by Jeni Burns
The temptation to knock Caleb on his ass right here, right now flared. "I'm doing what you asked. I made Lindsay trust me, but I don't think it's holding. She sent me a 'we need to talk text.'" It wasn't a complete lie, but it still set the bar at the appropriate level of 'don't-get-your-hopes-up.'
"What'd you do? Madeline told me you had them eating out of the palm of your hand." The Alpha's nostrils widened, and he dropped his voice an octave. "What the fuck did you do?"
"There's been an unforeseen complication. Their cousin went missing and I believe Lindsay may believe I have something to do with her disappearance."
"Do you?"
He locked Caleb in the stare down of the century and said absolutely nothing.
"Whatever you did, fix it. The pack needs this agreement if we want to stand a chance at securing the power in the region over the bloodsuckers. We can't let them win. Besides, if your dad heard you were siding with a faction other than the wolves, he'd do more than kick you out of the pack, Ronin. You'd never be welcome in Nevada."
He raised his glass and downed the rest of its contents before rising to his feet. "As always, it's been enlightening, Caleb. Tell Madeline I hope she chokes on your cock. You two deserve one another." He walked off without so much as a glance behind him.
His phone buzzed as he pulled his keycard from his wallet. His supplier. "Hey. What's up?"
"We have the stuff for delivery. Where do you want it?"
It was early for Lindsay's meeting with the twins and since she'd been at the store early, she'd likely be home right about now. He rattled off her address and made a ballsy decision. He'd spent the last year playing by the pack's rules and the last twenty-four hours playing by his boss's rules. It was about time for him to stop and play by rules he could live with.
The drive to Lindsay's only took a few minutes during which he considered the right words to say. But nothing prepared him for what he'd find when he arrived. The front door stood wide open and a team of men carried large pieces of furniture from a truck into the home. He followed behind a cherry St. Andrew's Cross with wide black leather straps tethered at each beam end and entered the house as the men set the device right in the middle of the now-cleared living room. Lindsay watched, her bright eyes round as the tip of her tongue darted between her lips.
"Ma'am, if you'll just sign here, we'll be on our way."
One of the men approached Lindsay and every instinct in Ronin's body sprang to put him between them. Instead of forcibly moving the man from Lindsay's close proximity, he instead slid beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Was it a meaningless possessive gesture, sure. But it made him feel better to stake some sort of claim on her. Because once he shared what he needed to with her, there was a chance she'd never want to speak to him ever again, let alone let him put his hands on her.
He watched as she signed the delivery ticket and handed the clipboard back to the overly muscled delivery man. Not one to be insecure about his body, Ronin shook the thought away of a man like this one taking his place with Lindsay before long.
"Enjoy, Ma'am," the delivery man replied with a tip of the brim of his ball cap. "I've been told that piece in particular," he nodded his head toward the St. Andrew's cross, "is one worth writing home about if you get my drift." He winked and turned to leave as every inch of Ronin's body became aware of the wafting scent of her arousal.
As the door closed behind the team of delivery men, Lindsay stepped out of his embrace. "Didn't you get my texts?"
"I did." He reached a hand to cup her chin. "But I thought it best to come here and confront this tension between us." Her pupils dilated and she put more distance between them, until her knees bumped against the leopard printed edge of a spanking bench.
"What tension?" Her voice shook, and her cheeks flamed a delicious shade of pink. One he'd love to see on her other set of cheeks after a quick turn on the bench behind her. His pants became tighter as his mind raced with possibilities and his hands twitched at his sides. In the year he'd known her, he'd learned exactly how Lindsay liked to be seduced. He didn't need his wolf nose to know that, at this very minute, she was thinking the exact same thing and her undergarments were growing damp with her desire.
"The tension that has you cancelling our plans and saying we need to talk." Purposeful steps took him closer to her once more.
"Something came to my attention today," she began then ducked her head and averted his gaze.
"Oh? I think I owe you an explanation." She visibly shrank before him and his heart cracked into more pieces than he could manage. "Lindsay..." He reached for her again but dropped his hand when she cringed. He took three steps backward. "I need you to trust me."
"I've trusted you more than you gave me reason to."
Her whispered response took the cracked pieces of his heart and blew them into every corner of his being obliterating any semblance of control he clung to in this relationship.
"You never tell me what you do for work. I've never seen your home. I've only seen you in your wolf form because I followed you, not because you invited me to witness that piece of you. Hell, I accepted your lame excuse last night about the delivery phone call, but we both know it was a lie." As she spoke her shoulders rose and squared until she looked confident and empowered. "While now is not the ideal time to have this discussion," she said with a glance at her watch, "I'm not sure when will be a better one." She brushed her hair back from her face with a wayward swipe of her hand and stared him down. "Don't waste my time with more lies, Ronin. I can't endure more of them."
He nodded and stepped back until his heels tapped the wood of the cross he'd followed in. "Is Jules home?"
She shook her head.
