by J. H. Croix
“And I don’t want to go, but I’m not thinking it’s the best plan for me to do what I want to do with Julianna’s bedroom light still on.” He angled his head in the direction of her bedroom. A thin strip of light was bright under the door.
Vivi grinned. “She likes to read for a little bit before she falls asleep. I don’t fight her on it.”
Heath took a step back. Her entire body pulled toward him. She had to fight to hold herself back from tugging him right back against her. He watched her for a moment before turning to take a few steps to the coatrack. He snagged his coat off of it and shrugged into it. He returned to her and dipped his head for a quick kiss. “I’m only leaving now because if I stay for much longer, I won’t be able to stop myself. Don’t suppose you’ll let me know next time you have a shift at Quinn’s?”
“Tomorrow night,” she said quickly, desperate to see him again as soon as possible.
His mouth hitched at one corner. “I’ll give you a ride home.” His gravelly words sent a shiver through her.
Julianna would be with her mother tomorrow night, so Vivi wouldn’t have to shackle the need coursing through her. She nodded. “Okay. See you then.”
At that, he turned and quietly opened the door. When it clicked shut behind him, Vivi waited as she heard him walk down the porch stairs. At the sound of his truck starting, she locked the door, hugged her arms around her waist and walked through the living room toward her bedroom. She paused by Julianna’s door. “Lights out soon,” she called out softly.
When she didn’t hear a response, she carefully turned the doorknob and peeked around the door. Julianna was sound asleep with her book on her chest. Vivi stepped quietly into her room and placed the book on her nightstand before clicking the lamp off and tiptoeing out of the room. Vivi climbed into her own bed, the sheets cool against her skin. She had trouble falling asleep, her mind spinning over thoughts of Heath and her body still humming from their kiss.
Chapter 11
Heath leaned against the railing on the porch at Daniel’s farmhouse and glanced around while he waited for Daniel. They were meeting to head out and scout for Chris. Every time he thought about the fact that Vivi went out to find him on her own, he swung between fear and anger. She was okay, but it infuriated him Chris had injured her. The sky was overcast this morning and the air held a bite to it. They were well into autumn with winter nipping at its heels. Daniel came out of the front door and took a few strides to sit on the front steps beside where Heath was waiting.
Daniel stared out into the trees before turning in Heath’s direction. “So did you get more details from Vivi about where she saw Chris?”
Heath nodded. “Yeah. Called her this morning. She told me she headed toward the caves along the ridge out that way. Those are a few miles from the old logging road. Shouldn’t take us long. I’m worried he may be on the move, but if we start there, we should be able to pick up his scent.” He paused and shook his head. “I’m still pissed she went out on her own.”
“Don’t blame you, but I see why she wanted to. How bad did he get her?”
“All in all, not bad. I only saw part of the scratch, but it’s an angry slash on her shoulder. She thinks he was fighting defensively because she started it. Based on how she described it, he could have done a lot worse but he took off. Doesn’t matter to me whether she started it or not, if we find him, he’ll wish he hadn’t touched her.” Heath’s lion simmered under his skin. He hoped he had enough control to keep from killing Chris. He pushed away from the railing. “Let’s go.”
A while later, he and Daniel were weaving their way through the trees. Power coursed through Heath in surges. His anger toward Chris was amped once he shifted with primal instinct and drive taking over. They ascended steadily into the mountains, the ground becoming rockier as they made their way up. They reached the area where Vivi had told him she’d encountered Chris. Evidence of recent activity was present, along with Chris’s scent. Heath was slightly surprised at the strength of the scent. It indicated Chris had been in the area within hours. He and Daniel had agreed they would hang close to each other, keeping within sight and sound at all times. The point of today was to bring Chris in, so they needed to be able to easily subdue him if they found him.
