Shifted Perceptions (Alpha Division) by C.E. Black Read Free Book Online Page B

something, we were interrupted, as a shadow fell over the table blocking the light from the lamp hanging above us. Stone didn’t turn to look at the intruder, but his eyes darkened to a shade I hadn’t seen yet. A lesser woman might have been shaking in her boots, but I wasn’t a lesser woman. I was intrigued.
    I tore my eyes away from his angry expression and looked up, way up at the man that stood in front of us. He was huge, his muscles stretching his plaid shirt , as he towered over us. His brown hair was shaggy, his face gruff and for a moment his blue eyes sparkled down at me before they became flat and expressionless, as he turned his attention to Stone.
    “What do you want, Ben?”
    “Sir, I need to talk to you.”
    “So talk!” I turned to Stone, surprised by his nasty attitude. Did he know who, or what, he was talking to? Ben wasn’t human and he wasn’t the type of shifter you messed with and lived to tell about it.
    “Business, Sir,” Ben said, never breaking eye contact with Stone, his posture defiant.
    Stone narrowed his eyes, obviously displeased with both the interruption and Ben’s attitude. He stared at him a moment longer, his jaw ticking , before he finally turned back to me. I raised an eyebrow and watched, fascinated, when his expression softened. Not by much, but enough to put someone at ease.
    “Sorry, but I have to deal with this. You’ll be okay here?”
    “Yeah,” I waved my hand and nodded. “Go take care of business. I don’t want your bar to suffer because you were having a drink with me instead of working.” I lifted my beer and took a swallow, as he stood, shaking his head. “I’ll be right back,” he said and walked away with Ben on his heels.
    I watched them turn the corner into the back hallway, then shifted my attention to the rest of the bar .
    One guy caught my attention, mostly because he was the only shifter in the room not watching me out of the corner of his eyes. He was a lion shifter with golden hair that hung down to his shoulders and he was leaning forward, holding the hand of the woman seated in front of him. She was staring at him like he was her world and I wondered what such a loving couple was doing in a gang like this. I also wondered where the rest of his harem was.
    Two more females glided past me and headed toward the couple. And there they were, I thought , as they both sat down on either side of the male. I didn’t want to sound stereotypical, but most lion shifters were polygamous, both the women and the men, though, I’d run across a few that weren’t.
    The four of them looked comfortable and as the two new women looked at the man and he them, the same love shined in their eyes. Hmm, a loving foursome, a pride for all intents and purposes, were part of a n organization that dealt in drugs, weapons, and murder. I narrowed my eyes in thought, as I glanced around at the rest of the people in the bar. I found more couples slow dancing, one even making out in the corner. These people didn’t look like killers to me.
    Then my eyes caught sight of Flick and Flack or I should say Puckered Lips and Smiley. They were sitting on the other side of the room, glaring holes into my forehead. I smiled, waved, and drank in the glory of their scowls, especially when I saw the nasty bruise Puckered Lips was sporting. Smiley wasn’t so smiley tonight either. My grin widened just for them. The room was filled with more assholes than I thought.
    “You know , you shouldn’t taunt them.”
    I looked up at Stone, smiling for all I was worth. “I wasn’t taunting them, I was just saying hello.” I looked around him, but didn’t see Ben anywhere.
    “Sure, you were. And earlier today you were just offering them coffee and cakes when they came for a visit.”
    “My mama taught me to be the perfect hostess,” I winked
    “Well, I have to say, I am impressed by your hosting skills. Surprised actually.” He raised an eyebrow , as he looked me over, taking in my