by Lynn Hagen
That was what happened when you had a father who would rather try to kill you than give an ounce of compassion and understanding. He had been the one who’d taught me those lessons, and I’d turned out just like him, even if it was by a degree of separation.
I didn’t physically hurt those who didn’t deserve it, but I hadn’t stopped it, either.
The doors parted, and I hurried into the lobby, looking around. I didn’t see Derek anywhere. God, it felt like I was having a heart attack. My chest squeezed tight as I searched for his blond hair and green eyes.
I was too late.
I’d failed to keep Derek safe.
I’d allowed Derek to become leverage, to make me vulnerable to my enemies.
Now he was in Antonio’s hands, and I prayed that the human I’d fallen in love with wasn’t tortured and killed because I wasn’t sure what I would do if I lost him.
* * * *
An hour passed, and I still hadn’t heard anything. Nothing. Not a single word about Derek, and it was driving me insane. I was yelling at people, pacing my office, and pissed that I couldn’t do anything. I wanted to, but what? Run around Ridgeview looking from building to building, house to house? As badly as I wanted to do that, I had to sit on my ass and wait for our informants to find Derek and report back to us.
“All the interns are going to quit if you don’t stop barking at them,” Reese said. He was seated on the love seat where I’d made love to Derek, and the thought, the remembrance, made my fucking heart hurt.
“I still can’t believe he did that.” Gabe was seated across from my desk, and in the chair next to him was Lucas. “Then again, nothing he does surprises me anymore.”
Lucas was too quiet. I knew him well, and his silence spoke volumes. He was formulating a plan for revenge. Antonio had taken something that was mine, and that was a strike against all of us.
Someone that was mine. A human who had come to mean everything to me. The air in my damn lungs and the reason my heart was beating again. A klutz who had stumbled his way into my life with deception and a tray of hot tea and had turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to me.
“I can’t do this.” I headed for the door. “I can’t keep waiting around while Antonio is doing god knows what to Derek.”
Lucas got up and followed me into the reception area. “He really means that much to you?”
“Yes,” I said with no hesitation.
His brows furrowed. “Why? You’ve known him for like, what, a week? What’s so special about this human that he’s got you all twisted up inside?”
I could’ve given Lucas an entire list of things that made Derek special, but guys didn’t really talk about that kind of shit. Not alpha-type males. We kept our emotions bottled up, and that was part of the problem. I’d told Derek how I felt, but I honestly didn’t think he fully understood what a fucking miracle it was that he’d changed me in ways I never thought possible.
“The why doesn’t matter. I want him found, and I want Antonio for this.” I started toward the elevator, and Lucas followed.
“Whatever you’re hatching in that brain of yours, I’m all in,” Lucas said.
By the time the elevator arrived, Reese and Gabe had joined me. Before the doors slid closed, Penny walked by, spotted us, and said, “I’ll cancel all your afternoon appointments.”
You had to love anyone who knew all your moves and anticipated what you needed. She’d been with the firm since its inception, knew what we were, and hadn’t batted an eye. Penny was as tough as nails, and her only concern was making sure the firm ran smoothly.
I would never fire her because not only was she irreplaceable but she also knew where the fucking bodies were hidden. Penny was as loyal as they came.
When we got to Gabe’s SUV, I chose the passenger’s seat. I didn’t want the responsibility of driving while my mind was distracted.
“Did you call The Cleaner?” Reese asked.
I nodded. “He’s looking for Antonio.”
If anyone could find him, The Cleaner could. I honestly didn’t even know his name, and the guy liked it like that. He’d been on retainer for years, cleaning up messes we couldn’t afford to have linked to us. Russo and Associates was a prestigious law firm with a spotless reputation, and we wanted to keep it that way.
Driving the streets didn’t bear any fruit. All we were doing was wasting gas, but it felt productive. Better than sitting on my ass at the office.
