She quickly filled a bag with clothes for her and mom. As she was leaving, she sent Nax a message, knowing he’d worry about her if she wasn’t home in time. And wasn’t that a novel experience? Having someone worry about her.
Got to go back to office.
She moved quickly back to her car, hopped in, and headed to the office. When she reached it a message buzzed in.
Why are you going back to the office?
She climbed out of the car and headed to the office. The light was on in Pete’s office and the outer door was unlocked.
Client wants to see me.
She stepped inside and someone grabbed her around the throat.
“Drop the phone.”
18
Fear slithered through her. She tightened her hold on the phone. Her lifeline to Nax.
Her heart raced as something cold pressed against her temple.
“Let the phone go, bitch. Or I blow your brains out.”
Okay. Okay. Shit. She forced her fingers open. The phone dropped to the floor with a clang.
The arm around her throat didn’t loosen and her breath came in sharp gasps. The man pulled her back with him, towards Pete’s office. She knew it wasn’t Pete. This guy was far taller than her, and strong. And he smelled like sandalwood and smoke. It was nice. Pete smelt like sickly aftershave.
“Who-who are you? What do you want? I have some money, it’s in my purse.”
Which she’d also dropped on the floor.
“Shut up.”
He suddenly let her go, shoving her through the door and into Pete’s office. She slammed to her hands and knees, the shock of it holding her immobile for a moment. Then she glanced up and gasped at the sight before her. It was Pete. But not like she remembered him. This Pete was wearing ripped and dirty clothes. His hair was unkempt. His face was bruised, eyes swollen nearly shut, his nose at a right angle with dried blood on his lip and chin. More blood on his ripped shirt.
He was sitting on one of the chairs, his wrists tied to the arms of the chair, his feet tied to the legs.
“Pete!”
He mumbled something, his head at an angle. Someone else made a muffled noise and she looked over to find Alice lying on the floor, her arms and legs were bound and there was a gag in her mouth.
“You will have to excuse our friend here,” another voice said. She turned her head. How she had missed him she wasn’t sure. She guessed she’d been too focused on Pete and Alice.
A man in his early forties stepped forward. He had dark hair, trimmed short. His suit was well-cut, obviously cost a lot of money. He screamed money from his head to his toes.
It also screamed danger.
“Hello, Crista, is it?”
She nodded and looked behind her. There was the man who had grabbed her as she walked in the door. She was right. He was huge. Not as big as Nax, but his size and the gun he carried were enough to deter her from running. She wasn’t going to get far.
She turned back to the well-dressed man. “Yes. Who are you?”
“I’m Mr. Jones.”
Right. Sure he was.
“What do you want?”
“Straight to the point. I like that. What I want, Crista, is what your boss here owes me.”
She frowned. “What’s that?”
“Well, Pete here has a bit of a bad habit. He’s hooked on Eco.”
Eco? Shit. It was a relatively new drug. Highly addictive, but it didn’t fuck you up as much as some drugs did. Taken in small doses, apparently it worked liked an upper. But small doses often became bigger and bigger doses until before you knew it you couldn’t go a few hours without a hit.
“How much does he owe you?”
“Three.”
Three? “Three thousand?” she asked.
“Three hundred thousand. But it climbs each day. Interest is a bitch, you know.”
Yeah, she bet.
“I don’t have that sort of money.”
“Of course not.” He looked her up and down with a sneer. “But Pete here has been telling us about this treasure he knows of.”
“Treasure?” Was he insane?
“Yes, lots and lots of pretty gold bars. And apparently, they are hidden in a house that you sold. On Elm Street.”
That’s why he wanted access to Nax’s house? Because some gold was hidden there?
“There’s no gold there. That’s absurd.”
“Really? I hope not. For your sake.”
She swallowed heavily.
“You’re the one who wanted to buy the house?”
“Why would I want a house there when I have an apartment in Manhattan?”
She frowned, confused. “But he had a buyer for the house…”
“Oh, I believe that would be one of the thieves who stole the gold in the first place. We’ve been to talk to him.”
Talk? Why did she not believe that?
“His aunt owned that house. Ben had help to steal the gold, then he decided to be greedy and keep it all. So he hid the gold in his aunt’s house and set about getting rid of his pesky partners.”
Meaning he’d killed them?
The man sighed. “Then the stupid bastard got arrested and sent away. He figured leaving it at his aunt’s house was the safest place for it. Until he got out and realized that she’d sold her house. He knew Pete here from his entrepreneurial days. Came to him, told him he’d give him a share from the gold if he’d help him get it back. So Pete thought the easiest way was to buy back the house. Only your clients weren’t selling. Then Ben tried to break in, but that didn’t work either. He’s not too bright.”
“So where do you come into this?” If this Ben was the one who’d stolen the gold, then how did this guy come to know about it?
“I got a little impatient, waiting for Pete to pay me what he owed. Pete thought it might be best that he leave town. I don’t like when people try to run. So I chased him down and when I caught up with Pete, he told me about how he planned to steal the gold to pay me back.”
