Killian's Secret: The Lone Wolf Defenders Book 1

by Alicia Montgomery

  Meredith and Daric assured her that she would be safe with them, but that didn’t make the fear in the pit of her stomach disappear. She tossed and turned, trying to quiet her mind, but when she closed her eyes all she could see was those men who sought to kidnap her and the disheveled state of her apartment. Killian didn’t say when he’d be coming back, but she hoped it was soon.

  Her baby must have sensed her fear and tension, as it was awake again, kicking and stirring inside of her. “He’ll be back, baby,” she cooed, rubbing her belly. “Don’t worry—everything’s going to be all right.”

  Luna overslept, and she felt embarrassed when she saw Meredith was waiting for her in the living room, curled up in front of the TV.

  “I have to go to Fenrir today,” Meredith said. “I can’t leave you here, but I can’t bring you with me since you don’t have the proper security clearances. Would you mind if I dropped you off at Lone Wolf for a couple of hours? Connor and Quinn will be there. You’ll be in good hands.”

  “Um, okay,” she shrugged. “I have to go into the gallery at three, though.”

  “One of them could take you there and I’ll pick you up when you’re done,” Meredith assured her.

  After she got dressed (in more of Jade’s borrowed clothes, including a beautiful winter maternity coat), they left the loft and took a cab to Lone Wolf Security.

  “Okay, you remember the office,” Meredith said as she walked her to the door of the building. “I’ll see you at the gallery at six.”

  “See you,” she said, waving at the other woman as the waiting cab sped away. With a last glance at the street, she walked in the door and headed for the elevators.

  Luna knocked on the door, and when no one answered, she let herself in. The lobby was empty. She heard the slamming of a door somewhere down the hallway followed by the sound of footsteps getting louder and louder.

  “I didn’t know he’d be here,” a brunette mumbled to herself as stomped to the desk and plopped down on the chair. Her pretty face was drawn into a frown, but as she looked up at Luna, her face broke into a smile. “Oh,” she said, her toffee-colored eyes lighting up. “You must be Luna. I’m Evie,” she introduced, getting up and walking over to her. “Evie King.”

  “Luna Rhoades. Nice to meet you.” Meredith had told her that their part-time admin assistant might be at the office so she didn’t have to worry about the ‘sausage fest’ at Lone Wolf.

  “Can I get you something? Some water? Juice? Snacks? I just stocked the pantry.” She motioned to the couch. “Please, have a seat.”

  “I’m fine thank you, Evie, but I will sit down.” Luna eased herself down on the couch which was very plush. “Sorry to be such a bother.”

  “Oh, you’re no bother at all,” Evie assured her. “Meredith called me ahead of time and told me about your schedule. Connor will take you to the gallery.” She winced when a loud crash sounded from one of the offices down the hallway.

  “Still, I hate imposing on anyone,” Luna said, chewing her lip. She glanced at the hallway. She had met Quinn briefly the other day, but not Connor. What was Killian’s other brother like?

  She didn’t have to wait long to find out.

  A large shadow filled the hallway and a tall, imposing figure stood eerily still, his tattooed arms crossed over a massive chest. Her eyes traveled up to the handsome face that was marred by a deep scar that ran down over his right eye, and probably down his cheek too, though it was covered by a thick, ruddy beard. So this was Connor. The air seemed to grow thicker as he remained rooted to the spot, staring at her.

  “Connor,” Evie said in a chilly voice. “This is—”

  “I know who she is.” Connor’s voice was gruff and dismissive as his eyes dropped to Luna’s stomach. Without any other acknowledgment, he pivoted and turned to the door.

  “Hey!” Evie called. “Where are you going?”

  “Out.”

  “You said you’d take Luna to the gallery.”

  “Stop nagging me, woman,” Connor growled at Evie. “I already told you I’d do it and I will. I just have stuff to do right now.”

  The door slammed so loud behind him that Luna jumped.

  “Sorry,” Evie said, her eyes lowering to the ground. “If he’s not back in time, I’ll get Quinn to take you.”

