Wild Cat

“Fun stuff,” Marlo added, hands around a beer instead of coffee.

“Trust Diego to make a dramatic entrance to save his girl,” Xavier said. “The big show-off.”

Cassidy sipped coffee-rich, good, and hot, as only Jace could make it-as she sat down at the table. “Diego came for you, Xav. He knew I was protecting you.”

Xavier laughed. “No, he came for you, chiquita. He only got me out because he knew Mamita would kill him if he didn’t.”

Shane nodded. “I have a mother like that.”

“Tell Nell I appreciate her help,” Cassidy said. “How do you feel about all those women in your house, Shane?”

Shane actually blushed. “I don’t mind. One or two honeys I’d like to get to know better. Of course, Eric’s claimed them all, and I’m sure not Challenging him.”

They all looked at Eric, who lounged back against the kitchen counter, sipping coffee. He’d kept quiet until now.

“I’ll release them soon,” Eric said. “They need someone they can lean on while they take the Collar, but once they’re stronger and more confident, they can choose who they want to be with.”

“You’re really going to make them wear Collars?” Marlo asked. “It will hurt them bad when they put them on, won’t it?”

Eric stared into his coffee. “I have no choice.”

Cassidy came alert while pretending not to. Eric usually announced his decisions with his head up, daring anyone to question him. Not bowed, without looking at anyone. Something was up.

Her attention moved instantly from Eric to Diego walking out of the back, fully dressed. Diego went for the coffee while Marlo lifted his beer in salute.

Xavier laughed. “Hey, hermano, I’m surprised you can still walk.”

“Funny.” Diego got coffee, put his arm lightly around Cassidy’s shoulders, and gave her a kiss. No embarrassment, no regrets. Diego did things and wasn’t ashamed of them.

“Where’s Reid?” he asked.

“At my house.” Shane wrinkled his nose. “I think my mom wants to keep him.”

“Good. I need to talk to him. And then take care of some things.” He kissed the top of Cassidy’s head. “Job things.”

Xavier lost his smile. “Want me to come with you?”

“No, I want you to heal. And I want Cass to rest.” He squeezed her shoulder.

“Then you’d better leave,” Xavier said. “She doesn’t stand a chance of resting with you here.”

Marlo laughed, and even Shane grinned. Cassidy found herself blushing, and Cassidy never blushed. Diego kissed her lips again and whispered, “See you later?”

Cassidy nodded. Diego, ignoring Xav’s and Marlo’s teasing whoops and laughter, left the house.

Cassidy missed him already, but she too had things to take care of. She touched Eric’s shoulder as she went. Her brother, his expression still troubled, nodded, and Cassidy left the house.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“I remember me telling you not to go after those drug runners.” Captain Max was on his feet in his office, his face dark with rage. “Do you remember, Escobar? Do you know why I told you that?”

Diego had all kinds of answers, but he decided to keep quiet.

“Because the courts will have a field day, that’s why!” Captain Max finished for him. “Everyone knows you have a vendetta against this gang, that they killed your partner. And then I hear stories that you turned vigilante in Mexico, shot up a factory or something going after those guys. How is that going to look when you take the stand?”

“I won’t be taking the stand, sir,” Diego said, fixing his captain with an unblinking gaze. “I never made the bust.”

Captain Max stopped in mid-breath. “What the hell are you talking about? I have two men in my lockup looking scared to death, and their public defender’s not looking much better. Don’t bullshit me, Escobar.”

“No bullshit, sir. I didn’t arrest them. Lieutenant Reid did. He saw the two remaining gang members in a cantina while he was vacationing in Mexico, and he arrested them. I had nothing to do with it. It’s all in Reid’s report.”

The report lay on Captain Max’s desk, the file unopened. “I don’t know what the hell game you’re playing, Diego. I’ll bust you back down to uniform, I swear to God.”

“Reid made the arrest, sir. I promise you.”

Reid had arrested the men at the airfield while Diego and Xavier kept out of the way. They’d all agreed not to alert the Mexican police and to quietly fly the guys back to the States. Less paperwork, fewer questions, and they would have had to search awhile to find police out there anyway. The drug runners had capitulated easily enough, wanting to get out of there as fast as they could.

Once they’d landed back in Nevada, Reid had gotten stuck with the paperwork, and Diego had taken his brother to the hospital then gone to Shiftertown, found Cassidy, and… had a night he’d never forget.

“You know I’ll be questioning Reid pretty closely,” Captain Max said. “Your brother too.”

Diego nodded. “Reid is willing. Xavier wants to come back to work tomorrow, by the way. He’s feeling better and has energy to spare.”

“I’ll see.” Captain Max gave Diego a stern look. “If we get away with this, I might not kick your ass. But then again, I might. Remember that.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Don’t fuck with me, Diego.”

“No, sir.”

The captain scowled over the desk. “Aren’t you still on leave?”

“Yes, sir. I wanted to come in and write up the last of my notes on Jobe’s case. Finish it.”

Captain Max sighed, becoming human for a moment. “It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, it has.”

“You talk to Jobe’s family yet?”

“Plan to do that tonight.” Diego would take Cassidy with him. That seemed right.

“All right,” Captain Max said. “Get out of here, Escobar.”

“Yes, sir.” Diego grinned at his captain and left him.

* * *

Stuart Reid hated Shifters, and now he was surrounded by them.

Hate was the wrong word, maybe. Uncomfortable, definitely. He’d grown up trained to believe certain things, most notably that dokk alfar were superior creatures, and that he was damn lucky to have been born one. Hoch alfar were evil and should be slain on sight.

The hoch alfar had hated Reid, not only because they’d wanted his lands deep in the mountains, but because Reid could manipulate iron. He could make iron behave how he wanted it to, and weren’t the hoch alfar afraid of that? That was another reason the hoch alfar had exiled Stuart to this overbright and overheated place, full of humans who constantly fought among themselves. The hoch alfar had fully believed they’d handed Reid a fate worse than death. And they weren’t far from wrong.

Another of Reid’s deep-seated beliefs was that Shifters, the fighting slaves of the