Veiled Target

Veilers - 1

Robin Bielman

Dedication

To my husband, for being my biggest fan and supporter, and for always knowing the perfect things to say. I love you, honey!

A few special thanks to my awesome editor, Holly Atkinson, the great team at Samhain and to wonderful friends Marilyn Brant, Caryn Caldwell and Jennifer Haymore, who each helped me along the way.

Chapter One

Tess Damon had no intention of telling the man holding the gun to her head what she was capable of. If he believed he had the upper hand, maybe she’d get out of this alive.

She silently fought the knots in her stomach and gripped the leather safety straps hanging in the open lift gate of the small, private business jet. As she struggled to keep her footing against the howling gale-force wind, shivers raced up and down her body. The frigid temperature stole precious air from her lungs. Her eyes watered and her ears ached. Pressure from the gun barrel hurt right in that tension headache spot above her eye.

Her first time flying in an aircraft that combined the comfort of a Cessna with the functionality of a sky-diving plane wasn’t exactly working in her favor.

“When we started this date, I’d no idea of your true intentions,” shouted the sharp-toothed businessman over the painful air currents. “You were wrong to think I’d be easy to get rid of.”

Tess let a practiced smile slip over her lips. She might be wrong about a lot of things, but eliminating the vampire who’d killed dozens of innocent people using weapons—with delay and torment—because he hated to get his fangs or hands dirty, wasn’t one of them.

So despite the nerves humming underneath her skin, she wouldn’t plead her case. Instead, she forced her heavy eyelids up and stared into the depths of night-fallen sky, grateful she’d planned ahead. As long as the pilot remained in the cockpit, it was just her and the vamp back here. This wasn’t over yet.

“I could say the same to you.”

“Taken to flying, have you?” His callous tone didn’t bother her. She’d jumped out of plenty of planes. Albeit with a parachute in place, but she pushed that worry aside.

She was an expert at pushing emotions aside.

“My talents are quite varied. It might benefit you to keep that in mind.” Despite her confident words, her body shook. She used every ounce of strength to keep her legs from buckling.

“I like a woman who’s sure of herself,” he hollered, his jet-black hair blowing off his pale face. “Perhaps you’d like to reconsider the job I offered yesterday and we can forget about this little indiscretion. I could use someone with your keen sense of deception.”

She swallowed the bitter taste in the back of her throat. “As nice an offer as that was, I’m afraid I’m not interested.”

“I see the job as your only chance for survival.”

Now he’d blown it. He could take those words and shove them up his well-dressed ass. Who the hell did he think he was? Sure, she shouldn’t be in this position, but the creep had slipped something into her cocktail. After a few sips, she’d figured it out and popped her own pill to counter the lethargic effects. Unfortunately, it hadn’t worked quickly enough.

“Really?” she said, forcing the word out with slow determination. “Why on earth would you say such a thing?”

Laughter spewed from his mouth. “You forget who’s holding the gun.”

“How could I forget that? Why don’t you put it down so we can talk about this?” Her shoulders and arms burned as the muscles grew unresponsive. She couldn’t hold on much longer and really preferred he drop his arm before she dropped hers.

“As interested as I am to know who sent you to kill me, I don’t think that’s a very good idea.” He jammed the gun against her temple, harder this time.

A sharp sting shot through her head. Tess knew the only reason she was still alive was because he wanted the name of whoever had ratted him out.

“Put the gun down. I promise I’ll talk.” Lies fell from her lips easier than truths.

“A question first: have you ever failed before?”

Well, crap. Who said he could bring up the F word? She tried to mask her discomfort and decided to sling her own uncomfortable question. “I never kiss and tell. But I’m wondering how your organization will feel when I tell them what you’ve been up to.”

Before he could answer, the plane jolted, a patch of turbulence giving her just the edge she needed to take over the situation. When their bodies bumped, she spun on her heels and flung every ounce of her one-hundred-and-twenty-pound frame against the vampire’s chest. The surprise contact sent them both backwards, away from the open door.

The gun fell out of the vampire’s hand and slid from Tess’s view. She took the opportunity to leap down the narrow aisle toward her seat. The elegant wood trim and cabinetry of the middle interior was a far cry from the skydiver’s launch pad behind her. As she searched for her belongings, the vampire’s cold hand wrapped around her ankle and tugged her toward the floor.

She twisted and, before falling, landed the heel of her other foot in his neck. He let go and she back-peddled out of his grasp.

“This is not how I anticipated the evening going.” He pierced her with his mineral-gray eyes.

“You and me both.” She caught her breath, taking the few seconds to compose herself. Then, reaching one arm behind her, she stretched her fingers in search of the bag she’d hooked underneath the seat. Bingo.

“Although, I must admit, I find this great sport. You’re a worthy adversary, and I’m sorry you won’t be around to continue the relationship.” His eyes darted to the handgun, now visible a few feet away.

Tess smirked. If he’d only acted like a real vampire, he wouldn’t be in this situation. “You’re wrong about that.”

In the next instant, she pulled a carved koa wood blade from her bag, jumped to her feet, and thrust the tip into the vampire’s chest. His eyes widened just before his body slumped to the floor.

Relief spread through her, slowing the rushed beats of her heart. She’d lost track of how many kills she’d made, but every one still felt like the first.

A moment later, the plane dipped, another jolt of agitated air reminding her she still had work to do. The vampire flying the plane also required elimination.

She walked down the narrow aisle toward the cockpit door. With a delicate hand, she tried the handle. It didn’t budge. Shit. The pilot probably expected the vampire to knock. Tess made a fist, but before her hand reached the door, a voice sounded over an intercom.

“You’re out of luck, bitch. I’m taking the plane down with you on the other side of that door.”

She felt the pilot’s eyes on her and let out a restless sigh. “Did I not prove anything to you back here?” she half-shouted. She looked around for a hidden camera while she hustled back to retrieve her purse.

“You proved my boss incompetent. I’m another story. And quite thirsty, should you manage to get up close and personal.”

Tess rolled her eyes. She pulled a small metal nail file from her bag and wiggled it inside the keyhole. She’d never been very good at picking locks. And with her fingers chilled to the bone, this one was even more difficult.

The plane started its descent and her ears plugged. Her stomach flip-flopped. Dammit. If she didn’t get suited up to jump now, she’d lose her window of opportunity. She didn’t know how many vamps waited on the ground for her, but guessed the odds weren’t in her favor.

She dressed quickly, ran down the aisle, and leaped out the open lift gate.

As her body hit the air, she whooped, releasing the uneasiness shredding her insides. The black sky swallowed her. Her shadow, cast by a full moon, kept her company and brought a smile to her face. The freefall rush lasted until the lights of civilization came into closer view, and she tugged on the chute.

She set foot back in the City of Angels—at least she thought it was somewhere in the city, her lucky ass having landed in a deserted industrial area surrounded by chain link fence—and winced. The reality of another botched job hit her with unwelcome force. Would Christian let her off as easy as he had the last time?

Gathering the parachute, she surveyed the abandoned area. She rid her body of the harness and goggles and threw the equipment into a nearby dumpster. The pebbled ground kicked up dust, and the stench of rotten eggs, combined with something fishy, invaded her nostrils as she headed toward the fence. Picking up her pace, she jumped over the barrier and took the deserted sidewalk in the direction of traffic noise and city lights.

Up ahead, cars whisked by. In this area of Los Angeles, she didn’t know the likelihood of finding a taxi, but she could always use her cell phone to call for pickup. Or walk.

And keep walking.

That way she wouldn’t have to deal with her boss.

Her decision was made for her when she rounded a street corner and found a long, white stretch limousine sitting curbside. She recognized the license plate, gulped and forced her shoulders back. How the hell? As much as she wanted to run in the opposite direction, she couldn’t. She reached the front end of the luxury vehicle as the back door opened.

She clutched her bag against her chest as if it were a shield, and ducked into the limousine. She took the seat for a backwards ride, gathered every ounce of her practiced charm and plastered a fake smile across her face. “Hey, boss. What brings you here?”

“You, unfortunately.” Christian brought a glass filled with gold liquid to his mouth and took a slow sip, all the while keeping his eyes trained on her. The movement of the limo did nothing to interrupt his smooth swallow.

“Me? You know I would have been in to see you first thing in the morning.” Maybe. Probably.

“Really? Considering your failure this evening, I’m not so sure.” The ice clinked in his glass as he lowered the tumbler to his lap.

The man never blinked. He just stared—winning the contest every time. Tess looked away. “How’d you find me?” And I didn’t fail entirely.

“I’ve been tracking you.”

“You’ve got me bugged?” Crap. What else did he know that she thought she’d kept hidden?

“After the fiasco last month, I thought you might need some backup.” His words stung. Deep. She did not need backup. Not now. Not ever.

As an eliminator for Private Investigations and Elimination, or P.I.E.—the clandestine government-sanctioned organization that investigated and removed dangerous non-humans, or Veilers—Tess always worked alone.

“I don’t need backup. The thing last month was a fluke. I’m the best eliminator you’ve got and you bug me?” She’d discover where the hell he’d placed it before night’s end.

With a blank expression, he raised his hand to silence her. “I will not have your failures ruin the impeccable reputation of P.I.E.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’ve got one last chance. One. Last. Chance. If you are unsuccessful, your services will no longer be required.”

Her nose twitched. She couldn’t help it. She hated that he made her nervous. He’d made threats like that before with other eliminators, but she never thought he’d do it with her.

“Here’s the information on your newest target.”

Tess caught the folder he tossed and opened it without a word. Anything she might say would only hurt her more. She’d survived on her fearless live-for-the-chase mentality for a long time, but she shivered, realizing the man who had saved her from delinquency when she was sixteen now threatened her life.

A wolfen. Finally. She’d hoped for an opportunity to get close to this species of shifter for years. A quick glance at the dossier told her the target was a pilot and lived in L.A. There was a name—Hugh Langston—but no picture.

“The information we’ve got is sketchy, and our client would like a detailed report on his business and personal dealings before he’s eliminated.”

No problem. She enjoyed putting her PI skills to work. “Got it.”

Lifting her head, she met Christian’s unflinching death-ray stare. “Last chance,” he reminded her.

As if she’d forget. His veiled threat didn’t mean she’d be fired. It meant she’d be eliminated. And she couldn’t die. Not yet, anyway.

She had something to do first. For the past five years she’d been searching for the wolfen responsible for her fiancé’s death. Just before he’d died, she’d vowed to find the beast. No way in hell would she leave this earth before settling that score.

“Consider it done.”

Hugh Langston exited the chopper, thinking if he didn’t get his ass on an airplane and to the Canadian Rockies soon, there was a good chance he’d lose his edge. His night vision didn’t normally play tricks on him, but tonight his weary eyes had almost mistaken a mountain lion for a hiker. Good thing he planned to leave for a long overdue vacation in a couple of days.

Police Lieutenant Andrews came around the helicopter and delivered a firm handshake. “Thanks, Hugh. As usual, your help was invaluable.”

“No problem. I just hope the kid makes it,” he said, releasing the officer’s hand. Lately, it seemed not a week went by where Hugh wasn’t helping to rescue a hiker, rock climber or lost mountain biker. September’s warm evening temperatures lured too many novices out at night.

“Thanks to you, he’s got a chance. I don’t know how you spot them, but we’re glad you do. I don’t think he would’ve lasted much longer on the side of that mountain.”

They walked side by side toward the hangar and office, and Hugh thanked his lucky stars he’d eventually spotted the young guy. The mountain rescue team on the ground never would have gotten a visual. “Say, how’s your son doing?”

“He’s good. Promises me he’ll carry a compass from now on.”

“That’s a wise idea.”

“My wife hopes he won’t venture out again. I say he’s got to. When you fall down, you get right back up. Otherwise you’re giving in to your fears.”

Hugh squeezed his eyes shut. He pushed back the human-sentient part of himself that could hear the Lieutenant’s true feelings. Most days, Hugh didn’t have to keep that skill at bay. He’d mastered hiding it, preferring to be as human as possible. But he was tired, and the policeman’s fear of losing his son flashed like a beacon.

“I’ll second that. Take care.” Hugh continued into the hangar while the lieutenant made his way to a waiting patrol car.

The bright office lights made him squint as he passed the empty reception area. He slapped the closed office door to his left, and then turned right into his private, orderly workspace. He sat behind his mahogany desk and took a moment to stretch his legs before beginning his post-flight paperwork.

“How’s the hero?” Gavin asked, taking a seat in one of the two leather armchairs on the other side of the desk.

“Tired. In need of a fucking vacation.”

He and Gavin Rhoades were partners in Langston Aviation, the helicopter company Hugh had started on his own a decade ago. Gavin had joined five years ago to boost onshore charter services for business clients. His excellent communication skills—charm, if you asked him—kept the company much busier than Hugh’s offshore and emergency response flights.

“So go now. I can handle things here. There’s nothing scheduled the next few days I can’t take care of on my own.” Gavin crossed his arms and looked at Hugh with a smirk and gleam in his eye that said, “I dare you.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Yeah. We both know what that means.” He shifted in his seat as doubt crossed his face. “So those animal instincts of yours worked again, huh? Damn. I wish I knew how you did it.”

Sometimes I wish I could tell you. “It’s the wolf in me,” he offered, the truth right there, yet hidden.

“I thought you looked a little scruffier lately.” Gavin put a hand on his own unshaven jaw line. “Seriously, though, if you want to leave sooner for Canada, just say the word.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” Hugh’s cell phone rang, the number on the display warranting privacy. “I’ve got to grab this. You mind?”

Gavin stood and headed out of the office. “Now that you’re back, I’m going home. See you tomorrow.”

Hugh brought the cell to his ear, a low growl escaping his mouth. Running Langston Aviation was only one of his jobs. He led his pack 24/7. “What’s up?”

“Hugh, it’s Dane. Sorry to bother you so late, but it’s important.”

“I’m listening.” So well in fact, that he could decipher the bar Dane was sitting in from the sound of the bartender’s raspy voice in the background.

“Trey was supposed to meet a few of us a couple hours ago and never showed up. He also failed to make an appearance earlier today for the meeting you left him in charge of.”

Hugh ran a hand through his hair, remembering yesterday’s conversation with Trey. Indications he was in trouble or shirking his duties hadn’t been present while they’d shared a beer. The kid took his apprenticeship seriously.

There had to be an explanation. “No one’s heard a word?” he asked.

“No. But there have been rumblings of the Wolf Seekers stirring up trouble again. They’re blaming us for another casualty we had nothing to do with.”

He knew that. So did Trey. Maybe he went snooping around on his own. Which meant he could be in trouble. Shit. Hugh never doubted his decision to appoint Trey second in command with the goal that he would eventually take over. Still, the young, energetic wolfen didn’t always make the smartest decisions.

“I agree something must be up then, but Trey can take care of himself. Let me know of any new developments.”

“Sure. If you want, I can take over his duties for the time being.” He sounded a little too eager for Hugh’s liking. No one took over for Trey.

“Not necessary. Goodnight.”

Hugh threw his phone onto the desk, where it landed with a thud. Trey could take care of himself. He had control over his shifting, had superior senses and instincts. His intelligence didn’t always dictate his actions, but as long as there wasn’t a leggy brunette giving him the eye, he’d be fine.

So much for an early escape. No way in hell could he leave town now. Not until he knew Trey was safe. And in charge of the Night Runners.

Something big was brewing. Hugh could feel it. The Wolf Seekers were less cautious than normal, more intimidating. Secrecy no longer seemed important, and that could mean trouble for humans as well as Veilers.

He fisted his hands. There was no possible way a Night Runner had committed an act against a Seeker without his knowledge. Nothing happened without his approval. Regardless of the Wolf Seekers’ agenda, Hugh didn’t order harm unless absolutely necessary.

Which meant there might be a third party involved. Was Trey digging into something on his own? Hoping to prove his value without any guidance? Hell. If anything happened to the young shifter, Hugh would never forgive himself. He hadn’t saved his older brother and he’d be damned if he let harm come to Trey.

He pushed up from his chair and paced back and forth, his steps leaving footprints in the Persian rug. Trey had mentioned a woman’s name—a blind date tomorrow night. Hugh had tuned out of the conversation when talk turned to women, but now he wanted to kick himself. Maybe she knew something.

If Trey didn’t turn up, Hugh would meet her instead. He’d follow every lead, no matter how small or insignificant. If only he could remember her goddamn name. Tina…Tracy…Tess.

Her name was Tess.

Chapter Two

Tess wished she were back at Angeles National Park, bungee jumping off the Bridge to Nowhere. The adrenaline rush from four jumps earlier in the day had worn off—the mind-freeing high had disappeared. And now she was confronted with this.

“I can’t believe you set me up on a blind date without asking.” Tess looked herself up and down in the full-length bedroom mirror, not sure Kensie’s recommendation to wear a skimpy dress was a good idea. She wasn’t shy about her body, but would be much more comfortable in jeans.

“You look hot,” Francesca said, entering the bedroom holding three bottles of beer. She handed one to Kensie and then Tess.

Easy for her to say. At five foot eight with perfect curves and wavy auburn hair, Francesca oozed hotness.

“I was just thinking about changing into—”

“I’d like to make a toast.” Francesca raised her bottle. “To Tess. May this date be the first of many.”

“Hear, hear,” Kensie seconded, clinking her bottle against the others. Her lilting Aussie accent made Tess smile and she resigned herself to being anxious.

Still, she drank down the twelve ounces without taking a breath. When finished, she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “How about another?”

Francesca pointed at her with a disapproving look, a tsk-tsk smirk crossing her know-it-all face. “Don’t do that on your date, Miss Manners. A guy doesn’t want a drinking buddy, he wants a lady.”

Kensie took Tess’s empty bottle and squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried. I’m thirsty.”

“Jason’s been gone for five years,” Kensie continued. “It’s time you tested the waters again.”

A lump the size of a potato grew in her throat, but she tried to hide it. “I’ve been out with plenty of guys.”

“To jump off cliffs with, not date. Those are two entirely different things and you know it.” Kensie had her there.

“Thanks to you two, I don’t have much choice, do I?” She looked at her two closest friends in the world—her family—and her stiff posture slackened. Slightly. One wrong move and the dress might do something she didn’t want it to.

“You’ll thank us later,” Francesca said. “Trey is sexy as hell, smart and he’s got a wicked sense of humor.”

He sounds too good to be true, she thought, her body perking up at the description. Bad body. “So why aren’t you dating him?”

“He’s our bar buddy. We couldn’t date a mate,” Kensie said.

“Plus he’s pretty busy himself. We had to coax him into going out with you.” Francesca winced as soon as the words left her mouth. “I think I hear the phone ringing.”

Tess caught her arm before she could move away. “Hold on there, pal. I’m meeting a guy who doesn’t want to meet me? That’s great. Now I’m a charity case. Did you describe me as eloquently as you did him?”

“Of course,” Kensie answered, putting her arms around their shoulders and steering them to the side of the bed. Their butts landed on the faded cream-colored down comforter. “And it wasn’t at all difficult to persuade him after we sang your praises.”

“He needs to blow off some steam. You need to blow off some steam. We thought the two of you might enjoy doing it together,” Francesca said.

Tess wouldn’t admit it out loud, but going on a date after so long did hold some appeal. She missed being intimate with someone. Missed having a warm body to cuddle up to. Missed kissing. She’d thrown herself into extreme sports after Jason’s death to numb the pain, to leave her little time for thinking or feeling, to distract her from the heartache. But now loneliness crept into her psyche, reminding her she was alone. And more and more, she feared she wouldn’t be able to keep her promise to him. After five years of secretly investigating, she doubted she’d find his killer.

The thought made her madder than hell.

Maybe a night out would help. Make her forget about her job and her promise. Away from work and extreme sports, she might feel like a normal girl.

She bounded up from the bed and took one more look at herself before heading out the door. “Guess I’ll see you guys later.”

“Or maybe not. Have fun!” Francesca called.

“I slipped a couple frangers in your purse!” Kensie added, a schoolgirl giggle following.

Great. Tess had condoms in her purse. In thirty minutes, she’d be sitting in a bar across from a total stranger thinking about a possible sex connection if nothing else.

She kept the speedometer of her BMW to the posted miles per hour—not an easy task, but she already had one too many speeding tickets—and drove around the block a few times to check out the restaurant before parking. When she entered the bar, she noted the burgundy walls, dark wood furnishings and oversized chairs. A low hum filled the airspace. A few heads turned her way.

One booth remained available at the far side of the room, so she grabbed it. She scooted along the leather upholstered bench seat and decided to order a drink while she waited. Her mouth was dry, her throat parched. And her deodorant was not living up to its promise.

I can jump out of an airplane, no problem, but I can’t meet a guy without sweating. Freaking get over it. “Whatever you’ve got on tap please,” she said to the ponytailed waitress who stopped by the table.

A glance at her cell told her her date was late. She drummed her fingers on the polished wood table deciding if he didn’t show, she’d eat and drink, watch the people around her, then leave. Go home to an empty bed. No biggie.

So why were nervous tremors ticking at the side of her neck? Why did she shift uncomfortably in her seat?

Because it did matter.

She wanted a date.

Jason had been her first love. They’d met in foster care and instantly bonded. First as friends, then as more. When she’d been recruited by P.I.E. at sixteen, the secrecy of the organization had taken her away from him. But less than a year later, he’d found her surfing the waves of Malibu Beach one foggy Sunday morning. He’d turned eighteen, was on his own and still made her heart skip a beat.

Tess hated keeping her occupation from him, but followed protocol during the next five years they shared together. He believed she was a production assistant, her irregular hours and time away due to film shoots, not missions. When he’d surprised her with a diamond ring and proposal on her twenty-third birthday, pure happiness had engulfed her. And she told him the truth.

One week later, a wolfen killed him.

She stared at the empty space across from her. Pictured the last smile he’d dazzled her with. Good memories hadn’t erased the guilt festering inside her. Blame still wove an intricate path through her soul. She hated herself because even without proof, she knew her job, and his knowing about it, had contributed to his death.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the restaurant door swing wide. A small group of college students in UCLA sweatshirts entered. Her gaze followed them to the bar while she thought wistfully about what it might have been like to attend a university. Study marine biology like she’d always wanted to.

Unsure how long she stared, she panned back to the entrance and spied a ruggedly handsome man with chestnut hair that was more long than short, a strong jaw and a mouth so sinfully appealing she gulped.

She dropped her perusal to his black leather jacket, trim waist and long jean-clad legs. When she looked back up, she found his eyes trained on her. Wow. A shiver raced through her body. The sounds in the bar immediately vanished. All she could hear was the beating of her heart. Was that Trey?

Even if she’d wanted to, she couldn’t look away as he approached. His eyes held hers with commanding authority and she never backed down from a challenge. Forget that their azure color was crystal clear and they held a sort of animal magnetism. If Tess didn’t know better, she’d say he wanted to devour her.

Holy shit.

“You must be Tess,” he said, sliding into the booth across from her. His voice was like dark chocolate and honey. Rich, warm, golden. “I’m…Trey.”

Umm, yeah. But hell if she could make any coherent sound. Instead, she took in his broad shoulders, tousled hair, leather scent. When her gaze met his steely blue one again, he seemed to read her like an open book.

“You are Tess,” he repeated. Not a question. A statement. That totally unsettled her and shook her from the trance he’d somehow cast. She’d never met anyone who knew her before being properly introduced.

“Yes, sorry. Nice to”—she thrust her arm across the table—“meet you.”

His hand enveloped hers and thanks to static electricity, included a shock that made her flinch and whip her arm back. A noise escaped her lips that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. She did not giggle. Not like that.

“The pleasure’s all mine.” He slouched against the back of the booth, the wood panel behind his head separating them from the next table.

Nope. The pleasure was not all his. If the tiny bursts of tingles thrumming through her body didn’t mean pleasure, she didn’t know what did. Scratch that. She knew exactly what did. It had just been a long time since the pleasure wasn’t a result of extreme physical exertion.

She directed her attention to the eatery, privately insisting he was not the best thing she’d ever seen. “Nice place. Do you come here often?” Could she sound more clichéd? She’d been out of the dating world for so long, she had no idea what to talk about.

“Often enough, but I’ve never sat across from such a beautiful woman before.” His eyes searched past her and he waved a hand. The waitress made a beeline to their table.

“What can I get you?” she asked, slightly out of breath.

“I’ve already got a beer coming.” Tess looked at the waitress with raised eyebrows. How long did it take to get a beer? She needed it. Like now. Beautiful? Her? Smooth talker. She didn’t care that it was probably a line.

“Make it two then.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a quirk of a smile that was far too dangerous for her liking.

She kicked off her shoes under the table and slid one leg beneath her bottom. He looked awfully comfortable and for the first time in far too long, Tess forced herself to relax as well. She took a deep breath, hoping he wouldn’t notice the rise and fall of her chest. Blind date jitters were not something she was familiar with. Certainly no man had ever made her feel this restless.

“I would have guessed you a scotch man.” She set her sights back on him and her stomach flipped. Hungry. She was hungry.

“Why don’t we just cut to the chase?” He leaned forward on his arms, hands clasped, the ease of a moment ago gone. There was no hint of playfulness in his expression, not an ounce of affection or desire on his part.

So Tess had no idea what the hell he meant. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. What exactly are you doing here?” He didn’t glare, but the narrowing of his eyes meant serious business.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I’m here on a date you moron. And you’re about to ruin it. Maybe Kensie and Francesca had lured him here under false pretenses? From the look on his face, the last thing he wanted to do was get chummy.

“I need you to spell it out for me.”

“Really? You look like a pretty intelligent guy to me.” This bonehead had obviously never been on a blind date before. Hell, she had never been on one, so who was she to spout the rules? Yet she still knew to be cordial. What had flipped this guy’s switch?

The waitress delivered their beers with a smile and lingered for a moment to gawk—yes, gawk—at her date. Tess cleared her throat to get the woman’s attention. “Thanks.”

The girl came to her senses and mumbled she’d be back to take their dinner order. Right. Tess would be lucky to finish her beer before bolting from Mr. Coulda-Been-One-Night-Wonderful.

Something changed in his demeanor then. His tight jaw relaxed. The intensity in his stare lessened. She heard him take a deep breath as he eased away from the tabletop. His chest remained puffed out; he wasn’t backing down, but retreating some. He’d obviously realized his slightly hostile tactics wouldn’t get him anywhere.

He lifted his beer and took a long, slow drink. When he replaced it on the table, the glass was half full. Tess picked up her drink and matched his swallow, her amber ale leveling off halfway down. While silence passed between them, she was painfully aware of his presence and tried to decide whether to say goodbye or wait to see what his change in attitude would offer.

She settled on waiting. A normal girl would stay. A girl who didn’t wear false bravado and eliminate Veilers for a living would stay. And most importantly, a girl who hadn’t been kissed in five years would stay. Maybe she’d misunderstood his rudeness. She lowered her leg and leaned over the table, elbows on top, palms flat against each other. His next words would make or break the date.

“I’m sorry. I’ve never been on a blind date before,” he muttered.

“Me neither. So we’re even.” Apology accepted.

Although they’d just met, she had a feeling he’d equal her in ways she found most appealing. His leather jacket hinted at adventure. His tan skin and solid build led her to believe she’d find him atop a mountain or in the wild surf of the Pacific just as often as she liked to be in those places. A burst of want stirred inside her.

“What made you agree to come?” He fingered the menu before him, as if deciding whether or not he wanted the date to continue through dinner.

“My two demon roommates. They threatened to do something hellish to me if I didn’t get my ass back in the dating game.” She leaned back and brought her arms to her sides, resting her hands on the leather seat.

His beer glass clinked his front teeth as he clumsily pulled it from his mouth and choked down the draft. “Demon? I beg your pardon?”

Interesting. She’d meant it as a joke, but his reaction made her think they might have even more in common. Did he know about Veilers? His attempt at hiding his response faltered and she decided to press a little further.

“Don’t worry. They’re not really demons. Although if I seriously thought about it, there are certain times of the month when I think the devil himself is pulling their strings.”

He gathered himself immediately. “Right.”

“Unless, of course, you know something I don’t. There aren’t real demons are there?”

“I don’t—”

“I mean that’s impossible, right?”

“I don’t—”

“You’ve never,” she asked, her tone inquisitive, “seen one have you?”

He waited a beat. Probably to make sure she wouldn’t interrupt him again. “I don’t believe there are.”

She looked at him for a few seconds, and then risked, “What do you believe in?”

The nervous tick Tess felt earlier seemed to jump across the table and land on Trey. He scrubbed the side of his neck. Phew. She was glad to be rid of it, and only a teensy tiny bit sorry she’d placed it on him. When he started to speak, she dipped her attention to the curve of his lips before refocusing her gaze on his eyes.

“That’s a very personal question considering I’ve only known you for five minutes.”

“Really? You think so?” She wiggled in her seat, careful to keep the neckline of her dress in place. “Because I feel like we could have met before.”

She couldn’t exactly explain it, or put a clear picture to it, but there was definitely something between them that extended beyond the past few minutes. The thought heated her from the inside out. Blind date or not, their paths might have somehow crossed.

“Does that line really work for you?” A genuine look of pleasure, albeit small, spread across his face for the first time since he sat down.

The back of her throat tickled. “That wasn’t,” she choked out, trying to stay calm, “a line. I really meant it.” Good onya, Tess. She reached for her beer and finished it, praying the cold liquid would alleviate the heat inside her. God, I hope my cheeks aren’t red.

Rather than reply, he picked up his beer. She could swear she saw the corners of his mouth turn up while he drank. Once finished, he placed the mug next to hers, slid them to the edge of the table and motioned to the waitress for two more.

Guess he liked the line.

As she inwardly cringed, she focused on slowing the hasty beat of her heart. This was worse than any assignment. It was like she had no control over her mouth—or other parts of her body. Assign her to a mark, and no matter how good looking, she never experienced an elevated heart rate, never worried a blush would cross her face. Assign her to a blind date and she became a bumbling idiot.

Scarier still, it felt good. Tess the eliminator had disappeared.

“I’m both glad and lucky you’re sitting across the table from me. Whether we’ve met before or not, you look quite stunning this evening.” He shrugged off his coat, ready to stay awhile. “And that isn’t a line either.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Playing nice wove a bewitching thread of vibrations through her. Damn. First meeting jitters aside, the air between them no longer felt as though it might crackle—except in a good, maybe-I’ll-go-back-to-your-place kind of way.

That was the only explanation she could think of as to why she let her defenses down and let a more unguarded side show. “I’m not very good or proficient at the whole dating thing.”

“Because of your one-liners?” Amusement crossed his handsome features.

Smart-ass.

“You arm-wrestle?” she asked.

“What?” His brows furrowed. His smile waned.

“Can you arm-wrestle?” She had the feeling she wouldn’t beat him at verbal sparring, but no one could beat her at arm-wrestling. Not even a two-hundred-pound, muscle-clad, hunk of man.

The waitress hit the side of the table with her hip, momentarily drawing Tess’s attention away from the most inviting blue eyes she’d ever had the pleasure of gazing into. Beer sloshed onto the table as the waitress traded their empty mugs for full ones before hurrying off.

“Sure, I can arm-wrestle.” He looked insulted that she’d even considered the notion he couldn’t.

Good. She had him off balance already.

“Are you left or right handed? And be honest.”

“Honestly, I’m right handed.”

Tess studied him. He didn’t break eye contact. Didn’t fidget or scratch behind his neck. He did have a fresh scar above his left brow, the skin lighter there, the sutured line still pink.

“Cool. Me too. Let’s do this left handed then.”

“By do this, you mean arm-wrestle?” His eyes widened. “Me?”

“You got a problem with that?” She put her arm, bent at the elbow, on the table.

He added his arm to the mix. “No problem here. But why?”

Because it was the first thing to come to mind when he’d flustered her. Because she hadn’t lost a match yet. Because she wanted to feel his hand in hers. She was dying to touch his skin again, absorb his warmth and anything else that went along with it. Their brief handshake wasn’t enough.

“It’s fun.” Lame, but also true. Any challenge got her endorphins pumping.

Trey stared at her like she’d forgotten he was a good eighty pounds heavier and six inches taller. “Is there a prize for the winner?”

His likeability rating just shot up ten points. “Oh, there’s definitely a prize for the winner.”

“And that would be?”

“I don’t know. What do you think?” She wanted his input, and planned to agree with whatever he came up with.

“Breakfast.”

She choked. “I’m sorry?”

“The loser buys the winner breakfast. Pancakes, French toast, omelet, whatever.”

It was tough keeping the nervous smile at bay. “Tomorrow?” she ventured.

“The loser chooses when.” He wiggled his fingers, indicating impatience. At the same time, the corners of his mouth lifted into a distracting grin.

When he did that, it was damn near impossible not to turn to mush. She let out a my-ass-is-grass sigh. “Deal.” Either way she was a goner.

Her fingers wiggled in return as she drew her legs up, used her other arm for leverage, and positioned herself on her knees. The table was wide so she needed to allow for a little more bend in her arm. Technique was critical in arm-wrestling.

“You comfortable?” He didn’t shift an inch.

“Give me—”

“Because I wouldn’t want you blaming your loss on wrong positioning.”

“—a second,” she bit out while settling into the prime spot for a win. “And for your information, I’m not going to lose.”

“What is it they say?” he teased, taking her hand and wrapping his fingers between hers. “Oh yeah. ‘May the best man win.’”

She heard his words, but couldn’t register any meaning. The hand-holding sent a hot rush of warmth through her, as if she’d dipped her body in luxuriating bath oil. Comfort tinged with need settled over her thoughts, leading her to believe she’d met her match. A match she’d had no intention of encountering. How did the simple act of touching his hand do that? She didn’t want to let go.

A flicker of heat in his eyes made her quiver and she hoped he didn’t feel any doubt in her grip. It seemed hopeless to exert any strength right now.

And that was precisely why he looked at her that way, Tess rationalized. He wanted her off balance, hoping to gain the upper hand. Well, he’d failed. She willed the electricity she felt between them away, and got down to business. She’d learned to compartmentalize while working for P.I.E., and there was no reason why she couldn’t apply it to her date.

“You’ll be sorry you said that in a minute.”

“On your count then.”

“One…two…three.”

Tess was much stronger than she looked. Left or right hand didn’t matter. She wrote right handed, swung a baseball bat right-handed, but what she’d failed to mention was she did pretty much everything else left-handed, including one-arm push-ups. She watched him realize his miscalculation the second she finished counting.

“You’re not”—he growled—“right handed, are you?”

“Oh, I’m right handed. But I’m left handed too.”

He looked at her quizzically.

“I’m ambidextrous,” she bragged.

With eyes glued on him, she took him down, their hands hitting the table with a thump. When he immediately released her, she wished it had taken more time to win. Victory didn’t feel as good as his hand did.

“How about dinner?” he asked as if nothing had happened.

“That’s it? No congratulations?” She resituated herself on the seat, her legs grateful for the change in position.

“I’d be happy to congratulate you,” he drawled, “except I believe I’m the winner here.”

“Do I need to explain win and lose to you?” she teased, adjusting the neckline of her dress.

His eyes dipped to her chest for a split second. “I’m sure there’s lots of things you’d like to enlighten me on, but I’m good on that point.”

“You owe me breakfast.”

“I do. And I’ll let you know when.”

Chapter Three

Hugh always thought before he acted. But somewhere between Tess’s clearing her throat and issuing an arm-wrestle challenge, he’d lost track of his mission: find out if she knew anything that would help him find Trey.

He’d assumed his apprentice’s identity to discover if Trey’s blind date might turn up some useful information. In Hugh’s mind, there was no such thing as a chance encounter.

And that notion had hit him in the gut with the force of a hurricane. Because the second he’d laid eyes on Tess, he knew his life was about to change. With pale yellow hair that fell in waves past her shoulders, smart, challenging eyes and sun-kissed skin, she was the most captivating creature he’d ever seen.

“It’s only fair that I get to pick the place then. I mean I did win. I should have some say in my prize.” Her eyes sparkled bluer than tropical waters, matching the color of her sexy dress.

“I’ll give you that,” he conceded. “And go so far as to add anywhere your heart desires.” He wanted to whisk her away right now. Start his vacation this instant with her along for the ride. Her floral scent seeped into his skin, and he could still feel her warmth at his fingertips. The wisps of blonde hair around her face made him itch to touch her.

Bloody hell. Had he really just offered to fly her anywhere? This was not a real date. He didn’t do women. Well, he did them. But only meaningless one-night stands. Something told him Tess was anything but meaningless. She put on a tough exterior, but he’d tasted her fear when he’d acted like an asshole. He suspected beyond her guard lay a woman that could unravel him.

Her eyes grew wider. “Anywhere, huh? Within what mile radius, may I ask?”

“That depends on the rest of the date,” he teased. Fuck.He didn’t tease. He cleared his throat. “I’m a pilot. We can fly to San Francisco. Seattle. Chicago. Cabo.” Reaching for his beer, he took a long drag while she pondered his generosity. He told himself he’d made the offer only to get her to trust him, to let down her defenses and go beyond small talk. He certainly had no intention of following through.

“Wow.” She joined him in a drink. “I’m glad I agreed to this blind date.”

Blind date. Right. She had no idea who he was and for a split second he thought about coming clean. Because he knew how to read women—human women in particular—and Tess’s scent told him he’d aroused her, her combative eyes told him he’d intrigued her. But this wasn’t about the two of them, and with a shake of his head, he reminded himself he had no interest in seeing to her wants.

The churning in his stomach had nothing to do with wanting her to like him.

It had to do with keeping his distance. As alpha for the Night Runners, he was expected to mate and have children. But after his older brother, Max, had died from a broken heart, Hugh vowed to avoid attachment. That decision hadn’t sat well with the pack and so he’d decided to groom Trey to take over. The younger wolfen was anxious to mate and was honored to step into the role.

“You okay?”

Tess’s question shook him from his thoughts, and he let out a low grumble. No woman had stirred even the tiniest emotion from him. Why this one?

“I’m fine,” he said. And then to erase the desire he saw in her eyes, he added, “Maybe I should take your demon roommates to breakfast too?”

The frown she gave him said he’d offended her by including her friends. Good. “You…”

He waited, trying not to show signs she had him on the edge of his seat. Her voice sounded flustered, and he imagined she was sorting out how much temperament to give away in her answer.

“You wouldn’t be able to handle the three of us. Trust me.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“I do.”

“Anything you don’t know?” he asked, because despite knowing he shouldn’t keep baiting her, he couldn’t stop himself. She worried her lips in a most fascinating way when flustered. And when she used them to talk? He wanted to shut her up—the good old-fashioned way—with a kiss.

She eyed him for a few seconds. “I’m on the fence about who’s going to win Survivor.”

He laughed. Out loud. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had gotten him to do that. And then his eyes betrayed him by roaming down to the low-cut neckline of her dress. A dress she didn’t appear comfortable wearing—which only made her more attractive. He took in her tanned, toned arms, watched her drink her ale like it was water and knew without a doubt he’d find her outside doing something physical rather than indoors painting her nails. Which, he noticed, were void of color.

He was about to offer his Survivor prediction when his sense of smell drew him to the entrance of the bar. Dane strolled in, looking tenser than he had earlier in the day. His mouth was drawn tight, his thick eyebrows furrowed. Did he have news about Trey?

So far, Hugh’s inquiries into Trey’s whereabouts had turned up little. News of the Wolf Seekers initiating a fight continued to circulate, and in light of Trey’s absence, the talk was taken seriously this time. The Seekers had never resorted to abduction before, but Hugh wouldn’t put it past them.

“A friend of yours?” Tess asked, probably wondering what had led his eyes elsewhere.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t mind if you want to go talk to him.” A hint of disappointment sounded in her voice.

“I’ll just be a minute.” He’d told Dane where he’d be tonight and that if anything important came up to let him know right away. He’d meant by call or text, but far be it for Dane to keep his nose out of Hugh’s business.

Before he could get up, though, Dane located his position and took quick strides to the table. His gaze darted to Tess before he spoke.

The flash of appreciation Hugh saw in Dane’s eyes as he glanced at Tess sent a jolt of anger through him. His jaw clenched. Sensations he didn’t know existed riled his stomach.

“Hey. Sorry to interrupt your date…Trey. But I need to have a few words with you.”

Tess didn’t hesitate to slide out of the way to make room for Dane. “I’ll just go use the ladies room.” She smiled at Hugh as she left, but made no effort to hide her scrutiny of Dane.

Hugh’s interest in her just shot through the roof.

“What is it?” he barked. For fuck’s sake, he didn’t do interest.

Dane took the vacated spot across the table. “I’ve got a lead on where Trey might be. It’s a warehouse not far from here. A couple of guys from the Westside told me they’d gotten wind of a kidnapping. It seems the Wolf Seekers aren’t trying to keep a low profile.”

“Is it within walking distance?”

“Yeah. About five blocks.”

“Give me a few minutes to finish things with Tess and we’ll go.”

“Did she have any useful information?” Dane’s doubtful tone told him he already knew the answer.

Hugh had grown up with Dane, the two only a year apart in age, and he’d never liked his condescending attitude. “I’m not sure yet. She might know something she doesn’t realize can help us. I’m thinking about telling her I’m not Trey.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“The fewer people that know about Trey’s disappearance, the better.”

He had a point, but Hugh’s gut told him he could trust Tess. And more importantly, he couldn’t say goodbye to her under false pretenses. Not if he wanted to see her again.

Did he want to see her again? Hell.

Dane narrowed his eyes. “Don’t do it. You came here for one reason and one reason only. To get information. Cut her loose.”

For their entire lives, he and Dane had offered each other advice. Nine times out of ten, they each did the opposite. It was a pride thing. An I-know-better-than-you rivalry that existed even though Hugh was in charge of the pack now. But as much as he hated to take the advice, Dane was right. This wasn’t a real date. It was a means to an end. He needed to keep up the charade and stop enjoying himself.

“Have a seat at the bar and I’ll be ready in five.”

Sliding from the seat, Dane said, “I’ll give you ten.”

Asshole.

He watched Dane leave and wondered if push came to shove whether Dane would remain loyal. He’d made no secret of his anger where Trey was concerned. Dane thought he deserved to be next in line to lead the pack. But before Hugh could give any more thought to that, a flash of blue caught his attention.

The dress Tess wore hugged her body like a second skin. While most men might find her walk unladylike, he found it sexy as sin. The way she moved sent a surge of desire straight to his cock. He pictured himself pulling the tie in front of the dress and unraveling the wraparound design. Pictured her beneath him. Naked. Writhing with pleasure while he sank inside her, again and again.

Stop. He needed to put a halt to the lust bubbling inside him, but goddammit, just glancing at her made him hot.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, her shoulders looking provocative as they moved back and forth when she sat.

Shoulders, for fuck’s sake.

“Yes, but—”

“Are you sure? Because you look a little funny.”

“Yes, but I need to cut our date short.” Not want. Need. He stupidly wanted to spend more time with her. Blue eyes that had pierced him with eagerness and warmth now dulled to a muted shade of gray.

“Oh,” she said, those sexy shoulders slumping. “I see.”

It pained him to hear her sound so dejected. He wasn’t rejecting her. “What do you see?”

She threw her head back and laughed as if she didn’t give a shit. “I guess I failed at the blind date. You had your friend come in to bail you out if you weren’t having a good time. I get it. That’s okay. I’m—”

“That’s not—”

“ —fine with that. Really. It’s no big deal.” She opened her purse, pulled out a few dollars and slapped them on the table.

Hugh reached out and covered her hand with his. “That’s not what’s happening here.” Wicked-good vibrations shot up his arm and swarmed every inch of his flesh. His breath hitched. He locked eyes with her, and for a moment time stood still.

She didn’t move her hand, didn’t pull back from him, and he was grateful.

Her eyes studied his like her life depended on it, and he hoped she saw the sincerity there. “Then what is?”

Never before had he wanted to disappear with a woman—to sweep her off her feet, take her to the mountains, and forget anyone else existed but the two of them. His head swam, the muscles in his back tightened.

He’d only just met her.

“A friend of mine is missing and I need to go find him.”

He paid close attention as her eyes slid to his mouth, then up again, as if she could read the truth on his lips. Intensity had returned to the swirling blue of her irises.

“I can help you find him,” she offered, confidence and solicitude in her voice.

Hugh lifted his hand from hers. “I don’t need your help.” This wasn’t a game. He didn’t need any neighborly support. And he sure as hell didn’t need her around to distract him.

She slowly pulled her arm back, sliding her palm along the table but leaving the money in place. “You don’t understand. I really can help you. I’m…” She paused and closed her eyes for a moment. “I’m a private investigator.”

He didn’t know what he’d expected her to say, but that wasn’t it. Her occupation had never entered his mind. However, now that he knew, could she help? Would she be able to offer valuable input? Information was what he’d wanted from the get-go. The only thing different now was her knowledge wasn’t personal—it was professional.

“I’ve rendered you speechless, huh?” she asked when he neglected to give a timely reply. “Did Kensie and Francesca tell you I was a hairdresser or something?”

Remembering his place, he cleared his throat. “Or something.” That was the easiest answer he could muster.

“Something like…”

“It doesn’t matter. I appreciate your offer, but I don’t need your help.” It was safer for her if she kept her distance. Safer for him too. “I’ve got it under control, so no need to worry your pretty little head.”

Oh, he’d blown it now. He could take his “pretty little head” and shove it. Tess wasn’t about to let him off the hook. She was enjoying the date far more than she anticipated, feeling things she never thought she’d feel again, and then he threw in a missing friend? Awesome. This guy was too good to be true. She wanted in on the chase. Wanted to feel the rush of a hunt.

Next to him.

“How about I just tag along and offer my assistance when you don’t need it?” She waited a beat, then added, “Free of charge.”

Damn, she wished she had a camera because his expression was priceless. She’d replay his flabbergasted look in her mind all night. And smile.

He reminded her of his masculinity by puffing out his chest. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

At least she thought that was what he was doing. It was rather distracting. A lesser woman would probably swoon.

“Look, I’ve got nothing better to do tonight, so come on. It could be fun.” She didn’t like the imploring note in her voice, but she didn’t want the elation inside her to end. Something about Trey’s proximity brought out the happy, young, mischief-seeking girl she’d once been, and she wanted to keep pretending she was everything she wasn’t.

“Are you ready to order?” the waitress asked, sounding impatient as she paused at the table.

“No, actually. We’re leaving, so just the check please.” Trey pulled on his leather jacket and slid closer to the edge of the booth.

The waitress nodded and scurried off, disappearing into a crowd Tess hadn’t noticed on her trip back from the restroom. Probably because she’d had her eyes on him.

“I’m very good at what I do,” she said, hating being told no.

“I’m sure you are. But I don’t need a PI.” By his bullheaded look and forbidding note in his voice, Tess was shit out of luck.

She silently cursed. Besides practically begging to help him, she couldn’t believe she’d told him she was an investigator. She’d never told anyone that. Not even Jason— until he’d proposed, and look where that got him. Her cover was second nature; production assistant rolled off her tongue like cheeseburger with fries. Shit. Shit. Shit. She’d forgotten who she was.

And liked it.

But she couldn’t afford to do that. Not now. Not with a new assignment and her ass grass if she failed.

“Because pilots are so good at finding people?” Apparently she didn’t mind if her ass was grass. She couldn’t let it go. Couldn’t let him go. She wasn’t acting reasonable or mature or respectable. And she didn’t give a crap. She wanted to escape. Just for tonight.

Something flashed in his eyes, changing the color from blue to a dark greenish brown, and he snarled. “You don’t like to take no for an answer.”

“No. Not—”

“And for your information, I’m very good at finding people. I do a lot of search and rescue. So I’m perfectly capable of locating my friend on my own.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply you weren’t capable. Just that two heads are usually better than one.” Wow. The words coming out of her mouth were completely foreign to her. When the hell had she ever wanted or needed a partner?

“I’ve got that covered. The friend that interrupted us is waiting for me.”

“He seems pretty occupied to me.” She nodded in the direction of the wood-paneled bar. The guy had a pretty redhead practically sitting in his lap and cocktail glasses dangled from their hands. “And not at all inclined to leave anytime soon. I’d make a much better sidekick.”

After he glared at the bar, his disposition softened slightly. His hunched shoulders relaxed, and his eyes darkened. His gaze fell to her lips when he said, “What I’d like you for isn’t the sidekick position.”

Regardless of how hard she tried to remain cool, she was positive her cheeks turned ruby red. The corners of her mouth also betrayed her, pulling up against her will. And did her eyelashes actually flutter without her permission? Bad eyelashes.

“I’m quite certain you’d benefit from any of my positions. It’s just a matter of how I can best serve you right now.”

He hit her with a smile that made her forget her own name. “I, uh, don’t doubt that. But right now your safety is my main concern.”

“I’m a big girl and can more than take care of myself.” If he only knew.

“I’m sure you can. But I’m not taking you with me.”

The waitress dropped off the check and he pulled out his wallet. Tess glared at him, hoping he’d reconsider. He left more than enough money on the table and slid her bills back to her.

Fine. She put the money in her purse and got up to leave. If he wanted to play it that way, she’d play. She’d walk out of the bar, pretend to leave, and then…follow him. He didn’t know it, but he’d presented a challenge. And she never backed down from those. Add in an element of danger and she was all over it. Her sense of adventure wanted in. Already, her blood was pumping through her veins a little bit faster. Besides, what harm could come from following him?

“Thanks for the drinks,” she said.

He scooted out and stood beside her and his nearness ramped up her pulse faster than if she’d been standing on the edge of a mountain, ready to hang glide. His woodsy yet fresh-as-rain scent drew her like a fish to a wormed hook. She wanted to bury her face in his broad chest and breathe him in.

“You’re welcome. It was a pleasure meeting you.”

“Likewise.” She took a step away.

“I’ll walk you to your car.”

“That’s really not necessary.”

His arm came around her back. Tingles shot up her spine. “It is.” He guided her through the crowded bar, pausing for a moment to track down his friend. “Wait just a minute.”

He wove his way to the bar. When he planted a firm pat on his friend’s back, the guy jumped to attention, jostling the woman from his lap without a second thought. Either Trey had caught him by surprise, or more likely, he followed Trey’s lead.

“Hey, babe. Can I buy you a drink?”

Warm, alcoholic breath touched the side of her neck as a shoulder bumped hers.

“No thank you.” Tess turned to find a guy about her age giving her googly eyes.

“Aww come on. I won’t bite.” He licked his lips. “Unless you want me to.”

She took a step back, but it didn’t dissuade the poor jerk. He sidled right on up to her again, this time putting an arm around her waist.

“Listen, moron. I said no. Now move away from me or I’m going to break your arm.”

“Tough chick. I like it. I’m Bo.”

“I’m not going to ask you again.”

“Ask me what, gorgeous?”

“Go away, Bo. Now.” She lifted his arm from her side, but he immediately put it back.

“I don’t want to. I want to buy you a drink. What’s your poison?”

