“Yes, sir!”
“Mark and Ashwari, Crimson Lips is all yours. You'll be patrolling Red Boulevard...”
Jett went on dividing the senior Enforcers into pairs, telling them the club and the streets under their charge.
Finally, he turned to Levi. “Levi, Scott and Jeanette, you guys take Twenty-Third Street to Twenty-Ninth Street.”
“Yes, sir!”
“And...keep watch on Club Mate.”
Zymfer spoke up, “How come there are three of them on that team? The rest have only two...”
Jett turned and silenced Zymfer with a look. “I want Levi to protect Miss Rebecca Rose.” Jett stopped in front of Levi and looked him straight in the eye. “You will patrol the streets with Scott and Jeanette, and check out what's going on in Club Mate. But once Miss Rose leaves the club, you follow her. You're her shadow. Park yourself outside her house, and protect her. She is your responsibility.”
Levi stared at Jett for a beat. “Yes, sir,” he said, holding Jett's gaze firmly.
“Ah, what about me?” Zymfer interrupted impatiently. “You haven't given me...”
At this, Jett had smiled. “Zymfer, you're with Mia.”
As Levi left the PAC Headquarters with Scott and Jeanette, he could still hear Zymfer howling in dismay and mortification.
They had laughed, and Scott and Jeanette had cracked jokes as they started their patrol, but Levi knew that the cheerful banter was for his benefit. He was getting kid-glove treatment from everyone, including Jett.
Jett had basically put him on babysitting duty. Tailing and protecting Rebecca? He was going to do that anyway. Jett just made it official, so that he could go to Rebecca while he was on duty, instead of only when he was off rotation. It was obvious that Jett was ordering Jeanette to cover him, while he went off to protect his mate.
Jett was a good boss. Tough, fair and very astute. He hadn't even needed to lift a finger to deal with an insolent young demon. He had simply let a pint-sized human woman put Zymfer in his place. And then he had ordered the human and the demon to work together as a team, cover each other's backs while on patrol.
No grudges.
He recognized the strengths and weaknesses of his Enforcers, and he could see past their faults. He disciplined them, and then he put them to work. Mia had a hot temper and a loud mouth, but she was an excellent Enforcer. There was a lot Zymfer could learn from her. In fact, the human and the demon had a lot in common. They were both brash and brusque, but their hearts were in the right place.
Levi pushed off from his post and headed towards Club Mate. “I'll go in and check the premises,” he told Scott and Jeanette over his shoulder.
“I'll stand guard outside,” Jeanette volunteered.
Levi clapped the witch on the shoulder and nodded. “You be careful out here, Jean.”
Levi could feel Scott and Jeanette exchange a look behind his back. God, his fellow Enforcers were treating him as though he was made of glass.
Jeanette was a witch, and she could read emotions. She could see people's emotions clearly in color. She had explained to them over lunch once, “You think they're just phrases—turn green with envy, see red, feel the blues, so on and so forth. But they're all true! Your aura turns bright red when you get angry, and become dull and blue when you feel sad...”
Levi could feel Jeanette's eyes on his back as he walked into Club Mate with Scott. His aura was probably a riot of colors right now.
Club Mate was simmering with scents, sights and sounds. Levi blinked to adjust his vision to the dim interior and strobing lights. The club was beginning to fill up, and it seemed like there were a lot of vampires in the crowd tonight. He looked up at the screen above the bar, and saw the words “Bite Nite” dancing across the screen.
He narrowed his eyes. There had better be no biting here. Hopefully “Bite Nite” just meant there was no cover charge for vamps and blood demons tonight. The theme was misleading though. He would have to have a word with the manager later.
Levi's eyes flicked to the stage. A demoness in a green bikini was working the pole. What looked like pieces of jade dangled from the strings of her bikini. Her catlike eyes gleamed emerald in the pulsing lights, and she flicked her forked tongue out at the men leaning in towards the stage. Dollar bills were thrown at her feet, and she deftly sidestepped them to move sinuously around the pole. Teasingly, she used a claw to snap a string of her bikini, and her audience went wild. They whooped and shouted for her to take off more. When she yanked her top off and blew the audience a kiss, the crowd went absolutely crazy. Money went flying onto the stage, and she wiggled her bottom seductively at the crowd. Want to see more?
