Stripped (Wolves of Mule Creek #2)

by Katharine Sadler

  He spun me to face him, putting his hands on my shoulders. “You're going to tell them you're fine and you want to be here, or I'm going to think you've reneged on our deal and I'm going to go find Alice and Carly and teach them how an apex predator likes his dick sucked.”

  Since I knew Alice and Carly were by now safe in the pack village, I almost smiled, but the reference to his dick quickly quashed any amusement I felt. Twisting my fingers together like I was nervous, I nodded. He was insane if he thought I wasn't going to use this visit by the cops to my advantage.

  I followed Leopold up the stairs and to the living room where two cops, a man and a woman in uniform, stood, hands on hips. The woman stepped forward. “Miss Abigail White, we're going to need you to come with us.”

  “What the fuck,” Leopold said, losing his cool way quicker than I'd anticipated. “You said she was missing. Here she is. At least give her the chance to explain she's right where she wants to be.”

  “I'm afraid we can't do that,” the female officer said. “Miss White is under arrest for starting the fire in your club last night.”

  My heart pounded. Uh-oh, this wasn't good.

  “I'm not going to press charges,” Leopold said. “You can't arrest her if I don't press charges.” His teeth were clenched and the side-eye he was giving me made it clear he wasn't surprised I'd started the fire, and that I'd pay for it later.

  “You don't have to press charges,” the male cop said, stepping up next to his partner and pulling cuffs off his belt. “Miss White caused a public disturbance that created a panic. People could have died. Rixton Ford nearly did. She is going to have to come with us.”

  “Is Rixton okay?” I asked.

  The male cop narrowed his eyes. “You didn't concern yourself with his wellbeing before, why bother to pretend now?”

  “Please turn and put your hands behind your back,” the female cop said.

  “This is unacceptable,” Leopold said. “When I get a hold of Sheriff Walpole, I'm going to make sure he's aware of the way you two have abused your power and mistreated my guest.”

  The woman ignored him and signaled to me to spin.

  I turned and put my hands behind my back. I wasn't stupid enough to argue with two armed officers of the law.

  “I'll get you out,” Leopold said. “I'll send the coven's best lawyers, and you'll be back here with me by tonight.”

  I gave him my sweetest smile, even as I prayed he'd fail in that task. I'd choose prison over Leopold's dog kennel any day.

  I let the cops drag me out of the condo and down the stairs to the parking lot, but I balked when they took me around the corner of the building to a beat-up, red Camry. “What the heck is going on?”

  The male cop opened the back door of the car and the female cop put a hand on top of my head. “Rixton sent us,” she said in a low voice. “Just get in the damn car before that blood-sucker gets suspicious.”

  I was well aware that I might be about to leap from the fire to the frying pan, but I'd rather die by cop impersonators than by vamp who could compel me to his will. I got in the car and the woman slid in next to me. The man got into the driver's seat, started the car and peeled away from Leopold's building.

  “Strain against the cuffs and they'll pop right off,” the female 'cop' said. “They're just a prop.”

  I strained, the cuffs popped off, and I rubbed my wrists. They weren't sore, but every character in every movie and cop show I'd ever watched rubbed their wrists after taking off cuffs. It seemed like the right thing to do.

  I handed the cuffs to the woman. The man took a turn way too fast and I slid into the female 'cop.' I pulled myself back to my seat and strapped myself securely in. “Are we being chased?”

  “No, why?” the man asked, just missing a pedestrian and running a red light.

  “Because I'd like to survive long enough to find out what the heck is going on.”

  “She's asking you to slow down, Jeremy. We don't need to get pulled over by the real police.”

  Jeremy glanced back in the rear-view mirror and nodded. “Good point.”

  He slowed down. I looked at the woman, who appeared to be the brains of this questionable operation. “Who are you? And where are you taking me?”

  Her cheeks pinked. “I'm Melanie,” she said. “I'm a friend of Rixton's.” She gestured toward the front of the car. “So's Jeremy. Anyway, we owed Rixton a favor. When he called and said you needed help, we hightailed it over to the vamp's place.”

