Bodyguard (Shifters Unbound #2.5) (17 page)

All three of them jumped like guilty
teenagers as Elizabeth walked into the room.

She was unhappy, that was obvious, but Ronan
took in her jeans and tight red top, her high-heeled half-boots,
the streaks in her hair that matched her shirt, and felt his mating
frenzy stir. The lines of the butterfly peeping over the top's
neckline reminded him of the beautiful little fairy on her breast.
For a moment, whatever Sean was saying went fuzzy.

"I'm here to help you in a different way,
lass," he thought Sean said. "With me trusty laptop." He'd set it
up on Elizabeth's desk. The laptop looked plain, low-end, but
Sean's fingers skimmed the keyboard, and screens began to pop up
under his touch. "You're going to tell me everything about Rachel
Sullivan and her little sister, and they'll go away, forever." He
wriggled his fingers a few inches above the keys. "Like magic."

"Forever." Elizabeth stared at the laptop, a
strange expression on her face.

"No one will ever connect you with her
again," Sean said. "And no one will be able to track you from that
name--or that name from your current one. You'll have been
Elizabeth Chapman from birth. Is that who you want to be?"

Elizabeth stilled, staring at the laptop as
though it would leap from the table and devour her. Her need for
touch, for reassurance, screamed itself at Ronan.

But Ronan made himself stay where he was,
though he had to clamp his arms across his middle to keep himself
from going to her. She had to make this decision on her own,
uninfluenced by Ronan, or Sean, or Julio, or Zach Casey.

Elizabeth drew a long breath, gaze flicking
from the laptop to Ronan.

"Yes," she said.

*** *** ***

Elizabeth heard Ronan follow her out into the
alley, where she'd gone to calm herself, to try to master her
sudden dizziness. Inside, Sean was erasing--somehow--all trace of
who Elizabeth used to be.

Ronan stopped beside her, leaning broad
shoulders back against the wall, resting his booted foot against
it. He said nothing and didn't reach for her. The man knew how to
comfort simply by standing there.

"How can what Sean's doing help?" Elizabeth
asked. "No matter how careful I was, Pablo Marquez's girlfriend
found me out. How can Sean stop someone else from putting together
the same information?"

"Because no hacker can out-hack a Guardian,"
Ronan said in a low voice. "Don't ask me how they do it. It's a
secret known only to Guardians, and I'm not one, thank the
Goddess."

"Why should he do this for me? If he's caught
. . ." Elizabeth said the last in a murmur, glancing at the other
closed doors in the alley.

"Sean, caught? You'd be amazed at what he and
Liam get up to. Not to mention their dad."

"I don't want you going tonight, Ronan. I
heard what Spike said." She looked up at him, big as a wrestler, no
softness about him. "But you're not going to listen to me, are
you?"

"Oh, I'm listening, Lizzie-girl."

"But you'll do it anyway."

"It's a good chance to get Marquez and his
threats out of your life. Sean can help you with his laptop, me
with my fists." He slanted her a look that made her remember his
warmth in the night and the way she'd felt safe in his arms. "I'm
pretty damn good at what I do."

He was, though she knew he didn't mean sex.
"You're not even supposed to leave Shiftertown," she said, still in
the low murmur. "Let alone go to some barn in the middle of
nowhere."

"Even more of a challenge."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm
grateful for what Sean's doing, but erasing my info won't hide me
from Zach. Julio's already contacted him."

"Elizabeth." Ronan faced her, resting his
hands on the wall on either side of her. "You never have to worry
about the Marquez brothers, or this Zach, or anything they might do
to you, again. Whatever they do, it won't touch you. We've got your
back."

No one but Ronan had ever said that to her
and meant it. Ronan's eyes held nothing but sincerity, his vast
strength like a barrier between her and the world.

"Why would you all do this for me? A week and
a half ago, you barely knew me."

Ronan leaned closer. She'd never be able to
duck away from him before he could close his arms around her, and
she didn't particularly want to.

"I mate-claimed you," Ronan said. "That makes
you one of us. You might walk away later, and we'll let you, but we
won't let anything happen to you. You've become an honorary member
of my clan, of Ellison's pack, of Sean and Liam's pride . . . until
you become a full member of my clan." He came closer still and
nuzzled her. "I'm hoping that happens soon."

"No pressure," she said, but she smiled.

