Pixie turned them over. "Five."
"Let me try them on." She took them when Pixie handed them to her and then hurried to sit on the stool. She removed her sneakers and then pushed her feet into the warm boots. She rose and walked back and forth trying to get a feel for the boots. Even though she wasn't used to wearing heels, they were as comfortable as all get-out and looked good with her jeans. She was going to buy them, but first she wanted to find gifts for her mates.
"Well?" Emmy asked as Kenzie sat to remove the boots again.
"They're great."
Emmy placed a hand on her arm. "Leave them on. Zayn won't mind."
"But-"
"Keep them on, Kenzie," Zayn called out.
Pixie giggled.
Dusty sighed. "Damn shifter hearing."
Emmy helped Kenzie to her feet and after she grabbed her sneakers, she followed the other woman around the shop. As soon as she saw the watch she knew it was perfect for Jayson. He was always pulling his cell phone from his pocket to see the time. She turned the box over and tried not to gasp when she saw the price. It wasn't overly expensive, but when she didn't have much money, it was a lot, and there was no way she was spending Jordan's money.
She felt guilty for even contemplating it. Kenzie was so used to taking care of everyone and everything, it had become habitually ingrained into her psyche. She didn't like other people buying her things, spending their hard-earned money on her, when she could get herself what she wanted. And yet she never had. There had never been enough money left over after paying everything for her to splurge with. However, now that she didn't have to worry about keeping a roof over head, she could relax a little.
She grabbed the black leather wallet from the shelf and added it the pile. She'd seen Jordan pick up his wallet from the kitchen counter. It looked as if it was about to fall apart. When she turned she spotted the leather belt with the silver belt buckle. There was a large cat on it. Her heart raced with excitement. It was just the thing for Jenson.
Kenzie moved toward the front of the store, ignoring the other items on display. When she paid for the boots and the gifts for her guys, she was going to be tapped out, left with nothing more to spend, but she didn't care. Her heart and soul were overflowing with emotions for her mates. She didn't think anyone ever thought about giving them something just because. That was another thing. She had no idea when their birthdays were, but it was definitely time to find out.
She placed the items on the counter and smiled at Zayn. He eyed her over briefly and then started ringing up her purchases gazing longer than necessary at the things she was buying for her guys.
"Let me guess." Zayn held up the watch. "Jayson."
Kenzie nodded and watched as he picked up the wallet. "Jordan." He put each item into the shopping bag and then reached for the belt. "Jenson."
"How'd you know?" she asked as she handed her card over after ringing up her boots last.
"Jay is always looking at his phone when he wants to know what time it is when he's not cooking in the hotel kitchen. Jordan's wallet is about to fall apart, but he's never bothered to replace it. Jenson always wears a belt in his jeans even though he doesn't need to." He met Kenzie's gaze and tilted his head. She sucked in a breath when the picture of a wolf came to mind and wondered if she was right. However, she wasn't about to ask him what animal he shifted into because she didn't want to anger him off. Although, she had a feeling Zayn wouldn't be angry with her, but her mom had taught her to be polite and asking such a personal question was rude. At least in her mind. "You're very observant."
Kenzie blushed and shrugged. She was about to glance away but stopped when she thought she saw longing in Zayn's light blue eyes. He shifted his eyes from her and glanced over at the other women. The edges of his mouth turned down confirming her suspicions. He was lonely and wanted a mate. Sadness crept into her heart and soul for all the single shifters in town. She wished she had other girlfriends she could call on to come visit, but she'd been isolated and had no one. Happiness replaced the sadness when she realized that had changed. She was no longer alone. She had three amazing men who could shift shape into panthers and three women who were fast becoming friends. Her life was fuller than it had ever been.
Escaping from that pimp and his plans had turned out to be the best thing that had ever happened to her and she wouldn't change anything. If she could go back and change what had happened she might never had met her mates.
Kenzie handed Zayn her card and gathered up the two bags he placed her purchases in. One held her dirty sneakers. She smiled at the man when he handed her card back. Her feet were warm for what felt like the first time in a long time and the boots were so comfortable she was sure she wouldn't have any trouble walking for long distances. "Thanks, Zayn."
"You're welcome, Kenzie."
She moved aside and waited while the other women paid for the things they wanted and then they all headed back to the pub. Thankfully, she'd been able to hide the items she'd bought for her mates in the purse Emmy had given her.
Kenzie couldn't wait to give her men their gifts.
Chapter Thirteen
"I've found her," Feng announced as soon as he entered the warehouse office.
"You have? Where?" Decha leaned forward eagerly.
"I had our IT guy put an alert on her name. She just used a credit or bank card in a shop in Ambrose," Feng explained.
Decha sank back in his seat with a smile on his face. "I can't believe she's so fucking close. I thought she would have been far away from North Dakota by now. She can't be very smart."
"What do you want me to do, boss? I can grab a few guys and head north and get her, or do you want me to pass the information onto Aiguo Lei?"
"Since we need to get back into the Triad leader's good graces, I think it would be better if we work with him and his men. That way he'll see we aren't trying to double-cross him."
"You want me to call him to meet us here? Or are we going to go to him?" Feng asked.
"We'll go to him. I don't want him getting annoyed more than he already is." Decha pointed at his right-hand man. "Set it up."
Feng nodded and hurried from the room. He was relieved for the first time in days and the tension he'd been carrying around started to wane. Maybe this would all work out after all. He was still contemplating getting out, but only after he'd fixed the mess he'd started. Hopefully, Decha would leave him alone after he'd taken off. He was sick of being someone's lackey, of taking orders and performing like a puppet. It was time to move on and live his life the way his deceased parents would have wished him to. He wanted to find a loving woman, settle down, and start his own family. He'd have to change his name, and Australia was looking better and better. He'd heard such great things about that country. He wouldn't need to worry about carrying a gun since they had strict gun laws Down Under. Of course, he knew they had crime just like any other country, but he would be much safer and not have to worry about looking over his shoulder every minute of every day.
Decision made, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed his contact in the Triad.
Jenson was impatient to get home and be with their mate. She hadn't stopped smiling after coming back from the store with the other women. He'd thought she was happy because of her new boots, but as the day wore on, he had a feeling it was for another reason. She'd worked like a trooper, chopping, mixing, and creating dishes with the ease of a seasoned chef. He thought back over their conversation earlier in the day.
"Have you had culinary training, sweetie?" Jenson asked as he grabbed the bowl of fresh mixed herbs she'd just sliced and diced.
"No."
He gazed at her with wonder. "Then how the hell did you learn to do all this?"
"I used to help my mom cook before she died. After she passed, I did all the cooking. I hated feeding him, but if I didn't place something nice in front of him every night-" She'd cut herself off and glanced away, but she didn't need to finish her sentence. Fury had permeated his heart and soul at the way that fucker had abused his mate. He wanted to head to Bismarck, search the asshole out, and beat him to a bloody pulp, but that would mean leaving his mate and that was something he didn't want to do. The anger in his gut had quickly dissipated when he'd seen his mate's beautiful smiling face. He'd wanted to scoop her up in his arms, spirit her away and make love to her for hours on end, but he and his brothers had obligations to fulfill.