Mark gave Caleb a dubious look. “Are you sure?”
“I’ll see you back home later.”
“Much later,” Caleb added unhelpfully.
Once they were alone, Charlie nudged him sharply in the ribs. Caleb grunted, but it didn’t look like Charlie did him any damage. They walked outside. A couple of strippers who spotted them gave Charlie curious looks but didn’t press. Charlie didn’t blame them. Caleb looked like the kind of guy no one messed with.
“Have fun teasing my friends?” Charlie demanded.
“It’s always fun to see you all riled up.” Caleb touched Charlie’s arm when he began to head for his beat-up Toyota. “We’re taking my ride.”
Charlie nodded in a heartbeat, unsure why he acted on reckless impulse. Seeing Caleb’s rundown, but well-maintained Harley, he sighed. “A bike. Why am I not surprised?”
Grinning, Caleb tossed Charlie a spare helmet. Charlie’s lips twisted. “It’s pink.”
“It was the only one available at the shop. Put it on.”
“Demanding bastard,” Charlie said with a huff. He put it on anyway. Knowing Caleb, Charlie knew he’d insist on having his way. “Do you know the way to my apartment?”
Caleb’s smile widened. “Sure, but we aren’t heading there right away.”
“How long have you been stalking me?” Charlie demanded, placing his hands on his hips.
“Don’t get pissed off all of a sudden. It’s only been a couple of days. Besides, I needed to make sure you’re safe. If they see you talking with me, I’d risk everything I’ve worked for.”
Charlie frowned. “You said you hunted everyone involved in the fire.”
“I don’t want to talk here in the open. Get on. I’ll buy you dinner.” Caleb mounted the bike and waited for him patiently. With a sigh, Charlie got on the bike.
Chapter Four
Charlie directed Caleb to one of his favorite diners in the city. Gary’s was open twenty-hours, and he knew they could have some privacy here. After parking the bike by the curb, they headed in. Charlie was a regular here, so the waitresses usually greeted him by name and directed him to his favorite booth in the back.
“It’s rare for Charlie to bring anyone here,” Linda, a middle-aged matronly waitress, remarked. She gave the leather jacket-wearing Caleb an uncertain smile, her gaze sweeping across his ink and scars.
“Not even his friends from the club?” Caleb asked, settling into his seat. He extended a hand. “I’m Caleb, Charlie’s significant other.”
Linda blinked, then recovered by giving Caleb a firm handshake. “Oh, my. Pleased to meet you.”
“Did I hear that right? Charlie’s getting hitched?”
Charlie rolled his eyes as another perky waitress joined their table. “You heard wrong. Caleb’s a…special childhood friend. Look, can we get menus, please?”
He directed another glare at Caleb, but his mate seemed immune to them. Charlie watched, slightly fascinated, as Caleb managed to charm the ladies there.
“You can make fast friends with anyone.”
After ordering the entire menu, Caleb raised one eyebrow at him. “Do I detect a note of jealousy?”
Before Charlie could make a flippant remark, Caleb reached for his hands across the table and gave them a little squeeze. Charlie swallowed when Caleb stroked his fingertips across his hand, the simple gesture telling volumes—all at once familiar and possessive.
“Don’t you worry your handsome little head off, pup. I’m not interested in anyone but you.”
Charlie cleared his throat. Tugged his hand back because he knew Caleb had been capable of working his unexplainable magic on him. “About what we talked about outside the club...can you tell me further?”
A dark, faraway look settled in Caleb’s eyes, the weight of his deeds weighing down on him maybe?
Caleb gave him a brief, no doubt censored, account of how he spent the last ten years hunting down the rival pack that eradicated their home. The more he spoke, the more the guilt brewing in Charlie festered. His insides twisted into knots. Charlie knew he’d been an ass in the club. Reacted like a brat who’d been scorned without hearing out Caleb’s tale, but how else would anyone sane react?
Besides, he knew the truth now. Caleb might not be his white knight. He was Charlie’s dark avenger. Caleb had stained his hands and soul for Charlie. Lingered in the dark for so long, Caleb assumed he didn’t deserve Charlie.
