by Chant,Zoe
Heath snorted. “I’m hardly a civilian, Mason, and I’m fully certified – it’s not like they hand those qualifications out like candy. And I’m sure you’re not in any way biased by the fact you are a cop – despite the reason you became one.”
Mason’s silence on the other end of the phone told him that he’d scored a direct hit. Mason had only thrown his hat in the ring for county sheriff because the previous sheriff had been corrupt as hell, and had let a gang of shifter bikers run riot.
“Anyway,” Heath continued, pressing his advantage. “This isn’t going to be dangerous work – it’s just a few jobs to provide some security to shops, or maybe some debt collection. Nothing serious. After I have a little experience, hopefully they’ll give me some big-ticket work, like bodyguarding. I’m not yee-hawing my way through this. You know me.”
“Yeah, I know,” Mason said, relenting. “I’m sorry if I implied otherwise. To be honest, if I had a choice between you and some of the cops I know, I’d rather have you. You ever think about joining the force?”
“Hey, I just got out of a uniform,” Heath laughed. “I’m not in a rush to stuff myself back into one.”
“That’s fair enough,” Mason admitted. “But you take care, okay?”’
“Hey, if an active theater couldn’t kill me, I don’t think I’m in any danger here,” Heath said.
“That’s just the sort of talk that’ll get you into trouble,” Mason said, his voice taking on a slightly hectoring tone. “You need to take every job seriously. You don’t know what –”
“Okay, yeah, I get it,” Heath grumbled, sorry he’d said anything. “Geeze, you’ve gotten boring since you became a dad.”
He heard Mason’s slightly embarrassed laugh on the other end of the line. “Well, maybe. But you’ll understand once you find your own mate, and –”
I knew it, Heath thought. His mother and Mason really were in cahoots to try to get him paired up as quickly as possible.
As he opened his mouth to try to form an evasive response, Heath had never been happier to hear the call waiting tone sound on his phone.
“Look, I have to go, Mason,” he said quickly. “I’ll call my mother, I promise. Talk to you later!”
He hung up and switched to the new call before Mason could get another word out. Heath wasn’t going to hear another second of this – and besides, he had a feeling the incoming call would be about work. His first job. He needed to take it.
As it turned out, his instincts were correct.
“Heath? It’s Sandra. How are you doing?”
Heath smiled. Sandra James was the no-nonsense co-owner of Assured Security, and his new boss. She owned the business with her husband, Hector – and both of them were shifters. It gave Heath his own sense of security to know he was working for people who knew what he was, and he didn’t have to hide anything.
“Not too bad, Sandra. What’s up?”
“I have a job for you.” Sandra was straight down to business. “A security job at a local import business. Seems like there’s some loan sharks who won’t take no for an answer, and have started making threats to the staff. It’s a stopgap measure until they can get the cops involved, but having some hired muscle around might make them think twice before they get rough.”
Heath nodded. “Sounds perfect.”
He could deal with that – local low-life pond scum who threatened business owners were something he could handle.
“The loan sharks might not take kindly to knowing the business has hired security,” Sandra continued. “So you might have to pose as a stockroom worker, do a few odd jobs here and there. But you’d still be paid our rate, and your primary responsibility would be the safety of the staff.”
“No problem.”
“Good. Our contact is Daphne Pearce – she knows everything about the situation. Have you got a pen? I’ll give you the address.”
Daphne Pearce.
Heath didn’t know why, but something about the name made his lion twitch its ears, the tip of its tail flicking.
Down, boy, Heath instructed it, as he scrabbled for a pen to take down the address. His lion ignored him entirely, getting up and prowling around, making it hard for him to concentrate as Sandra gave him an address for their head office, in the expensive part of town – it was all fancy businesses and even fancier apartments out that way.
“Go around there this afternoon and get a feel for the place,” Sandra instructed him. “Chat to the boss, get to know the layout and the staff. Call me back this evening and let me know if you think there’ll be any problems.”
“No problems,” Heath said automatically. He’d make sure of that. It was his first job, and he wasn’t about to blow it.
Hanging up, Heath let out a long breath. His lion was still pacing, flexing its muscles, shaking its mane.
What the hell’s your problem? Heath asked it as he slipped off his sweaty shirt and track pants, and hit the shower.
He grinned as the hot water hit him.
His first job in his new life.
Awesome.
Chapter Three
Daphne
Daphne’s head shot up as she heard the door to the Morgan Imports office open. Her heart was pounding – even after she saw it was only Lloyd, the man who came in once a week to prune and water the plants. She managed a weak smile as he waved to her, trying to stop her quick, shallow breathing.
She needed to focus – after all, it was still only eleven AM, and she had a whole work day to get through. She was always half-expecting to see the loan sharks – sharp-suited but strangely menacing – coming through the door. Or perhaps even the security guard she’d talked Terry into hiring this morning.
She didn’t know which made her more nervous. Of course, she knew it should be the loan sharks, but the idea of a security guard made the threat seem all the more… real somehow.
