by Susan Bliler
Recker’s lips just thinned before he growled, “Too bad.”
Alise had to jog to keep up with Recker’s long strides toward the bar. When she turned to see if James was following, she caught him openly staring at her ass. She wanted to flirt with James, but first, she had to do something to keep Recker from stalking into the bar and ruining Alex’s girl’s night out.
“Hey! She really doesn’t want to talk to you right now. I swear if you go in there, it’s only going to end badly.”
Recker didn’t even slow, and Alise felt unease wash over her. Glancing back at James she asked, “Can’t you stop him?”
“Nope!” James popped his lips on the ‘p’. “Man’s on a mission. Best step aside, woman.”
Oh God! Alise ran to beat them into the bar so she could warn Alex.
Chapter 24
Eying the door, Alex pinched one eye closed to focus. Was she seeing what she actually thought she was seeing? Opening both eyes, she blinked and then squinted at what looked like Alex high-kneeing it toward her with her arms flailing while Recker and James followed close behind.
“Abort! Abort!” Alex called nearly to the table now but arms still waving back and forth like she was trying to flag down a plane. When she got to the table, she slammed her hands on it and said breathlessly, “Recker’s here. He’s coming. He’s…”
“Right behind you,” Recker supplied from right behind Alise. Shooting Alex a grim look, he commanded, “Get your coat. We’re going.”
“Oh, God!” Alise jerked a coat off one of the barstools and whisper-yelled, “I’m gonna close out our tab. Be right back.”
Alex watched her go and prickled at the premature end to their evening.
Recker barked, “Let’s go, Alex.”
His tone and attitude were enough to snap Alex’s spine straight as her eyes narrowed at him.
What a shitty little shit head! “Listen, Recker pecker head! I’m not taking any more shit from you.”
James barked a laugh and jerked his phone out of his pocket. Recker frowned but kept his eyes pinned on Alex. “I don’t expect you to, and I never asked you to. As a matter of fact, I haven’t given you any shit.”
“Bullshit, Pecker Rhodes!”
James laughed again, and Recker growled at him as he watched James’ thumbs beating a pattern into his phone. “Put that away,” Recker hissed.
James shook his head. “Soon’s I’m done texting Shane, York, and Aries your new nickname.”
Recker growled louder.
“And don’t you growl at me,” Alex demanded drunkenly.
“I wasn’t,” Recker’s attention went back to her.
“And don’t you be growling around me,” she amended, wobbling as she shoved away from the buddy bar she was seated at to lean forward and poke him in the chest. She missed.
Recker throttled another growl as he caught Alex and righted her. “We’re going. Where’s Alise?”
That had James quickly pocketing his phone as he made a show of straightening his shirt and looking toward the bar. “Yeah! Where is Alise?”
Alex’s gaze tripped to James. “Why’d you say it like that?”
“Like what?” James asked still eyeing the bar.
“All breathy like a girl,” Alex accused, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. She pointed at James when his gaze went to hers. “Don’t you be hitting on my friend, James! You couldn’t handle her giant peach!” Alex’s mouth fell open, and she looked up, her brows furrowing hard as she lifted a finger to tap her bottom lip. “Wait. That came out wrong.”
“Who has a giant peach?” Alise asked from behind her as she helped Alex into her coat.
“This broad?” Alex jerked a thumb toward James and his face morphed into a frown.
“I ain’t no broad!”
Recker let his head fall back and murmured to the ceiling with a shake of his head. “What did I ever do?” He nearly swallowed his tongue when Alex chopped him in the throat.
“Who are you talking to Pecker Rhodes?”
“Ha!” Alise barked out a laugh. “Pecker Rhodes! Good one.” The two women giggled snagging their bottles of beer off the table and clinking them together before taking big swigs.
“Enough!” Recker growled and leveled James with a look. James nodded once. When the girls righted their drinks, Recker took both bottles away and set them on the bar.
“Heyyyyy!” Alex and Alise whined in unison. Their protests lasted only long enough for Recker to toss Alex over his shoulder while James did the same to Alise. Making a show of clamping a hand on the globe of her ass, James bellowed, “Be still, woman, or you’ll fall!”
Alise screeched, “I’m not even moving you pervert! Get your hand off my ass, and put me down!”
