Ruling Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 4)

by Crowe, Mallory

  “It’s really no problem. It will be nice for us to spend some time together.” Gloria still looked hesitant. “Trust me, we’ll have fun.” Then she went in for the kill. “I’m kind of her aunt now.”

  Brock came up from behind Elsie. “Let the girls go out. They can get to know each other. It’ll be good for both of them.”

  Gloria pursed her lips. “If you insist. I’ll help her get ready.”

  As she retreated up the stairs, Elsie turned to Brock. “What was that about? I kind of thought Gloria liked me.”

  “She does. She’s just overprotective of Dani. We’ve gone through a lot of trouble to make sure Dani stays away from her father and all the chaos he brought with him.”

  It’s hard enough being a single mother. Let alone when the dad wants to kill half the family. “Has Dani ever met her father?”

  “I don’t think so. Gloria was pretty distant after she was born. She might have tried to make things work with Derek. If Dani ever did meet him, it was at least ten years ago.”

  Elsie’s heart broke for the teen. It must’ve shown, because Brock wrapped his big arms around her. She wanted to relax into his strength and accept the comforting touch, but her muscles stiffened and back tensed.

  They could play house all they wanted, but he was still more like her boss than her mate.

  He didn’t force her into the hug. “Don’t think about it. She has a great family who loves her. Besides, I have a present.”

  She pulled back. “A present?”

  He pulled a cell phone out of his back pocket. “To replace the one I broke. Your mother had all your info transferred over and shipped it as soon as it was ready. She wanted to deliver it in person, but I thought you might need a break from her.”

  “Probably best for her safety.” Elsie grabbed the shiny black smartphone. It was the same model as her old one. She unlocked the main menu and groaned. “Ten voicemails. Great.”

  “Your family’s worried about you.”

  Elsie snorted. “Yeah right. You know these are all from work. Whatever. I don’t have time to deal with their crap right now.” As she realized who she was talking to, Elsie’s eyes widened and she scanned Brock’s face for any sign of anger. “I mean, I’ll have to get to it later.”

  Brock smiled at her horrible attempt at saving face. “Tomorrow we’ll probably both need to head back to Jersey. The plant might literally be falling apart without you there.”

  “It’s nice to have something to look forward to,” she said sardonically.

  “Figured you’d enjoy that. I programmed everyone’s number in your phone. If you need to get a hold of Russell, Gloria, or me, we’re right there.”

  Elsie rolled her eyes. “I’m sure Russell would love me calling him.”

  “Russell likes you just fine.” Elsie raised a brow. “Russell will like you. Once he gets used to the idea of me being mated and gets to know you.”

  “If you say so.” Somehow she doubted Russell would be singing her praises any time soon. “So am I allowed to take a car or do I need a driver?”

  “As long as you promise you’re coming back.”

  “Hey. You have my dog, remember? He’s the perfect hostage.” As though he knew they were talking about him, Riggs ran through the open back door, tongue flapping out and tail wagging madly.

  “At this rate, he might not let you take him from the cabin,” muttered Brock.

  Elsie knelt and Riggs ran into her arms. “You’re a city dog, okay? You remember that.”

  He sat his big butt on the floor and leaned all his weight against Elsie. “He’ll be happy as long as he’s with you,” said Brock.

  “He better be. We’re partners in crime.” She looked at the time on her cell phone, suddenly realizing how reliant she was on the damn thing, and gently pushed Riggs away. “I need to get ready. I’ll call my dress guy and see if he has any recommendations for where I should go. Do you know if Dani has her measurements written down?”

  The blank stare Brock gave was answer enough. “Right. I’ll ask her.”

  Brock breathed a mock sigh of relief. “You have a dress guy?”

  “I wear a lot of dresses. It’s nice to have someone who knows my size and exactly what I like. Do werewolves have as many parties as vampires? I swear I’m heading out to the city for something every other weekend. Of course, half of it was Mother trying to marry me off.”

  Brock smirked. “Oh no. You might have to fire your dress guy.”

