Page 32 of Cold Foot King

“Anyone else?” Wreck asked.

“Why are you asking me? I just told you I don’t regret killing who I killed, and that I probably belong back in that prison, and that you should listen to your seer.”

“Yeah, and that honesty is rare. You haven’t had a single false note in your voice this whole time. I like it. You can stay another day,” he said, pulling a U-turn in his truck. “I’ll probably take you back to the prison tomorrow.”

“I don’t understand why the police haven’t stormed the town and picked all of us up. We aren’t even that far away.”

Wreck straightened the wheel and headed back for Deadhorse. “Probably because they don’t realize there are any prisoners missing. Your records were deleted from all systems, and all of the guards have been arrested and are being charged with a slew of things that are probably very distracting for them. That entire administration has the blue dragon so far up its ass, they aren’t going to worry about a few escapees they don’t even have records on anymore.”

“The Jackal will be telling anyone who will listen that I’m not there.”

“The Jackal is crazy,” Wreck said simply. “Everyone in that place knows it.”

“Chhh, I know it personally. I’m also pretty sure the Jackal is the father of that croc shifter’s baby, just so you are aware. She was assigned to him. Poor woman.”

“Mmm, she will be just fine. Do you know what she did to go to prison?”

“No.”

“She’s meaner than you.”

King checked Wreck’s face to see if he was joking, but nope. The Alpha looked completely serious. Okay then. Good. That croc would have to be tough to raise a jackal baby. “Good. If you’re asking opinions, I like her for the Crew then. She and Kat seem to get along. If your seer doesn’t see me around, I wouldn’t mind a croc protecting her.”

“I’m not building a Crew around Kat,” Wreck said low.

“I don’t expect you to. You are asking my opinion, and my motive is Kat.”

“People always know where they stand with you, don’t they?” Wreck asked.

“Only if I hate them. If I like them, they will likely just be confused on if I like them or not.”

Wreck laughed softly, and pulled in front of the hotel’s side-entrance. “Go get Roy. Room 105. Bring him out, and then you can go get your woman a coffee.”

He considered correcting Wreck about Kat being his woman, but decided it was a waste of breath. She’d already told everyone they were paired. “Fine. If Roy asks who ratted him out though, you be sure to tell him it was me.” King smiled. “I haven’t had a good fight since yesterday.”

He could hear Wreck’s laugh from the truck as he strode inside the hotel. The phoenix had a sense of humor. King gave a private smile as he yanked the door open. That was unexpected.

He knocked on room 105, and then knocked harder when there was no answer.

“Fuck off,” came the response from inside.

“Wreck wants to see you,” King told him at normal volume, assuming he had the good shifter hearing.

The door swung open. “Well, you can tell Wreck to go fuck himself—Aack!”

King tightened his grip around Roy’s throat and dragged him down the hallway. One thing about gorilla shifters—if a silverback got his fist around any body parts, the massive grip strength said he would only release when he was good and ready.

Roy hit at his arms in desperation, making choking sounds as King dragged him through the doorway and out into the snow. He opened the passenger door and shoved him inside, and only then did he release his throat.

He offered an empty smile to Roy, and then to Wreck, who was grinning like the violence amused him.

“Water,” Wreck said simply as King prepared to slam the truck door.

“What?”

“For the headache. I hear that is the only thing that helps.”

“Yeah, Kat told me the same thing. You gonna kill every potential Crewmember?”