by Roxie Ray
“I caught your scent, too, even with the tea. You’ve been keeping a close eye on her?” Jury winked at me. “Couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
Eros didn’t want to sit there talking about how we’d failed at protecting Harley.
“Calm down,” Maverick said. I heard the weight of his dragon, Zephyr, and I knew Eros felt it. They were using their alpha power to calm us.
Eros fought against it. We were betas at the moment, under Mav’s jurisdiction and a vow that obligated us to his leadership.
It took five deep breaths for me to get Eros to hold himself in check. “She’s still at work. She’s safe.”
They both nodded. “She is. And we will help you protect her. She’ll stay here with Ava and I while she’s not at work. And we’ll get Mom to stay with her Nana.”
Enough. She is our mate. We must protect her.
He was right. It was time to stop running. This wasn’t a problem that I’d brought on her. We were fairly sure it had nothing to do with me. Okay. My hang-ups didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but keeping her safe. The only way to do that was to be with her constantly.
“No,” I declared. “That won’t be necessary.”
Maverick and Jury raised their eyebrows at the same time, making their kinship obvious. “What do you mean?” Maverick had a knowing look about his lips that I didn’t need to see.
“It means… I’m done running from my mate.”
Without another word, I stalked off the porch and to my truck. I’d wait across the street from the nail salon and then follow her home. Except this time, I wouldn’t be leaving. I’d sleep in my truck. Whatever it took to keep her safe until I could get her to stay with me permanently.
9
Harley
Saturdays were the busiest day of the week at the salon. We had so many appointments booked that walk-ins would have to wait. Every chair was busy for most of the day. Even Laura was supposed to be there. She opened and supposedly did all the opening list, but I highly doubted she’d done anything more than unlock the front door. When I walked in, the lobby was full, and someone was already at my station. I hurried into the back room and dropped off my stuff.
Every eye in the salon was on me as I walked out of the back. “Hello,” I said. Looking around the room, all my coworkers had huge grins on their faces. “What’s going on?” Except Laura. She glared at me, but then she had a serious case of RBF and glared most of the time.
I walked across the room to my station and first client. It was Ava, to my delight. “Hey, friend.”
When I pulled out my chair, I realized a white bag and a cup of coffee sat in the space I’d need to do Ava’s nails. “Did you bring me breakfast?”
Ava’s eyes were wide and far too amused. “Nope. Not me.”
I opened the bag to find my favorite donut from the coffee shop, covered in cinnamon and powdered sugar. “Then who?”
“Your boy toy.” Laura’s acid voice drifted across the room.
I whipped my head around to look at her. “Who?” I knew she most likely meant Stefan, but I wasn’t about to let on that I did. I pulled the donut out, wondering if it was safe to eat. I wasn’t sure it was Stefan at all.
“It was Stefan,” Ava said, putting me out of my misery.
I dropped the donut into the bag. “Why?” What would possess him to bring me breakfast out of the blue like this?
Not only that, how did he know my order? I couldn’t begin to imagine what had come over him, but I wasn’t looking gift coffee in the mouth. I set the bag to the side but took a long drink of the coffee. It was still hot! He was a sneaky, confusing man.
“Do you have any idea why?” I asked Ava and grabbed her hand to get started.
She shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t.”
The way she moved her gaze to her hands and didn’t elaborate made me think she knew more than she let on, but, how could she? Maverick was friends with Stefan, but guys didn’t talk about stuff like that.
We moved on to talking about our girls’ weekend, which we still planned to do. The more time passed, the bigger Charlotte got, the harder it would be to get away. When I finished her nails, I took a second before my next customer to enjoy the donut in the back room. When I pulled it out this time, I realized the bottom of the bag had a white napkin. I grabbed it to blot my mouth, but it wasn’t a napkin. It was a piece of paper. If I hadn’t needed a napkin, I never would’ve seen the note.
