She pulled her cell phone off her hip and stared at the people around the bar and in the club. It just wasn’t the same anymore. She was beginning to feel lost, and it was all because of the men.
She took a moment to text him.
I’m mad at you. I’m mad at your brothers, too. You should have explained and asked me first. Maybe I don’t want to be mated.
As she pressed “send,” her heart ached. If she were at all honest with herself, she would realize that she wanted to be with them. She was falling in love with them.
Instead of a text, her phone rang. It was Vince.
“Tara, can you cover for me for a few minutes?” Melissa asked.
“Sure, honey. I hope that call puts a smile back on your face.”
Melissa forced a small smile then answered the phone as she walked to the end of the bar and to a small doorway.
“Hello.”
“Who told you?” Vince demanded to know.
“Does it matter? The point is that you didn’t. Neither did your brothers.”
“We’re sorry you’re upset, but things got out of control quickly. We didn’t know if you were involved with the case against Bret. We also felt compelled to have you. It’s new for all of us as well.”
“To have me, huh? That sounds romantic,” she stated sarcastically.
“If you want romantic, we can do romantic. Wolves are sexual creatures. We like to make love to our women thoroughly and waste no time with the other stuff. Are you really that angry with us that you avoided our texts?”
“Yes. I’m hurt, that’s all.”
“Well, that’s not acceptable. We would never hurt you. What time are you finishing up?”
“I don’t know. It’s kind of a slow tonight.”
“Can you meet us at our place?”
She thought about it a minute. Aunt Peggy had Alice next door to help if she needed it. That woman was practically over at the apartment for coffee every morning anyway.
“Okay. I suppose I can, but I want to talk.”
She heard the muffled cries and wise-guy comments of the others in the background.
“Call me or text me when you’re leaving there.”
“Okay.”
Melissa hung up the phone, and for some reason, she felt a little better. If she were honest with herself, she would admit that she was excited about seeing her men again.
* * * *
She returned back to the bar to find a new guy waiting to be served.
Tara came up to Melissa and whispered to her, “He was asking for you. Wanted to wait for you to serve him. I think he’s a cop.”
She swallowed hard then slowly walked toward the tall blond-haired guy. He was big and quite attractive.
“Melissa?”
“And you are?”
“I’m Special Investigator Declan. I was just by your apartment a couple of hours ago. I met your family. Very nice kids.”
“What is this all about, detective?” she asked, moving closer to the bar.
He leaned closer, and it seemed like he sniffed her. Great, was he a wolf too? Suddenly there seemed to be a lot of wolves around her.
He was hesitant as he spoke.
“I’m with the DEA. During an investigation into a recent drug operation bust, a large amount of money was stolen. We’ve tracked down some of the bills. However, it seems that some have wound up in an account with your name. Any ideas how that money got there?”
Oh shit!
“Um, I have no idea. I mean, I pretty much work here all the time. Different people come in and leave tips.”
He looked her body over and hesitated as if contemplating his next comment.
“You’ve got a hot body. But thirty grand worth of dough in one night, I’m not buying.”
“I don’t know what you’re inferring, Investigator Declan, but I don’t know anything about any drug raid. But as far as the money, I just deposit any cash I get here into that account.”
He looked her over again and sniffed the air. He smirked.
“Normally, I would believe a story such as yours. However, after further investigation by my team, it appears your friend Celine Lewis had a large sum of money in her account. Which came directly from your account, by the way.”
“I’ve been saving my money for years. What’s your point?”
He leaned forward so only she could hear.
“My point is that you’ve come into a lot of money in a short period of time. I’m not certain how exactly yet, but I do know stripping and bartending doesn’t bring in that kind of cash in less than two weeks. There are numerous drug dealers that hang around this club. Perhaps they’ve offered you financial freedom so you can take care of your dead sister’s kids and dying aunt. I’m not sure. What I do know is that these individuals are going down. The illegal drugs, the transporting and distributing of drugs, will come to an end. Are you going to be part of the problem or part of the solution?”
She stared at him, uncertain if his statement was a direct threat or if he was fishing for clues. She covered her tracks, and despite the marked bills, how the hell would he know that unless he illegally went to the bank and investigated? He was taking a chance on a hunch, nothing more.
She leaned back closer to him and smiled.
“This is all very interesting on hearsay. However, in order to prove that any individual has deposited money that is marked, that person would have to be present at the time of that deposit. If by chance they weren’t, and they were guessing, then that person would have to get a warrant to look at the registers at that particular bank and verify a timetable, a location, and a precise register and teller that received those marked bills.
“Are you standing here telling me that you have done all of the above and have proven that I, amongst the thousands of people who use Wells Fargo bank on Main Street and Fifth Avenue, am the one person who deposited that marked money? Because there are very wealthy people who deposit money there in larger sums than thirty thousand. Plus, I only had about twenty thousand dollars that I moved from one account to another. That twenty thousand dollars was in singles, fives, and change. Hence, tips from the bar and tips from stripping every now and then. You’d be surprised what people tip a good stripper. So please don’t waste my time on a cop hunch and think that I’m stupid.”
