Marc (Bowen Boys, #4)(55)

She looked at Marc, who winked at her. She’d told him that she was going to pledge to Khan today, but was a little nervous about it. Marc had told her what he’d be able to do for her, and she thought that him finding her at any cost and being able to bring her cat and stuff was okay, but she didn’t want him to have access to her noodle. There had been enough probing around in her head. She looked at the doorway just as Walker came in, and when he nodded, she looked at Khan.

“Show time. You ready?” He nodded and took a deep breath. She knew he wasn’t thrilled about his part. He was sort of the catalyst to the whole thing to making it work. She watched him as he struggled to do his job.

When he wrapped his arm around her, she smiled at him. She didn’t even have to look at Marc to know that he was coming toward them. As was Jack. They both stood before them about the same time, and then Jack reached up and wrapped her arms around Marc in a sort of attempt to stop him from hurting Khan. Oh boy, the fun was beginning.

“Let him go.” She stood just as Khan did. “I said to let my mate go. If you don’t back off now, it’s within my rights to kill you.”

George started toward them, worry on his face. Corrine stepped out of the room. Her part was to come later. When Jack slapped her, Jonny lunged, and it was a free for all.

~~~

Khan had tried his best to hold his own with the two women. They were having fun, too much as far as he was concerned. He stood on the deck and watched the two of them go at each other. His dad and Marc stood to his right, Dylan to his left.

“Aren’t you going to do something? One of them is going to get killed. Then what the hell are you going to do?” Khan looked at his dad. “Do something, you’re the leader.”

“Neither of them have pledged to me. I can’t do anything, their mates have to. Besides, this is sort of your fault. You’ve been telling Jonny for weeks that she would have to kill anyone who touched her mate. If one of them is killed, it’s your fault.”

“Good God, I was kidding with her. She certainly didn’t take me seriously, did she?” Khan nodded to the women in the yard still snapping and fighting each other. “Oh my. What have I done?”

Dylan leapt over the railing as soon as Jonny drew blood from Jack. It wasn’t really anything more than a tiny baggy of blood that Walker had taken from her that morning. No one was really going to get hurt doing this, but the scent stirred his blood as well. As soon as Dylan had grabbed Jonny, Marc shifted and jumped into the fray. They were moving so quickly it was hard to tell who was who, other than the males were bigger than the females, and Jack and Jonny were fighting better.

Dylan lunged at Marc just as he nipped at Jack. Khan was pretty sure that Jack could have handled him on her own, but that wasn’t the plan. The whole thing was going just as she’d planned right down to his mom coming out and telling someone to stop it. Then he watched in pretend horror as Jonny bit at Jack’s throat and tore it away. While she lay there “dying,” Dylan knocked Marc down and “snapped” his neck.

Khan glanced to the garage where Reed was doing the sound effects and winced. That had been as loud as a f*cking gun going off, and he saw that the limb that he’d used for the bones breaking were huge. The kid never did a damned thing in moderation. His dad sat down hard on the step as Dylan and Jonny stood over their victims.

Walker came out of the house and ran to them. He had his bag with him, and Caitlynne was right behind him. The two of them looked up on the deck and shook their heads.

Khan looked at his dad when he started to clap his hands. He looked at Jonny, then back at him. His dad started laughing and was soon leaning back on the stairs to catch his breath. Marc and Jack sat up, knowing the gig was up.

“You didn’t really expect me to believe this, did you?” Khan looked at his mom, who shook her head. “No, no she didn’t tell me. I figured it out on my own. I knew the moment that you stayed up here on the deck that it wasn’t real. You should have helped them, your brothers at least, and I know for a fact that Jack pledged to you last month. I may be old, son, but I’m not stupid.”

“You prick.” Khan looked at Jonny as she came toward them, pulling her shirt over her nudity. “You mean old prick. You knew and you let this go on. Jack f*cking bit me.”

“Of course she did. You guys did an outstanding job. It was Khan’s fault all around. He should have helped, and he didn’t. He would have, too, but…. Damn, girl, this was a hell of a payback. But you knew I was just funning with you, right?”

Jonny walked by them and into the house. Marc followed her and mumbled “thanks, Dad” as he walked by them. His dad looked up at him, looking confused. So was Khan. He thought she would have it out with him. They both looked up at Monica when she came out of the house.

“They’re leaving. They said to tell everyone goodnight.” His dad stood up and looked at Monica when she started talking to him. “Jonny said if you needed anything to let her know. She said she was going to start working Monday and would speak to you about something then.”

“What the hell do you mean they’re leaving? We were having fun. You go and get them right now and tell that little girl to get back out here.” Monica shook her head and looked to the drive when the crunch of gravel sounded. “They really left?”

“Yes. What did you expect, you old fool? That poor girl didn’t know anything about us or even her own kind, and you go and stir up trouble for her. Then she tries to come up with this elaborate, beautiful plan, and you mess it up for her. Couldn’t you have acted the least bit impressed?” Khan’s mom smacked his dad on the shoulder. “And now look what you’ve done. They’re gone and pissed at you again.”