That, of course, earned him a glare from Smitty. “Is this you helping me? I don’t think this is you helping me.”

Chapter 27

At three A.M., Mitch called to let Sissy know a bunch of them, including Brendon and Bobby Ray, had taken Travis to the hospital to get his leg set. The break was apparently so bad it would take more than a week to heal.

Sissy would have felt awful if Mitch hadn’t sounded so proud over the phone. At one point, he even told her, “I figured I had to go with him since my girlfriend was the one who beat the crap out of him.”

It had been the first time anyone had ever called her that where she hadn’t automatically responded, “Who the hell are you talking about?”

Instead, she curled up on the couch, Ronnie asleep with the other She-wolves on the floor, and said, “He made me mad.”

“He made me mad, too. But I’m glad you’re the one who kicked his ass.”

They talked for nearly an hour until Mitch told her, “It looks like we’re taking him back. I’ll stay with Smitty’s Pack tonight. See you before the game?”

“Of course. In fact, I was thinking that…um…when you go back to Philly, I can go with you. Just until you testify,” she rushed to explain.

He was silent for a long time, until he finally asked, “Why?”

“Because I don’t want you to be alone.”

“Sissy…that would mean a lot to me. You’ll be like my sexy bodyguard.”

She laughed. “Well, somebody’s gotta watch your back.”

“I have to go. I’ll talk to you in a few hours.”

“Okay.” The words she really wanted to say were right there. Right on the tip of her tongue. But she’d never said them to anyone who was not a blood relative or her best girlfriends. “Um…”

“Sissy?”

“Uh-huh?”

“I love you.”

Sissy let out a breath, her hand gripping the phone tighter. “Me, too. I mean…I love you, too.”

“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

She rolled her eyes and smiled at the humor in his voice. “Shut up.”

“Talk to you later, baby.”

“Yeah.” She disconnected the call.

Sissy was in love, and it wasn’t nearly as appalling as she had thought it would be.

“I love you, Mitchy!”

“And I love you, Sissy!”

Then Ronnie and one of Sissy’s cousins began to make kissing noises while the rest of the She-wolves fell out laughing.

“To the devil with all y’all!”

Mitch had only been asleep a few hours when he felt the couch he was stretched out on dip and someone slapped him in the back of the head.

Growling, he looked over his shoulder and glared. “Desiree.”

“Mitchell.” She grinned.“Glad to see you’re breathing.”

“I was sleeping.”

“Yes. But I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m playing ball in a few hours, so…” He motioned her away with a wave of his hand.

“Oh, that’s nice. I come out to Hicksville to track down your little murderer, and you brush me off.”

“You’re not letting me sleep, are you?”

Her grin grew. “Actually, Smitty sent me up here to get you. He said I should awaken you with my dulcet tones.”

Dulcet tones? The woman had a voice like sandpaper over gravel. And Smitty knew that.

“Thanks.” Yawning and rubbing his eyes, he pulled himself up. “Any leads?”

Dez shrugged. “We’re pretty sure she’s headed this way. Your head is worth a lot right now. Maybe they’ll mount it on the wall.”

“Shut up.”

“Or they’ll stuff your entire body, and you can be put next to someone’s stuffed armadillo and their tiger skin rug.”

“I hate you.”

She laughed. “I know. Mace hates when I wake him up like that. Although, he hates it worse when it’s the dogs.”

“I don’t know how you got him to live with those dogs.”

“Love me…love my dogs.”

“You got a car?” Mitch abruptly asked her.

“Yup. A lovely beige rental.”

“Give me a ride when I get dressed?”

“Sure,” she answered simply as Brendon walked by on the way to the bathroom.

He stopped and stared at Dez and Mitch. “Dez…what is your deal with cats?”

They’d only gotten a few hours sleep and couldn’t find any food left in the entire house. Damn cat. Now the Smith Pack She-wolves had finished eating their breakfast at the diner and were headed back out to the streets they’d grown up on but had left behind for the fast city life of New York.

Ronnie glanced down at Sissy’s feet. “Maybe we should get those hooves of yours done at a nail salon. A little polish wouldn’t hurt.”

“Last I saw, I can still wear your boots. So watch the glass house you throw those boulders at.”

The two friends grinned at each other but stopped abruptly as the scent hit them. Actually, it hit them all.

And like the brazen hussies they were, Paula Jo and her Pride pulled up in her topless Jeep.

“Hey, Sissy Mae.”

Sissy stepped forward. “What are you doing here? Have you lost your mind?”

“I had to make a decision.” She lifted her right hand, palm up. “My kind”—and lifted her left—“your kind.” Paula Jo, continued, shaking her head, “But in the end, it really came down to a more important decision.”