Prologue
Taken from the epilogue of Home Is Where the Heart Is - the final book in the Cloverleah Pack series – just to remind readers where we met Paulie.
Cass and Wesley - Christmas Eve
“You can’t just go over there,” Wesley hissed, as Cass made to get up from their hiding place behind the dumpster. They were in some bum-fuck town in the middle of nowhere, after Zeus got a tip off about a homeless teenage shifter in difficulties. “We don’t even know if those are the thugs causing the issues around here.”
“Check the body language, love,” Cass said calmly. “Our boy does not want to be in this stinking alley with those two goons.”
“They’re human.” Wes kept his eyes focused on the scene playing out ten yards ahead of them. The alley was dark, and as Cass said, it stunk, but the information from Zeus was sketchy at best; something Wes griped about when Hades gave them their assignment. “As much as you’d just bowl on in there, frighten the pants off the humans and rescue Paul, if they’re not our guys… Oh, shit, yes we can.”
Leaping up, he raced over, dragging one man off Paul, while swinging around and felling the other with a drop kick. “You do not do that kind of shit when someone says no,” he yelled. “Who in Hades name do you think you are, pulling shit like this?” He pointed to one of the guys on the ground who had his pants undone, his hard cock starting to droop.
“Are you a cop?” One of the guys ran a hand over his split lip and scowled. “If you’re a cop, you’re in big shit for assaulting a private citizen, and if you ain’t, your shit pile just got bigger. It’s illegal to assault someone going about their daily business.”
“What the hell do you call what you were doing to him?” Wesley pointed at the young shifter who was trying to make himself look smaller, cringing by the wall. Close up, Wesley could see a big bruise blooming along his cheek bone and a cut over his eye. His shirt was torn, and there was a rip in his pants where his zipper used to be.
“Bah, he’s homeless, a vagrant. No one gives a fuck,” the mouthy one said as his friend rolled over and groaned, trying to get his pants done up.
“If there is one thing, I cannot stand it is people like you who think it’s fine to pick on the less fortunate. Do you know what happens to people like you?”
“The cops don’t do nothing,” the mouthy one sneered. “Over worked, under paid. Besides, my uncle has the police chief in his back pocket. You try and take me in, and I’ll be out before the ink’s dried on the hundreds of forms you’ll be stuck filling out.”
“That’s the line you’re going with, is it?” Wesley snarled. “It’s Christmas Eve and you think I’m worried about paperwork? What if I told you, I had proof you and your useless friends have conducted dozens of attacks like this on homeless youths in the past six months.”
“You’re bluffing.” The mouthy one had the audacity to laugh. “I told you, no one cares about a bit of fun with the homeless, and if you had proof I’d already be arrested and talking to my Uncle’s lawyer.”
“Your uncle’s lawyer isn’t going to get you out of this.” Wesley shook his head. “Paul, be a good lad and close your eyes. You might not want to see this next bit.”
“What?” The goon didn’t have the brains to be scared. “You going to beat me up? Make me sorry? As soon as you’re done, I’ll be laying a complaint against you so fast…”
“Ah.” Wesley nodded as though he understood, but he could feel Cass’s impatience and knew he had to move things along. “So, you think it’s fine to insult the hard-working men and women in uniform when you’re the one being arrested, but when it comes to laying a complaint, you can’t get to them quick enough. Typical. But I’m not here by accident, and I don’t have police back up. Cass, could you come over here please?”
Wes didn’t need to turn around. Not only did he feel his mate’s presence getting closer, but he saw the look of shock and horror on the faces of the men on the ground. Cass was in his demon form. “You see, you might think you know all the tricks of getting