by Knight, Gwen
“It’s hardly a hindrance,” he said, laughing. “Kiddo, I’d go anywhere with you.”
A small smile pulled at her lips. Such a sweet suggestion, but one she knew he wouldn’t be able to uphold. From the sound of it, things were chaotic right now in Wolffe Peak. Traveling was difficult enough even after months of planning, but leaving when your pack was so ensconced in a political scandal was even harder. She doubted his alpha would even allow such a thing.
“All right.” He gave her bare ass a light smack before climbing out of bed. “We have a long day ahead of us. So we need to make sure we eat a decent meal.”
“Mmm, food.” Now that was a worthy enough reason to get out of bed. After last night’s fun, they’d toppled into bed without ordering room service. Initially, they’d planned to eat, but a different hunger had taken over.
And now, she was ravenous. Her stomach rumbled and her cat growled, both demanding sustenance. Something better than jerky and dry cereal. Something like… eggs. Oh, and bacon. Maybe some hash browns. And coffee. Mm, coffee.
“Geez, woman. What the heck are you thinking about there that has you purring? Thinking about last night?” he asked with a lifted brow.
Heat flooded her cheeks. “Nope. Food.”
Harley playfully clutched at his chest. “Ouch. Ranking me below food?”
She laughed and climbed out of bed. Fresh clothes in hand, she stretched up on her tiptoes and placed a light peck against his cheek. “Food always comes first.”
“Not the way I remember it,” he teased. “You came first a few times last night.”
A fresh wave of heat rushed to her cheeks. “Sexy talk won’t get you anywhere. But some bacon might.”
“Girl after my own heart.”
Jasmine stepped into the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair with Harley right on her heels. Once they were both clothed and presentable, they grabbed all their possessions and headed out into the hallway where Bale and Sterling waited.
She instinctively shied away from Sterling and hung back by Harley. There was something about him, something wild and untamed that frightened her. She’d met many shifters before, thanks to her father’s politics, but she’d never seen one like him before. It wasn’t even the scars that bothered her. She’d met plenty of military men and women, some scarred horrifically, both physically and emotionally. It was the cold stare that terrified her. Like he lacked all warmth and emotion. Nothing more than a shell of a man.
When he turned that icy gaze her way, she shuddered.
Worse, he noticed. His mouth flattened and he turned away, his hands slowly balling into fists at his sides. Shame immediately flooded Jasmine. She knew she shouldn’t judge him based on his exterior, but damn, the man was terrifying. And his sheer size didn’t help. He had to be at least six-five, with the muscle mass to match. Every inch of him ripped. He looked like a damn warrior.
“Ready?” Bale asked as they approached.
“Food first,” Harley said, tossing Jasmine a quick wink.
“Of course, mi amigo. You two must be famished.” His words were hardly suggestive, but his expression definitely was.
Jasmine groaned and shook her head. Downfall to rooming near shifters. If she could hear things from five doors down—which she could—she damn well knew they could too. Even with the shower running.
“Let’s go.”
Bale and Harley led the way, and Sterling immediately fell into place behind her. Jasmine grimaced but promised herself she’d make more of an effort with him. He wouldn’t harm her, she just had to remember that.
They entered the elevator as a group and stood in silence as it descended to the main floor. The door swished open and they strode out, heading toward the buffet tucked in the back corner.
“Wells and Carlisle are in the city,” Harley said to Bale as he grabbed a plate.
“And they are?”
“The two who made it out of the jungle with us.”
“Ah. Are they tagging along to the embassy today?”
“They could. The senator is paying them, after all.”
“Wouldn’t hurt, hombre. The more, the merrier. We can always have them watch the exterior while we keep eyes on Jasmine.”
“I’ll send them a text right now. Tell them to meet us outside.”
Bale nodded and started to fill his plate.
Jasmine followed suit, piling it high with as much bacon as it could carry. It wasn’t until an awkward silence ensued that she glanced up to find all three men staring at her.
