“Thanks.” She surveyed the rest of the car park. Almost all the group of would-be bounty hunters were out cold.
A body flew past them and they turned to see a heavily-breathing Rhys, fangs bared as he fought to bring himself under control. He was bleeding from a cut under his eye. “You okay?” He asked, the words garbled by the large incisors on display.
Kaitlin nodded and then spun as she heard the sound of an engine pulling up behind them. It was a large, sleek, silver Chevrolet SUV. The back door opened and an elegant heeled boot stepped out, followed by its counterpart.
Frowning she waited for the owner to appear and her jaw dropped a little when she saw Li emerge in an expensive looking evening dress. It was a strapless nude colour dress with a black swirling pattern that covered the bust and flowed down the body stopping at about knee height where the dress fell in slinky waves to the floor.
“Kaitlin,” she greeted. Her gaze then dropped to the bodies on the floor. “I see you’ve had some visitors this evening. Unwelcome ones, I assume?” Her lip curled in distaste as she glanced around before returning to Kaitlin. “I believe we have business to discuss?”
Snapping her mouth closed, she nodded. “Of course.” Her gaze dropped to the bodies at their feet and she bit her lip wondering what to do.
“My men will remove any evidence of this little battle. Shall we?”
Not for the first time, Kaitlin wondered if she was doing the right thing.
Rhys caught her gaze and smiled softly. The cut on his face began to bleed again and she frowned. Her father had caused that by putting a bounty on her lover’s head; her mate’s head. It was unforgivable.
Yes, she was doing the right thing.
Chapter 17
They escorted Li and her entourage up to the penthouse and she sat on one of the chocolate coloured sofas while the men took places behind her and at covert points around the room.
Kaitlin remained standing, her nerves beginning to jangle again. Rhys had disappeared somewhere further into the suite to sort his men out and she missed his calming influence. Brent had stayed with her at his Alpha’s request but not before going and retrieving the transcript from the bedroom she’d used not too long ago. He was currently holding it in his hand waiting for the right time to offer it.
“Can we get you anything, Li?” She asked, playing the part of hostess.
She waved away the offer. “No thanks. Why don’t we get down to business and you explain what you meant when you said you knew who killed my father? Do you?”
Feeling like she needed to sit for this talk, she dropped down onto the sofa facing Li. “Yes, I know who did it. It…It was my father.”
“Paul Mahone? Head of the Council?” Her voice was devoid of any emotion, not giving anything away.
“Yes. It seems he made a deal with the rogues. He’d let them stay in the area if they would kill your father. Obviously they accepted.” She hesitated for a second before continuing, “It seems he instructed them to do what they did to him.”
There was a long stretch of silence as the words were absorbed by everyone in the room.
“You have proof?”
Kaitlin swivelled to face Brent and he offered her the printed transcript. She took it with a small smile and ran her gaze over the page before solemnly handing it to Li. The other woman took it and read it silently, her already pale skin going ashen as she took in what she was reading. When she was finished she passed it over her shoulder to one of the men behind her and stared at a point on the floor.
Moving her gaze up to the man behind, Kaitlin realised she knew him. He had been second to Li’s father and Li had admitted to having feelings for him when she’d been younger and they’d been closer friends. When he put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture she briefly wondered if they were more than just pack mates.
“You realise we can't just ignore this, right, Kaitlin?”
She nodded, firmly pushing her thoughts aside, and met Li’s eyes. “Yes. You’re not the first person my father has done wrong by and it needs to stop. He can't remain in power if all he’s going to do is abuse it.”
A small smile lifted the corners of the other woman’s lips, “You have a good heart. I forgot that about you.”
Kaitlin returned the smile.
Then it was back to business. “It looks like I need to set up a meeting with your father. I’ll tell him it’s for something else. I want you to be there with me, you don’t mind do you?”
After the slightest hesitation, she shook her head. “Of course I don’t mind. I’m not exactly his biggest fan right now anyway.”
