to prove that my little mishap last time was not my standard way of operating. And, bonus for you, you get a tax break. Yay!” Dakota winked at me. “All I’ll need is a hotel room to keep this nice young lady safe.”
Nick shook his head. “You’re going to call Blake and Shanti if I don’t help.”
Dakota inhaled through her teeth. “Yup.” She was deadpan serious. “And if you think of calling Bennett and telling him that I’m taking the job and making it sound dangerous, I will make it way more difficult for you.”
Nick narrowed his eyes at her. “But it is dangerous, these are the Cains we’re talking about.”
“I don’t care,” Dakota said, closing her hands over the tiny bump of her stomach. “If any Cain comes after a pregnant shifter, they’re dead. Especially this pregnant shifter. I have a gun, I have a phone, I have a very maternal tigress inside of my brain. So long as they see that Poppy isn’t alone, they won’t do shit. Right?”
Poppy could see the flawed logic there. If she had known that her friend was three months pregnant, she never would have asked for her help. Dakota was one stubborn lady, and now that she knew Poppy was in distress, there would be no way of convincing her not to help.
“You females ganging up on me is not cool. I’m going to need a man cave the size of the Grand Canyon by the time I’m sixty to recover from this.”
“Whatever tweaks your nipples, boss man.”
“I don’t like this, Dakota. Not one bit.”
“You don’t have to like it, Nick. But we can’t kick this poor soul out for the panthers to rip apart.”
Nick shook his head. “Fine. A hotel room, but out of the city boundaries. You stay with her at all times, and if you sniff so much as a hint of feline shifter, you’re to call me or one of the others. Are we clear?”
“Bennett and the docs, Blake or Gray. You. I’m covered. For real. This is fine. Poppy just can’t be left alone while we figure out a way around the uncle.”
“And what do you have in mind?” Nick asked.
“I’ll think of something,” Poppy answered, earning her a wicked grin from her friend.
“This is going to end in tears, I guarantee it.”
Poppy couldn’t think so. All she had to do was find a way out from under her uncle’s thumb. Or claw, as the case may be.
Chapter Five
Poppy
Nick left the office in a huff, and Poppy had a bad feeling. She was pretty sure she had just put her pregnant friend’s life in danger, not to mention her job. When she said as much to Dakota, the other woman just waved her off.
“Really. Had I known you were pregnant; I would have bugged someone else.”
“Someone else?” Dakota scoffed with feigned hurt. “You have other friends? No way, Poppy. I am happy you came to me. And I so do not prescribe to the idea that just because I have a little nugget growing inside of me, I will stop my life. That’s just not who I am. I just found this job a few months ago, and I love it.”
“But what about Bennett?”
“What about him?” Dakota shot back. “This might be a half-geek baby, but it’s my body. If I say it’s okay to take this on, then please believe me. Pregnancy has not made me into an invalid. Cool?”
“If you’re sure,” Poppy responded, still feeling guilty. “Your boss didn’t seem to like this much either.”
“Don’t even worry about him. He is a big grumpy cat, but he’s actually a bleeding heart. He would never have let you leave with someone hot on your tail. He would have made a plan after some huffing and puffing. I just got us there faster.” Dakota winked at her. “Come on. Let’s go settle you into a hotel room.”
“Umm…” That next part was going to be embarrassing. “Do you think I could borrow some cash from you? I haven’t really eaten today.” That was a lie. She hadn’t eaten in almost two days. “I’m going to ask my boss for an advance on my next pay, so it won’t be for very long.”
“Let’s go grab a coffee. We’ll make sure to go to a coffee shop in the next town over. We won’t have to look over our shoulders. It’s not like the Cain power goes much further beyond the city borders.”
“Not yet, anyway.” But that was her uncle