“What? I’m hungry.” She shrugged. “You try being turned into a shifter against your wishes, then spend two days hiking through a jungle. You’d be famished too.”
“Against your wishes?” Sterling parroted, his deep voice setting off her cat’s nerves. “What are you talking about?”
“Wyatt didn’t tell you?” Harley asked.
“We weren’t told much, unfortunately,” Bale supplied. “Just that we were to come assist you in bringing the senator’s daughter home. I could smell she was shifter when you two arrived, but I didn’t realize this was a new occurrence.”
Jasmine shook her head and continued down the food line. Harley hung back to fill them in on all the details, including the jaguar attack. She could hear them discussing the events like it was nothing more than a casual conversation. Like these events hadn’t utterly changed her entire life.
She pulled up a seat and dug in, devouring her food as quickly as possible. The first bite of bacon was like heaven on a cloud. She sank into the seat and closed her eyes, humming softly under her breath. Food. Sweet and wonderful food.
“Might want to take it easy there, querida.” Bale lowered into the seat across from her. “Might upset your stomach if you overeat.”
She couldn’t tell him just how much she did not care. This was simply too delicious to turn away from. And the coffee… it tasted like shit, but damn, did it feel good to feel the warmth sliding down her throat. Quickly followed by the rush of caffeine.
The werewolves dissolved into further discussion. She picked up on a few words here and there, like senator and jaguars and Humans First, but she couldn’t be bothered to focus on anything other than her meal at the moment. Let them discuss the situation.
Her plate emptied far too quickly. And when she finally looked up from it, she found their plates were empty too. They sat there quietly, all three watching her with different levels of amusement on their faces. Harley watched with complete interest, a shit-eating grin hidden behind his hands. Bale wore a smirk he clearly was trying to hide. And Sterling wore an expression of open astonishment. It actually lessened the severity of his face and made her feel a bit more comfortable around him.
“All right,” she muttered. “Shall we get on with it then?”
“Sure thing, kiddo,” Harley said. “Just waiting for you.”
“Blah blah blah.” She rolled her eyes and pushed her plate back. “Let’s go.”
“Wells and Carlisle should be here soon. Their hotel wasn’t far from ours. Listen, once we’re outside, do not leave our sights, okay?” Harley lowered his hands onto Jasmine’s. “It’s a large city, and we have no idea what to expect.”
“You can’t honestly think the jaguars followed us all the way here, do you? It looked to me like they keep to the jungle. Those ruins were old but also currently being lived in.”
“I don’t know what to think. So let’s play it safe. Stay by my side. Don’t venture off. It’s gonna suck, but if it keeps you safe….”
She nodded. “I can do that. Whatever it takes to get me home.”
“Good.” Harley rose. Bale and Sterling immediately followed. “Then let’s get this done. The sooner we have your new passport in hand, the better.”
They headed toward the front doors. Sunlight and traffic welcomed them once they stepped outside. Jasmine stopped to suck in a deep breath and grimaced. The sharp stench of sewage mixed with traffic and exhaust pervaded the air. In fact, s
he couldn’t smell anything but that. She had to wonder if this was part of her newly enhanced senses or if Mexico City always smelled this way.
The others didn’t seem bothered by it, so rather than comment, she started to follow them to the embassy next door.
They’d barely taken more than ten steps before she caught the whiff of something familiar. Something primitive. Almost… kin-like.
Jasmine opened her mouth to ask if the others could smell it when something solid struck the back of her head. Crying out, she staggered back and toppled into the side of the hotel wall. All around her, a fight broke out. One savage enough to send pedestrians screaming in the other direction.
Harley grappled with a strange man, one who loomed an entire foot above him. Bale lay on the pavement unconscious, blood gushing from the side of his head. And Sterling was currently boot-stomping the hell out of someone, his face a brutal mask.
“Run!” Harley shouted at her, sparing her a quick glance.
