werewolf alone. He complimented Blanc in his heavy accent. He praised her singing, her looks, and her attire.
Blanc said something about the jacket being a special prequel to her costume that night. Wasn’t he lucky to get to see it up close? He said yes, he was.
She called him, “My darling selkie daddy-kins.” Batted those dumb lashes at him.
He gave her what looked like a real diamond tennis bracelet.
The audience ended.
The selkie exited, puffed and flushed. “It’s like touching Venus!” His big brown eyes glittered. Then he glared at his guards. “She is innocent. She is pure. She is glorious.”
“Oh fuck me,” said Kevin.
“No one here porks your direction, brother dear.” Colin trotted up, followed by Deputy Kettil.
The berserker had a frown on his face. He was focused on the King of the Blubber Bozos.
The selkie lumbered towards a corded-off seating area at the front of the stands, bodyguards in tow.
“Is that who I think it is?” Kettil’s voice squeaked in shock.
Judd made an educated guess. “The head of the Pinniped Syndicate?”
“No. Not the head. That looks like Demetrius the Younger, his son.”
The selkie made himself comfortable in the center of the VIP area. His blubber bozos settled faithfully around him.
“So, Prince of the Blubber Bozos?” suggested Kevin.
Kettil looked to the heavens and shook his head. “You wolves are exhausting. You know that?”
“Otters are worse.” Isaac pointed out, mildly.
Deputy Kettil glared at him. “Stop it.”
“Just saying.” Isaac squinted to hide his amusement. It didn’t work.
Kevin threw his hands up. “Man, dudes dating dudes is so much drama.”
“Not dating,” Kettil grumbled, under his breath.
Judd looked at Kevin. He crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow. “I know, right? You sure you don’t suck dick, Kev? You’re the biggest drama queen of us all.”
“Fuck off, Judd.”
They watched in silence as one of the blubber bozos produced a retro wicker picnic basket. It was packed with fermented fish wine, four whole lobsters, eight Dungeness crabs, two dozen oysters, in shell, a gallon bag of seaweed salad, and several containers of caviar.
The Prince of the Blubber Bozos ate his dinner. He was obviously prepared to enjoy the open air concert as much as his money allowed. Or his father’s money.
Judd exchanged glances with the rest of his pack. “It’s weird for a selkie mobster to have a crush on a country music singing Alpha werewolf, right?”
“Totally weird.” Kevin nodded, fervently.
“Maybe he really is just here for the concert?” Colin sounded like he doubted his own words.
Isaac wrinkled his nose. “Anything is possible.”
Judd focused on stratagem. “If he’s here, though, I’m thinking some other friends of ours will likely show up soon and…” He looked around. “There they are.”
Up at the entrance of the amphitheater, on one side near the nose bleeders, stood Agents Faste and Lenis.
“How do they manage to look so much like feds?” Kevin wondered.
“It’s the suits, no pinstripe,” suggested Isaac.
“And they aren’t double-breasted,” added Judd.
“It’s the stance,” said Colin. “I wonder if they have lessons in how to stand in training camp. I mean, it’s not quite like the cops. No offense, Deputy. But it’s still all we are here to watch you and we have the power to arrest you. You know?”
“AKA we have sticks up our butts the size of baseball bats?” suggest Isaac.
“Whoa, kinky.” Kevin snickered. “I thought you and Tank liked that kind of thing.”
Isaac gave Kevin a level look. “You talk like you’ve given it a lot of thought. You keep writing gay checks that you never cash, Kev. There something you want to tell us?”
Kevin actually blushed. “Sorry, Isaac, none of my business.”
“Mum-hum, thought so.”
Colin was grinning as huge as could be. He clearly loved it when his big brother was taken down a peg.
Deputy Kettil’s massive bearded head ping-ponged along with their banter. “Imma go. You know, see what they want.”
“Good luck with that,” said Judd. No love lost between him and the feds. He didn’t like them sniffing round his pack’s territory. That wasn’t ever going to change.
“San Francisco used to be so nice and werewolf-free,” lamented Kettil as he strode away. His long stride eating up the stone steps easily.
“You love us,” yelled Isaac, after him.
“Likes otters better,” muttered Colin, small smile on his face.
“Poor old sod,” said Isaac, “we gotta be nice to him about that. I don’t think he’s ever had a crush on a dude before.”
“Is that really any of our business?” wondered Kevin, waspishly.