17. Matt

SEVENTEEN

MATT

Four faces stared at me. Two were familiar, Ranger and his father. Another was his brother and an older man, but I couldn't recall who he was.

"Arnie. Ranger's uncle."

He was wearing an apron and introduced himself while waving a spatula. I warmed to his genuine smile, and was tempted to rub his shiny bald scalp. He was much smaller and skinnier than the other men, especially Ranger and his brother who towered over their uncle.

"I'm the resident chef," he added.

I hope they paid him well. The others chuckled, but I didn't see anything funny in what he said. Mafia humor. But my head was a little fuzzy, images of Ranger and a wolf tumbling around in my brain. The stress of the last few days was intruding into my dreams and reality.

Ranger took my arm and led me to the large dining table.

"Wow! Someone's been busy."

A dark green runner ran the length of the table, with matching napkins beside each of the five place settings. A pot of coffee and a jug of orange juice were in the middle, along with a basket of rolls and a vase of dried flowers. White plates and silver cutlery completed the setting.

"Thank you. We're so happy to have you in our home." Arnie put a hand under my elbow, and without thinking, I gave him a hug, relishing the warmth of holding another human being. He raised his arms, and I was worried I'd committed a big boo-boo, but he wrapped them around me and said I needed to eat, as I looked pale.

I collapsed onto the chair Ranger pulled out, the events of the past two days weighing on me. And now I was eating a meal surrounded by members of a powerful… the most powerful mafia clan.

Ranger's brother sat at the head of the table, Ranger at the other end, while Arnie and Rudy were opposite me. I kept my hands in my lap and bowed my head, avoiding everyone's gaze. It was intimidating sitting around a table and sharing a meal with mafia. I'd never eaten a meal with Dane. Never seen him eat. Maybe he didn't.

Arnie dished up eggs and bacon, and I welcomed the distraction from my muddled thoughts.

Ranger's dad passed me the rolls. Not wanting to get everyone's attention by asking Flint to pass the butter, I thanked him and took one. Pulling it apart, I nibbled, savoring the crispy outside and the chewy center while almost swooning at the salty bacon aroma hovering over the table and the inviting smell of fresh coffee.

Why was I so nervous around this family? I'd been with Dane in and out of the car. He was an asshat, and he always had a gun on his hip. He was a mean so-and-so, and the people around the table had shown me nothing but kindness. Or Ranger and Arnie had. The jury was still out on his dad and brother.

"Dig in, Matt," Ranger urged. His foot brushed over mine, and I rewarded him with a grateful smile. Layers of confusion mingled with contradictory emotions regarding Ranger. Wanting him close wasn't because I liked him liked him. Any living breathing human being would have filled my need for human contact when I was scared about losing my life.

And while I'd fibbed about sensing a connection with the man, there was something between us. I pictured it as a thread, as fine as the ones in a spider's web but also with the same strength and flexibility.

Without thinking, I put a hand under the table, and Ranger squeezed it. Always with the hands, that man. But I took it back and concentrated on the food.

I had a vague memory of eating chips and sugary snacks and was grateful for what Arnie had provided. No one spoke, the sharp knocking of metal hitting the porcelain plates, while the crackling of the flames in the fireplace formed a backdrop to the meal.

"What do you do, Matt?" Flint's authoritative tone indicated he wouldn't accept silence or a shrug for an answer. Gods, was this meal a prelude to something bad?

Despite the warmth from the fire, my knees trembled, and whatever I'd eaten earlier threatened to reappear. "I work for a newspaper. The Daily Star."

Flint shared a glance with his brother, and Ranger gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

But I had nothing to be ashamed of. I'd never broken the law. Rather than allow Flint to pummel me with questions, I flipped the conversation, putting the burden on him. "What do you do, Flint?"

Rudy pressed his lips together. I couldn't decide if he was suppressing a laugh or a growl. Arnie didn't react, and Ranger's satisfied grin at the spotlight shining on his brother provided a possible hint about their relationship growing up.

"I head a successful business empire." His mouth was set in a straight line, and unless I peppered him with more questions, he was done talking about his work. "But Ranger tells me you were involved with Dane, the head of The Obsidian Circle."

"Flint, not now." Ranger's voice was more of a growl.

"I was moonlighting."

I didn't buckle under Flint's stern gaze, and I stabbed a piece of bacon, only to have it fly across the table to Rudy. He caught it in a napkin, an almost impossible task. Like his middle son, he had super-speedy reflexes.

"Can I have it back? I was enjoying that."

Ranger sniggered, and Rudy joined in. Arnie covered his mouth with the apron he still wore. Only Flint remained unmoved, slowly chewing a mouthful of food.