“I thought I gutted the last member of the Evenfall pack back in Nevada.” Caleb furrowed his brows. “Thinking back, it was pretty messy. I got shot down. When I woke, I counted the corpses, but I couldn’t remember how many there were in the beginning.”
Charlie made a promise to himself to be better. Caleb made his way back to him like he promised, even if it took some time. The anger and bitterness wouldn’t disappear, but Charlie could slowly learn how to forgive.
He leaned over grabbed Caleb’s fisted hands and spread them open against the table. Charlie then lifted them to his lips and kissed each of Caleb’s scarred knuckles. Distrust flittered across Caleb’s face, but Charlie would change that soon enough.
“It’s okay. You’ve done your best, and you’re tired. Thank you, but now that you’re here, you’re no longer alone.”
“Charlie,” Caleb said hoarsely. “Do you understand what you’re staying? If this is some kind of fucking joke—”
“A joke?” Charlie spat, not bothering to hide his annoyance. “Give me a break, Caleb. Before you told your story, I might be the kind who would have taken petty vengeance against the mate who left me behind.”
“What changed?” Caleb asked.
It pained Charlie to see the vulnerability staring back at him. His black knight was invincible, but Charlie would always be Caleb’s weak point and his downfall.
“I’m still angry at you, but we can work on that. Bent, Caleb. We only have each other. Even my friends don’t know the real me, only you do.” Charlie took a deep breath. “You’re right. We shared a past, we’re both living the present, but we might also share a future.”
Caleb let out a breath, speechless. Charlie released his hands just as Linda came back with their platter of dishes.
To diffuse the serious moment, Charlie eyed their dinner. “You sure you can eat all this, big guy?”
A rumble came out of Caleb. “Afraid I’d get all fat and unattractive, pup?”
Charlie eyed his pecs and six-pack. “Not for a while.”
The rest of dinner went smoothly. Charlie wouldn’t exactly call it a date, but in many ways, it was. They took turns asking questions, but ten years was a long time to fill in the gaps. Still, Charlie felt unexpectedly comfortable around Caleb. Like time froze ten years ago, only to restart again. Talking to Caleb felt like he was talking to a stranger he’d known all his life.
“Where are you currently staying at?” Charlie asked on the drive back home.
Caleb rattled off the name of a two-star hotel. In a matter of minutes, Caleb parked his bike right in front of Charlie’s apartment. True to his word, Caleb took him home. Home was a strange word, though. Charlie called Trinity Valley ashes and ruins, but he had a feeling Caleb didn’t associate the word with a location but a person.
Him. Them. Together.
“I usually sleep through the morning. Wake up about noon. Want to meet me for lunch?” Charlie surprised them both by making the first move.
Caleb smirked. He stood so close to Charlie, all Charlie had to do was take a step closer so their chests, groins, and faces could touch. “Direct. I fucking like that.”
“You don’t know how persuasive I can be, big guy.”
Charlie was at a loss for words when Caleb grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him close for a kiss. No fight this time or reluctance. Charlie let Caleb’s taste and heat flood into his mouth. As a professional stripper, Charlie didn’t let many men kiss him, but he didn’t know one kiss with Caleb could set off a chain of reactions.
He
felt the warmth of Caleb’s arms around his waist. Charlie closed his eyes and opened his lips so Caleb could deepen the kiss. His head reeled, and his insides melted. Caleb’s hands slid lower to cup his ass, drawing them even closer and making Charlie aware of the bulge in Caleb’s jeans rubbing against his own erection.
When Caleb released him, Charlie moaned into his mouth.
“Tomorrow then,” Caleb said, his tone harsh.
“You fucking tease,” Charlie gritted out.
He whimpered when Caleb mashed his body against his, then whispered, “Don’t fucking tempt me, pup. Right now, I’m barely hanging on to my control. Say another word, and I’ll fuck you right here in the open for everyone to see.”
Charlie shivered at those words, not in fear but in excitement. Caleb nipped at his ear.
“Good night, Charlie.”
“Good night, Caleb.” Charlie tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
He watched Caleb speed away, and then glanced at the window of the fifth floor. The lights in the living room were on, and Charlie spotted a shadow by the curtains. Typical of his roommate to be spying on him, but Mark must have questions. Charlie supposed it was about time he started telling Mark the truth about his past and why Caleb came to get him. Raul getting caught up in his business was the last thing he wanted.
