Jordan's Desires [Brac Village 9] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by Lynn Hagen

  Bailey knelt in front of Jordan, his sage-green eyes shimmering with worry. “What can I do for you?” His mate’s hands hovered close, but he didn’t touch Jordan. As much as he wanted to wrap himself around the man, Jordan knew that would be too painful.

  “Heal,” he managed before he slumped over and shifted.

  * * * *

  Maverick hung up his phone, clutching his arm around his grandson, Xavier. That was the second time someone had tried to kill the black panther. He believed Mark when the mate had said he suspected someone cut Jordan’s brakes. The human would have to examine the truck, but Maverick was pretty sure Mark’s instincts were dead on.

  A few other shifters had run-ins with the Vampire Hunters as well. Reno, a firefighter at the station, had said that he caught a Hunter snapping pictures of him from a distance. And Kade, a snow leopard who owned his own handmade furniture store, said someone had been following him.

  Maverick needed to get rid of the Vampire Hunters. He just didn’t know who they were or where they were hiding out.

  “Is he going to be okay?” Cecil asked as he walked into Maverick’s office and plucked Xavier from his lap.

  “Mark said that Jordan just needs to heal in his panther form.”

  “That’s a good thing,” Cecil said as he took a seat on the black sofa. “Do you know who is trying to kill him yet?”

  “Vampire Hunters,” Maverick answered. Who else could it be?

  Cecil shook his head, his amethyst eyes pinned on Maverick. “The others are just being followed or having their picture taken. Why is Jordan suffering all these attacks? It sounds pretty personal if you ask me.”

  “But who would want Jord—Son of a bitch!” Maverick sat forward, slamming his fist on his desk. His grandson looked over at him curiously but didn’t cry at the sudden aggressive outburst. “This is personal.”

  “Duh, I just said that.” Cecil sat Xavier on the floor so the boy could crawl around.

  “Look at this from another angle, Cecil. With all the vampire stuff going on all around us, who would we immediately suspect was out to kill Jordan?”

  “The Vampire Hunters,” Cecil gave the obvious answer.

  “But who would want Jordan out of the way? Who would gain from Jordan’s death?”

  Cecil scratched his head. “Does he have a life insurance policy?”

  Maverick chuckled. “I wasn’t talking about Bailey trying to off him. Who did I kick out of town?”

  Understanding dawned in Cecil’s eyes. “But why would Harley want Bailey? He is a gigolo. One man doesn’t interest him. Besides, wasn’t Bailey shot at?”

  That was true. “Maybe Harley wanted to throw everyone off his trail. I have a feeling that Bailey could have stood on his tiptoes and he wouldn’t have been hit by a bullet. It was a scare tactic, nothing more. “

  Cecil sat back and threw his arm over the back of the sofa. “And the Vampire Hunter that came after Jordan in the garage?”

  “Totally different incident. It just so happens that Harley returning for Bailey came at a time when the Vampire Hunters decided to pay our town a little visit. The two situations are separate.” Maverick leaned down and pulled Xavier from the floor. His grandson had crawled right to him. The little guy knew who his favorite granddaddy was. He would just never tell Cecil.

  His mate sat forward, wiggling a finger at Maverick. “If Harley was the one who poisoned Jordan, how would he know about wolfsbane? Only a shifter would know about that stuff. And from what you told me, Harley is human.”

  Maverick was becoming aggravated. “Stop shooting down all my ideas.”

  “I’m not. But if you are going with the Harley theory, you have to tie up all loose ends. How would he know about wolfsbane?”

  Bouncing Xavier on his knee, Maverick mulled it over. He didn’t like what he came up with. It was a disturbing thought. But it fit perfectly. “Because Harley Grouper is a Vampire Hunter. The very first Kenyon sent in.”

  “But what about that cop a while back? He had been working for Kenyon,” Cecil stated.

  “Harley has lived here longer,” Maverick answered in cold dread. If a resident who had lived here for a few years had been a spy, then who else was working for Kenyon? Maverick didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t trust the townsfolk. Brac Village was supposed to be a peaceful place to live.

