Thief (Blood & Bone Enforcers MC Book 2)

by Grace Brennan

  He sucked in a breath as he squatted down next to the bed and leaned in closer to the screen. “Son of a bitch. Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. Look. Underneath the pictures are their starting bids, their auction ID, and their descriptions. Although I don’t understand what a lot of that means. How is a woman a purebred? Or see with her here, they state that her color is green and gold. That doesn’t make sense, I admit, but the gala tomorrow night is clearly an auction, and these poor ladies are on the block.”

  “Fuck,” he spat, startling her when he shot to his feet, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll be right back. I’ll be in the hallway, but don’t open the door, even to poke your head out. Shit just got real, and we’re too close.”

  Mouth open, she watched him stride to the door and yank it open. He almost slammed it behind him, but he caught it at the last moment and eased it shut.

  He was obviously going outside to call Blake, and she thought at any other time, she’d be tempted to try to listen in. She’d already known there was more going on with the mission than just the basics she was told. Too much didn’t add up, and every time Noah called to update the Enforcers, he went where she couldn’t hear.

  And she might not understand what the descriptions of the women meant, but it was clear that he did.

  But she was disturbed to her core by what was going on, too much to even try to listen in. Shoving the laptop away from her, she picked up her stuffed lion and leaned back against the headboard, cuddling it close.

  She felt like she was ten years old again, needing to get comfort from a stuffed animal. But the only other thing that could give her what she needed in that moment was the mountain of a man, outside in the hallway letting his team know just what kind of fucked up shit was going on in Idaho.

  Closing her eyes, she hugged the lion close, trying to force the image of those women out of her mind. A thought occurred to her and she sat up with a curse, pulling the laptop back to her. She quickly took screenshots of each page, making sure she had all the women’s images saved.

  She’d hacked into a website, and their security had been topnotch. She couldn’t just leave it up indefinitely. If they had techies on their end, and she was sure they did, they could find the breach and track her movements, even pinpointing her location.

  Once she had everything she needed, she quickly exited out of the website, and started typing out commands to wipe every bit of the search from her laptop’s existence. She wasn’t sure exactly what they were dealing with, so she was going to take every precaution.

  After everything was gone and only the screenshots remained, she closed the lid and leaned back, shutting her eyes again. Something was niggling at the back of her mind, and she tried to ignore it, because she didn’t want to think about the case again in that moment. The faces of the women who were being auctioned off were too fresh in her mind.

  But whatever it was, it wouldn’t go away. The descriptions for each woman were playing through her head on a loop. She didn’t know what they meant, but there was a part of her that thought she should.

  Trying once again to get it out of her head, for at least a little bit, she turned her thoughts to Noah. But instead of the connection blossoming between them or the eyebrow singeing heat arching back and forth from him to her, she started thinking about the ways he was different.

  His eyes changed color—kind of. It was more like the light green glowed, but they lightened a little as they did. He healed completely from a devastating injury. He might or might not have superhuman strength. The jury was still out on that one. He’d carried their suitcases easily, but he was also heavily muscled, so that might be why.

  Those were the main things off the top of her head, but there were so many other little things pointing to him being something else. To all the Enforcers being something else. To that end, maybe they weren’t a part of traditional law enforcement. Maybe they were the police for their kind.

  Brow furrowing, she recalled him growling earlier. It hadn’t sounded like a human attempting to make a noise. It sounded real. Her frown deepened when she remembered the purring sound she heard the night before, too.

  Maybe she was onto something with that. Her fingers tightened around the stuffed animal when she recalled the way he reacted when he heard the kid talking about a dragon festival. That was when he called Blake while she was in the truck, and he hadn’t been happy when he got back in. He hadn’t wanted to go to the mansion at all after hearing that.

  Almost like he thought the dragon festival was a real thing. Like, that he thought dragons were real.

  Eyes popping open, she jerked into a sitting position, looking down at the stuffed lion in her lap. Maybe that was it. Maybe he wasn’t like Edward in this story—he was like Jacob.

  That might explain a lot. Especially why he was so worried about going to the festival of dragons, because dragons could be real. Maybe that was why they were there to begin with. Because they were watching a dragon.

  And suddenly the descriptions for the women made sense. Purebred—pure dragon line. Gold and green color—the color of the woman’s dragon.

  Holy. Shit.

  She heard the sound of the keycard in the lock and she took a moment to wipe her expression. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with the information yet. It wasn’t that he suddenly scared her—he didn’t. But she wanted to think about everything some more, make sure she was on the right track, before she asked him about it.

  Walking in, he shut the door and turned to flip the locks before looking at her. “You okay?”

  “As fine as I can be, considering what I just saw on that website. Did you talk to Blake?”

  “Yeah. The plan’s staying the same until we know more.”

  She frowned as she straightened. “But those women are being auctioned off tomorrow. We have to save them.”

  “We’re not even sure where they are. They might not be at the compound at all. Dmitri, Damara, and Liam will be here in the morning, and they’re going to try to get more information. Don’t worry. They’re good at what they do, and we won’t let anything happen to the women.”

