"I'm a big boy," Johnny said. "I can take care of myself."
"I'm not as big as him." Rob jerked a thumb toward Johnny, "but otherwise yes, I can also take care of myself." He turned to Nott and raised an eyebrow.
"So can I," Nott muttered, "but Marion does have a point. Being in her company could draw unwanted attention."
"Maybe you should have thought of that before now," I said. "But since you're here, perhaps you can explain how you stopped working with Zeta."
"More to the point, how did you stop and not end up dead?" Rob asked. "Surely they know exactly who and what you are."
Nott hesitated. "I haven't told them I'm not helping them."
I blinked. "They still think you're working with them?" He might be walking a dangerous line if he helped us without their knowledge. A potentially deadly line.
"Yes they do," he replied. "I get information from them and feed them false trails. Occasionally I give them real ones, so they don't get suspicious, but then I make sure any paranormals have cleared out before they arrive. Enough evidence left behind to prove paranormals were actually there and they're none the wiser. Fortunately paranormals tend to be slippery characters anyway. Even if I was colluding with Zeta, they'd be hard pressed to catch any. Those who come close to capture, I help."
"By arresting them?" Rob asked, his brow furrowed.
Nott rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. "Sometimes. I have contacts. I can help them to make new lives elsewhere. Most are happy to start over, if it gets Zeta off their trail."
I nodded. "Could you do that for me?" I asked.
He pursed his lips. "I would have done that if you hadn't run before I could."
I raised my hands, palms up. "Sorry, not sorry. Call me crazy, but I wasn't going to stick around and find out what you had in store for me."
"That doesn't sound crazy to me," Johnny said. "In fact, I'm not sure we shouldn't take him outside and make him pay for what he did." He seemed congenial, but something flashed in his eyes. Something which suggested he'd actually do it if I asked him to.
"My, my, don't you have quite the fan club?" Nott smirked. "What is it about you that inspires such loyalty from people who barely know you?"
I shrugged. I was wondering the same myself, but I didn't really want them to beat Nott up. An hour ago I might have felt differently. Although I didn't exactly trust him, I understood him better. Like it or not, we had to try to get along. At least for now.
I chewed at my lip before I asked, "So what will you do when Zeta asks you to do something you don't want to do?" I asked. "Or if you can't contact the paranormals in time for them to get out safely? What then?”
"They die," he said simply. "Or I will."
"Pfft," Rob said derisively. "What about going after Zeta? Have you ever fought back?"
"Have you?" Nott shot back. "Or do you just lurk in shadows and steal from the rich to help the poor?"
Rob blinked in surprise, then laughed. "You think I'm the cat burglar?"
"I think it's possible," Nott agreed slowly. "Why are you denying it?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny," Rob said, looking cagey. "You didn't answer my question."
"Nor did you." Nott finished his drink and pushed the glass away from him.
"I asked first," Rob said.
"He's right, he did," Johnny said helpfully.
"I—" Nott started.
"Oh, dear gods," I groaned. "Why don't you just pull out your dicks and settle once and for all who has the biggest?"
"You think this is about dicks?" Rob looked amused.
"Isn't it always?" I asked.
"It often is," Johnny agreed. After a beat, he added, "I would win."
"Don't count on it." Nott looked smug.
"I don't want to boast—" Rob started.
I rolled my eyes. "All right, can we focus on the actual matter at hand here? Some nasty agency wants us dead. That's a bit more important than who did what and who didn't, or dick size." Although I admit I was getting curious.
"The important question is, what are we going to do?"
"We?" Rob asked. "As in the four of us?" He turned his finger in a circle to gesture at everyone around the small table.
"Five, with Tucker." I nodded.
"Tucker seems harmless enough, but do we really need help from him?" Rob jerked his head toward Nott. "He's still an asshole."
"It takes one to know one," Nott retorted.
"Boom. Burn." Johnny grinned.
Nott turned to him and stared. "What are you, a six-year-old?"
"Well, I'm—" Johnny started.
