The Mane Squeeze
Page 72
That analogy makes no sense to me.
Anybody have something I can carry all this money in? The bears returned their glares to Gwen. What did I say? she asked, attempting to keep it innocent.
Here. Calum slammed a bank-deposit bag on the table. Take your winnings and go, feline.
Where did the love go? Gwen pouted.
It went with our money, Nevin muttered.
Duff snatched the racing form out of Locks hand, scowled, and turned accusing brown bear eyes on his nephew. What is this?
Uh
You were supposed to mark winners and times and everything else we need on the races.
What did he write? Hamish looked over his brothers shoulder, easy for him since Duff was only about seven-one. A door? You drew a door?
For Dads birthday.
Gwen stopped putting her money in the bag. Youre giving your father a picture of a door for his birthday? And shed thought Mitch marking up pages in her copy of Vogue and telling her, This is what Id get you for your birthday if I had money had been cheap.
Im not giving him a drawing of a door.
Then what are you giving him? Gwen liked Brody and she wouldnt have Lock give him some half-ass birthday gift.
Dont worry about it.
But I do worry about it. Because youre male and instinctively lame.
There are those claws shes been hiding, Duff chuckled.
Well? Gwen pushed, ignoring Locks uncles.
Ive got it covered.
Hamish folded his arms over his chest. Or, perhaps it was more like his massive arms over that massive chest. Huge didnt even begin to describe the size of these men. She knew she should feel uncomfortable around them, but she didnt. Not anymore. And honestly? Shed never felt safer in her life. You havent told her?
Quiet.
Told me what?
Calum grinned. What Mr. Sensitive Bear does in his spare time.
Shut up.
Which is what exactly? Gwen pushed.
Its nothing. Lock motioned toward the door. Lets go.
Gwen rested her hands on the table and began to tap her fingers. She tapped and she stared.
You can stop that right now, Lock said. Because theres nothing to tell.
Gwen kept tapping. Gwen kept staring.
Its not going to work.
Tap. Stare. Tap. Stare.
I dont have to tell you anything. I dont owe you an explanation. So let it go.
Gwen neverchanged her expression, she never said a word, and she never stopped tapping her nails.
With a short roar, Lock snatched the racing form back from Duff. Fine! This will allow me to take care of something tonight anyway. Now move your skinny butt!
Gwen shoved the rest of the money in the pouch and headed toward the door. Lock stopped her.
Where is it?
Wheres what?
He raised a browand she now knew where hed gotten that particular expression fromand Gwen gave a short snort of disgust before handing him the small wad of money. Small compared to what she now had.
This better be all of it.
Like that guy would know one way or the other. He probably didnt even know Gwen had taken his money, and she wouldnt have thought about giving it back to him if it wasnt for Lock. To her way of thinking, the guy owed Lock big for being so gracious.
Lock opened the door and motioned her out.
Well see you soon, Lovely Gwen.
She turned to wave at the MacRyrie bears, but the door had already slammed closed and Lock stood in front of her, glaring.
What? she demanded. I like them.
Figures. He spun her around and pushed her. Come on. If were going to do this, lets do this.
CHAPTER 20
It was bad enough he let his uncles goad him into things he didnt want to do, but now he was letting Gwen do it, too. And all she did was stare at him with those gold eyes.
Yet he couldnt shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, he wanted to show Gwen. That he wanted to let her in to the part of his life that only a chosen few had access to.
Lock pulled into one of two parking spaces at the warehouse and shut off the motor. They sat in silence for several minutes until Gwen asked, So what exactly was going on behind your uncles bar?
Surprised by her question, Lock could only stare at her.
What? she demanded. You think Im stupid? You disappear with your uncle, then Ric shows up, but he never comes inside. No one discusses whats going on out there, and even though everyone is trying to be quiet, I can still hear em all out there. And I know I smelled something dead in that alley.
Realizing that trying to get anything over on Gwen would be futile, Lock shrugged and said, They found a shifter corpse behind the bar. And before you ask, he said when she opened her mouth, no, my uncles didnt have anything to do with it.
Someone sending them a message?
Doubtful. Its no one they know and its happened randomly over the last five or six months. Chances are its just a good dumping ground.
