Brink Of Passion (Alpine Woods Shifters) (20 page)

Chapter 12

Max hunched further into his coat as the winds assailed him. Cold nipped at his nose and ears, creeping into his clothes despite the scarf wrapped around his neck to protect against such things. Winter had come fast and early this year. Before long, snow would turn the city into a gray mush pile, rife with hidden puddles of road-colored slush just waiting for the unsuspecting walker to step in. And somehow, this winterland hell felt like home. Flaws and all, he loved it.

He picked up the pace, anxious to get home. His meeting with the lion pride downtown regarding an incident between some of the leap cubs and pride cubs had taken longer than anticipated. Darkness had fallen long before he’d left the Pride’s office building.

He glanced at his watch. Eight forty-five. A hushed curse fell from his lips. He’d promised Laurie he’d be home for dinner. Once again he’d broken his word.

More than being out late, or the cold wind stinging his face, he hated disappointing her. As leader of the leap, one would think he’d get to set the rules. Be able to spend time with the woman he loved. But lately, there seemed to be more and more troubles within the leap. He felt out of control, something the alpha in him loathed. Hard to admit, but the truth sometimes was.

At least the issues in the leap weren’t as serious as the shooting incident the week before. They’d never found the man, or men, responsible, reinforcing his belief that it had been a freak accident. The coordinated search party between the shifter groups who hunted the grounds had cleared the area of any dangers. Still, parents had been warned to keep a close eye on their young ones while hunting in the area. So far, there’d been no more incidents.

On the sidewalk in front of him, a woman walked her standard poodle. Or rather, the poodle seemed to walk her while the woman struggled to keep up. Did all dogs rule their owners? Probably, he was forced to admit. He thought of Kitty and how irresistible she could be when she wanted something. It was impossible not to love her. Just like her owner. Thoughts of Laurie brought a smile to his face.

He stumbled as hands grabbed him, pulling him into a small alley between two office buildings. Shock, more than anything, prevented him from reacting as the first punch slammed into his stomach.

He doubled over, struggling to catch his breath. Something hard hit him in the back of the knees, buckling them. He hit the ground, his knees cracking against the concrete. A grunt of pain escaped before another fist hit him on the jaw, cutting him off.

He fell over, struggling to catch his breath. His brain fought to connect what was happening. Was he being mugged? Rare in this part of the City, but not unheard of.

Another kick to the gut.

Max instinctively curled into himself, glancing back to try and see his attacker. A man stood beside him dressed all in black with a black ski mask covering his face. He lifted his foot for another kick even as he reached into his pocket. A flash of silver caught Max’s eye as the assailant pulled something out.

Max reacted, slamming his foot into the other man’s exposed privates. The man doubled over, and Max pushed the pain to the back of his mind. He got to his feet, using the momentum to swing his doubled-up fist into the man’s face. The man crashed into the brick wall behind him with a curse.

Max didn’t pause, grabbing the attacker’s head and slamming it against the bricks until the man collapsed unconscious. Not leaving anything to chance, Max kicked the knife away before resting his hands on his sore knees and struggling to catch his breath as adrenaline coursed through him. Damn. It felt as if he were breathing in glass. He hoped to God he didn’t have a broken rib.

Crossing to his attacker, his foot hit a loose piece of gravel and he stumbled. He shook his head to clear the fog. That hit to the jaw had rattled his brain. But still he forged ahead. The need to see his attacker pulsed inside him. Was this personal, or merely chance?

Two random attacks in so short a time seemed unlikely, three if he counted the attack on Ryan. Not impossible. But even though Max never discounted the impossible—after all, if someone had told him last year he’d be happily mated to a sassy, bossy wolf, he would have told them they were crazy—it was hard to discount these strikes as random.

The man behind the mask had an eye already swelling from Max’s one hit. His lids were closed as if in slumber. Max studied his features, noting the mole above his left eye and the messy five o’clock shadow covering his jaw and mouth. No recognition sparked within him. Still, intuition wouldn’t let the matter rest. Something wasn’t right. What was a mugger doing haunting Upper East Side? Why attack a seemingly strong man, especially when a woman who couldn’t control her dog had passed by moments before?

