Striker retrieved them for her and stayed close to her, concern for her state of distress filling him. He didn’t want to think the worst happened, but he’d be remiss if he didn’t ask. “Lass, Malik dinnae hurt you, did he?”
Shaking her head, she continued to cry. “Not physically. I was so stupid. I’d heard all about men like him. I thought I knew what I was getting into, but then he said he wanted more. He brought up moving in together and getting married. And then he freaked out and threw me out of the room. Why did I let him be my first?”
Striker pursed his lips, at a loss for what to say to smooth the situation over for his friend. “As far as firsts, it could have been worse. It could have been an English guy. I do nae think they’re verra guid lovers. Erm, not that I’d know or anything. I do nae bed them myself, but they do nae look as if they’d be worth much in bed. Never mind. Ignore me. So, about that rat-bastard Egyptian?”
The look she cast him said he wasn’t helping in any way.
Striker shrugged. “Can I help you find Edee? She has nae threatened to unman me in hours. She’s overdue.”
Duke stepped out into the hall from his room, looking like hammered shit. He drank enough to cause one hell of a hangover. When he spotted Brooke in tears, he arched his brows in question. His gaze snapped to Striker. “What did you do?”
Offended one of his best friends would think so low of him, he huffed. “Och, I dinnae cause this. Malik did.”
Surprise coated Duke’s face. “Malik caused this? I’d have laid money on it being you.”
“The show of support is amazing. Do you nae have some ‘Eye of the Tiger’ you could be singing?” asked Striker.
Duke looked puzzled. “‘Eye of the Tiger’? Singing? What the hell are you going on about?”
“I’ll show you the video later,” said Striker.
Duke opened his mouth to say something else when a huge roar sounded from Malik’s hotel room. From the volume level, it could mean only one thing. Malik was fully shifted into a lion.
“What was that?” asked Brooke, her eyes wide.
“Oh shit!” yelled Duke. “Get her out of here! Now!”
Nodding, Striker took one look at Brooke and did the only thing he could think to do in an emergency. He lifted her and tossed her over his shoulder, making her yelp and drop her boots again. If Malik broke loose and ran through the resort, it would be very bad.
Striker ran in the other direction with the woman over his shoulder, swatting at his back to be let down. The last thing he wanted was to have Malik eat the woman or maul her. He ran in the direction of the elevator and heard something large crashing from the other end of the hall.
Duke’s curses sounded next. “Fucking Egyptian! I fucking hate cats!”
“The stairs it is,” said Striker as he pivoted and headed to the stairs. He struck the door with so much force that he knocked it completely off. With the woman still over his shoulder, he hurried down the stairs, wanting to get her to safety and then get back to help Duke corral Malik.
In all the years he’d known Malik, the man had never lost control or had anything close to an issue with his shifter side. Often Striker was envious of Tut. Something had gone seriously wrong for the man to lose his shit to that point.
When Striker got the woman to the lobby, he set her on her feet gently and tried to smooth down her dress.
“Striker!”
He blushed as he realized he’d run his hands over her backside, trying to be sure she was covered fully. “Sorry. I, um, have to go now. You should get as far away from here as you can. Do nae look back. Forget you ever met him. Run.”
More tears appeared and he knew then he’d said the wrong thing. But it was the truth. For her own safety, she needed to be far away. Malik would never forgive himself if he hurt an innocent.
She turned and ran in the direction of the hotel exit. Striker started back for the stairs but realized he should probably make sure the woman got back to her own room safely. He spun around and went after her.
She was nowhere to be seen.
Had she gotten out of the hotel that fast?
He jogged to the exit and the doors slid open automatically. He stepped out but found no sign of her. Her scent lingered, mixed with something else, but she wasn’t anywhere he could see. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted several large black SUVs. The assholes were driving way too fast out of the parking lot. If they weren’t careful, they’d kill someone.
“Humans,” he said, heading back into the resort quickly. “Here’s hoping the cat can get back in the bag.”
