That didn’t surprise Jacque. Gwen was an incredibly intelligent woman and would have assumed they’d have weapons somewhere here. “How did she get it open?” That’s what he really wanted to know.
Cole jerked his head toward the gun, which sat in the middle of the kitchen table. Jacque went to the table and started to smile. His letter opener sat beside the gun and the tip was bent at an angle. “She pried it open.” Which also explained her torn nails and cut hands.
“She did.” Cole sounded as impressed as he was. “She also managed to shoot the bastard who attacked her in the heart.”
Jacque picked up the letter opener and held it in his hand. He couldn’t begin to imagine her desperation. Being alone and unarmed, having to protect herself against a creature that only days before she hadn’t even known existed.
“She’s safe. That’s all that matters.” Cole carried his coffee over to the table and stopped long enough to slap Jacque on the shoulder. “After we eat, we’ll take care of the bodies and do another scout of the perimeter.”
Jacque knew Cole was right. Gwen was safe. Right now they needed to concentrate on more pressing matters. “He’ll be sending more men after her, and soon.” He didn’t have to say who. They all knew Pierre LaForge was behind this. He’d loathed his father for years but that hatred had grown tenfold today.
“As soon as Andre and his men don’t check in they’ll mount another attack. I give it two or three days tops.” Louis slumped down on a chair and rubbed his hands over his face. “I had to leave her. I couldn’t let Armand fight six werewolves alone.”
Jacque knew Gwen’s attack would eat at his brother. “You did what you had to do. The house was the safest place for her.”
“But it wasn’t enough.” Louis raised his gaze. “I let her down. I let you down.”
Jacque shook his head. “No. I allowed myself to be drawn out. It was a trap and I fell into it.”
“Screw it.” Gator had bacon and hash browns sizzling in two large skillets on the stove and was currently whipping eggs in a bowl. “We all fell for it. You may be alpha of this small pack, but it’s not like the LaForge pack back in Louisiana. We all have a say here. If you’re handing out blame, there’s plenty of blame to go around.”
Jacque glanced around the room at the men who’d followed him when he’d broken with their former pack. He couldn’t ask for better men, better brothers. Gator’s feelings were reflected in their faces and he knew without having to ask they all felt the same.
If this had happened back in Louisiana, his father would have been handing out blame left and right. Men would be turning on friends and brothers to keep from taking the fall. But someone would have paid, probably with his life. No, coming here was the best decision he’d ever made in his life and he’d never regret it. How could he? It had brought Gwen into his life.
His heart ached to be with her, but this was where he needed to be right now. Being a leader of strong men wasn’t easy and he struggled daily to find a balance. Having Gwen at his side, giving him a haven from his responsibilities would be such a blessing in his life. But would she be willing to take on such a role? Only time would tell.
For now, he let his guilt go. It wouldn’t do him, or any of them, any good to hold on to it and let it fester. The trick was to learn from what had happened. “We’ll need to set up a perimeter.”
“I think it’s time we went high tech.” Armand leaned forward and set his mug on the table. “We don’t have time to rig an elaborate setup before we have more company, but we could set up some motion sensors and trip wires. Something to give us some advance notice without having to constantly patrol the entire area. It would save our energy for fighting.”
“What do you need?” Money wasn’t a problem for them. Unlike many of their breed, they’d taken to technology as it progressed, investing in it and in other commodities. Between the five of them they had millions to draw upon.
“I’ll make a run to town later and see if I can get what I need there. It will be a basic set up, but it will do for now. Once this is over, I’ll take a trip to a couple major cities and get everything we need to do a proper job. I’ll spread out the spending so it doesn’t get anyone looking in our direction.” Secrecy and security were the two words they lived by.
“Sounds good. Take Louis with you. I don’t want anyone going out alone until this threat has passed.”
“Yes, mother,” Gator quipped.
Jacque scowled at him and then reluctantly smiled when the rest of the men laughed. “What can I do to help?” Jacque asked Gator. The faster they ate, the faster they could deal with the mess outside.
“You can work the toaster. I’m putting the eggs on now.”
The rest of the men got up and pitched in while he put bread in the toaster and pushed down the handle. Jacque enjoyed these moments of quiet camaraderie. He just wished Gwen were here to experience it with him. He wanted her to trust these men as much as he did, wanted her to stay with him.
The toast popped up and he removed it, adding more slices of bread before buttering the warm, brown pieces. Within five minutes, the meal was on the table. Platters of bacon, eggs and hash browns, along with coffee, juice and toast. It would hold them over for a few hours. Gwen had to be starving. He’d make sure she ate something when she woke. Her stomach would still be queasy, but maybe she could hold down some soup.
“Pick up some canned soup when you go into town.”
“What kind?” Armand asked.
Jacque thought about it and realized he had no idea what kind she might like. “Get one of everything.”
Armand smiled. “Will do.”
“She might like something sweet too. Chocolate,” Louis added. “We should get her some chocolate. Women like that.”
Jacque nodded, wishing he’d thought of that. “Get whatever you think she might like.” Having a woman in their midst was certainly going to change things. He was looking forward to it.
