Melinda's Wolves

by Becca Jameson

“What happened? You look like you saw a ghost.”

  Melinda punched him. “Hey, don’t make light of that idea. I’ve seen a few ghostly figures lately that were deadly serious.”

  “I have bad news.” Trace looked directly at Keegan.

  Keegan swallowed. “What happened?”

  “Mitch Highland’s mate found him in the basement earlier this morning. He hanged himself.”

  Keegan blinked, unable to move or speak. It felt like his heart stopped. He stiffened. What the hell? Maybe he hadn’t heard correctly.

  Trace grabbed his bicep and squeezed. “It’s worse.”

  How could it be worse?

  “He left a suicide note.”

  Keegan gulped back bile, his enormous breakfast threatening to revolt.

  “Apparently he was involved in this conspiracy.”

  Keegan shook his head. No way. This wasn’t happening.

  “Oh, God.” Melinda grabbed his other arm and leaned into his bicep. “Honey, I’m so sorry.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” He couldn’t process anything. All he knew was there must be some mistake.

  Trace ducked his head and stared at the table for a moment.

  “Fuck.” Keegan jumped up from his seat, sending it toppling over onto the floor. He ran a hand through his hair and turned around in a slow circle. There was no way to understand this. “I just can’t…”

  “I know, man. It sucks.”

  “How could I be such a poor judge of character?”

  Melinda gasped. “You can’t make this a reflection of you, Keegan. You aren’t the one who committed a crime.”

  “I should have known.”

  “If anyone should have known, it should have been me.” Melinda sat very still.

  He turned to stare at his mate, blinking. He couldn’t begin to contemplate the implication of that. Instead he gave a short frustrated scream and stomped his foot as if he was having a childhood tantrum.

  Trace spoke again. “I don’t think it was always this way. He indicated he’d been clean his entire life until a week ago when a man contacted him and threatened his life if he didn’t shut you up and keep things under wraps. He stole the files from the construction trailer. Claims he burned them. He also wiped the computer files clean. He managed to lie to his wife for the entire week also. Apparently she knew nothing. She’s hysterical, claiming he wasn’t himself lately, and she knew he was blocking her from his thoughts, but she brushed it off, thinking he was trying to protect her from his own stressful job situation. He hid the fact he was doing nothing to help you solve the mystery. He never even tried to find the previous inspector. He knew the guy was already dead.”

  “Jesus,” Keegan said.

  “Yeah. Duncan Crawford. Either this greedy bastard from Templeton killed him or he had him done.”

  “Who? Who was it?”

  “Mitch never knew who he was dealing with. All their communication was by phone. He grew nervous when Nolan Friedmont turned up dead, but he was trapped. He wasn’t even receiving money. He was just trying to keep himself alive, and probably you too.”

  “No wonder he suggested we send our mates out of town and then insisted we get them protection. He knew we were in grave danger.”

  “Yeah. And his wife says he’s been acting crazy ever since that scaffolding collapse. He must have realized it was intentional. He lost it. Snapped. She couldn’t get through to him, and she had no idea what was bothering him. She just assumed he was stressed about the job site.”

  “So he knew this asshole intended to kill me last night. He may have even set me up.” Keegan shouted that last part. His blood boiled as he moved from incredulous to downright furious.

  “We don’t know that for sure. And we may never know.”

  Melinda gasped. “That poor woman. Serena. She was so nice to me the night of the accident.”

  Trace nodded. “And now she’s had to spend hours being interrogated, and her house is currently being tossed upside down by the feds. I’m sure she’s a mess.”

  “That’s awful. She didn’t do anything to deserve this. Do you think she knew anything about it?” Melinda’s shoulders slumped.

  Keegan shook his head. “I seriously doubt it.”

  Someone eased into the kitchen from the hall. “Everything okay in here?” Keegan lifted his gaze to find Trace’s father, Adam, and his brother, Logan, in the doorframe. Adam looked worried, his brow furrowed as he stepped farther into the room. Zachary entered behind him also.

