Six Months

by Dark, Dannika

  When I caught Austin’s eyes floating up to the ceiling, I knew Sanchez was on the upper floor. Instead of crossing the room, I moved toward the walkway in the back that led to the next ramp up. When Wheeler saw me moving about, his eyes blazed, but I ignored him and kept moving.

  A strange sound popped and it made my heart squeeze in my chest. When I reached the top, I decided to end the game.

  “Sanchez, if you want me, here I am,” I shouted, uncertain which level he was on. I floated behind a wall and peered through one of the gaps. “Looks like you underestimated me. If this is all about pride, you’ll never get it back. You can kill me, but you’ve still lost.”

  I moved around the wall and winced when my foot began throbbing. “Did Delgado find out what you’ve been up to?”

  “As a matter of fact, he did.” Sanchez appeared out of nowhere and snatched at my right arm, throwing me off balance.

  I let out a squeak and staggered as he dragged me to the center of the room.

  “I should have done you in a long time ago, Vanilla. But I couldn’t get near your piece-of-shit trailer because of some mongrel. Got him with a screwdriver after he bit my arm, but he kept hanging around and I couldn’t get a shot at him. So I came to your shop. Never thought you’d actually come up with the money.”

  “Take your hands off her.”

  Reno emerged from the far end of the room. He moved through the fog like a man serving a death warrant. I noticed a dark stain on his pants below the knee and the level of fear in me spiked. He aimed a gun at Sanchez, holding his wrist steady.

  “Should have known you were the one with the screwdriver,” Reno said, his voice so in control it was volatile.

  “Sorry about your pooch,” he said insincerely. Sanchez jerked me closer and hooked his left arm around my torso, latching his hand on my right breast. His voice held a smile. “Have you seen these pretty tits of hers?” He placed the gun against my temple and squeezed my breast painfully.

  A muscle in Reno’s jaw tightened, but he held his gun steady.

  “Yeah, I thought so,” Sanchez continued. “I like that little mole right in the middle—I’d call that a bull’s-eye. You got yourself a real winner here with this one. She’s very business savvy, but it didn’t take much for her to show me her titties.”

  No, I wasn’t playing this game either.

  I gripped his elbow, pulled it up, and sank my teeth into his forearm. Hard.

  Sanchez slammed the butt of his gun against my temple. Guess he didn’t hit hard enough because my teeth went deeper into his skin. “Motherfucker!” he shouted.

  “Just for that, I’m going to knock out your teeth before I kill you,” Reno said in a malevolent voice, his body rock solid.

  I stopped biting and chills swept over me as I looked at Reno’s cold expression. Sanchez yanked me against him and extended his arm. Seeing the gun aimed at Reno seized my heart with fear.

  This wasn’t like the movies where there was a big standoff and a lot of negotiating. Sanchez didn’t have a good hold of me, so I pried back his fingers and twisted my body around until he let go. He got a handful of my hair and I yelped, kicking him in the shin. Reno surged forward and at that very moment, Trevor appeared and rushed in front of him. Sanchez fired his gun and it made a muffled crack.

  “No!” I screamed.

  Tiny flashes of glittery light sparked the air and I almost fainted when Trevor fell to the ground, taking a bullet for Reno.

  Before Sanchez could fire off another round, I struck his arm, hoping to throw off his aim. He yanked out some of my hair during the struggle, and before I knew it, Reno was on him. He wrested the gun out of his hand, tucked his own weapon behind his back, and slammed his granite fist into Sanchez’s mouth. A tooth fell out along with a stream of blood.

  Sanchez let go of my hair.

  While I heard the pounding of fist to bone, I dove to the floor and smoothed my hands over Trevor’s chest.

  “Trev, can you hear me? Somebody help us!”

  He smiled lazily, sexily, sadly. I brushed the hair away from his eyes as my tears splashed down.

  “Don’t cry, babe. Your nose swells and you look like Rudolph.”

  The sound of footsteps trampled into the room.

