Chapter Four

The Haymarch family were back for their handout again, and Anthony was tromping up the steps of To Dine For, while Herbert was sitting at a picnic table eating his free lunch, but none of that was enough to dent Savannah’s sudden surge of optimism.

That morning, she and Niall had gone to town to buy supplies for a fundraising barbecue dinner that the restaurant was having that evening. She’d gotten a text from Harris, but she’d ignored it. What difference did one job more or less make at this point? Jobs paid a few thousand dollars. Not enough to pay off their debt.

Or rather, most jobs did.

But when she’d pulled in to the parking lot in front of the restaurant and decided to check the text, her heart had stuttered in her chest.

Now she sat cross-legged next to Niall on one of the picnic tables on the front lawn, and shook her head in wonder as she stared at the screen of her phone.

“A million-dollar mark,” she said to Niall. “One million dollars. That’s a one with six zeros after it. Also a couple of commas.”

“There’s a reason the bounty is so high,” Niall said uneasily.

Savannah waved away his objections with a flip of her hand. “That’s the highest bounty ever. We’d be set for life. Pay off the land, spit directly in that fucktard Algernon’s face, put money in the bank, invest in the town and try to get some more businesses here…”

“But there is no way,” Niall protested. “You can’t catch him. You’ll die trying.” Niall was notoriously pessimistic. He hadn’t been that way before their father’s accident. Now, though, he’d look at a sunny sky and predict thunderstorms.

“I’ve got two words for you. Somnorus darts,” Savannah said cheerfully.

Somnorus was the name of a wild herb that was distilled to use as a sedative for shifters. Normal tranquilizers didn’t affect shifter metabolism.

She and her family had a secret patch of it in the woods that they cultivated for her to use on her bounty hunting jobs, whenever she had to go up against someone who was too big for her to handle on her own. Because her mother was an excellent gardener with a touch of earth magic, their Somnorus herbs were at least ten times the potency of anyone else’s. That was the only reason Savannah’s mother had agreed to let her start bounty hunting.

Niall was staring at her as if she’d sprouted a second head. “I’ve got two words for you. He will end you.”

“That’s actually four—”

“Shut up!” Niall snapped, leaping to his feet in agitation. “You know you can’t do this. You’ve never gone after anyone like him. He’ll tear you in half.”

“I can handle it,” Savannah said firmly. Inside, she felt a roiling in her stomach and her heart was racing, but she kept a confident smile plastered on her face. “I’m headed out first thing in the morning. After the barbecue tonight.”

She wasn’t an idiot, and she wasn’t suicidal. She knew it would be dangerous, but the rewards would be more than worth it. There was a strong fox shifter community in Montana, and she could turn to them for help. They’d know where Roy was.

“Fine, you moron. I’m coming with you.” Niall bit the words out.

“Of course you are.” Of course he wasn’t. She would risk her own life, but she wasn’t going to risk her sixteen-year-old brother’s. “And you’re not going to breathe a word of this to Mom.”

Her mother would undoubtedly unleash the wrath of a thousand Genghis Khans on Savannah when she came back with that bounty – if she came back with it – but she’d deal with that when the time came. Maybe she could use some of the million dollars to hire bodyguards.

Nah, her mother would just charm them with chocolate cookies or something, and lace the cookies with Somnorus, then storm right over their unconscious bodies.

“Well, this is just great. I always wanted to die horribly. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go make out my will,” Niall grumbled, hopping off the table.

“You already have one.” She arched an eyebrow. “Which is not normal for a sixteen-year-old, by the way.”

“I’m revising it. In case you survive, you get nothing.” And he stalked off, shoulders hunched.

She slid off the table, tucked her phone in her pocket, and strolled towards the restaurant. As she did, an odd sensation of excitement swept over. She was tingling from head to toe.

What the heck was happening? Was she suddenly possessed by some oddly erotic ghost? Why was she pulsing between her legs with every step she took?

As soon as she walked through the door, she saw why.

Austin.

In her mother’s restaurant.

Sitting at a four-top with her mother. As ever, just looking at him made her treacherous heart do a little happy skip.

Stop that at once, she sternly told her heart. And not for the first time.

He was wearing a black leather jacket and jeans and motorcycle boots, and he gazed at her with eyes the color of whiskey.

No wolf should ever be that handsome. It was just wrong. It was distracting. Liable to cause accidents when people couldn’t stop staring at him and walked into walls.

