“You were shot. We’ll have to take things easy until you’re healed.” She smoothed her hand over his arm. Lord, she was going to miss that, but at least she’d be able to sleep next to him tonight.
“If you think we’re not making love soon, you just might need to see the doctor, because you’re delirious. The wound is healing and you’ll see that soon enough.” He stopped and leaned down until their noses touched.
She sniffed, but held his stare. He wasn’t the only one involved in that decision. He was going to have to realize that.
“You’re pushing me, Genny. You should be damn glad I had a couple of hours to calm down after Steven told me about your bid to implement your plan while I was hurt.” His hand cupped her chin.
“And what did you think you would do to me if I had been close by?” She put her hands on her hips and resisted the urge to step back. He wasn’t going to intimidate her with any dire prediction. She’d done what she thought was right. She’d do it again.
“It was a toss-up between bending you over my knee and spanking you until you couldn’t sit or fucking you until you couldn’t even think of doing something that stupid again.” His hand slid around to the back of her neck.
She had the distinct feeling he wanted to shake her. His fingers were clasped firmly around her wrist, but the grip wasn’t bruising. She met his eyes and saw anger and determination there. He certainly wasn’t showing her the slightest hint of humor.
“So what did you and Steven decide to do?” She reached up and tugged at his hand. It didn’t budge.
“We’re going into seclusion,” he whispered as his thumb stroked along the side of her neck.
“Where?” She tilted her head. He was deliberately drawing this out, teasing her.
“You’ll see. Just wait.” He released her. “Now let’s go. I’m ready to get out of this place.”
“I told you he’d be ready to break out of here.” Anne walked toward them from the nurses’ station. “You’re free. The doctor released you and the nurses are ready to wheel you out to the car.”
“I don’t need to be wheeled anywhere.” He scowled at his sister.
“Now don’t be a baby about it. They’re only doing their job.” Anne laughed.
“An alpha isn’t wheeled anywhere. It’s a sign of weakness and invites challenge,” he growled.
“You’ll survive a wheelchair ride.” Anne laughed at him. “You can worry about challenges after your Genny is safe. But don’t try to fool me. No one’s going to challenge you.”
He glared at Anne, but sat when the nurse brought a wheelchair. The woman didn’t even look surprised to find him on his feet waiting for them. Geneva walked beside him. He wouldn’t stay in the chair if she was behind him or in front of him. She shot him a frustrated look, but stayed where she was.
Anne drove. Geneva sat in the backseat with Evan. His arm slid behind her and he tugged her a little closer. She rested her head against her chest and watched the buildings move beyond the windows.
Houses and business complexes passed, but Anne showed no sign of slowing. When the car drove into a warehouse district, Geneva began to wonder if Anne even knew where to go. She shook her head. Maybe Anne was driving around to make sure that no one was following them.
“Are we just doing one big circle to ensure we’re not followed or do you actually have a destination in mind?” Geneva asked softly. She knew both Anne and Evan would hear the question.
“We have a destination. We’re almost there. If we have followers that’s good. I want the witch to know where you are. It will save time and might get us out of here a little faster.” Evan’s hand clasped around hers, squeezing gently.
“In a warehouse district. There’s nothing here.” She straightened and had to stare at him. There wouldn’t be anyone around to see if the witch did anything, to hear if they needed help.
“That’s exactly the point. The only people around should be those who have business in the area and our people. Anyone else will stand out almost as soon as they enter the district,” Evan said tugging her back against him.
“And the people who are going to be watching us, where will they be?” She put a hand against his chest and pushed away a little.
“In the buildings around us.” Evan gestured to the large buildings as they passed.
“A normal warehouse won’t be equipped for living.” She sat up and reached for the door.
“We’ll be comfortable. This warehouse has been set up for us. The agents watching us won’t be as comfortable. Some of them will actually be working in the warehouses.” Evan slid out of the car behind her. His hand settled in the small of her back.
