Five

Everglades was a shifter bar in Holopaw, a dive bar, really, and nothing like Shades back in Draven Falls, but it held its own rustic charm. Unless you knew what type of bar it was, anyone looking at it in passing would probably just drive on by, thinking the place needed to be condemned, even with cars parked outside. The ancient wooden structure appeared to be created of discarded planks found in abandoned buildings, rather than the finished wood of a newer structure. The interior consisted of scratched up wooden chairs and tables, appearing as if the place was thrown together in much the same way as the exterior of the building. Weak mirrors and flashing beer logos covered the walls, while serving girls wandered from table to table, taking orders and flirting with the male patrons, whether the men had dates or not. Country music blared from a broken-down jukebox, bouncing off the walls, as couples line danced and chugged their beers. It was nothing like a nightclub in the city. Instead, Everglades held the feel of a homier, comfier environment. That was exactly what Eve needed right then, considering her own home was ripped away from her today.

Noel, one of Wes’s serving girls, brought over a tray full of beers and tequila shots, setting them on the table in front of Eve and the others. While quite a bit of alcohol was required to get shifters drunk, since their metabolism is a lot sturdier than humans, it didn’t stop them from enjoying the tastes as well as the social aspects. Right then, Eve needed her Bull Creek sisters to help her get drunk and forget about the ransacking of her place. Noel must have heard about the break-in because the curvaceous blond set an extra tequila shot in front of Eve. “This one is on me,” she said with a wink before walking back to the bar.

Eve thanked the woman as she walked off and then reached for the small glass and downed the fiery liquid, allowing it to burn her throat and warm her belly, before slamming the glass back on the table and picking up the second shot.

“Hey, hey.” Lainie Everest stopped Eve before she tipped the shot glass back. “Let us have a chance to join the festivities.”

“Agreed,” Adira Brennan, Bull Creek’s resident witch, chimed in. “I hate being left out, especially when it comes to drinking shots.”

Alanna picked up her shot glass, the wolf shifter lifting it high in the air. “To finding the ass who tore our girl’s cabin up and kicking his ass.”

All four ladies lifted their glasses, cheered, and downed the tequila, slamming the glasses back on the table when finished. Eve grabbed her beer and took a long pull from the bottle, allowing the cold liquid to contrast in her throat with the burning tequila. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she set the beer bottle back on the table, but didn’t release it. She knew if she didn’t hold onto something, she would be gripping her knife for security, probably not the best thing to do in a bar. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lainie watching her. Eve continued to stare at the bottle in her hand. “What?”

“I know the code of Bull Creek,” Lainie said. “No one asks nosy questions about why someone else is here. It’s a safe place for those who are escaping something they would rather not discuss.” She shrugged. “Hell, I’m here to get away from my parents and their idea of a perfect mate for me. Still, it seems whatever you’re hiding from has found you. I think it’s time you fill us in so we can help protect you.”

Eve pressed her lips into a thin line as she shook her head. “I don’t need help.”

“Really?” Alanna said, her tone shocked. “We all saw your house, Eve. What would have happened if you were there when whoever did it decided to come calling? I know you love playing with that knife you wear, but even you said you weren’t ready for a moving target. We’re your friends. More than that, though, we’re also shifters and a witch. We can do more than fight like girls if you know what I mean. We can kick ass like women.”

“I can make you some wards for your cabin, like I put around the area for Bane’s coyotes,” Adira said. “Of course, they would be more effective if I knew what they were warding against.”

Eve stared at a drop of condensation on her bottle as it trailed a path down the dark brown glass and onto her knuckle. She knew these ladies were her friends, but she never wanted anyone to know how weak she once was. She hated thinking of herself as a victim, but that was what she allowed herself to be back then. She swore then that she would never be that helpless again. Never. Not today. Not ever.

The music shifted from Willie Nelson to Tim McGraw as Eve blew out a frustrated breath. She glanced up as couples hit the dance floor, two-stepping to the beat. Why couldn’t she be normal like everyone else? She stared at the front door, wanting desperately to run and avoid the questioning looks from her friends. Then she saw him again, that stranger who suddenly appeared at her cabin earlier, accusing her of not paying attention to her surroundings. She growled as she watched him head to the bar after giving her a cursory glance. A giggle to her left made her turn a questioning gaze to Alanna. “And what’s so funny?”

“You.” Then she pointed at the newcomer with her chin. “Him. That poor man had no idea what hit him today. You were frustrated and angry, scared if you were smart, and you took it all out on him.” She shrugged. “It was fun to watch, I admit. Almost as much fun as it was watching Adira dig into Dimitri a couple of weeks ago, clueless to the fact that Dimitri had scented her as his mate.”

Eve tightened her grip on her bottle. “Well, that was them. This is me, and I don’t need someone I don’t even know passing judgment on how I do things.”

“Oh, trust me, I’m sure he gets it,” Adira said with a chuckle.

Lainie took a swig of her beer, setting the bottle back on the table and running her tongue over her lips when she finished. “It doesn’t matter, though. I don’t think he’s going anywhere anytime soon. I’m not sure he could now if he wanted.”

