by Becca Van
They’d set the house up and lived each day as automatons, trying not to think about the soul-deep craving to have their own woman. And yet here she was gifting him with something he’d always wanted.
“Thank you, honey.” Jay palmed one of her cheeks, bent down, and kissed her softly, worshipfully, lovingly on the lips. “This is the best present I’ve ever gotten. I love you so much, Kenzie. You saved me, Jenson, and Jordan from a long lonely existence. You’re brought so much joy into our lives. You’re my world, mate. Thank you, Kenzie.” He pulled her into his arms.
“You’re mine, too, Jay. You, Jenson, and Jordan. You’ve all stolen my heart and I don’t want you to ever give it back.”
“You have no worries over that love. We’re going to hold onto your heart for the rest of our lives.” Jay kissed her one more time, then tried the watch on and smiled happily at his woman.
The smile she graced him back with had his heart overflowing with love and happiness.
He tried to ignore the warning niggle in his gut and the itching at the back of his neck.
Chapter Seventeen
Feng got out of the truck and glanced at the one the Triad leader’s goons who had followed him in. It was dark, since they’d waited for the day to pass slowly. For some reason Lei decided it would be better to search for that bitch close to dinner time.
He’d wanted to argue but had held his tongue. He wasn’t stupid and knew when to keep his mouth shut. Decha had acted like the big man all day long, giving him orders and expecting him to carry out every command. He was getting sick of how uppity his boss was behaving in front of the Triad guys, but he wasn’t about to rock the boat until everyone had what they wanted.
When all this was done, he was leaving. Once Decha was back in Bismarck, Feng was going to disappear.
“We will eat at the pub first,” Wang Fang, Lei’s second in charge stated.
Feng nodded before he started walking down the street toward the pub. There was a knot of anxiety in his gut and the hair on his nape was standing on end, but he tried to ignore it. There was no way he was letting on how trepidatious he was feeling to the members of the Chinese mafia. He needed to play cool, calm, and collected, even if he was feeling anything but.
He had a feeling everything was going to go to shit. If it did, he was getting the hell out of Dodge and never looking back. He’d insisted on driving, so he could pocket the keys. He wanted to have a quick getaway if he needed it, and for some reason he thought that he was going to need to get out of here sooner rather than later.
Feng wasn’t about to get locked up if their plans didn’t pan out. He’d rather die than be locked behind bars for the rest of his life.
* * * *
Jenson couldn’t believe how busy they were. More than they normally would be on a Friday night. The last time they’d been this busy was when Emmy and her mates had held a music convention on a weekend months ago. He had no idea what was going on, but he didn’t like it. His panther was antsy, prowling, yowling, and pacing restlessly. He suspected his brothers were feeling a little aggravated, too, because they’d all been snapping at each other.
He felt guilty for having a hand in upsetting their mate. He winced as he remembered her exasperated sigh just before she testily asked, “What is wrong with you three? You’re brothers. You should be helping each other, not snarling and snapping.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie.” Jenson hadn’t been able to resist hugging her. He’d held her for a full minute before she’d drawn back.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but you all need to sort out what’s bothering you. I’m going to take a break and I expect you to have whatever is going on, off your chests by the time I get back. Is that understood?” She’d met each of their gazes, awaiting a reply.
“We’ll try, baby,” Jordan had replied. “However, since I have no idea why I’m feeling so aggressive, I don’t know if I’ll be able to fix it.”
“Have I done something wrong?” She’d frowned.
“No, honey,” Jay had answered immediately. “You haven’t done a thing wrong. Please, don’t think you have. Maybe we’re all a little pissed because we’re so busy. I was hoping to get out of here at a reasonable hour tonight, so we could spend some alone time with you.”
“You’ll still get to spend time with me outside of work, Jay. There’s no reason for you all to bite each other’s heads off.”
“Go take your break, sweetie. Maybe when you get back we’ll have curtailed all of our aggression.”
“I hope so. I hate seeing you all like this.” Kenzie had hurried out of the kitchen without looking back.
Jenson had wanted to follow her, but decided against it. She needed time to calm down. He’d been able to feel her stress through their mating bond. “Do you have any idea why we’re feeling like this?” he asked his brothers.
Jay rubbed at the back of his neck before moving to the sink to wash his hands. “I have no idea.”
“Me, either.” Jordan nudged Jay out of the way and proceeded to wash his hands, too.
“Something’s not right,” Jenson said.
“Yeah, we get that dumbass, but what?” Jay snarled.
“Fuck off, Jay.” Jenson shoulder checked Jordan as he passed him on the way to the sink to wash his hands, as well.
“What the hell is wrong with you three?” Declan asked as he stormed into the kitchen. “Your mate is so upset, she’s nearly in tears. Emmy’s sitting with her trying to calm her down.”
“Fuck!” Jordan growled and started for the door.
Declan stepped in his way, blocking him from leaving. “You’re not going out there. I don’t want you upsetting Kenzie more or doing something that will alert one of the humans currently eating dinner in the dining room. You three need to get your heads out of your asses and lighten up. You’re all lucky enough to have found an amazing woman to love you, though God only knows why when you’re all behaving like kids. Get your shit together and for fuck’s sake keep your voices down.” Declan left as abruptly as he’d arrived.