  The low-slung buildings and the few existing traffic lights called to the community who were long on pride and history. The businesses’ names were stenciled on the front windows or chalked on a board right outside the front door. Some newer ones were neon. They advertised anything from places to eat and drink to places a person could buy handmade furniture. Maverick even loved the old-fashioned barber pole outside of Heaven’s. The grey wolf had set a bench out there for the old timers to sit and pass the time regaling over their youths.

  It was a quaint village and Maverick wanted it to stay that way.

  If he was right about Harley, then there was no telling if any of the other humans had been bought by Kenyon. He was glad now that he had allowed Christian’s vampires to wipe the residents’ minds when they discovered that shifters existed. Maverick had been opposed to the idea, but the Ultionem had decided that it was best that no unmated human knew they existed.

  Even if a few of the vampires had gotten out of hand. It was better than any of the residents being armed with the truth. Now he had the daunting task of figuring out who was an actual resident and who was a spy.

  It tore at his heart to know that the small community he had worked so hard to build just might crumble. He was going to do everything in his powers to rid the town of the Hunters and spies and bring peace back.

  Chapter Ten

  Bailey sat on the side of the couch, watching Jordan finally shift back into his human form before waking. He was used to his mate shifting by now. Jordan had done plenty of it when he was healing from the wolfsbane. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I ran my truck into a semi.”

  Caden had left some clothes on the desk for Jordan, and Bailey was thankful. His mate was completely naked. The slim shifter had been a big help while Jordan was healing.

  “Mark confirmed that your brakes were cut,” Bailey said, his stomach tying into knots at the thought of what could have happened to Jordan. He reached out and slapped Jordan’s shoulder. “Don’t you ever worry me like that again!”

  Jordan grabbed his wrists and pulled Bailey close. “I promise not to have a psychotic man hunting me down anymore.”

  Okay, so it sounded ridiculous to him, but Bailey had been terrified that Jordan had been killed when Bear told him about the accident. He never wanted to feel that level of fear again.

  That thought slammed into Bailey so hard and so fast that he almost went to his knees under the anguish that he nearly lost Jordan. He pressed his hand against his chest when he couldn’t get enough air to his lungs.

  “Breathe, baby.”

  Bailey knew when his boss told him about Jordan that he was head over heels in love with the guy. He knew before then that Jordan had his heart, but he hadn’t known how deep his love ran until Bailey thought he lost his mate.

  Bailey curled up next to Jordan, wrapping his arms around the muscular man’s body. His hands slid through Jordan’s raven hair as he thanked whoever was listening that Jordan hadn’t been taken from him.

  Thick arms encircled him as Jordan ran his hand over Bailey’s back. “I’m fine, sweetheart,” Jordan said in a hushed tone. “Whoever it is will have to come better than that. I’m a tough cat to kill.”

  “Don’t say that,” Bailey begged. “That’s twice you were almost taken from me. You shouldn’t joke about it.”

  “Oh, honey.” Jordan squeezed him tight with his arms. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”

  Bailey finally pulled himself together, resting his head on Jordan’s chest. They lay like that for a while, Bailey inhaling his mate’s scent, Jordan brushing Bailey’s back with his knuckles. He
wanted to find out who was trying to take his mate from him so he could kill the bastard. Bailey had finally found true happiness and he wasn’t going to let anyone take that away from him.

  Jordan tapped his back. “Grab my clothes, baby. I need to get dressed and talk to Mark.”

  Reluctantly, Bailey pulled away. He grabbed the stack Caden had left on the desk and handed the clothes to Jordan. He wanted to help his mate get dressed but knew the temptation was too much.

  If he went near Jordan while he stood there gloriously naked, they wouldn’t make it out of the office for another hour or two. When Jordan was dressed, Bailey walked with his mate out to the bay. Mark was out there working on another car, already searching Jordan’s truck and sending the wreck in for scrap metal.

  Even though they had proven Jordan’s brakes were cut, how were they going to accuse the Vampire Hunters in court? They couldn’t expose anything that was going on in this town. Bailey knew that and it angered him to know that whoever was doing this was getting away with trying to kill Jordan.

