Etienne (The Shifters of Shotgun Row Book 1)(25)

Etienne

I pretended the call was from the station, but it was from Justice. Someone was on our turf.

Bruno.

The bear was going to get an ass full of teeth if he wasn’t careful. He may be my boss, but only if they could find the body. Other than that, he’d just be another missing person in the swamp.

I doubt anyone would miss his fat ass.

“How long was he around?” I asked Just with my hand around a cold beer. Just was former military, and this incident, along with the tourists getting closer and closer, put him on edge like I’d never seen him before.

“Hour or two. Smelled suspicious—like he was looking for something.”

The smell was concentrated around my house.

“He was sniffing around Tansy earlier.”

“The donut shop girl. Hot as fuck—pretty, too. I’d hit that.”

I smacked the back of his head as hard as I could for that comment.

He laughed and took a long swig of his beer. “That her? Your mate?”

I nodded. It was the first time I’d really acknowledged her for what she was.

“What do you know about mediums?”

Justice shrugged. “They can talk to spirits, right? Why? You been seeing ghosts, my brother?”

I looked around the place to make sure we were out of earshot of anyone. The last thing I needed was to be ragged for my medium mate.

“Not me.” I gave him the ‘I’m not talking about me, but I’m also not going to outright tell you who I’m talking about, either’ stare.

“Oh. Wow. A gifted mate. That’s a plus. Can she talk to my ex-girlfriend? Ask her why she left me and then went with a dragon—a dragon who bit her head off? I’d like to know that.”

“I’m not really going to ask her. She doesn’t even know I’m a shifter. I think she suspects, but the damned phone rang when I was about to tell her.”

“Fuck. How do you even tell a human you get a little grumpy and turn into a cold-blooded killer?”

I shrugged, swallowing down the last of my beer. “Who the fuck knows.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes. “Think she’ll run?” Just said.

“No. Yes. Hell if I know. I’m just hoping she doesn’t run from y’all’s dumb asses.”

Justice smiled. His smile was a little bit sincere and a lot Joker. He always looked like he wanted to stab everyone in the room. “Oh, come on. We’re not so bad. Anyway, you love us. We’re your crew. And if you’d just take your place as…”

“Don’t even fucking say it, Just. We aren’t that kind of crew. Yeah, we live close and take care of each other, but I’m not about to tell y’all what to do and where to shit.”

“Damn, I hope not. So, when are you gonna let us meet your mate?”

I got up from the table, determined to take a second look around my place. “Never. Fucking. Ever.”





Tansy

What was I thinking?

It was one thing to wander around town alone, yet another to take my Meemaw’s beater car into the freaking bayou alone, especially so I could ask someone if they were a freckin’ bear or not. Best case scenario, the car doesn’t break down. Worst? I get my butt chomped on by a bear. A fur-and-teeth bear just like that poor ghost did. It was official, I was a fool.

It was far too easy for me to get directions to his house out of Meemaw, which was the only thing that gave me courage. If she had refused, my fear would’ve been on overdrive. Now? Now I was more worried he’d be upset I was invading his space to confront him over becoming furry or not, as the case might be. And to bring king-nuts. Because king-nuts made everything better.

If he was even there. When I called the station dispatcher, they said he was off duty, but that didn’t mean much since he was off duty when he got that call and left my house.

I was rounding yet another corner of yet another dirt road, crossing my fingers and toes my GPS was correct in telling me I was only one turn away when the car stalled. Again. It was the primary reason why I walked all the places I did. Her car was what a beater aspires to be, and, coming from the city, I had no need for a vehicle before moving here, so I became careless, leaving it my only option. An option currently dying if not dead.

Six attempts to get her running later, the car still hadn’t started. Maybe it was time to make it official and call a time of death for the blasted thing. Chances were all but nonexistent someone was going to drive by with jumper cables even if that would help.

The sun was just beginning to set and, according to my phone, I had less than a quarter mile to my destination. Grabbing the box of king-nuts and mumbling under my breath about my need to get a gun, I shut and locked the car, because that made sense, before stomping off in the direction of his home, the bugs already attacking me.

I’d never get used to the bugs down here. And sweet tea. Yuck.

The sounds of the bayou were so unlike what I was used to. I could walk through sirens, gunshots, even really bad street music, and not have it faze me at all, but walking here I found myself jumping at every little noise. I nearly dropped the stupid king-nuts when some kind of fly on steroids brushed past my nose.

I felt watched, which didn’t help. Chances were I was sensing some dead dude who didn’t realize I could see him and was just hanging out being nosy. That was oddly a thing. But not one that stopped me from scanning the area every few feet. A ghost couldn’t hurt me, but some things out here could, and those things kept my feet stepping lively.