Ethan ran up behind him, still human, and retrieved the weapons before punching the henchman in the face. He got out of the way as Simon crushed the car around Castellano, as he created a cage to trap and maybe kill the bastard. Castellano screamed, high-pitched and desperate, as a grizzly bear landed in his lap.
Ethan went to help a wide-eyed Zoe limp from the other side of the car, easing her over to the truck so she could sit down, and the scent of her fear and a hint of relief brought Simon back to his senses. He shook off the rage and reasserted control of the bear, sliding back to human so he could reach through the window to grab the front of Castellano's shirt. He wrenched the pale man forward until their noses almost touched, and Simon's voice remained half-bear as he growled. "Listen to me, and remember every word I say. Zoe is off limits. If there is so much as a whisper of you getting near her, I will fucking end you. I will rip your face off and tear your heart from inside your chest. You got it?"
The mob boss's mouth worked soundlessly as he stared at Simon, eyes wide and uncomprehending. Simon shook him,didn't care about blood that splattered from a deep cut on Castellano's cheek or that Simon was stark naked after the shift. All he could hear was Zoe's panicked breathing, and the almost-hyperventilation of her whispers to Ethan. Simon bellowed an inhuman, enraged sound. He bared his teeth, on the verge of going back to bear form. "You call every single one of your little friends and tell them she's protected. If anyone looks at her sideways, you will be the one paying the price. You better use every means at your disposal to keep your fuckheads away from her. Got it?"
Castellano gurgled in his throat and managed to stop screaming long enough to say, "Fine. Fine. I'll call it off. She'll be fine. It's all fine. Just — call a goddamn ambulance. I think my legs are broken."
"Fucking suffer," Simon said and threw him back against the seat. He snarled again at the bruiser in the backseat, despite the man being unconscious, and turned to face where Zoe sat next to the truck. He struggled for calm as he walked up to her and Ethan retreated, muttering something about keeping the mob boss alive long enough to send the message not to kill her.
Zoe shook and shivered, eyes still glued to the sedan and the two men trapped inside. She whispered, "Is he still mad?"
"No," he said, and Simon cleared his throat as his voice came out all rough and rocky. Maybe making bear noises while in human form wasn't a great idea for the vocal cords. He crouched in front of her and held her shoulders, desperate to comfort her. "You're safe, Zoe. He's not going to bother you anymore."
"Are you sure?" She blinked tears away as she looked up at him, and Simon's heart broke.
He took a deep breath and started checking her over for any damage from the car wreck. "I had a little talk with him. He knows to stay away from you."
Zoe took a shaky breath then flushed bright red and held her hands up in front of her. "You're naked."
Simon looked down at himself and sighed. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead, holding her face in his hands. "You'll get used to it eventually." But he pulled a set of coveralls from the bed of the truck and slid into them before he helped her to her feet.
Zoe leaned against his chest, hiding her face against him, and said, "I did something bad."
"Nothing you did could be —"
"I told him I gave the money back." She looked up at him, guilt making her adorable until Simon wanted to kiss every inch of her face. "But I didn't. I just put it somewhere else."
Simon bit back a laugh, squeezing her tight against his chest until he could rub his chin on her head. "Do you really need all that money, Zoe?"
"I only kept a little," she said. She leaned against him, as if too tired to stand on her own, and her arms linked around his back. Simon wanted to carry her away to some place warm and safe. Zoe sighed and nuzzled against him. "I put most of it in the charity fund for the people who were hurt. But I saved a little. I've been thinking of buying some land."
"Land?" Simon looked up with a frown at the sound of approaching vehicles. He picked out Finn and Cooper and Noah, but a couple of other SUVs and farm trucks rolled through the grass as well. He breathed easier when he saw Rosie in the lead, her eyes narrowed in fury. The cougar had claws and didn't take kindly to outsiders threatening her friends. Simon rubbed Zoe's back and looked in the truck for something that would keep her warmer. "What are you talking about?"
"Land," she said, gesturing back at where the lodge waited, far beyond the town. "You said there was a bunch for sale and you wanted to build cabins. I thought we could —"
She trailed off, uncertain, and he took a breath to reassure her. It was the best idea he'd heard in a long time. But Zoe's expression froze and Simon's heart sank — something behind him scared her. Something he had zero chance of surviving, from the look on her face. He braced himself for the inevitable, and hoped he would at least save her before he died.
18
ZOE
As if almost being killed by Joey and then nearly dying in a car wreck — for the second time in as many days! — wasn't bad enough, just as she tried to tell Simon she wanted to stay with him, a freaking mountain lion jumped up from the bed of the truck and launched itself through the air at them.
A mountain lion.
She grabbed Simon and tried to wrench him out of the way, but succeeded only in hurting her back before the cat's paws collided with Simon's shoulders and threw them both to the ground. She squeaked as he knocked the air out of her, and Simon rolled, shouting at Ethan. Zoe gasped for air, waiting for the claws and teeth and blood.
Instead Tate stood up, totally naked but with two angry red weals on his chest, and scowled down at Simon. "You son of a bitch."
Zoe stared at him. Her thoughts didn't quite connect. She looked for the mountain lion, but there was only Tate. Simon lurched to his feet, standing over Zoe to prevent Tate fromgetting any closer. "What the hell, man? I thought you were dead."
"You never said you were a grizzly," Tate said, teeth bared.
Zoe looked between him and Simon, struggling to catch up. Dead?
Simon threw his arms out in exasperation. "Well,younever said you're a cat."
"A mountain lion, dick. Not a cat." Tate kept scowling as he shoved past Simon to help Zoe up, and she found herself once again faced with a naked man's business. Herbrother'snaked business.
