“So leave them…what more can we do? Dad is dead,” Hope exclaimed.
“The old deed to the property is in there too. The one from before he made that deal with the Montagues. Maybe there’s something in there that can help us get the tavern back or, better yet, get me out of this mess. I can’t marry Simon. I can’t look at that bum ass bastard for a year. Not even six weeks.”
“Well don’t! Just get on the bus and come stay with Melisandra and me in Montana. We’ll live off of what Melisandra managed to take from the cash vaults and then save up enough to build another restaurant like we planned. We did it once before with dad and we’ll do it again.”
“In three hours, I’ll be on the bus. I promise. It’ll only take me fifteen minutes to pretend I’m clocking into work. I’ll empty the safe and then head out of there.”
“I couldn’t forgive myself if I knew you were stuck in a marriage with that scumbag while I lived it up at college.”
“About your education…?”
“Don’t. I’ll find another college to go to. There are plenty of community colleges out in Montana.”
“But your scholarship—”
“Never mind the scholarship. What about your freedom? Your freedom and safety are worth more than a five thousand dollar scholarship. The Alpha is dead and Simon is the most unfit Beta to date and he’s only pulling the Pack down with him into a sinkhole. I can’t see how all those wolves deal with him. Melisandra says the worst is yet to come. It’s best we get out while we can. Melisandra is willing to be a lone wolf without a Pack for a little bit if need be.”
Although Melisandra was their stepmother through a mating with their dad, Autumn still respected her. The woman had taken care of their dad when he was going through some really rough times with losing a wife to an accident and with his health. They had all grown close over the years, especially after Autumn realized how much Melisandra loved her dad.
Autumn frowned. “I wish things had been different for us. I don’t think dad had any idea what he signed up for when he made that business deal with the Montagues. I think the only thing he was really concerned about was keeping the tavern operating on a day to day basis.”
“Yeah, well, he didn’t count on Simon growing up to be an asshole either. What’s done is done. Do what you have to do and call me as soon as you leave the tavern, okay? I want to know as soon as you get on that bus.”
“I will. Love you, sis.”
“Love you, Autumn. See you in Montana.”
5
Garrett should’ve known better than to visit the small tavern again where he had first seen the Beta of the Cross City Wolf Pack, but neither he nor Benjamin Sr. had any time to waste. He’d have to confront Simon Montague sooner, rather than later. There was still a chance that Simon could suspect something or catch wind that Garrett was after him and flee. It was too bad that Garrett didn’t catch the Beta’s scent the first night he saw the guy at the tavern. An advantage to having so many bodyguards around him was masking his scent. All he had to do was lure Simon away from his gang. And then if that failed, he’d have to confront him and his gang.
More than half of Simon's Pack wanted him gone for good, so Garrett wondered why the guy wanted to claim the Alpha position in the first place. Then again, more than half of the Cross City Wolf Pack had left already following the news of their Alpha’s death and the threat of disbandment. There was hardly anything left of them, besides their capital…and the land.
This time, Garrett took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer. Joshua, a guy from his crew, was right behind him. He sat off in the far right corner of the tavern. He served as backup just in case Garrett got himself into too much trouble. Actually—and eventually—Garrett would find himself in trouble. That’s what he was being paid for.
The tavern door opened again bringing in a gust of fresh air with it. It had rained just over an hour ago, so the wind carried a humid, but strong acidic smell to it. Just enough to mask hardly anyone’s scent. Whoever entered the tavern didn’t make much noise or garner any attention. He wanted to look up, but to prevent blowing his cover, he remained seated at the bar and diverted his attention down to his smartphone. Joshua had a better view of the door anyway.
Garrett sent him a text message: You see anything?
Just moments after the door slapped closed, he got an alert on his phone: The city bus just dropped off two people. Women. The other went around the back. Still no sign of the Beta or his gang.
Garrett huffed and then took another swig of his beer. He’d give it another half hour or so, but if the Beta didn’t show he’d have to go wolf hunting on private property.
As he placed his beer bottle back down on the coaster, he caught a strong wisp of a woman’s scent. Not of acidic rain, food, or wolves, but of a very delectable human woman. She smelled of nutmeg and cinnamon. All the things that reminded him of the love of family and togetherness.
Her scent had him rooted to the booth seat. Before he could turn around to get a full view of her, she whipped right past the bar and rushed down a narrow hallway leading to the back rooms. But there was one feature that he didn’t miss. The women had a full head of dark mahogany-colored hair. She was the same woman from the day before. Even her flawless skin reminded him of cinnamon.
She looked behind her one time with the same fear in her demeanor she had had when he’d last seen her. As if someone was after her…
Garrett’s wolf reared up as her scent engulfed him. His ears perked up, his mouth watered, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. All those sensations came at him full force, causing his libido to go into overdrive and taunting his wolf. Her scent wasn’t one he’d come across before, but for some reason, his wolf side seemed almost too aggressive about going after her. He reined back his yearning for her, but if he were in true form, there would’ve been no stopping his wolf. Even now, while he was in human form, he had a hard time fully suppressing the urges of the wolf.