Alex was slapping Recker’s back as he carried her out of the bar. “You made me cry, fucktard!” she accused angrily. “You made me spill my guts, and then you made me cry!”
***
Recker winced. Hearing Alex admit out loud just how much he’d hurt her took a little of the steam out of Recker’s sails. He’d been pissed when he’d walked into the bar and saw how drunk Alex was. Worse, her friend had left her in there alone, in a place where any number of hideous things could’ve happened to Alex. Now though, he was just relieved to have her in his arms and out of that dive.
Carrying Alex out into the darkened parking lot with James and his burden on their heels, Recker instantly felt his hackles rise as he scanned the parking lot. They’d parked at the furthest end of the parking lot where there were no street lights, and just as they’d arrived at his vehicle, Recker knew something was off. It took only a moment for him to register the presence of other Walkers nearby and mere fractions of a second later, Bishop, Leto, Base, and the Dominant Walker’s second, King Mulholland, stepped from the shadows.
“Gentlemen,” King drawled, his eyes flashing to the two women over their shoulders. “Ladies.”
Ffffffuck! Recker lowered Alex to the ground, and she spun, “What the…” She swallowed the words when she saw the Walkers, and Recker was glad for it.
“What’s happening?” Alise asked squirming trying to see around James' body. “Put me down, meat lover!”
James didn’t.
King leveled his eyes on Recker. “She signed a probationary contract. Correct?”
Recker nodded, a sheen of sweat forming on his brow. “Yes, but…”
“Part of that contract was an agreement to not leave the Estate. Correct?”
“Bro,” James chimed in. “She just snuck off to get drunk. It’s not a big deal, King.”
“Oh, my God!” Alise chortled. “He’s your King?” She started giggling.
Recker winced again when King’s gaze touched on James and then went back to Recker.
“Another term of the probationary period was no drugs or alcohol. Correct?”
“Sir,” Recker began, but his words died off when James chose that moment to lower a squirming Alise to her feet.
She righted herself and shoved James in the chest before turning and beaming an inebriated smile. “Oooh, more Walkers!”
This time, Alex cringed, her shoulders nearly touching her ears as all eyes except Alise’s shot to her. Recker felt rocked. Another part of the contract was that she wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about Skin Walkers and knowing that she told Alise felt like a betrayal. Worse, it made him look incompetent, which certainly wasn’t helping the fact that she’d clearly snuck of the Estate to get drunk, also both no-nos.
Alex seemed to sober and opened her mouth to say something, but King’s brows speared down as he addressed Recker. “She would have simply been dismissed. But this,” he waved a hand toward Alise, “can’t be allowed.” He barked, “Bring them!”
Recker shot Alex a dark look and made to grab her arm when King commanded darkly. “Not you!” King looked from Recker to James. “You two have done enough. You’re dismissed! Get your asses back to StoneCrow.”
Beside them, Baymac g
rabbed Alise, and she jerked back. “Hey! You don’t touch me!”
“Take it easy, Alise,” James implored.
She stumbled back and looked at James, but that was all the fight she put up because Bishop was suddenly there jabbing her in the shoulder with a syringe. James and Recker knew what came next, and as Alise’s eyes rolled back and she dropped into Baymac’s arms, James growled, “You didn’t have to fucking do that!”
King smirked and looked from James to an unconscious Alise in Baymac’s arms. “Odd. Seems our funny man finally found his serious side.”
“I’m just saying you could have explained things! You didn’t have to drug her, bro!”
King shook his head, anger clouding his features. “You think I want to be out here?” He jabbed a finger in Recker’s direction. “You should have taken the contract seriously.” He looked at James. “You both should understand that the Dominant is dead fucking serious about no more infiltrators at StoneCrow! You both should have been more careful!” He looked at Alex and shook his head. “You should all start praying that the Dominant believes these females are no threat.”
“What is that supposed to mean,” Recker stepped forward.
King’s gaze sliced to his and he stepped forward going chest to chest with Recker. “What do you think it means? You weren’t just responsible for this woman’s interview and screening, Recker. You were responsible for her life!”