  “I can go to the gallery myself,” she insisted.

  Evie’s gaze trailed back to the door. “He’ll be back.”

  Luna sighed and sank back into the chair. Connor obviously didn’t want to babysit her and once again she felt like a big inconvenience. Her heart sank. The last thing she wanted was to be a burden. Not sure what else to do, she picked up a magazine on the coffee table and started to read through it.

  By the time she checked the clock, it was past noon. Her stomach gurgled noisily, and she spied over at Evie who was busy typing away at the computer. Maybe the other woman was human and didn’t hear her stomach. Good thing, but then she wasn’t sure what to do about lunch.

  There was a knock on the door and Evie frowned. She checked her phone and then stood up to open the door.

  “Selena,” she said to the person on the other side of the door. “I’m so sorry, I completely lost track of time. Give me a few minutes and we can get lunch. Would you mind if Luna tagged along?”

  “No worries, Evie-girl,” the redhead who breezed in assured her. “Hello,” she greeted Luna. “I’m Selena, Evie’s best friend. Oh, no, don’t get up.” Selena plopped down beside her.

  Luna guessed Selena to be only an inch or two taller than her, but she had an aura about her that seemed to fill the room. She wasn’t conventionally beautiful, but she was cute. Thick, unruly auburn curls bounced around her, reminding Luna of that animated movie with the Scottish princess.

  Expressive blue-gray eyes blinked at her. “Are you a Lycan?”

  “Uh, no. Human,” she said. Was it rude to ask people ‘what’ they were? “Are you?”

  Selena laughed and then snorted in an unladylike manner. “Hell, no. I’m an almost witch.”

  “What’s an almost witch?” Luna asked and Evie let out a giggle.

  “That means—”

  “Yo, Luna!” came a loud voice from one of the offices down the hallway. “Come in here!”

  She frowned. Who was calling her?

  “I’m ordering in lunch. Come and look at the menu and tell me what you want!”

  Luna braced herself against the sofa to stand up, but Selena put a hand on her arm to stop her. “Hey you rude fuck!” the redhead called out. “You’re gonna let a pregnant lady stand up and walk to you? Don’t you have legs?”

  There was a sound of a chair slamming against a wall then heavy footsteps echoing from the hallway.

  “Who the fuck—” Quinn stopped short when his eyes landed on Selena. “Are you?”

  “I’m—”

  But before Selena could answer, the front door slammed open. Luna thought for a moment that Connor had returned, but she was wrong. Three men barged in brandishing guns. One of them went straight to the couch and pointed his weapon at Luna’s face while another one strode behind the counter to where Evie sat.

  Quinn let out a low growl and sprang forward, knocking the third man who had stayed by the door to the ground.

  “Uh-uh, pretty boy,” one of them warned Quinn. He was by far the smallest of the trio but had a mean face that was drawn into an ugly scowl. “Get off my friend. Or do you want this pretty one’s brains all over the wall?” He had a gun trained on Evie’s forehead. The brunette sat very still, a mask of fear blanketing her face.

  “Shit,” Quinn cursed as he brushed himself off. “Don’t hurt her, asshole.”

  “Only if you don’t cooperate,” the short man said. Luna observed that he was probably their ringleader.

  “What do you want?” Quinn asked through gritted teeth.

  He looked over to Luna. “Ah, there she is. That’s her.”

  Were these the same men from the other night? No, she
didn’t recognize any of their voices. Maybe whoever was trying to kidnap her had sent new guys. Killian did hurt one of them pretty good.

  “Don’t you dare touch her,” Selena said, putting herself in front of Luna.

  “Selena, no!” Luna cried and yanked the redhead down to the couch. She couldn’t let an innocent get hurt because of her.

  “No, Luna!” Quinn shouted, but that earned him a knock on the head with the butt of a gun. He turned to his attacker, reaching out to him.

  “Stop,” the ringleader commanded, pressing the gun harder against Evie’s temple.

  “Fuckers,” Quinn snarled, but dropped his hands to his sides. “Don’t hurt her. Don’t hurt any of them. Look, you want cash? I can get you some.”

