The bouncer was tall, perhaps the tallest man Evie had ever seen, about six or seven inches over six feet. He had reddish blond hair, and a beard covered the lower half of his face, which was handsome, despite the deep scar that ran from his right eye to his cheek. In fact, Evie thought it made him even more attractive, adding a roughness and sense of danger to his striking features. Wide, muscled shoulders stretched under a tight black t-shirt and showed off tattoos that ran down his powerful arms. His face was drawn into a serious scowl as he checked IDs, seemingly unaware as each woman devoured him with their eyes.
A surge of jealousy coursed through Evie. What the hell? She didn’t even know the hot bouncer guy, yet she wanted to claw each woman’s eyes out for looking at him like that. She pushed down the feeling, hoping he wouldn’t notice anything off as she waited her turn for inspection.
Evie drew closer to him, and he seemed even more imposing and intimidating up close. Finally, she stood right in front of him, so near that she got a whiff of his cologne—hmmm, coffee beans? Strange. But good. The scent seemed to wrap around her, tickling her senses and sending a weird, thrilling feeling through her entire body. Get a hold of yourself, she said silently as she handed over her driver’s license. She let out a small squeak as he took the card from her, their fingertips lightly touching. A jolt of electricity went up her arm. As she looked up, a pair of startlingly bright green eyes stared down at her as his nostrils flared. She blushed, feeling his gaze on her as heat spread across her body, but stared right back at him.
Lycan.
Perhaps it was her own Lycan heritage that made her sensitive to detecting when another person was a shifter. After all, she’d been around them all her life. Even though her parents divorced when she was ten and her father retained custody, she was properly registered with the clan and knew most of the shifters in Kansas City. She couldn’t sense the animal in them as other Lycans could, but she just knew.
There was something strange about this Lycan though, something she couldn’t put her finger on. What was he doing working here, at a witch night club? Lycans and witches weren’t enemies or anything, but they tended to stay away from each other.
The sound of someone clearing her throat made them both startle and break eye contact, and hot bouncer quickly glanced down at her ID. Evie waited patiently, and it seemed like he took forever.
“Sorry. Can’t let you in,” he said in a low voice that seemed to match exactly what Evie thought he would sound like. Rough. Sexy. Made for the bedroom. A panty-melting voice. She blinked up at him when she realized what he had said.
“Excuse me?” she asked. “That’s my real ID. I’m from Kansas.”
He shoved the card back at her. “It looks fake.”
Her jaw dropped, and she pushed it back again. “Look at it again. It’s real.”
“I’ve never seen a Kansas driver’s license, so I can’t be sure.”
Even if he was handsome, he was starting to get on her nerves. What kind of place was this? “Well, what are we supposed to do? Call the Kansas DMV?”
He shrugged. “Company policy. I can’t let you in if I suspect there’s something wrong with your identification.”
“But I don’t have any other ID!” she whined. “My friend is in there; she can vouch for me.”
He frowned. “Then go call her.”
“My phone’s dead. Do you have one I can borrow?”
“Lady, I ain’t a cellphone company,” he replied. “Now get out of here.”
“You’re rude,” Evie exclaimed, planting her hands on her hips. She looked up at him, craning her neck up to meet his steely gaze. “I demand to talk to your manager.”
“Evie?” Mary asked, peeking around from behind her. “What’s going on here?”
“This …obstinate ox won’t let me in,” Evie huffed. “Said my ID was fake.”
“Oh, c’mon now,” Mary said. “She’s obviously over 21. You know this place has magical protections; I bet they have a spell that ensures no minors can even find it. Just let her in.”
Hot bouncer crossed his tree trunk-like arms over his chest. “Sorry. Can’t do that.”
Mary, Alice, and Gretchen stepped forward, their eyes narrowing at the bouncer. “How can you tell her ID is fake? We’re not from New York either, are you going to say our IDs are fake, too?”
Hot bouncer remained rooted to the spot, unmoving. “Maybe you ladies should go someplace else.”
Gretchen let out an angry snort. “Where’s the manager? We want to talk to him.”
