by Paige Tyler
She hadn’t been sure if she was ready to come back, especially after the way she’d lost it last night. But after waking up in Jayden’s bed after a solid seven hours sleep, she realized her kids needed her. It was time to get back to her job, her passion.
Fortunately, she had Ruben there to help her clean up, even though she still had no idea how he’d known she’d be here. But within minutes of her getting to the school, he’d shown up at the door, holding the key to the janitor’s closet and asking what she needed him to do. She supposed it was his way of repaying her for saving his life. She was just glad to see he was out of the hospital.
“Were you scared?” Ruben asked suddenly, and she glanced over to see him regarding her curiously. “When those men were shooting at you at the SWAT compound, I mean.”
Selena’s thoughts drifted back to last night’s events. The evening had started out almost magical. Dancing, laughing, meeting all the other werewolves, and coming to realize how many others like her were out there. But then the shooting had started, and everything had gone insane.
“I was scared,” she admitted slowly. “But not for myself.”
“Officer Brooks?” Ruben asked, his knowing expression somewhat out of place on his otherwise youthful face. “You were worried about him getting hurt?”
She smiled, hearing someone call Jayden that. He wasn’t Officer Brooks to her. He was simply Jayden. Ruben was right, though. She’d been worried about him getting hurt. Actually, that was an understatement. When Jayden had been shot, she’d nearly lost her mind to the degree that she had a hard time remembering the details of what had happened right afterward. The only thing she remembered clearly was Jayden running out of the reception tent and trying to follow him. Zane had slowed her for a few moments, until her fear had pushed her shift to the point that nobody, not even another werewolf, could slow her down as she’d raced out of the tent after the man who was more important to her than anything else in the world.
“I know he’s a cop. And that he’s strong and really good at his job,” she said. “But knowing that doesn’t make me worry any less about him. The idea of him getting hurt…” She shook her head. “It’s hard to even think about.”
“Are you two going to get married?” Ruben asked, not looking up from the pile of glass he was scooping up and dumping into a metal trash can.
Selena laughed. Leave it to a kid like Ruben to dismiss the silly stuff about having only known Jayden for a week, or how you shouldn’t rush into any important decision, or how true love takes time. He knew how much she cared about Jayden and wondered aloud when the wedding might be.
“Maybe,” she admitted. “We haven’t actually discussed it, but I really like him, and I think he likes me just as much. I can see us being together.”
Ruben smiled. “That’s cool.”
Then he went back to sweeping up glass, like everything she’d just said was obvious. In some ways, maybe it was.
“What about you and Marguerite?” Selena asked as she moved over and pulled a chair/desk out of the pile along the wall and slid it across the floor that Ruben had already cleaned. “What’s going on with you two?”
He laughed. “I don’t think we’re ready to get married yet. I mean, we haven’t gone on our first date yet.”
Selena made a face. “Very funny. I meant when are you guys going to go out and where are you going.”
His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I’m not too sure. She got in trouble when her mom and dad found out she’d been at a party at a gang hangout. Her parents also know I OD’d there, so I don’t think they’re going to be down with us going out together.”
It was Selena’s turn to shrug. “That simply means you need to win over her parents.”
“Yeah, but how do I do that?”
Selena grabbed another chair/desk combo and slid it across the floor. “Find out what kind of food her parents like, get a big bag of takeout, then put on the nicest clothes you own and show up at their door on a Friday night. Have your first date with Marguerite and her parents. And if you have to, do the same thing every week until her parents realize they can trust you to be around their daughter.”
He winced. “That could get really expensive.”
“Getting the girl you want takes work,” Selena said. “Which in this case means you might have to get a J-O-B. Trust me, if Marguerite is the right girl for you, it will be worth it.”
They were still talking about how he’d know if Marguerite was the right girl for him when Selena heard footsteps by the door. She looked over to see Ernesto standing there, a tired smile on his face. The two men with him appeared just as haggard. Selena had never seen either of them before, but the way they stood in the hallway, looking left and right like they expected someone to jump them at any moment, was kind of weird. Selena felt a twinge of worry. Was Ernesto in danger? But that was crazy. He was a businessman now, not a gangbanger.
“You’d better listen to her, kid,” he said as he walked into the room. “This is one teacher who knows what the hell she’s talking about when it comes to appreciating true love when you get a shot at it.”
Selena laughed and crossed the room to hug Ernesto. “Not that I’m not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?”
“I need to talk to you.” He pulled away and glanced at Ruben. “In private.”
That request for privacy, not to mention the tension coming off Ernesto in waves, made her inner wolf suddenly wary. The feeling only got stronger when she saw the concerned look on Ruben’s face. Something wasn’t right. But Ernesto was her friend. She was going to trust that fact over some strange werewolf instincts she didn’t understand yet.
She smiled at Ruben. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? First thing in the morning, so don’t even think of sleeping in. And thanks for the help cleaning up.”
Ruben stared at her for a long moment before darting a quick look at Ernesto with what could only be called suspicion in his dark eyes. But then he nodded and gave her a weak smile.
