“I’m pissed at you,” she said. “I know, but it was a toss up, her or you.”
“And you picked her.” “Only because we live in the same town and she works for me. If she didn’t, I would have called you in a heartbeat,” he said with a smile. He’d known Martha for a long time. She was the one who made sure he watched out for Emily.
Bill had met Martha when he was a kid, she was injured and his dad had had to patch her up. He’d liked her instantly and she’d seemed to tolerate him. They’d been friends ever since. They trusted each other and in her line of work, that meant something. He was the first one she called when she needed help. That meant a lot to him.
“I can understand that,” she said. He could hear the smile in her voice. “So, what’s up with this guy?”
“He used to be a Hunter. One of the shifter mates confused him with her compassion for shifters, and he learned we aren’t the monsters he’d been taught. Emily had him locked up for a while, but she’s ended up having feelings for him.”
“I got the feelings part.” “So, you’ve met him,” Bill smiled.
“Yeah, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy. He almost seems right for Emily.”
“He does. I hope they work out,” Bill said. “So, what’s new with you?” she asked him.
“Nothing. You?” “Same. How about when we get Stacy back, you and I go out, get drunk, and pour our hearts out?” she asked.
“Perfect. I’ll have the Grey Goose ready,” he said with a smile.
“Good. I’ll see you soon, hopefully,” she said and hung up. Bill always liked talking to Martha. She knew what it was like to be him. He might not work for the council, but he did fight in the good fight. ***
Emily walked out of the restaurant with Paul. It was their first date, kind of. She wasn’t sure if she was really that happy about it, but it was the truth. Maybe when Stacy was home safe they could go on a real date? The movies, maybe? It had been years since she’d been; maybe it was something he would want to do?
“Are you going back to your room?” he asked her. She nodded. They walked to the elevator in silence. She didn’t know what to say and he didn’t seem to want to talk. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it wasn’t exactly comfortable either.
There seemed to be some hunger in him, and not for food. She knew what the hunger was, but that didn’t mean she wanted to act it out in front of people. Maybe if he walked into her room, they could do something about it. She was really hoping he’d go for it. Emily was too afraid to say it, especially after the last time they had been in her room.
When they stepped into the elevator, she looked around and saw they were alone. She knew there was going to be more of that silence. “Paul…” she started to say. She wanted to invite him to her room, but that would be admitting to him that she wanted him.
He turned to her and she faced him. Before she could do or say anything, she found herself against the wall and Paul’s hands up her shirt. She couldn’t hold back the moan.
“Paul,” she said, trying to wake him from the lust induced haze. She wanted him, there was no denying it, but she didn’t want some little old lady or a family with ten kids to catch them.
“Too much talking,” he whispered into her ear, before devouring her mouth. “People,” she said, hoping to get through to him. He nodded and reached over, hitting the emergency stop button. Before she could think more about it, he was pulling her shirt off.
Emily helped him; she couldn't keep herself from him. She just hoped whoever was watching was enjoying the show. She pushed her pants and panties down, jumping on Paul and wrapping her arms and legs around him. She wanted down, dirty, and fast. She had to have him and no one was going to tell her no.
***
Paul wasn't sure what had changed, but he wasn't complaining. Emily was reaching down and unzipping his jeans. Before he could do anything, she had his cock out and was stroking it. He couldn't believe how good it felt to have her hand on him.
He almost dropped her when he felt the wet heat of her pussy. He let out a strangled moan. When she angled her body and took him inside her, he had to rely a little more on the wall than he wanted to. When she started moving, he had to buckle his knees to stay upright. It felt incredible.
“Emily,” he moaned, and took over thrusting. He couldn't hold back; it just felt so good and he was so close.
“Paul, I'm coming,” she screamed, and he felt her muscles milking his cock, pushing him over the edge.
He couldn't hold them up any more. They fell to the floor, breathing heavily. He wasn't able to move.
