by C. E. Black
Paul’s gaze searched mine for a moment before he nodded. “I want to know more about that. About you and your life before you joined the Division.”
I sighed and shook my head. “Maybe one day, but right now, this is about you. So finish talking.”
He smiled for a second, before it dropped and a glazed look came into his eyes. He wasn’t seeing me anymore.
“Alexander was a cruel father. That’s not a surprise, I’m sure. Alex may not have known about me, but I knew all about him. According to my father, Alex was the better son. He was proud of him, stayed with him and his mom, while my mom and I had to hide in the shadows like a dirty little secret.” His chuckle held no humor. “That’s exactly what we were. It wasn’t until later, after talking with Alex, that I realized our father was even worse to his other family.
“When I was eighteen, Alexander came to me, asking me to join his plans. All of a sudden, I was the good child. I was the one he needed and wanted. At the time, I would have done anything to keep him thinking that way.” Paul looked away, shame reflected in his eyes.
“So you did what he asked,” I whispered, understanding now. But... “But what made you change your mind? What made you go to Teij and pull that gun on Alexander?”
“You,” he stated.
Surprised, I stared at him, trying to figure out what that meant. His eyes were their usual dark brown, almost black, but behind the intensity they always held, was a vulnerability I’d never seen before.
“Me?” I asked incrediously.
“Yes, you. The rest of the team, too, but it was you, mostly. From the moment I met you, I wanted to know you better. You are so loyal to those men. To you, they were your family and I could see that you would do anything to protect them. And they you. All of you had each other’s back.” He shook his head and shifted, bringing our faces closer together.
“You were so proud, so tough,” he whispered, “yet there was something else there. Something you hid behind your strength, and I wanted to see it. I wanted to be the one you let in. And then, when it came down to the team or my father, I realized that the Division – you – were more family to me than anyone had ever been.
“My father was a nasty man and I didn’t want to be associated with him any longer. I wanted to be a man that you deserved in your life. Whether it was for watching your back, or as a friend you confided in, or as your lover. I wanted to deserve you.”
I sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. That was a bit more than I expected. “I-I don’t know what to say.”
He chuckled, a sparkle lighting his eyes for the first time ever. The man was too serious for his own good at times. “That’s a first,” he said and I laughed with him.
Our laughter died down and my brows drew together, as I thought about everything Paul had confessed to me. I understood his reasons, and I forgave him. Just like that. I couldn’t hold it against him any longer. And as much as his words made me want to melt, I just could not go there with him.
“Paul...” I began, choosing my words carefully. “Thank you, for confiding in me...”
“But?”
“I don't know what you want from me, Paul, but we can’t be lovers.”
“We already are,” he pointed out, lifting an eyebrow.
“Okay, let me rephrase. We can’t be together again. I have to focus on the mission, on all of the missions, and having a significant other, won’t work. Not for me.
Nodding, he sucked in his bottom lip as he thought. My eyes focused on that lip, on the white teeth that peeked out, and it instantly brought back memories of those sharp teeth nibbling down my body. My belly clenched and I took a shuddering breath before looking him in the eye.
He saw my reaction and for an instant I thought he would respond with an innuendo or an invitation. Maybe even act on it by pushing me backwards and taking me all over again, but he pulled back, breathing out his own shaky breath.
“I understand,” he said, and at first, his resignation threw me. It usually wasn’t so easy with Paul.
“You do?”
“Yes, the mission comes first, and I know Stone is a part of that. So, no commitment.” I nodded, glad he understood. “For now,” he added, his face full of wicked promise.
I could have protested more, but I wasn’t sure I really wanted to. And until I knew what I wanted, what I really, truly wanted, I’d surrender.
“For now,” I agreed.
Paul took that to mean right now, flipping me on my back and sealing our agreement with a scorching kiss that quickly turned into a repeat of the night before. I was ruined.
