Watch Me Burn

by Nikki Drost

  “We now have a common enemy.” I shrug my shoulders. “The Guardians have firsthand knowledge of Savchenko’s network just as we have knowledge on the Shaws.”

  “There has to be more to this,” Adam says while he shakes his head back and forth. “I get the IRA connection, but why go into business with a vampire? For centuries, the only thing Tavish cared about was destroying my father and now I’m supposed to believe he’s put that on hold so he can sell drugs and women? Bullshit, he has to have an end game.”

  At this point, I wouldn’t put anything past that wolf. Tavish Shaw believes that shifters are not only superior to humans, but any other species that doesn’t share his particular views. Vampires rely on the human population for nourishment so agreeing to destroy their only known food source is questionable at best. Maybe we are missing something.

  “Does it really matter?” Cass sighs. “If drugs and guns flood our state, innocent lives will be destroyed and it’s our job to stop it. The only way to accomplish that is to put our differences aside and work with the Guardians.”

  “Of course it matters, Cass,” Adam growls, “because everything that Alpha does is about revenge or some sort of play for power.”

  “Maybe Tavish is having cash flow problems and figures drugs are an easy way to make some greenbacks or he could be using Ivan’s prostitution ring to find the perfect women to breed with so he can build a crazy ass werewolf army to take over the world.”

  The room falls silent as every Enforcer turns their attention toward Jamie.

  “What?” he asks as he calmly shrugs his shoulders like he is discussing something mundane as the weather. “It’s not like that shit hasn’t been done before, that’s the reason I was conceived.”

  Jesus, no wonder Jamie has emotional issues. I knew Rainer Trudeau was one of the worlds notorious Alphas, but I had no idea that he forced women to bare his offspring.

  “Interesting theory, sparky, but I highly doubt Tavish has the patience to shelf his revenge for eighteen plus years. Adam is right. This whole thing has to do with, Dominick,” Lincoln states emphatically.

  All eyes turn toward the young grizzly, he leans forward, placing his massive forearms against his knees. “We already knew that Tavish was running drugs and that the DEA have him and Terric on their watch list, the only difference is, now we know which crime family is supplying the narcotics. Tavish will use Savchenko and his many businesses to bankroll his war while the IRA keeps him well armed. He’s also counting on our refusal to work with the Guardians, and since neither side would willingly share information it ups his chances of getting away with the whole damn thing.”

  If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Tavish would need cash and weapons to take on my father and Savchenko and McIntyre can supply both.

  “The council has appointed Alexei Romanov as their ambassador. He has already settled into a home here in Westhaven and is expecting my call. Once a meeting is set, he will call in a team of Guardians that will be placed here in Westhaven and in Boston.”

  “Hold up,” Jamie interrupts, “Is this the same vampire that helped us rescue you and the girls a few weeks back? I thought his name was, Alex?”

  Dammit, way to go big mouth. “Yeah, about that, “I sigh heavily, “his name isn’t Alex it’s Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov. In case that name doesn’t ring any bells for you, he is or rather was, the Tsesarevich and heir apparent to the throne of the Russian Empire.”

  Of course, that was before his family was gunned down by the Bolshevik secret police. Somehow, Alexei survived long enough to be rescued by a man who later turned him into a vampire.

  “Jesus Christ!” Jamie shouts, “Why are we just finding out about this now?”

  “Because it’s what Alexei wanted. When people find out about his title, they treat him differently and he hates it. Honestly, would you have allowed him to help if you had known the truth?”

  My brother is the first to answer, “Christ, Landon, none of us cares if he’s royalty, but we expect people to be honest. How can we trust someone to have our backs if they’re lying to us?”

  “I understand why you’re angry, but can we deal with all of that after we stop the Shaws?”

  Adam takes a moment before answering. “Fine, so tell us what will happen if we refuse to work with the council.” My brother cocks a dark eyebrow while crossing his arms over his chest. His posture is ridged and lined with tension.