Li nodded once and then rose to her feet. She walked around to the guy who used to be her father’s second and who Kaitlin guessed served as Li’s second now too, and watched as he offered her his mobile.
“Excuse us for a moment,” she said politely and at Kaitlin’s nod, walked across the room to make the call.
She tried not to listen to the conversation taking place across the room; it was hard though with her enhanced hearing.
“So what do you think your dad’s going to do when this goes down?” Brent asked, garnering her attention.
Her shoulders rose in a shrug, “I have no idea.” A long sigh left her, “I mean, I never thought he’d be capable of half of the stuff Malachi has evidence about, so who knows?”
She caught a hint of a scent she knew by heart so wasn’t surprised when Rhys asked, “Everything alright?” and placed his palms on her shoulders and ran them down the top of her arms as he bent to press a light kiss to her crown.
Smiling up at him, she nodded, “Yeah. Li’s just making the call to my dad.”
“Well I’ve got the guys set up in the master bedroom. It’s a bit cramped but we can't do anything about it until Li goes.”
“Speaking of,” Brent muttered.
Li was watching them with a small smile on her face. “I am sorry for disrupting your pack, Rhys. We’ll be leaving shortly to get everyone ready for tomorrow.” Her attention shifted to Kaitlin, “We’ve agreed to meet on neutral territory; a park a mile or so from here, at nightfall. Hopefully no humans will come traipsing through or they may just see something they wish they hadn't. I’ll message you the details later on when I’ve worked them out, if that’s alright?”
“Sure, sounds good.”
Li’s dark head dipped in a respectful bow and the three of them copied the action and then watched as she left the room, her pack members leaving with her.
The door shut with a loud snick in the now silent room and Kaitlin collapsed back into the cushions with a sigh. “I can't believe I’m doing this,” she said quietly. “I’m actually going against my father; he’s head of the goddamn council! What am I thinking? This is going to cause all sorts of problems and not just for us, either.”
Brent and Rhys shared a meaningful look and then Brent turned on his heel and disappeared off somewhere in the suite.
Rhys moved around the sofa to sit beside her. Grabbing her hand in his he brought it to his lips. “You’re doing what you believe is right, that’s not a crime, Cat.”
Kaitlin glanced heavenwards, almost ready to ask for His guidance and then snorted. She wasn’t even religious so that was just stupid. “What happens to my mum when we do this? What if it all goes pear shaped and my mum gets the brunt of his anger because of something I did; something I instigated?” Tears burned her throat at the thought.
Large palms cupped her cheeks and his thumbs brushed away the tears. “Then we make her come with us tomorrow. I won't let anything happen to her; that’s a promise, Kaitlin.” Leaning forward Rhys kissed her softly on the lips and then rested his forehead against hers. “Nothing is going to go wrong tomorrow, I won't let it.”
She nodded slowly and glanced into his earnest golden amber eyes. Kaitlin trusted him with her life so why not with her mother’s too?
Twining their fingers together, he rose to his feet and pulled her up with him. “Let’
s go to bed. We’ll need all the rest we can for this showdown tomorrow.”
Kaitlin nodded and followed him down the hallway to a different bedroom to the one they’d used the previous night. It was decorated almost the same, just on a slightly smaller scale.
Tugging her over to the bed he undressed her slowly, occasionally running a hand over her body appreciatively though he didn’t try anything overtly sexual. When she was naked she began undressing him too, inhaling his scent like he was her favourite drug. Removing his trousers she became aware of how turned on he was by her nakedness and made a small sound. She started to reach for him but he grabbed her wrist gently and shook his head, no.
Rhys flung the covers aside and they climbed into the bed. He tugged her back against his chest; his erection cushioned between her buttocks, and nuzzled his face in her hair.
Sleep overtook them both quickly.
Soft voices woke her the next morning and she rolled over to see Rhys stood at the bedroom door talking to someone outside. He took something small and then closed the door, his gaze going to the bed to see if he’d disturbed her.
“Hey,” he greeted softly.
“Hey,” she returned with a smile.
