The Bodyguard

by Adair, Cherry; Showalter, Gena; O'Clare, Lorie

  Tears burned her eyes as she watched Seth leave. She hugged herself when Jeremy came up behind her, the smell of him not strong enough to drown out the lingering anger still hanging heavily in the air.

  “He’s mad,” she said unnecessarily, almost choking on the words.

  “Come inside.” Jeremy put his arm around her, guiding her to the house.

  Jenna was so numb she barely felt him touching her.

  “You can’t just let him leave,” Bruno complained the moment Jeremy closed the door behind Jenna.

  “He needs time.” Jeremy placed his hand on Jenna’s back.

  “And what if he runs to the cops, announces we’re monsters, and starts a panic?” Bruno yelled.

  Jenna didn’t want Jeremy comforting her right now. She sure as hell didn’t want Bruno, or anyone, yelling and throwing a fit about how Seth had reacted to learning who she was. She didn’t want to think about it at all. And at the same time, she wanted to race out the door and hunt Seth down and not leave him alone until he admitted he was cool with who, and what, she was.

  “Go to your den.” Jeremy opened the door. “No one is going to turn anyone in. No one is in danger.”

  “How do you know that?” Bruno wouldn’t let it go.

  Jeremy walked up to the stupid brute, glaring at him when he stood inches away from him. “Because I know,” Jeremy growled, his voice low and venomous. “Now return to your den. Don’t discuss this with anyone and everything will be fine. The only way what happened here today will become a problem is if you start howling about it.”

  Bingo slapped Bruno on the shoulder, nodding to the door. “Let’s go.” Bingo walked past the other males and to Jenna, who stood hugging herself and almost jumped when he touched her hand with his rough palm. “You know where to find me if you need me, sweetheart.”

  She nodded dumbly but then turned into the older male and gave him a fierce hug, her body shaking as tears soaked her face.

  “Don’t start smelling around for a situation you don’t know is there,” Bingo whispered into her hair. “Give him time and sniff him out. If he is the one, he’ll understand and accept. If he isn’t the one, it’s best to know now.”

  Jenna wiped her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “He looked so pissed.”

  “No male, regardless of his species, likes being thrown off guard.”

  Jenna nodded again, her heart still weighing so heavily in her chest she could barely breathe.

  “You’re going to make her stop sniffing around that human, right?” Bruno asked, after moving to the door.

  “Leave,” Jeremy barked. “And if I hear anyone howling about this at all, I’ll know whose ass to kick.”

  Bruno started mumbling something, but Bingo shoved him out the door, closing it behind him without saying good-bye. Bingo would take care of Bruno, though. And Bingo would be there if Jenna needed another good cry.

  Seth parked his bike in front of Elizabeth Helo’s house. Never in a million years would he have believed what he just saw if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. And at that, he questioned his sanity. He wasn’t one for fairy tales; hell, he wasn’t even that religious. Hard, cold facts. That’s what he lived by. Jeremy had sure as hell laid some facts on him just now.

  “Crap,” Seth hissed, rubbing his eyes and slowly climbing off his bike. He was still a bit shaken, and that sucked. “Get a grip, Gere,” he ordered himself. He needed information out of Elizabeth Helo, and if she was willingly allowing Tray Long to run around in her car she wasn’t going to be cooperative. Not to mention, she’d just been questioned by cops. They weren’t here now, but Seth would bet they’d just left.

  Seth tugged at his shirt, staring at the house while getting his thoughts in order. Later, he’d think about what happened out at Jenna’s house. Right now, he had work to do. He wasn’t going to get paid until he brought Tray Long in, and that wouldn’t happen if he freaked out on a man who changed into a wolf before his eyes.

  Didn’t Jenna say she could change into a wolf, too?

  God. Shit.

  Think about it later.

  Call it advantage, or disadvantage, but driving a Harley made his presence known. More than likely Elizabeth stood just inside one of the several windows facing the street, staring at him right now. He couldn’t stand out here appearing awkward. Seth strolled up to the front door and knocked.