The guy didn’t know boundaries and her personal space wasn’t something she gave up lightly. Two more seconds and she’d slug him. “I said back off.”

“What’s your name?” he asked, seemingly oblivious to her discomfort.

“Taken,” came a deep voice from behind her. Hands roamed up both sides of her arms, sending a shock of sinful tremors to all the important points below her neck.

While she could take of herself, she had to admit it felt good to be rescued. Really good. “Bye, Bo.”

They sidestepped around him, but before they were clear, Bo grabbed her arm. The tug didn’t go unnoticed by Trey and Bo’s jaw met a square punch. Bo stumbled backward, lost his footing and landed on his butt. Someone gasped, but no one moved. Instead, the bar grew silent for a split second before everyone resumed conversing.

As soon as Tess heard the bar door slam and inhaled the cool night air, Trey’s friend circled them like an animal ready to pounce. “What the hell was that?” he asked.

“Tess, this is Dane. Dane, Tess.”

She didn’t extend her hand. His obnoxious behavior confirmed her first impression. The guy was an ass. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Dane answered, still circling. “Now care to explain why you hit that guy?”

Trey ignored the question. “Where’s your car, Tess?”

“It’s just…” Her eyes met his and her stomach got tied up in knots. He was looking at her with more fervor than anyone, even Jason, ever had. “…across the street.”

He glanced at Dane. “Be right back.” Then, turning, he put his arm around her shoulders and veered her toward the street. He tensed as she allowed her body to relax against his.

“I didn’t need rescuing you know.” She never had. Never would.

“I know.”

“Then why’d you—”

“Which. Car.”

“The black one.” She grinned, happy with the popular color choice.

“There’s four black ones,” he said, unamused.

“I figured you could use your investigative skills to pick the right one, being that you’re so good at finding things by yourself.” It was one last-ditch attempt to see if he’d ask her to join him. She didn’t expect him to take the bait, but couldn’t help having a little fun.

He walked by the first car, then the second, without so much as a waver. As they approached the driver’s side door on the third car, he quirked a smile and stopped. “Here we are.”

She’d had her head tilted up, trying to decipher his expression as they walked, but he gave nothing away. “I guess you’re better than I thought.”

His smile grew wider. “You bet I am.”

“You want to make another wager?” He’d stepped right into that one, and an odd mixture of longing and apprehension swirled inside her. Is that what it would take to see him again?

“I think with you it’s best to quit while I’m ahead.”

“Time’s ticking!” Dane yelled from across the street, his voice carrying over a car cruising by.

“You’re not—” she started to say, but Trey had turned and was waving over his shoulder.

“Night, Tess,” he called, halfway to Dane before she blinked. After a second blink, the two were on their way without another glance back.

“You’re not ahead,” she whispered, fighting off the disappointment that had no business tightening her chest.

She opened the car door quickly, ready to take off in pursuit and forget about second-guessing herself. But before her butt hit the seat, she jumped back out. Trey and Dane weren’t driving anywhere. They were headed somewhere on foot. She stashed her purse underneath the seat and shut the door.

The muscles in her legs flexed as she fell back against the car and waited for a bit more distance between them. If she thought about this crazy idea, she’d remember her impulsive behavior often landed her in trouble. And the guy whose backside she couldn’t tear her eyes away from was definitely trouble. Because hasty decision or not, she wasn’t thinking with only her head. Her stupid heart hadn’t beat this intensely in years and if she didn’t seize the moment, she feared it might never again.

The men turned the corner and she shot across the street. Butterflies filled her stomach—an unfamiliar sensation that wasn’t entirely unwelcome.

Tonight was about adventure. An adventure with a sexy leather-jacketed male that wreaked havoc with her emotions and didn’t want her help.

She’d be sure not to offer it.

Chapter Four

Stupid, stupid heels. They slowed her down.

Stupid, stupid dress. It shifted in a most uncomfortable manner, causing all sorts of body contortions Tess wasn’t used to performing when in hot pursuit of someone.

She was stuck with the dress, but the shoes…she whipped them off, broke both heels and tossed them over her shoulder, then stuffed her feet back inside. Her new footwear wouldn’t make walking smoother, but it would keep her ankles from buckling and slowing her down. Kensie would kill her when she returned the borrowed pumps, but what was one more death threat?

“Better,” she murmured, looking up to find Trey farther ahead than she liked. If not for the light shining down from the full moon, she might have completely lost sight of him.

As she hurried to close the distance between them, a howl sounded from somewhere behind her. Goosebumps popped up on her arms, from the cool air—not the noise, she rationalized. Maybe leaving her purse in the car hadn’t been such a good idea. She had nothing on her. No koa blades. No mercury-tipped darts. No gun. She’d been caught unprepared before and survived, but with her recent bungles, she’d started to doubt her abilities.

Don’t think about that tonight, she told herself.

Because right now she couldn’t think of anywhere else she’d rather be. Her body thrummed with anticipation. This game of hide-and-seek, catch-me-if-you-can ranked better than any amusement park ride, better than navigating a winding one-way dirt road in the mountains. And she liked very much that her blind date seemed to enjoy prowling the streets, that he showed no hesitation in going after his friend.

Two blocks away from the bar now, the street stood deserted, the buildings drab. A turn of a corner changed the scenery from trendy to risky. Tess took a deep breath. A breeze carried the scent of metal and rotting fruit, almost making her gag. If she were an ordinary woman, she’d hightail it out of there. Fast.

Since discovery was the last thing she wanted—wasn’t it?—she stuck close to the sides of the graffiti-littered buildings. She moved at a brisk pace, the men advancing quickly and quietly, almost gliding over the cracked sidewalk.

She’d easily followed a hundred marks over the years, but these two guys put her to task. Tonight she didn’t mind, though, because tonight she wanted to give chase. The wild beating of her heart told her she’d regret it if she didn’t follow Trey and get close enough to talk to him again. For some annoying reason, he’d gotten under her skin and she wanted to get under his. Popping up when he least expected it should do the trick.

That was, if she hadn’t lost him. She’d taken her eyes off them for one second. One tiny second. There’d been a rough-edged pebble in her shoe.

“Why are you following us?” growled a voice from behind her.

She froze and let out a sigh, disgusted with herself. “Umm, Dane?”

Hot breath touched the back of her neck as he asked again, “Why are you following us?”

“I wasn’t—”

“You were,” he snarled, forcibly turning her to face him. “Tell me why. Tell me now.” He loomed over her, larger than she remembered. His eyes narrowed to slits and his nose flared.

“Can you ease up on the grip please?” She was sure there would be handprints on her arms where he squeezed.

“Answer the question and I’ll consider it.”

“See, there’s where I’ve got a problem. If you’re going to consider anything, it should be if you don’t let go of me immediately, I’m going to do something you won’t like. And really, I hate getting relationships off on the wrong foot.”

He squeezed harder. “Listen, woman—”

“The name’s Tess, remember?”

“Answer the question.” His gruff tone did little to persuade her. Scratch that. It persuaded her plenty. She’d been up against marks much tougher than this man and she slipped easily into the role of eliminator.

“I’d be happy to. Once you let go of me. Wasn’t I clear on that?” One swift knee to the groin and he’d be holding tight to something else.

“You really think you’re in a position to dictate this conversation?”

She batted her eyelashes. “Why yes, I do. And I believe my terms were immediately.”

“Give it your best shot,” he challenged.

With pleasure. But before she even got her foot fully off the ground, something happened. The air around her thickened, her vision blurred. Sharp, uneven concrete pressed into her back and she realized she was pushed up against a building. Dane’s hands were still on her arms, but the feel was rougher, stronger, fiercer. Had he grown sharp nails?

Her nose tickled, the back of her knees itched. She blinked several times, trying to focus and rid the haze in her mind that had sprung from the sudden movement.

When things cleared up seconds later, shock swept over her.

Dane had shifted.

Holy crap. He was a Veiler. A…wolfen. She studied his wolf-man features, discovering interest, not hate, bristled under her surprise. She’d never been this close to one before. His hands, neck and face were thick with hair. His eyes glowed a brownish-orange. She sensed more than noticed greater muscle and superhuman strength. They were the only race of wolf shifters that remained on two legs, and standing toe-to-toe with one made her want to know more about the elusive group.

She gulped. “You’re a wolfen?”

He didn’t looked surprised by her question, which meant he knew more about her than she knew about him. Her stomach clenched.

A regular person would freak out, but her calm response must have alerted him to her knowledge. Worse, though, than giving herself away, was that she hadn’t realized what he was. She hadn’t picked up on anything to indicate his true colors.

“From the pack Night Runner, and you’re mixed up in something you shouldn’t be, so get the hell out of here.”

“A Night Runner?” She hadn’t known there were different packs.

His deep grumble told her his patience wore thin. “Run, don’t walk back to your car.”

She didn’t give a shit what he wanted. “I’m not going anywhere until—”

Distress slammed into her. The picture of a gorgeous, strong, able-bodied man flitted through her mind. “Where’s Trey?” She swallowed hard as her heart took on a crazy uneven beat. If Dane was a Night Runner, was Trey one too? No. No. No. He couldn’t be. The first man to make her think of something besides work, to send a rush of adrenaline through her, to cause her to forget her better judgment, could not be some sort of shifter. The one form of Veiler she loathed more than any other. The kind of Veiler who’d taken the love of her life away from her.

Dane stared at her, as if deciding how to answer. “Trey’s not here.”

She turned her head in the direction she’d last seen him, searching for his leather jacket. When had her middle name changed to Idiot? The last thing she needed was a complication when her boss’s threat hung over her if she failed her next assignment. Rather than gallivant around deserted city streets to help a guy she barely knew, she should be home, researching. Figuring out a strategy to nail this Hugh Langston and save her own ass. Unless…

Unless she considered this research. Maybe Dane or Trey knew Hugh Langston? Maybe she could walk away from this a little wiser than she’d started. And besides, she was lying to herself if she thought she’d leave without making sure Trey was okay.

“No shit,” she said, staring right back. “I want to know what you’ve done with him.”

She refused to believe Trey anything but a man. His friendship with Dane had to be easily explained. Had to be, she realized, because he’d made her feel. The thought petrified her. Or was the realization that she might have liked a wolfen what scared the crap out of her?

“I haven’t done anything.” His growl bounced off the wall and echoed. “Now get the hell out of here.” He released his hold and backed away.

Her feet stayed glued to the spot. She hated being pushed around. And she hated not knowing the truth about Trey. If he was human, she’d help him. If he was wolfen, well, then, maybe they could help each other.

“Go!” he demanded.

“Dane, I can tell you aren’t going to hurt me,” she started, sweetness in her tone. “And I’ve got a feeling you haven’t hurt Trey either. I just need to know what’s going on. That he’s okay. Spell it out for me and I’ll be on my way.”

He sighed, as if he finally understood she had no intention of leaving until she got what she wanted. Took him long enough. She looked into his fiery eyes and tried to decipher just how big a threat he was. His demeanor confirmed her long-standing belief that shifters were bad news. Yet if he really was bad news, wouldn’t he have killed her by now? She was unarmed, pinned against a wall. He could easily end her life if he wanted to. But something held him back. Was it Trey?

Usually her instincts and intuition left her in no doubt of a Veiler’s proximity. Tonight she’d been clueless. She prayed her bad judgment wasn’t permanent.

“Hey,” she said, filling the silence. “You can trust me. As I think you’ve figured out, I’m not oblivious.”

“Trust doesn’t get anyone anywhere.”

“You can try lying then, but I’ll know. And then I’ll just be here longer.” She smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. Her feet were starting to hurt and she desperately wanted to get out of the damn dress, but she was battle ready. And by the look on his furry face, Dane knew it too.

Before he spoke another word, he jerked his head to the left. A second later, she heard a noise. Something resembling a trash can toppling over. A scuffle maybe? It was difficult to determine the distance, yet she was certain Dane knew. The hair on his arms stood up.

“No time,” he said.

“The hell there isn’t. Talk!”

“Listen, Blondie—”

“Tess.”

“Listen, Tess. Go back to your car and go home.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “Where’s Trey?”

Another sound came from afar. This time subtler, more ambiguous. With his eyes carefully trained on hers, Dane took a few more steps away. “He went back to the bar. If you hurry, you might catch him.” And then he bolted.

With the speed and agility of a four-legged creature, he sprinted away and vanished around a corner.

There was a good chance he’d lied about Trey going back to the bar. After all, she’d given plenty of people the slip the same way.

But she took off in the direction of the restaurant anyway. If Dane were lurking, it might convince him she believed what he’d said. He didn’t have to know she’d be keeping an eye out for Trey along the way.

She ran her hands up and down her bare arms. With each step, nothing looked familiar, and she realized that she hadn’t paid close attention to the direction she’d gone. Good onya, Tess. One wrong turn and she’d be foolishly navigating alleys she had no business being in. Not without her purse.

One wrong move and she might never see Trey again. She stopped and let that thought sink in. The longer she stood there thinking, the more Trey’s charm wrapped around her like a warm blanket. Which really sucked. It made her head hurt, her mind cloudy. She’d risked enough in her professional life and had vowed never to risk again in her personal life. Yet here she was, torn by a brief encounter. There had to be something wrong with her.

Somehow, her feet started moving again. She muttered a few foul words she hoped might set her straight. To her dismay, she liked—really liked—a guy who may or may not be a shape shifter. Criminy. She’d also been spotted, then cornered by Dane, meaning her tailing skills had flown out the window. And she’d broken the heels off one of her best friend’s shoes, a friend who could be sweet as cherry pie one minute and far less amiable the next. Double criminy.

She may as well surrender to the insane reality she’d plunged herself into. Really, there was no sense in thinking about what lay ahead or what she could have done differently. She needed to care about right now. Because, par for the course this evening, she found herself not anywhere near the bar. Crossing a narrow street, she looked down the alleyway to her right and swore she saw movement. Curiosity being another of her endearing qualities, she decided to go in for a closer look. Maybe it was Trey. And not a rat or mouse or other icky rodent.

She tiptoed down the darkened alley. Without a cross breeze, the stagnant air stank of sewer stench. This was definitely stupid. But stupid was a lot more fun than being sensible. When she let her guard down, her mind buzzed with anticipation, her body perked up.

As she drew closer to the big black dumpster in front of her, she noticed the alley extended much farther than she’d thought. Shit. She glanced behind her, then paused to let her eyes focus on the depth of the alley and listen for signs of life. If she needed to get out of there fast, she’d sprint back the way she came. But when she got to the dumpster, she found nothing. The flash of something that had caught her eye must have been in her imagination.

Her shoulders fell. She turned around and bumped smack dab into another body. A hoarse yelp came from the back of her throat. From surprise, not fear. Never, never fear. When she looked up from the broad chest that smashed her nose, she nonetheless gave a sigh of relief.

Trey stood before her, his mouth a tight line, his eyebrows raised.

“Trey! Are you okay?” She almost reached out to touch him, but clenched her fists at her sides instead. She also decided she sounded way too concerned, given his stern expression, so she added, “I mean, what the hell is going on?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”

She took a step back because his close proximity made her knees weak. He looked just as good as he had in the bar. There wasn’t a hair out of place to indicate he’d done anything but go for a walk. Thankfully, his eyes shined bright blue, not brownish-orange.

But he’d snuck up on her without making a sound.

“Me? I’m just out for a little exercise is all.” She rolled her shoulders back and tilted her head from side to side.

“Cut the crap, Tess. Why were you following me?”

“How do you know I was following you?” Oops. She meant to say, “What makes you think I was following you?”

He gave a knowing smile—that looked ridiculously sexy rather than irritating. “I know you don’t want to insult my intelligence so let’s just say for argument’s sake, if you were following me, why would that be?”

At least she’d gotten him to change his tone.

“Truthfully?” She leaned a little closer to him. She couldn’t help it.

“That would be nice.”

“I’m really not a very nice person,” she announced.

“Neither am I.” He reached out and moved a strand of hair behind her ear.

Was he trying to confuse her? Because it was working. She’d nearly fallen into his hand before he pulled it away. He was indeed a very bad man.

“That’s good. I hate nice guys. So where does that leave us?”

“I haven’t got all night, Tess.” He lowered his chin, indicating—she presumed—he was growing tired of their banter.

She lifted an eyebrow. “No? That’s too bad. I’m a night owl. I can—”

“Answer my question before I haul you to your car over my shoulder.” His tone sent a little zing of pleasure right to the tips of her breasts.

“As if you could—” She was over his shoulder in one second flat. He moved swiftly, quietly and with superhuman strength. Uh oh. “Hey, put me down!”

He started down the alley, seemingly unbothered by her spastic attempts to get him to let her go. “You ready to walk and talk now?”

“Fine,” she conceded, although the view of his backside was pretty damn good.

When both feet securely hit the ground, she tugged down her dress and shifted the V-neck into place. He watched her squirm to put the rest of the material back where it belonged and his roving eyes heated her from the inside out.

“I followed you because I wanted to help.”

He started walking. “Do I look like I need help?” A little gleam—and major interest?—flickered in his sideways glance.

“Well, no. But I’m very capable and I didn’t feel like going home, so I decided there was no harm in making myself available to you should you need me.” She took a deep breath. It was time to put the question out there. “Did you know Dane is a—”

“Wolfen? Yeah I know.”

“How do you—”

He stopped and turned toward her with confusion and passion in his deep blue eyes. For several seconds he stared at her, like he was trying to get inside her head. Guess what she was thinking. “I’m the leader of the Night Runners,” he finally said.

She imagined he’d told her something he’d never told another human being before.

What the hell was she going to do now?

Once again, Hugh spoke without thinking. The woman made him forget himself. The way she just came out and asked if he knew about Dane. The way she’d interrogated Dane on his behalf. He’d never met a woman more open and inquisitive. More concerned. A characteristic he was sure she’d deny. Probably didn’t even realize she had it. Caring, his instincts told him, was something she did unconsciously. She’d look out for herself before anyone else, sure, but she’d lay her life on the line for someone she cared about.

And she cared about him.

His gut clenched. The spot behind his left ear pulsed. She hadn’t cowered when Dane shifted, hadn’t been surprised. Or afraid. That meant only one thing. She knew about Veilers. Which was part of the reason why he’d told her who he was.

The other part was he didn’t want her to give a damn about him. He already felt a territorial urge for her that unsettled him. He didn’t want that urge. Not after what had happened to his brother. When Max’s mate died, his brother couldn’t handle it. Couldn’t live with the grief. He’d died from a broken heart three months later. Hugh had watched him weaken and suffer, and hadn’t been able to do a damn thing about it.

If Tess knew he was a wolfen, she’d surely want nothing more to do with him. Right? She’d run in the opposite direction. They’d go their separate ways and the unwanted stabs of desire he felt for her would go away. He’d continue to lead his pack in solitude, find Trey and get on with his goddamn vacation.

Which reminded him why he’d doubled back to confront her in the first place. His main objective was to find out why she followed him—he didn’t entirely believe her offer of help—and whether or not she knew anything about Trey’s disappearance. That and get her the hell out of here. Hugh smelled something dangerous. He didn’t want Tess getting mixed up in his world.

She waved a hand in front of his face. “Hellooo. I just asked you a question.”

He rounded his shoulders and focused on the present situation. “Sorry. What?”

“I asked what exactly a Night Runner is. I’ve never come across your kind before.”

“My kind? How many Veilers do you know?” He tried not to let too much interest enter his voice. He had a feeling if she knew how much she unsettled him, he’d be in even bigger trouble.

“That’s none of your business,” she answered, defiance in her tone.

“Really?” He started to walk again. “And my pack is none of yours.”

She fell in step beside him, keeping up with his long strides. Her light scent tickled his nose and he realized it wasn’t his memory of the floral smell from the bar that he’d taken with him on his way to find Trey, but the subtle aroma of the woman on his tail. That should have tipped him off much sooner. It was his fault she’d gotten as far as she had. He’d allowed himself to enjoy the scent rather than think rationally about it.

“Is the friend you’re looking for a Night Runner too?”

He shot her a disapproving glance. Would she ever run out of questions?

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She pressed her lips together in a smug smile.

“Tell me again why you were following me.” He clenched his jaw, trying really hard to keep his temper in check.

A breathy, impatient sound came out of her mouth. “I already told you. To help you find your friend. Of course, that was before I knew you were a wolfen.”

“What did you know about me before we met?” Come on, Tess, give me something more. No sane woman goes lurking around alleys alone at night.

“What did you know about me?” she shot back.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? You agreed to a blind date knowing nothing? I thought Kensie and Francesca sang my praises.”

He picked up his pace, hoping to get her back to her car sooner rather than later. The more they tap-danced around each other, the more he realized she didn’t know anything. And the less she knew about him the better.

“They did,” he guessed. “But neglected to mention you can be a pain in the ass.”

She shoved him. Hard. It took him by surprise, and he ended up against the side of the building in two seconds. A jolt of pleasure shot through him. She was no ordinary private investigator.

Her eyes widened. “You really want to know what I’m capable of, Mr. Night Runner? Because I’d be more than happy to give you a demonstration.”

No doubt she was strong. But he was stronger.

In less than a second, he whipped her around like she was a Barbie doll and had her pinned against the wall. His hands remained on her upper arms as he looked down into her surprised face. Although dim, the light post over his shoulder allowed him to see blue eyes so startling clear they roused every nerve in his body. There wasn’t a hint of fear anywhere in their depths. Instead, she looked ready to give him another whirl.

“Give it your best shot,” he said, wanting to play. Hell, his playful side rarely made an appearance these days, and at the moment he felt like a ten-year old who’d eaten enough sugar to last a week. Only this time his sexual appetite wanted in on the action.

“That’s exactly what Dane said.” Impossibly long eyelashes reached up to her forehead as she spoke.

He was noticing eyelashes? And angling for a glimpse down her dress, if truth be told. “Yeah, well…”

Their close stance rendered him unable to string more than a couple of words together. He released his hold and took two steps back.

“Where’d he go, anyway? Maybe he found your friend?” She lifted herself from the wall without any apparent hard feelings or obvious intention to seek revenge. Instead, she closed the gap between them while waiting for his answer.

He moved another step back. Did the damn woman know what she did to him? Her pouty lips and keen eyes with long lashes suggested she did. Women didn’t play fair. “We decided to split up so I could get you back to your car.”

“I don’t need an escort.” She marched past him, shoulders back, head held high.

“Right. So you can sneak around some more. I don’t think so.” He caught up to her. She didn’t fool him. Not for a minute. “I’m taking you back to the bar and you’re going to get into your car and drive home.”

“Excuse me, but—”

“I give the orders,” he interrupted, a smile tugging at his lips.

“You sure as hell—”

“—can give them to you, so be a good girl and let’s get you on your way.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her clench her fists and take a deep breath. She probably thought about hitting him. With his stronger than normal senses, he heard her heart rate speed up, smelled the salty scent of perspiration on her skin. Then she bit her bottom lip in a most distracting manner before speaking again.

“I’ll get myself where I want to go, thank you very much. You don’t get any say.”

“Tonight I do.”

“Tonight you don’t.”

“Do you argue with everyone trying to do a good deed?”

“You’re not doing a good deed. You’re annoying me.” She turned a corner heading in the wrong direction.

“Wrong way, oh wise one.” He snatched her arm to steer her the right way.

She yanked her arm back, but switched her stride. “I knew that.”

“Of course you did.” He glanced at his watch. Time ticked away. Time he should be using to hunt for Trey. He needed to ditch the exasperatingly attractive woman in the blue dress pronto. No matter how much the thought disappointed him.

“I’ll tell you what,” Tess started, “you fill me in on the Night Runners, and I promise I’ll go peacefully.” Her steps slowed. She dragged her feet as if they suddenly weighed eighty pounds each.

“Peaceful or not, I can get you to your car without saying another word.” He would not give her the upper hand.

“Yes, but that won’t stop me from yelling a few choice expletives on our way. I might rouse the neighborhood.” She tossed him a smug look. “And I’ve got news for you—when I’m mad my voice and language can be pretty alarming. I don’t think you want that kind of attention.”

Damn, she was good. Her combative nature and challenge to his authority had him wondering what she’d be like in bed. Bloody hell. Why was he letting his mind wonder there? “Two questions.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You can ask me two questions that I’ll answer honestly. And then you’ve got to go.” He picked the pace back up, the realization of what he’d just offered making him want to hurry and put an end to this conversation. For reasons he couldn’t understand, he was willing to share with her things about his pack no other human knew. Fuck. What was it about her that made him want to spill everything he’d always kept close to the cuff?

She didn’t answer him right away.

The night shadows vanished, clouds swiftly blocking the full moon as he looked up to the sky. He felt the urge to howl, just to tease Tess, but refrained. Tonight’s sky held no real power over him besides causing the occasional itch. During full moons, Night Runners especially liked to mate. Maybe that was why he felt like confiding all of a damn sudden.

He steered her down a narrow alley that cut the distance to the bar by a block or two. The quicker they parted ways, the quicker his heart could return to a normal beat.

She tucked a few more strands of hair behind her ear while she peeked at him. The small gesture made him swallow. Hard. Her subtle study of him made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. A feat no other woman had accomplished.

“Fine. But no matter what I ask, you’ve got to answer. No picking another question—and no one-word answers.”

“You’d better make them good then.” Why did he suddenly not mind the questions?

Because she already knew about Veilers, he reasoned. If he placated her, maybe she’d stop being a pain in his ass.

“First question.” She paused and once again her blue eyes slayed him. “Explain what kind of wolfen you are.”

A brief sentence crossed his mind, but instead he decided to go for the longer version. Damn blue eyes. “Night Runners are half shifters with the unique ability to perceive, experience and feel human subjectivity.”

“How can that be?” she asked.

“Is that your second question?” He sensed her disconcertedness.

“No!” She turned her face away from him as if that might make it easier to refrain from speaking out of turn.

The corners of his mouth lifted without permission. He tried not to enjoy himself, he really did. He decided to give her a little more because…hell, just because. “My father is a werewolf and my mother is a Sentient.”

Her head whipped back in his direction, eyes wide. She was about to speak, then stopped herself and just stared at him like she was trying to decipher a code.

Laughter rang inside him. He saved her by continuing. “So when I shift I remain on two legs and have all the strength and animal instincts of a werewolf, including tissue regeneration, but my mind is able to pick up on things other humans can’t.”

“Like fear,” she said, not in question, but confidence.

Hugh choked. “Among other things, yes.” There was definitely more to Tess than met the eye. She knew about Sentients. Was she some sort of Veiler? Impossible. Her scent was one hundred percent human. He wanted to ask her questions, but bit his tongue. The last thing he needed was to get to know her better.

“I’ve always thought Sentients were angels in human form, but angels don’t procreate outside their kind. Which means…” Lines creased her forehead as she paused. “Are you telling me they’re just human? With special mind powers.”

“That’s right.”

She stopped, leaned against the side of a dilapidated building, and pulled off her shoe. “I keep getting damn pebbles.” She brushed away the tiny rock and fixed the shoe back on her foot.

“Where’d the heels go?” He looked at the broken shoes and tried not to laugh.

“They were slowing me down so I got rid of them.” She stayed put, thinking. He quieted the chatter in his head, not wanting to take advantage of the situation. If he gave into it once, it would be that much easier the next time, and he’d prided himself on keeping his connection to people as human as possible.

Temptation, however, beckoned him like it never had before. Tess was quite possibly the most infuriating, sexy and adventurous woman he’d ever met.

“I need to get a move on,” he said, breaking the silence and stepping away.

“I get to ask one more question.”

Hugh looked over his shoulder. “I believe you just asked it.”

She hadn’t budged.

He wheeled around and, without warning, tossed her back over his shoulder.

“Hey! Put me down!” she wailed.

Fists met his back while he tried not to let his hands roam too much. Or enjoy the feel of her body squirming against his. “You done?”

“Yes.” She surrendered, her body relaxing.

Once again on solid ground and falling in step beside him, she added, “You’re so going to pay for that.” Tugging her dress back into position, she let out a rankled sigh. “Believe me buddy, as fast as you want to be rid of me, I want to be rid of you faster.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“Shmuck,” she whispered under her breath, obviously unaware that he could hear a pin drop. “So Night Runner, why would someone want to kidnap your friend?”

“That’s a good question. One I…” He halted and put a firm hand on Tess’s arm. His senses perked up. An acidic smell touched his nose. Whispers of breath, raspy and gruff, touched his ears. Someone or something was close. Very close.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, no hint of fear in her voice.

He looked around but saw nothing. Whatever was out there was very good at masking itself. “Nothing.” With his hand on her arm, he moved them forward with caution. “And to answer your question, I don’t know. I met you tonight because I thought you might be able to shed some light on the situation.”

“How the hell could I do that? I just met you.”

“Yeah. About that.” Only a few hundred more feet and they’d be out of the alley, closer to a safer part of town. Shit. Was he walking them toward danger or away from it?

“About what?” She didn’t seem to mind his hand on her arm. In fact, she lifted it and put her arm underneath his to join them in stronger companionship.

That small gesture was all it took to convince him to tell her the truth. “My name’s not Trey. Trey is my missing friend. My name’s Hugh. Hugh Langston.”

She doubled over at his admission, breaking their arm connection. Choking sounds and attempts to catch her breath followed. “Hugh. Langston.” She uttered his name like it was laced with poison.

Before he could reply to her charming echo of his name, the source of his apprehension made an appearance. With a thump that shook the ground, a savage, shaggy, burnt-orange-haired Banoth dropped from above in front of them. How the hell the giant had gone unnoticed was beyond him, but here he was.

“What the—”

“No time, Tess.” He yanked her behind him then turned and grabbed her hand. “Run!”

Chapter Five

Holy shit.

Tess hated hearing the word run. She didn’t mind the act of doing so, just despised the fact that when yelled, it meant someone or something was chasing her. And she hated being chased.

But more than being chased, she hated not knowing what the hell was in hot pursuit of her ass.

He looked like a wooly mammoth on two feet—thick, clubbed feet, which right now moved too swiftly for his big size. Long hair hung over his extremely tall body, and spiraling, jagged horns protruded from his oversized head. Lips like an orangutan’s spread all the way across his face while thick saliva sputtered from his mouth. Hair covered his eyes too, allowing only a peek at his red, crazy stare. Yes, it was a he, she decided. No female creature would wear a beard that hideous.

With another quick glance over her shoulder, she found the beast a bit too close for comfort. And yet, excitement shot through her. She lived for danger. And the creature wanting to take a bite out of her was very dangerous. When she’d left to follow Trey—Hugh—she hadn’t imagined the evening turning out like this.

Hugh.

“Quick, down this way!” he yelled, his hand still firmly holding hers.

She matched him stride for stride. When her mind wandered to him shifting and what that might feel like, she gave herself a mental slap. Hugh was her assignment, the wolfen she had to investigate and e-l-i-m-i-n-a-t-e.

Nausea hit her so fast she was sure she’d throw up while running. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she yelled.

“Not here, you’re not. If we stop for even a second, that thing will overtake us.”

She swallowed the bad taste coming up her throat and tried to catch a breath. If he hadn’t been gripping her hand so tight, there was no way she would have been able to continue at the Olympic pace he’d set. “What the hell is that thing?” she asked, pushing aside the appreciation his protection stirred inside her.

He cut her a quick glance before looking over his shoulder. “A Banoth.”

“I’ve never heard of them.”

“They don’t make an appearance very often.” He sounded winded, but not from the running. It was more of a desperate, worried tone, probably from having to deal with the Banoth. And her.

He truly didn’t want to see her hurt. The thought made her want to throw up again. She should yank her hand from his and take off in another direction. Put distance between them and make her own escape. But she couldn’t. She’d found her next assignment, and like it or not, her investigation had started. The fact that he wasn’t like the marks she’d been assigned in the past complicated things, though. From the first second she’d met those Veilers, she’d known they were bad seeds. Hugh seemed like a genuinely good guy.

Which begged the question: why him? In all her years with P.I.E., not once had her investigation proved the mark innocent of any wrongdoing.

If she were smart, she’d figure out a way to let the Banoth have his way with Hugh. Let the beast do the job for her. The job that she’d been warned would be her last if she didn’t succeed.

Hot breath hit the back of her neck along with a little moisture. Eww. The lousy monster was breathing down her neck and spitting? He royally pissed her off.

“Faster,” she yelled, willing her feet to move quicker. Regardless of what she’d do about Hugh, at the moment she thought it wise to stay by his side. Two against one Banoth were pretty good odds, considering who they were.

“In here,” he called, making an abrupt left through an open warehouse door. He slammed it shut behind them and threw down the metal reinforcement bar.

A loud bang and some pretty serious bumps in the door followed, but it remained closed.

“I guess they can’t crash through steel.” She put her hands on her knees and bent over to catch her breath.

“No, but they’re very resourceful so it’s only a matter of time before it figures out another way in.”

Hugh looked around the expansive room filled with crates and machinery. Just enough light from the skylights overhead allowed Tess to see they’d snuck into some sort of manufacturing plant. After surveying the place in hopes of finding a blinking red exit sign, she turned and found Hugh staring at her.

More emotion—pain? Confusion? Trust?—crossed his face than she was comfortable seeing. Falling into those amazing eyes of his, she decided she needed to find out more before she, or anything else, took him out. She needed to play it cool and keep in contact. Do her investigating with her work face firmly in place. The face she’d perfected over the years. The face that allowed her to get close to her targets so they trusted her. Right before she eliminated them. This time was no different. It couldn’t be.

Could it?

“You’re not scared,” he said, running a hand through his hair.

“I don’t scare easily.” Why oh why did he have to stir something warm and hopeful inside her?

He took a few steps closer before reaching out and wiping a drop of perspiration from her forehead with the pad of his thumb. “Glad to hear it.”

She batted his hand away, terrified that she didn’t hate wolfen as much as she used to. “Keep your hands to your—”

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her snug against his body. The contact sent tingles she should not be feeling straight to between her legs. Before she could protest—not that she really wanted to—he dropped them both to the floor.

Something smelling worse than a skunk-spray-cow-dung cocktail flew past their heads and landed with a splat on the wall behind them. Hugh’s arms cushioned their fall so her backside landed gently on the concrete floor. His rock hard body remained over hers and she tried not to think about her breasts pressed against his chest.

“These hands come in handy sometimes. You might want to remember that.”

He jumped to his feet and extended one of those very fine hands to help her up.

She took it with secret gratitude. The instant she was vertical again, another stink bomb whizzed past them, sparing her from saying thank you. “What is that?”

“Poison to you, a pain in the ass to me. Let’s go.” He released her and ran in between the heavy-duty shelving units lining the warehouse.

She followed right on his heels. “I guess the Banoth found a way in.”

“Yeah, and it won’t stop until it sticks its fangs into one of us.”

“Us? I think it’s after you, big guy. I’m hardly the type to interest a big hairy beast like that. You must have ticked off its mother or something.” She felt a grin flank her face. Her juices were flowing, her body was pumped. Hands down, this was one of the best romps she’d had in a long time.

A piercing cry—like fingers scraping on chalkboard magnified times ten—echoed through the warehouse. The noise sent a chill over her lips and down the back of her legs, eliminating some of the excitement pumping through her veins.

“That doesn’t sound good,” she said as they turned down another aisle, this one darker and narrower.

Hugh slowed and then stopped, allowing a few seconds to pass before he spoke. “It means there’s more than one of them.”

“Don’t tell me they travel in pairs.”

“Okay. I won’t tell you.”

He stood only inches away, his nearness good and bad. She could see the wheels turning in his head, and noticed he seemed to be assessing the situation like he was clairvoyant. Which he kind of was.

“So with these killer senses of yours, you can smell and hear him even though we can’t see him?” She relaxed against the shelf, glad for the chance to catch her breath, and really happy to be on an adventure.

Her mind spun when he hesitated to answer. She could tell from the look on his handsome face that he was more concerned for her than himself. The regard caused something to shift inside her, like a vine twisting its way through her veins, awakening nerve endings she’d shut off. But feelings were something she couldn’t afford. She had a job to do. And if she discovered information about Hugh that justified his elimination, she’d follow through. Her life depended on it.

“Pretty much.” Something flashed in his blue eyes and he quickly looked away.

“Can you control your shifting?” She told herself to guard the things going on inside her head more carefully.

“Yes.”

“Are you thinking about shifting right now?”

“Yes.”

“Wanna jump off a bridge?”

“Ye—” His gaze jumped back to hers.

She smiled. “Just checking to see if you were listening. How about we grab a burger and fries when this over?”

He tiptoed closer. Her senses not too shabby either, she could feel the heat radiating off him, smell his masculine scent magnified by the intensity of the situation. She saw beyond the whites of his eyes to something that made her feel like she’d swallowed the tiny white, twinkling lights found in trees during the holidays. For a split second, she thought he might lean in and kiss her. She wanted him to lean in and kiss her.

Instead, his warm breath tickled her ear and he whispered, “Let’s focus on getting out of here alive.”

Blinking away the pleasant sensations circulating through her body, she silently cursed her trembling knees back into kickboxing mentality.

“No problem,” she said, her tone serious and tough.

What an idiot she was. He had no interest in her whatsoever. He’d flirted with her some, yes, but that was because he thought she might know something about Trey. Now that he knew she didn’t, as soon as he could ditch her at her car, she’d never see him again.

Until she started investigating him, that was. And then it would be all about the job. She’d decide on a course of action and without his knowledge, get her hands on information to prove he wasn’t as nice as he appeared. P.I.E.’s clients always had good reasons for hiring the company, so this time shouldn’t be any different.

Even though it felt different.

She pushed herself away from the shelving, forcing him back. “What’s the plan?”

“The plan is you’re going to get out of here, and I’m going to deal with the Banoth. If you go back the way we came in and—”

“Oh no—”

“Oh yes—”

“Oh hell no.” She put her hand over his mouth as he was about to speak. “I am not running away from this thing. It tried to take a bite out of my backside. Sorry, but I’m staying, and I’m going to make that SOB pay for its actions. So you can just tell me how we kill it, and the sooner we get the deed done, the sooner you’ll be rid of me.”

He grabbed her wrist and pushed her hand from his mouth with a firm, yet gentle hold. His jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed. A low growl escaped his pursed lips. “I don’t have time to argue with you.”

“That’s right. So how do we kill it?”

“You’re no ordinary private investigator.” He placed her arm at her side and released his grip. His steely gaze said he was trying to intimidate her, get her to tell truths she didn’t share.

“Maybe I’ll fill you in sometime, but not right now. I think tall, dark and hairy is coming to get us.”

As if on cue, the shelving unit beside them toppled over, boxes falling to the floor with a thunderous crash. Banoths obviously weren’t keen enough to hit their target unless it stood right in front of them.

“Run!” Hugh yelled, shoving her away from the jagged pieces of clay pot littering the floor.

“Would you quit saying that? I know.”

They took off again, Tess leading them through a maze of aisles. After tearing around a corner, she halted abruptly when she noticed the shaggy savage waiting for them at the other end.

For a creature that had to weigh at least five hundred pounds, it sure traveled quietly. And if she wasn’t mistaken, its thick botoxed lips were pursed in a smile that said “come and get me, baby.”

Not sure what to do, she looked over her shoulder for help from Hugh. He wasn’t there. Great. She turned her head back to her enemy and plastered her sweetest closed-mouth smile back at him. They glared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before she wondered if he understood English and she could talk her way out of this.

“Hi. I’m Tess. And you are?”

The beast snorted and scraped one of its feet like it was getting ready to charge.

“Okay, so talking is out of the question.” Instead, she might have to play matador. The super-sized Cousin It looked ready for a bullfight. Steam even came out of the area she assumed housed nostrils. It was hard to tell underneath all the hair.

“You colorblind?” she called out, referring to the color of her dress. Red, blue, she supposed on the color wheel they might be pretty close to each other. She’d never paid much attention during art classes.

Another gruff sound answered her. Where the hell was Hugh? He wouldn’t leave her here alone with this monster, would he? Sneak out on his own and go find Trey, happy to have her occupied. No. He wouldn’t dare. Would he?

Trying discreetly to dart her eyes to the left and right, she searched for something to help her out. Once again she mentally reprimanded herself for going out alone at night without her purse. At the very least, she should have strapped a knife to her thigh. But nooo. She’d been too anxious to follow Trey. Who was really Hugh. Who was a Night Runner. And terribly hard to forget. Even now, under the present danger.

She found nothing to aid her in the overwhelming desire to shove something sharp into the Banoth’s chest, so decided there was only one course of action to take. She was a pro at it by now.

Run.

This time, knowing better than to turn her back on a stinkball-throwing giant hairball, she hoped its depth perception was off, and he wouldn’t notice her taking cautious steps backward. Holding her breath, she inched away from the Banoth. As soon as she reached the end of the aisle, she made a sideways beeline for safety.

Hugh wasn’t going to find Trey tonight. In fact, he doubted the information Dane had received was accurate at all. The more likely explanation included a setup to capture and kill Dane and himself. With the three top Night Runners out of the picture, the pack would be vulnerable to a takeover. Or worse.

Someone had orchestrated this whole thing, Hugh was sure of it. And whoever that someone was went to a lot of trouble and expense. Sending a Banoth to take care of business meant the stakes were high, the job top priority.

Right now, his priority was Tess. He’d ditched her to shift so that he could better protect her. It killed him to think he’d gotten her into this mess. Sharp pains jabbed his stomach at the thought of harm coming to her. Anger bubbled up inside him. He’d rip out the Banoth’s throat if the creature got too close to her.

In a matter of hours, she’d gotten under his skin. He knew because hot vapors rushed through his body whenever they touched.

He’d traveled beside her just now, his shadow under her feet, without her knowledge so he could figure her out. Her tough and fearless personality wasn’t for show. Her smart mouth not all talk. He knew she’d deliver every bit as good as she got. Watching her speak to the Banoth had made him ridiculously hard. She turned him on with her unwavering confidence, despite their predicament.

Pots suddenly crashed to the floor, and he bit the side of his mouth. In his haste to follow Tess as she ran from the Banoth, he knocked over a stack of ceramics. She turned on her heels and landed a right hook to his jaw.

“Ow,” he said, rubbing a hand over the painful spot. “What was that for?”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know what was behind me.” Her eyes widened as she took in his appearance. “So I decided to act without thinking.”

“You do that a lot?”

“All the time.”

“Duck!” he yelled, dropping to his knees.

She obliged as another putrid smelling ball of slime sloshed past their heads. “Can’t you do something about this thing?”

“Come on.” He took off toward a stairway he’d caught sight of, and taking the steps two at a time, raced to the second floor with Tess right behind him. The stairwell was small and narrow, and the Banoth would have trouble getting through it. That might buy him the few minutes he needed to figure a way out of the building. They reached a small landing, then turned to run up a second flight.

No matter what she said, he was determined to get her the hell away from the beast. If it sank its fangs into her, she was dead.

“By the way,” she said as they raced up the stairs, “thanks for leaving me alone. Really. I appreciate it. It shows how much confidence you have in me.”

He wasn’t sure if she was serious or not, but he didn’t have time to decode female speech at the moment. They were about to collide with a metal door. Why the fuck was there a steel door at the top of the stairs?

Tess bumped into him. Her eyes must have been on the steps and not where she was going. He couldn’t blame her. He saw just fine in the darkened stairwell, but imagined she didn’t.

“A little warning next time,” she said.

“We’ve got a problem,” he answered, releasing the locked door handle.

“Yeah, I know. And he needs a haircut.”

“There’s a steel door here and it’s locked. We need to go back the way we came.” As he stepped next to her, he noticed her blink a few times to adjust her vision. Or maybe it was to adjust to the sight of him in his Night Runner form.

“Huh. Probably two different companies lease the building. You can’t break it down?”

“I’m strong, but not that strong. The good news is I don’t think the Banoth followed us this way.” He started down the stairs with tentative steps. “Stay behind me.”

She grabbed the back of his shirt like someone would if they were in a crowd and didn’t want to get separated. The gesture felt too comfortable, too meaningful. He gulped. Whether he cared to admit it or not, he wanted much more than to see her to safety.

“So about these fangs,” she whispered. “Are they like vampire teeth, or worse?”

He didn’t answer right away, instead trying to keep his mind focused on the task and not her warm breath making the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention again.

“Because the way I see it, with a mouth the size of my arm, I’d say worse. And where does all that stinky slime come from?”

Ignoring her questions, he turned the corner on the small landing. As he’d suspected—given the narrow passage—the flight of stairs was empty. That didn’t mean the Banoth wasn’t lurking nearby, but he’d take the opening.

“Also, you mentioned a friend. Do you think the second Banoth is about to show up? Because I’d really like to be prepared for that.”

The woman obviously talked when she was nervous. Or talked to hear herself. Either way, her voice made it difficult for him to concentrate. “Shh.” He took the last step to the warehouse floor. His ears perked up, his nostrils flared.

“Don’t shush me.”

“Okay, shut up.”

He visualized the building. Every inch of it, until he heard footsteps above his head and knew the Banoth was visiting the second floor. He had about thirty seconds to get Tess back to the door they’d entered through, and kick her ass out.

“Screw you.”

That warranted a glance over his shoulder. A few comebacks came to mind but he decided to smile instead. Let her stew in her own words. With a touch of pink in her cheeks to match a touch of want in her eyes, he didn’t need to say a thing. Really shouldn’t say a thing.

“Remember where the door is that we entered?” he asked, eager to get her to safety and out of his sight. If he had any hope of salvation, he needed to cut ties immediately.

“Of course I do.” She bumped his shoulder in a playful gesture that amazed him, given their situation.

“Good. We’re going to haul ass there. Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” She nudged him to the side and took off. “First one there wins.”

Following her was no hardship. The dress wrapped around her body like cellophane and all he could see was every delicious curve. God, how he wanted to strip her. Lick her between the legs until she came on his tongue. Touch her until she came on his fingers. Move his cock inside her until she came screaming his name. His attention was so focused on the slope of her back and how much he wanted to enter her from behind that a moment later, he didn’t even see the terra cotta pot coming.

Pain blasted into the side of his head and he fell to the floor. Large, jagged pieces of brown clay surrounded him, one lodging into his palm as he cushioned his fall. He didn’t stay down longer than two seconds before jumping to his feet ready for battle, claws bared.

The Banoth had other ideas.

Tess’s scream hit him like daggers pelting his chest. Granted, the scream rang more ornery than frightened, which gave him some slight consolation, but not nearly enough to stop his heart from racing.

When he turned down the aisle where the shriek had sounded, he found her in the Banoth’s clutches. Her feet were dangling in the air while the beast held her by the shoulders, shaking her like a piggy bank. She swung her legs, trying to kick him, but the animal’s outstretched arms were too long.

“Put me down, you son of a bitch!”

As amusing as the picture was, Hugh knew the Banoth didn’t plan on playing for long. Chances were the creature had never handled a beautiful blonde in a blue dress before. Add in the wiggles she was doing to free herself, and no warm-blooded male of any species would refuse that show.

“Goddammit! If you don’t let go of me right now, I swear to God I’ll—”

“Put her down, Banoth. Your fight’s with me.” He strode into the animal’s line of vision, ready to do whatever it took to free Tess.

As the beast turned its oddly shaped head and melancholy face his way, Tess continued to squirm. The Banoth glanced from him back to her before it opened its mouth and launched a giant smelly spit wad at him. Damn, he hated those things. The only other time he’d had the pleasure of coming face to face with a Banoth was four years ago and the thick liquid had hit him in the back. It stung like hell.

Ducking out of the way, he lunged toward the beast.

The Banoth halted Hugh’s advance by decking him with a sideswipe from his horns. Hugh landed on his backside, and watched in horror as the Banoth quickly opened his mouth and revealed its fangs.

Tess screamed. No matter how hard she kicked and carried on, she was no match for the Banoth’s overwhelming strength. Hugh’s jaw tensed. He didn’t understand why the creature wanted her if he’d been sent after him, and the thought riled him into action.

Without consideration, he lunged for the Banoth’s legs and sank in his claws. A blood-curdling wail came from the animal’s open mouth and it dropped Tess. She back-peddled out of the Banoth’s reach until hitting the side of a shelf with her back.

“Get out of here!” he yelled.

“Not without you,” she hollered back.

Hugh let out a snarl. If she wouldn’t listen to him, he had no choice but to kill the Banoth. Or die trying.

With his claws digging in deeper, he flipped the Banoth onto its back. No easy task, and a move the animal didn’t care for. One abnormally long arm extended to grab Hugh by the nape of the neck. The beast pulled with enough force to lift him off the ground and rip his claws out of the animal’s legs. The Banoth rose, taking Hugh with him until it was his turn to dangle in the air. But he was taller than Tess, and swinging his legs vertical, he shoved the heels of his boots into the Banoth’s chest. The beast grunted and threw him across the room.

The Banoth followed up far too quickly for a creature its size, rushing at him before he had time to catch his breath. The beast sank a fang into his shoulder at the same time Hugh drove a claw into its torso.

The gouge was enough to get the Banoth to lift its fang, and the two of them rolled across the cold concrete floor, each grabbing for the other like professional wrestlers. They tumbled into a shelving unit, knocking down pots that crashed over their heads. The sickly scent of the Banoth—a combination of vomit and dirt—made Hugh’s nose itch. It tried to spit poison on him, but Hugh jerked out of the way. Only to roll over the slime a minute later. The sting didn’t stop him.

He clawed at the beast, taking out chunks of hair and flesh. The Banoth nicked him again with a fang, this time on the upper arm while Hugh pinned him down. When he flipped Hugh over, the creature went in for the kill, two fangs landing in the center of his chest.

It didn’t matter that he was a half shifter—any significant amount of poison would have dire effects. Mercury tipped bullets or darts would get the job done quicker, but good old-fashioned venom, if left to circulate in his blood stream long enough, would also be deadly.

Hugh lifted his arms and grabbed the Banoth by the horns, pulling as hard as he could. The beast didn’t budge. A bitter, metallic taste burned his throat as the beast’s fangs continued to puncture his skin. He needed to get the upper hand. Now.

With nowhere else to go, he dug his claws into the animal’s cheeks and drew the sharp tips down its elongated face. The Banoth withdrew its fangs and let out a cry. Seizing the opportunity, he grabbed the beast by the horns again, and flung the animal over his head and across the floor. The Banoth landed with a thud against a wall, bringing on a tremor the size of a small earthquake. It got up more slowly this time, looking a little dazed. He watched it amble toward him like a drunken idiot.

Hugh quickly scanned the area for Tess as he got to his feet. She wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He hoped like hell she’d come to her senses and left the building. Worrying about her took a toll. His mind wasn’t as sharp as it should be when she was around.

The Banoth continued its zigzag pattern toward him, so he stayed put. Come on, fella. Come and get me. Things looked to be moving in his favor when the animal wavered. Good thing too. He felt the Banoth’s poison circulating in his blood stream like a chill invading every pore. His heart thudded in his ears, his muscles twitched, his senses were off.

Not enough to miss the smell he picked up with a short ragged breath, though. Tess. She was still in the building. Still close by. Dammit.