Austin was dangerous, that’s what he was. He should have a “Warning: hazardous materials” label slapped on his forehead.

As she walked over, she saw that there was an empty plate in front of him, with a shred of lettuce on it. And a twenty-dollar bill.

So. Austin was an insanely generous tipper. Damn it, couldn’t he just be a jerk all the time?

As she reached the table, Austin flashed her an enormous, taunting grin.

She slid her hand into her pants pocket.

He stood up, threw his arms around her, and murmured in her ear, “Is that a Taser in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”

Now how the hell did he know that? And why did he have to smell so delicious and feel so good? His body was so solid it might as well have been carved out of marble, except marble wasn’t warm and musky.

She wriggled out of his grasp, praying that he hadn’t felt her diamond-hard nipples pressing into his chest. But he probably had, because nothing got past him, the bastard.

Before she could inflict grievous bodily harm on him, her mother stood up too.

“Your friend came by here with half of the bounty from the other day, from that fellow who ran off,” she said, putting way too much emphasis on the word friend. What had Austin told her? “And he insisted on buying the Haymarches’ lunch and paying their full tab. And treated Anthony to an extra lunch and dessert. Wouldn’t take no for an answer. What a sweetheart!”

Her jaw dropped. Their full tab? That had to be hundreds of dollars. Close to a thousand, probably.

Anthony was sitting at the counter, with an empty platter in front of him, next to three empty pie plates and an empty milkshake glass.

Savannah looked at Austin warily, and he rewarded her with a sunny, innocent smile.

“I don’t owe you guys anything any more, so you can’t give me a hard time,” Anthony called out, and he stuck his tongue out at her, then turned and ran for the kitchen.

Normally, Savannah would have chased him and smacked him, but she was too busy being shocked right out of her shoes.

“Half of the bounty?” she said suspiciously to Austin.

“Yep.” Austin’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “I know we were going to split it, since you did half the work. And since it was my fault that he escaped, I figured I owed you.”

What the hell was he playing at here?

“I tried to tell him that he didn’t have to pay you, since the guy ran off and neither of you got the bounty,” her mother added.

“Of course you did.” She rolled her eyes. They were broke as a joke, and her mother still insisted on being painfully, scrupulously honest.

“Savannah, you never told me your mother was such a wonderful cook.” Austin grinned at her, then put his arm around her shoulders. His muscular arm felt so good, so right. She fought the urge to rub up against him and purr. Foxes don’t purr. What the hell was the matter with her?

She shrugged him off and stepped away, shooting him a look that dared him to touch her again.

“And you never told me that you had such a charming boyfriend,” her mother burbled to her. “A Bronson, at that! I did a couple of quick internet searches after he told me. Just on my phone. So far, he checks out completely. And it was so sweet of him to move all the way across the state to be closer to you, I almost forgive you for not telling me sooner.”

“Hey, is that your boyfriend?” Jessamine had emerged from the kitchen, and she was standing in the doorway, using her outside voice. The one where she yelled really loudly. “Are you dating a wolf?” she called out across the room. “Is it true what they say about wolves?”

Savannah didn’t want to know what they said about wolves. She wanted her sister to explode into flames. “If you want to keep your scalp attached to your head, you’ll shut up,” she yelled back. Everyone in the entire restaurant was staring at her with intense interest.

She returned her attention to Austin, staring up into his eyes. “Austin, dear, we need to talk.” Savannah fluttered her lashes at him. “Can we step outside for just a minute?”

“Oh, now, don’t go giving your boyfriend a hard time just because he was actually respectful enough to come introduce himself to your mother,” Laurel chided her. “And you and I are going to have a little chat later.”

“I see where you get your good looks and charm from,” Austin said to Savannah. He winked at her mother. “Miss Laurel.”

“Oh, you!” Her mother actually giggled. She giggled. “Don’t forget that you’re coming to the barbecue dinner tonight!” she called out as they headed towards the door.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Austin called back.

“Acck,” Savannah gurgled. He was coming to the restaurant fundraiser?

Everyone in the entire town would be there. This was so great. Just really, really great.

Savannah, straight-backed, hurried outdoors, biting her lip. Austin followed her.

She kept walking, past the picnic tables outside and into the woods.

She stopped behind an enormous oak tree.

