At that moment, a van hurled across the field at him. He jumped out of its path and was surprised to see Alejandro behind the wheel. He and another passenger jumped out of the vehicle.
Garrett shifted painfully to his human form and pointed to the bodyguard that was still alive, “Don’t let this one get away! Simon was in the barn but he took off.”
He raced in the direction where Simon was last seen. As soon as he caught Simon’s scent, there was no doubt that he’d find the bastard. Simon had gotten a head start, but he was still disadvantaged. For being the slickest, criminal in all of Cross City, he was a slow runner. For this reason, Garrett didn’t bother to shift. He was gaining in on Simon.
Simon’s retreating back and the stream he was about to cross came into full view. Garrett pushed himself forward. Harder. Faster.
Simon dropped a bag to the ground and tore off his shirt. He then dropped to his knees, arched his back, and held his face to the sky in preparation of shifting.
Oh, no you don’t.
Before Simon had time to activate his change, Garrett tackled him to the ground. The force in which he plowed into Simon knocked the breath right out of him.
“You won’t be running off again,” Garrett growled.
“This isn’t your fight. Let me go,” Simon spat. He took a swing at Garrett and missed.
“To hell it ain’t. You bit and marked a woman who clearly belonged to me.”
“Clearly? Last I checked, I had rights to claim her. Her daddy signed her over to me.”
“Consider your claim useless. The woman is mine.”
Simon chuckled. “Where is she? I thought that after I burned down that piece of shit tavern of her’s, she would come runnin’.”
“You are one miserable bastard, you know that? Conning folks out of money, killing senselessly, and taking what doesn’t belong to you.”
“I know what does belong to me. That dump of a tavern. So I do what the fuck I want with it. Since she’s trying to cut corners and gip me for what she owes even though we already gave her daddy the money to keep the tavern up, I set fire to that bitch. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Garrett charged and the men fought with fists until both of them were bloodied and bruised from being punched and battered.
Simon spat blood on the ground. “Tell that little tease that she can come out of hiding and get what’s coming to her. She owes me a good fucking for what I did for her family. I will murder that bitch just like I did the rest of them who don’t gimme what they owe me.”
Bile rose in Garrett’s throat and blood rage consumed him. He grabbed Simon and shoved him with brute force, face first, up into a tree. From that point, Garrett couldn’t stop himself. He pounded his fist into Simon’s face over and over again. His knuckles were skinned down to the bone as he beat the bastard where it counted.
Simon continued to mutter about all the vile things he’d done. Everything from running the Alpha over in the road like a stray mutt to throwing a man over the city bridge for not paying what they owed him.
Now he understood why Benjamin wanted him to suffer and why so many others were weary of him. Simon would pay for what he did. And Garrett’s last name was Justice for a reason. Garrett wanted to shut Simon up for good. He dragged the bastard over to the stream and shoved his head against the rocks and held him under the water.
Simon’s lower body thrashed violently. He gripped Garrett’s forearm and tried to pry himself free.
Garrett let him come up for air to tell him one thing. “The only bitches you will ever fuck again are the ones in Hell!”
“Fuck y—”
He shoved Simon’s head back under the water. He was certain he’d almost killed him when he realized that both Alejandro and Benjamin stood behind him. Another man that had been in the van with Alejandro was present as well. It appeared that Benjamin had nearly killed himself to get here. The old man hugged the tree next to him, panting as if he’d been running for hours, not minutes.
Suddenly, he remembered his deal with Benjamin. He was to turn Simon over alive.
“He has to die,” Garrett growled between clenched teeth.
“I agree. He has to die.” Benjamin panted. “But he also has to take responsibility for what he did to my son and other members of our Pack. A lot of people in this community need answers.”
Garrett wanted to kill. He felt the life force draining from Simon and he reveled in his suffering. He wanted to end this man’s life for what he did to Autumn, but there was someone else that had suffered far more from Simon's antics.
Garrett released his death grip on Simon and the man gasped for breath before saying, “Just kill me! Get it over with now.”
Garrett rose. His clothes were torn, filthy, and drenched in water, sweat, and blood. “He’s yours.”
Alejandro and the other man seized Simon, throwing some chains around him and hog-tying him to prevent him from shifting. Simon's mouth was strapped closed to keep him from spewing insults and shit talking.
“You won’t see him again,” Benjamin assured him.
“If I do, I’ll torture and kill him myself.”
“You won’t see me again either,” Benjamin said. “After it’s done, I’m heading out west to spend the rest of my days in a quieter setting. If Dane needs anything from me in the interim, I’ll leave Alejandro and one of my personal messengers behind. We came to an agreement this morning. The Pack and the city are his. Please take care of it and the remaining Pack members.”
Garrett nodded. “We know what to do. Take care of yourself.”
After another look of disdain thrown in Simon's direction, Garrett shifted, fled the scene, and raced through the city back to his motorcycle.
He was anxious to get back to one woman and one woman only. Autumn. Even while he ran as wolf, flashes of the happy memories that they’d shared over the past few days came to him. He let his wolf take control, trusting that it would always guide him to the woman he’d love for the rest of his life.
