“Hello, Travis,” she said quietly.
He watched in amazement as she showed the base of her neck in a tilt, her level of submission apparent. Travis didn't answer for a moment, just stared at her. Bret knew what the other man saw—the bruises littering her face. Anger turned his Alpha’s eyes black.
“Let's get inside.”
Sidestepping the stairs, Travis led the way into the club, which made sense as his small apartment would probably bust at the seams with just the two men and their size alone.
Once at the bar, Travis turned and leaned against the counter, folding his arms across his thick chest. Bret turned on the lights and watched Nikki fidget next to him and felt his bear pace across the back of his mind. His bear, like him, didn't like the fear they could smell from her, and his Alpha was causing it.
“Calm down, Bret,” Travis ordered, seemingly aware of his aggravation. “Nikki knows I mean her no harm, don't you, Nikki?”
Nikki looked at him for a moment and then nodded. Bret felt her fear begin to fade and relaxed slightly.
“Why didn't you come to me?” Travis asked quietly.
Bret heard Nikki swallow hard beside him, and Travis shot him a warning look before turning his dark gaze back to Nikki. She met his eyes. “It was my mess, my problem and…”
Travis shook his head and lowered his arms as he stared down at her.
“Nikki, you were a part of my pack years ago. That hasn't changed. Now,” he said, a glint in his eyes, “why didn't you come to me?”
Bret watched her. He had been able to smell the lie from her as well, and he had a feeling she wouldn't have told him what kind of trouble she was in, besides the obvious.
At least his Alpha was getting somewhere. His attitude toward Nikki spoke of a familiarity that Bret himself didn't have, and again, that spark of jealousy was there, but he buried it.
Travis shot him a quick look.
Damn, the man saw too much, Bret thought.
His Alpha was head over heels for his wife, so he knew the jealousy was uncalled for.
“He killed my brother,” Nikki whispered as she wrapped her arms around her waist and stared down at the floor.
The truth rolled over her, and Bret froze. They all did. Sam and Vanessa gasped, and Travis’s dark eyes hardened as he stiffened.
“What?” he growled.
Nikki took a deep breath and lifted her gaze, looking around at the four of them.
Thankfully, Travis hadn't brought the whole pack, but he wouldn't have. The rest were guarding the main house and his daughter.
“After we were married, Edward changed.” Nikki shook her head. “No, that's not true. My brother, Adam, warned me. H-he s-said Edward was dangerous, that he was involved in the drug trade, and I didn't believe him. A-Adam tried to get me out, and E-Edward k-killed him…in front of me. The f-fire… H-he said h-he would do the same to a-anyone else I c-cared about. I couldn't r-risk it.”
Stuttering to a stop, a tear fell. “I-I couldn't risk it,” she repeated softly, her arms tightening around her waist.
Silence, the thickest kind, the deadliest, fell among the small group, the bar completely silent.
Bret saw Sam start to move, and Travis stilled her with one look. She glared at her brother but stayed where she was.
“You know what we are, Nikki. One of the few humans who do. We could have protected you.”
A gulp followed another tear as she shook her head. “I couldn't risk it.”
Travis sighed. “A moot point now. Grab your things. You're coming to the house until we get to the bottom of this.”
Nikki stiffened, and that tiny spark of life, of a strong woman trying to break free past the shell, that tiny flame Bret had witnessed in his apartment, flared to life as she glared at him.
“No.”
One word and everyone froze. Travis’s eyes narrowed.
“Excuse me?”
“I'm not part of your pack, Travis. You can't order me around, and if I'm not mistaken, you have a wife now, a baby, a family. I won't put them or you in danger.”
Travis’s mouth tightened, and Bret stiffened as he saw the fine hairs on his Alpha’s face lengthen, the skin tightening with his anger. Vanessa made her presence known for the first time as she took a step and put her slender hand on her husband’s tense arm.
“Chill,” she said softly.
Travis turned and glared at her but then relaxed slightly, along with everyone else.
The words left his mouth before he knew what he was going to say. “She can stay here,” he said, shocking everyone.
Travis turned toward him, but Bret continued before the other man could say anything.
“I need a bookkeeper. She won't feel like a burden, and I can protect her while you investigate her husband. But I want him,” he finished quietly, his message clear.
He locked eyes with Travis, and a silent communication passed between them. Travis relaxed further and raised a brow.
“Are you sure?”
The others were frowning, but then realization lit their eyes, all but Nikki’s, whose nose was still crinkled in confusion.
“Sure about what?” she demanded.
Bret nodded. He didn't understand his feelings. He couldn't put them into words, and at the moment, he wasn't going to try. But it was there, and now his Alpha knew it.
Travis looked at him for a moment more before nodding and turning back to Nikki’s frowning face.
“If you left, would he follow and kill you?” Travis asked, ignoring her question.
Nikki knew better than to lie and didn't even bother to try. Her silence spoke for itself.
He nodded toward Bret, keeping his eyes on her. “Will you stay with Bret while I deal with this?”
Nikki hesitated, and Bret held his breath. She had been right about one thing. She wasn't part of the pack and didn't have to obey any orders. If she left, it would make his job harder, but he was going to keep his vow.