  Mark glanced up from under the hood. “Glad to see you up and around,” he said as he wiped his hands on the shop rag he had stuffed in his back pocket. “I went over your truck.”

  “Bailey told me.” Jordan moved closer, leaning his hip against the car Mark was working on. “I would love to know who cut my brakes. Now that I’m healed, I’d like to have a personal talk with them.”

  Bailey knew what that personal talk would consist of. He’d already killed two men that Bailey knew of. He also knew that it wasn’t in the massive man’s nature to be violent. Jordan did what he had to do.

  “Rio said he would give you a ride back to his place and then you can figure out things from there.”

  “Are you firing me?” Jordan asked.

  Bailey held his breath. None of this was his mate’s fault. Jordan hadn’t asked to be poisoned or have his brakes cut. If Mark fired him—

  “Hell, no. You’re a damn good worker. I would be a fool to let you go. Just get this shit straightened out so you can get back to work. Things are piling up.” Mark slipped the rag back into his pocket. “If you need me, just call or text.”

  “You called the cops for me, didn’t you?”

  Mark nodded, his face set in tight lines. “I knew I wouldn’t make it there in time. I had to give you some sort of advantage.”

  “Appreciate it.” Jordan slapped Mark on his shoulder. “I was pretty banged up.”

  “Must be Rio,” Mark said.

  Bailey turned when he heard the door to the shop open and had to do a double take. Was that really Harley? “What are you doing here?” The question just flew out of Bailey’s mouth, his tone wrapped in astonishment. Bailey didn’t understand when Jordan grabbed him and pulled Bailey behind his towering frame.

  It was just Harley, the man who had broken his heart and played him for a fool. What was there to be concerned—Oh! Bailey spotted the gun in Harley’s hand.

  “You recognize him?” Jordan asked.

  “That’s Harley Grouper,” Bailey stated, still feeling a bit strange to see the man after all this time. Now that he was mated to Jordan, Bailey was beginning to wonder what he had ever seen in the scoundrel. He wasn’t that good-looking, and he was a bit on the lean side.

  Bailey had grown used to Jordan’s large, teddy bear size. He loved it. Although it made him seem a bit small compared to his mate, Jordan never made Bailey feel as if he were any less of a man.

  “It was you!” Jordan bellowed with outrage. “You are the one who has been trying to kill me.”

  “What!” Bailey was shocked. Harley didn’t care about him. The man was kicked out of town, leaving a string of lovers behind. He had no heart. Why would he be back here? Why would he try to kill Jordan?

  “Just give me Bailey and no one will get hurt.” Harley moved a little closer, the gun tucked close to his body.

  “Why, Harley?” Bailey asked.

  “Because Jordan is an animal. I won’t allow him to violate you like one.”

  Bailey was utterly confused. Harley had cheated on him with numerous men and now he cared what happened to Bailey? He would have died to have that declaration months ago. Now it just sickened him.

  For the first time, Bailey saw Harley for what he truly was—a pathetic human being. He wanted no part of the man. How in the hell had he been blinded by this guy? “You are the animal,” Bailey snapped. “You are the one who thinks playing with people’s hearts is okay, that it won’t affect anyone’s life. Now you come back here demanding to be with me?”

  Harley’s eyes softened when he turned them on Bailey. “I tried to tell Spencer how much I cared about you, but he wouldn’t listen.” His face contorted into a mask of rage. “Instead of helping me win you back, he had Maverick kick me out of town. These filthy beasts won’t get away with what they are doing. The world is going to know they exist and then I am going to enjoy watching them being obliterated.”

  “You’re a Vampire Hunter,” Mark stated with a growl. “You have lived here for years as a Hunter!”

  A malicious smile formed on Harley’s face. “I was gathering intel right under your noses. It just goes to show how stupid you creatures really are.”

  “Lose the gun and I’ll show you just how stupid I am,” Jordan threatened.

  Bailey couldn’t believe he had fallen for such a bad guy. He wanted to punch the man for making him look like an idiot. He was an idiot because Bailey was an all-around nice guy and he would have never fallen for Harley’s bullshit if he had known.