“Dammit,” Garrett muttered.
He pulled out his wallet, took out some money, and thrust a few bills on the countertop. After texting a message to Joshua that he was following a lead to the back, he got up and slipped through the crowds in the direction of the hallway.
He found her easily. All he had to do was follow her signature aura all the way to a door clearly marked “Management”. The sign was nailed on the door and engraved in big, bold, black letters.
She could have very well been a manager at the tavern, but why did she appear to look around so cautiously when she walked right past him to get here. No one had stopped her on the way down here, so maybe she wasn’t really in violation of entering the management offices without permission. Then again, no one had stopped him either. The security in this place was lax, probably even non-existence. But what did he expect? This wasn’t the nightclub that he was used to back home. As far as Garrett could tell, the patrons weren’t as rowdy as he’d often witnessed at LIVE.
The door was closed, but when Garrett pressed his ear to the wood, he sensed someone moving around inside, talking on a phone. He couldn’t make out the words. Her voice was low and muffled.
After a quick glance in both directions down the hall to make sure he wasn’t being watched, he grasped the doorknob and turned it slowly. He thought the suppressed sound of the door separating from the frame would’ve blown his cover sooner than he wanted, but the woman kneeled on the floor in front of a safe jamming documents into an oversized handbag.
Garrett cleared his throat and the woman immediately rose up to her feet. She spun around slowly and eyed him with a deer caught in the headlights stare.
“Who are you?” she asked. “What are you doing in here?”
“I thought I’d come ask you the same question,” he said.
Her gaze narrowed as she sized him up. “You’re a shifter,” she said.
He nodded once.
She snatched up her handbag and took a step back. “If you’ve come to take me to Simon, I
’m not going. I told him to give me until tonight. I still have several hours left.”
“I don’t work for Simon,” Garrett said, his gaze falling on the empty safe on the floor beside her. “You’ve just about emptied the whole damn safe out, haven’t you?”
“The safe is mine. I can do whatever the hell I want with it.” She swept her gaze swept over him and then her focus dropped to his bare arms. “You’re not a Cross City wolf. You wear the mark of a different wolf pack. Who are you?”
Not many humans understood wolf pack dynamics, so for her to look for and identify his pack’s insignia both surprised and alarmed him.
“Garrett.”
“Garrett who?”
“Garrett, the wolf who caught you red-handed,” he replied.
She swallowed visibly. “You don’t work here either. I can just as well have you arrested for breaking and entering.”
Garrett turned slightly and pointed to the door. “Sign says management. I came to see the manager.”
“Well, you won’t find him here.”
“Him?”
“Look, I don’t know what you want but I really don’t have time to make small talk with you,” she said, slipping the straps of the handbag onto her shoulder.
“Not even ten minutes?” he asked.
“I don’t even have ten minutes,” she said, maneuvering around a desk in an attempt to circumvent him.
“Who are you running from?” he asked.
The question got her attention and she stopped mid-stride. She didn’t answer.
“I saw you with the Cross City Beta the other night,” he continued.
She flinched. “You did…?”
Garrett thought back to that night when she had been cornered by the jerk. He had a feeling that when he caught up to Simon again, he’d have a hard time convincing himself not to lay hands on him. And not in a good way. But his job was to hand the man over to be dealt with by someone else—not kill him.
“When did you see me with him?” she asked.
“Just the other night. You were about to leave, and then he had you cornered.”
He hated that he was making her uncomfortable, but for some reason, he didn’t want to let her out of his sight. His instincts—both human and wolf—told him that she needed help and that she was scared. He wanted to help her. Not because she obviously had connections to the man he was hunting down, but because he felt propelled to do so.
She walked briskly toward him, but the room was so small she had no choice but to come near him.
“Answer me. Are you running from him?”
“I don’t know you, so I can’t trust you,” she said. “My cab is on the way. I have to go.”
“I can help you,” he offered.
“Why would a guy like you want to help me?” she asked. Her tone came across as bitter, but she had every right to question him. He was a stranger, after all.
“Because no woman should feel afraid…the way you feel.”
“How do you know I’m afraid?”
“I’m a wolf. I don’t see anyone else in the room giving off such a strong emotion.”
She shook her head. “You can’t help me. You don’t even know me. And…Simon's dangerous.”
“So am I.”
“I don’t have anything to offer you.”
“You might be surprised what you can offer me in return,” he replied.
“I don’t have money,” she mumbled.
“I don’t want your money.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Information…”
“Information?”
“About Simon—the Cross City Beta.”
“You’re insane.”
She rushed passed him.
He caught her gently by the arm.
“Wait—”
“Didn’t you hear what I just said? Simon is a very dangerous man. Here’s some free information: Stay far away from him and far away from Cross City. Go back to your Pack or wherever you came from.”
She yanked the door open and fled out of it.