Eve cocked her head at the deputy, a nagging suspicion of what the others were trying to insinuate making the hair on the back of her neck stand up. “And just why couldn’t he leave? No one invited him here. I sure as hell don’t need him sticking his nose into my business.”

Alanna giggled. “I think it’s already stuck, and you’re stuck with him.”

Eve was about to make a smartass comment about shifters and their noses when she spotted another person entering the bar, only this one did more than just aggravate her; he scared the hell out of her, a feeling she swore she would never experience again. She couldn’t help it. It was the first time she had seen him since she snuck out one night months ago while he went out for a drink. Her heart pounded in her ears, her breath caught in her throat, and all she could do was stare. When she saw the damage to her cabin, the note in red paint across her wall, she prayed he had not found her, that it was merely a threat by teenagers with wild imaginations. Yet, his appearance at Everglades told her that the warning was very much real. Her escape was only in her mind.

Eve swallowed the lump in her throat that threatened to choke her.

“Eve, sweetie, you okay?” Alanna placed a hand on Eve’s upper arm, hoping to shake her from the trance, Eve assumed, but it didn’t work. Eve couldn’t move. She could do nothing but stare as Kyle Wagner turned to her, his dark eyes narrow slits as he glared at her, his coal black hair disheveled from the breeze outside. He sneered at her as he started her way, menace in every step he took. Panic seized her, her eyes going wide in fear. No! No, no, no. Whatever she swore never to feel again didn’t matter. The icy grip of fear clawed at her nerves, rooting her in place.

“Eve, what’s wrong?” This time it was Adira who asked, one arm across the table wanting to touch Eve and shake her out of her frozen behavior.

Kyle stepped up to the table, his sneer plastered across his face, as he ignored the others with Eve. He leaned on the table, his hands clasped in front of him, his lips curled up in a snarl. “Hello, Eve. What a pleasant surprise to see you here. Or rather, I bet you’re surprised to see me here. Or ever again, for that matter.”

Eve forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat, her hand gripping the knife hilt tightly. “What are you doing here, Kyle?”

He just smiled bigger. “You mean, how did I find you?” He reached across the table and took her beer, watching her with intense eyes as he tilted it back and drained it of what was left. Then he shrugged as he set the bottle back on the table. “What can I say, your mom has a soft spot for me. When she saw how distraught I was with your little vanishing act, she quickly told me where to find you.” He glanced around Everglades, his sneer a judgment of his distaste. “I have to say, I thought you had better class than this rat hole.” He turned his gaze back to her. “Still, I guess you thought if you found a nice little hole to bury yourself in, I would never find you.” He leered at her, waggling his eyebrows as he leaned closer to her. “But I found you, didn’t I? There is no escape, Eve.”

Lainie reacted then, grabbing Kyle by the arm and forcing him down on the table with a thud that sent the beer bottles toppling over, bending his arm behind his back. “What the hell did you say?”

He kept his gaze fixated on Eve, his smile never wavering. “Just an inside joke between Eve and myself. Right, Eve?”

Lainie leaned over, snarling in Kyle’s ear. All Eve could do was watch. “And yet, those exact words were painted on Eve’s cabin earlier. Wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“A cabin? Really?” Kyle chuckled. “You actually live in a cabin out here? Oh, how quaint. Then I guess it’s a good thing I arrived to save you, isn’t it?”

“What did you do to my mother?” Eve asked, lifting the knife slightly from its sheath as she started to step around the table. She didn’t get far, however, before she smacked into that man from earlier, who now stood there in front of her, his smile gentle as he slid his hand to her fingers on the knife, lifting her hand as he gently pulled her after him. What the hell is he doing? She needed to find out about her mother. This idiot didn’t know what he was doing.

He ignored the pained expression on her face as he turned to Lainie. “Deputy Everest, right?” Lainie nodded, confusion on her face mixed with the anger she felt over Kyle at the moment. “Pardon me, while I whisk this one out to the dance floor while you tend to…” He glanced at Kyle, his eyes narrowing into angry slits. “…whatever this is.”

Lainie nodded. “Good idea.”

The others just stood watching. Eve didn’t understand how they could just stand there, letting this man take her away from the answers she needed. Yet, a part of her was glad he did. She needed to get away from Kyle, because she almost did something she would have regretted in front of a bar full of witnesses. When she took Kyle Wagner down, there would be no witnesses; she’d make sure of it. And there was no doubt in her mind that she would take him down, like the rabid dog he was.

Turning, she realized she was already on the dance floor without even realizing she had crossed the bar. The tall, dark man in front of her spun her, his hand sliding to her waist as he pressed her against him, lifting her hand in the air as he began to sway. His smile sparkled, matching his eyes, and she could feel the hardness in his jeans press into her as he held her tight against him. “By the way,” he said, “my name’s Arlin Landry.”

She smiled, feeling the blush warm her neck. “Pleased to meet you,” she said. “I’m Eve Hartlow.”