“Give me a minute,” he said to her, then dropped his head on her shoulder.
She started laughing.
“What?” “You,” she said with another laugh.
“What?” he asked again. “You not being able to move.”
“Why is that funny?” “Because you weren’t able to hold us up. We’re sitting on the floor of an elevator, too boneless to move,” Emily said, laughing again. This time Paul joined in.
“Okay, we should get the elevator moving before they send a rescue team after us.” “You’re right,” she said, and stood up. They both got their clothes situated, and Paul pushed the button to get the elevator moving again.
“So, your room or mine?” he asked her. “The closest?” she suggested. “Sounds good to me,” he said, and took her hand when the bell dinged, letting them know they had arrived at their floor.
CHAPTER 24
Stacy woke to the sound of her cell being unlocked, smelling Richard immediately. She kept her eyes closed, trying to figure out if he was there to drop off food or hurt her. He’d never brought anything to her cell that she knew of.
“Wake up!” she heard him yell before kicking her side. She sat up quickly, knowing that if she didn’t, she’d be in more pain. It was best to comply with the psycho people until you found a way out.
She was in no position to escape, but maybe soon. She just had to wait for the opening and she would find one.
He grabbed her arm, nearly dislocating it, and dragged her out of the cell and out of the compound. She didn’t have time to enjoy the smell of fresh air before he threw her into a tree about a half mile from the compound.
He must be trying to get her so confused she wouldn’t be able to find her way back. She didn’t need her memory for that; all she had to do was scent it. It wouldn’t be that hard.
“You bitch! You brought all this down on us. You are the reason we’ve lost so many people,” Richard yelled before kicking her.
She knew better than to say anything. He’d just hit her harder if she did. That was something Emily had drilled into her brain. Keep your mouth shut, it would help in some very bad situations.
Richard picked her up by her shirt collar and punched her in the face. She could feel the blood running down her face and heard the crunch of bone from the impact. She stood back up after he dropped her.
She was wrong. He wasn’t letting her go. He was killing her. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight. She wasn’t going to let him kill her. She couldn’t.
Stacy caught him as he was catching his breath. He was cocky and stupid, so she was going to use that to her advantage.
Kicking out before standing up straight, she got a good hit to his stomach. She was sure that, even if she hadn’t broken his ribs, she’d definitely done some damage.
Then he retaliated. He kneed her in the abdomen and broke at least one rib. She was starting to wonder how much longer she was going to be able to hold out. She let herself fall to the ground and stayed there and didn’t move, even when he kicked her a few more times in the head and back. Maybe he’d just let her die?
Richard saw the girl hit the ground hard. He wanted to make sure she was dead. She was still breathing, but she wasn’t moving. He kicked her a few times in the head and back, hearing bone breaking. He knew she wouldn’t be able to survive that. There was no way anyone could, even a shifter.
He watched her for a minute, just to make sure, but she didn’t move. Her breathing slowed and he knew she was done.
He had to get out of there, though. He knew the shifters were coming. He knew if they found him near her, they’d tear him to shreds. He wanted to take them down, but not become kitty food.
Turning, he headed back to the compound without a second look at the girl. He was leaving. He wasn’t going to chance them coming after him, and he had no intention of letting Zeke know she was dead. He wanted him to be surprised when they gutted him. Then Richard would take over and finally be able to do what he’d been wanting to do, kill every last shifter.
Emily was in Jason’s room with everyone when there was a knock on the door. Jason opened it and let in the extra troops. She recognized some from Basil’s pack. Phil was someone she saw quite often, same with Ross and Juan. There were a few she didn’t know, but as long as Bill trusted them, she was good with it.
“Okay, so we’re hitting the compound tonight,” Jason said.
“Do you think she’s there?” Phil asked. “We don’t know. We have reason to believe she is, but we won’t know for sure until we get there,” Jason replied, and Phil nodded.
“Any more questions?” Jason asked.