  “You just happened to have police uniforms lying around?”

  The woman's blush deepened, but her smile was wide and proud. “It's a costume I use at work. See.” She ripped the front of her uniform open to reveal a lace bra and large breasts, also the fact that the uniform was held together by Velcro.

  “You're both strippers?” I asked.

  Melanie nodded and fiddled with her badge, like she was nervous. “Jeremy and I opened the business a couple months ago. We do parties and whatnot, we never intended to compete against you, but we're entrepreneurs and there's no clubs in town for male dancers.”

  “It's a brilliant idea,” I said. “Though I think it would get more traction in a big city.”

  “Too much competition,” Jeremy said. “We wanted to start small, get some practice, build our brand before we tried the big cities.”

  “Makes sense.” Why hadn't I thought of it? The car bounced as it hit a pothole and I realized we were no longer in the town limits. “Where are you taking me?”

  “To the pack in Mule Creek,” Jeremy said, glancing back at me. “That's where Rixton said you wanted to go, but… We can take you anywhere you want.”

  I thought of my half-packed condo and my destroyed club. There were lots of places I wanted to go, but only one place that made any sense. “Yeah, okay. Take me to Mule Creek.”

  ***

  I was beginning to worry the beat-up Camry we were riding in was going to sink into one of the potholes we were bouncing over and we'd never be seen again when a ginormous truck roared to a stop in front of us. It was followed by a line of ginormous trucks, disappearing around the bend in the road.

  Zane stepped out of the passenger side of the truck and hefted a rifle over his shoulder. Axel got out of the driver's side also carrying a rifle.

  “Um, do they have any reason to be pissed at you?” Jeremy asked, shifting the car into reverse in case we needed to make a fast get-away. Not that it would do any good, those trucks would easily catch us and roll right over us.

  “Not that I know of,” I said. “I'll talk to them.”

  I hesitated a moment before I got out of the car, because Zane looked fierce and hot as hot fudge. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that clung to every muscle, but that was usual attire for him. What made the real difference was the anger tightening every line of his face, the flashing anticipation in his eyes. I probably should have been scared, but all I could think about was him focusing that anger on me and it turning to something decidedly more delicious. I pulled in a deep breath and tried to get a hold of myself.

  Who knew being kidnapped and locked up by a vampire could awake such a raging libido? Or maybe it was that I had a pretty good guess the anger on Zane's face was for the vamp who'd taken me and that the army of trucks was a rescue mission for little old me. It was possibly the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me.

  I hopped out of the car, my eyes on Zane. As soon as he saw me, the anger drained from his face and was replaced by something like relief. But he didn't smile, in fact his frown deepened.

  He tossed his rifle in the bed of the truck and stalked toward me. He met me at the front of the Camry and grabbed me. He wrapped his big arms around me and squeezed. “Zane,” I said. “Can't. Breathe.”

  He loosened his grip, but he didn't let me go. He nuzzled my neck and rubbed the tip of his nose over my skin, lighting me up in ways that shouldn't be possible from such a simple touch.

  “Are you smelling me?” I as
ked.

  He leaned away from me, his gaze moving over every inch of my face. “Are you okay? Did he…?”

  “He didn't touch me. He locked me in a dog kennel for the night, the first step in his plan to break me and bend me to his will. Compulsion was too good for me.”

  Zane let out a long breath. “Thank god. I—”

  I rose onto my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his. I don't know what exactly came over me, I just needed to kiss him, to feel his lips on mine, more than I needed anything else.

  Zane froze for just a minute, and then he grabbed the nape of my neck and kissed me back. I'd kissed him because I was grateful to him, because him worrying about me was hot as hell, but when he kissed me back I forgot everything but him and the way his kiss lit up every nerve ending in my entire body. His other hand slid down and gave my booty a very firm squeeze and I shuddered with pleasure. What the heck was this guy doing to me? And how could I convince him to never stop?

