Nash wasn’t impressed. Mating did that to them. Whatever feelings they started out with quickly became distorted into obsession. That was something he could do without. Aside from that, Shep looked whipped if you asked him. Gloria was still the sexy seductress who flirted with every man who entered the bar, but her eyes turned to Shep often enough for Nash to be convinced she did it only to challenge his love for her. Gloria was weakened now that she loved and needed Shep.
“Okay, I get that,” Nash told Sabelli. Makes sense. However, there’s something else you’re not telling me.”
Sabelli seemed to toss caution to the wind and blurted out what was on his mind. “I’ve heard rumors that the reason you stayed down there at Brant’s, neglecting your duties here is because you are having an affair with a human. Is that true?”
What the fuck? He’d just left Stacy that morning, and already rumors were spreading? Nash leaned back in his chair, and grinned at the man across from him. “When I took the position as Alpha, I vowed not to take a human as my mate, never to procreate with a human, and to defend my people with my life if necessary. As far as I know, I’ve not missed on any of these things. So who the hell I fuck is none of your damn business.” The pleasant expression never left his face throughout this tirade.
He stood up and dug out money from his pocket to pay for his beer. Then he started for the door before calling over his shoulder, “I’ll take the pups for a ride to straighten them out. The next time you decide to keep information from me regarding my pack, you will find your ass looking for a new one yourself.”
Out on the street again, he unlocked his car and commanded the two young shifters to get inside before he slammed the door closed and pulled his cell phone out. No better time than the present to cut all ties with Stacy. He might have been flip in there talking to Sabelli, but the inquiry had lit a fire under him. After he broke with her and dealt with the guys in his car, he would find out who the hell was passing information on his doings, and he’d deal with him next.
He dialed Stacy’s number. After two rings, she answered. “Hey, you.” Her voice was pitched low and husky. His dick hardened, and a longing rose inside him so strong, he had to brace himself against the side of the car. Lust. That’s all it was. Not affection, and it damn sure wasn’t love.
He shut his eyes, dragged in a few breaths, and cleared his throat. “Hey. I was just calling to say it was good. Very good between us. But my obligations are great right now. I don’t have time for anything...or rather anyone in my life. We both knew it was just physical and temporary. So let’s call it quits here. Okay? I know you understand.” He paused a millisecond for her to respond, and when she didn’t he went on. “So...good-bye.”
He snapped his phone closed. Behind the wheel of his car and roaring down the road with gritted teeth, he prepared to rip into the two shifters in his back seat. They would be punished partly for what they did risking the exposure of the shifters’ existence, and partially for the suffocating pressure Nash was feeling in his chest after how he had roughly and cruelly dumped Stacy. Later, there would be plenty of time for the torment he suspected would result in his own mind when he was alone in the dark.
Chapter Eleven
“Stacy, come out to dinner with me. Just the two of us,” Kevin asked for maybe the billionth time on their way back to the car rental agency. “I can show you a good time.”
“If you knew the mood I was in right now, Kevin, you wouldn’t ask.”
He pouted. She ground her teeth. Men who pouted were not sexy. That was a woman’s thing in her book, and she hated how that fool Kevin thought she’d be convinced to do anything for his ass when he pouted at her.
“Is it because of that phone call you just got?”
“Shut up!”
“Come on. You can talk to me. We’ve been coworkers for years, and I’d like to think friends for almost as long.” He laid a hand on her arm, and without thinking she grabbed it and jammed his fingers back. He howled, and Stacy let go. She almost lost control of the car pulling to the side of the road. She threw the car in park and jumped out. Before she came to herself, she had run a good ways down the road with Kevin yelling for her to come back.
Oh no, oh no, oh no. She was like him. She was like her father. She hadn’t even thought just now. She had reacted. Nash had said she could work out the anger with him—and the fears too—because she had admitted to it sometime during the night when she had been laying in his arms. The problem was she had been the one doing all the opening up, and he hadn’t shared jack with her. How could she have missed that? How could she not have noticed that he had lain there, stroking her arms, encouraging her, comforting her, but never opened his heart? Of course not. Didn’t he say right from the beginning that he didn’t believe in love?
Or had that been what she said? She should have known she was fooling herself from the start. Nash had caught hold of her the moment he touched her. And he had sealed it, in just three days. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. It had all been one-sided, proven by the fact that he kicked her to the curb—over the phone!
Kevin came running up waving his hand in the air. “Hey, why’d you run off? Look, my hand’s fine. You smacking me around is nothing new. Why the overreaction now?” He leaned in close to her with a lecherous grin on his face. “Wanna make it up to me?”
Stacy just stared at him. Was Kevin what they called an enabler? A few years ago, she’d read everything she could get her hands on about abusers and the people they always got away with hurting. Stacy had thought then that no one like that was in her life. Zandrea would have definitely kicked her ass if she laid a hand on her, and even Nita would have forgotten all her education and beat Stacy down. That left Kevin who Stacy had been stuck with most of the time when they drove from place to place delivering and picking up rental cars together. She loved driving and had never let Kevin’s goofy tail get to her too much, but sometimes he pushed her too far, or something in her life set her off, and then this. She remembered the times she had punched him, but she’d thought it was just her defending herself against a coworker who got a little grab-happy sometimes. Yet, maybe it was more.
