by T. S. Ryder
Danita's brows rose. "Excuse me? I assure you, I went over his finances very carefully with a lawyer and—"
"We don't want to involve lawyers now, do we?" McGrath flashed her a smile with distinctive fangs.
Danita stared at them.
"Oh, silly me." He made a big show of pushing the fangs until they were even with his other teeth. "Leopard shifter, you know. Sometimes my teeth just lust for something to tear into. But as I was saying, I'm sure you and I can figure this out just fine without involving any unnecessary middlemen."
A loan shark. Danita repressed yet another shiver, the hairs prickling on the back of her neck. She longed to run into the house and slam the door but somehow knew that it would only make him pounce and do something she didn't want to think out.
"For all I know you could be making this up to try to extort money from me," she said and hated that there was a tremble in her voice. "Besides, I don't have anything to give you. Look at the condition of this place. It's going to take a lot of funds to make it productive. So you can take your veiled threats and just leave me alone."
McGrath's eyes narrowed. "Miss Valdez, you do not want to get on my bad side. You've suffered from your uncle's death, and so I'll give you time to rethink what you’re saying to me. I will require a show of good faith, a down payment if you will, in three months' time. I'll go easy on you. Fifty thousand. We'll talk about further monthly payments then."
"How am I supposed to give you money I don't have?" Danita's voice was clearly shaking by this time, no matter how hard she tried to control it.
"Well, perhaps we'll have to find alternative ways for you to pay your debt, then." His gaze slowly ran down her body.
Danita wanted to slap him for daring to look at her that way. She knew she carried extra weight on her belly and thighs, but she had the misfortune of being extremely top-heavy. Not enough for her insurance to cover having breast reduction for health reasons, but enough for disgusting men like Dean McGrath to undress her with their eyes. She backed up a step, heart in her mouth, throat dry.
No. I am not letting some creep cow me.
"Forget that!" Her hands clenched as she shifted her feet into a fighting stance. If he dared come any closer he'd get a palm to the nose and a knee to the groin. "I am going right to the police and then we'll see what happens!"
"Funny… that’s what your uncle said before he sadly took his own life."
Danita froze.
"There won't be any more of that silliness, will there, Miss Valdez? You will pay back your debt, one way or another." He inhaled, leaning forward as though smelling her. It made her skin prickle with disgust. "You are quite the beauty, with those exotic amber-brown eyes, your smooth, supple skin, long, silky brown hair, and that figure… you shouldn't cover it up with those baggy flannel shirts. Hispanic girls like you fetch a high price at auction… especially if they're virgins. Are you a virgin, Miss Valdez?"
McGrath smiled as Danita felt the blood drain from her face. She clutched the step railings. He pulled a card from his pocket and tucked it into her hand before he walked away, not looking back.
This had to be a bad dream. There was no way a loan shark had just come to her farm threatening to pimp her out if she didn't give him money that she didn't have.
She looked down at her hand. Dean McGrath's name and business number were clearly written on it. Her hand clenched around it.
No. No way was this man taking her dreams from her. She was going to find a way out of this, and it would not include selling her body!
Chapter Two – Killian
"How long does McGrath want us to stick around?"
Killian Flanagan glanced over at his partner, Ryan Higgins, amused to see that he had shifted from Bear to human, letting it all hang out for the world to see. Not that there were many people around to see what was on display, surrounded as they were by brush on three sides. The fourth stretched out over a flat field, ending in two buildings that looked like they ought to be knocked down.
The human McGrath wanted them to keep an eye on lived miles away from any neighbors. Killian knew exactly whom Ryan was trying to impress, and shifted himself.
"She's not home, you know."
"She'll be home soon, and you know how she likes to ogle us." Ryan folded his arms, making the flag tattooed on his arm wave. "But I mean it. How much time do we have left here? He visited her two days ago."
"You know what McGrath said. We're supposed to inform him if it looks like she's going to run. Wouldn't blame her if she did, with that ugly mug always staring at her." He pointed at Ryan's face.
"Watch it, Kelly, or I'll have to tear your head off," Ryan growled, and only half in jest. He ran a hand through his dark hair. "But I'm serious. I don't like intimidating girls. It's not fair that she should have to inherit her uncle's debt."
Killian agreed with his partner, but the fact was that McGrath was feeling the squeeze himself. The Leopard liked to think of himself as a big fish in the local crime syndicate. Colloquially known as the Four Clovers, most members, Killian, Ryan and McGrath included, were of Irish descent. The Leopard had gotten himself in over his head with the head of the organization, though, when he lost not one but three drug manufacturing operations out here in the countryside.
Naturally, this failure was transferred to the dupes McGrath had lent money to. Or in this case, a young woman who had stumbled into the whole spider's web quite by accident.
The sound of Danita's rattletrap truck got Killian's attention. His gaze moved over the flat pastureland the former occupant had used to grow hay and towards the house. Danita stopped her truck and put her head down on the wheel. Even from this distance, Ryan could see her shoulders shaking.
"She's crying."
Killian frowned. He brushed a strand of his hair away from his face. A heavy frown crossed his face. For a reason he couldn’t quite put his finger on, he hated seeing her cry this way. It was like her hope was broken, the way her whole body shook. The faint sound of her sobs reached him.