* * * *
“Kenzie are you okay?” Emmy asked.
Kenzie shook her head as she took a seat at the bar. “Can I have a glass of wine?”
“Sure, honey.” Emmy turned to get her a drink, but Brooks must have heard and had already poured her favorite white wine. He handed it to Emmy who then placed it in front of her on the bar.
Kenzie picked up the glass and took a sip. She’d just placed the glass back on the bar when a loud bang echoed over the loud din of conversation. She startled so badly she almost fell off her stool.
Just as she turned to see what was going on she was lifted from the stool and set down on her feet. She looked up to see Brooks scowling down at her. “You and Emmy need to go to the office while we deal with a few idiots.”
“What’s happening? What was that noise?” Kenzie sniffed the air and crinkled her nose when she smelled what she thought could have been gunpowder. “Did someone shoot a gun?” Fear skittered up her spine and a cold sweat broke out over her skin.
“No. Some fucking idiot just let off a firecracker.” Brooks nudged her toward the end of the bar and the hallway where Emmy was waiting for her. “Go one, love. You don’t need to see us dealing with dickheads.”
As Kenzie hurried over toward Emmy, she gazed toward the shadowed corner in the back of the room and sighed with relief when she saw that Declan and Jett were already hauling men to their feet. She followed Emmy down the hallway toward the office, wine glass in hand.
When she saw her mates were all trying to get through the doorway of the kitchen at the same time, she giggled. They looked ridiculous as they pushed and shoved to get out.
“Don’t get your boxers in a twist,” Emmy said. “Some imbecile let off a firecracker. Kenzie’s safe. We’re going to sit in the office for a while.”
Kenzie smiled at her mates and nodded to let them know she was fine. They stopped shoving at each other and after gazing
up and down her body to make sure she wasn’t hurt, they turned back toward the kitchen.
Once she and Emmy were comfortable on the sofa, Emmy leaned into her and sniffed at Kenzie’s neck.
“Uh, what are you doing?”
Emmy giggled as she sat back. “Sorry, that was probably kind of creepy, huh?”
Kenzie nodded.
“I was just sniffing to see if you were in heat. If you had been, that would have explained why your mates are acting weird.”
Kenzie frowned. “Women don’t go into heat.”
“We call it ovulation.”
“Oh. Well?” She quirked her brow.
“You’re not in heat.”
“So why do you think their acting that way?” Kenzie asked.
“I have no idea.” Emmy shrugged. “They should be settling down some now that you’re fully mated.”
“Do you mean the sex?”
“No.” Emmy sighed dreamily. “I hope my mates’ high sex drive never slows down. I love making love with my guys.”
“Me, too.” Kenzie blinked when Emmy burst out laughing and tried to work out what she’d said that was so funny. “Shit! I meant my mates, not yours.”
“I’m aware.” Emmy drained the rest of her drink and rose with a sigh. “I’d better get back to it. There’s no rest for the wicked.”
Kenzie smiled. “There isn’t a wicked bone in your body, Emmy.”
Emmy grinned and shrugged as she hurried out.
Kenzie sank back into the sofa tiredly as she finished her wine and then stood to head toward the ladies’ room. She’d just exited the office and turned toward the back entrance to the hotel when she saw an Asian man heading toward her. Fear skated up her spine, but she kept moving, hoping her trembling legs didn’t give out on her. She glanced at the man as he passed her but other than briefly gazing at her, he ignored her. As soon as she was in the women’s bathroom, she sighed with relief. She hated that she was suspicious of everyone, but after what she’d experienced and heard, she couldn’t seem to help herself.
After doing her business, she stood at the sink to wash her hands and then turned toward the door. She’d just gripped the door handle and was turning it when the door burst open. Pain exploded in her head when the edge of the door hit her right in the middle of the forehead and while she tried to remain standing and conscious, she was fighting a losing battle.
Her knees buckled, darkness invaded before she even hit the floor.
* * * *
“Did you deal with the fuckers who set off the firecracker?” Jay asked Brooks as soon as he entered the kitchen.
“Yeah.” Brooks rubbed the back of his neck. “The stupid bastard did it on a dare. Needless to say, he and his friends have been kicked to the curb.”
“That’s the least they deserve,” Jordan said. “They could have taken someone’s eye out or started a fire.”
Brooks nodded. “If Declan hadn’t seen what they were doing after coming back from talking with you three and acted so fast, things could’ve ended differently. The carpet was already starting to smolder. Thankfully, there are water jugs on all the tables and he was able to douse it before it took hold.” He glanced about before meeting each of their gazes before staring into Jay’s eyes again. “We’ve stopped taking more food orders. You can start clearing up once you finished the last meals you need to get out.
“Where’s Kenzie?”
“She’s in the office with Emmy.”
Declan’s gut knotted when Brooks shook his head. “Emmy’s back working behind the bar. Kenzie’s probably finishing her glass of wine.”