Pushing away thoughts of her, he zeroed in on the Banoth and took steps to meet the ugly bastard halfway. Like before, they grabbed at one another and pummeled each other with fists and kicks.

Hugh detected the Banoth tiring while his own body fought for freedom, fought to end the Banoth’s life before Tess did something foolish. If he could just get his claws into the beast’s jugular, he’d be victorious, whisk the girl to safety and figure out what to do next to find Trey.

Out of the corner of his eye, a flash of blue appeared. It distracted him enough to give the Banoth the upper hand. The beast slammed him to the floor and pinned him beneath its tree-stump legs. Not so stupid this time, the Banoth faced away from him, giving no more opportunity for facial clawing. Then it sank its fangs into his calf.

There wasn’t much more poisoning Hugh could take. He dug his claws into the Banoth’s back, but the creature barely flinched. He lifted his hips to try and jostle the Banoth. No luck. The goddamn animal could probably hang from a tree with its fangs latched onto a branch for hours. Nothing Hugh did made it budge.

Until a large, round blade—no, not blade…potting wheel?—hit the Banoth upside the head and sent him toppling over onto his side. Hugh got to his feet, rolled the stunned creature to its back, and went for the jugular.

A minute later, the Banoth stopped moving.

“I thought I told you to get out of here,” he said, panting as he cast a glance at the pair of long, lovely legs even with his line of vision. He kneeled over the Banoth, mustering up enough strength to stand and carry on without Tess noticing he felt like shit.

“You’re welcome, asshole.”

“I had it.”

“I could tell.” She bent to his level. “Need some help getting up?”

“No,” he growled.

While she turned her attention toward the Banoth, he shifted. It took a little extra effort, and when he was upright, his legs almost gave out from under him.

“You don’t look so hot,” she said, her arms crossed, her tone light, but laced with concern. For him.

He took in her appearance and felt a tiny bit of pain lift. She looked just as good as she had in the bar. None the worse for wear. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

“What about Scary Hairball?” She kicked the Banoth in the side.

“I’ll send someone to clean up.”

“Cool.” Turning on her uneven heels, she headed for the exit.

Hugh tried to keep up, but wasn’t moving too swiftly. That last injection of Banoth poison circulated inside him. His head pounded, his body felt like someone had used a drill on each major organ and they were slowly draining of functioning cells.

She held the door open for him. The cool outside air wiped away the Banoth’s stench, and the only sound was the faint whisper of wind. The quiet helped clear his muddy brain. He took immediate stock of the alleyway, sniffed and knew the second Banoth had split.

“This way,” he commanded. “Back to the bar.” His tongue grew thick, his throat tight.

Tess turned, looking ready to argue, but quickly changed her mind. Her frown vanished and in its place bloomed kind, wide eyes with worry lines etched into her forehead. “Are you sure you’re going to make it to the bar?”

“No. Not really.”

Chapter Six

Tess couldn’t take her eyes off Hugh. She’d helped save his life, but the fact was, he’d saved hers first. Without hesitation and without a second thought. Now he looked like there wasn’t much life left in him. Her heart dipped below her lungs. She didn’t want him to die.

Not yet.

Not like this.

She had a job to do.

Just do it. Get it over with. So what that you didn’t do any investigating? This is your last chance, Tess. Your. Last. Chance.

“I’m going to kill Kensie and Francesca,” she muttered under her breath. Because really, it was their fault. If they hadn’t sent her on a blind date, none of this would have happened. She would have met Hugh on her terms, as her mark, and nothing else. Right?

They walked side-by-side, a strange feeling of giddiness and gratitude flooding her because he’d cared more about her safety than his own. She heard every breath he took, felt them too. She barely had a scratch on her body, but the front of his shirt was torn and blood trickled out. Slashes covered his leather jacket, a bruise colored his jaw.

Something heavy and tight and uninvited filled her chest.

“Why are you going to kill them?” he asked, putting one foot in front of the other with careful deliberation.

Tess couldn’t stand it. She fastened her arm under his and gently pulled so that he’d lean on her before she answered. “You heard that?” She’d barely whispered it. Granted, the sidewalk and street were deserted, but still.

He didn’t flinch at her touch, didn’t reject her help. His cooperation both frightened and thrilled her. Then he nodded and asked, “You okay?”

“Sure. Why?” Criminy. Asking why was like asking him what he thought about the two of them.

“Because your heart’s beating a little fast.” A coy smile spread across his very kissable lips.

She squeezed her eyes shut for a second. “You cannot hear my—”

“Can.”

“Cannot.”

“I can also—”

“I don’t want to know,” she snapped, trying to keep any palpitations in check. “Let’s just get to my damn car.”

“Something we finally agree on.”

They turned a corner and the abandoned sidewalk gave way to life. A few parked cars lined the larger street. Farther down, a traffic signal blinked green. Best of all, the bar stood within view.

The safest thing for her to do at the moment was get away from him. She had to ignore the attraction that threatened to weaken her, forget about his concern, and pay complete attention to The Job.

When she was seven years old, her mom and dad had told her she was adopted as an infant, but she hadn’t cared. Her mother and father had shown her so much love she couldn’t imagine anyone else loving her more. They were the fearless threesome, every weekend going on exciting adventures. She learned how to snorkel, surf, rock climb, ski, snowboard, even hang-glide in tandem with her dad. Her parents instilled in her a no fear mentality. They laid the foundation for her desire to experience life to the fullest. A week after her eighth birthday, they died in a boating accident.

For the next six years, she bounced around foster homes, growing more and more disobedient and difficult with each family. Until she moved across the street from Jason. He’d been through the same difficulties and understood. For two years, they were inseparable, and once again she became a weekend warrior, doing all the things she loved to do as a child. When she was recruited by P.I.E. and told she had to give up contact with him, she was devastated. But slowly she realized she’d been given a second family.

Finding Jason on the beach a couple years later had been a dream come true. She’d never felt happier. And this time they fell madly in love. Then, just like her parents, he died and left her alone. If not for Kensie and Francesca, the pain and grief would have destroyed her. She rebuilt the wall around her heart and swore nothing would penetrate it again. Not to protect herself. To protect them.

Deep down, she was terrified if she ever loved someone like that again, they would die too.

“If I knew I only needed to agree with you to get you to be quiet for longer than a minute, I would have done so a lot sooner,” Hugh said, breaking the silence between them and pulling her from her thoughts.

Their pace, she noticed, had slowed considerably while they’d quietly walked, and when she refocused on him she almost gasped. His cheeks had lost all their color, and his posture had slackened considerably.

“You really don’t look that great. Maybe I should take you to the hospital.”

“I’m fine. Just a little beat up.”

“I saw the Banoth put its fangs in you. A few times. That can’t be good.” God, she didn’t want to care. She didn’t want to feel her heart ache for him. Want for him. Beat and pound and flutter for him.

He leaned on her less. “I said I’m fine.”

“What about Dane? Maybe the other Banoth got to him. He didn’t have a kick-ass sidekick like you did.” She nudged him with her shoulder, hoping some playful banter might piss him off. Make him eager to argue. Surely he’d stay strong in order to put her in her place.

“He’ll show up.”

“How do you know? Maybe he walked into an ambush too. That was an ambush you know. The Banoth was waiting for you.”

“I agree.”

“You agree?” Tess wasn’t sure to what. And she really hated that he didn’t look at her when he spoke.

“Yeah, so will you shut up now?” He didn’t even give a slight peek in her direction to see her reaction.

“You’re not going to go back and look for Trey after you drop me off at my car, are you? Because I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She couldn’t begin to figure out all the emotions swirling inside her like a tornado. The way she was acting, the words she was saying, sounded so utterly unlike her she wondered if the Banoth had put some sort of hex on her when he’d stared so lovingly into her eyes.

Since when had she become a mother hen? Jesus. She needed to say goodbye to Hugh and fast, before she did something stupid. Offering to take him to the hospital was bad enough. What was she going to suggest next? Personal nurse? Because really, her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own at the moment.

“I don’t think so either,” he muttered, growing heavier on her arm again.

“In your weakened state, you really should just drive home and get into bed.”

“That an offer?” Finally he gave a feeble glance in her direction.

Even if it were, she’d never admit it. “You wish, big guy. Now which one’s your car?” They’d reached the corner across from the bar. Both the parking lot and street were full of parked cars and she breathed a sigh of relief. As happy as she’d been to avoid the bar scene the past five years, she was glad for the comfort it brought now.

Hugh snickered disapprovingly. “I’m walking you to your car.”

“That didn’t work so well last time.” She shifted her weight to accommodate his lethargy and let him know she planned to take him to his car. Not the other way around.

He pulled back. “This time I’m watching you drive away.”

She didn’t argue. The man was in a lot of pain, yet still thinking of her first. The least she could do was let him win on the terms of her departure. Because she was leaving. Was going to walk away from him. At least for tonight.

As they crossed the street, Tess felt him perk up before he fully withdrew his body from hers. “Something wrong?” she asked, noting he’d risen to his full stature, but his lips were set in a firm line. She’d wager it took everything he had to stand up straight.

“Dane’s nearby.” He picked up the pace for the first time since leaving the warehouse, ushering her more quickly to the parking lot.

“Where?” She looked around, but only saw a few people ambling out of the restaurant, their voices loud enough for her to catch several four-letter words. She recognized one of them—the guy who’d so eloquently tried to buy her a drink. She steered Hugh away from confrontation.

They crossed the parking lot and small side street, and reached her car without incident. She punched in the code on the driver’s door keypad and the car unlocked. Decisions—stay, go, help, don’t help—bounced around her head as she contemplated her next move.

“I think I should wait with you until Dane shows up,” she said.

Hugh slouched against the car, his chin practically in his neck. To passersby, he’d look like he’d had one too many drinks. She wished that were the case. That he’d recover from.

“Not necessary.” He pushed off from the car, but immediately fell back.

“Tough shit. I’m staying.” She leaned against the car door. “Can’t you like howl to him or something?”

“Not necessary,” he repeated.

They stood in silence for one minute. Then two.

Tess hated feeling helpless. She hated not knowing what to do. Her insides churned, making her stomach clench. A sharp pain on the right side of her head came and went like clockwork every thirty seconds. Perspiration trickled down her sides. The last time she’d felt this anxious was when Jason lay in her arms. Dying. There’d been nothing she could do about it. She’d gotten to him too late.

As much as Hugh dropping dead beside her would solve her business responsibilities, she didn’t want him dying like this. Or maybe she did. No. No, she didn’t. But it was for reasons completely inappropriate, completely unsettling.

Her thoughts of Jason, and comparing the situations threw her for a loop. Yes, she had some sort of connection with Hugh, but death was part of her job, so why did it bother her so much this time? She needed to remember he was her assignment and nothing more.

Get in the car, Tess. Drive away and don’t look back.

Or stay in the agonizing quiet. She always got uncomfortable hanging out with someone in silence, but hell if she knew the right thing to say. She should start her investigation of him this instant with questions about his job, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. He looked too vulnerable.

Too human.

Diverting her attention to a spot of oil on the street seemed like her best bet at the moment. She stared without blinking until her eyes protested. Then she looked across the street to find Dane heading toward them.

“Hey,” Dane called, crossing with long strides and looking like he’d been in the bar all night, not out prowling the streets in search of a friend.

Hugh lifted his head and stood taller. Maybe he’d just needed a few minutes to rest. He looked glad to see Dane, but Tess could swear she saw a hint of anger there too.

“Dane.”

The one word acknowledgement spoke volumes. Hugh didn’t ask how he was, he didn’t ask about Trey. Instead he waited for Dane to fill him in without prodding. “Dane” had been a command, not a greeting.

“What the hell happened?” Dane asked, looking Hugh up and down before turning an eye on her.

She glared at him, more for Hugh’s sake than her own. Was he allowed to talk to Hugh that way? “We were attacked by a Banoth,” she said. She wanted to add “you jackass,” but held her tongue.

“A Banoth? Jesus.” Dane’s chest deflated some, his shoulders rounded. “Did it get its fangs in you?” he asked Hugh, concern in his voice.

“Yeah.”

“Are you carrying?”

Carrying? What was he talking about?

“No. So talk.” Hugh pushed himself up so his shoulders rose above the car’s roofline. His face was hard to read under the dim streetlight, but beads of sweat dotted his forehead. Tess swept a gaze over him from top to bottom and noticed a dark bloodstain on the leg of his jeans.

Dane nodded in her direction. “Right now?”

“She’s clued in,” Hugh said, “and I trust her.”

Why the hell did he have to go and say that? She was not to be trusted. Not to be included in their pack activities. Not to know what he wasn’t carrying, even though she was dying to get that bit of information. Then again, she couldn’t have asked for a better cover, an easier way into Hugh’s life. He knew she was a private investigator. She could use that to her advantage to help him find Trey. She’d pretend friendship to help him and get the information she needed to do her job. She’d just keep P.I.E. out of the picture.

Friendship. Yeah, right.

She smiled at Dane. A great big smile to let him know she was sticking around, and he’d better get used to it. Something about Dane unsettled her. He didn’t like her involvement, she knew that from their confrontation in the alley, but there was more. Something she couldn’t put her finger on.

“The tip on Trey was bogus. I got to the location and he wasn’t there.”

“I’m not surprised,” Hugh said. “This whole thing was a setup to—”

“Get Hugh,” Tess finished. “And probably you too, Dane. Did you meet with any trouble? See anything that might give you some clue as to who or what planned this little attack?”

Dane looked like he was about to fall over. Maybe he’d never heard someone finish Hugh’s sentence before and then go on to ask the questions. A happy buzz wove through her body that she couldn’t blame on the beers from two hours ago. She’d come to the rescue of the lone wolfen and the idea that possibly no other woman ever had gave her a great deal of satisfaction.

“You a cop?”

Her occupation no longer a secret, she answered, “Private investigator.”

He looked back to Hugh for confirmation.

Hugh nodded. “I don’t like what’s going on. And I don’t understand why things have escalated so”—he coughed, a retching noise that sounded painful—“quickly.”

Dane took a step toward him. “You need to sit down. You need—”

“I need you to talk. Now,” Hugh said in a huff. He pushed away from the car and paced back and forth, his posture still rounded but his feet moving swifter.

Tess gulped. She could tell his movement was forced. That it would cost him. But his pride was obviously worth more than his comfort. Panic wove through her and her heart raced with sickening speed. Was his ego more important than his life? Because he literally looked like death warmed over. He needed medical attention. He needed a hospital room with machines whirring and tubes pumping drugs into him.

“I came across a couple of Wolf Seekers not far from Trey’s supposed location. I messed them up a bit and got them to talk. They had some very interesting information.”

“And that was?”

“Wolf Seekers?” Tess questioned. How come she’d never heard of them either? “Who are they?”

Dane looked to Hugh before he answered. “They’re humans who want to rid Los Angeles of wolves. At the moment, they’ve set their sights on the Night Runners.”

“Who’s in charge of them?” She knew there were groups of humans who were aware of Veilers and wanted to erase them from society. Heck, she’d gotten assistance from a couple of them. But why didn’t P.I.E., the most elite organization for eliminating Veilers, know about this faction? It was P.I.E.’s business to know about competing groups.

“We don’t know,” Hugh replied, falling back against the car again. The bloodstains on his shirt and jeans had spread, hair matted to his forehead, the rise and fall of his chest was more pronounced.

Tess fought the urge to move closer and take his arm in hers for support. “I can find out for you.” This was her in. The way to keep tabs on Hugh and investigate him while also finding out more about the Wolf Seekers.

Dane got right in her face. “We don’t need your help.”

She pushed him in the chest. Hard. “Do not speak to me like that ever again or you’ll find yourself singing soprano.”

“I doubt that.”

“Try me. You’ve got no idea what I’m capable of.” Not all Night Runners are created equal, she decided. Dane, she wanted to kill. Could kill. Right now.

“Nor you I.” He whispered the retort like he didn’t want Hugh to hear.

Was he an idiot? Didn’t Hugh hear everything? She glanced toward him. Okay, maybe right this minute his senses weren’t too keen. But threaten her? Dane’s warning rumbled though her, leaving a cold, resentful feeling she wanted to hang on to for as long as she was breathing.

“So what’s your interesting information?” she asked, eyebrows raised and her hands itching to hit something.

Dane moved closer to Hugh, attempting to cut her off from the conversation. “They told me—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Hugh slid down the car. In. Slow. Motion. His legs slipped out from under him until he landed on his butt. His head lolled forward as if he’d fallen asleep.

“Jesus Christ,” Dane said, moving to Hugh’s side.

Tess moved too, kneeling to the ground beside Hugh. Dane lifted Hugh’s head and the blue eyes that had mesmerized her hours ago were almost completely drained of color. Thankfully, he blinked a few times, allowing her to catch the breath she’d held when he slumped to the ground.

“Fuck,” Hugh said, a groan following.

“Where is it?” Dane asked. “I’ll run and get it. Be back as fast as I can.”

“Where’s what?” Tess hated being left out of the loop and worried that whatever it was wasn’t going to get to Hugh in time.

“It’s an antibiotic. An antidote. In case of emergencies like these, we usually carry a small vile of liquid to drink to counter the effects of certain poisons that affect our tissue replacement. Small amounts of poison don’t affect us, but larger amounts… Fuck, Hugh. How long were the Banoth’s fangs in you?”

“Too long,” he said, turning his head to peek at Tess. “But necessary.”

“I’ll go get it,” she offered. “Tell me where it is and I’ll go get it.” The words flew out of her mouth without a second thought.

“I’m not sure there’s enough time.” Hugh’s gaze remained on her.

Don’t get emotional. Let him die. Your life will be so much easier. The job will be done. Finished. The boss will be happy.

Dane stood and pivoted. His brisk steps told Tess he was thinking about what to do. But there wasn’t time to think. They needed to act. Do something now. And then a thought struck her.

“Where’s your vial?” she asked, standing. “Can’t Hugh use yours?”

“You don’t think I would’ve offered already?” he said, his tone spiteful. “I gave mine to a friend last week and keep forgetting to replace it.” He hung his head with a small shake.

A golf-ball-sized lump sat in her throat. Maybe she’d misjudged Dane.

Hugh let out a choke, startling Tess and bringing Dane closer. They squatted beside him. She put her hand on his shoulder.

“There is something you can do.” This time Dane spoke to her as if they’d been friends for years.

Tess didn’t want any more friends. The rapid pulses migrating back and forth between her chest and her gut were a clear indication that she did not—should not—get involved with these two wolfen.

Yet she said, “What?”

“I know this is going to sound strange, but your saliva—”

“No.” Hugh shook his head in protest and let out probably the last deep breath he had.

“Your saliva,” Dane continued, ignoring Hugh, “can save him. The enzymes in it act as a natural disinfectant and when they mix with the protein in the nerve growth factor of Night Runners, it breaks down the poison at the molecular level.”

Biology was one of Tess’s favorite subjects in school, but this was a little over her head. “Is human female saliva in your vials?”

“Not just female, but given the circumstance, I think you’re in a better position to help,” Dane said.

“So what, you want me to lick his wounds?” There was no way she’d lick her own, let alone the shifter she was supposed to eliminate in the next few days.

Hugh let out a small gurgled sound. “I said no.”

Dane still wasn’t listening. “No. I want you to kiss him. The mouth will absorb the saliva much quicker than anywhere else and we’re running out of time.”

“Kiss him? I don’t think so. I just met him.” She’d wanted to kiss Hugh five minutes after meeting him. Of course, she thought his name was Trey and he was human. And the beer sliding down her throat had lowered her inhibitions, and lessened her nervousness at being on a date with someone for the first time since Jason.

Jason.

He’d died in her arms and there hadn’t been a thing she could do to save him. Her eyes met Hugh’s. She could save him. Right here. Right now. With only a kiss. A little mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

“If you don’t, Tess, he’s going to die.”

Chapter Seven

An uneasy feeling settled in Tess’s gut. She’d never saved anyone before. Hugh might think she’d saved him in the warehouse, but she hadn’t. Not really. She’d only helped so she could eliminate him later. Under other circumstances. Because that was what she did. She manipulated situations and people—no, not people, Veilers—so that she could kill them.

Suddenly, the ground felt cold as ice under her hands. The murmur of traffic in the distance evaporated, the whisper of wind ceased, the buildings around her faded into nothing. Her eyes were locked with Hugh’s, and what she saw there completely unnerved her.

He’d said no. Twice he’d said no. He didn’t want her to do this, but in the faded blue eyes she couldn’t tear her gaze from, she saw fear. And humanity. She looked away before compassion ripped every ounce of obligation from her. Before she not only saved him, but spared his life no matter what it cost her.

“I need a second,” she said, turning her head so she could think clearly. She hated, hated herself for even having to think. What kind of cruel, insensitive person was she? What kind of person didn’t save the life of another?

A person owned by P.I.E., that’s who.

What if…what if Hugh could help her find out who killed Jason? What if they could work out some sort of deal? A trade. She’d help him find Trey if he helped her find the wolfen responsible for Jason’s death. And at the same time, she could look into his life and find enough evidence to eliminate him.

The arrangement would help solve all her current problems.

She looked back to Hugh. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

Like a falling star, something twinkled in his eyes for the briefest moment. She straddled his legs, her dress inching up her thighs as she got comfortable. She placed her hands on the car on either side of his head, and moistened her lips with her tongue.

“It might take some time,” Dane said, “so don’t let up until he breaks the connection. He’ll know when to stop.”

Tess wondered exactly what kind of kiss this was supposed to be, but didn’t ask. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right. She’d never get another chance to kiss him.

She hadn’t kissed anyone since Jason, and now the thought of surrendering her mouth to Hugh’s made her hungrier for physical contact than she’d ever been.

God, she was pathetic. Even in his weakened state, Hugh got her juices flowing.

“This sure as hell better be on the up and up,” she said, “or there will be hell to—”

Hugh cupped the back of her head and brought her mouth to his. His lips were dry, frigid and stuck together. They tasted a little salty, like beef jerky.

After a couple of seconds, his lips softened and relaxed. His eyes closed as they made deeper contact. And damn if that didn’t send a rush of warmth to everywhere she was cold. She’d forgotten how the gentle glide of lips could make her entire body feel wanted. Needed. Cherished. She’d wanted a kiss so badly tonight and now it meant more than she ever could have imagined.

He moved his hands down her back to settle them on her hips, and pulled her tighter. She shimmied closer, her breasts meeting his chest while her hands slid down the car and curved around his shoulders.

Her eyes fluttered shut. They settled into a tender kiss, their mouths grazing one another with the lightest, yet most significant touch. The stubble lining his jaw and upper lip was softer than she’d imagined. She liked it, enjoyed the texture that was all Hugh. The feel of him would forever be etched in her memory. And cause an eternity of torment.

Reminding herself this was a cure and not a real kiss, she started making a mental list of all the things she hated. Liver and onions. I hate liver and onions. People who don’t say bless you when you sneeze. I hate those people. Filling my car up with gas. I hate that. Missing the perfect wave. That sucks. Blisters. I hate those bloody things, and I’m feeling one on the bottom of my foot right now. Stupid borrowed shoes. Stupidity. I hate stupidity. And what I’m doing right now is so stupid.

Oh hell…

Hugh parted his lips and hers immediately followed. His tongue swept into her mouth and swirled around in such a delicious way that she forgot about everything she hated. Forgot about what day it was, what year, what name she’d been given. Everything inside her turned pliant, soft, agreeable.

One other man. Tess had only kissed one other man like this. And it was nothing like this. Bliss braided its way through her, explosive and terrifying. Every pain she’d endured over the years disappeared from memory. Their mouths made a seamless, perfect fit. Every tilt, every breath, every tangle of their tongues was as if she’d found where she belonged.

She pressed her mouth firmer to his, the tenderness they’d started with giving way to a more heated connection. She felt him gaining strength, could sense it in the pressure he kissed her with, but also in the way his body perked up. His slouch vanished, his chest puffed out, his grip on her tightened. And his very hard length pressed against her.

Tess almost jerked away, his arousal bringing her too close to losing the thread of control she had left. But the satisfaction, the knowledge that she had turned him on when he’d been so close to death, rendered her unable to stop. She opened her eyes and saw color had returned to his cheeks, sweat no longer dotted his forehead.

The kiss was working.

A smile spread across her lips, and his eyes flew open. The cloudless sky blue hue was back. Passion and recklessness too. They gazed at one another for a few more seconds before her eyelids closed, catapulting her back to the euphoric state of saving his life.

She moved one hand to the back of his head where her fingers ran through the soft hair curling just above his jacket collar. Her other hand moved down to his chest, where she spread her palm to feel the strong beat of his heart.

He kissed her harder, faster, deeper. His mouth opened wider and his tongue grew more playful, the tip of it moving back and forth around the inside of her lips, then slipping in deeper. Tess imagined his mouth attached to other parts of her body and tingles like fireworks on the Fourth of July settled deep in her belly. Lower.

She wanted to grind against him, wanted to feel his rock hard length more intimately, to hell with whoever was watching. But she fought it, kept her physical wants in check. It had been too long since she’d had sex. Her body’s betrayal stemmed from lack of intimacy, she told herself. It had absolutely nothing to do with Hugh.

Nothing to do with his sexy mouth taking hers like it was the last kiss he’d ever have.

His hands roamed possessively up her back, around to her sides, and grazed the outside swell of her breasts. A moan escaped his lips, a turned-on gasp left hers. The kiss grew more fevered, more urgent. His hands continued to her thighs. The dress had crept up further and tingles hot and potent pulsed at the juncture there. Sweet sensations and anticipation as to his next move overwhelmed her.

And then before she was ready—before she was willing—he pulled away.

He fixed her with appreciative eyes before a warm, closed mouth smile spread across his well-kissed lips.

Her breathing ragged, and the job done, she quickly regained her composure lest anyone see how the kiss had affected her. “You look better.”

“I feel better.”

“Guess I’m a good dose of medicine.”

A gulp made its way down his throat. “Nothing’s more dangerous than a cure with curves.”

Not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, she rose to her feet, making sure her dress was back in place. Then she willed herself to look away from the man who’d just made her feel more in two minutes than she had in twenty-eight years.

“I think it worked,” she called across the street to Dane. She was glad he hadn’t been hovering while they kissed, even though it wouldn’t have changed a thing.

“Looks like it,” he answered, crossing the road and nodding toward Hugh.

Tess turned to find him standing. He looked a hundred times better with only a hint of discomfort evident in his furrowed brows. He ran a hand through his hair.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Ever again. She needed to forget that kiss. Forget how hellishly good it felt. Now that she’d saved him, she had a job to do.

“You good to go?” Dane asked. “No lightheadedness, nausea?”

She put her hands on her hips. “You mean after all that sucking face, you still don’t feel good?”

“No worries,” he answered, “I feel good, but I’ll feel even better in an hour or two.” His gaze took her in from head to toe before he moved his eyes to Dane. “What did you find out?”

“Don’t you want to send her on her way first?”

“I am standing right here. And I think I just proved that you don’t have to worry about talking in front of me.” She spoke to Dane, afraid to look at Hugh after the perusal he just gave her. Was he looking at her that way because he wanted her with him in an hour or two? She shivered at the thought.

Dane ignored her, choosing to raise his eyebrows at Hugh.

“I’ll leave when I’m ready,” she added, wanting to make a deal with Hugh before she went anywhere. The muscles in her back tensed and she blinked furiously. She didn’t think it was possible, but the situation bloomed a weird sensation of wanting to belong inside her.

“And when will that be?” Dane asked in a boorish tone.

Hugh stepped by her side. “That’s enough, Dane.” His firm voice left no room for a retort.

She treated Dane to another one of her winning smiles while the rest of her body relaxed. Hugh’s show of camaraderie drained the blood from Dane’s face. The victory caused a flutter in her chest.

But then Hugh said, “We had a deal.” And putting an arm around her, he steered her to the car door. “It’s time for you to go.”

“Oh come on,” she said, wiggling out of his grasp. “I think that deal is null and void now. You owe me.”

He opened her door and nudged her toward the driver’s seat before relaxing his arm over the window. “What do you want?”

Tess shrugged and tried to ignore their close proximity. “Just thought I’d throw out an arrangement that I think will benefit both of us.” She looked over his shoulder to Dane. “I’d like it to be private, though,” she whispered, hoping Dane wasn’t using his keen sense of hearing.

Hugh’s eyes once again moved over her body in a far too possessive way before settling on her face. “Are you propositioning me?”

“What? No! Well, not the way you’re thinking.”

“How do you know what I’m thinking?”

She bit her bottom lip. “I don’t. But what I’m requesting is strictly professional, so quit thinking you’re something special, Hugh Langston.”

A warm Santa Ana wind blew by them, carrying the scent of steak and fries from the bar. Her stomach growled.

Hugh clutched his chest. “You wound me.”

“Yeah. I’m sure. So can we talk?”

“Hugh, I really—”

“Give me a minute, Dane.”

“I don’t want him listening,” she said in a low voice.

Hugh gave her a wink before turning his head. “Wait for me by my bike,” he said to Dane, nodding toward a couple of motorcycles parked across the street. “And don’t listen.”

Dane spun around and stomped across the street. He paced back and forth with his hands fisted at his sides.

Tess still spoke in a hushed tone. “I’d like your help with something, and in exchange I thought I’d help you find Trey.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“Oh really?” she raised her eyebrows to go along with her words. “You needed my help five minutes ago. And now that I think about it, back at the warehouse too.”

“I don’t want your help.”

“I don’t want yours either. But sometimes it makes sense whether we like it or not. If you want, I won’t call it help.”

His forehead creased and his eyes narrowed. “This isn’t a game, Tess. You’ve got no idea what you’re getting into.” He paused a moment and bore his eyes into hers. “I take that back. You’ve got some idea. But after what happened tonight, I’m not about to risk your life to help me find Trey. Your day job doesn’t qualify you as a sidekick, as you put it. So get in your car and go home.”

Tess realized she’d approached this all wrong. She needed to make it seem like she needed him more than he needed her. She’d been searching for Jason’s killer for five years on her own. Not even Kensie or Francesca knew what she’d been up to. The idea of having someone like Hugh in on her secret mission seemed like the right thing to do at the moment.

“I can’t. The truth is I need your help, Hugh. I’m trying to find someone too, and I believe you’re just the man to help me.”

“Is this a job you’re working on?” He moved from behind the car door to lean his hip against the inside panel, placing him inside her personal space.

Standing so close to him without support in the open doorway, she almost fell butt first into the driver’s seat. She still tasted his lips on hers, pleasure still wove a warm path inside her. Much to her dismay, her legs wobbled. “No. It’s personal.”

That got his attention. He rubbed his jaw, studied her with interest.

If she could read minds, she’d probably find him weighing how much he owed her. She had saved his life. Had fought beside him. He didn’t need to know she’d loved every second of it, felt a rush of adrenaline while fleeing the Banoth, and really had no regard for her own safety. He didn’t need to know she lived on the edge and didn’t want to slow down long enough to think too hard about her life.

“Why me?”

“It’s wolf-related.”

His eyes widened. The light from the street lamp above highlighted their azure appeal. He looked both surprised and curious by her admission.

“I can’t help you.” He sounded resigned to the fact.

“Can’t or won’t? Come on. I think I’ve proven you can trust me.” She put her hand on his arm. “I’m proposing a fair trade, so really it’s not like either one of us is—”

“I’m not sure I…” Commotion swirled in his eyes now, like he couldn’t decide between doing the sensible thing or taking a chance.

She took a deep breath. “You’re not sure what?”

“I’m not sure I can—”

“Hugh,” Dane called out, waving a cell phone in the air. “We need to talk.”

Hugh shifted his stance and looked like he’d rather rewind the night and do everything differently. “I’m not sure I can trust myself,” he said. “Around you.” A moment of silence passed before he added, “Give me a minute with Dane.”

Wow. That wasn’t what she’d expected to hear. Trust himself how? Tess wondered, watching him walk away.

Hugh wanted to kiss Tess again. And again. And again. He wanted to kiss down her neck to her breasts, take her nipples between his teeth and suck until they pebbled into tight, hard nubs. Then he wanted to lick down her stomach, spread her legs and taste her until her juices slid down his throat. Tess hadn’t just saved his life tonight—she’d made him think for the first time ever there was someone made for him. Someone he didn’t want anyone else having. Her kiss had gotten inside him. Made him feel better than anything he’d tried before. The notion scared the shit out of him.

He needed to keep walking and never look back. Get his ass on his bike, and ride away like nothing else mattered but getting to the checkered flag. After the evening’s events, Trey’s life depended on him thinking intelligibly. Acting swiftly. Tending to the present situation with a clear head.

Tess put a crater-sized crack in accomplishing all that.

She filled him with lust.

And so much more he didn’t want to think about it.

Talking to her was easy. Confiding in her easier. He wanted to find out everything about her. He wanted to help her. But he didn’t know if bringing her into his world was the right thing to do.

She wasn’t the first human to know about Veilers. But other humans treated their existence with a shrug, a Tooth Fairy mentality that meant they didn’t truly believe. The world was full of monsters. Some saw them. Some didn’t. Others pretended they didn’t exist. Hugh worked damn hard to blend in. He lived by his own code, did the right thing by his pack and humans. Tess hadn’t shied away from him when she found out what he was. She hadn’t freaked or cried or screamed. She’d accepted.

Her acceptance was his undoing, and suddenly she mattered to him. Suddenly he understood how his brother could fall so helplessly for someone.

“What is it?” he snapped, wishing the clatter in his head would shut the hell up.

Dane didn’t look pleased by his annoyed tone, which was tough shit. Friends one day, enemies the next—things hadn’t changed since childhood. Nowadays, they merely tolerated each other for the sake of the pack.

“Word on the street is Trey’s being held by the Wolf Seekers.”

“We figured that out already.”

“But the Wolf Seekers are denying it. They’re saying they had nothing to do with it.”

Headlights coming down the street prompted them to move to the sidewalk. Hugh looked over his shoulder to be sure Tess was still there. She’d closed the car door and leaned against it. When he returned his attention to Dane, a cackle of voices came from the bar entrance.

They’d need to take extreme caution from here on out. If the Wolf Seekers were denying their involvement in Trey’s disappearance, then perhaps there was a third party interested in the Night Runners. Or… “They could be lying.”

“True. Especially given what else I just found out.” He looked up and down the dark street, took notice in Tess’s direction, then fixed his eyes on Hugh.

“What’s that?” Hugh’s fingers drummed along the side of his leg. He wanted to get back to his conversation with Tess.

“There’s a hit out on you.” He said it like he’d told Hugh the sky was blue.

Anger bubbled up inside Hugh. Every muscle strained against his clothing. Who the fuck had ordered a hit on him? “Really?”

“I just got off the phone with a guy who’s got his ear pretty close to the ground with all this Wolf Seeker business. He says the call went out yesterday. P.I.E. is handling it.”

Private Investigations and Elimination. He’d known about them for years. Knew their reputation. They thought they were helping the human population by eliminating Veilers. But really they were helping the Veiler population by getting rid of the criminals influencing the balance of power between Veilers and humans.

Hugh wasn’t a criminal. Which meant only one thing: it was personal.

Eliminators for the top-secret organization were supposedly the best assassins in the business. Their identities were virtually impossible to find out. Being human, they blended in with society, but had the unique talent of mixing in with Veilers as well.

They also killed with the knowledge their targets deserved it. Was someone supplying phony information on him? The idea made his jaw clench, his hands fist. It had to be all connected. Trey’s disappearance, the hit, the Banoth.

“Was the Banoth a warm-up?” Hugh started to pace, casting glances in Tess’s direction while he contemplated their next move.

She looked about ready to bolt, her head tilted to the right like she’d been waiting so long she couldn’t keep it up. Her long, athletic legs were thrust out, putting her body at a relaxed yet fatigued angle against her car.

“Probably. But it’s a possibility we’re dealing with more than one opponent.” Dane paced opposite him.

Hugh was pleased Dane had said “we” and not “you.” Regardless of their differences, he had to believe he could count on Dane when things got tough. “I agree.”

And that was when it hit him.

Like a bulldozer.

He looked over his shoulder at Tess. At the woman who was anything but ordinary. She gave a wave, a smile crossed her sensual lips. He blinked and her scent surrounded him.

She’d lurked around a dark alley in a seedy part of town unafraid and reacted unruffled to Dane’s shifting. She’d thought the Banoth fun—his senses had picked up on her amusement more than anything else. Very few humans knew about Sentients, but she had. And when he’d told her his real name, she’d choked and doubled over, completely thrown off balance to discover he wasn’t Trey.

His stomach lurched like he’d eaten bad fish. His chest tightened and burned. Tess was the P.I.E. eliminator. It made perfect sense. Her bravery, fighting skills, attitude and knowledge of Veilers all pointed to the occupation. What didn’t make sense was why she’d just saved his life if she planned to kill him.

“Head back to the main house and see what else you can dig up,” he told Dane. “Put some calls out to the others for help. I’ll be in touch.”

“What are you going to do?” Dane landed a hand on Hugh’s arm, putting a stop to their pacing.

“I’m going to talk to Tess.”

“Maybe I should stick around for that.”

“You shouldn’t. But…” He didn’t like what he was thinking, but it was time to turn the tables. “Have you got any duct tape left over from the patch job you did on the air duct at the main house?”

Confusion clouded Dane’s face. “I think so. It’s in the car.”

“Great. Go get it for me.” Excitement coursed through him, the pain in his chest and stomach lessened. He wasn’t sure what the hell he was doing, but he and Tess were going to get a few things straight.

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

Dane jogged to his car and Hugh gave Tess the minute signal with his finger. “Here you go,” Dane said.

“Thanks. You can take off now.” He put the tape in his jacket pocket, waited for Dane to leave, then headed straight for the woman who quite possibly could be the death of him regardless of her intentions. The fact that she might be an eliminator did nothing to squelch his desire for her.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, genuine concern in her voice.

She straightened her posture and ran her palms down the side of her thighs. Was she nervous? Did she guess he might be on to her?

“It’s fine. Thanks for waiting.” He positioned himself on her left and leaned back against the sporty vehicle. A pretty expensive automobile. One he was hard pressed to believe the average private investigator could afford.

They stood in silence for a few moments, as if neither of them knew what to say. He guessed her inquisitive nature was because of the job. A job she’d been cleverly honest about. In return, he’d supplied her with more information than he’d ever told anyone else, so maybe his first step should be to get more information on her. Even the playing field.

“How long have you been a PI?” he asked.

She cast a quizzical glance at him. “Why do you ask?”

“I like to get to know the person I’m thinking about helping before making a decision.” That ought to be vague enough to keep her gullible.

“A long time.”

Touché, he thought. “And being at it so long, you haven’t been able to find this person you’re desperate to locate?” He had a feeling her needing his help was a ploy to stay in contact with him.

“I never said I was desperate.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms like she was cold.

He wanted to warm her up. Give her his jacket. Take her in his arms. He didn’t.

“You know what? Forget I even asked.” She moved to open the car door.

“Hang on.” He caught her by the shoulder. “I didn’t mean to sound so callous. I’m just surprised you need help. After what I’ve seen tonight, I imagine you can do pretty much anything.”

“It would serve you well to remember that.” She released the door handle and shrugged his hand off her shoulder.

For the first time all night, her voice turned lethally businesslike. It startled him. She wasn’t a woman to be taken lightly. He couldn’t help but be further intrigued.

“What agency do you work for?” No more beating around the bush. Considering the late hour, he planned to…he didn’t know what he planned to do beyond interrogating her until something slipped.

“None of your business.” She squirmed then recovered without so much as a beat. “Unless of course you want to hire me. I was willing to do this trade-off without a contract, but if you insist on making it a more formal agreement, that’s fine by me. However, I was under the impression you wanted to keep Trey’s disappearance off the radar.”

“Tell me about who you’re looking for.” If he could get her to drop the attitude and relax, he was sure he’d be able to tell if she was lying about needing to find someone.

“Have we got a deal?” She bent over while speaking, pulling something out of her shoe.

“Talk and I’ll let you know.”

The sound of voices wafted in their direction again. More people left the bar. Headlights slanted across the road as a car turned the corner and drove past them. A man and woman holding hands crossed the small side street and got into a convertible parked a few automobiles up the road. The guy leaned over and kissed the girl before starting the ignition.

Tess took in the visuals around them just as he was. She was waiting, he assumed, until the coast was clear to start talking. He also imagined she was deciding how much, if any, truth to tell him. Letting the silence continue, he took the opportunity to focus in on her body rhythm. Her breathing was even, her heart rate normal. That all too pleasing scent of hers touched his nose and he knew he’d forever remember it.

“I’m looking for a wolfen,” she breathed, her gaze straight ahead, eyes searching past the bar and parking lot.

“Can you be a little more specific?” He stared at her beautiful profile.

“Not really.”

He sensed her unease, that what was on her mind was difficult to share, so he bit back his snappy comeback. He let the sentient part of him rise to the surface, just enough to detect she told the truth.

Maybe he’d let his imagination run away with him, and she wasn’t an eliminator after all. Or maybe she was, and the kiss they’d shared had tilted her axis as much as his. He knew it meant something to her. There was no faking the passion that passed between them.

Why the hell had she saved his life?

Because she really did need his help?

“How long have you been looking?” he asked, an involuntary shiver racing down his spine.

“Five years.” Her soft voice nearly wrenched his heart out of his chest. She cast her eyes downward.

“With a track record like that, I’m not sure you can help me find Trey. No deal.”

His callous retort had the desired effect. She turned on him with the speed and dexterity of a professional killer. With legs on either side of his, she pushed him up against the car and had his throat in a chokehold that reminded him of how strong she’d been when they’d arm-wrestled. Anger flamed in her blue eyes; her lips were pressed tight.

She’d just convinced him she was a pretty P.I.E. player. And he needed to stop looking at her lips, because God help him, he wanted to kiss his eliminator senseless.

“Fuck you. You’ve got no idea what I can do.” Her mouth was mere inches from his. “I could drop you right here if I wanted to.”

He arched an eyebrow. Took in her heated breath. Then reached up and, with little effort, took her wrist and removed it from his throat. “Do you?” he choked out.

“Do I what?” she snarled back.

“Want to drop me.” He took his other arm, wrapped it around her waist and pulled her against him. “Because I’m kind of liking this position.”

She tried to push away to no avail. “Let go of me.”

Her squirming sent feel-good pulses straight to his cock, threatening his composed disposition. Focus, dude. He couldn’t give her the upper hand. She may very well land him on his ass.

Holding tight to her wrist, he brought her arm behind her back, then the other, so that both her hands were locked at the base of her spine. Her small wrists were easy to grip with his large hand.

“I don’t think so,” he said.

“You’re going to be sorry.” She wriggled and writhed, looking more and more flustered by the second.

The dress shifted around her chest in a most provocative manner as she fought him. He dipped his eyes down, glimpsed the top of a lacy black bra, and gulped down the desire to arch her back and pull the material away with his teeth.

“What are you doing?” she barked. “Do not look down my dress.”

His gaze shot back to her scowl. “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.”

She stopped her protestation and relaxed. Probably realized she couldn’t get out of his hold with force. “Will you please release me now?”

“That depends on what you plan to do next. You see I’m a little confused. You kissed me and saved my life, and yet I think you’re supposed to kill me.” He watched her face register little emotion. However, the hitch in her breath, and the skipped beat of her heart that rang in his ears said volumes.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Tess. I’m not stupid. Your being here tonight is no coincidence, is it?”

“Whatever the hell you think you know, you’re wrong. I was supposed to go on a blind date tonight with some guy named Trey. My friends set me up. It wasn’t something I wanted to do. End of story. All the other shit that’s happened tonight was accidental. With the exception of my saving your ass. And I must say, if this is how you repay me for showing you kindness, I’m going to have to remember not to do you any more favors.”

And with that she kneed him in the groin, effectively getting him to release her. She stepped back and smiled. “For the record,” she added, “I saved you because I needed your help. No other reason.”

“Not out of the kindness of your heart, huh?” The pain in his cock was no match for the pain she’d just flung at his ego.

“I’m not a kind person.”

“Yeah, I think you already mentioned that. Guess I’m having a hard time getting it through my thick skull.”

The wind picked up, carrying the smell of car exhaust and greasy food. She took a step closer, and he’d bet she never wavered or cowered from a fight. She needed things to be on her terms, and if the tables turned, she turned them right back around.

He needed the duct tape. Slipped his hand inside his pocket.

“I’d really like to be on my way. Do we have a deal or not?”

He didn’t like what he was about to do, but she left him no choice. She certainly wouldn’t cooperate with him when she discovered what he was up to. With so much on the line—Trey’s life, the pack’s future, his life—this was the only way he could think of with time ticking to get himself out of her line of fire. He’d make a deal with her, and then all bets were off.

“Yes. We have a deal.” Using his wolf speed and strength, he turned her, crossed her arms behind her back, and duct taped her wrists together. It happened so fast there was nothing she could do about it. “But there’s a few details we need to work out.”

“What the hell are you doing?” she shouted, wiggling her shoulders to try and loosen the tape. He spun her back around to face him. She eyed the offensive binding dangling from his finger and kicked him in the shin. Hard. “Untie me!”

He jumped out of the way before she got another kick in. Moving to the side, he put an arm around her waist and opened the car door. “Get in.” He pushed her head down and goosed her into climbing into the passenger seat.

“Hey! Keep your hands to yourself. And I asked what the hell you’re doing.” After a few humpfs, she settled into the seat, her hands nicely trapped behind her back.

With difficulty, he shook away how her backside had looked as she’d climbed into the car. He situated himself behind the steering wheel and shut the door. “Where’s the key?”

She gave him the silent treatment along with a wish-you-were-dead stare.

“Tell me where the goddamn key is, Tess. Otherwise I’ll duct tape your mouth too.”

“Side of the door,” she mumbled.

The engine hummed. He leaned over and buckled her seatbelt before doing his own. Anger poured off her in tsunami-sized waves that sucked the air out of the small interior. He rolled down the window. “How fast can this baby go?”

Tess shot him the now I’m really going to kill you look.

“I’ll just see for myself.” He shifted into gear and took off. “Hang on.”

Chapter Eight

Hugh drove Tess’s Beemer through the streets of Los Angeles, speeding through yellow lights and only reluctantly stopping for red. He slammed on the breaks when a white Ferrari crossed into his lane to avoid a limousine stopped illegally in front of a club. God, he hated Sunset Boulevard on weekend nights.

Tess didn’t flinch at the sudden movement. In fact, she’d remained eerily still and quiet since he’d hijacked her car. Every attempt to engage her in conversation had met with cold, hard silence. Her head was turned to the side, relaxed against the headrest of the passenger seat, but he could hear the blood rushing through her veins. She wasn’t calm. Not by a long shot.

Since her attention stayed on the passing scenery, he snuck glances at her legs. They were tan, lean, muscular. Smooth and silky. He pictured them wrapped around his waist before forcing his eyes back to the road. His grip tightened on the steering wheel, he did multiplication problems in his head. He had to get the fuck over the desire she stirred in him and get her talking about eliminating him. That ought to cure his idiotic attraction to her.

“How about we’re honest with each other?” He tossed a sideways glance and smile her way.

“You’re an asshole,” she said without moving a muscle.

“Okay. That’s a start. You’re”—he hung on to the “rrrr”—“a bitch.”

She whipped her head in his direction and shot daggers at him, then just as quickly turned away so she looked out the passenger window again.

“I thought we were being honest,” he added.

Silence.

“You know, a bitch isn’t all bad. Especially coming from a wolfen.”

Silence.

“You started it, Tess. So why don’t you finish it? Come on. I know there are things going on in that head of yours. Let’s hear it. Give it to me straight.”

Silence.

The road grew more congested so he made a turn down a less crowded street. They were only a couple of miles away from his hideout now. Up the canyon and they’d be there. He didn’t plan on telling anyone where he was, at least for tonight. The place was well equipped with food and necessities for occasions like this, so even if they needed to stay a few days, it wouldn’t be a problem.

He turned on the radio.

She turned off the radio. By lifting her leg and slamming the bottom of her shoe into the knob.

Yeah, that did nice things for his viewing pleasure. She wiggled, trying to get the dress to cover a little more skin. Didn’t work.

“Want to try again?” He needed confirmation she was an eliminator, and if so, who hired her and how it related to Trey’s disappearance. “I’ll start. You’re the most confusing woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.” There were a few other adjectives he could use—compelling, beautiful, impressive—but he needed to keep those to himself.

Her head rotated against the backrest in slow motion until her blue eyes rolled at him. “I’d be happy to be a part of this conversation if you’d be so kind as to take the duct tape off my wrists. It hurts like hell.”

“You know what hell feels like?” he joked.

She sighed disapprovingly. “I think I’m in it right now.”

He laughed. “So belligerent.”

“You’ve fucking kidnapped me. I think I’m entitled.”

“This isn’t a kidnapping.” Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. “More like I persuaded you without risk of bodily harm. Your hands are a deadly weapon.”

“Trust me. It’s not just my hands.” She shifted in her seat, sat up taller.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to do, sweetheart. You ready to talk?”

“I think I am. I need to make a correction. You’re an asshole I’m going to kill.” She tilted her head and gave a tight, closed-mouth smile like she was quite happy with herself and positive she’d succeed with her mission.

Hugh couldn’t have been happier. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

“I beg your pardon?” Irritation sounded in her voice. Lines creased her forehead, her eyebrows furrowed.

But something about her told him no matter how much she feigned anger, even hate toward him, she didn’t mean it. Her eyes gave way to conflict. Behind the unwavering steel blue was a sparkle every time she looked at him. Not with a passing glance, but when she really looked at him. She searched beyond his exterior, tried to find his soul and see what she could figure out. He thought if she studied him long enough, he’d give up every deep, dark detail of his life.

“Let’s talk about how you’re going to kill me.” His words came out with genuine interest. “And then you can fill me in on the why and who hired you.”

She regarded him with those stunning eyes for a few seconds before conceding, “What tipped you off?”

“Wow. No denial. You continue to surprise me.” He watched her gulp, sensed her unease and unhappiness with herself, and for the first time in his life, he wanted to surrender to a woman.

“I’ve surprised myself tonight.” Her gaze moved to the dashboard, her body sagged. The tension in her body dwindled at the same time any hint of anger in his disappeared.

“Dane told me there was a hit. He said P.I.E. was handling it.” He turned left, leaving most of the cars, lights and buildings behind. Houses, some set far back, others on the edge of the road, lined the well-traveled residential street winding up the hillside.

“He told you tonight?”

“Yeah. When we were trying to figure out what the hell was going on, he threw that nice piece of information at me. I don’t suppose you’d elaborate?”

She worried her bottom lip. “How did he find out?”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. What matters is hearing you say the words.” He needed to be one hundred percent sure.

“What else did Dane say?”

“He said blue really isn’t your color and you should think about wearing more green. I told him I liked the blue.”

“Shut up. This isn’t a joke.” Annoyance spiked in her voice.