Evie stepped forward, going toe to toe with him, despite the fact that she had to crane her head back even farther to look him in the eye. “When I prove my ID isn’t fake, I’m going to demand they fire you.”
“What’s going on here?” another man said as he came up to them. He was dark-haired with startling blue eyes. He wasn’t as tall as the bouncer, but he was also well-muscled and dressed similarly in a black shirt and dark jeans. Probably another bouncer, from the look of him.
“This asshole won’t let our friend in,” Mary said, jerking her thumb at the Hot Bouncer.
He looked at Hot Bouncer, who shrugged. “Her ID doesn’t check out. You know we can’t risk our jobs here.”
“I’m sure he’s got a good reason to keep you ladies back,” he said to Mary. “We do have a policy here, and we can’t let you in if there’s something suspicious with your IDs.”
“But her ID is just fine!” Mary protested.
“We want to see your manager,” Gretchen repeated.
“Fine,” the blue-eyed bouncer said. “I’ll grab him and let him explain our policy.” He walked away, leaving them alone with Hot Bouncer.
“Just you wait,” Evie muttered, planting her hands on her hips. Selena probably knew the manager, if she was related to the owner.
He let out a grunt. “Step aside, ladies,” he said. “We have other guests wanting to come in.” A large hand grabbed Evie’s arm, gently but firmly dragging her to the side. Another jolt of electricity shot through her arm, and she pulled away from his unnerving touch.
“Let go of me, asshole!” On impulse, she raised her clutch and slapped it across his arm as hard as she could. He didn’t even flinch, but fury blazed in his eyes.
Screams, shouts, and a loud crash made both of them stop and turn their heads toward the source of the commotion. There was a man running toward them, rushing between Evie and the bouncer, making them jump apart. And hot on his heels was a very large, fully-transformed Lycan wolf, running at full speed toward them.
“Holy shit,” Evie exclaimed.
“Fucking Quinn!” Hot Bouncer cursed. He pushed Evie aside, sending her sprawling into Mary and her friends as the wolf crashed into his arms, sending both man and animal to the ground.
There were more shouts coming from the inside, and Evie and the other women got to their feet.
“Let’s get out of here!” someone, either Gretchen or Alice, said as she tugged at Evie’s arm.
Evie froze for a second. For some reason, she didn’t want to leave. But then she remembered he was a Lycan, too and probably could take the wolf. She quickly followed the other girls, running down the alleyway as other people followed them.
There weren’t a lot of people, but, in the chaos, Evie was separated from Mary and her friends. She kept walking away from the alley, stumbling out into the main street. She let out a sigh, the cool air entering her lungs. New York wasn’t exactly known for the quality of its air, but, at least out here, the atmosphere felt more real. Whatever that place was, it definitely wasn’t somewhere she should have been.
She walked a couple of blocks, rubbing her arms, trying to get rid of the creepie crawlies over her skin. The image of bright green eyes flashed in her mind, but she pushed it aside. Maybe it was a good thing she never made it inside the club, but now she was stuck out here.
“Shit.” Where the hell was Selena? Was she inside?
Evie considered her options, but,
without a working phone, she didn’t know what to do. When she saw a passing cab, she hailed it and got in. It was her best friend’s fault she was out here, so she could cover the cab fare back home, too. “Washington Heights,” she told the cabbie, and the taxi began to head uptown.
The ride back was relatively quick, and, after swiping her credit card on the terminal, Evie stepped out and walked into her apartment building. As soon as she entered the apartment, she ran to the living room and plugged in her phone. The battery icon blinked red on the screen, but, after a few seconds, it came to life. The moment it came on, she pressed the phone icon to call Selena, but another call came in and she ended up picking up that one instead.
“Hello?”
“Evie,” Richard said. “I’ve been calling you all night. Please, can we talk?”
She gritted her teeth. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
“I swear, Evie, I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll fly to New York right now if you don’t hang up.”