She glanced back over her shoulder. His eyes ran over the large buildings around them. He seemed immensely satisfied. If she hadn’t seen him in the hospital, she’d have never guessed that he’d been shot. He looked healthy, vital, as if he could run a marathon. She shook her head. He could at least look like he was hurt. Geneva walked toward the building just ahead of Evan. Anne moved up beside her. Her eyes moved from the left to the right. Geneva realized that Anne was also looking for signs of an attack. Geneva’s head swung frantically searching for signs of danger. They had to see something since they were looking around so intensely.
“It’s all right. The witch hasn’t had time to set up a trap here. She couldn’t have known what we were planning. Anne’s just being cautious,” Evan said in a reassuring tone.
Geneva relaxed a little. The single metal door opened before they reached it. Geneva recognized the Protectorate operative standing there. She’d worked with Jake before. He stepped back letting them into the warehouse.
“Everything’s ready,” Jake said. “Come on in and we’ll show you some of the measures we’ve taken as well as your living quarters for your stay here.” Jake’s arm swept wide as they walked into the room.
The huge warehouse was mostly empty. Couches, a table, television and lamps sat in one area. A long table was lined with computers and monitors. A man and a woman sat in front of the array of screens. Geneva gaped. She just hoped the bed area wasn’t as open as this.
“What do you have set up so far? Steven told me a little about what he was planning. I want to know how secure this place is.” Evan stepped forward as soon as the door closed behind them.
“We’re still working on a lot of the video surveillance. We have a few more sensors to put up outside that will be activated after the area is clear of workers.” Jake led the way over to the table.
Geneva followed Evan to the table. She saw various angles of the cameras displayed on the screen. She watched and listened as Evan questioned the men about the angles and what the coverage would be. He wanted to know about blind spots and any possible weakness in the security. Finally, Evan seemed satisfied with what was being done in that area.
“There’s a contained apartment in a loft. It’s been furnished so that if you want privacy you have it. It’s there.” Jake gestured toward the back of the warehouse.
That end had two levels. She followed his hand. Windows on that loft offered a view of the warehouse floor. Any window facing the streets would have been sealed. It saddened her, but it also infuriated her. She knew that looking out the windows could be risky, but she was going to miss looking at the sun. Then again, all there was to see here were other warehouses so she wasn’t missing much. She walked up the stairs in front of Evan. The door opened just before she reached it. She stepped into the room. A gray couch and two chairs faced a large screen. She walked past them to the doors on the far side of the room. She opened one door and saw an office with a large desk and computer. She moved to the other door. A large bed had been centered against one wall and a nightstand had been put to the right side of the bed.
“The lock is open now. You can key in an entry code so that you’ll feel safe. You shouldn’t need it, but it will be there just in case,” Jake said from the doorway. “All the comforts of home are here, kitchen to the left, offic
e, bedroom and bathroom down the hallway.”
“Thank you.” Geneva turned away from the bedroom and smiled at him.
“If you need anything just ask. Your clothes are being brought over here. We’re making a production of it. The witch should know that we’ve put you somewhere. It shouldn’t take her long to come after you.” Jake leaned against the doorjamb.
“We will. Just give us a little time alone and we’ll be down to talk more.” Evan stepped just in front of her. His frown sent the man running.
“You didn’t have to do that. He was just showing us around.” She pushed on Evan’s shoulder. A flush heated her cheeks. The man’s attitude was getting on her nerves. He didn’t have any reason to start that possessive posturing. Not to mention the fact that kind of thing would eventually drive her insane. She wasn’t going to let him get away with it.
“He wanted you.” Evan’s eyes narrowed.
“No, he didn’t.” She rolled her eyes. She loved the way he thought she was sexy and irresistible, but he was wrong this time.
“I can smell his arousal,” Evan said flatly.
She sighed. “It’s not me he’s attracted to.”
He turned to fully face her. His eyes widened. “You mean he’s attracted to me? You’re not lying to me?”
