by Tl Reeve
The door opened and Kru stood before her. “You look like shit.”
“Aww, thanks.”
He chuffed a breath. “You’re at my sister’s home.”
“Are you for real?” She cradled her arm to her chest. It ached worse than anything she’d ever felt.
“Ah, yep. Anyway. There’s food downstairs. My sister is here with her man and his siblings,” he replied, taking a step toward her. “When we’re done with breakfast, we’ll talk about what I found on your thumb drive and why the Vipers were gunning for you.”
She shook her head, unsure she’d heard him right. “The Vipers?”
“We’ll talk about it later. Bas said he’d return today to check on your arm and make sure you don’t have any other injuries,” he said. “We both know I didn’t kill your brother and we both know someone wanted Craven gone. Why don’t we help each other get to the bottom of this?”
Gabby nibbled on her bottom lip. She glanced between him and the exit. At least he’d followed through on one promise. He hadn’t killed her. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Or something, right? “Fine, but I can walk myself to the kitchen.” She brushed past him and stepped into the hallway. Well shit. Which way did she go, left or right?
“This way.” He chuckled. He motioned for her to follow him. When they entered the kitchen, food sat on the table and everyone appeared happy. “Gabby, this is Fawn, my sister, Kalum, Lily, and Graham. Guys, this is Gabby…a friend from Vegas.”
She glanced at him and scrunched her nose. “We’re friends now?”
“What would you call us?”
“Business partners,” she replied.
Chapter Five
“Business partners?” Kru pulled a face and shook his head. “That makes it sound like we’re making some corporate deal.”
Lily snorted and sat, grimacing when her wrist brushed the table. “Would you prefer mortal enemies?” Grabbing a biscuit, she took a bite. “Mmm, these are good.”
“Thank you,” Lily said, sitting next to Gabby. “Did you find the pain medicine by your bed?”
“I did,” she replied. “Thank you.” She took the plate Kru tried to set in front of her. “Thank you.”
“Welcome,” he grunted. A part of him hated the fact she opened up to his family and not him. Then again, it wasn’t like he’d tried to have a normal conversation with her.
“So, do you miss Las Vegas?”
“A little, I guess.”
“You can be honest with us,” Fawn said. “A big city like Las Vegas, all those lights and cars. The heat.” She shook her head. “I think I like it right here.”
“I don’t know…it has its good aspects. Everything you could need is in walking distance. The desert at night. All the stars. Yucca plants and the smell of sage after it rains.” Gabby grinned. “Hearing the coyotes off in the distance.”
Kru stilled as he reached for his plate. The way she talked about their home. It was like night and day compared to the hills. The pain lines bracketing her lips and between her brows smoothed and when she sighed, man, it made him feel things. Want things. He wanted her to talk about him in the same wistful tone, with the same wistful look on her face.
“What about crime?” Graham asked, breaking the moment. Kru glanced over at Kalum’s brother and growled. “What? I heard there’s a lot of crime there.”
“Maybe some, but I never had any issues with it.” Gabby shrugged. Until now. She didn’t have to say it for him to understand.
“Maybe big brother will take us sometime,” Lily said. “You could show us around, Gabby.”
She smiled. Again Kru’s gut clenched. Her harsh features eased, and a beautiful glow surrounded her. Even the paleness he’d noticed when she first opened the door to him had diminished considerably. “It might be a while before Gabby goes home.”
She cocked a brow at him. “Because of our business arrangement?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Mmhmm,” she replied. “Well, as soon as I have my answers, I’ll be out of your hair.” She gave him a tight smile.
“Wow. You make friends everywhere you go, Kru.” Graham patted him on the shoulder a little harder than he should have.
Kru choked. “It seems so.” He swallowed some of his coffee and glanced over at Gabby. “I thought we agreed we’re looking for the same answers, beautiful.”
“I didn’t agree to anything. The last thing I remember, you stuck a needle in my arm and I went night-night.”