Jasmine shook her head, finding it difficult to see straight. Whatever had struck it, it’d left a mark. The world had begun to sway, her vision growing dim around the edges.
“Jasmine! Run!” Harley ordered.
Run. Right. She could do that. Maybe. It involved putting one foot in front of the other and repeating that action until she put some distance between them and her. Except, her feet wouldn’t listen. She pushed off the wall, hoping her body’s momentum would get them moving. Instead, she teetered forward, toppling into someone else’s arms.
She lifted her head and found a familiar pair of brown eyes staring down at her.
“Carlisle?” she slurred.
“Sorry about this,” he muttered before he raised his hand and pierced her neck with something sharp. Heat rushed through her veins, tearing a panicked scream from her mouth.
Not this.
Not again.
But before she could fight against the drugs invading her system, a second blow to the back of her head sent her spiraling into the all-too-familiar darkness.
18
Harley dealt a sharp blow to his attacker’s knee and grinned triumphantly when the jaguar dropped to the cement, howling as he clutched his leg. Harley might not be the best fighter in the pack, but he certainly knew a trick or two. Enough to hopefully keep him alive. And hopefully enough to keep Jasmine safe.
Jasmine.
He spun on his heel, praying she’d done as he’d asked and ran. Except, the second he turned, his heart plummeted into his stomach. Jasmine hadn’t run—hadn’t even had a chance to try. Instead, she lay draped in Carlisle’s arms.
What the hell?
“Carlisle? She okay?”
The merc froze on the spot at the sound of Harley’s voice. Tension rang through the air as Carlisle slowly turned, his face masked with guilt.
“I’m really sorry about this,” he called out above the sounds of the fight.
Sorry about… what, exactly? But before Harley could ask, Carlisle turned and dumped Jasmine into another person’s arms.
The jaguar alpha.
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
Gritting his teeth, Harley booted the jaguar at his feet in the face and took off after the alpha. He’d only made it a few steps before the alpha swung around and dove inside a black vehicle with Jasmine. The door slammed shut, and just like that, they were peeling through the streets, leaving Harley to eat their dust.
“Sterling!” Harley shouted.
Sterling whipped around in response to his name, his face savagely twisted and his eyes lit up with his wolf.
“They took Jasmine! Get Bale.”
A single nod was all Sterling offered. He turned, fist closed, and smoked the jaguar he was fighting into oblivion. Crouching next to Bale, he didn’t hesitate before hauling off and decking their second in command. Bale came to with a sharp howl, his bright eyes locked onto Sterling’s.
“We need to go!” Harley shouted, his heart hammering in his damn chest.
The damn jaguars had Jasmine. It was the only thought in his mind right now, echoing over and over like a damn mantra. He couldn’t let them get away. They’d take her back to the jungle, to those stupid ruins, and he’d never find her.
Well, fuck that.
He’d lost her once. He refused to lose her again. Not now. Not after coming so far with her.
Harley leapt into the middle of the street and, without so much as an apology, wrenched a man right off his motorcycle. He caught him by the collar of his leather jacket and eased him to the ground before straddling the man’s bike and blazing after Jasmine.
He had to get to her. There was no other option here. He had to find them. But there were so many cars. So many roads. They could have gone anywhere. What the hell? How was he supposed to find her? Without a phone or a GPS tracker, he wasn’t left with many options.
Revving up the bike, he bore down the street, anxiously scanning for their vehicle. Panic consumed him as he drove, his pulse thundering in his ears, drowning out the sound of traffic.
“Where are you?” he muttered to himself over and over, his gaze leaping from one car to the next.
The only thing he had to go on was his instincts. He and Jasmine were mates, maybe that’d be enough to track her, not that he’d ever heard of that happening before. It wasn’t some magical glowing beacon to point him in her direction.
“Harley!” a voice shouted over the din.
His head snapped to the side to find Sterling and Bale in a random vehicle alongside him. Seemed he wasn’t the only one to commandeer a ride.
