Holiday Magic

by Tl Reeve

  Arousal spiked through her system. Her nipples grew harder by the second and her panties slickened with her cream. Her clit throbbed and ached to be touched. She felt out of control as though standing on the edge of a tall cliff. She could see everything below, and though the distance was far, she knew with a deep seeded conviction Lance would catch her.

  A knock at the door broke their spell. He banded his arms around her, and his body tensed. “Shh. Not a peep darlin’.”

  The knock came again, and a male voice called out. “Lance?”

  He closed his eyes and blew out a breath. “It’s okay. It’s one of my deputies. I’ll get it.”

  She wiggled off his lap and grabbed her shirt. “I’ll just go back to my room.”

  “Just a second,” Lance called out. “Stay, it’s fine. You don’t have to be afraid here.”

  She gave him a speculative glance. “If you’re sure.”

  “I am.” He went to the door and opened it. “Casper.” The man stepped inside. “Tell me you found something.”

  He cocked a brow. “Depends.”

  “It’s fine. You can talk around her.” Lance held out his hand to her, and she went to him. The distrusting side of her called her stupid while the side that believed there were still good people in the world ignored her internal alarms. “This is Amity Jones.”

  “Ah. The accident girl. Ashley talked about you.” He offered his hand. “Casper Reece.”

  She took his offering and gave it a shake. “Good to meet you, Casper.”

  “What brought you out here?” Lance laid a hand on her shoulder.

  “We found something.” He glanced at Amity. “Evidence.”

  By the expressions on their faces, it was as though they were carrying on a silent conversation. “Where?”

  “A half mile from Thorne’s place. Going east.”

  Javier. “Did you catch him?” Hope filled her.

  He shook his head. “No.”

  Her stomach dropped. Javier remained on the loose, which meant she’d still been in harm’s way. “Damn it.”

  Lance wrapped his arm around her. “Don’t worry, darlin’. We’ll catch him.”

  She wanted to believe him, but Javier had never been caught before. “Sure.” She stepped out of his arms. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to go lie down. I’m pretty worn out.”

  He tipped her chin up and ensnared her with his questioning gaze. “Are you in pain?”

  “No. Not any more than I have been. My arm hurts and my head’s still a little fuzzy.”

  He leaned in and nuzzled her neck before placing a kiss there. “Rest. Lucy, my sister, will bring you dinner later.”

  She nodded. “Good to meet you, Casper.”

  “Ma’am.”

  She left the warmth of Lance’s embrace and headed back upstairs. Worry and guilt ate at her gut. She’d jumped from the frying pan into the fire in a matter of minutes. How could she even consider beginning anything with Lance while Javier was still out there. A small part of her worried about the people in Lance’s town. You need to get the hell out of here before you destroy their peace. It’s better to keep your taint away.

  In the morning, she’d find a bus stop and buy a ticket going as far west as she could go. The quicker she left, the sooner Javier came after her and left this quaint town with its good people alone. She couldn’t chance Javier hurting anyone while trying to get her.

  5

  “What do we know about her? Are we even sure it’s a case of abuse and not her stealing something?” Beck paced the length of the conference room.

  “Even if she stole something, she doesn’t deserve to be beaten, jackass.” Lawton, one of Lance’s other deputies stopped Beck on the next pass. “Besides, why are you making this about her when from everything we’ve gathered, she’s a victim.”

  “It’s not sitting right for me,” Beck replied, taking a seat. “I don’t want to believe she’s lying.”

  “But?” Lance cut his gaze toward Beck.

  “Nothing fits. Her story. The accident. What are we missing?”

  No, it didn’t. When Lance left with Casper, Amity had been curled up in her bed, fast asleep. All he had to go from was what he saw. Nothing about what happened between point A, the start of this situation, or point B—him finding her down an embankment made any sense. “She’s a pre-school teacher wherever she comes from. She loves kids.”

  “So, because she loves kids and is a pre-school teacher, she must be a friendly? Nuns and saints can be friendly, too, but they can have a wicked side you never see.” Beck grabbed the police report off the table.