Charlie headed inside the lift, and, reaching their unit, he fished out his keys. When his left foot nearly got caught on the lopsided “Welcome” mat, he cursed. Charlie righted himself, frowning when he saw the door had been left slightly ajar. Their neighborhood might be decent, but they always locked the door.
“Mark?” Charlie called.
Instinct told him to back away. To call Caleb, but that was nuts. What if the danger had all been a product of his overactive imagination? After Caleb told him about the possibility of the Evenfall pack survivors wanting to seek revenge, Charlie was being paranoid.
“Mark, this isn’t funny.” Charlie pushed the door open and stepped inside the hallway. “Look, I can explain what happened at the club. Caleb is—”
Charlie couldn’t continue. Mark lay on the carpet, gagged and bound. His eyes widened, seeing Charlie. Incomprehensible noises came out from his gag. The door slammed shut behind Charlie, making him jump. His skin crawled as he caught sight of the tall and menacing bald man in a business suit standing a couple of feet from Mark.
“Hey, let go of my friend. This business is between you and me.”
The man calmly drew out a handgun from the inside of his blazer and pointed the barrel at Mark’s head. Mark began struggling, but the man only kicked at his head. To Charlie, he said, “Move one more step, and your friend gets a shiny bullet to the brain. Unlike us, he’s mortal. He won’t heal from this.”
“Who are you?” Charlie asked with a calmness he didn’t feel. He felt a little surreal. Why couldn’t he be more alert? If he’d only had the courage to invite Caleb here, Caleb would definitely help even the odds.
The stranger smiled, showing rows of sharp canines. Under the lights of the apartment, his pupils gleamed dirty yellow. On the side of his neck was a pack tattoo Charlie didn’t recognize.
“Ben Evenfall. The guy behind you is my brother, Travis. We’re the only two survivors of our once-glorious pack, thanks to your fucking mate.” Ben spat.
Evenfall. Charlie would never forget that name.
“You burned our home and nearly killed very man woman and child,” Charlie said with newfound hatred he hadn’t felt in years. “Your fucking pack deserved to die. What comes around, goes around.”
Footsteps sounded behind him. Before Charlie could react, the other werewolf, Travis, moved faster. A fist blurred and caught him at the side of his jaw. Travis didn’t wait for him to recover. His next blow hit Charlie in the solar plexus. The third caught his chest, stealing the breath out of him. Charlie went down like a pile of bricks, groaning. Above him, Travis, a mirror image of his brother, snarled at him.
“As you can see, my younger brother has anger management problems. I’d advise you not to anger him,” Ben said evenly. He walked up to where Charlie lay. When Travis’ foot rose, probably to kick Charlie in the ribs, Ben grabbed his arm and shook his head.
“We need the omega alive and healthy enough. Otherwise, we can’t breed him.”
Charlie’s heart halted for a few seconds at that. Ben and Travis seemed to catch a whiff of his fear and panic. They bore maniacal grins. Jesus. After all these years, Charlie conveniently forgot why his pack had been hunted down to near extinction. When Caleb didn’t return, Charlie thought the legacy the rest of the pack helped protect would eventually fade away. After all, Charlie always presumed he’d bear Caleb’s children, not anyone’s else.
Now the old terror flooded back.
“That’s right, bastard. You’re only good for one thing.” Ben knelt down, grabbed a fistful of Charlie’s hair, and pressed the muzzle of his handgun against his chin. “Since your mate killed most of us, you’re going to help repopulate our pack. We’re going to breed you until you’re all washed up.”
Remembering the past wouldn’t help Charlie. Besides, he was no longer a kid. Charlie opened his mouth and bit on Ben’s gun arm. Hard. Ben yelled, dropping the gun as Charlie crunched through skin and bone. He stubbornly latched on until Ben used his other hand to give him a back-handed slap that sent him sprawling onto the carpet.
Before Charlie could recover, Travis was on him, kicking at his ribs and stomach until Charlie stopped moving. Groaning, he lay there, spitting out blood. As much as Charlie’s wolf yelled at him to keep on fighting, standing at this point would be a miraculous chore. He was sorely outnumbered.