  Someone cleared his throat, probably Axel, and I broke the kiss. I tried to back out of Zane's arms, but he held me tightly in place. He pressed a tender kiss to my forehead and stared into my eyes for a long moment, like he was making me some wordless promise I didn't understand.

  It was weird and a bit scary, the intensity in his gaze. When I pushed out of his arms again, he let me go, but he kept one arm around my shoulders and tucked me tight against his side as we faced Axel.

  I looked back over my shoulder for Jeremy and Melanie, but the red Camry was already bouncing out of sight, their job done. “They apologized for not staying longer,” Axel said. “But they have to work tonight.”

  How long had I been kissing Zane? “They aren't really police officers,” I said, somewhat lamely. Now that I was with the pack and away from Leopold, I had no idea what the next step was. I looked up at Zane. “Is everyone okay?”

  “Alice and Carly are still under Leopold's compulsion,” he said. “We had to restrain them to keep them from running back to him. Everyone else is as good as can be expected.”

  “What about you?” Axel asked. “How certain are you that Leopold didn't place you under any compulsion?”

  “She said he didn't,” Zane said, his arm tightening around my shoulders.

  “I heard what she said.” Axel looked to me, his expression softening. “It's not that I don't believe you, but vampires are skilled at messing with human minds. He could have put you under a compulsion to… I don't know… Get information or hurt—”

  “Axel, back the fuck off,” Zane said, a growl in his voice.

  “It's okay,” I said, patting Zane's back. “He's not wrong to worry. I don't know if he could have put me under compulsion and then made me forget what he'd done, but everything I remember is that he didn't even look directly into my eyes. He told me he wanted me to bow to him of my own will. He wanted to break me. I think he's just the sort of narcissist who wouldn't think it possible I'd escape him or make it back here to you guys. It wouldn't have occurred to him to compel me to cause you any trouble.”

  “See,” Zane said, already turning me away from Axel. “She's clean. She's probably also exhausted and starving. I'm taking her back to my place.”

  Axel didn't look convinced, but he let us go without further argument.

  Zane walked us to the last truck in the line. Behind the wheel was a woman with short dark hair and, next to her, was a short man who was thick with muscle. “Hey, can you two give us a ride back to town? Abby shouldn't have to walk.”

  “I'm fine,” I said.

  “You found her already?” the woman asked, but she didn't look happy at all. “I thought we were going to get to kick some vampire ass.”

  “Not this time,” Zane said, grinning. “I'm sure there'll be more opportunities.”

  “Nice to see ya, Abby,” the stocky man said. “Hop in and we'll get you to Zane's place.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Zane's place was a craftsman-style home on a street of craftsman-style homes. He opened the door and ushered me inside, not letting go of me for one moment.

  “Where is everyone?” I asked. I'd expected to see at least some of the dancers staying at his place.

  “They wanted to stay together,” he said. “We've set up a sort of camp for them at the barn on the other end of town.”

  I broke free of his embrace. “I need to see them. I need to know they're okay.”

  “And they need to know you're okay. They've been really worried about you and you… You might want to shower and change clothes before you see them.”

  I looked down at my clothes, rumpled and dirty and… I sniffed, yeah, not smelling so good. “Okay, a quick shower. Then I want to see them.”

  “The bathroom's this way.” He didn't waste time chatting with me about my night with Leopold or ask me what our kiss had meant. He listened and he gave me what I needed. When I had a moment to think about him and what that kiss meant, I'd have to remember this moment. His support when he didn't have to give it.

  He set me up with a towel and a nice clean bathroom off the master bedroom. His house was decorated simply, but warmly, with photos of friends and family everywhere I looked.

  “I'll try to find you some clothes,” he said. “If I'm not here when you get out, I'll be back soon.”

  “Thanks.” He nodded like it was nothing, so I grabbed his wrist to stop him. “I mean it. Thank you. For everything.”

  He used my grip on his wrist to pull me closer and place a sweet kiss on my forehead. “You're welcome.”