"Nope." He nuzzled her again and kissed her
softly. "No pressure at all."

"I'm coming with you tonight," she said.

"Well, yeah, I hope so. Wouldn't be the same
without my mate-to-be cheering me on."

"Who says I'll cheer, Bear with Large
Ego?"

"You will. And when I win, you'll be all over
me."

"In your dreams."

"Oh, yeah," Ronan said. "And sweetie, trust
me, I have some great dreams."

* * * * *

Chapter Fourteen

The makeshift arena for the Shifter fights
was at the end of a dirt road a long way north and east of the 290.
Elizabeth hung onto Ronan as he guided his bike down an FM road,
then a county road, and finally an unmarked road where the pavement
ended after only a few feet.

At the end of this dirt trail was an
abandoned farm tucked among bushy trees, ponds and stock tanks
shimmering in the moonlight. The barn was an incredibly long metal
building, rusting now, built to store hay for a ton of cattle.

The hay was long gone, along with the
livestock that had eaten it. Now the barn smelled rusty, musty, and
muddy. But tonight, with fires blazing in barrels up and down its
center, it was alive with animation and excitement.

Elizabeth tasted the anticipation as she
walked in close behind Ronan. Behind her came Spike, wearing a
muscle shirt that showed off his completely inked arms. He had
beautiful tattoos, drawn by a true artist, colors bright and
flowing. Ellison came behind him, in his usual cowboy boots, black
button-down shirt, and Stetson.

Sean walked behind Ellison, minus his sword.
But though he claimed he'd come "incognito," everyone recognized
Sean. Elizabeth saw the Shifters back away as he walked by, the
Shifters uneasy. Andrea had told Elizabeth that while Shifters
respected Guardians, Guardians were reminders of death, which
didn't sit well with them. Sean took it in stride, but Elizabeth
had noticed the quietness in him, and how he drank in Andrea's love
for him like a man who'd gone thirsty too long.

Andrea had stayed home because of her
advanced pregnancy, but plenty of women mixed in with the crowd of
males. Several of the females were tall Shifter women, but most
were human. Shifter groupies were there, both men and women. Some
wore fake wildcat or wolf ears, others had painted whiskers on
their faces or made up their eyes to look feline. The female
groupies wore scanty clothing; the males who wanted sex wore
low-slung jeans and tight T-shirts or no shirts at all. The men
who'd come simply to hang out with Shifters dressed more
conservatively and eyed the female groupies--and some, the male
groupies--with calculating stares.

The male humans took full notice of Elizabeth
as she walked behind Ronan in her red top and jeans, gazes drifting
to her tatt. Elizabeth had been sized up before, but never had she
felt so much like a walking piece of meat. The Shifters were eyeing
her too, she saw, but then they'd look at Ronan, look again at her,
inhale, and slide their gazes away.

Not all of these Shifters were from Ronan's
Shiftertown, she understood. The fight clubs drew Shifters from
Shiftertowns in Austin, Hill Country, San Antonio, and from as far
away as Houston to the east, Waco to the north, and San Angelo to
the west. Humans did not like Shifters from different Shiftertowns
mingling, but fight clubs had become a melting pot, according to
Spike. And, the tattooed Shifter added, what humans didn't know
wouldn't hurt Shifters.

The barn had been divided into thirds, plenty
of room for three fights to take place simultaneously. A fight had
already commenced in the far end, Shifters and humans alike
shouting encouragement.

By the time Ronan and Elizabeth reached the
last ring, the two Shifters, a wolf and a wildcat, were all over
each other. The wildcat had a lot of lion in it, mane and all, but
the wolf was just big. The wolf's Collar snapped and sparked,
though the wildcat's remained strangely silent.

"Shit," Sean said behind her. "That's my
dad."

The wildcat was winning. The wolf snarled and
fought, its Collar going crazy. The wildcat finally got a large paw
around the wolf and slammed it to the ground. The wildcat held the
wolf there, the wolf's eyes white with rage and pain.

Five Shifter men leapt over the low circle of
cinderblocks that marked out the ring, shouting and making waving
motions with their arms. The referees, Elizabeth guessed. Ending
the fight.

The wildcat backed away. The wolf rolled to
its feet, shaking its body like a dog. The wolf's shape undulated
as it shook, ending with the wolf becoming a young man with shaggy
black hair. The young man rose upright and put his hands on his
hips, breathing hard, Collar still sparking.

