by Raven Steele
Dominic’s head on a platter would do nicely.
Gerald knocked on a door at the end of the hall, softer than I thought his massive knuckles could accomplish. When no one answered, he cleared his throat. “Dominic, someone’s here to see you. It can't wait."
"Come in.” By his sharp tone, Dominic wasn’t happy being interrupted.
Gerald swallowed a lump in his throat and turned the doorknob. It swung open wide, motioning for me to pass through first.
I took a step through the door and saw red as Dominic’s ugly mug came into view.
All my senses blew through the roof, and my wolf readied herself to shift. I did a quick analysis of the room. There were three other people, besides Gerald. I would go for Dominic first, then the bodyguard to his left, if I made it that far. My pulse pounded in my ears, and my breathing quickened; I couldn’t stop my chest from heaving in and out. My knees bent, almost springing me over the desk, and my hand reached for the blade hidden in my bra. My eyes shifted to the left at the last second. I needed to know how badly this was going to go down.
And then I saw Luke.
My nostrils flared, making me smell someone else. Vampire.
I froze. Shit.
Shit, shit.
Samira sat across from Dominic. Of course. She said she had business with them. Her eyebrows rose when she saw me, then quickly turned to a scowl, making her glasses slide down her nose. Silas sat to the left of her, his deep blue eyes staring into mine.
I shifted my gaze to Luke. He shook his head as if disappointed to see me. Right back at you, pal.
Turning toward Dominic, I ignored the stares of the rest of the people in the room. A slow smile spread across his face when he saw me. "You captured her, Gerald. Good job. Take her to containment. I’m in an important meeting."
I walked forward, putting my hands on his desk and leaning over, just enough so that I was in his space. “Gerald didn’t capture me. I walked here all by my lonesome.”
He leaned back, his grip on his pen tight, but he raised an eyebrow.
“And then I challenged him to a fight, just for the opportunity to speak to you.”
Dominic jerked his eyes to Gerald, who was staring at his shoes. "Are you telling me she beat you in a fight?" When Gerald only mumbled a response, Dominic’s eyes returned to mine. "Maybe I hired the wrong security person."
I straightened. "I would have to agree with you. He wasn't much competition. Disappointing, really. Look, I can see you're busy, but I wanted a face-to-face before I got caught up in any unnecessary questioning. It would waste everyone’s time. I came here to join. I’m clearly strong enough for your pack. My only mistake was sneaking up on you guys last night, but I wanted to make sure you would be good enough for me. I admit, I liked what I saw."
"You've got some balls, I'll give you that.”
"Ovaries, Sir," I clarified.
Samira rolled her eyes at me.
He swirled his middle finger on the desk in front of him, considering me carefully. "That may be, but do you have the heart to do what we do? Or really, I should say stomach." His eyes flashed to Luke's, and he leaned forward. "Let's see if you do. I want you to follow Luke, starting tonight. You are to be his bitch.”
An expression I couldn’t decipher crossed over Luke’s face, darkening it.
Dominic continued. “If you do everything he says like a good little wolf, then maybe, just maybe, I'll put you on Silas’ personal security. Anyone who can beat Gerald in a fight deserves it." His gaze lowered to Silas. “Would that be acceptable to you?”
Silas, with his beady black eyes and thin lips, looked me up and down. I resisted the urge to swat at the bugs I swore were crawling on me. His hands curled slowly around the cane resting in his lap. “I can make something out of her.”
A flame lit inside of me. If I could become his personal guard, I would have ample opportunities to kill him. It was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.
"I’m all in.”
"Dominic said you have to do anything," Luke said, smiling wickedly. It made my stomach somersault. I ignored the growing heat in my lower abdomen, my hormones betraying me.
I raised my eyebrow at him. “You wish.” I looked back at Dominic, frowning. "You don’t mean I have to literally do everything he asks, right?"
Dominic chuckled. "If you can resist Luke, I'll be a bloodied pirate."
