Silver-Tipped Justice

By Charlie Richards

Kontra Belikov has been searching for his mate, Tim Laurent, for nearly sixty years, ever since he missed his chance by giving the just-of-age teen time to experience life. While heading back to his gang, he’s surprised, but grateful, to discover Tim in a small town. When Kontra pursues Tim, their chemistry is explosive, but right after, Tim pushes him away. Tim doesn’t believe they’re mates and feels guilty accepting affection since his lover of almost twenty years passed away just six months before. Frustrated, Kontra gives Tim his space, all the while vowing to get through to his mate. Space, once again, seems to be a mistake when the next morning, Kontra discovers Tim has been kidnapped. Can Kontra rescue Tim, find out why his mate’s old flock is trying to keep them apart, and convince Tim they are meant to be together?

• Language: English
• Publisher: eXtasy Books Inc
• Release date: Feb 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781771114196

Book preview

On the Road: They say what you’re missing is always found in the last place you look. Sometimes, you find it when you’re not looking at all.

Kontra Belikov has been searching for his mate, Tim Laurent, for nearly sixty years, ever since he missed his chance by giving the just-of-age teen time to experience life. While heading back to his gang, he’s surprised, but grateful, to discover Tim in a small town. When Kontra pursues Tim, their chemistry is explosive, but right after, Tim pushes him away. Tim doesn’t believe they’re mates and feels guilty accepting affection since his lover of almost twenty years passed away just six months before. Frustrated, Kontra gives Tim his space, all the while vowing to get through to his mate. Space, once again, seems to be a mistake when the next morning, Kontra discovers Tim has been kidnapped. Can Kontra rescue Tim, find out why his mate’s old flock is trying to keep them apart, and convince Tim they are meant to be together?

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Silver-Tipped Justice

Copyright © 2013 Charlie Richards

ISBN: 978-1-77111-419-6

Cover art by Angela Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

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Smashwords Edition

Silver-Tipped Justice

Kontra’s Menagerie: Book Eight

By

Charlie Richards

To all my readers who keep asking questions. Thank you for your interest, encouragement, criticism, and pokes & prods.

Chapter One

Fuck! Kontra snarled, taking in the approaching road sign. I hate detours.

Payson snickered. Awe, it ain’t that bad, boss, the hyena shifter teased.

Snorting, Kontra turned his torso and glared at Payson over his shoulder, although they both knew there was no heat in the look. After so many years of riding his hog, it was easy keeping his balance as he twisted his body.

Payson just laughed harder.

Kontra couldn’t stop his snort of mirth. His friend always seemed to be able to cheer him. Of course, the crazy shifter also managed to irritate the hell out of him on occasion, too, so it evened itself out, mostly. But still, Kontra appreciated the man’s humor.

Seeing another orange sign, Kontra slowed his bike and prepared to follow the directions. As he made the turn to the right, he grumbled, How many small towns do you think we’ll have to creep through this time?

He loved seeing the countryside by taking the smaller highways and bi-ways that crisscrossed the nation. Unfortunately, that also meant a detour could take him and his buddies out of their way. The sights were often pretty though.

A six pack says less than three, Payson quipped.

Kontra grinned. All right, you’re on. Four or more towns and you owe me, he replied.

Nice, Payson chanted, clearly thinking he was going to win the bet.

Although Kontra really hated detours, especially when he had somewhere to be, like he did then, he didn’t comment as first one town then two towns crept by. As he watched the third appear on the horizon, Kontra wondered what his pack mates were doing.

He talked with Adam, a white tiger shifter, and Sam, a large Texas longhorn bull shifter, every few days. He’d learned that Yuma had found a human mate, and he was eager to meet the guy. Yuma deserved some happiness. Kontra knew more about the little penguin shifter’s history than the small shifter thought.

It wasn’t common knowledge that Yuma had worked as a prostitute for several years before Adam found him and removed him from the streets. Adam and Yuma had joined his gang when Kontra had discovered Adam shoplifting bandages and healing supplies after Yuma had been gay bashed. It had taken the poor shifter almost two weeks to recover due to broken bones and internal bruising.

Kontra’s smile turned feral as he remembered the eye-for-an-eye revenge he’d paid on the humans responsible. Yeah, sometimes being a bear shifter rocked. When they stopped at the one-and- only stop sign in the little town, Kontra turned and grinned at Payson.

At the next town, we’ll stop for supper, Kontra told him.

Payson grinned back. You just want your beer.

Shrugging, then grimacing, Kontra reached up and rubbed his shoulder. Not long ago, guards had shot him in the shoulder while he was protecting a friend. At least the guy had lived, which was more than Kontra could say for the men shooting at them.

They’d thought the facility had housed shifters, who were being experimented on, but by the time they got there, the facility had been emptied and all that were waiting for them were several guards. Kontra hated traps, but not as much as one of the other guys. Jared, a human who was best friends with the man who’d been shot, had blown up the building in retaliation.

At first, Kontra had worried it would draw attention to them, but when the news ran it as an electrical fire, he’d been relieved. He didn’t even want to know how the human had made the explosion look like faulty wiring had caused the blaze. Kontra didn’t plan to admit that to anyone.

He and Payson drove on and thirty minutes later, the next town appeared ahead of them. Kontra grinned at Payson, where his pack mate rode next to him. Time for that beer, he said.

Payson snickered. Sure, boss. We stayin’ the night then?

If they have a decent motel, Kontra replied, his gaze sweeping the horizon. Just as he finished saying the words, they reached the first house, then