Laurie's Wolves

by Becca Jameson

  As Laurie turned around, leaving Corbin in his spot to head back to the kitchen area, she stopped short.

  What were the chances? Of all the people, the very woman she’d met on her first day of job hunting was sitting on one of the couches, and her gaze was trained toward Laurie.

  The woman—Mary, she thought her name was—startled and gave a brief smile. Odd.

  Laurie returned the smallest grin she could manage and continued to the kitchen, her body shivering. Suddenly the entire lodge seemed off. She couldn’t explain in words what she felt, but it wasn’t pleasant. First that weird guy, Brock, sort of hit on her. And now this woman appeared—who had seemed excited to meet Laurie the day she went in to interview. The same woman completely changed her tune not one day later, stating that she actually had no openings. Unstated was the insinuation she could not hire Laurie because her patrons preferred that their all-white kids be taught by all-white teachers.

  That was fucked up and illegal, but it wasn’t something Laurie wanted to pursue under the circumstances. Lying low was more her motto these days. Drawing even more attention to herself and her two mates would only make things worse.

  Melinda grabbed Laurie’s hand and dragged her to a stock room behind the kitchen. “What’s going on?”

  “What do you mean?” Laurie glanced down, trying to hide her emotions—as if that were a possibility where Melinda was concerned.

  “Don’t give me that shit. Your emotions are all over the place. You’re hot and cold. I can feel every nuance even when you aren’t in the room.”

  Laurie shrugged. “The woman who interviewed me that first day is here. And some strange employee who gives me the heebie-jeebies is also. I’m probably imagining things.” She tried to smile, knowing it was forced.

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know. Brock something.”

  “Did you touch him?”

  “No. And I don’t want to. He makes my skin crawl enough without getting that close.”

  Melinda dropped Laurie’s hand. “I’m going to find him.”

  Laurie groaned. “Could you not? It’s probably nothing. I don’t need Corbin and Zach getting all upset. They’re already on me like white on rice.”

  Melinda paused and turned around. She gave Laurie a full-on glare. “Fine. But if I sense your emotions all over the place like that again, I’m hunting that asshole down and making his acquaintance.”

  What she meant by that was she would introduce herself and shake his hand. It was how Melinda operated. Laurie knew she didn’t like to touch many people, but she had already proven that as the new big sister, she felt a sense of protection where Laurie was concerned.

  Laurie bit her lip and tried not to giggle. “Okay, Wonder Woman. Rein it in. I’m fine.” She rolled her eyes as she walked away.

  »»•««

  It was nearly midnight before Laurie dropped onto one of the employee couches in the locker room and leaned her head back. No one else was currently in the room, and she needed a moment to rest. She had never been so exhausted in her life.

  Suddenly, someone spoke, shocking the piss out of her, considering she had no warning of another person’s presence, nor had she sensed anyone in the room when she entered.

  “Anyone sitting here?” Brock. He pointed at the other half of the love seat.

  Fuck.

  He plopped down without waiting for a response, one arm landing over the back of the couch as though they were a couple in a movie theater. “Wow. I’m exhausted. Long night, huh?”

  She lifted her head off the back of the couch to put some more distance between them. If he touched her… “Yeah. I was kind of hoping for a few minutes to rest, if you don’t mind.”

  He grinned. “Nope. Not at all. I think I’ll do the same.” He snuggled down deeper into the cushion and closed his eyes, as if she intended to nap with this asshole on the love seat.

  What the fuck was he up to? Her pulse sped up. The man had ulterior motives. Hell, the man always had ulterior motives no matter what he was doing in life. She got that vibe from him easily without direct contact. But tonight was worse than usual. He was truly filled with something malevolent.

  Laurie leaned forward, intent on standing and walking away. She was done being polite. This was crazy.

  The moment she lifted off the couch, Brock grabbed her hand and tugged her back down. “Where you going, sexy? I was hoping to get to know you better.” He leaned his body toward her and hovered inches from her face.

