by Alexis Davie
“You were looking for me?” she asked Byron in shock. He looked down at the table, and Hadley thought she saw a pink tinge color his cheeks. Paul seemed to sense that he was interfering in a private moment, because he bowed slightly and vanished from sight.
“I—ah, yes,” Byron mumbled. “I wanted to thank you.” But something in his tone told Hadley that he wanted to say much more than that.
“Is your wife here?” she asked, and she immediately hated the way she had sounded. Byron stared at her, his eyes wide.
“My wife?” he repeated. “I’m not married.”
A sweeping relief filled Hadley, and she felt her body relax, as if she had just unloaded a knapsack full of books onto the ground.
“Oh, I just thought… never mind,” she stammered, darting her eyes away. She felt so naked, so vulnerable, like Byron could see right through her. “Well, you really didn’t need to go through the trouble of thanking me,” she rushed on, unsure of what else to say or where to rest her eyes. “Anyone would have done the same.”
“Hadley?” Byron softly called. Hadley gulped back another lump in her throat and tried to steady her nerves.
“Yes?” she whispered, certain she knew what he was going to say before he said it.
“Would you like to—”
“Yes,” she interrupted. “Yes, I—I want to get out of here with you.”
A smile fell on Byron’s face, and Hadley felt a familiar fission of pleasure slip through her as she rose to her feet, knowing that all of her wildest sexual visions were about to come to fruition. She took Byron’s outstretched hand and followed him from the restaurant, feeling the magnetism pulsating between them.
* * *
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a pale beam of light over Hadley’s smooth, naked back.
Byron sat at the perch, running his tongue over his teeth. He glanced back at his lover, a slight nervousness gripping his lumbering frame. Jessica’s warning echoed in his head.
“I don’t want to rain on your parade, Uncle B, but you know what kind of problems there can be when the two worlds collide…”
He forced the idea out of his mind and slipped back between the sheets with Hadley, trailing his fingers along the delicate lines of her body. No one had learned about them—not yet. He had managed to keep their relationship quiet, taking Hadley on dates in other towns while hiding out for entire weekends in their respective apartments, making love.
When he’d told her about his secret, she didn’t believe him at first. When he shifted into a bear, her terrified gaze soon shifted to one of love as she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her face against the warm fur of his cheek.
It was then that he knew she was his forever.
It was only a matter of time before others found out about them, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t the first shifter to mate with a human, and he wouldn’t be the last. His family and friends would just have to accept Hadley because he was never going to let her go.
Byron leaned in to nuzzle Hadley’s neck. She moaned softly in her sleep as he trailed his lips across her shoulder blades. Gently, he reached around to cup her breasts, pulling her against his chest, and the shift in her breathing told him that she was awake.
“Byron,” she moaned.
He gently pried her cheeks apart and softly plunged into her. He pushed the thoughts of telling his family about her from his mind, losing himself in the sweetness of her center like he always did.
* * *
THE END
6
Taken Hostage
The amount of fury in Ruby’s blood could not be measured as she flew from the bar, her beige and green Gucci scarf fluttering about her neck as she stormed down the street.
As she expected, the accessory was not the only thing trailing behind her, and Rob’s voice yelled out loud enough to infuriate her further.
“Come on, Ruby, you’re being unreasonable!”
She spun on her heel, her dark eyes flashing with anger as she glared at her boyfriend.
“Then leave me alone to be unreasonable,” she snarled.
“You are such a damn drama queen, Ruby,” he grumbled. “Get your ass back inside and stop being so irrational.”
Her brown eyes widened in shocked amazement. He’s calling me a drama queen! He’s the one who just had a temper tantrum because I was talking to the bartender!
“Screw you, Rob,” she growled. “I’ve had enough of your infantile games. I need a real man, not an insecure baby.”
Rob reached for her arm, but Ruby shoved him away, watching as his face contorted into the jerk she had come to know so well over the past six months.
“Fine,” he spat. “Walk home. I hope you get robbed.”
The idea was laughable in a town like Scarlet Oak, but the sentiment enraged her all the same.
“Charming,” she snapped.
She didn’t allow him to respond as she fled down Maple Street toward Second Avenue. Ruby hoped he did not follow again, but she was reasonably certain that his ego would keep him at bay—at least for the time being.
It was as if they could never go out and simply have an enjoyable evening. It always turned into some war, some ridiculous battle about nothing at all.
And he would like it if I got robbed or worse, she thought bitterly. What a prick. I am done with him this time.
Of course, it was a promise she had made to herself several times in the past, and each time, he managed to charm his way back into her life.
The weather had turned unseasonably cold for late August, and Ruby wished she had thought to bring a jacket, but her heart raced with enough rage to ensure that she would be kept warm long enough to get home. She was only ten blocks away, after all.
“Hey!”
Someone called out to her, and she turned to acknowledge the man in a black pick-up truck driving slowly beside her without slowing her pace.
“Hey,” she replied. She wasn’t in the mood to engage in conversation, no matter how handsome the driver might be.