Recker shook his head, “Monroe wouldn’t…”
King cut him off. “You have no fucking idea! You haven’t seen what I’ve seen. Haven’t witnessed the lengths he’s willing to go to protect his people. Our people…your people! The biggest mistake people make is underestimating him. I tell you now, and I shit you not, there isn’t anything, and I mean fucking anything he wouldn’t do to protect his family, his Walkers, or his Estate.” He looked between the two men and snarled, “Now get your asses back home. The Dominant’s waiting.”
Leto grabbed Alex and Recker was relieved she didn’t fight. The fact that Leto was already mated was the only thing that kept Recker from attacking the other Walker outright. Still, his inner beasts were snarling that he do something as Alex was hauled away, staring at him longingly over her shoulder.
Leto only made it a few feet when Alex jerked out of his hold and turned back to Recker. She froze though when Base whipped his firearm out and centered it on her chest.
Recker’s hard gaze slid to Base before he snarled, “Don’t!”
“You are a Skin Walker prisoner,” Base growled at Alex. “Put your hands behind your back and surrender to your fate.”
Every fiber of Recker’s being wanted to rip that gun out of Base’s hand and shove it down his damn throat. The fucker shouldn’t even be on mission. He’d lost his Angel to government scientists. Ever since then, he’d had a deep hatred for all humans despite the fact that he was one himself. His mate had been a Walker, and he’d never gotten over the loss of Nivahna. Still…
“If you don’t stop pointing that fucking gun at her,” Recker warned, “I’m gonna…”
“What?” Base’s angry gaze slid to his. “You gonna break more protocol? Put us all in jeopardy?”
Base’s tone was grating. Fucker wasn’t even a Walker. Recker peeled his lip back and flashed his wicked incisors at the Sentry.
“Enough,” King commanded.
Recker could only watch as Alex was drug away. She watched him over her shoulder, her eyes sad, practically begging him to save her, and his heart broke because in this he could not.
“Fuuuuck!” James groaned beside him, shoving both hands into his hair and fisting it as he turned his back on the Walker convoy as it pulled out of the parking lot taking Alex and Alise back to StoneCrow. He turned to Recker. “What do we do?”
Recker watched as the lights of the convoy disappeared down the road. “Get our asses back to StoneCrow,” he ground out.
Chapter 25
Alex woke and instantly regretted it. Eyes pinched shut, temples throbbing, mouth dry as the desert, her stomach lurched when she attempted to swallow. Her physical ailments were the least of her worries though because as her eyes slowly cracked open, she realized she was in a cell. Memory came flooding back, and she instantly jerked upright. The movement was too quick though because her head started swimming and she felt like she was going to puke.
“Ms. Hayworth.”
She looked over and saw King shove off the wall just outside her cell and pace toward her.
“Welcome back to the land of the living.”
She remembered Alise’s incriminating admission and the look on King and everyone else’s face when she’d made it. “How long will I be in the land of the living?” She’d meant it as a joke but swallowed hard when King shrugged.
“Depends on you,” he answered. “Although, your penchant for breaking the rules doesn’t bode well for you.”
“I’m only guilty of leaving the Estate to get drunk, King.”
“And disclosing Walker secrets to unauthorized personnel.”
“No!” She shoved up off the cot and ignored how her head throbbed with the movement. “Alise knew about Walkers long before I ever applied at the Estate.”
He smirked, and she knew he didn’t believe her.
“Ask her! Ask…”
“She’s your friend, Alex. She’d lie for you.”
“No, she wouldn’t.” Alex shook her head hard when King inhaled. “I mean, she would, but that’s not what happened.”
“That’s the problem with lies.” King splayed his long legs in front of her cell and crossed his arms over his chest to stare down at her. “You never remember which ones you told and to who.”
“Ask Stoney,” Alex directed. “She knows Alise. She knows that Alise knew about Walkers from before.”
“Before when?”
“Before I applied for a job here.”
“And how did she know? You expect me to believe Stoney told her?”
Shit! Stoney hadn’t told Alise. Alex had, but it had been a long time ago, and she’d only ever done so because she knew she could trust Alise with it.
Watching her closely, King tilted his head back with an, “Aaaah. So it was you who told a human about Skin Walkers.”
Alex grew defensive. “It’s not how you're making it sound.”
