Territory - Prequel

by Susan A Bliler

  Chapter 10

  Chloe quickly changed course and jerked the keys out of her purse as she dropped her eyes and headed for her car.

  “Hey!” she heard Mitchell yell. “You’re friend and Hank ditched me.”

  She walked faster, fingering the key to her ignition as she hit the auto button that unlocked the doors. Her heart rate kicked up when she heard the unmistakable sound of shoe leather slapping on the concrete indicating that Mitchell was running towards her.

  “Hey pretty lady, wait.”

  She was almost to her car when Mitchell grabbed her arm and spun her to him. He grabbed both elbows and pulled her body into his as he breathed foul air down on her. “Where you going?”

  “Home. Let me go!” she tried to pull from his grip, but he only held her tighter, sliding his arms to wrap them around her body.

  “I heard you tell your friend that we could go to your apartment.”

  “I meant me and her.” Chloe frowned up at the taller man, “Let me go. You’re drunk.”

  He leaned closer, “Don’t be like that.”

  Having had enough, Chloe shoved at him and tried to jerk free. She’d grown up with an older brother, and had learned at an early age to defend herself against a larger male. “Get your fucking hands off me!”

  His hold didn’t break and Mitchell just laughed, “Fucking hands?” He leaned down to whisper loudly in her ear, “That gives me an idea.”

  Chloe’s anger quickly turned to terror when she realized the asshole wasn’t going to let her go. She fumbled with her keys in one hand until she found the button she was looking for. She’d fight him if she had to but hoped scaring him off would be more effective. She hit the panic mode and the horn began to blare repeatedly while the lights flashed on and off.

  Mitchell loosened his grip to cover his ears, “Hey, shut it off!”

  Chloe shoved at his chest putting some space between them and turned to race for her car. She didn’t make it. Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her to him as he grabbed her wrists and wrestled her for the car keys. When he got them from her, he hit the panic button again and the horn stopped. She was on the verge of screaming when a familiar voice stopped her.

  “Let her go!”

  Mitchell spun with Chloe still trapped in his arms to frown across the parking lot at Dell. “Mind your own business buddy. She’s with me.”

  Relief washed over Chloe, and she struggled to free herself from Mitchell’s arms. “Let me go!”

  Dell’s angry eyes slid from Mitchell to Chloe then back. “Release her!” He dipped his head and glared at the other man before warning, “I won’t tell you again.”

  Mitchell tightened his grip and laughed. It was the last sound he made.

  One second Chloe was shoving against his vice-like grip and the next she was on the ground. She rolled in the gravel parking lot, snatched up her keys that were knocked a few feet away then rolled again when she heard a strange gasping sound. Her eyes locked on Dell as he crouched over Mitchell. One large hand was clamped around Mitchell’s throat and the drunken man’s eyes bulged in his blue face as he clawed at Dell’s hand.

  Chloe scrambled to her feet, “Dell, stop!” She barely recognized him for the rage that was registered on his face. His eyes were darker, his bone structure seemed more pronounced, and there was no way she could miss the deep snarl that emitted from his lips. Her eyes flashed to Mitchell, who was gulping at the air but was no longer making any sound. “Jesus Dell, you’re killing him. STOP!” She reached down and pulled on his shoulder. She didn’t expect the vicious snarl as Dell partially lunged at her while keeping his hand firmly locked on Mitchell’s throat. Startled, she jumped back and landed on her ass when she failed to catch herself. Her mouth was open and she scrambled away from Dell as fear rushed forward.

  Seeming to notice her reaction, Dell’s features relaxed and he slowly turned his sneer from Chloe to Mitchell as he carefully released his grip.

  Mitchell sucked in a long gasp as tears slid down his cheeks, and when Dell slowly stood lifting his weight off the other man, Mitchell rolled coughing and sputtering as he fought to fill his starved lungs.

  “If you ever touch her again, I’ll fucking kill you.”