Charlie could almost hear Caleb’s voice in his head, telling him to pick the fights he could win. There was also strength in biding his time and striking when they thought him weak.
“Fucker bit my hand,” Ben muttered angrily.
“Thought you’d be happier,” Travis muttered in a gruff voice, placing a foot on Charlie’s side.
“Why the fuck did you think I’d be pleased?” Ben demanded.
“Because you and I like them feisty. Otherwise, it’s no fun.”
A chill crawled down Charlie’s spine at those words.
“You’re right, brother. It’s been awhile since we had a challenge. Bring the omega to the van before the neighbors call the cops because of the noise,” Ben ordered.
Charlie let out a moan of protest as Travis easily hefted him over his broad shoulder.
“What about the extra?” Travis asked.
“I’ll deal with him. Go.”
Travis went, easily moving like Charlie didn’t weight a thing. Just as they headed out the door, Charlie heard the roar of a gun. He screamed, began pounding at Travis’ back, but the brute slammed his head against the wall. The world turned dark.
Chapter Five
Caleb didn’t know what prompted him to steer the Harley back to Charlie’s apartment. His spiritual wolf paced inside him, restless, his canines bared. A feeling of uneasiness knotted inside his belly. The last time he felt like this had been ten years ago, the night the Evenfall pack set fire to Trinity Valley in the hopes of taking advantage of the chaos to capture the pack omegas.
His instincts told him to stay with Charlie after dropping him by his apartment. Instead, Caleb decided to give his mate space. Some time to think the events of the past few hours over. Caleb killed the engine the moment he reached the curb of Charlie’s building.
His beast surged to the surface of his skin, howling and begging to be let out. Caution and experience made him take the sawed-off shotgun he kept at the back of his bike. Caleb double-checked the barrel. Certain the chambers were loaded with silver bullets, he hid the gun inside his leather jacket before running in.
Caleb jabbed the elevator button, impatient. The doors hissed closed, then opened on Charlie’s floor. Charlie’s scent hit him—then the smell of blood, hurt, and panic.
“Fuck,”
he murmured under his breath.
Seeing the door hanging open, Caleb snarled. Reaching the site, his nostrils flared, and crimson entirely tinted his vision. Caleb breathed in and out. Told himself he was no use to Charlie angry and unable to think. He studied the mussed up carpet and slight droplets of blood leading to the front door. Charlie hadn’t gone out without a fight.
“That’s my pup,” he muttered with approval.
Hearing a groan from somewhere nearby, Caleb tensed, drawing the shotgun one-handed with practiced ease. The muffled sound came again. Caleb followed it to the hallway closet. Keeping the barrel pointed ahead of him, Caleb yanked open the door.
A figure crouched inside, bruised, bleeding, and tied up. Not Charlie. Caleb recognized one of the strippers from the club. Mark.
Refusing to let his disappointment show, Caleb hauled Mark up and undid the knots.
“Mark, tell me what happened. Where’s Charlie?” Caleb checked him for injuries and asked where they kept a first-aid kit. After retrieving it from the kitchen and fixing Mark up the best he could, Caleb asked him patiently again.
“They took him. Two men,” Mark rasped after Caleb handed him a glass of water.
Mark described two men who sounded exactly like Ben and Travis Evenfall, brothers and Evenfall pack enforcers known for their cruelty and viciousness. A chill went down his spine as Mark said in a shaky voice what he overhead the two men telling what they would do to Charlie.
“Why did they leave you alive?” Caleb asked, suspicious.
Mark let out a breath. “One of the guys told the other one to deal with me, but he said he couldn’t kill me because I looked like his dead mate. He said as long as I kept quiet, he won’t come back for me.”
Caleb processed his words, wondering if he could use them as leverage. If Charlie were here, he’d be appalled to hear the rotten plan he began formulating in his head. Caleb usually had no qualms making use of anyone or resorting to shady means to reach his objective.
What changed? Before meeting Charlie, Caleb swore to be a better man for his mate. Someone Charlie deserved, but right now, Caleb needed to sink to the level of his enemies. Fight fire with fire, because that was the only way he remained on top to protect the most important person in the world to him.
Rightfully His Omega Page 4
