Thief (Blood & Bone Enforcers MC)

She folded her arms across her chest. “You couldn’t tell me because you refused to shift back. I understood when I thought he was a shifter, but now I think it was overkill. Especially considering how puny and small he is. You could have defeated him as you are now just fine.”

“Not with you around. I wasn’t taking any chances.”

“Can you two do this later?” Blake asked, his words exasperated.

Lily flushed. “Sorry. Hey, do you want me to see if I can get into whatever devices were in the car?”

Blake glanced over at the car, a thoughtful frown on his face. “Can you do it without anyone else knowing you were in them?”

“I think so.”

“Go ahead and give it a shot, but if you think it might be dangerous or alert anyone else to what we’re doing, then stop. We can try to break into them later.”

She nodded. “I’ll turn off any hotspots or internet access if I can get in. Then no one will be able to see any activity.”

Turning without waiting on a reply, she walked over to the car and got inside, almost immediately picking up a phone. Noah watched as she sank her teeth into her lower lip like she did when she worked. Fuck, that was sexy as hell.

“She’s a handy one to have around,” Blake said.

Not taking his eyes off his mate, Noah made a hum of agreement. “She’s more than handy.”

Luke snorted. “Some things are TMI, Noah.”

Blake rolled his eyes at Luke before looking back at him. “Have you two made it official yet?”

Exhaling, he shook his head. “Not yet.”

Luke glanced at him with an eyebrow raised. “Why not?”

Reaching up, he tugged at his hat, looking back at Lily. “She’s taken all this so well. She accepted it easily, accepted me, even with the history we share. But when is something going to be too much for her? And we haven’t been back in each other’s lives for long. I don’t want to push it.”

“I can understand that fear,” Luke said, his voice serious. “I didn’t tell Tarun at first, either, and she’s a shifter. But we’re hardwired to get attached fast to our mates—and that goes for shifters and humans. I don’t think you have anything to worry about with her. If nothing she’s learned so far has put her off, I think it’s probably a good bet that won’t, either.”

Blake nodded. “I agree with him. And Damara said you two were, uh, intimate after she found out. I don’t think Lily would go that far with you if what you are truly bothered her. And I haven’t known her long, but I don’t see her going that far with anyone she doesn’t already have feelings for. Don’t let her walk away without making sure she knows what she means to you.”

He exhaled as he shrugged. “I’m not sure I’m physically capable of letting her walk away without fighting for her. I was just hoping she wouldn’t bring up leaving yet and I’d have more time to ease her into it. Have you had any updates on Damara yet?”

“She’s still being held in the bedroom. No one has even attempted to talk to her yet,” Luke replied, his mouth set in a grim line.

Noah frowned as uneasiness moved through him. “You don’t think they figured her out, do you?”

Blake shook his head. “No, we don’t think so. She heard some people move down the hallway and when they paused by the door, someone said the new girl was in the room. They’re just taking their time getting to her.”

The man on the ground groaned, his hand raising to touch his jaw. They all crowded around him and Luke whistled low. “I was starting to think he wasn’t going to wake up. How hard did you hit him, Noah?”

“The other one had shifted and was coming at me. I needed to hit him hard enough for him to stay down while I fought the panther. I guess I misjudged.”

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nbsp; “I’d say,” Blake replied with a snort, pointing to the huge bruise forming on the man’s face. “He was a little guy. You might have gone overboard.”

He shrugged. “I have no regrets. I had to make sure Lily was okay. Speaking of, I’d like to get her out of here before he fully comes to.”

Blake pointed to the woods. “The panther is over there? All right, get your mate and get out of here. We’ll see you later.”

Nodding, Noah turned and walked to the car. “Hey, beautiful. Let’s get out of here, okay?”

Lily looked up with a smile. “Sure. Am I bringing these with me? I got into all of them and disabled the internet. No one will be able to trace them now.”