“No,” Gabe growled, rubbing his face. “Nothing. Though, put a foot down with Abel after all of this.”
“Officer Weis said they had a contact who had done all the research, but they got the images themselves,” Brenton said, putting his elbows on the counter and leaning over to Gabe. “Have you tried the hunters’ personal records, including those not involved in the hunt?”
“There’s so many of them, and we only got the list of all the Chapter members on Tuesday. Even then, another Chapter could have had the contact and given them the information they needed.” Gabe picked up and dropped the file of information the officers were nice enough to give them.
They sat quietly for a minute and Gabe felt the idea hit him like a train.
“What if another shifter sold us out?” Gabe stared at Brenton in abject terror, his veins were ice. His heart thudded. It would all make sense.
“Excuse me?” Brenton whispered.
“We once said that they must have bribed someone or gotten it from somewhere. No amount of computer work would have given them our medical history. No digital copies exist anywhere. And,” Gabe swallowed, “we have a lot of shifter enemies. They might have put together stuff about Caroline and used it to their advantage.”
Gabe went back to his computer. He needed to cross reference shifters’ phone numbers to contacts of the hunters. It could take hours, even days. He needed an upper to keep him going but he could find this. He knew he could. Keep a close eye out for any enemies of the pride or even mild annoyances.
“Good work, Gabe,” Brenton patted his shoulder. “Make sure to sleep though.”
Gabe snorted as Brenton left the room. He looked to his pocket. He grabbed the pill bottle and took the Adderall when no one was watching.
He worked all night, completely focused on his task. He never got any sleep anyways.
By morning, he still didn’t have any answers.
RILEY
Riley leaned back on Zachary, and he purred underneath her, holding her to his side. Last Thursday, their home was invaded, and it wouldn’t be cleaned up until next weekend. It was Friday, and Riley, feeling like she wasn’t accomplishing anything, needed to do some real work,.
“So, another week of doing little-to-nothing?” She looked up at him.
“Not quite…” Zachary growled underneath her. “I think I can find ways to pass the time.”
“Oh, you can but…,” Riley chuckled. “I want to be productive. Not just physically active.”
“Oh, are you in a mood?” Zachary grinned down at her. “Want to paint?”
“Yeah, or something else that feels like achieving my goals or just… anything at all.”
Zachary pulled out his phone and sent a text. She tried to read it, but he kept her away, holding it high over her head. She tried to stand on the couch, but Zachary pushed her down, letting her fall into the cushions.
When the phone dinged back, Riley was frowning.
“What are you doing?” She grumbled, crawling back in his lap.
“Planning.” Zachary chuckled. “Hey, Andrew!”
Andrew looked up from what he was doing in the kitchen and tilted his head.
“What?” They had to yell to talk.
“We can do the thing today if you want!” Zachary shouted back.
“Brenton cleared it?” Andrew walked over, smiling. She saw his chocolate eyes twinkle with excitement.
“Yeah but he’s at his office so we get to take her.” Zachary stood, taking Riley with him. “You think you can go out in that?”
Zachary was pointing at what she was wearing. Yoga pants, a tank. She even remembered to wear a full set of undergarments today.
“Yeah, but I need to grab a jacket. I’ll throw some shoes on. Where are we going?” Riley looked between them, but neither offered the answer. “Fine. I guess I’ll just follow you around.”
“Gabe, Troy, you two stay out of trouble until we get back,” Zachary was looking at his phone as he said it, grinning to himself.
“Can do, tiger,” Troy said back, looking up from the papers he was looking through. Gabe just threw a thumb up and kept on with what he was doing.
Riley knew the theory they were checking. A shifter sold them out to the hunters. Riley could only hope they figured it out, so they could be done with it. She didn’t care if the information came from a shifter or a human, she just wanted to know how the hunters had it. What species just didn’t matter to her, only a name, any name.
She slipped on socks and tennis shoes, then met Zachary and Andrew at the door. They walked out together, jumping in an SUV.
“Soooo, where are we going?” Riley looked between them.
“We decided that since we were stuck here in Denver, we’d finish something the pride has been working on.”
They drove for a long time until Riley recognized the area they were in. The River North Art District, or lovingly called RiNo. A place where art is made.
“I love this area,” Riley sighed. “I wish I could visit more often.”
They guys shared a look.
“Remember how we talked about you opening a gallery?” Andrew smiled back at her, and she gasped. “Well, since you don’t want to spend your half of the profits from the diner… we invested it for you. Here.”
“No,” Riley gasped. “No!”
“You bought yourself an empty building and renovated it into a gallery on the bottom floor. There’s studio space on the top floor. Now everyone who visits RiNo will have a chance to see and buy your work when you get started.” Andrew’s smile got bigger until he was grinning.
“I bought a gallery?” Riley’s jaw dropped. She knew that the money she technically made from being co-owner of the diner was being set aside for it. She knew that. But they’d made it happen.
“Technically, you owe Brenton about… two million dollars? But yeah, it’s in your name with no mortgage.”
