by Macy Blake
His brother sat in one of the blue side chairs Andrew never used unless company was over. Beside him stood two of the most intimidating men Andrew had ever seen. Danny stared at him through wide blue eyes. His face was pale, and little beads of sweat gathered around his forehead. His normally perfectly styled blond curls were in wild disarray. That in itself frightened Andrew more than anything. Danny took immense pride in his appearance and usually had a haughty expression, one of those you-can’t-mess-with-me faces. He held that outer shell in place, even when he was dead wrong and knew it.
Not this time. His brother was clearly terrified.
Andrew took a step back, and one of the goons drew a gun and placed it to Danny’s head.
“You might as well not try anything. I’ll have Danny’s brains on the floor before you can blink, and I doubt you can outrun my second bullet.”
Andrew froze, and the guy smiled.
“Hey, at least you’re a better listener than your brother here.”
“What do you want?” Andrew hated that his voice trembled but couldn’t fight the knowledge that nothing about to happen would be good in any way.
“Well now, what I really want is my money. Danny here assured me that he could get it from you, but that turned out to be a lie, didn’t it, Danny-boy?”
With that, he slapped Danny across the face. Danny’s head jerked to the side, and blood began to trickle from his nose.
“Don’t!” Andrew stepped forward with his hand outstretched, but goon number two turned his gun on Andrew.
“Now I don’t think you want to try anything.”
Andrew did want to try something, but he had no idea what. Anything to get the two of them out of this situation.
The lead goon approached and ran the muzzle of his gun over Andrew’s cheek. “You might as well stop thinking about it, pretty boy. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I have no trouble making sure you do what I want. And if you don’t? Well, then I have no trouble hurting you. Or your brother.”
“I got it.” Andrew stepped away from the cold metal on his face with a shudder.
“Good. Now, Danny here told me something really interesting about you. I think you and I might come to an understanding yet.”
“Just tell me what you want.”
Andrew didn’t even see the fist coming. It slammed into his stomach and left him hunched over and coughing.
Danny cried out and was quickly backhanded for his trouble.
“I don’t like that tone, pretty. As for what I want, well, that has to do with your new job. Danny tells me you’re working for the DiMartinos. He wasn’t lying, was he?”
Andrew tried to stand up again, but the pain radiating through his body had him wincing and leaning forward onto his knees. “No, he wasn’t lying.”
“Good boy! Then your job is easy. I need some information on how that house of theirs is laid out. And you’re going to get it for me.”
Andrew forced himself to stand, one arm crossed protectively across his throbbing stomach. “Why?”
He wished he’d kept his mouth shut when the fist landed across his jaw. He fell back onto the floor and covered his face with his hand.
“Your job isn’t to ask questions. You do what you’re told, and you and Danny will be just fine.”
Andrew had no idea what they were after, but refusing wasn’t an option. “Fine. I got it. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll get it for you.”
“I was hoping you’d see it my way.” The guy knelt down next to him and ran his hand over Andrew’s head. “The layout, and where that bastard DiMartino sleeps. Think you can manage that for me?”
Andrew nodded, and the guy’s fist closed into his hair. He jerked Andrew’s head back and grinned.
“Now, I’m going to hold onto Danny boy here until you get me what I need. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you both wind up in as many pieces as I can cut off. Capiche?”
Andrew nodded again. The grip in his hair tightened, and Andrew was forced to his feet. Another blow to his stomach and Andrew cried out and threw up.
The guy jumped out of the way in time to avoid the mess. “Hate it when that happens.” He laughed. “You have forty-eight hours. I’ll be in touch.”
They grabbed Danny by his arms and dragged him out of the room. Danny sent him a beseeching glance, and Andrew nodded in reply. Yeah, he’d figure out how to get them out of this mess. He hated it, but he would do it.
With another coughing breath, he closed the door to his apartment. They’d left it standing wide open when they left. His knees gave out, and Andrew slid to the floor with a choked cry.