  Every instinct she had told her to kick him in the balls and run. Goose bumps rose all over her skin at the instant he made direct contact. His hand was clammy. He smelled of beer—which she was quite certain the employees weren’t supposed to be drinking during this crisis.

  But the worst part was the visions that swam through her mind. This guy had been a jackass all his life. He was a bully—the kind of man who pushed women around and got away with it. Until now.

  She bit her lip, forcing herself to get aggressive and not hold back out of fear of hurting his feelings. He didn’t deserve it. “Brock, get off me. You don’t want to do this.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, but I do. And I can tell you want it too.” He cupped her face and smashed his mouth against hers.

  Laurie shoved at him with both hands, keeping her lips pursed against his insistence. Disgusting.

  “Ah, come on, sweet thing. You know you want it.”

  She lifted one knee and rammed it into his thigh. “Get off. I have a boyfriend.”

  “From what I’ve heard, you have two. And I’m sure you won’t mind making it three. That’s the kind of girl you are.” He leaned closer again, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Not a chance in hell, asshole. I’ll give you two seconds to move, and then I’m going to scream.” She didn’t want to involve Zach or Corbin if she could avoid it because she was quite sure they might kill this son of a bitch if they walked in on this scene.

  He laughed harder. “With all the noise going on out there, no one would be able to hear you. Plus, if you’d relax and give this a chance, you’d see that I’m a much better lover than either of your current fuck buddies. I promise.”

  His proximity alone made her stomach roil. In a moment she was going to vomit in his face. That might not be a bad thing.

  When his hand landed on her breast and squeezed, she was finished. She could only allow things to go so far before calling in reinforcements. Rape was becoming an imminent possibility. “Zach. Corbin. Employee locker room. Right fucking now.”

  She felt them both in her head, the level of their stress on full alert immediately, but she didn’t communicate another word because she was too busy physically fighting off Brock.

  He swung a leg over her, straddling her body, grabbing her hands and pinning them above her head.

  She heaved for breath, hating every single inhale that brought more of his disgusting scent into her nostrils. She was pinned. And she stopped struggling, realizing it was the best course of action because it would slow down his progress and buy her some time while Zach and Corbin made their way to the locker room.

  “That’s it, sweetheart. Just relax and enjoy. I swear you won’t regret a good fuck with me. My cock is big, and I know how to use it. I’m not a pussy like those other guys you’ve been whoring with.” He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers again.

  She held her mouth as tightly closed as possible to avoid his taste and smell. Sickening. Bile rose in her throat. She wasn’t going to be able to stop herself from vomiting.

  And the moment the door to the locker room flung open, slamming into the wall with the force, she lost it. She projectile vomited right into Brock’s face.

  He yelped and jumped off her to stand in front of her, yanking his shirt up to wipe her throw-up away as it dripped down from his eyelids and nose. “You cunt. Jesus. Fuck. That’s so fucking gross.”

  In her peripheral vision, she watched Corbin and Zach stride quickly into the room.<
br />
  Before Brock could finish wiping away the mess, a fist slammed into the side of his head, knocking him to the floor. He jumped to his feet and twisted to face Corbin. “Shit. What the hell’s the matter with you, man?” He held his jaw. “You can’t just punch people in the face for no reason and get away with it. You’re a fucking deputy.” Spittle spewed from Brock’s lips. His shirt was covered in vomit.

  It would have been comical if he wasn’t such a piece of slime.

  Laurie drew her legs up and scrambled to press herself as deeply into the couch cushions as possible to avoid becoming a casualty in the fight that was about to escalate in front of her.

  Corbin stepped closer to Brock and grabbed the man by the shirt, balling the nasty cotton in his fist and forcing Brock to stand straighter. “Did you put your hands on my woman?”

  Brock’s eyes widened. “Who the fuck cares? Surely you don’t mind if someone else shares in that hot piece of pussy. She’s nothing but a whore.”

  Zach stepped closer. Even though Brock was immobilized in Corbin’s clutch, Zach lifted a fist and slammed it into the side of Brock’s head, knocking him toward Laurie.

