by Jodi Vaughn
As soon as the man entered the building, two guards in the vehicle walked in behind him.
“He’ll be in there a while.” He took a deep breath, debating his next move.
“So shouldn’t we get a closer look?” she whispered.
“Let’s wait a minute. He’s probably waiting on someone else.”
“How do you know?”
“I just have a feeling,” he whispered back.
“So we just wait?” She sighed. “I thought Guardians had exciting jobs. This is kind of boring.” She crossed her arms and stared at him through the dark.
“Yeah. It’s either killing and fighting or waiting and observing. You know, feast or famine.” He shrugged.
The low rumble of a car had him tensing all his muscles. He watched another vehicle pull up to the back of the warehouse. It was an expensive sports car from the looks of it. Two men, dressed in suits and ties, slid out of the vehicle, took a quick glance around the parking lot to make sure they were not being watched, and headed inside the building.
“Now can we go in?” she asked.
“You are so impatient to rush into danger.” He scowled.
“I’m not rushing into danger. I’m rushing into trying to save my career. The quicker we figure out how they are using my cakes and to who they are selling to, the quicker we can stop it.” She sighed.
“Lilliana, I know you want to help. And I know you want to save your career. I really don’t think that your career is going to be harmed. We will bring these guys to justice, and your name will never be brought up. If anything, it will ruin the Natchez Bakery’s rep. I doubt that guy will have a future in the baking business.”
“That’s sad.” She shook her head.
“Don’t feel sorry for him. He’s using you and your cakes.”
“I know. But it’s sad for a human to stoop so low. I can’t help but feel a little sorry for him.’
He pulled her into his arms and looked down at her. “You are amazing, Lilliana Beckway. I’ve never met a female with a bigger heart.”
“Well, don’t get me wrong. If I get in a room alone with Emmett Reece, I will give him a piece of my mind. And maybe a punch in the eye.” She grinned.
“My little fighter. I like it.” He grinned and bent his head. He covered her mouth with his in a gentle kiss. When he forced himself to pull away, he looked down into her glazed eyes.
“No one has ever called me that before,” she purred and tightened her arms around his waist. “I like it.”
“Good. It fits you.” He held her close and looked back at the warehouse.
He needed to get his head right and stop trying to make out with her in the dark.
It was so hard to resist her.
She was his kryptonite.
He finally let her go and focused on what he came there to do. Recon. He waited another good five minutes.
“I don’t think anyone else is coming. You stay here, and I’m going to get closer so I can see what they are doing.”
“How are you going to see anything? There aren’t any windows.” She looked up at him.
“I know. I’m going inside.” He smirked and took off toward the warehouse.
Chapter 25
Lilliana’s mouth dropped when Killian took off toward the warehouse, leaving her alone in the woods.
“He’s crazy if he thinks I’m just staying behind,” she muttered and ran toward the building.
Killian stopped at the first van. He crouched and pulled something out of his jacket and then put his hand underneath the back bumper. He moved to the other van and repeated the action.
She wondered if he was putting some kind of tracker on the vans. He stood and ran to the back door. He slowly opened the door and eased inside. She skidded to a stop and looked around. She didn’t hear any cars coming or see any movement from the shadows. Confident she was alone, she reached for the door and opened it.
She heard faint voices coming from inside. She peeked inside. The hallway was empty. She stepped inside and eased the door behind her so it wouldn’t slam shut.
The inside of the building had a weird scent. She expected it to smell old from being unused. But instead it smelled of cleaning product.
She glanced to her right and her left. She rubbed her hands on her jeans. She had no idea where Killian had gone. She tried to smell his scent, but that cleaning scent hung heavy in the air and covered up any trace he might have left behind.
She grimaced and turned to her left. She slowly made her way down the hallway. The voices were becoming more distinct.
She froze when she heard footsteps headed toward her. She glanced to her right. There was a door. She tried the handle. It gave and she hurried inside and quietly shut the door behind her. She pressed her back up against the wall and held her breath. The voices and footsteps grew louder until they echoed in her ears.
She blinked in the dark, letting her eyes adjust and trying to slow her breathing.
“I told you I need more cakes,” a male voice said angrily. He had no accent, not even Southern. “How can I move more meth with only twenty cakes a day?”
“I told Reece. He said he was already pushing that female baker to just do twenty. He thinks she will refuse any more orders after that. Plus, he told her she could have Saturday and Sunday off,” the second man spoke. His accent was different and sounded more like he was native to the South.
“Saturday and Sunday off? What the hell? It is not up to him to be handing out days off. I’m running a fucking business here not a daycare.” The first man hit his hand against the door. She froze.
She held her breath until her lungs ached.
“I get it, Ringo. I get it. Maybe we need to get a different supplier. I mean, why can’t we just stuff them in some Twinkies?”
“Twinkies? Do you know how many fucking Twinkies we’d have to fill to move all that meth?” Ringo growled. “Plus, we have a method and a system that’s working. I don’t want to fuck that up.”