  An exaggerated look of fear covered Elsie’s face. “Not the dress guy! I need my dress guy!” She smiled at her own joke as she headed toward the stairs. “I need to focus now. A lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.”

  ~~~~~

  Elsie stepped back and admired her work. Pride might be one of the seven deadly sins, but it was one of Elsie’s favorite emotions.

  Girl looked fierce.

  The original dress had been delicate and princess-like. Dani was no wilting flower. She was a fighter.

  Even though she didn’t know what Dani’s dress would look like, Elsie directed the hairstylist to pull Dani’s long blonde hair into a high and tight ponytail, with a few natural-looking extensions in to make the mane look extra thick.

  It had taken her three hours and five different dress shops, but Elsie finally found the perfect dress. The floor-length, vibrant dark-blue gown was rather simple but did exactly what a great dress did. Made everyone look.

  It was tight enough to show off Dani’s curves but high enough that no indecent skin was showing.

  Elsie turned Dani’s head as she spread out a thin layer of foundation. “So are you excited about the dance?”

  Dani looked away from Elsie. She had been avoiding talking about the dance all night. Mainly she talked about how awesome Brock was and how great they were as a couple.

  It was nice to know at least one of his family members didn’t hate her. But the more she avoided talking about the dance, the more convinced Elsie was that something was bothering her.

  “You really do this stuff all the time?” she asked.

  Another evasion. “Not quite as much as I used to, but those vampires love to party.”

  “Vampires. That’s so cool.” Her eyes glossed over as though she was imagining herself surrounded by the high council

  “It was definitely unique. Some would say growing up with werewolf royalty is pretty cool too.” Elsie put down the foundation and reached for a soft peach blush.

  Dani snorted. “Right. All I have is an overprotective mother and the need to get naked in the woods and run around.”

  “It seems like it would be fun. Brock said it frees him.”

  Dani closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “It is. It’s just…normal teenagers might have a temper tantrum and curse at their mothers. I turn into a dog. Last spring, this girl at school made me so mad, I almost turned. Right in front of everyone! It would’ve been so embarrassing.”

  Embarrassing? Try PR nightmare. Elsie didn’t even want to know what tricks Brock had up his sleeve to keep those types of sightings out of the public eye. Would he allow any witnesses to survive?

  A great question to ask before she bonded herself to him.

  “What did the girl do to upset you?”

  Dani shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

  “You just told me you almost turned because you were so angry. Obviously it was something.”

  “The other students don’t know much about me. What can I really share? I can’t talk about my dad. I can’t talk about why I spend so much time out in the middle of nowhere. Everything is lies. I’d rather not say anything at all. On top of that, I always wear loose clothes for an easy transformation, so I never look as trendy as the other girls. I guess some of the girls have a theory that I’m poor. It’s a private school and tuition isn’t cheap. I kind of knew there was class warfare, but didn’t realize how bad it was until everyone turned on me. I even had a date for tonight, but after Andrea started telli
ng the whole school about how poor I was, he ‘suddenly backed out.’ It’s such bullshit.”

  Elsie frowned at the story. “The school turned on you because they think you’re poor? That is bullshit.”

  Dani laughed at Elsie’s cuss. “It’s worse. They don’t even think I’m poor necessarily. They just think I’m middle class and that’s enough to hate me, I guess.”

  Elsie finished a brightening but natural eye shadow and reached for the black eyeliner. “Well, I can’t guarantee you’ll have more friends after tonight, but I can guarantee you’ll look fantastic. Like, not just good. You will look like you just stepped off the cover of a magazine. You are already pretty, so all this crap,” she waved the eyeliner in the air for emphasis, “just enhances all your natural beauty.”

  Dani beamed at the praise. “Thanks,” she muttered.

  After a coat of mascara heavy enough to make Dani’s lashes look fake, Elsie reached for a wine-colored lipstick.

