Slade (BBW Bear Shifter Moonshiner Romance) (120 Proof Honey Book 5) Read Online Free
Author: Becca Fanning
the decisions, you do.”
Her cheeks grew hot and she felt the anger building in her. “Shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about, okay?”
“Well, why don’t you tell me what you wanted to have happen yesterday, then?”
“First of all, I couldn’t very well go against my clanmates, could I? All five of you showed up, making the numbers even. If we had shown any sign of weakness or lack of solidarity, what do you think would have happened? You’re telling me the big, beefy blonde would have ignored that?”
He cocked his head to the side. “He would have done what I told him to.”
“Whatever. I couldn’t let us look weak, even if I didn’t agree. You know that’s true.”
“Fine. But you didn’t answer the question.”
“I don’t want them to attack you. I’ve forbidden them from stepping onto your property. But they often don’t listen to me.”
He threw his hands into the air. “You’re supposed to take them out if they don’t obey. You know that, right? Honestly, did you skip bear instincts day? Do you not know how all of this works?”
Veronica looked down at her hand. At the small half of a heart tattoo that no longer had a living match. “You don’t understand. But it doesn’t matter.”
“It does. If you can’t control your clan members, if you can’t lead them and make them obey, I’ll have no choice. We’ll have to take action.”
“And that means what, exactly?”
“My guys will go after them. Or attack if they come on our property again.”
“What did you want to have happen yesterday?” she asked.
“I was hoping to come to an agreement. To first of all, agree to keep off each other’s property. Then maybe, I don’t know. I guess I was being too optimistic.”
“What? What else were you hoping for?”
“That we could somehow work together instead of against each other?”
“In what way?”
He sighed. “I don’t know. In a perfect world? We form a company and all take part. With twice the manpower and resources, we could produce a lot more. Expand our market reach, expand our products. Be one big team instead of fighting for business.”
She laughed. “My clan would never go for that in a million years. We came here with plans to chase you guys out of town.”
His eye twitched as he glared. “Yeah, I sort of figured that after yesterday. I don’t know why you think you can just come in here and chase us out. Our roots are much deeper. And in two years, your business is the one suffering, not ours.”
Veronica hung her head. A lot of that was her fault. She hadn’t been working nearly as hard as she should be working. But she had so little fight left in her. There was too much pain for there to be enough room left for strong motivation and a good business sense. “I know,” she said quietly.
“Then why let this go on? At least stop trying to chase us out, and focus on your own marketing. That would be much better for business.”
“They won’t agree to that. They like the fight. They like the challenge.”
“Veronica. You have to take charge.”
She shook her head. “This isn’t my clan. That’s what you don’t get. That’s why they don’t listen, and I can’t do anything about it. It was my sister’s clan. She was the alpha. She was also my twin. She was killed three years ago and the clan fell to me. But I never wanted them. She put the clan together, not me. I was happy being on my own, or with just our family. She wanted to expand, she wanted a business group. She brought me in and I joined willingly, but I never would have started a clan with half of these ladies.”
His mouth parted slightly. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” She looked across the room, staring at the neon beer signs and dingy mirrors high on the wall. They had timed it just right so that the place was pretty dead. The lunch crowd had gone and the after work crowd hadn’t yet arrived. They were nearly alone, and the perceived
Her cheeks grew hot and she felt the anger building in her. “Shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about, okay?”
“Well, why don’t you tell me what you wanted to have happen yesterday, then?”
“First of all, I couldn’t very well go against my clanmates, could I? All five of you showed up, making the numbers even. If we had shown any sign of weakness or lack of solidarity, what do you think would have happened? You’re telling me the big, beefy blonde would have ignored that?”
He cocked his head to the side. “He would have done what I told him to.”
“Whatever. I couldn’t let us look weak, even if I didn’t agree. You know that’s true.”
“Fine. But you didn’t answer the question.”
“I don’t want them to attack you. I’ve forbidden them from stepping onto your property. But they often don’t listen to me.”
He threw his hands into the air. “You’re supposed to take them out if they don’t obey. You know that, right? Honestly, did you skip bear instincts day? Do you not know how all of this works?”
Veronica looked down at her hand. At the small half of a heart tattoo that no longer had a living match. “You don’t understand. But it doesn’t matter.”
“It does. If you can’t control your clan members, if you can’t lead them and make them obey, I’ll have no choice. We’ll have to take action.”
“And that means what, exactly?”
“My guys will go after them. Or attack if they come on our property again.”
“What did you want to have happen yesterday?” she asked.
“I was hoping to come to an agreement. To first of all, agree to keep off each other’s property. Then maybe, I don’t know. I guess I was being too optimistic.”
“What? What else were you hoping for?”
“That we could somehow work together instead of against each other?”
“In what way?”
He sighed. “I don’t know. In a perfect world? We form a company and all take part. With twice the manpower and resources, we could produce a lot more. Expand our market reach, expand our products. Be one big team instead of fighting for business.”
She laughed. “My clan would never go for that in a million years. We came here with plans to chase you guys out of town.”
His eye twitched as he glared. “Yeah, I sort of figured that after yesterday. I don’t know why you think you can just come in here and chase us out. Our roots are much deeper. And in two years, your business is the one suffering, not ours.”
Veronica hung her head. A lot of that was her fault. She hadn’t been working nearly as hard as she should be working. But she had so little fight left in her. There was too much pain for there to be enough room left for strong motivation and a good business sense. “I know,” she said quietly.
“Then why let this go on? At least stop trying to chase us out, and focus on your own marketing. That would be much better for business.”
“They won’t agree to that. They like the fight. They like the challenge.”
“Veronica. You have to take charge.”
She shook her head. “This isn’t my clan. That’s what you don’t get. That’s why they don’t listen, and I can’t do anything about it. It was my sister’s clan. She was the alpha. She was also my twin. She was killed three years ago and the clan fell to me. But I never wanted them. She put the clan together, not me. I was happy being on my own, or with just our family. She wanted to expand, she wanted a business group. She brought me in and I joined willingly, but I never would have started a clan with half of these ladies.”
His mouth parted slightly. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” She looked across the room, staring at the neon beer signs and dingy mirrors high on the wall. They had timed it just right so that the place was pretty dead. The lunch crowd had gone and the after work crowd hadn’t yet arrived. They were nearly alone, and the perceived
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