When Lightning Strikes

by Sedona Venez

  Ryker scrutinized the images flashing on the monitors. “Stop.” His eyes narrowed on the bodies of Dimitri and Houston. “Soar, pull up the address on where the bodies were found.” A map of the city flashed on the screen with a big red dot pinpointing the location of the bodies. “That’s one block away from Redemption. Too much of a coincidence. Pull up the video surveillance we have on Redemption.”

  One of the first things he did when he took over as leader of the Council was start secret video surveillance on Redemption, a restaurant owned by a vampire named Vivica and frequented by key players in the New York Other circle. He was more concerned with Oskar Orlov, Vivica’s close friend and leader of the only vampire coven in New York. He was the man Ryker needed to keep tabs on as discretely as possible.

  “I swear, Bones, if you don’t get out of my way, I’m going to pluck you in the damn throat,” Light yelled from the outside the conference room’s door. “And I don’t give a crap what Ryker said. I’m going in that damn room. Now, move.” The door opened with Light standing in the doorway. “What is this?” She paraded into the conference room as Bones stood behind her with an apologetic look on his face.

  Ryker’s body stilled. “I thought I told you to wait outside with Bones? This is pack business.”

  Without pause, she stepped up to the bank of monitors that made up his wall and stared at the photos from the crime scene, autopsy, and reports. “I’m not waiting outside with Bones,” she responded sarcastically. “Besides, from the looks of these photos, this has everything to do with me. Pack or not.” She stood in front of the monitors, staring at the gruesome images without even flinching. “Detective Prick wasn’t exaggerating. Their hearts really were removed from their bodies.” She turned to scrutinize Ryker. “Who would do some sick shit like this?”

  “You are testing my damn patience, Light,” Ryker gritted out through clenched teeth.

  She sat down calmly. “I’m not leaving, Ryker. I have as much to lose here as you.”

  Bones shut the door and sat down.

  Ryker surveyed her with hard eyes. “Whatever you see, whatever you hear cannot leave this fucking room, Light.”

  She stared at him with wide, clear eyes. “Trust me Alpha.”

  He nodded toward Soar. “Roll the video surveillance.” Anger simmered like a raging fire underneath the cool exterior of his Alpha façade as he watched Noah step out of a black vehicle and stroll up to Dimitri and Houston. The men shook hands, then walked into Redemption.

  “What the fuck? I thought Noah was in London,” Rip barked.

  Ryker deliberately said nothing, letting the sound of silence speak volumes. There could only be one reason Noah secretly crept back to New York to meet with the second-in-command of two of his strongest adversaries. Betrayal.

  “Enzo…” Ryker’s eyes snapped to Rip. “Go get him.”

  Light raised her hand. They all stared at her. “Who the hell is Enzo?”

  Ryker answered with deadly calm. “Noah’s cousin.”

  I WATCHED WITH FASCINATION AS Ryker’s pack sorted through the information and images without pause. For a pack of only five, they were efficient, tight, and ran like a damn well-oiled machine. But their personalities were as different as they came.

  “How did you meet each other?” I asked.

  They all glanced up, contemplating me like they forgot I was even in the room. I shrugged. “You seem like unlikely friends.”

  Jackal leaned back in his chair and smiled. “Soar, Rip, and I met in the military. We worked on some secret missions together. And we met the former cardiologist here”—Jackal nodded toward Ryker—“when he saved Rip’s life.” He rubbed his head. “Shit, Rip’s heart had fucking stopped after he was injured during our last mission. Hell, we thought he was a goner.”

  “That’s why we nicknamed him Rip… Rest—In—Peace,” Soar injected. “When we got to the hospital, the doctor here brought him back to life. We’ve been friends ever since.”

  I watched as Ryker settled his sinewy six-foot-three frame into the comfortable-looking, straight-back chair while savoring a cigar.

  Jackal smiled. “So it wasn’t much of decision when Ryker asked us to come back to New York with him to rebuild his pack. He’s our leader. We respect and trust him with our lives. Literally.”

  The door whipped open. Soar stood in the doorway with a shaking man in tow.

  “Sit,” Rip replied gruffly, shoving the man into a chair.