Everyone shook their heads. “We’re going to be splitting up into two teams, me leading one and Emily the other. We’re going to hit it hard. This is one of the larger compounds and I’m pretty sure they’ve increased their security, so be alert,” Jason said.
Everyone nodded. “Okay, we’re going in an hour, so get ready,” Jason said, and went into his bathroom. It was a strange place to retreat to, but to each his own.
“Okay, let’s go get geared up,” Emily said to Paul.
He nodded and followed her out of the room. “Do you need any weapons?” She didn’t want him to leave her alone. She knew it was stupid and a girl thing, but she didn’t want him to leave.
“I think I’m okay, but how about I go to your room anyway?” he asked with a smile. It seemed he knew why she asked. Maybe he was thinking more along the lines of shower sex, but that wouldn’t really be a bad thing.
“Okay,” she said with a smile. She was thinking she was all for shower sex. Hey, they were both getting clean. That counts, right?
*** Paul knew Emily didn’t want him to leave her. He also knew it had nothing to do with sex, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try for a quickie.
When they got to her room, Paul asked “are you going to take a shower” at the same time Emily said “I’m jumping in the shower if you want to come”.
They both smiled and headed straight for the bathroom, stripping as they went. Emily turned on the water and Paul couldn't resist the naked flesh in front of him.
He started kissing her on her neck, then working his way down her back. He loved the moan that came from her. He wanted to hear more of it.
He reached around and started pinching her nipples, getting another moan from her. He had to have more. He just hoped the water heated up faster so he could have her before he came too soon. She just did something to him, made him feel out of control and like a teenager again.
She turned her head and kissed him, wanting to feel his lips on her. She tasted so good. It was intoxicating. He was addicted to her. He didn't know what he'd do when this was all over. He didn't think he could give her up.
“Inside,” Emily groaned as she stepped in. “Perfect,” Paul said, and stepped in behind her. He really wanted to be inside her and couldn't wait until he was. He ran his hands over Emily's back. Her skin was so soft; he couldn't get enough.
“Paul,” she moaned. He pushed her over so she was leaning against the wall and entered her from behind. She was so warm and felt so good.
“Oh, God!” “I'm Paul, but close enough,” he whispered into her ear.
“Move!” “Your wish is my command,” he said with a smile, and started moving in and out of her. Her muscles were clamping down on him, trying to hold him in. He had to grit his teeth, trying to stop himself from coming. He had to hold out for just a little longer.
“Please,” Emily moaned. Paul started kissing her neck, enjoying the taste of her skin. He couldn't get over how good she tasted. He gripped her hips and started thrusting in harder, listening to her moans of pleasure.
She screamed. He felt the muscles in her squeeze his cock. He couldn’t hold back any more. He came inside her, enjoying the feel of her warm heat strangling his cock.
Emily leaned back on him in exhaustion. It took a lot for him to hold them both up. He wanted to curl up in bed with her and not get up for a week, but he knew they had to go. They had to find Stacy.
“We have to go,” he mumbled into her ear. She nodded, but didn't move. Emily must have been in her post orgasmic bliss because normally she would have been ready to kill anyone and get to Stacy.
In that moment, she was in Paul’s arms, relaxing against him, trusting him to hold her up. Paul couldn’t have been happier. He kissed her forehead, then helped her stand up and get out of the shower. Something must have occurred to her because she stood up and started drying off.
“I need to get to my room and get my things,” he said as he put his clothes on. She nodded, keeping her back to him. He could tell she didn’t like the way she was acting. He had suspected that this would happen, but had hoped it wouldn’t. He should have known. This was Emily Kincade, ruthless killer.
“I’ll see you later,” he said and walked out. He didn’t want to make her more uncomfortable than she already was. He knew he’d find a way to keep her; it would just take some time.
*** Zeke was looking forward to finishing the book with Stacy. They only had a few chapters left. He rushed into the room that held her cell and froze.
