“Chief traced the gun,” grunted Roberto. “Came back to the guy who owns the steak place in town. Used to keep it in the pantry in case of burglars. He reported it missing a few days ago, but he can’t be sure how long it was gone before that.”
Roberto growled, and Antonio let out an answering growl to show his beast’s displeasure. Definitely not the answer he was hoping for.
If it had been, I have the guy who tried to shoot at your mate, feel free to beat the bastard to a pulp - then he would have been happy.
Damn, he’d had a mate for a matter of days and already some asshole with a gun had nearly killed her. Some protector he was.
“They got any ideas who stole the gun?” Antonio asked.
Roberto snorted. “None. Even went to the restaurant and took a look around myself.”
“Scents?”
“None I could get over the damn kitchen smells. Chief thinks it might be some anti-shifter hater.”
Antonio scoffed. They got on pretty well with the current chief. He was fairly decent, but he was someone who was still struggling to come to terms with shifters, even after the many decades since they came out. If the leap had any issues, the chief immediately assumed they were being targeted because they were shifters.
“What do you think?”
Roberto cracked his neck. “Maybe someone just wanted to scare us.”
“Like who?” And could he scare them in return? And show them what they got for threatening his mate?
“Suits from Vertigo have been sniffing around town again – saw them earlier today.”
“The idiots who wanted to put a five-star resort and a golf course on our land?”
His jaguar huffed, remembering how they had approached his prime. They had sauntered into the compound, acting like they were conquering heroes, showing disdain for the way they lived and giving no respect to Roberto. They acted like the leap was some crazy, scamming cult who would jump at the chance of some ready money. Roberto sent them away with a resounding roar in their ears and a threat of a boot up their butts if they returned. No one wanted to leave the mountain, or if anyone did, they were in the minority.
Roberto snarled.
“Thought they moved on.”
“Brodie told me they were trying to convince his pride to move on. Don’t think they were biting on their offer.”
Brodie was the leo of a local lion pride, living in a compound not too far from them. They owned even more land than the leap. Apparently, the Vertigo company didn’t feel able to build a multi-million dollar resort without first displacing as many shifter families as possible.
“So you think they’re behind this?”
“I don’t know. Wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Maybe we should pay them a visit.”
Roberto gave him a cold smile. “Couldn’t hurt to remind them we’re not going anywhere.”
Antonio hesitated as his beast grumbled. He’d have to forgo lunch with his mate. But it was to keep her safe so it was a worthy yet annoying sacrifice.
“I gotta see Hester and…”
“Your mother took her out for lunch. They went to town.”
Antonio’s beast roared, pushing to the fore. “You allowed them to leave the compound?”
“Would you have preferred I put the two of them under house arrest?”
Antonio winced. Yeah, his mother was the sweetest woman imaginable, but she could be pretty damn steely when she needed to be. Hester, on the other hand, he knew, without doubt, would go ballistic if someone attempted that.
“I sent David and Manny to follow them and make sure they were safe.”
Roberto looked down pointedly to where Antonio had his hands bunched in his shirt and was trying to lift him off his feet. Antonio hadn’t even realized he had done it, and grudgingly, he let his prime go. Though, he still wasn’t happy. He had a flickering worry that Hester might try and make a run for it, but he doubted she would; if she really wanted to try and escape she would have done so on her first day. Her cavorting from the edge of her window naked was a half-hearted escape at best. If she wanted, she could have slipped out at night, and no one would have been the wiser. It was why he spent most of her first night in his jaguar form patrolling around the guest house – just in case. Since then, he had started to trust her not to run. Yep, now he only spent a little of his time patrolling around the guesthouse at night mostly to keep her safe and partly because he was hornier than a teenager and eager for any glimpse of her undressing.
No, all his worry for her leaving the compound was about the danger she may or may not be in. If it was the clowns from Vertigo trying to scare them, they might see two females as easy prey. But, David and Manny were Roberto’s enforcers – good guys who looked like walking slabs of muscle. They wouldn’t let anything happen to his mate or mother, but he didn’t feel happy about it. Wouldn’t unless he was with them himself. But if he were with them he wouldn’t have allowed them to leave in the first place.
Roberto growled impatiently. “They’ll be fine. We going or what?”
Antonio nodded and growled. Yeah, he didn’t like the two most important women in his life being out there, but the sooner they put the shooting to rest the better. Besides, who knew what else Vertigo had up their sleeves. Better to nip their plans in the bud.
*
“I just need to make one stop, and then I thought we’d go to the steakhouse for lunch,” said Maria as she pulled her small car into a parking spot. “They do an amazing banana cream pie for dessert, and I know how shifters like their meat.”
Hester considered whether she should make a tasteless joke about that, but then reconsidered given her audience. While Maria was very nice, she was Hester’s kind-of-almost (though not actually her boyfriend) boyfriend’s mother.
“Sounds good,” she agreed. Both her stomach and her beast chirruped in agreement. Ugh, she was going to return to Los Lobos fifty pounds heavier – she could feel it. There was something about the mountain air that just made food taste so good.
Hester narrowed her eyes as she glanced in the mirror and caught sight of the red SUV pulling to a stop behind them. The car had been behind them for most of the half hour journey to town.
Maria caught her stare and saw the way her lip was curling and her fangs lengthening. “Don’t worry, dear. If I had to guess without going over there, I’d say that was David and Manny.”
“Who?”
“Roberto’s enforcers.”
“Wait, are you saying Roberto sent them to follow us?”
Maria nodded, completely unfazed.
“The asshole!” snarled Hester. Her beast agreed, though why she wasn’t quite sure.
“Since Roberto let us go without a fight, I had to figure he would send some protection for us. Don’t worry; they’re good boys and they’ll leave us alone.”
