Piece of Tail by Celia Kyle Page B

their way.
    Daniel and Patrick approached with slow steps, dirt kicking up and forming small clouds of dust in their wake. She stepped up to the porch railing and leaned against the weathered wood. Both men stopped at the bottom of the stairs and just stared. “What? Do I have a booger in my nose or something?"
    Daniel smiled and Patrick just shook his head, but neither spoke.
    Finally, Patrick took the plunge. “Can we come up? Sit on the porch with you?"
    Gina stepped over to a grouping of chairs on the other side of the wrap-around porch and took a seat. “Sure, come on up.” She put her back to the house, which left the men in view of the front door. Caramel.
    This time, Daniel took the lead. “Missed you. We missed you.” Daniel ran a hand through his hair. “We looked for you at the house after you disappeared. Tasheka wouldn't budge on where you'd gone, but—"
    "She didn't know. She washed her hands of me."
    "What?"
    She nodded. “Tash didn't care where I went as long as it wasn't there. Ryan took me in."
    Daniel stared at his clasped hands between his knees. “You could have come to us."
    She snorted. “Right. The men who set me up and practically handed me to the government. Sure. Let me just change into a hospital gown and make it easy on everyone. How about I lay out on the gurney too, huh?"
    "It wasn't like that, Gina. If you'd stuck around for five minutes instead of running off half-cocked and pissed, we could have told you. I could have explained."
    She leaned forward, stared into those hazel eyes she'd cared for and demanded what he offered. “Then do it. Explain what you would have told me then. Make me understand. Tell me why I should be bowled over with gratitude that y’all came to the middle of nowhere for me, and why I should drop and spread my legs for the two of you now."
    Patrick cut in. “Okay, let's take a breather here. Daniel, you're not helping.” The man sat back in his chair, attention never straying from her and she shifted her focus to Patrick. “Gina, what Daniel is trying to explain is that… It was all a mistake, a misunderstanding. We hunted down the original photographer and it seems he was in the park the day that Andy chased you like his favorite bone. The guy took pictures of the whole thing and was amazed at how fast you seemed to run and how easy it was for you to hop into that tree. He followed us back to the townhouse and snapped a picture of you with your tail by sheer luck. Don't worry, we paid him back for you, and he's now on the Prides’ watch list. It wasn't a plan or instigated by us. We swear."
    She rolled Patrick's explanation around in her mind and it rang true. She knew Patrick better than any other man. After years of working with him, she knew when he was lying and when he was honest to God, telling the truth. And he'd given her nothing but the truth. “But what about the Marauder in your home? Jack smelled the guy. You had one of my enemies in your home. Do you deny it?"
    Swear to fucking god, if they fed her a line of bullshit now, the next word out of her mouth was caramel. No lie.
    "No, we, I, don't deny it.” Daniel spoke up. “My half-brother is part dog, but he's no Marauder. I didn't know it until Jack, and Ryan, explained things to me. It seemed Dad had a thing for bitches and Cal was the result. He's been coming by a few times a week, just hanging out and watching a few games on TV.” Daniel brought his gaze to hers. “He knows about you, knows who and what you are and doesn't give a damn. Apparently, life for half- weres in general sucks. You don't ever have anything to fear from him. Never."
    Gina took a deep calming breath. Well, it was good to know she really wasn't in immediate danger. She rose to her feet. “Thanks for coming and explaining things. It was good to see you.” She had to get away before she broke down. The realization that she'd essentially ruined everything with these two men was quickly becoming too much to bear.