No, she didn’t want to believe it. Believing that would make her... Her cell phone rang in her pocket, and she was disgusted that she hoped it was Nash calling back to say he was sorry for what he had said. She’d tell him where he could stuff the apology and have the last word. But it wasn’t him. While shuffling back to her car knowing her next step was to find a therapist to talk to, she answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Stacy.”
She stopped walking just in front of the car and waved Kevin away. She watched in silence as he grumbled his way to the passenger side and slipped in before slamming the door closed.
“What do you want, Alphons?”
He tsked. “Is that any way to talk to the man who cares most about you, baby? I thought we had something going? Remember, you said you’d call. I haven’t heard from you, and I threw my pride out the window and decided to call you instead.”
She frowned. “Cut the crap, Alphons.”
His voice grew more serious. “You’ve disappointed me, Stacy.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’ve heard rumors. That you’ve been sleeping with Nash. From what I’ve heard, I expected you to tell me there was no chance for you and me because you and he had mated.”
“What?” she shouted. She swung away from the car, hoping no police would happen along to find out why she was parked on the side of the road without car trouble. Shortly after she’d gotten home, her mechanic had phoned to say her car was fine as usual, since Stacy made sure she had it checked regularly. She had no idea why she’d thought something was wrong and had had it towed. To find out that someone was running their mouth behind her back about her business was worse. “I don’t know who’s been all up in my business, but I don’t appreciate it. And as for you, I can sleep with w
ho I want to. You and I have not made a commitment to each other. Like I said, I don’t even remember what happened between us. Look, I’ve got to go. I’m not in the mood for this crap.”
“Stacy, be quiet!”
She opened her mouth to tell him what he could kiss, but something came over her. Dizziness hit her so hard, she sank to her knees. Somewhere nearby, she heard a car door open, and Kevin was there beside her asking if she was okay. She tried to answer, but couldn’t. The phone slipped from her fingers, and then everything went black.
Kevin yelled in the distance. “Stacy! Stacy, answer me.”
* * * *
Stacy opened her eyes to a pounding headache in a darkened room. She attempted to sit up but found her hands bound above her head and her ankles tied to something, with her legs spread. She shifted her body and realized she was on a bed. “Where am I? Hello? Can anyone hear me?”
There was no answer. She yanked against her bonds but only managed to hurt her wrists and ankles. For a minute she thought about giving in to the fear welling up inside her, but she stomped it down. Holding her breath, she struggled to pick up any noises whatsoever beyond the room, but it was as if whatever house she was being held in was empty. There was no telling how long the person who had tied her up had been gone, or when they were coming back. If she was going to get out of this, she was going to have to do it herself.
Discovering that her feet were bare—the ass had even taken her socks off along with her sneakers—she used her toes to feel the space below her and found the baseboard. The piece was made of wood. Stacy remembered thinking how strong the leg muscles were that a person could kick a door in if the adrenaline was high enough. If the fear that had her almost shaking could be considered adrenaline, she was going with it.
A couple deep breaths, a prayer, and a few stretches, and she began to kick at the wood below her feet. After the first blow, she stopped to see if someone would come bursting in, but the house remained quiet. Blow after blow seemed to do nothing at all. Stacy started cussing up a storm. “Give, damn it! I’m not sticking around here to get my ass killed. Give!”
A deafening crack filled the room. She whooped and longed to take a breather, but she couldn’t risk it. A few more kicks, and the baseboard snapped away from the posts at each end. Stacy jerked her tired and achy legs up over the posts, and the rope slipped off to hang limp from her ankles.
Her throat was dry. She’d give herself no more than a minute, and then she would work on her wrists, which would be trickier.
* * * *
Nash pulled into the parking lot outside of his apartment and stepped out of the car. He slammed the car door shut and started toward the building. He would grab some paperwork he had meant to look over for a new investment and then take it with him to the restaurant where he planned to have dinner. Not that he had much of an appetite tonight, but he knew better than to ignore fueling his body. What he should do was get out of the city and run until he dropped. That might release some of the tension that had settled like a fifty pound rock between his shoulder blades. If not, then at least it would exhaust him enough to sleep through the night.
He reached his door and slipped his key into the lock. Pausing, he waited for her to greet him. He’d picked up her scent well before she had settled some feet away, leaning against the wall.
“Hello, Nash, baby. Miss me?”
“Laila.” He turned the lock and opened the door. She followed him inside, and he shut the door behind her.
“Well?” she demanded. “Did you?”
He shrugged. “I bit you once. That makes me miss you.”
She shrieked in frustration. “You don’t have to say it like that. It takes away all the enjoyment of knowing you want me.”
“And you tricking me takes the enjoyment out of choosing my mate. That makes us even, so get over it.”
Her tone turned to pleading. She pouted and strolled over to him to rest a hand on his chest. “Come on, baby, be nice. You know it’s inevitable. If I promise to behave myself, we can have a lot of fun tonight. Don’tcha think?” She rubbed her breasts against him, and while Nash enjoyed the sensation, he couldn’t help but compare her to Stacy. As sexy as Laila was, she came out lacking.
