Page 27 of To Kill a Badger (The Honey Badgers Chronicles #6)

She didn’t even hesitate. “If the de Medicis are willing to send kill squads into homes with kids, I think my sisters and I should leave. Find a new safe place.”

“Berg isn’t going to like that,” Nelle said. Keane was shocked to realize she was actually listening. Because her tapping away on her phone had not stopped.

“Everyone here has been so kind to us. I can’t put them or their kids at risk.”

“These bears are not going to let you go, Charlie.”

“Why do you say that?”

Nelle finally focused on Charlie. “You provide them food. You can’t stop now.”

“Sweetie, that’s ridiculous—”

“Excuse me. Sir?” Nelle said to the older grizzly walking by the house at that moment. When he stopped and looked at her, she added a sweet smile that, Keane knew, melted the grizzly’s heart right on the spot.

“Sorry to bother you, but just a quick question.”

“Of course.”

“If Charlie had to move out for some—”

“Move?” The grizzly’s smile abruptly dropped, and he turned all his focus onto a startled Charlie.

“Where? When? Why would you move, sweetheart? Has someone bothered you? Did someone say something to you? Was it him?” the old bear demanded, brown eyes narrowing on Keane.

“I know the Malones. I don’t like the Malones.

Is he giving you trouble? You just tell me who said something to you, and I’ll fight ’em myself.

I’ll fight ’em all. I was a bare-knuckles brawler back in the day.

You just say the word, sweet Charlie, and we’ll all have your back. ”

Nelle smirked at a shocked and gawking Charlie.

“Thank you, sir,” she said to the old grizzly. “That was very helpful.”

“You sure you don’t need anything?”

“We’re sure.”

The grizzly took a step closer and asked, “Sweet, Charlie, you wouldn’t happen to have any burned bits from your earlier baking, now would ya? Something you might have tossed away?”

“You want my trash?”

“One badger’s trash is one bear’s—”

“The cans are over there. Help yourself, Mr. O’Conner.”

“Thank ya, sweetie,” he said, stepping past the gate and into the yard. The five dogs that the older badger had brought with her barked at the bear invasion, but O’Conner roared back and kept moving toward the trash cans.

“Now do you understand, ‘ Sweet Charlie’?” Nelle asked with air quotes.

“Shut up.”

* * *

Nelle didn’t know why Charlie was so shocked.

The easiest way to attract and keep a bear was to feed it.

Of course, then you couldn’t get rid of it, and they got real mean when you didn’t have food for them.

Which meant if Charlie moved now, the bears on the street would tear the house apart, looking to see if she’d left anything behind they could eat.

Then, since most of these bears could actually drive, they would simply track Charlie down to her next home, and demand more baked goods anyway.

No. It was best they all stayed right where they were and let the bears know exactly what was going on.

Nelle did briefly wonder if Charlie had planned to live on this street forever. Because she’d have to now.

“If we stay—”

“You’ll stay,” Nelle told her.

“—how do we ensure their safety?” Charlie asked Malone. “I’d hate for anything to happen to them.”

“They’re bears,” Keane pointed out.

“Yeah. And lots of bears are stuffed and in the homes of rich men.”

“If the de Medicis start attacking bears, maybe that’ll pull BPC in,” Malone suggested.

“No, no,” Nelle quickly said. “That won’t happen.”

“I thought BPC was about protecting their people.”

“On a global, mass scale, yes. But the de Medicis only hire bears. So it will be bears fighting bears, and BPC doesn’t involve itself in that. Plus, it will only be grizzlies and polars. The other bears will not get in the middle of that.”

“And Katzenhaus—”

“We all talk about ‘big’ cats, but there are really only two. Maybe three. Lions, your kind, and some jaguars. And we all know it’s much easier to take down a cheetah than it is to take down a drug dealer’s pit bull.”

Malone’s eyes narrowed. “How do we all know that? It seems pretty specific.”

Ignoring his question, Nelle explained to Charlie, “As far as Katzenhaus is concerned, this fight is between one lion coalition and one family. They’ll never get involved.”

