Staking Their Claim

by Rebecca Airies

  “I’m still working out what fits with each of you. Honey fits you very well, but we’ll see if it sticks. I thought maybe that might be too bearish for you.” She leaned her head against his chest.

  “It’ll stick and even if I’m not a bear, I’ll do my best to be your honey.” He urged her up onto the sidewalk.

  “You’re so sweet, sometimes.” She rose on her tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

  “I’m sweet all the time.” He guided her into the store.

  She laughed and stopped beside the carts. “Just from what we’ve discussed, I’m pretty sure we’ll need one of these.”

  “Oh, we’ll definitely need it.” He grabbed one of the blue and green handles and pulled the cart free. “Do you want to push?”

  “Sure, but where do you want to start?” She glanced around the gray and white tiled store.

  “We’ll start in the dairy section. There are a few things we need on that aisle.” He stayed at her side. He could do all the grabbing and have his hands free if there was trouble.

  He grabbed some cream cheese and some cheese. They’d be stopping at the deli section to pick up several other cheeses. Eggs were the last thing he grabbed in that section. They hit the meat counter next. He picked up steaks, chicken, and hamburger.

  “That’s a lot of meat.” She eyed the growing pile.

  “Not really, peaches. When the family gets together, we buy way more than this.” He grinned.

  Her hazel eyes rounded. “That would be a lot of cooking.”

  “Yeah, but you wouldn’t be doing it alone. When it happens, we’ll help and, if you think my mom ever goes anywhere and doesn’t bring something, you’re kind of delusional.” Griffin laughed. “She’d at least bring a dessert, probably more than one.”

  “Your mother is a nice woman.” Penny grinned.

  “Yes, she is.” Griffin’s phone buzzed. He lifted it and looked at a list. “We need some fruit as well as some frozen juice. Onward, to the fresh fruit.”

  Eventually, they headed to the cashiers’ stands with a loaded cart. He had everything on his list and more. Not bad for an afternoon of shopping.

  After they checked out, Penny guided the cart out. As they stepped onto the sidewalk, he looked left and right. Nothing out of the ordinary. No one waiting in cars, no idling motors.

  “Come on, peaches. Let’s get these in the car. We have one more quick stop for the wine and beer.” Griffin settled his hand on her back.

  They strolled toward the car. The cart clattered over the pavement. They’d almost reached the car when another vehicle turned onto the row. It rolled along slowly.

  Griffin glanced over. A man and a woman sat in the front seat. There seemed to be others in the back, but he couldn’t make out anything more than a blob.

  Penny stopped at the car. He clicked the lock, unlocking it. She opened the trunk and hoisted a couple bags in. As the car drew even with them, Griffin watched it, but it rolled forward. Probably just looking for a close parking spot. He turned and helped put the bags in the car.

  The thunk of a car door opening reached him, but he focused on the last few groceries. Penny stuffed the meat into the cooler. They could leave as soon as they finished.

  A footstep thudded behind him. He turned. Pain slashed through his head. He fell forward.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Penny turned to grab another bag. Griffin fell forward. What the hell? Her eyes cut to the side. Two females and a male stood there. A stick clattered to the ground as it fell from a familiar blonde woman’s hand. Jane. One of the bitch cats from her old apartment.

  Her heart raced. Son of a bitch. Rage roared through her. She swiped out. Her claws swiped across the woman’s chest. The woman’s mouth fell open.

  They hurt Griffin. She sprang at the man. One clawed hand sank into his shoulder and the other his face.

  The man screamed and shoved at her. She came off, but her claws left gouges in his skin. He turned and ran. She landed on the ground, stumbled back. Oh, hell no, he wasn’t getting away.

  The second woman strode forward. Penny narrowed her eyes. Jane wouldn’t hurt him again. She jumped and sank claws deep into her as they both tumbled to the ground. Penny rolled away. This was one of the bitch cats. Treacherous, vindictive, and more experienced. That woman wouldn’t grab her. Probably just lucky they hadn’t seemed to realize she was whyr now.