  Ryker stood up, getting right to the point. “Did you know Noah was meeting with Dimitri and Houston?”

  Enzo's eyes darted around nervously. “What?”

  “Did you know?” he asked again, with more calm than I thought he was capable of.

  Enzo stared and then babbled, “Yeah. Yeah, I knew.”

  Soar and Rip growled, with looks of disappointment on their face.

  Enzo's eyes darted over to the door. “I told him I wanted nothing to do with it.” He paused. “You don’t understand. Noah’s changed. He hasn’t been the same since…” His eyes darted over to Ryker. “Since you made Knox your Beta instead of him. He felt disgraced… You and him were childhood friends. He worked as an enforcer for the pack for years when your father was Alpha. He earned that damn spot.”

  “And that’s exactly why I didn’t choose him. He was corrupted by the years he stood idly by as my father waged war after war with Others in his lust for power. All that doesn’t matter. I’m the fucking Alpha of this pack now, and I don’t answer to anyone about the decisions I make,” he growled menacingly.

  Enzo cowered.

  Claws emerged from Ryker’s fingers. “I have one damn rule. Betrayal is not an option. You betray me and I’ll kill you. You tell Noah if he wants to challenge me, then bring it. Got it?”

  Enzo acknowledged nervously.

  “Now get the fuck out.”

  Enzo scrambled out of the chair and exited.

  Ryker looked at Soar and Jackal. “I want to know what the fuck Noah is up to. I know him. And right now he’s hiding like some damn coward. I want you to turn this city upside down. Do what you do best. Go find Noah and bring him to me. But I want him alive. I’m going to enjoy killing him myself. Go.” He glared at Bones. “Contact Vivica. Tell her I changed my mind and I will be attending her party tonight.” Then he nodded over at Rip. “Call Orlov’s people. I want a meeting with him tonight. Tell him we’ll meet at Vivica’s party.”

  They exited the office. I watched warily as Ryker tensely stared out the window, looking out at the Manhattan skyline.

  “What about the Credence client list?” I asked loudly.

  He didn’t turn to look at me when he responded. “What about it?”

  I marched over to him. “Why aren’t you looking for the person who stole it?”

  “Because I don’t give a shit who stole it. My job is to protect you. I have bigger issues.”

  “Are you serious? Finding the person who stole it is the key to solving your issues.” He ignored me. I rolled my eyes with disgust. “Okay, fuck it. So what now, Wolfie? Do we run through Manhattan, snarling, as we declare war on Noah?” I tapped my chin. “Because I can totally go for kicking his ass in a senseless war.”

  He turned to stare at me with a stony face. “Do you think this is some joke? My pack is relying on me to lead them. To protect them. And now I’m on the verge of another damn pack war because some crazy fuck is out there gutting Others like lab experiments and framing shifters. Others who are your clients,” he growled. He looked me up and down like I was some shit on the bottom on his designer shoes. “And I don’t need some out-of-control party lush making fun of shit that her inebriated mind can never understand,” he stated flatly.

  I swallowed the hurt, raising my brows at his condescension. “Party lush?” My eyes narrowed. “Go fuck yourself, Ryker.” My voice hitched and I hated myself for it. I cleared my throat. “I am not stupid.”

  He gave me a look that said he didn’t agree.

&
nbsp; I gritted my teeth and worked on slowing my pulse. “I give up. You shifters are mindless fucks who don’t give a shit about anything but yourselves.”

  “And what the hell does a hybrid Fae-Witch know about shifters?” he sneered. “Oh, I forgot… you’re a Credence, which makes you an expert on all things shifters. Or do you have daddy issues? Is your father a shifter? What did your mindless fuck of a father do to make you so bitter against all shifters and men?”

  I placed my hands on my hips. “I never knew my father.” I pursed my lips. “If he’s like most men, and like you, he probably isn’t worth shit. But for the record, in between boozing it up,” I spat sarcastically, “I’ve seen enough of the shifters’ political bullshit to turn my damn stomach. Case in point, this fucking pack. Your father was a ruthless fuck. You couldn’t pick up the Others’s newspaper without reading about the bodies and packs he destroyed in his quest to remain the strongest New York pack.”

