Nothing to Do With Pride Read Free

“He’s wonderful,” he sighed.
    “Eww.” KC mimicked, though it was hard to sound disdainful while smiling himself. It was good to see the sheriff happy. When they’d first met, KC had sensed Lou was a lonely bear. Now that he had James, it was as though the man had a new lease on life. Nothing bothered him for long, and the days he came into the station happy far outnumbered the rare bouts of grumpiness.
    “You’re changing the subject,” Lou reminded him.
    Damn.
    “I’ve located a few sightings of a particularly aggressive coyote that appears to be heading east. Dennis said she has a boy in Albany,” KC said.
    “Huh. I might need to work with Dennis and hunt her down online. If she isn’t in her right mind, she might unwittingly harm someone. We need to get her the appropriate care and make sure she can’t harm others. If you’re right, we need to stop her before she gets to

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her child.” The sheriff frowned as he obviously tried to think of the right path to take. KC
    knew it was a quandary. Did they try to save her, or put her down like a rabid animal?
    KC shrugged. He didn’t know how concerned parents responded when they thought their child was in trouble. KC’s parents would’ve thrown a party. After all, he was the abomination who loved men.
    “Do you have any problems travelling with Dennis? I have no doubt he’s going to want to go along.”
    “Why would I?”
    The sheriff gave him a long look. “Some think he’s untrustworthy since he betrayed Payce.”
    “Some people should think about what they’d do if one of their loved ones was captured,” he said in a biting tone. Remembering the sad expression in the coyote’s eyes had him losing sympathy for others.
    “True.” Louis nodded. His smug expression told KC he’d just fallen into one of the sheriff’s traps.
    “Ugh.” KC rolled his eyes.
    The door opened again revealing Dennis, who cast a nervous glance at the large bear shifter.
    KC looked between the sheriff and Dennis. “I’m supposed to have dinner with Dennis tonight. Did you need me to stay?” He didn’t like the look in Lou’s eyes as he looked the coyote over.
    “It’s okay. I haven’t mauled anyone for a couple of days. I think I have it under control.” Lou gave Dennis a smirk, but his eyes didn’t hold any hint of welcome.
    Dennis gave him a weak smile even as the stench of fear filled the room.
    The sheriff rolled his eyes at KC. “Go have dinner. I’ll wrap things up here before I lock up for the night.”
    “Thanks.” KC jumped at the chance. Dennis looked as though he was going to have a heart attack if he spent another minute in the sheriff’s company.
    KC shut down his computer then headed for the door. “Come on, Dennis. We have reservations at Marks.” The only steakhouse in town, Marks had opened four years ago to the delight of the shifter population. However, because of the size of the restaurant, shifters

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generally had to make reservations months in advance…and after a memorable visit from Talan’s lion pride, they now had to mention what type of shifter they were.
    “How did you get reservations there? I thought you needed to reserve months in advance?”
    Obviously Dennis knew of the restaurant’s reputation. KC shrugged. “I helped them with a problem once and they said I could come by anytime.”
    He wasn’t going to tell Dennis he’d broken into the restaurant owner’s ex-accountant’s bank account and taken back all the money he’d embezzled from the restaurant. It was next to impossible for shifters to get justice for their problems. Although there were shifter courts, politics between species often made true justice impossible when tried by a jury of mixed-species shifter peers. KC had cut through all the red tape and, as a result, had the unswerving devotion of the family of hawks. He’d never eaten at their restaurant before, but when he’d called, they assured him they would find a table.
    The