  Her eyes narrowed on him, unable to keep herself from digging a little. “Are you sure we shouldn’t call in some more help? The police, FBI, someone?”

  He shook his head, his green gaze a touch wary as he looked at her. “No. This is what the Enforcers do. We can handle it.” He looked down at her laptop. “Did you find anything else?”

  He was clearly trying to change the subject and get her to stop thinking about calling other agencies, and that made her think she was on the right track. “No, that was the last of it. I could possibly try to track down who bought tickets to the gala, but I’m not sure I could get it done before tomorrow night. I took screenshots of everything, though.”

  “Could you email that to Blake? I’m sure he’d like to see it. I think tracking down who bought tickets is a good idea actually, even if it takes longer than tomorrow night. The kind of people who’d buy tickets and bid on women are the kind we want to watch, if not bring in. But you don’t need to start tonight. You look beat.”

  “Seeing those images drained me some. I feel like I’m old and jaded now.”

  Walking to her side of the bed, he reached for her hand, and she gave it to him, letting him pull her up. He wrapped his arms around her and it felt like her body revved up at the same time her soul sighed with relief. Snuggling in closer, she laid her head on his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat.

  “I’m sorry you were dragged into this. I really am.”

  Tightening her arms around his waist, she looked up a him, shaking her head. “First, you have nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t drag me into this. I insisted on coming. Second, I don’t regret it. If I helped to save even one of those women, it was totally worth it, and I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.”

  He gazed into her eyes, his green gaze radiating sincerity. “You already helped them, Lily. If you had
n’t been with me, we wouldn’t have been able to figure this out. None of us are hackers. You’re the one who figured out what was going on, and now that we know, we can work to get the women out and put away those responsible.”

  “Then that alone makes it worth it. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine, so no more apologizing, okay? You have a bad habit of that.”

  “I guess I feel like I have a lot to be sorry for.”

  Raising her hand, she cupped his cheek, loving the feel of his beard under her palm. “Not with me you don’t. I promise you that.”

  “I’m not sure I believe that, but I’ll try to stop apologizing to you.”

  “You do that.”

  They stood there, pressed against each other, their eyes locked, for a long moment. The blood in her veins felt like it was buzzing with awareness, and her eyes dipped to his lips, taking in their firmness. They still looked soft, though, and she wanted to know how they felt pressed against hers.

  Glancing back up, she found him looking at her lips, too, and she slid her tongue along them without thought, wetting them. He groaned, the sound low and deep, and locked eyes with her again before he began slowly lowering his head.

  Lifting up on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to meet him halfway. When he was close enough that his beard was brushing her chin, he paused, searching her eyes. She smiled, giving him the encouragement he seemed to need, and he finally finished closing the distance between them.

  The first brush of his lips against hers was electric. He did that a few more times, just brushing back and forth, as his big hand cupped her cheek. The fingers on her waist flexed, like he was trying to keep his control, but she couldn’t help wishing he’d lose some of it.

  Finally pressing his mouth firmly to hers, he drew her in closer as his arm slid behind her. His lips were as soft as she’d thought they were, and his beard was tickling her face. That, combined with the feel of him held tightly against her as he kissed her, made sensations streak through her that stole the breath from her lungs.

  They kissed like that for long moments before he opened his mouth slightly. She followed suit, the kiss deepening, the blood in her veins heating to a boiling point. He bit down gently on her lower lip and she moaned, squirming against his body—and the impressive erection forming against her middle.

  He groaned in response, the sound ragged and deep, as he slid his tongue into her mouth. She met him with hers, the kiss feeling like it was turning into a race to see who could devour who first. She was happy with either outcome, her thoughts turning hazy, desire burning through her body.

  By the time he gentled the kiss and slowly eased back, nipping at her bottom lip one last time, they were both heaving for breath. She dropped back onto her heels, pressing her forehead into his hard chest as she tried to find her wits again.

  She was half afraid she never would. That kiss stole every bit of them, along with her breath. Noah rested his head on top of hers, his hands slowly sweeping up and down her back, as they both calmed down.

  Finally lifting her head, she looked up at him, sure her expression must still show how shell-shocked she felt. “Wow.”

  That was it. That was all she could say. And hell, she was proud of herself for managing that much.

  His lips lifted in a smile as his glowing green eyes roamed over her face. “Wow sounds about right. I think I need to cool down, so I’m going to go get a shower, if you don’t want the bathroom. But you should eat. You never finished your dinner.”

  Glancing down at her barely touched meal still on the bed, she nodded as she exhaled lightly. “Yeah, I probably should. And that’s fine. I’ll watch TV, eat, and try to relax.”

  She stepped out of his arms but he grabbed her hand and reeled her back in, leaning down to give her another quick kiss. Pulling back, he winked as he shrugged. “Guess I wasn’t done yet.”