  His eyes turned icy. “I’m nothing like my father.” His canines dropped and claws extended from his fingers.

  I looked at his claws pointedly. “Really?”

  “I don’t need this shit.” He stalked over to the chair, sitting down tensely. His eyes hardened. “I turned my back on my father and this pack when I was eighteen because I was tired of my father leading the pack from one senseless war to another until the pack was almost destroyed. He didn’t care about the members. He was obsessed with power, money, and winning. I’m trying to change this mess around and now my fucking hands are being forced. Dooming me to repeat the same stupid-ass mistakes every Alpha in my family made.” He leaned back with his eyes closed, as if he were trying to get himself under control, but it wasn’t working. His claws were still extended, his breathing shallow.

  I sighed, feeling stupid and childish. He was hurting. He was paying the price for his father’s mistakes. Something I could relate to given what I now knew about my father. I didn’t think, as usual. His pack was his family and, like me, he was fiercely protective of them. Shit, if anyone even looked at Storm wrong, I was ready to kick major ass. In a blink of an eye, before I realized what I was doing, I walked over to him, straddling him and cupping his face.

  His sea-green eyes snapped open. “Light? What the hell are you doing?” The deep timber of his voice sent a shiver down my spine. Damn, it was sexy. “I’m spiraling out of control. And when I get like this, I’m dangerous. And nothing can calm my beast except time to cool down.”

  I didn’t move. Instead, I ran a finger across the scar on his left eyebrow. Strangely, he leaned his face into my hands tenderly, wrapping his arms around my back. I tried not to blink in shock. Dammit, he was turning out to be exactly the opposite of what I envisioned. Despite his hard, steel demeanor, I felt the passionate streak that ran through his core. He actually cared about his pack and Others. This wasn’t what I envisioned him to be as an Alpha from a ruthless bloodline.

  I ran my fingers across his well-groomed, dark beard, enjoying the softness. He growled low and sensually. I felt the slight prick of his claws through my shirt, which normally would have sent me sprinting away, but there wasn’t anything normal about this strange connection between us. Slowly, I felt his claws retract and his blunt fingers caress my back.

  His full focus was on me, the attention giving me little shivers of awareness as we stared at each other, speechless, faces mere inches apart. Ryker leaned into my body, pressing his lips against mine before he sucked my tongue into his mouth. My tongue slid around the tip of his, then rubbed under it. My body pulsed with need, and every cell was focused on him. His hands slid up to my neck, grabbing the back of my head possessively before kissing my throat gently. The contradiction between the hardness of his grip on my hair and the gentleness of his kiss sent a shiver down my spine, my mind imagining all of the other delicious things his mouth could do.

  What would those big hands feel like on my body? My skin quivered at the thought.

  I closed my eyes for a moment to rein in my wayward thoughts. Ryker Alfero was trouble. I knew from the minute I met him at the charity gala. He was the one man I couldn’t lead around by his cock. The one man I would never be able to control with a glance or a few flirtatious yet snarky words. I could see it in his feral but gorgeous sea-green eyes. Nope. Ryker was a smoldering fire that would consume me. And I’ve been down that road before with Nolan. He had left me broken but taught me a good lesson. Never confuse mind-blowing sex with trust. I allowed Nolan to exploit me while simultaneously giving away a piece of me that I had to fight to take back… control. And I was never relinquishing that, ever again. But sex… I wouldn’t think twice about satisfying my curiosity about how good or bad the Alpha was in bed.

  “You’re an enigma, Alpha,” I whispered while trailing my fingers across the snake tattoo on the right side of his neck before digging my hands into his short, jet-black hair.

  His green eyes warmed as he smiled in a slow, sexy way, making every fiber of my being strain toward him, wanting to strip off his clothes and have my wicked way.

  “There’s no enigma. I’m an open book for the right woman who’s willing to put in the work required.” He grabbed my hand, kissing each of my fingers one by one.

  I pulled my hand away and swallowed down the thick longing, forcing myself to think before I did something I knew I would regret, like throwing caution to the wind. Deep down inside, I knew I was already addicted to Ryker in a most troubling way. Contrary to common sense, I leaned in, allowing my body to slightly graze his broad chest. “I’m definitely not that woman, Alpha, because I’m not willing to put in the amount of work required.”

