by Jana Leigh
One of the men who were checking people looked around when they asked if they knew where the Detectives were, and pointed to a man standing in front of the women’s bathroom looking at his phone. They walked over to Vander. “Detective Collins?”
Vander looked up and smiled. “Yep, I’m Vander Collins. You must be the famous, Captain Doyle.”
Lex nodded and looked around, the woman who chewed his ass out was nowhere to be seen. He felt a twinge of disappointment; he was looking forward to seeing her. Damn it, Lex thought and shook his head, he had been having weird thoughts like that since he talked to the woman on the phone, he needed to get over it.
“Where is Lt. Campbell?” Lex asked.
“She’s in the bathroom. I can introduce you to her when she comes out. Jewels hates to fly.” Vander smiled then picked up his and Jewel’s luggage, then walked over to the other man in the suit. Vander recognized him and knew Jewel was going to be pissed.
He shook Wexford’s hand and laughed, yep, she sure was going to be pissed. The men made polite talk about the plane ride when Lex and Retten looked over to the women’s bathroom. He had a shit-eating grin when he saw his partner walk out slowly. She had to have felt something, because the men certainly had, Vander would never be able to explain what he saw, but the guys would have given her such shit if they saw it.
The men gasped as they saw a woman walking out of the bathroom looking around. She was perfect, and theirs, both of them thought the moment they saw her. She looked up, apparently looking for someone and both men growled deeply. She would be theirs, and no one else’s. When the woman’s eyes met the Detective standing beside them, both men relaxed before the implications hit them. Shit, this was Jewel Campbell.
***
Jewel tilted her head in the air and smelled the most intoxicating scents. Fuck, her mates were here. She closed her eyes and frowned, because it was two different scents, one wild and rich, while the other soothing and comforting. She looked in front of her and saw two men standing beside Vander.
Her eyes were immediately drawn to one man; she narrowed her eyes at Wexford and then sighed a little bit. The picture had been taken a while ago, because the man she saw before her was an older version of Josh. Thank the gods he did not look exactly like the way she remembered Josh. Slowly she took a few steps and then turned her gaze.
The other man who was next to him stared at her intently also. Both of the men had hunger in their eyes; she felt the burn of her wolf pushing against her. Jewel stared back at the two men trying to keep her expression from indicating anything to them. Her skin began to heat up; she had to make herself look away from them before she went up in smoke. Fuck, the mating pull was stronger than she anticipated, looking at both of the men made her feel like she had to burst out of her skin and run to her mates.
Fuckalicious, they were better looking in person, she thought, and then caught her partner’s eye. Vander looked at the men staring at his best friend and he didn’t like the looks they were giving her. He walked over to Jewel, capturing her attention. “Jewels, this is—”
Before Vander could finish, Jewel answered for him smugly. “Retten Wexford! And this must be Captain Lex Doyle.”
Jewel knew she needed to say something more; the air was thick with arousal and tension. She extended her hand to Captain Doyle first. “Captain Doyle, it’s nice to put a face to the man. You, Wexford, I have some questions for.”
Vander snickered and looked over at Captain Doyle. Lex shook her hand but continued to stare at her; it was as if he was eating her up with his eyes. Jewel and Lex were shocked at the electricity that shot through his arm as he touched Jewel.
Jewel pulled her hand away from Lex, and she directed her attention to Wexford. “Jewels. Captain Doyle has informed me that Mr. Wexford is footing the bill for our rooms and food while we are in New York,” Vander said.
“Well, I guess Mr. Wexford can use it as a tax write-off.” She extended her hand to Retten. He gently shook her hand. Retten knew she smelled good, but when he felt her hand and could feel the electric current going through his arm, he knew he was in trouble. She was trying to remain impassive, but the heat was coming too fast.
He let her hand go, and reached down and grabbed her bag. “Here, let me help you with your luggage. I have a car waiting to take us to the hotel.”
Retten and Lex walked beside Jewel as they walk out of the airport. Jewel and Vander looked up at each other as Retten handed her luggage to a man waiting by the black limo. Vander handed his bags to the man and walked toward the car door. A large man with muscles and a dark suit was standing beside the back passenger door holding the door open. Jewel knew that he was a bodyguard for Wexford, he had the look. He was looking around watching the people around the car. Jewel couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but she could tell he was also a wolf by his smell.
“After you, Detective,” Wexford said as he pointed to the back seat. Vander pushed Jewel ahead of him then entered the limo behind her. Vander made sure to sit beside Jewel, making Retten and Lex sit directly across from them.
Jewel knew she needed to get away from these two men. Her wolf was doing cartwheels inside of her. Being enclosed in this vehicle and smelling their scent was driving Jewel crazy. She needed answers and only these men could give them to her. Damn, this was a mess, thinking about what she knew of this made much sense. Why would the man sitting before her kill the women? Looking at him, she knew he wasn’t a real suspect; however, since she needed answers, he was going to be questioned.