"Ugh," I groaned. I slammed my glass down on the table and got to my feet. "You're all absolutely ridiculous. Whatever I need to do, I'll do it myself."
They all rose.
"Wait," Rob reached for my arm before I could take a step. "We're sorry, we don't mean to be idiots. It's just how we deal with stress. We tell dumb jokes and take digs at each other."
I sighed. "I don't mind any of those things, but it's getting out of hand. As far as I can tell, this is a serious situation we're in. Banter your hearts out, but enough arguing, all right?"
Rob nodded. "That's fine with me." He glanced toward Nott.
Nott shrugged. "I can be an adult if they can."
Johnny looked chastised. "I'm sorry. I guess we all got carried away."
Rob squeezed my arm gently. "Will you sit down?"
I narrowed my eyes at them all. "I suppose so. Let's do some actual planning."
"This might not be the place to do it," Nott said. He looked thoughtful. "You know where my warehouse is. I'll meet you there in the morning. It's more private and free of bugs. The electronic kind anyway."
Rob looked as though he was searching for a reason to say no, but he nodded. "All right, we can do that I suppose."
"Good." Nott gave me a long look. "You should be careful. Don't assume anywhere is safe."
"I never do," I assured him. I already figured out the quickest way to get out of the building in a hurry if I had to. I also had a backup plan if that failed. Assumptions, in my line of business, got you caught or killed. That Nott convinced me to get into his car in the first place still rankled, although I now knew he hadn't meant me harm. Not that I'd give him a free pass for kidnapping. I was still pissed about that.
"Good." He nodded. "If they know who and where you are, they'll try again. Next time they might do more than—"
An arrow whizzed past my ear and lodged in the top of the table.
Twelve
The arrow stuck hard, head first, and quivered for a moment.
Before it was still, I let out a squeak and ducked back from the table.
"What the fuck?" Rob exclaimed.
Johnny grabbed me around my shoulders and shielded me as he pushed me toward the exit.
"Who the hell uses arrows anymore?" Rob followed us toward the door, his back to us, hands raised as if that would ward off another attack.
"Where is Nott?" I asked before I was all but shoved out into the night.
"I think he went looking for whoever shot that at us," Johnny said, his voice a calm counterpoint to the pounding in my chest.
"What, he might…" I didn't know where I was going with that line of thought, so I stopped and pressed my back to the wall.
"Don't worry about him," Rob said. "I don't think it was aimed at him."
"I don't think it was aimed at any of us," Johnny said. "Unless they're a shit archer. They hit the middle of the table."
"Someone is trying to warn us?" I guessed. As if dealing with Zeta wasn't enough.
Rob shrugged. "Come on, we need to get out of here."
"Gladly," I muttered. I wouldn't hide behind them though. I stepped out from behind Johnny and walked beside them to the street. There, Johnny parked his Land-cruiser, which I suspected was part tank. Bulky and high up off the ground, it would probably survive the end of the world, whatever form that might take.
"Leaving s
o soon?"
I turned at the sound of Nott's voice. He held a figure by their upper arm. They couldn't have been more than twenty. They wore a cocky smile and a bright red t-shirt over black jeans which were either worn out or on trend. I could never keep up with these things.
In their hand they gripped an old fashioned bow.
Rob approached them and stood almost toe to toe with the young archer. "So you're the fucker who shot at us. Why?"
The archer grinned. "Because I want to join you."
Rob frowned. Then burst out laughing. "You want to what?"
"Hard of hearing, old man?" the young archer taunted. They raised their voice. "I want to join you!"
"You'll be lucky if I don't knock you on your ass," Rob growled. He looked toward Nott. "Shooting arrows at people is against the law, I assume?"
"That it is," Nott agreed.
"Lucky I wasn't aiming at you then." The archer looked smug.
"I think we can chalk it up to him being a pest," Rob said finally.
"He? I'm not a boy," the archer protested. "I'm Willa Scarlet. I'm a woman." She jerked away from Nott's grasp. "I'm also a paranormal, just like all of you. Zeta took my sister and I want revenge."