The rest of the meal passed in silence, but it was a comfortable one. When they were finished, they worked together, loading the dishwasher and clearing the table.
Cole hung the dishcloth over the kitchen faucet to dry. “We’ll see to the disposing of the bodies, you stay with Gwen.”
Jacque glanced at the others and they nodded, even Louis. He was grateful his brother seemed to be slowly coming to accept his claim on Gwen. It made all of their lives much easier. “Thanks.” One little word, but one he’d never heard his father utter in all his long years. Jacque didn’t believe it made him weak to acknowledge the kindness the other men were giving him. It made him stronger, made the pack stronger.
He walked silently down the hall and paused at the doorway to his bedroom. He eased it open and stared at the woman lying in his bed. Gwen was sleeping soundly, her body curled into a little ball beneath the covers. Her lips were parted on a silent snore. He hoped she’d sleep for a while. She needed the rest to recover her strength.
He eased the door closed again and went to his office. The corner of the rug was pulled back and the top of the small compartment lay abandoned on the floor beside the secret cubbyhole. He replaced it and rolled the edge of the rug back into place, once again marveling at her resilience.
He thought about the gun on the kitchen table. Until this mess was over she should carry it with her at all times. She’d also need to see all of them in their wolf forms so she could distinguish friend from foe. Ready or not, she was part of this war between packs, a major bone of contention between them.
Jacque’s feet took him back to his bedroom. There were so many other things he should be doing, but he couldn’t seem to stay away from Gwen. He lowered himself to the bed beside her, careful not to disturb her rest. He watched her as she slept, enjoying the slow rise and fall of her chest and the way she crinkled her nose from time to time, and vowed to protect her forever.
A long while later, he heard someone enter the house. He inhaled deeply and picked up Armand’s scent
. The other man paced back and forth in the kitchen, sounding agitated.
Jacque reluctantly left his place beside Gwen and found Armand pacing in the dining area, looking ragged around the edges. “What’s wrong?”
“Andre’s body isn’t there.” He stopped and glared at Jacque. “Are you sure you killed him?”
Jacque started to immediately answer yes but paused. “He wasn’t moving. I had his neck in a choke hold and he was bleeding everywhere. You and Louis were howling so I dropped him and raced back to protect Gwen.”
“Fuck.” Armand raked his fingers through his hair. “That bastard has more lives than a cat.”
“You’re sure no one took his body. Maybe he had more men out there in the woods.”
Armand shook his head. “There were claw marks on the ground where he crawled away. I followed them to the road and they disappeared. He must have parked his truck there. The sonofabitch got away.”
Jacque went to his cousin, placed his hands on the man’s shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. “We will get him. I promise you that. We will avenge your sister’s death.”
Armand nodded and closed his eyes briefly, hanging his head. “I know.”
They hugged briefly and broke apart, more united than ever in their need to see justice done. In the meantime there were more pressing matters to deal with. “You head to town as soon as you’re ready. And, Armand.” The other man paused on his way out the door. “Take Louis with you. Don’t let your anger prod you into doing something stupid.”
Armand said nothing as he turned and left, and Jacque could only hope he’d listen to reason. He didn’t want his cousin to go searching for Andre by himself and end up dead. If Andre had survived, he’d be wounded and extremely dangerous. He’d also be back because he had a score to settle.
Chapter Eleven
For Gwen, time passed in a foggy haze. She mostly slept, waking long enough to eat some of the soup Jacque forced on her and to go to the bathroom. She had a vague memory of a bath, but even that was like a fuzzy dream.
Her body had finally given out on her, demanding she care for it.
When she opened her eyes again, she was more alert than she’d been in a while and had no idea how much time had passed. The room was dark but the curtains were pulled. She couldn’t be sure what time of the day or night it was.
She took a survey of her body and was relieved that she no longer ached as much as she had. She moved both her legs and arms and was satisfied she was on the mend. Even her head had finally stopped throbbing.
Gwen cautiously rolled onto her side, releasing a sigh of relief when she did so without difficulty.
The side of the mattress dipped and a warm hand brushed over her forehead. “How are you feeling?”
Jacque’s voice was low and rough and drifted through her like an intimate caress. “What time is it?”
“It’s early. Just past five.” He cupped her face in his hand and rubbed his thumb over her dry lips. “You should try to drink some water.” He reached over to the nightstand and picked up a glass.
Gwen started to sit up and he was there immediately, his strong arm banded around her back, supporting her as she pushed upward. He put the edge of the glass to her lips and she sipped. The water was cool and wet against her dry throat and she drank greedily until he pulled the glass away.
“Not too fast. You’ll make yourself sick.”
She knew he was right and licked her lips. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He set the glass back on the nightstand. “Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
His matter-of-fact tone kept her from being too embarrassed. “Please.” She thought he’d help her out of bed and let her lean on him. She should have known better. Instead, he tossed back the covers and lifted her into his arms.
“I can walk.” Really, it was getting ridiculous how much the man carried her around.
He shot her a grin. “But this is so much more enjoyable.”