"I’d like to find a way to cheer her up," Ryan muttered. "Are there any rules against giving her a little distraction?"
To anybody else, those words would seem harsh, but Killian knew what Ryan meant. His partner wasn't one for many words. He was a man of action and usually didn't hesitate before he just went and did whatever it was he wanted. Killian was a bit more of a thinker but generally was the same. He did what he wanted.
And right now he wanted to stop the beautiful woman that they had been assigned to keep an eye on from crying.
"We have to go back to camp and dress first."
Ryan rolled his eyes. "We don't need clothes."
"We are not going to march over there and fling her over our shoulders and carry her to bed. She'd be terrified. Besides, look at her. She's going to be embarrassed that we interrupted her crying. So we give her some time to calm herself down, and then we give her the best distraction of her life."
Ryan growled, but turned and strode into the trees. With one last glance at Danita, Killian followed. He wanted that sweet little beauty, and he knew that Ryan did, too. The fact that they would never be able to agree who got her first only meant that they'd have to have her at the same time, but he knew that no matter how shocked she was by the idea, she'd come around quickly.
They always did.
The real matter was timing, so they wouldn't frighten her off before they had her screaming their names and forgetting whatever it was that had her upset.
Hell, she's going to forget her own name.
Killian repressed a groan as he imagined it, her voluptuous body pressed between theirs, her eyes rolling in wild abandon, her mouth hung slack as they took her together. The effect of his fantasies was immediately apparent. Ryan glanced at him with a raised brow.
"Have something you want to share, Kelly?"
Killian smirked. "Danita Valdez."
"Me, too."
The two Bear shifters returned to their c
amp quickly. They had used a logging road to get as close as they could to the Valdez farm and then parked their four-by-four truck to make camp. Usually one of them was always at the tree line, watching Danita, but they were only going to be a couple of minutes.
Killian didn't really enjoy living out here, away from the comforts of the city, but when the boss ordered, he could either obey or end up with a pair of cement shoes.
It wasn't long before they were headed back to Danita's farm. She had left the truck by that time. Killian cast a critical look at the state of things as they jogged across the field. How was she meant to pay McGrath whatever she owed him when her farm was in this state?
He knocked on the door when they got to the house. The paint had peeled off the cedar siding, and in more than one place it looked like a board was missing. He shook his head.
Well, he had been bored on this surveillance, anyway. McGrath couldn't begrudge them helping out sweet little Dani to put her farm back in order. Besides, he wasn't so certain that seducing her was going to be that easy, not with whatever was upsetting her. Working around the place would help in that regards.
Besides, he liked Danita. Beyond her smoking hot body, he could see that she was optimistic, hardworking and full of dreams. Any way he could help her achieve those dreams looked good in his book.
Danita's eyes were red and puffy when she answered the door. They widened at the sight of him and Ryan standing at her door. A hand flew to her mouth, a faint darkening of her golden olive tones indicating she was blushing.
"Good evening, Miss Valdez," he greeted, giving her an easy smile. "Mr. McGrath sent me and my partner here to help you out."
The faint flush turned sickly as soon as McGrath's name was out. Killian frowned as he and Ryan walked into the house. A quick glance at his partner showed a scowl. It was clear that they weren't going to be doing any seducing today. From the look on Danita's face right now, if she’d agree at all, it was because of fear.
That was not how Killian Flanagan treated women.
Danita backed away from the two shifters, craning her neck to look at them. She barely came to Killian's shoulder, and Ryan was even taller. Between them, they were five hundred pounds of pure muscle.
"Who are you?" Danita squeaked.
"I'm Killian, this is my partner Ryan. Where's your kitchen?"
She stared at him like she wasn't sure she had heard him correctly. Killian allowed an amused smile to surface as he nodded to reassure her that he wanted the kitchen. A good, hardy supper was just the thing a woman needed after a good cry. At least that was what his mother used to say.
Besides, Killian wanted something that wasn't cooked over coals. He might never be able to get rid of the taste of ash.
Silently, Danita pointed. Killian nodded at her and headed the way she pointed, although once he was in the room, he couldn't help but think it might be better to order in. The linoleum was cracked, the ceiling burnt, walls stained, and the stove had definitely seen better days. Given the bleach smell, Danita had cleaned it thoroughly, but it was disgusting.
As Killian started to look through the drawers for what he needed to make spaghetti, a four-legged creature came into the room. He stopped and stared at it. It stared back. It was a fairly small animal, with a long neck and legs, covered in thick brown wool.
"Danita, will you come here please?"
Moments later, looking like she was about to faint, Danita appeared in the doorway.
"What’s that?"
"She's Maria, my alpaca."
Killian looked back at the alpaca. It gracefully skittered across the kitchen to rub its head against Danita. Ryan appeared in the doorway behind the human, looking curious.
"Why is there an alpaca in the house?" Killian asked, bewildered.
"I'm going to start a herd, but all I have is Maria right now. They're herd animals so I can't just keep her outside."
"So you let the livestock in the house?"