"Good." He met her gaze and bent to fasten the leather buckles around his ankles. Once they were tight enough to restrain him without rubbing the skin beneath raw, he reached to tether another around his left wrist. "I'm going to need you to help with the last one." He angled his head toward his outstretched right arm. "I promise to be completely honest, Lindsay Lou. Ask me anything. I'm at your mercy." While he knew the device couldn't contain his animal strength really, he was more interested in offering her his complete submission and showing her that no matter what the outcome of their conversation, he trusted her.
He dropped his gaze and waited for her to make up her mind. When she crossed the distance between them and reached for the last remaining leather strap, he knew he had a chance.
5
Negotiation tactics
LINDSAY STEPPED BACK and took a moment to enjoy the sight before her. Seeing Ronin all tethered and bound was a first. Her werewolf never left himself in such a vulnerable position. Not with her. And not with the other wolves. As much as she wanted to take full advantage of his current position, he'd made it clear he intended to finally come clean on all the things he'd been withholding for the last year.
"Let's begin with the basics. Where do you work?" She watched the muscles in his neck work as he swallowed and wondered why this was such a scary question for him to answer.
"I'm a freelance bounty hunter for the most part, but I currently have a contract with the Pinnacles." He met her gaze and offered as much of a shrug as the restraints allowed.
"The Pinnacles? As in the family that owns more of Vegas than anyone else?" Her heart skipped a beat as the weight of his admission landed fully on her.
"Yeah."
"How did you get involved with them?" She hated the way her voice shook as she asked her question. Mostly because she knew the family had fingers in more than strictly legal enterprises all around the area. And if Ronin was a hired hand of theirs, bounty hunter or otherwise, it couldn't be a good thing.
"Honestly?"
"Of course."
"There was a bit of a power struggle between my father and I years ago now. But, to prove I was a man, I thought it would be a good idea to move out and make my own way. I was broken and broke. I met Penelope Pinnacle one night outside a club on
the strip and she thought I would be a good body guard..."
He trailed off and her heart sank as the unspoken meaning behind his words became apparent in his squirming against the restraints. "So, you and Penelope became... close?"
"Something like that. She introduced me to her father and before I knew it, I was an errand boy for the family. And when Penelope and her friends went gallivanting, I was the designated body guard." He rolled his head as if attempting to crack his neck before he continued. "Do you remember hearing in the news that she and a group of her friends went missing about two years ago?"
She nodded but wracked her brain to remember any details about the case. "Wasn't it an abduction or something?"
It was his turn to nod. "A fan of hers from the cabaret she was performing in got it in his head she was in love with him. He stalked her pretty hard for about five months before he made his move."
"But you were her body guard, right?"
"Not that night. It was the full moon and I was running with a group of wolves. Another guy was covering for me and he missed all the signs. Penelope and three of her co-workers went missing after their show that night. They thought they were getting into the town car they ordered to take them out for a night of celebration, but in reality, it was this dude's modified prison. He gassed them and took them out into the desert. When Penelope refused to be with him and agree to be his girlfriend, he murdered one of her friends.
"And then he took turns systematically brutalizing her friends until she finally agreed to be his. When we finally found her, she was barely alive, and all of her friends were long gone."
Ice ran through her veins as she tried to remember news reports after Penelope's return. None sprang to mind. "How long was she missing?"
"Only little over a week, but she'll never be the same again." His eyes clouded over, and his shoulders drooped as much as the restraints allowed. "It's a shame to see such a vibrant young woman become and empty shell of her former self. She doesn't dance and sing anymore. She barely sees visitors even now. It's awful, Linds." His gaze fell to the floor. "I still can't believe it took me over a week to locate her. I owe her every moment of that time back. That's why I can't stop working for the family. I owe them."
"And what does that mean for your job?"
His gaze stayed firmly planted on the ground.
"Ronin?" When he refused to meet her gaze, she moved closer and used her index to raise his head. "Tell me."
"I can't."
She shook her head. "I'm not going to let you only tell me part of the truth anymore, Ronin. You tell me you love me, but you keep me in the dark about so many things." She considered his strapped state and slid her finger from his chin, up to caress his cheek.
"Linds," he warned with a shiver.
"I want answers and I know all the things that drive you wild. So, let's make a deal." She stepped even closer still, her lips mere inches from his. "You tell me what I want to know and I'll make it worth your troubles." To punctuate her point, she slipped her tongue between her teeth and licked the seam of his lips without offering her usual kisses.
"Lindsay, no. You're not going to like what I have to say." He shook his head as fear colored his eyes.
"I haven't liked no knowing for all this time. So, I promise not to judge what you say and give you the opportunity to explain whatever you need to. How's that work for you?" When he didn't reply right away, she bared her teeth and nipped his jawline as her fingers toyed with the top button of his dress shirt.
"Lindsay..."
"What do you owe the Pinnacles?" She asked again. This time finding the sensitive spot on his neck with her teeth. She soothed the nip away with a swirl of her tongue before sliding her tongue towards his ear lobe.
"I owe them everything they ask for." He admitted as her teeth sank into the fleshy lobe and her lips wrapped it in a warm embrace.
Her chest pressed against his as she gently sucked, drawing the bit of skin farther into her mouth. She left it loose with a soft 'pop' and asked, "So where's the limit on 'everything?'" She stepped back and studied him.