It was empty. He knew what had happened to her; he just hoped he was wrong. He had a feeling Richard had taken her to kill her. He hoped for her sake, and theirs, that he was wrong. Emily would track down her sister’s killer and butcher them.
“Richard!” he yelled, hoping to catch the man before he killed her.
Nothing.
He went looking for him, hoping it wasn’t too late. When Zeke reached the outer door of the compound, he spotted Richard walking back, covered in blood. “Please tell me you didn’t kill her,” he said when Richard was close enough to hear.
“She was still alive when I left her.”
“Is she going to heal from the damage you did?” he asked. “I doubt it. I think I broke most of her bones and did a nice bit of damage to her head. She was barely breathing when I left her.”
“How could you do this to us?” he whispered.
“What do you mean? You befriended her. You betrayed us!” he yelled. “You crossed a line, and to top it off, you took Emily Kincade’s sister. You ruined us,” he said.
Zeke walked back into the compound. He’d lost Stacy and possibly everything he’d worked so hard for, but he wasn’t done yet.
He knew it was time to leave. Richard apparently hadn’t been paying attention when Zeke had explained that shifters have an excellent sense of smell. Once they found Stacy, they were going to be on their way to destroying everything.
He had every intention of leaving Richard to them. He deserved to be gutted. Leaving him there made killing him a lot easier, though. He didn’t have to worry about not being strong enough. If they didn’t do it, he was going to have to make sure he did. The man was sick and needed to be put down.
CHAPTER 25
Paul was walking silently through the woods on his way to the compound. He had ridden Emily for the first two miles, and they were now only a half mile from it. He looked over at her, almost surprised to see her there. She was silent. You couldn’t even hear a leaf crunch under her paw. No wonder she was so deadly; she was a ghost.
He saw her looking at him and smiled. She was really starting to grow on him. Paul never planned on falling in love with her, but here he was, head over heels. He knew she’d get rid of him once
this was all over, whether they found Stacy or not. She wouldn’t need him anymore, so why keep him around?
There was a sound to his left. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary in the woods, but because it had been so quiet, the twig snapping didn't quite fit. He knew it wasn’t from their people, they were too quiet.
Paul started inching toward Emily. He didn’t want to startle whoever it was, but he wanted to alert Emily. He had a feeling it was a shifter, but he couldn’t be too sure. Some of the Hunters were that good.
There was a little rumble, something that could easily have been wind, but wasn’t. He knew that growl, but he didn’t know what had made it. It could have just been an animal, but he was starting to wonder if Zeke had gotten his own shifter army. It wasn’t something he ever thought Zeke would do, but he also never thought the man would lie to him.
“Emily,” he whispered.
She looked at him.
“There’s something out there.” “Do you know what it is?” someone asked him. “No, I thought…,” but that was all Paul could say before that something was on him and snarling in his face.
*** Emily was so shocked she couldn’t move. There was a tiger snarling at Paul and looking ready to kill him. She shifted and whispered, “Stacy.” She couldn’t believe they'd found her.
Stacy didn’t move. “Stacy,” she said a little louder. She didn’t want her sister to kill her Paul. Wait? HER Paul? When did that happen? She didn’t know what he was, but she’d figure it out later.
Stacy still didn’t move.
Emily moved closer to her sister, putting her hand on Stacy’s side, trying to get her attention.
No reaction. Emily knew what would get her attention; she just hoped her sister wouldn’t hate her for it. She was going to have to push Stacy off of Paul. She had to show her who was in charge. She hated doing it, and she hadn’t had to do it in a long time, but she couldn’t let her sister kill Paul. She hoped she wouldn’t hurt Stacy more than she already had been. Stacy had blood pouring from her head, and her movements were twitchy. Shifting helped, but healing still took time when hurt so badly.
Emily's Captive (A Lilly Town Shifter Novel Book 2) Page 11