  “You got him?” Austin shouted. He still fought to keep Lexi’s wolf under control as she lunged toward Sanchez. Her lips were peeled back, revealing her sharp canines when she snapped and snarled. “Lexi, no!”

  I threw my attention back on Trevor.

  Jericho stalked forward and fell to his knees. “Where’s he hit?”

  Wheeler’s strong hands coaxed me up and I fought against him. “Come on, you don’t need to see this.”

  “See what? Let me go! Trevor needs help!”

  Trevor looked up at Jericho. “Get her out.”

  “No, no, no!”

  Wheeler’s arms locked around me tightly and he lifted my legs, carrying me out of the room at a quick pace. I stretched out to see around his shoulder and watched Austin kneel down beside Trevor.

  “What’s he going to do?” I whimpered, not knowing enough about Shifters to abate my fear.

  Wheeler lowered his eyes to mine. “Save him, if it’s not too late.”

  My bad mojo was like a hurricane, injuring everyone within its path.

  Wheeler yelled out as we went down the second ramp. “Ben!”

  I squinted from the bright lights as the cool air hit us with a swing of the door. The sounds of bells and arcade music blasted, but it was a weeknight and not that busy. The attendant had taken off, assuming that we would be another half hour. Wheeler kept walking toward the exit and pushed it open with his shoulder.

  I wiggled to get down when I saw Lynn sitting on the curb. Denver held Maizy and her arms were wrapped around his neck, her head on his shoulder.

  “Is it secure?” Wheeler yelled out.

  “The bad guy is over there,” Maizy declared, pointing her finger toward the right. “Denny, I’m cold.”

  Wheeler spun halfway around and I glanced at the side of the building and saw a man lying unconscious on his stomach. By his bruised face and the bloodstains on his shirt, Denver had taken care of that problem. I couldn’t have imagined what that scene must have been like—Denver coming out to find Maizy in the clutches of a dangerous man.

  “Is everyone okay?” Denver said in a quiet voice.

  Wheeler set me down, and while they talked, I went to Lynn. “Do you need to go to the hospital? Lynn, let me see your head.”

  She was holding a wad of paper towels from the bathroom over her head to stanch the bleeding. “I’m not sure I need to go to the emergency room, but I may need stitches.”

  “Well, we can’t wait until the morning. Let me see.”

  Her fingers and arm were covered in dried blood. Lynn had always maintained her appearance—perfect makeup and her clothes modest and ironed. It was hard to see her pasty complexion smeared with blood that was matted in her blond hair. She was a good woman and didn’t deserve something like this happening to her.

  “Wheeler, she needs to go to the hospital right now. Can you take her? This shouldn’t wait until the morning. She was unconscious when I found her and might have a concussion.”

  Wheeler cursed under his breath and looked at Denver. “I’ll use the truck. Tell Austin where I am… and where the fuck is Ben?”

  “Where do you think?” Denver said. “Five minutes into the game, he slipped out the door. I saw him in the back room playing cards when I was looking for Maizy.”

  “You have got to be shitting me,” Wheeler said in a flat voice. He bent over and helped Lynn to her feet. She wobbled a little and I gave Wheeler her purse.

  Maizy looked up and her lashes were wet. “Mommy, can I come?”

  “No, Peanut,” Denver said. “Your mama needs to get fixed up, so you’re coming home with Denny.” He spoke in an easy and relaxed voice, keeping her calm as worry filled her eyes. “I think we should put on your f
avorite movie tonight. Let me see, what was that movie called? Oh yeah, King Kong.”

  She smiled a little. “That’s not it, silly.”

  Wheeler helped Lynn to the truck and Denver lingered.

  “Go on and take her home,” I said. “Everything’s under control. I think.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  My lip quivered and I sat on the curb, still shaking. “Trevor.” I hugged my knees and dropped my forehead on them, tears spilling.

  The door behind me clicked and heavy footsteps approached. Reno came into view only briefly before he scooped me into his arms and carried me toward his motorcycle.

  “Where’s Trevor?” I whispered against his neck, trembling with fear.

  “Austin had us clear out. He wouldn’t shift with us in the room. He’s in the fucking closet, and he needs to come out.”

