Free The Mane Attraction by Shelly Laurenston Page A

quickly realizing the white sweats she wore were also covered in blood.
    Mace took her elbow and steered her toward the bedroom door. The last thing Sissy saw was the tears streaming down Marissa Shaw’s face before Mace pulled her into the small living room of the suite.
    “Talk to me.”
    She shrugged. The blood was drying on her hands and arms. Right now, it was sticky. Soon it would be dry and—
    “Sissy. Tell me what happened.”
    “We were standing at the window, talking. And then I heard pop sounds, and he went down.” She closed her eyes as the recent memory washed over her. “He moved, Mace. At the last second he moved, and if he hadn’t—” The words stopped as an image of Mitch’s brains covering Ronnie’s nice white sweats nearly choked Sissy to death. Lord, she was barely holding it together.
    “He’s one of us, Sissy.” Mace stroked her back. “And God knows he’s tougher than most.”
    “I know.”
    “Now what about Smitty?”
    Sissy blinked and looked up at Mace. “What about him?”
    “We need to let him know.”
    “He’s already on a plane. They left before the sun rose. Besides, what’s he gonna do except worry and drive you insane?”
    “You’ve got a point,” Mace grumbled.
    “No. We leave him out of it for now.”
    Ronnie tugged on her shirt. “I got you clean clothes.”
    “Thanks.” Sissy looked back down at herself. “I’ll need to clean up first.”
    But before she could escape to a bathroom, Té appeared in the doorway. The She-bear almost had to duck to walk in. “We lost him.”
    Sissy could see Mace getting that look on his face. This was why the staff liked dealing with Bobby Ray instead of Mace. Mace had a very low threshold for failure. Even failure that couldn’t be avoided.
    “Any sign of where they were?” Sissy knew that this third-floor room had been chosen specifically for Mitch because of its location and his need for additional safety. No trees for anyone to hide in right outside the window and no buildings remotely close. And he was surrounded by shifters, so no one would be sneaking in.
    “No. But we’re still looking.” Té leaned to the side, trying to see into the bedroom. “How is he?”
    “Alive.”
    Té’s brown eyes closely examined the bloodstains on Sissy’s clothes. “Okay.”
    “So what now?” Mace asked. “What’s the best thing we can do for him?”
    Brendon walked into the room—Sissy got the feeling Roxy had thrown him out—and said, “I can take him to Philly on the family plane.”
    “And we can give you protection for as long as you need it.”
    Sissy shook her head. “You can’t take him to Philly.”
    “Why not?”
    “Everyone who wants him dead is there.”
    “But we’re not there now. We’re in fuckin’ Long Island. And he wasn’t safe here.”
    “She’s right.” Roxy walked in, wiping blood off her hands with a hotel towel. “He shouldn’t go back to Philly. Not yet. Not until he at least has his full strength back.”
    “So then where?”
    Mace rested his butt against the back of the couch. “Will Witness Protection take him?”
    “Maybe.”
    “Forget it. I won’t have my son trapped with some useless full-humans when he’s still too weak to protect himself. Even if they are armed. He’ll stay with his Pride if he has to go back.”
    Brendon’s barely held patience snapped, and he stepped into Roxy, shocking Mace and Sissy—but not Roxy.
    “Look, I won’t leave him vulnerable in the middle of Philly with a bunch of uncaring females.”
    “We can’t do any worse job than you and that father of yours.”
    Sissy let out a breath. She wasn’t in the mood for this. And her usual patience was currently nonexistent.
    “Stop it. Both of you.” She didn’t raise her voice or even rush her words. At the moment, she sounded more like Bobby Ray or her daddy. Still, they both pulled back and looked at her. “How long for him to be ready to travel?” she asked Roxy.
    “We’ve stopped the