May 2024 Newsletter
PACK CHALLENGE
Available now!
Unedited/Unproofed
Sara slammed on her brakes and Angie pitched forward, her head nearly banging into the dashboard. Her seatbelt the only thing keeping her from doing so.
Staring up at the stoplight—her excuse for hitting her brakes—Sara bit out between gritted teeth, “I’ll say it one more time, then I’m gonna beat the shit out of you. Do not mention that man to me again.”
“Okay. Okay. Calm yourself.”
Angie smoothed back her perfectly coiffed hair and stared out at the nearly empty streets.
If Sara knew Angie would spend the early-morning drive to the coffeehouse going on and on about how hot Zach was and how he looked like he knew how to handle a “big-boned woman”, Sara would have never let her back in the truck.
The ride to the shop was only about fifteen minutes from Sara’s house, but at the moment it felt like an eternity.
The light turned green and as Sara raised her foot to hit the gas, the truck slowly rolling forward, Angie said, “But I will say that with lips like those, I’m bettin’ that man knows how to go down on a woman. And you do love oral sex.”
Sara hit the brakes again, pitching Angie forward, then she slapped her friend in the back of her head, knocking out Angie’s perfectly coiffed ‘do.
“Hey! Do you have any idea how long it took me to get my hair into this chignon?”
Sara went to slap her again but stopped. “Chignon? What the fuck is a chignon? Do you mean that bun you had in the back of your fat head?”
Angie’s eyes narrowed and she gave up trying to save her hairstyle, letting her brown hair drop and fall loose around her shoulders. “Heifer.”
“Slut.”
“Crack whore.”
“Hey!”
Startled, the two women looked out the driver’s side window at the man standing there. He wasn’t local, Sara didn’t even recognize him from the nearby town. “Get your scarred ass in gear and move this goddamn truck!”
Sara didn’t really have time to register what the man said before she had to grab hold of Angie as her friend reached under the passenger seat for the two-by-four they kept there for “difficult” situations they often found themselves in because of Miki’s mouth or Angie’s ass.
“Angie, no!”
“Come on, Sara. Let me hurt him. Let me slap him upside that big fat head.”
Trying not to laugh, Sara forced Angie back into her seat.
“Calm down. It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay, Sara.”
“Angie. Calm down. Breathe, dude. Breathe. Just remember five to ten in maximum security. We don’t want to have to face that…again…now do we?”
But the look on Angie’s face said she’d face it in a heartbeat.
“Is there a problem, Sara?”
Two of Marrec’s nephews stood outside the passenger side. She could tell they’d heard everything and they weren’t happy. She only had seconds to diffuse this situation. “Naw—” was all she managed before Angie cut her off.
“That asshole called Sara scarred!”
Sara shook her head and sighed. The way they all acted, you’d think she was still ten and prone to crying.
“You guys, it’s really not that big a—”
“We’ll take care of it. Y’all go on now.”
No. No. This wasn’t good. “Wait…”
Marrec’s nephews stared right at her and that look on their faces said they didn’t want an argument. She recognized that expression cause she got it from Marrec so often.
“Okay.”
Sara pulled away and she watched in her rear view the two men approach the much smaller man. Yeah, this would get real ugly real fast, but there was nothing she could do about it now.
*****
Zach watched Sara’s truck stop short again and he started to head over to find out what the hell was wrong with her driving, when that asshole’s cruel words rang out over the quiet town. In fact, every shifter on the street locked on the man like Zach had locked on a deer the night before. But before Zach could do anything, two of Marrec’s Pack headed over there first and dealt with it.
Christ, what was wrong with him? When did he get all pathetic and protective over some really annoying woman? Never. That’s when. And he wouldn’t start now.
Conall walked out of the diner and stood behind him. “I’m still hungry.”
Shaking his head, Zach watched Sara’s truck continue down the street while Marrec’s Pack taught a man how to cry. “You just had five plates of waffles. How are you still hungry?”
“I don’t see your point.”
“Forget it. My life’s too short for this discussion.”
“How about coffee?”
Zach shrugged. “Whatever. I saw a place up the street.”