“What about that video?” she said, feeling the anger rise up in her again. She had almost forgotten about it, about Richard and his sex video. Instead, she had been thinking about bright green eyes, tattoos, and a handsome face drawn into a scowl. She normally didn’t go for those kinds of guys. She preferred clean-cut professionals who looked good in a suit, like Richard.
“It was a mistake. I’ve never had sex with anyone else, I swear. Just that one time,” he said. “And it’ll never happen again.”
Evie rubbed her temple. “I don’t know …”
“We can talk,” Richard began. “Just talk. Talk it out.”
She let out a sigh. Could she really throw away her four-year relationship with him? Those years weren’t all bad; in fact, they had been very good. It was only when she left that Richard cheated, and, those other times, he didn’t even have sex with the women.
And tonight, she herself had been drunk when she went to that club. Oh God. That was it. She was drunk and feeling horny because it had been months since she’d seen Richard. And then that hot bouncer … She couldn’t be a hypocrite, now, could she? “Fine.” She plopped down on the couch. “Just talk.”
Three Months Ago…
Connor opened his eyes slowly. It was dark, and it took him a second to recover from the nightmares that kept his sleep light. He grabbed the watch hidden under his pillow out of habit. It was an old digital watch, and the numbers and letters glowed green in the dark. The rubber strap on the thing had broken long ago, but even if it hadn’t, there was no way it would have fit him now. Not that he wore it. All he cared about was the flashing numbers displayed on the front as he pressed the button on the side. Time. Date. He let out a long-held breath when he saw the year, and his body began to relax.
He reached toward the bedside table, hitting the switch on the wall which filled the dark room with soft light. By now, he was sure which button to press, which meant he had stayed in this hotel too long. Rubbing his hand over his face, he sat up, tossed the covers off his body. He walked to the window, pushing the blackout curtains aside.
New York City in winter was still pretty busy, but at least the holiday season had passed, and those goddamn tourists weren’t clogging up the streets anymore. He gave an unhappy grunt, thinking of the crowds and people and the chaos. He hated living in New York, but he didn’t have much of a choice. His sister, Meredith, wanted to stay here with her warlock husband, and pledged to the New York Lycan clan. And then there was the offer from Sebastian Creed to head up his shifter security team. With their adoptive father gone, there was no reason to stay in Portland. Plus, he and his two brothers could have a fresh start in New York. But, he didn’t realize how crowded and cramped the Big Apple would be. How the hell could any Lycan stand it? The people, the noise, the smell, the frenzy, and those big buildings everywhere—it set him on edge.
No, this was for the best. New York was where Meredith, Killian, and Quinn wanted to be. He had to be there, to safeguard what was left of his family, especially when he failed to protect their father and mentor. Thoughts of Archie Leacham flooded his mind, but he quickly pushed them aside. The old master thief had been avenged. Though he wanted to wring Rodrigo Baeles’ neck until his head popped off, the bastard was rotting away in the Lycan prison facility in Siberia, which he supposed was good enough. He and his siblings were back together again, and they were working together, just like old times, albeit on the right side of the law.
Collecting his thoughts, he ran through the events of the past few days. They had arrived back late last night from their latest overseas operation. Connor glanced at the clock. Killian was probably at the office of Lone Wolf Security by now. He said he was taking care of something, but Connor couldn’t recall what. His brother had asked that they all come in for a debrief this morning. It was part of the job, after all, but Connor hated it. He hated going into the office, although it was what kept their family together. Reuniting the Lone Wolves with their families and running ops for Creed kept them busy, gave them an anchor and something to keep them steady.
However, his siblings didn’t know he had a third purpose, one that kept him going. Revenge. And the key was hidden inside the manila envelope tucked inside the hotel safe. A list of names. A final gift from Archie, one that drove him forward. Soon. Soon he’d have his revenge. Hopefully, before it was too late.
He shook his head and drew the curtains together, then walked to the shower to get ready. He stepped under the rainfall shower and turned on the tap, letting the hot water hit his skin. One advantage of living in hotel rooms all the time was the luxurious living. Perhaps living with Archie had made him spoiled and soft over the years, but he didn’t care. It was millions of miles away from the way he lived before.
