by Jodi Vaughn
Interesting. He’d have to warn his Pack Master never to go to Yazoo City.
The murmur of approaching voices and laughter had him tensing. He glanced around and spotted a group of teens in the distance.
“I think we have company.” Ella’s eyes blazed bright green as she glanced over her shoulder. “You two should go.”
He studied the figures in the distance. A bunch of harmless teenagers out looking for some mischief.
“Don’t hurt them.” He shot her a warming glare.
“I never do,” she said sweetly. As she turned toward the voices, he caught a glimpse of a fang elongating from her mouth.
“What exactly is she?” he murmured.
“Rumor is she is more than a witch. Right now, I don’t want to find out. Come on. We need to go.” Catty tugged his hand.
He hesitated for a second and then followed her lead. They hurried to the entrance and she climbed on his back. Once again he scaled the fence effortlessly and landed on the other side.
He started the Harley and waited for her to climb on.
With the information he had gained he needed to get word back to Barrett ASAP. As soon as the stores opened tomorrow he would gather the ingredients for the spell. He had precious little time to wait.
Or it just might be the end of the Arkansas Guardians.
***
Lucien dropped Catty off at her place long after midnight. She’d been disappointed he hadn’t stayed but she knew he was working. It hadn’t taken long before she drifted off to sleep.
Waking long after the sun had risen, she had a cup of coffee before taking a shower. As the spray of the tepid water washed over her body, her mind kept drifting back to Lucien. Something wasn’t adding up.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that Lucien wasn’t telling her everything.
Her gut told her he wasn’t on the bad guys’ side, but in the past she’d been a bad judge of character when it came to men, so she could be way off where he was concerned.
She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Grabbing a towel, she headed out of the bathroom and padded over to her dresser. She dropped the wet towel from around her body and opened the drawer. It was too hot for a bra, so she pulled out a thin T-shirt and some shorts to wear around the apartment.
“That’s what I like about you, Catty. Not afraid to show off your body.” Big Mike’s voice cut through the silence of her apartment.
She screamed and clutched the clothes to her chest, an attempt to hide her nakedness. Her heart thundered against her chest.
“What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?” Her voice shook as she glared at her boss.
He smiled and stood from sitting on the bed. “I haven’t seen you all day. I got worried about you so I popped over.”
“I had the day off.” She grabbed a blanket off the back of a chair and wrapped it around her body. Unease snaked up her spine and curled around the nape of her neck. Big Mike had never come over to her apartment. Something was off.
“I know. I was hoping to spend it with you. I came by earlier and you were gone.” His assessing gaze held hers, as if he was studying her for a lie. She didn’t look away, refusing to let him intimidate her.
“Are you keeping tabs on me now?” Her heart raced in her chest as her senses went on high alert. She wished she were a gun owner. The bullet wouldn’t kill him, but it sure as hell would slow him down for her to get away if she needed.
“I like keeping an eye on all my girls. Make sure they’re not into some kind of trouble doing something they shouldn’t be doing.” He narrowed his eyes. “Know what I mean?”
“If you’re insinuating I’m doing drugs, I’ll be happy to submit a urine test.”
“That’s not the trouble I was talking about.” He stalked over to the window and looked down at the street. “I heard you went riding with some big fellow on a Harley. Heard he was a wolf.”
Her heart tumbled in her chest. She quickly dressed while his back was turned. “I do have a personal life, you know. The club doesn’t own me.”
He slowly turned and leveled his gaze at her. “Is that right? The club is good money and pays the bills. Sounds like you’re thinking you’re too good for your job.”
“I didn’t say that.” Her throated tightened. She didn’t need to rock the boat, not with him. When she got ready to leave for good, she planned on dropping off the face of the earth. She was going to be impossible to find.
“You’re starting to act different, Catty. You’re not as eager to please the customers as you used to be.”
Rage boiled in her gut. She’d never done anything but dance at the club, despite what some the girls insinuated. She knew it stemmed from jealousy, so she shook it off.
“What does that mean?” She lifted her chin.
“I don’t know. You tell me.” He shrugged his big shoulders and took a step toward her. His buzz cut and goatee made him look intimidating. His dark eyes flashed with suspicion as he continued toward her. He was testing her, trying to see if she was lying.
“I can tell you I don’t appreciate you breaking into my apartment while I’m in the shower.”
His smirk disappeared and rage filled his eyes. He lunged and grabbed her by the throat. Squeezing, he lifted her off the floor.
“I own you. Don’t you ever forget.” His hot breath and snarled words shot through her like a bullet.
Panic filled her chest as her oxygen was cut off. She tried to suck in a breath but couldn’t. She struggled against his hold and clawed at his ironclad grip, trying to escape. Her vision smeared and blurred and impending doom swamped her body.
This must be what death felt like.
He released his hold, and she crumpled to the floor.
His gaze roamed over her body before meeting her eyes. “I’ll be needing you to come in tonight.”
“But…” She coughed and sucked in deep breath and grimaced at the fire burning in her throat.
