by Jodi Vaughn
“We’re friends. You can ask me for anything. You know that, right?” He’d stuck with her through thick and thin, sometimes even turning down another job that paid more so he could work with her. She’d never forget that.
“Then I need to ask you to watch Sophia another day.” He cringed as he said the words.
“Where’s Grandma?”
“Grandma had some car trouble. She’s getting it fixed today and hopefully will be here by tonight or tomorrow at the latest.” He shook his head.
She held out her hands. Sophia went willingly into her arms and stuck her finger in her mouth. “We’ll be okay, won’t we, Sophia?” The little girl nodded.
“Skylar, are you sure? I mean, I can get the neighbor to give her some Benadryl and watch her.”
“Are you crazy? You know she’ll get hives, maybe even a stronger allergic reaction, if she goes over there. I can take her.” She met Sophia’s big brown eyes. “You don’t mind spending another night with me, do you?”
“I like it at your house. You have a doggie.”
Hector barked out a laugh. “A doggie? I had no idea you had a dog.”
“Not all the time. He just comes around when he’s hungry.” She smiled at her inside joke.
“Thanks, Skylar. I really appreciate it.” He frowned. “What are you going to do about work today?”
“Don’t worry about it. Just stay here and concentrate on getting your wife better.” She smiled. “How’s the baby?”
A grin crossed his face. “She’s beautiful. Just like her mother.”
“Ah, another girl. I hope she gives you a hard time.” She laughed.
“I’m sure she will. We named her Sky.”
***
Skylar held Sophia’s hand as they walked out of the hospital. She was immediately greeted with a hot blast of stifling heat the second she stepped outside. She squinted against the bright sun as she headed toward the truck.
She was still in shock that they thought enough of her to name the baby Sky. They were not related by blood, but they’d forged a friendship through the trials of life, and sometimes those bonds were just as strong.
She brushed a tear away from her cheek as she opened the door to her truck.
“What’s wrong?” Zane frowned.
“Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. You’re crying. What’s wrong?”
“They named the baby Sky.”
“After you. She must be beautiful.” His eyes softened.
She froze, mesmerized by the sincerity in his face. Shifting her weight, she looked away.
“Why do you do that?”
“Do what?” she asked as she gathered the child into her truck and buckled her in the car seat. She’d bought the seat at a garage sale and kept it on hand in case she needed it for Hector’s kids.
“Why do you look so uncomfortable when I give you a compliment? You must know how beautiful you are.” He reached for her hand. His fingertips grazed the back of her arm and sent shivers up and down her spine.
Lying had never really been Skylar’s forte. It was what had gotten her in trouble as a little girl, and she didn’t see any reason to start lying now that she was a woman.
“I have red hair. I’m not a blonde or a brunette. I have qualities that men don’t consider beautiful. So when you say those things, it makes me uncomfortable because I know they’re not true.”
His gaze narrowed, and the air between them thickened until it was hard to draw an easy breath.
Wordlessly, he stalked around the truck, moving with slow deliberation until he stood inches from her.
“Hear me when I say this. I don’t lie. I never have.” His ice-blue eyes flashed with anger, and his chest heaved with each carefully chosen word. “Whoever fed you the bullshit that you are not beautiful is and will always be a liar. Jealousy often makes people say belittling things. Your qualities that you so eloquently speak of are unique. Hair as fiery as the sun itself and eyes the color of rare gems are qualities that not every woman possesses. But they are qualities that every woman desires. And you are every man’s fantasy. When I look at you, you make me lose any kind of control that I ever thought I had. Here, standing next to you, it’s all I can do not to pull your jeans down and take you up against the truck.”
Her mouth dropped.
Her body tingled in all the right places. She leaned into him.
“Don’t start something you cannot finish, Zane.” She wanted to tease him to the point of no return. She wanted him wild and out of control.
“Skylar,” he growled, yet he didn’t move away. He held his ground as his gaze dipped to her parted mouth.
“Skylar, I’m thirsty,” Sophia called out from inside the truck.
She resisted a groan and stepped back. “Okay, sweetie, we’ll stop and get you a drink.”
“What’s up with little bit? I thought you were dropping her off with her father.”
“Change of plans. It seems Grandma isn’t here yet. So I’m letting her stay a little while longer.” She slid into the truck and gave the little girl a smile before glancing back at Zane. “So after we stop at the gas station and grab something to drink, I’ll drive you over to get your bike, and then I’ll head out to the work site.”
She had a four-year-old in tow, a werewolf who couldn’t control his shift was staying at her apartment, and she was behind schedule for her house.
She sighed and threw the truck into gear and pulled out of the parking lot.
So much for things going according to plan
***
Zane watched as Skylar drove away from the tattoo shop. He didn’t let his eyes leave her until she was out of sight. Then he turned his attention to his bike.
Matt was a man of his word. He’d kept Zane’s Harley under lock at his parking space behind the Moon Goddess Tattoo Shop. After finding out from the owner that both Lucien and Jaxon were still in town looking for him, he knew he didn’t have time to waste. Now that he had his bike, he needed to get a solid lead on whoever was dealing meth in Jonesboro. He had a hunch that would lead him to the werewolf who’d escaped the drug bust that night.
