“So what will you do now?”

“I took her statement, and I’ll file a report, and I’ll continue to investigate. Because my suspicions are just suspicions until I have more evidence.”

I nodded. “Thanks for handling this carefully.”

She moved to the door of her vehicle, opened it. “You don’t know me, so I’ll excuse that. But I handle everything carefully. It’s kind of my thing.”

* * *

* * *

Gwen left, and I waited outside for Connor and Theo to emerge, but ten minutes passed in relative silence, but for the thump of raucous music from the bar.

It took long enough that I was a little afraid Miranda had started some new nonsense that had embroiled my friends, so I walked inside again, found Connor and Theo with Gabriel in the lobby. His expression was fierce. And when I walked in, he aimed it at me.

“I’m not sure I should let you in here.”

But when I reached Connor, I felt his fingertips brush against mine. Confirmation we were still playing the game, and it was the Pack’s turn to take a little of theirs. At least, I presumed that was why the air roiled with magic.

Since I was potentially the root cause, I couldn’t really blame them—and had my own part to play. I wouldn’t take calling out without a fight, even from Connor’s dad. So I tipped up my chin. “Since I’m not the one who hurt Miranda, there’s no reason not to let me in here. You’ve got no evidence a vampire did this to her. And even if you did, I’m not that vampire.”

Gabriel’s lip curled. “They’re in Chicago because of you.”

“Wrong. If it’s the AAM, they’re in Chicago because of your Pack,” I countered. “But for their bad acts in Minnesota, I wouldn’t have needed to save Carlie’s life.”

I saw the truth in his eyes and almost regretted my words. But their truth insulated me from that guilt.

Something crashed nearby, and all eyes turned to the bar, where the sounds of a scuffle erupted. Then crashing, and the quick pop of magic. Fights were pretty run of the mill, but this must have been different, as Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, and then he turned to me.

“You want to help?” Gabe asked, throwing back the promise I’d made after Connor had been hurt. “Go deal with that.”

He stalked away; after a last look, Connor followed him.

There was another crash from the bar, a cloud of acrid magic.

“This is punishment, right?” Theo asked.

“Yes,” I said and headed for the door. “Yes, it is.” I glanced back at him. “You ever been in a shifter bar before?”

“No.” He lifted his brows. “Should I be concerned?”

“Yes. And avoid the claws.”

* * *

* * *

The bar lined the far wall, a stage at one end. Tables and chairs usually filled the space in the middle, squeezed together over hard concrete floors. It smelled like alcohol, cigars, and shifter. And right now, blood and magic.

Two of the tables had been upended, and Daniel Liu stood in the clearing with a shifter I didn’t recognize. About the same age, with ruddy skin, shorn auburn hair, and blue eyes that gleamed at Dan with considerable hatred. A bruise was already blooming across his jaw, and blood from a cut above Dan’s eye had streamed a line of crimson down his face.

Shifter blood, potent with magic and power, was more than a little tempting. But I pushed the desire back, lifted my chin, and surveyed the two men—and the twenty who’d gathered around them.

“Problem, gentlemen?”

Dan shifted his gaze to look at me, eyes widening. The stranger didn’t bother. Just sniffed the air.

“No one asked a vampire to come in here,” he said.

“Your Apex did,” I said, and all eyes turned to me. “He heard the scuffle, felt the magic, and wondered why two grown-ass adults were fighting in his place.”

Daniel looked thoughtful at the announcement. The stranger looked defiant.

“This asshole touched my girlfriend.”

“Your name?”

“Castle. John Castle.”

I looked at Dan, felt the shifters at my back move closer. Some because they were curious. Others because they still weren’t sure if I was a threat.

“Mr. Liu?”

“She’s his ex-girlfriend. And we spent a very pleasant evening together.”

“You son of a—” was all John managed before he lunged forward.

He was bigger than Dan, broader in the shoulders, but Dan was faster. John tried to grab his waist, send him to the floor, but Dan sidestepped, stuck out a foot. John tripped over it, hit the concrete hard on his hands, but came up swinging.

There was fury in his eyes. But something else. Grief, it looked like.

“Enough,” I said and whipped my sword out between them before they could go in for another round. And heard clicks around the room from blades being drawn, weapons being unholstered. Probably wasn’t often that a vampire pulled a katana in this room.