  The words were spoken so calmly that Chloe simply stared at Dell in shock. When he approached, she fought the instinct to crawl backward. He looked different now, like the Dell she knew. His features had returned to normal and now in comparison she realized just how scary he’d actually appeared in his anger.

  He approached then squatted so they were eye level. “I’m sorry I frightened you. Are you okay?”

  Unable to find her voice, she simply nodded.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  She shook her head and lifted a hand to brush back some hair that had fallen free of her ponytail. She stilled when she heard Dell growl. He wasn’t looking at her, but at her hand. She pulled it down to study it only to realize she was bleeding. I must have cut myself when I fell. When she looked up again Dell was standing and turned back to Mitchell. She heard him growl again and when she peered around his legs she saw that Mitchell was gone.

  “Let me help you.” Dell held out a hand, but she knew better than to accept it.

  Still convinced that he’d done something to her when he touched her at the supermarket, she eyed his hand nervously before she inched backward and slowly stood. She fought a wince as she pushed up off her bleeding palms. “I’m fine thanks.” Standing she looked down at her hands and picked out a few pebbles that had been imbedded there.

  “Boyfriend of yours?”

  She didn’t miss the anger in Dell’s tone, and couldn’t understand its source. “Obviously not!”

  “So you were just going to take him home and he got out of hand?”

  She knew she was supposed to be grateful, but his low opinion of her prevented her lips from staying closed. She dropped her hands. “Fuck you, I’m not like that!”

  Dell took a deep breath. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”

  Palming her keys, Chloe eyed her car. “I’m good, but thanks for the offer.” She made to turn but Dell caught the sleeve of her shirt.

  “You’re drunk Chloe, and I’m not asking.” He pulled and she had to turn to keep from falling as he led her back toward the bar.

  “I am not drunk!” she argued, while noting that she was feeling a little queasy. She shouldn’t have had so many shots. Damn Marissa! She tried to pull free of his grip but nearly tripped over the curb.

  Dell stopped walking to frown at her, “Shall I carry you?”

  The threat was there. He knew she feared his touch and was using it to force her compliance. She looked down at her keys and hit the button that locked her doors. The horn sounded once and she frowned up at him, shrugging off his hand. “I can walk.” She pinned her eyes on the lone black truck that sat parked in front of the bar.

  When he released her shirt, he crossed to the passenger side door and held it open.

  She used the stirrup to help her climb in, but nearly lost her balance. She was drunker than she thought. Dell’s firm hand on her ass had her tensing before she climbed into the seat then ignored him as he closed the truck door.

  “Your mother’s I presume?” He started the truck and pulled away from the curb.

  She desperately wanted to go to her own apartment, but remembered that she’d left her mother’s TV on. She didn’t want Bea to wake only to discover that her daughter had snuck out. Not to mention that for some odd reason, she also didn’t want Dell to know where she lived. “Yes.”

  He turned to frown at her then put his eyes back on the road, “What were you doing with him?”

  “I wasn’t with him. I met my friend Marissa out and she just left with his friend. Apparently he thought it was an invitation.”

  “Well if you didn’t dres
s like that, it wouldn’t invite trouble.”

  Her mouth fell open as she dropped her head to eye her attire. She still wore the clothes she’d dressed in that morning to clean house. “I’m wearing jeans and a t-shirt,” she ground out in incredulity.

  Dell snorted.

  “Well what are you doing out so late? Trying to find a chippy?” She hated that instead of sounding condescending she sounded jealous.

  “Luckily for you I was down the road at the Hunt Inn having a beer with my pa…my friends,” he amended.

  “So it’s okay for you to drink and drive, but not me?”

  “I’m not drunk.”

  “Neither am I!” The longer she sat though, the more the effects of the alcohol were taking their toll. She desperately needed a glass of water, a handful of aspirin, and a bed.

  “And I wasn’t just attacked by some drunk trying to rape me.”

  To that Chloe didn’t respond. She was just realizing how serious the situation had been and how much worse it would have been if Dell hadn’t shown up.

