Skin Deep

by Sarah Makela

  “Monica is not my girlfriend.” He clenched his teeth to hold back the string of vulgarities. Dave wouldn’t want to hear that.

  Right now, Connor needed to see if Angelique was okay. If Monica hurt Angelique or worse, he’d make her experience more pain and humiliation than she ever had in her entire life.

  “Oh…why did she tell Ted and some of the others you two were a couple again?” Confusion strained Dave’s voice.

  “She’s a possessive piece of work.” Connor ran his hand through his hair. “Call me if you hear anything from Ted, Gus, or anyone else. I wouldn’t put it past Monica to break one of our laws.”

  Dave gulped. “Ri-right. I’ll let you know.”

  “Thank you. Let the others know. And if anyone contacts her, I want her made aware that I need to talk with her.” Connor hung up the phone and dialed Angelique’s number.

  It rang and rang before he reached her voicemail system. No, it’d be better for him to reach her in person than to leave a message. Especially with the way Monica was behaving. He shoved the key in the ignition and started his car.

  Driving the calm streets allowed him time to focus. He had been with Monica for only a few weeks, but her razor-edge, fake personality had really become a problem. Now that he’d started repairing his relationship with Angelique, Monica had gone into overdrive. The latest, claiming that they were together again, was a clear attempt to claim him before the Pack, which meant she considered Angelique a distinct problem in what Monica thought to be their relationship. If the Alpha heard that and agreed, Connor would have even more trouble getting the Pack to accept a non-wolf. While he hoped Lowell wouldn’t believe Monica, he doubted their Alpha would side with him.

  Connor reached the distantly familiar street leading to Angelique’s house. He saw Monica sprint to her vehicle in her ridiculously high heels, both hands holding her face. He pulled up behind her then hopped out of his car. Monica paid him little attention until he was at her window. A score of red gashes marred her face, and a steady stream of blood dripped onto her otherwise flawless white dress.

  Monica raised her gaze to meet his own. She was pale, distraught, but that didn’t stop a wry smile from spreading across her ruby red lips before she started the engine.

  Connor opened his mouth to say something, but she shoved the stick into gear and sped off. He stood there, watching her drive away before the scent of blood hit home.

  He snapped his gaze to Angelique’s house, and his heart lurched in his chest as he thought the worst. Yet the smell didn’t belong to Angelique.

  She wouldn’t be able to hold off Monica.

  Fear gripped his heart, and he jogged up the walkway to the front door. The lock had been broken, and the door was wide open. Walking inside, he saw what remained of Angelique’s once neatly organized household. Furniture knocked over and in pieces, shredded paper, and cotton stuffing lay everywhere. He snatched his cell phone from his pocket.

  Dialing the number from memory, he waited for Dave to pick up. A familiar voice came on the line, one of the younger wolves, maybe Justin. “Put Dave on.” His tone sounded grim even to his own ears.

  “Yes, Connor?” Dave’s slightly shaky voice came through the line, obviously nervous about what he’d say.

  “I just saw Monica. Her face is bloodied, and she completely trashed someone’s house.” His gaze swept over the wreckage. Seemed Monica had targeted anything that might hold value to Angelique. Sadness tightened his chest. “We need to get an enforcer on her. She is a liability.” He closed his eyes, checking his emotions.

  “Yes, sir. I will tell Ted what happened. I trust him.” Dave paused. “What if she’s brought in front of the Pack? She’ll freak out.”

  “So?” He couldn’t care less if she threw herself on the floor and had a temper tantrum before Lowell. She had no excuse for what she’d done. Besides, from what he’d seen, she had already freaked. This house was damn good evidence of that.

  “I only mean that if she is as far gone as you say—”

  “She is,” he snapped.

  “Then this will push her to the edge. If you leave her and turn the Pack against her, you’ve left her with nothing.”

  Connor hung up. He should have some sympathy for Monica, but what she’d done enraged him. He couldn’t take Dave’s pity for the woman. His beast wanted to rip something, or someone, apart.