Maybe if Rob was still watching…
She paused, glancing behind her. It would serve Rob’s stupid ego right if she got into a vehicle with another man.
“You having problems with your boyfriend?” the man asked from the truck as he continued to follow her.
“What’s it to you?” she demanded, scowling at him.
“I’m a good ear if you want to talk.”
“What do you really want, Shawn?” she snapped. “I’m having a really shitty night.”
Shawn let out a short laugh and held up one of his hands in mock surrender. “Come on, Ruby, you know me. I’m just seeing if I can help.”
She slowed her gait and considered his words.
“Get in the truck, Ruby,” Shawn said. “It’s cold, and you’re upset.”
Again, she looked over her shoulder to see if Rob was still watching, but he had apparently disappeared back into the bar.
His words began to echo in her head. I hope you get robbed.
Screw him, Ruby thought.
“Hurry up, girl. All the cold air is coming in.”
She gnawed on her lower lip and reached for the passenger door, nodding. “All right, Shawn.”
But as she slipped into the seat, an inexplicable fission of alarm coursed through her body. She looked at the attractive driver and noticed that his jaw was suddenly locked in concentration.
“How did you know I was having problems with Robbie?” she asked, suddenly realizing where her apprehension had stemmed from.
“I was in the bar, too.”
Ruby stared at him. “No, you weren’t,” she said flatly. “There were like six people in there, and you weren’t one of them.”
Shawn didn’t answer, but Ruby noticed the car lurch forward slightly as he stepped on the gas. They flew past her street, and Ruby placed her hand on his arm.
“You just missed my turn off,” she informed him, but something told her that h
e was aware of that fact, and he had done it purposely. “Shawn?” she croaked when he didn’t respond. “Where are you taking me?”
“Shh, Ruby, just shut up and do as you’re told, and you won’t get hurt.”
She snorted. “I just told you I’m having a shitty night, and now you’re playing a ridiculous game?”
“Ruby, seriously, just shut up!”
Ruby stared at him dubiously, her brown eyes huge. “What the hell are you talking about?” she cried. “Stop the truck and let me out!”
He chuckled mirthlessly. “It’s not that simple, darling,” he replied. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you that a girl worth as much money as you shouldn’t walk around alone at night?”
Panic rising in her gut, Ruby noted the streets whizzing by and decided she would jump out at the next red light.
He has to stop sometime, she thought, gnawing on the insides of her cheeks.
As if reading her thoughts, Shawn pulled a gun from the center console, pointing it at her. “If you make one stupid move…” he said pleasantly. “If you scream for help or try to signal anyone, I will blow off your face. Are we clear?”
Swallowing, Ruby nodded, her hands reaching to smooth out her straight red strands. “What do you want?” she murmured, but she already had an idea about what Shawn might want. He wouldn’t have been the first man to look at her and see money signs.
“Your daddy just needs to pay us what he thinks you’re worth, honey,” Shawn told her. “As soon as he pays up, you’ll go home like nothing ever happened.”
But Ruby knew every word he spoke was a lie; after all, she knew exactly who Shawn was. It wasn’t like he’d leave town after he got the money. She was never going to see her family again.
Looks like Rob got his wish, she thought morbidly. I did get robbed—of my life.
* * *
“Sarge, we have a problem—”
“Let me stop you right there, Cara,” Will interrupted, holding up a hand. “Coffee first, then you can bombard me with the great gnome captures of Scarlet Oak overnight.”
“But Sarge—”
“Coffee!” he bellowed as he left the desk clerk, making his way into the back offices.
It never failed; every morning, Cara would assault him with a barrage of words, which made no sense to him, and every morning, he would explain to her that he was subhuman without a caffeine boost.
“Sarge, did you hear what happened?” Detective Monroe asked, and Will shook his head in disbelief.
Was everyone deigning to get on his hit list that day?
“I don’t care what happened on the Christensen’s soybean farm,” he snapped, “until I get my coffee. Cara!”
She hurried toward him, her face pale, but she still didn’t carry his coffee in her hands.
“Are you serious?” he cried. “Where’s my coffee?”
“Sergeant Sears, Merrik Vladimir is in your office,” Cara said sternly. “His daughter has been kidnapped.”
Will stared at her uncomprehendingly. Has Cara started drinking already this morning?
“What?” he demanded. “What do you mean she’s been kidnapped?”
Cara pointed, and Will raised his head to look to where Merrik Vladimir paced about the floor of his office.
“He’s been there for an hour, waiting for you,” she sighed.
Will gazed at her with questioning grey eyes. “Then why the hell didn’t anyone call me?” he asked, rushing toward where the wealthiest man in Scarlet Oak burned a hole into the shabby carpeting with his quick, agitated steps.
Will didn’t bother to wait for an answer; he knew his phone was perpetually off when he was off-duty. If anyone had tried, the calls would have gone straight to voicemail.
“Merrik, what the hell?” Will asked. “What happened?”
“Where the hell have you been?” Merrik shouted, his face red with consternation. “My daughter is out there in the hands of some lunatic and—”
“Just calm down,” Will instructed sternly. “Tell me what happened.”
