by Sierra Brave
Mal squinted one eye while winging a brow higher than the other. “Shut-up. You know I don’t sleep with guys.”
Dash threw his hands up in the air. “Do I though? See I thought I knew all there was about you, bro, but now I learn this messed up shit about your gigantic blabbermouth. Oh, and you being best buddies with a couple of gay dudes, not that I give a shit about their sexuality, but seems like something you’d mention to someone you use to tell everything.”
Huffing as he leaned back in his seat, Mal waved Dash off. “Wayne and Derrick aren’t exactly gay. They’re platonic life partners which is probably a good thing or they’d end up dying alone. When it comes to doing things on their own, the two of them are so immature and ridiculous, no woman would be able to tolerate their antics full-time. But they’re always banging some chick or another.”
“Oh, well, aside from that making no damn sense, now them knowing something that could get us hunted down is perfectly alright then.” He narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Your business partners sound totally unreliable. I’m surprised they haven’t put up hidden cameras and started their own online reality show. They could call it The Shifting Jackass.”
Mal snorted. “I didn’t tell them.”
“And yet they know?” Dash shrugged, looking down his nose as if he smelled bullshit.
He waved his hand back and forth. “They happened to catch me shifting after a run. They’d been camping in the woods. I didn’t see them, but they thought they’d come upon a wild horse. They didn’t want to spook me so they were hiding in the bushes, watching me with binoculars. Wayne said he nearly shit his pants when I transformed into a naked dude.”
Mal glanced at his friend to gauge his reaction, finding him listening intently with his arms folded over his chest. He took a breath before continuing, “I heard them freaking out and took off running. I was so scared it didn’t even occur to me to shift back—fucking Derrick and his track scholarship—chased my ass down and tackled me.
As he paused, Dash twisted his lips to the side and tilted his head. “So, they had you on the ground and then what? The ass-tagging and secret-spilling commenced?”
Malcolm rolled his eyes. “No! Turned out they were super psyched to have seen something amazing. They didn’t want to blow up my life—only to meet me and ask a few questions. I talked to them, and they promised not to tell anyone.”
“And you believed them?”
He chuckled, slapping his knee. “The idiots assumed I lived in the fucking woods so they were stunned when I showed up in their bio class the next day. Afterward, we sort of clicked. They’ve never told anyone about me, but even if they did, who the fuck would believe their dumb asses?”
“Webcams are a thing, fool. Seeing is believing.” Dash clenched his jaw as he shook his head. “I don’t like it. You should have left the university that night and reported to your matriarch. At the very least, you should have disappeared where those two could never find you again. Fucking humans—opportunistic and greedy. The first time one of them is short of cash, they might try to make money off of you somehow.”
Malcolm folded his arms over his chest, his face tense. “Trust me, they’ve been short of funds plenty of times since then. Wayne’s brother shot himself after being outed as trans on social media. He and Derrick were the ones who found him so you can believe they’d never be loose-lipped with other people’s secrets. I guarantee you either one of those fools would give me a kidney if I needed one.”
Dash sulked, flopping back down in his seat. “Mr. College Boy done ran off and found himself two more brothers I guess.”
Mal snickered. “You’re jealous.”
“Nope. I’m pissed.” He folded his arms again. “You have terrible judgment.”
Reaching out, Mal squeezed Dash’s arm. “You’re my only brother. Those two are more like beloved but moronic, basement-dwelling cousins.”
“Damn.” Dash sighed loudly, sinking lower in his chair. “I’m supposed to report shit like this. I could lose my job or worse…but I’m ’a pretend you never told me any of this.” He picked his beer up from the end table where he’d left it and took a swig before mumbling. “Dumbass…he really gonna just tell some…Damn.”
As soon as Dash dropped the interrogation, Mal started thinking about Suki. He’d maybe heard half of what the lawyer had said earlier because the female werehorse’s scent had filled up the small conference room and done a number on his head. She’d looked good sitting across from him. A tight, black shirt had hugged her heavy breasts as she blinked her long lashes over those exotic, onyx eyes. He smacked his lips. “Do you think it’s possible?”