  I laughed against his shoulder.

  “Is that funny?”

  “Kind of, yeah.”

  Reno didn’t kiss or coddle me one bit. He put me in his leather jacket and fired up the engine of his Triumph, waiting for me to hold on tight so we could ride off on his badass bike.

  “Your leg is bleeding,” I said. I didn’t have a helmet, so Reno could hear me fine.

  “Don’t worry about me, April. It’s not the first time I’ve been shot.”

  Heads turned as they always do whenever a motorcycle drives by, and I placed my right cheek on his back and nestled into him. He didn’t voice any complaints.

  I realized that when romance novels happened in real life, it didn’t feel as thrilling. Bad guys sometimes won, people you loved got hurt, and maybe stuff like that would ruin that fragile piece of strength left in you.

  By the time we got to the house, I was shaking from the cool air. When Reno didn’t see Denver’s yellow truck in the driveway, he sent him a text message. Denver replied and said he’d taken Maizy to the movies so she’d fall asleep and stop worrying about her mom. I can only imagine what a frightening experience that was for her and how she was probably crying on the way home. I admired the way Denver looked after her, and not because he had to, but because he loved her.

  The wood floor creaked as Reno carried me inside the house and set me on my feet. He flipped a switch and a small lamp lit up the corner of the living room to our right. I sat down to remove my sneaker and walking boot, adding them to the pile of shoes they kept in the corner. They didn’t always adhere to the rules, but they made an effort since the outdoor mud created a mess. Reno helped me up and unzipped the oversized leather jacket he’d made me put on, tossing it on a chair to the right.

  “Maybe you should leave that on,” he said absently, staring at the boot.

  “It’s fine. My foot needs to breathe before it swells up. Should we call Austin?” I asked, anxious to get a status on Trevor.

  As if on cue, his phone rang.

  “Reno,” he answered. “Yeah, we’re here. Did Denver call you? … Good, then you might want to get in touch with Wheeler and see when they’ll be back. You know how long they make you wait in those damn human hospitals. … Right.”

  His eyes locked on mine while Austin continued talking on the other line. Reno watched me, listening astutely.

  “No sweat. Later.”

  “Well? What did he say about Trevor?”

  Reno set his phone on a small table and kicked off his shoes. “Your friend is fine.”

  I exhaled a sigh of relief, covering my eyes for a second. Thank God.

  “It wasn’t without a fight. He refused to shift with anyone in the room. Austin cleared everyone out except Jericho, and even then, he had to force his alpha magic on him. It took a few shifts to heal up his injuries, but he’s all right. They rented out the laser room for another hour so they could clean up the mess. Prince is helping them out.”

  “Prince?” I smiled at the name.

  “A Packmaster from our old territory. He and Austin have a respectful alliance, although we seem to be too much in his debt these days. Come on, let’s get you upstairs.”

  “Wait, Reno. We need to talk.” I pressed my back against the wall, scared as hell at what I was about to say to him. When he stepped forward, I held out my arm, my hand flat against his chest. “Please. I can’t do this anymore.”

  “Sanchez is taken care of,” he said in a stony voice, pushing his body against my hand. “I personally made sure of that.”

  I shook my head as he drew even closer. “It’s not just Sanchez. What if Delgado comes after me?”

  Darkness swirled in his eyes and he placed his hand over mine. I could feel his heart pounding against his chest in a steady rhythm. “If anyone ever touches you again, they’ll answer to me. That’s a promise. No one comes after you without coming through me first.”

  I jerked my hand away, startled by his declaration to protect me. “That’s my point. It’s not worth the risk. We barely know each other, and you can’t keep sticking your neck out for a mortal. These are my problems and I need to fix them before I get involved with anyone. It’s not fair to you and it’s not fair to me. It’s not fair to us.”

  Reno dropped his hand and stuffed it in his pocket, fishing around. “What are you saying?”

  My heart constricted and I bit the inside of my lip to keep from breaking down. The nearness of him made it difficult to be candid.