  “If you decline their offer, the council will see it as a sign of hostility and in turn place you and every Enforcer in the world on a hit list. So unless you want some of the most notorious vampires in existence showing up in your backyard, I suggest that all of you bite the bullet and lay out the welcome mat.”

  “Son of a goddamn bitch, those bastards are blackmailing us!” Jamie shouts.

  “If we go to war with the council, the death toll with be astronomical.” Lincoln sighs.

  “So not only do we have Bratva and IRA traffic headed our way, but our newest ally is a prince. Anything else you’d like to tell us, Landon?”

  The look on Micah’s face sends chills down my spine. “Nope, that about covers it.”

  “Good,” he says as he reaches across his desk for his pack of Djarum Blacks. “I want you to set up a meet and greet with Alexei, but make it someplace neutral. Our home is off limits and so is his, I’m not about to walk my men into a trap.”

  “I’ll set something up ASAP.”

  “I had a feeling this would happen so I contacted every one of my Lieutenant’s, they have been made aware of the situation and have agreed to work with the Guardians, at least for now. Since this town has had an increase of vampires and are about to get a few more I’ve decided to call home the Boston Enforcers. Once everyone gets here, nobody leaves this house alone, do you understand me? That includes Grace and Andy. I want guards on them at all times. Those men may be Guardians, but they still have to earn our trust. Until then, I want our family and friends to be protected.”

  Jamie begins to protest, but Micah silences him with an authoritative look.

  “As of now, our stint as bounty hunters is on hold. We brought in enough convicts over the last few weeks to keep our covers intact. Our first priority has to be finding any members of either Savchenko’s crew or McIntyre’s. We will hunt in pairs and go on nightly details. I’m not sure how many Guardians will show up, but there are nine of us so we’ll rotate partners so there will always be someone here to guard the females.”

  Adam suddenly interrupts, “What the hell do you mean there are nine of us? Last time I checked, there are eight Enforcers in Massachusetts.”

  Micah gives me an impish smile. “Actually, kid, hunting is part of your brother’s new job.”

  Adam begins to shake his head furiously. “No freaking way is this happening. You need to go home, Landon, you’ll be safe there.”

  I swallow my fury and try to remember that this man is my flesh and blood and he is only doing this out of love.

  “It’s my job, Adam, just like being an Enforcer is yours. What is it you think I do back home? Sit around all day and twiddle my thumbs while innocent people are threatened? Whether you want to believe this or not, I’ve been fighting this whole time. You don’t have to like it, but you will get over it because there is nothing you can do to change it.”

  “This is bullshit,” Adam snarls. “If my brother stays, then I insist on being his partner.”

  Micah lifts his massive body out of his chair and moves around the desk to stand nose-to-nose with my overly protective brother.

  “Listen to me very closely, kid, I understand your concerns, but your brother is a trained soldier. He held his own against an army of coyotes while keeping your wife and my brother’s mate safe. Now that being said, I will pair him with whomever I want and you will keep your mouth shut and do your damn job. I’m going to have enough going on once Dallas moves in here. I don’t need your shit on top of it. Do I make myself clear?”

&nbs
p; Several tense moments pass by and I pray Adam backs down. He narrows his eyes before finally nodding in agreement.

  “Good, now go talk to your wife and explain the danger to her.”

  Adam brushes by me without saying a word. I’m suddenly thankful I’ll be bunking at Kelsey’s tonight.

  “Cass, I want you to escort Grace while she does her weekly errands. Make sure everything is done today. I don’t want that woman to have any excuse to leave this house. Cub, James, I want you both to walk the perimeter and test the sensors and cameras. Check for any blind spots that I may have missed.”

  The remaining men nod to me as they leave the room.

  “Okay, pup, let me have it.”

  Once again, I shut the door and pull a flash drive from my back pocket.

  “This is all the information I could gather on the Council. It wasn’t easy to come by, but luckily for us, one of the council members PA’s has a little crush on me.”