John looked back at me, teeth bared. “Did you just draw a blade on me?”

“I did,” I said pleasantly. “And I’ll use it if you two don’t stop being morons. How long ago did you break up?”

His jaw worked, hand reaching toward the holster at his waist, but I shook my head.

“Don’t make me call the Apex. That would just embarrass both of us. How long?”

“A month.” But from the sadness in his eyes, only just masked, I bet it felt much shorter.

“And what would be appropriate compensation?” I asked John.

They all looked at me.

“What?”

“Compensation,” I said again. “For your . . . injuries.”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “His head on a pike.”

“A very poor starting bid,” I said. “Try again. You want booze? Usually helps to nurse a breakup.”

“No, I don’t want fucking booze. I can buy booze for myself.” He ran a hand over his short hair, looked away. And I watched the fight die in his eyes.

The light in the bar wasn’t great, but when he moved his hand, I could see his nails, while neatly clipped and trimmed, were dark around the edges, bore scrapes along the knuckles. That might have been from fighting, but it also had another possible source.

“You a bike mechanic?”

His gaze snapped back, narrowed suspiciously. “I know my way around. Do mostly bodywork. Why?”

“Because Connor’s bike took a hit yesterday. It’s going to need repair. You up for helping the prince with that?”

It was a gamble. I had no idea if Connor would want someone else touching his bike, much less if John would be interested in working on it. Maybe he’d see that as an insult, not an offer. But the Keenes were royalty, and I bet the opportunity for one-on-one interaction with the prince didn’t come often. And work—especially hard, knuckle-scraping physical work—helped keep painful emotions at bay.

The bar had gone quiet now, probably with shifters wondering if I had the authority to make something like that happen, and whether John would accept, or if they’d get to enjoy a little more combat with their beers.

“I guess I wouldn’t turn down a chance to work on Thelma,” John said.

Disappointment spread behind me, but I had no doubt the Pack would get its chance again.

“Done,” I said. “I’ll make it happen.” I looked at Dan, whose smile was considering, then the rest of the bar.

“I’m sure one of you is going to piss off someone else soon enough, and you can get back to beating the shit out of each other.” I figured the company necessitated a little more salt in the language.

That got a few chuckles. “In the meantime, maybe don’t screw around with each other’s exes.”

* * *

* * *

Connor was waiting in the foyer when Dan and I came out of the bar. Connor took in Dan’s eye, and if he was surprised by the injury, didn’t show it.

“Jealous ex-boyfriend,” I said, glancing at Dan. “Dan is going to stay away from ex-girlfriends for a while, and John Castle, a mechanic, is going to be helping you repair Thelma.”

Connor’s brows lifted. “Is he?”

“It was the only reparation I could think to offer.”

“There’s an entire bar of booze.”

“Offered, declined.”

“Well, damn,” Connor said. “That usually works in a bar fight.” He considered, nodded. “All right. I’ll talk to him. And nicely done.”

“Thanks,” I said and meant it. It had been fun to play the badass Pack problem solver.

Connor looked at Dan. “You okay?”

“He dumped her,” Dan said. “Said he was moving on. She was devastated, and I gave her what comfort I could.”

There was sadness in his voice, and a kind of resignation that said this wasn’t the first time Dan had played this particular role. And interesting that he hadn’t mentioned that in the bar. Maybe it wasn’t the kind of vulnerability that crowd would appreciate.

“Take it from one who knows,” Theo said. “It’s her responsibility to move on.”

Dan nodded. “I know. But I enjoy myself, and so do they. And for a little while, we’re both at peace.”

* * *

* * *

Theo called an Auto, headed back to the OMB office.

“I get the sense you weren’t the only reason Dan left Memphis,” I said, when Connor and I were alone again.

“He’s . . . working through some things,” Connor agreed. He put an arm around my waist, pulled me toward him. “It’s been a night.”

“It has,” I said. And as if to prove the point, my screen buzzed. I pulled it out, found a message from Petra.

take a look at this, the message read. no building-owned surveillance, but postage store across the hall had a camera. only takes a pic every ten minutes, but got this one.

I opened the image she’d sent, found a grainy color shot. Two men, both with lightish skin, talking near what I presumed was the coffee shop. I couldn’t identify either from the wide shot, so I enlarged, focused on the man on the right.