She hid her smile against his broad chest, rubbing her nose against the smattering of chest hair there. It didn’t surprise her that he was only partially clad. Her memories of him over the past few days were disjointed, but he’d always seemed to be wearing nothing except a pair of jeans.
He slowly released his hand from under her thighs. She steadied herself, curling her toes against the cool bathroom tiles. “Okay?” he asked.
“I’m good. You can wait outside.” No way she was using the bathroom with him in the room. Just the thought made her cheeks warm.
He raised one eyebrow in question but finally turned and left, but not before she caught sight of another grin. Good to know someone was amused by this. She shut the door in his face and then took care of business. When she was washing her hands, she peered into the mirror. There was enough early morning light for her to see herself, but it would probably have been better if she hadn’t. Her hair was standing on end and the bruises had almost faded, leaving part of her face a sickly yellow color. Not her finest hour.
She was wearing a faded mint-green nightshirt. She looked down and frowned when she realized it was one of hers. The thin cotton with the blondes-have-more-fun slogan on the front was one she’d bought herself last year. The garment fell to mid-thigh and covered her adequately, but she wasn’t wearing anything under it.
Gwen rubbed her forehead. Where had the nightshirt come from and who had dressed her? She had a flash of Jacque lifting her out of the bathtub. Obviously, he’d been busy while she’d been mostly out of it.
Her toothbrush sat alongside the sink so she cleaned her teeth and ran a damp cloth over her face to help clear away the cobwebs of sleep. What she really needed was a shower, but she wasn’t sure she was quite up to that yet. Already her hands were trembling from her slight exertions.
“Gwen?” The low tap on the door was quickly followed by the door handle turning. Jacque stuck his head inside the door and pushed it all the way open when he saw her standing in front of the mirror. “You ready to go back to bed?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, but started to scoop her up again. She took a step back. “I want to walk.” She needed to test her legs out and get a better sense of how she was really doing.
He frowned but stayed beside her as she made the short walk back to the bed, his large presence comforting and familiar.
“Where did my nightshirt come from?” She wanted to remain standing when she questioned him but she felt lightheaded. Probably needed to eat. Other than some soup, she hadn’t eaten much in a while. “And just how long have I been out of it?”
“Lie down and I’ll answer all your questions.” He held the covers and waited for her to crawl under them.
She settled herself against the pillow and admitted to herself that she was glad to be prone again. “Well?”
He sat beside her, his leg pressed against hers. Even through the covers she felt the visceral impact of having him so close. Her skin heated and she felt warm and tingly inside.
“You’ve been sleeping on and off for a few days now.” He ran his fingers through his shaggy brown hair and his biceps bulged. “And, as for your nightshirt, it came from your home. All your stuff is in the storage closet at the end of the hall.” He jerked his head toward two suitcases that stood by the dresser. “Most of your clothes are there. What wouldn’t fit in the suitcases is somewhere in the boxes.”
“How did my stuff get here?”
Jacque leaned forward, taking up way too much of her personal space for comfort. She pulled back but there was nowhere to go. Her head was pressed as deep into the pillow as it could go. “Armand and Louis packed it all the night I brought you here. Your demolished car is in one of the large sheds on the property. I told you there was no going back to your old life.”
He was trying to intimidate her and damned if it wasn’t working. Gwen didn’t like that at all. She put her hand on his chest and shoved. Big mistake. He didn’t move an inch and now she could feel the heat from his che
st seeping into her skin.
She started to pull away, but he covered her hand with his, trapping it against his skin. His heartbeat thumped against her palm and hers gradually slowed to match the rhythm of his.
“I know it’s a lot for you to take in, Gwen. So much has changed in your life in a matter of days.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her wrist. Her heart skipped a beat before resuming. “You were hurt in the accident, brought to a strange place and learned that what you thought to be fantasy was fact.” He sighed and shook his head. “And if that wasn’t enough, you were attacked by a werewolf.”
She was lost in the intense stare of his golden-brown eyes. They sucked her inward until she couldn’t see anything but Jacque.
Gwen forced herself to look away, which was much harder to do than it should have been. Her entire life was upside down and she needed to start making plans. “Where do I go from here?” She hadn’t meant to ask the question out loud, but it had slipped past her lips.
“Here.” Jacque caught the edge of her palm between his teeth and nipped. The sensation shot up her arm and down to her breasts, making them tingle. “You stay here. With me. With us.”
“I can’t do that.” Live in the middle of the woods with five werewolves? Not exactly the life she’d envisioned for herself.
“Why not?” Jacque slid her little finger into his mouth, sucking on it before slowly drawing it out of his mouth, the edge of his teeth scraping her flesh in an erotic caress.
It was getting difficult to think rationally. “Because.” That wasn’t exactly a clever answer, but it was the best she could do under the circumstances.
Jacque smiled, flashing those white sharp teeth of his. “You’ll be safe here and you can write your book. Lots of time. No pressure to do anything else.”
He dangled that option in front of her and she was so tempted to take it. It was everything she’d always wanted—a chance to write her book. But reality reared its ugly head. “I can’t do that. I have to make a living. And if I can’t go back to my own home, I have to pay rent.”
Wolf at the Door: Salvation Pack, Book 1 Page 11