  I showered quickly, and wrapped myself up in a towel when I was done. Zane, who must have kept my purse when I left with Leopold, had placed it on the bathroom counter while I'd showered. At least, that's what I assumed, unless my purse had grown legs and walked into the bathroom. Unfortunately, my purse was tiny and contained only the necessities like my ID, phone, and ATM card. I didn't even have a comb or deodorant, much less make-up.

  I finger-combed my hair, used Zane's toothpaste and his deodorant, wrapped myself up in the big, fluffy towel Zane had given me, and left the bathroom in search of him. He wasn't in the kitchen, but there was a pot of coffee brewing on the counter. I figured a pit stop wouldn't hurt anything. I was groggy and dragging and I could definitely use a pick-me-up.

  I found creamer in the fridge and a mug with a wolf on it - all his mugs had wolves or yogi wisdom, some of them had both. I fixed myself a cup of coffee and sat at the table to drink it. Of course, once the coffee woke up my brain a bit, my stomach also woke up and rumbled for attention.

  “I can fix you something to eat,” Zane said, walking into the kitchen, his arms piled high with clothes. “While you get dressed.”

  “Something quick.” I stood, tightening the towel at my chest, and reached for the clothes.

  He handed them over with a wry grin. “I borrowed something from everyone I could think of who might be about your size. It's nothing fancy, but there ought to be something you can use until we can get your own clothes.”

  “Until I go back to my apartment, you mean?”

  He grimaced. “Leopold's not just going to forget about you. And I can't keep you safe in Aspens Whiten by myself. We can't force you to stay here, but—”

  “I get it,” I said, my heart sinking. I hated having my life dictated by fear, but I had to be realistic and admit I couldn't handle Leopold on my own. I wouldn't be the reason for a war between the wolves and the vamps. “We'll talk about it later, after we figure everything else out.”

  He placed a warm hand on my arm and rubbed it, like he was warming me up. “For what it's worth,” he said. “I'm sorry. About the club and… Everything.”

  “It's not your fault. I feel like I should be apologizing to you for pulling you from your pack and your life. I'm sure the last thing you want to do is babysit me.”

  He grinned. “I can imagine worse jobs. Go get dressed. I'll try to throw something vegetarian together for breakfast.”

  I carried the load of clothes back
to the master bedroom and looked through them. I was able to push everything I knew would be too small or too big to the side, but there wasn't enough left for me to be picky about style. I settled on a pair of jeans that were a touch baggy and a fitted sweater that might have been my size but was tight across my boobs. Nothing was a perfect fit and I wasn't going to wear the sweatpants or the dress I'd been loaned.

  There was no underwear but someone had thrown in a sports bra that at least ensured I wouldn't be flashing anyone more than they wanted to see in that tight sweater. I dug a hair tie out of my purse, pulled my hair up in a messy bun on top of my head and was ready to go. I checked myself one last time in the mirror before I went out. With a little motion, the jeans had slipped down my hips to reveal a glimpse of mid-riff. I might be a stripper, but when I wasn't working, I liked to dress conservatively. Not to mention bare skin in winter was cold. Baring my tummy made me feel like a teenager, but I didn't have a belt, so I'd just have to remember to pull them up regularly.

  Zane turned immediately to me when I walked into the kitchen and his eyes widened. “Wow,” he said. “That worked out better than I expected.”

  “I really appreciate the donations. I'd like to give back everything that doesn't—”

  The back door creaked open and a tiny woman with graying auburn hair and sparkling blue eyes skipped into the kitchen. She had to be several inches shorter than me and was so petite she could probably shop in the kids' section. “Hello,” she said, her voice a happy lilt. “You must be Abigail.” She extended her hand. “I'm Zane's mother, Iris. My husband Zeke will be along soon. We've both been excited to meet you. Zane was so worried about you last night, I thought he was going to run down the mountain and rip you away from that vampire scum all on his own.”

  “I'm glad he didn't do that,” I said. “I wouldn't want him to get hurt.”

  Her grin widened. “What a sweetheart. Zane, isn't she a sweetheart?”