“We’re going out.”

“I don’t want to. Get over here.”

Oh, she liked this. For once, she had the control—and without handcuffs. It sure did feel good.

She shook her head. “I’m going out now. Wearing this top. You can stay here with the dogs or you can come with me. Your call, cat.” Then she slipped out into the hallway and down the stairs.

Mace crossed his arms in front of his chest and silently seethed. This had been a bad idea. He knew it as soon as they arrived at the Pack’s hotel. The whole group had been waiting outside for them, and as soon as Dez stepped out of the cab, every male wolf eye turned to her—and those tits. In general, it hadn’t been a bad evening really. A good dinner, some drinking since they didn’t drive in, a couple of clubs, dancing with Dez, and a few near fistfights made for a festive Christmas Eve. But the male wolves were clearly into Dez, and as always she was clearly oblivious.

Now they sat in Dez’s favorite coffeehouse a few blocks from where she crash-landed in his lap a few nights ago, talking and drinking espresso. Mace probably wouldn’t be so annoyed if Dez sat near him, but she sat near Sissy Mae, and the male wolves suddenly found a reason to sit near the pair. He glanced at Smitty, who seemed to be seriously enjoying himself since, for once, the wolves were ignoring his sister.

His friend turned to him, and they both knew in a few more minutes Mace would start kicking some dog butt.

Dez put her hands over her ears. “We are not having this conversation.”

“But you know I’m right,” Sissy whispered.

“You are not right. You are very, very wrong, and I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“No, I’m not. I think you’d look lovely in white.”

“You do know I’m the one person who can shoot you and make it look like justifiable homicide?”

Sissy Mae shook her head. “But you love me.”

That was it. Dez stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Okay. We can talk about china patterns and the right bouquet when you get back.”

Like a dog with a bone.

Dez walked to the back of the coffeehouse until she got to the bathroom. She went into the stall and took care of business quickly. She wanted to get back to Mace. She found it quite entertaining watching him get jealous.

She washed her hands, dried them, and headed back to Mace and the Pack, but she stopped when a small hand grabbed her leather jacket and tugged.

Dez turned to see a small child standing behind her. Tears poured to the floor and she pointed to the back door. “Please,” the little girl whispered, her head down. “I think my brother’s hurt and I can’t find my parents.”

Dez crouched down next to her. “It’s okay, honey. Show me. And then we’ll go find your parents, okay?”

The child led Dez outside as she marveled at how fucking irresponsible some parents were. It was well after two A.M. These kids should be inbed, not hanging out at a coffeehouse while their parents did whatever they did.

Dez followed the child to another small child, lying faceup in the alley. Dez snapped her phone off her hip and flipped it open as she touched the child’s face. She had just punched in 911 and was about to hit Talk when the child’s eyes snapped open and he smiled. Dez blinked.

Jesus Christ, are those fangs?

Then Dez watched the ground rush up to meet her.

Mace’s phone vibrated against his side. He pulled it out of its holster and glanced at caller ID. He rolled his eyes as he flipped the phone open. “Yeah?”

“Mace?”

His sister sounded panicked. She never sounded panicked. She didn’t allow that particular emotion. “What is it, Miss?”

“Um…I’m sorry to ask you this, but I was just talking to Shaw and we got cut off.”

“Oh…kay.”

“It was the way we were cut off, Mace. I’m afraid something’s happened to him.”

Mace caught Smitty’s eye. “Do you know where he was?”

“That’s what really has me worried. He told me he was at the Chapel. Mace, that’s hyena territory.”

“Yeah, I know. But didn’t you tell him what I told you about Doogan?”

“I never got a chance. He didn’t come to the house last night. He hates all the social events.”

A man after Mace’s heart. “I’ll go over there and see if I can find him.”

She sighed. “Thank you.”

Mace closed his phone. “Want to go babysit Shaw?”

Smitty grinned. “Hey, our first job.”

Even when human, Smitty’s tail always seemed to be wagging.

Mace looked around, noticing for the first time Dez hadn’t come back from the bathroom. “Sissy, where’s Dez?”

Sissy frowned. “She never came back from the bathroom.”

“How long has she been gone?”

Sissy thought for a moment. “A while.”

Not the answer he wanted.

Of all Dez’s experiences, flung down a flight of stairs by a small child had never been one of them.

She hit the ground, and pain shot through her left arm.

She tried to get up, but the giggling little bastards kicked her back to the ground. They wrapped a rough, heavy cord rope around her throat and proceeded to drag her across a concrete floor.

Dez fought to breathe, desperately pulling on the rope, trying to loosen it before it choked her out or snapped her neck. But she couldn’t get her fingers under the rope. As she started to black out, they stopped. Dez shook her head to snap herself out of whatever abyss she’d been about to fall into. Then she pulled herself to her knees. She had her hands on the knot at her neck when another hand grabbed the rope and yanked it taut. She grabbed at the hand holding the rope and looked up into the viciously torn face of Anne Marie Brutale.