by Maia Dylan
Rossi frowned. “How do you know who will fall victim to this weapon and who can survive it?”
“We are working on that now, and it doesn’t concern you,” Caruso said dismissively, and Rossi’s unease increased. “Now, tell me what you have done about putting an end to the Black Ridge Alpha? Those six months, as you so rightfully pointed out, are slipping past quickly. I will be … disappointed if Kieran Murphy’s heart is still within his damn chest and beating at the end of that time. I want to know what you have planned.”
Caruso’s hard-on for Murphy was a mystery. No matter how hard he looked, or who he asked, Rossi couldn’t find anything that would indicate why a man like Caruso would be so damn keen to see the bastard dead. The only thing he had caught from the network of contacts that worked for Caruso’s vast business interests was that it had something to do with a vendetta. Whatever it was, it was something that not only drove Caruso hard, but Rossi knew he would never let it go.
“I’ve simply done as you asked,” Rossi said.
“And what was that?”
Rossi turned to stare at the three large men all standing out in the foyer of his office flirting with his assistant. “I got myself a bigger fucking lion.”
****
Kieran felt like a damn stalker.
He stood across the street from the diner Josie worked in, staring at her like a lovestruck idiot as she went about her shift. Even from this distance he could see the lines of fatigue on her beautiful face. He frowned when he thought he saw her sway a little. He shot across the road as fast as he dared, entered the diner, and walked straight over to her.
“What’s wrong with you?” Kieran heard the impatient tone in his voice, but he was too concerned to be worried about upsetting her.
Josie’s cheeks filled with color, and she cast a furtive glance around the room. “Nothing and keep your voice down.”
Kieran growled low, not liking just how tired she looked now that he was standing face to face with her. “Bullshit it’s nothing. You look tired, and I saw you swaying on your feet. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Josie’s expression turned to one of frustration, and she walked away from him. Kieran was about to growl something at her for walking away from him, but she stopped a few steps from him, turned and gave him a pointed look, then indicated with her head that he was to follow her. His lion let out a continuous growl as he followed her. Neither of them liked the fact that there were shadows beneath her beautiful blue eyes. Something was up, and Kieran was going to find out what the hell was going on.
He followed her through the restaurant and went to step through the door that led to the back of the diner, toward the bathroom areas, but was stopped by another waitress he knew was called Meryl. She was a woman that looked older than she probably was, but she was always looking out for Josie and that made her okay in his book.
“I know who you are. You’re the Black Ridge Alpha. Is Josie your mate?” Meryl asked quietly.
Kieran frowned. “No, we’re just friends.” Kieran ignored the unhappy grumblings of his lion. Violet had told him that there were more humans in the city aware of the shifter world than he had ever suspected. It was going to take some getting used to.
Meryl returned his frown with one of her own. “That’s a shame. The two of you make a cute couple. Maybe the other guy might be the one to—no, damn it, not any of my business.” Kieran’s lion froze hunter-still within him. The other guy? Who the ever-loving fuck was that? “Look, if you are Josie’s friend then you need to get her to talk to you. God knows I’ve tried to get it out of her, but she refuses to talk to me. She is taking as many double shifts as she can get her hands on, and she’s not eating enough to keep a child nourished.”
Kieran gritted his teeth as he mentally cursed. No fucking wonder she was so damn tired.
“How long?” he growled, his lion clear in his tone, and he saw Meryl’s eyes flash with fear. He took a deep breath and tried again. “How long has this been going on?”
“A—a week,” Meryl squeaked in answer then scuttled away.
Kieran processed that as he continued out the door to find Josie leaning against the wall halfway down the hall, tapping her foot. He had to fight to hold back his grin. Damn, she was cute when she was pissed.
“Nice of you to join me,” she said, her tone sharp, and his lion chuffed in pleasure, an unusual reaction for a dominant cat such as his. “You ran in here so fast you were a blur, questioning and cursing at me, and when I want to talk to you in a calm manner to perhaps ease your concerns, you decide it's best to stop and have a conversation with another woman.”
Kieran quirked an eyebrow at her. “Jealous, sweetness?” That alluring sweep of red that rose in her cheeks often had him smiling softly. “Don’t be. My relationship with Meryl is purely platonic, I promise.”
Josie rolled her eyes. “I happen to know that Meryl is happily married to a man who adores her, so I know you wouldn’t stand a chance no matter how handsome and charming you are.”
Kieran’s grin widened. “You think I’m handsome and charming? Don’t be embarrassed to admit it. Most women feel the same way about me. It’s hard being so perfect and irresistible at the same time.”
Josie reached over and slapped him in the chest with the back of her hand. He loved how carefree she was with him at times, but eventually she forgot to relax around him and froze up again.
“Josie, I can tell that you are out on your feet. Talk to me. What’s going on?” this time he asked nicely.
Josie sighed as she looked up at him from beneath lowered lashes. “Nothing is going on, Kieran, I promise. Just a little short on cash at the moment, and don’t you dare.” Kieran paused with his hand hovering near his back pocket, fully prepared to pull out his wallet and give her everything he had in it. “I am not asking you for money, and I sure as hell am not going to take any from you.”
