Page 30 of Shifter For Hire (For Hire 2)

Her sister smirked. “It wore off, within hours. I was cramp-y, moody, sore, you name it. After the baby cleared my body, I was back to being me.”

“Dang. So unfair. But your skin and hair…”

Janessa shrugged. “Pregnancy. I guess that will fade too, but I’m not cutting my hair any time soon. Now back to the subject at hand. This excites me so much, to know Declan has family. He’ll be thrilled. What’s Gerard like?”

“Grumpy, blunt, aloof, unsocial.” Lachelle ticked the points off on her fingers.

“Jeez, that bad?”

“He blames himself about what happened with his family. I think he’s got a hole in his heart, and maybe the only one who can fill it is Declan.”

Janessa grasped her hand and squeezed it. “Declan was just like that. One of his wings was injured in the battle back then, and it didn’t heal until his heart healed. Is Gerard like that? Can he fly?”

“As far as I know. I’ve seen his wings, and they’re extraordinary. I want to touch them, but it scares me a little. Don’t tell him I said so. Then again he always seems to know.”

“Yeah, they can smell fear—along with everything else. Alright, let me call Declan and tell him. I can’t wait!”

While Janessa dialed her fiancé, Lachelle left the table to walk over toward the entrance. She tried to see as much of the street as possible in case she spotted the car from earlier. It was nowhere in sight.

Seeing that her sister was still chattering excitedly with Declan on the phone, Lachelle left the restaurant and strolled down the street. At the corner, she looked left and right, scanning the cars. A breeze caused a few braids to block her vision. She brushed the hair out of her eyes, regretting not pilling it on top of her head.

“Hello there.”

She jumped a mile and spun around. The man standing before her smiled, but with his imposing figure, he made her feel tiny. She stood straighter and raised her chin to look him in the eyes. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people. So what do you want, shifter?”

His eyebrows rose. “You know what I am?”

“Tall, good-looking, silver eyes, do I need to go on?”

He chuckled. “You’re Gerard’s mate, so different from your sister. I wouldn’t think looking at you that you’d be a good match for him, but maybe I’m wrong.”

“Excuse you? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Doesn’t matter. I wanted to talk to you directly.”

“Not interested.” She might have turned her back on him if she trusted him not to stab her in the back.

“Won’t you hear me out? It concerns Gerard’s safety.”

She hesitated. “What about it?”

“Ah, I see you’re falling for him already. It’s to be expected.”

“Spare me. I’m not interested in what you think.”

He looked past her and frowned. Her back muscles tensed. She wanted to turn to see what he saw, but he might be trying to bait her. She wasn’t falling for it.

“We don’t have a lot of time here,” he said. “Call me.”

“No.”

“Think about it.” He stuffed a card into her hand. Who used business cards anymore?

After he was gone, she read the card. Patrick Sevelle. He worked in real estate. Somehow she didn’t think his interest in Gerard had to do with him buying property. Patrick must be the person with connections who had set Gerard up with the police, the man who wanted Gerard to locate the hunters. Patrick looked like the type of man who had no morals and no qualms about removing people who got in his way. She already didn’t like him, and she wanted him as far away from Gerard as possible.

The thought stopped her in her tracks as she was headed back toward the restaurant. Why should she get so worked up over Gerard? He wasn’t her boyfriend. One kiss didn’t make her fall in love with him.

Did it?

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