“No buts. We are shorthanded. Looks like another girl won’t be making her shift. It’s tourist season, and I need to fill the place.” He glared at her. “And be sure you’re real nice to the customers. You need to be incredibly accommodating. If you know what I mean.”
His heavy boot steps tapped against the wood floor and he slammed the door behind him. Alone on the floor, she stared up at the ceiling. Desperation circled around her like a shark.
If she didn’t get out of New Orleans soon, something bad was going to happen. And if Big Mike found out she’d been with Lucien, he would kill him.
She wouldn’t let Big Mike hurt Lucien. She would protect him regardless of what happened to her.
***
“Fuck.” Barrett stared at his cell phone after hanging up with Lucien.
“What?” Ryker asked. “Was that Lucien? Did he find out something?”
“Apparently this is targeted to our state.”
Ryker was the only other Guardian besides Lucien who knew what was going on.
“It seems like I’ve pissed someone off.” If they were targeting his Guardians, it meant they were targeting him.
Ryker gave him a thoughtful look. “They know how much your Guardians mean to you. They are trying to hurt you, and they know the best way to do that is to hurt your Guardians.”
“If someone has a beef with me, they need to fucking man up and take it out on me instead of acting like a pussy and going after my men.”
Ryker nodded and then frowned. “Unless there is something more at stake.”
Barrett let Ryker’s words marinate for a while.
He stepped around from his desk and walked over to the wall. He pressed the camouflaged button in the wall. The wall slid back, revealing a secret chamber. It was loaded with weapons and ammo, along with a large digital map of the United States displayed on the wall.
He placed his hands on his hips and studied the map. His emotions were all over the fucking place. He wanted to find the fuckers who were doing this
and rip out their spleen, then castrate them.
“I fucking hate this, Ryker.” He turned and glared at the Guardian.
“I know, bro. This is getting way outta hand.” Ryker ran his hair through his dark brown hair and looked at the floor.
“It’s the not knowing that keeps me up at night. I don’t fucking know if my men are alive and being tortured or dead somewhere in the woods.”
“You’ll get whoever is doing this, Barrett. You always do.”
Barrett looked at him, his heart overflowing with outrage and heavy with helplessness. He was an atomic bomb waiting to explode. The fallout deadly.
“But how many of my Guardians do I have to lose before that happens?”
Chapter Eighteen
“What the hell is wrong with me? I spend one night with Catty and now I can’t sleep without her.” Lucien shook his head and took another sip of the coffee he’d gotten from the nearby coffee shop. After tossing and turning last night, he needed the hit of caffeine.
He was already pussy whipped.
He’d already gone by Catty’s apartment early that morning, but she wasn’t there, so he decided to try to old lady’s house. He didn’t like her going there alone, but he doubted she would listen to anything he said. When he got to Mrs. Willis’s house, he didn’t pick up her scent. He knew right away she wasn’t there, so he didn’t even bother knocking.
After updating Barrett last night on the latest info, Barrett had asked him if he thought he needed backup. Lucien refused. He didn’t want to lose another brother if whoever was targeting Guardians found a one in New Orleans.
He turned left and cut through Jackson Square, where a few people were milling about. It was early enough that the tarot card readers and the local artists were still setting up their stuff and settling in for the day. Soon curious tourists would be flocking around, eager to buy an original print from a local artist or get a glimpse into their future from a psychic. Half the fortune tellers were frauds, giving out false hope while sticking their hands deep into the pockets of the gullible. The other half were real. If people knew the truth, then they’d stay far away from them.
He glanced up at Andrew Jackson as he passed the gray statue. Nothing had changed since he’d left New Orleans years ago. It even had the same smells. Although he did prefer the morning smells of Café du Monde to the night smells of Bourbon Street.
A young couple strolled through the park. The mom sipped on a cup of hot coffee clutched between her hands while her husband bent down to lift their little girl on his shoulders. Watching something so simple sent an ache through his heart. He’d assumed he’d end up with a mate and a child or two. He’d assumed he would have a family, like his parents and their parents before them. He’d assumed he’d have a life full family meals, raising kids and making love late into the night with the mate of his heart.
He’d assumed wrong.
The loss hit him in the gut like a steel bat, surprising even himself that he still wanted such a life. He forced his gaze away and shoved down his emotions.
He didn’t know why it mattered so much to him. He had a place with the Arkansas Pack, a place to lay his head at night, and he made damn good money being a Guardian. He had respect and prestige.
Somehow it didn’t seem like enough. He’d always wanted more.
“Lucien, what are you doing here, sweetheart?” The sound of Granny’s voice made him freeze in his tracks. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he glanced around.
The blood drained from his face. He froze when he spotted Granny and Haley headed straight toward him.
It was too late to run.
“Granny, Haley. What are you two doing here?” He forced himself to take a sip of coffee.
“We’re here getting stuff for Haley’s wedding.” Granny hiked her purse higher on her shoulder and smiled.
“You couldn’t find that stuff in Arkansas?” Barrett should have given him a heads-up if he knew Granny was on her way down here. But then again, the old woman wasn’t the kind to give people an update about her whereabouts or plans.