Chapter Ten
Malik blinked and found Duke, Striker, and Corbin on him, pinning him to the floor of his hotel room. Garth was close and partially shifted, and Rurik was next to him, holding a weapon on Malik.
“W-what the fuck?” Malik demanded, realizing he was naked and under a pile of his teammates. “Get off me.”
Corbin locked gazes with him. “Are you finished acting like a fool?”
Unsure what Corbin was talking about, Malik lay perfectly still, thinking of the last thing he could remember. As his thoughts went to biting Brooke during sex, he gasped. “Brooke! Where is Brooke? Did I hurt her?”
Striker grunted. “Och, the wee lass ran out of here crying, thinking you did nae want her and that you used her. When I last saw her, she was leaving the resort to get far from you.”
“Asshole,” said Duke, easing off Malik. “Shifting into a fucking lion? Cat-shifters are dicks.”
Corbin cleared his throat and stood, righting his shirt sleeves, looking as if Malik had given him a hard go of it.
Striker was the last to move off Malik. The Scotsman boldly looked down at Malik’s groin. “I dinnae think you were packing something like that. Impressive. Glad you dinnae participate in the dick-measuring contest.”
Ignoring him, Malik pushed to his feet and looked around for his pants. “Clothes. I need clothes and to find Brooke.”
Duke thrust him backwards. “The last damn thing you need is to find her. She messes with your head.”
Corbin nodded in agreement.
Rurik lowered the weapon. “Is the female your mate?”
“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” demanded Malik, shoving Duke out of his way. “Where are my pants?”
Garth, now back in human form, tossed a pair of pants at him from the closet. “Dress, but I agree with Duke. The woman ties you in knots. It’s for the best you let her go. Nothing can come of it all, Malik. You know it, and so does every other male standing here.”
Malik shook his head. “You’re wrong. I have to find her. How long was I shifted for?”
Garth checked his watch. “About two hours. Took all of us to hold you down for a while there.”
Two hours? He’d been out of control for two entire hours?
Boomer came into the room with a tranq gun. “Oh, he’s back to normal. Guess this won’t be needed.”
“Do nae be too sure,” said Striker. “Tut wants to find the female again.”
Boomer’s brows went up. “Not that I think you should be around her, but I saw the cleaning crew in the room she and Edee were sharing. I heard them mention something about the girls who had been staying there had checked out early and instructed that their luggage be shipped to them.”
The air left Malik’s lungs as he wrapped his mind around what Boomer was saying. “She’s gone?”
“Can you blame her?” asked Boomer, stepping closer. “From what Striker told us, you were a total douchebag to her.”
Striker gave a curt nod. “Aye. And I dinnae know the two lasses had checked out.”
Malik yanked his pants on and ran for the door, only to be stopped by Striker. The wolf-shifter shocked him by lifting him into the air and then body slamming him to the floor. The force it took to do such a thing to Malik of all people was staggering. He never knew Striker possessed it.
Striker stood above him and pointed down at him. “You do nae deser
ve her. Leave her be. She’s better off without you. You’ve lived a charmed life, Tut, and wouldnae know a guid thing if it bit you in the arse. Find a woman who does nae care that you bed anything that moves. Brooke isnae it.”
Boomer put a finger in the air, opened his mouth and then closed it again before facing Corbin. “Did my ears deceive me or did Striker just lecture Malik about being a manwhore?”
“Your ears are fine,” said Rurik, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m with the wolf. The American girls were okay, you know, for Americans and all.”
Duke rolled his eyes and pointed to Striker. “That shit they gave you two back in the labs is messing with your heads and your personalities. Malik, the man who makes sleeping with a different woman nightly an art form, wants a human woman for keeps. And the Scot is offended for the woman.”
Malik eyed Striker from his spot on the floor. “You took the suppression drugs too?”
“Aye.” Striker put a hand out to him, helping him up. “They’re nae stopping me from wanting to do you great harm.”