He stared at her, and a small grin touched his face.
“I’m giving you a warning, miss. This is an ongoing investigation, and in the end you’ll want to be on the good side, not the bad.”
He winked at her then got up and left.
* * * *
Logan was sitting in the kitchen with his brothers waiting for Melissa to call when his phone rang. It wasn’t her.
He took the call then left the room.
“What is a Declan calling him for? Is Task Force three part of this investigation now, too?” Frankie asked.
“It’s a pretty big case, and they are a lead pack in the drug task force. Any recon would be done by them initially,” Sunny suggested
“Oh yeah, I forgot about all that shit. Surveillance, special operations, they’re a young bunch of wolves in those three teams,” Vince acknowledged.
“Son of a bitch! You’re not going to believe this,” Logan yelled as he came storming back into the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?” Jake asked.
“Melissa. She lied to us,” Logan stated then began to explain about the money and Declan’s investigation.
“So you think she stole the money from Bret, that’s why she was at the warehouse the other night?” Jake asked.
“It looks like that’s the case.”
“Holy crap how the hell did she pull that off?” Frankie asked.
“She’s in serious trouble here,” Logan stated.
“What actual proof do they have?” Jake wanted to know.
Logan told them about the conversation between Melissa and Declan.
“She’s quick on her toes, and more than likely she was
right. He can’t prove anything. The problem is that they’re looking into her friends and the family. Declan scented wolf on the kids just like you did, Sunny,” Logan added.
“Melissa probably doesn’t know they have wolf blood. What did you find out about her brother-in-law Mike?” Vince asked.
“Nothing yet. Once Vince got the text from Melissa, then the call, I’ve been waiting for her to get here just like the rest of you,” Sunny replied.
“Well, start looking into that. It could be of importance at a later date,” Logan added.
“You mean to seal the deal with our mate?” Vince asked.
“Unless she winds up in prison,” Frankie responded sarcastically.
They were all quiet for a moment as they pondered over that statement.
“Declan was giving us the heads-up. He could have pushed further. You all know he can be persuasive,” Logan added.
“Were his brothers with him?” Vince asked.
Logan shook his head.
“Thank the gods,” Jake added.
“Something tells me that our little dancer can be quite resourceful. Let’s see how she handles our own kind of interrogation,” Sunny stated with a gleam in his eyes.
“Finally, you’re thinking like me, Sunny,” Frankie replied sarcastically.
“What are you talking about?” Sunny asked.
“I wanted to give her ass a nice spanking for doing that striptease she did Friday night, and another one for being a potential suspect. That would have made her talk,” Frankie stated confidently.
“You’re so full of shit. You were thinking the same thing as the rest of us since the moment that we realized our Mel was the same woman as the dancer on that stage. Fuck and mate, fuck and mate,” Jake replied, and the rest of them agreed.
“Tonight is going to have to be handled a little differently. First we need to explain what being our mate means. Next we need to get her to tell us the truth about Saturday night. Then we can seal our bond,” Vince added, and they all agreed.
* * * *
Chu closed up his cell phone and locked gazes with Bret.
“One of the Declan brothers paid Melissa a visit.”
“What? Why would he do that?”
“He questioned her about money in her account. Now Jamie is there. Melissa is getting ready to leave for the night.”
Bret thought about the information.
“Is she working tomorrow?”
Chu nodded.
“Don’t do anything tonight. I want you to find out why Declan is snooping around. I want to know what connections Melissa has to this.
“Do you think she was the one that stole the money from Lester?”
Bret’s eyes began to glow then a smile formed on his lips.
“She knows the run. I never would have suspected her. She is definitely more resourceful than I’d give her credit for. She’ll pay for that if it turns out she in fact did the hit. Right now find out everything you can. Also see if you can find out why Jamie is sniffing around.”
“Yes, sir,” Chu stated then walked out of the office.
* * * *
Melissa was leaving when Jamie met her by the exit.
“Hey, you done for the night?”
“Oh, hi, Jamie. Yeah, all finished.”
“I was going to buy you a drink.”
“No, thank you. I have plans.”
“With the Valdamar brothers?” he asked.
She was taken aback by his question.
“I really need to get going,” she replied and stepped through the doorway. She walked to her car, and that’s when Jamie grabbed her hand. She felt him squeeze it tight then pin her against the car.
“I was talking to you, Mel. You don’t walk away from me while I’m talking to you.”
Melissa was shocked. She wondered what had come over Jamie to make him grab her like this. He was angry, and she had never seen him this way before.
“Let go of me, Jamie.”
He pressed his body against hers, placing his hand on her hip bone.
He stared into her eyes then reached up to caress her cheek.
“You look so much like Sarah. You share the same eyes, the same sensual lips.” He inched closer, and she couldn’t help but fear his next move. He spoke about her sister as if he knew her intimately.
“How could you remember that? She’s been dead for two years.”
