~

 

“Yep,” Bute nodded.

“Fine!” Rayner pushed away from the desk, rocking it on its base, and bringing Bute’s attention solely on her.

“Fine,” Bute echoed that sentiment. Then he folded his thick arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair.

“After everything I’ve done for you,” Rayner bit out.

“Yep,” Bute nodded again. “It’s just business — Missy.”

“Just — business,” Rayner gave a slow nod of understanding as she considered his words. “Just business — then you don’t mind if I take my business over to big Jim.”

“Now…” Bute pushed up in his chair. He unfolded his arms, and he rested his palms against the desktop like he was trying to gather the energy to push up, but his brain was otherwise occupied.

“After all, big Jim has been trying to poach me for years away from you.” Rayner folded her arms across her chest and offered him a steely gaze.

“Now, Rayner…” Bute’s attitude had certainly changed. He even tried to crack a friendly smile, although his lips got caught on his teeth and it looked more like a grimace.

“Just business, Bute.” Rayner shrugged.

“Now, you know that son of a bitch won’t…”

“Value me?” Rayner’s eyebrows moved up toward her hairline. “

“Exactly,” Bute agreed.

“Like you do?”

“I pay you good…” He poked a stocky finger through the air toward her. She had the urge to rip it off.

“I was just asking for a little time here, but, I guess I need to go to big Jim to get some…”

“Nothing!” Bute slammed the palm of his hand down against the desk. “That man is…”

“Just business.”

“Fine,” Bute pushed up to his full height.

He was a large man, stocky, but he had more flab than muscle. He looked older than his years, his hair was graying at his temples, and she credited the business that he was in with that weathered look.

“Fine — what?” She demanded.

“You’ll get your extra time — but I want something in return,” he eyed her like he didn’t know if she’d just stolen the family silver.

“Let me guess?” She wasn’t about to try. But knowing the man as she did, he’d definitely want his damn pound of flesh in return.

“I want you to go after the biggest, meanest, son of the bitch on our books,” Bute folded his arms across his chest and offered her a smirk. He knew she’d never do it. Nobody would.

Rayner knew exactly who he was talking about. Others had tried to go after the man and failed miserably. Most ended up in hospital.

In the past, she’d considered taking that one on herself — it was good money if she got a result. Things were different now, she was stronger, faster, and she had a damn bear inside of her.

“Deal.”

Bute looked somewhat surprised. He’d dangled that bait in front of her a thousand times — even goading her with it. She’d been close to taking the bait on occasion, but she’d never quite followed through.

“You sure?” Bute felt kind of guilty there for a second — it was fleeting. The thought of getting his money back was like a shiny diamond in the palm of his hand.

“Send me the details.” Rayner tossed back over her shoulder as she headed for the door. She flicked her gaze towards Roland, and the man questioned her with just a look.

“I’m not going to visit you in hospital,” Bute called.

“Good. Your damn face is the last thing I want to see when I’m dying,” she tossed back.

“Dying?” Roland growled from somewhere behind her as he followed her down the hall, and out the front door.

“Maybe we should keep this between ourselves.” Rayner turned to look at her new brother.

Roland’s left eyebrow slowly reached up to meet his hairline. Somehow, where his brother and alpha were concerned, she didn’t think that he was the secretive type.

 

~

~

~

 

“Are you out of your mind?” Dane growled as the anger of what she’d done boiled and burned within him.

“That’s what I said,” Roland grumbled as he stared into the flames of the firepit in front of him.

Sure, she’d played it smart. They’d stopped off on the way back home to clan land, and she’d bought a whole heap of good food to fill their bellies before she’d dropped the bomb on her mate about the bargain that she’d made with her boss over Bowie’s debt.

Bowie sat on the other side of the pit with his shoulders hunched and his head hanging down as he listened to what was going on between the mates.

Dane hadn’t forgiven him for what he’d done, but Rayner had sent him over to play nice when she’d left, and Dane had somehow managed it – that was after he’d pounded his fist in his face so many times that Bowie was sure he’d seen stars.

Bowie hadn’t lifted a damn figure to stop him. Neither had his bear felt the urge to push forward and defend them from the onslaught of Dane’s anger.

They’d deserved it, and he considered that he was getting off damn lightly.

“It’s not happening…” Dane growled.

“Oh, it’s happening.” Rayner shrugged.

“I can take care of my own damn debt,” Bowie growled. He’d caused enough upset between the mates; he wouldn’t add another burden.

“That’s right – you can,” Rayner informed him.

“Huh?” Dane was lost. She’d confused him.

“You’re gonna help me,” Rayner told Bowie.

“Huh?” Dane was a little more forceful that time. “He’s…?”

“The meanest asshole I know, and when you’re going up against one mean asshole…” She shrugged.

“Bowie?” Dane stabbed a finger in the air in his brother’s direction. He was still trying to wrap his head around the situation that she’d got herself into.

“Bowie.” Rayner shrugged, but she looked pleased with her idea.

“You need this guy alive to pay up, right?” Roland chuckled.

“Right.” Rayner looked at Bowie and caught him staring at her, open-mouthed and shocked, but he quickly looked away. He didn’t want to meet her gaze. “You think you can not kill him?”

“For you – I’ll try,” Bowie offered back. The guilt of what he’d done to her still gnawed inside of him. It felt like an open wound.

“That’s that then…” Rayner said, pushing up to her feet.

“No, the hell it’s not,” Dane growled, pushing up to stand beside her as he glared down in disbelief.

“Let’s go work off some of that aggression I’m sensing inside of you.” Rayner offered him a wicked grin and got a hungry growl in reply.

“Stop damn well distracting me,” Dane growled as he tried to shake off the thought of being deep inside of her. It wasn’t working, and the fact that his cock was harder than hell at the thought wasn’t helping matters either.

“You don’t wanna screw like wildlings?” Rayner’s grin got a whole lot more wicked.

“Of course I damn well do,” he growled, as Roland chuckled.

“Maybe you’re not quite up to it after this morning?” She offered him a look of sympathy, and he offered a low, deep growl.

“Seriously?” He grumbled as his brothers sniggered.

“Well, I am sensing a reluctance within you,” Rayner teased and challenged him.

Dane thrust out an arm around her and wrenched her body up against his. Rayner jumped unexpectedly, and he caught her as she wrapped her legs around his hips and ground her sex against his hard cock.

“Woman,” he growled.

“Yes I am,” she wiggled her eyebrows at him. “And a woman needs her man.”

Rayner dared him to the sound of a hungry growl that rumbled through his chest. Dane bit down on a curse, but that didn’t stop his legs from moving as he started with her toward the cabin.

“This conversation isn’t over…” Dane growled.

“I guess we can talk about it again when Bute sends me the details,” Rayner assured him.

In the meantime, she’d be thinking, figuring out a way to make Dane come around to her way of thinking.

Giles watched the group from his lofty position in the trees. He was glad that Rayner seemed to be holding it together. Even Bowie seemed a little more subdued now.

That didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to continue to keep an eye on the clan. It was his backside on the line as well.

 

The End.