  “Okay. Okay. You need to look at yourself. I don’t like to brag, but you look so good right now.”

  Dani smiled; she quickly stood and turned to look at her reflection. “Holy crap, Elsie! This is freakin’ fantastic.” She leaned over the dresser to stare at her makeup more carefully. The heavy mascara and thin line of black eyeliner made Dani’s blue eyes look huge. The color almost perfectly matched her dress.

  The eye shadow was just a shade lighter than her skin tone, brightening her eyes even more. Elsie didn’t want to overdo the eyes when Dani’s dark lips would be more than enough to get attention.

  The sleek and simple gown combined with the futuristic-looking ponytail tied out a unique and beautiful look. “Warrior chic,” said Elsie.

  Dani turned back to Elsie. “I dare someone to mess with me when I look like this.”

  “Remind me not to piss you off tonight.” Elsie glanced at the time again. They had a good ten minutes before Dani had to leave. “Jewelry! Hold on. I have something.”

  Dani rolled her eyes. “Of course you do. You have everything.”

  “Every once in a while, over-packing pays off,” she muttered as she dug through her bag. A few seconds later, she pulled out a simple pair of silver drop earrings. A single chain hung down two inches with a clear, teardrop crystal hanging at the bottom.

  “How long are you planning on staying?”

  “I think Brock wanted to stay out here longer, but it looks like we have to head back to Jersey tomorrow. Apparently I’m needed at the plant.”

  Dani slipped into her heels. Elsie didn’t have time to shoe shop, so Dani had to scrounge in her closet for a decent pair with a modest heel. “So, when did you know Brock and you were meant to be together?”

  Great. More questions she didn’t want to answer. “You need to head downstairs if you want to make it to your dance in time.”

  Dani reached for her small black sequined clutch. “If you don’t love him, you can tell me. I won’t tell anyone.”

  Elsie felt as if she just got hit in the head with a baseball bat. “What?”

  “Don’t get me wrong. You seem happy enough together and stuff. It’s just that you never want to talk about him or how you two got together. Most newlyweds are kind of giggly, you know?”

  Elsie tried to think about the last time she was “giggly” about anything. She didn’t even giggle the one time she tried pot in college. Who could giggle with all the coughing?

  “I guess I’m not the giggly type.” The excuse sounded lame, even to Elsie. She thought of Etta, bouncing with joy at the thought of bonding with Max. Even Rebecca, who tried so hard to hide emotions from her girls, had seemed strangely happy after she bonded with Roman.

  All the more proof that Elsie was never meant to be with Brock. She might love his sense of humor and how he treated his family, but she didn’t love him. He might’ve had a crush on her, but that’s no basis for an eternal commitment.

  “Just remember that you can talk to me.” Dani left the room.

  Elsie pushed the doubts out of her mind and into her pile labeled “shit to worry about later.” This was Dani’s moment.

  She followed Dani to the staircase just in time to see the looks of awe on all her family members’ faces. Dani stopped midway down the staircase to do a little pose. Russell was the first to break the silence. “Holy shit. You look…like someone else.”

  Dani smiled, apparently taking that as a compliment. “Thanks, Uncle Russell.”

  At first Lana’s face was unreadable, but a small smile broke up her normally stern expression as Dani reached the bottom of the stairs. “You look all grown up, sweetheart.”

  Elsie studied Brock for any sign of disapproval. Rebecca never cared whether her teenage daughters looked twenty-five, but she tried to keep Dani’s outfit age appropriate.

  Gloria pushed her way through the crowded entryway and wrapped Dani in a tight hug. “You are so beautiful, baby.”

  “Thanks, Mama.”

  Brock subtly shot Elsie a little nod of approval and she let out a sigh of relief.

  Russell picked something out of his back pocket. “Think fast, kid.” He threw a set of keys at Dani, and her hand came up inhumanly fast to pluck them out of the air.

  She studied the logo on the keychain. “You’re giving me the Porsche?”

  “Just for the night. I know you don’t have a limo or anything, but you might as well arrive in style.”

  “Uncle Russell, you love this car more than me!”