Staring across the room, Andrew’s gaze locked on the phone. All it would take was a phone call to Alfonse. Surely any man who needed bodyguards would know how to get around a couple of thugs who were after him.
Andrew dropped his head to his knees as the throbbing in his face and stomach began to amplify. All he had to do was confess his brother’s sins and let the professionals handle it.
The question was whether Alfonse would be willing to let Danny and Andrew take the fall in order to protect his family. Considering the magnitude of their secret, Andrew couldn’t quite bring himself to believe that the DiMartinos would balk at allowing a couple of brothers to disappear in order to keep their family safe.
Chapter Five
Andrew sat at his kitchen table with a coffee mug in one hand and an ice pack in the other. Crumbs were all that remained of the buttered toast he’d managed to force past his swollen jaw. He’d called in sick to work, not wanting Caleb or Alfonse to see him in this condition. They would see the purple and green bruises and demand to know what had happened.
What could he tell them? He glanced down at his bruised abdomen and sighed. At least that one he could cover with his shirt. His face, not so much.
Fortunately, the agency Andrew worked for would handle the actual call to the DiMartinos. He’d called his manager, Shari, earlier. Andrew was glad he would be able to avoid their questions for at least a day. Yesterday’s attack rolled through his mind. How would he get the information the goons had demanded? And would he actually be able to do it? To betray Alfonse and Caleb that way?
Who was he fooling? Andrew would never betray Caleb, but he had to get the information to the thugs who had his brother. The easiest answer seemed to be to tell the DiMartinos what happened and let them handle the threat. But what if they abandoned Danny to his fate?
Andrew’s head swam. He pushed the plate to the side and laid his head on the table. The ice pack had his jaw aching even more than it had after the initial strike. Twenty minutes on, twenty off, and maybe the swelling would be reduced enough that no one would notice when he went back to work tomorrow.
Bam bam bam
A pounding series of knocks on his door startled Andrew so much he jerked. His bruised stomach protested, and Andrew fought another wave of nausea. Then panic set in. What if they’d come back?
He did his best to tiptoe over to the door and look out through the peephole.
Bam bam bam
“Andrew! Open the door!”
Oh hell, Caleb and Monty. Andrew double-checked that the security chain was fastened and opened the door. He kept the bruised portion of his face hidden. “Caleb? What are you doing here?”
“I came to find out what’s wrong with you. You called in sick. You were fine yesterday. Open the door.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“I don’t think that’s such a great idea, Caleb. I’m not feeling so well, and I don’t want you to catch something.”
Caleb growled, and his eyes changed to that deep amber that signaled an impending shift. “Open the damn door.”
Andrew closed the door and slid the chain from its hook. The last thing he needed was a half-shifted wolf on his front stoop. Caleb pushed the door open as soon as Andrew had the chain free.
His expression went from concern to fierce anger in a second. “Who hurt you?”
Andrew s
hrugged. “I’m fine. I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
Caleb lifted his hand to Andrew’s face, stroked over the bruise gently. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Caleb growled again. “It does. And you will tell me who did this to you. Was it your brother?”
Something in Andrew’s expression must have given away part of the story, because Caleb’s hands began to shift into claws. He pulled his fingers away from Andrew’s face.
“I’ll rip him to shreds.”
“It wasn’t Danny. Look, I really don’t want to talk about this.”
Caleb’s gaze drifted down Andrew’s torso to the purple and red bruising on his side. His eyes glowed, the deepest amber Andrew had seen yet.
Monty cleared his throat. “Caleb? I think we should head back. I told you this was a bad idea.”
The change came over Caleb. He snarled, then howled. His body began to contort. Jed’s demonstration of his shift had been nothing compared to this.
Where the bodyguard’s change flowed smoothly over him, Caleb’s change was a fight. Andrew could see the power behind it, the force of Caleb’s wolf demanding to be set free.
Andrew tried to step back, as he’d been warned, but Caleb pinned him with his gaze. Andrew froze, looked down and away.