“Okay. See you tomorrow, Ms. Rosa.”
Leaning the broom against the wall by the door, he walked out, casting nervous glances at the men standing in the hall before turning right and disappearing out of sight.
“Ernesto, is something wrong?” she asked as he closed the door, leaving his two companions outside. “Because you’re acting all kinds of freaky.”
Her friend ignored her question as he moved over to look out the windows, something that was a lot easier to do now that there weren’t any blinds in the way. Ernesto’s heart was beating fast as hell, and if the scent coming off him was any indication, he was also sweating like crazy. She didn’t understand what that meant, but it couldn’t be good.
When he still didn’t answer, she walked over and put her hand on his arm, trying to get his attention. “Ernesto, talk to me.”
“Leave town with me,” he said suddenly, the words coming out in a rush as he turned to her with what looked like panic in his eyes. “Tonight.”
Selena found herself stepping back defensively, tingles running all over her body, the hair standing up on her arms. “What are you talking about? I’m not going to leave town with you.”
There was a spike in his heartbeat as he took a step forward, closing the distance between them again. “I need to leave the country, and I want you to come with me. Just think of it as a vacation. You’ve always talked about seeing other countries. So, let’s do it.”
Now her heart started pounding hard, too, anger slowly taking the place of the worry she’d been feeling. “Why do you need to leave the country?” she demanded, tipping her head back to look up at him. “And don’t give me that crap about a vacation. What the hell did you do?”
Ernesto glanced out the window, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously. “I didn’t do anything. It’s not like that. I just need to leave. If you feel anything for me
at all, you’ll stop asking me questions and come with me.”
Selena opened her mouth to tell him she wasn’t going anywhere with him, but he grabbed her wrist before she could say anything, like he thought he could physically drag her out of the room. Her fingertips and gums immediately ached, a sure sign her claws and fangs wanted to come out. With a growl, she drove the heel of her hand into Ernesto’s chest, knocking him back a half dozen steps.
“Don’t touch me!” she snarled.
Crap. Her fangs had slipped out a little. She tried to hide them as much as she could with her lips, because they sure as hell weren’t going away. She wasn’t sure she wanted them to. Her inner werewolf told her there was danger here, and she was starting to believe it.
Ernesto stared at her in shock, his hand absently coming up to rub his chest where she’d thumped him. “I didn’t mean…” He stopped, took a deep breath, and began again. “Selena, I love you. I’ve always loved you. And you’ve always loved me. Let’s stop playing games. I’m in trouble and need to leave the country, and I’m asking the woman I love to come with me.”
Selena blinked. Who the hell was this jackass and what had he done with Ernesto? Because this wasn’t the friend who’d been right there at her side through most of her life. “Yes, I love you, Ernesto. But as a friend and a brother. I can’t love you any other way. That place in my heart is taken by another man. Someone special I want to be with forever.”
Ernesto turned his back to her, and for a moment, she thought he was going to walk out without another word. But then he spun around and grabbed her arms, yanking her off the floor and shoving backward until her shoulders slammed into the wall.
“You mean that fucking cop?” he shouted, shaking her so hard, her head bounced off the wall. “You’d rather be with that piece of shit instead of me? What the hell did he ever do for you, huh?”
Hearing him talk about Jayden that way made her want to claw him to pieces. “Ernesto, stop! I don’t want to hurt you.”
Even as she said the words, her claws extended. If she let the wolf out, she had no idea what she’d do.
Ernesto shook her again. “Was he the one who kept the gangbangers away from your tight little ass all through high school? Was he the one who paid your bills and kept a roof over your head before you went to college? Was he the one who kept the Locos and Riders from popping a cap in you every time you stuck your nose into gang business and got in the way of their recruiting? Was he the one who put a bullet in the back of Aaron Perez’s head for daring to lay a finger on you? I don’t fucking think so. I’ve been there for you. Every time you needed me, I was there. And if you think I’m letting a fucking cop have you now, you’re crazy. You’ve been mine from the moment I first saw you, and if I didn’t let Geraldo get in the way of that, I sure as hell won’t let an asshole cop come between us.”
Selena’s control was almost gone by the time Ernesto admitted to killing Aaron, so she’d barely paid attention to the rest of his rant…until he’d mentioned her brother. When he said he refused to let Geraldo get in the way, had he meant…?
Her vision blurred in rage as her fangs came out the rest of the way. Lifting her feet, she kicked Ernesto in the stomach, catapulting him away from her so hard, he slid across the floor and into the desks still stacked against the wall.
She started toward him before he’d even managed to crawl his way out of the pile of furniture. She growled long and low, making him glance up. His face turned white, and he almost fell backward again. She probably looked like a monster to him, but she didn’t care. He was the monster, not her.
“What did you mean you didn’t let Geraldo get in the way?” she growled, her claws flexing and clenching. “What did you do to my brother?”
Eyes wide, Ernesto backpedaled, shoving some of the desks in her path to slow her down. “I didn’t mean it that way. I didn’t.”