  An uneasy feeling drifted over Connor, and he took a deep breath. He cut his eyes toward the broken door. Sirens blared in the distance, and he cursed. Of course, the neighbors had called the police. With his short patience, he needed to get out of here. Fast.

  Chapter Six

  Angelique walked along the narrow alley running behind the houses on her street. Her hands still shook from the adrenaline rampaging through her. Kira had taken to licking her paws low on Angelique’s stomach for the walk. Her cat was quite proud of herself. Angelique wished she had half of her calm.

  She cut through her backyard and slowed. Coming back here was risky as hell, but she didn’t have any money. If she had any chance of escaping Monica’s reach again, then she needed her purse to hightail it out of town.

  Pausing, she saw a broad shouldered man in a suit jogging down the front sidewalk away from her house. He didn’t look like the person from earlier. She pressed herself to the side of the building waiting for him to leave.

  He smacked his hand against the roof of the Camaro before climbing inside.

  Realization slammed into her gut. She knew that car. The man turned his face a little. Connor. Her heart thumped against her chest joyously. Maybe he could help her. He knew Monica, and he could make sure Angelique wouldn’t have her back against the wall alone. The swish of a furry tail across her stomach proved Kira didn’t like that thought. Okay, she wasn’t alone, but Connor could help.

  She squeezed her hands into fists, reluctance muddying her thoughts. What had he been doing here? Could she really trust him, especially now that he knew of her gift? She cursed herself. Only one way to find out. The faint sound of police sirens shattered her thoughts.

  Connor peeled away from the curb and sped down the street.

  Damn it! She ran toward the road waving her arms. “Stop. Connor!” His car was already turning the corner. She shoved her fists against her forehead and took a couple deep breaths.

  Turning on her heel, she sprinted onto the porch and stopped. Her crushed doorknob stood out against the splintered wood near the hinges. Connor wouldn’t have done this. Inside, most of her furniture lay smashed and tossed over. Clumps of cotton stuffing, glass shards, and smashed lampshades littered the room. Her mementos were in pieces across the floor.

  Angelique couldn’t suppress a gasp. Tears leapt to her eyes, and she shook with anger. She wanted to grab a broom, pick everything up, and make it all right, but she didn’t have time. And she couldn’t make this right. Most of her living room would probably have to go to the dump.

  The sirens closed in, urging her to action. She ran to her bedroom for her purse. Kira’s intense agitation radiated through Angelique, making her tense and jumpy. Beneath the unhappiness, Angelique sensed Kira’s deep hostility that their home had been trespassed and disturbed. She sent soothing thoughts to Kira. Her familiar was distracting, and it wouldn’t be safe to drive with her mind in such turmoil and Kira this upset.

  The big cat settled down a little, but that didn’t stop her from twitching her tail in displeasure. Angelique could deal with that. Right now, her only thought was getting out of here before she had to explain the fight with a she-wolf.

  The loud sirens drew closer. Angelique hurried out to her car. She drove away as the first police car arrived. Keeping her gaze on the road, she didn’t want to know what was happening behind her. She needed to find somewhere out of town.

  She took a few harsh breaths, and she tried to remain calm. It didn’t work. While she didn’t have the most stable life, and she moved around a lot even without Connor in the picture, the belon
gings she had meant a lot to her. Most of them had been passed along from family no longer on this earth. Now some woman hell-bent on being with Connor—the only man she’d ever loved—was set on making Angelique’s life hell. At least, that’s what she thought the crazy woman wanted. After the alley earlier, it wouldn’t surprise her if that weren’t entirely the case.

  At a stoplight, she dug through her purse with one hand, trying to find her phone. She needed to call Connor, but her cell wasn’t there. Shit! She must’ve left it on the charger. Then again, she hadn’t imagined she’d need to run at a moment’s notice when she woke up this morning.