He held something up. “Seems Li text you sometime during the night,” he tossed the phone to her and she caught it easily.
Unlocking the phone she opened the message and read it. “She wants us to meet her at the park half an hour before we’re supposed to meet my father to talk tactics. She also wants us to fetch all your men because she doesn’t trust him to come with only his personal guard.” Kaitlin snorted, “Me neither.”
“So that gives us,” he glanced at the clock on the bedside cabinet, “what? Twelve hours? Not that long to pull an army together.”
Going up on her knees she shuffled over to the foot of the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Looks like you’ll have to work a few miracles.”
Raising his brows he grinned, “Oh, I think I can manage that.”
Kaitlin’s laugh turned into a soft moan of pleasure.
Chapter 18
Watching from a few steps back, Kaitlin was mesmerised by the power that was emanating from Li. She looked formidable with her black hair pulled into a ponytail high on her head and the red and black leather all-in-one with the black and gold handle of the samurai sword visible over her right shoulder.
Flicking her gaze across to her father she noted the strain around his eyes and the bulge of his clenched jaw. He wasn’t happy.
Good.
They’d decided earlier that she should only make herself visible after the two party leaders had greeted each other.
She scanned the faces on her father’s side of the field; she recognised many but didn’t know most of them. Raoul wasn’t with them, she noticed.
Paul’s eyes flicked in her direction, “What’s going on here? Is my own daughter plotting against me? I am very disappointed in you, Kaitlin,” he then returned his attention to Li. “What lies has she told you to bring you here?”
Kaitlin snorted and rolled her eyes—trust him to try and pin the blame on her!
Rhys’ palm briefly touched her waist, though whether he was hoping to comfort her or get her to calm down she had no idea. Kaitlin shot him a sideways glance and then forced herself to relax. If she lost her cool things could go wrong real quick.
Her gaze darted to her mum who was stood a little behind and to the left of her father. She looked nervous.
“Kaitlin has given me a file with proof of your involvement in my father’s murder.”
“That’s impossible,” he denied. “You know it was some rogues working together.”
One of Li’s men stepped forward out of the line they’d created, and handed her the photocopied page Kaitlin had shown her yesterday when they’d met. She waved it in the air mockingly.
Locking her gaze on her father she didn’t miss the way he straightened as his gaze zeroed in on the sheet of paper. His eyes narrowed.
“This is the proof. It’s a transcript of the phone conversation between you and the rogues who killed him.” Her tone was hard.
A ripple went through the men at her father’s back at that titbit of information. “It’s fake! My daughter,” his glare turned on Kaitlin, “has obviously got it in for me and has fabricated that document.”
“So you never said, ‘I want you to make it slow and painful. Make him suffer.’?”
Paul swallowed and suddenly glanced across at his wife, a coldness in his eyes that Kaitlin had never seen before. Worry for her mum suddenly rushed through her; she didn’t understand the look but she knew it couldn't be good news.
Her mother paled but raised her chin defiantly and like a switch it clicked. Ruth Mahone—her mum—was the reliable source. She’d been keeping Malachi informed of every move her husband made since…she didn’t know when. Was it that she hadn't agreed with him kicking Malachi out of the clan or the reason behind it? Whichever it was, she didn’t want anything happening to the one parent who’d ever treated her well.
“Mum?” She held her hand out, hoping her mother would join her.
“Don’t!” Her father barked, his eyes turning murderous.
He’d figured the truth out too and was not going to let his wife get away with it but Kaitlin knew he wouldn’t dare hurt her in front of so many witnesses.
Taking another step closer, she held her hand out further. “Mum? Come on. We won't let him hurt you. If he tries, he’ll cause a war right here, right now.”
Her mum cast her a quick glance and took a step closer.
“Ruth,” Paul warned.
Seeming to come to a decision, she walked calmly away from him and grabbed hold of her daughters hand and squeezed. “I’m not going to stand by you any longer, Paul. Messing with Kaitlin was the last straw. Your own daughter? Really?”