“Stop lying!” she roared, tossing them out of the way. “Tell me what you did.”
Ernesto kept retreating until his back finally hit the wall. He glanced left and right, but there was nowhere for him to go. “I don’t know what happened to you, but we can fix you. We can take you to a priest, or a doctor, or someone else who can help you. I know you’re still in there, and I still love you.”
Selena grabbed the last chair/desk combo in her way and slung it across the room so hard, it bounced off the wall and smashed through one of the new window panes. Eva was going to be so pissed.
“Tell me what you did to my brother,” she snarled, halting in front of him.
Ernesto reached behind his back and came out with a handgun, his hand shaking like a leaf as he pointed it at her. She knocked the weapon away, gouging three shallow lines across the inside of his wrist with her claws.
He jerked his hand back, staring at her in terror. A noise from somewhere outside almost distracted her, her wolf sense telling her there was something going on out there. But she ignored it, focused only on the man in front of her.
“Last chance,” she warned.
“I wanted to go out with you,” Ernesto shouted. “I’d wanted you for a long time, but I waited until you were old enough. Geraldo said no. He said no gangbanger—not even me—was going to touch his sister.”
She stopped. The omega inside screamed at her to kill Ernesto, to shove her claws into his chest and rip him apart. But the human part of her wanted to hear the rest.
“So you shot him?” she demanded. “Because he didn’t want you going out with me and dragging me into the gangs? What about the whole gang war after that? Getting out and going straight? Was that all a lie, too?”
He nodded, taking a deep breath to get himself together. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, but when everyone assumed Geraldo’s death was gang related, I went along with it. When it was all said and done, both of the old gangs were pretty much wiped out anyway. So I swept up the pieces and used them to grow my custom car empire. I got rich doing the same shit I always did. I just did it while wearing a suit.”
She shook her head. He’d lied to her the whole time. The man she’d thought of as a brother had taken away the only other family besides her grandmother she’d had left in the world.
“Why leave the country now?” she asked, fighting to control the urge to kill him. “If you had it all figured out, why run?”
“I got greedy and became personally involved in my latest business venture. The profit potential was huge, but things went to hell when that damn cop boyfriend of yours showed up.”
At first, Selena thought Ernesto was talking about the hunter’s attack on the SWAT compound, but then she realized what this was about. “The energy drink spiked with drugs? That was you?”
He shrugged. “I was set to make millions on that stuff. With the way kids love energy drinks, it would have started a whole new wave in the drug trade.”
The casual way he justified selling drugs to kids sickened her.
“Ruben almost died drinking that stuff,” she said. “Two other people at that same party did die.”
He smirked. “You know the saying…drink responsibly.”
Selena bared her fangs in a snarl. “I should just kill you and do the world a favor.”
Chapter 20
“Can’t you drive any faster?” Brooks growled as Zane’s BMW slid through a curve, fishtailed a bit, then straightened up and accelerated…still moving too damn slow.
“Not unless you want to arrive at the school with a long string of patrol cars on our arse, lights flashing and sirens blaring.”
Brooks responded with another growl, longer, lower, and much more frustrated.
“She’s going to be okay.” Zane slowed down to something that vaguely resembled a stop as they passed through a busy intersection. “She’s more than capable of taking care of herself. She’s a bloody omega, remember? If Ernesto is dumb enough to try to hurt her, she’l
l likely kill him.”
Brooks knew that, too, but it didn’t necessarily make him feel any better. Selena was everything to him. The idea of her being scared, even if she could protect herself, tore his insides into pieces.
He and Zane had been at the hospital waiting with the rest of their task force members for Ray to come out of surgery. The older cop had only gone into the operating room an hour ago, and they’d all known they were in for a long night, but no one was going anywhere. The doctors had said all the right things about Ray being stable and in good hands, but everyone had still been worried. Ray was no spring chicken.
Then Ruben had called.
Brooks had moved off to the end of the hallway outside the waiting room to take the call so he didn’t disturb anyone. That turned out to be a good thing, because he’d just about lost it when Ruben told him Ernesto Lopez was at the high school with two gangbangers.
He’d told Ruben he’d be right there, then motioned to Zane and walked out without saying a word. He hadn’t even told his other pack mates. He’d wanted to move fast and not talk. Zane agreed to drive. For all his complaining about speed, Brooks was glad his friend was driving. He was too freaked out.
The front end of Zane’s car scraped the asphalt as they pulled into the high school parking lot, and Brooks couldn’t help but remember the last time he’d been there, when he’d saved Selena from Pablo. He prayed to God this visit would have the same happy ending.
Ruben waved them down before they were halfway across the lot, panic on his face. “Ms. Rosa is in there with the asshole who’s making those energy drinks,” he said as they both jumped out. “She seems to know him, but I’m pretty sure they’re arguing. I’ve heard a few shouts already, and a chair/desk came through the window just before you got here. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think I heard growling, too.”
Zane threw Brooks a quick look. The shouting, growling, and airborne furniture meant Selena was pissed.
