“You stupid mutt,” Cage growled as he yanked Lucas’s hands behind his back and cuffed him. It wasn’t hard. The wolf shifter didn’t resist. He was too busy laughing his ass off.
“What were you thinking?” Cage asked.
It was after ten on a Friday night, and Lucas LeBray had cold cocked another wolf shifter and started a brawl in the parking lot of Bear’s Bar. Cage had been drinking inside. From what he could tell, Lucas had done it deliberately.
Lucas was laughing because Cage had just fended off a drunk non-shifter by placing a hand on the man’s forehead and pushing him back, while the man, whose arms were too short to reach Cage, swung wildly in his direction.
“I’ve got to lock you up in case they,” he looked at the four unconscious wolves on the ground, “want to press charges.”
“They won’t, but I understand,” Lucas said between chuckles. “Do what you gotta do.”
Cage stuffed Lucas into the back of his cruiser and drove him the station. When they arrived, he yanked Lucas out—in no mood to be nice about it now his only night off this week was ruined—and hauled him inside.
One of Cage’s deputies greeted him as he entered, but he could barely respond as a familiar scent, sweet with need, almost brought him to his knees.
Ash.
Cage looked around, searching for her.
The scent was faint. She was obviously masking her heat.
It was a neat little trick some female shifters developed—usually those who didn’t like scratching the itch indiscriminately—but he was so attuned to her that he could still detect her lushness. Fresh, as if she was just there. He looked again but couldn’t see her. Shook his head to clear it.
Lucas. Deal with Lucas first then find her.
His lion rumbled in displeasure, and he pushed the wolf shifter forward, harder than was strictly necessary, annoyed when he didn’t even stumble.
Cage perp-walked him out the back to holding. It was unusually empty for a Friday night. The L-shaped corridor had cells lining both sides. He stopped outside the closest one and unlocked Lucas’s cuffs.
He was still thinking about Ash when Lucas turned and shoved Cage into the empty cell, slamming the door shut.
Cage growled and spun, reflexes kicking in an instant too late. It never would have happened with anyone else, but Lucas, in addition to being a pain in his ass, was also his best friend.
“What the hell? Let me out, you flea-bitten mongrel.”
Lucas didn’t reply, just tried the cell next to Cage and found it locked. Then he walked around the corner, out of sight, and calmly locked himself in an open cell he found there.
Cage heard the door clang shut. “Lucas . . .” He uttered the name like a threat then, calmer but exasperated, “. . . what are you doing?”
“Bear bet me that I couldn’t get you locked up in one of your own cages. Cage in a cage,” he snorted, voice floating around the corner. “Course, he knew I could do it. Wanted me to.”
“Why the hell does Bear want me locked up?”
“He’s got some side bet with Kelly. Doubt he’ll say what she’s giving him, but it’s enough that he’s finally letting me get my hands on his Jaguar. I’ve been hassling him for months, but he works on it himself. All it’s gonna cost me is a night in lock up.”
“Goddamned dog.” But Cage’s words carried less heat than might reasonably be expected given the situation. “Should have known this was about a car.” With Lucas, it was always about a car.
Another thought occurred to Cage. “The whole thing was a set up?”
“Well, we weren’t pullin’ our punches, but they’re wolves. Always up for a good fight.”
“I’m guessing they’re not likely to press charges?”
Lucas snorted.
Damn. Then Cage paused. “So why the hell did you lock yourself up?”
Lucas’s voice came, faux-shocked. “You mean resist arrest? Escape from jail? Those would be actual crimes.”
Silence.
Followed by, “Plus, only seemed fair.” Lucas might stitch up a buddy so he could get his hands on another buddy’s car, but his sense of justice was never far from the surface. Though he hid it well.
Cage knew it was no use yelling. The holding area was soundproofed. He could shout all night, and no-one would come.
He banged his forehead against the metal bars. Hard.
Resisted the urge to do it again.
It looked like he was spending the night behind bars.
In his own fucking sheriff’s department.