Unfolding it, I sighed when I saw Stefan’s signature. It was from him.
I didn’t want my heart to fill with hope, but the damn thing did. I still hadn’t been able to get Stefan out of my mind, no matter how harshly I told myself there was zero reason to dwell on him.
Sucking in a deep breath, I read the note.
Harley,
Please consider this a peace offering. I’ve been a total dick to you, but I’d like for us to be friends. You can call or text me if you’d like, but I would understand if you don’t want to.
I hope you will.
Stefan
He left a phone number at the bottom. I sat in the back room for far too long, debating whether or not I wanted to put his phone number in my phone. When I heard Laura call my name, I knew I had to go back out and take my next client. Putting his number in my phone didn’t mean I had to contact him, so it wasn’t making a decision to add him as a contact.
So, I did. Then, I folded the note and stuck it in my purse. Not because I was being sentimental about it. I just wanted to save it and show it to Ava and Charlotte.
That was the only reason.
After dropping my phone and the note in my purse, I went back out to my station to continue my day. I’d finally stopped worrying about Tyler. Maverick hadn’t ever gotten back to me, and I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him. Maybe I’d gotten paranoid about the coffee date I had with him. He hadn’t contacted me again, so I put him out of my mind. I had plenty to worry about without borrowing trouble.
Since the day was so booked, Laura had scheduled us in half shifts so that all the employees had an opportunity to work a busy day. Normally, I’d be working until at least five, but got off a little after one.
When I walked out of the back door to my car, I had to stop. Tyler leaned against it. I’d just decided not to think about him anymore, and here he was. I inched backward, toward the door into the salon before he looked up and saw me.
“Hello, Harley. It’s good to see you again.”
Freezing, I plastered a smile on my face as he walked forward.
I reached back and tugged on the door handle, but it had an automatic lock. Reaching into my purse, I searched for my keys, but they must’ve fallen to the bottom. My fingers wrapped around my phone as Tyler walked closer.
“Come have lunch with me,” he said. He smiled but it was more of a baring of teeth. “We can go to the little sandwich shop across the street.”
I nodded. Refusing him scared me. If I tried to run around to the front of the building, he might chase and catch me. “Sure, let me just let my other lunch plans know I won’t be able to make it.”
When I pushed the button on my phone, the screen opened to Stefan’s number. I hit send. It was faster than trying to look for Maverick’s or Ava’s. He answered on the second ring.
“Hey,” I said cheerily, hoping Tyler would think I was talking to a girl. “I was supposed to meet Ava for lunch today, and my friend Tyler just turned up unexpectedly in town.” I winked at him as I said his name. If he thought I was compliant and didn’t have any suspicions about him, he might not act on whatever it was about him that creeped me out so badly.
“What are you talking about?” Stefan said. His voice was low and angry. He almost sounded deadly.
“I appreciate it! Let Ava know for me?” I made a kissy sound and hung up before Stefan could say anything else. I wasn’t sure that my volume wasn’t turned up too loud that Tyler would be able to hear, but hopefully I was far enough away.
We walk
ed around the building. When he stopped at the corner of the sidewalk to let a car drive by, I looked back at the salon. Of course, nobody was coming out the door I could flag down. We’d been slammed all day with people filing in and out, yet now I got nothing and nobody to help me.
Damn. At least he was okay with us sitting down somewhere public.
We went into the deli and sat right down. He ordered something, but I was too nervous to look at the menu, so I smiled at the server. “Sounds great. I’ll have that, too.”
She walked away, leaving me staring at Tyler, pressed into the back of my seat as hard as I could go. “What brought you back to see me?” I asked. Keeping my voice light and masking the fear wasn’t easy.
I had to keep my hands in my lap, clasped tight to keep from fidgeting.
“You just wouldn’t go out of my mind,” he said. “I had to come back and try one more time to impress you with my conversational skills.”
