Wild by Eve Langlais Read Free Book Online Page A

gas.”
    â€œWhat do you mean ‘it’s out of gas’?”
    â€œIt hasn’t worked in a few days.”
    â€œAnd yet you kept it in your pocket.”
    â€œGive a hoot, don’t pollute, man. And you know what Smokey says.”
    â€œYeah, he says you’re an idiot and a disgrace to bearkind.”
    â€œGot any matches?”
    â€œWhy the hell would I carry around matches? Some of us respect our bodies and don’t smoke. What happened to that other lighter you had, the green one you’ve been lighting those cigarettes with?”
    â€œIt’s in my pack of smokes, which I left in the car.”
    Slap .
    â€œOw. What was that for?”
    â€œBeing a moron. Get your fat ass out to that car and grab it.”
    â€œI’m gonna tell the boss you hit me.”
    â€œGo ahead. He’ll probably hit you, too, for whining.”
    â€œAsshole.”
    Naked, but still very human, Brody had only seconds before the bear exited the office.
    And boy was that thug surprised when he saw a huge Siberian tiger waiting for him with a smile full of sharp teeth.
    Brody didn’t make a sound. Tigers rarely did on a hunt, but they did so love to pounce.
    His front paws hit the man in the chest, and they went down with a hard thump. Unlike a human, though, the man he attacked didn’t stay surprised for long. Nor did he remain human. Clothing tore as his opponent’s big brown bear burst free.
    Teddy! His tiger made a happy chuffing noise.
    Now that was more sporting. Brody did so enjoy a challenge. Snarling at the bear’s mini roar, they exchanged swipes of their paws. Of course his did more damage. Brody’s retractable claws were much sharper and deadlier—he kept them honed on a salvaged piece of wood he kept in his living room that he told visitors was a unique sculpture. Funny what a person could pass off as art.
    As he and the bear snarled and snapped at each other, he could hear the other attacker shout, “What the hell is going on out there?”
    What were the odds he wouldn’t come and see?
    Zero.
    The other thug stuck his head out of the door. The whites of his eyes widened. “A fucking tiger. Shit. I heard about him. That’s Garoux’s man. You can’t let him leave. Take care of him while I take care of the girl.”
    The first was laughable. If anyone was gonna get schooled in this battle, it was the bear who squirmed underneath him. But the part that chilled him was the reference to Lulu. Like hell was anyone taking care of her other than him.
    Ignoring the furry toy beneath him, Brody sprang for the door, in time to see the other bear furiously shaking and clicking a lighter. Before Brody could pounce, a feeble flame flickered, not much, not long, but enough to ignite the piece of paper held to it.
    The thug waved the lit sheet in front of Brody as he stalked closer. “Stay back, furball, or I’ll drop it on the girl.”
    Look who was calling who a furball. Another time, he would have taken the time to get offended and draw the bout out. Given the office reeked of whiskey, an accelerant, this probably wasn’t the time. The last thing he wanted in here was a fire.
    So he did the only thing he could.
    Surrender?
    Hell no. He blew.
    In his mind, it seemed like the right thing to do. It always worked on his birthday cakes, even as the number of candles increased every year. But on a burning, flaking piece of paper?
    Embers scattered, the force of his breath actually brightening them as they drifted, much like dust motes, to settle on the desk and all around. Under usual circumstances, they would have flickered out, a paper firefly run out of fuel. But alcohol was a superfood when it came to feeding flames. Drop even the tiniest ember into a puddle and whoosh .
    The instant ignition created immediate heat and smoke.
    Worse, the alcohol allowed the fire to spread wide and fast. In no time, the flames licked the entire