  He had to think of a way to save them. Bailey could think of one, but Jordan was never going to go for it. He turned toward his mate. “Trust me,” he mouthed.

  Jordan’s brows furrowed as he stared at Bailey. He could tell his mate was trying to figure out what Bailey was talking about. Bailey couldn’t let Jordan realize what he was doing until he was doing it or the big lug would stop him.

  Bailey quickly moved away from Jordan, heading straight for Harley.

  “Bailey!” Jordan shouted. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  “Stopping him from killing you.”

  “How touching,” Harley said as he held his hand out for Bailey. He didn’t want to touch the guy. “I should have killed him long before now. I see he has corrupted your mind.”

  Bailey was terrified to be next to Harley, especially since he had a gun, but he couldn’t think of any other way around this. “You said you would let them go.”

  “I lied,” Harley said as he raised his gun. “You should have never slept with him, Bailey.”

  Oh god! He was going to shoot Jordan. Bailey couldn’t let that happen. He jumped at the gun, wrestling with Harley to get the damn thing out of the man’s hands.

  Harley wasn’t a pushover. The man was putting up one hell of a struggle. Bailey knew he was going to have to fight down and dirty. He needed the upper hand. Pulling his leg back, Bailey let his knee fly, connecting it with Harley’s groin.

  The man gave a loud grunt but didn’t release the gun. The tactic hadn’t worked. Bailey was becoming desperate. If he didn’t get the gun from Harley soon—Bailey froze when the gun went off. His eyes grew round as he gasped.

  “Bailey!” Jordan shouted as he raced across the garage. “Bailey, baby, are you hurt? Did you get shot?”

  Bailey could hear the stark terror in Jordan’s voice. He took a step back when Harley slumped to the ground. Blood was spanning across the man’s abdomen. Jordan grabbed Bailey in a tight grip, pulling him against the man’s wide chest. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

  “I promise not to have a psychotic man hunting me down anymore.”

  Jordan growled. “Not funny.” He cupped the back of Bailey’s head, kissing his hair. “Not funny at all.”

  “We need to get rid of the body,” Mark stated.

  “Déjà vu,” Bailey said. “And I’m still not touching a dead body.”

  “Only this time it was you. I can�
�t take you anywhere,” Jordan said before kissing Bailey on the temple this time.

  “Don’t worry,” Mark interjected. “I’ll get rid of the body.”

  Bailey turned toward Jordan’s boss. “Exactly what did you do before owning a garage?” The man was a little too proficient at disposing of dead bodies. He was expecting Mark to say undertaker or morgue worker and was surprised when he replied, “Owned a tattoo shop.”

  “Then how—” Bailey shook his head. Did he really want to know about Mark’s talent at getting rid of the dead? Not really. The less he knew about this criminal stuff, the better. His insides were still tied tightly into a knot and now he had just killed a man.

  Bailey knew the ramifications of what he’d done hadn’t fully set in yet. They couldn’t have because he was being too damn calm. Jordan’s arm never left his side and Bailey was grateful. He needed the grounding.

  “Aside from the Hunters snooping around, I think you are pretty safe,” Mark said as he pulled his cell phone out. “Head on out of here. You don’t need to know my secrets.”

  The man was smiling, but Bailey had a feeling he wasn’t joking. He didn’t want to know Mark’s secrets. Hell, Bailey didn’t want to know anyone’s. The only thing he did want was to go home with Jordan.

  Bailey still couldn’t believe that it was semi-safe to go home. With the Hunters around, it would never be totally harmless, but was there really any place that was one hundred percent safe anymore?

  He didn’t want that question to be answered. Bailey wanted to live with the delusion that he was safe with Jordan. He knew he was safer with Jordan in his life. He just hoped like hell that all the craziness at least slowed down now.

  “Wow, Harley,” Bailey said as they walked out of the shop. “I never would have suspected.”

  “You’re not the only one,” Jordan said as they headed toward the diner. Bailey suspected that they were going to grab some lunch before getting a ride to Jordan’s house, or his, it really didn’t matter to him at the moment.

  “Do you think he was the one who planted that listening device under your couch?”