  “Hey, Dad. No. I just gave Keegan some bad news.” Trace stood, scooting his chair back.

  Keegan stared at each person in the room one at a time. He had an overwhelming out-of-body sensation. None of this could be happening. It was too farfetched. He needed sleep. Maybe if he rested, he would wake up and be back several days. Hell, he’d need to go back even further to erase the fucked-up situation he lived in.

  “Anything we can do?” Zachary asked. Trace’s next youngest brother was the quietest of the siblings.

  “I need to run,” Keegan declared.

  “Good idea.” Trace turned toward Zachary. “You want to come along?”

  “Sounds good. I’ll drive. I know just the spot.” Zachary headed for the row of hooks by the kitchen door and grabbed a set of keys.

  Melinda rose from her seat. “You want me to come, Keegan? I’ll be happy to stay here if you’d rather go with the guys.”

  Keegan nodded and stepped toward her. He loved how well she could read him after so few days. He wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and tipped her head back. “I love you,” he said as he bumped his forehead against hers. “Do you mind?”

  “Of course not. I would slow you down, and besides, you won’t worry about me if I stay here with Carlie and Sharon. Go.” She grabbed his forearms and lifted up on tiptoes to kiss him briefly. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

  He watched her face. Blessed her for everything unspoken. She understood his need to run fast and free. His sweet mate already grasped how concerned he would be with her trailing behind him. And she also had the sense to stay safe inside the house. There was no way of knowing if this thing was over yet.

  Keegan gave her a brief smile and turned toward Trace and Zachary. “Let’s go.”

  •●•

  Melinda sat curled up on the plush couch in the Masters’ great room. Sharon, Trace’s only sister, sat on the other end, her feet tucked under her in the same way.

  The men had been gone for a few hours. Melinda wasn’t worried. Even though they had only communicated with her a few brief times, she knew they were fine. Trace wouldn’t let Keegan do anything stupid. And even if he got swept into a bad plan, Zachary was with them.

  “You look a lot like Miles.” Sharon smiled warmly. “I did a double take when I first saw you at the housewarming party last week.”

  “Except he’s three times bigger than me.” Melinda chuckled. She had been introduced to Sharon briefly at the party, but then Trace and Keegan had arrived and made the rest of the guests invisible. Plus Rebecca went into labor. That night had been long.

  And several nights since then had been longer.

  Carlie padded into the room and took a seat across from Melinda and Sharon. “How’re you doing, sweetie?”

  “I’m okay.” Melinda was numb, actually. That was the only way to describe it.

  “You know your grandmother is welcome to come to here if she’d like. I’m sure Trace wanted you to stay in the house for safety reasons, but I don’t want you to feel like you can’t have your family around if it would comfort you.”

  “Thank you. You’re very kind. I’m okay. And I’ve spoken to Mimi twice. She would probably smother me if I had her under foot. She can be rather formidable for a tiny grandma.” Melinda chuckled.

  “I can imagine. She raised you and Miles. She must be a tough woman.”

  “She is. The toughest. I love her with all my heart.” Melinda hesitated for a moment
. “She’s…sensitive.”

  “We know,” Sharon said. “Griffen told us all about you and your grandmother. In fact he has always insisted he owes his mate’s life to your abilities.”

  “I don’t know if I’d go that far. All I can do is nudge people on what amounts to a gut feeling most of the time.”

  “Still,” Sharon shrugged, “you were spot on that time.”

  “And I imagine this time too,” Carlie said, referring undoubtedly to the casino.

  “Maybe.” Melinda leaned back and tipped her face toward the ceiling. She didn’t feel overwhelmingly helpful in this case. Sure, she’d had the intense sense of doom at the site, but there had been no way to be sure what that equated to. And in the end, Keegan was badly injured in the scaffolding collapse. He could have died. How did that make her gift worthwhile?

  “Have you spoken to your mother?” Carlie asked. “I know you were just reunited last weekend. She must be worried sick.”