  Micah tears his eyes away from his computer screen and gives me an incredulous look.

  “Are you telling me that you whored yourself for this information?”

  “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds bad, but it’s not like I had a plethora of options to choose from. My blood would have only made her violently ill and she didn’t need money. You told me to do whatever was needed, so I did.”

  Micah suddenly lets out an animated laugh. “Relax, pup, I’m not judging you, I’m just surprised, I had no idea you had it in you.” Micah continues to have a laugh at my expense even after he returns his attention back to his computer screen.

  I’m thrilled that he finds my predicament to be so amusing. I on the other hand, find my actions to be abhorrent. The woman may have been flawlessly beautiful, but she was as shallow as a kiddie pool. Micah has no idea how hard it was to fray interest in someone who religiously watches reality television and only reads fashion magazines.

  Half of the night, I was either rolling my eyes behind her back or biting my lip to hold back my personal opinions of her shallow lifestyle. By the end of the evening, all I could think about was grabbing her by her shoulders and demand that she pick up a damn book.

  Personally, I find all women to be beautiful. It doesn’t matter to me their size, color, shape or any of that other superficial nonsense most men concern themselves with. She can be short with a few extra pounds or so incredibly stunning that it hurts to look at her, but if she can’t hold an intelligent conversation then I have absolutely no interest. Say what you want, but I find intelligence to be sexy as hell.

  “You did good, pup, this info will definitely come in handy.”

  “Do you think that the sudden influx of vampires is connected to Savchenko?”

  “I’m not sure, but either way we’re going to find out. Now where are we on our other side project?”

  “Kelsey reacted exactly as you said she would.”

  “I’m guessing you haven’t informed our siblings of your accommodations yet.”

  I shake my head in response. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to drop that particular bombshell into Jamie’s lap. He’s going to go ballistic.

  “You’ll have to come up with some sort of cover story and it better be creative or they’ll become suspicious. James can never learn that I’ve hired you to protect his mate and her friends. Although, after what we learned this morning he might just get behind you staying with her.”

  I nod in understanding. “I’m sure I will think of something.”

  “Good, now that we have that sorted, from this moment on, I own your ass. If you want my cooperation then you will take your orders from me and no one else, got me? This is a whole new ball game, pup. I’m not sure what you are used to, but here we work as a team and watch each other’s backs, and if you or any of those vampires do anything to put one of my men in danger, I will send you back to your father broken and bloody. Now listen to me very carefully because I’m only going to say this once.”

  Micah moves in front of me and stares me down like the alpha male that he is.

  “I know you only accepted this position with the council because you believed you’d never be allowed to join us. If your true desire is to become an Enforcer, I will make that happen, all you have to do is say the word. But for now, you need to understand that I don’t care who your family is or how well you think you can fight. The skills you possess are acceptable at best, you’re good, but I’ll make you better. Do you understand me?”

  I square my shoulders and stare into Micah’s sapphire eyes. “Yes, sir.”

  “Excellent, now let’s get to work.”

  Chapter 5

  Jamie

  “Man, you need to slow down. You’re going to break that machine again.”

  I ignore the impulse to toss a fireball at Cass’s smug ass and continue my strenuous pace. I’m exhausted and sore, but I need to keep moving.

  “Are you going to the bar tonight?” I shake my head no at Cass’s question.

  I’m in no shape to go anywhere. After the meeting ended, I spent the rest of the day following Kelsey around making sure she was safe, that is until she met up with Henry Ross and some unknown blonde male. The second I saw that asshole wrap his arms around my mate, I tore out of there. I decided to suck up my pride and walk away with what little dignity I had left. I came home and after drinking a bottle of whisky, I elected to take my anger out on my body.

  Life was so much easier before we came back to Westhaven. If things weren’t so fucked right now, I’d ask my brother for a transfer, nothing-long term, just long enough to forget about Kelsey. Who am I kidding? It wouldn’t matter how long I stayed away, I’d never get over her.