  “Well, that’s a fucking shame.” His strange green eyes narrowed. “I thought you would be up for the challenge.”

  The door slammed open. Bones came bursting in with Jackal. “Hey, we got a hit on the…” Jackal bellowed.

  I slid off his lap, brushing my hair away from my eyes.

  Jackal smiled smugly, looking at us. “Are we interrupting something?”

  “No,” we both snapped simultaneously.

  Bones shook his head. “Oh… kay…”

  “What did you get a hit on?” Ryker asked.

  I coughed nervously. Jackal and Bones looked from me to Ryker, relishing the moment.

  “We got the name of the company that’s selling Others’s hearts, Swodah Unified,” Jackal muttered. “It’s a shell company for the Shadows.”

  I LOOKED THROUGH THE CAR’S window with disinterest, trying hard not to jump every time Ryker’s leg rubbed against mine. “So we’re going to Vivica’s party tonight?”

  Ryker raised an eyebrow, looking at me like I lost my mind. “There is no ‘we.’ I’m going. You’re staying with Bones at my penthouse.” He nodded toward Bones, who was driving through the city at a breakneck speed.

  I scooted farther away from Ryker, smiling coolly. “No offense, but your people skills suck. You need me with you.” He scowled. “Besides, you’re wasting valuable time. You and I know as soon as you leave, I’ll figure out a way to escape and go to the party anyway. Why don’t you take me to avoid all the unnecessary drama?”

  “No.”

  “I already texted Reason. She’s going to be there, along with her father.”

  He looked at me sharply.

  I glared at him. “And no, I didn’t tell her anything. But believe me; having me and her there will go a long way in smoothing the discussions,” I whispered loudly. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy going to Vivica’s notoriously elaborate kink party, but tonight, something nagged at me. I needed to go there with Ryker. I sensed trouble, and even though he was a pain in the ass, I needed him alive, for now.

  “I could handcuff you to the bed,” he snapped.

  I turned my head, but not fast enough to hide my smile. “Tempting offer. But I also dated a cop. I know how to get out of cuffs… when I want to,” I replied huskily.

  He smiled at me. “Why the hell did I agree to protect you?”

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sp; I smiled back. “Because I’m beautiful and perky?”

  “You are beautiful, but I don’t know about perky.”

  Bones laughed. I frowned.

  “Look, if you think I’m going to sit at your penthouse, twiddling my thumbs, you’ve got another thing coming.” I sighed heavily. “Ryker…” I touched his thigh. The muscle jumped under my caress. I quickly pulled my hand back. “You and I need each other right now. I have as much to lose in this mess as you do. Why don’t you let me help?” I smiled. “Besides, the faster we figure out this shit, the faster you can get rid of me.” I wagged my brows.

  “Now we’re talking, an incentive,” he grumbled. “I don’t want any shit out of you tonight, Light. We go to the party. You stick by my side. And that is not negotiable.”

  I shot him a dirty look. “What’s with this ‘not negotiable’ bullshit? Everything is negotiable.”

  He growled impatiently.

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine. I’ll be a good little girl and stick by your side.” Bones scoffed at my statement. “Quiet, Bones. No one asked for your opinion,” I snapped.

  My eyes narrowed when we pulled up to the block Ryker lived on—well, not lived on, owned. He owned all the brownstones and the building, which held his penthouse, among other apartments his enforcers lived in. I sat forward, looking around curiously, when the underground parking garage opened, allowing Bones to drive in swiftly as it closed smoothly behind us.

  “Hey, Ryker, do you need me for the party tonight?” Bones asked with an overly eager look in his eyes.

  “No. Jackal and Rip will go. You and Soar follow up on our leads,” Ryker grumbled. Blowing out a breath and unbuckling his seatbelt, he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Okay, here’s the game plan. We’re in and out. You go upstairs, get changed, and then we go.” He sighed tiredly. “I’m not in the mood to play around.”

  “No dinner?” I frowned, looking down at my watch. “I’m starving. We eat first. Then we get ready to go. And that’s not negotiable.”