“Are you an eliminator?” He’d been trying to keep one eye on the road and one on her, but since starting up the canyon, he needed to spend less time on her. It wasn’t working. He pulled over to the side of road.

He let the car idle and turned toward her. A streetlight overhead cast enough glow for him to see every slight line in her face, count all six freckles dotting her nose.

Uncomfortable didn’t begin to describe how she looked. He tried to ignore the vibes coming off her, but in the small confines of the car, he was acutely aware of her scent, her breathing pattern, the number of times she blinked. Her cheeks were flushed with anger, her legs bounced up and down with nervous energy.

His sentient side wanted complete access, but he allowed himself only another peek. A glimpse into her emotions to satisfy his curiosity. She stared at him with the kind of intensity reserved for friends. And when he found her confused, but not the least bit afraid, his chest ached with relief. Fear would have been his undoing.

“Yes, I’m an eliminator,” she finally said. Her eyes darted out the windshield before settling back on his. “And I honestly didn’t know who you were until you told me your name. Imagine my surprise.”

“You were really on a blind date?”

“Yes.” She paused to take a deep breath. Her shoulders relaxed and she lifted a leg to tuck it in the crux of the other. “It’s one I’ll always remember.”

This could play out two ways. She’d either find some way to painfully eliminate him because he’d been cocky enough to call her on her occupation. Or she’d forget the whole thing and send someone to take her place now that she’d been compromised.

“Who hired you to kill me?” He stared at her, taken with the conflict in her eyes, the deliberate beats of her heart.

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Can’t or won’t?” The rough edge of his voice wasn’t intentional.

“I’m not—”

“Look. It’s just you and me here. No one else. You know I’m not a bad guy so—”

She choked. “I do not know you’re not a bad guy. I’ve just met you. And buddy, the way I’m feeling right now is leaning heavily toward bad guy. If you want to earn some brownie points, I suggest you get this annoying tape off me.”

He leaned forward and unbuckled her seatbelt to make her a little more comfortable. “Can’t do that.”

“You don’t trust me?” Hurt passed over her face. Was she upset he didn’t? Come on. What did she expect?

“Give me a reason to, and I’ll think about it.” The truth was he did trust her. He’d never admit that out loud, but her actions tonight spoke volumes. And despite the whole elimination thing, he didn’t fear for his life. Not deep down in his gut. That labeled him either the biggest fool on the planet or the biggest romantic. Fuck.

“I’d say saving your life is a good reason.”

Something shimmered in her eyes that he was convinced she wasn’t aware of. Otherwise she would have shifted her attention elsewhere. It was a hint of gladness, the look of relief that people wear when they’re happy about someone’s tempting fate and beating it.

“Yeah. About that. Wouldn’t it have been easier for you to let me die?” He reached out and moved a strand of hair from her face. It was becoming a habit, his wanting to touch her. “You could have gotten the job done without lifting a finger.”

She watched him pull his hand back as if she wanted him to touch her again. Things were not so cut and dry between them. The lines were blurring. The circumstances under which they’d met confused their situation. He’d liked her right off the bat. Really liked her. And he was positive she’d liked him in return. Hell, he’d felt pheromones she wouldn’t want a stranger knowing about coming off her in waves when they’d arm-wrestled.

“Yes. It would have been easy for me to let you die. But I didn’t want you to die.” She looked down at his mouth. “I told you, I need your help.”

“To find someone.”

“Yes.” Her voice was soft, tired, full of surrender.

“That’s on the up and up?”

“Yes.” She leaned forward and pulled her shoulder blades to stretch. When she settled against the car seat, she let her head fall back so her chin jutted out.

He put the car back in gear and hit the road. In a couple of minutes, they’d be at their destination. “The help you need is wolfen-related.”

His statement sounded so unbelievable to his own ears he almost laughed out loud. Discussing anything wolfen-related with a human, and an eliminator to boot, was in the realm of never going to happen. Yet, here he sat, opening the door. God help him, he hoped it didn’t slam in his face.

“It’s wolfen-related, yes. But I understand if you don’t want to help.” Her voice was tinged with understanding, acceptance. What she didn’t realize was he’d already set in motion his helping her.

“I’m going to ask you one more time. Who wants to kill me?”

“I honestly don’t know.” She let out an exhaustive breath. “I’m not given that information.”

“What are you given?” He needed to know exactly what she had on him and if other people would be affected. Gavin, for example. He didn’t know Hugh was a wolfen, and Hugh wanted to keep it that way.

“A dossier. But I haven’t even taken a look at it yet. I planned to start on it tomorrow. So Mr. Hugh Langston, I don’t know all that much about you.”

“You do work for P.I.E.?”

“Did I sign up for twenty questions?” She shifted and crossed her ankles. “I don’t remember doing that.”

He looked down at her legs again. They should be bare all the time. On a beach. In a cabin in the woods. Hell. Taking her with him had been a stupid-ass thing to do. He needed to return to the stoic, uninvolved, search and rescue guy. The guy most people saw on a daily basis, not the whipped one he’d been in her company. That guy he hardly knew.

“You don’t get to think. Answer the goddamn question.”

Silence reigned. Again.

Agitation thrummed through him. “I suggest you start talking, sweetheart, or it’s going to be a long night.”

Her lips formed a tight, thin line.

He turned into the driveway and slowed to take the quarter mile stretch to his house. “You help me. I’ll help you.”

“No questions asked.” She spoke right on the heels of his offer.

“For now.” He needed answers from her at some point. Yet, regardless of her current disposition, he had faith in her. Faith that she’d come around and do the right thing by him.

“Fine.”

Tess hadn’t been trained for this. Hadn’t been instructed on what the hell to do if a mark figured out who she was. Her track record grew shittier by the minute. Good onya, Tess. Score another goal for the other team. Never in her career had someone found out who she really was. Yes, the vamp in the airplane last week had discovered she was after his head, but he hadn’t known more. It had taken Hugh all of four hours. And she wasn’t officially on the job.

The adrenaline pumping through her blood wasn’t the sort she enjoyed. She was furious with herself. Disgusted. If she could open the car door and fling herself out of the moving vehicle in hopes of being injured, she might.

That was a lie.

Some good adrenaline did pump through her veins. The kind that flows through your system when the man sitting next to you is sexier than anything, smarter than you and a whole heck of a lot meaner. Well, maybe not a lot meaner, but not nice. That only made her want to double her efforts. To be nice or mean, she wasn’t sure. And she hated not being sure.

Hated even more that she wasn’t afraid of him. Because she should be terrified of the feelings rolling through her body like he had some sort of possessive hold over her. From the top of her head to the bottom of her broken shoes, she felt flutters. Tickles like her body was the road map for an ant picnic. That had never happened to her before. She’d also never saved someone’s life before.

That had felt pretty damn good.

The fact that she got to do it by kissing made it even better.

The car—her car—came to a stop outside what looked like a bungalow. Darkness enveloped the small house, making it difficult to get a clear picture. They were up in the Hollywood Hills somewhere, away from the traffic and hubbub of the city. The nearest neighbor, by her calculations, resided a good distance away.

Hugh put the car in park and turned her way. He looked annoyingly handsome with just a hint of moonlight across his face. Probably part of some wolf privilege. He’d masked his mood though, his features vacant of any hint to his intentions.

“Here’s the deal,” she said. “You can’t breathe a word of who I really am to anyone. Not Dane. Not anyone. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll help you find Trey if you’ll help me find the wolfen I’m after. I haven’t got much. Just a name: Dobson.” She tried to get comfortable but it was impossible with her arms behind her back. “Ring a bell?”

“Not off the top of my head.” He eyed her suspiciously. “Why so talkative all of a sudden?”

She couldn’t tell him it was because she wanted to escape, and the only way to do that was to get on his good side long enough for him to let his defenses down and take the tape off her wrists. “I’m tired. Hungry. And need to use the bathroom.” An honest-to-goodness smile spread across her lips. The one she’d perfected in front of the mirror over the years. “Plus, I really do think you’re my best bet to find Dobson.”

He made no move to rip the tape from her wrists or help her out of the car. Damn him. “Why do you need to find him?”

Here’s where things get dicey. A huge part of her wanted to tell him everything. Every little thing she’d kept bottled up inside for five years. Get off her chest the sadness, the anger, the failure she felt. What a relief it would be to share this burden with someone. Lay it all the line.

But she couldn’t. She had to remind herself this was a short-term deal. Once they helped each other, she’d have to eliminate him. She didn’t plan on making that job any tougher than it already was.

And she certainly couldn’t tell him she planned to kill Dobson once they found him.

“P.I.E. wants him in connection with a murder.” Making the hunt less personal seemed like the best way to go.

He raised one eyebrow as if he didn’t believe her. “You said it was personal.”

Damn. She had, hadn’t she? “It is. The man murdered was a friend of mine.”

She’d thought more about Jason tonight than she had in months. Time had succeeded in pushing him further and further from her daily thoughts, but it only took half a second to bring him back. And despite her heart’s mending, a piece of it had died with him. His death had hurt in more ways than she cared to analyze, and she’d do whatever necessary to never feel that contamination again.

“Man, huh?” Jealousy, however slight, clouded his voice.

A fresh wave of longing crashed through the promise of revenge she’d made to herself. She stared at Hugh, trying to decide if any man had ever looked at her the way he did. The sparks of interest that continued to ignite between them fanned brighter, and she fisted her hands, digging her nails into her palms. She should not want to kiss him again.

I hate wolfen. I hate wolfen. She’d keep reminding herself of that little point whenever the urge to do something stupid—like lean in and brush her lips against his neck—hit. Unfortunately, his magnetic pull was ultra strong inside the car. She needed to get out. Fast.

“Do you think we could continue this conversation outside or wherever it is we are?”

“Too hot in here for you?” A devilish quirk of his mouth teased her.

“Something like that.”

He exited the car and came around to her side. She swung her legs out the door as soon as he opened it, but had difficulty getting up without leverage from her arms. He chuckled. She wanted to kick him, good and hard, right where it mattered. Instead, she looked up and raised her eyebrows.

“A little assistance?”

His hands spread around her waist and he lifted her in the air before placing her feet on the ground. For longer than necessary, his hands remained, arms outstretched. He looked at her carefully, as if trying to discern whether or not he’d made the right decision in bringing her here.

Cool air sent a few shivers through her. Now she really wished she’d worn her usual jeans and T-shirt. Trees loomed everywhere, darkness edging out any hint of light from the city. It smelled like a campfire and she wondered if a neighbor was roasting marshmallows. Her stomach growled for about the twentieth time.

“Watch your step.” He released his hold and turned.

“Where are we?” She stepped lightly, not wanting to lose her footing on the uneven driveway and fall flat on her face.

Hugh paused so she could catch up. He made a motion to put an arm around her but stopped himself. Once they resumed walking, though, she noticed him watching her footsteps.

“It’s a safe house.”

“You come here often?”

He swiped his hand in the air like he’d noticed a cobweb in front of them. “More often than not. It’s my second home, so I use it for more than safety reasons.”

Questions loomed in her mind. Why had he brought her here? How long did he plan on keeping her? What did he plan on doing to her? She shook her head. She meant with her. Although that sent her mind in a certain direction too.

Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness well enough to see two steps leading up to a porch. A plant in a huge urn thrived, and an Adirondack chair sat beside it. Hugh unlocked the front door and pushed it open before entering. He wove his arm around the doorframe and a second later the porch light lit.

“Is this where you bring all your hostages?”

“You’re the first.” He crossed the threshold and disappeared inside the house to turn on the lights.

The one-story dwelling boasted hardwood floors, dark-painted walls, inviting furnishings, and a huge fireplace in the middle of the expansive room. Straight ahead looked to be a kitchen, while off to the right was a hallway. Being kidnapped didn’t seem so bad all of a sudden. She could get used to this place. It was much neater than her house. Kensie and Francesca were slobs.

“I’m honored.” She hunched her shoulder up to scratch the side of her jaw. “It’s a nice place.”

He stepped around her to close and lock the front door. She let her shoulders relax in anticipation of him removing the duct tape while behind her. Instead, he popped back into her line of sight. “I didn’t bring you here for your opinion.”

“Why did you bring me here?”

“To keep an eye on you,” he imparted. “You know the whole keep your enemies closer thing. I figure if I keep you in my sight, there’s not much you can do to plan my demise.”

She rolled her stiff shoulders back. “We need to talk about that. But first the tape really needs to come off.”

His eyes darted down to her breasts as she stretched. Hmm. She wasn’t beyond using her feminine wiles to get her way. In fact, he was the first mark she wouldn’t mind using them on.

“Talk, then tape.” He crossed his arms over his chest, widened his stance.

“We’ve got a deal. I don’t need to repeat that. What I do need is to let you know that while we’ve got a deal, I won’t kill you.”

He laughed. The kind of deep, sexy laugh that drew people together. Only she didn’t think that was his intention. It was simply her reaction to him. His words confirmed it. “You don’t stand a chance of killing me. Now or later.”

“I beg to differ.” Who did he think he was dealing with? She was no amateur.

“I’d like to see that. I don’t imagine you beg very often.”

She wanted to wipe the smile right off his face. And would have if she’d had hands to do so. “That smart mouth of yours is not endearing. I can kill you. And if warranted, I will kill you.” She looked him up and down with what she hoped was an intimidating expression. “But not until we’ve found Trey and Dobson. Until then, we’re a team. I’ll trust you, and you can trust me.”

Tess’s judgment of character rarely faltered and her gut told her Hugh wasn’t a bad guy. She hoped when things were said and done, the answers she needed to eliminate him were crystal clear.

“You seem to think you’re in charge here.” He started to circle her like an animal ready to pounce on its prey. “You’re not.”

She turned her head to watch him, keeping her feet firmly planted in place.

“I do, however, like your terms and agree to them. With one stipulation.”

“What’s that?” She wasn’t in a position to barter. In fact, she was about to blow her stack at the predicament she’d gotten herself into. Foolish. Idiotic. Asinine. Moronic. All good adjectives for her.

About the time he finished one circle, she remembered her purse was in the car. Why the hell hadn’t she asked him to bring it in with her? Sure, he might want to search it, but she could talk him out of it. Somehow. As it stood now, she didn’t have a stitch of weaponry on her.

He stopped in front of her. “You stay here with me and have no contact with anyone else.”

“That’s called kidnapping. I thought—”

“Take it or leave it.” Whether he knew it or not, his eyes begged her to take it. The reasons could be several, but she chose to believe it was her irresistible charm. And maybe, just maybe, the blue dress.

“It makes it a little more difficult to do my job if I can’t—”

“Follow me.” He wheeled around, tossed his leather jacket over the back of the couch and started walking.

She followed him down a hallway and immediately fell in awe of the artwork on the walls. Framed black and white sketches, obviously by the same artist, hung in neat rows. The drawings depicted couples touching in some way, their warmth infectious. Tess lost her breath for a moment. Hugh might be part wolf, but his human side was dominant.

They entered the first door on the right, and she took in the most awesome display of high-tech gadgets sitting atop industrial tables. It almost put the research room at P.I.E. to shame.

“Everything we’ll need is here. I think it’s best to lay low and see what we can find out without making any appearances. At least until I find out who’s responsible for tonight.”

“Still, if I can’t contact—”

“You’ll talk through me.”

“So you get to talk to your people, but I don’t get to talk to mine? That hardly seems fair.” This partnership is very one-sided. Good thing she had plans to escape as soon as possible. She never did like stipulations. By her measures, they could work together whether under the same roof or not.

“Too bad.” He flipped off the light and led her toward the kitchen. She slowed her steps to take in the artwork.

“Did I mention I’m claustrophobic? That I can’t stand being cooped up in one place for too long? That I need to be around other people?” She hated the thought of being cut off from the outside world. Hated. It. Her throat squeezed.

“Don’t care.”

“How long do you see this arrangement lasting?”

“A couple days. Tops.”

Tess tried and failed to ignore his broad shoulders, the way his shirt pulled across his back, the nice fit of his jeans, as they entered the kitchen. She blinked and planned a vicious glare for when he turned around. Days? He planned to keep her for days? Unfortunately, the shine of the kitchen grabbed her attention and wouldn’t let go. Stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, dark wood cabinets with the most beautiful beveled glass. A center island with leather barstools looked inviting, and—oh my gosh—in the corner stood another fireplace.

Maybe she wouldn’t escape.

Kensie and Francesca wouldn’t worry until she didn’t show up tomorrow morning, what with their encouraging words and the frangers in her purse. Don’t think about the condoms, Tess. Do not think about them! But a much bigger problem was her boss. If he found out what had happened, she might as well kiss her ass goodbye. Sayonara. One cheek to Japan, the other to Brussels.

That meant in order to pull this off, she needed her cell phone to call Kensie and Francesca. Tell them she’d infiltrated her target early and to let Christian know. Simple. And in all honesty, the truth.

“Fine,” she said, sick and tired of discussing it. “Now would you please cut this tape off my wrists? I really don’t want our time together clouded by memories of duct tape used in such an unprofessional manner.”

“Got any better ideas?” He pulled a pair of scissors out of a drawer and approached her with a grin.

“Now here I thought maybe you’d use your teeth.” She turned and presented her arms to him. “Or at the very least your big, strong hands.”

Looking over her shoulder, she caught a smolder in his sparkling blue eyes. He came up right behind her, so close she could feel his body heat. “There are a lot of better places for me to use my teeth and hands.”

Yes, please. Tingles slid down her back and settled between her thighs. But she would not flirt with him. They needed to keep business and pleasure separate. “Such as?”

Okay, maybe just a little flirting. For fun. Nothing more.

“Are you asking for a demonstration?” His breath touched the back of her neck and her knees…knocked.

No, not her knees. The front door. A knock sounded at the front door.

She whipped around, nearly colliding with his chest. He pressed a finger to his mouth, indicating she’d better shush. A wave of anticipation swept over her. Being with Hugh, being partners in this game of cat and mouse fueled her desire for adventure—and intimacy.

She couldn’t wait to find out who’d come to visit.

Chapter Nine

“Don’t move and don’t make a sound,” Hugh said.

“But—”

“You heard me.” He nudged her back until she landed in a chair at the kitchen table. “Stay put.”

Tess grumbled. “I’m not—”

Another knock sounded, louder and more urgent.

“Yeah, whatever you’re not, suck it up. I’ll be right back.”

Hugh was pretty sure the visitor was his neighbor, Blanche. She kept an eye on the house for him. Fed the plants. Kept the place stocked with basic food and drink items—more if she knew he was coming. A mother, assistant and housekeeper rolled into one. He appreciated her help, but damn, the woman was too efficient, too watchful. At least when he didn’t want her to be.

He opened the door and, sure enough, there she stood.

As usual, she wore the plaid robe that had been her husband’s before he passed away, bright yellow slippers, and curlers in her dyed-red hair. Back in the day—that was what she’d say—she worked as an extra in dozens of films. Considered herself a sub-starlet. Her stories cracked Hugh up. Once a month she did a set at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood. Always had the biggest crowd.

“I thought you were on vacation,” she scolded.

“Hi Blanche. Nope. I’m supposed to leave tomorrow.”

“I thought it was today. Didn’t you say the fourteenth? I could have sworn you said the fourteenth.” With her hands on her hips, she looked ready to barge right past him.

He blocked the doorway. A tiny bit of guilt overcame him. He knew she only wanted some company.

“The fifteenth, Blanche. But I won’t be leaving then either. I’ve got work to do so won’t get out of here for at least a few more days. I’ll let you know when I do. I appreciate all your help, you know.”

She tightened the knot around her waist. “I know, son. I didn’t recognize the car coming up the drive, so thought I’d better check it out.” She took a sniff that scrunched her nose and worried her eyebrows. “I smell perfume. Is someone here with you?”

Damn. He didn’t want her to know that yes, someone was here with him. Not that he couldn’t trust Blanche. He knew he could. And hell, how many seventy-five year-olds would be wise enough to notice an unusual car at eleven o’clock at night? Or have a better sense of smell than most women half her age? Indeed, what worried him was her tenacity.

“Actually there is.” She’d just figure out he was lying, and he didn’t want to jeopardize their relationship. “And we’d love some privacy for the next couple of days.” He winked, really just to see her reaction.

“Well what are you doing standing here talking to me then? Get back inside.” She waved over her shoulder and then hopped on her Vespa to get home. The scooter, a gift from her son, got her around the neighborhood. Hugh’s wasn’t the only door-to-door calling she made. Blanche called herself the resident neighborhood watcher.

Tess was right where he’d left her. With one startling difference.

Her hands were free.

His surprised expression must have said it all.

“You left these when you went to answer the door.” She held up the scissors he hadn’t realized he’d put down when leaving the kitchen.

She hadn’t escaped. She hadn’t come to the door. She’d freed herself and stayed put. He ran a hand along his stubbled jaw. “Thanks for waiting.”

“No problem. Blanche sounds like a sharp cookie. I like her.” She put the scissors on the table and rubbed her wrists.

“How’d you—”

“You didn’t really think I’d sit still did you? Especially after I got this annoying tape off.” She kicked the tape that lay crumpled by her foot. “I can tiptoe with the best of them. And my hearing may not be as good as yours, but it is good.”

Hugh registered her comments, but couldn’t speak. He noticed her wrists were red, maybe swollen. His muscles went rigid at the thought of his causing her pain. He’d been a jerk to leave the tape on so long. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll live.” She released her wrists and slid her hands under her thighs on the edge of the chair. The blue dress hid the damage to her skin. “Unless, of course, I die from starvation, which is quickly becoming a possibility.”

If food made her feel better, he wanted to start cooking. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”

The fridge had eggs, cheese, apples, carrots, root beer and bread. The freezer had a lot more to offer, but he didn’t want to wait for anything to defrost.

“At this point I’d be happy with peanut butter and jelly.” She slid off her shoes and skimmed her feet back and forth along the floor like a young girl.

That could be done, but he decided to offer something a little better. “How about a cheese omelet followed by root beer floats?” He pulled out the carton of eggs and package of cheese and put them on the counter.

“That sounds great. I haven’t had a root beer float in forever. Do you need any help?”

He zeroed in on the gleam in her eyes. “I’ve got it. You relax. It’s the least I can do after you saved my life, and I dragged you here.”

Her gaze held his. “You mean abducted me.”

“Are you complaining?”

“Just having the last word.”

Hugh let out an exasperated sigh. The woman drove him crazy. Crazy good. “So what’s your last name?” He should know that. It would make things easier if he needed to do something about the hit on him.

“Damon,” she said without skipping a beat.

She might be lying, he thought, but Tess Damon had a nice ring to it. Besides, there was no point in lying to him now. He knew her agenda.

“Tess Damon. Eliminator for P.I.E. Anything else I should know about you?” He dropped the stirred eggs into the pan on the stove.

“I’m also known as Apple.”

That grabbed his attention away from the cooking. He looked over his shoulder to find her checking out the kitchen. Her legs still swayed. She’d tilted her head back to take in the ceiling.

“Apple as in the fruit, or apple as in apple of my eye?”

She dropped her chin. “Aww, aren’t you sweet? Who knew?” A teasing lift of her eyebrows punctuated her reply. “It’s apple for apple pie.”

“You didn’t just give me your code name did you?” He grabbed a spatula out of the drawer and tilted the pan while keeping an eye on her.

Her expression shifted to a look of consternation. Oops. She’d let her defenses down. He took it as a sign she was comfortable with him. His muscles relaxed, the nervous energy circulating inside him subsided.

“Crap. I guess I did. But no worries. I figure when this is all over, one of us will be dead so we can pretty much say whatever we want to each other.”

The solid circle of egg he flipped almost slid out of the pan. Good thing he had quick reflexes. Righting it, he let what she’d just said sink in. Silence ensued for the next couple minutes while he finished. Then he got out two plates, cut the large omelet in half, and put a plate down in front of her. He took the seat across the table to keep some space between them. And even that wasn’t enough. Her scent made him hungry for a lot more than food.

“Thanks. It looks great.”

“What did you mean by one of us will be dead? I was under the impression I’m the only one with a death sentence.” Something else bothered her, and he wanted to know what.

She squirmed in her seat as if just realizing what she’d let slip. Again. “Oh, I just meant…” She took a bite of her omelet. “This is good. You’re not a bad cook.”

While chewing, he said, “You’re not getting out of answering the question.”

Quickly stuffing another bite into her mouth, she avoided talking for a little longer. Probably to try and think of something to say that would appease him.

“Can I have a glass of water?”

He got her some water. “Quit stalling, Tess. Talk.”

“Look, I don’t want to involve you in my problems. Let’s just keep this to finding our two missing people and go from there.”

“That’s where I’m assuming death comes into play. What sort of problem do you have?”

“Hugh,” she said with a tone that was appreciative but not conceding.

Contemplation crossed her face as she took one last bite of food. He was getting used to seeing the look, seeing the stress in her forehead. He imagined she didn’t confide in many people, kept deeply personal things to herself. Much like he did. It was easier. Safer to keep people at bay.

“You said we could say whatever we want to each other.”

“That didn’t include sharing secrets.” She ran her fingers through her blonde hair.

Frustration bubbled inside him. Was he so damn difficult with people who wanted to help him? “So somebody wants you dead?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No. You implied it.”

“No. You’re putting words in my mouth.”

He bore in mind that she was a P.I.E. operative, trained to keep her distance from others. He didn’t know how long she’d been working for them, but he supposed quite some time given her fearlessness and attitude.

She didn’t waver in her stare as she leaned her elbows on the table and clasped her hands in front of her. Hugh tensed at seeing her wrists pink from the duct tape.

Instinctively, he reached out to take her hands in his. The pads of his thumbs rubbed over her wrists. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“Don’t be.” She made no move to break their contact. “If you hadn’t secured the tape tight enough, I would have gotten free.”

Her pulse quickened under his thumbs, her chest rose and fell. He was immensely in tune to every breath she took, and try as he might, he couldn’t hold back a gulp. Putting no blame on him proved how independent she was, how she didn’t want anyone’s sympathy or pity. He took heed and returned to the topic he wouldn’t let go until she gave him some answers.

“I’d like to help you.”

“You are. I’m convinced having someone with your”—she paused—“background will finally get me the guy I’ve been after.”

“I don’t mean that help. I mean help with whoever wants to kill you. I’m not a fool. I know about P.I.E. I know it’s dangerous. And I know when something’s wrong with you. Let me help.”

By the pained look on her face, he could tell his words meant something to her.

“Why?” Confusion marred the one word she’d chosen. “Why would you want to help me when…when all is said and done, my assignment is to kill you?”

“Tell me, Tess.” The physical contact between them, while simple, filled him with a complex desire to rescue her.

“No.”

“Tell me or—”

“Or what?” She yanked her arms back. “You’ll kill me yourself? Go for it. I’d like to see you try.”

“Or I’ll have to guess.” He slid his arms back to his sides. “And I think I’ve already got a pretty good hunch as to what’s going on.”

“Don’t tell me Night Runners can read minds too.” She shifted her eyes away from him for the first time since he’d sat.

He let a tiny smile cross his lips. “No. I can’t hear the words going through your head.”

“That’s good. Here’s my hunch. You’re the kind of guy who reasons longer than I’ve got time for. You’ve got that elaborate office setup, which means you’re a planner, a thinker, someone who has to have things all mapped out before he moves into action.”

She wasn’t too far off the mark. However, he relied on his instincts out in the field. “Tell me.” This time he included a growl.

“You go first, Mr. Know-It-All.”

Which meant she’d go second. He’d take it. “P.I.E.’s been hired to kill me. You’re the eliminator. You’re excellent at your job. Probably the best agent they’ve got. You work alone and you like it. But I think something happened on your last assignment. Maybe your last few, even. I get the sense you’re tiring from the demands your job puts on you.” He relaxed into the chair, pleased to see he had her utmost attention. “Then I come along at the wrong time and mess up your plans. You also like me, which puts a wrinkle in your mission.”

“I do not like you.”

“Yes you do. So let me think out loud here. Maybe you botched your last job. Now I’m next in line and things are…muddy. You’ve never asked for help before, and now you’re confused. We’ve struck a deal, and I don’t think you’ve ever done that either. What happens if you fail an assignment? Do you suffer any consequences?”

He pictured her standing at the end of a gangplank ready to jump into the rough seas rather than come clean and answer any questions. She looked that uncomfortable, that annoyed with him.

“Why are you doing this?” Her voice finally teetered on the edge of concession.

“Hell if I know, but we met tonight for a reason. It was unintentional, unplanned. Maybe it was fate or karma or Trey’s bad luck. Whatever it was, the fact remains we’re both here right now to help each other. No secrets. No judgments. Just two people willing to go where most others won’t.”

“I don’t talk to anyone, Hugh.” Her shoulders sagged as she admitted what he’d already guessed. She blinked in rapid succession, her long lashes reminding him that she was vulnerable, that inside her tough girl exterior was a marshmallow core. She just didn’t want anyone to see it.

“Me either.” He was getting to her—he could sense it.

“How about that root beer float first?”

“Tell me,” he said again. She was right about him. He’d take all the time necessary to get an answer from her.

“You’re not going to give up are you?” She crossed her arms.

He did the same. “No.”

“Fine. Whatever. Yes, I may have f-f-faltered during my last assignment. And the one before that, there was a problem as well. But it’s just a fluke. Nothing my boss needs to be worried about. Only he is. And he’s pissed at me. And well, he said this was my last chance.”

She let out enough air to fill a balloon and make it pop.

The boss. Finally, they were getting somewhere. “Your boss is going to kill you if you don’t kill me?”

“Most likely.”

He rubbed his chin. “What if I’m innocent?”

“Haven’t met an innocent yet.” Her eyes betrayed her words, and he got the impression she might just think him innocent. For now, anyway.

“I don’t suppose you can quit?”

“Sure. When I’m dead.” She smiled. The kind of tight-lipped smile that put a person a little on edge. “So can I have that root beer float now?”

He’d pressured her enough for one evening. It was time to ease off. A fierce need to protect her coursed through his blood, like it had when Max had been so distraught over Heather’s death. He couldn’t save his brother. Maybe he could save Tess. His heart lurched at the notion. In a very short time, she had wiggled her way into his heart.

It’s because she saved your life. Nothing more.

“Absolutely.” He rose, grabbed their plates, tossed them in the sink and located a couple of tall glasses. “Vanilla or chocolate?” he asked, pulling tubs of each out of the freezer.

“How about a scoop of each?”

His kind of girl.

His kind of girl. That thought repeated itself over and over again in his mind as he prepared the floats.

They ate in silence, the quiet not at all uncomfortable. Something he couldn’t put his finger on—camaraderie? obligation? desire?—lingered in the air between them. He tried not to pay too close attention to her, tried not to fall deeper into her allure. The cold dessert did nothing to squelch the heat running through him at a marathon pace.

“Ready to hit the sack?”

She choked on the last slide of her ice cream and cleared her throat. “With you?”

God, how he’d love to finish what that life-saving kiss had started. “You offering?”

“No! I’m not offering.” She pushed to her feet and then with a softer tone added, “Are you asking?”

Ah. The unnamed air mixture just got thicker. The last time he’d felt this hungry for a female was, well, never. Never this out of his mind eager. Desirous. Every other woman he’d spent any amount of time with paled in comparison to Tess.

But it couldn’t happen. Not tonight. Not under these circumstances.

He turned a cold shoulder. And planned on a cold shower.

“I’ve got a guest room this way.”

“Oh, okay. Great. Any chance I could get my purse out of the car first?” She followed him with her shoes dangling in one hand.

It took every ounce of strength he had not to spin around, scoop her up, and carry her to his bedroom. Forget about the plan to keep his paws off.

“I’ll grab it for you later.”

“I could really use it now.”

So that all your compact-size weapons are handy. I don’t think so. “Let me get you in your room first.”

The sleeping arrangements were going to come as a surprise to her. She’d be mad as hell, but he couldn’t take any chance of her escaping or snooping around. Trust, he knew, carried a different interpretation by different people.

“Here we are.” He opened the door to the bedroom next to his and led her in. “There’s a bathroom just through there”—he nodded his head toward a closed door—“and extra blankets in the closet if you need them.”

She did a quick survey of the room. “Thanks.”

“Good night then.”

“Good night.” She stayed right where she was, just inside the room, as he retreated.

He shut the door behind him. And then he locked her inside.

Tess heard the click and raced to try the door handle. It was locked.

“Hugh! You did not just lock me in here,” she yelled, pounding on the door.

No answer.

“Hugh, goddammit. Unlock this door! I’m not some animal you can lock away. What happened to trusting each other?” She beat her fists on the door. “Hugh!”

It was no use. He wasn’t going to unlock the door. He probably stood right on the other side, smiling like the conniving wolfen he was. And she couldn’t really blame him. The truth was, if he hadn’t locked her in the room, she’d have escaped.

Her options were zip now. She turned and leaned against the door in defeat. A closer look around the room revealed only a small window, no bigger than a shoe box. That should have been the first thing she noticed and tipped her off immediately. This was the prisoner’s quarters. You can enter, but never leave.

She grumbled on the way to the bathroom. Big shower, double sink. No window. The grumble turned to a mumble that included the many ways she thought to get even with him.

A warm shower sounded good so she turned it on and got undressed. Clothes. She had no clothes aside from the awful blue dress she refused to put back on her body. She’d wear a towel before she put that clingy thing back on.

As she stood under a steady stream of hot water, she took a deep breath and let her mind float back to the feelings she’d been trying her damndest to keep at bay. Feelings that unsettled her because they were deeper than anything she’d felt before. Even with Jason. Despite being a half shifter, Hugh was more man than she’d ever dreamed possible.

And she wanted him.

Never had she opened up to someone like she’d done with him tonight. Heck, for five years, Kensie and Francesca had no idea she’d been searching for someone named Dobson. They had no inkling she’d promised Jason she’d find his killer. That she couldn’t give up her search until she got revenge. And hopefully some answers.

Tess had been fairly certain she didn’t need anyone else in her life. The rush she got from work and extreme sports satisfied her. Kept her busy and in touch with all sorts of people. Out on ledges and edges and in crazy-ass settings, she didn’t have time to think about anything or anyone else for very long.

Tonight she thought she might’ve died if Hugh had. She couldn’t explain why, but she agreed with his assessment that it wasn’t a coincidence that brought them together. Fate had dealt her an awful hand with her parents and Jason, and now she’d been thrust into a partnership with a man that turned her inside out. The irony of his being her mark wasn’t lost on her and her past misfortunes. But maybe she wasn’t supposed to kill him? Maybe she was destined to fail a third time.

The way he’d looked at her tonight, the way he’d touched her wrists with care and compassion, the way he’d whipped up a meal for her, assured her his intentions were pure. He’d meant what he said about helping her. And not just with Dobson.

She’d never before thought about turning her back on P.I.E. The organization had given so much to her, she couldn’t imagine leaving under any circumstances. A death threat and Hugh suddenly changed that. Her imagination ran wild.

Stop thinking, Tess. She turned off the water and wrapped up in a soft oversized towel. Exhaustion hit her hard, every inch of her body bone tired. She padded out of the bathroom and headed straight for the bed. She pulled back the comforter, unwrapped the towel, and used it to dry her hair a bit. Then she climbed underneath the sheets, lifted the coverings up to her chin and vowed to get a call in to Kensie or Francesca in the morning. Her purse and some new clothes were also on the list.

Her eyelids fluttered shut less than a minute later, and she allowed herself to be content in the comfort of the downy soft bed. If nothing else, she felt safe. Safe to sleep soundly. Safe to dream happy dreams.

That would not include Hugh, she mused to herself.

Who was she kidding? He’d be starring front and center.

She woke to a click, but didn’t move or stir or budge. The bed was sooo comfy and cozy and maybe if she stayed still, whatever had caused the click would go away.

“Tess,” said an endearing masculine voice. “It’s time to wake up.”

Her eyes opened wide at the sound of the deep, rugged announcement. “Go away. I’m not talking to you.”

“I’ve got a couple things for you,” he answered, ignoring her no-talking policy.

Darkness still filled the room and she wondered what time it was. It felt like she’d had a solid eight hours sleep so it couldn’t be too early. In fact, she felt more rested than she had in a long time. She stayed motionless and quiet.

“I’m coming in.” The downlight above her head turned on.

She didn’t care. His actions didn’t mean she had to act.

Wait. He’s coming in? She sat up, bringing the covers with her. She told herself he didn’t have x-ray vision, but that didn’t stop the tingles popping up all over her body. She was naked, and Hugh was coming into the room.

He wore jeans that sat low on his hips and a plain white T-shirt that clung to his lethally sexy chest muscles. His hair was mussed, like he’d showered and then ran his fingers through it. His face was clean-shaven. His blue eyes deeper than the waters she’d scuba dived in Australia. God, did he have to look so irresistible this morning?

“Good morning.”

She stayed quiet. Because she was mad about being locked in the room or because he took her breath away, she wasn’t sure.

“This no talking thing could work to my advantage.” He stepped closer.

To her nakedness. Did he know she wasn’t wearing anything underneath the sheets? And oh geez, what did her hair look like? Going to sleep with it wet surely meant she had a rat’s nest thing going on.

When he got to the edge of the bed, she watched him venture a peek toward the bathroom. Her eyes followed his and there in plain view were the blue dress and black lace undergarments on the floor.

She pulled the sheets tighter against her. “What time is it?” Talking might get her mind off her birthday suit.

“She speaks.” His eyes held hers with the same mixture of heat and desire she’d noticed last night. “It’s eleven.”

“Eleven? Holy shit. I never sleep this late.” And note to self: Don’t look into his eyes anymore.

He smiled. “Guess you needed it.”

“More like the lack of window space kept the room dark. You’ve got some nerve, you know that?” She ran a hand through her hair to feel what it looked like. Not too bad.

“Do you blame me?”

Admitting she didn’t would not work in keeping him at bay, so she lied. “Yes. I do.” She frowned for further effect.

He dropped something on the bed. “Well, maybe this will make up for it. Clean clothes. And your phone.”

Relief and forgiveness overcame her. Wait. Her phone? “You went through my purse?” It would’ve been a lot better if he’d plopped her bag on the bed, but he was only acting the same way she would have.

“Again, I don’t think you’re surprised. You’ve got some major arsenal in there. It could’ve come in handy with the Banoth. And your driver’s license picture doesn’t do you justice.”

He looked less and less sexy by the minute. “You looked through my wallet? Who the hell do you think—”

“I think I needed to confirm you are who you say you are. Tess Elizabeth Damon.” A grin that would have made her fling the sheets to the side and shout “take me” had she not been so pissed at him for snooping flanked his handsome—no, not handsome!—face.

“I’m a P.I.E. eliminator. What makes you think that license is real? I could be Tess one day and Betty the next.” Tess Damon was her real name, but if anyone looked her up, they’d learn only what P.I.E. wanted them to.

Hugh continued to grin. “You don’t look like a Betty.”

“Screw you.”

“I thought we’d been over that, but I’m willing to revisit it if you—”

“I want you the hell out of this room and away from me.” Her blood boiled. Hugh Langston was goddamn annoying.

He took two steps back. “My pleasure. I’ll get a lot more done without—”

“Wait!” She hated the tone of desperation in her voice. “Toss me my phone, would you?”

She caught it and checked for any sort of bugging device. It was clean. “Thanks. I’m going to call my roommates to let them know I’m okay. Otherwise, there could be trouble. I’m also going to tell them I’ve started my next assignment so I won’t be around.”

“They know you’re Apple Pie?”

The way he threw out the words “apple pie” melted some of her anger. He might not have meant it to, but it sure sounded like a term of endearment coming from his lips. No one had ever called her by a nickname.

She’d come this far with him, so she may as well go the whole way. “I’ll be talking to Peach and Cherry.” The corners of her mouth lifted without permission. It sounded funny. And felt funnier.

It also convinced her she’d lost every one of her brain cells where he was concerned. It took him all of two seconds to get information out of her. He was like truth serum and she liked the way it tasted. Liked feeling a little less alone and like she had someone to confide in.

Hugh looked genuinely taken aback. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s part of this trust thing we’ve got going on.” So keep the door unlocked, please.

He ignored her subtle attempt to get him to reciprocate. “If the clothes don’t fit, let me know and I’ll have Blanche go back out for something else.”

“Blanche went shopping for me? Is she here right now?”

“She’s gone.” He moved toward the door. “I’m pretty good at sizing up people so the clothes should work. I took you for a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl after the way you squirmed in that dress last night.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She hoped she sounded as cantankerous as she felt.

“It means you looked damn hot in it, but probably borrowed it from either Peach or Cherry.”

He thought she looked hot? And how the hell did he know her so well? Her entire body shook at the notion of someone knowing her better than she was comfortable with. Hugh rocked her world on so many levels that she lost her voice.

“You’ve decided to stop talking again?”

She hoped her jaw hadn’t dropped before she finally mustered, “Sorry, um, what was the question? Oh wait, I remember. Yes, I borrowed the dress, smarty-pants. Now get out so I can get dressed.”

Surprisingly, he turned and left without a word. Huh. No comment on the smarty-pants could only mean one thing. He’d allowed her the last word.

Didn’t that just suck?

She dialed home. Kensie picked up on the second ring. “It’s about time you called,” she said without a hello. “We were about ready to come looking for you. If we didn’t know Trey was a good bloke we would’ve been worried to death by now. Not that you can’t take care of yourself. It’s just we’ve been talking nonstop about your date and hypothesizing up the wazoo about what’s going on. So tell me already! What’s going on? I knew you’d like Trey. He’s ace. Are you at his place right now? When—”

“Kensie,” she interrupted, “slow down, would you?” If she didn’t interject, Kensie would go right on talking, having a conversation all on her own and deciding on facts that suited her.

“Sorry. It’s just I reckon you’ve had a ripper time and I’m so happy for you. I’m assuming the frangers came in handy?”

Oh my god! Oh no, no, no, no. The condoms. Hugh had seen the condoms. She wanted to bury her head under the covers and never come out. Did he think she’d meant to use them last night with her blind date? Her armpits grew wet, her skin heated. Despite the fact she was alone, embarrassment like being on stage and forgetting what to say gripped her.

“Tess, you still there?”

Kensie’s voice shook her back to the conversation. “I’m still here, Kens. Listen, I don’t have a lot of time to talk. I actually called to tell you I’ve started my next assignment so I’ll be gone for the next few days. If Christian asks, let him know, would you?”

“Not so fast girlie. How was the date?”

Dammit. She wasn’t getting off the hook. “It was great.”

“Oh, I’m so glad. I knew the two of you would get along. I want all the details when you get home.”

“How much does Francesca owe you?” Tess knew they’d wagered on her date. She’d overheard them talking while getting ready. Kensie was the romantic and Francesca the cynic.

Kensie laughed. “Fifty bucks. You don’t mind if I tell her what a good time you had, do you?”

“Not at all. In fact, tell her it was one of the best nights of my life.” Because it was.

“Aww. Good luck with the new job. Keep us posted.”

“I will.” She reached for the clothes at the end of the bed. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

The soft jeans fit like a glove and the trendy T-shirt was as comfortable as her favorites tucked in her drawer at home. She owed Blanche a thank you. Hugh too. Depending on her mood when she saw him. And depending on breakfast. She thought she smelled bacon. Bacon definitely warranted a thank you.

With the blue dress hanging in the closet, the bed made, the shoes from hell in the wastebasket sitting in the corner, she ventured a turn of the door handle. She knew it would open since she’d never heard it click when Hugh left. He probably wasn’t worried about her slipping out during waking hours because he could hear every move she made.

What worried her was that she had no intention of sneaking off.

Chapter Ten

It was a huge mistake keeping Tess close.

Hugh’s pulse didn’t race. Ever. Yet the second she walked into the kitchen everything in his body revved up. She’d looked amazing in that blue dress, but seeing her just out of bed with casual clothes that hugged every curve of her body and noticing that she was comfortable by the confident way she moved, upped her sex appeal tenfold.

He bit the inside of his cheek to stop any lusty sounds from escaping his mouth. The animal in him wanted to strike. Down boy.

“You know,” she said, her voice upbeat, “you’re getting yourself into big trouble by doing all the cooking. Dinner last night. Breakfast this morning. One more meal and I’m going to inform you the duty is all yours.”

She blessed him with a bona fide look of appreciation and sat down at the table.

“I figure if I do all the cooking you can’t poison me.” As much as he wanted to exchange pleasantries with her, it would serve him well to keep some distance between them. Make sure her assignment never left the room despite the fact they were working together. If he let himself forget about that, he’d surely topple the rest of the way over.

“I gave you my word that wouldn’t happen until our partnership is over.” Goodbye appreciative look. “When I give my word, I mean it.”

She mumbled something under her breath that sounded a lot like “dumbass.”

If he issued another uncooperative remark it would keep her kindness at bay, and he needed to do that, but when he caught the hint of hurt in her green eyes, he couldn’t do it.

Wait. Green eyes?

He stepped to the table with two plates of eggs and bacon and looked more closely to be sure he was right. “You’ve got green eyes this morning.”

“So?”

“So last night they were blue.”

“Green T-shirt. Green eyes. Blue dress. Blue eyes. I’m just lucky that way. Confuses people all the time. Do you know how to cook anything besides eggs?” She picked up a piece of bacon and brought it to her mouth.

“Lunch is grilled cheese sandwiches.”

“Cool. So what have you been up to this morning without me? Made any progress or discovered anything I should know about? Or am I privy only to information I’m awake for?”

He deserved that. “I spoke with Dane this morning.” A forkful of scrambled eggs went into his mouth. He wouldn’t tell her it was his second breakfast. “Since last night, everything’s been quiet. There’s no word on Trey or the Wolf Seekers. The Banoth’s been taken care of and the factory cleaned up.”

“Did you expect anything different?”

“I expected some word on the position of the Wolf Seekers. Dane’s got someone who usually gets us what we need to know.”

She got up from the table and went to the fridge. He took in the slope of her neck, her narrow shoulders, her toned arms. The redness around her wrists was gone and he gave silent thanks before his gaze moved to her backside The jeans fit perfectly and allowed him to see what the dress had hidden. An ass he’d follow around the world.

“What’s the deal with you and Dane anyway?”

“The deal?”

“Yeah, you know, what are you guys? Because it seemed to me you were friendly but not friends. I’m guessing he doesn’t like you as an authority figure.” She pulled some orange juice out and examined the carton for an expiration date, he guessed. Satisfied, she found a couple of glasses on the first try and poured.

Hugh took the glass she dangled in front of him. “Thanks. You’re right. Dane hates the fact that I’m the alpha. Hates even more that Trey is my second in command and being groomed to take over.”

She sat back down and took a sip of her juice. “So Dane doesn’t like Trey very much?”

“Actually he likes him a lot. His beef is more with me.” He and Dane had much more history.

Tess studied him, her emerald eyes completely capturing his attention. “A beef over a girl?” She blinked away the connection, redirecting her gaze to the food on her plate.

How the hell had she guessed that? If he had any doubts regarding the undeniable chemistry between them, she was wiping them away. She might be the one woman who could read his mind. Scratch that. She was the one woman who could.

“Not how you might think.”

“Explain it to me.” She put a forkful of food into her mouth.

He didn’t like remembering this part of his past. His jaw clenched, his chest ached. “I’m not sure I can.”

A minute of silence passed while she ate more of her breakfast. Then she looked back into his eyes with so much concern that he relaxed enough to finish his eggs. “I’m positive my knowing will help us work together. I can tell it’s painful for you, so why don’t you just give me the abbreviated version?”

The sweet sound of her voice completely unnerved him. Kick-ass one minute, kind the next—she had no idea how much she complicated things for him. He’d planned on keeping the upper hand here, working together under his terms. But when she got personal and said shit like “I can tell it’s painful for you,” with genuine concern, he had the urge to spill everything and let her run the show.

“It was a long time ago.” Five years next month. “Nothing I plan to elaborate on now.”

“Oh, come on.” She pushed her plate to the side and leaned on the table. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

He stayed quiet.

“I know. You both fell for the same girl, you won, and Dane still hates you for it. Am I close?” Long eyelashes reached her arched eyebrows.

The look on his face must have confirmed she was damn close because he didn’t need to say a word for her to beam as if she’d discovered every secret about him. Shit.

“It wasn’t me,” he relented, torn with feelings of wanting to share and keeping the memories bottled up inside.

“There’s no way Dane got the girl over you.”

Flattered—no, horny—because she thought that, he still couldn’t come out and say it. He did have a strong desire to toss the table to the side, grab her and carry her to his bedroom. Probably his way of transferring the emotions plaguing him. At least that was what Gavin had told him on more than one occasion. “He didn’t.”

“You’re wasting precious work time, Hugh. Would you just come out and say it already?” Tenacious as he was, she’d continue until she dragged it out of him.

“Dane’s college sweetheart dumped him for my brother, Max. Her name was Heather and the moment she and my brother met, they fell in love. The kind of love that comes around once in a lifetime. Max took her as his mate.”

“Mates are for life, right?”

“Right. Dane was devastated. Not because he wanted Heather for a mate, but because he was embarrassed and ridiculed by some of the other younger pack members. Myself included. My brother was the leader so it was without recourse that he and Heather became matched. They were madly in love, deeply connected. Their union lasted only a year before Heather passed away. Without her, my brother died inside. I tried everything to bring him out of his depression. Nothing worked and three months later, he was gone. Dane expected to take over the leadership position.”

“But you did.”

“Yeah.”

There was more to it than that, but he didn’t want to delve deeper into what had cost him his best friend and mentor. He’d looked up to Max more than anyone, wanted to be just like him. Wished every day he was still around.

Tess got up from the table, picked up the plates, then put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry about your brother.”

She lingered there for a long moment. He didn’t look up, opting to keep his gaze level with the empty chair across from him. If he looked at her, he was sure her beautiful face would completely rattle him. He had to remind himself that love was a curse, that he didn’t need anyone. Not now. Not ever. Shutting down his growing feelings might not be easy, but it was necessary. When his partnership with Tess ended, he needed to walk away and not look back. The pack depended on him.

Which also meant he had to figure out a way to avoid the hit. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her move to the sink and wondered how far she’d go. If she’d really eliminate him with something between them. He had no doubt she was ruthless, knew she’d killed before. The job required it. What were her requirements? Did she stop to think about what she did, or had she been trained not to think for herself?

She leaned against the kitchen counter to look out the window. She got up on tiptoes, extending her arms to add a little more height. The simple act was hot as hell. He held on to the side of the chair so as not to get up and go to her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and see if the side of her neck tasted as good as her lips. He wanted to press against her—press inside her—and never let go. The urges she stirred were so goddamn strong he worried if he took advantage once, he’d be a goner for good.

She whipped around with a huge smile on her face and he nearly fell backwards, chair and all, from the sheer thrill he saw in her twinkling eyes. “You’ve got a Ducati?”

“You like motorcycles?” Why was he surprised? He ought to nickname her daredevil after her performance last night.

“Oh my God. I love them.” She twisted for another peek out the window. “And that’s an 848 Superbike, isn’t it?”

