“Bad enough.”
“Wait. What do you mean I shot him again?” She leaned forward, willing to brave Reese’s fury to hear the answer.
Reese and Blane exchanged a look then Reese whirled away, putting his back to her. “Tell her.”
“Tell me what?”
Blane sat down on the coffee table in front of her. “You shot Daniel the last time you were here.”
She had to force down a giggle. Something she didn’t think either one of the men would appreciate. “The only thing I shot the last time I was here was a werewolf. Blane, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
He took a moment before blurting it out. “Yeah. You were right. Daniel’s a werewolf.”
“I knew it.” She felt like jumping into the air and shouting hallelujah. Instead, she had to know the rest of it. “And Anderson? You’re admitting that he’s a werewolf, too, right? You saw the two of them change, didn’t you?”
Blane nodded, his blue eyes darkening. “Yeah, him, too.”
The implication finally struck home to drive away her joy. “And Shannon? Please tell me my sister’s okay. Please tell me she’s not…one of them.”
Reese spun to face her, his face a mask of rage. “Shannon’s exactly where she wants to be. But you don’t give a damn about shooting Daniel, do you?”
“Damn it, Reese. Take it easy. This is hard for her.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Reese’s voice dipped lower in pitch. “She’s shot Daniel twice now. She’s lucky the Holms boys aren’t tracking her down to eat her alive.”
Blane took her hand and squeezed. His angry glare was gone, replaced by an expression filled with concern. “Are you going to be okay?”
The two men who were twins couldn’t be more different if they’d been born to different mothers and fathers in two separate countries, worlds away from each other. Yet she could see the strengths each man possessed. Blane’s virtue was his tender care and his willingness to understand her side while Reese was the powerhouse who told her like it was yet wasn’t afraid to risk his life for her.
“What’s she smiling about?”
Blane shrugged. “Maybe she’s in shock.”
“No. I’m not in shock.” She pulled her hand from between Blane’s two hands then stood, daring them to lie to her again. “You knew all this time, didn’t you?”
At least Blane had the decency to appear remorseful. Reese just crossed his arms and silently dared her to rebuke him.
“Why did you lie to me? Why did you make me think I was crazy when you knew all along that they’re werewolves? I don’t get it. What did you have to gain by lying?”
Blane strode over to stand next to Reese. “It’s complicated. I’m sorry I lied, but at the time, I thought it was the best way to keep you safe.”
“Am I in danger?” She hadn’t given any thought that the werewolves might try and harm her. But it made sense. She’d tried to kill one of them, not once but twice.
Blane dragged his hand through his hair as Reese turned his back on her and gazed out the window. “I’m not sure. Like I told you before, we tend to look out for each other. If Daniel wants to, he could take it to the pack leaders and ask for retribution.”
“Retribution? As in…”
“As in death.”
Blane nodded, confirming Reese’s assessment. “Let’s hope Shannon can talk them out of going after you. It should help that you’re her sister and our—” He broke off, shutting his mouth fast.
“Your what? What were you going to say?”
“Our guest and our friend.” Blane paced away from her, and Reese turned back.
“Will you two stop tag teaming me? Is there anything we can do? Shouldn’t we call the police or the highway patrol? Maybe even the National Guard? Shouldn’t the authorities know about the werewolves?”
Her gut told her that they weren’t telling her the whole truth. But did that mean they’d protect their neighbors even if they were werewolves?
Reese pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Sure. You make that call. Then call your sister and tell her what you’ve done. Tell her that they’re coming for the men she loves. She’ll do everything she can to protect them, but, hey, if your sister gets hurt in the ruckus, it’s no big deal, right?”
“Crap. I didn’t think about that.” If she made the call, her sister could wind up getting killed along with her two lovers.
Blane pushed Reese’s arm, moving the cell phone he’d offered her away. “No one’s calling anyone. I’m sorry if this is rough for you, Charlie, but Daniel and Anderson Holms are our friends. Anderson’s my partner in the bar. We’ve known about them being shifters for a long time.”