by Jodi Vaughn
“Sir, I…” Manny swallowed and blinked so fast that he thought the Were was going to burst out in tears in front of him. Manny was a pussy. And he didn’t tolerate pussies.
“Come now, Manny. You didn’t seriously think I was going to let you walk out of this room, did you?” He grinned and then turned to see his Assassins still standing in the room.
“Lorcan, what should be done with Manny?” He gave the Were a pointed look.
“If he is found lacking, then you should get rid of him,” Lorcan said without emotion.
Boudier narrowed his eyes. “Good answer.”
“But if you execute a Were without enough evidence, then it may raise questions among the other Guardians,” Lorcan continued without putting inflection in his voice. He sounded like he was reading a how-to book on fixing a sink.
“Is that so?” He slowly walked toward Lorcan. Brutus took a deep breath and Killian frowned. He knew what the other Assassins were thinking. Or he used to. It seemed like it was getting harder and harder to read these fuckers. On the outside, they all looked ready to ride and die for him, for his causes. But who the hell knew. Lately, with all this trouble with Arkansas, he’d heard of some murmurs of unease within his own ranks.
Now with his wife and son-in-law murdered, he knew there would be some within his Pack who thought he was going to be a weak leader. They’d think about leaving the Pack.
He wasn’t weak. He’d never been weak. Even as a child. If the human population knew some of the shit he used to do as a child, they would declare him a psychopathic serial killer and have him locked up. But humans were stupid and easy to manipulate with money and the promise of power. Civilian Weres, even more so.
“Tell me, Brutus. What is your opinion on Manny?” He turned his cold gaze on the leader of the Assassins. “Should I execute him? Or let him off with a warning?”
“You’ve never let anyone off with a warning, Pack Master.” Brutus returned his cold stare.
Boudier felt a large grin cover his face. “You know what, Brutus. I’m thinking about letting you be my favorite Assassin instead of Lorcan.” He glared at Lorcan. “You know, I liked you better when your hair was blonde. The way you have it makes you eerily similar to that bastard brother of yours.” He knew he should have ordered his son-in-law to kill Lucien when he had the fucker in his hands. But no, John couldn’t just kill the Were and be done with it. He needed time to play with his prey.
He gripped the sword and ran it through Manny’s stomach. Manny gasped in shock and looked down at his gut. Blood poured out, soaking his shirt and dripping onto the floor.
“Sorry, Manny. You’ve outlived your usefulness. As I said, I don’t keep anything around that isn’t of any value to me.” He smiled broadly and pulled the sword out. Grabbing the handle with both hands, he swung the large sword and decapitated the Guardian in one swift move.
Manny’s head landed on the floor with a thunk. His body crumpled to the floor.
“Well, that was anticlimactic.” He propped one hand on his hip, leaned against his sword, and shook his head. “I wish there had been more time to make Manny understand the seriousness of the situation. But I’ve got shit to do.” He looked up at the Assassins.
“Which one of you wants to volunteer to clean this shit up? It’s going to be a bitch to get out of my antique rug.” He should have made sure Manny was standing far enough away from his rug before he started swinging.
“I’ll do it.” Lorcan went for the door.
“Hold up, Lorcan.” He studied the werewolf, looking for any signs of deceit. He found none. But that didn’t mean shit.
“I’ve got a better use of your time than wasting it cleaning this up.” He still needed his Assassins. “Make one of the other Guardians do it. I want all of you on the road. Find Jaxon and bring him to me.”
“What about Ginny?” Brutus asked.
“What about her?” Boudier shrugged.
“If we find them together, shouldn’t we bring them both in?” Killian frowned.
Boudier thought for a minute and then looked at his Assassins.
“You’re right. Bring Ginny to me unharmed. And make sure Jaxon is with her. I want to make sure she gets to see her lover as I peel the flesh from his body. Females don’t seem to find males attractive without their skin.” He grinned as his stomach fluttered with excitement. “And after I kill Jaxon, then give Ginny to my Guardians to do with as they please.” He nodded slowly as the excitement built. “I do mean that in the most carnal sense.”