Dash’s eyebrows lifted as he stared at Mal with the alertness of a watchdog. “Yes, you’re an undisputable imbecile.”
Mal knotted his eyebrows as he huffed. “I’m serious. You think maybe she and I are distant cousins…it would explain why she wanted to know me. Maybe that’s why I felt so close to her.”
His buddy stared at him, chin forward, eyes squinted and lips together in a half-smile. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. “Since your dad just died, I’m ‘a cut you some slack and assume that’s the reason you seem to have dropped about fifty IQ points overnight.” Mal opened his mouth to protest, but Dash never allowed an opening for him to speak. “The way you were connecting with her wasn’t at all familial; and don’t you think you’d fucking know if you were related to someone in the Marks clan?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, yeah…I guess that would…well, clearly, I just don’t get it.”
“Stop talking bullshit! We can’t let her get away with it.” Dash’s nostrils flared.
Mal lifted an eyebrow. “We? I’m pretty sure I’m the one who got played, not you.”
“So? I’m ‘a let my brother-from-another-mother get dogged out like that and not do anything? Nope, that ain’t me. You need to run that bitch outta your house.”
Malcolm cringed as his friend called Suki such a nasty name though he wasn’t sure why. The figurative gut-punch she’d served him still hurt even though he couldn’t figure out why he gave a fuck. He barely knew her. She indicated otherwise, but as far as he recollected, they only just met the day of the funeral.
Maybe she’d lied, but why? Was she feeling me out to see if I’d fight her for the brass ring? I don’t even want it. “I’m not rolling around in the dirt with her for dad’s share in his medical practice. Mr. Pyke said Suki was dad’s protégé. She’s a nurse practitioner and from what I gathered, she’d worked at the clinic with him until she took a leave of absence to care for him at home. Plus, Jackson said something about her having a fellowship to that whole shifter-science-medical association dad had crawled up the ass of. Dad’s partner, Dr. Jenkins, is a shifter too, but he’s not as knowledgeable as the old buzzard. Suki will be an asset to the people in the community.”
Scoffing, Dash tilted his head. “You sound proud of her.”
Mal’s cheeks burned. “I don’t want to go to medical school or be a doctor—hell, those science classes kicked my ass in college so I’m not even sure I could. Either way, I’m not letting my hateful old man dictate my life from the grave.”
Dash palmed his face. “Fuck the medical practice. I’m talking about the house. You can’t sell it until she’s out. Weren’t you listening?”
Malcolm frowned. “You know I was.” I just sort of lost track sometimes when Suki pursed her sexy cupid’s bow lips or my gaze was drawn to the soft and touchable-looking part of her neck when she fingered her gold herringbone chain.
The corner of Dash’s lip tightened and lifted on only one side. “If you hadn’t been pining after that woman, you’d understand she’s allowed to stay in your house for up to four years until she finishes her schooling or until she moves out voluntarily.”
“So? I still inherit the house eventually. I’m actually pretty shocked about that…and the cash. The upkeep trust will pay the taxes and such, and
then I’ll get that money too or what’s left. I didn’t think I’d be inheriting anything. My college degree and my stake in the gym ate up nearly all of my inheritance from my mom which was fine—I’d never known her, but she saved me, provided the means for me to escape. I make my own way—I don’t need anything from my dad.” He rubbed his chin. “Honestly, taking the money would feel creepy—as if I’m forgiving all the stuff he did.”
Dash’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Are you fucking kidding me? You deserve it all and more for everything the monster put you through. He tried to kill you!”
“He was a certified asshole—no doubt about that, but I’ve been getting by on my own just fine.” His mind conjured the unwanted image of Suki being intimate with the geezer, and he placed his hand over his gut and swallowed back the bile attempting to surge up into his mouth. “You think she slept with him?”