"We don't need the help of a hothead," Rob said dryly.
Nott raised an eyebrow at him. "Because you hold that position already?" he asked dryly.
Rob glared at him for a moment, then looked back at Willa. "Why are you going around shooting arrows in a bar? Someone could have been killed."
Willa drew herself up and stuck her chin out. "I'm too good to hit anyone unless I want to."
"Says you," Rob said. "What if one of us moved unexpectedly?"
"I would have compensated for that," she replied, but she looked slightly less confident.
"If it makes you feel better, she probably would have hit me," Nott said.
Rob cocked his head. "That does make me feel a little better, thanks."
Nott smirked at him, then stepped away. "Since no harm was done, except to the table, I'll suggest we all get out of here before anyone wonders what's going on." He nodded at me and slipped away into the shadows.
"That leaves us with the question of what to do with you," Rob said.
"I can be useful," Willa insisted. "I'm awesome with a bow and arrow, but I'm even better with a sword."
"That would be very useful," Rob agreed, "if people got into sword fights these days."
"It could happen," she sulked.
"Do you have magic?" Johnny asked.
Willa hesitated, then shook her head. "No, but I can shift into a bird."
Rob flinched. "A bird?"
"Yes, a bird, I know it's not common. It tends to…" Willa paused. "Run in families."
Rob clapped himself on the forehead. "Please tell me you're not…"
Willa grinned. "Your niece."
"Wilhelmina?" He grimaced.
She matched the expression. "Don't call me that. What were my parents thinking?"
"What were they thinking letting you use a sword and a bow?" Rob retorted.
She looked unapologetic. "I have a mind of my own. I wanted to learn how to take care of myself. I can also flip a grown man. Wanna see?"
Rob held up a hand. "Later."
"So," Johnny drew out the word, "are you going to introduce us?"
Rob sighed. "This is my niece, who I haven't seen since she was three or four. Since that was only a couple of years ago—"
"Sixteen," Willa said. "Uncle Rob is the one the family doesn't talk about unless they have to. He's also hard to find. I've been trying since—"
"Congratulations, you found me," he said dryly. "Now you can run on home and stay out of trouble. And don't go firing arrows off at people. It could have gotten you into a shit load of trouble with—"
He stopped and shook his head. "What do you mean they took your sister? Little Alanna?"
Willa's expression darkened. "She wasn't so little anymore, but yes. Six months ago…" She sniffed.
"Wasn't so little?" I asked gently. "They… they killed her?"
A tear trickled down Willa's cheek. "Left her body beside the road as a warning to the rest of us." She swallowed audibly and her face twisted into a mask of fury. "I want to destroy them, every last person who works for Zeta. I want to find out who is in charge, who is giving the orders, and I want to…"
"Shoot an arrow up their ass?" Johnny suggested.
"Yes, for a start," she agreed.
"We shouldn't be standing here talking about this," Rob said. "Let's get out of here." He gestured toward the truck. "Willa, how did you get here?"
"I drove. My car is—" She gestured back behind her.
"Good, I'll go with you." Rob gave Johnny a nod. "Get Marion out of here." He ran a hand over his head. "Does Tucker know where to find us?"
I nodded. "I told him, but I think he might lay low for a while."
"Fine. Later." Rob leaned over to press a kiss to my lips. "Stay safe."
"You too," I agreed.
Johnny clapped him on the shoulder and gestured for me to climb into his car.
I didn't need to be told twice. We were metres from where my bike exploded. While it was gone, a smear of black remained on the side of the road.
The door shut behind me with a solid thunk and we left Merry's behind.
"Are you all right?" Johnny asked after a few minutes.
"I feel a bit like I'm stuck on a rollercoaster," I admitted. "Nott is the enemy, Nott isn't the enemy. Someone tried to kill us, but they didn't really, they just wanted Uncle Rob's help. Dead shifters, my dead bike. A couple of days ago, all I had to worry about was what jewels to steal and which would be too easy to trace. I'm starting to think I should have ignored Rob's invitation to meet with him at Merry's."