“You’re right,” Charlie agreed.

“Of course I’m right. I’m always right when it comes to this sort of thing.”

“What sort of thing?” the cat asked.

“Information. Information is, and always will be, power. And power means money. And my family loves money.”

Looking back at her phone and replying to another text, Nelle added, “All that to say, I can get any information you need. Just let me know.”

“Okay. Good. That makes me feel a little better.” Charlie looked around the street. “I just want to keep everyone as safe as I can.”

“What is this obsession you have with the safety of apex predators?” Malone demanded. “Is this some human thing you’re doing?”

Charlie glanced at Nelle before replying, “Yes, Keane. It’s a human thing I’m doing.”

“Well, stop it. It’s off-putting and offensive.”

“Okay.”

“I do understand how you feel and everything. . . .”

“Uh-huh.”

“But get over it.”

“I . . . I’ll work on getting over this human thing. Thank you for your guidance.”

“My pleasure,” he replied, with an arrogance only a cat could have.

* * *

“If you want,” Nelle suggested, “I can make some discreet inquiries. Maybe meet with some people.”

Charlie frowned. “For what purpose?”

“Find out where the de Medicis are. Find out who their connections are. Find out how many people they have working for them.”

“Make a move before they do,” Charlie guessed.

“Exactly.”

“Yeah.” Charlie smiled, nodded. “That would be great.”

“I’m on it.”

“Keane, you go with her.”

Keane was only half-listening to the conversation once he realized it had nothing to do with him, but now Charlie was trying to involve him, and he didn’t want to be involved. At all.

“I don’t wanna.”

Without even looking away from her phone, Nelle snorted a laugh and grinned. But Charlie just stared at him.

“What?” he asked when she didn’t say anything.

“You’re going.”

“Going where?”

“Wherever Nelle goes, you’re going. You are now officially her protection.”

“Don’t you already have a bodyguard?” he demanded of Nelle.

“Awww, Charles,” Charlie said. “How is he?”

“Doing well last time I talked to him.”

“I’m not following her around,” Keane insisted, since both women didn’t seem to understand what he was telling them.

Charlie slipped off the banister and walked down the stoop steps until she was in front of him.

“Now listen to me, Malone . . .” She paused. “Hold on a moment.” Turning her head, she yelled out, “Max! Leave Stevie alone right nowwww!”

Keane crossed his eyes; the way the badger’s voice went up several octaves there at the end nearly broke his eardrums.

“Me? I didn’t do anything!”

“Do not argue with me! Just do it!” She focused again on Keane. “Where was I?”

“You were pissing me off.”

“Yes. Right.” She jabbed her forefinger at him. “You’re going to do what I tell you to do.”

“You are not a female who gave birth to me, so I don’t have to do anything you tell me to.”

“He’ll do it.”

Keane glared at Nelle. “No, I won’t.”

“Yes. You will. Charlie,” she said with a smile, “let me handle this. I’m sure you have other things you need to do right now.”

“I need to bake.”

“You do,” Nelle agreed. “You need to bake.”

“I may have more ideas after I bake.” She glanced off, then asked, “Pie, cakes, or brownies?”

“Whatever you want,” Nelle replied. “Whatever gives you ease.”

“Okay. Thanks. And thanks, Keane.”

He opened his mouth to say he wasn’t doing anything, so she didn’t need to thank him, but Nelle’s hand slapped across his mouth, and she didn’t move it until Charlie had gone back inside.

“I am not following you around,” he said, once Nelle removed her hand from his face.

“If Charlie tells you to follow me around, you follow me around.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you do whatever Charlie tells you to do.”

“Because. . . ?”

“Because you don’t want to set her off. Have you seen her when she’s set off? I have. I don’t need to see it again. And when she starts baking like this. Just batch after batch after batch of food . . . you do whatever she says and keep out of her way.”

“Well, unlike you, I’m not afraid of her.”

She lowered her phone, looking him right in the eyes. “Yes. But you should be.”