They scoured the area around the boulders and caves in the rocky cliff before following Chris’s scent. They initially climbed higher into the mountains where the trees began to thin out, but the trail of his scent looped down, leading back toward the old logging road. A soft rain began to fall. A short while later, a motion in the distance caught Heath’s eyes. He froze, Daniel abruptly stopping at his side. Through the trees, they could see an old shed, likely built years ago to store tools for the loggers when they were working in the area. A man stood beside it, smoking a cigarette. Heath couldn’t tell from sight that it was Chris, but he recognized his scent from the other day. He swung his head to the side, indicating he would loop around and approach the shed from the far side. Daniel would wait here to close in from this side.
Heath’s lion was rumbling to let loose, but he forced himself to maintain control. He didn’t want Chris to get away today, so he had to keep his anger in check. What he wanted to do was bolt straight for him and take him down. Instead, he moved stealthily through the trees, his fur dampening from the rain falling steadily now. Once he got to the far side of the shed, he zigzagged through the trees. He could see Daniel slowly approaching from the other side. He was surprised Chris hadn’t sensed their presence yet, although the cigarette smoke likely obscured their scent. A few more seconds and he was close enough. Chris turned his head.
Heath leapt through the trees with a low growl. Chris shifted instantly, his cigarette falling to the ground and snuffing out in the rain. The next few moments were a tangled mess of claws and snarls. Daniel closed in, but he held back. Heath knew Daniel was giving him the chance to take Chris down on his own because that’s what his lion needed. Chris was a strong cat, but an untrained fighter. Heath had years of fighting in lion form on his side, along with years of military training that honed him into top condition. It had only been recently he’d regained his full strength after the accident, but now energy and adrenaline pulsed through in waves of pure power.
Chris fought defensively, backing up into the trees and leaping into branches to dodge. Heath followed him onto a sturdy pine branch and backed Chris against the tree, snarling and growling. Chris tumbled off the branch with Heath following. He took advantage of Chris’s shaky balance and knocked him off his feet, pinning him. With Chris struggling mightily under him, Heath bit into his neck, the taste of iron seeping into his mouth. He held on, shaking his head slightly when Chris tried to resist until Chris’s body relaxed under him. Heath kept seeing Vivi flinch in his mind, that subtle reminder of the small damage Chris had inflicted on her. With anger pounding through him, he kept a firm grip on his human mind to keep from tearing Chris’s throat out.
Daniel approached and waited at Heath’s side as he slowly eased his grip on Chris’s throat. Heath’s breath misted in the cool, rainy air of the forest.
***
Vivi leaned against the counter at Mile High Grounds and reached out to curl her hand around the cup of coffee Sophia slid across.
“There you go. House coffee with a shot of espresso,” Sophia said with a grin.
Vivi took a welcome sip and sighed. “Oh God, that’s so good. I can’t get warm today. I’m like that whenever it’s rainy in the fall.”
“Me too,” Sophia replied as she twirled her hair into a knot and stuck a pen through it. Her hands fell to the counter and she angled her head to the side. “So how come you didn’t bother to tell anyone you went off to look for Chris?”
Vivi sighed, feeling defensive and annoyed. “Look, I just needed to know it was him. I wasn’t out there to take him down or bring him in. I know I should’ve said something…”
Sophia cut in. “Yes! You should have.” She nodded her head vigorousl
y for emphasis. “We agreed last year we wouldn’t go out alone like that. Maybe you didn’t want to involve Heath, but you could’ve at least told me. You know I’d have gone with you. You’re damn lucky you didn’t get hurt worse.”
Vivi took another sip of coffee, savoring the warmth and flavor. Guilt pulsed through her. She knew she’d be pissed if the situation were reversed. She hadn’t been thinking too clearly when she’d gone out to find Chris. She’d been afraid anyone she mentioned it to would tell her not to go, so she’d kept it to herself. She looked into Sophia’s concerned gaze and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you. I got all worked up in my head and just had to find out if it was really him. I didn’t think he would hurt me. I know Heath’s pissed about it, but honestly Chris didn’t start the fight. I did. Sure, he fought back and pinned me, but even though he had a chance to do worse, he took off.”
“Oh, so now he’s a good guy?” Sophia said with a roll of her eyes.