  The door opened and a woman, maybe thirty at the most, with straight platinum hair and breasts he would bet weren’t real, gave him a wary once-over.

  “Yes?” she asked.

  “Are you Elizabeth Helo?”

  “Who wants to know?”

  Seth pulled one of his cards out of his shirt pocket and handed it to her.

  “ ‘Fugitive Apprehension’? What the hell is that?” She wrinkled her nose and handed his card back to him, shoving it at him as if it would burn her if she continued holding it.

  “I find people,” he offered, accustomed to the questioning and knowing the words “bounty hunter” often made people nervous. He was on familiar ground now, and set the ball into motion. “Ms. Helo, you’re good friends with Tray Long. I need to find him. Where is he right now?”

  “I don’t know Tray Long,” she told Seth, sucking in her lower lip and batting lashes thick with mascara at him.

  “Ms. Helo, he is using you, using your car. The tags are registered to you. Now he is going to hurt you, hurt you very badly. I’m not a cop, but I can protect you. Tell me where to find him.”

  She stared at Seth with wide green eyes, assessing him. A car drove down the street behind him and she shot it a furtive glance before rubbing her hands together and taking a step backward.

  “Come inside.”

  He was in. She didn’t need to tell him she knew Tray. She didn’t need to admit knowing him. They both knew she did, and now to get her to talk.

  “Is Tray staying here?” Seth asked, walking past her into a cluttered, dark living room and taking in the surroundings. He continued walking, finding the kitchen off the living room. It was just as messy and hard to tell how many people were eating here.

  “Hey, I didn’t say you could search the place,” she complained, hurrying around him and facing him, crossing her arms under her large breasts.

  “Do you know what Tray has done?” Seth asked, ignoring her accusation. He continued taking in his surroundings, moving to the sink and noticing two coffee cups, among other dishes, before leaning against the counter and pinning her with a hard stare.

  Elizabeth Helo stuck out her chin, matching his stare with a chilling glare. “Tray hasn’t done a damn thing,” she hissed. “You’re trying to frame him, just like the cops. He did his time and isn’t going to hurt anyone else.”

  Seth grunted. “What time will he be home?”

  A car door closed out back and both of them turned their attention to the back door. Elizabeth hurried to the door and then squealed.

  “Shit. Oh, shit. Crap, crap, crap,” she groaned. Her hands started waving in the air in front of her as she looked at him frantically. “Get the hell out of here,” she hissed. “You’ve got to leave now!”

  “Or what?” Seth leaned so he could see out the back door window as well. Talk about timing. Tray Long was walking across the yard to the house.

  “God. Please!” She actually started shoving Seth out of the kitchen. “You’ve got to go.”

  They made it as far as the living room. Seth wasn’t exactly helping her move him. The back door opened and Elizabeth froze, turning whiter than a sheet.

  “Where you at?” Tray bellowed into the house, his words sounding somewhat slurred.

  “Coming. I’ll be right there,” Elizabeth called out, her pitch so high there was no way she’d be able to pull off lying to Tray about anything.

  She put her finger over her lips, her expression so frightened, Seth knew she didn’t believe Tray incapable of violence. Seth had seen this same look on way too many women in the past. Fear and panic over wh
at their man might do. Seth matched her motion, putting his finger to his lips, and gestured for her to go to Tray. He wouldn’t need to hear much before taking the guy down.

  Elizabeth ran into the kitchen, leaving Seth standing in the living room.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Tray demanded.

  “Nothing. Nothing,” she said, not sounding convincing at all. “Did you have a good day?”

  “What the fuck do you think?” A cabinet opened and closed. “You ever plan on washing any of these dishes?”

  “Sure. I’ll do that right now. I’ll make your drink, too.”

  “Who the hell is here?”

  “No one. They were. But they’re gone,” she added, talking so fast it was hard to understand her.

  “They’re gone?” he hissed. “I smell fucking humans. Who the fuck was here?”

  Elizabeth squealed and Seth fought to hold his ground. His head was spinning, though. Tray said he smelled humans. Everything that happened at Jenna’s house came rushing at Seth faster than a freight train on a collision course. He couldn’t wrap his brain around it fast enough.