He shrugged. “Your arm was broken, I helped you with the pain. What’s the big deal? Not like I wasn’t also shot.” Even though he told himself not to feel bad about shooting her full of drugs, Kru felt his cheeks grow warm.
“You’re not supposed to—”
A solid knock sounded from the front of the house, and Kru jumped from his chair. Saved by the knock. “I’ll get it,” he said, already halfway there. Bastian stood on the other side of the door, waiting, bag in hand as he opened the door. “Hey man, you’re just in time.”
“How’s your shoulder?” the human doctor asked in a hushed tone as he stepped over the threshold.
“Hurts like an aching tooth, but just about healed,” he replied, just as low.
“Good, and your guest?”
“Full of piss and vinegar. Just like I want her.” He grinned. “So we are having breakfast. I’m sure there’s enough if you’d like some.”
“Thanks, but I’m good. Alanna made me something before I left the house,” he said as they walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, Gabby. How’s your arm feeling?”
“What is it about this place that makes all of you absolutely gorgeous?” Gabby looked at the biscuit in her hand and frowned. “It hurts,” she said.
“Eat,” Kru grumbled. “I happen to enjoy your curves. So…either you eat or I shovel it in for you.”
“Um…I suppose there is a vague compliment in there somewhere, disguised as an overbearing asshole who acts like a freaking caveman.” She rolled her eyes and took a bite of her food. “There, I’m eating. Happy?”
Yes, he was. He wouldn’t say it. There wasn’t a damn thing wrong with her. He loved the way her hips flared. The way, when she bent over, her breasts threatened to spill from whatever shirt she wore. Or, her ass…his palms itched to touch it. Squeeze it. Spank it. His groin tightened as he continued to stare at her. His wolf paced, equal parts amused and ready to claim the little hellion in front of him. The scent of her arousal had been woven with confusion and irritation.
“You guys never cease to amaze me around here,” Bas muttered under his breath.
“You can say that again, Doc,” Kalum quipped. “Wife, how’s about you and I saddle the horses and go for a ride?”
“What he means is, I’m horny and need to get laid, which is difficult with a house full of people,” Graham translated for Gabby. “This time, can you not traumatize the cows? I swear they were blinded by what they saw. Poor things were tripping all over each other.”
Kalum flipped him off while taking Fawn’s outstretched hand. Kru saw a light in his sister’s eyes he’d never really seen before. Life. She thrived with Kalum. Enjoyed herself. Let go. What he wouldn’t give to do the same. “Be careful. Don’t go getting my sister hurt.” Step one, open mouth. Step two, insert foot.
“I’ll take your advice under advisement. Whether or not I follow it to a T, is another thing,” Kalum said, grabbing his jacket.
Fawn hurried to her brother’s side and bussed his cheek. “Be good,” she whispered before taking her mate’s hand. “See you all at dinner. You might want to get takeout again.” With a wink, they disappeared outside. More than likely, they’d shift and run. The horses were a cover. He knew it the moment his brother-in-law said it.
“Why don’t you finish eating, Gabby, and we’ll talk once Bastian has a chance to check you over?”
“O-okay. What about your arm? You were shot, you know.” Conc
ern filled her voice and he smiled.
“I’m fine. The doc over here fixed it. Sure, I’m sore as hell, and a bastard to deal with, but I’m okay,” he assured her before leaning in and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Her startled gasp made his shaft twitch.
“Another one bites the dust,” Graham quipped grabbing another piece of bacon and a roll. “Come on, sis, let’s go feed the calves while these three play doctor.” Bastian growled at him and Graham laughed. “Getting better at it, doc.”
Lily gave Gabby a side hug. “When you feel better, maybe we could do something together. I could show you the town, introduce you to people. It’ll be fun.”
Gabby looked from Lily to Kru and then to Lily several times before blurting, “Sure.”
***
Kru used the printer in Lily’s office to print off copies of the notes Craven sent Gabby through his books. They were cryptic at best, but something had happened within the Vipers. Then again, it could be a ruse. Once she was done with the doc, he’d ask her again. They also needed to ask Poppa if he knew who’d want Gabby, his mate if he got a chance to mark her, dead.