“You all are insane!” Riley laughed. “Tell him to keep collecting my pay from the diner until it’s paid off!” She was hysterical as they pulled up to a two-story building. It was clean of the street art that covered the buildings around it. “I get to paint my building!”
“You do,” Zachary laughed. “Come in and see it. We technically closed on it a month before the first attack at the diner, but the renovations have been going on since before that and ended a couple weeks ago. But… we were saving it for Christmas.”
“When did you pick it out?” Riley walked in, once the door was unlocked.
She was awed, looking over the beautiful main room. It had enough space for several paintings to hang. There were several rolling partitions, so she could break up the room and hang even more or plan a walkthrough of certain works. There was even a bathroom for customers in the back by another door.
“About two months ago. The previous owner was looking to move to LA and we jumped on it. The renovations were simple, but took time. He let us start while paperwork went through and money was dealt with.” Andrew placed his hand on her lower back and moved her forward.
High ceilings, giving it a bigger feel. Light wood flooring and white walls would make her paintings, full of color, really stand out. There were no windows, which was fine because the lighting done in the room was professional and well planned.
“I love it.” Riley covered her mouth with her hands. “It’s perfect.”
“Let’s show you the studio space then.” Zachary grabbed her hand and showed her the door that led up to the studio. It was about three-fourths the size as the downstairs. They had turned it into a studio loft. There were a couple white couches and a TV in case she wanted a break. Of course, there were a couple cat trees, just in case Star was ever there. A door led to a standard bathroom near the staircase.
They had already set up white bean bag chairs and other living room items near the bathroom, as if she would have company or get togethers. Then she saw the second half of her space. It was surrounded by counters covered in supplie
s she would need. A few easels were ready for work and a canvas rack waited by the wall. Two sinks for cleaning supplies and her hands. A desk to sketch at. It was the perfect work studio.
She turned and took on more look at the room. Dark wood flooring here, very dark. It was practically black. They opted for a colorful rectangle rug under the couches, bean bags and a TV on the wall. The rug went from yellow to red in bold stripes then back to yellow. It was a wonderful splash of color for the room, with its white walls and black flooring.
“One last thing.” Andrew pointed to a set of double doors on the other side of the studio section.
She walked through them and found herself looking down on the street. It was a patio that took up the last fourth of the building. They had already placed out glorious black furniture and a table.
“It’s so perfect…” She ran her hands over the railing of the patio, tears in her eyes as she turned back to her boys.
They’d done this for her in the exact way she wanted it. She had talked at length about how she would want a gallery set up. Somewhere she could hang out, paint, and show her work to the world. RiNo was a dream location for her, a fantasy since she found herself in Colorado.
She hugged them both, her hand over her mouth as she continued to walk around.
“When can I start?” She laughed, her heart too full.
“How fast can you paint to fill the place up for an opening?” Andrew chuckled.
“Oh,” she had to think about that. It might take a couple months with everything going on.
“You worry about painting,” Zachary grinned. “Troy is handling your opening and management stuff. Just talk to him about any plans you have, and he can get you anything through his social network.”
She nodded. This was a big deal for her, and, of course, the pride would help.
To other people, Riley was being spoiled. They were showering her in gifts and money she didn’t need, but she was told one thing when she joined the pride. The pride took care of its own.
No one would be allowed to fall into real debt or not be able to chase their dreams. If that meant Brenton was going to spend a few million to make it happen, he would. He’d bought Andrew the diner. He’d sent the brothers to trade school, since they loved motorcycles and wanted to learn to ride and repair them. They then started making them, so he built them a workshop and taught them business. Zachary wanted a more chill life, so Brenton only had him doing security and the occasional meeting with Kingson, Inc.
This was her dream, so it was their dream. And their dreams became her dreams, even if she wasn’t in a place yet to help them achieve those dreams. Pride was family, and family was the most important thing they had.
In the ten months with them, she had come to accept that.
“It’ll take a little while,” she finally answered to Zachary. “A spring opening would be best, maybe summer.”
“Alright then,” Andrew grinned, “do you want to break it in?” He pointed to the easels, and she spun back to them.
“Yes!” She laughed. She grabbed an empty canvas ready to go and several oils. She was going to do a landscape she knew by heart. Their backyard. A little piece of home for the studio. She would put it… somewhere.
Andrew and Zachary fell on the bean bags and turned on the TV. They watched a crime drama while she painted. She had never painted with people in the room and quickly forgot them, zoning out.
She had been painting for nearly an hour when she noticed the silence. The TV was off when she turned around to check. Both guys were sitting on the counter to watch her.
“We’ve been here for nearly fifteen minutes,” Andrew chuckled. “Is that home?”
“Yeah…” She blushed, and Andrew just nodded.
“Looks like it,” Zachary mumbled, staring at the painting.
“I miss it, so I’m doing this to put up in here,” Riley smiled, a bit bashful suddenly.
“Good idea,” Andrew just smiled at her. “You going to finish?”