Was there anything about her that would make him reconsider she was his perfect match? Fuck. Trouble didn’t begin to describe his ass right now.

“Yes it is.” He got up and joined her at the counter, keeping a good foot between them. He’d taken the bike out of the garage earlier that morning before he’d been derailed by his conversation with Dane.

“Can I take it for a ride?” she asked, like a kid pleading to stay out past curfew.

“We can.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s much better suited for one-up riding. I promise I’ll come back if that’s what you’re worried about. I am on assignment now, which means you’re stuck with me.”

Like he needed the reminder. He should give her the bike and let her ride away. Forget this temporary alliance. But goddamn it, he couldn’t. He couldn’t picture letting her go now that he had her. “Come on. We’ll manage the both of us.”

She bopped up and down, excitement rolling off her. “Okay, fine. But I’m driving.”

“You think I’m letting you drive?”

“You bet you are.” She dazzled him with a smile, and he knew he’d give her anything she asked for. “I need a pair of shoes though. You didn’t—”

“By the front door.”

“Fantastic.” She pushed back up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Let’s do this. And I hope you like speed as much as I do.”

Frozen. He stood frozen to his spot as she strode away. Everything in him, every thought, every belief, churned out of control. The familiarity, the passion, the feel of her lips on his face undid him to the point of no return.

Tess wiggled the nail file in the lock of her bedroom door as quietly as possible. Her heart beat a little faster than normal. She sucked in a deep breath. If she didn’t get the damn door open in the next thirty seconds, she was going to scream.

She stepped back, closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulders. She could do this. It would be a hell of a lot easier if it wasn’t pitch dark in the room, but she couldn’t risk turning on the light. It pissed her off that Hugh still didn’t trust her after working together without incident for the past couple of days.

Not that she really blamed him. But the thought of being stuck in the room one more night made her claustrophobic.

Maybe a nail file wasn’t the tool to do the trick? It didn’t seem to be connecting to the locking mechanism. God, she sucked at this. Good thing burglary wasn’t in her job description. She tiptoed to the small desk and found a pen in the drawer. She pulled it apart so she held the thin ink cartridge topped with a ballpoint head. It slid into the tiny hole of the door handle, and after carefully pressing it just the right way, the door unlocked.

She moved down the hallway with light steps, trying her damndest to keep quiet. When she reached the living room, she sighed with relief. An ambient glow spilled into the room from the dim recessed lighting in the kitchen and she methodically made her way around every piece of furniture in search of anything that might help her learn more about Hugh. With his watchful eyes on her during the day, she’d barely been able to notice the types of magazines on the coffee table.

She’d kept her head down while looking around, but lifting it now to take in the room as a whole, she wondered how on earth she’d missed those. Three pictures in dark wood frames on the fireplace mantle.

The first photograph was of Hugh and another man, their arms around each other’s shoulders and huge grins on their faces. The kind of grin that made her wonder what had made them so happy that day. Her gaze traveled to the next picture, a black and white candid shot so beautiful and personal she sucked in a breath. A man—the same one in the shot with Hugh—had his hand near a woman’s ear, his fingers toying with her long hair. He was staring down at her, she was looking up at him, their faces mere inches from each other. Her palm lay flat on his chest, and Tess could feel the beating of their hearts inside her head. The look of adoration that passed between them was palpable.

She didn’t have to ask Hugh who the couple was. It had to be his brother and his wife. Something fluttered in Tess’s stomach as she wondered what it would be like to love someone that much. Because in looking at the photo, there was no doubt they’d loved with an intensity she never had. A lump lodged in her throat. She swallowed and sidestepped to the last photo.

Her legs almost gave out as she stared at an unguarded Hugh. He sat at a formal table, wearing a tuxedo, his arm bent, a hand covering the smile she knew he wore because his eyes crinkled in the corners. His attention was on his brother and sister-in-law, whose arms were intertwined, champagne flutes in their hands, grins on their faces.

Tess backed away, almost falling over the coffee table. Suddenly, she couldn’t take any more. She didn’t want to know anything more about him. Because big, bad, prideful Hugh had a soft spot whether he admitted it or not. And the very real images he kept a part of his home captured something she hadn’t felt since she was a little girl. Unconditional love.

With super speed, she searched the drawers of the hutch in the dining room, the cupboards in the kitchen, rifled through the stack of Sports Illustrated magazines. She searched the closet by the front door, eyed the hardwood floor for loose floorboards.

All of it though, she did half-ass, since she couldn’t stop thinking about Hugh and how very human he seemed. How connected. To his brother, even though he was gone.

Where’s the damn incriminating evidence? “Not here,” she whispered and padded in her bare feet to the front door. The second she stood outside, she inhaled sharply, the fresh air filling her lungs, loosening the tightness in her chest.

Without thinking, she wandered down the driveway, away from the house, away from Hugh. Chewing her bottom lip, she wrapped her arms around herself. A cool breeze carried the smell of pine trees to her nose. Her footsteps faltered and she stopped. Looked over her shoulder. So many emotions she didn’t know how to process swirled inside her. Was the right thing to do leave? Or stay? She turned her head back around and looked at the empty road in front of her.

Go. She’d walked maybe another hundred feet, though, when something weird circulated in the muscles of her legs—resistance. She stopped again and looked up. Stars dotted the black sky. Jagged branches from gigantic trees slashed through the airspace like claws about to swoop down and pick her up. A chill raced down her spine.

“You really shouldn’t walk at night without shoes on.”

Tess jumped at the woman’s voice, both feet literally coming off the ground. People didn’t sneak up on her. How the hell had this woman snuck up on her? She was losing her skills. A harrowing thought flashed through her mind. Did that mean it was time to give up eliminating?

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” the woman said, as Tess turned to find an older lady wearing a plaid robe and yellow slippers.

“Blanche?” she asked, recognizing the woman’s voice and assuming no other seventy-something neighbor would be awake at this hour of night.

“In the flesh. You must be Tess. Nice to meet you in person.” She twisted and started toward a house barely visible through the trees in the distance. “Follow me,” she called over her shoulder.

“What?” Tess asked, glancing at her feet before she scurried to catch up to Blanche.

“You can’t get far without shoes and it just so happens we’re the same size.” She picked up her pace, walking with the gait of a woman half her age.

Curiosity spurred Tess to keep up. “What makes you think I’m going somewhere? Maybe I just needed some fresh air? Ow!” she cried, something sharp digging into the flesh of her heel.

“At one in the morning when you should be fast asleep?”

Tess didn’t offer a reply.

They reached Blanche’s house, a cozy log cabin with a wraparound porch. Stairs led up to the glass front door, a motion detector lighting their way the moment they hit the first step. Large pots sat everywhere, overflowing with ivy and yellow daisies, and comfort filled Tess. But when she noticed the rocking chair sitting beside a large front window, she almost gasped. It looked exactly like the one her mother had rocked her in when she was a child. It was the only way she’d fall asleep.

“Your home is lovely,” she said, closing the front door behind her. Blanche had yet to stop her forward momentum.

“Thank you. Have a seat. I’ll be right back.” She waved a hand in the air and disappeared around a corner.

Tess sat down on one of two sofas, the soft chenille fabric giving way to perfect coziness. She sank into the couch and put her feet up on the leather ottoman placed between the couches. Her eyes drifted shut, and for a few minutes she let her mind go blank. Worried she might actually fall asleep, she forced her lids open and took in the room.

A beautiful, but empty china cabinet sat off to the right. A bookcase, almost bare, decorated the left. One painting of snow-capped mountains hung on the wall. In the corner stood a small antique table with a vase of fresh flowers on top. Tess couldn’t remember the last time she’d had fresh flowers in her house.

Blanche entered the room carrying a pair of mugs. Not shoes. “I thought you might be thirsty,” she said, handing one of the steaming cups to Tess.

She sat up and accepted the drink. Then groaned with pleasure when she took a whiff. “Is this Irish coffee?”

Blanche took a seat across from her, a mischievous smile tugging at her wrinkled lips. “After midnight, it’s all I serve.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow.” Tess inhaled deeply before taking a sip.

“I’ll keep you to that.” Blanche took her own sip before getting comfortable and tilting her head. “He’s a good man, you know. Sometimes he’s rough around the edges, but that’s only because he doesn’t know what’s good for him.”

Tess shrugged. “Okay.”

“He do something to piss you off?” Blanche asked candidly.

“You could say that,” Tess answered. “He’s definitely not one for negotiation, no matter how hard I’ve tried.”

“You try asking him naked?”

Tess choked on her Irish coffee. “I beg your pardon?”

“Men can’t think straight when a woman’s naked. Something about their brain cells getting jumbled. And then their favorite word becomes ‘yes.’”

“I, uh…” Tess was at a complete loss for words. She looked into her mug, hoping the blush she felt wasn’t obvious on her face.

“You know how to play backgammon?” Blanche stood and reached for a small leather case on the bookshelf. She had it opened on the ottoman and pieces set up before Tess could answer.

“It’s been a while, but yeah.” Tess didn’t know what to make of Blanche. Or herself. She was happy with the subject change, but even if Blanche had continued to talk about Hugh, she didn’t feel any urge to leave. The older woman gave off a wonderful air of familiarity and warmth and Tess wanted to hang around her.

Blanche drank her Irish coffee while she set up the rest of the game pieces. Tess did the same, the easy rhythm they fell into one she rarely experienced.

Hugh. I fell into an easy rhythm with him.

“You got something on your mind, you should just spit it out,” Blanche said, putting her mug down on the ottoman.

Tess looked at her. Really looked at her. The idea that Blanche might be a Veiler popped into her mind. And with it her defenses went back up. “Right back atcha. I’m not really sure why you invited me here.”

“Make a guess,” Blanche said lightly. She leaned back, ran her hands down her thighs like there might be lint on her robe.

“Okay. I think you like knowing Hugh’s business because you love him like he’s your own son, and you’re trying to figure out what my motives are. You’re disheartened because I’ve apparently tried to sneak away and you wanted to meet me before you decided what to do about that. But it’s not my best interest you’re after—it’s Hugh’s. So I really think you should spit it out, not me.”

Blanche nodded. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” She looked at Tess with genuine interest—and compassion—in her eyes, before gesturing around the room with her hand. Emotion Tess couldn’t put a finger on passed over the older woman’s features as she blinked several times. “He built this house for me. The old one burned to the ground last year. I thought I’d have to go to a senior shithouse, but Hugh wouldn’t hear of it. He took care of the insurance and got his friends to help out. Built this place in less than six months. And never asked me for a penny.”

Tess gulped. Her heart squeezed. “Wow.”

“He’s a private SOB, but if anyone he cares about gets into trouble, he’s first in line to help them out. He’s had more lost souls up to that house than I can count.”

For a brief moment, Tess forgot to breathe. “You think I’m a lost soul?” She shifted on the couch, uncomfortable with that assessment. Was she?

“No.” Blanche shook her head. “I think Hugh’s in over his head and he doesn’t know what to do about it. He smitten with you, that’s for sure. I’ve known that boy a long time, and I’ve never seen him so discombobulated over a woman.”

Something inside her softened, weakened. Awakened. She sighed. And she couldn’t meet Blanche’s eyes, instead picking a spot on the dark wood floor.

“So we’ve established you’re smitten too,” Blanche said, relief in her voice.

Tess lifted her head. “I didn’t say that.”

“Didn’t have to. I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but it’s been my experience that confronting it head on is always the best plan.”

“Oh, believe me, we’ve confronted it.” Tess looked down at the game board they’d yet to touch. “And unfortunately, whatever is going on between us is only short term. Sorry, Blanche.”

Blanche chuckled. “That’s what I thought when I met Artie.”

“Artie?”

“My husband and the love of my life. He passed away a few years ago. Told me on the day we met it would never last because he’d surely screw it up. We were married for fifty-three years and the only thing he screwed was me.” She crossed an arm over her chest so that her palm rested over her heart.

She and Blanche eyed each other for a moment and then both burst out laughing. Tess couldn’t remember ever laughing like this. It felt good. Felt nice to have a grandmother figure share something so unexpected and intimate.

Tess rose from the couch and stretched. “I should probably head back.”

“He’s worth sticking around for,” Blanche said, standing and slowly making her way toward the front door.

“I’m not sure I’m—”

A heavy knock on the door silenced Tess. Only one person would pay a visit to Blanche at this hour.

“Hugh,” Blanche scolded as she opened the door wide enough for Tess to be seen. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

He practically filled the doorway with his broad shoulders and height. “Just thought I should escort this lovely lady back home. You two have a nice chat?”

Clearly, he wanted to know what they discussed, but Tess had no intention of telling him. And the way he spoke made it sound like he’d known all along where she was.

She huffed and darted around him. “Thanks, Blanche, for the drink and the good company,” she called over her shoulder, realizing the older woman probably never intended to loan her a pair of shoes.

“Anytime!” Blanche called out.

A moment later, Hugh was by her side, too close and too far away for her to think straight. She stumbled, not because of his proximity, but because a twig lodged itself between her toes. She swallowed a hiss.

Hugh scooped her up and held her against his chest.

Her entire body went rigid before relaxing. She thought about demanding he put her down. She thought about yelling at him to keep his hands to himself. But the truth was nothing inside her protested. And his quiet action spoke volumes she didn’t want to address.

She put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

Chapter Eleven

The setting sun cast the most breathtaking orange streaks across the sky. Tess loved looking up into the blue yonder, through the gaps in the trees, to watch the daylight disappear. She sat on the porch where the only noise came from chirping crickets and the occasional squirrel or other small creature. The peacefulness soothed her mind, relaxed her shoulders. She was content.

Confused.

For the past three nights, she’d sat out here, contemplating her job and her life. Continuing to work side-by-side with Hugh had shed little light on their mission. They weren’t any closer to finding Trey or Dobson, despite their research. She also wasn’t any closer to finding a reason to eliminate him.

Things didn’t add up, and her stomach turned sour every time she thought about the task at hand. Who the hell wanted Hugh eliminated? Never before had it mattered to her who ordered the hit, but this time she had a gut feeling it was important.

Worse, her body continued to betray her by perking up every time he was near. She had to work damn hard to keep her heart rate in check so he wouldn’t know the power he had over her. She couldn’t blame it all on hormones either. Her thoughts, her dreams, all centered around him and what it would be like if the situation were different and he wasn’t her mark.

Which scared the bejeesus out of her.

Because she couldn’t fall for him. Could. Not. He was her mark and she had a job to do.

“Hey, mind if I join you?” His voice broke her train of thought.

“Not at all. Have a seat.” She found it endearing that he asked if he could join her every night, rather than assumed.

The swing swayed as he sat, and she was acutely aware of his closer than normal proximity this evening. Their shoulders touched, his masculine scent made her bare toes curl. She wanted to lean into him, lose herself in his arms.

Usually they talked about Trey and Dobson, motorcycles or the extreme sports she enjoyed. Hugh was no slouch in his adventures either, and had mentioned in passing he could teach her how to fly. She’d shrugged it off, knowing it was a slip of the tongue and nothing else. They wouldn’t be seeing each other for much longer.

“How long have you worked for P.I.E.?” he asked, surprising her with his choice of topic.

He’d been nothing but honest with her so far, so she figured he deserved the same in return. He’d even stopped locking her in her room at night. “Since I was sixteen.”

“Really? That young? What about your family?”

“I didn’t have one.” A vague picture of her parents remained in her mind, but if she really wanted to see them, she needed to look at the few pictures she had. “I bounced around foster care.”

She went on to answer his questions, trying not to let too much emotion seep into her voice. It had been ages since she’d dug as deep as he was asking her to go, especially with regards to her parents. Not even Jason had coaxed this much out of her. The truth was, talking about it with Hugh was cathartic. Finally getting so many turbulent feelings off her chest felt good.

He felt good.

His hand wrapped around hers at the first mention of her parents’ death. With their fingers intertwined, she shared what she remembered about their accident, and how she hadn’t understood the permanence associated with losing them because she was so young. Gradually, she’d accepted it, but when she did, hate and despair had consumed her. She grew indifferent, apathetic. Nothing had held any meaning for her.

A dull ache filled her heart as she shared what she could with Hugh. He barely moved a muscle while she relayed her story.

Even mentioning how P.I.E. had saved her and made her what she was today didn’t get a reaction from him. His grip on her hand simply tightened.

“So there’s my life story in a nutshell.” She kicked her legs out and back until the swing swayed in a steady rhythm. “How do you feel about me now?”

His thumb rubbed over hers in a slow, methodical manner, and hot waves of pleasure tightened her stomach muscles, made her breasts tingle and aroused the juncture between her thighs.

He needs to stop. Stop right this minute. But I don’t want him to stop. I want him to touch—

“I think I want to—”

“Stop! Stop right there. Don’t say it.” She jumped to her feet. “We can’t talk nice to each other anymore. We can’t tell each other what we want to do. We can’t—”

He stood, pulled her into his arms and let his actions speak louder than words. His lips crushed hers. He kissed her with passion. With feverish intensity that sent more jolts of pleasure spiraling through her. And she melted into him. Threw her arms around his neck and sank deeper into the kiss.

Their mouths took to each other fast and furiously, and Tess couldn’t think straight. She’d been aching for this since their first kiss. Falling asleep at night wet between her legs in anticipation of kissing him when he wasn’t fighting for his life.

All the times they’d sat a little too close, or accidentally touched, or caught each other staring, had led to this moment. This seamless joining of their mouths.

His hands roamed her back, her sides, brushed the swells of her breasts and settled on her ass. More pleasure rumbled through her.

And then…then his tongue slipped between her lips and she felt the kiss everywhere. He kissed her more thoroughly, more deeply, more deliciously than she’d thought possible.

Everything vanished for her. Nothing existed anywhere else. It was only the two of them. Lost in a time and place where no one could see them or touch them or harm them. The world as she knew it didn’t matter. Nothing was as real as the two of them in each other’s arms, Hugh kissing her like he might die without her.

And that was when he pulled back.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

“Yes, you should have,” she interrupted, the taste of him on her lips. She wanted more. So much more. How dare he stop?

He stepped back. “I needed to kiss you,” he said, his breath ragged. “But the rest is up to you.” His eyes flamed with want before he moved around her and headed back into the house.

What? He was walking away from her? Happy to leave her in charge now?

Didn’t he realize she had no idea what to do?

She stayed glued to her spot. Tried to get her breathing under control. A need stronger than any she’d encountered before filled her, but she had to remember there was an ocean between them, even though it seemed like a puddle the more time they spent together.

While the thought was unbearable, the best thing for her to do was let him go. Forget that she felt him all around her, yet his physical absence swamped her with loneliness and twisted her insides. Forget that he made her wish for things to be different.

Never before had she wanted anything—or anyone—so badly.

Could she take what she wanted and move forward? Could she make love to him and follow through with her assignment? Did she want any more assignments? Her recent failures told her no. Her heart and head told her no.

Sometime during the past week, doubts about her job and obligation to P.I.E. had escalated. Working with Hugh on something that seemed more legitimate in both its mission and cause had made her think. Not all Veilers were the monsters they were painted to be. Hugh had explained the growing tension between Wolf Seekers and the Night Runners. He’d shared the wrongdoings on both sides, and it reminded her that human history was rich with atrocity. Most Veilers lived in the human world without incident. They blended in and contributed to society. Criminals came in all forms, human and Veiler. Innocence couldn’t be measured by one’s heritage. And nothing was black and white. Yet prejudice played a huge part in culpability.

Was she prejudiced? She’d accepted the teachings of P.I.E. Followed through on assignments without serious question.

Until now.

A noise in the distance grabbed her attention and she looked toward the mountainside. A rabbit hopped out of the bush, its nose twitching. It was white and fluffy and Tess found herself wishing she had a carrot to dangle in front of it.

A carrot. To dangle. Hugh had just dangled one in front of her, hadn’t he? She’d be an idiot not to grab it.

She ran into the house and found the door at the end of the hall open. An invitation if she wanted it. She slowed her steps so she could take some deep breaths and quiet the rapid beat of her heart.

The idea of being intimate with him filled her with happiness. The kind of happy she thought she’d never feel again. The kind of joy that if she were honest, she hadn’t felt since her parents were alive. Unfair she knew, to compare Hugh and Jason, but with only one lover in her past, it was inevitable. The time spent with Hugh had made her realize what she had with Jason didn’t go nearly as deep as she’d once thought.

A couple of feet from his bedroom, she stopped and put a hand on the wall to steady herself. The musings over her past as she was about to embark on something new, something that would take away from those memories, gave her second thought.

She’d never reflected so much about anything. Follow your instincts, Tess.

Follow your heart.

She’d never been given that opportunity before.

Her mind had always ruled her actions, not her emotions. Now she felt so mixed-up that making any coherent decision seemed futile.

Time to go with her heart, she reasoned. See where it led her. What did she have to lose?

Everything.

When had that ever stopped her?

She moved to Hugh’s doorway and peered inside his room. He’d just stepped out of the bathroom and was pulling his shirt over his head. Tess stood mesmerized by the well-defined planes of his torso.

He was surprisingly void of hair, given his half-shifter birth. In her dreams, he’d looked just like this, but she’d thought the reality might be different. His chest muscles were definitely larger than her palms, and she wanted to splay her fingers across his skin for confirmation. Sliding her gaze to his rock solid abs—the sort with ridges she’d only seen on male models in magazines—she found she really wanted to touch.

His biceps muscles were exceptional too. Defined like a heavy lifter’s, and she was struck with the notion that he’d let her win their arm-wrestling match. But the sexiest thing about his bareness, aside from the way his jeans hung low on his hips to reveal a sprinkling of hair leading down past his button, was the tattoo.

On the smooth skin over his heart was a tattoo—a symbol with thick, beautiful black strokes like two waves curling around each other. It was about the size of her fist, and she found it more appealing than any artwork she’d ever seen before.

Her breath hitched, and if he hadn’t known she was there, he did now. He threw his shirt to the side and his eyes met hers. He looked at her with so much hunger that she wobbled, catching herself on the edge of the door. With just a look he had her panting, her nipples hardening, and the spot between her legs throbbing.

Seconds passed without a move by either of them, all the while their eyes were fixed on one another. Tess gulped. His gaze was a warm caress she didn’t want to end.

“Tell me what you want,” he said, breaking the silence.

She wanted everything, but couldn’t find the words.

“Tell me what you want,” he repeated, “and I’ll give it to you.”

Pudding, her legs felt like pudding. “I want…”

He inched closer, and the throbbing, the hardening of her nipples, the loss of oxygen, amplified. When he stood within reach, she touched the tattoo, the sculpted muscle. His skin sizzled. Heat, strength, animal magnetism poured off him.

“Tell me, Tess.” His voice, husky and thick with desire, made her heart pound.

His hands remained by his sides. Waiting for her cue. Her permission. Admission. If he didn’t touch her in the next five seconds she’d explode, or implode. Or something like that. Her brain was a little fuzzy.

“I want you to touch me,” she managed to get out with a breathless sound.

“And?” Deep, dark, commanding now.

“And kiss me.” She remembered the taste of him and wanted more. So much more.

“And?”

To hell with all his ands. “I want you to fuck me, devour me, ravage me. And then I want you to do it all again.”

He traced his finger along the base of her neck and slid it down, feather-light, until it reached the top of the scooped neck of her shirt, the top of her cleavage.

“The way I feel, that could take all night.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

His eyes dipped to her breasts. She took a deep breath, positive her nipples poked through the thin cotton of her shirt. Then he looked up, and she stared into blue depths that had captured a piece of her from the very start. Right now she swore she saw a flame flicker in their azure color.

A second later he captured her mouth with his and pressed her hard against the bedroom door, sealing it shut. He wasn’t the tiniest bit gentle, his chest crushing hers, his stance capturing her center between his legs. Energy radiated off him, sending powerful shivers of need through her. With his palms flattened on either side of her head, he kissed her with purpose, his lips spreading hers so he could sweep his tongue inside. She kissed him back with equal vigor, like her next breath could only come from him.

She kept her hands at her sides, flat against the door, enjoying the fierceness of the kiss too much to distract herself with feeling him anywhere else at the moment. He moved his hips an inch to the side and, oh God. His erection hit her just right. The sensation had her so turned on, she needed to get rid of the clothing between them before she came just like this.

Warmth spread from the center of her chest, coils of pleasure pulsed deep in her belly. Hugh knew exactly where to slip his tongue, where to press his lips, how much give and take to allow. When he pulled back to nibble on her bottom lip, she opened her eyes and found him gazing at her.

Two could play this game, so she nibbled back. Creases on the sides of his face told her he enjoyed it. She wanted sex to be playful and fun, and Hugh seemed to agree.

Without taking his eyes off her, he grabbed the bottom of her shirt and yanked it over her head. After tossing it over his shoulder, he took in every inch of her exposed flesh and let out a low, guttural sound.

“You’re unbelievable,” he breathed. “The most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.” His gaze paused at her hip and a devilish smile took hold of his sexy mouth. He’d noticed her own tattoo, peeking out of her jeans.

“You’re not too shabby—”

He cut her off with another fierce, greedy kiss. He made love to her mouth with firm, teasing caresses from his lips and tongue, and her toes curled. Everything inside her tingled times a thousand. He kissed from her lips down to her neck, where he stroked and nuzzled, making her head fall to the side so he had easier access. He put his hands on her waist, moved them up her sides and slid them around to her back to unclasp her bra.

Then very nimble fingers skimmed over her shoulders to lead the straps down her arms. The kisses to her neck never stopped. When the bra hit the floor, he licked his way to her shoulder before pulling back once again to check her out.

Tess never paid much attention to her body. She wasn’t blind to it, but she was so comfortable in her own skin she rarely looked at it. Watching Hugh rake his eyes over her now, she was glad she’d been blessed with what she had because he seemed to be rendered speechless.

To make him drool just a little bit more, she arched her back, pressed her shoulders against the door. Okay, so she wasn’t oblivious to her feminine wiles. The gesture had the desired effect and he swooped in to capture her breast in his mouth. While he suckled one, his hand massaged the other, rubbed her nipple between his fingers, traced her areola.

Her head fell back against the door. The best, most arousing vibrations ever surged through her system and woke up every nerve ending in her body. God, it felt good to have his mouth on her, to have him groping her, fondling her, learning her curves. She moved her hands to the back of his head, ran her fingers through his silky soft hair.

Leisurely, he made his way down her abdomen, dropping kisses along the underside of her breasts, her sides, her belly button. His hands roamed to her backside, cradling her ass before moving to her button fly.

After popping two buttons, he hesitated. Traced the tattoo on her lower abdomen and she guessed he was wondering about it.

“I’ll tell you about mine if you tell me about yours,” she said.

“Later. I don’t want to talk right now.”

“You mean you’re not going to whisper sweet nothings in my ear?”

He resumed the button task. “Anything I might say in the next hour is not going to be sweet.”

Tess shuddered. “Hour?” Holy shit. “That’s the sexiest thing you could say right there.”

He slid a finger along the edge of her panties and she sucked in a breath. His touch dipped lower. Unthinking, she widened her stance. He drew slow, lazy circles over the thin cotton, over the nub swelling with each unbearably good stroke of his finger.

“Please, Hugh. Get me naked.”

“Soon.” He slipped his finger underneath the material and she let out a moan. Pressed her palms against the door.

“Now.” She wanted his fingers inside her, his other hand all over her, his mouth sucking her nipple. And that was just the start.

“Impatient, huh?” he said, voice ragged with eagerness too. He gripped her jeans. She wiggled to help ease them down, but halfway there the phone rang. The sound interrupted his momentum. He paused, listened to the second and third rings before saying, “Fuck.”

“Don’t answer it.” Tess knew—she knew—if he answered the telephone their extracurricular activities would end. And she desperately wanted to continue.

“I have to. It could be important.” He stood, and she almost whimpered at the sight of the erection in his pants. He adjusted himself and went to the nightstand beside the bed.

“What?” he growled, bringing the phone to his ear.

Tess smiled. He didn’t want to stop either. His frustration at being interrupted matched hers.

“You’re sure it’s going down tonight?”

Not what she wanted to hear. She pulled up her jeans, picked up her bra. Her body still thrummed from his ministrations. His taste, smell, handprints, lingering.

“Repeat that location, would you?”

She let out a deep breath. It sounded like they had the lead they’d been waiting for. After being cooped up in the house for a week, this tip-off was what they’d wanted, but the timing sure sucked.

Or maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

“I’ll meet you there.” He hung up and turned his incredible body in her direction. He frowned when he saw she’d dressed.

“Where we going?” She tried to ask the question to his face but couldn’t keep her eyes off his chest.

He grabbed his shirt and covered himself before answering. “I’m going to meet a few Night Runners. It looks like we found where the Wolf Seekers are keeping Trey.”

“By I you mean you and not me?” Bye, bye, residual lust. If he thought he’d leave her here while he went out to fight or do whatever it was he planned on doing, he was sorely mistaken.

Big Bad Night Runner Hugh added his watch to his wrist. “That’s right.”

“And what makes you think I’ll agree to that? I thought you knew me better.” She sure knew him. Knew he’d try and protect her, do things the way he always had. By himself.

“It’s not open for discussion.”

“Exactly. I’m coming with you.”

She stood in front of the door, blocking his exit. Reading his mind wasn’t difficult. His wandering eyes were trying to figure out a way past her without engaging in force. Because if he tried to get by her before agreeing to take her along, she sure as hell would put up a fight. And win.

“Tess.” His voice softened, his disposition mellowed. “I need you to stay here.”

Foolish man. “And what bullshit do you plan to fling my way to convince me of that? Come on. You know I’m not staying here.”

“This isn’t a Banoth we’re up against.” He ran a hand through his mussed hair.

Remembering her fingers in his mane, she tripped over her first attempt to reply. “Oh thank God. That thing stunk.”

“I don’t need your help.” He took a step toward her.

Wasn’t that just the bane of his existence? “I know. You don’t need anybody’s help. I don’t either. So that makes us even. I won’t help you. And you won’t help me. Deal? We’ll just team up as equals only looking out for ourselves. At the very least I can prove to be a distraction, don’t you think?”

“That’s the goddamn problem.” His hand went to his mouth, where the back of his knuckle wiped at his bottom lip.

Oh. “What I meant to say was diversion. I can divert the bad guys.”

He shifted his weight, growing impatient. “And who are the bad guys, Tess?”

She was about to answer Wolf Seekers, but stopped herself. The Wolf Seekers were humans. The Night Runners wolfen. Who did she think the bad guys were? Her goal here was to help him find Trey and in return get his help in finding Dobson. A wolfen. A bad guy. A guy that had killed. If the Wolf Seekers had hurt Trey, what did that make them? The line dividing humans and Veilers continued to blur.

Too many damn questions swirled in her head.

“I told you I’d help find Trey and that’s what I’m going to do. I’ve seen and done a lot of things, Hugh. I know I can offer assistance that no one else can, given my background. It’s to your benefit to take me with you.”

For a long moment, they stared at each other. The kind of stare that made her believe a link between two people was stronger than spoken promises and terms of endearment. She knew looking at him that he believed she could take care of herself. He only had to give up any rights to her. Rights he didn’t have to begin with.

“Stop looking at me like that.” She put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot.

“I don’t have time for this shit.” He finally took his attention elsewhere, looking around the room for something. He found it in the corner on a chair and took haste to retrieve it.

Her purse.

He tossed it, catching her a little off guard. “If you’re coming, you’d better at least have some protection.”

The gesture filled her with appreciation. “Thanks. You never know when I might need some Chapstick.”

“This isn’t a joke,” he growled, leading with his shoulder to knock her off balance and push past her to open the door. “There’s a good chance someone could die tonight.”

She prayed it wasn’t him.

Chapter Twelve

The Ducati maneuvered through busy streets quick and easy. It also purred, the sound music to Hugh’s ears because it calmed his nerves. He tried focusing on that as Tess wiggled so snug against his backside he wanted to forget what the hell he needed to do and take her back to his bedroom.

Her closeness made it difficult to think about anything but what had almost happened between them. And how he craved her more than anything now. After tasting her lips, her neck, her breasts, he wanted to lick every inch of her, mark her as his. She needed to stay alive in order for that to happen.

While racing into possible danger, he told himself to stop worrying, stop giving a damn about anything other than finding Trey. Tess was an eliminator with sights on him. Their alliance equaled short term. She didn’t matter—but if anything happened to his young apprentice, he’d never forgive himself.

They headed into the seedier part of town with smaller, unkempt streets. Trash littered the broken sidewalks, bars trimmed windows of mom and pop shops, and a foul stench hung in the air. Cars with flat tires or broken windows appeared every block or so, buildings needed new stucco and paint.

Dane’s call had been about a fight between a couple of Wolf Seekers and Night Runners. Dane was certain the brawl started because the pack members had zeroed in on Trey’s location—and most likely the Wolf Seekers’ home base. They needed to strike, he’d told Hugh, before Trey was moved to a new location.

Slowing his speed, he took a corner and downshifted. Their destination came into view. According to their research, the old deserted public library had remained unoccupied for the better part of two years. Adjacent to it was a small park. Lots of grass, a few trees, a park bench. With tall streetlamps illuminating the area, it still looked like a nice place to relax. A little slice of heaven in a dilapidated setting.

He veered around to the side of the park and brought the bike to a stop beside a large tree trunk. Humidity hung in the air, the temperature warmer than usual for the end of September. With zero breeze, the tree leaves and grass blades didn’t sway in the slightest, yet the smell of charcoal made his nose twitch.

Traffic sounded in the distance, far enough away to guarantee some privacy on the quiet street.

Dane approached, followed by a few other Night Runners. The younger wolfen wore faded scratches on their faces, a few rips in their clothes. Hugh’s gut clenched.

Wolf Seekers knew how to fight Night Runners. They knew where to strike with the mercury knuckle bands they wore. They knew how to shoot a tranquilizer to slow them down.

He watched Tess take in the park and building. She knew exactly where they were and only arched her brows at him when she caught him looking at her. She had actually found Trey. A tip from one of her sources had led them to this location. She spared a glance at Dane before studying the other pack members. By the way she narrowed her eyes, he could tell she was trying to formulate an opinion about something.

“We’ve got confirmation that Trey’s inside,” Dane said. He didn’t acknowledge Tess.

“Good. You and I will go in, get Trey and get out. Boys, you’ll take up the perimeter and give us the signal if anyone else approaches. I don’t want anyone getting hurt if we can help it. Tess, you’ll stay here and watch the bike.”

Now that he knew for certain Trey was inside, he wouldn’t leave without him.

“I’m not—”

Hugh cut her off. “You will watch the bike.”

“I will—”

“Not move from this spot.” He got in her face. “Do you understand me?” He didn’t care that it sounded like a threat. All he cared about was keeping her safe.

She crossed her arms and didn’t say a word. He took that as her acceptance and moved toward the library with his men.

Before they reached the building, however, a group of Wolf Seekers spilled out the front door, looking left and right. When they caught sight of Hugh and his men, they froze. In the middle of their huddle stood Trey.

His mouth was swollen, one eye black and blue. A deep cut bisected his left eyebrow. With no time to waste, Hugh stepped forward and called out to the Wolf Seekers. “Let him go.”

A man Hugh recognized as the ringleader came forth. “You offering to take his place?”

“If that’s what it takes to get this done peacefully.”

The man chuckled. “Since when are Night Runners peaceful?”

To the best of Hugh’s recollection, his pack had never done anything to upset the Wolf Seekers. The Seekers had simply decided to rid Los Angeles of the pack strictly because they hated Veilers. There were groups of Wolf Seekers across the country with the same mission.

Hugh took a few more steps. “Why don’t you enlighten me on what it is you think we’ve done?”

“This is a simple retaliation. You take one of ours, we take one of yours.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’ve never taken one of yours.”

“You not only took him, but we found him dead. Your friend is only alive because we want you to watch him die.”

Fury festered inside Hugh. The asshole didn’t know what he was talking about, and if he thought Hugh would watch his apprentice die, he was delusional.

“I repeat: your accusation is wrong. And if you don’t hand over my friend, we’ll have to take him by any means necessary.”

The man didn’t squirm, didn’t flinch, didn’t move a muscle. “Ahh, what happened to peaceful now?”

“Hand him over.” He was done talking. The idea that the Wolf Seeker might be right stoked an unpleasant flame inside him. Something was wrong. Very wrong. No way could one of his pack be guilty of such an act without Hugh knowing about it.

Right?

Had he been too busy with his helicopter company to notice disobedience? Was he too wrapped up in his own world, too determined to keep distance between himself and others that he’d missed something so important? So detrimental to the pack?

No. Impossible. Trey would have told him. Dane would have told him.

“I can’t do that.”

Hugh counted seven Wolf Seekers. There were six of them, excluding Trey and Tess. He looked over his shoulder toward the bike.

Tess was gone.

Scanning the area for some sign of her, he clenched his fists, tightened his jaw. “What can you do?” Where the hell had she gone?

“As I said before, we’ll execute your man as you watch. Does now suit you?”

“You know I’m not going to stand by and watch.”

As if on cue, the six Wolf Seekers behind the foreman pulled out tranquilizer guns. “No, but maybe you’ll lay.”

In less than a second, Hugh, Dane and the other Night Runners shifted. If the Wolf Seekers wanted a fight, he’d give them a fight.

He knew it was sheer determination, mind over matter that made the Wolf Seekers think they were on an even playing field with wolfen. Sure, they were all over six feet, two hundred pounds, but Hugh didn’t doubt he and his pack mates would take them down.

They spread out and rushed the Wolf Seekers, their speed and agility no match for the overgrown men who ran toward them with guns raised.

“No permanent damage,” Hugh yelled out.

With his eyes trained on Trey, he avoided one dart, then another, and reduced the distance between him and his apprentice. He couldn’t figure out why Trey stayed motionless—until the Seekers had scattered and he got close enough to find a short, beefy man with a gun aimed at Trey’s chest. A gun that no doubt contained a mercury bullet.

Trey’s hands were bound behind him, but a flash of animal in his eyes told Hugh he wanted to battle. If Hugh could just…

A Wolf Seeker blindsided him like a linebacker, taking him to the ground. They tussled for half a minute before Hugh knocked the guy out with a right hook. He jumped back to his feet and sprinted toward Trey.

The Seeker holding Trey captive didn’t seem the least bit intimidated when Hugh’s eyes clashed with his. He did, after all, have the gun right where it needed to be. Hugh slowed as the man shuffled Trey to the side, closer to the building. He must have figured out that standing in a wide-open space wasn’t the best defense when fighting Night Runners.

A slight nod from Trey told Hugh he’d drop at Hugh’s signal. Kick the Seeker’s legs out from under him on the way down and roll away, giving Hugh enough time to leap and wrestle the gun away.

But before it came to that, the Wolf Seeker lowered the firearm.

Huh?

The man’s hand fell to his side. He dropped the weapon and kicked it to the side. Trey took a step away and turned to look behind him. Right then Hugh caught whiff of Tess. Her lavender body lotion fragrance, the one cosmetic she’d requested Blanche get for her touched his nose and hell if a grin didn’t spread across his face.

Two seconds later, the Seeker’s knees buckled and he went down, face first into the concrete. Tess stood in his place, the pistol she’d used to hit him over the head in her hand and a tough as nails expression on her face. When her eyes met Hugh’s her mouth moved into a pucker and she blew him a kiss.

Hugh picked up the gun and took the few steps toward them. “Nice work.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You okay?” Hugh tore the bindings from Trey’s wrists with one swipe of his claw.

“I’m fine,” Trey answered.

A howl sounded and Hugh spun around. Two Wolf Seekers were on one of his men. Without hesitating, he ran to help. He grabbed the first Seeker by the back of his shirt collar, lifted him into the air, and tossed him aside. The second Seeker, witnessing the action, let go of the Night Runner and back peddled to a safer distance.

Tess and Trey came up behind him, forming a united front. Hugh paused long enough to survey the scene. Each of his men was in combat, but winning. The tranquilizers were no longer in anyone’s possession. Dane handled the leader of the Wolf Seekers, the human’s face not nearly as battered as Hugh would like, but…

“That’s enough,” Hugh yelled. “We’ve got what we came for.”

The fighting stopped. Wolf Seekers scrambled to their feet and took off running, the leader included. Hugh let them go, caring little for where they were headed now that he had Trey.

Dane rounded up his pack mates, checking on their wounds. Hugh shifted and turned toward Trey and Tess. “Talk.”

“First,” Tess said, extending her hand, “I’m Tess. It’s nice to finally meet you, Trey.”

Trey took her hand and held on a little too long for Hugh’s liking. He also looked at her a little too keenly, taking in more than her pretty face. “Tess? Blind date, Tess?” His voice sounded thicker than usual.

She gifted him with a smile that reached the corners of her eyes. “That would be me.”

“I don’t understand. Our date was what, six or seven days ago? What are you doing here?” He looked at Hugh, then back to Tess. “Wait. Whatever the reason, I think you might have saved my life.”

Tess bestowed a killer smile on Hugh. “No problem. I found your location too, but who’s keeping track?”

The way she looked tonight, her hair falling around her face, her cheeks still pink from the motorcycle ride, the blue of her eyes deeper than the ocean under a full moon, Hugh felt so happy she was safe that he’d give her the kudos she deserved without any grumbling.

“I’m in your debt, Tess. Thank you,” Hugh said.

“No need to thank me. It’s your turn now.”

Trey looked confused. “His turn?”

Hugh didn’t feel the need to clue Trey in at the moment. But a deal was a deal. He wouldn’t stop until he found Dobson.

“How do you two know each other? And hang on. You obviously know what we are. Are you Veiler?” Trey rolled his shoulders back like they were stiff. His wounds had all but vanished now.

“No. She’s not. As to how we know each other, when you disappeared I decided to go on your blind date. I thought one might have something to do with the other.”

“That’s funny,” Trey said, chuckling. “You on a blind date.” He looked at Tess. “I guess you had a good time since you’re here. And by the way, Kensie and Francesca’s description didn’t do you justice.”

Something cracked inside Hugh. Warmth followed by a quick burst of cold ripped through him like a tornado. He moved beside Tess and put an arm around her waist. “I’ll fill you in tomorrow. Right now, talk.”

His possessiveness rattled him, but left no impression on Trey, because he said, “The least I can do is take you on that date, Tess. You free Saturday?”

Hugh had such a tight grip on her she couldn’t move away, yet he felt her try. She wouldn’t accept Trey’s offer, would she?

“I think—”

“No date,” Hugh growled. “Now talk.”

Trey winked at Tess and added, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Like hell they would. Hugh wanted to give Trey another fat lip. Instead, he took a deep breath so the hair on his arms settled. “Talk.”

A car drove by, seemingly oblivious to their position in the park. The windows were tinted black but Hugh heard the radio playing, a male voice humming along. It turned the corner and vanished.

“They jumped me outside Cupid’s. Hit me from behind then shot me twice with a tranquilizer. I woke up the next morning here.” He nodded toward the library. “The assholes kept me bound and used me as a dartboard so I never gained enough strength to shift.”

“Dartboard?” Tess asked.

“Yeah,” Trey said. “Aimed at my shoulders, thighs, then turned me around and aimed for the center of my back. The truth is, I could have taken them in the early morning hours after a night of rest, but I wanted to stick around to find out what the hell was going on.”

“What did you find out?” Hugh released Tess, at ease now that Trey was off the topic of dating her. She stayed close, pleasing him to no end. Whether it was a conscious decision on her part or not, he didn’t care.

“The Seeker in charge told you the truth. One of their guys was taken and killed, and from what I heard, it points to a Night Runner.”

Hugh’s leg muscles went rigid. “That can’t be.”

“I didn’t want to believe it either, but a witness who saw the murder gave a description of a wolf-man and said the killer told the Wolf Seeker he could feel his fear.” Trey started jogging in place. “Man it feels good to be back outside.”

“Did the witness see his face?” Tess asked before Hugh could.

Trey stopped moving. “No. And fuck—pardon my French—if I know anyone in our pack who would do such a thing.”

“Aren’t there other Night Runners here in LA? Maybe you need to look outside the pack.”

“We’re the only ones,” Hugh said.

Tess’s eyes widened. “You’re the only Night Runners?”

“That’s what I said.”

She bit her bottom lip. Her eyes stayed on his with enough affectivity to make his stomach feel like a swarm of eels were inside.

“Wow. How many are in your pack?”

“Sixty-four,” Trey said when Hugh didn’t answer right away. He was trying to figure out what was going on in that beautiful head of hers.

“No wonder you’re so protective.” She broke the connection to look at Trey. “Why have the Wolf Seekers targeted your pack when there are several other wolfen?”

“They hate all wolves,” Trey continued. “But we’re the closest to extinction so they’ve set their sights on us.”

“Have you thought about teaming up with another pack? I mean, is that allowed? Can you co-mingle?”

“That’s enough,” Hugh interjected. “There’s no time for a history lesson here. What else did you learn?” The reasons for their small number didn’t factor into getting to the bottom of things.

“Right.” Trey spoke directly to Hugh. “There’s someone else involved with the Wolf Seekers. I don’t know who, but there were quite a few phone calls from him. And the sons of bitches—sorry”—he glanced at Tess—“are planning something big.”

“Such as?” Hugh needed concrete information so he could form an objective analysis.

Trey wavered. “Unfortunately, I don’t know. When it came down to discussing details or anything worth a damn they turned on a high-pitched siren at a frequency that blindsided me. I couldn’t make out shi—crap.”

“Damn.”

“There is other news I need to share with you.” His tone indicated it was a private matter.”

Anything you’ve got to say you can say in front of Tess.

Whoa. That took all of a split second to register in his mind. Did he feel that comfortable with her to include her in more confidential information?

Yeah, he did.

“Go ahead.”

Trey’s eyes darted to Tess then back to him in a subtle attempt to say get rid of the girl. “You sure?”

“I am standing right here,” Tess said. “You can come out and tell me to take a hike. I won’t take it personally. But I should tell you, I’m very good with private things.”

Hugh just bet she was. His cock was more than ready to get up close and personal. And by the look on Trey’s face, his apprentice thought the same thing.

“Talk,” Hugh demanded, almost on the verge of throttling Trey. Tess was off limits.

“There’s a hit out on you. P.I.E.’s got it.” He glanced at Tess, a mixture of interest and concern on his face.

With a voice sinfully sweet, she said, “I thought pie was something you ate.”

Trey fell for it hook, line and sinker. “No. Actually P.I.E. is—”

Tess laughed before Trey could elaborate. The kid ran a hand through his unkempt hair and looked to Hugh for an explanation.

“Meet the eliminator,” Hugh said, tilting his head in her direction and raising his eyebrows.

“No shit! What is she doing here? What is she doing with you? What the fuck is going on?” His eyes flickered to the coppery brown tone they took before he shifted.

Hugh appreciated his willingness to defend him.

“It’s cool,” Hugh assured him, putting a hand on his arm to let him know shifting wasn’t necessary. “At least for the moment. Tess and I have a deal. She’s not going to eliminate me.”

“Yet,” she chimed in.

“You need to explain.” All interest in Tess disappeared from Trey’s face.

“I will, but for now my relationship with Tess has to be kept secret. No one else knows who she is.”

Trey nodded.

“There’s something else I need to ask you.” Before Hugh could get his question out, Dane approached.

“Trey,” Dane extended his hand, “I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

“Thanks.” They shook hands and genuine affection crossed Trey’s face.

“Anything I need to be brought up to speed on?” Dane passed a glance over the three of them.

“Trey will fill you in. Take him back with you and I’ll call later with instructions.”

“Sure. You ready?” Dane asked, taking his leave.

“Yeah.” He turned to follow Dane but Hugh held him back.

“He’ll be right behind you.” Something nagged at Hugh and he needed Trey to put it to rest.

Dane didn’t look back, just waved a hand in the air.

Hugh released his hold and asked in a hushed voice, “Did you happen to catch the name of the person involved with the Wolf Seekers?”

Trey didn’t hesitate. “Yeah. Dobson.”

Tess nearly came out of her skin when she heard Trey say Dobson. She held her tongue until he walked away then turned and almost tackled Hugh to the ground, she was so excited. Finally, after five years, she had a lead.

Normally nothing ruffled her, but at the thought of coming face-to-face with the wolfen who killed Jason a knot the size of California lodged in her stomach. She’d get her revenge. She’d have closure once and for all.

“Oh my God. Did you hear that?” She nudged his shoulder, wanting to touch him, but keeping a respectable distance since other Night Runners might be watching.

“I did.” He didn’t look half as happy as she was.

“What’s wrong?”

Engines roared to life. The sound grabbed Hugh’s attention and he looked past her to the Night Runners taking their leave. With his focus elsewhere, she took a minute to revel in the news Trey had shared and lift her chin to gaze at the stars. There weren’t any. Only a night sky painted dirty white with low clouds. No wonder humidity filled the air.

In the muddy sky, she did see something, though. A face. Jason’s face. For five years she’d been desperate to find his killer because she’d made him a promise. And if her word wasn’t good to those she’d loved, where did that leave her? Would there be any good left in her at all?

Killing, working for P.I.E., even though she believed she fought evil, didn’t warrant any citizenship awards.

When she brought her chin down, Hugh was brooding over something. “What is it?” she asked again, hoping whatever he had to say wouldn’t exclude her from tracking down Jason’s killer.

“Dobson.” His eyes searched the park as he took her arm and led her back to the Ducati. “You said he’s a wolfen.”

“Yes.”

“Are you positive? There’s no doubt?” The hair on her arms stood up at his businesslike tone.

Annoyance crept into her mindset. “I’m positive.”

“If Dobson’s a wolfen, then it means the Wolf Seekers have got a shifter as an ally and that sure as hell doesn’t make sense.”

Tess wanted to slap herself in the forehead. “You’re right. What is a wolfen doing with the Wolf Seekers?” And more disturbingly, did the Wolf Seekers have something to do with Jason’s death? Oh my God. No. The Seekers were human.

After witnessing what went down this evening, her doubts about the truth and good versus evil came roaring back. From what she could tell, the Wolf Seekers were far more ruthless than the Night Runners.

Had she been living in a bubble? Had she taken for granted everything P.I.E. told her as the golden rule? She’d never questioned the Veiler-human equation, but… She started to hyperventilate, her skin got clammy.

“I need a second,” she said.

Hugh halted and let go of her arm. She bent over, put her hands on her knees and took slow, deep breaths while trying to clear her head.

“You all right?” Concern, more concern than she’d ever imagined from a Veiler, sounded in his voice.

“I’m fine. Just lost my breath for a minute.”

Things definitely weren’t black and white anymore. If she were walking a chalk line and had to pick a side right this very minute, she’d side with the Night Runners. She’d leap in front of a tranquilizer for Hugh. How the hell could she be a P.I.E. eliminator and feel that way? The last week had put all her beliefs into a tailspin. Hugh had shared his pack’s mission, shared stories about marriages and babies being born and job promotions. The picture he painted had changed her mind about wolfen. He’d shared openly, answering her questions. He’d let her in. And after seeing the way the Wolf Seekers had attacked unprovoked tonight, she knew for certain they were corrupt.