He smiled down at her. “I decided, why would I only want a share when I can have the whole thing?”
“You really think there is gold?”
“I really do. And I want it. And you’re going to get it for me.”
He was mad. Completely insane.
“How? I don’t even know where it is.” How much gold was he talking about?
“Ben buried it in the basement floor.”
“The basement?”
“Yes, the basement.”
The basement, which had had a concrete floor poured in before the Clackas had even moved in? Fuck. She looked up at the man. Should she tell him that? But if she did, she was pretty certain she was dead.
“Okay. So you want me to go in and get it. I can do that. Will you let Alice go?”
The other woman was almost gray, her eyes wide with fear. She was an innocent in all of this.
“Oh, I think we’ll take her with us too.”
Shit. Shit.
“You’ll wait outside?” Once she got inside, she’d tell Nax what was going on. These guys didn’t stand a chance against him.
“I don’t think so. We’ll be coming in. I’ve had my men watching that house. I know you live there. Along with a number of well-built men.” There was a note of interest in his voice but she wasn’t about to tell him a thing.
“So you’re going to be our way in. We’ll go in, get the gold, and then leave. You could say you’re our safety net.”
In other words they were going to hold a gun on her while they searched for this stupid gold which was likely under four inches of concrete.
Right. Awesome.
Shit.
* * *
Where was she?
Nax paced up and down the hallway. Something was wrong. He could feel it.
“Nax, she’s okay,” Eden called out. “She’s just working late.”
“She is not answering her phone.”
He had called and messaged her sev
eral times. Nothing. This wasn’t like her. She was always checking in with him. He hadn’t realized how much he had needed that until there was silence. How quickly he had gotten used to having her here. Having her come through the door and walk into the garage to tell him she was home. That look on her face. The way she’d smile at him.
She was everything he had dreamed of and never thought he would find. A female who could hold her own with him, who could stand up to him and then submit to him in the bedroom.
There was a sound on the other side of the door and he let out a sigh of relief as he heard the alarm turn off. The door opened and he stepped forward with a frown, ready to scold her when his heart froze. He would have known something was wrong as soon as he saw her face, even if he hadn’t seen the big guy standing behind her.
“Nax,” she said so quietly he almost didn’t hear it. Fear filled her face, making her so pale she looked in danger of passing out. A low growl rumbled out of him and the big guy behind her paused.
“Keep moving, Jacks. Don’t stand there all day.”
Another man moved in behind them. This one, he knew, was the leader. The big guy holding his mate, he was just the follower. But he would die first. Because he could tell he was holding Crista’s arm too tight by the way she kept flinching.
“Let her go,” he growled.
He heard movement behind him, knew that his pack was there. He didn’t turn; he knew they’d be getting the females to safety, knew they would take care of Crista’s mom who was already in bed.
“I’m sorry, I can’t do that. Crista is our safety net. Jacks here has got a gun on her. Make a wrong move, don’t do as I ask, and he’ll have to shoot her. Wouldn’t that be a shame?”
Kill. Kill.
“What do you want?” Ioin asked.
Just as well because Nax had moved beyond talking. No one threatened his mate.
“We’re just after something buried in your basement. As soon as you get it, we’ll go.”
Lies. All lies.
“What is it?” Ioin asked.
“Some gold bars. You’ll have to dig them up. Hope you have some shovels, I didn’t have time to stop at Home Depot.”
“Nax and I can take care of that.”
He read the message hidden in Ioin’s words.
Nax stared at Crista, waited until she saw him then he dropped his eyes quickly to the ground then up. She blinked as though she understood his message and relaxed a little.
“You understand that we’ll want to come with you. Come, Jacks.” The guy moved forward and that was his chance. He leapt at the man holding Crista. “Crista, down.”
She dropped to the floor and he crashed into the other male, both of them crashing to the floor. The gun fired, then slid from the male’s hand. Nax pulled back, punched the male in the face. He groaned, dazed. Ioin threw himself at the leader. It was over in seconds, although Nax wished it would have lasted longer. He would have liked a bit more of a fight, a chance to inflict punishment.
He straddled the male who had dared to touch his mate and punched him. Over and over.
Finally, he became aware of hands pulling him back. He roared his outrage.
Kill. Kill.
“Nax! Nax!” He came to, aware of a small female standing before him. Her face pale. Her eyes wide. Face scared. So scared.
Crista. His mate.
He took a calming breath then another. That red veil of fury dropped away, leaving him feeling drained. Shaken.
“Crista.”
He glanced back to find Tecan and Brogan each had hold of an arm. He looked over to see both the male intruders were unconscious. The male he’d attacked was bloody and worse for wear. Ioin was tying their hands behind their backs.
“Let me go,” he told Tecan and Brogan.
They let him go slowly. He took another breath. “Crista. I’m so—”
She slammed into him, taking him by surprise. He’d expected hysteria. Maybe even anger. Definitely shock. She shook against him, but her arms were tight around him as she clung to him.