Dash gagged as he grabbed his forehead and shook his head. “Ew! Don’t put mental pictures like that in my head. Disgusting! Shit…I think I just had a mini-stroke.” He scrunched his nose as he stared at Mal for a moment. “Don’t tell me you’re still caught up on her gold-digging ass.”
Malcolm sighed. “Well, it’s a nice ass. I can’t deny there’s something about her—"
“Of course, there is! Con artists know how to play on your interests.” Dash shook his head and jeered. “You always did like those big-boned, bigger booty gals.”
“Shut up and mind your business.” Mal pushed his lips together in a sulking posture. “Part of me wants to let her do her thing, finish school, and take over dad’s practice. The people around here need a doctor or at least a medical professional who understands shifter physiology.”
“Oh, hell no! The last time I was at your apartment, there were more seagulls in the parking lot than there were cars. You don’t even live near the coast.”
Mal shifted his weight from one side to the other. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You live in a shitty part of town where people piss on the sidewalk and throw their trash down wherever they please.”
Mal rolled his eyes. “Dude, fuck you. It takes a while for a new fitness center to find its clientele. I just haven’t bothered to move since we rolled into the black. And you’re not special because your parents built you a little place on the lot behind theirs.”
“Hell ya, I am. The loan we took out for materials was nothing—so I ain’t got no mortgage, no taxes; the home owner’s insurance is included in the main house.” Dash stood up and danced in celebration of his cheap, only halfway-out-of-the-nest living arrangement. Mal started to speak, but his buddy lifted his hand, showing him his palm. “Even if you don’t care about living in a dump, what about Mama?”
“I’m not asking Mama Carol to live there.”
“Fool, she didn’t want me to tell you, but she didn’t leave her job taking care of your dad’s house for a better position at the hospital.”
Mal’s head jolted back as his eyes widened. “Say what?”
“The doc’s slimy personal assistant accused mom of stealing and fired her. He even withheld her pension.”
Nostrils flaring, Mal’s brow furrowed as a deep, raging fury settled in his belly. He clenched both fists. “I’ll fucking kill that asshole. Wait…the old man treated me like garbage but he was always good to his employees. How did that happen?”
“You know how every year my mom would go through all your dad’s clothes and household items and donate the stuff he wasn’t using to the church’s charity drive. Like if he updated the vacuum or coffee maker, she’d put those away in the storage room until it was time for the auction.”
“Yeah, of course, she’d get him a tax deduction receipt. So what?”
“Wormer said she stole it. He also said she’d been stealing food because she served the gardener and his assistant lunch every day.”
His muscles tightening, Mal clenched his jaw and sucked as much air as his lungs could hold in through his nose before exhaling. “Feeding them was literally one of her job duties. Dad felt happy, well-fed employees did better work. Why didn’t Mama Carol go straight to the old man and clear things up?”
Dash spoke through gritted teeth. “That shithead must have been planning his coup for a while. As soon as your dad’s health declined to the point he couldn’t work anymore, Wormer started pulling this crap over on mama. She didn’t say so, but I think he threatened to make legal trouble for her. She’d be afraid my position might be compromised. I’m sure he probably told your dad some bullshit story about mama quitting. Either way, Doctor Patterson was sick, and mama didn’t want to add any stress. She found a new job and Suki moved in with your dad.”
Mal paced the floor, his angry footsteps causing the floorboards to creak. “You think they’re in on it together?”
“Could be.”
“Let’s go.”
“Huh?” Dash stood.
The vein in his neck throbbed. “We’re going to Jason Wormer’s office to kick his ass.”
His best bud returned to his seat and waved him off. “Man, sit yo’ ass down. You weren’t listening to the lawyer at all. Wormer ain’t in charge anymore, but you can be.”
He stopped in his tracks and scratched his head before turning to Dash, his eyebrows knitted. “You should have told me about Mama Carol losing her job sooner.”
“Why, so you could have gotten all pissed, kicked the shit out of Wormer and spent time in the clink? Until now you couldn’t have helped.”
“Mama Carol can have all the upfront cash I inherited.”
