How did the man who had robbed me manage to sound more like a jealous lover?
I grabbed his wrist, though he hadn't been about to run. "It doesn't matter what I was going to do with that money. It matters that you took it from me. You stole from me. You know, there are some cultures where you would lose a hand for this. Did you? Did…why do you look like that?"
Kansas had turned a worrying shade of green. He swayed on his feet. "Like wha—nothing! Shut up!" Kansas's toppling weight landed against one of the cars parked on the curb. He looked like he might have fallen right over if the car hadn't been there. His gaze was unfocused, and he blinked rapidly. "Fuck, you're powerful. What are you on, buddy?"
He sounded so angry, but I wasn't sure why. Because I was so strong? I flexed. Truthfully, I'd been running on pure adrenaline from the moment I'd left Walker County on the hunt for Kansas. My predator's instinct had leapt into overdrive, and finding Kansas had become the most important thing. I felt the stimulant coursing through me now, an alpha's worth of pure jet fuel.
"I can't," he panted, wincing. "I'd blow up."
I went over the last few minutes, trying to decide when Kansas had hit his head. I'd stood between him and the bartender when we'd been tossed out. I didn't think he'd been touched at all during that time. He wasn't making a lot of sense now. Though I felt vaguely flattered, which was nice.
"Fine!" He pushed off the car, throwing his hands in the air. "Turn here!" Kansas pulled me down a narrow street. It looked just like the type of alley you might turn down if you were expecting to get murdered by a serial killer wearing a clown mask.
"Where are we going?"
"The motel. There's only one in this town. I can't take you to the wrong one, if that's what you're thinking."
No, I was more concerned with the fact that he'd clearly taken this route before now. The only road in this town that looked like it might be dangerous. La-di-da, like he couldn't be murdered without the world batting an eye. Before I found him, there'd been no one looking out for him.
"Just take me to my money. That's all I want, Kansas."
The very tips of his cheeks burned a bright red. This wasn't the pink blush of embarrassment, but the flush of fury. He was gorgeous.
We traveled the rest of the way in silence. The motel wound up being a collection of cabins in a gravel lot. They were arranged in plots of four. Kansas stomped to the far left cabin; the gravel crunched angrily.
At the short steps that led to the front door, he paused and turned around. "Please close the door quickly. Mr. Boots has been very nervous since we came here, I think because of the ferry. Mr. Boots hates the water."
Mr. Boots? Who the hell was that? I hadn't smelled another man on Kansas when I'd caught up with him at that bar. Kansas spoke of him like he was a child. He cracked open the door, and Kansas slipped like an eel through the crack. I hurried after, so worried I'd take too long I ended up crashing into his backside in my haste. He fell forward, and I lunged, snagging my hand around his waist a second too late to keep him from falling. I overcorrected in the opposite direction.
I couldn't stop us from falling, so I snapped Kansas to my chest, holding him tightly before we landed with my back against the porch. The rim of the door dug into my lower spine, and the steps dug between my shoulders. That was going to bruise.
I groaned and pushed my upper half up at the exact same moment something small and furry bolted from inside the cabin. I reacted on instinct, reaching out and grabbing the thing with whatever part I was fast enough to wrap my fingers around. In the very next second, I was the proud new holder of an extremely pissed-off cat. At least, I thought it was a cat. I'd gotten him by the tail, and he fought mightily.
"You're hurting him!" Kansas shrieked. "Let go!"
I let go, and the fur-demon sprinted off.
"You let him get away!" Kansas scrambled to his feet, stepping on my arm in his haste to get down the stairs. He followed the creature to a tree and then stopped, peering up into the branches. "Mr. Boots, come on! We don't have time for this!"
I shut his cabin door, in case there were more cats looking for an escape, and joined Kansas beneath the tree to get my first clear look. Mr. Boots was a large cat, though I couldn't be sure how much of his bulk was due to his long, curly fur. Mostly black, with huge white splotches, his fur was extremely long, but also uneven, so that huge tufts stuck out in odd places. His eyes were neon green and appeared cross-eyed, though his most distinctive feature was likely the thick black fur that lined both eyes like makeup. He stared down at us with his tongue stuck partly out of his mouth. To put it nicely, Mr. Boots looked slightly deranged.
The sneaky, gorgeous thief didn't seem to notice his cat looked more like something that might live under children's beds to scare them at night. "Mr. Boots! I'll leave you here! Do you hear me?"
"Does threatening your cat usually work?" I asked, making Kansas jump like he'd forgotten I was there.
"I don't normally have to threaten him. You must scare him," Kansas snapped.
I liked his anger; that much was clear. And I liked it the most when it was unreasonable. "You stole from me, Kansas. That puts the fault for everything that happened because of that on your shoulders. Obviously."
Kansas huffed, sliding his hands up and down the tree trunk. He clenched his fingers over a knot in the trunk and pulled, but he couldn't carry very much of his weight, and he lost his grip. "Okay, yes, I'm hearing you," he said while continuing to look up the tree instead of at me. "But you also kept an insane amount of money in a plain envelope in your safe. I didn't take the bank pouches, I didn't take the money in the register, and I didn't even borrow a bottle of liquor."
"Thank you for not robbing me harder?"
"You're welcome," Kansas said, propping his foot a quarter up the trunk. He pushed off, propelling his body upward about three inches before falling.
I nudged him out of the way and peered up, locating the cat in a second. "That wasn't a real thank you."
I jumped and grabbed the cat by the scruff of his neck. I braced him against my chest, earning his claws in my beautiful skin for my troubles. The moment my feet touched the ground, he leapt from my chest and soared over Kansas's head, darting into a line of bushes that marked the edge of the motel property.
Kansas ran after him.
"I don't have time to chase your deranged cat!" I yelled, but he acted like he hadn't heard me. The attendant I'd purchased my round-trip ferry ticket from had been very clear about the last ferry leaving town by five PM sharp. It had been half 'til four by the time I found Kansas, and now it had to be much later. Of course, I could've driven around the long way even if the ferry departed without me, except I'd left my car in the long-term parking at the port. I hadn't expected to stay in town for long, and I hunted better on my feet, so it had made sense at the time. "Give me my money, Kansas."
Kansas pulled his head out of the bush he'd stuck it in. A twig with a single leaf stuck from the top of his hair, and my fingers itched to flick it away, maybe brush back his hair from his forehead.