“Fine. I’ll get Emmett Reece to persuade the girl to make more cakes.” The other man sighed.
She took a small breath and cringed. She could tell by scent they were smoking. She hated cigarette smoke.
Footsteps fell hard on the hallway until she couldn’t hear them anymore. She placed her hand on her stomach and calmed her racing heart.
She slowly opened the door and peered out.
“Shit.” She covered her mouth and glared at Killian standing in the doorway. He pushed her back inside and shut the door.
“What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay put,” he whispered loudly.
“I know. But I couldn’t let you go in by yourself.” She shrugged. “Besides, I found out some information.”
“What?”
“They are wanting me to make more cakes and not have the weekends off. I get the feeling from these guys that refusing is not an option.” She tried to search his face in the dark. “Did you find out anything?”
“I overheard two of the hired guns that they are shipping the cakes to Memphis. I knew that city had drug problems, but I had no idea that Mississippi was responsible for shipping it to them.” Killian forked his fingers through his hair. “Barrett is not going to be happy about this shit.”
“Nor is Jack Welbourn. As Pack Master of Mississippi, it’s not going to look good on him,” Lillian said in the dark.
“I need to find out where in Memphis they are taking the drugs. We know that Natchez Bakery is producing it. And now I need to make sure I find and take out who the buyer is.”
“Take out? That doesn’t sound very Guardian-like. Aren’t you suppose to bring them before a Tribunal or something?” She cocked her head.
Killian didn’t reply, and suddenly the energy in the room shifted slightly.
“Killian?” She reached out to touch him, but he grabbed her hand.
“We need to get out of here. I wish I could drop you off at Monmouth, but I have to follow the vehicles to Me
mphis.”
“I don’t want to be dropped off. I want to come with you.”
“And when your cakes aren’t delivered tomorrow?”
“It won’t matter. We’ll have them by then. Besides, I’m never making another delivery to Natchez Bakery again.”
Chapter 26
Killian opened the door and peered outside. He sniffed the air. The human scent was faint. Good. The men had at least left the hallway.
He held Lilliana’s hand and pulled her behind him down the hallway. His ears perked up, alert for any sounds of approaching footsteps.
He didn’t like putting her in danger like this. But he had set a course to follow, and he couldn’t deviate now. Barrett was depending on him, and he wasn’t going to let his Pack Master down.
He smelled the danger before he saw it. His gut clenched. He stilled.
“What is it?” Lilliana whispered a little too loudly.
“What are you two doing here?” A large man with a beard and an assault rifle stepped out from the shadows of a doorway. He aimed the gun right at them.
“We were just looking for a place to party, ya know.” Killian gave him a relaxed grin and hoped like hell the man bought the act.
The man narrowed his eyes and looked between him and Lilliana.
“You come all the way out here to party?” His scowl deepened.
“Just be cool, man. Don’t be all uptight.” Killian laughed and pulled Lilliana into his chest. “Just looking for a quiet place for me and my woman.”
Lilliana stiffened under his not-so-respectful term but said nothing.
“Allen, what’s the hold up?” Another man stepped out of the door. He stopped short when he saw Killian and Lilliana. His eyes narrowed.
It was the same guy that drove up in the sports car.
“Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my place of business?” He put his hand in his jacket and pulled out a 9mm pistol.
Killian knew a bullet, other than a silver one, wouldn’t kill them. But it would hurt like a mother fucker, and he really wasn’t in the mood to deal with a gunshot wound.
“We had no idea this was a private business. We thought it was abandoned. No one’s had a business here for…”
“Years.” Lilliana filled in his sentence.
“You’re lying. People that lie to me get shot.” The sports car guy aimed the gun at Killian.
“Well, fuck. It’s going to be like that.” Killian lost the smile and shoved Lilliana behind him. He lunged for the man. A gunshot rang through the narrow hallway. He felt the bullet whiz past his face as he landed on the guy and knocked him to the ground.
Lilliana screamed.
“Killian?” Her voice was different. Off.
He turned.
Lilliana was lying on the ground, her face pale. She held her hand over her heart.
Terror soaked into his bones. He rushed to her side and knelt.
“Let me see,” he said gently. He moved her hand out of the way. He heard the two men retreating down the hallway. He didn’t know if they were coming back or if they were gone for good. He did know that he had to get them both out of there in case they came back.
Blood seeped through her shirt. He lifted the hem to see the wound. She winced as he moved her arm out of the way.
“Sorry, sweetheart. I need to see.”
“I know.” She sucked in a gasp and closed her eyes.
His gaze landed on the small entrance wound above her heart. He swallowed and breathed a sigh of relief.
“The good news is that it didn’t hit your heart. The bad news is I need to get you out of here before those assholes come back.” He looked into her eyes. “Think you can stand?”
“Yeah.” She held her breath as Killian helped her to her feet. He listened for approaching footsteps.
