Jax gave him a cold stare. “I go wherever Mr. Powell goes.”
“We have the tightest security of any casino in the city, and I assure you the VIP area is—”
“I don’t go anywhere without my bodyguard.”
“Then I’ll need a copy of his ID.”
Knowing this could be an issue, Henley had created a fake ID for Jax too. He was much less likely to be recognized than I was, but there was a chance Bernice kept tabs on all the Howler employees, especially the ones who’d been guarding King’s mate.
Daniel typed in some information, then handed the ID back.
“I hope that is all,” I said. “I’m growing very impatient.”
Daniel blushed under my glare. He was definitely new at this. Why would Bernice put someone new on this detail. Unless… whoever was supposed to be there had left for some reason.
“I haven’t seen you here before,” I said as my hand fell once again to the doorknob.
“I’ve only been here a few weeks, sir. I’m new to town.”
“And already working the VIP access door? That’s impressive. Your boss must be very pleased with your work.”
“Oh, I’m actually filling in for someone who had to… well, you don’t need to know that. Have a good night, sir.”
Trent would need someone else to help him with his operation. Was that where the man who should be working the VIP door had gone? Were they encouraging some of the high rollers the usual guard would know to pay for their services instead of filling Bernice’s table? That would make Trent’s offense much worse.
“Thank you,” I said to the nervous young man as I pulled the door open. Jax took it from me, holding it while I entered.
Henley had come through with a map of the casino as well, so we knew to head up the carpeted stairs and then turn left. I took a breath when we reached the door behind which Bernice herself should be presiding over a table of her most treasured clients.
“I believe in you,” Jax whispered. His low voice sounded the same as it did when he told me that in bed, and I shivered. But this wasn’t the time to think of all the delicious things he might do later to reward me for my success.
When we entered the room, it only took Bernice a second to recognize me. “Storm Howler, what are you doing here?”
“I have information you need, and I’m here to give it to you.” My knees felt wobbly. I wanted to grab onto the back of one of the empty chairs, but I stood tall and tried to feel Jax’s support as if it could hold me up.
“How dare you interrupt my evening with your nonsense.” She turned to the two hulking guards behind her, and they stood, ready to defend her. I’d known her long enough to know she didn’t actually need their protection. She was likely far more dangerous than either of them. I was also certain Jax could take out Bernice and her guards. My mate was special like that.
“Get them out of here,” she ordered. The guards began to move toward us.
“I can tell you what I have to say right here in front of everyone, or you can speak with me in private. Either way is fine with me, but I’m sure you wouldn’t like your family business bandied about by everyone.” I glanced around the table, noting that there were numerous shifter groups represented. There was even a human woman. She must be brave as fuck.
Bernice held up her hand, and the guards froze. “You’re telling me you have important information to share, yet instead of requesting a meeting with me, you show up here. If King knows something about me, why would he send his pretty boy to do his bidding instead of coming himself?”
I managed to keep my face impassive despite the hammering of my heart. “I didn’t say anything about my brother. I said I know something you need to know.”
Her eyes widened, though she covered it quickly. I’d impressed her, and I could feel Jax’s approval through our mate bond.
She glanced at one of her guards. “Take these two to my office and check them for weapons.” She turned her gaze back to me. “Make a wrong move, and you’ll be shot with enough natcylid you might not survive.”
I stared at her coldly. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
“You’ll be the one with regrets if you’re wasting my time.” She gave her attention to the guards again. “Once you’ve got them settled, send Carl to me.”
Jax and I followed the guards without further protest. It sounded like Bernice was going to talk to us once she had someone else to preside over the game in progress. I didn’t like the idea of being watched by her two goons, but I had Jax with me, and I was certain he could get us out of practically any trouble.
Bernice kept us waiting for over half an hour. Her guards ordered us to keep our hands on the arms of the chairs where they’d made us sit. The longer I had to stay still, the more agitated I felt, which I assumed was Bernice’s intention. Jax looked utterly calm though. In fact, at one point, I thought he might’ve fallen asleep. I wondered if he could teach me that level of patience. Probably not.
When Bernice finally entered the room, she dismissed the guards, telling them to wait outside. She glared at us as she took a seat behind her desk. “Cross me, and you won’t leave here alive.”
I smiled sweetly. “Like I told you, I’m here to help.”
Bernice snorted. “Start talking.”
“First, and possibly not connected to the news I have for you, do you realize there’s a sweet little cub who’s only been working here for two weeks guarding the door to the VIP area? He says the man who was supposed to be on duty had something else to do.”
Bernice visibly tensed. She tapped the microphone in her right ear. “Andrew, confirm for me that Dale is on duty by the VIP entrance.” Silence for a moment. “What? Why am I paying you if you can’t keep up with your staff better than that? Get the situation corrected. Now.” She tapped the mic again and glared at me.
“You’re welcome. Now, I have an idea where your man, Dale, may be.”
Bernice snarled. “Don’t play with me, pup.”
