Wicked Jackal

by Cherie Marks

  Someone who took command and made decisions—that’s what she needed. Again, Alex came to mind. The way he’d ordered her to keep her hands above her head had driven her mad with lust. Just the idea of allowing him control of her body and the pleasure he could withhold or give was enough to get her charged up all over again. She quickly squashed that thought before it could take root and sprout into the blazing need from before. At one point, she was sure she’d die if he dared to stop. But he hadn’t, and she’d never felt such pleasure.

  She wanted the opportunity to do that again. However, right now she had to think about herself, specifically about ensuring her freedom once again. If Alex even had an inkling of what she was doing at this moment, he’d probably make good on his promise and tie her to the bed, but she didn’t care. Her life was on the line in more ways than one.

  As quietly as possible, she slipped the phone out and dialed B’s number. She’d swiped it from Alex’s pocket when he’d been distracted by his brother, and if all went well, she’d find a crafty way to get it back to him without him being any the wiser.

  She started to get nervous the longer it rang, but finally B picked up on the fourth one.

  “Hello. Who’s this?”

  “B, it is me. It is Tasia.”

  “Tasia! Where are you? Are you alright?”

  It was so good to hear her voice. “I am fine right now, but I am hiding. Those men who came into The Bread Basket last week are trying to kidnap me. Have they been back?”

  “Uh, yeah, girl. They come into The Basket almost every day. I didn’t realize they were looking for you. Are you still in town?”

  Tasia had really hoped those Russian guys had moved on, but it sounded like it would take more than a week for them to give up. How much longer could she stand being cooped up, even with her fantasy-come-to-life?

  “Yeah, I am in a cabin with Alex, the guy who helped me get out of the restaurant that night.”

  “Oooh, Mr. Hotness? How’s it going? Has he gotten to third base with you yet?”

  Leave it to B to go there. “Maybe.”

  “How was it? Is he a good kisser?”

  “Mind-blowing, B. He is a very talented kisser.”

  She snorted and gave a sharp laugh before saying, “I knew it! He looked like he would be. Listen, girl, you better enjoy yourself, but not too much. Don’t go falling for him.”

  Totally Too late! “Do not worry about me. I have a non-stick heart. Same old me, I am still looking for the quickest exit.”

  “I’m sure. Do you need me to bring anything to where you are?”

  She really did want her own things but figured it wouldn’t be safe for B to go to her apartment right now, and showing up on Alex’s doorstep would cause him to go completely ballistic.

  “Not now. Just take care of yourself, B, and please tell Mr. Cordle that I am okay. When all this is over, I want to get back to life as I have come to know it.”

  “Okay. Take care. I’d say, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, but that doesn’t include much.”

  She laughed quietly and told her she’d talk to her as soon as she could again, but that it might not be for a few days. She ended the call, erased the number from the screen, and slid the phone into the folds of the shirt she was wearing. After a few more minutes, she’d head back downstairs and place it on the floor around the couch. With any luck, he’d think it fell out when they were otherwise occupied.

  A quick straightening of the borrowed t-shirt and she descended the stairs. As she made her way down, both men were busy putting something rather large together. They both paused and looked up at her, freezing in mid-motion as she made her way down the spiral. The spell broke for Andrei first when Alex actually growled.

  The brother cleared his throat and bent back to his work, but not before, in a low voice, she heard him say, “Well, you shouldn’t dress her like a stripper.” She couldn’t help but smile. She’d thought the same thing about walking around here in a t-shirt all the freaking time.

  Alex watched her the whole way as she walked toward the large, half-formed frame and various metal and rubber items strewn out in front of him. She’d have to wait to plant the phone by the couch. She’d pick a time when he wasn’t so vigilant to her every movement. Instead, she put it behind her back and approached the mess of items they had laid out.

  “What is this?”

  “Something for you.”

  Again, her heart leaped with his words. He’d gotten her a gift? She’d always loved gifts. Then, it occurred to her what it was, and she almost leaned in to throw a kiss onto his cheek.

  “A treadmill? So I can run in the mornings?” She couldn’t help but be thrilled by the present. Yet, her joy sank to sadness as she realized what it meant for the long term. “We are not going anywhere anytime soon, are we?”

  “For whatever reason, none of my contacts are helping me on this one. Andrei and I think our father has something to do with it.”

  “Why would he block us from finding a safe place to hide out?”

  “I’m not really sure.”

  However, something in his eyes told her clearly that he had a theory. Why wasn’t he willing to share more information with her? Again she got the feeling he was keeping secrets from her, something big that would blow the lid off this whole situation. What little trust built between them over the past week was slowly slipping away again.

  “Well, lot of good it is to have a treadmill to stare at. I hope you do not expect me to run in only a t-shirt.” She pinched the front of the shirt between her thumb and forefinger and pulled it away from her body, letting it flutter back into place. She watched lust dance in his gaze in reaction.

  “I’m on it. I’ve sent someone to get you some clothes.”

  “From my apartment?”

  “No. New things.”

  She crossed her arms. “That should be interesting. I do not remember anyone asking me my size?”