  Beck had a rough life. He came to the pack at the age of sixteen after being kicked out of his third foster home. Lance understood the value of trust when it came to the guy, and he’d have the same questions if he hadn’t been there when the guy pulled Amity from the mangled vehicle. “He put a gun to her forehead, man. I’m thinking between the old bruises and the fresh ones, she’s an innocent and the prick meant to kill her.”

  “His scent led back to 35, and a different set of tracks in the snow appeared. He’s not alone. I’m willing to bet he’s somewhere in town,” Thorne interjected.

  “Unfortunately, there were no prints anywhere in the truck and it’s registered to some subsidiary group overseas, Summerset Corp.” Rayce handed Lance the information. “From everything I gathered, the company is a shell for a bigger organization. But there are so many offshoots, I can’t make heads or tails of it. I went through half the contributors, and they ping out all over the world.”

  “Organized crime then?” He glanced up from the paperwork Rayce gave him.

  “Or drugs. If we could talk to Amity, maybe she’d know.” The idea of Amity talking to anyone rubbed him the wrong way. She barely trusted him. Bringing in more people might spook her.

  “Give it another day. She’s still pretty messed up.” He grabbed everything his pack protectors found. “In the meantime, I want everyone out patrolling. I’ll see if she’d be willing to give a description of the asshole. If he’s still here, someone will have seen him. New people don’t go unnoticed.”

  Lance walked back to his office and laid everything on his desk. He needed to run a check on Amity. Maybe if he did, it’d give them a better picture of who they were dealing with. In order to keep her and the town safe, they needed to go on the offensive and squeeze the bastard out.

  “Beck isn’t getting better.” Casper entered the office and closed the door behind him. “His work is impeccable, but sometimes. . .”

  He agreed. “I’ve noticed.”

  “How long will you wait till you put him down?”

  Lance didn’t believe in killing a pack mate for trust issues. However, with Beck, it might come down to it. “I think he’s still fucked up from what happened before. He’s still a pup in some respects, but until he goes overboard and hurts someone intentionally, I won’t consider it.”

  “He undermines you.”

  Yes, he did. “Why, Casper,” Lance said in a feigned female voice, “are you worried about my virtue as an alpha?” He batted his eyes.

  “You’re an asshole.”

  Back to normal, he continued. “Look, he asks questions. He doesn’t blindly follow, but when it’s time to work, he’s diligent. He looks at every case from every angle, and even though he doesn’t take anyone’s word for granted, he does his job.” He liked the kid’s qualities. He’d rather train a wide-eyed cynic than someone filled with blind faith. Blind faith could get people killed.

  Casper nodded. “And the girl?”

  “Just about to get started on her.” He pulled her license out of his pocket and put it on the table. “She’s from Florida. Born in 1988. Let’s see what else we can find out about her.”

  “If you can get the password, we can check the cloud for her information.”

  “If not?” He cocked a brow while entering her information into the NCIC system.

  “We’re shit out of luck.�
�� He shrugged. “Her phone is toast, and we’re at a dead end.”

  After hitting enter, he sat back in his chair. “Did you find a tracker in her phone or anything that would lead the guy to find her?”

  “Nope. I can’t even tell you if she had an app on her phone that could send him updates.”

  “What about the car?” The computer pinged. He hit enter and scrolled through the information. No warrants. No arrest history. Nothing.

  “Clean.”

  None of this made a lick of sense. The man would wait her out, lull her into a false sense of comfort, and when she thought she could run, he’d be right there, ready to take her out. He proved that with the tracker. At some point, he’d get sloppy or she’d wise up. If she did, Lance had a feeling Javier wouldn’t hesitate taking her out, especially after what he witnessed at the scene of the accident.

  “Everything points to him following her. Which begs another question, what does she have that he wants?”

  Lance remember Javier’s last words. “He’s psychotic. The last thing he said to her before fleeing was ‘I’ll always find you. You’ll never escape me.’”

