Page 6 of A Lady's Heart
Chapter Two
Justin stared at the solid wood door as it swung closed behind her.
Something inside him went dark, and he damn near bit his tongue in two to keep from letting loose a roar of frustration.
The simultaneous desires hit. He needed to a) chase after Mandy and b) put the young pup Kent into a shallow grave.
The only thing that kept him from bolting for the door to complete both tasks was the iron grip Evan had on his elbow. Justin could break the hold, but he’d probably break most of the pack house at the same time.
Instead he waited until the entire room exploded back to high-volume. The instant Evan’s hold loosened, Justin was outside so fast the relative quiet made his ears ring.
He was in time to see one of the pack cars pull out from the parking lot behind the house. Kent wiggled his fingers tauntingly before turning into the traffic and heading east.
Justin looked forward to dismembering the bastard. Slowly, one piece at a time. Possibly with his bare hands.
It was cool outside, edging toward freezing, although snow hadn’t yet arrived, but he was more than warm enough. Not only his shifter blood, but anger and frustration gave him the ability to ignore the weather and march double-quick after the car.
Unfortunately, he had to slow his furious pace to get past a group of young people, and by the time he’d reached the main street, the vehicle was nowhere in sight.
Continue to track her, or use his resources?
Both. He hauled out his phone and hit the number for the Takhini Alpha even as he kept walking toward downtown.
Evan answered with laughter in his voice. “I have to say, that was pretty impressive. I didn’t realize you bears could move that quickly.”
The man had spoken teasingly, but Justin wasn’t in the mood. “Where’s he taking her?” he demanded.
At the other end of the line, the head honcho for the wolves clicked his tongue in disapproval as if speaking to a two-year-old. “Really? Of all people, I never thought I’d have to giveyoulessons in diplomacy. That’s what you’re going to open with? In that tone of voice?”
“Don’t mistake the fact I’ve been polite for two months to mean I’m weak,” Justin snapped. “Tell me where the hell you’ve hidden her or else.”
Even as he spoke he realized he should have held his tongue, but it was too late. The speaker on his phone shrieked as a full-out roar of chastisement was followed by more animalistic babbling.
Dammit. Wolves were so freaking emotional. Justin waited impatiently for Evan stop swearing in wolf.
It took a while.
When he finally did calm down enough to speak, Evan was still pretty growly. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that. I’m going to pretend that you’re feeling a little testy because the woman you’ve been mooning over ever since I met you just slapped your fingers away from the cookie jar. And because I understand what kind of hell that can do to a man, I’m going to be magnanimous and erase your last comments from my memory before we start a war over a woman who made it very clear what she wanted.”
Justin pulled to a stop outside one of the closed shops, forcing himself to get his own temper under control. The last thing he wanted to cause was an inter-species incident.
To top it off, the bastard was right.
Didn’t mean Justin had to like it. “Message received,” he said grudgingly.
“Good evening, my fine ursine friend. What can I do for you?” Evan might have as fine a hair-trigger as Justin, but his sense of humour was definitely more wolf than bear. Quick to anger, quick to move on. “Oh, and I think I’m going to call you Flash from now on,” Evan informed him.
Peachy keen.A nickname from the wolves. He was never going to live that down.
Justin forced ultimate politeness into his question. “I was wondering if you knew where Mandy might have gone tonight?”
“Yes.”
Justin waited.
Silence on the other end.
Bastard. “Would you mindtellingme where Mandy has gone for the evening?” Justin enunciated each word as if he were about to choke on them.
