Piece of Tail (9 page)

"
What?
"

She sighed and turned around. “People, especially humans, don't usually question someone who is written into the history books as a goddess. Do mind your manners."

He cleared his throat. “I…” he finished speaking through grinding teeth, “apologize."

She nodded in acceptance.

"If you could be so kind as to explain how she has come to believe that we—"

"Not we, you,” Sekhmet pointed out.

"Right. How can she believe that I set her up?"

Sekhmet strolled forward and stopped in a soft beam of light. He had to admit, if he didn't want to choke her to death, she would have been beautiful to him. Long, silky black hair, softly angled, green eyes and smooth curves from head to foot. She wasn't Gina, but she wasn't a dog, either. “Your home smelled of dog."

He snorted. “We own a dog."

She shook her head. “No, you had a Marauder in your home, a friend of yours. The only conclusion that I, as well as Gina and her friends, could draw was that you'd set her up to be outed and subsequently captured. She has disappeared and you should consider her dead, as she considers you both."

A cool breeze filtered through the trees, ruffling the leaves. Autumn had pushed through, turning the naturally green leaves shades of gold and brown. Gina loved this time of year. Cool weather and beautiful scenery always lifted her spirits and this season was no different; especially since her mood needed to be lifted.

The screen door creaked and groaned. Gina didn't raise her head from its position. She kept it tilted back, resting on the comfy porch swing as she rocked back and forth. Her rhythm was disrupted for a moment as Ryan joined her. No words were exchanged. He simply pulled her legs into his lap and started working on her feet.

His large hands rubbed and soothed her aching feet. After leaving Daniel and Patrick at their townhouse two months ago, she'd gone to Half-were House. Tasheka tore into her the moment she stepped across the threshold, as she'd anticipated. Meg and her mate Ben had tried to save her from Tash's tirade, but the
were
wasn't deterred. Not until Ryan stepped in on her behalf did Tasheka calm down.

After hours of cussing and discussing, a decision was made. Ryan was willing to allow Gina to stay with him. The small town he lived in with Meg and Ben seemed like the perfect place to recover from all that had happened. From being sold out by a man she lo… cared for, to being nearly thrown out of yet another home, she needed a safe place to collect her thoughts. Meg's Valley was that place. Ryan offered to sponsor her in the community and off she went, her meager belongings in tow. Now, she had a waitressing job at a local diner and worked most days. And her nights… Her nights were spent mostly alone except for these quiet times with Ryan, swinging on the swing as the sun lowered in the sky. As a punishment for her behavior, it wasn't too bad. Being in a city of mostly
weres
, it wasn't like she could shock the town's residents. Much.

But, she really missed Half-were house, as surprising as it sounded. She missed the honking horns of rush hour traffic and the all-you-could-eat Chinese buffet that she always went to during the week. And the hotdog vendor on the corner of 5th and Vine. And the pretzel guy. And the bright lights of the city at night and… her friends. She really missed her friends. All she had here in Bodunkville were cows and…

"It's getting cool out."

Gina snuggled into the corner of the swing and stretched her legs with a sigh. “Yeah."

"It's been a few days, Gi."

Tears stung her eyes. Still. Two months and still Daniel's betrayal, and possibly Patrick's, cut her to the quick. “I know, Ryan."

Ryan rubbed his knuckles along the arch of her foot, kneading deep into the sore muscles. “I'm just thinking that maybe it's time to move on, baby."

She froze. It'd been coming. Sure, she'd seen the signs. She didn't imagine that a guy like Ryan would want some woman to live with him without a little somethin’ somethin’ in return. If she was honest with herself, she was pretty surprised they hadn't had this conversation before. Now, she'd have to go crash Meg's little leather-lined party and possibly fuck everything up. ‘Cause the truth of the matter was, no matter how fucked in the head it made her, she still wanted Daniel and Patrick.

She cleared her throat. “Listen, Ryan… I don't think you and I getting involved is a good…"

Ryan talked over her. “Jacob's been asking me about you…"

"Jacob?”
The cook at the diner?

"You what?"

She bit her lip and looked into the distance, praying their conversation could just be over now, fire burning her cheeks. “Nothing."