I could hear Jax scolding me as clearly as if he were speaking out loud. He was right. I was enjoying myself a little bit too much. “Your nephew, Trent, has been hosting sex parties using escorts from our service as well as others, some of whom are likely underage.”
“And this is a problem for me because…?”
“He’s holding them in your casinos and keeping all the money for himself.”
Bernice growled.
“Ah, I didn’t think you knew.”
She scowled at me. “What proof do you have of this?”
“He’s holding a party in one of your private rooms right now.”
“What? He’s here?”
“I’m not sure who else is involved from the inside, but it could be Dale. It must be someone, since Trent and his clients are here and you didn’t know.”
A growl rumbled in her throat. “And I suppose you’ve been profiting well from this little venture. Why tell me now?”
Jax tensed, and I laid a hand on his arm to soothe him. “Trent hasn’t given us a single cent, nor has he paid the escorts he’s been bringing to these parties. If anyone else but him is seeing any of the profits, it must be whoever helped him set this up. This is a problem for both of us, and I’m here to help you put a stop to it. I’ve got some people on the inside, and my guard and I are available to assist you in shutting Trent down.”
“I won’t need your assistance.”
“Apparently you did need us because you were unaware of what’s going on right under your nose. That doesn’t look very good for a casino owner.”
Bernice snarled. “What do you want?”
“Nothing but your continued support of my brother’s agenda and the same consideration we’ve given you. Should you discover something wrong in our house, you’ll pass that information along privately.”
She studied me for several seconds. “It seems you’re a lot more than just a pretty face …” She paused to give me a slow once over, which made Jax growl.
“You’re mates, aren’t you?” she asked.
I wasn’t sure how she knew, but there was no reason to deny it. “We are.”
“Congratulations. Follow me to my security office.”
As we walked back toward the main floor of the casino, Bernice told off her security chief in a blistering tone, then ordered him to gather a team to deal with Trent.
I glanced at Jax. He smiled as he laid a hand at the base of my spine and leaned down to whisper in my ear. “You’re totally a badass.”
“You like it?” I asked.
“I’ll show you how much once we’re back home.”
23
Jax
The fact that Bernice allowed us into her security control room let me know that no matter how much posturing she did, she believed Storm’s story, and more importantly, she trusted him, maybe even liked him. That would bode well for the future of our alliance with the bears.
Bernice pushed her security chief aside, took over the keyboard he’d been using, and brought up a variety of angles of the room Trent was using on the screens. She quickly found the one where Trent was hosting his illicit party. When I saw the bastard, my wolf snarled, desperate to be free. He wanted to chase Trent down and rip into him.
Another camera showed Bryce with Corbin seated on his lap. He was caressing Corbin’s side and whispering in his ear. Possibly they were discussing what was happening in the room, but I didn’t think their interest in each other was fake. I glanced at Storm, and he turned to me at the same time. When I tilted my head toward the screen I’d been watching, he smiled and mouthed, “I saw.”
I glanced at another screen and couldn’t stop a growl from coming out. An older man yanked a boy by his hair, forcing him to his knees. When the boy tried to get away, the man slapped him. If I’d thought their play was consensual, I wouldn’t have minded it, but the look on the boy’s face told me he did not want to be there, and I’d be shocked if he were over sixteen.
“This needs to stop now.” It was all I could do to hold my wolf back. On another screen, a woman was being held down. She was struggling, and she looked terrified.
Bernice snarled a series of orders at the security team, assigning them different entry points to raid the room. “Whatever you do, don’t let that fucking nephew of mine escape. He’s going to pay for this. If we were inspected by the human authorities and they saw this…” Her words trailed off in a growl, and she turned to me and Storm. “You go in here.” She pointed to the entrance closest to Bryce’s location. “Get your brother and his companion out of there. This is my business now.”
“Not quite yet,” Storm said. “Until I know all of my employees are safe and Trent is in your custody, I’m not leaving.”
Bernice scowled. “Fine, but do not interfere in my family business.”
“Agreed.”
Before Bernice could say anything else, the mic in my ear crackled, and Bryce said, “Trent just recognized me. He knows something’s up. He headed out the main door. I think he’s going to make a run for it, but I can’t go after him and leave Corbin.”
“We’re on it.”
“What’s going on?” Bernice and Storm asked at the same time.
“Trent spotted Bryce. He’s on the run, but I’ve got him.”
“Go,” Bernice yelled.
Storm followed me as I’d known he would. I wanted to order him back inside, but I also didn’t want him out of my sight. Screams erupted as Bernice’s guards raided the party, but Storm and I kept moving. Bryce would take care of Corbin and the other escorts.
We saw Trent near the edge of the parking lot. He headed toward a restaurant that was closed for the night. It was dark as we approached, but I was used to watching for shadows to move.
Trent gave himself away when he reached for his weapon. I was prepared for him. I reached for my throwing knife, which I’d hidden in my boot so well Bernice’s guards hadn’t found it.