He dabbed his mouth with a napkin before saying, "You remind me of my Tony. Strong, feisty, and fearless, even when you might be cowering inside."

"Who said anything about cowering?" I shot back. I was, but I wasn't going to admit it.

Flint's expression didn't change. "As I said, feisty."

Now that I'd asserted myself, the silence around the table was broken and everyone started talking. Rudy thanked Arnie for the meal, and I echoed his sentiment. Flint mentioned needing to call Tony, while Arnie yawned, saying he needed a nap after racing through the flooded woods.

I couldn't figure out why the family made an elderly man take such a dangerous journey, and if they got through the flood waters to the cabin, what about Dane?

"You must be exhausted," I said.

He nodded. "My wolf is too."

My cutlery clattered onto the plate, and Ranger scraped his chair across the floor to sit beside me, making the hairs on my neck stand up. The atmosphere around the table changed. It might have been my imagination, but everyone's eyes were darker and sort of glowing.

"You remember what I showed you outside?"

Images flashed into my head. Chips, candy, soda, naked Ranger again. Nice. Wind, rain, fur. I told my memory to halt. What fur? Fur belonged to a wolf. A wolf inside of Ranger.

"You told me you were a shitter."

Everyone's faces registered shock; open mouths, raised brows, frozen smiles. But Flint broke the silence with a loud guffaw. "Shitters." He slapped his thigh.

"We do shit," Rudy observed. "Once a day."

"Come on," Arnie poo-pooed.

Ha. He poo-pooed about shitting. I doubled over with laughter.

"Twice a day for me," Arnie finished.

"Gods, no one needs to hear about our bodily functions." Flint sighed.

"Shifters, Matt. We're shifters." Ranger couldn't hide his smile.

"I might need to lie down again. Please explain."

Ranger draped an arm around my shoulders. Not a hand this time but the warmth of his body reassured me nothing weird… or more weird than animals inside people, would happen and I was safe.

That's what he represented: safety. Not just that. Something more, but right now, I had to deal with shitters… ummm, shifters.

"Our kind has existed beside humans for centuries," Ranger explained.

"Then why have I never heard of you? Or did the whole world gang up on me and keep it a secret?"

"We don't reveal ourselves to humans."

"Excuse me. Last time I looked I am human." I took my pulse. "Yep, definitely human."

"Over to you, Ranger." Flint folded his napkin. "You should have explained this before we arrived."

"Well, sorry," Ranger snapped. "I didn't know the pack Alpha had drawn up a schedule."

"Ranger!" Rudy's tone announced he was in dad mode and not to be messed with.

"Sorry, Dad. My apologies, Alpha." Ranger gritted his teeth. "It's a lot, and I didn't want to overwhelm Matt."

"Hello." I stuck my hand up. "Can you not talk about me as if I'm not here?"

Ranger continued with a story of the family's ancestors, on four legs and then two. After they were persecuted, they kept to themselves, their secret rarely revealed to outsiders.

"Dane and his guys are wolf shifters too."

What? The bottom fell out of my world. Not only did Dane have guns and powerful people under his thumb, as well as men who obeyed his every command, he and they had wolves! I put my head in my hands.

"Why didn't I write about controversies in the dog-breeding industry? Might have been safer."

"That's why my family is here, Matt. To keep us safe and handle Dane."

I sniffed, trying to corral my thoughts. My injured hand on Ranger's warm flesh was comforting. Not sure why, it just was.

"Okay. You have a long proud history. But why are you sharing it with me?" He'd just told me it was all hush-hush. I lifted my hand and studied it, the wound beginning to heal.

"You marked me for life. So what am I to you?" I was conflicted, not wanting to hear Ranger's answer and yet desperate to hear him confirm what I suspected. "Wait, was it your wolf who bit me?"

"Yes. You are my fated mate."

Again with the mate thing. Mafia was supposed to be scary, but this family was all about friendship.

"When a shifter meets the person the universe put on this earth for them, they recognize them instantly."

I didn't like the sound of someone made for another person. It reminded me of sci-fi movies where the population had no control over their destiny.

"And you think I'm your fate? Me, the human who was trying to take down The Obsidian Circle."

I gulped at Ranger's horrified expression that was reflected on the faces of his family. Flint slammed a knife, tip first into the wooden table.

"But…" I held up a hand. Not sure about the purpose of the knife, I took the handle and yanked. Shit. Nothing happened. Another tug. It was wedged in. A third heave and I removed the damned knife.

Ranger nudged me. "Tell them."

"I'm going to. Yes, I was undercover, but…" I'd said but too many times, and I had to follow through. "I have the goods on Dane and how he was meddling in your business."

"More than meddling," Flint stated.

"Infringing. I have it all. I can help you bring him down."

I slammed the knife into the table and the wood splintered.

Oops!