Go Fetch ! (4 page)

“Bunnies?” He heard Zach growl but he laughed. Sara always made him laugh. She was a wacky girl. “Probably not. Not too many bunny shifters.”

“Pity. Well whatever was in our territory should be dead. Are they dead?” Zach and
Conall
looked at Sara, then at each other. The woman was dangerous. She didn’t tolerate outsiders on the Pack’s property. She didn’t tolerate threats to her Pack. She didn’t tolerate anything that she deemed a danger to who and what she loved. She wasn’t a hunter like
Conall
or Kelly or any of the other Pack members. She was a stone-cold killer. And she knew it.

“No, but Jake scared them off.”

“I want Angie and Miki safe when they’re here.”

“They will be.” Zach assured her.

“And you better stay close to Miki for me,
Conall
. You know. For safety.” Zach groaned. “Very subtle, mate.”

“I don’t know what you mean. I’m only thinking about my friend’s safety.” If you didn’t know her, you would have thought she was being completely sincere. Sara handed a stack of mail to Zach. “Here.” Then she handed a small card-sized envelope to
Conall
. Zach examined the stack in his hand. “Why are there bite marks on these?”

“Roscoe got to the postman before I could.” There was that deep sigh Zach seemed to do a lot. The palms of his hands rubbing his eyes. Sara smiled and winked at
Conall
. “Did he bite the postman?”

“No. He just ripped the mail from his hand. And then the postman ran away.”

“Get rid of that dog.”

“No.”

Conall
opened his envelope while Zach and Sara had their weekly fight over “the dog” as Zach called him. He glanced at it, then crumpled it up and tossed it into the bushes. It took him a minute to realize that he now had Zach and Sara’s full attention.

“Everything okay?”

Conall
shrugged at Zach’s question. “It’s from my cousin.”

Just like that, Zach stopped caring. He knew
Conall’s
family. And he didn’t like them. He began to open the stack of bills. But Sara was a different story. “What’s wrong with your cousin?”

“Nothing.”

“Again with the lying. You know I hate that.” He saw Zach grin at that out of the corner of his eye. “What was the card about?”

“He wants me to visit the family. But I think I’d rather set myself on fire.”

“That seems extreme. But it doesn’t matter. We’re your family. Fuck them.” Sara
Morrighan
was quite the delicate flower. “Do you want to go see them?”

“No.”

“Then I’m forbidding you to go. Because I’m Alpha female and apparently I can do that.” Not that she ever would unless he wanted her to. Right now, though, he wanted her to. “Damn you, woman.” He playfully chastised. “I guess I’m stuck here, huh, Zach?”

“I’m not facing those friends of hers on my own.”

“What did I say? I want you to be cheery when you see my friends.”

“I don’t do cheery.”

“You will if you want to do me.” To Zach’s annoyance,
Conall
laughed at that. The woman never gave Zach an inch. And
Conall
knew that Zach wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sara turned back to
Conall
. “Now I’m insisting you be here because my birthday’s coming up and I expect a party. I’m
thinkin
’ Texas barbeque and line dancing.” Zach growled again, “I am
not
line dancing.”
Conall
nodded. “Then line dancing it is!” He ignored Zach’s glare as Sara bumped him with her shoulder and he bumped her back. The woman was like the psychotically dangerous little sister he never had.

Zach stared at the paperwork in his hand. “What the fuck is going on with this
friggin
’ water bill?”

***

Miki stepped out of the limo and stared. “Are you sure this is the right address?”

“Yes, ma’am. I do all the pick-ups for Mr. Sheridan.”

“But this isn’t a house.” A mansion. A castle. A palace. But
not
a house.

“I’ll get your bags, ma’am.”

Miki nodded as she continued to stare at Sara’s new home. It was huge and on its own sprawling range of land. Next to the house was an enormous garage filled to overflowing with choppers of every shape and description as well as a couple of pick-up trucks and SUVs. She recognized
Marrec’s
bikes almost immediately. Seemed the Pack was giving Sara’s surrogate dad a ton of business.

She couldn’t believe this. How could Sara be living here? Sara who was happy with a book and soda. Sara who happily worked at
Marrec’s
place for fifteen years and “
C’d
” her way right through high school and junior college. How could that Sara now be living in a place where the drive from the gate to the house alone was almost 10 minutes?

Miki remembered one of Angelina’s last comments to her: “You’ll like her place. It’s nice. Just needs a porch.”

A porch?

The front door opened and Sara appeared. She was physically a little different. Leaner. And her hair was much longer, almost to her waist. But she was still Sara with her worn jeans, battered Harley T-shirt, and old cowboy boots. Sara’s face lit up as soon as she saw Miki and Miki hated herself for waiting so long to come see her friend.

“Dude!” Sara charged down the stairs and straight to the limo, tackling Miki and knocking them both back into the vehicle. Sara’s laughter and excitement were infectious and, before Miki knew it, she was hugging her friend back and squealing right along with her. “You bitch! I thought you’d never come!” Sara stood up, grabbed Miki’s hand, and dragged her back out of the car. She hugged her again.

At the same time they both said, “Your hair’s longer.”

Then they started laughing.

“Where would you like me to put the bags, Mrs. Sheridan?”

Sara growled. Low and from her gut. “The name is Ms.
Morrighan
. You call me Mrs. again and I will squeeze your balls until you’re dead. Now throw the
fuckin
’ bags in the hall.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He hustled Miki’s bags away.

“Well, I’m glad to see that you finally got your aggression under control.” Arms around each other they began to walk back toward the house. “I think he does that shit on purpose.”

“What’s the big deal? You are going to marry him, right?”

“Why?” And Sara actually meant that. “I mean, we’re marked. It’s not like either of us is going anywhere. Besides…” she held up her right arm. A stunning tribal tattoo covered most of it. “We got matching ink.”