Mate. The word freaked him the hell out. How could he be responsible for anyone, when he never quite took responsibility for himself? Yet, as he sat there going over the numbers and reading through files on all the new prospects and members of the Vipers, the idea of having someone special, someone he’d call his own, erased some of the blackness on his soul. A light tap came at the door and he answered, “Come in.”
Gabby stepped inside wearing the pink-and-white striped Western shirt and tight jeans Lily assured him were all the rage in town. His mouth watered. At some point, she’d put some makeup on, no doubt courtesy of Lily as well. Her brown eyes sparkled and her full lips tugged upward in a genuine smile. The same one she’d given him the day they met. Fuck, she’d been so full of happiness then.
At the rally the DOBs and Vipers put together for a fallen soldier. After two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, Corporal Louis Hanks came home to die from complications due to an IED exploding under his Humvee. They rode for three days and, each place they stopped, they had a fundraiser. Whether it had been a fill-the-boot type deal or a car wash, they did everything they could, plus, without anyone knowing, Kru had chipped in eight grand of his savings.
When they arrived home, both clubs celebrated the charity collection for the Hanks family by having a giant barbecue in the corporal’s honor. The first person Kru saw when he got off his bike smelling like three-day-old funk had been Gabby.
She strolled over to him, handed him a beer, and offered a small toast. Then she said, in a sexy suggestive voice, “If you want some company later....” She sauntered off with a few old ladies a few minutes later, and he whistled low. She loved leather. He swore she had a fetish about the shit. Her pants were painted on. Her shirt, too. Her tits sat high, giving him a spectacular glimpse of her pierced nipples. Ink directed his attention to all her sweet spots, something he was sure she did on purpose, but what attracted him most was her confidence.
Yeah, some of the sweet butts were on the thick side, but none of them pulled off voluptuous like she did. She reminded him of those pinup girls from the forties and fifties he’d seen in magazines. Old-school beauty. His beauty. Too bad her brother told him in not-so-kind words what he’d do to his dick and balls if he did anything with his sister. He liked Craven’s no-nonsense attitude. Which brought him back to why a hit had been placed on the man. Craven caught someone with their hand in the cookie jar one too many times, if he read the numbers right.
“Hey,” she said, slipping into the chair across from him.
“Hey yourself. What did Bas have to say?” He pulled the last page from the printer and placed it on top of the stack in front of him. “Everything okay?”
“Good as it can be. He wants me to keep the cast on for a month then he’ll take it off and reexamine it.” She glanced at the papers in front of him. “You took my thumb drive.” Her tone didn’t hold a note of accusation.
Kru nodded. “I did after Lily and Fawn helped you get undressed last night. I knew it was important, so I didn’t want you to lose it.” He placed it on the desk in front of her.
“And, you went through it?” she asked.
“Yes, and I found a shit ton of stuff on here, but I can’t make heads or tails of it and I sure as fuck don’t want to involve my sister. I was hoping you’d help me,” he said.
“Well, it’s not like I wasn’t trying to do the same. I got a few emails from Poppa yesterday before you arrived. I never got a chance to read them. I guess I should get my laptop.”
“Later,” he replied. “Right now, I need you to tell me what these mean.” He turned the first of several letters from her brother toward Gabby.
She bit her bottom lip, and his hands tightened into fists. “He says, I guess, in the simplest way, there’s a fox in the hen house.”
“Makes sense. What else?”
“He doesn’t know who to trust and not to trust, but Poppa will protect me,” she answered, grabbing the letter. She shook her head. “It’s almost like he’s paranoid.”
“The note is dated a few days before I was sent to kill him. Maybe he wasn’t so paranoid after all.” He flipped through the stack and showed her three months’ worth of statements and six different asterisk-marked withdrawals. “Are these normal?”
“No. I saw those, too, but I don’t know what he means in the notes. Six times, liar, cheat with exclamation points. But, no names. He should have listed a name if he knew it. No one but he and I had access to these.” She blew out an exasperated breath.