He knelt and with the softest, sweetest voice she’d ever heard, whispered, “Are you hurt? Please tell me you’re not hurt.”

Hurt didn’t begin to explain the pain circling inside her. For the first time since she’d been recruited by P.I.E. she wanted to disappear and never eliminate another Veiler as long as she lived.

Equally painful was the squeeze on her heart. She’d told herself not to fall for Hugh. She’d planned to keep the walls she’d built up firmly in place. But somewhere between meeting him in a bar and standing beside him now, she’d forgotten that. Her resolve had slowly chipped away and it pissed her off.

The people she loved left her by dying. It was as simple as that.

“I’m not hurt,” she bit back, knowing he didn’t deserve her nasty tone of voice.

He backed off by a few steps. She heard his cell phone ring, heard him answer it. She stared at the grass, thinking it a much better choice than returning upright to look at him. Looking at him caused her sensibilities to go haywire.

“Thanks, Trey. That information is very helpful. Do me a favor? Keep this between us.”

Only because he had new information, she stood. And looked at his shoes.

“Keep a low profile and tell everyone to be cautious.”

When she heard him take a deep breath, she dragged her attention upward. “Information on the Wolf Seekers?” she asked, trying her damnedest for a neutral tone.

“No. Dobson.” He swept another glance around, searching, she knew, for any sign of trouble. He might be able to pick up on every detail going on with her body, but she could tell when he was on edge. His chin lifted ever so slightly, his nostrils flared.

“What is it?” The sooner she found the SOB, the sooner this whole thing could be over. She’d sell her soul this instant to be finished with everything wolf-related.

Hugh kept his distance and started toward the motorcycle. “Trey remembered a reference to a hotel in San Diego.”

“That’s great. Let’s go.” She fell in step beside him. The nerves tangling in her stomach calmed. She worked to slow her hurried breaths. Mind over matter.

“I’ll fly us there. It’ll be much quicker than driving.” He tossed her her helmet.

She didn’t like his take-charge attitude, but the idea of flying with him and getting closer to Dobson eased her irritation. “Sounds good.”

“Before we go,” he said, rounding the bike, “can I ask you a question?”

Questions. She was tired of questions. Tired of asking them mostly, but tired of answering them too. She wanted to shut down her brain.

“Sure. Go ahead.” She wondered if he heard the reluctance in her voice and hoped he didn’t take it personally.

“Were you going to accept the date with Trey?”

There couldn’t have been a more indicative question to his feelings. A fricking flutter blossomed in her chest. As good as she was at turning off her emotions, her body had a mind of its own. It took major muscle control not to break out in a gigantic smile.

“Why, Hugh, are you jealous?” Making light of it would hopefully mask the question’s influence.

“No. Just don’t like leaving questions unanswered.” He put his helmet on, and looked away like her answer didn’t matter.

He was full of shit. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not looking for a relationship.”

“A date isn’t a relationship.”

She put her helmet on and took her time answering, just to mess with him. “That’s true. In that case, I guess I will—”

“Don’t,” he commanded, darting a quick look at her.

Tess waited for him to elaborate but he didn’t. He got on the bike, started it up and scooted forward. She guessed the conversation was over.

“Did Trey say anything about me when he called?” She flung her leg over the bike and sidled right up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He felt better than her favorite cashmere sweater. Too bad they weren’t biking to San Diego.

He growled, giving her a great deal of inner satisfaction. “No. But I don’t think we should trust anybody but each other right now. Deal?”

Striking another deal seemed like an idiotic thing to do, given she couldn’t trust herself around him. He made everything all right and all wrong at the same time. But he was a better man than any human she’d ever met. And she did trust him. And he was helping her find Dobson when he could have easily walked away after getting Trey back. And geez, she could come up with a dozen more “ands” before ending with he was a man of his word.

Tess understood that. “Deal.”

She prayed it was their last one.

Chapter Thirteen

“You own your own company?” Tess asked, noticing the Langston Aviation sign as they headed into a private hangar at the Van Nuys Airport. They’d arrived in the nick of time. Sheets of rain poured outside.

“Yes.”

Three helicopters were lined up side-by-side, each gleaming bright as new. Tess had flown in copters dozens of times and these were top of the line. But it was the shiny metal sitting just beyond that really caught her eye. Without asking for permission, she made a beeline to get a closer look.

She half skipped, half walked, as she called over her shoulder. “What’s this?” It looked like a toy plane with three feet, one long wing across its top and a propeller.

“That’s a Flight Design CT.”

She suspected Hugh wasn’t bothered at all by her detour because he sounded like a guy who’d just been asked to show off his prized baseball card collection. He stood beside her and ran a hand along the stripes of the small airplane. She did the same, the tips of her fingers lingering on the smooth surface. Flying gave the biggest rush, triggered the best endorphins.

“So this is what a light sport aircraft looks like.”

“This baby’s the best LSA out there,” he said, giving a solid slap to the plane.

“I bet it flies like a dream.” With her nose pressed against the glass, she hoped she didn’t look too in awe. “How far can you go on a tank?”

He moved behind her, and with arms on either side of her body, pressed his hands against the window. His chest grazed her back ever so slightly as he leaned closer to talk into her ear. “San Francisco and back. You want to go for a ride?”

Yes she wanted to go for a ride. But not in the CT. She closed her eyes, relaxed into him. With his warm breath in her ear and his body cradling her backside, she lost herself to the moment. He felt so good, so right, it took all her willpower not to melt in a puddle right there.

“I bet the scenery is amazing with the bubble-shaped cockpit.” She’d talk about visibility to get her mind off him and his abs, his chest, his tattoo.

He continued to talk into her ear, his chin almost on her shoulder. “It’s unbelievable. To see a hundred miles of mountains and valleys or ocean gives you a sense of solitude and freedom that’s unmatched by anything you can do on the ground. I’ve flown over snow capped mountains and the Pacific Ocean in the same day. It’s an incredible rush seeing things from a perspective that isn’t familiar.”

She heard most of what he said, but really his sexy voice, combined with his pure maleness, reminded her of what had almost happened between them earlier, and his words were sort of lost on her.

“How fast does it go?” she asked, ducking out from under him and strolling around the front of the CT in order to put much needed space between them.

Hugh followed at a safe distance. “With the right tailwind, I’ve exceeded one-fifty, but usually I cruise at around one-ten.”

“Sweet.”

“Sweet?” He repeated, sounding like he was trying to refrain from laughing.

“You got a problem with sweet?”

“No problem,” he shot back, the chortle gone from his tone. “Come on. Follow me.”

He took her to a reception area decorated with couches, a coffee table and a tall green plant in the corner. One wall, she couldn’t help but notice, held a collection of sketches similar to the ones in his house. Her heart pounded and she took a deep breath to slow it down. They captured the human condition better than anything she’d looked at before. The other wall was covered with photographs of aircraft and amazing aerial views of Mother Nature.

While Hugh went behind the reception desk, she took a closer peek at the photos. “Did you take these?”

“No—”

“I did,” came an unfamiliar voice from behind her.

She spun around to see an attractive guy about the same age as Hugh, dressed in khaki pants and a collared polo shirt. Neat. Clean. Tame.

“It’s about time you showed your face around here,” he said to Hugh. “I was starting to forget what your ugly mug looked like.”

Hugh came out from behind the desk and fist bumped him. “Thanks for holding down the fort. Gavin, this is Tess. Tess, this is Gavin Rhoades, my partner.”

A smile a mile wide played across Gavin’s face. He extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Tess.”

“You too,” she said, taking the time to register everything she could about Gavin Rhoades. His shake was firm, but his hands soft. His clean-shaven face was nice enough, but a little too pretty-boy. And his eyes were the dullest shade of brown she’d seen in awhile.

Not a Night Runner.

“Would you wipe that smirk off your face?” Hugh returned to the other side of the desk and rifled through some papers. “Any emergencies I should know about?”

“Sorry. It’s just when you called and said you’d be gone for a few days to take care of a problem, I didn’t imagine the problem would be blonde with blue eyes. I mean, as long as I’ve known you, you’ve never had trouble like this.”

Tess’s stomach lurched. She liked that last bit of information.

“You’ve got a problem, huh? Hmm. Here, I thought I’d been sweet as pie. But you know, I can be a major pain in the ass with the right provocation.”

One side of his kissable mouth lifted when he glanced up from the desk. “You mean you haven’t been already?”

“You sure weren’t complaining when I—”

“Stop right there,” Gavin said, holding up a hand. “That’s more information than I need to know. I didn’t even realize Hugh here had a sense of humor. I say keep doing what you’re doing, Tess.” He turned his attention back to Hugh. “You should take her on vacation with you.”

“Vacation?” she and Hugh said in unison.

She beat him to the follow-up. “You’re going on vacation?”

Hugh got sidetracked with a piece of paper he lifted off the desk, his eyes scanning the contents.

“He was supposed to leave days ago. The poor guy hasn’t had a vacation in, what, five years?”

Hugh answered the question with a shrug and kept reading.

Gavin returned the conversation to her direction and added, “No one works harder than my partner. He puts me to shame every day. He’s found more lost hikers, rescued more oil rig workers and probably saved more stupid teenagers than any other rescue operation in the state. Anyway, he’s long overdue for some R and R.”

Hugh put the paper down. “Shut up, Gavin.”

“That’s the Hugh I know and love,” he shot back.

“You’ve rescued that many people?” Her admiration for him grew, and she wished like hell he’d do something, anything, to prove it was all a façade and he really was a good for nothing wolfen. It would make her life so much easier. She didn’t want to think that beneath his tough exterior lived a man who put others—humans—before himself.

“Hugh, you keeping secrets from this lovely lady?”

No, not secrets, Tess thought. He just isn’t comfortable talking about himself.

“Some things are better left unsaid,” he answered, splitting his attention between them.

Like the fact you’re a wolfen. Tess sensed Gavin had no idea Hugh was a Night Runner. Gavin didn’t look at Hugh the same way Trey or Dane did. He seemed genuinely attached to Hugh in a business relationship sort of way that indicated there was familiarity, but also some reservation. Their professional lives were closely intertwined, personal not so much.

“I agree.” She plopped down on the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table.

“What are the two of you doing here?” Gavin joined her on the couch.

“We’re taking one of the choppers to San Diego.” Hugh came around the desk. “Tess has got some business there.”

“Tonight? In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a pretty thick cloud cover right now.”

“Along with some precipitation,” Tess added, just because she thought it might get on Hugh’s nerves, her conversing so easily with Gavin.

He didn’t even flinch. “I noticed. I think it’s moving pretty quickly, though. We’ll wait it out.”

“Must be important business.” Gavin put his elbows on his knees. “Anything I can help you with?” He waggled his eyebrows and Tess almost laughed.

She smiled instead. The kind of smile that leads to an answer the guy doesn’t want to hear. “Thanks, Gavin. But Hugh’s all the help I can handle.”

“I get it,” Gavin said with a wink.

“What the hell does that mean?” Hugh crossed the reception area and stood in front of the coffee table, finally looking a little hot and bothered.

Don’t let his hot and bothered make you hot and bothered.

“It means—”

“Never mind,” he said, interrupting Gavin. “I don’t give a shit what it means. Isn’t it time for you to go home?”

“I could do that. Or I could—”

“Go home, Gavin. I know you’ve been putting in extra time.”

Gavin glanced at his watch and stood. “Am I to assume it’ll be that way for a couple more days?”

Hugh shifted his weight looking a wee bit uncomfortable at Gavin’s remark. She knew Hugh hated needing help, so leaving Gavin with extra responsibilities probably killed him. The fact made her that much more smitten with him. He could have easily walked away from her tonight. Instead, he’d kept his word, put her before Langston Aviation.

“Yeah.”

“Tess, it was great meeting you.” Gavin gave her a farewell nod. “I hope we see each other again. And Hugh…” He paused for a moment until he had Hugh’s attention. “Don’t worry about anything. I’ve got it covered. And this doesn’t mean you’re excused from your vacation, so don’t even think about forgetting it. As soon as you finish with Tess, I’m kicking your ass to the Rockies whether you like it or not.”

Hugh gave some sort of gurgled response that appeased Gavin enough. The preppy partner waved a hand and headed out into the hangar.

Finish with Tess. Gavin’s words rolled around in her head like the tiny metal ball in the plastic mazes she’d loved to play as a kid. Once Hugh fulfilled his obligation, would they be finished? Would she be able to fulfill her obligation to P.I.E.? If there was one thing she’d learned tonight, it was not all humans are created equal. The Wolf Seekers were not operating by a code of ethics. And if that were the case, didn’t it reinforce that not all Veilers were created equal either?

The man standing in front of her certainly blew her notion of Veilers out of the water.

Their eyes locked for the hundredth time. A comfortable yet static silence passed, as if speaking would snap the electricity in the air between them. Whenever she was alone with him, she was torn between uncertainty and desire. Want and apprehension. He watched her like a caged animal willing to do anything to escape.

When he inched closer, his gaze never wavering, a nervous sigh almost slipped from her lips. She backed up as far as she could into the corner of the couch. He moved without making a sound, convincing her he could hear every wild damn beat of her heart.

She had to prove his innocence. Because with every second that ticked by, she lost the urge to fight. He sat down, the gravity in the room changing, her willpower weakening. Just looking at him made her tremble and no matter the exorbitant fee P.I.E. received for eliminations, the man in front of her was worth more.

A ring and vibration interrupted her thoughts. She jumped and broke eye contact to rummage in her purse for her phone. “Hello?”

“Tess, it’s Francesca.”

“Francesca. Hi. Hold on a second.” She covered the receiver with her hand and whispered to Hugh, “Could you give me a minute?”

His eyes darkened, narrowed. She looked away and inhaled slowly. Lord, his gaze made her nervous. He let a second pass before standing and heading into the hangar.

“I’m back. What’s going on?”

When Francesca called, it always meant business. She made the no-nonsense side of the P.I.E. roommate triangle and paid little attention to anything that wasn’t work-related unless Kensie dragged her into it.

“Christian wants to see you.”

“Did you tell him I’m working on my assignment?” And hell if I know what I’ll say to him if I see him now.

“Of course. He’s in a god-awful mood. Says you need to come in as soon as you safely can.”

Tess choked. “Yeah, right. Safely to him means before he takes his next target practice. Which is what, every six hours?”

“Like clockwork. You’ve never had trouble coming in before when you’re on assignment. Is something wrong? Do you need some—”

“No, Francesca. You know I don’t need help. Nothing’s wrong.” She watched through the glass wall as Hugh closed up the hangar, locking them inside. Just the two of them. Alone. “I’ll be in tomorrow. I’m in the middle of something now that could prove valuable to my investigation.”

Or her libido. The two were intertwined, weren’t they?

“Don’t screw up again, Tess. I’m afraid of what will happen if you do.”

“Thanks for that. Your vote of confidence is awesome. Do I sound like I’m going to do something foolish? I’m handling my mark just fine. Tell Christian to chill and I’ll be there when I can.”

“Tess—”

“Tomorrow. I promise tomorrow morning.” So much for flying the friendly skies with Hugh.

“Fine. Stay safe.”

“I always do.” She stowed the phone back in her bag just as Hugh’s broad shoulders filled the doorway to the reception area.

“Finished?” he asked, a rascally look on his face.

Dammit. She’d forgotten about that hearing of his. Had he listened in? She decided to play it like he hadn’t. “Yep. Why’d you close up the hangar? I thought we were flying out as soon as the weather improved.”

He looked like he didn’t know what to do with himself. Sit on the couch? The coffee table? Keep standing? Move behind the desk? “We are. It’s easy to open up when we’re ready to leave. I closed it for security reasons.”

“You afraid someone might steal me?” A week ago the idea of Hugh—of anyone— keeping her safe would have riled her. Now the thought didn’t bother her so much.

“Something like that.”

“What are we going to do until it’s time to go?” The memory of what they’d started earlier ambushed her. Being alone with him, she ached for his touch all over again. For those few minutes in his bedroom, he’d made her forget her job, their agenda, everything. And she so wanted to stop thinking. She got up from the couch, letting her purse fall to the floor, and moved around the coffee table to check out the reception area. “How about a tour of your office and a lesson in aviation?”

Translation: do me in every room and take me higher than I’ve ever felt before.

Her cheeks flushed. The dirty things going on in her mind were new to her. Hugh was new to her. Feeling a tug so strong, a desire so fervent, was new to her. The steady feet she’d had when she stood started to fail. Probably because all the blood in her body was rushing to certain parts of her anatomy that she didn’t want to think about, but couldn’t stop thinking about.

She held herself up by putting her hands atop the reception desk with her back to Hugh.

“We could do that,” he said coming up behind her. He braced his arms on either side of her sensitive body and rested his palms on the desk.

And once again, she found herself in the delightful position of being tucked into him.

“Or we could do this.” He kissed the side of her neck and sparks, yes sparks—the kind at the end of the sparkler sticks she used to light on the Fourth of July—went off in her body.

Then he kissed her earlobe, tugged on it with his teeth. Went back down to her neck and dropped achingly soft kisses there.

“What do you say?” His whisper sounded better than her favorite song.

“This.” The word came out breathy. “I say we do this.”

For one night, she planned to let herself go. Forget about investigations, about her past, about revenge. She’d relinquish the control she so carefully maintained. Overlook the vulnerability that scared the shit out of her. Tonight she’d be a woman who took what she wanted.

She’d never been just that before.

What she did for a living, the job, had always defined her. Always been the reason, the foundation, for the person everybody saw. Even alone with Jason all those years ago, she wasn’t the person he’d met in foster care. She’d hidden from him too and he’d never questioned her, never seemed to see any change in her after they’d reconnected. How disconcerting that he’d been in love with a woman who wasn’t at all what she appeared to be, and he hadn’t noticed.

Hugh knew more about her than anyone else. Knew she’d killed.

And still he wanted her.

The urge to get physical with him, to shed everything and wrap herself bare around him, made everything inside her come alive with bone-melting mania. She spun around and kissed him. Hard.

By now, they knew each other’s mouths well and the kiss quickly escalated to tongue and lip locks that made her heart pound in double time. She gripped the back of his shirt and yanked him closer. Nestled his thigh between her legs and shamelessly rubbed against him. Tingle after tingle rushed to the juncture there. She remembered his fingers and how he’d stroked and grazed her sensitive skin over her panties.

He pulled back, sucking, then lightly nibbling her lower lip just like he’d done earlier. “If you don’t slow down this is going to take all of two minutes.”

“I don’t want to go slow this first time.” She nibbled back.

“First time?” He lifted her hand to his mouth and dropped kisses on each of her knuckles.

“I want this all night. I want you all night. Now stop talking and get my clothes off me.”

The hunger in his eyes stripped her of any misgivings. She put her hands on his face and lavished him with kisses that fueled cravings she didn’t know she had. She wanted to crawl inside him. Wanted so much more of him.

Pressed up against the tall reception desk, she felt his hands reach for the button of her jeans and excitement stormed through her. His fingers moved with dexterity and her pants slid down her legs. She marched in place to assist in their removal, eager to get beyond where they’d been earlier. It made kissing more difficult and they bumped teeth. A giggle escaped her mouth. His lips curled up in a smile she felt pressed against her own happy face.

When the jeans reached her ankles, she remembered she still had her shoes on. Without breaking the ridiculously hot, heart-stopping lip connection, she let go of his face and tried to reach down. But with her pants that low, it was impossible to lift a leg to meet her outstretched arm. Hugh sucked, nibbled and tasted the whole of her mouth one more time before pulling away to lift her in the air.

“What are you—”

He planted her on top of the desk, her bottom on the solid surface while her legs dangled down. His gaze raked over her thighs before he tugged the jeans from her with one easy swoop, shoes and all.

“Oh,” she said, turned on by his strength and impatience. “Is it hot in here?” The ten-second kissing reprieve didn’t squelch the heat coursing through her blood. Nor did the way he contemplated every teensy tiny bit of her exposed flesh as if he were trying to figure out where to conquer first.

“Very,” he mused back, dropping his mouth to the inside of her thigh.

That’s a good place to start.

An involuntary shudder swept through her as his lips caressed her thigh with so much care the clamp on her heart weakened. She didn’t have to like him, didn’t have to think him the best thing since red velvet cupcakes, to have sex with him.

But she did—she did both those things.

She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away, hopped off the desk, and proceeded to unbutton his jeans. “We need to even the playing field.”

He kicked off his shoes so that by the time she had him undone, sliding the jeans down took all of three seconds. She skimmed her hands up his legs, his muscles taut beneath her palms. His skin was hot and delicious and she’d be perfectly okay with the night lasting forever. She reached his boxer briefs and gulped.

His erection molded against the black cotton, huge, thick and…

She wrapped her hand around the base and slowly stroked upward.

…hard enough to hammer nails.

Tess bit her lip. She glanced up at the sexiest man alive and then grabbed the waistband of his briefs with her teeth, ready to slide them down and take his entire length into her mouth until pleasure unraveled inside him.

He growled and pulled her up. “Jesus fucking Christ.” He slammed a kiss to her lips, then lifted her shirt over her head. Tess grabbed the bottom of his tee and pulled it off. His eyes darted to her tattoo and swept over her midriff. She returned the look by eyeing his ink and taking in all his smooth, delicious muscles. The man should be on the cover of GQ. Without any clothes.

Something raw and real—a must-have-you-now urgency—overcame her. She raked her nails over his shoulders, pressed her breasts against his chest and wrapped one leg around his thigh. His erection hit her center just right. Sensations spiraled through her like a meteor. She moved against him and felt her wetness increase. One big, strong hand molded to her ass. The other cupped the back of her head.

And then they were kissing again. She got all her air from him, from some invisible yet powerful force deep inside him that he shared with every sweep of his tongue. His fingers unclasped her bra and she shimmied her upper body until the straps fell down her arms. A moment later, the lingerie hit the floor.

He groaned and gently forced her against the desk. His mouth moved to the delicate part of her neck where soft, gentle caresses tickled and burned at the same time. Involuntarily, she dropped her head to the side to give him easier access. She’d lost all control over herself. Would die if he stopped. His heart beat against her own and for the first time in her life, her heart wasn’t ticking like a time bomb. Instead, it hummed.

She let her leg fall until it reached his calf. Every slope, every bump of his body molded to hers. The liquid heat between her legs grew slicker, intense waves of pleasure rolled over her. She teetered on the edge of climax and they’d barely progressed past kissing.

Whether it was the muggy weather from outside seeping in, or the heat between them, perspiration trickled between her breasts. His body grew wet too. She took the initiative and slipped up and down him, dragging her tongue down his neck and chest to drink in his flavor. Heaviness filled her breasts, her nipples pebbled, ached. He stopped her momentum by capturing her bottom lip with his teeth. Then he kissed her again, only this time he took much more than her kisses in return. Something potent, something that fused them together, that made her beginning entwine with his end, passed between them. He’d marked her his.

And she didn’t want to fight it.

With his mouth still pressed to hers his hands moved to the tiny shred of material at her hips. His greedy touch tore any remaining strength from her, and she melted into him. He inhaled, as if gathering focus, and rather than slide the panties off as she expected, he ripped them with one needy pull.

The action made her hotter than hell. Made her desperate to have him inside her. When he ended the kiss and dropped his forehead against the side of her head in animalistic affection, she let go of her hold on him and reached for the ribbing of his boxer briefs.

She slipped her hand underneath and ran her thumb over the head of his penis. He slid a hand down and ran his thumb over her clit. “Oh,” she breathed, because his touch was amazing and felt sooo good.

Tess stroked up and down his shaft. He grunted something unintelligible, and inched one, then two fingers inside her.

“Oh God, Hugh,” she cooed. “Please come in me. Now.”

“I want to feel you,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “Do we need protection?”

Shit. “I’m clean, but I’m not on birth control.” God how she wanted to feel him, not a condom. Unfortunately, that seemed out of the question.

“I’m clean too.” He lifted his head and looked deep into her eyes. “And I’m going to take you right here before I lose my fucking mind.” He pushed down his boxers.

And stood completely naked before her.

All gorgeous muscle and sinew and she almost stopped breathing.

He looked his fill too. “Damn, you’re magnificent.”

“You’re pretty spectacular yourself.”

“Wrap your legs around me.”

“What about a condom?”

“You’re not ovulating. I can smell everything about you, and we’re good to go.” He lifted her up and she obliged his request.

“Okay, then.” The breathless, raspy words were barely audible to her ears.

A split second later he leaned her against the desk and thrust inside her with one smooth upward glide.

“Oh, oh… Hugh.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

His heated gaze bore into her. “Aw, hell. You’re so wet for me. So fucking tight. I want to hear you come. I want to watch you let go.”

She was on board with that.

Especially when he buried himself so deep that hot, sweet pleasure overwhelmed every inch of her body.

He moved inside her with slow, sensual strokes. She met each one, undulating against him. He rocked her to his rhythm and she lost herself to every spot their bodies touched. Then slowly, he rotated his hips and oh sweet heaven, she writhed and circled her hips to match the burning caresses.

“You are so damn beautiful,” he whispered, bending his head to kiss the side of her neck.

“Mmmm,” was all she managed to get out, because his mouth moved along her jaw with devastating rightness before he lifted his head away.

Rather than kiss her again, he watched her. Watched her head loll back. Watched her open her mouth to breath. Watched her eyes close and open. The way he looked at her…she thought he might steal the one thing she didn’t ever want to give away again.

Her heart.

It’s the sex. The unbelievable sex. That’s all it is.

He took the moment further by moving an arm to her lower back and arching her pelvis toward him. The direct stimulation to her clit heightened the bursts of hot pulses engulfing her.

Now if he’d only go…

Faster. As if reading her mind, he sped up. The friction intensified, his movements lost some of the control he’d started out with. He thrust harder, his eyes closed, his lips parted. Audible breaths escaped his mouth.

She dug her nails into his shoulder blades and moved with him in perfect sync. Her flesh tingled. The feel of his cock filling her so perfectly, so completely, intensified the emotions swirling inside her.

And then something inexplicable happened. Something she swore not to feel blossomed inside her heart—attachment.

She watched him now, enthralled with the sweat that glistened on his forehead, the tense line of his jaw, the undeniable sexiness of his mouth. God, he was beautiful. And she was on the cusp of having a smoldering orgasm, sound effects and all.

Moans of pleasure fell from her lips. Breathy moans—moans to let him know what he was doing brought her to the brink of climax. Her pants grew louder, came from deeper inside her.

He opened his eyes just as hers were about to flutter shut.

“Look at me,” he commanded.

Like she could refuse his commands. She looked, and his fathomless blue eyes swirled with gold, then jade, then amethyst. She tumbled into them, molten heat rushing through her before a blinding, pulsing release took hold and wave after wave of pleasure rocked her body. She called out his name and came so hard stars winked behind her eyelids. He continued to pump into her, drawing out her orgasm until holy shit… Intensity built, her muscles clamped around his cock again and she came a second time.

Her ecstasy sent him into his own wildly explosive release. His magnificent body shuddered, and she felt his hot seed spill into her. It was the single greatest thing she’d ever experienced. He groaned in blissful agony before slumping against her.

“That was, uh… I’ve never…” she said, her body still thrumming with delicious quivers. She’d never had multiple orgasms before. Never felt more connected or in sync with another person. Her heart pounded with extreme contentment.

“Yeah,” he said, voice gravelly.

For several minutes, they didn’t move. She kissed his neck, tasted the saltiness of his skin. Slowly, he pulled out of her, took her in his arms, and carried her to the couch.

“You’re the sexiest, most desirable woman I’ve ever met, Tess.” He moved a stray hair from her face, slid a finger down her cleavage. “I love the way your parts fit together. How soft you are.”

Those words, that single touch down her chest, made her want him all over again.

She looked at him with big round eyes that made him wonder if any man had ever told her how special she was. How utterly unique and sexy and fuck-it-all worth dying for. Because the bone-deep possessiveness coursing through Hugh’s veins meant whether he liked it or not, Tess was his. And he protected what was his.

The kiss he’d given her, the one claiming her, wasn’t anything he’d planned. But she’d responded with such incredible wild abandon that he’d been helpless to stop it. The intensity had proven more powerful than he’d anticipated.

During the past week, he’d cracked her tough exterior, learned her quirks and looked forward to getting up in the morning just to see what new thing he’d discover about her. He’d tried to fight the feelings of admiration and attachment spreading inside him like a burning blaze and filling the spaces he’d sworn to keep vacant. But he couldn’t.

It didn’t matter that there was no happy ending in their future. What mattered to him was her future. Now that Trey was back, he would gladly give up his life for hers. Until then, he planned to enjoy her body to the fullest.

“Want to do this again?” she said, with a smile worthy of a Miss Congeniality award. As if she needed to convince him.

“Definitely.” He circled her nipple with his finger.

She pulled his hand away, laced her fingers with his. “Is it still raining?”

He looked toward the window. All she would see was black nothingness, the tinted window offering a muted peek in daylight, let alone night. “Still raining.”

“Darn.”

“Shame,” he added, turning his head to take in her beauty.

“You know you stare a lot?” she said, not at all displaying any modesty.

“I can’t help it. I can’t take my eyes off you.” He brought their locked hands down to her tattoo, extending his finger to touch it. “Tell me about this.”

She looked down and he sensed the artwork had special meaning because she lingered there for a long moment, as if remembering.

Instead of answering, she reached her other hand to touch his chest. “Tell me what yours means first.”

Fuck. The last thing he’d wanted to talk about was his brother, but he’d walked right into that. Idiot.

Keeping things from her was futile. Thinking this camaraderie between them would wane was useless. He felt her under his skin, smelled her in his sleep, tasted her when his mouth was dry. He didn’t want to need her. But the way she stared at his chest, the way her kiss ignited a passion in him he hadn’t known he possessed, wiped away his confusion. She planned to kill him. He’d love her until they found Dobson. Until she needed to follow through with her assignment. Because her life was more important than his.

Love her?

“So are you going to tell me or not?” Her satiated voice shook him from his thoughts.

“It’s the Zodiac sign for Cancer. In honor of Max.” Would she settle for the short answer?

Her hand tickled his flesh, her fingers delicately gliding over his heart. “You put it in a special place. Your brother must have meant a lot to you. You said he died from depression after losing his mate. How is that possible?”

Her voice dripped with concern, compassion. He’d never told a soul the depth of Max’s despair. The pack believed poison had taken his life, not heartache. Hugh thought it better to honor him that way.

“He actually died from a broken heart.”

She continued to comfort him with small, gentle traces from her fingers. The feel of her fingertips over his heart, over the one thing he had left of Max, prompted him to continue when she remained silent.

“Did you know the death of a loved one can kill you?”

“No,” she whispered.

“It’s called Broken Heart Syndrome. It produces a toxic overload of stress hormones that result in stress cardiomyopathy. My brother experienced the same symptoms as a heart attack. Shortness of breath, chest pain, fluid in his lungs. These all severely weakened his heart. He ignored the shifter half of his being and let the pain of losing Heather destroy his human half. He didn’t want to fight it. Wasn’t resilient enough. His grief stressed his heart to the point of melancholy and depression, and he chose to give up. He couldn’t bear to live without her.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Me too.”

She dropped a kiss over the tattoo. “Thanks for sharing that with me. I know you’re hurt that he left you.” She turned her head and laid her ear on his chest. “Your heart tells me so.”

He did not want to talk about his heart. Or how speaking of Max had conjured up ideas that Tess was his mate. The intimacy between them at this moment choked him. Once again, he’d shared something with her he’d never shared with another soul.

Silence filled the space around them until she said, “What sign are you?”

It amazed him how she seemed to know just how far to push him on certain subjects. He was grateful he didn’t have to elaborate on the heartache his brother’s passing had caused. By having the tattoo over his heart, he’d hoped to protect himself from further pain there. The mere sight of Tess ruined that plan.

“Taurus. How about you?”

“I’ll give you three guesses.” She lifted her head so it rested on the couch.

His body and mind relaxed at her game playing, but her nakedness distracted him enough that he couldn’t think of a damn Zodiac sign besides his and his brother’s. “How about we make it multiple choice?”

“Fine. Aries, Scorpio, Aquarius or Pisces. Take your pick.”

He traced a finger along her arm. Her tanned skin was silky smooth, flawless. Toned. There wasn’t an unseemly mark on her. There wasn’t a tan line on her either. Her golden skin offered beauty unmatched. It pushed his sexual drive into fourth gear.

“Sagittarius. Now tell me why you don’t have any tan lines.”

“Hugh! That wasn’t a choice.”

“Sorry.” Wow, he’d thought of a sign. “Your body is distracting me. And to be honest, I don’t really care. The tan lines—that I care about.”

She scooted up, bent her legs and brought them to a sideways angle atop the couch. Now he had a glimpse of her fine ass. This tactic of hers, naked on the couch in a provocative pose, might kill him without too much hard work on her part.

“I don’t have any tan lines because I sunbathe in the nude.”

I’m a goner. One rung on the death sentence down, not many more he could take. His expression must have tipped her off to his utterly confusing enchantment with her because she continued. A good thing since he needed to pry his tongue from the roof of his mouth.

“In my backyard. Alone. Although occasionally Kensie or Francesca might join me. I love the sun, love to be outdoors.”

He’d love to see her in the sun, outdoors, sunbathing. “Now tell me about your tattoo.” He couldn’t see it with the way she sat, but remembered it distinctly. It was a Kanji tattoo but he didn’t know what it meant.

“It’s the symbol of strength in Kanji.” The after-sex glow left her flushed cheeks, and Hugh sensed like him, the tattoo was a sore subject.

Still, he needed to know more. “Why did you pick that?”

“It’s a long story.”

If she thought he’d let her off the hook after what he’d just confessed, she was wrong. He knew about her family, but he didn’t know about her past loves. Past boyfriends. And his intuition told him the tattoo had to do with that. Did her past really matter in the scheme of things? In the short time they had together? No. But he was curious. And obviously a lovesick fool who needed details.

Lovesick?

“I think we’ve got a while until the rain lets up,” he said.

“Good.” She pushed up on her knees and straddled him. “Ready for round two?”

Okay, he’d have to pry it out of her later because, in case she hadn’t noticed, his cock was ready. “I’ll take whatever you’ve got.”

Chapter Fourteen

Hugh woke with a start. The rain had stopped.

He checked his watch by carefully lifting his arm. Three A.M. He’d been asleep for about an hour. As he lowered his arm back over Tess’s sleeping form, he breathed in the scent of her citrus shampoo, enjoyed the feel of her backside snug against his front.

His office was warm, quiet. A dim light from an overused lamp on his desk finally flickered goodnight. The Persian rug he and Tess were sprawled on was thick and soft, and with the late hour he decided to let her continue sleeping. They could leave for San Diego in the morning.

Before they’d fallen asleep, he’d gotten to know every intimate part of her body. He’d navigated every slope and curve with his fingers, his lips, his tongue. Nothing tasted sweeter than her skin. Sugar-coated, yet salty sensations had slid to the back of his throat with each lick. He’d had to remind himself to rein in his brawn before lust got the better of him and he bit.

Nothing stirred greater passion in him than her response to his touch. Her body shook, trembled, burned. Her hands had repeatedly brought him closer so not a sliver of space existed between them, no matter their position. Her arousal had singed his nose. The beat of her heart drummed an intoxicating rhythm that slayed him. He took her to climax over and over again with ease and confidence. Her bones softened underneath him.

As they’d lain in each other’s arms, sleep beckoning, he’d learned about Jason. She didn’t articulate so much as reveal through her body language the depth of their relationship. Her heart rate had picked up, her pulse had pounded in his ears, and something had flickered in her eyes. Regret? Denial? He didn’t know for sure. All he knew was that Jason’s death meant more than just a loss, but he couldn’t figure out what.

She stirred, reminding him he was with her now. She reached for his arm and tugged it against her chest, nestling against him even more. If he died right now, he’d die a lucky man, a happy man, and that thought carried him back to sleep.

When he woke with a start for the second time, it had nothing to do with the weather.

And everything to do with the lack of body warmth pressed against him.

Tess was gone.

Rays of early morning sunshine penetrated the tinted window. He jumped to his feet and looked around for any sign of her. His clothes sat in a neat pile on the office chair—not where he’d left them—and a sniff told him coffee, strong and caffeinated, percolated in the tiny office kitchen. Maybe she’d decided to play happy morning after, doing domestic by folding clothes and making coffee.

Yeah, right. When hell froze over.

He caught the time and almost choked on his own tongue. Eight o’clock. Holy shit. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept until eight. That meant it wasn’t Tess outside his office door, but Gavin. Or maybe Tess and Gavin. Great.

He dressed quickly and headed out of his office. If he found the twosome bonding over a cup of coffee he wouldn’t complain. He’d rather that than discover she’d actually left without a word.

The door to Gavin’s office stood open and the inside empty. Passing the conference room, he poked his head inside and found it also bare. That left the reception area. He took a deep breath and stepped into the room. Gavin sat comfortably on the couch reading the newspaper.

No Tess.

His heart fell into his gut with the weight of a bowling ball, leaving a gaping hole where the damn thing used to beat. His mind whirled with reasons why—and why not—this made sense. If he could kick his own ass he would. He hated that he’d slept through her fucking escape. How had she gotten away without him knowing it?

She’s an eliminator, that’s how.

“Morning,” Gavin said, sounding so goddamn cheerful Hugh wanted to punch him.

“Yeah.” He took quick inventory of the area. No purse, no scent, no carbon footprint, no couch pillow out of place. She’d successfully eliminated any trace she’d been there at all, and from the looks of things, had been gone for some time.

For Tess, a head start like that was equivalent to ten shots under par. It would be close to impossible to catch up. If he even knew where to begin.

“Rough night?”

“No.” He moved to the kitchenette to pour himself some coffee.

“I didn’t see any log to say you’d made it to San Diego last night. You guys leaving this morning?” Gavin folded the paper and put it to the side.

“Doesn’t look like it.” He took the chair next to the couch, careful to avoid Gavin’s curious eye.

Was this it? Was last night the last he’d see of her? A sharp pain lanced the side of his head. He knew, knew with every animal instinct he possessed, that what had happened between them last night and the days leading up to it were out of the realm of ordinary. A connection that defied the odds existed between them.

Her reasons for leaving could be many. She might be heading to San Diego on her own to locate Dobson. She had, after all, fulfilled her end of the bargain and helped him find Trey. He knew she’d gotten enough information, enough help from him, to take her in the direction she needed to go. And now she wanted to do it on her own.

Or did she go back to P.I.E. to report on her progress and plan her strategy for eliminating him?

Or…

He took another deep breath.

Or maybe she’d run away because she was scared. Afraid of her feelings for him. Afraid that she wouldn’t be able to do what the job required.

From their conversations concerning her work, he gathered her boss, Christian, was a real SOB. From what he’d heard about P.I.E. before he’d ever met Tess, he knew the organization ran with precision and no room for mistakes. She’d said Christian had told her this was her last chance. Would he really kill her if she failed?

In his peripheral vision, he saw Gavin’s mouth moving, but he couldn’t shake thoughts of Tess to comprehend the words. If it came down to her killing him, which he suspected it would, he’d not flinch at letting her succeed.

But what if he could save her? What if he could take her out of P.I.E. and give her a new life? He’d fought the idea of mating with everything he had, but as sure as the moon rose, he wanted to spend every day with her.

Every. Day.

Until his last one.

A swift kick to his knee brought him out of his revelry.

“Yo, dude. Have you heard a word I’ve said?”

“No. And don’t fucking kick me again.”

Gavin scooted back on the couch. “Aren’t we the happy camper? I mean you’re usually unpleasant in the morning but today you’re not pulling out any stops. I guess things didn’t end the way you wanted them to with Tess.”

The way “Tess” rolled off Gavin’s tongue—like he knew her and liked her—riled him. He knew it was irrational. Gavin was a smooth talker. A natural people person. That was why he handled most of the charter services. And that was why he ground his teeth together and reined in his anger. It wasn’t Gavin’s fault Tess had left without a goodbye.

“You could say that.” He took a gulp of coffee.

Gavin picked up another section of newspaper. “Go get her then.”

“What?” Hugh put his cup down. It tasted like shit this morning.

“I said go get her. It’s obvious she means a lot to you.”

“How the hell would you know that?”

“Because you’re barking like a dog, look like you got maybe four hours sleep, and in the five years I’ve known you, I don’t think you’ve been on more than three dates. This girl, from the way you were looking at her last night, you want to have more than dates with.”

The distance he always kept with Gavin shrank. His body relaxed some. The muscles clenched with agitation mellowed. His partner had pegged him to a T. And whether he wanted to admit it or not, Gavin knew him better than he knew himself sometimes. “Maybe you’re right.”

He should fly to San Diego and help Tess, no matter her thoughts on the topic. If Dobson was a wolfen and involved with the Wolf Seekers, it was important he get to the bottom of things.

Wait a minute. Tess’s disappearance had mottled his brain. There was no should. He needed to get to Dobson. Hugh was positive everything was tied together somehow. And he needed to find out why for the safety of his pack.

“I’m rarely wrong.” Only Gavin could sound conceited and endearing at the same time.

Rising to his feet, Hugh felt better about the situation, felt his head clear. “Gavin, you’re a genius.”

“It’s a curse I live with 24/7.”

“I’m going to take the—” The ringing of the telephone cut him off. He got up and grabbed it off the reception desk. “Langston Aviation.”

He fisted his free hand at hearing the voice on the other end. “Hugh, it’s Lieutenant Andrews.”

“Lieutenant, how are you?” He knew the answer to the question. The police didn’t call just to say hello.

“I could be better. We need you. A rock climber set out yesterday afternoon and hasn’t been heard from since. His mother phoned us this morning when she discovered he hadn’t come home. He’s somewhere in the Angeles National Forest.”

“Somewhere?” Hugh moved around the desk and sat. He opened a side drawer and pulled out the Angeles National Forest map.

“The boy’s mom has no idea where he went. She did say he always carries a cell phone, but so far we’ve had no luck.”

“How old?”

“Nineteen. A student at Loyola. You got the time this morning?”

Hugh looked over the desk at Gavin and wished for a second his partner could handle this. But only for a second. Because this was what he did. He rescued people. And right now a college kid needed rescuing.

“Of course. Come on over. I’ll have the chopper ready.”

“Will do.”

He hung up and opened the map to find the most logical place to start looking. As difficult as it was to focus, he had to. The sooner he found the boy, the sooner he could go to San Diego. He told himself later wouldn’t be too late. He’d meet up with Tess. They’d find Dobson and question him. Then he’d whisk her away. Figure out a plan to get her out of P.I.E. and save both their lives.

If she wanted it.

“Want some help with the copter?” Gavin lumbered up to the desk.

“That would be great.”

“You look distracted,” Gavin said. “Don’t worry about Tess. From the way she looked at you, I’d say you’ve got nothing to worry about. So things are on hold for a few hours. No big deal. Right now keep your mind on the job.”

“Point taken.” Only it was a big deal.

A very big deal.

Zilch. Tess had come up with zilch to prove Hugh was anything but a respectable, upstanding individual. She sat on her bed, her body warm from the hot shower that had made her skin prune. The contents of the file she’d been handed all those nights ago in the limousine were spread across her comforter. The allegations inside were totally bogus. There wasn’t a shred of truth to the accusations of fraud, death threats, embezzlement, force with a deadly weapon or kidnapping.

Well, unless she counted her abduction. Which she didn’t.

She felt bad about slipping something into his glass of water after they’d made love for the third time. He hadn’t discovered the tiny pills tucked inside a fold in her wallet when he’d searched her purse. And getting him to sleep soundly was the only way she could snoop around his office without being caught.

He’d woken once, when the rain had stopped, and she’d feared the pill wouldn’t work. But after she snuggled against him and brought his arm to her chest, he’d finally dozed off for good.

Langston Aviation thrived, a by-the-book business from her estimations. She’d pored over all the files, invoices, logs, and come up with nothing to indicate any wrongdoing. In fact, if anything, her fondness for him skyrocketed when reading about all the lives he’d helped save.

Not wanting to leave anything to chance, she’d also investigated Gavin and found everything on his side of the business in order too. There wasn’t a file cabinet she didn’t open, a desk drawer she didn’t empty of contents, a book she didn’t look behind. No one was more thorough than her, and when finished, she knew whoever the hell had hired P.I.E. to eliminate Hugh had an ulterior motive.

Because he didn’t deserve to die.

One of the hardest things she’d ever had to do was slip out of the hangar before the sun rose. She wanted to see his sleepy eyes open, wanted to kiss him awake, feel the stubble on his face against her cheek.

Impossible, she reminded herself.

Tess plus Hugh equaled impossible. The feelings he’d triggered were unwelcome, dammit. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—allow herself to feel anything or remember the damn kisses and touches and sensations. For the past five years, she’d jumped out of planes and been dropped from helicopters on snow-covered mountains that touched the clouds. She’d mountain climbed, rock climbed, surfed waves big enough to swallow her whole, and scuba dived with sharks. That was how she liked to live her life. On the edge, unafraid to take a challenge—no thought to personal safety.

Work. Adventure. Those two things kept her distracted from thoughts of anyone but herself. They didn’t give her any time to think about giving her heart away.

In one hour, she’d walk into P.I.E. and argue for Hugh’s innocence. She didn’t know how Christian would react to her findings. In all her years, she’d never found anyone innocent before. A sick feeling came up her throat and she swallowed it down. From the very beginning, something had felt off about this case. Something that had nothing to do with her attachment to Hugh or her last chance.

She fell back onto her pillow and stared at the ceiling. She’d never get Hugh out of her head. His face was stamped into her memory for good. Her mind couldn’t focus on anything but the way he grumbled when she bated him, the way he looked at her when she teased, the way he cherished her when they made love.

Which only made her more miserable. She’d loved three people in her life. Her parents and Jason. And they’d died. If—and it was a big if—she allowed herself to love Hugh, she feared he’d die too. So no matter what she did, he was doomed.

And no matter what, so was she.

Her quandary sent pinpricks of razor-edged pain to her heart. A slow death from heartbreak had begun. Was this how Max had felt?

Rolling over to her side, away from the lies in the file, she brought her knees to her chest and wondered if there was a way to avoid it all. Could she stay away from Hugh? From the job that had given her purpose, but now had her doubting its integrity? A chill shook her and she blinked back tears. Disappearing would physically remove her from pain, but emotionally escaping from harm was impossible.

Then she considered how it all began. The blind date she’d been reluctant to accept had set in motion a series of events she’d never anticipated. Was it a coincidence or fate that had brought them together? After a few slow deep breaths to ease the ache in her chest, she thought the latter.

She’d never put much stock in destiny, but quietly evaluating the circumstances of the last week, an overwhelming awareness struck her as if it were a tangible object.

She was meant to be with Hugh.

Meant to save him.

Or was she simply meant to help him find Trey? Guarantee the Night Runners had a leader in place after Hugh’s elimination. Since she’d done that, fulfilled her end of the bargain, there was no reason to feel this teeter-totter emotion.

So stop thinking about it! Get over it and move on.

If she didn’t take that advice, she’d grow stagnant and be of no help to anyone. A sharp pain pierced her temples. She massaged her forehead, but it did little good. A moment later, the jangle of the door handle startled her and she bolted upright.

“You ready?” Kensie asked, opening the bedroom door just far enough to peek inside.

“In a minute.” Tess gathered up the papers and file folder off the bed.

“Francesca’s chomping at the bit so hurry it up, okay? She’s got to meet with Christian before you.”

Tess walked to the door and opened it wide, knocking Kensie off balance. “Tell Francesca to leave without me if she can’t wait.”

“Aww, come on now. She’s just grumpy because she wants some better cases. She thinks you get all the good ones.”

“What would you say if I told you I don’t want any more?” The words flew out of her mouth so fast she didn’t have time to stop herself or realize what she’d said. What she’d just revealed.

Kensie’s mouth dropped open. “Any more cases?”

“Forget it.” She turned away.

Grabbing her arm, Kensie said, “I can’t forget it. What’s wrong?”

Everything. Everything was wrong. She wasn’t about to tell Kensie, though. For too long she’d kept things bottled up inside, perfected automated responses and superficial small talk. Yes, Kensie was her friend, the closest thing she had to family. And yes she’d just slipped damaging information, but it was easily covered up. For as much Kensie’s benefit as her own. The less her friend knew about what had happened with Hugh, the better.

“Nothing’s wrong. I meant any more good ones, silly. I want a few bad ones. You know, a couple of easy marks I can take care of with my eyes closed.” She shrugged off Kensie’s hand, while putting on her best “don’t worry” face. “I was even thinking I might like a vacation. I can’t remember the last time I got more than two days off in a row.”

No, she wasn’t thinking about vacationing with Hugh. She. Was. Not.

“You sure that’s all it is?” Kensie could always read her moods.

“I’m positive. Tell Francesca to hold her horses and I’ll even mention to Christian that the next top priority job ought to go to her.”

“Okay then. See you in a few.”

The bedroom door closed and Tess hurried into the bathroom to finish getting ready for what might be her last trip to P.I.E.

When forty-five minutes later they strolled into the well-appointed office, Tess’s stomach back-flipped. The clandestine operation tucked several floors below ground level inside a Los Angeles high-rise had never before made her queasy. Today the copper walls, marble flooring, refrigerated temperature and minimal furnishings took discomfort to a new level. She’d swear Alien was about to burst from her belly.

Francesca headed to see Christian, and Tess and Kensie chatted with the front office secretary, a lovely woman who had been with P.I.E. for only a few months. She wrapped her thick arms around each of them in a hug that suggested motherly pride and affection. After a few minutes of pleasantries, Tess took off for her small corner of the sterile environment.

She stepped into her fancy-shmancy office, threw Hugh’s file on her desk and took a seat in her swivel chair. God, she’d spent endless hours here poring over assignments and feeling like she was helping rid the world of evil. She’d been a dutiful employee and thrived on going undercover and eliminating. The mental reminder that all her previous targets had deserved to die didn’t help the sour stomach plaguing her.

Her phone buzzed, a red light blinking in Morse code to alert her that Christian was ready to see her. Time to put on your tough girl persona, Tess. Don’t let him see what’s going on inside you. Don’t give him reason to doubt your strength.

She walked down the hallway and tapped on his door.

“Come in,” he commanded.

The hundreds of time she’d entered before didn’t make this any easier. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes. Have a seat.”

One never sat unless instructed to do so. She took the single velvet upholstered chair centered across from his expansive mahogany desk. “Thank you.”

“How is the Langston case going?” He sat behind his desk like he owned the world. Impeccably dressed in a charcoal suit, black shirt and crimson tie, he oozed confidence. His dark brown hair reminded her of Bobby Darren’s in Gidget, her favorite movie when she was a teenager. Too bad the similarities ended there.

His eyes betrayed any semblance of decency. He leered at her, thin dark slits seeing, she knew, far more than one would expect with so little openness. If she looked at them too long, it felt like spiders crawling up her neck.

