“I— Caution seemed—” Ava broke off, blushing so guiltily Zoe knew instantly it was Little Miss Diplomacy who had suggested the ostrich approach to begin with. And of course Landon had gone along with it. Idiot men, getting led around by their dicks.
“Leave her out of this,” Landon snarled, rising from his chair to loom over her, hackles high and teeth bared.
Zoe reined in her own reckless snarl, not stupid enough to tweak her brother’s protectiveness toward his mate. “Landon, use your brain, I’m not going to touch Ava. I just want you to wake up.”
“I am awake, but I refuse to jeopardize our home by poking a hornets’ nest.”
“You don’t know it’s a hornets’ nest! You could be making everyone stir crazy and paranoid for nothing.”
“I’d rather take that chance than risk the pride—”
“She’s right.”
Tyler’s voice, low and filled with calm certainty, cut across their shouts. He stood, literally at her back. Even knowing he was there, she was still startled to feel his hand grip her shoulder.
Her hackles rose under his palm.
This was his definition of no strings? This was how he kept things under the radar? By interfering? By butting his nose in and playing the big man like she wasn’t even capable of fighting her own battles?
“Tyler?” Ava’s gaze lingered on the hand that felt like an anvil on her shoulder.
Landon took a step closer, a growl rumbling up in his throat as he faced Tyler over Zoe’s head. “Are you challenging my authority?”
“Landon,” Ava said, rising to her feet, her naturally husky voice calm and soothing, ready to diffuse the situation.
But Zoe was closer and she didn’t do calm. She surged up to stand between Tyler and Landon—as much to shake off Tyler’s lead-weight hand as anything. She knocked her brother back a step with a jab. “Get a grip, Landon. No one’s challenging anyone.” She turned, shoving Tyler back with a hand to his chest. “Are you?”
Warning and something more dangerous gleamed in Zoe’s amber eyes as she stared him down. Though she had no goddamn excuse for being so pissed at him. He had taken her side. Trust Zoe to take offense at that.
Tyler had been on edge since they arrived at the Alpha’s bungalow. He felt like a live wire, stripped of all his usual controlled insulation. He tried to stay away from Zoe, to play things casually, but his lion kept urging him to protect her, to mark her—his animal side refused to understand that she didn’t belong to him. Every time Landon raised his voice to her, it was a battle not to snarl at the Alpha.
But even through the haze of his own conflicting instincts, he knew nothing in the world could make him want Landon’s job.
He took a deep breath and a step back. “No,” he said, continuing back as Landon stalked in the opposite direction, like prize fighters returning to their corners after a draw round. “I have no desire to be Alpha.”
“See?” Zoe flung the word at Landon, doing nothing to lessen the aggression hanging thick in the air. “We’re all friends here, right?” she snarled.
Ava went to her mate and fitted herself to his side, bringing Landon back to reason with a touch. She rested her head on his chest and the tension visibly eased from his shoulders. A part of Tyler envied the mated pair’s bond. His hands itched to smooth over Zoe’s back as she nestled against him, but that was just his lion’s misdirected instincts.
“Everyone’s been on a hair trigger lately,” Ava spoke to Landon softly, “wondering when the shoe’s going to drop. Maybe Zoe has a point. It might be good to do a little reconnaissance.”
“We can’t plan until we know,” Tyler agreed. He leaned against the far wall, arms folded across his chest as a reminder to keep his hands to himself. “Someone needs to go into town—cautiously, and with your knowledge, Landon—to see whether Michael’s incident has raised any alarms.”
“Exactly,” Zoe said, mimicking Ava’s rational calm. “I’ll go into town—”
“No.” The word jumped out of his mouth without his permission. Zoe shot him a look that would have killed a lesser man on the spot. “I’ll go with Caleb and Kane.”
“I’m sorry, Tyler.” Zoe’s tone was sickening in its sweetness. “I didn’t realize you were the one making decisions. I thought that was Landon.”
“I haven’t agreed to let anyone go.” Landon’s mild protest cut across Tyler’s standoff with Zoe.
“But you will,” Zoe said without looking at her brother. “You won’t put your stubbornness ahead of the good of the pride. And the good of the pride means finding out what we’ve been missing in town. And you’re going to let me go, because you know I’m right. And I have more experience looking for threats than they do.” She waved toward Tyler, the gesture somehow encompassing all his brothers.
“We have more experience handling threats,” Tyler insisted.
Zoe’s spine snapped straight. “You did not just tell me I can’t handle threats.”
“Zoe.” Landon’s voice stopped her before she could go for Tyler’s throat. “You’ll both go. As soon as possible.” A growl rippled up Tyler’s throat, instinctive rejection of any plan putting Zoe in harm’s way calling his lion to the surface, but Landon wasn’t done issuing orders. “And you’ll take Caleb and Shana with you.”
“Shana’s insane,” Zoe grouched, but the complaint didn’t have much heat since she’d just gotten her way.
“Shana goes. She can handle herself in a fight, she’s lived outside the pride, and if I try to send Caleb without her, we’ll have to lock her up to keep her from following. Just try not to kill one another until you’re back on pride land.”
“No promises.”
“Zoe.”
“Fine. I’ll play nice.” Zoe snatched up the cowboy hat she’d left on the table and started toward the door. “I guess I’ll go tell the Bitch Queen the plan.”
Tyler knew he should probably go along to referee that encounter, but he had more pressing matters—like keeping Zoe from throwing herself in front of every oncoming train. As Zoe strode to the door, shooting him one last glare he was sure he hadn’t earned, Tyler shoved away from the wall, stalking toward where his sister was still pressed up against the Alpha’s side. “Landon. A word?”
Ava went up on her toes to kiss her mate and then slipped out of his arms. “I’ll just go make sure Zoe and Shana don’t kill one another.”
Landon waited until the door shut behind Ava before he spoke, keeping his voice low even though both women should be well out of earshot. Shifter hearing was notoriously acute. “I don’t want to get in the middle of whatever is going on with you two.”
“This isn’t about that. She doesn’t need to go into town. Caleb and I are more than capable—”
“If Zoe wants to go into town, she’s going.” Landon shook his head ruefully. “I’ve never been able to control her, and I suggest you don’t try to.”
Tyler grimaced, knowing he wouldn’t be able to take that advice. Landon might not be able to control her, but God knew Zoe could use a keeper. And Tyler knew just the man for the job. If Landon wouldn’t check her, he would. For her own good.
Chapter Five
“It’s too quiet.”
“It’s a weekday.”
“It’s still too quiet.” Zoe flicked a glance around the Bar Nothing—the seedy honky-tonk where the shit had first hit the fan. It looked like the kind of place well acquainted with shit.