“I’m sure she won’t last a full day once they get ahold of her. She risked everything for love. Now I want her life in exchange.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lorcan kept his gaze straight ahead as he walked out of the Boudiers’ house and into the dark starless night.
“Lorcan, what the fuck is going on with you?” Brutus called out from behind.
He didn’t bother slowing his stride until he stopped at his Harley Davidson Breakout. He turned and met the angry looks that both Brutus and Killian were shooting him.
“I’m doing what I’m told. Following orders.” He kept his expression neutral despite the rage boiling deep in his gut. He hated Boudier. He hated being in Louisiana under Boudier’s thumb. But he had no choice. Although the Pack Master didn’t really have any evidence that Lorcan had helped Lucien escape, Boudier was paranoid enough to suspect him.
Lorcan had family in Louisiana, and he couldn’t just up and leave them vulnerable to whatever Boudier would do to get his revenge.
“Stop it, man.” Killian shoved him enough to get his attention.
“Stop what, Killian?” He held the Were’s gaze.
“Dude, it’s us. Just us standing out here with no one else around.” Killian glanced over his shoulder toward the house. “Look, tell us what happened with Lucien.”
Lorcan held his hand up to stop whatever the fuck Killian was about to say. “I don’t know what you are implying, but you need to shut your fucking mouth right now. Lucien is no longer my brother. He left his family for Arkansas. He betrayed us. If you think I’m waxing sentimental over missing my brother you are wrong.”
Killian sighed, letting Lorcan know he wasn’t buying whathe was selling.
“You have to know your place, Lorcan. We are Assassins. Ours is a coveted position that only the elite can fulfill.” Brutus elbowed Killian out of the way and got in Lorcan’s face.
“I’m sure that look on Manny’s face when he had Boudier’s sword cutting his guts meant he sure wished he were one of us. One of the elite.” He didn’t bother keeping the sarcasm out of his tone. Let them think what they would. He knew he couldn’t trust any of them. Not even Brutus and Killian.
“There are whispers”—Brutus lowered his voice—“that you helped Lucien escape from New Orleans.”
Killian cocked his head and met Lorcan’s gaze. Lorcan looked from one Assassin to the other and shrugged his shoulders. “There are always whispers, Brutus. You should hear what they say about you when you’re not around.”
“I don’t give two fucks what they say about me. I know who I am, and I know my place.”
Lorcan curled his fingers into fists at his sides and leaned toward the massive Assassin that he’d come to think of as a brother. “And maybe I now know my place, Brutus. You seem to think that all this shit that’s been going on is based on justice and order. But you know damn well it’s not. Intimidation, torture, and murder is no way to rule a Pack.”
“Lorcan,” Killian hissed and looked around to see if anyone was watching them.
Lorcan only smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll do my duty and my job. It’s what I have sworn my allegiance to.” He straddled his Harley and started the motorcycle. “It’s strange.”
“What’s that?” Brutus narrowed his eyes.
“We are sworn to execute justice, to defend our Pack. But really we murder the innocent and defend Satan himself.” He looked back at the house and shook his head.<
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“We better be getting on the road. The ride to hell is going to be a long one.” He sped out of the driveway and onto the road, leaving his words hanging in the air.
* * *
“What did your brother say?” Barrett leveled his glare at Lucien. He’d ridden toward the Louisiana and Arkansas border with Lucien at his side. Getting Jaxon back into Arkansas was his first priority.
They pulled of the road and into a small gas station. They needed to gas up their bikes before getting back on the road.
“Lorcan said that it would be best if Jaxon tried to cross the border now. From the GPS on Jaxon’s bike, it looks like Jaxon’s not far from where he needs to cross into Arkansas.” Lucien frowned and glanced away.
“What is it, Lucien?” Barrett didn’t need Lucien holding back any kind of information. Not now. It could mean disaster for everyone.