22
Garrett ascended the steps slowly and halted just in front of the screen doors of his home. Mingling with the sound of the crickets chirping and the birds fluttering around in the trees overhead was the sound of the television turned on inside. There was something cooking and the aroma wafted through the small window above the sink to where he stood on the porch. Having swum in the lake just before coming home, he was drenched from head to toe. Despite all of this, everything going on around him, and everything that had transpired, there was only one woman on his mind still—Autumn.
Her scent was the most prominent above everything else around him. He took a deep breath in and out, turned the knob, and pushed the door open.
His beautiful mate had been on the way to the kitchen, dabbing at her damp hair with a towel. When she saw him, she dropped the towel and rushed to him.
“I didn’t hear you come up the steps,” she panted, wrapping her arms around him.
“I’m not wearing my boots,” he said.
She smiled, her eyes gleaming with hope. Then she kissed him. Long, roving caresses across his lips. He pulled her closer and felt her heartbeat speed up against his chest. He deepened the kiss, dipping his tongue into her mouth and tasting all of her.
She parted from the kiss. “You’re soaked.”
“I took a dive in the lake,” he said. “I didn’t want you to see me the way I was.”
She touched his face and frowned. “You were fighting, weren’t you?”
When he didn’t say anything, she lifted the wet shirt over his head. Together, they peeled away his clothing until everything but his briefs were in the foyer.
“That’s better,” she whispered, tracing the jagged lines of his most recent scars. “But what happened out there?”
His hand cupped her ass and he squeezed her there possessively. He leaned in to kiss the sensitive spot behind her ear. And just as he thought—just as he had hoped—his birthmark was still there. He
pressed his lips softly against her ear.
“I’ll tell you about that later, sweetheart. Just know that everything is all right now. You don’t have to worry anymore.”
“Thank you.”
He threaded his fingers through her thick wet hair. “No, Autumn, thank you, for trusting me. Thank you for showing me that there’s hope. About our talk…”
“Yes?” She looked at him anxiously.
“After we had sex, something changed.”
“I know. I’ve been feeling really weird,” she said. “Well, not weird, but just…” Her face blushed. “…like I need you again. But we both knew that would happen.”
“Yes, we knew that would happen. But something else changed. You’re carrying my mark, Autumn. That means—”
“I know about that too.” She smiled. “I saw your birthmark this morning right before you left. I know I’m wearing your mark.”
“You do?”
She nodded. “So…what next?”
“We do what we planned to do. Stay together. Love each other.”
Autumn slid her arms around his next and lifted herself on her tiptoes. “I mean, what do we do about my need to fuck you again?”
He groaned. “Mmmm, you’re becoming a very naughty woman.”
“I like me this way.”
She stepped back and untied the oversized robe and let the thing fall to her feet. He licked his lips and drank in her beauty. He was secretly pleased that she barely had clothes to wear just yet. She was completely naked. Without further hesitation, he picked her up and hurried to his bedroom.
Garrett tossed her onto the bed and then flipped her over so he could see the plumpness of her ass. He covered her body, pinning her down. With his mouth, he found the column of her neck. When his teeth lightly grazed her there, she moaned. Pleasure rolled through him when he viewed his birthmark on her neck. Its presence brought out the possessive side of him. It brought out the inner beast in him. He pushed his thick erection against her ass.
“You’re beautiful, Autumn,” he said. “And you’re mine.”
He slid his hand up under her belly and propped her up so that she was on her hands and knees. Ass up. Face down. Exposed to him.
“Oh, God, Garrett,” she moaned. “I’ve been wanting this all day.”
“Patience,” he whispered, taking a deep breath in, smelling her sweet arousal.
When he glanced down at her sex, he almost lost control. Her pussy was plump and juicy. Already wet for the taking. He glided his hands over her ass, kneading it until she was pushing back, begging him to enter her. Instead of giving his dick, he pushed two digits inside of her. Her cries of pleasure were music to his ears. The thing he wanted to do to her and would do to her for the rest of his life should have been forbidden. The cinnamon and nutmeg smell of her enchanted him. He wanted to taste her. Placing one knee on the bed next to her, he lowered his head and kissed the highest curve of her ass, kissing his way downward until his tongue was buried deep in her pussy. He lapped at her in slow, but firm strokes, letting her warm honey coat his tongue. Her whole body was trembling against him. Her clit pulsed against his tongue. She arched deeper, grabbing and pulling at the sheets on his bed. He couldn’t help himself and growled into her pussy. She let go…waves of energy traveled across both of them.
While she was still shaking and high on a climax, he spread her legs wider and buried himself to the hilt. Over and over again he drove into her, intent on giving her as much pleasure as she could handle and then some.
“Mine,” he growled, climaxing long and hard.
“Yes, Garrett. I’m yours.”
That was all the confirmation he needed. He wasn’t going anywhere. This was his home. Autumn was his woman. His true mate. His everything.
Epilogue
Seven Months Later…A glimpse of Autumn’s & Garrett’s future together
“Well, love, what do you think?” Garrett slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side.