  “I love you more than Portia. Not by much, but it’s enough. Besides, I’m assuming you’re bringing my baby back in one, completely unscratched, piece.” For the first time, Elsie was able to see Russell without disapproval clouding his eyes.

  It was easier to think of Russell as some jackass who didn’t like her. It was much more ego-crushing to think of Russell as the caring uncle who didn’t like her.

  Dani untangled herself from Gloria’s tight embrace as Elsie made her way to Brock. “Did Russell refer to his car as ‘Portia’?” she whispered.

  The corner of his mouth hooked up. “Just remember never to mess with Russell’s cars.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  WE NEED TO TALK. MEET ME AT THE DOCK AT 2. OUR LITTLE SECRET.

  Elsie stared at the text message for a few moments, trying to decipher what Dani wanted to talk about. Did something go wrong? Maybe something went right and Dani just wanted some girl talk.

  Elsie would find out soon enough. Assuming she could sneak away in the middle of the night without anyone noticing. Brock still hadn’t completely forgiven her for running off to the city.

  She would just have to find some way to make it work. She text Dani back. C U THEN.

  A soft knock sounded on the bathroom door. Elsie looked in the mirror once more. Her hair was down and in loose curls around her shoulders, and her beaded purple top dressed up the casual shorts she wore. Satisfied with her reflection, she opened the door for Brock.

  He wore a loose black t-shirt and jeans and looked fantastic. “Gloria is putting a movie on downstairs. You want to watch it?”

  Elsie turned off the bathroom light and walked into the bedroom. “What movie?”

  “I don’t know. Some comedy I’ve never heard of. You can get a chance to spend some time with Gloria and maybe we can head down to the beach afterwards.”

  Elsie imagined how handsome Brock would look under the moonlight. Movie and a late-night walk on the beach with a gorgeous man who was completely into her. What more could a girl want?

  Before Elsie could say yes, her stupid mind started to race. If she went to the beach with Brock, he would kiss her again. If it was anything like the last kisses they shared, she wouldn’t stop him. Then they would come back to their bedroom. Then what?

  They would sleep together eventually. They were mated and he obviously wanted her. She would be stupid to deny her own attraction to him. He was polite enough to leave her alone the previous night, but would he be as gentlemanly two nights in a row?r />
  Did she want him to be?

  No. She needed to sneak out to talk to Dani. There was no time for playing between the sheets.

  “You have no idea how great that sounds, but I really should catch up on some work. I made the mistake of listening to some of those voicemails and I want to look into a couple of things.”

  She tried to read his expression for any sign of disappointment or anger, but his guards were up. “Anything I should be worried about?”

  Elsie shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ll let you know if anything comes up though.”

  He looked up and met her eyes. “What about Jackson?”

  Elsie sighed. “Jackson. He might be an issue.”

  Brock shut his eyes tightly and pinched the bridge of his nose. “He’s the reason you were at the plant that night, wasn’t he?” Her silence was answer enough. “How much has he taken?”

  Elsie gulped nervously. “He’s family. Maybe we can all sit down together and—”

  “Please don’t bullshit me. Give me a number.”

  “Just under two hundred thousand dollars.”

  “Fuck!” Brock turned away from her as his hands balled into fists as though he was resisting the urge to hit something.

  Elsie reached out to Brock, resting a hand on his shoulder. “There might be a reason. Talk to him before you make any decisions.” His muscles vibrated with tension beneath her touch. She knew how much his family meant to him. Even if Jackson wasn’t quite as easy to get along with as Dani, the betrayal had to hurt.

  “I’m going to take a run. I might be out late.”

  “Don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself.”

  Brock turned back, standing just inches from Elsie. His dark eyes bored into her; his hands reached up to touch her elbows and stroked up to her shoulders. He was so close she could feel the heat radiate from his chest. His lips were close enough that all she had to do was push herself up a little farther and they would be kissing.

  Why didn’t he kiss her? He had taken every other opportunity during the day. Oh yeah. She didn’t want him to kiss her.