  The silence in the truck stretched a few miles before Chloe finally wrapped her arms around her waist and offered, “Thanks for saving me.”

  Dell looked at her and misunderstood her posture. He flipped on the heat and mumbled, “You’re welcome.”

  She turned to frown out the window, “Must be nice to be a big guy. You can go out and have a drink with your friends anytime without having to worry about being attacked.”

  “Why wasn’t your boyfriend with you? He should take better care of you.”

  She dropped her head to pick at the blood that was crusting on her palm. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know,” she snapped. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

  “No.”

  “Why?” she challenged.

  He smiled, “I haven’t yet found what I’m looking for.” He turned to her, his eyes dipping to her chest then back up.

  She felt her cheeks warm and turned to look out the window.

  “Here,” he brushed her knee and she felt a slight jolt of electricity shoot from her knee to course through her body as he leaned over and popped the glove box. He pulled out a couple of kerchiefs and handed them to her. “They’re clean. Use ‘em to wrap your hands.”

  Accepting the kerchiefs, her eyes snagged on his forearm. Three bands of slightly varying sizes were tattooed around the widest part of his forearm. She remembered the tattoos. The school had been abuzz when he’d shown up with them in high school. His sister and his brothers shared the same mark. She wondered if all his family wore the bands.

  The truck was silent again and whether it was from the alcohol or his proximity, Chloe tensed and turned watching the world race by as she fought back tears. “I don’t want to hate your family Dell.”

  He didn’t respond at first and she wondered if he’d even heard her. “I don’t want you to either.”

  “My mother loved Donnie very much. So did I.”

  “We loved Mace in equal measure. But…”

  When he failed to continue she turned to frown at him.

  “The sins of our brothers are no reflection on us Chloe.”

  “Us as in you and your family, or us as in you and I?”

  He looked at her. “You and I.”

  Anger flared to life. Donnie hadn’t sinned. He was just trying to protect what was his! “If Mace had stayed away from Beverly, everything would’ve been fine.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  The truck pulled to a halt in front of her mother’s house. “Well make me understand.” She spun on him, “Explain it so that my little brain can understand why Mace wasn’t in the wrong. Why it’s okay to sleep with another man’s wife. Why it’s okay to kill him over something that is rightfully his!”

  “It’s complicated.”

  Chloe reached down and jerked on the door handle, “It’s not really. You’re brother took what belonged to mine, and now they’re both dead for it.” She climbed down from the truck and turned to glare up at him, “Pretty fucking simple to me!” She slammed the door and walked as straight as she could to her mother’s front door.

  ***

  “Fuck!” Dell growled as he ground the steering wheel between his two hands and watched Chloe disappear into her mother’s house. She’d extended an olive branch, and he’d screwed it up. I should’ve just kept my fucking mouth shut!

  His night had gone from bad to worse as it had progressed. First, he’d met his pack mates at the bar to watch some MMA. He knew it was a bad idea from the jump. It didn’t take much for drunken men watching fights to think they all were suddenly scrappers too. He and his pack had been asked to leave after Briggs had beaten three men into oblivion. Dell had simply watched, enjoying the spectacle, but that didn’t prevent the owner from eighty-sixing him as well.

  Then, driving home, he’d seen Chloe exiting the new Irish pub. He’d pulled to a stop to watch her when that man had attacked her. His grip tightened on the steering wheel and it creaked under the pressure as he remembered the terror on her face. Even now, his wolf stirred at the memory.

  He eyed the house one last time before turning and heading home. A few blocks from her house, Dell snatched up the bloody kerchiefs she’d left on the passenger seat and tossed them out his window. For some reason, the scent of her blood had his boiling. He kept playing over and over the sight of the man grabbing her from behind and the fear on her face. He took deep calming breaths in an attempt to soothe his wolf. Nothing even happened, he chastised himself. But both he and his wolf knew that had he not shown up, things could have been very bad.

