A Perfect Moment

by Lynn Hagen

  Trey took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was his life now, and even if he wanted to walk away from it, Ben had been slowly stealing his heart. That was lunacy considering they hardly knew each other, but it was in the way Ben looked at him, talked to him, and the way he treated Trey.

  Maybe Trey was just a hopeful sucker who fell for the first guy who paid him attention. Maybe it was the fact that Ben was a wolf shifter and Trey believed the guy could protect him. Or it could have been the fact that sex with Ben was out of this world.

  Whatever the reason, Trey had been losing his heart to the guy. He just hoped he didn’t get it crushed. “Okay, I’ll meet you at Bent Spoon for lunch.”

  “Great.” There was a smile in Ben’s voice. “I’ll see you then.”

  Trey hung up, and damn it, he couldn’t stop the smile that hurt his cheeks. This was the first time he’d ever fallen in love, and the feeling was a rush like no other.

  “How sweet.”

  Trey whipped around, dropping his phone at the voice behind him.

  “Clark? What are you doing here?” Trey’s heart kicked up a notch as he took a step back. The malevolence in Clark’s smile was chilling. He recalled the other morning when Clark had harassed him, accusing Trey of hoodwinking Mr. Chesnee into hiring him.

  That morning had given Trey the creeps. He’d never seen Clark so angry or spiteful. Trey had never done anything to Clark personally. He’d just missed work, which Clark had fired him for. Before then they had gotten along, as well as a boss and employee would. Trey hadn’t sensed any resentment or ill feelings while employed at Cresting Moon.

  “Bigger plans in play, Treyvon.” Clark moved closer, forcing Trey to take a few more steps back. Now he was close to the back door, but Trey would have preferred being closer to the shop, where Lee was.

  So much for protection.

  “What kind of plans?” Trey was trying to stall, hoping Lee came to his rescue. Even if Trey ran out the back door, there was no guarantee he would get away.

  A headache started at the back of his skull. Trey blinked several times, trying his best to fight it. Now wasn’t the time to be crippled by the pain. He needed his wits about him, but the longer he stood there, the more sensitive he became to the light.

  Clark narrowed his muddy-brown eyes as he curled his lip. “Don’t you worry yourself about what’s going on. Let’s just say I got a big payday to do a little side work, and some of that work involves you.”

  “Me?” Trey hated that his voice had cracked. “I no longer work for you, Clark. I don’t care if your cousin owns this place. You shouldn’t be back here.”

  It was a flimsy attempt to get Clark to leave, though Trey knew it wouldn’t work.

  As Clark grabbed Trey’s arm, he clamped a hand over Trey’s mouth, cutting off the scream that erupted in his throat. The sound was muted, which meant Lee wouldn’t have heard it.

  Trey fought, kicked, and punched as Clark dragged him out the back door and into a waiting car.

  * * * *

  Lee stood there staring out the window, bored out of his ever-loving mind. It was one thing to stand outside Trey’s apartment to keep an eye on him. At least then he could stay out of sight. At Cute Cuddles, Lee felt like he was on display.

  And Nando’s comments were grating on his nerves. It was one thing to make a comment, but now the human was entering the territory of uncomfortable.

  It wasn’t Nando’s fault. The guy was just being himself, albeit a bit irritating. But Lee had just gotten out of a fucked-up relationship that had been a complete and utter mess, and he just wasn’t feeling it right now.

  Nando was saying something about how much he wanted to pet Lee—pun intended because they were in a pet store—when Lee cocked his head. “Quiet.”

  Nando harrumphed. “Don’t get bossy with me, stallion.”

  Ignoring the irritating human, Lee stormed past him and into the storage room. He could have sworn he heard murmured voices, and Trey could have been on the phone, but Lee had heard the other voice as clearly as if it were in the same room with the alpha’s mate.

  Just as he entered, he heard tires squeal. Lee raced toward the open back door, only to watch as the dark sedan sped away.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck. Ben was going to kill him, and that would be after he tortured him first.

  * * * *

  Ben walked into the hidden room in the floral shop. He hadn’t had success in the wee hours of the morning when he’d interrogated Jimmy, but time was running out and he needed answers.