Garrett frowned, biting at the inside of his lip as he processed the information. Her warning was clear and he already had concrete evidence that the woman had every right to run. Before he risked being caught in a place where he wasn’t allowed, he exited the small office and headed back down the hallway. By the time he got back to the bar, the woman had already exited the building.
Joshua was still seated at the same table with a bowl of French fries and a beer in front of him.
Garrett’s phone alerted him that he had a text message from Joshua: Got anything?
He dialed Joshua’s phone instead of texting. “The woman that just left…did you see her?” He tried to keep his voice down.
“What woman?”
“The pretty brunette.”
“The one that walked in here about fifteen minutes ago? No. I’ve been watching the door since you walked to the back. No women have come and gone since then.”
Garrett glanced around. “Well, she’s not here, but said she was leaving.”
“Does she have information?”
“Maybe…”
“Hold on…I think something’s happening outside…”
Garrett directed his gaze in Joshua’s direction just as the man parted the window blinds and peered outside. He then rose from the table with a wide-eyed stare in Garrett’s direction.
“What’s the issue?” Garrett spoke anxiously into the phone.
“I think we’ve got a strong lead to Simon outside. A few of his men from the other night just showed up.”
Both men got up and headed toward the door.
Sure enough, a yellow cab was surrounded by two pickup trucks in the parking lot. Three men that had already been identified as having an affiliation to Simon yanked the driver’s side door to the cab opened and jerked the driver out of it. He landed on the hard, dusty pavement and held up his hands in instant surrender. The woman inside—the same one who’d emptied the safe—put up more of a fight. It took Garrett only a split second to realize that the men were trying to kidnap her.
“Let’s get ready,” Joshua said. “You said the woman had connections to Simon? They’ll lead us to him.”
“No,” Garrett said. “We’re not using her as bait. They’re not taking her anywhere.”
“Fuck…” Joshua mumbled under his breath. “You don’t mean to save her…? Ah Fuck.”
Before Joshua could utter another word, Garrett propelled himself toward the men struggling to apprehend the woman. She kicked and screamed and caused so much commotion that other customers started flowing out of the bar. No one intervened. They just looked on at the altercation like they were viewing the aftermaths of a train wreck, just like the night before. What was wrong with these people? Didn’t they help their fellow neighbors?
“Move. Step aside,” one of the men said once Garrett blocked their path. He uttered something else in his thick, Russian accent and spat on the ground.
“Let her go,” Garrett said.
“Are you dense in the head?” he continued. “I said step aside…wolf.”
“And I said let the woman go. Or there will be problems.”
The Russian wolf laughed. “Don’t you see you’re outnumbered?”
The woman screamed again as the two men nudged her closer to their trucks.
“Depends on how you look at it,” Garrett replied. “Only weak wolves prey on human women.”
The Russian produced a short blade and stood his ground. “I’m only doing my job and the only thing standing in the way of me collecting my check is you.”
“Then you and I have something in common. You can hand her over willingly or we can demonstration for the people here just how weak you are.”
A second knife dropped from the Russian’s sleeve into his palm. “We’ll see.”
“Garrett…” Joshua warned.
“Leave,” Garrett said between clenched teeth. “I’ve got thi
s. Inform the others. Meet me back at the hotel.”
“Garr—”
Garrett growled. “Now! Go! That’s an order.”
Right after Joshua took off on his bike, the Russian charged him with the knife. All hell broke loose from there as Garrett and the Russian squared off. Some of the guests in the tavern came outside to view the fight, forming a small circle around them on the lot. It wasn’t uncommon for two wolf shifters to square off. People were less likely to intervene or call for help when it came to wolves. They fought all the time. It was part of their rituals. It was unlikely that anybody would be calling the human authorities to an establishment like this.
As he wrestled with the Russian on the ground, dirt and debris flew up his nose and got into his mouth. The knife had slashed him a few times already, but the Russian never had a chance to go deep enough to cut through to the flesh. Garrett kicked the Russian across the face while he was doubled over, spitting blood on the ground. The force sent him about three feet across the lot.
The woman never stopped screaming. She called for help even louder, now that she was being forced away from the fight, away from the crowd, and toward the trucks. At this point, the onlookers found the fight more of a priority than helping the woman.
All it took was a one-second hesitation on Garrett’s part. The Russian slashed the blade of the knife across Garrett’s gut. This time, the blade went through the flesh. He stumbled forward holding the fresh wound as blood seeped through his shirt.
The Russian laughed. “I let no one get in the way of me when it comes to my money.”
“Neither do I, jerk!”
Garrett picked up a large broken off piece of concrete from the ground and hurled it toward the Russian. The concrete block connected with the left side of his face, sending him flying back into the crowd. No one caught his fall. He lifted the half-conscious man up by the collar and knocked him out cold with his bare hands. Garrett picked up the knives that dropped to the ground and burst through the crowd.
He threw one of the knives, embedding it into the back of one the woman’s kidnappers. The second kidnapper was already behind the wheel, but before he could get the engine started, Garrett thrust the other knife into his shoulder blade.
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