Garth snorted. “He had hopes for bedding the redhead. We tried to tell him that was never going to happen. He saw it as a challenge. You’ve gone and ruined that for him now.”
“Aye.”
Malik’s jaw tightened and he desperately fought to keep from showing his raw emotions. “I know I don’t deserve her but I’m asking for your help here. I need to find her. I need to know she’s okay. I need her to understand that I chased her away because I claimed her, not because I didn’t want her. She’s all I fucking want!”
The room fell silent.
Garth spoke next. “You claimed a human?”
Malik rubbed his eye, fighting pending tears. “Yes and no. I mean, I couldn’t stop myself from biting her during sex and saying mine, but she’s human so it doesn’t count. That doesn’t mean I want her out of my life. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything and I have to know she’s okay.”
Seconds ticked by before Corbin took out his cell phone. “This is Captain Jones. I need some information on the following two humans.” He lowered the phone. “Malik, what is Brooke’s full name?”
Malik gasped. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask. Why didn’t I ask? I asked her to marry me and move in with me but I didn’t stop and think to ask her name?”
“Fuck me sideways. Tut asked a woman for something serious?” Duke shook his head. “They’re ice skating in hell.”
The men shared a look and Corbin hung up the phone. Corbin looked around at the men. “Fan out and ask the staff if they know where the women went. We’ll assure they are safe and well and then we’ll get Malik as far from the woman as possible.”
Malik tensed. “W-what?”
“The suppression drugs are messing with your mind, dude,” said Boomer. “You claimed a human. That’s seriously whacked.”
Rurik nodded. “Yeah, whacked.”
Garth tossed Malik a pair of shoes and a shirt before walking towards the door. “We’ll check with the front desk for any leads. Malik, why don’t you ask the valet service if they know the women’s destination?”
He nodded, put a shirt on, not bothering with the buttons, and slipped on his shoes before rushing over and grabbing his cell. He hurried out of the room. Striker was right behind him. They took the stairs and were in the lobby before Garth and Rurik exited the elevator. Malik ran out of the resort and looked around out front, catching the faintest hint of honey and lotuses.
He called Brooke’s phone from his. It rang and rang but she didn’t answer. Her voicemail picked up. “Brooke, my sweet, I’m so sorry. Please call me the second you get this.”
Striker was staring off in the other direction, his gaze narrowed as Malik disconnected the call.
Malik tensed. “What is it?”
“Maybe nothing,” said Striker. “Call the lass again.”
Malik did as requested, and Striker ran over to the landscaping near the front door. He stepped into it and came out with Brooke’s bag. It was ringing.
Malik’s stomach dropped as he remembered Brooke telling Edee that she never went anywhere without the bag.
Garth came out front, his face long. “Malik,” said Garth somberly. “Rurik has the front desk man in the back, pressing him for answers.”
Striker put his hand on Malik’s shoulder but looked at Garth. “What is it? What did he say?”
Garth sighed. “That they were paid handsomely to look the other way while men in large vehicles took the women against their will.”
Nothing else was heard by Malik as his lion thrust upwards. He caught sight of Boomer walking out and Garth motioning to him. Boomer ran at Malik fast, a tranq dart in hand.
Try as he might, Malik couldn’t contain himself, and knew his friends would do what they thought was best to protect him, even from himself, but that didn’t change the fact that someone had Brooke.
Someone had his woman.
Chapter Eleven
Present Day…
Malik sat at his desk in what he and his coworkers called the bullpen and worked on the last of his reports. Paperwork had piled up during his recent forced leave of absence. He hadn’t had a chance to catch up on it since his return because there had been one mission after another. All were important and none could be missed. If he wasn’t going on missions with his current team, he was being loaned out to others. Such was the way of things with PSI.
And when he finally had a moment off from work, he tried to get a lead on where Brooke was. It had been five years since their night together. Five years since he’d asked her to move in with him and to be his wife, and five years since he’d lost his shit and nearly shifted fully in front of her.
