Hard & Lethal: A Bad Boy Romance

by Jade Allen

“Let’s go,” she said, pulling away to wiggle from the booth. The life had returned to her eyes and there was even an extra bounce in her step. If he had any second thoughts, they were banished by the sight of her excitement.

  ****

  As soon as the Fed and the bitch drove out of sight, Braxton hurried down the street to Paul’s Tavern, slipping through the service door and directly to the back office. He didn’t bother knocking on the door, as he was on orders to return as quickly as possible with any pertinent updates. Adam was sitting at the desk, staring at his computer screen with a small frown. One of the most senior members of the Wolf Brotherhood, he looked almost out of place behind the massive monitor.

  “Sir?”

  “What is it?” Adam’s voice was rough, his throat all sand and gravel. “I thought I told you to stick with that bitch!”

  “She left. With the Fed.”

  “What? Where did they go?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Adam looked up, his frown deepening as his eyes narrowed. “What do you mean you don’t know? Why didn’t you follow them?”

  “I…”

  “I told you to stick with her,” Adam growled.

  Braxton shrank back, a shiver of fear rolling down his spine. “I don’t have a car.”

  “Well that’s just great. Now we know fuck-all about where she’s been hiding, what she knows, or what she’s already told the feds.” He shook his head. “This is why I don’t like loose ends. Did you at least overhear anything?”

  “Yes. They’re going to see her sister.”

  “Her sister? I meant anything helpful, you idiot.”

  “Her sister is with Seth Longtail.”

  Adam’s face changed slightly. He didn’t exactly smile but his frown wasn’t quite so severe. “Longtail, you say. They’re going now?”

  “Yes.”

  “The Longtails are still up in Washington,” Adam said to himself, then lapsed into a long silence. Braxton waited patiently, remaining perfectly still and silent while his boss worked through his thoughts. “The Fed is a Longtail, too, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I don’t think any of this is a coincidence. We should have killed that girl when we had the chance.” He tapped his fingers against the desk and then nodded. “I want you to take Chuck and head on up to Yakima. Don’t stop searching until you find both of those Simpson bitches and bring them back here.”

  “The Longtails might not let them go without a fight,” Braxton said, a little uneasily. He’d already crossed paths with Seth Longtail and lived to tell about it. He didn’t want to press his luck with a second meeting.

  “Then give them a fight. We should have wiped them all out when we had the chance, anyway.”

  “Then maybe we should bring Don and Dave with us for reinforcements?”

  Adam waved his hand dismissively. “Take whoever you want. Just get your asses moving.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Now, pup!” Adam roared.

  Braxton jumped and hurried out the door, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. He found Chuck, Don, and Dave sitting at the bar, taking turns making lewd comments at Cynthia and downing beers on the house. None of them wanted to leave their comfortable spots, but when Braxton told them it was on Adam’s orders, they all jumped to their feet with shifty looks, as though they expected their boss heard their bitching and grumbling.

  “Where are we going?” Chuck asked.

  “Yakima.”

  “What the fuck is in Yakima?” Don wanted to know.

  “Loose ends. Let’s get moving.”

  ****

  The butterflies in Sera’s stomach doubled with every passing minute, until it felt like she was going to choke on her own excitement. It was so hard to believe that all of this was really happening. Every time she looked in the mirror, she barely recognized the woman staring back—and that was doubly true today. The woman in the mirror looked so happy, so beautiful, skin and eyes glowing.

  She turned to the side, smoothing her hand over her stomach. For the moment, the baby was sleeping, and the dress laid flat against her skin. She’d gained weight with the pregnancy, but she didn’t feel self-conscious or uneasy about that. The dress itself was very flattering for her full figure, emphasizing her bust with a sweetheart neckline and hiding the bulge of her stomach behind an empire waist and full skirt.