Retten and Lex couldn’t help but stare at Jewel—she was a breathtaking beauty. She smelled like the outdoors and the sweetest strawberries. Both men placed their jackets over their pants so nobody could see how she was affecting them. They haven’t even kissed her yet and they wanted to lose themselves in the lovely detective. She was beyond anything they had ever seen. Lex knew that Retten was just as taken with Jewel as he was. This was going to be a very weird two weeks.
“So, what do you need to discuss with me?” Wexford said smoothly and Jewel snapped her eyes up to his.
“I thought we could at least get to the hotel and settled before I interrogated someone.” She leaned back and put the folder on her lap she had been carrying.
Jewel knew that Lex Doyle was Retten Wexford’s second in charge. She could tell by how Lex would stand a little back from Retten, watching his back and front. She didn’t know how she could get around Lex, if Retten was the killer. Packs were protective of their Alpha. It didn’t matter that he was a killer; they would protect him even from the police. She had to rethink her plans.
“Lt. Campbell, may I call you Jewel?” Retten asked.
Jewel looked up into the blue eyes of Wexford. “Yes, that would be fine, Mr. Wexford.”
“Please call me Ret.” Jewel laughed then turned her head, looking out the window.
“So, Jewel, you will find I am a very direct man. So let’s be honest, if you are wondering something about me, you just have to ask. I have nothing to hide.” Jewel and Vander both looked up at Wexford when he spoke. Was he just being curious or was he playing with them? Vander knew he wanted to know more about Wexford.
Jewel leaned forward with a smirk on her face. Vander knew that this wouldn’t end well for Wexford if he kept this up. “As you know, Mr. Wexford, any information or theories that we have are considered still under investigation. However, just for this one time, I think we will get our man. You see, this man is very cocky and thinks he is superior to the police, but he will screw up and make a mistake.” She tested him.
“Are you so sure that he will ‘screw up’, as you say?” Retten asked with no smile on his face.
“Oh yes, Mr. Wexford. I believe he will. You see, I always get my man.” Jewel leaned back and looked out the window letting Retten Wexford know he had been dismissed from asking her any more questions about the investigation.
Vander placed his hand on her hand that was lying between them. H
e wanted to calm Jewel down before she said something she would regret later. He noticed the look he got when he touched her. Retten and Lex didn’t like that he had his hand over Jewel’s hand. He realized he needed to keep a watch on the Captain and Wexford.
They rode in silence the rest of the way to the hotel, she was quivering being so close to her mates, but she needed to gather her thoughts. Since she had seen that picture on the airplane before they took off, she had been frightened. Not like she was scared for her life, no, frightened over the fact that she found her true mates and fate had played a cruel trick on her.
Josh had not had any siblings that they knew of. His parents had been lovely, since his death she had not spoken to them. They had been devastated by the accident, his mother cried every time she saw Jewel. She was certain the woman would have known if she had more than one son, and since Josh died, there was no one to follow their line. It had been very upsetting for the shifters.
“You know, being a bitch is not going to work,” Lex said quietly and she turned, fire flashing in her eyes.
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Jewel said stiffly.
Ret leaned forward, “Oh, but you do. Right now, you are trying to push us away and act as if I am a suspect in the murders. You know that is not true, you can feel your wolf’s trust in me. Now ask your questions and let’s put this aside.”
Vander looked at the trio and grimaced. Awkward!
“Fine, I need alibis for the following dates,” Jewel said and without looking, named the dates and waited.
Ret pulled out his PDA, and pulled up the dates and handed her the phone. On two of them he had been out of the country, passport validated it. Shit. Jewel handed the device to her partner and then sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine, we need your help then.”
Vander laughed and handed the PDA back to the billionaire and smiled. “Just so we are clear, I know about shifters, and I know you think she is your mate. I am on her side, if she doesn’t want it then you back off. We clear?”
Lex and Ret smiled at each other and then nodded. Neither of them wanted to say that they would never force themselves on a woman but that went without saying.
“Cool! I am freaking starving! We almost there?” Vander laughed and clapped his hands. Jewel glared at him but refused to speak; instead, she folded her arms over her chest and stared out the window intently.
Jewel looked up at the most beautiful hotel she had ever seen. This place was where the rich and famous stayed. They could have never stayed here without Wexford paying the bill. Shit, she hoped this was not a mistake. Letting him pay the bill and then arresting him for pissing her off could turn out bad.
Lex and Retten got out first then Vander. Retten was standing in front of the door with his hand out waiting for Jewel. He helped Jewel out of the car and continued to hold her hand as they walked toward the hotel doors. Jewel pulled her hand back and took her cell phone out of her pocket. She didn’t want to make it look like she didn’t want to touch him so she had to act like her phone vibrated and she was checking her messages.
Jewel’s body was going crazy. She was attracted to two men and one of them was the freaking Alpha of the NYC Pack, something she was not focusing on right now, the implications didn’t make her happy.
Vander watched with amusement as his friend dodged Ret as his tried to hold her hand, maybe he should let her flounder. He sighed, damn, he wouldn’t do that to his partner. He moved closer to her so she felt his calming presence near her. The manger came out, shaking Retten’s hand and explaining that he took care of the rooms personally. The man introduced himself to Jewel and Vander. He explained that their rooms were ready and he would escort them to their suite.