As Gabe drove, I stared out at the city. My fucking city. The council’s city. Whether the humans knew it or not, the wolves owned it. Noting came in or out of the port without our approval. We ruled over the packs that ruled over Ridgeview.
Even the politicians were in our pockets. That shouldn’t have been surprising since they had already been corrupt. Money and favors were exchanged for what they wanted, but I always made sure their agenda never hurt this city.
But I would give all that up to find Derek, just to have him in my life. I was so lost in thought that it took a moment to realize my phone was vibrating in my pocket. When I pulled it out, I saw The Cleaner’s number on the screen.
“What do you got?” I asked when I answered.
“Warehouse on the corner of Greenbrier and Second. Do you want me to take care of him?”
“No. We’re on our way. I’m going to handle this personally.” I hung up and told Gabe where to go.
Reese gave a low whistle from behind me. “He picked a damn good location. That place is gonna be crawling with his men.”
I looked at Gabe. “I don’t want to go in guns blazing. Let’s check things out before we make a move.”
Although I did want to go in shooting the place up. Nothing would’ve given me more pleasure. But a smart guy knew to get the lay of things before confronting the enemy. I had to know how many we were up against. Too bad I couldn’t call my pack, but one of them was a traitor, so I trusted none of them.
The four of us were on our own.
We parked half a mile away and went on foot from there. The warehouse was surrounded by a cluster of buildings that shielded it from the street. That gave us an advantage, but the downside was, once we moved toward the warehouse, we’d be out in the open.
Lucas cursed. “We found our traitor.”
Fucking Smokey. I spotted him hanging around the front door of the warehouse, hitting a cigarette and talking with one of Antonio’s lower-level men.
Once I had Derek out of there and Antonio was dead, I was removing Smokey’s goddamn head.
Even though I now knew who the traitor was, I didn’t want to call in any pack members as backup. Not until I was sure Smokey was the only one who could be bought.
“Ready for this?” Gabe asked.
“I came from nothing and fought my way to the top,” I said. “A dozen armed men ain’t shit.”
Reese grinned. “Then let’s do this.”
Chapter Ten
Derek…
I looked around the warehouse, which was filled with large crates. They were stacked high on one side, and on the other were men sitting at a card table playing cards, drinking, laughing, and god, I didn’t want to be here.
I felt as though I had just walked into a lion’s den and I was a gazelle, a helpless animal that was about to be consumed by the monsters.
The sun was coming through the dirty windows, and I could still hear the traffic from the street that was beyond a few buildings that surrounded the warehouse. I rubbed my arms as I looked around, desperate to find my brother.
I had to see for myself just how badly Antonio had hurt Chad. I had to know that my brother would be okay, because if he wasn’t, I wasn’t sure what I would do.
Too bad I hadn’t had time to tell Max about the phone call, but the elevators were slow and I hadn’t wanted to take any chances with my twin’s life.
Antonio wasn’t what I’d expected. The guy had a cruel smile when he’d been lurking in the lobby at lunch, but he’d been charming on the ride
there, talking about the city as if I were a visitor and he was the tour guide.
He’d even offered me a bottle of water and asked if I was comfortable.
“Where’s Chad?”
Instead of answering me, Antonio walked over to one of the crates and opened it. My heart nearly gave out when I saw a row of machine guns. Did all the crates contain weapons? Was Antonio about to use one on me?
“I have a small confession to make.” Antonio looked away from the crate and turned his head to stare at me. There wasn't an ounce of humanity in his cold eyes. “I lied. I’m sorry for that, but I never had your brother. I just said I did to get you to come to me.”
“But I heard him on the phone.” What kind of sick and twisted game was Antonio playing? Was Chad really safe at work, clueless to my dilemma? It was pretty damn low to use someone’s emotions about a family member to get what you wanted.
“You heard someone screaming.” That cruel smile surfaced as one of the men at the table made the exact same noises I’d heard, and then he burst out laughing. “While your brother was dumping his lunch in the trash, I had one of my associates swipe his phone from the table.”