  Luckily Corbin held on to the man by the shirt, righting him almost immediately. “Come again, mother fucker?”

  Zach spoke for the first time. “From my vantage point, he had more than his hands on her. He had his entire body on her, pinning her to the couch. I call that attempted rape.”

  Brock shook the cobwebs from his head, his eyes widening again. “Rape? Nobody in this room got raped.” He twisted his neck to face her. “Did anybody rape you?”

  Laurie narrowed her gaze at him and said nothing.

  “Laurie, baby, did you tell this man he could climb on top of you and maul you?” Zach asked in a syrupy voice, not taking his eyes off Brock.

  “No.”

  “Did you at any point ask him to stop?” Corbin asked.

  “Yes. Several times.”

  Corbin leaned his face closer to Brock again. “That’s attempted rape, mother fucker.”

  Brock swallowed. “I was just trying to have some fun. She’s nothing but a whore. I don’t know why you give a shit who fucks her. I bet her pussy is looser than my grandmother’s panties.”

  And that was it. Corbin slammed his fist into Brock’s nose, knocking him unconscious as Zach grabbed him and lowered his limp body to the floor. Corbin released his grip and wiped his hand on Brock’s jeans. “Jesus, that man smells.”

  Zach rounded Corbin to grab Laurie and haul her to standing. He held her at arm’s length and glanced up and down her body. “He hurt you?”

  She shook her head.

  Corbin stepped up next to her, holding his soiled hand behind him. “But he would have.”

  “Yes.” She had to agree. She had hoped to defuse the situation on her own, but had to admit to herself now it never would have happened. Thank God for telepathy among shifters.

  All the sudden, she realized several other people stood in the room. Zach’s brother Trace and his dad, Adam, were among them. Several men she didn’t know and a few women had wandered in too. She wasn’t sure how much they had witnessed.

  “What happened?” Carlie pressed her way through the people and came to Laurie’s side.

  Before Laurie could speak, a woman interrupted. “I saw the whole thing. These two men busted in here and attacked that poor defenseless guy.” She pointed at Brock. “His name is Brock Henson. He’s such a sweet boy.” She shook a finger toward Zach and Corbin. “Why on earth would you do such a thing?” She kneeled next to Brock and stroked his hair from his face, though she didn’t get very close. The guy was covered in vomit.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Zach asked.

  “That’s what I saw.” The woman Laurie had never seen before pursed her lips. “It was barbaric. You should both be arrested.” She turned toward Trace. “You’re a cop. Arrest these men.”

  “Ma’am,” Corbin began, “I’m a deputy myself. No one’s going to be arrested except Brock.”

  She gasped. “You can’t do that. That’s insane. He didn’t do anything to you. I watched both you and the Masters boy punch him repeatedly in the face.”

  A softer voice came from the side of the room. “I saw the entire thing too.”

  Laurie looked over and found the speaker to be Mary, the very woman she’d avoided earlier who had chosen not to hire her based on her race. It suddenly seemed like a conspiracy. Mary was undoubtedly going to spew some bigoted racist shit in agreement with the crotchety bitch hovering over Brock.

  Adam raised his hands in the air. “Everyone calm down.”

  Grumbling from all around the room increased the volume as more and more people piled inside.

  Several men spoke at once.

  One of them stepped through the gathered witnesses and made his way toward Adam. “I was right behind your son when he burst into the room. That man,” he pointed at Brock, “had that woman,” he pointed at Laurie, “pinned to the couch. It was obvious to me he was trying to molest her.”

  Carlie cleared her throat and put her arm around Laurie. “Is that what happened?”

  “Yes. I tried to handle it myself, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.” She regretted her choice of words immediately, realizing she’d implied she’d eventually called for help. “Thank God Zach and Corbin came in when they did.”

  “That’s for sure.” The man who’d spoken on her behalf slapped Zach on the back. She lifted her gaze toward him and recognized him as a shifter. Blessed angels.

  “What happened?” Adam asked.