He caressed her cheek and pressed his thumb against her lips, making them part. She didn’t want to move. In fear she licked her lips and accidentally hit his thumb.
“You don’t belong with men like the Valdamars. Just like Sarah didn’t belong with Mike.”
“What are you saying? You were their friend. You were real close to Mike.”
“I was close to Mike so I could be close to Sarah. She was too good for his kind. But she wouldn’t leave him for me. She was scared of her own husband. She was afraid he would hurt her or maul her when he lost control of his body.”
Was he saying that Mike was a wolf?
“What are you saying?”
He squeezed her face and made her look into his eyes.
“You don’t belong with them, just like you don’t belong to Bret.”
His hold remained firm, and she couldn’t get away from him. She attempted to turn her face, but his fingers dug into her cheek and chin. They would surely leave a mark. She needed to calm him down.
“Why did you come to see me tonight? I told you that I won’t be a snitch. I have the kids to worry about, Jamie. You know I wouldn’t take the chance.”
He lightened his grip on her chin, but he pressed his groin harder against her belly. She felt his cock through his pants. This wasn’t good.
Jamie caressed her lower lip then looked down at her cleavage.
“You’re so sexy, Mel. You’re all woman, and you shouldn’t be working in a place like this. I can take care of you. I can take care of the kids.”
“That’s really kind of you, Jamie, but I couldn’t let you do that. I couldn’t lead you to believe that there’s anything more than just friendship between us.”
“No. Don’t say that when you haven’t even given me a chance. I won’t go through this a second time. You don’t belong to the Valdamar brothers. You belong to me, a human male. Don’t make the same mistake Sarah did.”
“What mistake would that be?”
“Choosing a freak like Mike over a real man like me.”
Her heart pounded in her chest. Jamie was talking crazy. He made it sound like he was in love with Sarah, that they shared some sort of romance behind Mike’s back, and that she chose Mike over him.
“I can’t be responsible for decisions my sister made, Jamie. I really don’t understand any of this. The truth of the matter is that I’m not seeing the Valdamar brothers. I just met them a few nights ago.”
He squinted his eyes and pressed his body firmer against the car. She felt trapped and unable to move as he locked gazes with her.
His fingers caressed her neck and chin.
“But you’re fucking them, aren’t you? Just like Sarah was fucking Mike in between sleeping with me.” He practically growled his last words he was so angry.
She wasn’t certain which part of his statement she should challenge. Bringing the attention away from her would probably be best since no one was coming out of the building to interrupt this crazy situation. She was shocked at his statement.
“You had an affair with Sarah while she was with Mike?”
He was silent as he continued to caress her skin.
“The biggest mistake she made was choosing him over me. Look what it cost her. Both their lives.”
Before she could respond or gasp in shock at his insinuation, he covered her mouth and kissed her. She tried to free her lips and pressed her hands against his chest, but he was on a mission to get his fill. His hands groped her body. He grabbed her breast and squeezed it rather hard until finally she was able to move her knee and lift it ha
rd and fast enough to his groin. Jamie immediately pulled from her mouth, and she kicked him again then smacked his face.
“How dare you touch me? How dare you try to manhandle me? Get the hell out of here, or I swear I’ll press charges.”
“You can’t do shit. You’re the one who’s going to jail, unless you end up having an accident just like Mike and Sarah.”
He grabbed her neck and shoulder, pulling her toward him as he squeezed really hard. Melissa gasped and had to bend her body from the pain.
“This isn’t over. We’re going to be together, or I’ll kill you and the Valdamars just like I killed Mike and Sarah.” He shoved her as he released her neck, and she fell to the ground by her car. She scraped her knee and felt the pain in her shoulder and neck as she cried.
“This is my last warning, Mel. Stop seeing them and come to your senses or else. They’re no good for you. They’ll lie to you, use your body the way they want, and then they’ll kick you to the curb. I won’t take you back then. It’s now or never.”
Jamie walked away, leaving her there to think about what he just admitted to and what he wanted from her.
He killed them? Oh my God, what do I do?
She hurried to her feet, got into the car, and locked the doors. The tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought about everything Jamie had said. The affair, the fact that Mike was a wolf, and that Sarah had slept with Jamie. Was this some kind of sick joke? A few days ago she had no idea that were wolves truly existed, and now she was caught in the middle of some insane werewolf love triangle. The son of a bitch admitted to killing her sister and Mike. How could she prove this? Who could she talk to and trust with this? Her body shook, and she felt the stinging in her elbow.
Immediately she thought of the brothers. She had texted them as soon as she was ready to leave the club. That was a while ago. They were probably worried. She couldn’t tell them about Jamie, or they would be angry and go after him. She didn’t want that on her conscience. She would find a way to get him back. She had to. Her hands were shaking as she tried to place the key into the ignition. After a few attempts, she was successful in starting the car.
Dwyer, Dixie Lynn - SWAT Team Two and Miss Robin Hood [The Men of Five-0 #2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 16