Anybody have something I can carry all this money in? The bears returned their glares to Gwen. What did I say? she asked, attempting to keep it innocent.
Here. Calum slammed a bank-deposit bag on the table. Take your winnings and go, feline.
Where did the love go? Gwen pouted.
It went with our money, Nevin muttered.
Duff snatched the racing form out of Locks hand, scowled, and turned accusing brown bear eyes on his nephew. What is this?
Uh
You were supposed to mark winners and times and everything else we need on the races.
What did he write? Hamish looked over his brothers shoulder, easy for him since Duff was only about seven-one. A door? You drew a door?
For Dads birthday.
Gwen stopped putting her money in the bag. Youre giving your father a picture of a door for his birthday? And shed thought Mitch marking up pages in her copy of Vogue and telling her, This is what Id get you for your birthday if I had money had been cheap.
Im not giving him a drawing of a door.
Then what are you giving him? Gwen liked Brody and she wouldnt have Lock give him some half-ass birthday gift.
Dont worry about it.
But I do worry about it. Because youre male and instinctively lame.
There are those claws shes been hiding, Duff chuckled.
Well? Gwen pushed, ignoring Locks uncles.
Ive got it covered.
Hamish folded his arms over his chest. Or, perhaps it was more like his massive arms over that massive chest. Huge didnt even begin to describe the size of these men. She knew she should feel uncomfortable around them, but she didnt. Not anymore. And honestly? Shed never felt safer in her life. You havent told her?
Quiet.
Told me what?
Calum grinned. What Mr. Sensitive Bear does in his spare time.
Shut up.
Which is what exactly? Gwen pushed.
Its nothing. Lock motioned toward the door. Lets go.
Gwen rested her hands on the table and began to tap her fingers. She tapped and she stared.
You can stop that right now, Lock said. Because theres nothing to tell.
Gwen kept tapping. Gwen kept staring.
Its not going to work.
Tap. Stare. Tap. Stare.
I dont have to tell you anything. I dont owe you an explanation. So let it go.
Gwen neverchanged her expression, she never said a word, and she never stopped tapping her nails.
With a short roar, Lock snatched the racing form back from Duff. Fine! This will allow me to take care of something tonight anyway. Now move your skinny butt!
Gwen shoved the rest of the money in the pouch and headed toward the door. Lock stopped her.
Where is it?
Wheres what?
He raised a browand she now knew where hed gotten that particular expression fromand Gwen gave a short snort of disgust before handing him the small wad of money. Small compared to what she now had.
This better be all of it.
Like that guy would know one way or the other. He probably didnt even know Gwen had taken his money, and she wouldnt have thought about giving it back to him if it wasnt for Lock. To her way of thinking, the guy owed Lock big for being so gracious.
Lock opened the door and motioned her out.
Well see you soon, Lovely Gwen.
She turned to wave at the MacRyrie bears, but the door had already slammed closed and Lock stood in front of her, glaring.
What? she demanded. I like them.
Figures. He spun her around and pushed her. Come on. If were going to do this, lets do this.
CHAPTER 20
It was bad enough he let his uncles goad him into things he didnt want to do, but now he was letting Gwen do it, too. And all she did was stare at him with those gold eyes.
Yet he couldnt shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, he wanted to show Gwen. That he wanted to let her in to the part of his life that only a chosen few had access to.
Lock pulled into one of two parking spaces at the warehouse and shut off the motor. They sat in silence for several minutes until Gwen asked, So what exactly was going on behind your uncles bar?
Surprised by her question, Lock could only stare at her.
What? she demanded. You think Im stupid? You disappear with your uncle, then Ric shows up, but he never comes inside. No one discusses whats going on out there, and even though everyone is trying to be quiet, I can still hear em all out there. And I know I smelled something dead in that alley.
Realizing that trying to get anything over on Gwen would be futile, Lock shrugged and said, They found a shifter corpse behind the bar. And before you ask, he said when she opened her mouth, no, my uncles didnt have anything to do with it.
Someone sending them a message?
Doubtful. Its no one they know and its happened randomly over the last five or six months. Chances are its just a good dumping ground.