  “What is she even doing out this late?” His angry eyes flashed to the rearview mirror, but her house was no longer in sight. He didn’t know this friend of hers, but decided instantly that she wasn’t a good one if she was willing to leave Chloe alone at a bar at, his eyes flashed to the clock on his dash, nearly two o’clock in the morning! A growl rumbled from his lips and because he was alone, he didn’t try to stop it.

  She said she doesn’t want to hate my family. God, why didn’t I just stay quiet! He frowned at the dark highway, I should’ve said, ‘Then don’t.’ His growl grew louder, Why didn’t I think of that then?

  He remembered the way she’d avoided his touch when he’d tried to help her up. It was actually painful for him the few times he’d touched her and he wondered if she’d felt it too. Or is she avoiding touching me because she hates me? Maybe it was the medicine she was using on him. Hell, he didn’t know what her problem was.

  He tried to force himself from thinking of her, but his wolf was awake and ready to fight, and Dell knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was in for one long sleepless night. He already thought about her too much, and with every encounter his desire for her grew. Desire?! He reached up and punched the dash when he realized that desire is exactly what he felt.

  Chapter 11

  “Not Briggs. Have Pony do it,” Dell snapped impatiently causing Stevie to jump.

  Pony, a cousin of Dell and Briggs was mated to Stevie. Both were shifters and both were strongly tied to the pack.

  Cindy smiled apologetically at Stevie who looked on the verge of tears. “It’s alright Stevie. I’ll take care of it.”

  Stevie nodded once before rushing from Dell’s office.

  Cindy had been running interference for Dell’s cranky attitude for the past nine days. Unfortunately, his outlook only seemed to be worsening.

  “You didn’t have to bark at her.”

  “I didn’t bark,” he growled without looking up from the paperwork at his desk.

  “You’re right. It was more of a snarl.”

  “Cindy…” Dell cautioned.

  She eyed him, wondering if he’d thought about Chloe at all over the past several days. She was dying
to know, but was unwilling to broach the subject lest it remind him of what she was hoping he’d forget. “Michael and I were wondering if you’d like to join us for dinner on Saturday.”

  Dell didn’t stop working, “No.”

  “You don’t even know where we’re going.”

  “And I don’t care. I still remember the last time I joined you two for dinner.”

  Cindy grabbed her chest in feigned shock, “Brother,” she gasped, “are you implying that you did not enjoy yourself?”

  “I’m not implying anything,” there was humor in his tone, “I’m flat out telling you.”

  “She wasn’t that bad,” Cindy challenged.

  Dell shook his head with a wince, “She was. No more blind dates.”

  “It doesn’t hurt anything to at least date. Have a one night fling. Get laid.”

  He frowned up at his sister offering a sarcastic, “Nice.”

  “Well!” She jabbed a finger towards him, “You’re going to need to start looking. It’s not good to have a mate-less Alpha.”

  “It’s dangerous to have a mated one,” he countered.

  “That’s so archaic and you know it. No one would dare challenge you let alone try to harm your mate to hurt the pack. It hasn’t happened in…I can’t even remember the last time it occurred.”

  Dell slammed down his pen, “Has it escaped you that I’m trying to work here?”

  Cindy wordlessly grabbed a stack of paperwork from his desk when her ears picked up an approaching vehicle. She tensed and her eyes flicked to Dell who was already halfway to the window.

  “Finally!” he rumbled turning quickly. “Mama’s home.”

  Shit! She chased quickly on Dell’s heels as he strode quickly down the long hall, through the kitchen, then out the back door.

  Mama’s cherub-like cheeks glowed with a pink hue as she smiled her greeting. She had just gotten out of her SUV when her feet stuttered to a halt and her smile faded. She lifted her head and took a slow breath in through her nose. “What’s wrong?”

  Cindy rushed out the back door and slammed into Dell’s back shouting over his shoulder, “Nothing! Welcome back. How was it? Is Aunty Connie doing well?”