Chapter 15
“Paul?” I called as I knocked on the connecting door. I frowned when there was no answer and knocked again.
After a few more sessions in bed, Paul explained he had a few things to get done and went to his room. He hadn’t offered any other explanation and I didn’t ask. One, it was none of my business, and two, playing the part of the clingy girlfriend wasn’t my style.
However, I was getting a bit annoyed. Standard issue for me, I know, but I had a good reason. Bear had called my cell phone earlier, explaining that he believed something was going down. He witnessed more men coming and going from that hidden door, but couldn’t get past his babysitters just yet. I needed to follow up. Only, Paul was MIA.
He made me promise not to go off half cocked without giving him the run down first, but if he wouldn’t answer his damn phone, what the hell was I suppose to do? This mission was bigger than him, and time was of the essence.
Trying one more time, I got no answer on the phone and the room next door was dead silent. Forget this shit! I huffed and slammed out of the room. There was no time to waste waiting around for his ass.
Remembering the location from the night before, I found The Pit easily. The parking lot looked deserted, but as I rounded the corner of the building, I saw a few cars parked in the back, including Stone’s Mustang. Being daylight, it was harder to hide, though I did my best by crouching behind some empty liquor crates, as I glanced around my surroundings. I soon realized there was no one keeping watch and made my way inside.
Again, it looked deserted, but I couldn’t take the chance. Moving stealthily, I made my way around the arena. Though there was no one there, the emptiness had a life to it, as if the building held on to the memory of the things it had seen. If you listened close enough, you could hear the echo of screaming fans, the slap of flesh as fighters made violent contact with their opponents and the sound of the bell ringing as the battle was won. I imagined most sporting arenas had the same feeling. So much excitement and disappointment enclosed in such a small amount of space was bound to hang around.
I shook my head to rid myself of fanciful thoughts, focusing back on the task at hand.
Just as I reached the hallway, I heard them. Stone and another man came out his office just as I stepped out of sight.
“We’ve tried, but he isn’t talking,” the other man said. “The bastards got balls, I’ll give him that.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Stone replied stiffly.
“Sure, but boss said if he doesn’t break soon, we’re to get rid of him.”
There was a thump just as the wall shook against my back. I froze. “I said I’d take care of it. You answer to me, Chris. I talk to the boss, not you.” I could hear the menace in Stone voice and my eyebrow raised, remembering who Chris was.
“Yes, sir.” I almost smiled at puckered lips’ tiny breathless voice. I could imagine what Stone was doing. His hand around the guy's throat, as he growled in his face... It suddenly made me think of Paul and I shivered. Man, who knew a little violence could be such a turn on?
Hearing them walking again, I peeked around the corner just as the two went into the fighter’s quarters. I followed quietly, keeping to the walls, as I glanced into the room. Stone unlocked a door that had been hidden behind a rolling rack of towels. After the two disappeared inside, I rushed to catch the door before it closed and l
ocked me out. Though once I was there, I held it just before it shut and waited a minute before following.
It was only an extension of the warehouse, a large open stockroom, with wide span storage racks filled with boxes and crates lining the walls. Nothing unusual about it, except for the smell of drugs coming from inside those crates. Looked like I found their shipments.
Grunts drew my attention away from the boxes and I stepped forward. One of those big metal shelves stood to my left, not only hiding me, but also keeping my view hindered. There was a another punch, then the sound of breaking bone followed by a curse echoing through the space. The familiar voice made me reckless and I stepped out of my hiding spot. Luckily no one noticed, too busy with their captor.
The steel chair he was chained to was bolted to the cement floor, making it damn hard for the shifter to escape. Covered in blood and bruises, one of his eyes was swollen shut and his mouth was so deformed, I was surprised I had even recognized his voice.
“Go to hell,” Red growled, then spit at the man that had just beat him, which earned him another hit to the face. The man’s face turned a fraction of an inch toward me and my vision saw red. Smiley was so going down.