Jewel listened to the manager tell them about the amenities the Wexford hotel had. Jewel was excited because they had an indoor pool where she could swim laps that would take the edge off. She would need to find a place to buy a cheap swimsuit because she didn’t bring one with her. When the manger said he was going to show them to their room, they thanked all of the men and walked to the elevators to go to their rooms.
She didn’t understand why Captain Doyle and Retten Wexford were following them to their room. Not wanting to call attention to the fact that she was sweating in the small space with the men, she spoke to Vander about the calls they needed to make and work they needed to do when they settled in.
Retten and Lex continued to stare at Jewel, which made her very uncomfortable. They arrived on their floor and all exited the elevator. Jewel looked around and saw that there were only three doors on the floor. The manager opened one of the doors and advised Vander this was his room. He stated that his bags would be delivered in a few minutes.
Vander walked in and whistled. “Wow! Mr. Wexford, this is great.” Vander couldn’t hide the appreciation in his eyes. His room held a living room, kitchen, and off to the left he could see into a huge bedroom with a canopy bed. The walls were white and decorated with abstract pictures in red and blue. The furniture was a deep rich red, and looked so comfortable. After the long plane ride, he was more than ready to kick off his shoes and relax.
The bedroom was decorated in blue, and he smiled, this was a man’s room if ever he saw one.
Wexford walked over to another door on the floor and opened it. “I hope you will be comfortable, Detective. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask and it will be provided. Jewel, this is your room.”
Jewel started walking toward the door. “Vander, I will call you in a few and we will go to dinner.”
“Okay, do you need me to go with you to your room?” Vander asked quickly, staring at the two men who seemed to be following his partner.
“No! I’ve got it.” Jewel continued to walk out into the hallway. Her energy level was fading fast and she needed to eat and then lay down. Jewel hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in a month and her body was shutting down. This would be a fast conversation, she thought, and nodded to Lex and Ret as she entered her room.
Jewel walked over and sat down on the end of the couch. She put her elbow on the end of the couch using her hand to hold her head up. Retten and Lex immediately went to Jewel’s side asking her if she was okay. Well shit, she was tired, but they obviously were waiting to have a discussion with her.
Retten reached out to touch her face. Jewel immediately jerked back. “Sorry, it’s okay, I just need to eat something and lay down for a while,” trying again to deflect what was coming.
Jewel’s eyes were starting to glow bright green. Her wolf was coming to the surface and Jewel was trying to keep her under control. “Jewel, your wolf is near the surface,” Retten said as he stroked her face.
Jewel tried to push his hand away, losing her control. She didn’t want them in the room with her. She didn’t want to feel this way. Jewel got to her feet and tried to hold her head up. “I can handle it. Please leave.” Jewel walked to the door opening it. “Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Wexford, and, Captain, we will see you tomorrow.”
They could have protested, but both men looked at each other and nodded. Since meeting Jewel at the airport, they had become more in tune with each other, that’s why they knew Jewel was destined to be theirs. The connection and bond was already forming, they could feel the tendrils of their bond strengthen. She was not going to get away; they needed to give her some space to accept what they already knew.
“We will leave for now, baby, but we will be back, then we will deal with this whole thing,” Lex said and walked to the door. Ret followed him, pausing beside Jewel for a brief second and breathed in her scent one more time before they left.
“We have been waiting for you for so long, a few more hours won’t kill us. But you know you are our mate, this in not in question,” Ret said and she shivered and watched as her two new mates walked through the door.
She turned toward the living room again and held her stomach, how in the hell could this be happening to her? she wondered, and let out a small
sob. Josh was her one and only, her mate, why would the gods give her another chance. This was unheard of, and Jewel wasn’t sure she believed it. She was going to have to make some phone calls. She looked around the gorgeous room that they provided; it was huge, almost bigger than her damn house. Living room, kitchen, and bedroom, all decorated in the same gold and light-blue furniture. It looked like it was right out of a fairytale.
Jewel was feeling sick, and took one step before she felt a weird sensation flowing over her and she gasped, then darkness flowed over her, causing her to fall to the floor unconscious.
***
Retten and Lex were standing outside the door when they heard Jewel fall. Retten grabbed his key out of his pocket and opened Jewel’s door. They ran over to her and Retten picked her up, carrying her to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed trying not to wake her up, she was exhausted.
They looked down at her angelic face. She was rough and tough on the outside when she was awake, so many barriers put up to keep people from seeing the real woman. They would break through that though, they were her mates, and would demand no less.
They had shared women before, but this was different—this was their mate. Ret looked at Lex and told him to take her shoes and socks off while Ret took her jacket off. Ret wanted to strip all of her clothes off, but he knew if they did then she would probably kill them. Settling for making her comfortable, they worked together to tuck her into bed.
When they were done, both men stared down at her one more time before walking back into the other room. They were the perfect match. Ret rising to the head of the NYC Pack, they were the most powerful in the world. Lex being the Beta, as well as a Captain in the human police force, allowed them to discover when some of their wolves got in trouble outside of pack land.
Chapter Seven