  “I’m not part of your world. I’m not even part of Trevor’s world, even though he wants to live in mine. I’m bad mojo, and that’s just the way it’s always been. Everything—my whole life. Rose was lucky. She found a great guy and got out of this mess before it touched her. It’s not just the debt, Reno. I’ve had bad luck following me my entire life. Did you know that when I was twelve I was taken to juvie? I was arrested with a few friends for joyriding. Maybe it wouldn’t have been such a big deal if we hadn’t crashed into a department-store window. My mom had to pick me up from the station, and do you know what she told me years later? That she met her first dealer because of me.”

  Reno’s lips curled in and he shook his head.

  “She blamed her addiction on me because of all the trouble I’d put her through—all the embarrassment. She said I was worthless and lavished my little sister with all the affection she refused me. I spent two months in juvie, and the only one who came to visit was my dad.”

  Then the tears came and I wiped my face, reliving the visceral pain of my mother’s rejection. “I was so scared he would end up hating me, so I tried to be a better daughter. My trailer is paradise compared to where I used to live, Reno. So you think I look like some sweet girl, but I also made my dad go buy chicken.”

  “What are you talking about, April?” He stepped forward, still moving his hand around in his pocket. “I don’t follow what you’re saying. Look, a lot of shit went down tonight—”

  “No,” I said tersely, still crying. “I made my dad pick up dinner that night. He didn’t want to go because of the rain and said he’d make some macaroni, but I begged him for fried chicken. I even pulled out the pretty please with sugar on top routine. Because of me, he left the house and that was the last time I ever saw him. Do you understand how hard it is to know that because of you, someone else died?” I gasped and wiped the tears, remembering the words of blame my mother had said to me. “The last thing I said to my father was ‘don’t forget the rolls.’ What kind of last words are those?” I covered my eyes and gathered strength. You can handle this, my inner voice whispered reassuringly. “All these years later and it still hasn’t sunk in. I wish I could have told him I loved him and how he meant the world to me. They found his car in the river. It didn’t hit me then like it does now that I’ll never have a father to walk me down the aisle. I’ve brought nothing but pain to everyone I’ve loved. My last boyfriend slept with other girls because I pushed him away. But maybe I push a little because I’m scared of getting hurt. I didn’t give him what he wanted, so he got it somewhere else.”

  Reno pulled his hand out of his pocket, holding it
in a tight fist as if he wanted to hit something. “What’s his name?”

  I sniffed, looking down at his fist. “What’s in your hand?” Something red poked out from the side.

  Reno surreptitiously slid his closed fist into his pocket. He put his left hand on the wall above me and leaned in tight. “Listen to me and listen good. You’re not bad mojo, April. You were a young girl who had a shit life. You’ve paid your dues and then some. That’s the luck of the draw, and it pisses me off to hear that your ex treated you like mud on his boot.”

  “But that’s not—”

  “Quiet,” he interrupted.

  I blinked in astonishment—Reno had never spoken to me that curtly. His eyes looked like static and I tried to hold his gaze. But then I saw something soften in his features, and his brown eyes melted like dark chocolate.

  “Yeah, you fucked up a few times. But I’m not going anywhere. That’s what makes me different from every other guy you’ve met. I’m a Shifter, and we don’t walk out on our women. You’re not your mother. You’re human. You make mistakes. So you made a few bad choices. Does that mean you don’t deserve happiness? Why are you setting me up to be ‘that’ guy? Something you may not know about me is when things get tough, I get tougher.”

  “You can’t fight my battles.”

  “Dammit, April. Let me in!”

  “I once told Trevor that I wanted to be taken care of, but you know what? He was right. You’ll never learn to stand on your own feet if someone else is holding you up. I have to fix what’s wrong in order to deserve what’s right. I don’t expect you to understand it because you can be so damn bossy!”

  His lips twitched. “You done?”

  “No,” I said, finally getting my second wind. “You don’t seem to understand that this isn’t going to work out. What happens when I turn forty?”

  “Then we have a kickass party,” he said softly, his eyes roving down to my mouth.

  “And you’ll still look the same.”