  Seth looked up when Tray stormed into the living room, holding Elizabeth by the arm and damn near dragging her along with him. He flung her away from his side when he sneered at Seth.

  “Jenna Drury not enough pussy for you, asshole?” Tray growled, his voice even more garbled than it was a second ago. “You got to come after my bitch, too?”

  “I’m here to see you,” Seth said, tensing for an attack.

  “You and what army?” Tray laughed and his eyes flashed silver.

  Seth remembered staring into the eyes of the wolf—no, werewolf—he’d faced in Jeremy’s backyard. Eyes that were silver. Eyes filled with more knowledge and understanding than any he’d ever seen in an animal before. Eyes that weren’t human.

  “I don’t need a fucking army,” Seth growled.

  Tray laughed. Maybe if he hadn’t laughed Seth would have been able to hold his ground. Possibly if Tray hadn’t glanced toward Elizabeth, acting as if he might lunge at her instead of Seth, he would have stayed where he was. But he had his man, or whatever the fuck Tray Long was. Seth leapt, taking Tray down.

  Seth barely registered being thrown across the room. The crashing sound didn’t come from him landing on the edge of the couch. He made it to his feet, but not before someone raced into the living room from the back door with enough speed it was just a blur. The growling and screams that followed didn’t hit him as fast as the bloody battle that played out before him. He stared, dumbfounded, when Jeremy released Tray and the man slumped to the floor, blood pouring from his mouth and nose.

  “I forgot to tell you before you left,” Jeremy told him. “The only way you’re going to kill a werewolf is by breaking their neck.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Seth didn’t feel like being inside. It was so dark; barely a star shone and there was no moon. The blackness somehow was comforting. It had been a whirlwind of a day. Hell, it had been a crazy week. Beyond crazy. Insane.

  Jeremy had wanted Seth to take credit for killing Tray Long, out of self-defense, so Seth could get paid. Jeremy also mentioned something about pack politics that hadn’t made a lot of sense. Seth didn’t take credit for shit he hadn’t done. Besides, he brought them in alive. Always had. So he’d turned his back on that case, let the cops find him, which they inevitably did. Elizabeth Helo had long since split, taken off to find a pack that would accept her, according to Jeremy.

  Seth went after Elaine Gold. At least she was human. He’d turned her over to the authorities earlier that day and gone home. After moping around in his house for a few hours, he grabbed a beer and headed out back to lean against his stoop. Out here he felt he was alone in the universe. And after the past few days, alone was cleansing.

  At least he hoped it would be cleansing. If only he could get rid of the image of Jenna standing in her drivenway, looking terrified, as she watched him leave. She’d been so upset, scared to death, and he believed it was because she didn’t want him walking out of her life. It wasn’t the only image of her that stubbornly refused to leave him alone. He saw her glistening with perspiration while racked in the throes of passion. He saw her entering his home, determination etched on her pretty face, when she sought him out after their first meeting. Seth sipped his beer and stared at the dark, black sky, void of moon and stars, and surrendered to the many pictures in his mind of Jenna.

  He should seek her out. They needed to talk. There was something between them, and now that he’d brought in Elaine Gold and the police had found Tray Long, Seth had some downtime before his next case would be dropped in his lap. Tray’s death was under investigation, but no one suspected Seth as having anything to do with it. Damn good thing, since he didn’t kill the motherfucker. There wouldn’t be any connection to Jeremy either. The man was a ghost. Make that a werewolf.

  There would be time soon to see what John Payton was up to, which was more than likely nothing. Hannah was level-headed. Seth was willing to bet what she was picking up on was a PI who was ready for some serious downtime. But Seth would look into it, after he took care of some personal matters.

  Something stirred in the trees and Seth squinted into the darkness, listening for the sound he’d heard a moment ago. It was suddenly too damn dark and tiny hairs prickled at the back of his neck as he straightened, willing whatever it was to make another sound. At least if he couldn’t see into the trees, whoever it was out there wouldn’t be able to see him. Seth didn’t have a back porch light on his house.