  “Shut up,” he answered. “Get the girl,” he instructed the man pointing his gun at Luna. “She’s the only one we need. We can’t fuck this up or the client won’t pay us the rest of the money.”

  The man yanked Luna to her feet and although she wanted to recoil from his touch, she followed him meekly.

  “What do we do with everyone else, Boss?” Quinn’s attacker asked.

  The ringleader looked around. “There—put them in the closet!”

  He pushed his gun at Quinn and grabbed Selena by the arm, pulling her to her feet. He opened the closet and shoved them both in followed by Evie. Closing the door, he jammed a chair against the knob to secure it.

  “Let’s get outta here.”

  They left the office, Luna in tow, and headed towards the elevator. The ringleader pushed the call button impatiently. “Fucking old thing.”

  The elevator heaved and clanged, signaling the approaching car.

  “Finally.” The ringleader grabbed the cage door and pulled it open. “Get in,” he said to Luna, pointing the gun at her.

  Before she could comply, something very large and fast leaped out, pushing her forward into the elevator. The metal cage door screeched as it shut in front of her face. She grabbed at the bars, desperate to see what was happening.

  “Connor,” she cried in surprise, recognizing him immediately. She had never seen a man so big move so quick.

  He grabbed two of the men at the same time, lifted them up in each hand, and knocked their heads together sending them to the ground in a heap. He turned around, and Luna felt a chill creep up her spine when she saw his face. It was a cold mask, eyes dead as he stalked toward the ringleader.

  The man cried out as Connor grabbed his collar and lifted him up all too easily before smashing his face with a giant fist. The sound of bones breaking and blood splattering made Luna’s stomach turn and she sank to her knees, unaware that tears were streaking down her face.

  She was too scared to look up, too afraid of what she’d see next. The grating of the metal door as it opened made her teeth hurt.

  “Are you all right?” Connor’s voice was eerily gentle. He was bent down to her level and Luna forced herself to look at him. His face seemed normal now, concern marring his features. She nodded shakily.

  “What happened?” he asked as he helped her up. “Where’s—” His expression changed and he whipped around. “Fuck!” he cursed and stalked down towards the office.

  Luna followed him as quickly as she could though it was impossible to keep up with his long strides. When she entered the office, he was already opening the closet door.

  There was a cry, a curse, a yell, and then three figures came spilling out. Evie was first, falling to forward, but Connor caught her, his tree-trunk arms wrapping around the brunette to steady her.

  “Stop trying to cop a feel, asshole!” Selena yelled at Quinn as she stumbled out of the closet.

  “I wasn’t trying to molest you,” he protested, raising his hands. “There wasn’t any room in there. I couldn’t even breathe. Next time, lay off the perfume, huh?”

  “Fuck off,” she retorted. “Luna! I thought they’d taken you. Are you all right? The baby! Do you need to go to the doctor?”

  Luna let Selena drag her to the couch. “I’m fine,” she said, pushing the other woman’s hands away. She seemed determined to examine her.

  “Sorry,” she said with a nervous laugh. “I’m kind of a worry wart. It’s that nurturing nature witches have.”

  “Some witch you are,” Quinn said. “Couldn’t even get us out of the closet.”

  “I’m not that kind of witch,” Selena shot back. “Besides, if you weren’t thinking with your other head, we could have gotten out of there sooner.”

  “Hey, what do you mean—Yo, Connor!” Quinn turned to his brother. “Thanks for the save. I think you can let go of Evie now.”

  The couple quickly disentangled themselves from each other.

  “I have a boyfriend!” Evie blurted out, flapping her hands at Connor.

  “Not anymore,” Selena cackled. Evie shot her a glare, but the redhead shrugged. “You told me you guys broke up. Again.”

  “Shut up, Selena.” Evie’s entire face was a crimson color and she staggered back to her desk.

  Connor, on the other hand, let out a grunt and turned to Quinn. “What the fuck happened here?”

