This was a goddamn shakedown. Dylan bared his teeth at the other male. “I don’t appreciate being played.”
The male slammed his fist on the desk, rattling the pencils in the holder. “And I don’t appreciate some fucking Spick wolf coming into my territory, trying to use my toys.”
It took all of Dylan’s willpower to stay seated in the chair. By some miracle, he did. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he watched Mitchell tense. Dylan grinned at him and pulled out a thick envelope and placed it on the desk. Tapping it, he said, “Perhaps this will help assuage your fears that I would try to take her from you. All I want is a taste. I can find my own female in Mexico.”
“If you can find your own female, then why do you want mine?”
Dylan inhaled deeply and let it out. “The females we have are all willing. They want to fuck me any way I want to, but what they don’t do is fight.”
Mitchell’s mouth curled up in a smile. “Oh, Gia is a little fighter,” he replied, one hand sinking below the desk. “She fights so fucking much you have to restrain her. Even then, she uses her teeth.” His hand began to move, and Dylan was disgusted to smell Mitchell’s lust as he rubbed himself at the mere thought of his captive sex slave.
“So, we have a deal, then? One hundred thousand for forty-eight hours use, and an additional fifty-thousand as a sign of good faith. I will take your Gia to my motel and have my fill. Afterward, your enforcers can come and take back what’s not been broken.”
The alpha’s eyes swam with his wolf. “You’re not to kill her. You can hurt her but don’t snuff out her beautiful light.”
“Of course, I won’t kill her,” Dylan purred.
“And I’m going to have one of my enforcers at the door the whole time.”
Dylan’s jaw pulsed as he thought. At least this way Gia was out of the pack house. He could take care of one additional wolf easily. He stood and held out his hand for Mitchell to shake. “We have a deal. Forty-eight hours from now.”
“Forty-eight hours,” the other male repeated, then yelled, “Ben! Get your ass in here.”
Dylan turned to see a male enter the room. He kept his eyes low, but the aggression beading off his skin was undeniable. With shaggy blond hair and blue eyes, the guy looked more suited to a Californian beach than Patten, Maine.
“Sir?”
“Ben, this here is Diego Antonio Pineda Villa. He’s just purchased the use of Gia for the next two days. He’ll be taking her to a motel, and I want Lucas to stand guard.”
Ben’s eyes danced with gold—the same shade as Layla’s and Leroy’s. Had Mitchell bitten and turned all these wolves? Ben was clearly pissed off with the new arrangement, but he kept his mouth shut. “Lucas isn’t here,” he told Mitchell. “He hasn’t returned from…” Ben hesitated, his eyes sliding in Dylan’s direction. “He hasn’t come back yet.”
Mitchell’s jaw bulged, his eyes solid gold for a long minute. “Call him and get an update. Take the Spick down to inspect Gia first, though. Then send Tanner in to see me.”
“Yes, sir,” Ben replied. “If you’d like to follow me?” Ben spoke to Dylan.
Dylan walked calmly behind Ben, leaving the office and stepping out in the hall. He could still smell Ben’s anger, but that rage was edged with sorrow and worry.
Was he worried about Lucas?
Or was Gia his concern?
“He sold her to you?” Ben asked over his shoulder.
“Si.”
Ben swallowed. “How much did he want for her?”
“One hundred and fifty thousand.”
“Jesus.” Ben went taut as he stopped abruptly. Shaking his head, Dylan waited for him to say more, but he simply took in a deep breath and kept walking. He followed Ben down into a subterranean room that was a barely finished space. The walls were still dirt in some places. It smelled of mold, but under that was the faint scent of the female he’d just purchased. His cock immediately stirred at her citrus scent. Jesus, that made him feel sick. He had to remind himself that it was all a means to an end, and he was rescuing her from this shithole. Although the fact that he was turned on by her scent was also a little disconcerting.