  Melinda nodded. “She is. It’s weird. I only spent a few hours with her, and I already feel a connection. I still need to spend some time wrapping my head around her abandonment. Even though it wasn’t truly in her control, it hurts.”

  “I’m sure it does.” Carlie’s brow furrowed. “I can’t imagine what you must be feeling with regards to her. The last thing you needed was an entire week of insanity dumped on you right after reuniting.”

  Melinda swallowed back the pain.

  Carlie cleared her throat. “I’m sure you have a running tally of ‘what-ifs’ going through your head, but you can’t do that to yourself. You know better than anyone your gift is not precise. You warned your mates repeatedly about the site. All you can do in this life is gently inform people of their obstacles. You can’t force them to listen or heed your advice.”

  Melinda met Carlie’s gaze. “You can lead a horse to water…” She smiled. The woman was right. “But Keegan is my mate.”

  “And from my understanding, he fought you at every turn.”

  “He did.”

  Sharon leaned forward, taking Melinda’s hand in hers. “You are not to blame for anything that happened. I heard you tell Keegan exactly that earlier this morning. It applies to you too.”

  Melinda hadn’t realized Sharon had been nearby when she’d lectured Keegan about his lack of blame where Mitch was concerned. It was the same. The kind women were both right. Mitch was Keegan’s boss. There was no reason for Keegan to have doubted his intentions. The man had gone to great lengths to keep his true involvement under tight rein.

  Even Melinda had gotten very few vibes from Mitch. Other than an initial unease when she met him, she hadn’t experienced anything remotely indicative of his involvement until he’d visited Keegan’s house yesterday. That bothered her more than anything. And she wondered if it had occurred to Keegan that she was just as to blame for not recognizing the danger in his boss as he was.

  The truth was Melinda had felt a twinge of something in her stomach when she met Mitch, but since she’d only ever seen the man at the casino, it had been impossible to separate one evil from another. Half the people at the casino site made her nervous. She assumed it was the site, not the people. Even the site foreman had made her cringe.

  “What do you think will happen to the casino now?” Sharon asked as she released Melinda’s hand and changed the subject.

  “God, I hope they plow it under and abandon it. I detest that monstrosity with a passion.”

  “Maybe you’ll get your wish.”

  •●•

  It was late afternoon when Trace followed Zachary and Keegan back into the house. He knew Melinda had stayed inside the entire day, and he was beyond grateful she’d taken the precaution seriously. It made it possible for the three men to run full out, releasing pent up stress without fear for their mate’s safety.

  Melinda leaped from the couch as they walked in the back door. She skipped across the room and flung herself headlong into both himself and Keegan.

  The little imp packed enough force to knock the breath out of Trace’s lungs. He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arm around her. “Have you eaten, baby?” he asked as he threaded his fingers into her thick black hair, relishing the silky feel of it running across his knuckles—a completely feminine softness that was perfect for taking the edge off the massive burst of testosterone he’d exuded for the last several hours.

  She nodded. “Yes. Did you?” She turned toward Keegan. “I’m sure there wasn’t room in your body for lunch,” she teased.

  Keegan pulled part of her into his side, not tugging her out of Trace’s grasp but claiming his share. “Funny. And yes, we stopped for lunch.”

  Trace stepped farther into the kitchen, grazing his fingers down her arm until he held her hand. “Let’s take a nap.” He tugged gently, happy when she simply bit her lower lip and let him lead her down the hall to his childhood bedroom. The space had long ago been updated, turning it into more of a guest room. The bed was a queen, so the fit would be tight, but right then he couldn’t care less as long as he could feel her body against his.

  Life affirming. That’s what he needed. And he knew Keegan needed it even more.

  As they reached the bedroom, Trace closed the door with a snick and pressed Melinda into the wood. He let his rigid cock rest against her belly.

  She moaned around her next words. “A nap? Is that what they call it these days?”

  Keegan chuckled. “I was about to say the same thing, but then I got distracted when your eyes rolled back. I love it when you do that.”

  She flushed a deep red.

