Page 69 of Shaken Knot Stirred

“Ego and hubris.” She said like they were sharing a private joke. “Hey, you’ll have to lend me that book sometime.” Moxie swung her feet.

“We could have a little book club. What drink would go with trashy vampire novels?”

“Anything but your usual.”

A private joke? A book? Usual? What the actual fuck.

Beg was usually pretty good at choking off the pack bonds and leaving me in the dark. But that took a certain level of concentration. His confusion started seeping into me. Or maybe it was just my own.

Star and Moxie knew each other. How was that even possible? I pushed all that confusion back towards Beg. I didn’t want him to feel the little wisp of hope that was growing.

“This city never has been and will never be yours,” Star said, picking another nut, “Win only allows you to exist because he doesn’t want to do the dirty work himself.”

“We’ll see about that.” Beg crossed his arms.

Star dusted off his hands and pushed off the bar. He put one hand in a pocket and with the other he stroked his chin, making the ring on his finger even more obvious.

“We’ll cut to the chase. I’ve come for what’s mine.” Star kept a careful ten feet between them.

“I bit him, he’s mine.” Beg tossed his head in my general direction.

Moxie’s face froze. She looked me up and down and then turned her auracle skills on Star. She met my eyes again, her lips forming a little "o" and I knew she could see the entire story. Not the finer details, but she got enough of the picture.

“Moxie is mine.”

It was my turn to scour Moxie with a look. The second Beg bit me, I knew she was lost to me. She had to be. I couldn’t let her be anywhere near Beg. I had also lost Star that day. We had had a wild six months. I had thought I was simply fucking away the pain of losing Moxie. The fact that it was Beg’s brother was a bonus. I hadn’t wanted to fall, but I did, and hard. Beg found out, and the next day he told me he had Moxie in a box.

“She owes me half a million dollars.” Beg’s confusion was back. He had expected to use Moxie as a tool and that wasn’t working out for him.

“$327,692,” Moxie countered.

“Interest,” Beg spat. “Plus five hundred dollars.”

“No, no,” Moxie wagged a finger, “that was a clothing allowance.”

“You’ll have it.” Star spoke over her.

Beg laughed at that. “You don’t have money. I know you’re Win’s favorite, but I don’t think even he’d float you that kind of money.”

“I’ll just take her then.”

“She’s mine. Isn’t there some law that says all omegas must have a guardian? She’s in my house. Possession. Nine-tenths. Blah, blah, blah.”

“Our family runs the courts, and they don’t like you. You really want to bring them into this?” Star said.

Beg’s hand shot out. He had Lana by the throat and pushed her back into the bar. She gave a choking gasp as she dug her nails into Beg’s arm.

“How about,” Beg said in a friendly tone, “we have Moxie choose.”

Fuck. He was doing it with Moxie now too, using Lana as his whipping boy. Moxie’s face morphed into a mask. Her eyes skipped over all of us. She could see the absolute threat in his aura and knew this wasn’t a bluff.

“Moxie,” Star said, holding a hand out for her.

Do it, Moxie, just do it. Go. Star will take care of you. He’ll make you happy.

Moxie made her choice. She slid off the bar, put her back to it, her shoulder brushing Lana’s. Their fingers tangled together by their sides.

Star cocked his head like a puppy trying to understand what just happened. Beg thought he understood. But I knew Moxie. This wasn’t all it seemed.

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