Her feet were still resting in his lap and he squeezed them. “Nuh uh. So, is it my looks, my lack of charm or the fact that I only have one cock and not two?"

She jerked, feet breaking free of his grasp and whacking into his groin. “
What?
"

"Ow, dammit, Gina!” Ryan shoved her feet off his lap and cradled his package. “That hurt. Though, it does answer my question."

Gina couldn't miss the shit-eating grin on Ryan's face. She knew that look and she didn't like it. Not for one second. “What are you talking about, Ryan?"

"Nothing.” His grin widened.

She hauled off and slugged him in the arm. “Jerk."

His smile turned into an all-out laugh as he clutched his bicep. “Seriously, it's nothing."

"So… Jacob?"

His laughter slowly faded. “Naw. I was just bustin’ your balls.” He leaned back against the swing and pushed against the porch, putting them in motion again. “Truth is, I just needed to see how torn up you were about those two, that's all."

"I don't want to talk about it, Ryan."

He nodded. “Figured as much, but I told Meg I'd ask since I found out a few things and… well, since…"

A car turned into Ryan's driveway. Dust covered from the trek down the dirt road to the home well off the beaten path, the once grey car looked brown. The setting sun reflected off the windshield, causing a glare so bright she couldn't see into the car or recognize the passengers.

The car idled in the driveway for a few minutes and Ryan slid her feet back to the floor. “I'll be inside if you need me, Gina. No matter what, I wouldn't let this happen if I thought there was any danger to you or the prides, okay?"

It felt as if a boulder dropped into her stomach, and her pulse sped up in a mixture of anticipation and fear. Her palms started sweating in the crisp autumn weather and she breathed as if she'd just finished a five-minute mile. Not that she'd ever actually been able to run that fast. “I don't… I don't… I-I-I…"

Ryan squeezed her shoulder and stooped to her level. “It's okay, Gina. I promise. Just hear them out. One word and I'm on this porch, ready to kick ass if you want."

She tore her gaze from the car and looked into Ryan's eyes. “Which?"

"Which what?"

"Word. What word will have you furry and ready to bust some ass?"

"Caramel. I'd kill for some caramel."

She whispered the word to herself and watched as the car's passengers exited the vehicle. Two men, one bulkier than the other, one light while the other was fair, unfolded themselves from the car. Two. Men. It didn't take a second look to see that they were her men. The guys she'd been pining for the last two months. Tears formed in her eyes and she brushed them away. She wasn't going to break down like a blubbering idiot. Ryan said they weren't a danger to her or the prides, so she'd listen to what they had to say and then send them on their way.

Daniel and Patrick approached with slow steps, dirt kicking up and forming small clouds of dust in their wake. She stepped up to the porch railing and leaned against the weathered wood. Both men stopped at the bottom of the stairs and just stared. “What? Do I have a booger in my nose or something?"

Daniel smiled and Patrick just shook his head, but neither spoke.

Finally, Patrick took the plunge. “Can we come up? Sit on the porch with you?"

Gina stepped over to a grouping of chairs on the other side of the wrap-around porch and took a seat. “Sure, come on up.” She put her back to the house, which left the men in view of the front door.
Caramel.

This time, Daniel took the lead. “Missed you.
We
missed you.” Daniel ran a hand through his hair. “We looked for you at the house after you disappeared. Tasheka wouldn't budge on where you'd gone, but—"

"She didn't know. She washed her hands of me."

"What?"

She nodded. “Tash didn't care where I went as long as it wasn't there. Ryan took me in."

Daniel stared at his clasped hands between his knees. “You could have come to us."

She snorted. “Right. The men who set me up and practically handed me to the government. Sure. Let me just change into a hospital gown and make it easy on everyone. How about I lay out on the gurney too, huh?"

"It wasn't like that, Gina. If you'd stuck around for five minutes instead of running off half-cocked and pissed, we could have told you. I could have explained."

She leaned forward, stared into those hazel eyes she'd cared for and demanded what he offered. “Then do it. Explain what you would have told me then.
Make me understand.
Tell me why I should be bowled over with gratitude that y’all came to the middle of nowhere for me, and why I should drop and spread my legs for the two of you now."

