it’d offer some protection. Ouch, owww, owie! I had to complain to the city council about this sidewalk.

“Matt!”

Matt? I knew that name. I was Matt, but I was also Michael. My befuddled thoughts, so intent on keeping me alive, couldn’t figure out which was the good guy and which one moonlighted for a mobster boss.

Hope flickered within me, and I peered around the garbage can. The car wasn’t a sleek black sedan. Nor was it a bulky, brooding four-wheel drive. I’d been inthiscar countless times as a passenger.

“Josh?”

“What is wrong with you?”

Ummm, where did I start? How did I list my imperfections? I got to my knees, my fists still clenched. “I sometimes wear mysocks two days in a row.” Gross, but life often got in the way of doing laundry.

“What?” Josh appeared in front of me and hauled me to my feet as horns blared and curses rang out along the street. “Get in.”

My brother shoved me in the front seat and pulled out into traffic, earning more honking from pissed-off drivers. After pulling up at a red light, he draped the seat belt over my shoulder and buckled it.

I stared straight ahead, my heart still galloping at speed. It’d be my luck to keel over from a heart attack before finishing my investigation.

“Are we going to talk about what just happened?” Josh gave me a sideways glance.

My mind zigged before it zagged, and I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. “You’re a clean freak and you might have to disown me, your younger brother, ‘cause I wear stinky socks.”

“Matt!”

---