by Kate Rudolph
Mel held completely still. She didn’t even breathe until he moved once more. He circled the copse of trees slowly, trying to figure out where she went. Her heart pounded, excitement singing through her veins. This was even better than her stint in Biloxi where the owner – former owner – of one of the finest collections of antique Bavarian wealth charms caught her outside his building while her bag was full of his collection.
It seemed like Luke had that effect on her.
But even though a part of her wanted to dart from the tree, tweak his ear, and take off running again - wanted to make him chase her, and catch her, and all of the fun that could go along with that - despite all that, she still kept her sense. The roar that he’d bellowed had been far too intense for one little thief. And while she loved risk, she had no desire to end up dead.
She just had to wait for Luke to doubt himself. Right now he knew that she had to be where she was, but she knew that if she waited long enough, he would convince himself that she had gone another way, that his senses were wrong.
After an interminable length of time he walked away, his senses caught by some far off sound. Mel let out a relieved breath, but still she didn’t move. She couldn’t until she was sure he couldn’t chase her.
A snapped branch was her only warning half a second before Luke launched himself at her, jumping from a nearby tree. They crashed through the branches and down to the ground. Everything hurt when he landed on top of her, but nothing was broken. Her only advantage was that he hadn’t been able to pin her clawed hand. She had her claws dug into his thigh, blood seeping hotly around her fingers.
“Where is she?” he bellowed, teeth flashing. He didn’t seem to care that she was ripping his muscles apart.
Mel struggled for a moment, failing utterly to move the enraged alpha. She couldn’t fight him. He was too strong, too big. “I can’t say I’m surprised we ended up like this, but I thought I’d be lying on something a lot softer when I had you on top of me,” she practically purred. For a moment the image crystallized in her mind, but she shoved it away before arousal could take hold.
Luke placed a hand on her throat, letting a claw grow out of his index finger. She felt it prick at the sensitive skin of her neck. “You will know pain unlike anything you have ever experienced before if you don’t tell me what you did with her. Five seconds before I rip half of your throat out.”
He was utterly serious. An experienced liar could recognize the truth like that, especially when it came to threats.
Mel didn’t remove her claws, but she stopped digging in. “Who are you talking about?” But as she asked the question, she had a sinking feeling that she knew who it had to be. After all, she had only met two women at Luke’s compound, and Maya wouldn’t need an alpha to risk his life to rescue her.
“Your scent was all over the garage, I could smell her in your room.” He growled. “I know you kidnapped her, so where is she?”
“Get off of me and I’ll tell you everything I know.” Honor was for good people, Mel was a survivor.
He didn’t get off, but he did remove his hand. An improvement. “I don’t believe you. You’re a liar, a thief, and you would have done anything to escape.” He was beyond reason. An alpha defined himself by the people he ruled and protected. Cassie was Luke’s weak point. If Mel wanted to hurt him, she knew exactly where to hit.
She removed her claws and pushed at his legs, she got her hips free. It gave her more room to maneuver even if she didn’t want to fight. “I’m a thief,” she bit out, “But I’m not an idiot.” She pulled her hand up, brushing against a spectacularly smooth rock on her way to push against his chest. He didn’t budge. “Think about it. What would I gain by kidnapping Cassie? I wanted out. Why would I give you another reason to chase me?”
That gave him pause. Confusion flitted over his face. But he steeled himself after a moment and pinned one of her hands to the ground above her head and the other to her side, right over that rock. “Her scent was in your cell! Don’t lie to me.”
It wasn’t a rock. Mel ignored the man on top of her and tried to curl her fingers around the teleportation charm that Krista had given her. In the frenetic run, she’d forgotten that she had it. All she had to do was break it and she was home free. But she didn’t quite have the leverage. She spoke while she tried to move, keeping him distracted. “She wanted me to take her. She knocked out your guard. All I did was tie her up. I didn’t need her to escape.”
But Luke was too far gone to pay attention. It didn’t matter anyway. Mel had the charm in her fist. She crushed it with all her might, shattering the glass and releasing the magic and thinking of someplace safe. After a pregnant second while the magic swirled around her, she dissolved into smoke with the hope that Krista’s charm wouldn’t kill her.
She heard her alpha roar into the void.
Chapter Eleven
LUKE FELL FORWARD AS Mel evaporated beneath him. He let out a howl, rage beating through him as his thief escaped him a second time. He raked his claws through her forgotten clothes. The woman was gone, but she had left behind her a pile of fabric covered in her scent. He sliced through it, only pausing when he nearly crushed a small wooden box.
That was strange. Why would she carry something like that into battle?
He heard a twig snap as Maya joined him. “One of the vampires confessed to stealing the truck. He said your thief didn’t do it.”
Luke held the box close and turned to her. Maya had specks of unnaturally dark blood across her face, evidence of a triumphant battle. But he could see a bruise already forming under her eye. “There were two vampires.”
She pursed her lips. “One got away.”
“Is the other one still alive?” He sunk as much menace into the words as he could. In his mood, it was enough.
She paled. “More or less.”
“Good.”
Maya caught sight of the pile of clothes that Luke was crouched over. “So she got away?” she asked. “Naked?”
He held up the box, flashing it at Maya before flipping it open. Inside there was a safe deposit box key and a card listing an address. Probably for the bank. “I think she’ll want this.” He stuffed the box into his pocket and joined Maya on the walk back to their prisoner. He had a sister to rescue, a political nightmare to handle, and a thief to catch.
Life was getting exciting.
MEL MATERIALIZED SCREAMING in downtown Trent Crossing, Utah at midnight. And she only knew that because the sign on the side of the road proudly proclaimed a population of 363. Luckily for her, the town was so small that no one was there to see her little magic trick. She panted, illuminated only by the red flashing stop light and took stock of her situation.