“Then I’ll be sure to buy you an eye patch and a wooden peg leg.” I bowed slightly, then turned to leave.
Dominic called after me. “Are you forgetting someone?"
I glanced back at Luke. “You coming?”
He walked past me, mumbling under his breath. Dominic’s gaze slid to Samira. "That should solve our little problem then, correct?"
Samira shifted her weight in the chair eyeing me sideways. "We'll see what you bring in."
What was Samira to him? How deep into his business was she?
I flashed her a curious look before I followed Luke out the door. He didn’t say anything to me until we were outside of the mansion. He whirled on me, embers in his eyes that burned hot. "Every time I think you couldn’t get any dumber, you go and surprise me."
"Thank you?"
“Why are you trying to get close to Dominic? Don’t you know that man is dangerous?”
“I thought you wanted me to join.”
The fire in his eyes cooled, and his voice lowered. “I was ordered to get you to join. Big difference.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he turned on his heel and walked around the side of the house. I followed him, frustrated and confused. He seemed loyal to the pack, doing whatever his Alpha asked him to do, but then why warn me about Dominic?
He stopped in front of a black motorcycle and tossed me a red helmet. “Put this on.”
When I glared at him, he added, “Please.”
He swung his leg over the seat of the bike and motioned for me to get on behind him, his lips a tight line.
I stared at the bike for a moment as a low thrill rose in my stomach. There were only two things better than the vibration of a bike between my legs: sex and being a wolf. With the latter being the better option.
Luke eyed me curiously, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth almost as if he knew what I was thinking. I quickly slid behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. His stomach tightened at my touch.
"Why did you really come back here?” he asked over his shoulder.
"I already told you. I want to join the pack.”
"That is such bullshit."
“What would you know? You know nothing about me or my past."
"And therein lies the problem." He slammed his foot down on the clutch, bringing the engine to life. The loud sound made it impossible for me to respond. He accelerated, nearly knocking me off backwards, and I had a strong feeling it was deliberate.
This shifter might actually kill me.
Chapter 13
I gripped him tighter as he drove fast through town, darting in between cars like a ball being shot through a pinball machine. I couldn’t help but think some of this show was for my sake. I hung on for dear life, but inside, my body was on fire. Pressing further into him, a smoldering sensation warmed my chest, and I struggled to control the growing desire toward Luke.
He turned a corner sharply, and when I teetered sideways, his hand dropped from the bike handle and pressed against my arms that were gripping his waist. His fingers brushed over the top of my wrist where the rope had injured me earlier. I wondered if the motion had been deliberate. Maybe he was feeling as equally attracted to me as I was to him.
Usually my love life consisted of one-to-three month whirlwind romances, mostly spent either in bed or eating pizza and watching TV. I never opened up or stayed long enough with a guy to get to know him.
And I never thought I would be attracted to the right-hand man of my enemy. But my wolf was getting possessive of him, and that pissed me the hell off.
As
soon as we parked, I jumped from the bike and tore off my helmet. I began to pace, trying to relieve some of the burning in my blood. He glanced back at me with such a heated look, it made me want to jump him right here in the middle of the street. We stared at each other for a moment too long. Then I threw my helmet at him, hard. I didn’t want him getting any ideas. He grunted as it hit his stomach.
Except, instead of turning him off, his grin only widened.
Bastard.
“Just tell me what I need to do.” I brushed past him, frowning and ignoring the sound of his deep chuckle that sent a pleasurable chill across my flesh.
I focused on the building in front of me. It was a pawn shop, and not a very classy one by the sight of it. The neon sign was halfway burnt out and read, ‘aw Shop’. Bright yellow and red signs told customers they could get a high price for their gold and diamonds.
Yeah right.
It was almost nine o’clock, and no customers were around. I don’t know why they even bothered staying open, except to rip off the desperate customers who came in at this hour.
Luke’s expression returned to broody and tough as he walked to the front door. “Alright, Briar. You wanted to see what the pack does. You’re about to find out.”