“No, I’m not lying. Jake likes males. He’s got good taste. He knows a nice body when he sees it. You’ve got to know you have a delicious body.” She let her eyes drift down his broad chest covered by the shirt.
He shook his head, but smiled. “That’s good. I’m taken too. I thought maybe he wanted my sexy woman.”
“Taken, I don’t know about that, but possessive, yeah, you are that.” She leaned in close to nip at his lips.
“Very definitely taken. You may talk about walking away from us, but you’re just as possessive as I am.” His hand slipped behind her neck.
He tugged her close for his kiss. His tongue thrust into her mouth. She sucked at his tongue. She loved kissing him. He pulled her close, his hips pressing into hers. She slipped her arms around his waist. Just when she was ready to shove him onto the couch or floor, he pulled back.
“Let’s go down and talk to the others.” He stepped away from her.
She didn’t want to let him go. But they did need to go meet the others. She was curious about the measures they’d put in place for both surveillance and to catch the witch. She had to know or she’d worry about it. Reluctantly, she let her arms fall away from him.
“You know heating a woman and just leaving her wanting can get a man pushed onto the floor and his clothes ripped off him. Or maybe pushed over a second floor railing, depending on how mad the woman is.” She gripped his shirt briefly. She really felt like doing it.
“You can try to rip my clothes off any time, Genny. The other, well, I wouldn’t advise it. Let’s go.” He tugged her hand away from his shirt and holding her hand led her to the door. “Later we’ll play.”
* * * * *
Evan watched Geneva. Her eyes drifted to him often and he knew that she had definite ideas about what she wanted to do tonight. He was glad that she wasn’t brooding about when and how the witch was going to attack. That hadn’t been his aim when he’d kissed her, but he appreciated the benefit. The witch would attack again. This time it would probably be more violent. Evan expected the witch to send someone to try to kill him again. It was the only way Geneva would be vulnerable.
“Come with me. It’s getting late and nothing’s going to happen tonight.” Geneva walked over to him.
He watched the sexy swing of her hips. Her jeans hugged her rounded hips and her t-shirt clung to her breasts. She looked relaxed. Lord, he wanted to grab her hips and pull her against him and feel her moving like that. The heat in her eyes and the soft scent of her arousal tempted him. He’d love to go up those stairs with her, but he was waiting for Steven. One of the Protectorate men had told him that Steven needed to talk to him.
“Go on. I’ll join you after I’ve talked to Steven.” Evan rose and took the single step that separated them. He hugged her. “Keep thinking about me.”
“I’ll be thinking about you, but it probably won’t be the way you mean. Why do you need to talk to Steven? It’s too soon for anything to have happened.” She put a hand on her hip and glared at him.
“There’s some things that have to be finalized, a few details probably. I’ll be up soon.” He didn’t think Steven would want to talk about forwarding mail or working around business meetings for him. Something had to have been discovered when the agents had gone after their clothing.
“Whatever he wants, you’d better tell me about it. I’m the one the witch hates. You’re not going to keep facts from me about this.” Her finger dug briefly into his chest just above his nipple before she spun on her heel and marched toward the stairs.
He smiled, but returned to his seat. He’d like to follow her, but knew the meeting with Steven couldn’t wait. He was a little surprised that she’d walked away from him when she knew Steven was coming. Maybe she was mad at the Protectorate commander for not agreeing to help her in her scheme. The idea of loving her out of her anger taunted him. He had to wait half an hour. By the time Steven arrived, Evan’s good mood had disappeared. The other man’s face was sober and he looked tired and frustrated. Evan knew that this wasn’t just a formality. Something had happened as he’d suspected.
“Hi, Evan, thanks for waiting.” Steven dropped into a chair. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
“What’s happened?” Evan asked bluntly.
“Well, we retrieved your clothing, but I sent a man back to your house to watch for a while. I wanted to see if anyone came to find you. When they arrived there, your door was wide open. My people had locked it before they left.” Steven leaned forward.