  “Talk about pegging out on the creepy meter.” Casper narrowed his eyes. “I’ll see if Wain can backdoor the system. Get things rolling.”

  “Where’s the rest of the contents from her car?”

  “Rayce has it. He was cataloging it all earlier. Why?”

  It was a hunch. A pretty big one, but substantial nonetheless. He picked up his phone and dialed his pack mate’s number. When he answered, Lance began. “Hey, what else did you find in Amity’s car when you inventoried it?”

  The sound of papers shuffling filled the line. “A bottle of pain meds. Paperwork from an emergency room and…shit, Alpha. A check in form for a domestic abuse shelter in Peoria, Illinois, for the twenty-second of this month.”

  Well, now they knew where she was coming from and how she got to Rosewood. “Bring it over. Maybe we can find out more information from the shelter or at least the hospital.”

  Casper gave him a curious look.

  “Seems Amity missed her appointment to check in.”

  “Are you hungry?” Amity glanced up at Lucy from the magazine in her hands. The health and wellness articles weren’t her cup of tea since she didn’t need protein shakes or could lift two hundred pounds without straining herself. But it had been the only thing Lance left in a convenient location near the couch.

  “Sure, I could eat.” She stood a little too fast and watched the room spin. Closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths to stave off the wave of nausea coursing through her. Concussions sucked. Being weak sucked even more.

  “Whoa, now. Sit back down.” Lucy helped lower her to the couch. “Stay there. Don’t move.”

  “Bossy. I never pegged you as the type.” Lucy left her side and sauntered back into the kitchen.

  “Once you get to know me better…” she stuck her head out the entryway, “I’m nothing like you’d ever imagine.” She winked and went back to prepping their dinner.

  Her words were weird. Nothing like she’d ever imagine? What did she mean? “So, you own a diner. What else should I know?”

  She popped her head out again. “That’s about it.”

  “No boyfriend?” She winced. At her age, asking intrusive questions shouldn’t happen. “Sorry. You don’t have to answer.”

  “I don’t and I’m not looking.” Lucy re-entered the room carrying two bowls covered by plates of biscuits. “This is a family recipe.”

  She reached for the succulent smelling food. Her mouth watered. “What’s in it.”

  “Vegetables, kale, spinach, potatoes, carrots, herbs, stewing meat…bones.”

  She quirked a brow and she pushed the stew around with her spoon. “Bones?”

  Lucy nodded. “It’ll help with the swelling. Improve your fatigue and stomach upset.”

  “Wow.” She took a bite and moaned. “Oh my God. How is this possible?”

  She smiled. “I like cooking.”

  “Well, you’re very good at it.”

  They ate in a compatible silence, then when she was finished, Lance’s sister took their bowls to the kitchen and came back with pie. “I hope you saved room.” Lucy placed the tin in front of her.

  Growing up in the group homes, she’d never had pie. She had been expected to take care of herself by the time she was eight. She and the other older kids were also required to look after the younger kids. Which meant some nights she went to bed hungry because by the time they’d fed, bathed, and tucked in the youngest, the other kids had eaten all the dinner, never mind any dessert there might have been.

  “This is three-berry pie.” Lucy sat beside Amity, tucking her leg beneath her. “Raspberry, strawberry, and blueberry.”

  She dug into it with gusto. “I can’t tell you the last time I’ve had pie.” The explosion of sugary sweetness burst on her tongue and a delightful thrill shimmied down her spine.

  “You’re always supposed to leave room for some.”

  Most times, she was lucky if she got a cup of coffee and a couple packets of crackers she snatched from a diner counter in whatever town she stopped in. She’d been okay the first couple weeks after she’d left. She’d been lucky to find work a few days, which left her sleeping in her car and showering at a truck stop. Then, he found her. It left her zero ability to work, which meant everything she’d saved up went to paltry meals and gas for her car. “I will from now on.” No, she wouldn’t.

  “So, about this guy…Javier. Why do you think he’s trying to kill you?”

  Wow, talk about a leap…from food to Javier. Talk about going for the jugular. “Uh…well.” She rubbed her arm while searching for the right answer. “It’s complicated.”