"There is no limit. I currently have something very precious to them and other people I care about. I know I should walk away and let the chips land where they may, but I'm torn. Every time I think about saying 'no' or walking away from one of their requests, I think about Penelope. And then I'm sucked back in."
"Mmm." She nodded her understanding and slowly reached her fingers to the buttons lining his shirt. With each slow nod of her head, she released one after another until his chest was bared for her viewing pleasure. The scrollwork of ink across the upper part of his chest disappeared down his arms and made her long for more. To assuage her desire, she traced her fingers over the intricate designs and sighed.
"But this most recent job has me at odds with every aspect of my life," he admitted as she toyed with the tight bud of his left nipple.
"Oh?" She leaned in close and blew a warm breath across his skin. "How so?"
"The person the Pinnacles wanted found is close to someone I care about for one thing."
She watched the corded muscles in his neck struggle to swallow as her fingers slid through the splattering of hair on his midsection.
"For another, the pack wants something the same person should be able to deliver."
She rewarded his honesty by running her fingers down the denim front of his pants. "Sounds like you have a tough decision to make," she offered as she toyed with the button on his fly.
"I do."
The two words sounded strangled. His zipper slowly followed under the guidance of her skilled hands. "What do you think you should do about this choice of yours?" She asked as she peeled the material down his legs as far as the spread of them would allow.
"I want to walk away." He answered. "I want to finally be free."
"What's keeping you from being free, Ronin?" She toyed with the bulge hidden beneath the fabric of his boxers. "What's keeping you stuck?" She enjoyed the telltale twitch of his cock as well as the testing tug against his restraints. She slid the waistband of his boxers lower, giving freedom to the tip of his cock. "Let the truth set you free," she added and slid the material farther down his thighs.
"Lindsay. If I tell you this, there's no going back. You'll never look at me the same way again. And I'll forever regret the hurt your knowing will cause."
She stepped back and focused on the pain etched on his face rather than the manly playground his body represented. "You can tell me anything." She laid a hand on his chest and relished the resounding beat of his heart beneath the skin and bone.
"What if I told you our meeting wasn't some coincidence of fate?"
Startled by his words, she thought back to the first meeting in a coffee shop almost a year ago. She'd been standing in line waiting to order her usual, when the person behind her tapped her on the shoulder and asked her for a recommendation. Then he proceeded to buy her beverage and walk her to Sin-Sation. "What do you mean?"
"I'd been watching you from afar for weeks before that day," he admitted. "And not just you. Kara and Julia too."
"Wait. What?" She dropped her hand as is his admission burned her skin where they touched.
"The wolf pack wanted an agreement formed with the Sheel family to help procure some pieces so they could run the vampires out of town. And to gain my way back into the pack after my blow up with my dad, this was the price."
He paused and tried to meet her gaze, but she refused to give him the satisfaction. Her mind raced in a whole horde of 'what-if' directions before she finally found the courage to ask the most overwhelming question on her mind. "Why me?"
Ronin cleared his throat. "You're not going to like the answer, Linds. Please don't make me say it."
The hair on her arms rose and the blood running through her veins turned to ice. "I was the weakest one, wasn't I? The last one to touch the items and the most docile of us." His nod was barely perceptible, but it hurt nonetheless.
; "Kara was a warrior and Julia wasn't active in the business while Francine was alive. You were the most logical choice. But..."
She cut him off. "No. Don't say what I think you're about to say."
"I fell for you, Linds. Really." He pulled against the restraints as if trying to reach for her. "Wolves mate for life. You know this. And a wolf can't fake the feeling of the mating bond. It's soothing deeper than want and need. It's this perpetual desire to touch their mate. Physically. Spiritually. Emotionally. And I can't imagine not having you here beside me. I've been struggling for a long time with it. I need you to believe this. Because I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I crave it. I need to know there's a way I can repair what I've done. And my initial thought about you not being strong enough to resist me wasn't even close to accurate. I realized by the time I walked you to Sin-Sation's door that first day. I knew I was already hooked in a way I never imagined.
"Please, Lindsay, I need you to believe me. Look. I'm strapped to this device at your mercy. You could leave me here and walk away without a second thought. But I trusted our bond enough to not only come here to be honest with you, but also offered myself up like this." He pulled against the straps again. "See, I could use my werewolf strength to break free, but I won't. I will stay right here until you come around and want me free. And before I try even more to convince you, there's one more thing I have to tell you. I know where Kara is. The person the Pinnacles wanted was her. They are trying to find some old bracelet that has some pretty strong magic associated with it, and they heard that Kara is really gifted at finding lost things. They asked me to find her and bring her to them."
"Kara?"
"Yeah. And I know she talked to you already, but I wanted a chance to explain myself."
"You know she talked to me?" Confusion clouded her vision and caused the pounding in her heart to take up residence at the base of her skull as well. Her heart stuttered in her chest and refused to stay strong. "She said she was in trouble. You were the trouble." The last year raced through her mind at a breakneck speed, flashes of untruths all leading to this very heartbreaking minute.