“Fine.” She couldn’t muster anything else to say.

“The client has phoned me several times inquiring as to when the elimination will occur.”

“I’m working on it.” Okay. That was better. She’d gathered more vocal strength.

“I told him it would be taken care of by Friday because I need to pull you from the case for a couple of days.”

Tess hoped her shock didn’t show. She prayed he couldn’t detect the fluctuation in her breathing pattern. He’d never pulled her from an assignment before. Never. Was he trying to leave her as little time as possible to take care of Hugh? Was he on to her?

“I don’t”—she paused, trying to correct the little glitch in her voice—“understand.”

He lifted his hands from his lap and placed them on the desk, one on top of the other. His silver and diamond pinky ring sparkled. “What is there to understand? I’m assigning you to an elimination that you must finish up in the next two days. Then you will return to your undercover work with Langston and kill him.”

There were too many damn questions swirling in her head so she decided to start with the new target. “Finish up? The assignment’s started?” Another first. What the hell was going on?

“Francesca’s been compromised. I just took her off the case. You’ll go in and finish. I’m confident you can handle it.”

Worry circulated through Tess. Had he given Francesca the same ultimatum he’d given her? Would she have one more chance to prove her worth too? “Why not assign Kensie since I’m on assignment already?”

Silence from the man across the desk.

Which gave her time to think.

Truthfully, being pulled from Hugh’s case for a couple of days might be a blessing in disguise. She needed distance from him. Needed something to keep her busy and remind her that she was a contracted assassin.

“I take that back. I’m happy to do it.”

“Exactly.” He handed her a single piece of paper. “This fact sheet is all you need. Francesca finished the preliminary work. All I want you to do is infiltrate and eliminate by Thursday. I trust that won’t be a problem.”

“No problem,” she said, reading over the sheet. In fact, it looked like a piece of cake. So easy that she might have time to get to San Diego and locate Dobson before Friday as well. Because she needed to find him before she could figure out what to do about Hugh.

“Back to the Langston case,” he began. “I sense some apprehension from you.”

The guy never missed a beat. That was why she knew she had to tell him the truth about what she’d found out.

“Yes. My investigation hasn’t turned up anything to warrant elimination.” There. She’d said what she came to say.

“I don’t care,” he said, his voice unwavering, authoritarian. “You are to eliminate the target on Friday.”

Since she’d never uncovered information to prove a Veiler innocent, she wondered if this would have been his standard reply on previous cases. She didn’t think so. Something about the way he didn’t move a muscle, didn’t let any more air escape his weathered lips than was necessary, told her this time was unique. Why?

“Actually, information I’ve found proves he’s—”

“Guilty. I told you this was your last chance. If you do not follow through with the elimination, there will be consequences.”

“Like me at the bottom of the river? You told me. I know.” Suddenly, his threats held little power over her. Once she found Dobson and figured out a way to save Hugh, he could put twenty-pound ankle weights on her for all she cared.

“Not you. Kensie and Francesca.” His lips barely moved yet the message came through loud and clear.

A weight knotted the back of her throat and plummeted to her stomach. Horror at the words he’d said swept a chill over her lips and down her spine.

He didn’t care about Hugh’s innocence. And he didn’t care about punishing her friends—and his employees—if she didn’t comply.

She’d dedicated herself to P.I.E. and in the blink of an eye she hated herself for it. The man she’d thought worked with integrity did no such thing. He’d just solidified her worst fears and confirmed all her doubts.

She hated him. Hated him for taking her loyalty and…and… God, if she’d been complicit in eliminating other innocents, what did that make her?

Goddamn him. She held her breath as she willed her body not to shake and her voice not to waver when she said, “This is my deal. Take it out on me and me alone.”

“I’ve come to the conclusion there’s no fun in that. You’re reckless, brash. Couldn’t care less about what happens to you. And despite your recent failures, still my best employee.”

She studied him, wishing like hell she’d figured him out sooner. “You don’t care whether or not this Langston guy is innocent?” She tried to sound detached, apathetic, while her insides twisted at the mention of Hugh’s name.

“Last chance,” he reiterated, returning his hands to his lap.

The client definitely had an ulterior motive. And her boss…was he in on it?

During her twelve years with P.I.E. they’d never talked much about Veilers. Funny, she thought, staring him right back in the eye—something that made up such a big component of her occupation was the subject least talked about. Instead, they all carried out their jobs without examination.

“Can I ask you a question?” she ventured.

“You can.”

“Have you ever met a Veiler you liked?”

The slits of his eyes narrowed further and while slight, his eyebrows furrowed, causing a wrinkle above his nose. She’d caught him by surprise. Seconds ticked by before he shifted his weight to the side of his high-back leather chair.

“Yes.”

An honest answer, she surmised by his contemplation, and one that scared the hell out of her.

Two days later, a cool breeze wafted in through the bedroom window as Tess sat motionless in the middle of the floor. Her legs were crossed, hands on her knees, back straight, head forward. She stared at a tiny speck on the wall beneath the open window.

She took a cleansing breath in. Held it, slowly let it out. Repeated this for the umpteenth time. The wind picked up outside, the Santa Ana breezes stirring up pollen, dust and trouble. The unsettling air tore her attention away from the focal point she’d tried to maintain for the last twenty minutes.

Trouble. She was shoulder-deep in it.

The digital numbers on the clock next to her bed said 8:26. Three hours and thirty-four minutes until Friday. Not that she was counting.

The elimination she’d been assigned to take over for Francesca turned out to be more difficult than she thought. It had taken the entire allotted time. Not because she’d lost her touch. No. She was still the best goddamn eliminator out there. She could have had the deed done in the first few hours. No one would have been the wiser. There was just one problem.

She didn’t want to do it.

She couldn’t bring herself to kill him.

The him was a forty-something working-class man and demon. He owned his own business, had a family and yes, had done some nasty things.

But he wanted to change.

When Tess had caught him earlier that evening in the act of stealing a man’s soul in the alley behind his small Italian restaurant, he’d slumped to the ground and confessed his sins…

“I can’t help myself, Tess. I want to better myself and what better way than taking the good I see in others?”

“You’re killing innocents, George,” she answered.

“I know,” he groaned, “I’m cursed. If my wife finds out, she’ll divorce me. My kids won’t want to see me. I’ve been trying to stop, really I have, but the devil won’t let me. Says I traded my soul to marry the love of my life.”

She looked down at him, his potbelly stomach hanging over his belt. “Did you?”

“Of course I did. But that’s beside the point.”

“What’s the point then?”

He pushed himself up against the brick wall, but still his double chin was evident. “True love.”

“Come again?”

“I want to be a better man for my wife. I want the goodness in me to overcome the demon. To beat it. What the hell did I know twenty years ago when I agreed to the deal? All I knew was that I was madly in love and would do anything to marry her.” He took a deep breath, looked up at her with reminiscent eyes. “There was another man, you know. A better man than me. He had money. Lots of it. She would have left me for him.”

Tess felt sorry for the guy. “How do you know?”

“Just a feeling I had. In case you haven’t noticed, I still don’t have much self confidence.”

“So you bargained with the devil.”

“She was my sunshine, my rainbow on a cloudy day. The way her eyes sparkled made me weak in the knees. She laughed at all my jokes. Liked her pizza the same way I do. Zucchini and pineapple.”

“Yuck.” Tess liked her pizza with mushrooms and red onions.

“I had to have her. It would have killed me if she walked away. So you see, I had no choice.” There was no mistaking the sadness in his voice.

“There’s always a choice,” she replied.

One of the cooks poked his head out the screen door. “We’re getting low on provolone, boss. You want I should switch the special to mozzarella?”

“Sure,” George answered. “Whatever you think.”

The screen slammed shut with a thud. George flinched.

As usual, Tess didn’t know who had put the hit out on George, but she wasn’t sure he deserved to die. Be punished, yes. Stealing souls was so not okay. But however messed up his reasons were, they were sort of unselfish. He did it for love. Yes, he cheated and molded his wife’s free will to fit his own desires, but love made people do stupid things. And the marriage was still working and they had children together.

Still, she had a job to do and it was now or never.

His head lolled forward into his hands. Perfect. She couldn’t ask for a better position. She pulled out the small sword from underneath the back of her shirt, knowing it would take all of two seconds to slice it through his neck and be done with it.

There was just one problem. When she lifted the sword ready to swing, her arms started to shake, sweat dripped from her temples, and her conscience screamed for her to pause, to think about what she was about to do. The man was hopelessly in love. She couldn’t fault him that.

But this wasn’t about him.

It was about her.

She didn’t want to kill anymore. Regardless of what George had done or if his sins were pardonable, she didn’t want to be the one to end his life. She didn’t want blood on her hands anymore. She had a choice to make and she wanted to stop. Stop eliminating.

He looked up and his eyes bugged out, his mouth opened wide, beads of sweat trickled down the side of his face. “What are you doing?”

Tess lowered the sword. She grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him up. “Listen carefully,” she demanded, pushing his back against the wall. “Someone wants you dead. You need to call up the Devil and make a new deal. Plus, you need to get out of town. For good. And when you leave you need to promise me no more soul stealing. I know people who can keep tabs on you and if I find out you’ve stolen another soul, I’ll tell the Devil myself to take care of you. Do you hear me? Can you do that?”

“I-I don’t know,” he mumbled.

“Wrong answer. You don’t have a choice. It’s the Devil or me. Take your pick.” She lifted the sword and hoped since she was currently George’s most pressing threat, he’d wise up. He didn’t know she had no intention of killing him.

He shook, blinked a hundred times, worried his bottom lip. For a demon, he sure was a wuss.

“Wait.” He raised his arm in defense. “I can do that.”

She pressed her arm against his chest. “You sure? Because if I let you go, I could be dead.” Fuck. What was happening to her?

“I got it.” He pushed back, finally showing some backbone. “That soul I just took must be working. I won’t let you down.”

Sirens blaring in the distance brought Tess back to the present. God, she hoped George had kept his word and left town.

She glanced back around her bedroom and her thoughts shifted to San Diego. There hadn’t been time to get there, and now she wondered if she really wanted to. Hearing George’s devotion to his wife had sent her mind reeling in a direction she’d tried hard the past two days to forget.

Her feelings for Hugh were true, honest, life altering. She’d realized over the past forty-eight hours that discovering who Jason’s killer was and why he’d died wasn’t as important as figuring out how to save Hugh.

She’d risk her life to save his, and get to the bottom of the Wolf Seekers’ vengeance on the Night Runners.

The numbers on the clock flipped to 8:30.

She had less than twenty-eight hours.

Chapter Fifteen

One emergency after another befell Hugh and he hadn’t had a moment to spare since Tess walked out on him. He hadn’t gone to San Diego. Hadn’t had more than ten minutes to talk to Trey. Hadn’t had an attempt made on his life.

Where was she?

He sat at his desk logging in the day’s flights and wished like hell he could stop thinking about her. Stop remembering her taste, her scent. Stop remembering how his life had more meaning with her in it. No matter how hard he fought it, he couldn’t shake her from his head.

Or his heart.

It was pointless trying to explain away his feelings. He’d tried rationalizing it was because she’d saved his life. But that wasn’t it. He’d fallen for her the minute he’d laid eyes on her across the crowded bar. A force positively lethal had slammed into him, causing every hair on his body to stand on edge, and he knew—knew—she was his mate. His body had never reacted with such keen awareness, such desperate need, to anyone before. She’d sucked the air right out of him, taken his senses and wreaked havoc with them.

He didn’t want to love her. He didn’t want to love anybody. He saw what love did to his brother. Yet he couldn’t help it.

When he looked down at the papers on his desk, he noticed his notations looked like chicken scratch. Writing anything coherent wouldn’t happen as long as his brain was stuck on Tess.

Before Gavin had left a half hour ago, he’d tried to convince Hugh to leave for his vacation, take the next week off, head to the Rockies and forget about all the shit clogging his head. His partner had used those exact words, reading Hugh like an open book. Never before had anyone seen through his exterior, not even his brother. Which meant Tess had infiltrated every cell of his body to the point he couldn’t pretend it didn’t matter that he missed her something crazy. That he didn’t want another minute to pass without her by his side.

For a guy who prided himself on not needing anyone, that was a heavy-duty admission.

The pen in his hand snapped in two, and with a low growl, he reached for another. Maybe the vacation was a good idea. If anything could get his mind off the heartache he suffered, it was time spent in the mountains. Running. Running until his lungs burned. His legs shook. His goddamn head cleared.

I’m a fool if I think I’ll ever shake her. She lives inside me. Always will.

Maybe it wasn’t too late to go to San Diego and find Dobson. He needed to remind himself he had the pack to look after. While things had been quiet the past two days, that by no means meant trouble wasn’t still lurking. In the back of his mind, he sensed sooner or later the Wolf Seekers would strike again. Whatever goal they were after, they hadn’t reached it yet, and the more information Hugh had, the better prepared he and his pack would be. That meant finding Dobson was as important to him as it was to Tess. There was a connection there he didn’t understand, and before he left to go anywhere, he needed to figure out what that was.

His phone rang. He startled and broke another pen. “Langston.”

“Hugh, it’s Trey. You got a minute?”

He did, finally. “Yeah. What’s up?”

“I’ve got some more information on Dobson.”

“Shoot.” Perfect timing, he thought. Did the information concern Tess as well?

“There’s some sort of meeting going down in San Diego tomorrow night. I’m not sure who all the players are, but my source tells me Dobson will be there. Supposedly, he’s playing both sides and hell if anyone knows why. It’s also very likely that the name Dobson is an alias used in connection with the Wolf Seekers. Because of that, I can’t confirm if he’s wolfen. At any rate, the hotel information I gave you before is accurate so I thought you should know.”

Hugh knew Dobson was a wolfen. Tess wouldn’t make a mistake about that. “Thanks, Trey.”

“You going to head down there?”

“I am. You keep an eye on things here.” Every instinct told him Tess would be at that meeting, and if she were there, he’d be there too.

“Will do,” Trey said with confidence.

Hugh appreciated his apprentice’s dedication to the pack. The younger wolfen took things seriously, understood loyalty and was bound by his word. Hugh trusted him, had faith in him. “I’ll be back sometime Saturday to check in.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.” He disconnected the line and stood. His fingers punched in directory information on his cell. Two minutes later, he had a reservation at the US Grant Hotel. He took the only room available—a suite. If he left now, he’d be in San Diego before midnight, get some sleep, and get to work on uncovering the mystery behind Dobson first thing in the morning.

He closed up his office, headed into Gavin’s, and left his partner a note. On his way to the reception area, he caught a scent that nearly knocked him to his knees. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, his heart rammed into his chest, every tired bone in his body woke up.

Tess.

She sat on the couch wearing light blue jeans and a white T-shirt with some flowery design on the chest. Her posture was stiff, her legs planted at a ninety-degree angle. Her hands were folded in her lap, and her sinfully beautiful lips were trembling.

Electricity stroked the air between them, the energy in the room enough to ignite a flame. The vibe had his blood bubbling, his desire for her skyrocketing. Seeing her again confirmed everything he feared. He couldn’t live without her.

Was she ready to live without him?

“You here on official business?” Shmuck. What the hell kind of greeting was that? A necessary one, he told himself. He needed to know her agenda so he could decide how best to approach the situation.

After a few moments of staring at each other, she said, “Yes and no.”

The best answer she could give under the circumstances, he supposed. Circumstances he needed to know every detail of if he planned get them out of this mess.

He strode to the couch and sat down, a magnetic force pulling him to within touching distance. His hand brushed aside the soft waves of hair on her shoulder. “You left the other day without saying goodbye.”

She leaned into his touch. “Sorry about that.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Tiny flecks of green sparkled in her blue eyes, stirring passion and protectiveness inside him.

Without asking permission, he leaned over and kissed her. Tenderly. Tentatively. He’d missed the taste of her, and didn’t want to waste another second just thinking about it. She reciprocated as if she’d missed him too. Thank God.

The image of the two of them naked on his office floor flashed through his mind as her lips slowly parted. Sex had never riled him to his core as it had with Tess, and he desperately wanted to feel her soft, sexy skin rubbing up against his again. And again. And again.

“Stop,” she breathed, her hand pressing against his chest. “We need to talk.”

“Talk later.” His own breathless voice gave away his true intentions. He captured her bottom lip in his teeth and playfully tugged.

Those impossibly long lashes of hers sent a tremor down his spine. Her attention stayed on the heated shimmer he knew his eyes held. And by the nibble she gave back, he knew she wanted to do much more than talk, but her baby blues begged conversation first.

It took everything he had to pull away. “I think I missed you.”

“You think?” She straightened herself, drew one leg up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shin.

“My brain’s a little foggy at the moment.” He scooted back to leave some space between them. One touch of her lips to his and her mouth was a drug he couldn’t get enough of.

She, on the other hand, played the situation very cool. Her lips formed a tight, thin line as if she were trying to will them to stay shut, and her chin jutted out just slightly. The only thing betraying her stoicism was the flush in her cheeks. And the nervous arousal he let the empathic part of him pick up on. He inwardly smiled.

“Because?” she said.

“Did you find Dobson?” he asked, not wanting to go into details about his private thoughts and feelings where she was concerned. He’d been in a goddamn haze since she’d disappeared. He shook his head, clearing the cobwebs.

“I didn’t have a chance. Another assignment came up.” Her eyes wandered to the floor, the reception desk, the tree in the corner. Everywhere but back to him.

Something had happened on the job. Had she made another mistake? He waited for her to elaborate, noticing she wrestled with how much more to tell him. Her lips parted, then pursed. Did it have to do with another wolf?

He took her hand. So much for keeping his distance. The pain on her face almost strangled the air out of him. “Want to talk about it?”

Finally, she connected to him, her gaze annihilating the hard shell he wore to protect himself. If anyone had tried to hurt her, he’d rip the person to shreds.

“I don’t want to kill anymore.” She’d looked him straight in the eye as she spoke, conceding, pleading, praying for the right to make her own decisions.

“Then don’t.” He knew she didn’t need a lecture. She needed assurance with as little interference as possible. They both hated being told what to do. He could no more force his opinion on her than she could on him.

“It’s not that easy.”

“Since when do you like easy?”

That got a slight smile out of her. “I let my mark go. Told him to disappear. I wasn’t sure he deserved to be eliminated.” Her thumb slid back and forth over his knuckles. “It was the first time I’ve done that—let my heart get in the way.”

“Second time,” Hugh said.

“What?”

“Second time you’ve questioned an assignment. You haven’t killed me yet, and I’d like to think it’s because—”

She moved with lightning speed and slammed her mouth into his. He nearly toppled over but regained his balance when his hands landed at her waist. Her kiss sent a rush of heat through him that permeated his bones. They kissed and sighed and moaned until she pulled away, leaving him in vital need of her all over again.

“Your expiration date is tomorrow,” she offered, settling back into the couch. “Now tell me what you’ve found out the past two days. Any news on Dobson or the Wolf Seekers?”

She made a habit of quick changes in subject matter, a defense mechanism he understood all too well. But at the moment he didn’t care. The smell and taste of her on his lips satisfied him enough to go along with it for now. She obviously didn’t want him to finish his sentence, and he didn’t want to push her too hard for answers. Not when, he suddenly realized, she had an agenda.

“Actually I just got a tip from Trey that there’s a meeting tomorrow night in San Diego. I’m heading there.” He stood and gave her his back. He didn’t want her to see the conflict on his face. Did he want her to come with him? Yes and no. Yes because he knew how important it was for her to find Dobson and put some closure to what she felt she owed Jason. No because he didn’t want her in any sort of danger.

“Great. I’ll come with you.”

Yeah, like he didn’t see that coming.

It would be futile to try and talk her out of it. Even more useless to mention the danger. Why hadn’t he kept his mouth shut? Because he couldn’t. Not with her. She was better than truth serum when it came to guarding his thoughts. Shit. How soon would she know all his feelings for her?

Once he reached the reception desk, he turned around and was surprised to see she’d gotten to her feet to close the gap between them. Damn, watching her move was better than watching the moon drift across the sky on a star-filled night.

She didn’t stop until her hand pressed delicately to his chest. “You know I’m not going to take no for an answer.”

“I know.”

“The meeting is with Dobson and the Wolf Seekers?”

“Looks like it.”

“Then I think we both need to be there.”

He’d perfected controlling his heart rate under stressful circumstances, but nothing had prepared him for the recklessness Tess stirred inside him. He couldn’t keep his heart from beating faster, stronger, louder, at her touch, her close proximity. Did she feel it? He couldn’t be sure, but the slow tug on the corners of her mouth made him think she did. And the twinkle in her eyes told him she liked the power she had over him.

“Fine.” He reached up and took her wrist, moving her palm away from the pounding in his chest. “Do we need to stop by your place to get anything?”

“Nope. I’ve got a bag in the car.”

Convenient. “Did you know I was leaving?” She couldn’t possibly, but he wouldn’t put anything past her. Maybe she already knew about the meeting and decided to play dumb.

“No. I just thought it might be a good idea, given recent events. Sometimes the job requires it.”

“Is this trip part of your job?” Level with me, Tess. He wanted her to trust him. They might be standing beside one another and looking like a team, but he had no delusions that she worked alone.

She took a step away and bit her bottom lip. “In case you’re wondering, no, I didn’t know you were leaving tonight, and I didn’t know about the meeting tomorrow. But being with you does bring my job into it. You’re my assignment.” She blinked several times, sent her glance away from him. When she returned her gaze, she’d masked any emotion. “I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring. All I know is I couldn’t stay away from you.”

Her honesty hit him in the gut like a two-ton brick. He felt exactly the same way. Granted, there might be some double meaning in her admission, but he chose to believe she was drawn to him as much as he was to her.

“I’m going to get you out of P.I.E.,” he said, cupping her cheek in his hand.

“It’s not that simple, Hugh.”

“Good. I like a challenge.” He sensed her pulse speeding up, her temperature rising. The sound of her heartbeat rang in his ears like a drum roll.

“It’s not just me…” She spun on her heels and headed toward the hangar. “Come on,” she called over her shoulder. “We better get a move on.”

Catching her by the arm, he turned her around. “What’s not just you? Did you meet with your boss? What did he say?”

The sentient part of him stirred again, begging to be brought to the surface. He didn’t fight it. Tess’s fear was palpable and knowing she was truly afraid for the first time since he’d met her stoked ferocity inside him. His heart twisted. His jaw tightened.

On the occasions he had no choice, he fed off the fear of others, but this time he had no intention of capitalizing on the emotion that made humans—and Veilers—their weakest. This time he used it to remind himself what he had to lose.

She could blink all she wanted. Hugh saw the tears threatening to slide down her face. “Forget I said anything,” she whispered.

“The hell I will.” He pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

Tess relaxed, wrapped her arms around his lower back. They stayed that way until he felt some tension leave her body, and then he slackened his hold.

She spoke with her cheek pressed into his shoulder. “When and if I’m ready to elaborate, I will. So please leave it alone. I don’t owe you any explanations. My business is my business and I need to take care of it. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of my own mess.”

He let her words sink in. He’d never before wanted to assume anyone else’s problems, and the notion that he gave a shit about hers dragged him deeper into complicated emotions that took root in his soul. A Night Runner did whatever it took to protect his mate.

“I know you can take care of yourself,” he said, “but know this. I’ve got your back. And no one is going to lay a hand on you.”

The shove she gave him thrust them apart. One look at her tough as nails expression told him she’d gotten over her moment of weakness. She didn’t like feeling vulnerable—except when they’d kissed. Then he got a visceral response, a true sense of how powerful their attachment was.

“Who says you’ll be around long enough?” There was no real seriousness in her tone.

“Is that a threat?” he teased. She’d thrown a wall up around herself trying to keep the upper hand. He’d be sure to keep chipping away at it.

“No,” she relented, turning on her heels and heading into the hangar.

“How many times do I have to tell you I’m the one in charge?” Tess entered the lobby of the US Grant Hotel, trying not to think too hard about the man holding her hand. Just because they were together didn’t give him the right to make all the decisions. She wasn’t stuck at his house anymore.

“Another thousand?” The little-boy smile he graced her with was anything but innocent.

Truth be told, she didn’t want to be alone in this mess, but she’d never say it out loud.

When she’d shown up at the hangar earlier, she’d had no idea what to say or do. She just knew she had to see Hugh. Her insides churned at remembering the slow smile that had spread across his face when he saw her. The look of relief. And joy. Criminy. When had her desire for companionship—that deeply hidden want she’d pushed away for fear of losing another loved one—decided to come to the surface?

The moment she’d arm-wrestled him, that was when.

And now they were about to close in on Dobson, the man she hadn’t been able to get out of her head for the past five years. She always thought she’d find him on her own, but Hugh had kept reminding her on the flight to San Diego that he needed to keep his end of the bargain.

Why did that hurt and feel so good at the same time?

What she needed and wanted were very different things. She needed to put the past behind her and get revenge for Jason’s death. She needed to spare her friends any pain. She needed to do the job she’d signed up for because it wasn’t her own life at stake.

She wanted a new life.

With Hugh.

“You’re thinking too hard over there.”

“I’m thinking if you don’t let up on the death grip, I’m going to lose circulation. You’re not worried I’m going to ditch you, are you?”

His hold eased a fraction. “That’s the last thing on your mind right now. You’re thinking about Dobson. About getting closure and moving on. You might not want me here, but you know you’ve got a better chance of finding a wolfen with a wolfen.”

“You think you know me pretty well, don’t you?” She shuddered at his accuracy. No one had ever pegged her thoughts like that.

“Yeah.” He cast a quick glance at her as they marched across the hotel’s marble-floored lobby to the reception desk.

“So you’ll follow my lead? Something tells me there’s a connection between Dobson, the Wolf Seekers and you.” She took a deep breath and swallowed the sick feeling coming up her throat. “I know your elimination is bogus and something brought all of this together.” She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d walked into something bigger than she or Hugh realized.

“You think this is a setup?” He slowed his steps as if wanting to finish their conversation before they checked in.

“I think there’s definitely more going on than we realize.”

“Agreed. And that’s why I won’t follow your lead.”

She yanked her hand free and stopped walking. “This isn’t up to you, Hugh. It’s my deal. You aren’t going to save me here. You can’t make my problems go away by shifting or using your animal instincts. In fact, you should get your ass back on your plane and fly as far away from me as you possibly can.”

He crowded her personal space and whispered, “You relinquished control over me the instant you told me who you were, so don’t even think about pulling that crap on me. I didn’t run then and I’m not running now. I know you haven’t told me everything and that’s fine. I haven’t told you everything either. But I am here to protect you whether you like it or not.”

“You’re not making this easy on me.”

“I’m not trying to make it easy. I’m trying to get through to you.” His hands came up and cupped her cheeks. The familiar touch made her ache for more of him.

If he kept looking at her with those sincere eyes of his, she’d crumble. “And I’m trying to tell you to knock it off.”

An exhausted sigh sounded before he dropped his hands and answered. “Fine. You win.”

They strode to the front desk in silence. A young woman with a perky nose and perfect white teeth smiled from a distance. Her attentive gaze immediately annoyed Tess. The woman practically drooled as her eyes swept over Hugh. What the hell kind of professional welcome was that? She reached for his hand and tightened her fingers around his.

“Checking in?” the woman asked.

Tess wanted to answer, “No shit, Sherlock,” but refrained.

“Yes. Hugh Langston.”

“Welcome to the US Grant, Mr. Langston.” Her high-pitched voice sounded worse than fingernails on chalkboard. “I’ve got a suite all ready for you.”

A suite? Quivers shot down her arms when Hugh picked up her hand again and led the way to the elevator. She hadn’t given any thought to their room arrangements, but now she wished she had. If she let herself tumble into the sheets with him, she’d lose any last thread of resistance. In a very short time he’d been her biggest influence and changed the way she thought.

And she still hadn’t figured out how to avoid eliminating him.

She concentrated on controlling the beat of her heart because she did not want him knowing what spending the night in a suite did to her. And because she’d gotten good at reading his body language and surmised he had no plans to sleep. His chest puffed out and his steps hurried while his grip on her hand intensified.

“Do you think Dobson’s already here?” Business. She needed to talk about business.

“I don’t know. Thought you might want to try and get a line on him when we get to the room.”

She dropped her shoulders. “Oh good. We’ll get right to work then?”

“Did you have something else is mind?” He raised his eyebrows and nailed her with his distracting cobalt eyes.

Yes. “No. I’m happy you want to get to work. I don’t think I could fall asleep right now. I’m too keyed up about finally meeting Dobson. I’ll use your laptop to access my email and retrieve the documentation I’ve been accumulating over the years. It’s not much, but maybe you’ll see something I haven’t now that we know he’s connected to the Wolf Seekers.”

They reached the tenth floor and Hugh held open the elevator doors. “That sounds like a good place to start.”

“I can’t help but think he’s got some connection to the Night Runners too. I don’t know why, besides the fact that he’s helping to harm your pack. Something just feels off.”

“I agree.” He followed her down the hallway.

“And I think this big meeting tomorrow night might be about you.” It seemed like more than a coincidence that the day she had to eliminate Hugh corresponded with the day of this big meeting. “And your place as pack leader.”

“Hmm.”

“I mean besides me, there is that Banoth that tried to kill you.”

He led them around a corner, paying little attention to her. “Good point.”

“You’re not saying much.”

As they reached the door of their suite, Hugh stopped and finally looked at her. “You seemed to be on a roll. I didn’t want to stop you.”

“Since when don’t you interrupt me?” She put her hands on her hips and jutted her chin out. The bag on her shoulder slid down to her elbow, but she made no move to right it.

“Since I’m not in charge. I’m biting my tongue here, Tess. And it sure as hell isn’t easy. I’m about ready to strangle myself with this self control crap.” A low growl escaped his lips. “I don’t like putting our win-lose strategy in your hands.”

“What is that supposed to mean? Win or lose what? And I’m perfectly capable of being in charge and succeeding.”

He slipped the keycard into the door slot and ushered her inside. “Do you think you’re just going to stroll into that meeting and get the answers you want? I’ve got a lot at stake here too. I’m the alpha and the Night Runners are my responsibility. I don’t want harm coming to them.”

“Strolling isn’t what I had in mind.” Truthfully, she had no idea what she had in mind. She hadn’t had time to think things through. Not that she ever made a plan, anyway.

Suddenly, she found herself pushed up against the wall by Hugh. Muted light from somewhere behind him illuminated the angle of his jaw, the slope of his nose. His dark eyes were difficult to decipher, but enough heat radiated off him to make her own temperature spike up a notch.

“Crashing through the window isn’t the best plan of attack either.”

“What makes you think I’d make such a grand entrance? I’ll have you know I’ve got a little more self control than that.”

When it came to controlling the desire to kiss him, to wrap her legs around him and spend the night making love rather than strategizing, she hoped she had the strength.

“How much?” He inched a little bit closer.

“How much what?” Her heart pounded in her ears, warmth spread between her legs, and every rational thought flew out of her head.

He slipped a hand around her waist, and with a voice sexy enough to lodge a permanent lump in her throat, said, “How much self control do you really have?”

Once again, confusion swamped her. She wanted nothing more than to tell him to strip her naked and do everything they’d done a few nights ago. But he was her target. She was supposed to eliminate him or harm could come to Kensie and Francesca. As much as she didn’t want to, as much as she planned not to, she wasn’t sure what to do to get herself out of this predicament and save him. She did know making love to him again would only make her fall harder for him—if that was even possible.

Somewhere between Los Angeles and San Diego during his lecture on saving her from P.I.E., she realized she’d fallen in love with him. Listening to him declare how much he wanted to save her, she discovered he cared more about her than she did herself. No one had ever thought her that special before.

“Well?” he asked when she didn’t answer right away.

Maybe it was a defense mechanism because she didn’t know if his caring meant love, but either way, something struck her. He was taking control. Manipulating her with his sex appeal. And she didn’t like it. Not one little bit. Well, maybe she liked it a tiny bit. Okay, she liked it a lot. But he didn’t have to know that.

“More than you, bucko.” She pushed him out of the way, hit the light switch and took a good look at the suite.

His laugh drew a smile to her face. Thank God she had her back to him and he couldn’t see it.

The suite was a giant open room with a contemporary yet elegant feel. Near the expansive window was a sitting area with a settee, chairs, coffee table and lamp. A huge flat screen TV filled half of one wall, and to the left stood a desk and armoire. Across from that was a king-sized bed with a French headboard and linens that looked good enough to stay in for days.

“I’ve got to use the bathroom,” she said, because she didn’t know what else to say and per usual when she was alone with him, needed a chance to take a few deep breaths and get her body and thoughts in check.

“Take your time.”

Without looking at him, she hurried out of the room and to the doorway on the right. His take your time sounded like he’d wait for as long as it took. He wasn’t letting her off the hook.

She flipped on the light, gently shut the door and took those deep breaths. The bathroom was lovely with a marble counter, a curved glass enclosed shower, designer amenities and best of all, thick, soft terry robes hanging on the back of the door.

She moved to the sink to splash cold water on her face. Dabbing a towel across her forehead and cheeks afterward, she studied the face in the mirror.

At twenty-eight, she could still pass for a college student when her hair was up in a ponytail. There were slight bags under her eyes—no doubt due to lack of sleep this past week. And she’d never liked the freckles across her nose. But when her appraisal fell to her mouth, she studied her lips and smiled, remembering the first time she’d kissed Hugh. She’d done it to save his life, but thinking about the sensations coursing through her body while they’d locked lips, she knew the kiss had meant more than a good deed. It was the beginning of a new life for her.

After losing Jason, risk became her greatest pleasure. She lived and breathed work, taking on any case without much regard for her own personal safety. She went undercover to investigate and eliminate dangerous individuals. The belief that she fought evil justified her every move and made the chances she took worth it.

When she wasn’t working, she was pushing boundaries in extreme sports to keep busy and help her forget the loss of her parents and Jason.

But now, staring at herself in the mirror, she realized the adrenaline rush she got from living life on the edge and being fearless in her job wasn’t enough to make her forget she was alone.

She’d met someone who pumped life back into her deflated heart.

Hugh.

Even though it scared her to death to love someone again and risk losing him, maybe companionship was the biggest gamble of all. The biggest thrill that led to the biggest reward.

Was she ready for that? Her body shivered before she noticed a pair of unbearably keen eyes trained on her from around the doorframe.

“Hey, you okay? You’ve been in here a while and when I called your name, you didn’t answer.” Hugh’s head moved farther into the room.

“Worried about me?” When was the last time someone had done that?

His entire frame came into view and more shivers ran down her arms. “I’m not sure how I should answer that.”

“You could al—”

“I’ll always tell you the truth, Tess.” His eyes held hers in the mirror as he stepped behind her.

Warm hands rubbed her upper arms and just like that, she melted. Her head lolled back against his chest.

“You’re shivering,” he said, moving his hands up and down a little faster. “Are you okay?”

Tess couldn’t speak. She couldn’t find her voice. Words ran through her mind in incoherent sentences. All she could do was shake her head no.

He moved even closer and her eyes fluttered shut as she enjoyed the feel of being cocooned in his arms. When his lips brushed the side of her temple, she lifted her lids. The song Hungry Like the Wolf played in her head when she noticed the blue of his irises spotted with gold. And not for the first time, she guessed the animal in him wanted to claim her as much as the man did. All the tension vanished from her body.

“I think I’m suffering from the same thing,” he whispered.

The decision to love him or leave him warred inside her. She’d lost most of her faith after Jason had died, but right now she wanted to choose faith over common sense and see where it led her.

“And I think I know the cure,” he said. “I want you.”

At that moment, there was nothing she wanted more than him. “Okay.”

Chapter Sixteen

“What are you doing?”

“Warming up the room.” Hugh finished turning the knob on the shower and returned to her backside. “You still feel cold.”

“I thought you were going to warm me up.” She remained where she was, hands on the countertop, speaking to the Hugh in the mirror.

When his chest met her back, every muscle in her body tingled. She leaned against him, unable to stay steady. His mouth dotted the side of her neck with kisses that turned her into a submissive sack of softness.

“Oh, I am.” His husky voice annihilated any last hope of composure.

His hands slid down her sides before finding their way to the front of her shirt. He cupped her breasts, pushed them up, massaged them, rolled his thumbs over her pert nipples. A quiet moan escaped her lips.

She wiggled her ass, made contact with his erection and wiggled some more.

He growled and danced his fingers down her stomach, slid them under her shirt and started back up again.

Steam filled the room, removing the chill that had settled around her earlier. With a slow, deliberate lift of his arms, he pulled her shirt over her head and let it fall to the floor. His lips slid to her shoulders and collarbone while those magic fingers of his undid the clasp of her bra.

She watched him in the mirror. His eyes were hooded and he seemed to be enjoying every taste, every feel. His fingertips drew circles around her breasts, then her nipples. He pinched the tight, hard points. A jolt of pleasure rolled through her.

Reaching back, she found the snap on his jeans, undid it and followed with a tug on his zipper. His erection sprang free. He let out a ragged sigh.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” he whispered, catching her gaze in the mirror before the fog completely took away their view of each other.

“Tell me.”

“I crave you. Need you. More than I ever imagined I would need anyone.” He kissed her earlobe, the nape of her neck.

“Your scent drives me wild.” He breathed in her hair as his hands moved down to the zipper on her jeans. “Your skin begs me to taste it.” His tongue swirled around her shoulder.

Her entire body alighted with sensations she didn’t want to end. The tips of her fingers tingled, the pit of her stomach did cartwheels, her legs shook with crazy need.

He winked at her just before the last bit of clear mirror fogged up. Then he spun her around and pressed her against the sink. “You make my days better. And you cause me so much pain that for the first time in my life I’m feeling. Really feeling.”

The sincerity on his face when he spoke scared the shit out of her. She felt the pain too. Felt it in her bones.

“I know what you mean,” she whispered.

“Do you?” He kissed her and didn’t stop until he’d shoved her pants down her legs, shucked his pants and boxer briefs, and roamed his hands over every inch of her body.

Then he cupped her mound and massaged his thumb across her most sensitive spot. Even through the thin material of her G-string, he stoked a fire inside her she wanted to burn all night. He dipped one, then two fingers underneath and traced her wet folds with exquisite pressure. All the while, he never stopped kissing her.

“Hugh,” she moaned. She gripped his wrist.

He got the message and they separated. She pulled his shirt over his head. He slid her panties off. Then he lifted her up onto the counter and angled himself between her legs. Sweat trickled down the side of his face, his chest glistened from the moisture in the room. Perspiration tickled her own skin, moving down between her breasts.

His mouth took hers again while she wrapped her arms around his neck. The feel of him made her forget all of her troubles, all the decisions weighing on her. She wanted to trade every sky dive, every bungee jump, every outdoor risk, for the thrill of being with him. A willingness to risk it all overwhelmed her.

Everything she thought she knew about love was wrong. Her time with Jason had merely been a precursor for true love because the feelings he’d given her paled in comparison to how she felt now. Hugh made her want to survive, to put more stock in her own worth. She wanted to live to see another day. Another day with him in it.

His hands cupped her bottom and moved her to the edge of the marble. His cock touched her center, and she couldn’t wait to have him buried deep inside her.

“No one else, Tess,” he said, lifting his head and holding her chin in his hand. “No one else ever touches you again. I’m the only one who gets to kiss that sexy mouth of yours. The only one who gets to suck on your tits. The only one who gets to taste between your legs. And I’m the only one who gets to bury himself inside your sweet pussy and make you come. You’re mine to keep.”

Tess shivered. The naughty words turned her on so much she almost came. But that last declaration? Her heart stopped. “Do you mean…”

The different colors swirling in his irises kept her riveted. “I mean this cosmic pull between us isn’t normal. Not a second goes by that you’re not in my head. And if you have to kill me in order to save yourself, I’ll happily oblige.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “I mean you’re my mate.”

Those words sounded better than anything she’d ever heard before. Better than Jason’s marriage proposal. Better than hearing the word love. Because she knew a mate meant for life.

But even though she felt the same way about him, how could she be his mate when she had no clue what her future held?

I can’t be.

No matter how much his words made her want to believe the two of them had a chance, she reminded herself her first commitment was still to P.I.E. and her roommates.

“Hugh…”

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t say anything.” The head of his cock nudged her opening. “I don’t want to hear how it’s impossible.” He slid inside her. Slowly, oh so slowly. “So stay quiet and let me show you tonight how much you mean to me.” He pressed all the way in.

One more night with Hugh might be all she had.

She took it.

“What did Trey say?” Tess asked.

“Six o’clock.” Hugh hit end on his phone and swiveled the desk chair to look at her. He neglected to mention that Trey told him Dane was in San Diego too. Something wasn’t right about that, and he wanted to think before filling her in. He remembered Dane had a relative in the area, but he didn’t know he’d scheduled a visit.

“That’s two hours from now.” She remained clear on the other side of the room, sitting on the bed and looking through her bag.

For the gun with a mercury-tipped bullet perhaps?

Time ticked away, and he knew from the silent treatment she’d given him since lunch, she was trying to figure out what the hell to do.

After getting only a couple hours of sleep last night because they’d been too busy ravaging each other, he couldn’t imagine she’d be able to follow through with her elimination assignment. Especially after he’d told her she was his mate. But there was something she wasn’t telling him, and he didn’t know whether it had to do with him, the job or finally meeting Dobson. He’d let his human-sentient side come to the surface briefly and sensed a mixture of worry and affection. Fear, too. But not because she was scared. It was more like dread.

His phone rang again. Tess lifted her head and he divided his attention between her and the caller’s number.

Even from across the room, he made out the sprinkling of freckles across her nose, smelled the scent of hotel soap mixed with her own unique fragrance. He’d never get it out of his system. He forced his eyes away.

“Dane. Where are you?”

“I’m in San Diego. Trey told me to get in touch with you. Where are you?”

Hugh hesitated. “San Diego as well.”

Silence lasted several seconds before Dane spoke up. “Is there something going on I should know about? Do you need my help with something?”

Dane’s tone suggested the offer was out of obligation, not commitment. Hugh should be used to that by now, but given the tenuous situation before him, he’d hoped to gain some confidence in his pack mate. Instead, doubt and suspicion plagued him.

“What are you doing in San Diego?” he asked.

“Visiting family. It came up last minute.” Dane cleared his throat and Hugh could just make out the sound of someone else breathing over the phone line. “How about I come meet you for a drink? Where you staying?”

In all the years they’d known each other, Dane had never asked for such a cordial encounter.

Hugh zeroed in on Tess’s black pupils surrounded by a brilliant blue-green, and took the strength and alliance he saw there to help him make his decision.

“How about five o’clock? The lobby bar of the US Grant Hotel.” He had no reason to suspect Dane was in town for anything other than family, but hairs standing on the back of his neck put him on alert.

“I’ll be there.”

Hugh hung up and closed the distance to Tess. He sat at the foot of the bed, leaving some space between them. She kept her eyes trained on him with one hand in her bag.

Could she do it? Could she eliminate him?

“Care to share what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”

“If I do, I might have to kill you.” The muscles in her face barely moved as she spoke.

“Try me.”

She pulled her arm from her bag. “It’s complicated and up to me to figure out. I’m the one in charge here, remember?”

Hugh let go of the breath he held. Her hand was empty. “Yeah, I remember. I’m waiting for you to get bossy.”

He had every intention of playing along with her plans, but had spent most of the day thinking about his own plan of action.

She narrowed her eyes and straightened her back, which only drew his attention to the beautiful mounds beneath her T-shirt.

“Hugh! Can you keep your attention up here, please?” She made a motion with her hand to indicate above the neck.

At least he’d finally gotten a reaction out of her, which was much better than the monotone voice and minimal body mechanics of the last four hours. “Sure. Start talking.”

“Fine.” She stayed erect. Probably to torture him. “Since we’ve narrowed it down to one of the top floor suites for the meeting—”

“That’s not the kind of talking I meant.” He scooted a little closer without any intention of touching her. He just wanted to include her on the ledge he stood on.

She hopped off the bed. “That’s the only kind you’re going to get right now,” she said, making a beeline for the window across the room.

If she thought her backside would keep his focus off her body, she was mistaken. He watched her move and couldn’t help but think about how he’d navigated every inch of her last night. She made him vulnerable—made the human side of him want to fight to the death to protect her while the wolf side of him wanted her to tame his savage soul.

“I’m going to show up as a room service attendant and knock on the doors until I find the right one,” she continued.

“That’s original.”

She turned with the kind of perturbed posture a disgruntled teenager might wear. One shoulder was higher than the other, one leg was bent, the other straight. Her head slanted to the side and her arms were crossed.

“Do you have a better idea?” she asked with a sassy tone that shouldn’t turn him on when they needed to focus on business, but did anyway.

“Of course I do.”

But before he could share it with her, there was a knock.

He used his superhuman speed to get to the door before her. He had no idea who stood on the other side, but his skin prickled, his muscles tensed and instincts told him to be cautious.

Tess stood behind him a few seconds later, her warm breath on his neck. “Let me answer it.”

“No.”

She tried to get around him. He countered her every move with one of his own, keeping his back to her attempts. Didn’t she realize he had seventy-five pounds on her and several inches in every direction?

“Dammit, Hugh. Let me get it.”

Another knock sounded. He ignored her and opened the door.

Dane stood in the hallway, looking rather amused in a relaxed stance. “Am I interrupting something?”

“What—” he and Tess said simultaneously before she backed away.

“What are you doing here?” Hugh continued, opening the door wide enough for Dane to enter.

The Night Runner strolled past Hugh and stopped in the middle of the room to look around. Hugh noticed his attention linger on the computer and desk area before settling on Tess. She leaned against the side of the couch, her hands bracing on the arm as if she were waiting for the right moment to launch off.

“The hotel was closer than I thought, and the young woman at the front desk was kind enough to give me your room number so I could come get you.” He stood with his arms at his side, his fingers twitching.

Tension filled the room.

“Bull—”

“Tess,” Hugh interrupted, “can I see you over here for a minute?”

She pushed off the couch, took a detour by the bed to retrieve her bag, and met him near the bathroom door.

“I want you to stay in the bathroom for a few minutes while I talk to Dane,” he whispered.

“The hell I will. He’s lying and I want to know why.”

“I’ll find out what’s going on, not you.” No way was Dane’s being in San Diego a coincidence and Hugh needed to interrogate him alone.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “It sounds like you don’t trust me.”

“You are the one with the mercury bullet.”

She blinked long enough for him to see the corner of her eye spasm. When her lids lifted he saw pain in the blue-green depths, but he refused to acknowledge it. He was protecting her, goddammit. Reminding her if push came to shove, she had a job to do.

“This isn’t your deal, it’s ours. Dane’s arrival means something, and knowing the history between the two of you, I might be able to get more information out of him than you,” Tess said.

“Get in the bathroom, Tess.”

“You can’t force me in there.”

He darted his gaze to Dane. His pack mate wasn’t hiding his interest in their conversation. Hell, he’d most likely heard every word. Hugh readied himself to end the show. “Watch me.”

Faster than he’d give her credit for, Tess moved out of his reach. With her arms in the air, a twirl in her stride and a voice to rival Mary Poppins, she said, “Oh Hugh, don’t be silly. Dane would love for me to join you in a drink. Wouldn’t you, Dane?”

“Actually—”

“I don’t think he would.” Hugh’s swift stride carried him to Tess’s side before she had time to lower her arms. He took her wrist with a firm hold. “We’ve got pack business to discuss.”

“I can speak for myself, Hugh.” Dane remained in statuesque form a step away from Tess’s flailing free arm. “And I was about to say I do have business to discuss that needs to be done in private.”

“Come on boys. I promise I won’t tell.” She brought a hand to her chest and drew an X across her shirt. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Her words cut into Hugh deeper than if she’d held a knife to his skin. Even though it was a common saying, he didn’t like hearing the word die come from her lips. Because reality was, someone might. Tonight.

Tess’s pulse raced under his hand. She might appear calm but she was anything but. He knew she was angry, but more than anger made her heart beat faster.

He gently laid her arm at her side and wished he didn’t have to let go. “Stay here. I’ll be back in forty-five minutes.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Dane chuckled. “Does Hugh know how to kid?”

Hugh ignored the comment and brought his mouth to her ear. “Don’t go anywhere without me.”

“Where would I go?” she asked, disdain in her tone. “I’ve got nothing better to do than sit here and wait for you. I’ll just clean out my purse. It’s full of useless crap.”

Tess skipped—skipped? Whatever it was, it wasn’t walking—to the couch and plopped down like an entitled princess who hadn’t gotten her way. When she wanted to lay it on thick, she sure knew how to work it. No wonder she was so successful at her job.

With her bag in her lap, she gave him a huge smile that reached the corners of her eyes. The kind of smile that told him when he walked out of the room there was no telling what she might do. Damn her. But he had to talk to Dane in private to get to the bottom of his reasons for being in San Diego. Every muscle in his back clenched. He trusted Dane less and less every minute.

The trust he had in Tess, however—or was it wishful thinking?—won out, despite his worry she’d do something stupid. He had to go for the drink. Had to confirm or refute his doubts about Dane. Pack loyalty was crucial at the moment.

“I won’t be long,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine here all by myself.” She rummaged in her purse rather than look his way.

Guilt overcame him. He knew she’d be fine by herself, but he hated leaving her alone. If anything happened to her while he was gone, he’d never forgive himself.

Nothing’s going to happen to her. She’d proven to him several times she was tough, that she was capable of handling any situation. So why was he worried?

Could it be the slight smile he saw spread across Dane’s face as they headed toward the door?

A sick feeling turned his stomach, and sounding snider than he intended he said, “Let’s get this over with.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Dane said.

“Hugh,” Tess called as Dane preceded him into the hallway.

He stopped right before crossing the threshold, closed the door halfway, and looked back at her.

“Be careful.” Her voice was so quiet he barely made out the words. But he heard them, and his doubt about her agenda lessened.

Tess shot up from the couch the minute the door closed. The last time she’d followed them, she’d been caught. Could she pull it off this time? Doubtful. And really, this was what she wanted, right? She wanted to be on her own. She didn’t need backup. Didn’t need Hugh getting in her way.

The tiny matter of eliminating him loomed over her like a fourteen-foot giant dripping in sweat and smelling worse than week-old fish left on the kitchen counter, but she’d deal with that later.

She pulled out her cell and tried Kensie and Francesca. They hadn’t answered any of her earlier calls or dialed back from the messages she’d left. “It’s urgent,” she’d said. “I’m in San Diego and we really need to talk. Please call me back as soon as possible.” They had a deal, the three of them, that if they said “urgent” it meant a call back was imperative.

But once again their voicemails picked up, promising to return the call as soon as they could.

They can’t call me back.

Her mouth went dry, and the back of her throat squeezed shut. Had Christian done something already? Was he set to carry out his promise if Tess didn’t follow through with hers?

