Now Jimmy turned to Monty, rage in his eyes.

No pretense now of coming to see family. Most likely, the storm that had struck Toland wasn’t the only reason Jimmy needed to leave that city. But he’d come to Lakeside expecting free room and board. He hadn’t considered how little help Sissy would be able to give him.

No one else within hearing of this little drama had said a thing until Captain Burke broke the silence.

“Lieutenant. Your brother—”

“Will stay here.” Simon Wolfgard walked into A Little Bite, flanked by Vlad and Henry.

Seeing Jimmy’s eyes widen, Monty turned in his seat. Wolfgard looked human but couldn’t pass for human. This was a leader staring down an enemy, and there was no doubt in Monty’s mind that a wrong move now would start a slaughter.

“Mr. Wolfgard.” Monty kept his voice quiet and courteous. “This is my brother, Cyrus James Montgomery. Jimmy.”

“I know who he is,” Simon growled.

Since Simon continued to stare at Jimmy, Monty glanced at Burke, who met his eyes. The message in those fierce blue eyes was clear: keep it smooth, Lieutenant.

Never easy to do when Jimmy was tangled up in something.

Simon dropped a single key on the table. He handed a second key to Monty, his amber eyes never leaving Jimmy’s face. “You can use the apartment above Lieutenant Montgomery’s during your visit. We have rules. There are consequences if you break them. The apartments belong to the Courtyard. You do not let other humans into the building without our permission. We do not permit drugs on our land. If we find them in your den or smell them on your body or clothes, you, your mate, and your pups will be driven out of our territory—and our territory where you’re concerned is the city of Lakeside. Lieutenant Montgomery, as police, has a key to your apartment. So do I. We will check the apartment whenever we choose.”

“The key to the outer door?” Monty asked quietly.

“Not necessary. The door will be open during the day. It will be locked at dusk. The guard has a key and will open the outside door for anyone who has permission to enter the building. Anyone else is a trespasser.”

Remembering the Trespassers Will Be Eaten signs posted on the Courtyard roads, Monty shivered.

“You will be allowed to purchase food and merchandise from the stores in the Market Square but no more than we allow for a family pack,” Simon continued.

“This is like a fucking house arrest,” Jimmy said.

“Yes. Except you’re not confined to the den.”

“And if I don’t agree?”

“We will drive you to the train station now and purchase four tickets to whatever human town you choose within the Northeast Region. You either stay where we can watch you, or you leave.”

“And if I decide to stay somewhere else in Lakeside?”

Gods, Jimmy, stop arguing with him. He’s not a human you can bully.

“We’ll hunt you down and kill you. And then we’ll allow your mate to leave with her pups.”

Jimmy looked sick and, finally, truly scared. Monty doubted the fear would last more than a minute after Simon walked away—with Jimmy it never did—but for the moment, Cyrus James Montgomery appreciated that he’d put himself in a situation that was dangerous, even potentially deadly.

Simon leaned down, bared his teeth to reveal fangs that weren’t even close to human, and said, “If you go near Meg, I will snap your bones, tear open your belly, and eat your liver while you’re still alive.”

Wolfgard left the coffee shop, followed by Henry, Vlad, and Tess.

Stunned silence. Even Burke seemed frozen by the threat.

Nadine walked over to the table and set down glasses of water. “You still want the food?”

Monty forced a smile. “Not right now. Thank you.”

Burke stepped forward. “If you want to leave, I’ll check the train schedule to find out if there’s a train this afternoon and where it’s heading. If you don’t want to spend the night on a train after it stops for the travel curfew, you’ll have to choose a town that’s no more than four or five hours away. Otherwise you’ll have to stay overnight and head out at first light.”

Jimmy ignored Burke and focused on Sissy. “What the fuck did you pull me into?”

“Sierra didn’t pull you into anything, Cyrus,” Twyla said. “Maybe she didn’t understand as well as she should have that we were going to be surrounded by police officers and terra indigene, but coming here was your choice.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “This place is all right for me, and for Sierra and her girls. But it’s not a good place for you, Cyrus. You chose long ago the kind of life you wanted, and nothing I ever said could change that. But you’re my son, so I want you to hear me. This isn’t a good place for you. Pick another town. Make a new start for yourself and your family. There’s always room for a man willing to do an honest day’s work.”

“Honest day’s work,” Jimmy sneered. “The only thing an honest day’s work ever got Daddy was a heart attack.”

“That’s not true.”

“Well, thanks to Sissy, I hauled my wife and children here, passing up better opportunities. Now I’m stuck, so I guess I’ll have to stay until I can sort things out.”

Since there were no human-controlled towns between Hubbney and Lakeside, Jimmy hadn’t passed up anything. But Monty was sure his brother, being Jimmy, now believed he had passed up something better by coming to Lakeside.