Scott touched his arm. “I'm going to the back to talk to Will. And I need to use the restroom.”
Levi nodded. People always talked in the restrooms. And talk in the restrooms always yielded way more information than the talk with the club manager. That was why Jett had made sure that each team had one male and one female Enforcer. Covering the restrooms was an essential part of an Enforcer's job.
Levi let his eyes sweep over the premises. Slipping between the crowd, he strolled past the dark booths and propped himself up on a corner bar stool.
The customers were smoking and drinking in the booths, and it looked like nothing illegal was going on. No biting. No soliciting. No drugs.
He took a deep breath, taking in the smell of alcohol, processed blood and cigarette smoke.
And then he whiffed her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Levi's senses went on high alert. She was near the stage, and he could scent her anxiety and nervousness. The crowd moved, and he saw her. He saw that waterfall of straight black hair and a flash of creamy skin as she climbed up the steps to the stage. Levi almost let out a growl at the amount of skin she was exposing.
Rebecca was practically naked up there!
He slid off the stool and moved nearer towards the stage. Her face was heavily made up, her lips painted dark red and her eyes framed with long, fake eyelashes. But beneath all that distracting color and war paint, he saw the fear in her large, black eyes.
Her skin was smooth and flawless, not a single mark on her body. There was no sign of what that bastard had done to her. Jasynta had done a good job. Jasynta was a dedicated witch doctor, and she was always working hard to perfect her potions. Too bad she didn't have a potion to restore a patient's lost memories.
Levi let his eyes rake down her curvy body, and he scowled at her mini skirt, which was very mini indeed. Almost every inch of her lush, soft thighs was exposed, and his claws slid out when he saw all the males in the club stare and drool at Rebecca as she smiled and winked at them from the stage. Levi glared at the raven tattoo on her thigh. That was drawing too much attention. It drew all eyes to the inside of her thigh and inevitably up her too short skirt.
His hand twitched with fury. At this instant, he could only think of two courses of action. Claw out the eyes of every male in the club, or snatch Rebecca off that damn stage and cover her up with his jacket.
The music started up and Rebecca started a slow dance around the pole. He heard some enthusiastic calls from the audience.
“Hey, Raven Rose, honey!”
“Raven, where have you been?”
“Over here, Raven Rose!”
Levi shook his head hard. He had to get a grip. This was her job, her livelihood. The girl on stage was Raven Rose, the stripper. Not Rebecca Rose, his mate.
He should just step back, and let her work the stage and earn the big bucks. This was no place for a jealous bear. He was here as an Enforcer, and as her bodyguard. She was working. So was he.
Rebecca's smile was frozen on her face, and she was blinking rapidly. Her black eyes darted across the bar, taking in all the strange faces. Levi took a step forward, and their eyes clashed. He saw her gasp and miss a step in her routine. She stumbled but righted herself instantly. Gulping, Rebecca continued dancing stiffly, but her eyes never left Levi.
>
Her lips moved, and he saw his name form soundlessly on her lips. He nodded and smiled encouragingly at her, even though his claws were still itching to shred those leering males to bits. Go on, Rebecca, you're doing great.
Rebecca tried to smile back but her movements were jerky and she seemed to lose focus and coordination. It was clear she had forgotten her steps, and the audience began to jeer.
“What the hell, Raven!”
“Just take it off, sweetheart.”
“Forget the dance. Just strip!”
“Yeah! Show us some boobs, babe!”
Rebecca's eyes grew wide as she backed towards the pole. The jeers and taunts seemed to terrify her, and she clapped both hands to her ears to try to block them out.
Levi instinctively pushed to the front of the stage. Rebecca was hiccuping violently, trying not to sob aloud. She tottered precariously on her high heels, trying to get away from the crowd, but not daring to climb down the stage. She stared at the hostile crowd, like they were a pack of ravenous wolves. Pressing a hand to her mouth, she staggered to the edge of the stage and tried to rush down the steps. She missed a step and lost her footing. With a shriek, she came crashing down.