No one would hurt her again.
Nikki looked around at the small group, hesitant of what they asked of her, what they asked of themselves, whether they realized it or not. They asked her to trust them, trust that they would help her. She hadn't trusted anyone in years, and the fear was unlike any she had experienced in her twenty-six years.
In the end, it was the look in Bret’s blue eyes that seemed to melt something inside of her, something she couldn’t name.
“Okay,” she said quietly. The fear grew as she met Bret’s gaze. “But I'm warning you. He's a dangerous man. He wants me dead.”
Bret’s eyes darkened with a murderous glint, and he actually smiled, his lips twisted grimly. “Over my dead body. I'm more dangerous, darling. Count on that.”
Before she could say anything to that, Sam walked over to her, her dark eyes misting with tears. “I can’t believe it’s been so long,” she said quietly.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Sam took a deep breath, and she gave her a small smile. “It doesn’t matter now. You’re here and safe.”
With that, Nikki gave a small squeak as Sam pulled her in close, hugging her tightly.
“Let her go, Sam,” Travis said, shaking his head. “You’ll smother the poor girl.”
Sam pulled back, giving her a watery chuckle, and Nikki could breathe easier, but she didn’t mind the show of affection. In truth, she had missed it.
Sam looked over at Bret, and her eyes darkened, showing a hint of her inner wolf. “Protect her, Bret, or I will tear you to pieces.”
No one laughed at the threat.
“With my life,” he returned grimly.
She nodded, satisfied.
Nikki wanted to protest, but before she could, they all left, leaving Nikki and Bret alone in the club.
Silence surrounded them—an awkward silence that Nikki didn’t know how to break.
“So, umm…”
Bret raised an eyebrow and smiled, nodding toward the back door.
“Co
me on. Let's get you some rest. You look like you're about to collapse,” he said.
Nikki felt like she was about to. She followed him back to the small apartment, struggling to keep her eyes open, to put one foot in front of the other.
“First a shower, darling. Then bed.”
Nikki looked down at her blood-stained clothes and winced. It wasn't a pleasant sight. She knew she probably looked like hell, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. If she hadn't wanted to ruin his sheets, she would have collapsed on the bed face first.
After getting her a large, black robe that looked like it was made for a giant, he left her alone in the bedroom. She stood there for a moment, not really seeing anything in front of her. Finally, she sighed and undressed, throwing her clothes in the trash basket in the bathroom.
The hot water felt like heaven, sharp sprays of heat that began to thaw the frozen essence of her soul. She lifted her face toward the shower head, the water hitting her full force.
When the water turned chilly, Nikki turned the knob and stepped out, wrapping the towel around her. After drying off, she slipped on the robe. It was as large as a blanket on her, draping on the floor far past her feet. She rolled the sleeves over four times and hugged the warmth against her skin.
Walking into the bedroom, she looked around, but the bed held her entranced. She didn't remember any more of that night.
If there was one thing Edward hated more than anything, it was a sniveling coward.
He stared at the mussed cop coldly from where the other man stood in front of the large window framing the forest behind him. He had picked the isolated mansion when he had gotten married for just that reason—isolation and the lack of prying eyes. It was the best soundproof method that nature afforded, and it was perfect, especially for what he had planned for the coward in front of him.
He looked at the cop in disgust. The blue uniform was ripped at the shoulder, and dried blood covered one side of his beaten face.
“Let me get this straight,” he said, his calm voice in stark contrast to the rage in his dark eyes as he glared at the man in front of him. “A monster, a huge monster, threw you across the room and then disappeared with my wife? Is that correct?”
The cop fidgeted, shoving his hands in and out of his pockets as he nodded, a jerky motion that repulsed him further.
Why am I fucking surrounded by idiots who couldn't follow one simple fucking order? One woman. That was it, and the fuckers couldn't even do that right!
“Mr. Calhoun, I swear. It was something… I don’t know what, but it was big and growled!”
Edward hated to get his hands dirty, but in this case, he was going to make an exception. He motioned with a slight tilt of his head, and the big shadow in the corner of his office moved, sliding back into the secret passage of the bookcase and disappeared.
Edward leaned back against his chair, his eyes hardening as his hand inched closer to the pistol beneath his desk. Wrapping his fingers around the handle of the cold metal, he took aim. Edward hated failure.
“One woman. One measly woman and you can't even do that?”
Before the man could say another word or turn to run, Edward pulled the trigger, but he didn’t aim for a quick kill. He watched dispassionately as the man screamed and grabbed his side, falling to his knees in the middle of the room.
He put his gun away while watching the idiot wither and scream in pain on the floor, blood soaking into his brown carpet.
Now I’m going to have to replace the carpet, again.
Edward liked to see people in pain, and soaking the bullets in deadly poison did just that. It was a slow and agonizing death as the poison spread through the bloodstream.
Within ten minutes of screams, it was over, and Edward stared over at the body, revulsion twisting his thin lips.
“Fucking moron,” he muttered. Now he had to clean up the asshole’s mess.
He grabbed his cell, and when the person on the other end of the line picked up, he didn't waste any time.
