Free Theirs by Christin Lovell

them whereas I felt like Billy preferred to do it all for me, so he knew it was done right. If I had to highlight one flaw with my brother, it was that he was good at delegating but horrible at letting go.
     
    Ellie stood unfazed beside me. She stared at Billy, but it was obvious it was out of curiosity with no harm intended.
     
    Abruptly, she beamed with mischief. Out of the corner of my eye I caught movement. My eyes shot open, honing in on Billy’s reaction, as Ellie grabbed my ass.
     
    “ Remind me to clean my rifle when I get home, Kate.” He glared openly at Ellie as he made the statement.
     
    She laughed. “You’re gonna be fun to fuck with.”
     
    Billy stiffened, not amused in the least. His features mashed and his hands fisted as he looked to me. “Out of all the women in the world, you had to pick her?” His voice was tight.
     
    I bit back a smile. It seemed that Ellie would give him the sisterly hell I never did. “It’s more like she picked me.”
     
    Whoa! What was I doing? Why was I allowing anyone to stake claim to me in front of my family? Stress, I assumed. The stress must have caused my guard to slip, otherwise, why was I allowing everyone to slip into a zone of acknowledgement and banter?
     
    I frowned. Or maybe I really did want this. I kept flip-flopping at every turn. I wanted this, for some twisted reason. I wanted them. But I was afraid of what the world would think. I was scared of the long-term opposition we could possibly face. Or was it I myself that posed the opposition I was concerned with?
     
    Billy glanced at Ellie again before taking a deep, meditating breath. “Later,” he mumbled to himself.
     
    His response surprised me. Had I misjudged my brother all this time?
     
    Jerry angled himself, peering through the window to the bay space. “We need to get down to business. He could get here at any time.”
     
    “ No.” Billy shook his head negatively. “He’ll come when he’s certain no one will be here, so he has time to crack the alarm.”
     
    “ Don’t got one,” Andy said. “No need in this town.”
     
    We definitely weren’t in Miami anymore. An alarm was the first thing you got there. “How exactly would he track me then if he only got as far as my car? That wouldn’t tell him where I was in town,” I reasoned.
     
    “ It’s a small town. He could easily flash his badge and pretend you’re wanted for something,” Billy offered. His features turned down. The idea troubled him.
     
    Out of nowhere, his eyes flashed with pure anger.
     
    My stomach churned as the truth settled in: he wanted a fight. Billy wanted to go to battle with Donovan.
     
    The next hour confirmed my suspicions. Everything was put out in the open, including the fact that Jerry, Ellie and Andy were werewolves. And it turned out most of the town was too, including the older crowd that frequented the coffee shop.
     
    —
     
    Ellie and Jerry sat across the restaurant, watching from afar. My nerves kicked into overdrive as I stared across the table at Billy. He hadn’t said a word since we arrived; actually, now that I thought about it, he hadn’t said much of anything since he witnessed Jerry shift. What little he had spoken was firmly delivered with no option for rebuttal.
     
    He watched me closely, meticulously chewing every bite of his steak while I picked at my baked potato and broccoli. I knew he was waiting for me to crack first, for me to decide what would be discussed first.
     
    I glanced anxiously around the restaurant. I knew ears were perked everywhere, but Billy insisted on taking me out so we could talk.
     
    Abruptly he tossed his napkin on the table. “What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Kate? Donovan is one thing, but them. ” He shook his head in dismay. I heard the disappointment, the unending frustration in his tone. His jaw kept clenching repeatedly. “They’re an abomination.”
     
    Snarls sounded from all around. Billy, confident as ever,