White-hot rage filled me. I started toward the card table, ready to kick the shit out of the guy who had pretended to be Chad, but the guy grabbed his handgun lying on the table and pointed it at me.
“What’re gonna do, pipsqueak? Beat my ass?”
The card table erupted into laughter as hot tears stung my eyes. I hated the fact that I always cried when I was just that angry. Everyone always perceived that as a sign of weakness, that I was a punk for my tears.
That was how those jerks in high school had acted.
“Have a seat, Mr. Wolfe.” Antonio waved toward a metal chair by a set of stairs. “You’re just a bargaining chip to lure Max here, but if you cause any trouble, I’ll let Justin have some fun with you.”
Justin, the guy who was pointing his gun at me, grinned. “Cause some trouble, sweet cheeks. I wouldn’t mind playing with you.”
Bile crawled its way up the back of my throat, causing me to gag as it burned. I wasn’t sure if Justin was making a sexual reference or if he just wanted to hurt me. Unwilling to find out, I grudgingly walked over to the chair and sat. How could I have been so stupid?
I wished I could rewind time and done this differently, rushed into Max’s office and quickly told him what was going on.
I’d trusted Antonio at his word, and that just might cost me my life.
Or Max’s.
My boss might’ve been a total prick before, but Max had warmed up to me, had shown me his softer side, had snared my heart and made me fall in love with him. I didn’t want our story to end like this, with Antonio using me to get to Max.
There had to be a way out of here. I had to find a way to sneak out and warn Max that this was a trap. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I was the reason Max was killed.
Antonio pulled his phone out and dialed as I looked around for an escape. The men weren’t paying me any attention, as if I were a footnote that no longer interested them.
“Max, darling,” Antonio said. That gained my attention. I snapped my head around as I listened. “Calm down. We won’t be able to bargain if all you do is threaten my life and yell at me.”
My chest ached. I wanted to hear Max’s voice, to be reassured that everything would be okay. I wanted to see his handsome face, be held in his arms, to feel the warmth of his body and to know I was safe.
“One, you should’ve agreed to the expansion,” Antonio said. “Two, you should’ve never come after me.” He paused. “Yes, I know I struck first, but—” Antonio’s features darkened. He had a menacing curl to his lip, and his brows were pulled tightly together. “This isn’t your city! The Romano pack is growing weak, and what businessman wouldn’t seize the opportunity? You tried to stand in my way, and I can’t have that. Fuck the council and fuck you. I’ll take over Ridgeview and kill every last one of you.”
All eyes were on Antonio. Not even Justin was looking my way. Now was the moment if I were to get out of here. I eased out of my chair and started to back away. I didn’t care if I had to crawl out a window, because I wasn't sticking around.
I made it to the area behind the stairs before Justin looked my way. He stood and aimed his gun, firing it at me. “Sit your ass down.”
Antonio stormed over to me and backhanded me so hard I slammed into the stairs as pain exploded in my face. I cried out and dropped to the floor, praying he hadn't broken anything.
It sure as hell felt as if he had.
He hunkered down in front of me and said, “Get up one more time and I’ll remove your feet.”
Justin walked over and grabbed my arm, yanking me up, and dragged me back to my chair. I cradled my jaw as I glared at him, hoping Max killed the asshole when he rescued me.
And Max would rescue me. I wouldn’t even care if he had Scary Gary and Edward with him, just as long as we all walked out of there alive. Hell, even Lucas could join the party if that meant I could live.
Justin shoved at my head before he walked away, and god how I wanted to grab that gun out of his hand and shove it up his ass. He was a complete stranger to me, and I hated him with a passion.
He blew me a kiss before he sat back down at the table. As much as my face hurt, I made a gagging noise and flipped him off. That only made him laugh.
“I’ll meet you,” Antonio said to Max. “I’ll bring Derek with me, and you can trade yourself for him. I’ll call you back with instructions.”
Antonio hung up. There was no way Max would know where I was. Ridgeview was too big, and there were too many places to hide someone. Max wouldn’t be able to check every place.