  She clenched her fists and swept her eyes around. The first woman was nowhere to be seen. Anger boiled inside her.

  “Stay there or I’ll let her go after you again.” Griffin’s voice sounded shaky.

  All the tension flowed out of her. He was all right. Jane sprawled on the ground. The fucking woman had made her life hell when she’d lived at the house. If only Jane decided to move.

  “She just attacked me.” Jane lay on the asphalt.

  “There are cameras on the parking lot. Plus that stick has your prints on it.” Penny shook her head. Had she not thought of that?

  The woman closed her mouth.

  Griffin dialed nine-one-one. The operator came on.

  “My girlfriend and I were attacked in the parking lot of Hersee Grocery. One of them is still here. She’s on the ground. The other two got away, but were wounded. This has to do with Penny Steele. Chief Dark will want to know. She has a stalker and he’s supervised her case.” Griffin staggered over to Penny.

  Penny clenched her hands. Why had that bitch attacked them?

  “Thank you.” Griffin straightened, but his lips pulled tight.

  Penny clenched her fists. “Are you all right, Griffin?”

  “My head hurts, but I’ll be all right.” He patted her shoulder. “Did they hurt you?”

  “None of them laid a hand on me.” She scowled. Maybe she’d taken them by surprise, attacking like that. At least, the man hadn’t seemed to expect her to jump on him.

  “Good, as soon as the police get here, I’ll call Dawson and Ethan. They’ll flip.” Griffin raked his fingers through his hair and winced.

  “It’s not your fault.” She put her hand on his arm. No one expected this.

  “I should have noticed them.” He clenched his fists.

  The wail of police sirens rose in the air. Penny exhaled, but the woman on the ground tensed.

  “You can’t read people’s minds. There was nothing to indicate that anyone would come after us today.” She patted his arm.

  Police cars pulled in. Penny released a slow breath. Finally, the officers had arrived. That damn woman would be taken off their hands. Every time Penny looked at her, a fiery anger bubbled up and throbbed inside of her. The wild demand to protect raged inside her.

  The police cars pulled up on both ends of the row of parking spots. John’s big SUV pulled up into a spot on the end. Penny ran a hand through her hair. Just a little longer and she wouldn’t have to see the woman any longer.

  The officers came and secured the scene. John strolled toward them.

  “Do you need an ambulance, Penny?” John’s gaze swept over her and stopped at her chest.

  She lowered her eyes. Blood coated her chest in streaks. All right, the question was understandable.

  An officer drew Jane to her feet. He led her toward one of the patrol cars where he frisked her and cuffed her hands behind her back.

  “No, I’m fine. Griffin might need it. They hit him with one of those little bats.” Penny pointed to the wooden stick. “And she might need some attention, as well.”

  “Cudgel or club.” John nodded. He signaled to one of the men. “We’ll get her some treatment before we take her to the station. What happened here? We’ll review the tape of the parking lot, but tell me your side.”

  “They attacked us while we were putting up the groceries.” Griffin ran his hand over the back of his head and winced. “I’d thought that car was suspicious, but when it passed us, I put it down to overreacting.”

  The abandoned vehicle remained in the middle of the lane. Maybe they hadn’t expec
ted any resistance or maybe the car didn’t matter to them. Regardless, they’d left it.

  “Apparently not, but she wasn’t what I expected to see when I learned that one of the attackers was still here. Do either of you know her?” John glanced from Griffin to her.

  “Yes, she was one of the women who were at the home Penny rented from Ethan.” Griffin narrowed his eyes on the woman.

  “She was definitely part of the crowd in that house.” Penny nodded. “Her name is Jane Steadman and she always followed Patricia’s lead.”

  “Did you recognize any of the other people who attacked you?” John noted something on the pad he held.

  “Just the other woman. I didn’t recognize the man. He didn’t smell like a whyr though, at least not any that I’ve met since I’ve changed.” She shifted on her feet. It would take years to learn everything about being a cougar.