  A sudden, sharp pain low in her belly distracted her from the dress. She nearly doubled over, her breath quickening as she tried to ride out the pain. Probably just a cramp, she thought. Strange pains and moments of discomfort were just a common part of her life now, and she did her best to ignore them and push through without complaint. Still, she couldn’t completely shake her uneasiness. That was the fifth pain like that since that morning, and it was only getting sharper.

  She moved away from the mirror to sit on the edge of the bed and took a long drink of water from her chilled bottle. Stephanie was downstairs, directing the last-minute moves and changes. From outside, she could hear the shouts and laughter of children playing while their parents finished setting everything up. A breeze wafted through the open window, bringing with it the smell of roast pork. They’d buried a whole pig in the ground with hot coals twenty-four hours earlier, and now it was done and ready to be feasted on.

  Of course, there wasn’t just pork. Sera’s eyes had widened and nearly popped out of her head when Stephanie had detailed everything that would be prepared for the bonding ceremony. Chicken and duck, beef heart and liver, pounds of seafood brought in fresh from the coast, a half dozen different types of salads, fresh vegetables, potatoes prepared three ways, and God knows what else. When Sera had ventured to ask what all of this cost, Seth waved away her question with a smile. “You don’t need to worry about that. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

  Feeling a little better after her break, Sera crossed the room to the window and watched a half-dozen pack members run around, setting up chairs, hanging decorations, putting together the final touches. There were two huge wooden structures on either end of the yard. They looked like teepees without the tent. Once the sun went down, both would be lit into massive bonfires. Decorative citronella candles were being lit one by one to keep all the mosquitoes under control during the sunset ceremony, and the round tables were being set and prepared for the feast.

  And all of it, every bit of it, was for her.

  It was so hard to believe that this was her actual, real life and not a dream she was having between one lonely day and the next.

  And yet, she couldn’t quite be happy. She couldn’t quite summon a real smile to her lips. Talking over everything with Stephanie had done nothing to dull the pain and regret she felt over Aiza.

  Another sharp pain drove her to the nearest chair. She winced and sat down, absently rubbing the spot that kept causing her so much trouble. “What’s going on in there, baby? Are you excited about the big night, too?”

  Excited or not, the pain was not abating this time. She tried to reach for her bottle of water, but another sudden, sharp cramp overtook her, and her fingers stiffened, knocking the bottle to the floor.

  She reached for it without thinking, and another cramp nearly made her double over. She gasped for breath, trying to remember the Lamaze exercises from her the class, but the pain overwhelmed her. She couldn’t think, couldn’t catch her breath, and couldn’t even shout for help as the waves rolled through her, growing more intense by the second.

  It felt like an eternity passed before the pain faded enough for her to think. She abandoned the bottle of water on the floor and began searching for her phone. She finally caught sight of it on the other side of the room, sitting on the corner of the nightstand. With a low groan, she forced herself to her feet—a necessary motion, but it proved to be a very bad idea as another tsunami of pain ripped through her.

  With a groan, she forced herself to take a step and then another. It felt like she was walking through thick qui
cksand, like the floor itself was grasping at her ankles and holding her in place. It was then she felt something thick and warm flowing down her thighs. Fear stabbed through her and she closed her eyes, trying to focus, trying not to lose herself completely to pain and panic. When she opened her eyes again, there was a drop of blood on the floor between her feet. That drop was quickly joined by another and then another.

  She shuffled the remaining distance, reaching blindly for the phone. Seth’s number was at the top of her contact list. She automatically called him first, but the phone rang with no answer until the voicemail picked up.

  “It’s me. There’s something wrong. I need help.” She hung up the call and blindly stabbed at the next number on the list. The phone rang twice before Stephanie answered.

  “Hey, what do you need?”

  “Help,” Sera croaked out. The blood no longer came in drops. “I’m bleeding.”

  “What? I’ll be right there! Jackie! Call an ambulance!”

  “Where’s...Seth?” Sera gasped out.

  “I’ll get him. Don’t worry about that. Don’t move. There’s an ambulance on its way.”