He grabbed the tarp that draped over his bike and snatched it off.
A smile stretched across his face as he caressed his bike with his gaze.
“Hey, baby. I missed you.” He ran his hand gently down the blood-red Harley Davidson Breakout. Bright red and chrome, she was dressed out like one badass bitch. Some of the other Guardians, like Damon and Jayden, had chosen colors like black and gray for their Breakouts, but not him. He’d always been partial to fire-engine red. He associated the color with courage and fearlessness.
He grinned as Skylar’s face popped into his mind. Apparently he liked his women like he liked his Harleys. Hot, red and full of fire.
He straddled his bike and started the engine. The motor rumbled to life, growling between his legs.
His blood heated as he revved the engine. He loved this. The sound of his Screaming Eagle pipes, the smell of leather and metal, and the feeling of freedom and power. This was his office, astride a Harley.
He gunned the engine and pulled out onto the street. He didn’t miss the stares the women on the sidewalk were shooting at him as he cruised down the street. Humans always wanted a biker. What they didn’t know was that with him, they were getting a werewolf biker.
He made a right at the corner and kept his speed under the limit until the streets became a highway. He pointed his bike in the direction of Skylar’s construction project and sped down the highway, letting the wind and the sun seep into his soul.
***
“I’m hungry.” Sophia looked up at Skylar from under the hard hat she’d made the little girl wear. A bead of sweat trickled from her temple down her plump cheek. She swiped the back of her dirty hands across her face, leaving behind a smudge of brown.
The little girl had played happily under the tree in the backyard, pushing discarded pieces of wood blocks around in th
e dirt like cars while Skylar oversaw the continued work on the kitchen.
“I’ll grab our lunch out of the truck and we’ll eat, okay?” She jogged over to her truck and opened the door. Thank goodness she’d stopped at the store for some sandwich fixings, snacks, drinks, and a cooler before heading back to the construction site. So far, she’d given Sophia two snacks of animal crackers and it wasn’t even noon yet.
Tugging the cooler and the bag out of the truck, she headed back toward the tree.
She found a grassy spot and sat down before pulling out the antibacterial gel. Bathing her hands, she held out the bottle to Sophia, who held out her palms. She squirted a generous amount into her hands and instructed her to rub them together. She pulled out some paper towels and wiped the excess off the little girl’s hands.
After making the first ham and cheese sandwich, she handed it to Sophia. Opening a bag of chips, she placed it between them and then snagged two ice-cold waters out of the cooler.
She quickly made herself a sandwich as she watched Sophia eat in silence. The little girl pulled off the brown edges of the bread before taking her first bite.
Skylar smiled. She knew better than to give a four-year-old a sandwich with crust. She’d seen too many families out at the park having a picnic, and not once did the children have a sandwich with crust on it.
She took a bite of her sandwich and wondered if maybe she should take Sophia to the park once she finished the project.
It was hard to know how to treat a child well when she’d never been shown an ounce of kindness by her own father when she was growing up.
Her mind drifted back to Zane.
His family had been the only ones to ever treat her like she was worth something. If it hadn’t been for them, who knew what would have happened to her? She might have ended up on drugs or homeless or even dead.
Girls like her needed a safe place where they could escape from abusive families the system couldn’t keep track of. She was bound and determined to make her life count for something. That was her mission. To build a safe haven.
Sophia picked up a chip and nibbled on it like a little bunny.
“Hey, Skylar, you need to come look at this,” Sanchez, one of her construction workers, called out from the kitchen door.
“Be right there.” She brushed the hair out of Sophia’s face and then hopped to her feet.
She jogged over to the back of the house where Sanchez was waiting for her. The young man was only a few years older than her but was married with two kids. He was a Were and had mated his high school sweetheart right out of school and had never gone to college. He said he never was one for studying, so he went into construction work. He was a hard worker and smart too.
She had told him he would be running his own construction company in a few years.
“What’s up?” She walked into the kitchen and looked at Sanchez.
“The cabinets are the wrong color.” He waved his hand at the kitchen counters sitting on the middle of the floor.
“What? That’s impossible.” Her heart dropped.
“We ordered maple cabinets, but these are cream-colored with a glaze.”
“This can’t be.” Her chest tightened as she stared at the cabinets. “Even if we got the correct cabinets by the end of the week, we still won’t make our deadline.”
“What do you want to do?” Sanchez rested his hands on his hips, awaiting her next order. That’s how Sanchez always was. So damn even-keeled.
Sucking in a deep breath, she bent down to pull the protective covering away from the cabinet. The cabinets were glazed in an off-white cream. They were a completely different look from the style the owner had picked out. She cocked her head. She liked them even better than the ones that the owner had picked out.
“Does the supplier know they sent the wrong cabinets?”
“Not yet.” Sanchez arched his eyebrow. “They will.”
She stood up and glanced over at the sample of the granite countertop sitting atop the work table.
She picked up the sample and held up next to the cabinet. The cabinets brought out the cream and gray colors of the granite and made it pop.