In a flash, Levi was before her, breaking her fall. He caught her safely in his arms and murmured, “Easy there. You're safe. I got you, Rebecca.”
She jerked around to face him. “Raven,” she hissed. That was her name at the club. Raven, not Rebecca.
He smiled grimly. “Yes, ma'am. Let's go, Miss Raven Rose. Let's get you home.”
But before he could muscle his way through the raucous, rowdy crowd, screams erupted near the back of the club.
A man staggered towards the bar, clutching the side of his neck. Blood seeped through his fingers and his mouth was opening and closing in wordless terror.
“H-help...” he managed to stutter just before collapsing face down on the floor.
Levi released Rebecca, and was crouching at the man's side in an instant. “Everyone move back!” he ordered the crowd. “We have a man down at Club Mate,” Levi spoke rapidly into his watch. “We need an ambulance and more Enforcers at Club Mate now!”
He eased the man's bloodied fingers away from his neck and examined the puncture wounds. “It look like it's a vampire attack. I repeat, there's been a vampire attack at Club Mate. One down,” Levi barked into his watch.
The man's eyes were staring at Levi, and he suddenly grabbed Levi's arm. “No, not one,” he gurgled, his eyes wide and wild. “They took my brother!”
Levi supported the man's head and leaned in close to listen to his words. “Sir, you're saying...”
“They took Oliver! I managed to escape, but they grabbed Oliver, and they...vanished! Just like that. I saw...mist, and then...nothing!” The man's breathing was labored.
“How many? How many vamps were there?” Levi asked quickly, trying to get as much information from him as possible.
“Two. One male, one female. The female bit me, and I fought her like crazy. I managed to get away, but when I turned back, I saw the two vamps holding Oliver down. I rushed towards them, and they became...mist! Just like that. And then they were gone,” he whispered, shaking his head frantically. “And they took Oliver with them!”
“Sir, calm down,” Levi tried to reassure him. “More Enforcers are on the way. We will track down these rogue vamps and get your brother back. Meanwhile, you need to get to the hospital. You've lost a lot of blood. Can you tell me your name, sir?” Levi tried to calm him down by getting him to answer simple, straightforward questions.
“Oscar,” the man wheezed. “Oscar Woods. Oliver is my twin. Please...please...you've got to save him!”
Levi turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Jeanette leaned in to speak to him in a low, urgent tone, “Mia and Zymfer have arrived. They're the first to respond. They're outside with Scott.”
The crowd parted as paramedics rushed into the bar. Oscar Woods was carried out on a stretcher into a waiting ambulance and sped off to the New Moon City hospital.
Jeanette was already interviewing the customers at Club Mate, trying to find out if anyone had witnessed the vampire attack.
But no one saw anything. Or if they did, they weren't talking.
Jett had arrived with two senior vampire Enforcers. The vampire Enforcers immediately went to the back of the club where the attack had taken place to try to get a sense of where the rogue vamps might have misted to.
Jett and Levi followed the vamps to the back of the club, to a narrow passageway leading to the backdoor. There was blood on the walls, and Levi could smell the acrid scent of fear in the air.
He could scent the vampires, and from their scent, he suspected that these two vampires were newly turned. They had been human not too long ago. Levi's suspicion was confirmed by the vampire Enforcers.
“It took two of them to mist just one weakened human,” Faye White informed Jett. Faye was a petite vampire with snow white hair and ruby red eyes. “These two are new vamps. They haven't quite mastered their ability to mist. Yet they are out hunting on their own.” She cocked her head and squinted at the blood spatters on the wall. “New vampires are the most hungry and the most vicious.” She shook her head. “They are needlessly violent and cruel, too eager to try out their new abilities and fit in with the older vamps. I'm afraid that Oliver Woods is as good as...”
Jett snarled. “Oliver Woods is alive.”
Faye exchanged a look with Evan Barnes, the other vamp Enforcer. “Don't get your hopes up,” Faye muttered.
“Oliver Woods is alive, but those two rogue vamps are as good as dead,” Jett snapped. “Can you track them?”
Evan and Faye nodded. “Yes, they left traces. As Faye said, new vamps aren't very good at misting,” Evan answered.