When she’d started with P.I.E. as a teenager, she thought the organization justified in its mission. Never did any doubt cross her mind that she wasn’t doing the right thing. She’d promised Christian, promised herself, she’d always remain loyal. P.I.E., after all, had given her a life, a family.

But the waters were muddy now. The evil she’d always thought was on the other side of the coin now had two faces. She’d just been too blind to see it. It took meeting Hugh to show her that her past had been marred by narrow-minded beliefs, by thinking she owed her place in society to P.I.E.

Tonight would change all that.

She’d finally put to rest Jason’s death and then…

Her heart hammered inside her chest. She paced back and forth around the room, thinking she’d rather be struck by lightning than face the night ahead. Wasn’t there a demon family in her past that would be more than happy to strike her down? Right now would be a good time.

No, it wouldn’t.

She never backed down from anything.

Then again, she’d never had so much to lose.

She had to stop thinking so much. Until today, she’d been comfortable moving into action without a plan, didn’t let deadlines bother her. Her instincts were just as good as any half-shifters and with no sidekick to worry about, maybe storming into Dobson’s meeting was a good idea. It required less finesse and more ass-kicking—exactly what she needed right now.

The room service disguise would get her in the door, so without further thought, she grabbed her bag and headed out. As her hand reached for the doorknob, a knock sounded. Shit. Was Hugh back already? He must have forgotten his wallet or something.

She quickly moved to the bedside table and put her purse down before rushing back to the door. She didn’t want him thinking she was leaving. Then, without a second thought, she swung the door wide and stared into the eyes of the one man she did not want to see. Her boss.

“Hello, Tess.”

An uncomfortable, clammy feeling spread over her skin. Her stomach clenched. Stupid, stupid, stupid. If it had been Hugh at the door, he wouldn’t have knocked. He’d have had a key in his pocket and come right in. She had lost her touch.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” She wiped her hands down her jeans.

“Aren’t you going to ask me in?”

Tess got the feeling if she didn’t let him inside the room in the next second, she might lose a limb.

All her limbs were of utmost importance at the moment.

“Of course. Come on in.” She stepped to the side and caught a whiff of his cologne. Her nose twitched and she drew her top lip in to prevent a sneeze.

She pushed the door shut with the back of her foot. Christian strode to the couch, his head turning left, then right. He took in everything in the suite, and when he twisted to sit, his penetrating gaze went right through her.

Does he know what I was doing in here last night? The made bed was from her hand, not a maid’s, so it was anything but perfect. She prayed any color in her cheeks didn’t give away her feelings for Hugh.

She had two choices. Stare right back and refuse to let him intimidate her. Or look away and play the hapless female off her game trying to right her workmanship. Because her boss was a lot of things but idiot wasn’t one of them.

He wasn’t in town to pay a friendly visit and see if she needed help with her assignment. He was in town because he didn’t trust that she’d finish her assignment without botching something up again.

If he’d found out about George, it wouldn’t matter what she did.

“Are you enjoying San Diego?” His even-keeled tone sent shivers across her shoulder blades, and she couldn’t help but flinch.

The direct approach had always worked best for her in the past, so she held her ground and his gaze and spoke with her own version of the dull, upper-crust voice she loathed hearing from his lips. “How did you know I was here?”

He unbuttoned his suit coat and brushed large, manicured hands down the top of his thighs like there was lint on the dark slacks. “Since when do you answer a question with a question?” Agitation laced his words.

The disconcert sent a gulp the size of an orange down her throat and a sharp pain radiated from her chest and spread through her body like a lit fuse. He’d never let emotion into his words before. Which meant only one thing.

He knew.

She was as good as dead.

“You here to kill me?” What the fuck? She may as well cut to the chase and get to the bottom of his unpleasant visit. If she had any hope of getting to Dobson’s meeting on time, things needed to progress quickly.

“Another question? Tess, you’re begging me to.” A spaghetti-thin smile spread across his face, his black eyes sparkled with sinister intent. “Have you completed your assignment?”

Now probably wasn’t the best time to stretch the truth. “Not yet. Is that why you’re here?” Desperation built up inside her. She clenched her jaw.

“Why the delay?”

Tess almost asked why he got to answer a question with a question, but refrained. She kept her eyes trained on him, and the longer they waged a staring contest, the more strength started to bubble inside her. She no longer looked at him the same way. No longer believed he shared any compassion. The man that had saved her when she was sixteen had preyed on her weaknesses.

Think, Tess. She recalled their original meeting on the topic, ignoring their last discussion where he couldn’t care less. “He’s proven a more difficult target than I anticipated, and the personal dealings you wanted information on have been harder to come by. The standards I’ve been taught by P.I.E.—investigate, find sufficient evidence to warrant removal, then kill—all point to innocence.”

“The client has gathered his own data. I told you to simply eliminate him.” His inflexible tone told her it was pointless to argue.

Which meant the client didn’t give a shit whether or not Hugh deserved to be killed. It was personal. She fisted her hands. Her suspicions had been right.

“I’ve still got a few hours.”

Whoever wanted Hugh dead wanted him out of the way. And if that was the case, there was reason to believe the meeting between the Night Runners and the Wolf Seekers definitely had something to do with him. Did Dobson know about Hugh’s elimination order?

More than anything, Tess needed to get to that meeting.

And preferably before Hugh got back to the room. She didn’t want to make introductions that would end in bloodshed. Not tonight.

Not ever again.

Zero emotion showed on Christian’s face.

She finally got her feet to move and leaned against the back of the armchair. “I’m sure you already know, but my mark is here in the hotel. It won’t be a problem to get close enough to eliminate him. I’ve got it under control. What I need is for you to trust me.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“And leave me to handle things on my own.” She was taking a big leap of faith and gambling with her almost perfect record.

“Trust”—he let the word linger by its lonesome for what seemed like an eternity—“is not for the asking. However, I will honor your deadline.”

“Thank you.” She knew he was playing with her. But if she had any hope of getting to Dobson, getting to Hugh and figuring out how to save his ass and hers, she had to get the hell away from Christian.

Unfortunately, he made no motion to get up and go. Was he going to wait for her to bring back Hugh’s head?

“Is there anything else?” she asked, fighting the urge to wrinkle his well-groomed appearance with one swift roundhouse kick to the chest.

“As a matter of fact, there is.” He scooted back, making himself more comfortable on the couch. “Tell me why.”

“Why what?” She gripped the back of the chair to keep her knees from buckling. Why she didn’t want to eliminate anymore? Why she couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him? Why there was something else she had to do before she died? “Or how about why doesn’t innocence matter? Since you seem hell bent on eliminating someone honest.”

His eyes narrowed. “Why now?”

She had no idea what he meant by that. “I don’t understand what you’re asking.” And really, she wished he’d just drop it. Whatever game he was playing, only he knew the rules. That pissed her off, but did ease the tension his arrival had caused. She was ready for battle now. Ready to fight him to save Hugh if it came down to it.

Before he had a chance to reply, the click of the key card being used on the door reached her ears. Anxiety rushed back into her bloodstream.

Hugh.

Every muscle in her body went rigid. Sudden, severe stabs of regret hit every major organ. There was no way she’d get to the door in time to stop his entrance.

Chapter Seventeen

“Expecting someone?” Christian asked, sounding well informed and not the least bit surprised. He knew who was at the door. He’d been keeping tabs on her again. The violation of privacy twisted her stomach into a knot.

Lacking enough time to rush to the door, Tess ran to the bedside table to grab her bag. Christian, however, was fast on his feet, and by the time she’d secured the bag in her hands, his arms were around her torso with a knife at her neck.

Tension in her body escalated. She clutched her bag to her waist, hoping he wouldn’t make her drop it. She didn’t dare move, or try to free herself from his grip—not until she figured out what to do. His actions confused her. Did he really plan on killing her right here? Right now? Before she eliminated Hugh?

The suite door swung open, and when her eyes met Hugh’s, she wanted to be anywhere but in that room. He registered the situation immediately, and in a single blink, his blue eyes turned to liquid fire. She shook her head, pleading for him not to shift. Not to act without thinking, because if they took things slowly, the pieces of this puzzle might become clear.

“Take your hands off her,” Hugh growled, the transformation beginning.

A hand landed on Hugh’s shoulder. Dane. He nudged Hugh forward, his eyes narrowed at her, a small curve of satisfaction on his lips. The door closed with a thud.

“Careful, there,” Dane said.

Hugh shrugged off Dane’s hand and put space between himself and his pack mate. Then with the subtle finesse of an animal hunting its prey, he stepped toward her. She shook her head, this time more slowly, carefully. She didn’t want Hugh getting too close. Didn’t want him in harm’s way even though he was perfectly capable of defending himself.

“Put the knife down,” Hugh said.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Not yet.”

The tip of the blade pressed into her skin, and rage made her muscles flex. If Christian thought he could put an end to her, he had another thing coming. She had a few things to do first. Namely, save Hugh.

“Tess, you okay?” Hugh moved his gaze from Christian to her.

“Peachy. I love having a knife at my throat. How about you? How’d those drinks go? Oh, and this is my boss, Christian Summers. Christian, Hugh Langston. But I think you already knew that.”

If she’d gone with them for drinks, she wouldn’t be in this predicament. But this dilemma had landed her right in the middle of something. Something she’d better hurry and figure out in the next thirty seconds or someone might get killed. She glanced over Hugh’s shoulder. Dane… She narrowed her eyes. Dane knew her boss. His uptight stance and twisted smile confirmed it.

“I’m not going to ask again,” Hugh said, staring at Christian. Tess could literally feel the rage coming off him in waves.

“Don’t threaten me, Mr. Langston. I can’t be held responsible for my actions if I’m intimidated.” He let the knife slip. “Oops.”

Tess felt the puncture, felt blood trickle down her neck. She’d never hated her boss more than at that moment. The sting made her eyes burn, but she otherwise remained calm. If she showed any sort of emotion, that meant Christian won. Hugh, on the other hand, looked ready to pounce.

“He’s just making a point, Hugh. I’m fine. Let’s all take a deep breath and have a nice little chat.”

Hugh acknowledged her request with a disgruntled frown and a forced blink of his eyes. She appreciated his restraint. She knew the only reason he hadn’t attacked when he walked through the door was because he wanted information as much as she did.

“Excellent idea,” Christian said, tugging her with him to the sitting area.

He shoved her into the chair and took the spot next to her on the couch, close enough to intimidate, but far enough to allow for breathing room. The knife, stained with her blood, remained at the ready in his hand. He leaned back casually, like he didn’t have a care in the world. His expression gave nothing away but confidence.

Tess tried not to let her smirk show. The man was off his game. He’d left Tess with her bag. Idiot. She held on to it like it was take-out—not a big deal, she could take it or leave it. That way it wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention.

Dane gave Hugh a push from behind. “Take a seat.”

“Excuse me? Since when do you give me orders?” Malice laced Hugh’s words, his feet moving only after a beat.

“Since he and my boss know each other,” she piped in. Whatever the reason for Christian’s arrival, it was no coincidence that Dane was present too. They were in cahoots. Tess hadn’t learned to read people for nothing.

In fact, Tess would wager that Dane worked for Christian. The Night Runner kept his eyes on her boss as if waiting for instructions. Dane couldn’t keep still, some body part always in motion. Tension crossed his face, lines she hadn’t noticed before were clearly visible now.

He couldn’t be an eliminator, could he? Sent as backup? Impossible. There aren’t any Veiler eliminators. At least none to her knowledge.

Hugh halted. “What are you talking—”

“Give the girl a gold star,” Dane said, shoving Hugh toward the sitting area before he could turn around to face him. “Now take a seat so we can take care of business.”

It killed her to see Hugh’s muscles strain, his jaw clench. And she knew it took every ounce of his strength to stay cool in hopes of learning something that had to do with his pack.

“Do not touch me again. If you do, I’m going to rip your throat out.” Hugh filled the chair next to her, his close proximity both killing her and giving her hope.

Stillness swept over the room and she stood, uncomfortable with the momentary peace. She had no illusions Christian would let her leave, but she had to try. Had to do something. “I just remembered I’ve got a meeting to—”

“There is no other meeting,” Christian said with his usual calm, cool demeanor.

How the hell would he know?

Oh God. Wait a minute. Sharp pain sliced through her head. Her breathing accelerated. She cleared her throat and swallowed down emotion threatening to weaken her resolve.

She’d been set up. The deadline on Hugh’s elimination, the meeting, it was all a way to get her out of Los Angeles so she and Hugh could be dealt with discreetly. Christian and whoever wanted Hugh dead had orchestrated this whole thing.

But what about Dobson? What about the wolfen that had killed Jason? Where did he fit in?

He… He was right in front of her. As sure as she knew her own name, she knew Dane was Dobson. Shock swept through her, her knees felt brittle—one step and she’d be forced to crawl.

She blinked away the pain, anger and tears threatening to strip her strength away. It made perfect sense now. He’d avoided the Banoth and pretty much threatened her afterward. He’d given Hugh info from his “contacts”. And out of the corner of her eye at the park the night they’d rescued Trey, hadn’t she noticed him help a Wolf Seeker up, rather than knock him down? She’d thought it impossible at the time. Thought her eyes were playing a trick. They weren’t fooling her now.

But why had he killed Jason? Her pulse sped up, her vision blurred. For five long years, she’d waited for this moment.

Adrenaline kicked up fury inside her, and it took every ounce of willpower she had not to leap across the room and break his neck.

“Looks like the meeting found us,” Hugh said, shaking Tess from her thoughts.

He’d figured it out too, and the urgency to leave the suite dissipated. In its place roared an urge to whip out her weapons and kill. But she didn’t do that anymore. Her brain was falling back on memory, going on autopilot. She’d killed for a living for so long she didn’t know anything else. Not when she stood there harboring so much hostility she wanted to lash out and destroy everything around her.

She hated feeling like a fool. How long had Christian known she’d been searching for Dobson? How much had Dane told him about her relationship with Hugh?

Why was she ordered to eliminate him?

Glare from the setting sun ricocheted around the hotel room while silence sounded louder than thunder. She noticed the wheels turning on her enemies’ faces and wanted to stop them from whatever they were planning. For the first time in twelve years, she felt absolutely nothing but contempt for her boss.

“It’s nice to finally put a face to the name, Dobson,” Tess said, expelling a deep breath. In relief? In worry? She didn’t know. Suddenly, numbness spread out from her core, and thinking coherently became questionable.

Was she resigning herself to the end of the line?

Hugh snarled, but kept still, and once again Tess appreciated his restraint. He knew how important this moment was for her.

“You like my face, huh?”

“Screw you, Dane. I hate your face. And I hate you,” she said.

Dane stared back and smiled. “No shit. You wear your heart on your sleeve, Tess.”

No, she did not. Her heart was well-guarded. Asshole.

“At least you do now,” he added. “Five years ago, you could’ve fooled me.”

His words threw her into outrage, and there was no containing her anger anymore. Quickly, she reached into her bag and pulled out her gun. She shoved her chair back with her leg to give herself a little more standing room, and spread her legs for solid balance. Then, with a steady hand, she aimed the weapon at Dane’s heart.

She couldn’t figure out why no one in the room moved. Maybe they saw the wild in her eyes, the need to get revenge no matter the cost. Whatever the reason, in Dane’s case, he’d finally grown a pair of balls and didn’t flinch as she fixed her gaze on him. He wasn’t backing down, and she fought the urge to skip the explanation. Two shots. All she needed was two shots.

“Why did you kill Jason?” The detached tone of her voice pleased her.

Dane glanced at Christian before answering. “It wasn’t cold blooded. I was defending myself.”

“That’s bullshit.” And the last thing she expected him to say.

“You heard me. Jason was going to kill me.” He moved a step closer.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hugh scoot his chair back and lean closer to the edge. She gave a silent thank you that he was ready to pounce if necessary.

“Why?” she demanded, doubting Dane’s honesty, but needing to hear his reason anyway.

He glanced at Christian again. Cut a discomforted glimpse at Hugh. “He was sent to eliminate me.”

She laughed. “Funny. Now how about the truth, asshole?”

“It could be true,” Hugh muttered.

Tess bit her bottom lip. Hard. “What?” she whispered, her eyes never leaving Dane.

“There was a hit out on Dane,” Hugh said. “He’d gotten into some trouble and pissed off the wrong people. We knew it was P.I.E. and we’d hoped to get him out of the mess without any casualty. I didn’t make the connection to Jason until this second.”

She darted a glance at Hugh. He was staring at her with apology.

None of it made sense. Her head swam with confusion. Was Hugh implying that Jason worked for P.I.E.? That was impossible. She would have known.

With a heavy, bored sigh, Christian rose to his feet. He’d ditched the knife for a gun. And had it trained right between her eyes.

“Don’t!” she shouted to Hugh as he jumped to his feet ready to attack. She didn’t know what kind of bullets Christian had, but she guessed they’d take care of her and a wolfen.

She swung so her gun pointed at the man who had saved her all those years ago. Who had promised her a better life. “Now I’d say we’re evenly matched. Hugh can take care of Dane, and you and I can come to some sort of arrangement.”

“I’ve always admired your confidence, Tess,” he said. “But we already have an arrangement.”

The reminder made her legs weak. “I suppose we do.”

“And in case you’re wondering about Jason…” His eyebrows lifted and the vilest smile Tess had ever seen spread across his ruthless face. “He was an eliminator.”

“You’re lying. He would have told me. I would have known. It wouldn’t have been a secret.” The gun in her hand wavered a fraction. She fought the threatening tears.

“Jason was part of a group of top secret eliminators. No one knew who he was but me. He, on the other hand, knew who you were long before you broke protocol and told him.”

Tess heard the words but couldn’t make sense of them. Jason had known about her all along and still kept his occupation secret? She let her mind race back to the time they’d spent together. He’d always kept her at arm’s length, never divulged his deepest thoughts or desires, no matter how often she’d prodded him. She’d attributed it to them being displaced as children, thought he was still piecing together his purpose. She sure the heck was. But she knew now that wasn’t it. Jason purposely never let her all the way in.

He’d lied to her. Just as she’d lied to him.

But his lie was worse.

She locked away Jason’s memory for good. Whether he’d truly loved her or not, she didn’t know. But she didn’t need to kill Dobson anymore to clear her conscience.

“Why is this all coming to blows now? What does this have to do with Hugh and the Night Runners?” Her mental frame shifted one hundred percent to Hugh and getting him out of here alive.

“With Hugh out of the picture,” Dane said, “I take over as leader of the Night Runners. A position I’m entitled to. A position that will allow me to grow and integrate the pack with other wolves and make sure we’re a force to be reckoned with.”

“So this whole elimination is your doing? You came to P.I.E. and ordered the hit because there was no way in hell Hugh was going to make you next in line?”

Dane fumed. “Fu—”

“Why didn’t you let the Banoth’s poison kill me?” Hugh said, calm, steady.

“If the pack had found out I wasn’t carrying and let you die, they’d never support me as the next alpha. They will when I tell them I tried to stop the hit and your last words were for me to take over.”

“What about Trey?” Hugh asked.

“He’s also meeting an untimely demise,” Christian said. “And Dane didn’t come to me. I went to him. P.I.E. is moving into the future. A future where eliminators will be virtually unstoppable.”

“Because they’ll be shifters?” Tess’s arm tired. Sooner rather than later, she’d need to shoot or run like hell.

“Exactly. It’s no longer about Veiler or human. It’s about good versus evil,” Christian said.

“I thought that’s what it was always about. What you want to do is enforce your version of good and evil. You want power, not justice.”

Daylight barely trickled into the room now, and Tess blinked several times to adjust her vision. The eerie red glow streaming in from the window allowed enough visibility to make out whole bodies, but little detail. If someone didn’t take action, they’d soon be in total darkness. Fine for wolfen—not so good for her.

She glanced at Hugh. He’d remained uncharacteristically quiet, but with such little light she couldn’t see him well enough to read his expression.

“Precisely,” Christian admitted.

“Where’s Trey?” she asked, even though she had the sinking feeling it didn’t matter But if there was a chance they got out of this alive and could save him, they needed to know.

Quiet filled the room.

“He’s under attack as we speak.” Dane took a few sidesteps toward the couch, aligning himself with Christian.

Tess felt heat radiating off Hugh, and knew the mention of Trey took away any control he had left. A split second later, the wolf in him emerged and he lunged toward Dane. Dane shifted and the two collided in midair. Ferocious growls spilled from their mouths. They hit the floor and rolled, filling the empty space between the sitting area and bed. A sick feeling hit Tess in the gut. Dammit, Hugh.

Suddenly, a gunshot sounded and both wolfen stopped, stiffened. It took Tess a moment to realize it wasn’t her gun that fired.

She lowered her arm. Pain and discomfort radiated through her shoulder. She’d been shot. Christian had shot her.

It was hard to tell in the dark, but she was certain the bullet had only grazed her. The spot burned but didn’t pulse. She lifted a hand to touch the laceration and felt blood trickle rather than spurt. A Band Aid and Tylenol would fix the wound.

“Don’t even think about it,” Christian hissed. “If anyone moves a muscle my aim will be much better next time.” He kept the weapon trained on her as his disposition wavered between frustration and satisfaction. The thin smile she barely made out on his face irritated the hell out of her.

He’d pay for making her bleed.

“What do you want?” she breathed, even though she felt she could run a marathon if she had to.

“You’ve got a job to do, Tess. Or am I to take it the reason you didn’t answer my earlier question is because the wolfen means more to you than Kensie and Francesca?”

Goddamn him. Bitterness wove through every muscle in her body. If something were going down in L.A. with Trey, she could bet the same held true for Kensie and Francesca. And there was no way she’d be able to save them if she didn’t follow through with her elimination.

That had to be the master plan. Get Hugh and herself to San Diego, make sure she eliminated him, then get back home to a nice, neat, new partnership between P.I.E. and the Night Runners. What an idiot she’d been not to see it.

“I had your word we’d keep to our deadline,” she said.

“Time’s up.”

This was it. The moment she’d dreaded. The moment she wished would never come. She forgot about the pain in her shoulder and felt a swell of anguish in her chest instead. Her lips went dry, her eyes burned.

Showtime.

She lifted her arms, pointed the gun at Hugh and pulled the trigger.

Hugh felt the impact of the shot and fell to the floor. His eyes shut. Dizziness filled his head. Not from the blast, but from the fact that Tess had actually followed through with her assignment. It had taken her all of ten seconds to act on her boss’s ultimatum.

Guess he didn’t mean much to her after all.

He heard the scuffing of furniture, registered heavy breathing and grunts from Dane in the near-dark room. Tess had shot him in wolfen form, which meant his superhuman strength and tissue regeneration immediately got to work repairing internal damage. But like the Banoth’s poison, those attributes wouldn’t help him now. This time nothing could help him. He remembered the pain after the Banoth’s poison had infiltrated his system and expected this to be the same.

But this pain was entirely different than final suffering. This pain radiated through his body, but wasn’t unbearable. In fact, he could swear his body fought the intrusion. Recovery sensations swam through his blood, and a jolt of warmth spread out from his chest like he’d been given a shot of epinephrine.

Because, he realized, the pain wasn’t in his chest, it was lower, near his hip. And he’d bet money the bullet hadn’t been tipped with mercury.

Tess had shot him to save him.

She did care.

And he’d fight for her to the bitter end in return.

He opened his eyes and, wavering slightly, got to his feet. It would take a few minutes to regain his full strength, but his determination to get Tess to safety trumped physical limitations. The wolf in him had never been stronger than at that moment. Savagery, unlike anything he’d ever experienced before, flooded his body and mind.

His predator instincts took over and uncivilized vengeance erased any hint of humanity inside him. Tess was his mate—different enough, special enough, to tame him—and no one would take her away.

Thankful for the dark filling the room, he took in his surroundings unnoticed. Tess and Dane were in a fistfight. Hugh smelled the blood leaking from her arm, heard the labored beats of her heart. She wouldn’t last much longer. Christian sat at the computer, light from the screen outlining the back of his head. Hugh didn’t know if he was planting information or looking for it, but neither mattered. The man had a gun and needed to be taken care of first.

He snuck behind Christian in a silent second, wrapped his arms around the man’s neck and rendered him unconscious. With a nice easy push, the guy slumped forward onto the keypad. A quick glance at the screen and Hugh noticed that his personal records were uploaded and Tess’s name appeared more than once.

It looked like the asshole had every intention of framing her by connecting her to a Veiler and thereby making her death justifiable. Hugh’s blood boiled at the thought. Christian must have figured out there was no chance in hell she’d go along with the restructuring of P.I.E, which meant the organization that trained her couldn’t trust her to keep her mouth shut. Dane had no doubt used his human-sentient abilities to sense Tess’s skepticism, her doubts about killing him. And once it became clear she wouldn’t eliminate an innocent man, she went from ally to enemy. That had left one option. Kill her too.

A growl escaped his mouth and in less than a second, he stood poised to pull Tess from Dane’s clutches. She was pinned beneath him, her back arched over the side of the couch. Even though she’d been shot, she fought with everything she had.

“Let her go, Dane.”

His words drew Dane’s attention and a startled look spread across his furry face. Tess took advantage, got a knee to Dane’s groin and pushed his chest hard. She threw her legs over her head, doing a back somersault onto the couch and putting distance between the two of them.

“Why the hell did you get up?” she shouted, standing on her knees and taking quick inventory of the room.

“Why the hell didn’t you use mercury?”

Her eyes darted back to him. She didn’t have to answer. His night vision zeroed in on his new favorite color and her eyes told him everything. She loves me.

“Get out of here, Hugh. Let me take care of this.”

Dane body-slammed him before he could tell her he had no intention of going anywhere without her. They hit the carpet hard, Hugh on his back, the landing an unpleasant reminder he still needed to recover from the gunshot.

Hugh forced Dane to the side and readied his claws and fangs for battle. Dammit, Dane. He didn’t want to hurt his pack mate, no matter their differences, but there wasn’t any other way. Dane wouldn’t agree to any sort of truce or just disappear. He had too much pride, too much fight in him, for that.

They staggered to their feet and circled each other. The only way to kill a Night Runner with bare hands was to break his neck. Would it come to that?

A split second later Dane made a move. His aggression was to Hugh’s advantage. Hugh grabbed his arm, turned away and pulled Dane over his shoulder, throwing him to the floor. Dane landed on his back and quickly tried to get up but Hugh nailed him with a right hook that drove him back to the carpet.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Why the fuck are you doing this?” Hugh pressed his knee into Dane’s gut to pin him down.

“You and I will never make the same choices,” Dane spat. He reached for Hugh’s thigh and dug in his claws.

Hugh yanked his leg away, the tips of Dane’s claws ripping his jeans and puncturing his skin. Hugh struggled with what to do next. Did he go for the jugular? Or continue wrestling until he tired Dane out? The thought of things ending this way bothered him more than they probably should, but he couldn’t help it.

“Hugh, look out!” Tess shouted from behind him.

Too late. A lamp clobbered him on the side of the head, the electrical cord about to go around his neck. Hugh backpedaled out of reach, stopping when his back hit the side of the coffee table. The blow to the head stung and his vision blurred until he blinked away the pain. He reached behind him, hoisted the table over his head and sent it crashing down on top of Dane. The wood table broke and splintered, but only slowed Dane down for a moment.

In the next second, Dane looked ready to pounce. But not at him.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Tess cried out.

What was she talking about?

He wanted to turn his head to look at her, but didn’t dare take his eyes off Dane. The wolfen growled and dove for a spot on the floor behind him and to the left. Hugh twisted to see what the commotion was about and caught a glimpse of shiny metal as Tess lunged for the same spot.

Her gun.

It wouldn’t do her any good against Dane. She’d slow him down if she pegged a few rounds into him in quick succession, but Dane could do serious damage to Tess.

She got her hand on the weapon first, but Dane clawed her arm. More blood spilled, dripping to the floor. Dane threw his other arm up and grabbed her injured shoulder. She cried out, pain registering in the squint of her eyes, but she didn’t release her hold on the gun.

Without delay, Tess swung her foot out from underneath her. Her heel landed squarely in Dane’s Adams apple. He gagged and tumbled backwards. “Don’t you fucking lay another paw on me again,” she said.

Dane clutched his neck and slowly rose to his feet with a wobble that resembled a drunken sailor. But the gesture didn’t fool Hugh. Dane wanted to buy himself time. Why?

“Don’t move,” came a masculine voice.

That’s why. Hugh looked over his shoulder and caught sight of the man who hadn’t stayed down nearly long enough.

“I’m not,” said Tess, her outstretched arms holding the gun and aiming it at Dane.

“Fool me once—”

“Shut up,” Tess said to Christian while keeping her sights on Dane. “You’ve got no fucking idea what I’m capable of. What I do and don’t do.”

Hugh took a good look at Christian before inching his way closer to the bastard. He heard the even beat of the man’s heart, smelled his expensive cologne, but a tiny bead of sweat dotted his temple. The man wasn’t immune. Wasn’t as cool as he wanted to seem.

But he did hold a gun. And it was trained on Tess. Shit. Could she see it?

Only a fraction of light lit the room now. Fragments of reflected color from the cityscape slashed through the window here and there. Shadows cast doubt on exact body locations.

“You forget who trained you. Who made you what you are,” Christian said. “I’m responsible for your capabilities, Tess. There’s not a move you make that I don’t take credit for.”

“That’s bullshit. I make my own decisions.”

“And you’ve decided the wolfen’s life is more important than your friends? More important than the organization that saved you from destroying yourself?”

“I don’t give a shit about myself.” She remained focused on Dane. From Hugh’s point of view, a sliver of white light bisected his body.

“Precisely.”

Christian swiveled his arms the necessary distance to meet Hugh’s chest, now a mere couch length from the mouth of the gun.

Hugh suspected the man’s bullets wouldn’t have the same effect on him as Tess’s. With lightning speed, he raced to Dane’s side to make getting an accurate shot more difficult. He hoped like hell the guy valued Dane’s life. At least, it would cause a distraction and give Tess time to figure out a way to protect herself. Or so he hoped.

He grabbed Dane by the shirt collar and lifted a knee to the shifter’s groin. Dane retaliated with his own knee, but Hugh held onto him, not wanting any extra space between them.

“No!” Tess shouted, either catching the glint of her boss’s gun when it moved in Hugh’s direction, or not wanting Hugh in the way of her taking a shot at Dane.

Too late to wonder.

Two shots rang out, a split second separating the deafening sounds. Hugh was forced backwards, Dane’s weight pressing him several feet back as he absorbed the impact. Hugh kept his arms around Dane’s torso as he grappled with what happened. Dane wasn’t moving. Wasn’t breathing. His body slumped against Hugh’s like dead weight.

Tess’s boss had taken his shot. And missed.

Hugh laid Dane down on the floor and knelt beside him as his head swam with sadness. For Dane’s mother and father, his sister. For the pack. Despite Dane’s flaws, he had people who loved him, people who would feel his loss. He knew firsthand what death did to survivors. This wasn’t supposed to happen, dammit, but his priority had been protecting himself so he could get Tess out of the suite alive. She ruled his every action and he didn’t regret that. That was what a Night Runner did for his mate. The sting of it costing another life didn’t lessen with that knowledge, though.

Tess.

He looked up, frantic to see her.

Across the room, Christian sat in a pool of blood. His eyes were open but there was nothing there. The second shot that rang must have hit him, not Dane.

Which meant Tess had pulled the trigger.

Hugh shifted to human form and shot to his feet, anxious to wrap his arms around her. He had no idea how long he’d been lost in his musings but he suspected it was longer than he’d thought.

Because Tess was gone.

Chapter Eighteen

The surf at Maverick’s Beach pounded Tess wave after wave. Saltwater entered her nose and mouth with each crash that followed the towering wall of water. Her eyes stung. Her lips burned. Every limb suffered from exhaustion. And yet the punishment from the roughest surf in Northern California wasn’t enough to pull her under and set her free.

That was what she wanted.

She wanted the ocean to swallow her, take her away from her life and make her forget. Forget about everyone and everything, and float into the depths of the mind-numbing frigid water.

Wasn’t it?

But as she marched out of the bitter cold ocean and onto the soft, sandy shore, her surfboard tucked under her arm, all she could think about was staying. With Hugh. And how he’d broken down the walls around her heart. How he’d known her better than she knew herself. How he wanted her to be his mate.

Hugh had led her away from the world she knew and set her heart free. She couldn’t stop remembering how it felt to be in his arms, to laugh with him, to care more about someone than she thought possible.

That night in San Diego had been the worst of her life. She’d killed a human being. She knew Christian’s gun had mercury bullets, so without hesitation, she’d taken her shot. Her aim never faltered. Not even with only a sliver of light to guide her. But the impact of what she’d done had immediately swamped her with shame and guilt and fear. She’d needed to escape before Hugh could discover it. She needed to run and keep running.

So that was what she did.

She didn’t regret her actions. Hugh’s life took precedence over everything else. He was the destination at the end of the dark and lonely road, the whisper that whisked all her worries away. He’d made her think about things in a new light, and she didn’t want to go back.

She’d repeatedly told herself that the knowledge he was alive was enough.

“Rack off!” Kensie said, pulling Tess from her thoughts. She was waving her arms frantically back and forth to shoo the seagull edging a little too close in its search of dropped food.

Tess let go of her board and collapsed onto the towel next to her friend.

A couple of quiet minutes later, she turned to her side. Her elbow sunk into the towel as she propped her head in her hand. “What day is it?”

“Friday. Which means we only have two more days before we need to be back at work.” Kensie licked her fingertips to rid them of the orange from the Cheetos she’d been eating.

“I’ve been thinking about that.”

Kensie pulled her hand away from her mouth and turned her head. “You have? Oh my God, Tess! Your lips are blue.” She jumped up and grabbed another towel.

The sun hid behind gray clouds. The crisp air carried a strong saltwater breeze. The only other inhabitants on the beach were a couple of other surfers, an older guy with a metal detector and a few pesky birds.

“Thanks,” Tess said, accepting the towel Kensie put around her. “But I really should get out of this wetsuit first.” She stood, reached behind her back, and yanked the zipper down and the suit off. Goosebumps prickled her skin as she pulled her sweatshirt and sweatpants on before burying herself under the towel.

“So back to work,” Kensie said. “Are you ready to talk about it? Talk about what happened that made you disappear for a week?” She paused, eyes narrowed. “And if it has anything to do with Christian’s death.”

Good onya, Tess. Ask a question and look where it gets you. Who gives a shit what day of the week it is. And if she added in this mini-vacation with Kensie, she’d been gone almost two weeks.

After fleeing the hotel room in San Diego, Tess had hopped on a train and rode for days. The passing scenery, constant motion and continuous hum of passengers supplied enough distraction for her to remain close to sane. Eventually her stiff body couldn’t take any more of the railroad, though, and she’d had to pump some adrenaline back into her system. She’d ended up at Half Moon Bay to surf, hang glide and bike ride until she couldn’t feel her legs.

She’d hoped that if she jumped back into her favorite pastimes everything would go back to normal. But it hadn’t.

“How would I know about his death? You were the one who tracked me down to tell me.”

Thank God for that too. Tess had been so relieved to find out her friends were okay. Christian had sent them each on secret assignment and told them no contact with anyone whatsoever. She had no idea what would have happened to them upon their return if things had gone down differently in San Diego, and chose not to even think about it.

“Yeah, after you mysteriously vanished. It’s a good thing Francesca and I love you enough to find you. She called, by the way. Wanted to let us know when we get back that she’ll still be on assignment.”

“I’m not going back.”

“Don’t be a dill, Tess. What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about being through. I’m tired.” She tightened the towel around and underneath her cold feet.

“It’s all you know. It’s all we know.” Kensie laughed off her confession and looked at her like she’d just flapped her arms and acted like a chicken.

Tess pinched her temples with her hand.

“Wait. You’re serious?” Kensie’s face clouded with confusion. “I wish you’d tell me what’s really going on. You’ve been acting strange ever since I got here.”

“Nothing’s going on. I’m just—”

“You’re different, Tess. Whatever happened on your last assignment changed you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t go back. Francesca says the new boss isn’t so bad. She even told me he’s kind of cute. Which, if we know Francesca, means he’s ripper.” She paused and looked out toward the ocean. Silence passed between them before Kensie said very softly, “You can trust me you know. With your secrets.”

Where would she even begin? She stared at her friend’s profile and wondered if she’d feel better if she did tell Kensie everything. But there was so much she didn’t know about that night.

She didn’t know how the mess at the hotel had been taken care of. Obviously, Hugh had seen to it that the deaths of Dane and her boss were handled discreetly because according to Kensie, the staff at P.I.E. had been told he’d died of a heart attack while out of the country on a business trip. His body had supposedly been flown home and immediately cremated.

She’d no idea how Dane’s death was explained to the Night Runners, but was positive Hugh had given him a proper burial, no matter his betrayal to the pack. Hugh was decent, unselfish, a true leader, and he’d give Dane praises for the sake of his pack. She wondered several times a day about the Night Runners and if anything more had transpired with the Wolf Seekers. Did Dane’s death put an end to the rife or fuel greater animosity? And every night she prayed Trey was okay, that whatever had taken place in Los Angeles that night hadn’t caused him harm. Something told her everything was all right, though. Good always defeated evil, didn’t it?

Then there was Hugh. Not a second went by that she didn’t miss him something fierce. She longed to be in his arms, feel his warmth, share his air. Her every thought included him. At night when she couldn’t fall asleep, she’d let herself drift to his bedroom, his office, the hotel room. All the places they’d devoured each other. All the places he’d worshipped her body while injecting her heart with love.

“I fell in love with my mark,” she finally said, her body relaxing at her admission.

Kensie whipped her head to the side. “You what?” She took a slow, deep breath. “You fell in love with a Veiler?”

“Yes. He’s a wolfen.” A tidal wave of emotions swamped Tess. Saying she loved Hugh out loud overwhelmed her with the courage to tell Kensie everything.

Her friend’s sympathetic eyes gave her the reassurance to continue.

“I didn’t eliminate him.”

Contemplation washed over Kensie’s face. Her brows furrowed and she rubbed a few fingers across her mouth and chin. A full minute went by before she spoke. “Did he deserve it? I mean they all do, don’t they?”

That was the best question Kensie could ask, and it opened the floodgates.

A half hour later, the skies brightening as rays of sunshine poked through the gloomy sky, Tess finished talking. She’d told Kensie everything—well, except for the details of the amazing sex. Those memories were hers alone. Sharing what had happened in San Diego, and Kensie telling her she understood, helped lessen the burden of what she’d done. She breathed easy for the first time since that night. The tide stretched farther up the sand, almost touching her toes.

“You need to go to him,” Kensie said.

Tess gulped. “I…I don’t know. As much as I want to, he—”

“He told you you were his mate, Tess. There’s only you. Don’t be a drongo and deprive him of his mate.”

“What’s a drongo?”

“A stupid person.”

God, it felt good to get everything off her chest, to talk to Kensie like she was a sister and get the feedback she so wanted to hear.

And for the first time in a long time, she took a good look at her surroundings. The sand, soft as sifted flour under all her foot play, tickled her toes and brought a smile—a smile!—to her face. The ocean, wide beyond her scope of vision, and full of so much life, relaxed her, lessened the tightness in her muscles. A little while ago she’d thought about the sea swallowing her. Now she wanted to sail over it. Go where the tide took her. Discover what it meant to be alive and free.

Because for too long she’d been a prisoner to her fears.

For too long she’d been alone.

And she didn’t want to be any more.

She needed and deserved to be loved. Her parents’ death was heart-wrenching and unfair and she’d been deprived of their love far too soon. Jason’s death had also been painful, but loving again did not mean she’d lose the one she loved. She had to believe the risk was worth it.

“What do I do about P.I.E.? You know they won’t just take my resignation and tell me to have a nice life.”

“You won’t know unless you try.” Kensie hugged her legs and rocked back and forth. Her chin rested on her knees and Tess watched her eyes grow moist.

“Oh hell, Kens. Don’t you dare cry.” She put her hand on Kensie’s arm. “This isn’t goodbye.”

“Yes it is.” Kensie squeezed her hand. “You just don’t know it yet.”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too,” Hugh answered without lifting his head from his desk.

“I thought you were leaving for the Rockies. Yesterday.” The pause in Gavin’s voice, along with the irritated tone, didn’t ruffle Hugh in the least. It was Monday morning. He didn’t let anything bother him the first day of the week.

Still keeping his attention on the papers in front of him, he heard Gavin pull out a chair.

“Your head hasn’t been here in a couple of weeks, Hugh. You need to go and clear whatever shit is going on up there. I’ve got this week taken care of.”

Yeah, there was plenty of shit going on all right. Too much for him to handle, really. And he needed to get away. He knew that. But something inside him told him to wait one more day before leaving.

Give her one more day to show up.

Hugh lifted his head and took in his partner’s professional appearance. In their five years together, Gavin had never let him down. Not once. The business was safe in his hands. Hugh was safe in his hands.

Not that he’d reveal any of his secrets.

“I’m scheduled for this afternoon.”

“If I have to kick your ass onto the plane myself I will.”

“No doubt.” Hugh appreciated Gavin’s interference. Without it, he very well might not leave. Not until I know what happened to her.

Gavin leaned back in his chair, apparently pleased he didn’t get an argument. “You know you can talk to me if you want.”

“What’s there to talk about? You just said you’ve got the week under control.” And Hugh believed without a doubt he did.

“That shit’s really seeped in, hasn’t it? I’ve known you a long time, Hugh, and I’ve never seen you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Like a guy so fixated on a woman he can’t think straight.” He held up his palm. “And don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’ve been in love like that. Once. Right before I came to work here. You saved my sorry ass from spiraling into a drunken stupor.”

Hugh hadn’t talked to Gavin much about personal matters. He’d kept their relationship strictly professional. But given recent events, he wanted to know more about Gavin. The guy was his partner, but a friend too. A friend who the last couple of weeks had gotten enough information out of Hugh to know his depression concerned Tess. They could discuss things besides flying without Hugh revealing he was a wolfen.

“What happened?” Since Hugh had never felt his heart squeezed like this before, maybe Gavin could offer some insight. He sure as hell wasn’t doing very well on his own.

“The short story is I let her walk away. Didn’t go after her when I should have.” He loosened the tie around his neck. “Go after Tess, Hugh. Don’t make the same mistake I did.”

He’d tried. Devastation had exploded inside him after discovering she’d left the hotel room in San Diego. He’d ran to the door to check the hallway, flew down the stairwell to the lobby. She was gone and he knew he wouldn’t find her, knew she needed to be alone to process the night’s events. He also knew he needed to take care of what was inside the room without delay so he could get back to L.A. and make sure Trey and the Night Runners were okay.

Upon his return home, he’d found Trey and the pack had successfully defeated the Wolf Seekers in a street fight designed to eliminate Trey. To Hugh’s surprise, Trey had gotten wind of the ambush and taken backup. The kid had proved he could handle things. Had proven he was ready to take over the leadership role whenever Hugh wanted to relinquish it.

With pack business done, he’d gone in search of Tess, determined to take her as his mate. He’d kept to the shadows with a close ear to the ground. Watched and listened. She didn’t show up at home. Didn’t show up at P.I.E. Didn’t show up anywhere.

“She doesn’t want to be found,” Hugh finally said, leaving his memories and slouching down in his chair. His chest ached, his head throbbed. The spot on his hand that had bruised this morning—after he’d punched one of the walls at home—stung when he thought about it.

“Every woman wants to be found.”

“You’re an expert on women now?”

“Better than you, shit for brains.” Gavin grinned, and for the first time in more than two weeks, Hugh couldn’t stop the slight smile from spreading across his face.

His brain had functioned well enough to take a chance and meet with the new man in charge of P.I.E. There wasn’t any choice really. Not if he wanted to guarantee there were no future elimination plans for him. He also wanted to find out if the new boss intended to follow in the old boss’s footsteps. A resounding no assured Hugh he and his pack were safe. In fact, the two of them came to an agreement on many topics.

So where was she?

“I’ll admit I’m no expert, but if Tess wanted to be with me, she wouldn’t be so difficult to find. Or better yet, she would have found me. I haven’t been hiding.” Ouch. Those words cut deep.

“Maybe you haven’t looked in the right places.”

“Maybe.” But I doubt it. I’ve lost her scent.

Gavin stood, readjusted his tie. “Well, I’ve got a charter in an hour so I need to get moving. I’ll be back in time to help you get the LSA ready to go.”

“Afraid I’ll need that kick?”

“Nah. Just want to wave goodbye.”

As soon as Gavin left, Hugh got back to his paperwork. At the rate he was able to focus, he’d be at it until departure time. The talk with Gavin had brought to mind the one thing he’d kept pushing away. That maybe Tess didn’t want to leave P.I.E. Maybe she wanted her life to return to how things were before she’d met him.

There had always been something else nagging at her. Something that made her afraid to give him her heart. He felt her hesitation down to his bones, just as he felt her devotion. Whatever that something was, it was obviously big enough to keep them apart.

Lack of sleep soon turned his writing to scribbles, and he fell back in his seat for a few minutes of shut-eye. Being alert for his flight to Canada was more important than finishing logs.

Of course he dreamed about Tess. The two of them were in a mountain hideaway, far away from everyone and everything. A fire blazed in the fireplace and they were busy keeping each other warm. They lay on a bearskin rug, the glow from the fire touching her naked body in the most provocative way. He traced his finger along the curve of her side and she kept giggling while trying to hold still. His nose was buried in her hair and he breathed in her smell. Her scent drove him wild. Made him hunger for her. It was the most incredible smell. He could smell her like she was…

His eyes opened. He couldn’t have been asleep for more than a few minutes, but the clock on his desk proved hours had passed. And sitting on the other side of his desk, looking more beautiful than he remembered, was Tess.

Tess.

“I didn’t want to wake you,” she said, her voice soft, warm and sweeter than honey. God, how he’d missed that voice. It sounded so much better in person than it did in his head.

She’s here. In the flesh.

“I hope you don’t mind that I’m here. Gavin didn’t seem to think it was a big deal that I wait for you to wake up. He told me you hadn’t been sleeping very well.”

And she’s talking to me.

“I understand if you don’t want to talk to me.” She made a motion to get up from the chair.

“Wait,” he finally said, finding his voice and shaking himself from his dreamlike state. He wasn’t dreaming anymore. Thank God.

She sat back down. “Okay.”

He got up and moved around the desk until he stood in front of her. Then, deciding it would be better to be on an even level, he brought the second chair in his office over to hers and took a seat. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too.” Her eyes sparkled like the ocean under a full moon.

What passed between them—without a word, without a touch—nearly put him in cardiac arrest. Heat, passion, respect, adoration, love. He could feel her. She filled all his senses with her indescribable aura and he’d never let her walk out the door again.

Their knees bumped, and a shock reverberated through him. She felt it too because she wiggled her leg away.

“Just like the first time we met,” she said, her lips curling up in a most appealing way.

Her lips, along with the wiggle, sent his desire soaring. “I remember it well.”

More staring took place. More comfortably explosive silence. More depth than he thought possible without language. Tess captivated him, embedded herself deeply into his core with a simple bat of her incredibly long eyelashes.

For so long he’d avoided getting close to anyone. His guard always up, his heart never accessible. When he’d watched his brother deteriorate over the loss of his mate, Hugh couldn’t stand the idea that love was the culprit. As the end drew near for his brother he’d despised love, hated the thought of an emotion taking his best friend away. He still mourned the death of his brother. But now, fixated on the most breathtaking creature he’d ever laid eyes on, he understood what happened.

Why his brother passed away.

And how if anything ever happened to Tess, he’d die of a broken heart too.

He hadn’t planned for it to happen. But it did. He’d fallen so hopelessly in love with her that she was worth anything and everything that came his way.

She dropped her gaze, breaking their connection, and straightened her back. “As nice as you are to look at, that’s not the reason I’m here.”

The reason better be to his liking. “Before you start, I need to tell you something.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?” She fidgeted, crinkled her freckled nose.

“Saving my life.”

He could see the wheels turning in her head and knew she was contemplating a smart-ass response.

She went with, “You’re welcome. Now it’s my turn. I’m sorry.”

“For what?” He fidgeted, lifted his brows.

She reached out and took his hands in hers, sending his body into an awesome addictive stupor.

“I’m sorry I ran away like I did. But I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t look at what I’d done for one more second.” Her chest rose and fell. “I wouldn’t take it back. Not any of it. And for so long I thought I was doing the right thing. For so long I’ve immersed myself in things to keep my mind off the fact that I was alone.

“I’ve loved only two people, well three, actually—my parents and Jason—and they died. I’ve been afraid to love again because I’m terrified to lose again.”

“I won’t—”

Her hand moved to his lips.

“Die on you,” he mumbled.

“There are no guarantees. But the excitement I feel when I’m with you, the adrenaline you pump through my system, not to mention the way you make my heart bloom, is something I know I’ll never experience with anyone else but you. And you’re worth the risk.”

“What are you saying?”

She whipped back her hands and punched him in the side of the arm. “I’m saying I surrender. And…I love you, you big oaf.”

He felt the smile on his face reach past his ears. He’d told her he wanted her to be his mate, but had he told her he loved her? No.

“I love you so much it hurts,” he said, pulling her into his arms.

“I know what you mean.”

She smashed her lips against his and he absorbed her essence into every cell of his being. Her body shimmied closer and he wondered if there was time for a quickie before he left on vacation.

Without warning, he pulled back. “You available this next week?”

“As a matter of fact, I am. I’m currently unemployed so haven’t got anywhere I need to be.”

Goddamn, he liked the sound of that. “Well, your timing couldn’t be more perfect. I was just leaving for vacation.”

“Got room for one more?” She ran her fingers through his hair.

“That depends. Do you accept?”

“If you’re referring to the mate thing, it’s forever right?” She twirled the hair at the nape of his neck, and tilted her head.

“Right. Think you can handle it?” He pinched her ass as he scooted her closer into his lap again.

“Oh!” she cooed. “I know I can. The question is can you?”

“You bet I can.”

“That reminds me,” she said, twisting her hips against him in an exaggerated come-and-get-me gesture. “You already owe me on one bet.”

“I think you just said something about a bet, but I’m having a hard time concentrating.”

She nibbled on his earlobe and lowered her voice. “You owe me breakfast, big guy. Anywhere I want.”

“How about for the rest of your life?”

“Deal.”

About the Author

Robin Bielman lives in Southern California with her high school sweetheart husband, two sons and crazy-cute mini Labradoodle, Harry (named after Harry Dresden from Jim Butcher’s “Dresden Files” books). When not attached to her laptop, she can almost always be found with her nose in a book. She also likes to run, hike, and dip her toes in the ocean. Filled with wanderlust, she longs to visit many different places and fulfill her curiosity. She wouldn’t mind indulging her sweet tooth in every location either. She’s a lover of sticky notes, cable television shows and café mochas. Writing is a dream come true, and she still pinches herself to be sure it’s real.

She writes contemporary and paranormal romance and loves to connect with readers. Learn more and sign up for her newsletter on her website at www.robinbielman.com. She can also be found online here:

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