Autumn was so absorbed in daydreaming about the positive outlook she had for the future, that she hadn’t realized that she was still in the same spot since they got here. Even the overcast clouds above them couldn’t dampen her mood.
The foundation, parking lot, and building of the new future tavern had just been completed. All that was left was the completion of the interior design. All of the kitchen equipment, shelving, tables, chairs…everything had already been picked out. The big sign identifying the tavern had been erected beside the road just this morning. North’s Country Tavern, it read. Garrett had just hung a red vinyl sign that indicated when the grand reopening would occur. She was nervous, exciting, and hopeful…all of those emotions, all rolled into one.
The tavern would be as twice as big as the last one. Not only would the place have the pool hall and sports section that was there before the fire, the builders were also able to increase the size of the kitchen, which she’d always thought was too small for three full-time chefs. In addition, there would be a front patio and a seating area outside. Her dad would be so proud. She wished he were here to see it now to see it. To see her and meet Garrett.
“I love it,” she exclaimed. “I love it so much!”
Garrett grinned. “Good. I’m loving it too.”
“When can we start decorating inside?” she asked.
“According to the contractor, as early as next week.”
“I can’t wait.”
He kissed her on the lips softly and rubbed her swollen belly. “You’re still going to have to take it easy. My baby’s in there and I don’t want you to exert yourself in any way.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Doc says I’m healthy and so is our baby.”
“And my responsibility is to keep it that way. Remember, you point and instruct and I’ll do it.”
She grinned. “I’m loving this.”
“I bet you are.”
For the past three and a half months, he’d been super-attentive. Not only did Autumn have the re-opening of the tavern to look forward to, she was also anxious to meet the little girl or boy that would become the newest member of the North and Justice families.
She had more than enough to live and fight for.
Outlaw Unleashed
OUTLAW UNLEASHED (ASPEN VALLEY WOLF PACK)
A bad boy outlaw who will do what is necessary to protect and keep what he holds dear and a college student who is ready to ditch her drab dating life for something daring makes for a sizzling, paranormal romance adventure.
Brock Justice is a wolf and an outlaw. He’s known inside and outside of his community for being active in the movement for shifter equality. His current mission is to stop the ownership reversion of shifter lands to the State. The outlaw and his band of brothers cultivate a plan to halt the proceedings by targeting the Governor. During a raid and in a twist of events, Brock ends up taking the Governor’s daughter. Chelsey is spoiled, wayward, and breathtakingly beautiful. He wants to do more than keep her all to himself. His wolf wants to lay claim to her. But how can he be a true mercenary when the woman he’s supposed to hate unleashes his mating urge?
23
If LIVE Nightclub hadn’t been short a few bouncers tonight, Brock Justice would’ve been home an hour ago. He knew he should’ve picked up some beer from the convenient store instead of stopping by here. After Leo had seen Brock hanging around outside with some bikers, the guy had practically begged him to keep an eye on things in the club. Brock had a hard time saying no to people he thought of as family. And he owed Leo one anyway. The man had bailed him out of jail more than a few times over the past several years. Coincidentally, one of those times had been from getting into a physical altercation with some bonehead he couldn’t even remember.
LIVE was way overcrowded tonight. The ratio of humans to shifters was relatively high. The nightclub was one of the most popular in the state. It was also the only club owned by a shifter where humans mingled around. But sometimes the mingling
didn’t always lead to good times. Several fights had broken out in here over the past couple of months and Leo had already received notices from the authorities about executing a shutdown if the security wasn’t tightened up. The fucked up part about it was that over fifty percent of the fights were over disagreements between shifters and humans. There was no promise in sight that the dust would settle anytime soon. It was a rough time in Tellevue County where opposing political views were the number one topic of discussion. On top of that, the local government was trying to seize the majority of shifter-owned lands through eminent domain proceedings. It was no wonder so many sat at the bar, emptying beer pitchers left and right. Stressful times called for desperate measures.
“Hey Brock!” one of the call girls yelled as he passed through the dense crowd to get to the bar. “What ya doing out here tonight?”
“I was just passing through for a drink.” If he could remember correctly, the woman’s name was Anna. She’d been working here a while out of one of the backrooms.
“Where are your brothers?” she asked.
“I don’t keep up with anyone but myself.”
“You boys haven’t been in the news lately.” She grinned. “I thought maybe you had packed up and left.”
“I’m still here.”
“Well, me too. But I won’t be for long. As soon as I earn enough, I’m gonna buy me one of those motorhomes and head out west. Me and my girls. We’re going to Vegas.”
“Uh-huh.” Brock nodded. “I wish you luck. I’m sure you’ll get there.”
Getting out of the small town of Aspen Valley was a hot topic for half of the residents here. The majority of those who left for greener pastures or big cities did so without warning. They never really talked about it; they just got up and left. Brock and his brothers had abandoned the town before when they were young boys, only to be led back here when their younger brother, Dane, was named Alpha of the Aspen Valley Pack. Now they had a duty to stand by their Pack Alpha and the growing shifter community.
Rogue Wolf Page 22