“Haley is from Louisiana, so we thought we’d get some cute little fleur-de-lis necklaces for the bridesmaids gifts.” Granny cocked her head narrowed her gaze. “What are you doing here? I thought you were on a motorcycle trip?”
“I am. I just stopped here on my way back. I wanted to grab some beignets and coffee before making the next leg of the trip.”
“Want to tag along with us? I’ve got another stop at this candy shop. I’m thinking of trying to expand my business. And I think I can make my own edible underwear versus going through the company.” Granny pursed her lips and shook her head. “After the last fiasco, I can do a better job of making panties, and I guarantee you no one’s toe is going to get bit off.”
Haley snorted and fought a smile.
“That’s… nice. But I am on a schedule and don’t have time.” The last thing he wanted to do was help Granny find a new flavor for her drawers.
“Too bad.” She didn’t hide the disappointment in her tone. “I suppose it’s just us girls. Be careful driving back to Little Rock, Lucien,” she said over her shoulder as they continued on to their destination.
Toe bitten off? He’d have to be sure and ask Jayden what that was about.
Once they were out of sight he glanced around, making sure no one had heard their conversation. Even in a town as busy as New Orleans, there were always eyes and ears everywhere. He walked in the direction of the apothecary, passing the tarot card readers and artists.
“There is a negative presence around you.” The tarot card reader flicked the cards between her fingers while she spoke.
He stopped and turned around, the hair on his arms standing at attention.
The old woman with the dark wrinkled skin looked up and met his gaze.
“Are you talking to me?” His narrowed gaze swept the square, looking for someone tailing him. He saw nothing out of place.
“I know you are looking for trouble. And I know real reason you are here in New Orleans.”
He took a step closer and stopped. The gentle breeze of the hot morning air ruffled her blood-red tablecloth. Unlike the other tarot card readers, she had no sign. Only a red tablecloth and a deck of cards decorated her table. An uneasy feeling stretched across his skin like old leather.
“Don’t be afraid of me. I’m only the messenger,” she said. “I only repeat what I see from the cards.”
“I’m not afraid.” He could handle one little old lady.
“Sit.” She nodded at the chair.
“I don’t have any money,” he lied.
“I don’t want your money. Consider it on the house.”
He glanced around and hesitated.
He didn’t believe in this mumbo jumbo. But something inside him told him to hear the old woman out.
Reluctantly, he sat.
She shuffled the cards, let him split them, and then shuffled again. Keeping her eyes on him, she laid out the cards in front of him.
“Something will happen between you and your lover. Death can’t be stopped.”
His gut twisted. Catty.
“You’re wrong.” He shook his head. “I don’t have anyone special.”
“Don’t you?” The old woman snorted.
He growled and stood. The breeze lifted a card off the table and carried it into the street. She frowned and ran after it. When she sat back down, her eyes were wide with fear as she clutched the card between her trembling fingers.
“What is it?”
She pointed her gnarled finger at the black cat on the card. “You see this. There is something evil around you. Something hates you, wants to hurt you in the worst way.” Her voice trembled as she spoke.
He didn’t believe in this stuff, he reminded himself.
“You need to watch your step. Trust no one. Not even your instincts. Everything is veiled so you can’t see who is bad and who is good.”
“Wait.” He
placed his hand on the table and leaned in. “You said veiled. Why did you use that word?”
She eased back in the chair. “I only speak what I see. You watch yourself, hombre lobo.”
Hombre lobo. The Spanish word for wolf man. She was clearly human. He could tell by her scent. How the hell did she know what he was?
“Relax. I’ve been around a long time. I’ve seen many things. I know too many things.” She looked away as sadness washed over her expression. “I am no threat to you. Your secret is safe with me.”
Lucien studied her weathered face for a lie. He saw none.
“Thank you,” he whispered before walking away.
He quickened his steps down the sidewalk, his gaze assessing the people on the street. He knew he had to be careful not to run into Granny again. If she spotted him going into the apothecary, she’d want to know if something was wrong. She wouldn’t stop until she was satisfied with an answer.
He came to a halt when he saw the worn sign for the apothecary hanging above the entrance. A Closed sign hung on the door. He checked the business hours, then glanced down at his phone.
He still had two more hours to wait.
Damn. He didn’t have two hours.
He pressed his face to the glass and cupped his hand around his eyes. Wood shelves lined the wall, all filled with vials, bottles, and jars. The small space had a bookcase set up near the cash register, along with some candles of various shapes and sizes. Looked like any other shop in New Orleans.
The movement of a dark shadow near the corner of the room caught his eye. He squinted and made out the shape of a person setting some bottles on a shelf.
He rapped at the window.
The figure, a woman, stopped and turned to face him. She shook her head and motioned to her watch on her wrist.
He gritted his teeth and shook his head. “This is important,” he called to her through the glass.
The woman stood, crossed her arms, and scowled.
“Please.”
Shaking her head, she made her way to the door. She cracked the door a couple of inches and assessed him through the gap.