He opened the door for me. I narrowed my eyes and folded my arms. “You don’t think this is a date, do you?”
Huffing his breath, he brushed past me roughly. I grinned, then followed him inside. The interior was worse than the outside. All sorts of trinkets crowded together on shelves haphazardly placed along the wall. The shiniest of the objects laid in glass enclosed counters. Prized possessions and cherished memories easily traded for a dose of silver.
A wilted man sat behind the counter, bald with yellow teeth and fingernails. His eyes widened when he saw Luke, and he jerked up out of his chair. It made me wonder if he knew Luke’s true identity.
“What brings you here, good man?” His left hand fumbled with something beneath the counter. Probably some kind of weapon he thought he could use against us.
“Don’t be stupid, Bill.” Luke walked up to the cash register. “You know why I’m here. Do you have our money or not?”
Bill ran his greasy finger across the glass, staring down at it. “It was a rough week, man. Not many people came in. Can I pay you my share next week? This weekend is supposed to be good weather. That always helps.”
Luke rammed his fist into the glass counter, causing a large crack to race up the side. I jumped at the sudden aggression.
“You know that’s not how this works.” Luke leaned closer to Bill. “We want our money tonight.”
Bill continued to fumble with something on the other side of the counter. “Sure. Whatever you say. You order, I obey. That’s how it is, right?”
“Been that way for two years, and yet you always give me a hard time. Just hand over the money. I know you’ve got it.”
Bill’s eyes flashed to me. “What’s the broad doing here?”
Luke didn’t look at me when he answered. “Oh, you don’t want to get tangled up with that one. She’s worse than me. She’ll carve your heart out with a spoon and feed it to your mother.”
To make a show of things, I snapped my jaws and grinned. Truth was, I was a little nervous with where Luke was taking this. How far did he push until he got his money? I get the Silver Claws being cruel to other supernaturals when needed, but to regular humans? That could spell trouble for all shifters. We are supposed to keep a low profile.
Bill’s eyes quickly darted back to Luke. “I really can’t pay you this time, man. It’s been a rough month. I might even have to close my doors for good.”
“Why do you keep lying? We both know you’re running a profitable side business.” Luke placed his hands on the edge of the counter. Every muscle in his body was wound tight, as if he was expecting something to happen.
Bill’s left eye twitched, and the frightened expression he’d sported a second ago twisted into something dark and evil. “I’m sick of obeying. This is my business, not Dominic’s.”
“Listen,” I said, as the back of my neck began to tingle. Something bad was about to go down, and I really wanted to bring some calm back to the conversation. “Why don’t we all—”
Bill withdrew a gun from beneath the counter and pointed it at Luke. “Get the fuck out of my store!”
Luke lowered his head and shook it. “Bill, Bill, Bill. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.”
“I said get out!”
His finger began to pull the trigger but Luke, faster than the next beat of my heart, wrapped his hand around the back of Bill’s neck. He slammed his face into the glass counter, completely shattering the surface. Bill screamed and clutched at his face. Blood ran between his fingers and poured to the counter. The gun, forgotten, fell inside the case.
“It didn’t have to come to this. Too bad.” Luke reached in and grabbed the gun. I took a step back, afraid he was going to shoot him. Instead, he yanked open the magazine to unload the weapon of its bullets. Bill began to cry, but Luke ignored him. “Briar, search the back room and take whatever money you find.”
I stared at him mutely. That sure escalated quickly. Part of me wanted to say what the hell? But the other part, the part that needed to join the Silver Claws, knew I needed to move.
He glanced back at me, and there was something in his eyes that I couldn’t quite place. “Well?”
I jumped to obey. I had to see this through, even though I felt bad for old Bill. The feeling disappeared when I saw what was in the back room. There was an old desk pressed against the wall, resting on frayed orange carpet. A long table sat next to it piled with drugs and several stacks of hundred dollar bills.
