Page 80 of Mafia Prince (Paranormal Delights 1)
Each of them was doing their jobs efficiently and even the latest hire seemed to be a hit. Jaygen’s nerves settled as there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary to look out for. He'd been on alert every night since the attack. Sure, Ozni compelled them, but it had been proven over the years that that was no longer good enough. Humans tended to remember one way or another.
Jaygen bid his client farewell and turned just in time to find a large man walking briskly toward Foi's section. Jaygen's hair rose on the back of his neck as he noticed the way the man headed for the booth. He moved without thought; no one, and he meant no one, touched or came after what was his.
"Hey, you fucking wife stealer!" The man cocked his fist back and Jaygen was there grabbing the man's wrist before he could throw his punch. He tightened his hold until the man winced and his knees buckled slightly. Jaygen inhaled and caught a whiff of wolf.
The man growled, but Jaygen didn't falter; he met the challenge in his eyes head-on. Tense silence blanketed them as they stood there in a stare-off. Jaygen's tiger was pacing, more than ready to shred this piece of shit apart. He'd dared come in and threaten someone important to Jaygen.
Mine.His tiger growled.
"Arnold, stop! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," a woman said. She ran to them just as the man broke the stare-off.
Jaygen recognized her as one of their regulars. She had VIP status; she'd purchased one of their packages and was often in the bar. No doubt her husband had gotten the wrong idea. They were a host bar, not a brothel.
"I'm so sorry," she said hurriedly again.
"I will have to ask for you folks to please leave," Arden said as he moved over toward them.
"Fuck that. This wolf is trying to steal my wife," the man growled.
Foi rolled his eyes but the werewolf bulked up and stepped toward the stranger. Jaygen quickly pulled him away. They couldn't cause a scene and he knew all too well how fickle Foi's control over his wolf was.
The woman looked panicked. "I told you he has nothing to do with it."
"Bullshit! You spend your money on him," the man growled back at the woman.
Arden cleared his throat. "I can assure you none of my hosts have a relationship with their clients." Arden lifted his hand before the man could argue. His eyes shifted.The whites of Arden's eyes went black and his iris turned a fiery red and his pupils formed into a diamond shape. "Unless you have evidence of such a matter, I again request that you leave my establishment peacefully. It will be my final time asking so politely."
"Arnold, come on please, I'm not with any of them. I'm leaving you for your brother," she blurted out once it seemed as if the man wasn't going to budge.
Foi burst with laughter and Jaygen sighed. Sometimes customers created the most unnecessary drama. Arden's eyes went back to normal and he called for one of the security guards to take care of their drama-filled guests.
"Talk about a drama queen," Foi said.
Jaygen ignored him and went to handle his next task of cleaning up his booth and closing everything up for the night. Foi's hand around his wrist stopped him.
"You came all the way over here to rescue me?"
Jaygen turned toward the wolf shifter. Foi's golden-flaked eyes were full of mischief. When had that started to make Jaygen smile?
"I protect what is mine and that doesn’t just include Porter," Jaygen finally answered.
Foi's mouth dropped open and Jaygen couldn't help but smile at the fact he'd effectively shut the wolf up. "Finish with your clients and clean up. Cyrus is already covering for you, mutt." Jaygen walked away.
Just as he was finishing up, Arden met him over at the booth.
"Jaygen, there have been more and more instances of trouble around here. And I've noticed the influx of Manettis around the city," Arden said.
Jaygen went still and a chill trickled down his spine. "And?"
Arden sighed. "They have been looking for a certain human, asking around about him."
"But?"
"They haven't figured out he’s here yet, but they’re too close for comfort," Arden stressed.
Jaygen's plan was better than it had been, but there was still so much he needed to iron out.
"So I suggest you take everyone somewhere for a bit and soon," Arden said. The dragon waved his hand at Jaygen's cocked brow. " Don't worry about work, I'll get it covered. Keep him safe, Jaygen."