“Oh! It needs to dry before I can do anything else, but I’m just going to leave it here on the easel.” She grinned. “How am I going to run this place while we live in Wild Junction?”
“Hire a few employees, check in once or twice a week. A two-hour drive sucks, but it’s a doable commute two, maybe three times a week. You can stay here upstairs or in the condo if you want to stay the night. You can come up with Brenton and who ever needs to go with him on his weekly Denver trip.” Andrew waved her over and wrapped his arms around her when she got there. He kissed her gently as Zachary continued.
“Troy and Andrew will handle finding employees, but you should sit in for the interviews to see if the person fits what you need them to do. You’ll also need to keep an eye out for possible personality conflicts.”
She broke off the kiss with Andrew and grabbed the front of Zachary’s shirt, pulling him in for one as well.
“Thank you,” she whispered after ending the kiss with Zachary. “This means so much to me.”
“Then let’s really break it in,” Zachary growled, jumping down from the counter and wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against him.
He kissed her hard, his hands cupping her ass. Andrew slid off the counter at some point and was behind her, teasing her tank off. She lifted her arms and Zachary broke the kiss, so it could come off. Andrew broke her bra, letting her breasts fall out for Zachary’s mouth to devour. Andrew growled softly at that, then let his hands go down and begin pulling down her pants.
But he didn’t touch her, and she knew why. He intended to watch. He’d learned earlier in the year he loved watching her with another member of the pride.
Her pants were on the floor now and Zachary took the chance to lift her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, letting him carry her to the couch. He sat down, leaving her on his lap and looked into her eyes. Andrew grabbed a bean bag behind her and moved it somewhere else. She heard him sit down.
“Take your panties off for us, baby.” Zachary growled, leaning back on the couch, stretching his arms on the back.
She stood and smiled a little shyly. She looked back and saw Andrew lounging on the bean bag directly behind her. He had a great view.
She slid her thumbs under the waistband and pushed them down, bending over as she did. Andrew’s growl made her shiver and she looked between her legs at him.
“Damn, darling,” he groaned. She could see his bulge and wondered when she could make him break and play as well.
She threw her panties at him which he caught easily.
“For you to use,” she smirked.
He dropped them on the floor, shaking his head with a smile.
“I’ll remember that, darling.” It sounded like a promise, and it made her wetter.
When she looked back to Zachary, he had an eyebrow up and a smirk on his face, showing off that delicious dimple. She went back to him and unbuttoned his pants, giving his cock a quick lick as it popped out. He was going commando, of course. He growled, a hand making its way into her hair but not forceful.
“No, none of that this time,” he told her, standing up in front of her. He pulled his shirt off and she licked and kissed every inch of exposed skin he gave her. His leather pants went down next.
He sat back down and pulled her back to straddle him. He played with her, kissing her lips, neck, and chest. He sucked and played with her nipples. This was gentle for Zachary, who normally was more dominant. He slid a hand between her legs and began to finger her, groaning at how wet she was already.
He began to speed it up, making her pant and moan for him. She held on, her nails in his shoulders. She climaxed on his fingers, screaming out for him.
“Sit on me, baby,” he was so aroused that it was only a low snarl in her ear. She could feel his cock rubbing against her and she positioned it to enter her.
She lowered slowly, holding onto him as she took him, inch by thick inch.
“Oh fuck, Riley,” he snarled, cu
pping her ass with both hands.
Finally, she was all the way on him. She whimpered at the feeling of him.
He moved his hands to her hips and helped her set the pace to ride him. Each bounce held just a little more force until he was at his favorite speed.
Very fast and very rough.
She bucked on him, holding him around the neck and begging for mercy as he moved her hips up and down on him. She was not in any amount of control. A groan behind her told her that Andrew had finished. But she and Zachary were nowhere near done.
Zachary flipped them around, her back falling onto the couch, much like that day in the den when they accidentally went a little far.
She gasped as he thrust into her from the new angle, going deeper and harder than he had before.
“Oh fuck! Zachary!” She wrapped her arms around to his back.
“Yeah, baby. Scream for me,” he snarled down at her, continuing his relentless rhythm. He leaned on his elbows, using them to lock her into place underneath him. The harder he fucked her, the more her shoulders pressed into his arms. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, holding on for dear life.
She didn’t wait for his permission like she did for Brenton. She held onto his arms as if they were life preservers and let the climax barrel through her like a storm. Zachary roared in pleasure at it, and his continued thrusts into her had her riding that climax until the moment he finished. She felt the shiver that went through him, felt his cock jerk in her. Warm, final, and irreversible.
“Damn, you two,” Andrew growled. “God, what is wrong with me?”
She just purred at the ending pleasure, letting Zachary untangle himself from her legs. He laid slowly on the couch next to her and pulled her into his chest.
“You’re shaking baby,” he growled. “Cold?”
“That’s just what happens sometimes when the orgasm is that good,” she mumbled, her eyes drifting closed. And it was that good.
Wild Fire (The Kingson Pride Book 2) Page 14
