"Why didn't you apply for a business loan?"
"Debt isn't something I can handle right now."
He made a soft, deep noise of understanding. Lily thought that was the end of it and was about to beg off-she'd said too much already-when he spoke again.
"I'll look at your current plan and find somewhere to cut costs without sacrificing coverage. Meet me somewhere tomorrow to look over a new proposal."
She'd started shaking her head even before he finished talking. "That's not necessary, and I can't meet you. The shop will be operating under normal business hours tomorrow."
"You have to eat dinner."
But dinner with him? Visions of an intimate restaurant-or, worse, a meal at her house or his-ghosted through her mind. She shook her head hard. "I really can't. I'm sorry. Thanks for the offer, but home security will just have to wait until the store has a profitable month. Listen, I need to go. I'm meeting someone tonight and I'm running short on time."
Heavy silence settled on his end of the call. Lily bit her lip. Why had she said that? Before she could decide whether to clarify or leave the statement as a warning, he spoke again.
"I'll email a proposal. Take care, Lily."
He ended the call, leaving her with a knot of regret in her stomach. The knot grew tighter and heavier as she got into her car. By the time she reached the bar, she wished she'd turned down Alexa's invitation, and that made her angry. She was finished with letting a man dictate what brought her pleasure.
5
Live music blasted through the doors of the Phoenix, a popular bar on the local music circuit. Jude had never been inside-it was avian shifter territory, and they were understandably leery of big, prowling cats-but he knew the place. The regulars were twenty-something college kids and thirty-something single professionals with more money than sense, but they weren't troublemakers, which meant it wasn't his ornery sister's kind of scene.
Yet, there he was.
I'm here, he texted. Where are you?
Fog pumped from a machine on the low stage, which was too small for the five-man band and its equipment. The lead singer was right up at the edge, jumping and twisted from one end to the other and back again without a care for falling. And maybe the man was justified in his recklessness. He was some species of bird shifter, and those bastards only touched the ground when they wanted to.
Eli Hawk was more arrogant than most. He pushed the limits right up to their breaking point, but slid away before crossing lines that would earn him the plucking he deserved.
As though he sensed someone watching him with more than a fan's interest, Hawk looked across the stage and directly into Jude's eyes. A wild grin split his face and he thrust his arm out, middle finger extended.
Jude sneered at the juvenile challenge and turned his attention on the crowd that housed his sister.
Strings of blue and purple lights danced behind the bar while little battery-operated candles flickered from jars hidden among the empties that cluttered pub-style tables. People gathered in clusters around their tables and along the bar, where three staff members hustled to keep up with thirsty customers.
His phone vibrated. Table waaaaaaaay in the back by the bathrooms.
Jude bared his teeth. I'm not crawling into this mess.
Please??? I'm kind of stuck.
Back exit?
Need to pay my tab, remember?
With a low growl, Jude stalked into the thick of the Friday night revelry. The band finished its set and pre-recorded music piped through the speakers. Half the crowd headed for the exit for a smoke break and the rest divided between the bar and the bathroom, and suddenly he was headed the wrong way down a one way street.
He'd long since learned that it was better to let the tide flow past than fight against it. Brute force was a clumsy tool best left to men who had nothing else at their disposal.
Gaze sharp, senses wide, he yielded to the lion hovering at the edge of his mind. With the animal's superior night vision, indistinct faces grew starkly clear. He caught a glimpse of a blonde woman previously concealed by a pocket of shadow, but she turned her head to reveal a long nose and square chin.
Not his sister.
The blonde sat at the only table beside the bathroom door. He swept his gaze over the crowd again before firing off a new text.
Powers of invisibility?
What? I'm right by the bathroom. Maybe you need glasses, old man? Look under the neon mermaid.
Don't see any mermaids, Summer.
Oh shit.
?????
Think I sent you to the wrong place. Well, don't worry about it. I'm going to flirt some guy into paying for my drinks. Home late. :*