  “Hurry,” Sera mumbled before the phone fell from her fingers. She didn’t try to pick it up. Her knees buckled and she leaned heavily to the side, bracing herself against the mattress. Unable to stay on her feet for another second, she sank to her knees. At that point, she must have blacked out, because the next thing she was aware of was Stephanie’s voice.

  “Go find Seth. He’s not answering his phone. Where’s that ambulance?”

  “I can hear the sirens!” someone called out.

  “Go down and meet them. Sera? Sera can you hear me?”

  “It hurts,” Sera moaned. “Where’s Seth?”

  “He’s coming,” Stephanie promised. “He’ll be here any second.”

  “There’s...there’s something wrong…” Sera sobbed from another sharp pain. “I need Seth.”

  “He’ll be here. He’ll be—”

  “Okay, everybody, clear out.”

  Sera barely noticed the arrival of the EMTs. She sensed the flurry of activity around her; she felt them take her pulse and heard one of them say her name, but it was all happening very far away from her, and she couldn’t even register it. They lifted her onto a stretcher, holding her to it as a cramp wracked her body with agony. When she came back to herself, they were already outside of the cabin, hurrying towards the ambulance.

  “Where am I going?” she gasped out. “Where are you taking me? Seth? Stephanie?”

  “Can I ride with her?”

  The EMTs lifted Sera into the ambulance and Stephanie climbed in after her, taking Sera’s hand in hers.

  “Where’s Seth?” Sera mumbled.

  “He’ll meet us there.”

  That was the last thing Sera heard before she slipped away from the pain and into the welcoming darkness.

  ****

  Aiza and Noah pulled into the packed driveway just as the ambulance pulled away. Aiza was reaching for the door before the car had even stopped moving, but Noah put a hand on her arm, holding her in place.

  “Sit tight while I find out what’s going on.”

  “But—”

  “Please, Aiza.”

  She nodded, sinking back into the seat. He gave her a small smile and then jumped out of the car, hurrying across the yard to the nearest person, a woman who looked about the same age as Noah and had the same coloring in her hair and eyes. They only spoke for a few moments. Aiza noticed the woman pointing at the ambulance down the road, and then Noah hurried back to the car.

  “It’s Sera. They’re taking her to the hospital. It might be the baby.”

  Aiza’s eyes widened. “Baby? Sera’s pregnant?”

  “Yes.” Noah put the car in reverse and flew down the driveway back to the narrow road. Aiza braced herself as he stepped on the accelerator, racing to catch up with the ambulance.

  “What happened? Did she fall? Did somebody hurt her?”

  Noah shook his head. “Nobody knows what happened. She was bleeding and cramping. That’s all Jess knew.”

  “Oh my God. Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening!”

  “I’m sure everything’s going to be fine.”

  “No you’re not,” Aiza shot back. “You can’t possibly know that everything’s going to be fine. She could be...what if something happens to her...I never even had the chance to apologize.”

  Noah’s only answer was to push harder on the gas pedal, closing the distance between them and the ambulance. The nearest hospital was almost thirty miles away, and Aiza passed every mile in greater agony, her heart sick and strained with fear for her baby sister. Pregnant. How could she be pregnant?

  The wolf she’d been with must have been the father. Most of the events of that terrible night were gone from her memory, but she did recall fighting that man and trying to kill him. He had fought hard, and though Aiza was strong, the man had been stronger—and yet, he hadn’t killed her. Of course, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t kill her if he saw her again. Hopefully, Noah wouldn’t let that happen.

  The sudden ringing from his phone pulled Aiza from her thoughts, her heart inexplicably jumping to her throat. He punched the Bluetooth button on his dash. “Seth, where are you?”

  Seth’s voice filled the cabin, flowing from the stereo speakers. “I have a flat tire, about ten miles from the cabin.”

  “Have you talked to anybody?”

  “No, I’m in a dead spot. This is the first call I could get through.”