“Do you think, if he knew, he’d tell Poppa?”
“Are you asking if Poppa would have my brother killed? No. I don’t.” Irritation laced her voice. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.
His wolf noticed her silent challenge and Kru circled the desk. “As much as I want to baby you, and trust me, beautiful, after yesterday all I want to do is keep you safe, I have to ask these questions. I’m not trying to be an asshole.”
“Okay, fine.” She sniffed, laying the printout on the desk. “How about I ask you a few questions?”
“Go for it. I got nothing to hide.”
“Who sent you the hit?” she asked, going for the jugular.
“I don’t know. It’s the first time I’ve taken a hit without all the info. I went for it, because of the money,” he answered honestly.
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“Look, the job came to me via email. No phone numbers. No name. I did a little checking around, and I went for it.” He hated the way she shut down in front of him. Her body went tense, and her brown eyes swirled with rage.
“I can’t believe this,” she hissed.
“I knew something was wrong with the hit, and I still planned to go through with it. However, someone beat me to the punch. We need a list of suspects because you’re next on their list.” He knelt in front of her, cupping her cheek. He hated causing the pain swirling inside of her. Hated her brother died. Hated the fact he could’ve easily been the one to pull the trigger and end it all. “I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt because of me.”
Chapter Six
“Yeah, right.” Gabby tried to pull away from him, but Kru stilled her.
“It’s true. Yesterday, scared the shit out of me.” Being honest so far had only dug a deeper hole for him, but he didn’t have it in him to lie anymore. “Seeing you get shot at…in pain. It made me insane.” Kru rubbed his thumb across her cheek. “Knowing you witnessed your brother’s death haunts me. It feels like my guts have been slowly ripping in two.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers.
Gabby’s strangled cry filled the room. “Please, Kru.” The palm of her hand pressed against his shoulder and he grunted. Instantly, she stilled. “I’m sorry.” Her lip trembled. “I shouldn’t be—”
He didn’t allo
w her to say another word. His lips pressed to hers again, this time demanding and hard. He nipped at her bottom lip then licked away the sting. Her sigh gave him the chance he needed. He pressed forward, tangling his tongue with hers. She tasted of sweet desperation and a tinge of fear. His wolf despised it. He pushed forward, demanding he mark her as his. Kru allowed his hands to skim her sides, traveling toward her lush breasts, where he ran his fingers over her nipples, enjoying the feel of them tightening. Gabby moaned, arching into his palm, while her hand curled into his shirt. Instead of pushing him away, she pulled him to her, trying to close the space between them.
Her mewls of pleasure spurred him on. He easily lifted her from the chair and switched their positions so she sat astride him. He pulled her shirt from her pants and ran his hands under the cotton material. Palming her tits, Kru fondled them as he rocked her across his hard cock.
He groaned.
The scent of her slick sex drove him insane. All he wanted to do was strip them bare and rut. Maybe for a week or a month. He didn’t care, as long as he could assuage the burning need rushing through him. Fisting the lapels of her shirt in his hands, he tugged them apart exposing her lace and silk black bra to his perusal. The outline of the metal barbells pressed against the cups tempted him beyond reason. Pushing the material out of the way, a growl built in his throat. “Beautiful,” he murmured.
His tongue lashed at her nipple before drawing the piercing between his lips and giving it a tug. Gabby gasped. Her fingers curled into his hair, holding him in place. He explored her, tasted every inch of her. Releasing the hard bead, he blew on it and was rewarded by her squirming on his lap. “These”— he tongued the piercing in her nipple— “are fun to play with. Where else are you pierced, Gabby?”
She flushed as her scent grew thicker, surrounding him in a blanket of desire. “Well….”
His dick twitched. Her husky-as-sin voice brushed against his senses and his wolf luxuriated in it. “Naughty girl. Is it right here?” His hand cupped her sex while his thumb rubbed at the bundle of nerves lying against the seam of her jeans. Her eyes flared with desire. “You are wicked.”