“Track them down. Take Scott and Mia with you,” Jett ordered.
“Yes sir!”
Levi pushed through the mayhem and located Scott and Mia at the entrance to Club Mate. When he motioned them in, they left Jeanette and Zymfer at the entrance and followed Levi to the back of the club. Jeanette and Zymfer had their hands full keeping curious onlookers from jostling into the club and creating more chaos and confusion.
“Jett wants you to track the two rogue vamps. Evan and Faye will mist you,” Levi told them.
Once Jett saw Scott and Mia, he nodded at the two vampire Enforcers. Faye and Evan immediately shimmered into fine mist and wound themselves around Scott and Mia. Scott managed to give them the thumbs up before he was completely enveloped in a column of dense mist.
The mist rose and raced across the crowd and out of the club. In a blink, Faye and Evan had misted Scott and Mia away, across the city in pursuit of the rogue vamps.
Levi was about to crouch beside Jett to examine the blood stains more closely when Jett turned to snap at him, “What are you doing?”
“I'm doing my job.”
“Your job is to protect Miss Rose,” Jett replied tersely. “Where is she?”
“She...” Levi spun round and inhaled sharply, trying to decipher her scent from the press of blood, sweat and panic all around him. “She's not here. She's gone.”
“Then why are you still here?” Jett asked with impatience and irritation.
“I...” At the corner of his eye, Levi saw more Enforcers arriving. Among them were Bryn, the fast-talking, fast-rising young Enforcer, and Charlotte Cole, the PAC Alpha's mate and a competent Enforcer in her own right.
Clearly, Jett had everything under control here. And the Head Enforcer had made it clear that he wasn't needed here.
Jett jerked his head towards the backdoor. Go.
Levi nodded and exited Club Mate quickly and quietly. He sniffed the air, isolating Rebecca's scent immediately. Following her scent, he turned the corner and sprinted down the street. She hadn't gone far. He could still catch up with her.
He gave himself a big mental kick. How could he have let her walk home alone?
A million things could
happen to her on her way home. There were rogue vamps about. Phin Lester was still out there. There were muggers, rapists, kidnappers, rogues, the city was teeming with criminals and filth!
Levi cursed himself. A crime had been committed at Club Mate, and he had left Rebecca's side and thrown himself headlong into the investigation. Old habits die hard. He had been an Enforcer for more than a decade, but he had only recently just found his mate. His top priority had always been his job, his work, his duty. But now, he had to shift his priorities and his perspective.
He still had to protect the civilian population of New Moon City, but there was one civilian, one human woman whose life was tied to his, whose heart and soul called to him but whose mind couldn't remember him.
How could he have left her side, left her in the midst of all that confusion and danger?
Levi ran faster, his anger spiking. He was angry at the rogues, at that monster Phin Lester, but most of all, at himself.
Finally, he saw her walking briskly just up the street. “Rebecca!”
She froze, then whirled round.
When he caught up with her, he saw that her eyes were wide and panicked. “W-why are you following me?” she stammered.
Levi was dumbfounded for a moment. “I'm your protector,” he blurted out at last. “I mean...I'm your bodyguard. I have to watch you, all the time.” Levi winced. That didn't sound right. In fact, from the expression on her face, he was sure that it sounded downright creepy to her.
I have to watch you, all the time. That was exactly what perverts and stalkers did.
Rebecca shook her head and backed away.
“Leave me alone. Please...just leave me alone!”
She turned and ran, and Levi gave chase. He caught her by the elbow, and she uttered a shriek and wrenched her arm away.
“Don't touch me!”
He let go immediately. “I...I'm sorry...”
“I don't need a bodyguard,” she stuttered, wrapping her arms around herself. “I don't need anybody. I just need to be alone. I'll be fine. I think you're a nice guy, but I don't know you. And it frightens me to have someone following me.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I hear your footsteps, and I keep looking over my shoulder. I...I know it's you, but...I see him.” She swallowed painfully, and continued in a whisper, “Tonight's my first night back at the club, and I blew it. I totally blew it.” She swiped at her nose and straightened up.
Wild Mate: BBW Bear Shifter Romance Page 4