“I was so scared. So scared.”
He gently put his arms around her. “Of course you were. But you had to know I would protect you.”
“I didn’t want to bring them here. Didn’t want them to hurt any of you. I didn’t know what to do. So scared.”
He drew her back, looking down at her. “You were worried about me? Us?”
“Yes. I wasn’t sure what to do to keep you all safe.”
He shook her gently. “Never. Understand me? Never. You always come to me. I protect you. Always.”
He looked over at Ioin. “You got them?”
“Yes. You take care of your mate. We will deal with them.”
“There’s m-more men,” Crista told them. “I-in a car outside.”
“Good. We get some action,” Tecan said. “Come on Brogan.”
He looked for Marcun and Sacaren but thought they must have taken their females upstairs. That sounded like a good idea. He swept his mate up into his arms. She gasped but didn’t say anything.
She clung tight as he climbed the stairs. Trembles wracked her body and he tightened his hold on her. She was so fragile. Then she started to talk. “What w-will Ioin do w-with them?”
“You do not want to know.”
He expected her to press. She didn’t.
He nudged open the door to their bedroom and stepped inside.
Crista couldn’t stop herself from shaking. Her stomach still felt ill. Nax could have been shot. She could have lost him. “I should check on mom.”
“I checked on her not long ago,” he informed her. “Before I started pacing the hallway while I waited for you to get home.”
As he settled on the bed and held her on his lap, she tried to pull back so she could look up into his face, but he kept pressing her head against his chest. His wide hand wouldn’t let her move much.
“Um, Nax?”
“Yes?”
“I can’t move.”
“Good. I am thinking of keeping you glued to me until I have calmed down.”
Okay. She got that. She’d been pretty scared herself. Actually, terrified. The only thing that had kept her from falling apart was the knowledge that Nax wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
She trusted him. Fully.
She took a few calming breaths. Her shaking ceased. “I was scared too.” They were silent for a long moment. “How long until you calm down?”
“Probably another five years.”
That sat for a moment then she started giggling. Her giggling turned into hysterical laughter.
“It is not funny.” He finally drew her back, glaring down at her. “That male held a gun on you. He could have hurt you. And you laugh?”
She wiped at her tears. “Sorry. Sorry. I started and couldn’t stop. I-I was just so scared.” To her horror and no doubt his as well, she burst into tears. This time when he drew her close, his touch was gentler. He slightly rocked as he held her, murmuring to her. She couldn’t make out the words, but still found them soothing.
“Sorry. I know you hate tears.”
“I do.” He sighed. “I especially hate when you cry, because it means you are upset about something I have not prevented from affecting you.”
“You can’t keep me safe from everything.”
“I can try,” he growled.
She leaned back and smiled up at him. “You take good care of me.”
“Not that good. You were nearly shot!”
“You were nearly shot too! No one could have foreseen what just happened. I still can’t believe it did happen. It was one of those crazy things that very rarely happens. It won’t happen again.”
His gaze grew cold. “Because you will not be allowed out of the house without me.”
“Um, Nax…” She trailed off as a low rumble of displeasure filled the room. She patted his arm. “Okay, we’ll discuss that later.”
She knew he would calm down. Eventually. And
she’d be able to bring him around. Would be kind of tough to get any houses sold with a big, frowning male breathing down her neck. It would also make shopping for underwear interesting. She smiled to herself.
“I do not know how you can smile.”
She thought about that for a moment. “I guess because I knew you wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”
“You were not going to lead him here,” he reminded her.
“But then I did. Because deep down, I knew you’d take care of the threat.”
He grumbled under his breath. “Next time, you do not hesitate. Not that there better be a next time. My job is to protect you.”
“I promise, next time I won’t hesitate to let you do that.”
He looked at her suspiciously but then he nodded. She leaned into him, just letting the heat of him warm her from the inside out. Then she shot up. “Oh God, I forgot about Pete! And Alice!”
How could she have forgotten them?
“What?”
She remembered then he didn’t know it all. She told him everything that had happened over the last few hours. “We have to get to Pete and Alice, they put them in the trunk of the car. They must have made Alice call me to lure me into the office. She’s got to be terrified.”
She attempted to climb off his lap.
“Stay,” he ordered. He tapped his wrist communicator.
“Nax?” Ioin asked.
“Crista’s boss and his assistant. In the trunk of the car.”
“All right.”
A few minutes later, his watch beeped again.
“Yes?” Nax answered.
“The female is shaken and scared but unharmed. The male is in a bad way. Frankie is calling the police and ambulance. Your mate will need to talk to them.”
Nax pressed something to end the call. He didn’t look happy. She reached up and placed a hand on his face, taking a deep breath in then letting it out. “It’s for the best that they’ve called them.”
“They will want to question you.”
“I know. And I would much rather stay up here and let you reassure me that everything is all right. But I have to do this. Let’s go downstairs and get it over with. Then you can spend the rest of the night holding me tight.”
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