“And how’s that?” he asked, uncrossing his arms and gripping the bars that separated them. “Like you breached a trust? Like you couldn’t keep your mouth shut? Like you can’t be trusted?”
“King…”
He released the bars and stepped back. “Save it. We’ve got a meeting in five minutes.” He pointed to the corner of her cell. Alex turned to see a small sink with a mirror hanging above it.
“I suggest you get cleaned up. Monroe’s making his decision today.”
“Decision?”
“He’s choosing his new employees.”
Trepidation tore through Alex and had her asking, “Where’s Recker?”
King snorted. “He’s been reassigned. You won’t be seeing him again. Now, get cleaned up Alex, the Dominant’s waiting.”
When King turned to leave, Alex raced to the bars and gripped them. “Wait! Where’s Alise?”
King’s brows snapped into a frown. “That’s none of your concern. Someone will be here shortly to escort you to the meeting. Be ready.”
Alone, Alex let frustrated tears flood her eyes. Alise was God knows where, she was about to get kicked out of the new employee program, and she’d never see Recker again.
Pacing to the sink, she blasted on the water and then splashed some on her face before cupping several handfuls into her mouth. Fuck my life!
“Ms. Hayworth?”
She spun to find the same Sentry who’d pointed the pistol at her yesterday standing rod straight staring right at her.
“Yeah,” she lifted her head.
The Sentry’s lips thinned. “Place your hands behind your back and face the wall.”
Yep. F
uck my life!
***
Recker paced outside Monroe’s office. He’d been waiting an hour and a half for an audience with the Dominant. He was still waiting.
Finally, the door opened, and Monroe exited his office followed by Bishop and King.
“Monroe,” Recker began.
“Not now, Recker. I’ve got a meeting.”
“I know, but this can’t wait. It’s about Alex.”
“Alex?” Monroe asked without stopping. Pulling his suit coat on, he adjusted the cuffs of his expensive suit. “Yes, Ms. Hayworth. Turned out to be more of a problem than we could handle, didn’t she.” It wasn’t a question.
“No, Sir, you’re wrong about her.”
King snorted derisively, and Recker shot him a scathing look. “You’re all wrong about her. She’s good. To her bones, she’s good, and…”
“And it doesn’t matter,” King cut in. “We’re going to final selection now.”
Recker’s heart stalled. “Final selection?” It’s where Monroe would choose among all the candidates who’d applied for employment at the Estate.
Recker frowned, “We were supposed to have another week.”
“We?” King scoffed. “You’ve been reassigned, Sentry. I suggest you forget about little Ms. Hayworth. She’s no longer your concern.”
Ignoring King, Recker grabbed Monroe’s arm, halting him.
The Dominant dipped his eyes to Recker’s hand, and when he looked up, his face morphed into a lethal glare. Recker quickly dropped his hand and implored, “Monroe, Alex deserves a second chance. She only took off because I…”
Monroe cut him off. “Stop me while I’m walking again, and I’ll cut your fucking balls off.” Turning, he continued walking. “Decision’s been made, Recker. I suggest you forget about Alex.”
But forgetting Alex wasn’t something he could do.
Chapter 26
Recker stood in the back of StoneCrow’s ballroom. It had been set up for the conference today with rows of chairs facing the stage that had been erected. A stage that currently held StoneCrow’s Board of Directors, which consisted of Monroe’s second in command, King Mulholland, Commander Conn Drago, Sentry and pilot, Legion Knight, and Alex’s good friend, Stoney Lydon. Currently, Stoney’s eyes were zeroed in on where Recker stood at the back of the room. She looked pissed, and Recker didn’t blame her. He’d fucked up, and it was evidenced by the fact that right now seven candidates sat in a line up on the stage beside the long table that housed the Board of Directors. Each potential hire was seated and facing the crowd while the Walker in charge of them stood behind wearing varying looks of confidence and pride. All of them except for Base, who stood scowling behind where Alex currently sat with her hands shackled in front of her and her head bowed. Recker swallowed hard at the sight. She looked so defeated, and he didn’t understand the need for chains on her delicate wrists. Hell, she was surrounded by some of the toughest Skin Walkers alive, yet there she was, bound like some criminal.