Sara and Zach were definitely an interesting couple. She was still recovering from Sara’s call five months before when she excitedly told her friend that she and Zach had “done the deed.” Miki thought that meant they’d rushed off to get married. But leave it to Sara… they’d both gone to the hospital and gotten sterilized. Perfectly matched
shapeshifters
that never wanted to breed. It was kind of sweet in a bizarre paranormal kind of way.

“Such a beautiful declaration of love. You’re like rock stars now.”

“Sarcastic bitch. God, I missed that.” Sara grabbed Miki’s jacket and dragged her into the house. She’d never seen Sara with so much energy. And she couldn’t stop smiling. The woman had finally found where she belonged and Miki was truly happy for her. “So
what’cha
think of the house?”

“I think it’s a
fuckin
’ mansion.”

“Yeah, I guess. But it needs a porch.” Once inside, Miki gawked, her mouth open in awe. It was more amazing inside than it was out.

Their hallway actually had marble floors and mile-high ceilings. A winding stairway sat opposite from the huge oak doors that led into the sunken living room.

“Your room is up those stairs. Second door on the left. This is the living room. It’s got a gigantic TV. I watch all the football games on that.” Sara dragged her down the hallway. “This here’s the kitchen. Nice, huh?”

“Shame you can’t cook.”

“Excuse me, but I make a mean chicken and dumplings.”

“And that’s all you make.” Miki suddenly found herself in another Sara hug. The girl had really gotten strong. She was about to crack her ribs. “I missed you so much. And I can’t wait until Angie gets here. Then the three of us will be back together again.”

“You’re killing me.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Sara quickly released her. “Hey. I
gotta
introduce you to somebody. Hold on.”

Sara ran outside. Miki looked around the stainless steel kitchen with its Italian tile and whistled.

“I’m glad you like it.” She screamed and jumped back about three feet. “Fuck, Zach!”

“Get used to it, sweetness. We all do it.” They both sneered at each other. Zach looked her up and down. “Nice boots.” Miki picked up an orange from a bowl on the counter. She tossed it across the enormous room.

“Go get it, boy! Go get it!” Zach gritted his teeth as he glared at her. She wondered what Sara had made him promise to keep him from coming across the counter for her. This could prove to be fun.

“So, Zach.” She grinned. “Where are Yates and Casey? Or did you just kill ‘
em
, eat their carcasses, suck the marrow from their bones, and then roll around in your own filth in an orgy of blood and death?”

Zach glared at her. “What?”

She shrugged innocently. “I’m just
askin
’.”

“They’re in DC opening a new club, you psychotic little…” Miki chuckled, ignoring whatever he was calling her and turned back to the glass sliding doors.

She saw Sara calling something over. “Oh, dear god!” Miki spun away, turning to Zach in horror. “What the hell is that?”

“That’s her dog.”

“Dear god, man, what were you thinking? You can’t let that thing in your house. It’s a mutant!”

“She found it on the side of the highway. Had to have it.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing, really. Except for his short stubby front legs, his very long back legs, and freakishly large head. His sloping back. And, of course, he’s missing an eye.”

Sara returned, tragically with the dog. “And this is your Aunt Miki.” Miki stared down at the beast. “
Mik
. This is Roscoe T.
Budsworth
.”

“Roscoe T.
Budsworth
? That’s the best you could do?”

“That’s a wonderful name. It has prestige.”

Zach looked down at the dog. “No matter what you call him that is still one ugly fucking dog.”

Sara glared at Zach as she leaned over and covered up Roscoe’s long, floppy ears. “You be nice to him!”

“You’re lucky I’m being nice to her.” Zach glared at Miki. “Later, Tinker Bell.”

“Later,
jackoff
.”

With one last glare, Zach walked out of the kitchen.

Sara crouched down next to Roscoe and rubbed his shiny coat. “You told him to go fetch, didn’t you?

“I didn’t actually use those words…”

Chap
ter Two

Miki fell face first onto her bed. It was huge and so soft. Like sleeping on clouds. And it smelled wonderful. She buried her nose into the comforter and breathed in deep. Okay. She’d admit it. A body could get used to living like this. Easily.

She’d spent the last four hours with Sara in the kitchen. They ate biscuits and drank buttermilk while playing with that amazingly sweet but disturbing-to-look-at dog.

And not once had
Conall
stopped by. Which was good,
dammit
. No matter what Sara and Angelina thought, she wasn’t about to hook up with
Conall
Víga-Feilan
, present-day Viking. No way. No day.

She’d learned the hard way that love and sex and all the rest of it was bullshit. A distraction to the bigger picture. Her mother had been planning on college in the hopes of going to medical school. Then she’d met Miki’s father. One illegitimate baby later and she was working herself to death to put food on the table while her own mother took care of Miki. But Miki had no intention of going down that road. Ever. So her bigger picture was the next three days. Everything else would take a back seat to that.

At the moment, the Pack was downstairs ordering Chinese food and Miki had taken the opportunity to come up to her room and take a shower. She felt grungy after her day in the airport and on the plane. And she still had a full night planned. They were all going to one of the Pack’s clubs for some serious dancing and partying. She’d tried to back out of it, but Sara had fought her hard. She kept insisting she needed to relax. But she couldn’t relax until she was done. And since she would probably only get two or three hours of sleep anyway, killing some time at a club couldn’t hurt.

She thought about the Pack. They were all so sweet to her…except Zach. And they seemed to really love Sara…especially Zach. She got the feeling that life with the old Alphas, Yates and Casey, was a little too stifling for the Pack. Zach tossed around the phrase “free choice” a lot. And Sara didn’t like to be bothered with what everybody was up to as long as the Pack was protected.