Vivi returned the eye roll and shook her head. “No. He’s most definitely not a good guy. He’s Julianna’s asshole father who can’t be bothered and is so stupid he got involved in the smuggling network. He’s all of that and then some, but I don’t want to make things worse by acting like he was out to hurt me. I don’t believe he was. If he wanted to, he could have. Instead, he bolted.”
Sophia’s eyes softened. “I get it. I just hate that you put yourself in that position.”
“Maybe it wasn’t my smartest move, but I’m fine. Let’s hope Daniel and Heath find him and bring him in today. Maybe we’ll get more info on where the hell Nelson is these days.”
“Let’s hope so.” Sophia paused to take another customer’s order.
After the customer stepped away while Tommy prepped the coffee, Sophia looked to Vivi again. “Heath was pretty upset about what happened.”
Vivi’s chest tightened, her heart almost aching. It was hard to think about how much Heath was coming to mean to her. She nodded quickly. “I know.” Vivi could feel Sophia’s assessing gaze on her.
“Do you know how he feels about you?”
Vivi shrugged, uncertain how to answer.
Sophia paused again and slid the coffee Tommy passed to her over the counter to the customer. Once the woman picked it up and walked away, Sophia turned her way too perceptive gaze back on Vivi. “You’re it for him,” she said bluntly.
Vivi’s heart gave a swift kick. Sophia’s blunt point should have made her want to dance for joy. Part of her did, yet another part couldn’t quite believe it and had no idea how to assimilate the idea of Heath into her life in the concrete sense. She felt Sophia’s watchful gaze on her and looked up. She didn’t even realize she was chewing on the inside of her mouth until Sophia started to smile slowly.
Vivi sighed. “I don’t know what to do.”
Sophia called to Tommy over her shoulder. “Coffee break for me!” She snagged a cup of coffee, slipped from behind the counter and hooked her hand through Vivi’s elbow, tugging her to a nearby table in the corner. Vivi dropped into the chair across from Sophia at the tiny round table. Sophia leaned her elbows on the table. “You are seriously stressing out.”
Vivi took a gulp of coffee and leaned back in her chair. “Pretty much. I’m just… Ugh.” She waved a hand in the air. “I don’t know how to handle this thing with Heath. It’s not that I don’t want it. I do, I really do. But it’s got me spinning circles in my head. I keep worrying about how to handle things with Julianna. I mean, I haven’t even dated anyone since Chris. Now with him surfacing again, it’s even more confusing.”
“Only if you make it that way,” Sophia countered.
Vivi picked up a packet of sugar from the holder on the table and twirled it between her fingers. “You make it sound easy, like I’ll just decide it’s not complicated and it won’t be.”
Sophia sighed rather dramatically and rolled her eyes for good measure. “I’m not pretending like it’s a piece of cake. As far as bringing a man into your life with Julianna, Heath makes it so much easier. Julianna adores him and you know he will always put her first. You don’t have to worry about him leaving you high and dry. Heath doesn’t do anything halfway. I’m not so sure why you two didn’t figure it out sooner, but you’re perfect for each other.” Sophia paused and angled her head to the side. “You have plenty of reasons to be protective of yourself and of Julianna, but you don’t need to worry with Heath. With Chris showing up, well, maybe it’s better to rip that scab off.”
Vivi absorbed what Sophia said, the wheels in her mind starting to slow. She was struggling to accept how simple it sounded from Sophia. Yet, she knew Sophia was right about one thing—Heath was loyal. Unlike Chris, he wouldn’t just up and leave. She took a quick sip of coffee and felt some of the tension ease from her shoulders. “I hear you, I do. It’s just… I don’t know. Maybe you’d understand if you knew I had a thing for Heath way back when we were in high school.”
“You think I never noticed that?” Sophia countered with a grin.
“You did not!”
“Maybe I wasn’t sure how bad you had it for him, but I noticed. Just like I noticed he kind of had a thing for you. I’m not stupid though, so I decided it was best to keep myself out of the middle. I figured it would blow over, and it did. Until he came back last year. Now, here we are.”