  Kelsey and that mystery man had been way too familiar to be a new acquaintance, which means he’s either her ex lover or a current one. Seeing as how she’s made up her mind, leaving town would have been the smartest option for everyone involved. At least then, I wouldn’t have to worry about running into the both of them. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to walk away without causing some form of bodily harm to her new boy toy.

  I’ve been forced to live without her and even though it was pure hell, I can do it again. Until a month ago, I hadn’t exactly lived my life as a saint, but at the end of the day, I’m still a man. I have needs, dammit, and I shouldn’t feel guilty for them. She left me with no other choice but to seek solace where I could find it. Do I wish it had been her? Hell yeah I do, but I can’t change the past. I’ve never apologized for the type of man that I am, I’m fucked up beyond belief, but underneath my rough exterior and badass appearance I’m a decent male.

  My phone chimes with yet another text message. The damn thing has been going off all day.

  “Aren’t you going to check your phone?”

  I give Cass another shake of my head. He grabs my phone off the weight bench and begins to scroll through my messages like he owns the damn thing.

  “In case you’re wondering the last thirty texts are from unknown numbers. The messages range from horrifyingly indecent to downright foul. Sheesh, are all the women you meet sex fiends?”

  I roll my eyes at my brother as he continues to read through the X-rated messages.

  “Damn, some of them even sent naked pics. Christ, you should see some of these positions they’re in.” Cass proceeds to hold my phone at different angles. I can only assume he’s trying to figure out how they managed to contort their bodies. I’d love to tell him that with the right motivation anything is possible.

  “Do you think some of them do porn for a living?”

  Poor Cass, the wolf can have any woman he wants, but for some reason he always ends up with the sweet innocent “I only have vanilla sex” types.

  “Nah, they’re most likely strippers.”

  I crack a smile at the exasperated expression on Cass’s face.

  “Of course they are.” He sighs as he tosses my phone onto a nearby couch.

  That’s another reason why I’m not going out tonight.
After that shit storm went down last night, I had been so disgusted with myself, I hadn’t bothered to jerk off. I’m paying for it now. My body is wound so tight I’d either fool around with the first girl to show me any sort of interest or fly into a rage at the first sign of aggression from a lingering immortal.

  I wonder if Kelsey allowed that pansy ass human to comfort her. Dammit, I can’t handle thinking about her writhing naked underneath another male. Especially not one that stands well over six feet tall and has the body of a shifter, hell the guy even sported an entire sleeve of tats. Whoever this male is, he’s the perfect combination of Ivy League and bad boy. I should’ve known I’d eventually have real competition.

  I’m not sure what I expected to happen after Kelsey walked in and caught me with my junk half exposed and in the nearby vicinity of some girl’s crotch. I’m surprised Kelsey hasn’t shown up here and thrown her new relationship in my face. God knows that’s what I would have done if the roles were reversed. Guess that makes her a better person than I am.

  Dammit, why can’t I stop thinking about her? The woman wants nothing to do with me, yet here I am pining over her like a lovesick moron. All I can think about is getting her naked and sinking my cock into her tight pussy and fucking her until neither of us can walk.

  It’s not just about the sex. My desire to be with Kelsey is more complex than that. She’s brave, highly intelligent, and her quick wit keeps me on my toes. I love the fact that she isn’t intimidated by my size. Even when I’m close to losing my shit, that woman will square off with me and attempt to put me in my place. God, I could argue with her forever.

  Until I met her, I had never even considered having a relationship with anyone. If Kelsey wants to play games the least she could fucking do is explain the rules to me. She has no clue how hard it was for me to open up to her, to be honest and own my feelings, and I meant every damn word I said to her last night.

  My father spent years, beating my emotions out of me. I was taught that feelings are just another sign of weakness. Being the son of one of the world’s cruelest Alphas, you learn to bury your emotions quickly, or pay the price. It’s been over three hundred and seventy years since my nightmare ended and in that time I have allowed myself to trust a handful of people.