“Are you okay?” Her boss’ voice jerked her out of the light reverie she’d drifted into.
Daphne managed a nervous laugh. “Yeah. I guess I’m just having a little trouble focusing.”
That was an understatement. She hadn’t felt this nervous since she’d first struck out on her own, and was still expecting to see flashbulbs and hear camera shutters every time she turned a corner or got out of a car.
Terry nodded, looking uncomfortable. “I understand, Daphne. Honestly, I appreciate you even coming in today. I know this must be stressful for you...”
Daphne smiled, though it was the last thing she felt like doing. “Terry, I’m not going to leave you in the lurch,” she assured him. “Aren’t you always saying your staff are like your family? It wouldn’t be very family-like of me to leave you high and dry.”
In the moment before he looked away, Daphne would’ve sworn she could see tears in Terry’s eyes. She knew he didn’t have a wife or children of his own, and maybe that was why he was so close to the people who worked in his company.
“Look, why don’t I go down to the cart and grab us some coffee and donuts?” Daphne asked. Maybe a mid-morning sugar rush could perk them both up. And if not… well, donuts were donuts. Was there any situation a donut couldn’t improve?
Terry laughed. “Sure, why not.”
Daphne shook her head as he began reaching into his pocket for money. “Nope, this is my treat.”
She stood and headed toward the door before Terry could protest. The one annoying thing about having to keep her true identity and background secret was that it was hard to treat friends to expensive gifts or even dinner the way she wanted to – they always insisted on picking up their half of the tab. Nobody could tell her no to picking them up a donut, though!
For the first time all morning, Daphne felt her spirits lift a little. Things would be okay, wouldn’t they? A security guard would send the message to the loan sharks that they needed to back off. If they persisted, then they would have something solid to go to the cops with.
Reaching the front door of Morgan Imports, Daphne
braced herself before stepping out into the cold. The coffee cart was just a few yards away on the curb. If she could have, Daphne would have moved the entire cart up next to her desk – the coffee was always deliciously strong and piping hot, and donuts always light and sugary.
As she ordered and paid, Daphne allowed herself to breathe in the scent of roasting beans and cinnamon. It was heavenly.
Picking up her carton of donuts and tray of drinks, Daphne turned and began to head back toward the door.
Everything will be all right, she told herself again. The security guard would be here soon, and then –
“All right, then. Just come with us, and this doesn’t have to get ugly.”
Daphne stiffened as she suddenly felt an iron grip around her upper arm. Freezing, she stopped walking altogether, not even daring to turn her head to see who had grabbed her.
“No screaming. No noise. We’re just walking together, darlin’. All right?”
The voice in her ear dripped with menace. Daphne had been taught all her life to fear what she now realized this was: a kidnapping.
Daphne gripped her coffee tray tightly. Fear pounded in her veins, but she had been trained in how to deal with these things. With the man gripping her arm she couldn’t reach into her purse for her mace, but that didn’t mean she was helpless.
He might have a gun.
That was true. He might. But he wasn’t holding it right now, as far as she could tell.
Taking a deep breath, Daphne forced herself to swallow down her fear.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” she asked with as much sweetness as she could muster. With her pretty pink nails and high heels, she knew people sometimes underestimated her.
She’d always proved them wrong.
The man holding her arm snickered. “Nice try – but it’s no use playing dumb. We know who you are. We know who your parents are.”
Daphne cocked her head a little, trying to look blank. Keep playing the airhead, she told herself. Buy yourself some time. “My parents? Have you been to their farm?”
The grip on her arm tightened, almost imperceptibly. “Look, don’t bother. We’ve done our research. We thought we were onto something with that old idiot, but turns out we were sitting on a goldmine with you instead. Now come on, darlin’. Don’t waste any more of my time.”
Oh, thought Daphne. Well, then.
Steeling herself, Daphne pretended to stumble a little on the sidewalk. “Oh – oops!”
Shifting her weight a little, she managed to pull the man a little off-balance. Before he had a chance to right himself, she lifted her foot then slammed it down, driving the point of her stiletto heel straight into his toes.
“Ahhhh – fuck –”
The man screamed in pain, losing his footing. Gritting her teeth, Daphne threw the tray over her shoulder with enough force that the plastic lids flew off the cups, drenching him in piping hot coffee.
The man screamed again, and now Daphne could see passers-by stopping to stare, ruining his plan of walking her quietly to his van, or wherever he had planned to take her. What she had done was a risk, but it had been a calculated one. She had hoped the minute people started taking notice, he’d simply run away.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” she yelled, trying to draw more attention. “Get the hell away from me, you creep!”
Daphne scooted away from him as his grip on her arm was released. She forced herself to look into his face, memorizing his features – he wasn’t any of the men she’d seen pass through the office to speak to Terry. She was sure of that. This man had a shaved head, and a large, fleshy nose. She thought she’d be able to describe him to police easily, even with his skin blotched red from the hot coffee she’d thrown at him.
The man shook his head, his expression ferocious. Daphne gulped – he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to run away. Maybe her gamble hadn’t paid off after all. He seemed too furious to think straight and realize that the smart thing to do in his position would be high-tailing it.