Ben came to a stop at a door that hadn’t even been painted. There were three slide bolts in place, each with a padlock. Pulling a key from his pocket, Ben started to unlock each of them, sliding the bolt away. Dylan felt a wave of anxiety hit him, coming from behind the door. That poor female was terrified, and he would have to keep her that way until they got to the motel, and he could explain everything.
He just hoped she’d let him.
Chapter Five
Gia woke with a start, terror slamming her in the chest like a sledgehammer. Sitting up, she stared at the door. Someone was coming in, the sound of the bolts sliding back unmistakeable. Her shoulders tensed as the last of the locks was opened, her breath coming out in harsh pants.
She wasn’t ready to face Mitchell yet. She wasn’t ready to retreat into herself, to protect her soul while he abused her body. Her gaze fell on the hand-shaped bruises on her thighs, and she tugged her shift down. The bastard got a kick out of seeing her bruises, out of knowing he made her suffer.
She licked her dry lips as the door opened slowly. Braced for Mitchell, she practically sagged when it was Ben who pushed on the door and slid inside. He barely contained his rage, the anger radiating out from the set of his jaw and the hard slash of his mouth.
“What’s going on?” she asked in a whisper, her anxiety spiking to a fever pitch. Ben studied her, his wolf sliding in and out of focus, but he remained silent. “Ben, what’s he done? What does he want me to do?”
She had to know because not knowing felt worse than finding out the ugly truth that Mitchell wanted her bound or already bleeding before he came to her. He didn’t usually send Ben to do that, though.
“There’s a male here for you.” His words were slow, deliberate, and she sucked in a shuddering breath.
“Here for me, how?”
“He sold you, Gia,” Ben whispered, reaching out to take her hand. “He sold you to some foreign bastard.” His anger was like a shadow in the room
Gia’s heart leaped into her throat.
No. No! Shaking her head, she tried to get her mouth to form the word, but it was lodged somewhere at the base of her tongue, unable to move.
Mitchell had never done this before, never sold her. She felt dirty and used like a fucking commodity. There was some movement outside the door, and she flared her nostrils, trying to get a bead on whoever was out there.
She was stunned when her wolf pricked her ears and whined a little. The scent of wood smoke and, was that marshmallows? made her long for a time when she used to go camping with her parents and little brother. Those were some of her happiest memories and ones she knew she could never have again.
“He’s paid to have you for forty-eight hours, but he’s taking you to a motel for that time. You’ll get out of here for a while,” he added with a sad smile.
This was true, but it felt like she was trading one prison for another, if only temporarily.
She stood, smoothing her shift down as she did.
Ben’s eyes lingered on all her visible bruises.
“Is he as bad as Mitchell?” she asked. “Do you know what kind of male he is?”
“I have no idea what he plans to do with you, but I promise you will come back in one piece from this.”
She huffed a laugh. “In one piece.” She met his eyes, her gaze sliding away after a moment. “Maybe. But will I be any less whole?”
He pulled her into a hug, a fleeting touch of skin that Gia found she craved more and more from him. She clutched at his shoulders, unwilling to let him go, but eventually, he pulled away, and she was forced to do the same.
“Are you ready?”
Gia looked down at herself. It wasn’t like her other clothes were much better than what she had on, and if her alpha had sold her for sex, getting dressed was a moot point. She just hoped thi
s new male would leave her clothing intact. She had so little.
Giving Ben a nod, she held her arms stiffly at her sides and waited for him to open the door. A small gasp pushed past her lips when she took in the male who entered. His woodsmoke scent filled her nostrils almost immediately, the sugary chaser making her wolf calm. Normally, the animal she shared her body with was ready and tensed for a fight.
Not with this male, it seemed.
He was tall—at least a few inches taller than her five foot eight. With his dark hair and green eyes, his cheekbones were white slashes, his jaw strong and square. He studied her with cool disinterest, his eyes flashing rust red with his wolf.
She should have been scared of him, and one side of her was, but her wolf—who was the one who forced her to fight so hard—was curiously quiet. Gia had no idea what that meant, but she was also terrified to find out.