Vivi’s cheeks got hot. She grinned ruefully. “Fine then. So I had a thing for him. It just makes it harder because if things go south…”
Sophia threw her hands up. “Did it ever occur to you that it’s not really helpful to assume the worst? You had one guy treat you like shit, but Chris is just that—one guy. If it wasn’t for Julianna, I doubt you’d even dwell on it. Not to mention that you know Heath believes you’re his mate. Don’t lecture me on that being a bunch of bullshit because you were all about it with me and Daniel.”
Vivi finished off her coffee and sighed, recalling how she’d encouraged Sophia to believe in what she felt for Daniel. It all seemed so much simpler when it wasn’t her own heart on the line. She bit her lip and wrinkled her nose. “Fine. I’ll try to be more optimistic. Maybe that’ll be easier after we get Chris in and I can close the book on him.”
Chapter 12
Heath leaned against the wall in Roger’s office and rolled his head to the side when Daniel spoke.
“You can hold him then?” Daniel asked Roger.
Roger nodded. “Oh yeah. With the stash of drugs stuffed in that old shed, we can hold him on possession charges with intent to distribute. I figure we’ll let him stew for the night and try to question him again in the morning.” His eyes glanced from Daniel to Heath. “Gotta say, I was hopeful you two might have a bit more luck than us, but you brought him in quicker than I expected. I’m thinking he got rattled by his little spat with Vivi, just enough to throw him off his game.”
A curl of anger rose within Heath. He’d gotten plenty of it out of his system in the fight earlier, but it still burned. He shoved it away and nodded tightly. “Just relieved he’s here now. I’m hoping he can give us a few clues on where Nelson might be lying low.”
“I have a feeling he will. Nelson doesn’t have too many shifters left willing to help him. Chris is also most worried about himself. If we offer him some concessions to talk, he probably will. It’ll just take him a little time to realize Nelson can’t do him much good anymore.”
Heath pushed away from the wall. “Right. Well, let us know when you have an update.” He glanced to Daniel. “You ready to go? I could seriously use a shower.”
Daniel grinned and stood from where he’d been half-sitting on a file cabinet. “You and me both. Let’s go.”
A while later, Heath drove back toward downtown Painter after dropping Daniel off at the farmhouse. As he drove along Main Street, he recalled he was supposed to meet Vivi at Quinn’s at the end of her shift. He raced home, showered in record time and started to walk out the door. He forgot his keys and turned back to snag them off the kitchen coun
ter. He paused and looked around his small apartment. In the aftermath of his accident, he’d stayed with his parents for a while since he had only planned to be home for a few weeks and didn’t have a place of his own. Once he finally cobbled his life back together after the accident, he’d needed his own place.
Yet, the place he ‘lived’ was barely lived in. The living room and kitchen had the requisite furniture basics, but he’d never gotten around to decorating and rarely spent time here. The space felt stark and bare. His mind flashed to the way Vivi’s home felt—warm and inviting, so comfortable it was like stepping into a favorite pair of slippers. At the thought of Vivi, his body kicked into gear and he swung away, his keys in hand.
***
Vivi flew around behind the bar, taking orders, making drinks and swiping bills for payment. Quinn’s was filled to the brim tonight, its usual state. Even though she barely had time to stop and think, her eyes kept wandering toward the door, wondering when Heath would arrive. He’d called her earlier to let her know they’d brought Chris in. While she had plenty of questions about Chris, her thoughts were honed in on Heath. Between her conversation with Sophia today and her unsatisfied desire last night, Heath was like a fever in her brain. She swung on the pendulum of her hopes. At times, she could almost convince herself she could try to believe it might work out with him, while at others, her doubts scoffed at the idea.
“Viv, can you pass me another pint of the house beer?” Dan asked from the far end of the bar.
She turned quickly, snagged a pint glass and filled it swiftly. She glanced to Dan, and he nodded in the direction of the customer in question. She slid the beer down the counter. “There you go!” The guy caught it with a grin and immediately tipped his head back for a gulp.