  He stared, not blinking, until his eyes burned. Waiting sucked, but he was damn good at it. Taking his time and not once diverting his gaze, Seth raised his beer to his lips and took a long sip of the cold, refreshing brew. He almost choked on it when he heard the sound again, this time accompanied by a shadow.

  Seth set the beer down on the cement slab outside his back door and moved to his feet, willing the shadow to take form. After a minute he wondered if his eyes had played tricks on him. The shadow seemed to fade into the darkness. Seth stepped off his slab. Let whoever was out there know he’d spotted them. Dare them to come out of hiding and present themselves. He remained rooted with the cement at his heels, again waiting, watching, searching with his eyes.

  The shadow hadn’t moved, and it reappeared where he’d last seen it. Seth took another step toward it, his heart suddenly pounding hard enough in his chest to drown out any other noises around him. The shadow took shape, dark grays and browns and blacks covering the deadly-looking creature that stared at him with intense silver eyes.

  In a different life he would be kicking his own ass for not having his gun on him. But that was before—before he knew people weren’t always who they appeared to be. Seth stared at the creature moving closer, its hesitation and wariness apparent not only in its movements but also in its face.

  This wasn’t Jeremy.

  “God damn,” Seth whispered under his breath, and the creature stopped.

  It was so dark outside. The blackness of the night suddenly irritated the crap out of him. He wanted to see, to understand, and God help him for suddenly becoming so fucking insane, but he wanted to accept.

  “Jenna?” he whispered, then cleared his throat.

  She raised her head. He wouldn’t go as far as to call her gorgeous. There was an elegance about this creature, though, that he hadn’t seen a few days ago when Jeremy had changed before his eyes. The creature before him stood taller than a dog, possibly larger than a wolf, although he hadn’t seen many wolves up close and personal in his lifetime. He noticed fangs, long, white teeth that were pressed against her jaw and contrasted with the dark fur. Her coat looked silky and thick. She was muscular yet lean. But it was what he saw in her eyes, in those eyes that glowed with no source of light other than an inner warmth that stole his breath. He saw fear, uncertainty, and pain.

  Did she see that in him?

  Seth sucked in a breath, daring to take
a step closer. He kicked the thought out of his head that this creature could kill him. No way would she sense fear in him. Not now. Not ever.

  “We need to talk,” he said firmly.

  She stood still as a statue, her head held high. This wasn’t going to be a one-sided conversation.

  “Unless you can talk like that, I suggest you change.”

  Her mouth opened in what he could only guess might be a grin. But then her face contorted in an odd expression.

  “What?” he asked, frowning.

  She started panting and her body puffed out, her shoulders appearing to arch as if she were trying to stand on her hind legs and couldn’t quite master it. When she started panting, her eyes ablaze, Seth understood what he was witnessing. She was changing forms.

  And it didn’t appear to be a pleasant experience. Suddenly he wondered what the hell he was thinking. He didn’t even know what Jenna was. Even as he stared, seeing with his own eyes, part of him was convinced this was all a terrible dream. Gorgeous women didn’t turn into deadly creatures, or vice versa.

  Jenna’s long, thick dark hair was damp and clung to her naked body as she straightened. God. Naked. His brain needed a good kick-start. Seth almost stumbled forward, ripping off his T-shirt and then shoving it over her head. It fell down her body and halfway to her knees.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice scratchy. “And you’re right. We need to talk.”

  It was odd how the thought suddenly hit him that one of the reasons Jenna appealed to him so much was her appearance of being so strong, yet how apparent it was that she needed him. Had he been a fool? What kind of protection did a woman need who could turn into such a deadly creature?

  “I didn’t think you wanted to talk to me,” she added, her voice a bit softer.

  “I wasn’t sure I did, either,” he admitted, feeling something cold inside him surface, and at the same time a heat swelled throughout him like a drug, making him ache to reach out and touch her.

  There was still a hint of silver streaking across her pretty blue eyes. “I’ve come by your house every night,” she admitted, her tone dropping to a whisper. “Tonight you were outside.”