“We have to go.” He swung her up in his arms and hurried down the hallway in the opposite direction the men had taken off to. He needed to get her somewhere safe before he took those assholes down for good.
He took a left at the end of the corridor. He heard men yelling orders somewhere behind them.
“Hold on, baby.” He tried his best to cradle her into his chest and not bump her around as he ran.
“I can take the pain.”
No doubt she could endure the pain. He just didn’t want her to.
He turned down another hallway, putting them farther and farther away from the voices.
He made a right and spotted the door leading out.
“Finally,” he whispered and slowed when he reached the door. He tossed one last look over his shoulder before opening the door and hauling ass out into the night.
Chapter 27
Lilliana gritted her teeth against the pain in her chest. She was shocked at how fast Killian could run with her in his arms.
She knew the bullet wasn’t silver since she couldn’t feel the poison seeping into her body. But it still hurt like hell anyway.
Killian stopped when he approached his Harley. He gently set her down.
“Can you hold on?” He lifted her up and placed her on the bike.
“I think so.” She nodded.
“I need you to do this, Lilliana. Okay?” He eased onto the bike and started the engine.
Voices and men came running out of the building. They were scanning the area and carrying guns.
She tightened her arms around Killian’s waist as he peeled out of the tree line. He sped past the men as they shot at them.
She pressed her head against his back and squeezed her eyes shut. The sound of bullets had a way of making her forget her pain.
Killian increased speed once on the main road. He placed one hand over hers and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
She needed to get the bullet out so her body could heal quickly.
She laced her fingers through Killian’s hand. For someone who looked so badass, he certainly was gentle.
She strained her ears, listening for the sound of car engines roaring to catch up with them.
All she heard was the growl of the Harley and the blowing wind as they raced into the night.
She relaxed a little. Pain bit into her chest. She winced and tried to force the pain away.
“Hold on, Lilliana. We will be back to Monmouth in just a little while.”
She nodded against his back and tried to concentrate on anything other than the white-hot pain shooting through her chest.
An eternity later they were pulling into the driveway at Monmouth.
The lights were all off in the mansion and the place was quiet.
Killian drove to her cabin and killed the engine. She tried to get off the bike, but all her energy had suddenly left her body.
“Wait. Let me help.” Killian secured the kickstand and eased off the Harley Davidson first. He eased her leg over and helped her off before once again sweeping her up into his strong arms.
“You don’t have to carry me. I can walk, you know.”
“I’d rather carry you.” He hurried to the front door.
“I have the key.” She dug into her jeans pocket and produced a key. He held her to the door so she could put it in the doorknob.
She opened the door.
He strode into the dark room and carefully laid her on the bed.
“I’m going to bleed on my comforter,” she groused.
“I’ll buy you a new one.” He countered. He locked the door and went to the bathroom. When he came out, he was carrying some towels and a small first aid kit she kept in the medicine cabinet.
He laid the supplies on the bed and sat. “I need to get these clothes off first.” He reached for her jacket.
“You’re always trying to undress me,” she teased.
He chortled. “You’re not wrong.” Sadness crept into his eyes as he removed her jacket. He reached for her shirt. She lifted her hand to his cheek.
“It’s okay. Do what you have to. I can take it.” She nodded and raised her arms.
Kil
lian quickly pulled her shirt off and tossed the blood-stained garment on the floor.
She gritted her teeth and eased back on the bed. She watched as Killian studied the wound before picking up some tweezers. He lifted his gaze to her. “I have to dig out the bullet.”
“I know.” She nodded.
He looked around the room. “Do you have some alcohol or something?”
“I have some wine, but I don’t think that’s going to disinfect the wound.”
He got up and went to the kitchenette. He opened the cabinet above the little sink and pulled out a bottle of red.
“It’s not for disinfecting. It’s for the pain.” He found a corkscrew in the drawer and quickly opened the bottle. He poured a liberal amount into a glass.
He walked over to her and shoved the glass in her hand. “Drink it. All of it.”
She winced. “I usually like to savor my nice bottle of Bordeaux. But since this is an emergency, I’ll do what the doctor ordered.”
She lifted the tumbler to her lips and drank. The tannins of the wine made her wince as she continued to swallow.
When her glass was empty, she shivered and handed the glass back to Killian. “Wine was not made to be sucked down like that. It’s almost abusive to the alcohol.’
He grinned. “I’ll buy you another bottle when you’re healed. How’s that sound?”
“Sounds wonderful.” She sighed as the warming effects of the alcohol seeped into her body.
“This is going to hurt. I’ll try to be as quick as I can.” Killian’s expression twisted in worry and pain.
“I trust you.” She gave him an encouraging smile. She did. She trusted him with all her being.
And unfortunately, she trusted him with her heart.
Chapter 28
Killian kept his focus as he worked on retrieving the bullet lodged in Lilliana’s chest. The blood was making it hard to find the tiny metal object. He held his breath as he finally grabbed the bullet and pulled it out.