Making the Rent the Hard Way - 44

I'd have backed away except I was still sitting. Besides, there was nowhere to go.

"I figured you'd be halfway to nowhere by now," I said, trying to put up a bold front—and stall for time.

"I was. Then I decided I had business to take care of first, beginning with you." He put his hands on the arms of my chair, trapping me there. "Do you know what you've done? You and your shifter friends? Your fucking pantywaist shifter friends, afraid to make a stand and take their rightful place in the world. We could have ruled the city. Farnham had it all planned out. Then you killed him and ruined me." Tipton was so angry I felt spittle hit my face as he ranted. 

"Boss," the bruiser cautioned when Tipton backhanded me, "not here."

Tipton turned angrily, took a deep breath, then said, "You're right." He returned his attention to me. "We're going to have some fun with you, then drop you at… Yeah, The Lycan Den. Show those pantywaists what happens when they mess with a real shifter."

He backhanded me again, his rings adding more gouges on my face than they had the first time.

"You're overusing that word," I spat out, wiping blood off my cheek. "Poor language skills?"

"Very poor," Luca said as he, Rocky, and Gino appeared in the office. "He'd never have been elected mayor. He can't put two sentences together without making a fool of himself."

"What would a pansy know about talking?" Tipton said as he made a lunge for Luca—and missed because Luca wasn't there. He was between me and the bruiser, who looked as if he wanted to tear me apart on the spot.

"Bad boy," Gino said, joining Luca. "Did Tipton forget to feed you your ration of kibble this morning?"

"Basement," Rocky called out, gripping Tipton's arm before he moved away.

Gino grabbed the bruiser's wrist, then he, the bruiser, and Luca vanished, leaving me sitting there in stunned disbelief. "I don't get to join the party?" I muttered, getting up to check the damage to my face in the mirror in the lavatory off to one side of the waiting room. Not that I wanted to be there to watch my friends deal with Tipton and Mr. Bracco. Okay, I did, but only if they won. Rocky was big, but the bruiser… I shuddered.

My cheek looked as bad as it felt. Tipton wore four large, garish rings, and each one had left their mark—twice. I washed off the blood, applied antiseptic, then returned to the office to wait.