“Fool, ma ain’t gonna accept no money from the little boy she raised. It has to be all official-like…maybe a letter reinstating her pension and then you know, only the money she’s entitled to. She won’t accept a penny more.”
Mal nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go back and see Mr. Pyke. Make it right.”
Dash picked up a throw pillow and smacked Mal in the chest. “Are you stupid? You don’t get full control of the estate until either you complete medical school and take over the Doc’s part of the practice or that girl completes her certification through the association’s fellowship and she takes half ownership.”
“I’m not going to fucking medical school.” He grimaced, rubbing his pecs. “And where the hell did you find that cement-ass pillow?”
Dash chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t know what’s up with that damn thing.” He motioned for his friend to take a seat. Mal huffed as he sat on the edge of the couch cushion, leaning forward with his hands resting on his thighs, ready to listen. “There were contingencies. If Suki moves out for any reason, the house and all the cash in trust to look after the joint becomes yours no matter if she finishes school or not. If she quits school, your dad’s interest in the practice is divided between you and her even if you don’t become a doctor.”
Mal rubbed his hand over the stubble on his chin and looked off to the side as his best friend’s words sunk into his brain. He glanced at Dash. “Not helpful. Why would she move out? She’s got it made there…a mansion with paid-for maid and yard service. Am I supposed to intimidate her into dropping out of her classes?”
A huge grin spread across Dash’s face, exposing his teeth as he spread his arms wide. “Nah, you’re right about the mountain needing her now that your dad’s gone, but she doesn’t need to live in the house to finish school. The Marks ain’t rollin’ in it, but they’re not broke either. Her family has a big, multi-family farm with more than one house and plenty of room. Let’s move into your dad’s place and run her ass out.”
Mal lifted his chin while pressing his lips together. “How?”
“We’ll be gross as hell. Leave dirty shit everywhere. Fart the joint up.”
Mal rubbed his temples while shaking his head. “Are you stupid? The house is over six-thousand square-feet. How much gas are you able to produce?”
“Ah, we’ll eat up a bunch of bags of Funions.”
A loud sigh escaped Mal’s lips as he threw a
look of exasperations Dash’s way. “So, you’re saying you want me to shit my pants?”
Dash scratched his head. “I ain’t say all that.”
Mal patted his stomach. “Six percent body fat, brotha—I’m a personal trainer. My body isn’t used to processing a lot of garbage. If I try to eat even one bag…” He took a breath. “This is all ridiculous. I don’t know why I let you get me all worked up and drawn into crazy conversations.”
The werewolf kicked his feet and swung his arms. “Don’t pussy out! We need to trash the place. I’m talking dirty socks, beer bottles everywhere.” He pointed his finger at Mal and smirked. “Watch porn movies in the middle of the living room.”
While palming his face, Mal asked, “We gonna jackoff all out in the open too?”
“We can!” Dash lifted his arms in a V over his head before howling with laughter. “We’ll make her so uncomfortable she can’t stand it. Leave stinky loads in the toilet and not flush.”
Mal twisted his lips in disgust. “Kill that noise, Dash.”
“But why?” He leaned forward in his seat, his animated expression leaving no doubt he was dead serious about his sickening plan.
“I’m not doin’ none of that nasty stuff, and to be clear, I think using feces or its derivatives as some sort of biological warfare is taking things way too far.”
Dash smirked while shaking his head. “Pussy.”
Mal frowned. “Let me finish. With all that in mind, the idea of moving in and making her uncomfortable isn’t completely unappealing, and I have an idea.”
Chapter Seven
Suki's heart had pounded from the moment Doc Patterson's lawyer had dropped the bomb on her until she’d driven her junker up the mountain for some of her grandmother's vegetarian curry. Mal had completely misunderstood her role in his father’s life—he actually seemed quite jealous. If anything, she was a co-worker and stand-in child for the doctor. A full belly and a cry on Granny's shoulder later, and she'd calmed down enough to return to the huge house where she'd been living.