“Barrett, you need to understand that I’m getting all this from Lorcan. And I’m not exactly sure where his head is at. I’ve not seen him since…”
“New Orleans. I know.” Barrett propped his hands on his hips and stared into the darkness. They’d pulled to the side of the road so he could talk with Lucien. He glanced over his shoulder. The rest of his Guardians were still sitting on their Harleys, waiting for orders.
“I hate to say this, but how do we know…” Lucien gave him a pained look.
“If we can trust him,” Barrett finished for him. “I’m thinking the exact same thing.” He ran his hand through his hair, knocking the drops of rain from his head.
“Here’s the thing, Lucien. We need to get Jaxon back. I’m not losing any more Guardians or having any more Guardians tortured. After Jaxon is back, then I’m going after Boudier myself.”
“You won’t exactly be by yourself. All your Guardians want a piece of that fucker too,” Lucien growled.
A ghost of a smiled brushed Barrett’s lips. He nodded at Lucien. “How are you doing?”
“All healed up. You could never tell that Boudier’s men tried to filet me like a fucking trout.”
“He will get what’s coming to him. Trust in that, Lucien,” Barrett said and looked away.
“This whole thing is going to be one massive shit storm. Blowback on everyone.” Barrett crossed his arms. “I’m fucked if I go after Boudier, and I’m fucked if I don’t.”
“I don’t get why the other Pack Masters aren’t upset about this.” Lucien shook his head.
“Because they don’t want to be in Boudier’s crosshairs.” He shrugged. “I know all of them, and they are not bad men. They are afraid if they go after Edward Boudier then he will come for them and their Guardians. No one likes to lose men.”
“Except Boudier. That fucker could care less if his Guardians live or die.” Lucien snarled.
“And from the sound of it, he doesn’t intend on keeping them around for much longer.” Barrett met Lucien’s gaze. “My advice to you is to warn Lorcan to get out before this shit goes sideways. Tell him I always remember debts. And I haven’t forgotten what he did to help us in New Orleans.”
He clamped a hand on Lucien’s shoulder. “Now let’s go get Jaxon out of there and back to safety.”
* * *
Ginny straddled the Harley and wrapped her arms around Jaxon’s waist. She wasn’t sure she was going to be able to hold on in this weather, but she prayed she would be able to.
Unease snaked up her spine and seeped into her flesh. She tightened her grip on Jaxon as he started up the motorcycle. She squeezed her eyes tight, trying to ward off the sense that something was wrong. She didn’t want to stay here, but she didn’t want to leave either. She knew her father, and she knew he wasn’t the kind of man to give up something he considered to be his.
After her father had found her and murdered her grandmother, Ginny had fallen into a severe depression. She’d mourned her grandmother, the woman who’d raised her, yet she was glad to discover that her mother was alive. But after a while, Caroline had begun to resent the fact that Ginny talked of her grandmother so much.
Her mother began to change in other ways. She’d grown colder, more distant. Ginny had always thought that it was because her father controlled every aspect of her mother’s life, from what she ate to where she went to how she dressed. But now she realized it was something else too. Her mother had let whatever good she’d had left rot and mold and blow away until the only thing that was left was the need to survive at any costs. Even the safety of her daughter.
Ginny opened her eyes and squinted as Jaxon made his way down the tiny trail back to the road they’d turned off of.
The occasional crack of thunder and spray of lightning across the sky didn’t make her jump this time. She was getting used to it, but she still didn’t like the idea of riding in the rain and the slick road conditions.
“Hang on.” Jaxon spoke to her across his shoulders.
She nodded and interlaced her fingers, locking them in place. She laid her head against Jaxon’s back and held on tight as he turned onto the road. He increased his speed and hit just about every freaking pothole in the dirt road.
She let out a deep breath and tried to focus on the positive.
At least they were moving.
At least they were together.
And for right now, at least they were alive.