He grunted. No, he had to forget Stacy. Half forcing himself, he laid a hand on Laila’s lower back and jerked her closer. She squealed and grinned up at him. Her soft lips parted in invitation to him, and he lowered his head toward hers. Her warm breath met him before her lips touched his. Excitement coursed over his body. He brought the other arm up to cup the back of her head, and he tangled his fingers in her hair. With a vengeance, he kissed her, shoving his tongue into her mouth, and crushing her beneath him. The low howl in her throat matched the one forming in his.
I want Stacy.
He blinked and drew back to stare down into Laila’s face. “I...”
“What?” She tried to pull him in again, but he resisted. When he would have turned away, she grabbed his shirt and jerked him around. He’d forgotten how strong a female of his kind was. Stacy, though bold and headstrong, was small and delicate, and he had relished carrying her from the shower after he had washed her. Longing gripped his chest.
Laila seemed to guess at his thoughts. “You’re thinking about her, aren’t you? You know you can’t have her, Nash. Not her and the Alpha position. I know your buddies mated with them, but it will never work in the long term. You know that.”
He grumbled. “I know that, damn it. I don’t need you reminding me.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Apparently, you do need me to remind you because you’re standing here thinking about her when you could be fucking me.” She moved back a step and ripped the front of her blouse open. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Her erect breasts bounced into view, giving him a painful hard-on. He sighed and raised a hand to stroke what she offered him, but he stopped just short of connecting with her warm flesh when his front door banged open and smashed against the wall.
Nash swung around. “What the hell?”
Brant stood in the doorway with Lucas right behind him. Brant scowled seeing what he was doing. “You idiot! I’ve been calling you for the last four hours.”
Nash shrugged. “I turned off my phone and drove all over creation. So what? I needed to clear my head. What’s the big deal with smashing my locks just because I wouldn’t answer your call? And coming all the way out here was a bit much, don’t ya think?” Nash presented his usual smirk to his friends.
Brant stormed across the room and dug a thumb into the soft spot just inside Nash’s collar bone. He howled and tried to shove Brant away, but his friend held on. “Fool, you’re here with this”—he gestured to Laila and flared his nostrils like he smelled something bad—“when Stacy is God knows where.”
Nash stopped struggling against Brant’s hold. “What do you mean by that?”
Lucas elbowed past Brant and held up a digital camera. “This.” Before Nash could ask for an explanation, Lucas pressed a button, and the tiny device began to play a short clip. No picture was visible, but the sound was crystal clear. The recording was of Stacy yelling and pleading for Kevin to stop hurting her. The unmistakable sound of a whip cracking against skin followed by Stacy’s screams of pain ripped the sanity right out of Nash’s head.
One roar, one guttural cry of bloody vengeance tore from his throat, and he was fully in his wolf form, charging out of the door.
Chapter Twelve
Nash’s nose didn’t rise far from the ground for a good forty-five minutes while he hunted. He threw in all of his strength and experience running and chasing down his prey from years of being the beast that he was. He’d find her. He’d find that bastard that dared to put his hands on Stacy, and when he did, Nash was going to tear every inch Kevin’s skin from his body. No one had the right to hurt her. Stacy might not be his mate, but he’d be damned if he was going to stand by and let her be abused.
For a moment he had considered why Kevin would do
such a thing. From what he knew of Stacy’s coworker, he had assumed that the man was in love with Stacy. At least that was the conclusion he had come to when Stacy had told him about the man during that three days they spent together. That is, when they weren’t wrapped around each other’s bodies.
Remembering their time together, regret rolled over him. Each time he had opened his mouth to share with her about his past and why he didn’t believe in love, he’d only shut it again and let her do all the talking. He’d seen the frustration in her eyes at his not opening up like she had been doing, but at the same time, he’d seen how being able to talk to him had a healing affect for her. The relieving of some of the pain in her heart had seemed to have a scent, and he’d picked up on it. At least that’s what he’d told himself, because only when a wolf shifter mated could he be so attuned to his partner. There was no other way that he could know Stacy so deeply without biting her.
Lucas darted up beside him, followed by Brant. Both were in their animal form. “You picking up Kevin’s scent?” Lucas called out to him while they dodged screaming humans and avoided being hit by cars.
“Yes,” Nash bit out. “I know his scent. It was strong at her place when I took her home, and the only other male scent there. We’re close. When I get to him, don’t stand in my way, Lucas.”
His former boss growled. “Don’t do anything stupid, Nash. You’re an Alpha now. You have to think of your pack above all else. No one must know about our existence. And we never attack humans.”
Nash sprinted faster. “He will die. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same for your mate.”
Lucas was silent for a moment. Finally he answered. “I won’t kid you. I’d mutilate the bastard if he so much as laid a pinky on Nita. However, you’re forgetting that Stacy is not your mate. You haven’t bitten her, and unless my eyes deceived me just a while ago, you were about to fuck another woman.”
City Wolf 3 Page 6