Moving in closer, I suddenly felt the need to hurry and get out of here. Some of the stacks were stained in red. I guess old Bill wasn't as innocent as he seemed. I grabbed a grocery sack off the desk, emptied its contents, and replaced it with money. When I was done, I turned to leave the room but changed my mind. I stared at the drugs wondering where they would end up. I should destroy them. I’d seen too many of my foster friends ruin their lives with that shit.
I walked to the room's only window and opened it wide. I pushed out the screen and peered out. Piles of garbage lay outside. I could easily scatter the drugs and none would be the wiser.
I returned to the table and picked up several bags. Just as I was about to rip them open and dump them outside, Luke’s voice made me jump. “You better not be destroying those. Bag them up, too. We’re taking them."
“You can't be serious? Snatching the money is one thing, but we need to destroy the drugs."
"You will do no such thing. You'll bag them up, and do as I say, or I’ll tell Dominic you don’t really want to join.”
I stared at him, the blood in my veins hot. Closing my eyes briefly, I reminded myself why I was doing this and slowly packed up the drugs into another bag. Remaining silent, I walked back into the pawn shop and passed Bill, who was slumped on the floor still crying like a baby. I wanted to kick his face in; all feelings of pity for him had disappeared. How many lives had he ruined? Or for that matter, how many lives had the Silver Claws ruined if they were also mixed up in this?
I walked outside, sucking in a breath of cool air. I focused on the only star I could see, the only one that didn't allow night to suffocate it with its darkness.
Luke put his hand on my arm. “Quit holding those like you’re afraid someone’s going to rip them out of your arms.”
I realized I was gripping the bags tightly to my chest. Luke opened a saddlebag on the bike and pulled out a backpack. He handed it to me and walked off. “This way.”
I shoved everything into it and followed him around the corner, throwing the backpack over my shoulder.
We walked three more blocks in silence. Luke stopped in front of a hippy looking herbal shop. The window displayed an old wood sign that proclaimed, “Incense, herbs, and spell kits.” Glass balls filled the display windo
w, with lots of colored rocks lined up in straight rows. A tag on one of the rocks priced it at three hundred and forty-eight dollars. I almost choked on my spit.
I pointed to the sign. “Looks like they're closed.”
My voice sounded strange. It was the first time speaking since leaving the pawn shop.
He ignored me and entered a code into the keypad on the side. It beeped, and he opened the door. Maneuvering his way around brightly colored clothing racks, he walked behind a curtain and down a flight of stairs. It was pitch black down here, and I had to use my wolf vision just to see at the bottom. We stopped at a door that looked like a normal supply closet, but I could hear faint voices coming from behind it.
Luke knocked on the door in a specific pattern. A moment later, it opened.
A woman with purple hair and vibrant green eyes looked at Luke seductively. She put her hand to his chest. “Hey there, handsome.”
Frowning, I stepped out from behind Luke, eyeing the deep cut of the woman’s tight red shirt. Her swelling cleavage practically spilled from the thin material. When she saw me, her lips pressed into a firm line.
"Who's this bit?" She folded her arms across her stomach, pressing her chest up even higher.
Raising my eyebrow, I looked straight into her eyes. "This ‘bit’ is about to pop the silicone right of those massive zits on your chest.”
"Huh?”
Luke chuckled low, but the lady in red was not happy. Frowning, she turned to Luke. “She stays out here."
"She comes inside.” Luke pushed the door open and brushed past her.
I did the same, gloating at her as I went, but it disappeared the moment I realized where we were. The basement looked like a drug operation right out of a mob movie. Rows of tables lined the room, with medium-sized bags filled with white powder and money in designated positions. A man in a dark business suit sat next to small green stacks of money. He stood up to greet Luke, eyeing me warily.
Luke shook his hand. “She's cool.”
I was a little surprised Luke was showing me all of this. I know he didn't believe my motives for joining the pack, so why show something that was obviously meant to be kept secret?