“Enough!” Li shouted.
His lip curled back in a snarl and for a second the veneer he normally presented to the world slipped, revealing the menacing man who lay beneath.
The sound of swords being removed from their scabbards echoed amongst the crowd behind Kaitlin and her mum as everyone caught sight of that look. It foretold trouble.
“I don’t have to listen to this rubbish, Li, so why don’t you run on home like a good girl,” he said patronisingly. “I’d like a word with my wife and daughter.”
An affronted growl had their attention returning to Li. She looked seriously pissed off.
As Kaitlin watched, she reached back and withdrew her sword. The blade was engraved with symbols she couldn't understand, and they caught the light as she twirled it impressively in her hand; the soft whoosh of air the only sound on the field.
“You choose to challenge me?” Paul asked haughtily.
“I just want you to admit you had my father murdered,” Li countered, widening her stance.
He laughed. “And why would I admit to that?”
“Because it’s the truth! I don’t need your answer though; this is proof enough.” With a battle cry, she twirled, the blade extended, heading straight for the council leaders chest.
Paul stumbled back just in time and received only a slice to his shirt. He glanced up quickly, his eyes narrowing in anger. “You’re going to regret that.” With that, he aimed his fist at her face and swung—it was almost a blur, he moved that fast—but Li was smaller and more agile; she ducked the arm and elbowed him in the ribs.
Just like that, with both parties having attacked, it was war. Cries came from both sides as then they ran at each other, weapons drawn.
Someone jumped at Rhys and Kaitlin shot him a quick glance before she had to duck to avoid the knife slicing towards her head. One hand on the floor, she struck her foot out and it landed in the centre of her attacker’s chest, sending him flying backwards. His weapon clattered to the floor but she paid it no heed as she scrambled to her feet and tackled the man before he could get fully back to his and punched him in the face. Blood spurte
d from his nose as she heard the crunch of bone breaking. With a snarl, he used his build to roll them and punched her in the face. Pain exploded across her lower face and anger and adrenaline surged through her.
The man was dragged off her seconds later and she saw the glowing amber of Rhys’ eyes before with one sharp twist he broke the man’s neck. His chest was heaving, whether with anger or exhaustion she didn’t know. Offering her his hand he pulled her to her feet and quickly pressed her to his chest and twisted around. A pained sound left him and she quickly pulled away to see a man with two serrated daggers in his hands bouncing on the balls of his feet like a boxer. He was grinning like a maniac.
Her eyes narrowed on him, knowing he’d just stabbed her mate. She’d make him pay for that.
Quickly dropping she swung her right leg out in a sweeping kick and heard his grunt as she connected and the thud as he fell onto his back. He quickly regained his feet and threw one of his knives. Kaitlin moved her body to the left but it still managed to nick her forearm. His other soon followed, aiming straight for her and she knew she couldn't avoid it. Steeling herself for the blow, she gasped when Rhys caught it mid-air less than a foot from her body. How had he managed to move so fast?
With a flick of his wrist, he sent the blade back towards its owner and it lodged in his throat. The man clutched at his bleeding throat and made gurgling noises.
Kaitlin turned away from the gruesome scene. Her gaze was drawn to the other fighters who were still battling their enemy. Beyond she could see the slinking black form of her shifted father. Li was still in human form. There was blood on her sword and claw marks in her leather outfit.
A familiar yowl had her turning to see her mother, in puma form, swipe at a man who had come up behind her. She caught his face, leaving deep gauges. He cried out and clutched at the wounds.
“Mum! Behind you!”
The puma turned and noted the woman charging towards her with the bloody blade of the axe high above her head ready to strike, and hissed in warning. The woman paid no heed and her mum jumped at the woman, knocking her to the ground, and snapping at her face—though she never made contact. Her attacker tried to fight back by grabbing her under her lower jaw and pushing but it was useless. Right paw lifting, Ruth, slashed at the other woman’s throat and it was over.
Cat's Wolf (A Shifter Romance Novella) Page 9