“You little –” he muttered, cold blue eyes boring into her. He shoved his hand under his coat, groping around.
He’s reaching for a gun, Daphne realized, and panic lanced through her chest.
She saw the cold, dark metal glinting in his hand. She considered screaming, if only to warn the other people on the sidewalk to flee. She opened her mouth, but before any sound could emerge, a massive hand descended on the man’s arm, stopping it cold.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Daphne, slightly dazed, simply stared at the hand for a moment. Its grip was strong and sure, and it took her a moment to remember that it must be attached to the rest of a human being.
Raising her eyes, she saw a long, muscular arm, a huge, broad shoulder, and then –
Oh. Oh my God.
– It was the man from the bar last night. All six-foot-whatever of him, tanned and rugged, and currently looking down at her attacker with the most fearsome expression she’d ever seen.
Daphne could only stare. She’d never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life.
Even if he was a complete stranger.
“The cow spilled her coffee all over me!” Her attacker was trying to sound cool, but Daphne could hear the high note of pain in his voice.
The handsome stranger glanced at her, and something in his eyes sent a shiver straight through her, from the top of her head right down to her toes. His gaze seemed to linger for a moment, and he blinked as if surprised, before turning to look down at the man again.
“That is not how we talk about a lady,” he handsome stranger growled. Honest-to-God growled. “Apologize. Now.”
The bald man’s already ugly face became even uglier as he snarled, but then, he apparently came to his senses. “I’m sorry.”
“Good,” the handsome stranger said. “Now let’s see if we can’t get this sorted out –”
He must have slackened his grip a little, because in the next moment the bald man had twisted away, evading his hold.
“Look out!” Daphne started to yell, but then she felt a solid blow to her chest that knocked her backward off her feet, landing on her ample bottom. Before she could do anything, she heard the man’s feet against the sidewalk as he took to his heels, weaving his way through the crowd, disappearing into the press of bodies.
“Are you all right?”
Slightly winded, Daphne felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she found herself gazing into the same green and gold eyes she’d been so mesmerized by at the bar.
“I – I’m fine,” she managed to get out, as he helped her up. To be honest, she wasn’t really sure whether she was dizzy from the fall – and from the shock of what had just happened to her – or from the strangely hypnotic effect this man seemed to have over her. She shook her head to clear it. “But that’s not what happened. I didn’t spill my coffee over him. I threw it – he was trying to kidnap me.”
All at once, the man tensed, seeming somehow to bristle up to become even taller and wider than he already was. “Kidnap you? What the fu – I mean, what on earth?”
Daphne laughed shakily. “It’s all right. You can swear in front of me, I’ve heard a cuss word before. But, yeah. That’s what happened. If you hadn’t come along, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”
“I was just passing on my way to a job,” the man said. “But when I saw what was happening, I couldn’t just walk on by. That would’ve been fuc – messed up. Now I know what was really happening…”
Drawing a shaky breath, Daphne nodded. “I guess that’s two times you’ve saved my bacon,” she said. “Even if the first time was just stopping me from looking like an even bigger idiot than I already did at the bar last night. Coincidence, right?”
The man laughed, but he sounded a little uncomfortable. “Well, I guess it could be. But you still haven’t told me what this is all about.” He checked his watch. “I’m supposed to be at a job, but I can call my boss an
d let them know something’s come up. I’m not leaving you alone right now.”
Daphne blinked, a little surprised at the fierce note of protectiveness in his voice. They’d barely met… and yet, something about it made her feel warm. She felt safe around him, even if she couldn’t explain why.
Then she remembered what she’d been doing before she’d been attacked. She’d told Terry she’d only be a minute or two. Maybe he was getting worried.
“Speaking of work, I have to get back to my office, or my boss will start having kittens,” she said. “I just work over there at Morgan Imports, so –”
“Morgan Imports?” The man sounded surprised. “That’s where my job is. You work there?”
Daphne blinked, staring up at him. He was starting a job here at Terry’s business? Was he – ?
“Are you the new security guard?” she asked him. He certainly looked the part, with his muscles, height and broad shoulders.
“Yeah – from Assured Security. My boss, Sandra James, told me I should come in and introduce myself, get the lay of the land. My contact’s name here is Daphne Pearce.”
Her name in his mouth sounded… good. She wanted to hear him say it again.
“Th-that’s me,” she managed to get out. “Daphne Pearce. It’s good to meet you.”
“Heath Whittaker,” he said. “Now, are you going to tell me what happened out here? I thought this was just a security job, not a bodyguarding one. But if someone’s out to get you personally…”
He didn’t have to finish the sentence. Daphne understood perfectly. “Come inside to the office,” she said. “And then I’ll explain everything.”
Chapter Four
Heath
Holy shit. Holy shit.
The words had been repeating themselves in his head pretty much continuously, ever since he’d looked down into Daphne’s green eyes, and his lion had roared loud enough to wake the dead.
It’s her. She’s my mate. Holy shit.