Patrick cut in. “Okay, let's take a breather here. Daniel, you're not helping.” The man sat back in his chair, attention never straying from her and she shifted her focus to Patrick. “Gina, what Daniel is trying to explain is that… It was all a mistake, a misunderstanding. We hunted down the original photographer and it seems he was in the park the day that Andy chased you like his favorite bone. The guy took pictures of the whole thing and was amazed at how fast you seemed to run and how easy it was for you to hop into that tree. He followed us back to the townhouse and snapped a picture of you with your tail by sheer luck. Don't worry, we paid him back for you, and he's now on the Prides’ watch list. It wasn't a plan or instigated by us. We swear."

She rolled Patrick's explanation around in her mind and it rang true. She knew Patrick better than any other man. After years of working with him, she knew when he was lying and when he was honest to God, telling the truth. And he'd given her nothing but the truth. “But what about the Marauder in your home? Jack smelled the guy. You had one of my enemies in your home. Do you deny it?"

Swear to fucking god, if they fed her a line of bullshit now, the next word out of her mouth was caramel. No lie.

"No, we, I, don't deny it.” Daniel spoke up. “My half-brother is part dog, but he's no Marauder. I didn't know it until Jack, and Ryan, explained things to me. It seemed Dad had a thing for bitches and Cal was the result. He's been coming by a few times a week, just hanging out and watching a few games on TV.” Daniel brought his gaze to hers. “He knows about you, knows who and what you are and doesn't give a damn. Apparently, life for half-
weres
in general sucks. You don't ever have anything to fear from him. Never."

Gina took a deep calming breath. Well, it was good to know she really wasn't in immediate danger. She rose to her feet. “Thanks for coming and explaining things. It was good to see you.” She had to get away before she broke down. The realization that she'd essentially ruined everything with these two men was quickly becoming too much to bear. That she allowed her past to cloud her judgment and not even question her friends declarations, crushed her. “Goodbye."

She turned on her heel and made it exactly one step before Patrick blocked her path. “Where do you think you're going, Gina?"

She gulped. She couldn't do this any longer; she needed to get away. “Inside. I appreciate…"

Daniel closed in on her from the back, his size overshadowed her, making her feel small and protected. Funny, considering all the frustration and anger rolling off the men.

"Only if we come inside with you,” Daniel murmured near her ear.

"What?"

"You heard the man, Gina. Only if Daniel and I come inside with you.” She shook her head. “You didn't think we'd hunt all over God's creation and brave a meeting with Sekhmet to find you and then walk away, did you?"

She gasped. “You went to see Sekhmet?” She grabbed on to Patrick's arms and stared into his eyes. “Why? She could have killed you… could have…"

He stroked her face with the pads of his fingers, skimming her cheek. “Ah, baby, don't you know?"

She shook her head.

"We love you, Gina. That night was… We want that every night, every day, for as long as you'll have us."

"Us?"

Daniel nuzzled her neck. “Us."

"I like the sound of that."

"We do too, baby, we do too,” Patrick assured her. “Now get your ass inside. There's a small matter of your lack of faith in us and forgiveness won't come until after a bit of punishment is served.” Patrick turned toward the door and tugged her along behind him.

She dug her heels into the wood porch. “Punishment?"

Daniel pushed her from behind. “Yup. Think of it as being ordered to run laps after missing that fly ball and losing the game. It'll be over before you know it and you'll never forget your lesson."

She tugged her arm and leaned back into Daniel. “I don't like the sound of this. You know what? Maybe we should have some desert. How about… some CARAMEL? Doesn't anyone want CARAMEL? I know I do."

Warm breath tickled her ear as Daniel chuckled. “Aw, baby, you looking for the big bad cat man? Why don't you look along the tree line?"

Gina looked where he'd directed and caught sight of Ryan in his panther form a second before the cat disappeared into the surrounding trees. “He lied."

Patrick pulled her arm and got her moving again. “I wouldn't call it lying. Think of it more as a stretching of the truth. I'm sure if he thought you were in trouble, he'd make dinner out of the two of us. Good thing for us, he knows you're not serious."