No one on street level stared at the saloon. The brothers had closed the doors to the livery stable and the marshal remained inside the establishment. Finished, Quinn stepped off the boardwalk intending to cross the street at a diagonal as though headed for the hotel lodging.
Adjusting the Stetson, Quinn used it as a shield and an excuse to glance above. Many of the shops along the main strip had homes above or at least storage and rooms. No one curtains moved over the saloon or the bank. The marshal’s office seemed quiet. Ten steps across the dirt street and a flicker of movement over the General Store caught Quinn’s eye. A man filled the window and made no pretense of watching and the pressure redoubled. Rejecting the contact, Quinn headed for the hotel. Better to get out of sight and break the contact rather than court a confrontation.
The door to the hotel opened and another man stepped out. Similar enough to the marshal to identify him as another Kane, the pressure of a second gift focused in Quinn’s direction.
“Ma’am.” Surprise kindled the young man’s voice, but Quinn didn’t let it dissuade her. He was as Fevered as the marshal wasn’t. The chances the man in the window above was also a Kane and Fevered weren’t lost on her.
Movement to her left and a blond stepped onto the street. Power eddied around him, and it took Quinn only a moment to pin him as a shifter. The door to the saloon opened and another Kane appeared to her left.
Five men all told—or so her ears told her as the door to the General Store opened and closed. Kanes. If the Marshal was behind her, the man standing in front of her was likely the youngest—Kid.
That left Jason and Micah—whom she suspected were the two to her left. Three Fevered, two not.
“We just want to talk ma’am,” Kid spoke in measured, even tones. A wave of calm washed toward her, pushed like a tide. So—emotions were his thing? His brother was a telepath and he an empath? Locking her legs, she stood against the tide and the emotion crested then broke around her and scattered. Confusion filled his blue eyes, but he raised a hand to his brothers as though asking them for patience or to at least let him control the situation.
The wolf narrowed the distance between them, but he didn’t come within striking distance. Quinn hadn’t come looking for a fight from them and for the most part the Fevered seemed to have their gifts under control.
“Believe me when I say you want to stop what you’re doing.” The warning was the only one she’d give.
“Ma’am, as I said, all we want is to talk to you.” Hands raised, the empath projected a sense of well-being and trust. How often did he manipulate others?
“Ma’am?” The only other non-Fevered brother asked. “Quinn the fearsome bounty hunter is a woman? How the hell—beg your pardon ma’am—did you miss that Jason?”
“Not the time.” Cool tones as devoid of emotion as Kid was full of it.
“Stop it, all of you.” Sam strode into her line of sight and then took a stance before his brother. A brave man, all told, he doffed his hat and studied her. “Ma’am? Or would you prefer Miss Quinn?”
“Quinn is fine.” It had been her name for as long as she could remember. Raising her brows, she kept her arms loose and her hands away from her weapons. In truth, she would only need the gun for the marshal, but he wasn’t the greatest threat. “Is there a problem Marshal? Or is your family in the habit of accosting women on the streets of the town you reportedly protect?”
Slapping his hat against his thigh, the marshal studied her. Most men would stutter an apology or offer an excuse. They overlooked her gender, assumed they had to be mistaken. Yet the man before her offered neither. “You’ve been here two weeks, made no friends, no attempt to find a place and haven’t moved on.”
“So your town is not interested in my coin?” Raising her chin, she allowed a faint smile to play across her mouth. “Or is staying in the hotel also akin to breaking the law?”
Lips compressed, Sam frowned. “Ma’am, we can stand out here all day and play games, but I am the marshal. I’ll ask the questions. You’re a stranger. We’ve learned to be wary of strangers.”
“Even a woman? Truly?” The town seem full of surprises.
“Especially women.” It was the wolf’s turn to intercede. He leaned against a post, his expression intent despite his posture’s air of relaxation.
“Cody.” The marshal silenced the wolf. “What is your interest in the McKennas?”
“Who?” Two could play stupid or in their case, maybe all six of them.
“Quinn, we can do this the hard way or the easy way.” The marshal’s voice bordered on impatience, yet the drawl seemed charming as did his direct focus and lack of disbelief in the idea of her being the potential threat. From all accounts, he was a good man.
She didn’t relish the idea of killing him. “Are you charging me with a crime, Marshal?”
Another push from the man behind him, and Quinn transferred her gaze to lock with Kid’s. His eyes widened a fraction as she waited for the next wave of his power and consumed it. Shock rippled across his face and he staggered back a step. The wolf was at his side and then a second mental blow thrummed against her. Switching her attention to Jason she consumed the slash of his attack. The telepath would have gone to his knees if his brother hadn’t caught him.
A growl telegraphed the wolf’s attack and she raised her hand, bracing for his lunge. Slapping her palm against his chest, she leashed the animal within him and the gold ring around his eyes bled to blue even as his face went chalk white.
“Really sorry bout this ma’am,” Sam’s murmured apology was the only warning she received before a fist slammed into her jaw and the world went black.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.
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Also by Heather Long
Always a Marine Series
Once Her Man, Always Her Man
Retreat Hell! She Just Got Here
Tell It to the Marine
Proud to Serve Her
Her Marine
No Regrets, No Surrender
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Combat Barbie
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
What Part of Marine Don’t You Understand?
A Marine Affair
Marine Ever After
Marine in the Wind
Marine with Benefits
A Marine of Plenty
A Candle for a Marine
Marine under the Mistletoe
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Lest Old Marines Be Forgot
Her Marine Bodyguard
* * *
Bravo Team Wolf
When Danger Bites
Chance Monroe
Earth Witches Aren’t Easy
Plan Witch from Out of Town
Bad Witch Rising
Elite Metal
Pure Copper (Elite Metal)
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Marshal of Hel Dorado
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of Dreams
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The Quick & The Fevered
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Her Marine Prince
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Blocked (Hot on Ice)
* * *
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As You Were, Cowboy
* * *
Magic & Mayhem
The Witch Singer
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Mongrels, Mischief & Mayhem
* * *
Space Cowboy
Space Cowboy Survival Guide
Showdown at the Omega Kilo Space Station
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Wolf at Law
Wolf Bite
Caged Wolf
Wolf Claim
Wolf Next Door
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Single Wicked Wolf
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* * *
Standalone
Haunt Me
The Quick and the Fevered Page 33
