Page 28 of Beware of Dog

“You want me to put his head through a window?”

“No.”

“Okay.” He spread his hands in awhat do you wantgesture.

I want you to fix it, she thought. She loved her brothers, her dad, had never doubted their capabilities…but none of them had been a fixer. At least not for her. She was the baby, her problems were the smallest, and easily handled by someone else.

But here sat Shep, asking, in his roundabout way, how to help her, how tofix itfor her, after his first attempt at doing so went sideways.

The knowledge put a lump in her throat.

She kicked up her chin and said, “Melissa and the other detectives are handling it. They’ll arrest Sig, and he can go through the proper channels.”

“Yeah, until your friend gets spooked and recants her statement.”

“She won’t.”

“You sure about that?”

Cass wiggled her toes, watching her Fryes dance, and bit her lip.

“See,” Shep said, to be a shit.

“I know, I know, she’s shaky.” She folded her arms and slumped back further against the wall. “I’m trying to be as supportive as possible, and Melissa’s been great so far. But.”

“She’s a flake.”

“No. God, that’s shitty of you. She’s not a flake, she’s…” She chewed at her lip and watched him watching her as she searched for an explanation that wouldn’t make him snort with derision; a tall order. “Jamie’s here on scholarship. Her family’s from Brooklyn. Her dad lays tile, and her mom works at Walgreens. They don’t have money.”

“Unlike you, you mean.” He smirked.

“Raven—okay, no, I will not take your bait. My point is, someone like Sig holds a lot of power over her. She wants him romantically, yes, but more than that she’s in love with the idea of beingchosenby someone as influential and wealthy as him. She wants to live like he does, obviously, yeah, but I think the social status part of it is even more important. She knows Sig could change her world—for better,orfor worse, if she takes him down like this.”

Shep blinked. “Damn. Dr. Green in the house.”

“Piss off.”

His expression softened a fraction. “Nah. I’m being serious.”

“For once?” she challenged, but her pulse gave a pleased jump.

Shep rearranged himself in the chair, legs stretching out again, posture more relaxed against the desk. “I don’t get it. I mean,I get it. I hear what you’re saying, and I know you’re right. Kids care about all that social shit.” He made a dismissive, all-encompassing gesture. “Who honestly cares if you’re part of the in crowd?”

“You care about fitting in with the Dogs, don’t you?”

“Wrong.” He pointed at her. “I didn’t fit in anywherebutwith them. So.” He stretched his heels out and both ankles cracked like gunshots. “I found my place. And I didn’t need to get fucked up to do it.”

Cass frowned, because she knew that wasn’t wholly truly. War had fucked him up, and it was a disaffected, downtrodden man without options who joined the club the way he had, as a first-generation prospect with no ties of any kind. But she let the comment slide, because even if there were certain hazing rituals and certain codes of behavior within the club, it wasn’t a one-to-one comparison to Jamie’s situation.

“You, though,” Shep continued, tone growing accusatory, “don’t need money or status or power. So what the fuck?”

“I’m done with Sig, okay?”

“But why were you even hanging around him in the first place?”

“I don’t know.”

His gaze narrowed, head tipping back as he looked down his broken nose at her. A silent judgement that needled at all her insecurities more effectively than any spoken words.

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