The Lion and the Lamb

The lion’s expression appeared almost bored as he watched.

“Candy, Pepper, and Macie, get the fuck out of here.” The girls hurried out of the room at Leo’s menacing tone. He was beyond pissed that Slade was here, and the fact that the fucker had a smug grin on his face had his blood roaring in his ears.

Once the girls were out, Tryck took a step closer. Slade’s men followed suit, their hands at their waists. Leo didn’t doubt there were guns hidden under their suit jackets, but Leo was beyond that gangster shit. If things were going to get ugly with Slade, they were going to do it lion to lion. No guns, no backup. Just the two of them, and may the best shifter win.

“Why are you here, Slade?” Leo didn’t bother to keep the growl out of his voice. He had been disappointed to get the text from Tatum cancelling, but now he was glad she wasn’t coming down. If shit got bad with Slade, Leo sure as hell didn’t want her anywhere near the sick fuck. Leo had seen what Slade had done to girls he “cared about.” He liked sick shit, shit that left scars and broke hearts, literally.

“I enjoyed myself so much last time that I wanted to come back. Is that so wrong?” Slade lifted a brow in question.

“You’re not welcome here, and you fucking know it. The deal was you stay to your side of town, and I’ll do the same. The fact that you are here leads me to believe you are up to no good, and I’m not about that, Slade.” Especially not now that he found Tatum, but he wasn’t going there.

The grin Slade gave him was feral and filled with a lot more than he said. “I hoped to see that sweet piece of pussy you got at the door, but to my disappointment, she’s not here.” Slade’s grin was downright disgusting. Leo could only imagine the vile things he had swirling around in that fucked-up head of his.

Gritting his teeth, Leo breathed out his anger. What he really wanted to do was fuck Slade up for even thinking about Tatum, but he knew if he gave any indication of what Tatum meant to him, Slade would use it against him. Leo opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. Slade’s grin widened.

“Cat got your tongue, brother?”

“You are not my brother.” The words were forced past Leo’s teeth.

Before he could say anything further to piss Leo off, Slade’s phone rang. Nothing was said, but Slade kept his cold eyes locked on Leo. He tucked his phone back in his pocket when the call ended and stood.

“Well, looks like I’m needed elsewhere.” Slade walked past Leo, but right before he exited, he stopped and turned his head so they looked in each other’s eyes. “I like what you’ve got going on here, Leo. Makes me want to change things in my own life.”

Leo turned on him and bared his teeth. “You better watch it, asshole.”

Slade’s two men took a step forward, but Slade held up his hand to stop them. For several long moments, they just stared at each other. The tension was heavy, and the aggression and testosterone pulsed between them. Leo was on the verge of shifting, and he could tell Slade was right there with him.

Slade winked and turned to leave.

Leo stood there, catching his breath and calming his beast. His blood boiled as a plethora of violent acts he’d like to do to Slade passed through his mind. Things between them were a lot tenser, and Leo knew sooner than later the explosion between them would crush cities and destroy lives.21The bodies crushed on either side of Tatum as Kiki kept a firm grip on her hand and led her through the club. At the last minute, Kiki decided to change where they were going. Now, they were practically nose-to-nose with half-dressed people at Stripped.

The dance club was the newest addition to the strip and was decked out in mellow colors and modern décor. It seemed sophisticated, but the majority of the people crammed in were young. Tatum felt overdressed in her linen shorts and poppy blouse. She had thought she spiced things up by wearing heels, but she felt like a granny compared to the girls who grinded with the overly muscled men.

Kiki pushed a few girls away from the bar, which in turn got them some nasty glares. Drinks in hand after about a ten-minute wait, Kiki led the way to one of the few available tables. Luckily, everyone was out practically having sex on the dance floor or they’d be standing around.

Kiki grabbed her shot and downed it, chasing it with her fruity, bright-orange drink.

“You want to talk about Beau?” Tatum had to yell over the deep bass of music.