  He walked through the cooler and pressed a button, part of the back wall sliding aside. The cold air followed him inside the small room but quickly vanished when the wall slid back into place.

  Jimmy sat in the chair, his arms tied behind his back. His head was lolled to one side, but he looked up when Ben entered. Jimmy licked his cracked lips. “Did you bring me something to eat?”

  Brute force wasn’t working with the guy, and Ben had to think of another tactic if he was going to make headway. “Actually, I have someone getting you breakfast.”

  Total lie.

  Jimmy eyed Ben suspiciously. “Like I believe you.”

  Ben grabbed the chair from the corner, spun it around so the back was facing front, and straddled it. “I still can’t understand why you would work for someone like Manny. You seem smart, Jimmy. Hell, you’re even good-looking. You could work for someone else, make a decent living, and not barter your soul in the process.”

  Jimmy gave a low, weary chuckle. “Who says I have a soul to trade? You know the things I’ve done, Bennett. I’m surprised your lap dog hasn’t gutted me yet.” He leaned forward, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. “And I enjoyed every second of gutting Rourke’s parents.” He leaned back and shrugged. “Hopefully I’ll get to do the same to their son when Manny gets here. Oh how I’m going to savor every fucking scream from him.”

  “Fuck it. I’m done playing this sick game with you. You’re of no use to me.” Ben got up, ready to plunge his hand into Jimmy’s chest and rip out his black heart, when his phone rang.

  Ben winked at Jimmy instead. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back to gut you.”

  Jimmy rolled his shoulders. “I’ll be waiting for you, sweetheart.”

  With a growl, Ben stepped into the cooler before he answered his phone. “What’s going on, Lee?”

  The wolf shifter still kept things cool between them, almost frosty. Ben had tried to make it up to him, but he wasn’t going to kiss anyone’s ass. Lee should have understood Ben’s need to keep Trey safe, and he’d even given the guy another chance to prove himself.

  “Shit just went sideways,” Lee said before he explained how the back door was open and Trey was gone. “I already called Sheriff Greeley and alerted him to what was going on.”

  Ben slammed his fist into the wall. “How in the fuck did you lose my mate?”

  He heard malicious laughter from the secret room. Ben hadn’t closed the wall, and no doubt Jimmy had heard their conversation.

  “Checkmate,” Jimmy shouted. “Now you know what Manny is up to. He’s going to use your mate as a bargaining chip, and I hope he kills every last one of you.”

  Ben hung up, stormed into the room, and gripped Jimmy’s throat, rocking him back in his chair. “Where did he take him?”

  Jimmy was turning red—a sure sign of lack of oxygen—but all he did was smile, showing off his crooked front tooth. “I sure wish…I could be around…” Jimmy continued to struggle for air, “when Manny tears out…your heart.”

  Ben had been alive for hundreds of years. He’d battled vampires, demons, and things that still gave him nightmares, but he’d never, in all that time, come across anyone as evil as Jimmy Raton. The guy wasn’t going to give up Manny’s location, no matter what Ben did to him.

  “Yeah, too bad you won’t be.” Ben plunged his hand into Jimmy’s chest and ripped out his still-beating heart. He dropped it on the floor and headed for th
e exit.

  Chapter Ten

  Trey shouted when he was thrown to the floor. His hands were tied behind his back, and his chest had caught the fall. Dust scattered into the air and into Trey’s lungs. He coughed like crazy as he rolled to his back, wincing in pain. “You’re an asshole!”

  Trey had no idea where they were. They’d driven for a good ten minutes and had passed the town limits. Clark had turned onto a private driveway filled with gravel and pulled into the back of the old farmhouse that had seen better days.

  From the looks of the room, no one had been there for some time. There wasn’t any furniture except for an end table that looked battered and worn and a few folding chairs. The light in the ceiling fan kept flickering, making the empty house seem haunted.

  Trey’s heart nearly gave out when he spotted a mouse scurrying closer and closer to him. He kicked and wiggled until he was able to sit up, in the process scaring the vermin away.