“But, it’s… it’s… an invasion of our privacy!” Hester finished triumphantly, however she would be hard pressed to find an objection to the enforcers simply following them around. It wasn’t like she was James Bond and doing something super-secret or exciting.
Maria shook her head and pulled out a hand mirror. She started primping her hair. “He’s just being extra cautious because of the shooting. I’d expect nothing less. I’m sure if Antonio knew what we were planning, he’d have tried to make us stay in the compound.”
“He could try,” muttered Hester. Though, he had been pretty darn good at keeping her there already.
Maria wasn’t paying attention, no she was hastily applying some lipstick, and a second later, Hester knew the reason for it.
They were near to a fresh produce stand, that appeared to sell a myriad of fruit, vegetables and baked goods, and standing next to it was a giant of a man with an affable expression, on an albeit square head. His face lit up when he noticed Maria’s car. He turned and said a few words to a tall teenage girl and hurried over to them. Maria quickly got out, and Hester followed, not wanting to miss this.
“Maria!” exclaimed the male, and Hester noticed that Maria blushed slightly.
Oh ho! Her sort-of (though not actually her mother-in-law), mother-in-law, had a crush!
Her cheetah gave an experimental sniff, and unsurprisingly, given his size, the male was a bear shifter. They were built huge, and square heads were usually a given. Hester always thought it was brave of human women to mate with bear shifters – giving birth to those huge heads could not be easy.
“Roman,” murmured Maria, “how are you?”
The bear shifter looked slightly bashful as he answered that he was fine and Hester almost snorted. It was as painful as watching teenagers flirting.
“I made some more honey buns,” said Maria brightly.
His face creased. “My favorite.”
The pleasure in her expression was immense. Hester was loath to interrupt but… she let out a small cough. Maria immediately glanced at Hester and reddened even more.
“Oh! Roman, this is Hester. She’s mating my eldest son.”
“Ah, well, actually…”
Roman stuck out a huge, dinner plate-like hand and damn near shook her arm off. He gave her the same experimental sniff she had given him, and he looked mildly interested.
“Cheetah?”
Hester nodded. “Bear.”
“Human,” put in Maria slightly nervously, before clearing her throat. “I make baked goods, and Roman sells them on his stall,” she explained to Hester.
“Dear lord,” exclaimed Hester glancing at the sturdy stall that had more than a few tourists around it. “I’m surprised you’re not mobbed on a daily basis. This woman’s cooking is insane.”
Roman boomed out a laugh as Maria shyly tried to stammer out a protestation.
“You’re absolutely right,” agreed Roman. “I nearly did have a mob yesterday when we ran out of cinnamon and pumpkin rolls.”
“You’re too kind,” murmured Maria.
“Not at all,” he said with feeling, smiling at Maria.
“Roman runs the stall with his family,” Maria told Hester.
“My son and daughter when they’re not in school.”
Maria waved at the teenage girl who easily topped six feet. The girl waved back before returning to a grinning idiot of a customer who was clearly ogling her long legs. Roman noticed and snarled in disapproval – a sound that evidently the man heard, or at least his wife did because he was soon being dragged away.
“The cakes are in my trunk,” said Maria, moving to get them.
“Allow me,” rumbled Roman, placing a meaty hand on her shoulder. They had another little moment while they smiled at one another. Hester stopped it again, this time unintentionally as her stomach grumbled.
The huge bear made quick work of unloading everything, and Maria said goodbye. He looked a little crestfallen that she was leaving but perked up when she told him she would return the following day.
He gave them a hearty wave as they drove on through town, with the red SUV following, naturally.
“He likes you!” crowed Hester as soon as humanly possible. “Romantic styles!” She waggled her eyebrows for effect, but it was probably lost on Maria as she concentrated on the road.
“Don’t be absurd,” said Maria. “He’s over ten years younger than me.”
Hester shrugged. He didn’t look older than early forties, but Maria was a very attractive woman. They wouldn’t look out of place as a couple. She had soft, pretty features, while he was ruggedly handsome – they’d look good together.
“You can’t be sure of the age difference.”
Maria shook her head. “I just turned fifty, and he’s only thirty-nine.”
“How do you know that?”
“I… I asked his daughter,” Maria admitted uneasily.
“Aha! So you are interested!” snickered Hester and her beast.
“Not in the least!”
“Is he divorced or what? I didn’t spy a wedding ring tan line, but most shifters who form matings don’t bother with them. Then again, I didn’t spot a bonding mark on his neck either and…”
“He had a mate, but she left him many years ago. Honestly, we’re just friends. So please, just drop it,” said Maria hurriedly.
“Sure.”
Maria seemed to sag with relief. Hester did drop it, for the moment, but this wasn’t a topic that was going to stay dropped for long. According to Antonio, his father died when he was a kid. He wasn’t specific, but Hester imagined that was about twenty years ago at least. That was a long time to be alone. Few people really had the fortitude to be alone, and Maria seemed like someone who liked being surrounded by family. What would be better than a huge new mate and his two huge teenage kids to feed?
It was evident by the way Roman virtually panted after her that he wanted Maria – age difference or no age difference, there was a male who was utterly smitten. Whether Maria wanted to admit it or not, she was definitely into him as well.
Hester looked out the window, absently admiring the lovely town, as she started planning on how she was going to get the two of them together. She wondered whether Antonio would have any objections.
They passed the truck so quickly that she couldn’t be sure, but she could swear that she saw Daniel having what appeared to be a heated argument with someone inside it. At least his arms were waving around a lot. Wasn’t Daniel supposed to be out at a rental property that day, doing some maintenance work? She didn’t exactly get a good look at the other person in the vehicle, but the large V-shaped logo on the side of it looked kind of familiar. What was he up to?