  “I came in here to catch a break. He must have followed me, or perhaps he was already in here. He said some rather distasteful things about me and seemed to have the impression I was…loose…or something. So he thought he could easily get me to sleep with him.”

  Corbin reached out, grabbed her hand, and tugged her into his embrace. He kissed the top of her head. “Sorry, babe. I should have been paying closer attention,” he muttered into her hair.

  Mary spoke again, shocking Laurie. “He’s right. That’s what I saw too.”

  The older woman on the floor gasped. “Mary?” She seemed stunned, as though she’d been double crossed.

  “Sorry, Hazel, but that’s how it happened.” She jerked her gaze away from the woman named Hazel and swallowed. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you too, Laurie.” She ducked her head and left the room.

  Laurie was stunned. Whatever just happened left her head spinning.

  Several people in the room grumbled, but it sounded as if the majority were coming forward to support Zach and Corbin. Even though many of them had seen Corbin and then Zach punch Brock outright, the story morphed into something slightly larger that made Brock out to look like a stone cold rapist who had attacked Laurie and needed to be subdued in her defense.

  Laurie shifted her gaze to Corbin and Zach. “I need to clean up.” She felt disgusting after being manhandled by Brock and then vomiting. Most of it landed on him, but she still wanted a shower and clean clothes.

  Sharon grabbed her arm. “Come on. I’ll find you something else to wear, and we’ll get you cleaned up.

  Laurie turned to follow Sharon, but Corbin held her hand, pulling her arm taut. His eyes were narrowed and his mouth a thin line when she met his gaze. “I’m fine.”

  He nodded, but he didn’t let her go.

  Zach finally set a hand on Corbin. “Man, I think she’s okay. Let her shower.”

  Corbin released her.

  She glanced down at the vile man on the ground as she went around him. The older woman held his head cradled in her lap, and he started to moan and squirm.

  Laurie couldn’t get out of the room fast enough. Too bad there was no way for anyone to leave the resort until God only knew when. The building wasn’t large enough to keep her from scenting that sick bastard everywhere she went.

  “Guess we’ll need a new instructor next week,” Sharon teased as they s
tepped into the ladies’ shower room.

  Laurie grinned. “Nah. He’ll be fine. Just a little misunderstanding, right? I mean, I’m sure Zach won’t really kill him if he ever sees his face again.”

  Sharon giggled. “I can’t believe you can make a joke right now.” She shuddered visibly. “I also can’t believe I ever thought that guy was hot. Gross.” She grabbed a towel from a stack in an employee closet and then opened a locker that undoubtedly belonged to her and pulled out clean clothes—jeans, a T-shirt, socks, even panties.

  Laurie stripped out of her soiled clothes and stepped into a curtained shower stall. “Thank God you people keep so many clothes around here. I assume the outfit I was already wearing was yours too,” she called over the water.

  “Yep. I’m going to have to restock. But the nice thing is we’re almost the exact same size. If you come work here at the resort, we can share.”

  Laurie let the water wash over her hair, thinking about Sharon’s idea. Probably the entire family had already discussed the idea of Laurie coming to work there. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the plan, most importantly because she didn’t want to create a disturbance—any more than the one she’d already caused simply by being there.

  “It’s going to be okay, you know,” Sharon said as Laurie shut off the water and grabbed the towel Sharon handed her.

  “Yeah. I’m not sure I believe that yet.”

  “I know you and Melinda have some sort of perceptive abilities, but I have my own intuition. And I sense a calmness when I’m near you, especially when you’re with Zach and Corbin. The three of you belong together.”

  Laurie chuckled as she shrugged into clean clothes. “Unfortunately most of the population of both Cambridge and Sojourn feel a distinct unease around me, and a desire to kill when I’m with my mates.”

  “They don’t. Not most. Just a few, a noisy few. The silent majority aren’t judging you.”

  “I still don’t understand why me? I mean Melinda mated two men. So did Rebecca. Why am I being singled out?”

  Sharon shrugged. “I’m guessing it’s because you three are more ‘out,’ so to speak. There was an uproar when Rebecca mated with Griffen and Miles. She even left her job.”