  Once she got far enough away, she’d stop and call him. Glancing up at the rearview mirror, she saw a couple cars, but none of them she recognized as Monica’s. She returned her attention to the road and tilted her chin up, feeling a bit better. This would all blow over. Things wouldn’t be this way forever.

  Around the outskirts of town, she took an exit off the highway and pulled into the nearest supermarket’s parking lot. Supermarkets always had a payphone. Besides, she hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch, and she was starving. She’d be able to pick up some food here and take it to whatever hotel she could find on such short notice.

  Angelique walked inside the store. Plenty of people milled around. This place offered her protection against crazy Monica, unless the woman was certifiable.

  She grabbed a cart and headed for the produce department. The store was way too warm for a jacket, yet she hated the idea of someone spotting her familiar. After rushing through several aisles, she couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “I’m taking off my jacket. You need to behave,” she muttered under her breath to Kira.

  Kira rubbed up against her shoulder in response, softly purring. Typical cat, trying to be sly when she knew she’d been warned. Normally Kira wasn’t awake this much, especially while Angelique was in public, but she didn’t dare force Kira to sleep after what had happened earlier. Kira’s claws had been enough to make Monica back off.

  She walked around the produce section. Kira settled down, but it wasn’t long before she became restless again. After placing the apples in the cart, Angelique turned to head for the deli. A firm, calloused grip on her wrist forced a scream from her lips. The man who grabbed her ran his gaze up and down her body, looking at her intently.

  “Terribly sorry. Thought you were someone else,” he muttered in an accent she couldn’t quite place. His stare fixed on her shoulder and then he met her eyes.

  “It’s okay.” She pulled her wrist away until he relented. Exotic power pulsed through his palm. Something strange struck her about the man. She’d never before seen him in her life, yet she felt such a sense of déjà vu.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, where did you get that tattoo? The colors look so vivid, so alive.” While his finger pointed to her shoulder where Kira’s tail had moved to, his eyes were locked on hers.

  Angelique shrugged, trying her best to act casual. “I’ve had it for many years. A friend of my family had a shop. She gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday.” She’d answered that question so many times, but she never really felt comfortable about people acknowledging Kira. Fear that someday someone would find out about her haunted her. She didn’t know exactly why people hunted those like her, but she figured it might be that they were different. She had no idea there were others out there with powers too, like Connor.

  The man nodded, and a smile curved his lips. “Your family friend has a lot of skill. I’m jealous.” His eyes tensed a second, and she could tell he really was. Then just like that, his face went back to cool and calm, and he nodded his head at her. “Take care now,” he said, walking toward the fruit without a backward glance.

  Shrugging off the unnerving sensation, she hurried toward the deli, sending a sharp warning Kira’s way to calm her tail. She placed her order and waited quietly. Her thoughts drifted toward Connor and the delicious meal he’d made last night.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the strange man heading for the baked goods. His gaze met hers as he opened the glass doors. Was he following her? Something about him didn’t feel right. She broke eye contact as Kira’s nails bit into her upper back. By the time her order was ready, she’d lost sight of the man. Almost as if he’d vanished.

  Kira brushed her furry body along her back affectionately before curling up for a catnap. The energy she expended keeping Kira awake didn’t seem necessary right now. Blowing out a soft breath and giving a final, rumbling purr, Kira stilled into a normal tattoo on her lower back.

  Loneliness crept into Angelique’s heart as it always did when Kira was inactive.

  With all the groceries in bags tucked under her arms, Angelique searched for the payphones. She found them lining a wall a few feet from the front doors. The bags slid from her arms when she dug through her purse for change. She punched in Connor’s number with a shaky finger and prayed that she had it right. After a few moments, his strong, masculine voice came through the phone. “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s me.”

  “Angelique, where are—”

  “Listen, I’m sorry about yesterday.” The words spilled out of her mouth. “I should have handled things better. It was…just a little too much at one time.” She closed her eyes, waiting for his response.