It was a comment that required a laugh, and I obliged, but my fake, nervous laugh was a little too high pitched and loud. I was afraid he caught on that I was terrified of him, but he just chuckled and sipped his water.
“Tell me more about your childhood. What was your father like?” He put his cup down and focused on me with a laser intensity that made me want to squirm.
“I don’t remember much about him,” I said. “He died when I was very young.” He hadn’t died, of course, but I didn’t want to tell Tyler anything real about me.
“Oh? That’s terrible.” Even though his face reflected a sympathetic expression, something in his eyes said he either didn’t care or knew I was lying. “Do you remember him?”
I’d never met my father. “A little. He had dark hair and a kind smile.” If I could make up a story, I might as well have made up the father, too. “I remember how much I loved him.”
Tyler’s smile froze and he stiffened. Looking over my shoulder, he scooted his chair back a few inches but didn’t stand.
“Harley.” Stefan’s voice washed over me, relaxing me in an instant. My anxiety quieted, and I took in the first deep breath since the moment I walked out of the back of the salon and saw Tyler standing by my car.
Standing, I whirled and smiled at Stefan. Maverick stood right behind him. Everyone else in the diner was oblivious to the fact that I’d been scared out of my mind and that my knight in shining flannel shirt had just come in to save me. Again. Just like he had with Micah. I was developing something of a pattern. I needed to stop it.
“Hey,” I whispered and smiled at Mav over Stefan’s shoulder. “Thanks for coming.”
Stefan grabbed my hands and pulled me closer to him, looking me up and down. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
I shook my head, but Stefan cupped my cheek and looked deep into my eyes as if he was reading my mind. “We were just about to eat,” I whispered. “Our food hasn’t even come yet. You got here so fast.”
He didn’t move his hand, and I desperately didn’t want him to. “Maverick and I were together, in the woods behind his house. We would’ve been here sooner if we hadn’t had to run back in the house.” He glared at Tyler, who still hadn’t moved.
I nodded; his hand still warm against my cheek. “It’s okay. Nothing happened.”
Something about him didn’t come off to me as a twenty-two-year-old. He seemed far more mature than anyone at that age. Jury and Maddox were very close to his age, and they still felt like boys.
He cupped my other cheek, framing my face. “Can you step outside for a minute? Feel free to get in my truck or wait for me outside the door. But Maverick and I want to have a talk with your friend here.”
I knew what that meant. The same thing it had meant last time with Micah. They may or may not rough him up a bit, but either way, they’d make sure he stayed far away from me.
As much as I didn’t want to pull away from his warm, comforting hands, I wanted him and Maverick to do whatever it was that they did to make Micah leave me alone. I’d passed him in the market the other day, and he’d ducked his head and pretended he hadn’t seen me at all.
Which was awesome.
So, I squeezed Stefan’s hands and pulled them away from my face. “I’ll be in your truck,” I whispered. I had to look at Tyler again when I turned to grab my purse, but I just shot him a nasty look. He wasn’t worth saying anything to. Damn creeper.
When I looked at Stefan again, he smiled at me. I didn’t think he’d ever smiled at me before.
Holy shit. He was even hotter than I’d ever seen him. His smile brought out dimples and tiny lines at the corner of his eyes that had nothing to do with age.
Damn him for being so sexy.
10
Stefan
I could’ve watched Harley’s curvy hips sway all night. But I had a rogue dragon to deal with, so I turned and faced the cocky asshole. He had a smirk on his face that I itched to knock off.
“I’m the Alpha of Black Claw,” Maverick said. “State your name and business here.”
The smirk disappeared from Tyler’s face, and he sat up.
“And why you’re sniffing around Harley,” I added, glowering at him.
He must be punished for causing our mate stress.
“I’m not here to cause trouble.” Tyler threw up his hands. “I’m just doing my job. My name is Tyler Cross.”
“ID,” Maverick demanded.