Kieran held his hands up in surrender. “Well, okay, but if you ever need anything from me, you only have to ask.”
“Always looking to save the damsel in distress, right?” Josie said in a flat tone that had his lion prowling within him. “I’m not always going to need saving, you know. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
Wanting to put a smile back on her beautiful face, Kieran grinned rakishly back. “You gotta admit I play a damn fine knight though, right? If horses didn’t freak the hell out when I was around them, I would be tempted to buy a white horse just to complete this awesome package.”
Josie huffed a laugh that had him wanting to pat himself on the back. “You can be such an arrogant asshole, Kieran.”
Kieran laughed. He loved it when Josie cursed. It just sounded funny. “But you love me anyway.”
Josie’s smile fell. Kieran read the longing that flickered in her blue eyes, and he wanted to curse his own callousness. Her expression turned sad when he continued to just stare at her, and he had to fight the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss the sadness away. His lion roared within him, completely on board with that, but his damn conscience got in the way.
“Josie,” he said gently, desperately trying to think of something to say to fix the hurt he could read in her eyes.
She shook her head and gave him a smile that quavered slightly. “No, it’s okay, Kieran. I guess I have a little hero worship going on where you’re concerned, and sometimes it takes on a life of its own. Just forget about it. I’m just being silly.”
He wanted to growl that she wasn’t being silly, and that the attraction was more than mutual, but how could he do that when there was no future in it? Kieran wanted to say to hell with the Fates. How could there be another woman on the damn planet who made him feel the way Josie did with just a simple smile?
“Josie,” he whispered again.
“No, I’m all good, I promise.” She turned to walk back down the hall toward the restaurant. “It was good to see you. Are you going to attend that dinner at Violet’s she’s been planning?”
With a heavy heart and no clue what to do about it, Kieran followed her from the hall. “I’ve been told that there will be consequences if I don’t turn up, so yeah. Would you like me to come get you?”
Josie turned to look at him over her shoulder, a smile on her beautiful face. She never saw the gun the man standing a short distance from her had in his hand, so she had no idea that the bastard was pointing the damn thing right at her. Kieran growled, pushing forward with every inch of speed he could muster. Kieran had never been so scared.
He reached Josie at exactly the same time that the weapon discharged. He took her to the ground hard, twisting as they fell to put his body in front of the fucker firing in their direction. He heard Josie cry out in surprise then in pain as she landed hard on her right side on the restaurant floor. With a growl, holding his lion back by sheer will alone, Kieran rolled away and leaped to his feet.
The gunman had to have been a shifter because he was already out the front door of the restaurant. Kieran could either go after the fucker or see to Josie. There was no choice really.
“Are you okay?” Kieran asked as he dropped to his knees beside her and helped her into a sitting position.
Josie turned her brilliant green eyes in his direction, confusion and shock swimming in their depths. “Um, yeah. I think so.”
She winced as she rubbed her right shoulder, and Kieran cursed beneath his breath. “Christ, I hurt you.”
Josie shot him a pointed look. “Yeah, because getting shot is so much better than a slightly banged-up shoulder.”
“Cops are on their way!” Karl Underwood shouted from behind the counter.
Kieran stared around the room. The diners’ shock was palpable in the room. With all the glass at the front of the restaurant, he felt too vulnerable. He couldn’t protect Josie here. He had to get her out of the restaurant.
“Karl!” he called out. “When they get here, tell them they can call for a statement from me and Josie.”
“What? Wait,” Josie sputtered as she tried to scramble to her feet.
Kieran reached out and plucked her from the floor and swung her up into his arms. “Josie won’t be in tomorrow either.”
“Got it,” Karl called out as Kieran strode out of the restaurant and headed across the street to where he’d parked.
“Kieran!” Josie struggled in his arms. “This is a crime scene. We can’t just walk away! Who the hell do you think you are?”
Kieran slid her into the front seat of his jeep and leaned down, and God help him, but he loved the way her eyes darkened with awareness. “Put your damn seatbelt on.”
He slammed the door, then moved swiftly around the front of the Jeep, almost convinced that she would jump out as soon as she could. He was more than a little surprised to find her exactly where he had put her.
“You can’t just kidnap me, Kieran,” Josie said in a tired tone.
He turned to look at her as he started the vehicle. “Fucking watch me.”
Chapter Three
“Here you go, sweets,” Violet said as she handed Josie a cup of tea. “It’s a little sweeter than normal.”
Josie smiled her thanks and lifted the steaming cup to her lips. “Good lord!” she said with a grimace. “How many teaspoons of sugar did you put in this thing?”
Violet frowned. “Four, I think, perhaps five.” She looked over her shoulder at the handsome men who stood behind her. “You two distracted me. Can you remember how many spoons of sugar I put in that tea?”
“Not a clue,” Mason said with a shrug, and his brother, Jacob’s grin told her they’d both been as distracted by their mate as Violet had been by them. Josie was happy for her friend, and quietly jealous that she had found men who would love and protect her above all else.
“No, it’s fine,” Josie said and placed the cup on the table in front of her. “I am so tired right now a diabetic coma sounds like bliss.”
