she hustled off to attend to another table, I got up to fill my plate with seconds. I hadn’t eaten much in the past few days, and the food here was good. Fresh, hot, and plentiful. Dynasty Star Chicken was a spacious establishment. Nothing fancy, and most of the food was Chinese-American. Greeters stood behind the front register, summoning servers to escort people to their tables. Booths lined the outer walls, and tables filled in the rest of the space. The buffet stations were in the center, sparkling chandeliers glittering over them. Short walls bordered the seating areas, and the recessed lighting did nothing to class up the amusingly bad paintings on the walls. Despite the crowd, I was able to find a quiet corner to enjoy my meal.
I hustled up to the meat station and scooped up more jalapeño chicken and shrimp. When I approached the station with the egg rolls, I bumped into a tall Chitah.
“My apologies, female,” he said, his voice as smooth as a blade. His shoulder-length hair obscured some of his formidable features, but I caught a glimpse of his golden eyes.
As I put three egg rolls on my plate, I noticed the Chitah filling his plate with nothing but sugar donuts. He took almost all of them and left only one in the serving pan.
When I returned to my booth by the window, I spied Flynn passing by outside. He had on his all-black work clothes but was also carrying a satchel. When he entered the restaurant, I signaled him over.
“Don’t mind if I do.” He snatched one of my egg rolls before he sat down. “I’m famished. Haven’t eaten all day since I was in the gym lifting weights.”
“Impressive,” I said flatly.
One bite demolished half his egg roll. “Simone says you took the night off. You should watch yourself. Can’t afford to lose a good job. That’s your safety net.” He glanced over his shoulder suspiciously.
“No Vamps in here,” I assured him. “Just a Chitah and some Shifters in the back.”
He gobbled up the rest of the egg roll. “How can you tell who the Shifters are?”
After chewing my chicken, I wiped my mouth. “I don’t know. Just a feeling, and they’re behaving like a pack of coyotes.”
“Band.”
I furrowed my brow. “Huh?”
“A band of coyotes. That’s the official name.”
“I don’t think you’re right.”
“Of course I am, love. I memorized it once. A clutch of chickens, a cast of hawks, a flock of geese, a band of coyotes, a horde of gorillas—or is it a band of gorillas and a horde of… what, exactly?”
When Flynn reached for another egg roll, I slammed my hand on top of his. Silverware and plates rattled, drawing a few curious eyes.
“If you’re hungry, pay the lady up front,” I said. “The buffet is over there, not on my plate.”
He sat back and folded his arms. “After all I’ve done for you.”
“You’re taking fifty percent of my pay, so I think I’m giving you enough.”
I glanced over at the Chitah, who had returned to his table. He extended his arm to the woman across from him, but all I could see of her was the back of her head. When he retracted his arm, I noticed a large bite in a donut he was holding.
Flynn shifted in his seat to have a look and then turned back around. “That’s a brave bloke.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Chitahs are usually the least likely to interbreed in public. Some classy restaurants will turn them away. Her energy was strong when I walked by the table, so I bet she’s a Mage. No wonder they’re hiding out in here.”
“Why did you want to meet?”
Flynn scratched his short beard, which looked freshly trimmed. It was more like a five-o’clock shadow trying to graduate to the next level. He lifted the satchel and slid it across the table. A warm smile lit up his face. “That’s a lot of money.”
I pulled the bag onto the bench and peered inside at the stack of bills.
“It’s all there.”
I flicked a cautious gaze his way. “I’ll count it later. You don’t exactly have a solid reputation when it comes to money.”
He removed his tinted glasses and set them on the table. “Is that where you’re going tonight?”
“You don’t know?”
He stared at my plate. “They tell me absolutely nothing. I collect the money and distribute it accordingly.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to pay fighters directly?”
“If someone discovered women coming out of that building at odd hours with a satchel filled