The wildcat morphed into the tall form of
Dylan Morrissey. Ronan had told Elizabeth that Dylan was aging even
by Shifter standards, but in human terms Dylan looked like a man in
his late forties at most, one in fantastic shape. His Collar was
quiet, and he didn't seem much the worse for wear.

The refs called Dylan the winner, and those
who'd bet in his favor went crazy.

"Dad!" Sean called.

Dylan saw them, stepped over the
cinderblocks, and came to them, completely unworried that he was
naked in front of Elizabeth. But many of the Shifters were already
naked, stretching, warming up, getting ready for their bouts.

"Since when do you take part in Shifter
fights?" Sean asked him.

Dylan shrugged. "They keep me on my
toes."

"Does Liam know?"

Dylan took a shirt from Glory, who'd
materialized out of the crowd. "Not everything I do is Liam's
business, son."

Glory hung on Dylan's shoulder. "You got that
right. Dylan fighting is damn sexy. Gets my blood pumping."

Sean looked embarrassed. Glory gave Elizabeth
a thumb's up behind Dylan's back. Dylan turned away, as though
uncaring what anyone thought of him, and Glory followed him into
the crowd.

"Parents, eh?" Sean said to Elizabeth. "But
what can I do? I'm glad Glory's only me step-mum."

"Treasure it, Sean," Elizabeth said over the
noise. "I never had a dad, embarrassing or otherwise."

Sean gave her a nod. "You have a point. Liam
and I lost our mum a long time ago."

Elizabeth touched his shoulder in sympathy,
then she stopped. "Wait a sec. Why didn't Dylan's Collar go off?"
She remembered Kim standing proudly in the courtroom, proclaiming
that Ronan's Collar remaining dark meant he hadn't intended to hurt
anyone. "They were fighting pretty hard. It didn't look like your
dad was holding back in there."

Sean's gaze flicked from hers. "Could be lots
of reasons."

Elizabeth recognized evasiveness when she
heard and saw it. Apparently information about the Collars was
need-to-know.

"Come on," Sean said, pretending he'd
answered the question to her satisfaction. "Ronan's spotted
Marquez."

Sean pushed through the crowd that waited for
the next fight, and Elizabeth followed in his wake. Behind her,
women were shouting for the next two going into the ring. She also
heard females she passed going crazy for Spike. They screamed his
name or "There-he-is-oh-my-God-that's-
him
!"

Julio Marquez stood in a relatively empty
space with three men around him, all human. No guns were visible,
Shifters stationed at the entrance to check for them. No weapons
were allowed inside the barn. There was no sign of Zach, either,
though every tracker Liam employed was searching for him or here
keeping a lookout for him.

"You showed up," Julio was saying when
Elizabeth reached Ronan. "Good start. You should have left the
chica
at home, though."

Ronan ignored him. "So where's this
champion?"

"You'll see him when you fight him. Half an
hour. Ring two." He laughed. "Maybe it is a good thing you brought
your bitch. She'll be on hand when you need to say good-bye."

Ronan turned away, his body language all that
was contempt.

"He's up to something," Elizabeth said to
him. "I mean more than trying to kill you and give me to Zach."

"Of course he's up to something," Ronan said.
"He's a thief and a liar. It's just figuring out what and when." He
slid his arm around Elizabeth's waist. "Half an hour, eh? Maybe
he's right. Maybe I should take you into a corner and kiss you a
while, just in case. We'll make Sean and Spike keep watch for
us."

*** *** ***

Pablo Marquez was in the middle of a deal
that could cinch him taking over the trade of the entire southern
half of Texas. He could leave Austin and his sudden Shifter problem
and hole up in a beautiful mansion by a lake. No more back alley
body shops or too-curious neighbors in the suburbs. Solitude, a
pool, and all the fine wine he could drink. He was becoming a
connoisseur of the stuff.

The thin white man standing in front of him
was one of the best smugglers in the business. But though the man
knew how to move product, he needed someone on the street to sell
it for him, and some of his Hill Country contacts had moved
elsewhere. With banditry south of the border increasing, and
enthusiastic vigilante border patrols keeping watch north of it,
moving anything between the U.S. and Mexico, in either direction,
was risky and expensive. But Pablo had the resources and
connections, this man had the expertise, and they'd make beautiful
money together. Pablo was going to land this.