“Enough!” Stone shouted and I began to relax, knowing he wouldn’t let this continue.
He stood in front of Red, looking down at him with his hands clasped behind his back. “Now, Mr. Johnson,” he said, using Red’s undercover name. “This could be a lot easier, you know. Tell us what you did, and I’ll let you go. Simple as that.” His voice sounded easy, soft and cajoling and I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.
Red refused to answer. “What did you do to Emma?” Stone suddenly yelled, surprising me. My head shook, not understanding. Who was Emma?
Then he did it. He punched Red in the face, followed quickly with a jab to the ribs. Red came close to screaming with the contact to his ribs, meaning they were most likely broken. I stood shocked, watching, not able to move, as Stone continued to land blow after blow. I should have known he was capable of this, but he hadn’t shown any signs of violence. I was just stupid. My hormones were just stupid.
A growl rose up in my throat and Stone twisted around, his eyes full of surprise mixed with hate, as he caught sight me. “Get her the fuck out of here!”
The sight of Batman and Robin walking briskly towards me, their smiles full of painful promise finally had something snapping inside me and I launched myself forward, pushing them aside to get to Stone. I was grabbed before I got to him and began fighting, landing solid punches and kicks to anyone that got in my way.
Someone else tried to grab me, but I elbowed them in the nose. I was lost in my fury. These men were hurting my family! I couldn’t let it happen. I had to get Red out of there.
The problem with that type of rage, was that all common sense vanishes. All I could think about was kicking these guys’ asses, hoping to kill them in the process. I didn’t hear Stone calling out orders and I didn’t notice the woman walking calmly towards me. The prick of the needle in my neck made me pause. My hands stilled, as I turned my head. The blonde human that I’d seen in the diner, then later hanging all over Stone at the bar was staring back at me, a smug smile gracing her pretty face, as she held up the empty syringe.
My vision blurred and I instinctively gripped the woman’s shoulders to stop from falling. My head felt heavy and in seconds, I couldn’t feel my limbs. Blinking, I tried to stay focused, but it was impossible. Black spots were dancing around and muffled words echoed in my head. My neck rotated oddly, as every movement went into slow motion.
“What did you do?” I tried to ask, but it came out garbled.
The woman’s blue eyes sparkled, as she leaned in close to my face and whispered, “Goodnight, sweetheart.”
With a last burst of adrenaline, I swiped my shifted paw at her smug face, drawing deep, bloody scratches across her cheek. She screamed, as she backed away from me, her hand covering her newly scarred face. Though the sight brought me immense pleasure, my lips refused to even twitch into a smile as I began to drop to the floor.
Blondie’s rage filled eyes staring down at me was the last thing I remembered, before everything went dark.
Chapter 16
I woke with a gasp, flinging myself into a sitting position. I quickly fell back down onto the bed, as knives sliced through my brain and my vision blurred. Grabbing my head, I closed my eyes and groaned. Damn, it was like the worst hangover imaginable.
After a few deep breaths, I tried opening my eyes again, and wished I hadn’t. My head protested the pain, my vision too sensitive for the dim light filling the room, and my stomach turned. Then my eyes focused on him and I groaned again. Stone sat in a chair beside me, his gaze steady on mine, as he watched me try to get my bearings.
“What...,” I tried to speak, but my mouth felt like I’d been sucking on cotton.
Stone sat forward and I backed away, which was a mistake. Damn, I hurt. “I imagine your mouth is dry as hell,” he said. “I’ll get you something to drink in a minute. First, you’re going to listen to me.”
I didn’t respond. My anger was returning, as I remembered everything, but Red needed me. Getting out of there and letting the team know about Red was my first priority, which meant I needed to play nice.
“I don’t put up with the shit you pulled today. You may not be part of this organization, but I had plans to bring you in. You’re just what we need, Foxy. Smart and strong. Hell, you’re a better fighter than most of my men. You think faster and hit just as hard. What I want to know is, why did you pull that shit? What made you attack us?”