  Part of her felt desperation to have him back, yet she still was intimidated by the fact that he was a werewolf. She’d thought his kind was only of myths, folklore, and movies. The fact she possessed her own gift seemed hypercritical. But she’d never encountered someone else with gifts. She’d felt so alone and different, finding this out about him made her love even stronger. Hope flared in her heart for the first time in years.

  “It’s fine. I’m sorry as well. I could’ve done things differently too. Monica threw me completely off.” Connor sounded wearier than he had last night.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the strange man leaving the store. He glanced around as if looking for someone, and then he fixed his gaze on her. He headed in her direction, while Connor talked about how he’d found her home trashed by Monica. The man walked past, glaring with a mix of anger and annoyance on his face. What had she done to him? He crossed the road toward the parking lot, vanishing behind a van.

  “Angelique?” His concerned voice startled her. “Are you there?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry. Just distracted from, well, the people around here.”

  “I was just asking where you were earlier.”

  “Oh, right.” She hadn’t heard him ask his question, but she needed to keep a close eye on her surroundings. “When Monica came by earlier, I slipped away. I didn’t want to deal with her, and she seemed a little unstable when she was at my house. I had a head start, but she still found me.” Her voice trembled more as she remembered the incident from earlier. “She, uh, she’s set on getting me out of the way.” Sudden movement near the van drew her attention. Two men hopped out from behind it. One was the strange man from the store. He jabbed a finger into the other man’s chest. The second man looked very familiar, but she couldn’t place him.

  “I think I’m being followed,” she said, lowering her voice. Her mind flashed back to this morning and the man parked in front of her house. That was him. He’d been there until right before Monica had arrived.

  “Where are you?” All traces of exhaustion completely vanished from Connor’s tone.

  She looked around until she saw the name of the plaza. “I’m at Crossroads Shopping Plaza. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stay here. There’s a guy who was watching me in the store, and then another man who was in front of my house this morning.” She kept her voice barely above a whisper.

  “You’re still in the suburbs. Take highway 70 north until you get to exit 293. There’s a decent motel there.”

  “Thanks. I’ll head up there now.” She slid into her jacket, feeling incredibly vulnerable and freaked out again. The men were still there, looking confrontatio
nal and unhappy with each other. She couldn’t catch what they were saying.

  “Call me when you get settled in, and I’ll be on my way. I don’t live too far away from there.” His voice soothed her. “I’m not home right now, but I have to pick something up from my house.”

  “I will.” She was about to hang up the phone, but his voice stopped her.

  “Stay safe, sweetheart. I couldn’t imagine losing you.”

  The dial tone beeped in her ear, and she set the phone on the hook. She couldn’t imagine losing him either.

  Glancing where the two men had been arguing, she didn’t see either of them anymore. That didn’t bode well, right? Maybe this was all a big misunderstanding, but she highly doubted that.

  Chapter Seven

  Angelique grabbed her grocery bags from the backseat as she eyed the small motel. So far, Connor was right. It did look decent. The building’s walls were white, but faint evidence of spray-painted graffiti showed from underneath the coat of paint. Only the sound of traffic spoiled the quiet of the parking lot. Hopefully the inside was kept to the same standard.

  She clicked the remote on her keychain, locking her car as she strode toward the motel’s office.

  Inside, the office had white ceramic tile and dull brown wallpaper, but it was clean. The lingering scent of bleach filled the air. A man sat reading the newspaper behind reinforced glass stretching from the counter to the ceiling. Somehow, she knew he was watching her. A piece of paper taped to the glass listed the hotel’s affordable rates. At least this hotel didn’t seem to be run by someone whose reading material of choice was X-rated.

  “Hey,” she said, her voice a little breathy. “I’d like a room for the night.” Her gaze went back to the list. “One with a double bed.” She reached into her purse and pulled out cash. The man on the other side of the glass set his newspaper aside. He typed on the old computer before looking at her directly. Other than asking the usual check-in questions, he remained quiet. He seemed cautious not to gather any extra details from her. Nice, but somewhat odd.