Page 40 of Little Bunny

The bottle made a plunk sound when Tito plopped it onto the counter. “Matias didn’t tell you.” A statement.

It dawned on Elijah what Tito was conveying. If Matias didn’t tell him, stop asking. Clearly Elijah wasn’t high enough in the pecking order. “Fine. I’ll be a good little boy and keep in my own bunny lane.”

Relief flared in Tito’s eyes. It seemed Elijah and Matias had a lot to talk about when he got back from wherever he’d gone.

“Just tell me where Percy is, and I’ll be out of your hair.”

Unease slid into Tito’s dark eyes. “He’s with you,” he said slowly, looking around like he somehow missed a whole other person in the room.

Elijah tried calling Percy again but was sent straight to voicemail again. When was the last time he saw the guy? It struck him that Percy hadn’t been in the room when Elijah bandaged Diablo.

That had been over two hours ago.

Percy lived for drama, as long as he wasn’t a part of it. Though Elijah had to give credit where it was due. His best friend wasn’t a gossiper. He just loved watching the drama unfold in real time—couples arguing and blasting each other’s business, nasty bitches getting their comeuppance. Drama at its peak.

He should have been hovering over Elijah’s shoulder when Diablo had stormed through the doors. Then again, Percy would’ve yanked Elijah back, refusing to let him get anywhere near the guy.

Tito briefly closed his eyes, muttering something under his breath. “Tell me you’re just fucking with me because I wouldn’t translate for you.”

Had Percy gone home to check on his mom? He glanced toward the windows. The blinds were drawn, but it wasn’t like he could see where Percy had run off to. All Elijah saw was the flicker of shadows, probably passing cars, reflecting across the blinds.

“I think he went home to check on his mom.” Elijah slid from his stool, forgetting the one he was on was much taller. He stumbled but grabbed the counter to steady himself, panic beginning to set in.

Percy hadn’t seen the wreck Diablo had been. If someone could inflict that kind of pain on a guy Diablo’s size, Percy didn’t stand a chance. “We have to go get him.”

“You are not stepping foot outside this tavern, Elijah bunny,” Tito snarled. “I already have one human missing. Matias will rip my throat out if something happens to you.”

“What’re you gonna do, leave me here alone?” Elijah couldn’t stop his voice from rising. Percy might not run into trouble as far as the pack, but his father could show up. With Santiago gone, and Elijah stuck at Sin & Steel, he would have to face Jacob by himself. And Jacob, the piece of shit, had no qualms about laying a hand on his son. Hell, he had no problem laying his hands on his ex-wife.

Which was the reason he was an ex.

“Don’t have to.” Tito’s gaze drilled into his. “Matias put someone on Percy’s mom. I’ll call him. We’re keeping our asses put. Sit on your stool, drink your cherries, and let me handle this.” He muttered something Elijah couldn’t understand.

Unable to sit still, Elijah tried three more times to call Percy as Tito spoke on the phone. It was just like Percy to get an idea and run with it, sometimes not a single brain cell behind the thought. But Matias himself had told him not to leave the tavern.

When Percy returned, Elijah was going to hug him then proceed to wring his skinny neck.

Elijah glanced toward Tito when the guy ended the call.

“Well?” He gripped his phone tightly in his hand. “Is he there?”

Tito pressed his lips together, his dark eyes burning. “No.”

* * * *

Matias raised his hand, signaling his men to pull over. One by one, all nine motorcycles veered off the long, deserted road, their engines rumbling to a halt on the sun-scorched grass. Up ahead loomed a building that had been abandoned for five long years. Once a bustling tile factory, it now stood silent and forlorn, an isolated relic of the past. The driveway stretched languidly toward the building, its surface marred by a network of cracks and choked with weeds, while forlorn scraps of litter danced sporadically in the hot, restless breeze.

As everyone parked, Matias swung his leg over his ride with a practiced ease, scanning the area with a keen eye.

The surrounding grass was too short, offering no cover for anyone or anything that might try to hide. Like cheetahs. He’d tried reaching out to the alpha, but his calls had gone unanswered.

They were still inside wolf territory, but dangerously close to the border, which would make the cats restless.

Matias felt a knot of apprehension tightening inside of him. An eerie sensation hung heavily in the air, more stifling than the oppressive relentless heat. He turned to his men, who sat quietly on their bikes, awaiting his command.

“We go on foot from here.” The rumble of bikes fell silent, leaving behind a profound stillness, broken only by the persistent whisper of the wind. It swept unrestrained across the wide-open plain, as if reveling in the absence of obstacles to its path.

Matias gestured toward them, outlining the plan. “I want you three to cover the left side of the building,” he instructed. “And you two, check out the roof. Make sure we don’t have any surprises lurking up there,” he added, his tone firm with the gravity of the situation.

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