I cleared my throat and prepared for the lie. “You were beating the shit out of that guy,” I croaked. “Seemed wrong to me.”
Stone nodded and stood. My eyes followed him, as he walked across the room, coming back with a cup clasped in his hand. Leaning over me, he placed the straw at my lips. I looked him in the eye, but didn’t take the offering.
“Drink, Foxy. It’s okay, I promise no more drugs.” I took a small sip and when I tasted the cool, clean water, I drank more deeply.
Once I finished, he put down the cup and sat back in the chair. “That man was a traitor. He harmed one of our own and he’s been lying about who he is, I believe.” When I didn’t comment, he leaned forward and asked, “How do you feel about traitors, Foxy?”
My thoughts immediately went to the Alpha Division and what I felt when we found out Paul had betrayed us. My face must have shown my fury, because Stone nodded, his lips twitching into a pleased smile. “I thought so.”
As he sat silently looking at me, I glanced around the room I was in for the first time. It was a small bedroom with scarce decorations. The bed was a twin size, with white sheets and no comforter. The walls were white and there was only one other piece of furniture, a dark wooden dresser with a mirror attached. And it smelled just like him.
“Where are we?” I asked, ignoring my body's response to his scent.
“My home. This is the guest bedroom. Sorry, I haven’t had time to decorate.”
I nodded, but stopped when my head swam. “What did you give me?”
“A light tranquilizer. It should wear off in a few hours. I’m sorry about that, but you were out of control.” I didn’t dignify that excuse with an answer.
Crossing a leg, Stone leaned back in the chair, looking casual and arrogant. Did he realize the move brought my attention to his crotch. His thighs framed his groin perfectly, showing a nice growing bulge.
Stone cleared his throat and my eyes snapped to his. What in the hell, I thought miserably, as his lips twitched. After what I saw him do, I felt differently towards him. More hatred, when before, I was beginning to like him and wondered how I would be able to take him down. But even though I found him to be a superior asshole, I was still physically attracted to him. Very much so.
Stone’s eyes sparkled with humor, but his voice was all business. “Now, if you agree to the terms, I’m hoping you will join the org
anization. We could use a woman like you.”
“I don’t know anything about it.”
Nodding, he said, “True, so let me give you a little information. We run The Pit, of course. Shifters from all over the country volunteer to fight in my ring. People come from far and wide to watch them, amazed at their skills and spend ridiculous amounts of money gambling on their favorites. It’s very lucrative,” he smiled proudly.
“Sounds like it. So, you own all of it?” I asked, my hand waving to encompass the whole of the organization. I knew the answer already, but needed to ask for appearances sake.
“No, I have a boss, the owner. We do other things for him as well.”
“Like?”
He was silent for a moment, then, “Like shipping packages for the organization.”
“And these packages? Are they legal?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Not necessarily. Is that a problem?”
“Not for me.”
“I didn’t think so. You don’t seem like the type of woman that abides by the rules.” If he only knew, I thought. The Alpha Division was full of rules that I not only followed, but approved of as well.
I smiled wickedly at him, “You know me. Full on rule breaker here.”
He laughed, “No, I don’t know you, Foxy, but I’m getting there.” His smile dropped, as his expression darkened. “But you will follow my orders. I don’t take disobedience lightly. In fact, I don’t tolerate it at all. Understand?”
The threat would have made most shake in their boots, so I widened my eyes and swallowed, pulling off an Oscar worthy performance. “Yes, I understand,” I whispered.
“Good,” He stood and walked away, stopping just shy of the door. He turned and smiled. “By the way, you’re free to go whenever you please. Although, I wouldn’t mind if you stayed awhile.” His slate gray eyes flared with desire and as much as I didn’t want to, my body responded. My pulse jumped, but I looked away, not answering his blatant suggestion. I just wanted to get out of there.