  In a place like this, Trey was dead certain there were more. God, he hated mice. They were not only disease carriers but they totally freaked him out. He wasn’t afraid to admit that, on more than one occasion when he’d spotted one, he’d screamed like a little bitch.

  The front door swung open and in walked… Trey blinked several times. The newcomer was downright gorgeous. Dark hair, low-trimmed beard, piercing eyes that were cold and flat, and he looked of the Latino descent.

  His smile was breathtaking, straight white teeth making him seem approachable and friendly, which Trey knew was deceitful. If this guy was meeting with Clark, he was just as evil.

  “So this is Bennett’s mate?” The guy looked Trey over with disinterest. “Meh, he could have done a lot better.”

  Trey gnashed his teeth, keeping the curse words trapped behind his lips. As badly as he wanted to tell this guy off, he wasn’t suicidal. The newcomer had a cold calculation about him, as if he’d enjoy torturing Trey.

  “Did anyone see you?” the guy asked.

  “No, Manny,” Clark said. “It went smoothly. No hiccups. My uncle’s old place is the perfect hideout, don’t you think?”

  This was Manny? Although Ben hadn’t told Trey what was going on, he’d heard the name more than once while he was at Ben’s house. Ice formed in Trey’s gut. Whatever was happening, he doubted he would make it out of this alive.

  “Then why, pray tell, is every fucking cop in town out looking for him?” Manny drew closer to Clark. “I still have preparations to make before I enact my revenge, and you’ve just put a target on my back. You weren’t supposed to snatch the human until Friday.” He poked Clark in the forehead. “It’s Wednesday, you goddamn moron.”

  “I-I was watching Trey,” Clark stammered. “He went into the back for inventory. It was the perfect opportunity. I didn’t think I would get that chance again.”

  How the hell did Clark know Trey had inventory to do? Even if he’d been watching Trey from across the street, he wouldn’t know what Trey was doing.

  There was only one explanation. Mr. Chesnee was in on this. Samuel would be the only one who knew what Trey was doing today. Shit. He had to let Ben know.

  As secretly as he could, Trey tried to work the ropes off his wrists. There was no way he could run while Manny was in the room, but if he got the opportunity, he wanted to be ready. Ben wouldn’t know where to look for him, so it was up to Trey to rescue himself.

  “Your cousin vouched for you,” Manny said, which confirmed what Trey was thinking. “I don’t like incompetence.”

  Trey sucked in the scream when Manny drove a knife through Clark’s chest. Clark looked stunned seconds before he crumpled. Trey looked away, squeezing his eyes closed.

  When he opened them, Manny walked out of the farmhouse. Now was Trey’s chance, but before he could get the ropes to loosen, two men walked in.

  Manny returned and gave Trey a scathing glance. “You have babysitters. Try anything and they’re instructed to kill you. I don’t need you alive to lure Bennett out here. I just need him to know you’re here.”

  Trey began to tremble. The look in Manny’s eyes said he didn’t possess a soul.

  As terrified as Trey was, he couldn’t help himself. “I hope Ben eats you.”

  Manny smirked. “I look forward to the challenge.”

  “Why?” Trey asked. “Why are you hellbent on killing Ben?”

  If his mate wouldn’t tell him, maybe Manny would. He was going to die, and Trey wanted to know why.

  Manny crossed the room and hunkered down in front of Trey. The bastard had the nerve to smell good.

  “Why?” Manny scoffed. “Everyone revered Bennett’s father, thought of him as some kind of saint. No one knew how dark the guy really was, how he’d robbed me of my own parents, how he’d ordered my family to die just because my father wouldn’t join his pack. This has been a very long time coming, young human. For nearly a century I waited to exact my revenge for my mother and father. Since he destroyed what I’d loved most, I can only return the favor.”

  Trey cocked his head to the side. “You killed Ben’s parents, didn’t you?”

  “And relished every second of it.” Manny pushed to his feet. “This is nothing personal. You’re just bait. It is just unfortunate that you ended up being Bennett’s mate. Wrong place, wrong life.” He tapped his chest with his finger. “I am not the animal you think I am. I was made into this. Forged by grief and the need to avenge my parents.”