Caleb howled again. Monty slammed the door shut and began muttering under his breath. Andrew didn’t know where to look. He could see Caleb’s feet from his downward gaze, let his eyes drift up even as Caleb began to melt into his wolf form. Within a minute, a large black-and-gray wolf stood surrounded by a tangle of clothes where Caleb had been moments before.
Andrew chanced a quick glance at Monty to see if he had any instructions. The bodyguard looked both thrilled and horrified.
“Don’t move,” Monty advised.
“No, really?” Andrew glared at the guard before switching his gaze back to the suddenly growling wolf at his feet. “It’s okay, Caleb. It’s just me.”
Even though he spoke in a soothing tone, the wolf didn’t seem to calm at all. He paced back and forth in front of Andrew, short steps to the left and right. His claws clicked out a staccato rhythm against the tiled floor.
“Slowly kneel down on the floor.” Monty’s voice triggered another growling fit from Caleb. He charged several steps toward the door with his hackles raised.
“Are you crazy?”
“Just do it, Andrew. He’s trying to protect you.”
Andrew’s knees trembled as he dropped to the floor. His scrub pants didn’t provide much padding against the hard tile. He winced and tried to adjust his position, but Caleb snarled at him again. Andrew stopped moving.
Caleb’s head swiveled between Monty and Andrew, and he backed closer to where Andrew knelt. Andrew ended up with a face full of wolf butt. He reached out to stroke Caleb’s fur and received another snarl in reply. He dropped his hand.
“Is he protecting me from you?” Andrew whispered.
“Probably so. He’s not thinking clearly. He can’t. All he knows is that you’re hurt, and he sees me as a threat right now.”
Caleb turned to face Andrew and sniffed his bruised cheek. He licked it and stared into Andrew’s eyes.
Andrew met the animal’s stare, and his instincts took over. “I think you should go on outside. I can handle this.”
Monty began to protest, drawing Caleb’s attention again. He charged toward the door, and Monty jerked it open before Caleb reached him. “I’m listening,” he said as he scurried outside. “If you yell, I’m coming in and stopping him. Got it?”
“I got it.”
Monty shut the door, and Caleb growled at it for a moment. His large head turned back to Andrew. He tilted it slightly to the side, some unanswered question in the wolf’s stance.
Whatever he wanted to know, the animal in him didn’t have the answer. Caleb stalked Andrew with a low growl and half-raised hackles as he recrossed the room.
“I’m okay. You just calm down now. Come on, Caleb. Come back to me. You promised, remember?” Andrew kept his voice low and soothing, much like he’d talk to a scared patient.
Caleb paused for a moment, and then continued forward. He bumped against Andrew and pushed him over to the side. Andrew caught himself on one hand and glared.
“Hey. Stop that.”
Caleb bared his teeth and pushed again. The wolf was strong, stronger than Andrew realized. He tried to hold himself up, but after another growl, complied and let himself be pushed onto his back.
“Gentle, Caleb.” He kept his voice soft, even though the more vulnerable position had him more concerned than ever. If Caleb attacked, would Monty be able to get to him in time?
Caleb sniffed his side, licked gently over the bruises, and sniffed his way up Andrew’s body. He growled again, this time less angry and more… annoyed? Frustrated? Could Caleb’s emotions come through in his animal form?
Andrew broke out in goose bumps and shivered as Caleb’s cold nose ran over his body. “I’m fine. I promise. Come back. It’s okay.”
Caleb raised his head and huffed. He sniffed down Andrew’s body and buried his nose in Andrew’s crotch.
“Don’t do that!” Andrew couldn’t help but laugh at the overly canine response.
Caleb raised his head again. He sniffed his way back up, keeping his eyes locked on Andrew’s until they had to break contact. Caleb nudged Andrew’s head to the side and opened his jaws over Andrew’s neck.
Andrew couldn’t stop the tremor of fear that ran through him, but he followed his instinct and arched his neck back further. Caleb let out a low growl, this one seeming more pleased than angry, and his wet breath heated the skin of Andrew’s neck. Andrew swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed against the teeth brushing his throat.