  Knees weak, she sank onto the bed as she watched him get clean clothes out of his suitcase and go into the bathroom. She touched her fingers to her lips, sighing dreamily, and then glanced at her food, wrinkling her nose. Looking around, she spotted a microwave, and she stood to warm up her food.

  She worked on autopilot, her mind going back to her discovery earlier. Or what she thought was her discovery. The microwave dinged just as she heard the shower turn on, and as she pulled her food out, her eyes turned toward the bathroom door.

  That kiss left her feeling like she was closer to Noah than ever before—but there was still so much she didn’t know about him. And what he was, whether he could turn into an animal or was something else, was something she needed to know.

  One way or the other, that night she was determined to get the truth.

  Noah pulled his boxers on and wiped the condensation from the mirror. He’d been in the bathroom for a while, but he’d been standing under a cold spray for most of it, trying to get his body under control.

  He hadn’t been sure it was possible after that truly spectacular kiss he and Lily shared. Fuck, he’d never had a kiss like that. He knew everything was more intense between mates, but shit. That had been off the charts hot, and he didn’t think he’d ever get his dick to calm down again when he first got in the shower.

  But it finally had, and he’d turned more hot water on and quickly soaped up, finishing his shower. He stared at himself in the mirror, thankful his eyes weren’t glowing as brightly as they had when he first went into the bathroom. He was still curious to know how much Lily had figured out, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure it was a conversation he was ready to have yet.

  Their fledging relationship, along with their future happiness, rested on whether she could accept his true nature or not.

  His phone buzzed on the counter and he picked it up, seeing a text from Damara, confirming that they were on their way. They’d managed to somehow get a room for the night, since they’d be getting there in the early morning hours, and booked it for a few days stay.

  Frowning as the depth of the situation with Fernandez hit him again, he quickly texted his reply. All they knew going into the mission was that Fernandez was a male dragon who was looking for females, and he intended to take them when he found them.

  They’d had no idea he’d already found some, let alone that he was selling them in a fucked up black market auction.

  Seven female dragons. The number might seem low to average humans and shifters, but because of how rare dragons were, and how completely the females hid, it was a very high number.

  And even one woman being sold off to the highest bidder was too many—seven was a fucking travesty.

  He wanted to stay and help with this one in the worst way, but getting Lily back to the clubhouse was more important. Besides, if she stuck around—and please, God, let her stay longer—she could try to track the buyers down. They’d still be contributing, just not in Idaho, so close to the danger.

  He didn’t know much about computers, only the basics, but there had to be a way he could help her.

  If she stayed.

  Exhaling, he reached for his pants, looking up with surprise as the door opened. Lily stood in the doorway, her eyes roaming over his body appreciatively. His body was just starting to respond to the look in her blue eyes when her eyes paused on his leg.

  Arching an eyebrow, she looked up into his eyes. “That was some healing you did to come away without even a scar from the injury.”

  He froze, his mouth opening and closing a couple times before he could find his voice. “Lily—”

  “It’s okay. We don’t have to talk in here. Just get your clothes on and join me out there.”

  She turned, casually walking back into the other room, and he stood staring after her for a long moment. She hadn’t seemed surprised at all, and it made him wonder just how much she’d already worked out on her own.

  Clearly, it was more than he thought she had.

  Rushing to pull on the jogging pants he was using to sleep in while they were there and his t-shi
rt, he walked into the room, finding her sitting on her bed casually. She picked up the remote for the TV and clicked it off, looking at him questioningly.

  “So. You’re not exactly human, are you?”

  Shaking his head slowly, he walked over to his bed and sank down onto it, facing her. “No, I’m not. Was I that obvious?”

  “Maybe not to a stranger, but I knew you before. I knew something was up from pretty much the moment I arrived at B&B. So, are you like Jacob?”

  He frowned as he cocked his head. “Jacob?”

  “Yeah, Jacob Black. From Twilight.” When he continued to stare at her, she laughed. “I don’t know why I thought you’d know who that was. Jacob is a character in the book, and he’s a werewolf. Well, technically, they said he’s a shifter who just happened to be a wolf, but they still called him a werewolf.”

  Every one of his muscles locked up tight as he stared at her, barely breathing. She’d just guessed, out of nowhere, what he was. And she did it so casually, like they were discussing the weather. She wasn’t freaked out about what he was, or upset that he hadn’t told her.

  “Noah?”

  Shaking himself from his daze, he focused on her and their conversation. “I’m sorry, you just surprised me.”

  “Why? Did I guess right?”

  He searched her eyes again, looking for any hint of upset, but he still didn’t see any. “Yeah. I’m a shifter. I don’t know how you put that together, and you’re so casual about it. It’s throwing me off.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve been wondering if you were more than human since the first night at the clubhouse, and it just came to me. Your reaction to the dragon festival, like it was a real thing, your eyes, how you didn’t have any lasting effects from your injury. You growled earlier, and I think you purred last night. Add in the weird descriptions on the website, and I worked it all out.”

  He shook his head, amazed. “You say that like anyone would have connected the dots and drawn that conclusion, but they wouldn’t, Lily. That was something else.”