  “I’m pretty good at measurements, but I looked at the tags of your ruined shirt and pants that I gathered from the forest that night. I also looked at the size of your shoes. It won’t be perfect, but it will be better than wandering around the cabin with most of your body hanging out.”

  Like she asked for any of this. “I don’t like to complain, but pretty sure I could have told you I needed more than one of your t-shirts to wear.” Especially if she was going to make a break for it. And despite the fact she was falling hard for her protective shifter—when had he become her shifter—or maybe because of the fact she was falling for him, she was going to run. The details were still fuzzy, but she’d taken the first step today.

  She made her way over to the couch. His gaze followed the whole way.

  “Thank you for the treadmill. It will help alleviate some of my restlessness.”

  The phone felt like a vile of poison in her hand as she hid it in the fabric of the shirt she was wearing.

  “I know how much a run can clear your head and just make a shifter feel better.” His focus returned to the treadmill and a sense of relief overcame her. With as slight a motion as she could manage, she slipped her hand, with the phone in it, over the arm of the couch as far as she could stretch and dropped the electronic device to the floor. It made a slight noise and she looked up sharply, but neither man reacted.

  Then, his words really sunk in. So he shifted into an animal that ran. His comment about running giving a shifter a clear head and better perspective was true but brought her curiosity about him to the forefront once more. “You never did tell me what kind of shifter you are?”

  Andrei and he exchanged looks as they continued working. Definitely keeping secrets from her.

  Rather than answer her, he seemed to avoid the question altogether when he stood and announced, “I think that’s it. Treadmill’s done. We’ll move it over in front of the bank of windows that face the backyard, and you can try it out as soon as you want to.”

  So that’s how he was going to play it…jus
t pretend she hadn’t asked. Why wouldn’t he share his animal with her? There were only a few reasons he might hide his animal type. One, he shifted into something embarrassingly weak, like a mouse, but she doubted that. Usually, there was some resemblance between the human and animal forms, and he didn’t strike her as weak. Two, he shifted into a dangerous animal that often brought prejudices out in others, like a bear or a wolf. Of course, to other shifters this was often not seen as a bad thing, instead seen as something like a badge of honor. So that left three, the identity of his animal would so unnerve her that she’d run again.

  Something just wasn’t right. She was certain she needed to leave the first chance she got.

  With forced levity, she plastered a smile on her lips and said, “Great! Cannot wait to get started.” Of course, she wasn’t talking about the treadmill, but he didn’t have to know that.

  Another week passed, and Alex was hooked on treadmills. Not for himself but for Tasia. Watching her run on the treadmill was a religious experience. He had converted and never missed a session, especially now that he’d sworn not to touch her again. And that was getting damn hard…no pun intended, though it fit.

  Even now, he’d risen earlier than usual to watch her long-legged stretch before she jumped on the machine and completed the repetitive motion that toned her ass so nicely. She looked really good in the jogging shorts and halter tops Andrei had bought for her. He still didn’t quite like having his brother around her, but he was their only link to the outside world, including updating the escape-for-good situation.

  He knew now that his father was cutting off any and all possible assistance to get out of Woodland Creek. And he knew why. His father was trying to rig his exit strategy—not to let him out—to keep him in. Sten Chilikov had never been able to spend any length of time with a woman without wanting to run, and that’s what he expected for Alex as well. He figured if Alex was stuck with Tasia for too long, he’d refuse to marry her and break the deal. Therefore, he’d be stuck working for his father for many more years.

  Unfortunately, Sten’s plan was backfiring. If Alex had been allowed to take her somewhere else, he probably would’ve gotten her back to her father quickly. But being closed up here together had changed everything. A surprise to Alex even, the more time he spent with her, the more he liked the arrangement.

  He’d finally gotten to cook for her, while somehow keeping his hands—and lips—to himself. He’d fixed her rosemary chicken with rice, adding toasted pine nuts. The experience had been worth it. She’d helped again, and he’d loved being so close to her. Truth be told, he wanted to be in constant contact. He hated to let her out of his sight, not just because of the danger she was in, but also because he enjoyed her company.

  She had a quick-wit that had him constantly laughing. One time, when Andrei had come into the cabin unannounced, they’d been sitting on the couch with a couple beers, and his brother had stared in utter shock as Alex had thrown his head back, racked with laughter. Needless to say, he hadn’t had much use for humor in the last few years chasing down shifters who’d skipped out on their responsibilities. It was a nice change that he could get used to.

  “We really need to get a TV set here.”

  “Why?” The ‘we’ she’d used hadn’t escaped his notice.

  “So you have something other than me to stare at. It is…disturbing.”

  He felt a grin ease onto his face. “Trust me. The view is more…disturbing for me. Can’t keep your rear-view image out of my damn mind.” She missed a step but quickly recovered her footing. That last part wasn’t supposed to be said out loud, but he could tell she felt the same by the way her eyelids slid down to half-mast. She was as tuned into him as he was her.

  “Ever considered getting your eyes checked? Maybe you do not see as well as you used to.”

  A shake of his head that she missed as she turned to face forward again. He stood and walked to stare out the bank of windows too.

