come from his body. Austin is far too old school to admit to carrying their child. Face it. There’s nothing else you can do. He’s got money, resources and contacts. He won’t be found.”
“Kinda sucks.” Dian stretched out his back and shoulders. Cam seriously needed new chairs. “A bastard like Austin gets a true mate, who had to have forgiven him for trying to put a contract on him or they’d both be dead. In the meantime, guys like me and Eagle are more likely to get shot at than find our mates.”
“Speak for yourself,” Eagle said quickly. “I’m not looking to settle down, not now, not ever. I’m not a fan of getting shot for the record, but I don’t want someone weeping all over me if that happens.”
“Seeing as we’ve closed the case, you two should stick around for a few days,” Cam suggested. “Arrowtown is a truly diverse little town. Everyone is friendly, provided you lose the suits, and you never know you could get lucky in the mate department too. I’ll even let you stay in my house. I live with my mate, so you won’t be disturbed during your mate hunting. Then you can go back and let your office know that Arrowtown has been thoroughly investigated and there’s no link to Austin here.” The warning under the invitation was clear.
“I didn’t think your offer was made out of the goodness of your heart.” Dian chuckled. “We’ll stay, but only because I got told your mate owns the local bakery. I’m freaking starving and could murder a coffee.”
Cam glanced at the clock on the wall. It was just after two o’clock. “The bakery will be closing shortly – Brutus, the manager is usually sold out of everything by now. You can get coffee here if you want, but it’d be easier if we went across to the diner. They have hot food all day from six in the morning until eight at night. I’ll come over with you, and then show you the house and after that you’re on your own.”
“That’s very good of you.” More than I expected. Dian stood up and stretched some more. “Seriously, man, have you ever considered more comfortable seats? My ass is numb.”
“I don’t need new chairs because I don’t encourage people to stay chatting in my office. By the way, try not to stay much longer than a week, if you please, otherwise my mate is going to insist on inviting you both over for dinner and yeah… I don’t do that shit. I see enough people at the bar.”
Dian chuckled. Cam hadn’t changed. He was never the most sociable of assassins, although Dian could see why Cam owned the local bar. It would be one of the best covers for keeping an eye on what was going on in town, without actually participating unless he wanted to. One of the reasons he and Cam got on so well when Cam was working for Austin, was they both tended to keep their private lives private. “I’m making no promises,” he teased. “I haven’t had a holiday for a while, and where better to have one than in a friendly shifter town.”
“And if I get bored with the mated bliss of people around here, I can always hot foot it to Jackson for a night or three.” Eagle grinned as he stood up.
“Don’t cause any trouble. Keep your hands off anyone mated, and if someone called Fergus calls you, tell him you’re busy.” Cam shook his head, but there was a small smile on his face as he reached for the door handle. “My mate is all about sunshine and unicorns. Everyone he sees is a friend he hasn’t met yet. He can’t help himself.”
They were walking down the hall, Dian trying to work out if it was worth teasing Cam about having such a friendly mate. But then he stopped, his feet frozen to the floor as he heard a male chuckle coming from the bar area. There was nothing special about the laughter – it came from a male, filled with happiness like from someone enjoying a joke with a friend. But the sound… It called to Dian’s inner beast, something that had never happened before.
“Oh, no. You’re not stopping here.” Cam came back, grabbing him around the arm. “I’m not turning down your business in my bar, but you come back later, when you’ve ditched your agency vibe and suits.” He tugged. Dian wasn’t sure he