  “Any man who’d lay hands on a woman isn’t complicated. He’s a piece of shit.”

  She glanced at the woman. “He won’t take no for an answer.”

  “Most guys who don’t get their way, do that.” Lucy faced her. “You have to stop running sometime.”

  She did. She’d told herself a million times that she had to find someplace to make a new life. Face Javier head on and not stop fighting until the last breath left her. Then, he’d broken into her apartment, trashed it, and beaten the shit out of her. Somehow, she ended up in the hospital. The police believed her, and they tried to help. But how could they help someone like her? Put her into a women’s shelter with all those other at-risk women? What happened when Javier inevitably showed up? No, she couldn’t put anyone other than herself at risk.

  So, she ran.

  “It’s not as easy as you say.”

  “Collateral damage?”

  Mostly. “He always finds me. No matter the state or how remote I go, he finds me.”

  “Are you sure he isn’t tracking you?”

  Tracking her? She pressed her fingertips to her forehead. “Shit.” When she left, she hadn’t thought about the GPS on her phone or the fact she left it on all the time or whether he bugged her car somehow. She thought if she turned off her phone, it’d take too long to power it on in an emergency. Not to mention checking over her vehicle. “My phone.”

  “Where’s it at now?”

  She didn’t know. “My car, I think.”

  “Good. If he goes anywhere, it’ll be to Thorne’s place and all he’ll get is a face full of one pissed off wol-man. Welterweight champion boxer.” Lucy cleared her throat. “Would you like coffee?”

  Amity scrunched up her nose. “A boxer?”

  “Uh-huh.” She headed for the kitchen. “Whatever you say.”

  Weird. “Well, I am sure he won’t like meeting Thorne.”

  6

  The sun had set an hour ago. Though light still seeped from beneath heavy purple clouds, the storm wasn’t quite over yet. They were in the lull. Warnings were already going up around the tri-county area. Even if Lance wanted to slough off his duties, he couldn’t. Casper, Rayce, Wain, and Beck were on patrol while Thorne, S
pear, and Lawton searched in wolf form for this Javier.

  When he stepped inside his house, the small lamp in the living room added to the soft glow created by the fire burning in the hearth. Amity lay curled up on the couch, her eyes closed. The steady rise and fall of her chest indicating she’d been fast asleep.

  Lucy called him not too long ago to give him an update. What she told him broke his heart. He crossed the room to crouch beside her. For the first time since he found her in the snow, beaten and battered, her features were relaxed. The pain lines that had bracketed her mouth were gone.

  Her eyes fluttered open and a small, sleepy smile played on her lips. “Hi.”

  “Hey.” He pushed her hair behind her ear. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better.” She folded her arms under her chin. “There’s stew in the pot. Lucy cooked for me.”

  “Good because I’m famished. Want to join me?”

  “Sure. I’m not very hungry, though.” She pushed the blanket off to sit up.

  “Not a problem.” He helped her stand. He didn’t like that she was so off-balance. It only made him want to kill her ex even more. “So, what did you and Lucy do today?”

  “Not a whole lot of anything.” She sat at the table while he set to work warming the stockpot filled with stew. “She brought pie too.”

  He glanced at the counter. “Damn. She must like you.”

  She canted her head to the side. “Why?”

  He came over to the table and sat. “Lucy only makes three-berry pie on special occasions.” Leaning back in his chair, Lance opened the fridge and pulled out a beer.

  She blushed and a low growl built in his chest. Curiosity grabbed him by the balls. Wonder how far down her pretty pink flush goes? He gave himself a mental slap. He shouldn’t be thinking about her naked. He had a job to do, but the wolf could only be held at bay for so long before going after his mate. Yeah, well, put a muzzle on it.

  “I like her too.”

  “Look, I understand you just met us, and you have no reason to trust us, but no one is getting within ten feet of this place. I have a security system and I’m good friends with the local sheriff.” He winked. “It’s okay to relax and stop running for a little while at least.”