  “I see just fine…too fine.” Recognizing the familiar rush to his groin, he really needed to change the subject immediately. “How’s the treadmill working out?”

  “I like it.” She didn’t sound convincing.

  “But?”

  “It’s not like running through a forest, the wind brushing over your fur. I miss dodging around trees and leaping over bushes and other debris.”

  He knew what she meant. His own animal paced deep inside him, like a beast in a cage, needing to get into the natural surroundings the jackal craved. But leaving the cabin was a huge risk, especially since they didn’t have any official escape plans. And that fact was true no matter how much he wanted to give her something else to see pleasure light her eyes again. He couldn’t make it happen by a good, old-fashioned fucking, but maybe he could see that look again if he gave her something she really, really wanted.

  “I might be able to set something up with Andrei.”

  She stopped running and leaped onto the side rails of the treadmill, letting the motor run while she worked to catch her breath. Sweat beads ran down from her hair, into her shirt. He watched their lucky paths until they disappeared and her hardened nipples caught his rapt attention.

  “Could you? Really?”

  He snapped his gaze up to meet hers again. “No promises. Your safety comes first. If it looks like there isn’t a secure area, I won’t put you in jeopardy.”

  “If I weren’t dripping wet right now, I’d hug you so tightly.”

  Damn! His cock hardened at her provocative words. He knew what she meant, but his body didn’t know not to react. “I wouldn’t say no because of a little sweat.”

  She turned the treadmill off and stepped down, using a towel to wipe away most of the glistening sweat.

  “Nice offer, but I should probably hit the shower.”

  “Interesting. I was thinking of taking a shower too. Do you mind sharing?”

  She responded with a throaty laugh and a shake of her head. “Have to say, though tempting, probably not the best idea right now.”

  He couldn’t help himself from closing the distance between them. “I think it’s the best idea I’ve ever had.”

  She patted his chest and stared up at him. “It would be life-changing to shower with me. That is why you really should not risk it. I think you should spend your time talking to Andrei and setting up a run outside these walls. Maybe then I will finally find out what kind of shifter you are.”

  Again, it occurred to him that he should just tell her the truth. But he knew it would change the way she looked at him, and he was enjoying their fun way too much to mess it up just yet. Strange how much he wanted to follow her retreat. She went into the bathroom, and he ran a frustrated hand over the front of his jeans again. At this rate, he’d be sporting blue balls until it killed him.

  But he’d tell her the truth. Tonight. He had to.

  As he stepped toward the door, he couldn’t wipe the stupid grin from his face. He liked the easy back-and-forth between them. It was hard not to find it enjoyable. After a lifetime of callous work that rarely brought any reward other than money, it was refreshing to find someone who made him feel something other than anger or annoyance. It was…different, and different was good.

  He pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket and scrolled through his recent calls. Once more, he double checked to make sure there weren’t any strange numbers dialed. He’d been suspicious after finding his phone on the floor beside the couch last week. Of course, he knew it was entirely possible that when they were messing around on the couch, the phone could’ve slipped to the floor. But he wouldn’t put it past the tricksy, princess jackal to take advantage of the situation and try to call out. Though he hadn’t found any evidence to confirm his suspicions, he still kept his phone closer than ever, even sleeping with it under his pillow.

  With no more thought to it, he dialed his brother’s phone.

  “Still in love with the stripper, dude?”

  “Nice way to answer the phone, b
ro. Don’t call her that and don’t even say the ‘L’ word to me again.”

  He ignored Alex completely and said, “I’ve got news about her father.”

  “What’ve you heard?”

  “He’s on his way to Woodland Creek.”

  Alex glanced toward the bathroom where the shower was still going strong. “How do you know that?

  “He was spotted boarding a plane in New York, headed to Indianapolis.”

  “That’s a new wrinkle.” He ran a heavy hand down his face.

  Now he definitely had to tell her who he really was and make it clear that he would never force her to do something she didn’t want to do. He’d be very clear on that point.

  “Didn’t you call me? What’s on your mind?”

  “Remember what we talked about before we decided on the treadmill? Do you think you could make it happen tonight?”

  “Pretty dicey. You sure you want to do that?”

  Any trip outside the cabin could completely backfire. It could be just what the Russians were waiting for. But to see that look on Tasia’s face again was hard to resist.

  “Yeah, set it up. Find a place where she can run under the cover of darkness. Very out of the way.”

  “Okay. I’ll do it, even if I think it’s a big mistake.”

  “As dad always says, ‘I don’t pay you to think.’”

  Andrei laughed. “That’s funny. Pretty sure I’ve never received a paycheck from you.”

  “And you probably never will.”

  Alex ended the call with a smile on his lips. Another first for him when interacting with his brother. They so rarely got along.

  His phone vibrated in his hands, and he answered without checking who it was. “Couldn’t wait to say something else like the smartass you are?”

  A female voice said, “Sorry. Wrong number.”

  He finally glanced at the screen and read the unfamiliar number. Quick as he could, he touched the screen to redial, but no one answered, and he got an automated message that the mailbox hadn’t been set up yet. Shit!