“Diego, this is Gia.”
Diego’s cool gaze never left her face as he prowled toward her. She held still but couldn’t stop the rash of goosebumps that chased along her skin where his eyes landed. He was taking in all of her, his jaw tightening when he took in her bruises.
“How does he restrain her?” he asked Ben, gesturing to the bruises on her wrists and ankles.
“Rope, as far as I know,” Ben replied, his words clipped.
His nostrils flared suddenly, sharply, before his expression evened out to neutral. Gia swallowed, wondering whether this Diego guy was looking for ideas. Would he be as brutal as Mitchell?
The male grunted and began walking around her, inspecting her. She tensed when he went behind her, her shoulders tightened. A shuddered breath escaped her lips when his fingers brushed against her wrist, the gentle touch making her bruised skin ache. He lingered there for a moment before resuming his inspection of her.
She turned her head to look at him when he rounded to the front once more. His wolf stared at her with anger, and the man felt much the same if his hard-pressed lips were anything to go by.
“She will be sufficient,” he announced to Ben, who nodded in response. “I’ll take her to my car.”
No!
No, no, no.
She didn’t want to go with him.
At least with Mitchell, she knew who the devil was and what he was capable of. This male was an unknown enemy. He could hurt her worse than Mitchell. He could do a lot more to her than Mitchell. Her alpha always claimed what he did was for love, and in some sick way, he was right, but she was nothing to Diego.
Suddenly, the idea of leaving the only safe place she knew seemed like a death warrant.
She couldn’t go.
She wouldn’t go.
Frantically looking around the room, she tried to find something to cling to, so they’d have to drag her out of there kicking and screaming. She would go down fighting.
Suddenly, Gia’s vision faded to black before she furiously blinked it back into clarity. Panic was riding her hard—panic and desperation to survive. Her head was spinning, her breath leaving her mouth in sharp rasping waves.
“Gia?” Ben asked, his voice sounding too far away. “Are you okay?”
Diego barked something harshly in Spanish before the room turned to black.
Chapter Six
Dylan scooped Gia up before she could hit the floor. Cradling her too-light body close to his chest, a growl rumbled from him as he looked at Ben. The other male’s eyes were flashing gold, but eventually, he dropped his gaze. Which was a good fucking thing considering Dylan’s anger had put his self-control on a hair-trigger. He was disgusted by everything Gia had needlessly endured. His anger was like a black stain on his thoughts, threatening to consume his mind, his soul, his fucking entire world.
Females were meant to be worshiped and protected.
Not this.
Not captured.
Not bound.
Not Abused. Defiled. Humiliated.
Beside him, Ben took a step away, reacting to the murderous vibes Dylan must’ve been giving off. Good. He felt like a grenade with the fucking pin pulled out right now.
He tried to focus on mundane things like how the room she was kept in looked normal. The bed had plenty of pillows and quilts. There was also a closet and a small bathroom he could see through another door in the back.
He looked down at the female whose scent was calling to his wolf, tracing the arch of her mouth and the gentle slope of her nose. He swore to himself then that he would never let harm come to her again.
Mate, his wolf whispered, the word shocking him.
“Please don’t hurt her.”
Dylan’s top lip curled off his teeth as he glared at the beta of the Rogue Wolves. “I’ve bought her. I can do whatever I want with her.”
Whether it was the words or the rasping growl that accompanied them, Ben flinched. He shocked the shit out of Dylan when he didn’t back down. “Please. She doesn’t deserve this.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Deserve what, exactly?” What the fuck did he think was going to happen? That he would treat her any worse than Mitchell had. The fact that Ben did think that only made Dylan’s anger turn nuclear. Refocusing his anger, he snapped, “Never mind.”
Ben got busy packing a bag for Gia while Dylan took a little more time to get his murderous impulses under control. It helped that he had Gia in his arms. Her scent calmed his usually aggressive wolf. The bastard was sitting quietly inside Dylan’s head now, keeping his watchful eyes on her.
