In unison, Dallas put the knife to the man’s neck, and the barrel of the gun in the man’s hand pressed into Dallas’s chest.
Jasper.
He was one of the cougar shifters who’d been at the head of his family’s organization. Though, family was a stretch given the fact that Dallas had merely been another pawn in their schemes for obtaining power as they did dirty work for both the human and shifter world, using their ability to hide as cat shifters along with merciless training and preparedness that made them some of the deadliest people Dallas knew existed.
After all, they taught him everything he’d learned as a kid. Though, beating, torturing, and starving were poor excuses for any semblance of parenting.
Even two decades later, Jasper’s cruel smile and sharp features were only slightly more drawn. He had blond hair, shaved short, that was starting to gray. But age didn’t make him any less deadly. In fact, he was probably worse now.
After all, the members of the “Blackheart Assassins,” as they’d called themselves over the years, were all trained to be the perfect contract killers. Capable of infiltration, hacking, survival, and any sort of dirty deed imaginable so long as the pay was good.
“Long time, no see, Killer.” Jasper smirked. “Or should I call you Dallas? What a stupid name.”
Dallas growled. The name he’d had as a child being raised by mercenary murderers brought rage boiling to the surface. He grabbed Jasper by the shirt, pulling him close enough that they were face to face, weapons still poised at each other’s weakest spots.
“Ooh, feisty. I like it. Not the same weak kid you were back then. But don’t get any ideas. One bad move and my associate who just happens to be fixing her makeup in the bathroom over there will make quick work of your little friend.” To make his point, Jasper pulled a phone from his pocket and showed the text waiting to be sent to an unknown number.
Dallas’s eyes flew open, his tiger roaring, and it took all his self-control to not shift right there, even amongst all those people.
But he had to do whatever would keep Mel safe. That was all that mattered right now.
“I can smell your anger. You never were good at controlling your emotions, were you?”
“What. Do. You. Want?” Dallas asked with a snarl.
“I’d love to stay and chat, given that you were one of the biggest investments the Blackhearts ever made, but I’m here on work.” His grin deepened, pale-green eyes reflecting the lights of the fair around them. Cold, soulless, empty.
And ruthless.
The worst kind of people. The reason he’d hitchhiked across Texas just to get away from them and lived on the streets all alone before he’d been found by Harrison.
“Anyway, you and your lady friend need to stop your search. I know what she’s here for, and I know you’ve been helping her.”
“No.”
“This is your only warning. Hell, I wanted to just off the both of you. But the leaders said no, something about ‘too many loose ends’ and all that bullshit. So she leaves, and you go back to whatever the fuck you’ve been wasting all that skill and talent on since you left us.”
“I won’t let that happen.” But Dallas couldn’t shake the horrifying realization that, after all these years, they’d finally found him.
And even worse, they were after his mate.
But they weren’t here because they wanted to be. They were here because someone had hired them to stop Mel. And if that was the case, then whatever organization was behind this meant serious business.
“You need to stay out of shit that doesn’t involve you, Killer,” Jasper said, using Dallas’s old name spitefully. “What a waste, all that time and money and training. And for what? So you become a dumb fuck who chases cows around all day? You could’ve been the best of us.”
“How did you know it was me?”
“Puh-lease,” he said, rolling his eyes. “We have technology that can take a baby’s face and show us what they’ll look like when they’re eighty. That shit’s Easy Street. Besides, how could I forget my best, brightest pupil?”
If by “pupil” Jasper meant “trainee he constantly pushed to the edge of death to turn into a murderer,” then yes, Dallas remembered their time together. Even as he’d tried to forget all about it.
Dallas remained quiet, considering his options. Pound for pound, he was stronger than any other cat, any other shifter that wasn’t dragon.
But people like this didn’t play fair. They played to win.
“So as bad as I would like to settle the score with you, I’ve got more important shit to do right now than catch up.” He slowly pulled the gun away from Dallas’s chest, and Dallas considered gutting Jasper right there.
Instead, he pulled back the knife and holstered it.
“Remember, she needs to be gone, or I will be back to finish what I started.” Then he turned and waved over his shoulder, strolling into the crowd as if they hadn’t just been in a lethal standoff. “Ciao, Killer.”
Dallas watched as Jasper disappeared, then whirled around to watch the bathroom. A tall woman wearing a black trench coat emerged, grinning evilly at Dallas. He could scent that she was a cougar as well, and she had the audacity to wink at him before she, too, was enveloped by the bustling movement of humans around them.
Fuck.
This was way more serious than he could have ever guessed.
The moment Mel appeared in the doorway, he practically leaped to her side, arm wrapped around her protectively.
“Whoa, good to see you too,” she said happily. Then her face fell as she saw what was probably obvious worry on his face. “Everything okay?”
Dallas remained silent, looking out into the crowd. If they were out there, they would remain unseen.
She happened to look in the direction he was, then snapped her