It took her a moment to realize that she was naked.
When she did, she fell to her knees, looking to see if the safe deposit box key had miraculously come with her. “Come on, come on,” she urged. “Where the fuck are you?” In the dim light she could see clearly, and that only frustrated her more.
The key was back in Colorado. Probably right under Luke Torres.
God damn it.
Mel didn’t panic. She wasn’t allowed to. She remembered the box number, the bank address. A loss of a key was an inconvenience, not a tragedy. Bank robbery was easy, like taking candy from a baby. Nothing to worry about there.
Headlights flashed, haloing her naked form.
A black pickup truck pulled up beside her. An old man, human and at least in his seventies looked out at her. “Looks like you’re in a bit of a pickle there, kid.” He said. He reached over and tossed her a t-shirt.
Mel put it on. “Thanks,” she said. “Any chance you could give me a ride to the next big town?”
The man was apprehensive. She didn’t blame him. Naked women in the town square were usually up to no good. “I think I can arrange that. Climb on in.” She joined him, wrapping a blanket around herself before buckling the passenger side seat belt. It was a long way back to Illinois. But s
he was going to get her damned payment and leave the lion alpha behind her.
THANK YOU FOR READING The Alpha Heist!
The Alpha Heist is one of my earlier stories and I was so excited to get to step into Mel and Luke’s world and explore shifter politics, thievery, and love. As of January 2021, over 60,000 people have downloaded this book and I would like to thank you for being one of them! Writing a book, no matter how long or short is a personal endeavor and sharing it is one of the biggest joys an author has. The story continues in Entangled with the Thief and if you liked this book I hope you’ll let me know! You can connect with me on Facebook, through my website, on Twitter, or through email.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely, Kate Rudolph
Ready for what’s next?
Entangled with the Thief
Also available in audio!
GET IN, STEAL THE GEM, get out. But when everything goes to hell, Mel is out her payment and in the sights of an angry alpha lion.
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Also by Kate Rudolph
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Looking for something else? Kate Rudolph has a heart pounding collection or paranormal and sci-fi romance stories for you! Bundles, bears, audiobooks, aliens, and more. Check out your options in the list below. You can find out all you need to know at www.katerudolph.net.
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Aliens. Shifters. Warriors. Mates. Get them all wrapped together in these special box sets. Save up to 30% off the price of buying the individual books, depending on the series!
Alien Outlaws: The Complete Series
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Mated to the Alien Volume Two
Mated to the Alien Volume Three
Mated to the Alien Volume Four
Stealing the Alpha: The Complete Series (also available in audio)
The Mate Bundle
Detyen Warriors Volume One (also available in audio)
Detyen Warriors Volume Two (also available in audio)
MATED TO THE ALIEN
Fated Mate Alien Romance
Detyens are doomed to die young if they don't find their fated mates.
Follow along as these mated pairs fight off aliens, corrupt dictators, prejudiced humans, pirates, and more! The books can be read or listened to in any order, though some characters show up in multiple stories. Select books available in audio.
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Mated to the Alien
Ruwen
Tyral
Stoan
Cyborg
Krayter
Kayleb
Shayn
Braxtyn
Doryan
Dekon
DETYEN WARRIORS
Alien Warrior Romance
Detya was destroyed a hundred years ago. These doomed warriors are out to find justice... and their mates.
The Detyen Warriors series brings you kick butt heroines, alpha alien heroes, fated mates, and relationships strong enough to span the galaxy!
The entire series is also available in audio!
Soulless
Ruthless
Heartless
Faultless
Endless
GUARDED BY THE SHIFTER
Werewolf. Bodyguard. Mate.
The origins of these shifters are shrouded in mystery, but they're determined to protect their mates from any harm that comes their way.
Audio Coming Soon
Hunting Season
ALIEN OUTLAWS
Outlaws, schemes, and love... it's all there in the Alien Outlaws series...
Andie Munster is sick of life on Ixilta, the planet she got dumped on after being abducted from Earth six years ago. And when the mysterious and dangerous Xandr shows up looking for a way off the planet, she's half-prisoner, half-co-conspirator in a wild rush to escape.
Rogue Alien's Escape
Rogue Alien's Woman
Rogue Alien's Secret
Rogue Alien's Legacy
ZULIR WARRIOR MATES
Alien Warrior Romance
Kidnapped humans. Alien Warriors. Electric wings.
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Synnr's Saint
Synnr's Hope
Synnr's Spark
ALIEN HOLIDAY ROMANCE
Christmas... in space????
These alien holiday romances look beyond Earth's winter holidays and ring in the season across the galaxy! Select titles available in audio.
Snowed in with the Alien Beast
The Alien's Winter Gift
The Alien Reindeer's Wild Ride
Trapped with Her Alien Mate
STEALING THE ALPHA
The thief takes what she wants, but the alpha keeps what's his...
Join shifter thief Mel as she clashes with lion alpha Luke in an explosive trilogy of two opposites who can't keep away from one another. Also available in audio!
The Alpha Heist
Entangled with the Thief
In the Alpha's Bed
STANDALONE PARANORMAL and Sci-Fi Romance
Crashed
Mated on the Moon
Mated to the Alien Dragon
Marked
Bear in Mind
Alpha's Mercy
Gemma's Mate
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About Kate Rudolph
I’M A PARANORMAL ROMANCE writher who lives in Indiana. I love writing about kick butt heroines and the steamy heroes who love them. I’ve been devouring romance novels since I was too young to be reading them and had to hide my books so no one would take them away. I couldn't imagine a better job in this world than writing romances and sharing them with my fellow readers.
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