She reached in her jeans pocket, pulled out her phone, and snapped a few photos.
“To be honest, I think they look better with this countertop.” She scrolled through her contacts.
“So what do you want us to do?” Sanchez asked. By this time, the rest of the workers had filtered into the kitchen. They stood there, casting worried glances at each other.
“I want everyone to grab a quick lunch, and then I want you to put these cabinets in.”
“But they’re not the ones the owner wanted,” Sanchez said.
“I’m about to change the owner’s mind.” Skylar pulled up the number for the distributor. “But first, I’m calling the distributor to let him know he’s giving me these cabinets for the same amount as the first cabinets. It was his mistake after all.”
***
“What’s wrong?” Damon could see the distress on Ava’s face as soon as she got off the phone.
“The cabinets came in, but they are the wrong ones.” Her phone dinged, and she glanced down at it.
“Then the contractor needs to fix the mistake.” He shook his head. “I knew this was a bad idea, hiring someone without meeting them in person. You can’t do a remodel without being there for all the damn details.”
“She sent me a picture.” Ava nibbled on her bottom lip. “She says the new cabinets are more expensive.”
“I’m not paying one more cent.” He crossed his arms.
“Well, she said that since it was a mistake, they would let us have them for the same cost as the original cabinets.” She held up the phone. “Look at the picture. I think these cabinets actually look a lot better. What do you think?”
He took the phone and studied the picture.
“Still, they made a mistake. I don’t want someone you are doing business with taking advantage of you.” He handed her the phone back.
She grinned. “So you like them. I knew it.”
“When are we driving out there?” He needed to lay eyes on this contractor.
“Now, if you’re free from whatever top-secret business Barrett has you on?” She gave him a saccharine smile.
“Smartass.”
“You like my smart ass,” she quipped.
“You’re right. I do love your ass.” He reached out and clamped two hands on her butt and pulled her into his arms.
She giggled as she snuggled into his chest.
“So let’s go right now.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.
He covered her mouth with his, taking his time to savor her sweet taste. He loved her with an intensity that frightened him at times.
“Fine. Let’s go.” He gave her ass a squeeze.
His phone buzzed in his jeans pocket.
“Ugh. Ignore it.” She narrowed her eyes.
“Can’t, babe. Might be work.” Reluctantly, he pulled away from her and reached in his back pocket for his phone. He sighed as soon as he saw it was Barrett calling.
“Ignore it.” She tried rubbing her boobs against his chest in an attempt to distract him.
“It’s Barrett. I have to answer it.”
She frowned as he hit the green button.
“Hey.”
“What the fuck took you so long? I was beginning to think you’d run off with those other three assholes who can’t manage to answer their fucking cell phones,” Barrett rumbled.
Damon fought a smile. His Pack Master was known for keeping his cool, but these last few days had certainly pissed off Barrett to put him on edge like this.
“I’ve got Ava here distracting me. Not planning on running off with anyone else.” He winked.
“No visuals. Please.”
Damon laughed.
“What have you found out? Where are my Guardians?”
Damon took a deep breath. “I track
ed Lucien and Jaxon to a café this morning, where they looked like they were either hung over or their dog died.”
“That dog better not be Zane.” Barrett growled.
Damon shook his head. “Look, boss, I’m not sure what’s going on with those two, but I do know they are hiding something.”
“Has Zane gone rogue?” Barrett’s voice was eerily calm. Damon knew his Pack Master held Zane in the highest regard. He was his second-in-command.
“I’m not sure,” Damon answered as honestly as he could. “But that’s what I’m here to fucking find out.”
***
Lucien ran his hand through his hair and clenched his jaw.
“Dude, you look constipated.” Jaxon walked past him in the littered yard of an abandoned apartment complex and stopped at the entrance. They’d gotten a tip from a female attendant at the local gas station that this was where you could score some meth.
“Fuck off, Jaxon.” Lucien scowled and then glanced around at his surroundings. The apartment building was situated in an industrial part of town near the railroad tracks. The windows had been boarded up with plywood that was decorated with graffiti. The dark, dreary brick had a thick green blanket of ivy crawling up the side. The yard was bare without any grass. Not even weeds wanted to put down roots in this depressing place.
“The door is padlocked.” Lucien lifted his head. His gaze landed on the roof, where a good portion of the tiles had been blown off.
“Let me run around back and see if there’s another way in.” Jaxon jogged around the back of the abandoned apartment.
The Arkansas sun beat down on Lucien with a vengeance. Sweat beaded at his temple, and he swiped at the moisture with the back of his hand. Probably not the best idea to wear his leather jacket today.
Lucien clenched his fists. He felt like he was letting Zane down. He seemed to have disappeared into thin air, and no one had a bead on him.
He had to hurry up and find him before Damon did.
“I got something back here,” Jaxon called out.
Lucien made his way around the back of the building. His gaze landed on something poking out of the ivy. He stopped, bent down, and brushed the vine out of the way.
Concealed in the greenery was small plastic sandwich bag. He picked it up and held it up to his nose. Though it was empty, the scent of crystal meth was overpowering to his wolf’s sensitive nose.