“Fuck,” he cursed, as the memories and nightmares flooded back to him. He shut off the shower and slammed his palm on the slick tiles, bracing himself. It was never this bad. But ever since he met Daric, Meredith’s husband, it was like a dam had opened. The fucking warlock could see the past and the future, and he got inside Connor’s mind. He saw it. Not everything, but enough. Daric probably didn’t even know what he unleashed.
Walking out of the stall, he took one of the fluffy towels from the warmer and dried himself off, then dressed in a black sweater and jeans, before putting on his coat. As a Lycan shifter, he didn’t need it, even in winter, but he put it on anyway to keep up appearances. Blending in was essential to being a wolf shifter, especially when the humans knew nothing of their existence.
Connor grabbed his phone, wallet, and key card, then stuffed them into his pockets. The Royal Albert Hotel was close enough to the Lone Wolf office that he could walk there, which was one of the reasons he made it his base for the last month. But he knew it was time to go soon. Finding a permanent home was simply impossible for him. Not when he knew his control was slipping. It was much easier to switch hotels every month or so, hand them his black credit card, and tell the management to bill him for everything, including all the damages. After all, many luxury hotels were willing to overlook their guests’ “eccentricities” if they paid enough.
He walked a couple of blocks, and then soon found himself in front of their building. He hated the office, especially the ancient elevator he had to take to get to their floor. The old thing had metal bars and the screech they made as he slid them open and close again brought back memories of another life. He gnashed his teeth together, pressed the button, then the elevator jolted and began to rise. When they first moved here, he took the stairs, all ten flights. But his siblings started to get suspicious, so he trained himself to take the elevator. He had overcome far worse things, and a fucking elevator wasn’t going to do him in.
The door to the office was unlocked, and the lights were on, which meant Killian was already here. Boxes, old coffee cups, folders, and furniture still wrapped in plastic were scattered all over the reception area. They didn’t have time to unpack, as Sebastian Creed had them running ops all over the world
as soon as they signed their contracts. He didn’t mind. In fact, he preferred it, not being in New York and finally being able to release some of the tension by doing what he did best—kicking ass. Even now, being cooped up in this tiny space was setting his teeth on edge.
He was about to hang his coat on the rack by the door when a familiar scent wafted into his nose. Peaches. So sweet and ripe he could almost taste it. He froze and dropped his coat on the ground, then saw the unfamiliar blue parka hanging from the rack. Reaching forward, he touched it with his fingertips. Definitely peaches and definitely familiar. What the hell was going on?
Connor strode to the office at the end of the hallway and yanked the door open. “Hey Killian, what the—You!” The scent was stronger in here, and he immediately knew who it was.
That familiar face. Those light, toffee-colored eyes. And that sweet, sweet scent that had been haunting him for weeks. The brunette standing in Killian’s office, shaking his hand, suddenly froze and then her face went ashen when she saw him. With his enhanced senses, he could hear the thundering of her heartbeat and the scent of fear mixing with peaches. He didn’t know why, but that made something in him ache. And Killian touching her hand wasn’t making it any better. Why the fuck did he suddenly want to smash his brother’s face in?
“I … I didn’t know … you …” She looked back at Killian. “Oh my God, I thought you looked familiar!”
“What’s going on?” Killian looked from Connor to the brunette. “Have we met before?”
“The night at Merlin’s,” Connor growled. “She hit me with her purse.” What the hell was a Lycan doing at a witch strip club, anyway? All those men in there, half naked, gyrating their hips and showing off their bodies. It was no place for a girl like her, and he made sure she never saw the inside. Getting smacked in the arm with her purse was worth it, especially since it didn’t even hurt.
“It’s because you were a stupid and obstinate ox,” the brunette huffed, her eyes sending daggers at him. Suddenly, her face fell, and she slapped her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. Sorry about this. I’m … I’ll go now. Thank you for the interview.” She sidestepped Connor and then walked out the door. That ache in his middle came back. Interview?
A Mate for Jackson: Bad Alpha Dads: A True Mates Standalone Novel Page 17
