Echoes of Fire (The Mercury Pack #4)(44)

Frowning at the amount of familiarity in his voice when he spoke the bitch’s name, Madisyn asked, “You know Claudia?”

He turned back to face Madisyn. “I do. She’s a nice woman. Not quite as sweet and wholesome as she comes across on TV, though.”

Ally sidled closer to Madisyn. “Really?”

Mason nodded. “She has a lot of her father in her—and I mean that as a compliment. She’s self-driven, charismatic, good at manipulating people, and she’ll do what needs to be done to get what she wants. And what she wants most is to be the first shifter Hollywood star. I think a lot of her ambition has to do with her older sister.”

“Sister?” echoed Madisyn.

“Angelica was a sickly kid, so she got a lot of their mother’s attention,” Mason explained. “That’s probably why their father lavished so much attention on Claudia. He was trying to make up for it. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. In any case, I’ve always thought this craving that Claudia has for fame, admiration, and the envy of others comes from that.”

Gwen leaned toward Mason. “So how does one go about pissing Claudia Brookson off?”

The tiger smiled. “Well, let’s see. There are two things that Claudia hates—one is rejection, and the other is being glossed over in favor of someone else. But I wouldn’t recommend you try to piss her off. Even the nicest person can make a bad enemy.” His gaze cut to Madisyn. “But then, so can pallas cats, right?”

Her mouth curved into a bloodthirsty smile. “Oh yeah.”

Seeing Claudia head his way, Bracken swore under his breath. He did not need this shit. He really didn’t. She’d tried to catch his eye a few times tonight, but he’d ignored her. There’d be no doing that now because she’d planted herself right in his path.

Her smile wasn’t sultry or flirtatious. It was sweet, friendly, and seemed strained with fatigue. “Bracken, it’s very good to see you, as always.”

He gave her and the males flanking her a brief nod.

“It’s been a few weeks since we last spoke.” She tilted her head in a delicate, almost birdlike movement. “How have you been?”

“Good,” said Bracken simply.

“I noticed the club’s security is tighter than usual. Is there a problem?” When he didn’t answer, she smiled. “Of course, you’d never discuss pack business with an outsider. I admire that depth of loyalty. It’s one of the reasons I believe you’ll make an excellent addition to my security team.” Uneasiness crept into her expression. “Right now, my team needs to be tighter than ever.”

His brow creased. “You’re having more problems with the extremists?”

“Cain didn’t tell you?”

“Why would he? I’m not a member of the Movement.” Bracken knew that Claudia reported her troubles to Cain, as if sponsoring the group meant they owed her their protection. She’d initially tried to hire Bracken through Cain, who had made it clear that he wouldn’t be providing her with security and that she would need to speak with Bracken directly.

“They firebombed my restaurant. I was inside it at the time.” Claudia let out a shaky breath. “My team got everyone out of there. No one was seriously hurt, but that restaurant was my baby. Obviously, I can’t prove it’s them, but we know firebombing is a signature move of the extremists.”

“Does Cain have the names of the culprits?”

She bit her lip. “If he did, would you hunt them for me?”

He threw her a dark look. “I’m not a fucking hit man, Claudia. I just wondered if he knew who was responsible.”

She laid a hand on his arm. “I apologize if I offended you. I’m just a little edgy. Off-balance. Cain doesn’t yet have any names for me, and I can’t deal with these people when I don’t even know who they are. I worry they’ll come back; try something else.” Stepping a little closer to him, she gestured at her table. “Come have a drink with me. We can talk more.”

His wolf curled his upper lip, not wanting another female’s touch, warning the she-wolf away. “No, thanks.” Bracken stepped back, making her hand drop from his arm.

“Oh, come on. It’ll be nice to chat.”

“You have plenty of company with you. You don’t need more.” Bracken slid his gaze to Madisyn, unsurprised to find her staring at them; he’d felt her eyes on him. Her expression was blank, but he had the feeling she was pissed. “And I have someone I need to see.”

Claudia followed his gaze, and her face tightened. “Oh, I see. Well, the little bobcat isn’t going anywhere. Surely, she won’t mind your having a drink with a friend. And if she displays the sort of jealousy that says you can’t have a harmless chat with another female, you’ll know to get rid of her.” Again, she gestured at her table. “I’m sure she can wait while we talk.”

“We have nothing to talk about.”

Claudia’s lips flattened. “I understand why you turned down my offer. Your pack is important to you, and they’ve been there for you through a terrible time. But it’s not as if you’d never see them again if you left. In fact, I think they would agree with me that perhaps a fresh start in another pack is what you need. Especially when it would mean that, by not fighting my wish to recruit you, they’d gain my father as an ally.”