“Your sister’s weird as hell, but your mom seems nice,” Austin mused, leaning against the tree, a lazy grin curling his lips.

Moving faster than she ever had before, she slapped his face so hard it stung her hand.

“You motherfucker!” she yelled at him. “Do not mess with my family!”

He rubbed his face. “Ouch. Yes, about that. Sorry. Sort of. I came here to give your mother the money, and then I kind of got carried away with all the boyfriend-girlfriend talk. I just can’t help myself. Something about you makes me want to torture you.” She gave him a sidelong glance. “I mean, not in a Silence of the Lambs way,” he said hastily. “In a fun way. You know, like dipping your pigtails in an inkwell.”

She stared at him. “Who says pigtails? Or inkwell?”

“You’re welcome for the money,” he said reproachfully.

She took a deep breath, counted to five, and let it out slowly. His gaze wandered over her chest as she did, making her cheeks heat.

“Thank you,” she said, wishing she didn’t blush so easily. “What is your angle?”

“There is no angle.”

She shoved him. “Yes, there is! Why are you here today, all of a sudden, throwing all this money around?”

He raised his eyebrows, giving her his best “Who, me?” look. “Can’t a wolf have a little fun?”

Furious, she pushed him again. “No, you son of a bitch, not when it comes to getting my mother’s hopes up! She’s obsessed with marrying me off! She will be really upset when she finds out this was fake!”

She could have sworn he muttered, “It wasn’t fake.”

“What did you just say?” she demanded, astonished.

He shook his head, heaving a sigh. “Nothing.”

“I am sick of you messing with my head!” she yelled, and when he started to laugh, she hooked her foot behind his knee and sent him tumbling. As he fell, he grabbed her, and she landed on top of him.

He quickly rolled over, pinning her underneath him.

“What the hell is it with you assaulting me?” he demanded. “Do you want my truck keys again? Because I can just hand them to you.”

“No, I don’t want your truck keys!” She was yelling again, for no good reason. But Austin was too close to her, and she could feel the thick hardness of his erection pressing into her stomach, and he smelled so good that she wanted to lick him and see if he tasted even better.

“Then what do you want?” he demanded, with an intensity she’d never heard before. He reached down and gently brushed a lock of hair from her face, and she stifled a moan. Her arousal was a fiery furnace, consuming her from within.

Before she could stop herself, she found herself kissing him.

He cupped her chin in his hand and deepened the kiss, his tongue thrusting into her mouth and swirling around hers. He tasted of sweet coffee, and she moaned as his tongue led hers in a sensual dance, probing and thrusting.

His fingers tightened in her hair, and he swallowed her groan of pleasure as he held her chin firmly. She couldn’t move, she was deliciously trapped, and she could have lain there kissing him until she died.

An annoying whine cut through the air.

“Savannah! We’re out of chocolate torte! Your mom says to come make more!” It was Anthony. And she was going to murder him. And her mother had probably sent him to make sure that Savannah wasn’t doing exactly what she was doing right now.

Austin rolled off her with a groan and sat up.

“Don’t come to the barbecue tonight,” Savannah said, her voice husky. She scrambled to her feet, brushing pine needles off her clothing.

Austin slowly climbed to his feet as well. “Wow.” He shook his head, his voice laced with hurt. “I’m that bad of a kisser?”

Savannah blinked away sudden tears and looked away. “I didn’t say you were bad. It’s just…you and me? It isn’t real. And everyone I know will be there, and this is a small town where people remember things forever.” Savannah’s heart pounded in her chest. If Austin made fun of her, she’d kill him. Or worse, actually cry.

“Listen.” His voice went gentle. “I have some more money I’m going to bring – half of the take from all the marks I stole from you. Sixteen thousand dollars. If you don’t want me to stay tonight after I drop off the money, I’ll leave. And tomorrow, I’m gone. For good. I’m actually leaving the state of Washington, and I won’t be back. I just…I’d like to have dinner with you. If you want to.”

She stared at him, utterly speechless. There was a look on his face she’d never seen before. A haunted look. It stung her to her very soul, as if his pain were her own.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he said, and walked off.

She had a feeling that she knew where he was going tomorrow.

He was going after Roy. And he thought it would be the death of him.

For the first time, she felt uneasy, a chill settling over her and trailing icy fingers of fear down her spine. Goosebumps pebbled her skin, despite the summer heat. If Austin didn’t think he could survive Roy, what chance did she have?