In a Badger Way (Honey Badger Chronicles #2) - Shelly Laurenston Page 0,138
you’re being rude.”
“Uh, guys . . . ?”
Max stood in the kitchen doorway, a weird smile on her face.
“What?” Charlie asked.
Max stepped to the side and Niles Van Holtz and Ulrich Van Holtz moved into the kitchen.
Kiki knew both men. She’d written more than once about the Van Holtz Steakhouse chain. But why they were in the MacKilligan house, Kiki had no idea.
“Oh, come on!” Charlie shouted. “Now I’m just being tested!”
Stevie jumped from her seat and faced her sister. “You promised.”
“But—”
“You promised!”
“You never said they’d be standing in my kitchen!”
“Aaaaaaah!” the former prodigy screamed.
“Do not start that ag—”
“Aaaaaaah!”
“I can’t believe you’re do—”
“Aaaaaaah!”
“Fine!”
* * *
Shen let out a relieved breath. His sisters probably hadn’t noticed, but Charlie had a holstered .380 semiautomatic attached to the back of her jean shorts; the flour-covered red T-shirt that reached past her waist hid it from sight.
But once Stevie screamed a little into her sister’s annoyed face, Charlie released the butt of her weapon and dropped both her arms to her sides.
He hadn’t been worried that Charlie would harm his sisters. He knew she wouldn’t—although Zhen was clearly testing the hybrid’s patience—but take out two Van Holtz males standing in her kitchen? Yeah. That she might do, which would look awful in front of his sisters.
Oh! And it would be wrong, too. Definitely wrong.
Shen was thinking it was about time to get his sisters out of here when he noticed that the room had fallen ominously silent.
Stevie stepped close to the wolves, and both her sisters looked tense. Ready. Of course, those two were always ready.
Placing her hand on Ric Van Holtz’s forearm, Stevie asked, “What’s happened?”
He swallowed. Glanced at his cousin. “They took my friends,” he said, his voice tight. “They’re both hybrids. Blayne and Gwenie.”
“I just saw Blayne last night,” Shen said. “She was at Wild Dog Night.”
“They both were.”
“So was Matt Wells’s brother.” Stevie looked at her sisters. “He was there last night. It has to be him.”
“You don’t know it’s him,” Max cautioned.
“James is not social. Going to a wild dog karaoke night would be one of the seven hells for him. Trust me on this. I knew when I saw him something was going on. And then he was gone before I could reach him. It was him.”
“They also grabbed her mate, Bo Novikov,” Ric added. “He had a scrimmage game last night and he went missing right after.”
“What about their kids?” Shen asked.
“They’re at my house. Dee-Ann and Cella Malone are watching them. And the Malone family is protecting the building.”
“Well, they’re safe,” Max muttered with no sarcasm. And she was right.
“We need your help,” the elder Van Holtz said. “We can’t wait—”
“Stop talking.” Charlie, her back to all of them, held up her hand to silence everyone, and Stevie’s cringe was so intense, Shen felt her pain. They might have to go it alone on this without Charlie and Max. And he would go, just as he knew Stevie would. No matter what her sisters said. She was ready to move right this moment to help those who needed it.
“Look,” Van Holtz began, “I know we’ve had some issues, but—”
Charlie shook one forefinger. Then she faced them and Shen realized she was already on her phone.
“Livy. It’s Charlie. We need to move. Now. Yeah. Stevie told me. Yeah. Do you know a bear bar in Jersey?” She shook her head. “Not gay bears. Bear-bears. Yes. That one. Meet us there in the hour.”
She disconnected that call and started calling someone else. “Max. Text Berg for me. Tell him we’re moving out in ten minutes. Uncle Will. Hi. It’s Charlie. When are you guys going back home? Good. I need a few of your boys. Tonight. Great. We’re meeting at the bar we went to after the funeral. Go there now. Make sure the snakes are all gone, please. Eat them. I don’t care. I just don’t want any there when we arrive.”
With another call disconnected, she pointed at Stevie. “They’re going to assume it was you when they discover the lab break-in so you need an alibi.”
“I’m not going into hiding and I’m not staying here.”
“No. If you go into hiding, they’ll know we know and they’ll move everything. It’s better you’re out and about. Let everybody see you. Like it’s a regular thing.”
Stevie pulled her phone out. “I got an invitation to something for tonight . . .” She put in what appeared to be a ten-digit code and quickly scanned her email. “Here. I’ve been