  Trace’s dick hardened further. “He’s right. It’s fucking sexy to watch you come undone.” He nibbled a path from across her shoulder and up her neck until he took her mouth deeply. His tongue tangled with hers in a dance he’d grown to love in the last week. Her taste was intoxicating, making his knees weak. He swore he could come from kissing her if he didn’t put every effort into keeping his dick at bay.

  The rustle of fabric next to him made him break the kiss. He glanced at a now naked Keegan and passed Melinda off to his other mate so he too could remove his clothes.

  When he was as naked as Keegan, they each took a hand and backed toward the bed, luring Melinda along.

  Her arousal had come on fast and strong, filling the room with her need in an instant.

  “I’m not feeling gentle right now,” he warned.

  “Good, because I’m not interested in being coddled right now. I need you both in a way that will assure me you’re both alive. My hands haven’t stopped shaking in days. Keegan’s accident and then that fire have me freaked the fuck out about how fragile life is.”

  Keegan grabbed her shirt and pulled it over her head. “Let’s not waste a moment of it.”

  Trace popped the button on her jeans. “I’m so glad my mom and sister had some clothes you could wear while we were gone, but I don’t really want to see them anymore.” He lowered the zipper and tugged the denim down her legs. “Step out, baby.”

  Melinda grabbed his shoulders as he kneeled in front of her to pull off her jeans, taking her panties with them.

  He had every intention of tossing her on the bed and thrusting into her so fast she couldn’t catch her breath, but suddenly he needed to taste her first. He licked a path up her leg on the inside of her thigh until he met her pussy. She spread her feet wider for him, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she moaned before he made contact.

  In order to drive her crazier, he switched to the other leg and kissed a path down the inside of that thigh instead of sweeping his mouth across her pussy.

  Melinda’s legs shook, threatening to buckle. But Keegan grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arm under her breasts. “That’s so fucking sexy. I love the way you nearly come undone without direct contact.”

  Melinda moaned. “Stop teasing,” she muttered. “I need you.”

  God how Trace needed her. She was more important than his next breath, and watching her u
nravel was paramount. It overrode his own pleading cock. “Let’s get her on the bed.” Trace stood, kissing his way up her belly this time until he bumped into Keegan’s arm.

  Melinda’s head rolled onto Keegan’s shoulder.

  Her nipples puckered under his gaze, stiffening as if she were cold, though there was no chance of a chill in the vicinity. Even if an arctic blast blew through, the three of them wouldn’t notice.

  Keegan backed her up until he reached the bed while Trace stalked her, his gaze on her eyelids, soaking in that glazed look she got when she couldn’t take another second of their teasing.

  When Keegan released her, Trace grabbed her waist and lifted her onto the edge of the bed. He nudged her shoulders until she lay back. Her legs dangled off the side of the mattress.

  “Take a leg,” he said to Keegan.

  Together they bent her knees and pressed them wide open at her sides.

  Keegan groaned. “I need to taste her.”

  “Go ahead.” The man had been through a lot, more than the average person could withstand in such a short time.

  Trace knew what suckling Melinda’s pussy could do to a man. Her essence would ground Keegan more fully in life, help coax him from the edge of sanity he had experienced the entire day. One taste of their mate would breathe new life into Keegan’s tortured heart.

  And Trace wasn’t wrong.

  Keegan held her leg open with one hand, but he kneeled between her legs and pressed his face into her pussy so fast, she nearly bucked off the bed.

  Trace watched as Keegan mercilessly sucked Melinda’s clit into his mouth and plowed his fingers into her pussy.

  Melinda whimpered, biting her lower lip, probably in an attempt to keep from screaming in his parents’ home. She gripped the comforter on both sides in her small fists.

  Trace reached for her breast and flicked a finger over the nipple. “It’s okay to be noisy, baby. My family all went out back. I can’t sense anyone in the house right now.” They would do that. They all understood. For one thing, the three of them were so newly mated. For another thing, they’d been through hell and would need to work it out the best way known to their species before they could relax again.