  “He was human, I think. I can’t be certain because this is a parking lot and he had already run, but the first non-cougar scent I caught was human. He was in the car, so you should be able to tell when you open the door.” Griffin rubbed her back.

  “Who was the woman?” John narrowed his eyes on her. An ambulance pulled into the parking lot.

  “Brooke Hall. You won’t be able to mistake her. She’s currently sporting some slash marks across her chest.” Penny clenched her fists. If only she could have done more or stopped her.

  “All right, Griffin, the ambulance is here. They’ll check you out.” John waved the medics forward. “Your pupils do look slightly off.”

  Penny glanced at Griffin. Could she stand there as he walked away? She drew in a breath and sought for calm. If he needed treatment, she wouldn’t impede it in any way.

  “I should stay with her.” Griffin shook his head and then clutched at the car.

  “You need to let them look at you. Didn’t you say something about calling Ethan and Dawson? They need to know, even if I am all right and I have to finish talking to John.” Penny put her hand on his arm. “I’ll be right here. John won’t leave me while they’re looking at you.”

  “I won’t leave her. Go with the paramedics. I have a few more questions to ask and since you got hit over the head, you probably wouldn’t be able to answer them anyway.” John smiled. “She’ll be safe. Get your head seen and maybe you won’t have to go to the hospital.”

  She glanced over. Griffin put his arm around her.

  “I’ll be back as soon as they look me over. I will call Ethan and Dawson.” Griffin dropped a kiss on her forehead. “You owe me though. They’ll yell at me because they can’t talk to you immediately.”

  She laughed. “You can take it. They’re not here and they do love you.”

  He shook his head at her. “They’d run over my broken body to get to you and come back only once they saw that you were safe. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Griffin strolled away with the paramedics. She turned back to face John. He shook his head at her.

  “All right, they came at you while you were putting your groceries in the car. What happened next?” John tapped his foot.

  “I didn’t realize they were there until Griffin fell forward into the groceries. I turned and before I knew it, I’d swiped out.” She rubbed her arms. “I didn’t even have time to think.”

  “Your cat helped you. What did you do after that?” John nodded.

  “Jumped on the man. Clawed his face and dug one hand into his shoulder. He pushed me away. I landed and stumbled before jumping at the last woman, Jane. I knocked her off her feet and rolled away. I didn’t want her to get a chance to claw at me.” She took a deep breath and folded her arms across her chest. Self-defense lessons were definitely needed. She had to back up her cat with some human skill. “That’s when Griffin came forward. He told the woman not to move. She stayed on the ground until you and the others arrived. It should all be on the footage from the parking lot cameras.”

  “All right.” John nodded. “I already have a man getting the tapes. You did well.”

  “Know any self-defense classes with flexible hours. When this stalker thing is over, I’d like to take some.” She glanced over at him.

  “I might know someone. I planned to come over and talk to the four of you today about some information.” He smiled.

  “All right, I’ll tell Griffin when they get finished with him.” She turned toward the ambulance.

  Griffin sat on the back of the ambulance and held the phone away from his ear. He shook his head.

  “Looks like he got in touch with one of them.” John laughed.

  “Must have. If he wouldn’t tear away from them and start yelling at me about taking chances, I’d walk over there to take the phone.” She smiled when Griffin looked up and saw them.

  “He won’t have to deal with the noise too long. Looks like they’re almost through. If the medics were really worried about him, they would be trying to get him onto a gurney.” John moved over beside her.

  The fact that they hadn’t tried to get him into the vehicle offered a little reassurance. The medics spoke to him. Damn it, if only she could hear what they said. The rumble of the ambulance engine drowned it out.

  He walked back over to them once the medics finished. She let out a long breath once he reached them.

  “What did the paramedics say?” She wrapped her arms around him.

  “That I might have a concussion.” Griffin hugged her tight.

  “Don’t you need to go to the hospital?” She leaned back. Her heart beat faster.