He gestured for the older man to sit, but Merrik Vladimir was having none of it as he continued pacing about the room, breathing fire.
“Someone has my baby!” he growled. “Someone has snatched her off the streets and is holding her for ransom!”
Will thought quickly, racking his brain for any past kidnapping attempts on anyone from the Vladimir family.
He could not recall any such incident. “Tell me everything,” Will urged.
“I got a phone call two hours ago from a distorted voice saying they had Ruby,” Merrik explained, “and that I need to pay six million to get her back.”
Will hit the intercom. “Davidson, get in here,” he called.
“I called all her friends, her good for nothing boyfriend, and anyone who might have contact with her. Nothing. No one has seen or heard from her.”
A knock at the door announced Detective Davidson’s arrival.
“Yes, Sarge?”
“Run the LUDs on the Vladimir’s’ home phone, incoming from two-plus hours ago,” Will ordered. “Also run the records on Ruby Vladimir’s cell. I want to know every tower it has pinged off and check to see if it can be tracked via GPS. I need Monroe visiting the boyfriend first, and all other friends after that. Take all the manpower you need and interrogate her neighbors. Find out where she was last night. I will have Cara run down her financials.”
“No need for that,” Merrik scowled. “I have control of all her money. I can give you any financial information you need. Just get out there and start looking for her!”
Will nodded. “Yes, my officers will get going immediately. In the meantime, when and where is the drop?”
“I don’t know!” Merrik exploded. “I am supposed to be getting another call from him in the next few hours. Instead of waiting for it, I have been stuck here waiting for you to grace the police department with your presence.”
“Go home and wait for it. I will send a technical team with you to trace the call.” Will placed his hand on Merrik’s shoulder for a moment before dropping it. “I know you’re under a lot of stress right now, Merrik, but you did the right thing, no matter what those terrorists threaten.”
Merrik stared at Will. “What do you mean I did the right thing despite their threats?”
Will’s brow furrowed. “I assume they told you not to contact the police.”
Merrik’s mouth became an expression of fear, but he shook his head. “No,” he gasped. “They didn’t say a damn word about the police.”
Will was stunned, but Merrik was done with the conversation.
“Just find her,” he whispered, the fearful expression on his face shifting into an angry one. “I don’t care what it takes. Bring my Ruby back alive.”
Will felt a stab of sympathy for the man.
“I will find her,” he assured Merrik. “Nothing is going to happen to your daughter, Merrik. Not on my watch.”
The black-haired man did not answer and stalked out of the room.
Will shoved Davidson toward the door. “Go with him!”
Sighing once both men were out of sight, he sank into his chair, conjuring an image of Ruby Vladimir in his mind.
He knew her more by reputation than by sight, but Scarlet Oak was not a big town, and he had chanced across the red-haired goddess a few times. And now someone had her. She had been kidnapped. In Will’s town.
He ground his teeth in anger, willing his premolars back into place.
“So it’s true?” Detective Monroe asked, poking his head into the office. “Someone took Ruby Vladimir?”
“Bring in the boyfriend for questioning,” Will replied without answering the detective’s question. “His name is Robert Askin. I want to talk to him myself.”
Monroe made a whistling noise and nodded, his eyes wide with surprise. “I can’t believe anyone would be that ballsy,” he said, shaking his head.
“Are you still here?” Will snapped. “Go find Askin!�
��
He stifled a groan and stared at the ceiling, suddenly feeling helpless. In a town run by bear shifters, how does a girl get snatched? Will knew the answer would not be easily found.
* * *
“Is this really necessary?” Ruby asked, struggling against the constraints on her feet. “I’m obviously not going anywhere.”
“You should be glad we haven’t gagged you,” the man muttered, puffing on a cigarette as he stared blankly at the television. “But if you keep yapping, I might do just that.”
Shawn had left, leaving Ruby alone with the crotchety stranger, tied to a chair inside a seedy apartment.
Despite Shawn being the one who had physically kidnapped her, Ruby wished he was the one keeping an eye on her rather than the nameless weirdo watching infomercials.
“I can see why you need the money,” Ruby commented, looking around the unit with disgust. It was nothing akin to the comfort and luxury in which she had been reared. “Although I have to say, six million is aiming kind of high, isn’t it?”
The weirdo jerked his head up and peered at her with strange, iridescent eyes. “What do you mean?” he asked, his lips twitching in question. “You don’t think your daddy will pay it?”
Ruby tried to shrug, but it was only a half-gesture. “Can’t say,” she replied. “We aren’t that close.”
It wasn’t true, of course, but she reasoned if she could plant the seed of doubt in her captors’ minds, they might screw up.
And if they get careless, I will be easier to find, she thought. It was a longshot, but longshots were all she had.
“Really?” the man drawled, rising from his seemingly ingrained spot on the sofa and ambling toward her.
Ruby felt a spark of fear for the first time as she watched him approach. “I don’t know,” she said quickly, recognizing that she may have made a blunder in saying such a thing. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”