“Five cars ahead, left-hand side.”
His attention shot back to the road, and sure enough, five cars ahead, a black vehicle tore across the lanes. Either someone was incredibly late for work or that was the alpha’s car. Harley hunkered down behind the handlebars and wove through traffic, narrowly avoiding bumpers and side mirrors.
As he rode, he contemplated his options. He could follow them until they stopped or he could attempt to take control of the vehicle. He didn’t particularly like either option. With the first choice, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t somehow lose track of them or that his bike wouldn’t run out of gas long before theirs. As for the second choice, well, jumping onto the roof of a car amidst rush-hour traffic in the middle of Mexico City seemed like a death sentence.
A worthwhile risk, though, right?
Jasmine meant everything to him.
The real question was, what wouldn’t he do to rescue her?
Cursing under his breath, he changed gears and sped ahead, eating up the distance between him and Jasmine. The driver was clearly aware they were being pursued if his erratic driving was any indication. The way they tore through the lanes, weaving through traffic… it was almost like they meant to cause a collision.
Harley shook his head and hunkered down behind the small windshield. Seemed likely they were trying to cause a collision. Nothing like a pileup to put an end to a car chase.
Bale’s sharp whistle caught Harley’s attention.
He pointed to the right side of the vehicle, then sped up and drove alongside him. Harley nodded and sped up on the left-hand side, effectively caging in the alpha’s car. Truthfully, if the driver jerked to the left, Harley was done for. Even a werewolf wouldn’t survive a high-speed collision on a motorcycle. Especially without a helmet. There were few things that could kill a werewolf, but Harley suspected a caved in skull was one of them.
Thankfully, the driver seemed more concerned with Bale and Sterling than him.
Whispering a fervent prayer, Harley steadied the bike as best he could, then reached out and ripped the front door right off the hinges. The driver cried out, his frantic gaze darting between Harley and Bale.
Harley didn’t hesitate. He reached inside and grabbed the jaguar by his shirt collar and hauled him out of the car. He instantly let go, and the sound of the man’s body breaking beneath the tires of the vehicles behind them was one Harley knew he’d never forge
t.
But he couldn’t think about that right now.
Shaking off those thoughts, he took a deep, steadying breath, then leapt from the bike to the car, every bit of the way praying to whatever God was up there to let him survive this asinine stunt. He’d never done anything so stupid before. But he knew he’d do a hell of a lot more to save Jasmine’s life.
The air whistled through his ears for a brief second before his body careened into the side of the swerving vehicle. His ribs crunched against the frame, his feet dragged against the pavement. But not once did his hands relinquish their grip.
Teeth gritted, Harley heaved himself up and threw himself into the driver seat, all the while panting for breath.
Jesus Christ. He couldn’t believe he’d just done that. Or that he’d somehow survived. A miracle, really. Maybe there truly was a God. And maybe the old man liked Harley enough to do him this favor. Whatever the reason, he was never going to take His name in vain again. Seemed a fair trade for his life.
Harley had every intention of slamming on the brakes the instant he found his feet, but before he could, something hard and cold pressed against the back of his head. His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror to find the jaguar alpha pressing a gun to his head.
Well then.
How had he not thought of that?
“Pull the fuck over,” the alpha growled in a devastatingly deep voice. One that would give Sterling’s voice a run for his money.
Harley shot the man a glance in the mirror and contemplated his options yet again. One, he did as the alpha ordered and pulled over. Or two, flip the asshole the bird and tell him to sit on it. Oh boy, was option two tempting, especially considering how option one likely ended with him lying in a pool of his own blood on the side of the road. Harley was the only remaining obstacle in the alpha’s way. Of course, he would shoot him the second they pulled over. The only reason he hadn’t yet shot him was because it would put the alpha’s life at stake. Nothing like a head-on collision into a guardrail to give someone pause.
“Did you hear me?” the alpha shouted.