A growl came from the man in sitting in the armchair at the other end of the coffee table and Josie shot him a quick look. She had seen Kieran angry before, but right now he looked like his lion was about to burst forth and create carnage all around him. She shivered at the memory of him in his animal form, attacking the man who had kidnapped her almost six months ago. The time had passed quickly, but the memories of that time were still vivid for her.
“Are you all right?” Kieran’s terse question cut through those memories, and she nodded, not trusting her own voice not to shake.
“So we now know who it is that’s stepped into Santiago’s vacancy,” Violet announced, and Josie was amazed at how still Kieran became. She got the impression of apex predator, and it had her heart rate increasing, and not out of fear.
“Who?”
Josie took a slow deep breath at the dominant yet deadly tone in the Alpha’s voice. He exuded strength and lethal intent, and she apparently found that very attractive in a man.
“The man’s name is Rossi. Amadeo Rossi,” Violet answered. “For all intents and purposes, he had been working out of New York up until a few months ago. Looks like whoever is calling the shots sent him here to take over from Daddy dearest. Once I know more, I’ll let you know.”
Violet picked up what looked like an iPad from the table and began to swipe and push her finger against the screen. From the scowl on her face, Josie could see that Violet was not happy about what she was seeing.
“I can’t believe Karl never installed a working CCTV system,” Violet complained. “He runs a business, for goodness’ sake. What does he think will happen if someone was to burst into the restaurant and shoot someone? Oh, wait! Yeah, that happened today, and he has no damn footage of the bastard who did it. How’s a girl supposed to run her kick-ass facial recognition program on the image, find the guy, and introduce him to the pointy end of my sword if I don’t have a picture?”
“I’ll find him,” Kieran said in a deadly tone, and Josie turned to look back at him once more. This time the expression on his face was fierce and determined.
“Leave it to the police,” Josie said softly, and when Kieran’s gaze narrowed at her, she nervously picked up her tea cup once more to give her something to do and somewhere else to look. “You don’t need the attention of getting caught fighting in the city when you have bigger concerns.”
She took a swig of the liquid sugar she held in her hand and choked it down. When Kieran had answered the call to war from Violet’s father Robert Santiago, he had taken on a much larger organization than just the one taking hold here in Chicago. Josie was a firm believer that by cutting the head from that particular snake it didn’t kill it completely, and another would soon be there to replace it. Kieran and the Black Ridge pride needed to concentrate on what was coming at them, and not on some crazy man who decided to play pop a stranger in a restaurant.
“Don’t think,” Kieran’s tone was intense, “for one minute that I will let that slide. He could have fucking killed you, Josie. Because of him, I had to throw you to the ground, and you were hurt. That is absolutely unacceptable. I will find him.” Josie sighed, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. “Your heart is racing. Are you scared of me?”
Josie started at the question. “What?” She felt a strange sensation in the room as if the air pressure was changing. Mason and Jacob both growled and tilted their heads in Kieran’s direction.
Kieran’s scowl deepened. “Are. You. Scared. Of me. It’s a pretty easy question, Josie. You have seen me in my animal form. I am a dominant lion shifter who was born to lead. You know who I am and what I am fucking capable of. So answer the damn question.” Kieran had never talked to her like this before. He was forceful, and emotion rolled from him in waves. Her reaction to that was not what she had expected, and she was suddenly afraid that Kieran would sense her reaction to him. “Fuck!” He cursed loudly, stood up from the chair and stomped to the stairs that led to the rooftop area of Violet’s apartment.
No one else in the room moved until they heard the door at the top of the
stairs slam shut. The air pressure seemed to ease, and she heard Mason and Jacob both take a deep breath.
“What just happened?” she asked, looking at the two of them, then turned to their mate when they both just looked at her. “Violet, what was that all about?”
Violet huffed a frustrated sound. “Alpha Kitty just threw a lion-sized dominance tantrum that affected my men here. When he gets all dominanty like that, he locks them down physically.”
Josie frowned in confusion. “I could see he was upset, but he didn’t even give me a chance to answer his question.”
“Because he could scent your fear, Josie,” Mason answered as he slid onto the couch beside his mate, and Jacob took the space on her other side. “It was subtle, but it was there. It messed with both the man and the lion that you would be afraid of him. You’ve had a fairly emotionally charged experience, because being shot at can do that to a person. Bringing up the moment Kieran dismembered a sentient being in front of you wasn’t probably the most calming thing to do when you were panicked like that.”
Josie felt heat sweep into her face. “I could never be afraid of him. As a man or a lion. He saved me that day, and as far as I am concerned he killed the monster who took my family from me. No foul there.”
“Then what were you afraid of, Josie?” Violet asked gently.
“My reaction to him getting all possessive like that, and wanting to get the man who took that shot today, wasn’t one I expected,” Josie said, then paused as her cell phone rang in her pocket. “I thought he might sense that and know what my reaction actually was.” Her face flamed even more as she admitted to the three of them that she had been aroused by Kieran’s aggression. She pulled the phone from her pocket and smiled when she read Liam’s name on the screen. She glanced up questioningly at Violet.
“Take it in my office,” Violet answered, pointing toward the back of her loft apartment.