Tyler pulled it out of his wallet and handed it to Maverick. Mav made some notes on a little pad while I glowered at Tyler and settled into the seat Harley vacated.
“And that job is?” I asked as soon as Maverick finished his notes. He didn’t sit but stayed standing beside the table. I didn’t mind. It made him more intimidating.
“I’m a PI.” He put his hands on the table as if keeping them where we could see them would give us a sense of security. “I was hired to investigate Harley Addison.”
Kill him.
Ignoring my bloodthirsty dragon, I leaned forward. “When and by whom?” A growl stuck in my throat, but I couldn’t help it. Eros was angrier than I’d ever felt him.
Tyler pulled back and put his hands up again. “I can’t reveal my clients.”
I leaned forward, trying to convince myself not to lunge at the man. Maverick put his hand on my shoulder which helped tremendously. I knew his dragon, Zephyr, was communicating with Eros to help calm him, too.
“All I can tell you is they’re related to Harley. They want to know how she is, and this was the way they came up with to do it.” He lowered his eyes in supplication, showing his respect for the alpha.
Maverick leaned in and Zephyr laid it on thick. I felt the power even sitting slightly behind him. He made me want to get up and leave the deli. “Your business in Black Claw is over. Leave now and do not return. Report to your employer that his business is concluded as well. Harley is off limits and under the protection of Maverick Kingston, the Alpha of Black Claw.”
Tyler nodded and stood as Maverick pulled back. Tyler pulled out his wallet and laid a twenty on the table. He looked from Maverick to me. “What about you? Is Harley under your protection as well?”
I let Eros have his head and smoke drifted from my nostrils. My smile felt sadistic, and I hoped it looked that way. “Come near Harley again and find out.”
Tyler nodded. “I get it. I’ll go. But I will say this. My client is determined to know more about Harley. I don’t think he’ll give up so easily.” As I followed him out of the deli, I couldn’t help but wonder who in Harley’s past could want to know her so much they’d send a private investigator. I had a lot of questions myself, but the only way to figure them out was to get closer to Harley. Something I was still torn about, but I had to do. I couldn’t let her be in danger.
When Tyler walked out with me right on his heels, we found Harley on the bench right beside the door. He turned and opened his mouth as if to say something to her. Eros snarled, and the sound came out of my mouth before I could stop it. Tyler and Harley both turned to loo
k at me, Harley in surprise and Tyler with a knowing look on his face.
“I get it now,” he said. “Don’t worry. I got the picture.” Instead of speaking to her, he just sent her a nod and walked to a nondescript brown car.
Harley waited until he was well down Main Street before turning to me. “Are you okay? What happened? What did he want?”
“Tyler won’t bother you again, but we do need to talk.”
Worry flashed across her face, and I couldn’t help but put my hand on her face the way I had inside. Feeling her soft cheek against my palm evoked all sorts of protective feelings. And affection. I really should’ve pulled my hand away.
Eros practically purred inside me. He was thrilled with this new turn of events, even though he was angry that she might be in danger.
“It’s okay.” I tried to reassure her. “You’re not in any danger. But we need to try to figure out who sent him to investigate you.”
Her face turned from worried to shocked. “Investigate?”
Maverick cleared his throat. I let my hands lower from Harley’s face. “He’s a private investigator,” Mav said. “But he wouldn’t tell us who hired him.”
Harley looked from me to Maverick. “I don’t understand. I’m not someone to be investigated. I don’t have a past or, or...” She was at a loss.
“I know.” I took her hand. “Do you have time to talk?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Maybe we can figure it out.” Harley looked back at the deli. “Do you want to eat? I’m starving.”
I chuckled, unable to take my eyes off of her. “I’d love to.”
As she turned to walk back inside, Maverick reached in and held the door open. She stopped and waited for us to enter. I glanced at Mav as I walked past him. “Thank you,” I muttered.
“You got this,” he said. “I’m going to the station to dig up what I can on Tyler. We got his plates and last name.”