Page 86 of Secret Shifters Next Door

A flutter of surprise passed over his face, but he kept his composure. “Who? Sammy? Don’t know nothing about Sammyboy. Of course…” he glared at me, “…when a man has something I want, the gloves come off.”

Ready for this to be over, I said, “I’m here to tell you to fuck off once and for all. Harley is mine. The baby is mine. Her girls are mine. You step one foot in the wholestateof Colorado, I’ll know, and I will not hesitate to end you.”

Luis’s face went red with anger. He downed the rest of his drink and then waved a hand. “Joey, handle this fucker, will you?”

The big guy to Ortiz’s right stepped forward. I watched the big man step toward me. He was around six-four. Maybe two-hundred-thirty pounds. I could see scars on his knuckles, but none on his face. He was a fighter. A fighter who’d probably never lost. I tossed my file folder to the side as he got closer, freeing my hands.

He swung at me without preamble, hoping to catch me off guard. I pivoted and spun, grabbing his outstretched hand and twisting the arm up and back. There was a thick, meatypop!as his shoulder popped out of its socket. The big man hit the floor, squealing like a pig, slapping at his chest and clutching at his shoulder, now sunken at an unusual angle. I kicked him in the face, knocking him out and silencing the godawful shrieks.

Ortiz leaned further back in his seat, obviously surprised. The men around the room had all tensed. They evidently hadn’t anticipated their friend Joey going down so fast. Ortiz waved a hand at me, and the other four men rushed me.

The first guy kicked out at my stomach. I grabbed his foot before it hit me and drove my own foot into the knee of his other leg. The knee cracked and buckled backward. The man fell, screaming and clutching his ruined leg. A second goon grabbed me from behind, getting me in a headlock. Using my superior strength, I levered my hips, bending and spinning. He flew overmy back and slammed down on the ground. I brought my foot down on his face, putting him to sleep.

The last two guys attacked me at once. I ducked out of the way of their punches and swept my leg under the guy on the right, dragging his feet out from under him. He fell over into his friend, and they both collapsed into a heap. I grabbed one by the hair and slammed a fist into his face three times before he went limp. The other had scrambled back to his feet and was grabbing for my shirt. I caught his outstretched hand and twisted my wrist, grabbing and snapping his two middle fingers back, breaking them. He hit his knees, cradling his hand and screaming. I spun and slammed a kick into the side of his head. A deafening silence fell over the room.

I straightened my shirt and glanced up at Ortiz. The look of arrogant unconcern had vanished. Now he looked afraid. Terrified beyond measure. He kept stealing glances at the desk fifteen feet away. I had to assume that he had a firearm over there, but he’d fucked up. It was too far away. He had no further recourse.

I stepped toward him slowly, stopping to grab my folder again. I walked to Luis and towered above him, glaring down at him like the insect he was. It was all I could do not to shift and show him exactly what he’d been screwing with all along, but I held my composure.

From the look on his face, I could see that Luis really believed I was here to kill him. He was shaking, actually shaking, like a cowering dog. There was still a hint of anger in his eyes, but fear overwhelmed it. His breath was coming in quick ragged hisses. I slapped the folder down on his lap with a bang.

I sneered at him in disgust. “Not such a big man once you realize who you’re dealing with, are you?” I pointed at the folder, “My friends and I are good at digging. Better than the cops. Better even than the FBI. With the stuff we have in this file, wecan end your life. The tax forms alone? If I send them to the IRS, you’ll be gone for twenty-five years, easy. Remember, that’s how they got Capone. The other stuff? Well, I guess you should be happy New York doesn’t still have the death penalty.”

“Here’s the deal. You stay the fuck away from Harley and the girls. You stay on this goddamned side of the Mississippi, and forget all about us. You do that, and this information never goes anywhere. Can we agree on that?”

Luis had regained some of his previous courage, but underneath, I could still tell he was afraid of what I might do. He adjusted in the seat and opened the folder. He read the first few pages, turning them slowly. His face went pale. He paged faster, the paper snapping and popping in his hands as he flipped through all the information we had on him. Finally, he looked up at me, and I knew we had him.

Gritting his teeth, he said, “Fine! Get the hell out of here. Go back to your precious little lady. Tell her not to come crawling back when she’s tired of you. Keep this shit quiet, and we got a deal.”

All I did was nod. I turned to leave, stepping over the unconscious bodies I’d left in my wake. I pushed the button for the elevator and grabbed my backpack again. The ride back down the elevator was much more fun. A weight had been lifted off me. The door opened on the ground floor with a ding. When the doorman saw me, his jaw dropped. I walked past him without even glancing in his direction.

The air outside was cool and crisp. It felt good after what had just happened. My flight out wasn’t until the next morning, but I thought I might try and change to an earlier flight. Things had gone faster than I thought they would.

There was one other thing I wanted to do before I went back home, though. So, I hailed a cab and gave the driver the name of the place I wanted to go. As we drove, a light drizzle began tocome down outside. The lights of the city ticked by, and I allowed myself a sigh of relief.

A few minutes later, I stepped through the doors of the lounge and took a seat at the bar. It was the exact same stool I’d sat on months ago. Across the bar was the spot where I’d first set eyes on Harley.

The bartender put a beverage napkin down in front of me, and said, “What can I get you tonight, friend?”

“Whiskey sour, no ice.”

“On it, boss.”

He returned with the drink moments later, and I sipped at it for several minutes. Continuing to stare at the spot where Harley had been sitting, I felt the nostalgia. The way my heart had warmed, and the stirring of my dragon, how beautiful she looked, it all came back. It hit me that even then, on that night, I felt the pull toward her. She was meant for me.

I downed the rest of the drink and looked around one last time at the place where it all began. Then, I stood and placed twenty dollars on the bar. I gave the place one last glance and smiled to myself. I left and went back home to my family.

THIRTY-EIGHT

HARLEY

It was December, and it had been almost two months since Tate had claimed me. I still hadn’t shifted. On one hand, I was happy. I had enough to worry about without transforming into a giant dragon. On the other hand, I couldn’t figure out why it hadn’t happened, and was ready for the shift.

I knew it had done something to me. Over the past few months, my senses had heightened astronomically. I could hear and smell things I never could before. Small things, like telling the difference between the scents of different types of wood––like the dining room table smelled different than the kitchen cabinets. I didn’t even know different woods could smell different, but there it was.

My body was also more connected to my baby. His magic was like a warm glow coming from inside me; it was actually something I could feel. The same was true of Tate and the guys. Something connected us that hadn’t been there before. There was no way to adequately explain it, but even though I hadn’t turned into a dragon, I knew I was no longer human.

Mariah and I were sitting on our porch watching Steff and Tate carry boxes across the street to his house. Our house now. We had decided to move into his place. It had an extra bedroomthat would work as the baby’s nursery. His home was bigger in general, and we would all have more room. I’d already messaged Maddox to tell him thanks for the home the last few months, but we’d be moving by the end of the month.

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