  “No.” He shook his head.

  She inhaled. A faint acrid aroma drifted to her. Something was off about his scent. She leaned in for a deeper breath.

  “No need to inhale again. That would be the scent of deception.” John exhaled.

  “Why are you trying to lie to me?” She frowned at Griffin.

  “I’m not lying.” Griffin shook his head.

  She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “Not really. They wanted me to go to the hospital, but I won’t leave you alone.” Griffin crossed his arms.

  “Griffin.” She took a deep breath. “Lying to me even if it’s because you want to protect me is still lying. Do I look like I’m in danger of being alone? You could have come over here, said they wanted you to go to the hospital to get checked out, and then asked John if he’d stay with me until one of your brothers arrived. Do you think I take your well-being lightly? You are not invincible and one of those people hit you over the head.”

  “Good point, peaches.” Ethan’s voice came from somewhere behind her.

  “How did you get here so fast? I couldn’t get hold of you.” Griffin scowled.

  “I was looking at a house nearby. Dawson texted me while he was yelling at you. You will get yourself checked out or I’ll call Mom and leave you to her tender mercies. If she’s in a good mood, she won’t call in our sisters.” Ethan curved his arm around her.

  She leaned back against him and chuckled. Nice to know that there was something that gave him pause.

  “Seriously, that’s just wrong.” Griffin scowled.

  “That’s the way it goes when you don’t take care of yourself.” Ethan smirked.

  John raised his hand, waving. One of the paramedics ran across the lot. He came up to them.

  “He’s going with you now. His reason for refusing just went out the window.” John looked at Griffin.

  “Peaches, why don’t you walk Griffin to the ambulance? I’ll be right behind you.” Ethan dropped a kiss on her head before gently nudging her toward Griffin.

  “Okay, but why don’t you come with us?” She turned to face him. Something was going on here.

  “I want to talk with John about what happened. Dawson couldn’t tell me much in a text. Mainly because after the first part where he said there was an attack, I was running for my car.” Ethan exhaled. “I need to know.”

  “I’ll see you as soon as you get finished talking.” She nodded and strolled over to the ambul
ance with Griffin.

  “He won’t want to be away from you long. So I’d give him about three minutes.” Griffin stopped beside the ambulance.

  The paramedics pulled out the gurney. She stayed out of the way as they urged him to sit down. He resisted lying down for a moment and then lay back. She glanced back toward where their car was. Ethan strode toward them.

  “I’ll see you soon, peaches. I doubt they’ll keep me long even with a minor concussion.” Griffin reached out and grabbed her hand. They better not.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “I’ll be glad to change into my own clothes. These are like bags on me.” She tugged at the sleeve.

  Penny had to go down to the police station before they could go home. It took a while, but eventually, after her nails were scraped and photos taken, she rode home with Ethan, dressed in a pair of borrowed sweats. They smelled clean, but her skin crawled anyway.

  “Yeah, they are a little big on you. You should have time for a shower or a bath to wash the blood away.” He patted her thigh. “Even though it’s not yours, it reminds me of how close we came today.”

  “It’s in my hair. There are a few strands coated with the stuff.” She grimaced. Her scalp itched.

  “Well, you can stay in the shower as long as you wish. Or if you like, wash off and then take a long bath to soak away the tension.” He turned onto their street.

  “That sounds like heaven.” She relaxed back in the seat. “Relaxing in the tub would be wonderful.”

  “Once we get home and Dawson hugs and kisses you, we’ll leave you to it.” Ethan squeezed her hand.

  “Yeah, just check on me every once in a while. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve let the water lull me into a near sleep state.” She grinned and then gasped. The meeting. “I probably won’t get to do that though. John said he needed to talk to us. He said he’d come over when he was finished up.”

  “Do you realize how long going over a crime scene can take. It could be hours.” He pulled into their driveway. “Take your bath. We’ll come get you if necessary. I know you want to hear what he has to say.”