  Quinn relayed the story to Connor, the latter seeming to get more agitated as he listened. “Fucking hell. What do they want with you?” he asked Luna.

  “I don’t know,” she whispered, her hands dropping to her stomach.

  “First you were attacked coming home, and then they come in here barging after you,” Connor gruffed. “What aren’t you telling us?”

  “You’re scaring her,” Selena countered. “Stop it.”

  “Chill, bro,” Quinn said. “It’s not her fault that someone’s out to get her.”

  Luna’s heart continued to thunder in her chest. It was suddenly sinking in how much in danger she was, and what would have happened if Connor hadn’t been there. Who was trying to kidnap her?

  “Fuck!” Connor rubbed his hand over his face. “I left those bastards out there!” He moved quickly, darting out the door. “Quinn!” he called out and the other Lycan ran outside.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Evie asked as she walked towards Luna. “I’m fine,” she rubbed her hand over her stomach.

  “They got away,” Quinn said as he popped his head into the office. “Evie, call Sebastian. We need to get in touch with Killian ASAP.” The brunette nodded and immediately reached for the phone.

  “Everything will be all right,” Selena told Luna, putting an arm around her. She didn’t even realize she was shaking. Suddenly, all she wanted was to be in Killian’s arms. To have him embrace her and tell her she was going to be okay. He’d only been gone for a day and she was already missing him.

  Connor stalked inside, Quinn right behind him. “She all right?” he asked Selena.

  “I think she’s in shock,” the redhead replied. “I have some tea in my bag. It’s a special family blend. Let me make some for you.” Selena stood up and walked to the pantry in the back of the office.

  “Did you recognize any of those guys?” Quinn asked as he sat down next to her, his face serious.

  She shook her head. “No. They’re not the same guys from the other night.”

  “It sounded like they were paid goons,” he observed.

  “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “Why would anyone want to hurt me?”

  “How many times now? Twice?”

  She nodded. “No, wait.” Ice filled her veins. “Two days before I came here was the first time. The reason why I followed Killian was that I’d been hit by a car, but nothing happened to me.”

  “Wait,” Quinn shot to his feet. “You got hit by a car?”

  “It was a hit and run. I was scared because I didn’t have any money for an ambulance, so I ran.”

  “But you think it wasn’t an accident.”

  “I…I don’t know. It was too fast.”

  “I’ll look into it. Where did it happen?”

  “I was crossing Canal Street. Maybe it was at Forsyth? I was walking home.” Sh
e gave Selena a nod of thanks as she accepted the hot cup of tea from the other woman.

  “All right, doll,” he soothed. “I’ll find out more.”

  “Quinn,” Evie called as she put the phone down.

  “Did you talk to Killian?”

  She shook her head. “He’s still in the blackout site. But Mr. Creed said he’d get the word out as soon as possible.”

  “Good. Killian’s gonna lose his shit, but it’s better they tell him sooner than later.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Killian was bone tired by the time the Creed Security team extracted him from the black site. However, when he heard what happened at the office, he demanded to be sent back to New York City. He would have swum across the ocean if that was faster, but thankfully Sebastian had anticipated his reaction and had his private jet on standby.

  Despite the luxurious cabin of the plane, Killian couldn’t sleep a wink. His inner wolf was anxious and pacing back and forth. It needed Luna—to know she was okay. Hell, he just needed her. His blood ran cold each time he thought of what could have happened to them all in his absence. His mind also raced trying to figure out who would hurt Luna. He vowed that he would find out and stop those sonsabitches.

  Sleep continued to escape him, though he did drift off for a few minutes here and there. As soon as the plane landed in New York, he raced back to the city.

  “She’s in the guest room,” Meredith said as he entered the loft. His sister was in front of the TV, watching some reality show about housewives.

  “Thanks,” he called. “And put a damn security system in your apartment!”

  “I am the security system,” Meredith retorted.

  He stalked down the hallway to Luna’s bedroom, flinging the door open. She was curled up in bed, a book in her lap. She startled, but when she saw him in the doorway, she tossed the book aside and hopped off the bed, running to him.