And five years since he’d learned that she’d been abducted.
In all that time, there hadn’t been a single clue as to where she’d been taken or who the men worked for. For the first few months, his PSI teammates had all assisted when they could in his search for Brooke and Edee, but after a while they began to look at him with pity in their eyes. As if they knew the women would never be found alive.
Only Striker brought possible leads about the women to Malik anymore. Even those were few and far between, and they never went anywhere. There wasn’t a day that went by that Malik didn’t think of Brooke. He suffered in silence, never letting his teammates or co-workers know just how much the human still meant to him.
He knew deep down that she wasn’t dead, though he couldn’t explain how or why he thought as much. But he did know the odds of him ever seeing her again were nearly zero.
Malik had to force himself to focus on finishing up his reports. He had enough pull and time in with the organization to be a division head with PSI, but that held little appeal to him. He’d been offered advances too many times to count. Somewhere around sixty or so years ago his superiors had stopped bothering to ask, knowing what his response would be. No. He didn’t want to be one of the men in charge. Had he wanted a position of authority, he’d have taken his father’s throne long ago. He hadn’t. He liked being able to walk away from the job when need be. At least he used to like the idea of walking away from work.
Being forced away was an altogether different matter.
It had left him with far too much time to think. Time to dwell on the past and the future. Time to think about how much he’d screwed up everything with Brooke and time to obsess over why it was he couldn’t get the human out of his head. Time to wonder where she might be and if she was hurt or, worse yet, dead.
He liked working to avoid facing his personal issues. He liked helping others and taking evil bastards off the street. There had been a time in his life when he’d walked the line between good and evil. And there were days he felt as if he’d step over the line, never able to return again. It had been that way since his last trip to Egypt.
Since Brooke.
As of late, he worried nonstop that he’d give in to the darkness that he’d lost so many friends and loved ones to
. That he’d become what PSI dealt with all the time. Already PSI had to step in to clean up the mess Malik had made in a crowded plaza recently.
The beast within him stirred as he thought about it again. As a lion-shifter who was thousands of years old, he’d had a long time to learn to be one with the animal inside him. To learn to control it with ease, and it had learned to submit to his demands. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d ever struggled with his beast. Oddly, they had all happened within the last five years. The first being in the resort in Egypt the night he’d been with Brooke. The most recent incident had been the worst—as there had ended up being countless human witnesses. The fact that he’d lost his shit—and shifted in front of humans nonetheless—hit him hard. It shook his faith and trust in his control and his beast.
And he didn’t know why it had happened. He’d been fine one second and the next, he’d caught the scent of honey and lotuses—the scent of Brooke—and his body had contorted in the most painful of ways. Shifting had never hurt before but what he’d done that day had been excruciating. His body ached just thinking about it.
All the rules had gone out the window.
What they left behind was a man who was a shell of his former self, and Malik wasn’t sure he liked the new version. Of course, he hadn’t exactly been the man he used to be for nearly five years now.
Malik glanced around the open bullpen area of division headquarters. For as late into the night as it was, the place was full of operatives. All seemed to be in a mad dash to get their required reports done.
Entering the last of the required data for his reports, Malik hit submit and waited for confirmation of receipt to show before closing his laptop. He wasn’t one who liked to leave anything to accumulate. And he was about as far from a procrastinator as one could get.
Though, as of late he’d been off his game.
Yeah, really off my fucking game, he thought as a snort broke free from him.
Duke sat at the desk next to Malik’s. Duke’s dark brown hair was pulled up in a haphazard way that spoke volumes to how much the man didn’t care about fashion. Since Duke had mated and found a wife, his clothes always matched and he no longer came in wrinkled, looking as if he’d slept in his attire. Which was ironic considering Duke’s wife, Mercy, was absentminded on her best days and often wore mismatched shoes. Malik strongly suspected that Duke had simply started to care more about his appearance now that he had a wife—someone to spend the rest of his immortally long life with.
Act of Passion Page 9