His actions seemed to alleviate whatever threat Caleb felt. He shivered and began the shift back, his mouth never leaving Andrew’s neck. After a long moment, Caleb lay shivering on top of Andrew.
He ran his hands over Caleb’s side. “Welcome back.”
Caleb lifted his head, his eyes haunted. “What happened?”
“You shifted.”
Caleb scowled. “I realize that. Did I hurt you?”
“Nope. You sniffed me a lot. Stuck your nose right in my crotch. Really, Caleb? The crotch sniff? You haven’t even taken me to dinner yet.”
Caleb laughed and buried his face in Andrew’s neck again. “I don’t know what I’d have done if I hurt you.”
“You promised me you wouldn’t.” He shrugged under Caleb’s weight. “Glad you kept it.”
Caleb raised his head again and met Andrew’s eyes. They locked gazes, and Caleb ran his hand over Andrew’s bruised cheek. “I was so mad. The thought of you being hurt….”
“You know, as mad as I am about getting my ass kicked, I have to say I’m glad it happened if this was the result. You needed to shift, Caleb. This has to be a good thing, right? Maybe you’ll be better now?”
“Always thinking of me first.” Caleb lowered his head and pressed his lips to Andrew’s.
Andrew gasped. Caleb lifted his head for a moment, stared into Andrew’s eyes, then lowered it again. His mouth opened against Andrew’s, his tongue teasing for entrance. Andrew let him in and wrapped his arms around Caleb’s back to pull him closer. Their bare chests pressed together, the heat of their skin burning.
Caleb ran his hand through Andrew’s hair. He gently twisted the blond curls in his fist and tugged Andrew’s head slightly to the side so he could deepen their kiss. Their tongues tangled together. Caleb’s cock filled where their bodies met, and he began thrusting against Andrew’s leg.
Andrew ran his hand down Caleb’s side to his hip. He squeezed and felt something hard under his hand just as Caleb hissed in pain and drew away.
“What the hell was that?” Andrew gently pushed Caleb to the side and slid from beneath him. Caleb started to roll onto his side, but Andrew stopped him. “No, don’t move. I nee
d to see what that was.”
He sat up and ran his fingers over Caleb’s hip again and found the spot. “Shit, Caleb. There’s something in there.”
“What is it? It hurts like hell.”
“I don’t know. Stay still, okay? I’m going to get my first aid kit.” Andrew jumped to his feet and ran to the bathroom. He knelt back by Caleb’s side a moment later and flipped open the kit. “Shit, Monty is outside. He should see this.”
“Yeah,” Caleb agreed. “Monty? Come inside.” Caleb barely raised his voice, but Monty came rushing through the door in a second.
Andrew blushed. The guard must have heard everything. He pushed his embarrassment aside and got out his tweezers. “Shit. This won’t work. Whatever it is, it isn’t through the skin.”
Monty squatted down beside Andrew. “What?”
“I felt something on his hip. There’s something there, under the skin.”
Monty reached down and ran his hand over the spot Andrew indicated. “We’ve gotta get that out. Got a knife?”
Andrew scrambled into the kitchen and found a paring knife. He brought it back and handed it over.
“Be still.”
“I will,” Caleb said and buried his head in his arms.
Monty ran the knife over Caleb’s skin and made a small incision. Andrew had the tweezers ready and handed them over. He could see something embedded under the skin. Monty tugged, and a small silver needle slid free.
Caleb hissed, and Andrew pressed a piece of gauze over the spot. He stared at the bloody needle in horror. “Is that…?”
“Silver,” Monty said. “He should be dead.”
Caleb raised his head, his face pale and sweaty. “Call my dad. He needs to know that someone knows what we are.”
Monty handed the bloody tweezers and needle to Andrew before he pulled out his phone and dialed. The conversation was brief and to the point. Even Andrew could hear Alfonse’s outraged yells into the phone.
“He’s on his way back,” Monty said when he ended the call.