What Dylan couldn’t figure out was how his anger had suddenly switched off when he’d brushed his fingers against her wrist before. He’d told himself it was because he wanted to see how bad her wounds were, but it was a fucking lie. He’d wanted to touch her, to see if her skin was as soft as it looked.
“I’ve got some of her things packed,” Ben announced, making Dylan blink and his wolf sit up. The beast snarled, the action translating through to Dylan’s own mouth. The other male’s eyes widened slightly before sliding to the side. Quietly, he added, “I’ll take them to your car.”
The beta went up the stairs first, giving Dylan his back. It was a show of both submissiveness and trust, and one he wouldn’t soon forget. Keeping Gia tucked close, he ascended the stairs, then strode through the house like he owned the damn thing. Ben held the door open for him, and Dylan walked straight to his rental and placed Gia gently in the front passenger seat. He snatched the bag from Ben, keeping up the appearance that he was a ticked-off wolf who wanted to start his time with his purchase.
At the door, Mitchell watched him go. “Remember our deal. Use her, but don’t break her,” the alpha called.
Dylan bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. Mitchell was going to get what was coming to him. Giving the other male a curt nod, he got in the car and buckled up.
He drove back to the motel carefully but a little faster than was legal. With every mile he put between him and the pack house, he felt like he could breathe a little easier. Gia didn’t stir on the ride back, and he hoped she didn’t have any major health problems he had to contend with in addition to her fainting.
Dylan glanced in his rear-view mirror to see if Mitchell was making good on his promise of sending a guard from the pack. There was a green Camry trailing behind him, and Dylan accelerated a little more. The Lexus propelled them quickly down the highway until he pulled off the road and into the driveway of the motel.
He parked the rental at number fourteen and killed the engine. The green Camry rolled into the motel a few moments later, pulling up beside him. The male inside the car had a shaved head with tattoos crawling up the side of his neck. He sneered at Dylan, and Dylan let his wolf out to play a little. The fucker backed down after that, but the muscle jumping in his jaw said it all—he didn’t like playing submissive. With any luck, Dylan wouldn’t have to deal with the guy any more than he already had.
He opened the room first, then went to collect Gia.
Mitchell’s wolf was still in his car, still watching him wit
h pure, raging hatred in his eyes. Dylan flipped him off before hoisting Gia into his arms and walking her into the room. He locked the doors and dimmed the lights, knowing that when she woke, she would probably have a headache.
Lying her out on the bed, he stepped back and stared at her. She was a fucking beautiful woman. She was tall for a female, which was highly unusual to start with, but what had made him really pay attention to her was the spark of defiance still in her gray eyes. She was still fighting, still struggling to survive the hand she’d been dealt. Her wolf had been golden-eyed too, confirming that Mitchell had been a very busy boy. Biting people with the express purpose to populate a pack was frowned upon but not unlawful. Most packs were purists, meaning they wanted wolves who were born and who had been born into long-standing families within the pack.
Seeing what Mitchell had created only confirmed the need to start policing rogue wolves and their activities.
Gia turned onto her side on the bed, curling into herself as a child would. It looked like she wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon. Certain she would be okay, he made sure the front door was locked and the windows were shut tight before stepping into the bathroom. He needed to wash the invisible grime off his skin. Being in Mitchell’s presence had been a real struggle. He wanted to literally burn his whole pack house with Mitchell and his followers inside it to the ground, but Hunter had warned him against acting without thinking.
Kicking out of the dress shoes and stripping out of the shirt and slacks, he started the shower and got in, hissing when the hot water hadn’t quite made it to the party. It soon warmed up, though, and he washed quickly, ducking his head under the spray to massage some of the tension out of his neck and shoulders.
The hard part was over. He’d secured Gia. Of course, he’d known Mitchell wasn’t going to be so stupid just to leave her without security, so things could still get a little messy. He needed to call Hunter to let him know the first part of the plan was over.
The Helheim Wolf Pack Novellas: The Complete Collection Page 17