“Come to my office.”
With that, the call ended, and he lost it, cursing as he jumped up and threw his phone across the room, shattering the small device against the wall.
The door of his bookcase opened, and his bodyguard entered, a big man that actually liked the taste of blood. He never spared the body a glance as he looked over at his boss.
“Get rid of the fucking idiot, Stu. Plant the evidence we have on him that we can use to throw the department off, and call Davis.”
The man nodded, and without even a grunt, picked up the body and disappeared again through the tunnel. The big man never talked but followed orders, and that was more than any of the other idiots surrounding him did. He hesitated on sending the man to retrieve his wife.
When it came to death, Stu was a little too eager to see blood, to taste it, and that part sickened Edward. He would hate to have to kill the man if he didn't give Edward the pleasure of watching his wife’s eyes right before he killed her himself. He had plans for her, plans that involved some of his more twisted fantasies, so twisted that no woman would survive, including her. He could just imagine her now, strapped upright to the chains in his basement, her naked skin glistening with sweat and blood.
He grew hard thinking about it and could barely walk as he made his way over to the large window. Staring out into the predawn of a new day, the glass reflected his hard eyes, the lust within, and the smile that curved his thin lips.
Soon, wife. Very soon.
Chapter 6
The next morning, Nikki stared around at the mess Bret called an office, a different kind of horror hitting her.
“You call this organized?” she asked, shocked.
Bret flushed as he stood next to her, his blue eyes scanning the room as well. “I've been busy!”
The flush of his brown face took her by surprise, and she relaxed a little more.
She raised an eyebrow. “Busy.” Shaking her head, she sighed and prepared to roll up her sleeves and get to work.
She noticed an ancient-looking computer sitting on the gleaming desk, the only thing that wasn't covered in dust, and groaned. “You have got to be kidding me!”
“What?” Bret followed her gaze and frowned. “What's wrong?”
She looked over at him in astonishment and pointed to the box sitting on the desk. “Wrong? How old is that thing?”
Bret flushed again and shrugged. “I don't know. It was given to me.”
“By who, Salvation Army?” she asked sarcastically.
Bret chuckled, not seeming to be phased at all by the sarcastic remark and her attitude. Walking over to the desk, he opened the drawer and rummaged around before pulling out a pad and pen.
“Here. Make a list of what you'll need, and I'll have it by lunch.”
Grumbling beneath her breath, she took the pad and pen and quickly made a list without looking around further. He probably didn't have anything of what she needed, and a twenty-first century computer was at the top of the list. After five minutes, she handed him the list.
He scanned the paper. Nodding, he turned to leave and then stopped, looking over at her. “You're safe here, Nikki.” Heart pounding, they stared at each other, their gazes locked.
How did he do that? How did he know the fear hasn't left me yet?
She nodded and watched as he left, closing the door behind him.
Alone, she stood there for a moment, lost in thought.
Snapped out of it by the voices coming from the club, the cleaning crew he had warned her about, she literally rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She decided to tackle the tower of papers in the corner on top of the filing cabinet first.
A knock came to the door, and she looked up just as Bret entered, a box in his hands.
“Wow. That was fast.”
Putting the box down on the now spotless desk, he barked out a laugh. “Fast? Darling, it's after one.”
“What?” Shocked, she glanced at the wall clock ha
nging above the door and, sure enough, it was after one.
“Time for lunch. The rest of the order will be here after three, so that gives you time to relax and eat.”
She started to shake her head, but he ignored her and nodded. “Yup. There’s a good cafe about two blocks from here. They serve awesome steaks.”
Nikki started to protest and say she wasn't hungry when the growl erupted into the room, startling her.
Seconds passed, and her prayer that he hadn't heard it went unanswered as Bret roared with laughter. She flushed and stood up.
“I guess I could eat.”
“You guess?” Bret gasped, still laughing.
“Oh, shut up.”
She started to walk around the desk but then froze as she thought of leaving the safety of the office, the safety of the invisible cloak that had hidden her from view and prying eyes. The fear wouldn't leave her as the world faded, leaving the door open to anything that might hurt her.
“I take that back. I'm not really hungry after all.”
Bret met her eyes, and his chuckle was immediately choked in mid amusement.
Understanding flashed in his eyes.
“I'll order in. No worries, darling, but you will eat, away from the desk.”
With that, he grabbed his cell out of his pocket and made a quick call. Hanging up, he motioned to her, a small smile on his face. “Thankfully, I can still have my steak. I know the owner. She’ll deliver for me. I ordered you something too. Was that okay?”
Spying the insecurity in his eyes melted something inside of her, and any fear she had of him vanished.
“Yes, that's fine,” she said quietly as the first real smile she had felt in years curved her lips. It stretched into a grin as she heard his sigh of relief.
“Good. We’ll eat upstairs if that's okay.”
She nodded as they made their way up the back stairs and into the apartment.
He made her sit at the table in the corner as he got glasses and silverware from the kitchen.
“I can help.”
He shook his head as he put everything on the table. “No need. It's done.”
Bear's Shadow (Vendetta Series Book 2) Page 5