“She ordered wine?” Jordan asked.
“Yeah, you three did a number on her with all your sniping.”
“Shit!” Jenson sighed.
“If I were you, I’d get down on my knees and ask for forgiveness. I don’t know why you were all behaving like idiots and I don’t want to know, but you need to apologize to your mate. You really upset her.”
“We will,” Jay stated emphatically.
Brooks sniffed the air and frowned.
“What is it?” Jordan asked.
Jay waited for the polar bear’s reply with bated breath. He didn’t like the feeling in his gut. He tried to feel Kenzie through their mating bond, but he couldn’t feel anything. He wondered if she’d somehow managed to block them out so they couldn’t feel how upset she was with them.
“I hate having the restrooms down this hall, there are so many scents it’s hard to sort them out. I was sure I got a whiff of gunpowder, but after that firecracker going off it’s not a surprise. Maybe I’ve got the stench stuck in my nose.”
“Maybe,” Jay murmured distractedly. The knot of anxiety was getting bigger and his panther was shoving against his insides trying to get free. He was only vaguely aware of Brooks leaving, and while he tried to concentrate on what he was doing, he couldn’t.
Jay dropped what he was doing and hurried toward the office. He began to tremble when he found it empty. He spied the empty wine glass on the small coffee table next to the sofa. After inhaling deeply, he followed Kenzie’s aroma down the hall and stopped outside the women’s restroom. He leaned against the wall as he waited for his mate to come out, but began to get concerned as the minutes passed. He sniffed the air again and growled when he smelled an unknown male, as well as the slightest hint of gunpowder and blood.
The hackles on the back of his neck rose and he pushed the bathroom door open. When he smelled Kenzie’s blood, he almost roared with fury and fear but quickly swallowed and staved off the urge.
The bathroom was empty.
His mate was missing.
* * * *
Foreign voices penetrated the fog shrouding Kenzie. Her head was throbbing like a bitch and while she wanted to lift her hand to touch it, to see if she was bleeding, she remained still.
Keeping her breathing and heart rate at a normal level was difficult but she concentrated on breathing in and out at a regular pace. Fear raced up her spine, and if she hadn’t been regulating her breathing she probably would have started panting.
Whatever was going on, she realized she was in deep shit. She remembered being hit in the head by the bathroom door and after that, it had been lights out. She was out in the open because the air was cold, probably well below zero, and yet she could feel heat emanating from a fire. Goose bumps raced over her skin and she shivered, despite trying to quell the urge.
Kenzie tried to push the hammering pain going on behind her skull to the back of her mind and concentrate on those voices, so she could work out what was being said. It took her a few moments to realize the men weren’t speaking English, but what sounded like an Asian language.
Another shudder shook her body when terror permeated her heart and soul. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know who had her. Sadness and fear warred inside her. It was very hard to keep her tears at bay.
Kenzie wondered if she’d ever see her mates again.
Chapter Eighteen
“What the fuck do you mean she’s missing?” Jordan shouted.
“Calm down, Jordan.” Declan squeezed his shoulder. “We don’t want any of the humans to know something’s wrong, or sticking their noses in where they don’t belong.”
Jordan shrugged Declan’s hand away, hurried around the polar bear shifter and down the hall toward the rear exit. As soon as he stepped out into the cold, frigid air, his heart clenched with fear. Kenzie was out there somewhere without a coat to keep her warm. Even though she had some of their DNA coursing through her body, he wasn’t sure it would be enough to keep her from getting hypothermia.
He didn’t even bother checking to make sure the coast was clear as he started stripping out of his clothes. Jordan didn’t give a fuck if someone who shouldn’t, saw him shifting. All he cared about was finding his mate and getting her back. The others came out after him, but he ignored them and called to his panther. Moments later he was in his feline form and racing across the parking
lot following his mate’s scent.
Her orange and peach perfume was mixed with other strange aromas, as well as exhaust fumes, but thankfully her fragrance was easy enough to follow.
When he found his mate and the men who’d taken her, he was going to rip them to shreds, tear their guts out and relish the violence.
* * * *
Jenson had never been so scared in his life. He had to blink back tears and take a breath to get a hold on his emotions. He nearly sagged with relief when he stepped out the back door after Jordan and saw that most of the men living in Ambrose were there to help.
The more the better since they had no idea what they were up against. If the fuckers who had their mate were who he suspected, then they probably had enough fire power to take down the whole town. Yet, there was no way they were going to win.
Jenson had no qualms about putting himself in front of his mate to stop any bullets that might be sent her way. He just hoped that they were in time to save her.
He pushed his fear aside and drew on his Marine training. It wasn’t time to let emotions or fear take hold. Now was the time to become the cold, heartless killing machine he’d been trained to be.
He, his brothers, and the other shifters in town were on a mission, one they would win.
Losing wasn’t an option.
* * * *
Kenzie almost stopped breathing when she heard footsteps getting closer and closer. She wasn’t sure her game of possum was going to work because she was getting colder with every minute that passed. She was lying on the ground in the ice and snow with no added protection and the tremors inside were starting to show on the outside.