“Did they go inside the house or did someone just open the door and get scared away?” Evan leaned forward and met Steven’s eyes.
“They weren’t scared away. Someone went into your house and they were angry. It’s been trashed and it reeks. I don’t know what they did, but it smells worse than if they’d let a skunk into your home.” Steven shook his head.
“What exactly was done?” Evan frowned.
It would be easy to assume that this was done by the witch. It could have been done by vandals, but he wasn’t going to make any assumptions until he had more information. They had invaded his territory. Anger slammed through him. He felt his teeth lengthen and his claws began to push his nails up. He took deep breaths, struggling for control. This could easily have nothing to do with Geneva and the witch who wanted to hurt her. It could be aimed at him, but he doubted it.
“In your living room every piece of furniture was slashed and stained with paints. Holes have been punched into the walls and paint was sprayed on almost every surface they could reach.” Steven sat back and shook his head.
“Just in the living room? Was any other room damaged?” Evan gritted his teeth. This didn’t sound like something any of his enemies would do.
“The whole lower floor of your house was vandalized.” Steven grimaced. “Pipes were jerked free in the bathroom and kitchen. Water was everywhere.”
“Damn.” Evan envisioned the mess. It was going to take weeks to fix that. He wanted to rip whoever had done it into small pieces.
“Was there any message for Geneva or me?” Evan wouldn’t have put it past the witch to have something scrawled on the walls.
“No. My men are processing the scene. Hopefully, we’ll find something to lead us to the people who did it.” Steven didn’t look like he held much hope that that would happen.
“I want to know if you find something.” Evan stood.
“I’ll tell you, but even if we find something I’m not giving you a name. I want them alive.” Steven’s voice hardened.
“At least you know me well enough to keep me away from the man. Notify me if anything else happens.” Evan began striding for the stairs.
Fury pulse
d inside him. He wanted to hunt the men down and make them tell him who wanted Geneva to suffer. She was going to feel guilty about what had happened. He hated to see her frightened, but he couldn’t keep this from her.
He walked into their quarters and saw her immediately. She lay sprawled on the couch on her back. He head was braced on the arm rest. She was reading a book, soft music playing. As soon as the door closed behind, the book lowered. She looked at him for a long moment.
“What happened? You didn’t discuss simple details with Steven. I can tell by your expression and the stiffness of your body.” She tilted her head and looked like she was prepared to wait all night for his answer.
He loved that she was beginning to read him so well. Walking over to the couch, he lifted her legs so that he could slide under them. She was barefooted and wore a soft green short nightgown. He could see the dark shadow between her legs. He wanted to slide his hand between her thighs and discover if she was wearing anything beside that gown. He lowered her legs onto his. He rested his hand on her thigh. With extreme effort, he resisted the urge to let his hand roam higher.
“There was some vandalism done on the house after the Protectorate agents collected our clothes,” Evan said.
He felt the tension burst through her. The book dropped to the floor as she sat up straight. He saw her hands clench into fists.
“What kind of vandalism? How bad is it?” Her voice sounded tight and he could see the anger burning in her eyes.
“Just about anything you can think of. It’s going to take some time to fix the damage.” He tried to keep the anger out of his voice. It wouldn’t help either of them.
“I’m so sorry. If you didn’t think you were my mate, I bet you’d run from this. I wouldn’t even blame you. This witch doesn’t give up.” She shook her head and looked away from him.
He cupped her cheek and forced her to meet his eyes. “This isn’t your fault. I wouldn’t leave you even if you weren’t my mate. This witch is a menace and has to be stopped.”
“You say that now, but how much of this could anyone take? Hell, the witch makes me want to go after her or run as far as I can.” She grimaced, but didn’t try to pull away from his loose hold. “And we still don’t even know what the fuck set this person off. What did I do to make her so damn mad?”
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