With my escape plans dashed, Max unaware of my location, and Justin looking at me in a way that made my skin crawl, I was doomed.
I would never see my family again. I would never hear Chad’s whining or his sweet laughter. Max would never hold me in his arms again, tell me that he’d fallen in love with me, and I would never be able to nearly maim him when I tripped over something.
Nausea hit me, and I feared I would throw up. I curled my arms around myself and rocked back and forth, praying for a miracle as I fought not to burst out crying.
I could’ve cursed the fact that Chad had talked me into taking his job. I wouldn’t be in this mess if I had said no, but I never would’ve met Max, and that was something I didn’t regret.
He’d started out as a prick, but I suspected it was because he didn’t have anyone in his life to love him. If I got out of this alive, I was going to suffocate him with love.
Just as I thought all hope was lost, I snapped my head up at the sound of…was that a wolf’s howl? Had I heard the correctly? The smack to my face must’ve made my brain rattle around in my head.
Then I remembered that Max was a wolf shifter. My heart thundered as four wolves rushed the warehouse. I screamed and dropped from my chair, as if the thin metal could protect me from the bullets that started flying.
I peeked between the seat and backrest, and my breath was taken away at the sheer beauty of the wolves. They were huge, furry, and they attacked without hesitation.
The four men at the table grabbed their weapons, but three of the wolves went after them, teeth bared, growling as they leapt. One wolf went after Antonio.
I had a suspicion that was Max, and damn, he was a breathtaking, magnificent creature. Powerful. Determined. I was about to piss myself at how frightening he looked but wanted to shout for joy that he’d come for me.
Justin had broken free from the fight and raced toward me. I jumped up and ran for the stairs, but he caught me by my hair and yanked me back, shoving his gun to my temple.
“Back the fuck off or I’ll kill him!”
The fighting ceased. The wolf by Antonio let out a low, rumbling snarl. I was terrified that Justin would shoot me anyway, but I also couldn’t rip my eyes away from Max.
Why on earth did I h
ave a crazy urge to pet him, to run my fingers through his soft-looking fur, and to rub my bruised cheek against his shiny coat?
Right before my eyes Max transformed back into a human. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. One moment he’d been on all fours, but as he slowly stood, he’d begun to shimmer, and now I was staring into Max’s baby blues.
And he was completely naked. I’d never been so happy to see anyone, yet so turned on that my dick got hard. I had a goddamn gun held to my head, and I was horny.
I really must’ve hit my head when Antonio backhanded me.
Max took a step forward. “Lower that gun and I promise to kill you quickly.”
“He’ll do no such thing.” Antonio was slowly reaching for the crate. Max wasn't facing him and had no clue what Antonio was doing. I couldn’t let him kill Max.
Praying I wasn’t making a mistake, I went lax, and Justin’s hold loosened. I hit the floor and slammed my foot as hard as I could into Justin’s knee.
Justin howled as he went down. One of the wolves by the table raced over as the fighting started again. The wolf tore into Justin. I closed my eyes and covered my ears, feeling sick at the sound of breaking bones.
Then the warehouse went silent.
I slowly opened my eyes and saw the men at the table were dead. Justin was dead. Oh god, I was going to throw up because Justin’s throat was torn out.
When I looked over toward Max, I saw him on the ground, as was Antonio. The prick who had tricked me into coming to him lay there with his eyes open, staring blankly at the ceiling, his throat torn to shreds.
“Max!” I rushed over to him. He had a knife sticking out of his chest. “Max, tell me what to do!”
With a grunt, Max pulled the knife free and tossed it aside. “Get me Dr. Savant and about eight hours alone with you.”
I slapped his arm. “This is no time to joke. You’re bleeding.”
Max pushed to one elbow and winced. “Sweetheart, I seem to always be bleeding.” He looked over at the wolves. “Antonio’s not a threat anymore.” He looked at my face, and his features darkened. “Antonio do that to you?”