* * *
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come?” Damon scowled as he got a quick update from Barrett.
“Yes. Stay at the Compound until I get back. Understood?” Barrett barked out.
“Got it, boss.” Damon frowned and ended the call. He felt Ava’s arms wrap around his waist as she scooted up behind him in bed. Barrett’s call in the middle of the night had awakened him from a deep sleep of uneasy dreams. Dreams he couldn’t shake.
“Everything okay?” Ava murmured near his ear.
“I think so.” Even if it wasn’t, he sure as fuck wasn’t telling Ava that. Ava was headstrong to the point of being a danger to herself. If she even sensed something was going on with the Arkansas Guardians, she’d load up Granny and the other females and charge straight into danger.
“That was just Barrett checking in.” He turned his head, buried his face in the crook of her neck, and inhaled deep. His body immediately reacted to her sweet scent and his dick hardened.
“You don’t have to leave, do you?” She glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
He grabbed her and pulled her around until she was sitting in his lap. She laced her fingers around his neck and grinned at him.
God, he loved her. The way she looked at him with love never got old to him. She never ceased to amaze him.
“It’s already three in the morning. I should go ahead and get up.” He cupped her face.
“Does Barrett get up at three to go to work?” She arched her eyebrow.
“I’m beginning to think the bastard never sleeps.” He rubbed his thumb across her full bottom lip.
She sucked the pad of his finger into her mouth, eliciting a groan from him.
“Ava,” he warned.
“Just give me fifteen minutes. Thirty, at the most.” She smirked and pulled the lacy camisole over her head. He’d gotten to bed after midnight, and she’d been fast asleep. He hadn’t wanted to disturb her. He’d been content to stand over the bed and stare down into her beautiful face.
“You make it hard to say no, Ava.” He ran his hand down her neck to her chest. His finger tweaked her nipple until she was panting with desire.
“I just make you hard,” she whispered, slipping her hand behind the sheet that hid his erection. Her cool fingers found him, tightened around his shaft, and squeezed.
He growled, knowing they’d have sex at least two more times tonight before he left.
He dipped his head and sucked her nipple into his mouth. She moaned as he flicked his tongue across the hot, taut bud.
She held his head to her breast as he sucked, teasing and tasting her like he’d not had her in a while. His desire for
her knew no bounds. She was something he couldn’t get out of his system, something he constantly craved.
He couldn’t imagine a life without her.
He stood with her in his arms. The sheet slipped to the floor, revealing their nakedness.
He turned back to the bed, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, rubbing her wet core against his length.
He laid her gently on the bed and thrust inside her body.
He groaned as her muscles tightened around his dick and squeezed.
She dug her fingernails into his back and bit his ear. “More,” she demanded.
He wanted to go slow, to savor her, but when she felt this good, it was a struggle to even think clearly.
He pistoned his hips, driving himself deeper and faster inside her hot body.
A thin sheen of sweat covered their bodied from the sexual friction, and he gripped her hips tight. He pulled back just enough to see her face. He needed to see her face.
Her lips parted and her eyes dilated. He knew what was next. Her body tensed around him, squeezing him with such delicious pleasure that it was almost impossible to hold back his own orgasm.
“Damon.” She breathed out his name as she climaxed, her body tensing around him and then going limp.
He growled and buried his face in the crook of her neck, spilling his seed deep inside her willing body.
Exhausted, he collapsed on top of her. She wrapped her arms around him and stroked his back with the tips of her fingernails, lulling him into a state of calm and peace.
“Stay,” she whispered near his ear.
He leaned on his elbows and looked down into her green eyes. “Duty calls.”
“Fine, but one more time.” She arched her brow, and he was already getting hard inside her. “And this time I’m on top.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Barrett stopped his Harley and killed his engine near where Jaxon would be crossing into Arkansas. He stepped off his bike and shook his head, sending water droplets flying in the darkness. Lucien followed suit.
Barrett squinted into the darkness down the long silent stretch of highway.
