Taggart’s gaze snapped to something on the floor, and he jerked in his seat. “Fucking fuck.”
It was only then that Tate noticed the black mamba slithering along the wooden planks. He looked at Havana, who gave him a reassuring smile and said, “It’s fine, she won’t bite.”
She probably wouldn’t unless ordered to by Havana, but Taggart didn’t look so convinced of that. He was eyeing the serpent like it had come straight from the bowels of hell.
Exuding an air of cool that he absolutely did not feel, Tate grabbed the spare chair, twisted it, and then straddled it. “It’s Malcolm, right?” He twisted his mouth. “I had an uncle named Malcolm. Distant uncle. He was an alcoholic. Compulsive gambler, too. Died in a car accident. Very sad.”
“I thought his name was Mick,” said Luke, his brow creasing.
Vinnie shook his head. “No, it was Malcolm. That man was his own worst enemy. He never knew what was best for him.” Vinnie looked at the cheetah. “I hope for your sake that we can’t say the same about you.”
“If he knew what was best for him, he wouldn’t have shot Havana,” said Tate, flexing his fingers.
Taggart swallowed. “I told you, I didn’t know she was under your protection.”
Like that made a single bit of difference to Tate or his cat. “Maybe you didn’t initially. But it doesn’t really matter either way. The fact is you did come after her. And so we came after you. Now, this boss of yours … tell me about him.”
“I don’t know his name. He never gave it. He called me one day, said someone recommended me to him, and told me that he’d like to add me to his payroll. When he wants someone dead, he calls me.”
Alex slipped his hands in his pockets. “And you make it happen, huh?”
Taggart forced a shrug, doing a poor imitation of nonchalant. “I do what I gotta do to survive.”
“Bullshit,” said Alex. “You chose the easy way. You could have done what the three loners here have done. You could have lived a normal life, worked a normal job, sought protection in other ways. You decided not to.”
Tate tipped his head toward Havana. “You see that mark on her neck, Malcom? I put that there. Not just because I’m somewhat possessive, but because I like seeing my mate wear the imprint of my teeth on her skin.”
Taggart’s eyes widened, and the blood left his face. His legs tensed, as if he were getting ready to run. But no one had to point out that he wasn’t going anywhere. “Look … I didn’t know she was yours, man.”
“Doesn’t matter if you did or you didn’t,” said Tate, his voice dangerous. “You pumped three bullets into her. Into my mate. That’s not something a man like me would or could ever forgive.” Tate still couldn’t get the footage of the drive-by out of his head. He wasn’t sure he ever would.
Taggart flinched as the mamba began to ever so slowly slither up his leg. “I told you, it wasn’t personal.”
“It was just a job, right. The shifter who tried kidnapping Havana told us that very same thing. Your boss sent him after her. He likes to sell loners at auction. Did you know that?” By the sheer shock on Taggart’s face, the answer was no. “He’s pissed because she apprehended her kidnapper and none of us will simply forget what happened.”
“I didn’t know he was doing that shit.” Taggart flinched again as the mamba slid along his thigh toward his chest.
“I doubt it would have made much of a difference to you if you had. Now … it seems your boss has jaguar shifters working for him. Do you know anything about that?”
Taggart’s eyes sharpened. “Jaguars?”
Everything in Tate stood up and paid attention. “Tell me what you know.” Because it was clear the asshole knew something.
The cheetah licked his lips. “What’s in it for me if I tell you?”
“Simple.” Tate held up the cheetah’s phone, showing one of the photos Luke had found. “I won’t hunt down and kill the woman you’re all cozy with here.”
Dread flashed across Taggart’s face, but he quickly blanked his expression. “She’s no one to me. I hardly know her.”
Alex snorted. “You’re not a very good liar, Mal.”
The cheetah squeezed his eyes shut as the mamba put her head level to his. She flicked out her tongue, letting it touch the side of his face. “Can someone please get it off me?”
“She won’t bite,” Havana assured him, thoroughly enjoying his discomfort. She shrugged one shoulder, adding, “Well, not unless I tell her to.” And after listening to him try to justify the fact that he’d tried to kill her twice, Havana was seriously tempted to signal for the mamba to strike. Her devil would rather take care of him herself.
Aspen’s nose wrinkled. “Well, there was that time she bit a hyena without your say-so. You remember?”
Havana waved that away. “She was pissed that day.”
“She’s pissed today,” said Aspen.
Havana slanted her head. “You make a valid point.” She almost chuckled when Taggart swore beneath his breath, trembling.
He opened his eyes but didn’t look at the snake, as if intent on pretending she wasn’t there.
“We have shit to do, Malcom,” said Havana. “We don’t have time for you to deliberate on just how much the life of that woman in the photo means to you. Either she matters to you or she doesn’t. But be aware that we will get the information out of you one way or another. You might as well willingly part with it and save her life in the process.”
Sweat beading his upper lip, Taggart stared at her mate, a plea in his eyes. “I wouldn’t have hurt the devil if I’d known she meant something to you.”
“So you’ve said before,” Tate told him. “I don’t know why you keep repeating it.”
“Apparently he thinks it’ll be enough to make you let him go.” Luke snickered. “Even if you could forgive him, Havana wouldn’t. And, Mal, just one word from her will have that mamba sinking her fangs into you. Appeals are pointless.”
“Utterly pointless,” Tate agreed. “You’re going to die tonight. It’s going to hurt. A lot. And none of us will feel in the least bit bad about it, considering you not only shot Havana, you’ve been executing people for a while now. But if you tell me what you know about those jaguar shifters, I will not hunt down this woman in the photo—I swear that to you. I will leave her be and forget she exists. But if you don’t tell us what we want to know, I will do to this woman what you did to mine—only I won’t give her a quick death. No, she’ll suffer. Hard. Maybe I’ll even keep you alive so you can watch it happen. And you can explain to her that she wouldn’t have had to go through that agony if you had just done the right thing by her.”
Fear flickered across the cheetah’s face. “Fuck.”
Havana knew that, in reality, Tate would never hurt a woman. Knew he would never make one person pay for another person’s actions. But Taggart clearly believed Tate meant what he said, which was what mattered.
Tate lifted a brow. “So, what’s it gonna be?”