  Trey wasn’t sure he could believe the guy, but there was definitely tragedy of some sort in his eyes. Did Ben know about his father? Was he just as ruthless? Trey felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. What if Ben was just as heartless? From what Ben had told him, mating was for life. There was no such thing as breaking up. If Ben was just as cruel, then Trey was stuck with him.

  But…Trey refused to believe the man he’d come to love was evil. Ben was caring, funny, and he’d seen the way his mate had talked with Elijah. There was a softness to him that said he couldn’t be a bad guy.

  “I’m doing you a favor,” Manny said, as if reading Trey’s mind. “You should thank me for saving you from such a monster.”

  No. Trey refused to think that Ben would or could do something like that, could follow in his father’s footsteps. He wasn’t even sure Manny was telling the truth.

  When Manny walked out of the house, one of the two bodyguards strode into another room. The second bodyguard was looking out the window, paying Trey no attention, so Trey went back to struggling to get his wrists free.

  He wasn’t going to believe what Manny said. Trey was going to trust that Ben was a good person, despite what his father had possibly done.

  Then again, hadn’t Elijah said that Ben’s father hadn’t been as sweet as he seemed? Even if the guy had been evil, that didn’t mean his son was, and Trey had to keep believing that.

  Trey jerked his head up when he heard gunfire. The bodyguards rushed out the front door, leaving it open. Trey pressed his back into the wall, using it to pull himself up.

  Seconds later Elijah came running into the room. When he spotted Trey, his eyes lit up. “There you are!”

  Trey had no idea how Elijah had found him but fuck if he wasn’t grateful for the rescue. “Please tell me you brought backup.”

  “Honey boo, I wouldn’t dream of coming here alone. I’m the biggest chicken you’ll ever meet. The sheriff is the one who tracked you down. He knew about this farmhouse and that Clark’s parents owned it. It was a hunch that paid off. He called Ben, and here we are.”

  It sounded like a warzone outside. Another gunshot echoed, and howls erupted. Trey prayed Ben was all right, because he didn’t know what he would do if his mate weren’t okay. “How many guys are out there?”

  Elijah worked the ropes free. Trey rubbed his wrists as he glanced around, refusing to look at Clark’s dead body.

  “I’d say the entire pack.” Elijah grinned. “I told you we look out for our own. Now come on. Lee is parked out back. We don’t want to go out the
front door since there’s an epic fight going on.”

  On their way out, Trey told Elijah what Manny had told him.

  “First, Manny is a piece of shit. He didn’t have to kill so many innocent people. That was his choice. Second, we all knew Ben’s dad was shady as fuck. I already told you that. Ben has been trying to get from under his shadow since forever, but even so, in a way, Ben still loved his father, despite his shortcomings.” Elijah stopped and faced Trey. “I promise you Ben is nothing like his dad, and if you want the whole truth, Manny’s father was just as much a bastard as Ben’s dad. They grew up best friends and had a falling out. I’d bet my life he told Manny nothing but lies, which fueled Manny’s lust for violence. Don’t let his sappy reasons fool you. He’s just as corrupt as his father was.”

  For a moment, Trey had felt sorry for Manny. God, he really was naïve for sympathizing with a bad guy.

  Manny had pulled at Trey’s heartstrings, and Trey had nearly fallen for it.

  They rushed out the back door, and Trey was glad to see Lee. The guy had a black eye and a busted lip as he opened the back door.

  “What happened to you?” Trey stopped to ask.

  “He failed to keep you safe,” Elijah said. “He got off lightly if you ask me.”

  “Love you, too,” Lee said to Elijah. “Now get your skinny ass in here.”

  “Was this because of me?” Trey was horrified that Lee was punished for not stopping Clark from kidnapping him.

  “Elijah’s right. I got off easy,” Lee said. “Ben should have killed me for my carelessness.”

  Trey started to argue that it wasn’t right, that there was no way Lee could have known that Clark had snuck into the back of the shop, but before he could utter a word, a very naked Ben rounded the corner.

  Trey raced to him and leapt into his arms. “I’m so happy to see you!”