What I wasn’t prepared for was Storm. He shifted so fast he was nothing but a blur. He leapt at Trent, and my heart stuttered. Trent likely had his gun loaded with high-powered natcylid bullets. If one hit Storm just right…
But Storm was too fast. He pounced on Trent, and Trent’s gun flew from his hand. Storm sank his teeth into Trent’s shoulder, but Trent’s bear was bulkier, and he threw Storm off.
I had my knife in hand, but I couldn’t risk hitting my mate by mistake.
Trent pinned Storm, and I tossed the knife and charged him, shifting partially. Storm turned his head just in time to avoid a deep bite, and with a fierce growl, I grabbed the back of Trent’s neck and lifted him off Storm, letting my claws dig into him.
“Never touch my mate again.” Trent struggled, but I squeezed his neck, cutting off his air. When he slumped over, unconscious, I tossed him to the ground.
Storm had become human again. He was staring at me, wide-eyed. “Is he dead?”
I shook my head as I became fully human again too. “I pinched a nerve in his neck that cut off his oxygen supply. He’s breathing again now, but he’ll probably be unconscious for a few minutes.”
I heard shouts, and casino security guards began to run toward us. We explained what had happened, and they secured Trent and carried him off. The ropes they used wouldn’t hold him if he shifted, but they would slow him down, and I imagined he’d be locked up by the time he regained consciousness.
I removed my jacket and gave it to Storm to tie around his waist since he’d lost his clothes when he’d shifted. My jacket was torn, but it was so large it wrapped all the way around Storm like a skirt.
The guards asked us to follow them back inside, saying Bernice wanted to speak with us. She was conferencing with her security chief when we arrived, so we headed toward Bryce, who was talking to the escorts in one corner of the large room. Daniel, the security guard we’d met earlier, was there too.
“Is everyone okay?” Storm asked when we reached them.
Bryce nodded. “I’ve got this under control. Corbin, Daniel, and I will make sure everyone has a safe place to go.” Corbin stood by his side, and I wondered if they would leave together after everything was settled.
Bernice walked over to us after sending her chief away.
“Trent is secure,” Storm assured her.
“Thank you. As much as it pains me to be beholden to a wolf, I appreciate you informing me of Trent’s transgressions. He will be severely punished.”
“I’m counting on it,” Storm said.
“I assume I will not see you in my casino without permission again.” Obviously her appreciation only went so far.
“Not unless there’s a good reason, like this one,” Storm said.
“Then take your mate and get out.”
Storm gave her a slight bow. After checking with Bryce once more, we walked to the car. When we were seated with the door shut, Storm let his head fall back against the seat. “We did it. We actually did it.”
I took his hand and laced our fingers together. “You scared me to death when you leapt on Trent.”
“He was going to shoot you. I couldn’t let that happen.”
Storm hadn’t known I had the knife. I hadn’t told him about it because while I’d thought I’d be able to keep it if we were searched, I couldn’t be sure. “You were saving me?”
He brushed his fingers over my cheek. “Of course, and you saved me right back. That’s what mates do. They protect each other. It doesn’t matter who’s the strongest or who’s the dominant one in the relationship. We help each other.”
I pulled him to me for a long, deep kiss. “Storm Howler, I love you, and I’m so proud of how you went in there tonight and followed through on your plan. You’re brave and smart and maybe a little too sassy for your own good, but watching you tonight was a privilege and more than a little bit hot.”
“You like me as a badass.”
“Damn right I do.” He pulled me back down so he could kiss me again. I had to pull away after a f
ew seconds. I was determined not to fuck Storm in the casino parking lot, but once I got him home, I intended to spend the rest of the night showing him exactly how happy he made me.
24
Epilogue
Three weeks later
Storm
We’d started opening Tooth and Claw to members on Saturday afternoons. The crowd was quieter, and I usually loved working then, but today I was restless because in a little while, Jax would be picking me up.
I’d booked us the best suite at the Ritz, and we were taking four days off to just enjoy each other. We’d tried to pick an exciting destination, but we’d realized we were going to spend most of our time in a hotel room, so we’d decided to stay in town. Jax had only lived here a few months anyway, so there was plenty for me to show him if we did decide to get out of bed.
I’d wandered down to the bar to distract myself while I waited for Jax to arrive. I ended up chatting with Aisling, a falcon shifter who’d been a regular at Tooth and Claw for years. After we’d laughed about Bryce entering a dance contest the night before despite his lack of rhythm, she said, “Garrett’s not been around much lately. I miss seeing him here.”
“He’s been tied up with some of our other businesses.” That was only partly true, but I didn’t want to tell her I hadn’t seen much of him either.
“Well, tell him if he’d like to be tied up with me again, he should give me a call.”
I’d seen Garrett flirting with her before, but I hadn’t been sure if they’d actually played together.
“I’ll let him know next time I talk to him.”
“Or if Bryce is around, I wouldn’t mind seeing him either. As long as he doesn’t want to dance.”
I raised my brows. “You’re going to go from one brother to another?”
She laughed. “Is that a problem?”
“Not for me, but it might be for them.”
She shrugged. “I’m a switch.”
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