"She's house trained. Alpacas always use the same spot for their bathrooms." Danita chewed on her lip. "Please don't hurt her."
Ryan patted the alpaca's furry head. "We're not here to hurt you or your pet, Dani. Like my partner said, we’re here to help you. This place is going to need a lot of work done on it if you're going to pay McGrath back."
The human's shoulders relaxed as she looked at Ryan, and a hesitant smile appeared on her face. She believed that they wouldn't hurt her, at least. That was good. They wouldn't get anywhere with her fearing them. Still, they'd have to give it a few days before they rocked her world.
Not for the first time, Killian regretted ever joining up with McGrath and the Four Clovers. It had seemed like the only option at the time, but this life just wasn't for him.
When they first met McGrath, he and Ryan were two teenage runaways in a world that didn't understand shifters or their desire to have a woman between them in bed. When they met the Leopard, he talked as if he could show them a place where they'd belong and always have family. It was pretty lies that sucked them in. Throwing in their lot with McGrath was like making a deal with the devil.
He shook the thoughts from his head as Ryan asked Danita about alpacas and why she wanted to raise them. The human answered hesitantly, but Killian loved listening to every word that fell from her lips. She had a beautiful, sensuous voice with just a hint of an accent.
He couldn't wait until he heard her crying out his and Ryan's names while the three of them made love.
Chapter Three – Danita
Danita sighed as she dressed in an old pair of coveralls the next morning. She had gotten precious little sleep the previous night, worried about her farm, her future, and the two Bear shifters that were apparently living with her now.
If she didn't know that Ryan and Killian were sent by McGrath, she would have been more than thrilled to know that they were camped out in her living room. Her fantasies were one thing, but it was nothing like seeing them up close. They were, quite frankly, gorgeous. All strength and muscle. Ryan's freckles and tattoos gave him a sensual mix of farm boy and bad boy, whereas Killian's easy smile kept flashing his dimples. He oozed sexual confidence, something that had Danita's heart beating faster as soon as they were near.
The question was why they were there.
When they assured her that McGrath had sent them to help her, she couldn't help but believe them. But what did that mean? Were they here to ease her into accepting being auctioned off? Or were they here to help her clean up this place so she could turn a profit and pay McGrath back?
The mortgage she had been counting on to fix up the farm and pay off McGrath's down payment had been denied. Was it just coincidence that the two Bears came to her door as soon as that happened?
McGrath said that virgins sold for a higher price in his market. Had he sent Killian and Ryan to make sure that she stayed a virgin? But how could he even know that? And why would he send two men who would have any virgin dropping their panties to look after her?
Were they gay?
Given the way they looked at her, hell no.
Danita shook her head. Fretting wasn't going to do her any good, and until she could think of some way she’d get some extra money, she was going to keep working on her farm. There was the loan from Amelia that she could take, and she had already applied to several jobs in town and knew that she could sell the farm if it came to that. It was worth a few hundred thousand at least. McGrath’s veiled threat about what would happen if she went to the police meant that wasn't an option.
Danita yawned as she led Maria outside. No money coming in. A huge debt and deadline hanging over her head. Maybe it would be best to sell, to get rid of McGrath and put off her dreams for a couple more years. Better than being sold herself, wasn't it?
"Well, first things first," she muttered, pushing aside those thoughts. She'd just end up paralyzed by stress and fear if she didn't get to work right away. "That barn door needs fixed."
It wasn't until she got to the b
arn that she heard the sounds of saws running inside. What was going on? Frowning, she peered around the open barn door. Ryan and Killian were inside, measuring and cutting two-by-fours. The buzz of her second-hand equipment filled the hollow space, disrupting birds that had built their nests in the rafters.
Danita watched the Bears for a moment, her heart rate increasing as she watched the sawdust fly and their bare chests pulse as they moved their arms.
Beautiful. If they weren't McGrath's thugs…
As she stepped into the barn, she saw that the door had been fixed. So they really were here to help her out? Maybe McGrath's whole auctioning her off threat was just to make her understand that he was serious about making her pay off her uncle's debt.
"Where did the lumber come from?" she asked when the boys turned off their power tools.
"Rye and I went and got some this morning. Would have brought you with, but you looked too darn cute, curled up in your bed." Killian grinned at her. "We saw the sketches for a lean-to and fence against the barn and thought we'd take a stab at it."
Danita's eyes narrowed and she put her hands on her hips. She always thought that when something seemed too good to be true, that was because it was.
This definitely was too good to be true.
"Is this some sort of trick? Is McGrath adding more to my debt? Because the way it's sitting right now, I'll never be able to pay it! I don't have any capital to even start making money."
The two Bears glanced at each other. Killian shook his head, looking disgusted. "Mortgage was turned down?"
"How do you know that?"
"McGrath has the bank under his thumb. But it's odd that he wouldn't want you to earn the money to pay him off."
"He might want the land," Ryan grunted. "How much do you owe him and when?"
"Fifty thousand down payment in three months. Ten times that altogether. And I don’t owe him anything, it's my uncle who owed him. But apparently, I don't have any say in the matter. And the land isn't worth that much. Trust me, I already checked for oil and whatever."