  “Where are you? I’ll be right there.”

  Seth named the location and Noah promised to be there within five minutes. Aiza silently watched him drive, noting the thin compression of his lips and the white-knuckled grip on the wheel. The ambulance was out of sight, and she couldn’t hear the sirens either. Go to the hospital. Send somebody else to get him. Who cares about this guy? My sister is in danger.

  Noah pushed the accelerator, eyes narrowed against the sun. He took a sharp right turn and then another left, and nerves crawled through Aiza’s stomach and up her throat. Each second was an eternity, increasing the certainty that she would never see her sister; that she was too late, and this stupid detour would only prolong the inevitable. Her nerves turned to sharp, undeniable fear when the car and man finally came into sight.

  “Oh my God,” she gasped.

  “What?”

  “That’s him.”

  “Who?”

  “The one with Sera. The one I nearly....I tried to...I attacked him.”

  “That’s...don’t worry about that.”

  He pulled to a stop behind Seth’s car and hopped out of the vehicle. She heard Seth say something about the proper tools, but Noah shook his head and took Seth by the elbow, leading him to the car. The good-natured smile disappeared from Seth’s face, and a storm gathered between the creases of his brow.

  “How long ago?” Aiza heard his question distinctly.

  “Just a few minutes before you called me. Come on.” He opened the back door and helped Seth inside. Aiza sank lower in her seat, trying to obscure her features. Not that he was paying any attention to her. His anxiety was palpable, and as soon as Noah slid behind the wheel, he had a thousand questions. But Noah had no answers. Except for the last one.

  “Who’s this?” Seth finally asked.

  “This is Aiza Simpson,” Noah said.

  “What?”

  “Now don’t get angry, Seth.”

  “Don’t get angry? I have every right to get angry. She tried to kill us. She tried to kill Sera. And you bring her here? What the fuck were you thinking?” Seth’s voice got louder with each syllable, the final question coming out as a roar. Aiza automatically flinched away, trying to make herself smaller against the door, eyes darting back and forth from Noah to Seth.

  “She’s under my protection, Seth, and she’s cooperating in the investigation against the Wolf Brotherhood. She’s not any danger to you or to
Sera.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because I know her, Seth. Far better than you do.”

  “She faked her own death and tried to murder her own sister,” Seth said harshly. “I know enough. You can’t trust her.”

  Aiza winced and swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. Of course he would see her this way. He didn’t know any better and had no reason to believe that she was truly a different person. His reaction was perfectly normal and perfectly expected, and it was probably exactly what she should expect from Sera, too.

  Oh God, Sera.

  “I trust her,” Noah said, his voice as even and calm as before, a sharp contrast to Seth’s anger. “She was under the power of her maker wolf, and she wasn’t acting on her own wishes. She was violated, Seth, and now she’s helping me stop the wolves who hurt her.” He glanced up, meeting Seth’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “The wolves who hurt us.”

  “Why did you bring her here?” Seth’s voice was calmer but he was far from placated.

  “I made her a deal. She wanted to see her sister.”

  “But today, Noah? Of all days? Did Sera see her? Is that why—”

  “No. The ambulance was already leaving as we arrived.”

  “What’s today?” Aiza asked softly.

  “Our wedding day.”

  “Oh.” Aiza’s head was spinning with the news. Sera was pregnant. Sera was getting married. Sera was starting a new life with a man who clearly loved her. Why had Noah agreed to bring Aiza on that day of all days? And why did she think she had any right to disrupt her sister’s life after everything she put Sera through?

  Nobody spoke again until they reached the hospital. Seth jumped out of the car almost before it stopped moving, racing through the double doors of the emergency room.

  “Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” Aiza muttered.

  “I think Sera needs her family.”

  “She has her family. Her new family. And she’s probably much better off with them.”

  “Yeah, but they’re not blood. You know, Seth told me nobody came for her. Not her parents or her brother. Not even any friends.”