I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands.
Johnny pulled the car over by the side of the road, into a place of relative darkness.
"No one would kick himself more for getting you in over your head than Rob would," he said softly. "Except me. I'd kick his ass into next week."
I smiled wanly. "I appreciate that, but you might be in line after me."
He chuckled.
The next thing I knew, his lips were pressed to mine. He kissed me gently, but with increasing intensity and pressure.
My hands went to his chest. For a moment I wondered if I should push him away. Instead, I wound my arms around his solid neck and drew him closer.
He murmured something and pulled back. "Damned handbrake." He grabbed my hand and pulled me over to straddle his lap. His mouth found mine again, deep and full of promise. His hands slid up the back of my shirt and over my skin.
My heart pounded faster as my desire rose. My lips parted and my tongue probed for his.
After a few moments, I pulled back reluctantly. "Maybe we should find somewhere else?"
He blinked at me, then opened the driver's side door. His arms around me, he lifted me and climbed out of the car. He carried me around to the front of the car and lowered me onto the warm hood.
My legs wound around his hips, so my skirt rode up. Between the thin fabric of my panties and his jeans, I felt his erection. He rubbed up and down, slowly, so slowly, teasing my clit and my entrance.
I gasped at the jolt of pleasure that warmed my belly.
He slid his hands up the front of my shirt and pulled it up, over my bra. He left it there and teased a cup down to expose my nipple. He circled it with his tongue, then sucked gently on my aroused peak.
He did the same with the other one until I moaned softly.
He stepped back and unwound my legs from his waist. Gently, but deliberately, he placed my feet on the front of the car, opening me to him. With careful fingers, he pulled my panties aside just enough to give him room to flick over my clit with his tongue.
I bit the side of my mouth to keep from crying out. We might be in the darkness here, but people in nearby buildings might still hear us. The thought made my pulse
race. I widened my legs a bit further.
He flicked his tongue against my entrance again, then leaned in closer to lick me with slow, deliberate strokes.
I pressed the palms of my hands to the car and bucked against his mouth.
Without stopping, he slipped a thick finger inside me, then another, and lightly stroked my insides.
Between his tongue, his fingers, and the excitement of thinking we might get caught, I fell over the edge in a massive orgasm after only a couple of minutes. I kept my moans as quiet as I could, but the inside of the wave which crashed over me couldn't keep me completely silent.
Johnny grinned and pulled his mouth away. "You're beautiful when you come," he whispered.
"I bet you are too." I sat up and undid his pants to release his cock. I was right, he wasn't little anywhere. "I want you inside me. Now."
"As the lady wishes." He drew my legs closer together so he could pull my panties all the way off and tuck them into his pocket. That done, he parted them again and cupped my ass.
I leaned back slightly as the tip of his cock nudged my opening. Then he slid all the way inside me, a slow but steady entrance. He filled me completely, but comfortably, like his cock was made for me.
"Oh gods," he muttered. He stood there like that for a while, then began to thrust in and out of me. He pulled almost all the way out, then back in, to his balls.
He felt so good. After a dozen thrusts I was ready to come again. The car bounced lightly underneath me, accentuating our movement.
He kept hold of me with one hand and pushed my bra cup down so he could palm my breast with the other.
I groaned and moved in perfect rhythm with him.
He leaned forward and spoke in my ear. "I'm going to come."
"Me too," I whispered. "I want you come with me. Come inside me."
He moaned and thrusted harder and faster, harder and faster.
My ass rocked back and forth on the car. If not for his hand holding me so firmly, I would have slid off. Instead, I closed my eyes and savoured the sensation of his cock sliding in and out.
With a cry I couldn't contain, I came again. Waves of passion swallowed me under so I was aware of nothing but pleasure and him grunting as he came as well.
He thrusted a few more times as I came down, then sagged and stood panting, his cock still buried inside me.
Wicked Souls: A Limited Edition Reverse Harem Romance Collection Page 68
