Meow Or Never: BBW SEAL Shifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (Chicago Catastrophe) Read Online Free Page A

didn’t exactly fit in with the traditional sense of it.
    First time for everything.
    The building wasn’t particularly big or otherwise noteworthy, but it looked respectable enough. The flashing signs were kept to a minimum and both the exterior and interior were well-maintained.
    A ‘closed for maintenance’ sign hung on the window, meaning a new shipment had come in. Troy had to bang on the doors for a bit before one of Dempsy’s guys let him in.
    “Morning,” he muttered to Daily, the guy who let him in.
    All he received was a quiet nod, strain evident on his face.
    So Dempsy’s having one of his days, Troy mused, shoving his hands in his pockets.
    Nothing got a bunch of big, scary Crimson Claws guys on edge like Dempsy on one of his crusades. He made his way to his boss’ office, feet falling softly on the red carpet under his shoes. The walls were shiny marble, with matching columns spaced out between the slot machines and card tables.
    Reaching the back, he noticed Dempsy had added two more men to guard his door, in addition to Lucky and Grit.
    Paranoid or just adequately concerned?
    The casino business had flourished under Dempsy’s management, but there were whispers he had a problem with discretion. What that exactly meant, Troy didn’t know. He only got to know what he was told and asking around too much was never a good idea when dealing with the likes of Dempsy and the rest of the Crimson Claws upper echelon. Not after what had been going on lately.
    Dempsy was a lieutenant in the shifter organization practically controlling Chicago from the bottom up. He was in charge of the Bridgeport area, making sure the local business owners knew their place and that the drug trade was flourishing.
    Troy’s face scrunched up in distaste when he thought of how many lives Dempsy was ruining by flooding the streets with cheap cocaine and heroin. Even though he himself had no contact with that part of the business, he still felt dirty by association.
    But he had known what he was getting into when he accepted this job. All he could do now was to grin and bear it while hoping he could leave it all behind sooner rather than later.
    The Crimson Claws had similar setups all across Chicago, collecting protection money and running less than legal businesses. Everyone knew of them, including law enforcement, but were careful not to step on their toes.
    The organization had strict procedures in place, making sure evidence of their actions was tough to find. That also meant that people who talked too loud or wanted to know too much often became… hard to find.
    Which was where Troy came in. Making people disappear was something he was unbeatable at, and the Claws knew it.
    He hadn’t worked for the organization for that long, only about a year, but he knew things were rapidly getting shakier within the upper ranks, which meant more work for him. The mysterious big boss, known to the lower members only as River, was cleaning house and no one was safe.
    The Claws had been steadily taking over the criminal enterprise in Chicago, growing in both influence and numbers. But some of the lieutenants, Parker and Holland in particular, had really screwed things up as of late. Their bad decisions had left the organization vulnerable, and River needed to regain control.
    If Troy was being summoned, that meant River was going the extreme route.
    Troy nodded to the men at the door of his boss’ office and let himself in. Dempsy Selleck was seated behind his large mahogany desk, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his leather chair. Beside him stood Culliver, Dempsy’s right hand man and trusted ally.
    While Dempsy was short and average-looking for a tiger shifter in general, Culliver definitely stood out. He was a tall, broad man with harsh features and black, slicked back hair.
    “We’ve been waiting,” Dempsy commented, clearly annoyed.
    “I’m here now,” Troy replied, sinking into one of the chairs facing his boss.
    Dempsy