The whole thing felt…wrong.

Searching for any sign of movement, Max reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. As much as he’d like to deal with this himself, he knew he needed to contact the police. The man was human, not shifter. Not something he could cover up. He’d pass it off as a typical mugging and leave it at that.

“Sir, remain on the line. Officers are on their way to your location.”

Only the need to keep the attacker in sight kept him from closing his eyes as the adrenaline crash assailed him. Tiredness crept behind his eyes, but he forced himself to remain alert despite the impulse to lean against the opposite wall.

He placed the phone on speaker and closed the phone function, sending a quick group text to Tyler, Colin, and Ryan.

Second and fifty-second. Come now
.

At least he knew exactly where he was, and he wasn’t too far from the apartment complex. Five blocks. Who would’ve figured this would happen so close to home? Unless his suspicions were correct and there was more happening than appeared on the surface. The man had pulled a knife on him and had looked prepared to use it.

Again, suspicion crept into his mind. This all felt too convenient. If someone were after him, an accidental death would be the smartest way to accomplish it. An outright attack would raise too much suspicion. His family wouldn’t rest until the perpetrator was found. But an accident would close the case before it opened.

Sirens sounded in the distance, coming closer. Moments later, two officers called out to him from the front of the alley. Finally allowing him to take his eyes away from the assailant, Max called back, holding up his hands as he crossed to the officers. He’d seen it done on detective shows and it seemed appropriate. Show them you meant no harm and they wouldn’t shoot you accidentally.

One of the officers pulled out cuffs and moved into the alley while the other pulled him aside and started asking him questions. Max pointed out the knife, relating his story while the officer took notes on his notepad.

Rapid footsteps behind him made him turn. He raised a hand in greeting and warning towards his family. More sirens drew closer.

Max rubbed his forehead where a headache brewed under the surface. What a clusterfuck. All he wanted to do was head home. To take solace by sinking into Laurie’s embrace. But no. Not only had he missed the dinner he’d promised to be home for, now he had to answer endless questions and be poked and prodded by the paramedics that had shown up. Hell, by the time he finally did get home, Laurie might just lay him out herself.

“What the hell happened?” Colin asked once he’d finished making a report and signed the Against Medical Advice form the paramedic had given him after he refused to be transferred to a hospital. The last thing he needed was the questions
that
would raise. He needed to seem unruffled and unhurt if there were enemies in the leap.

“Mugging. Maybe. I don’t know.” Max rubbed his hands wearily over his face. It had already been a long day, and some of those kicks still hurt.

“What do you mean
maybe
?” Tyler asked.

Max looked at him, then moved his gaze to Ryan. He hadn’t told either Tyler or Colin about Ryan’s concerns. He’d ordered a guard on his brother at all times, but hadn’t let on that the real target might be him. They knew about the shooting, of course, but Max had played it off as wrong place, wrong time. He wasn’t sure he could do the same this time. Knew he shouldn’t even if he could. Instinct screamed at him. Something wasn’t right, and as his advisers, they should know. He needed their help.

“After Ryan was attacked, he warned me that someone might be after me.”

Both sets of eyes turned to Ryan.

“How would you know that?”

“I don’t remember that night except in bits and pieces, but every time I try to remember more, I get this panicked need to make sure Max is okay. All emotions, but…” He tapered off, rubbing his temple.

Colin reached out and gripped Ryan’s shoulder in comfort. As shifters, they understood acting on instinct.

Max sighed. What a mess.

“Why haven’t you mentioned this before?” A fair amount of anger bled into Tyler’s tone. Accusation shone from his eyes.

“Until I had something solid to go on—” he started, only to be cut off by Colin.

“You were shot at!”

The emotion in Colin’s voice brought Max up short. Fear, yes, but resentment and frustration as well.

“Happenstance. At least I thought so at the time.” He glanced back to see the police dragging his cuffed assailant out of the alley.

“How can we protect you when you don’t share with us?”

Max breathed a sigh of relief, hearing some of the anger had dissipated from Tyler’s tone. He glanced at Colin, but the other man still looked furious.

“I’m sorry.”

Colin glanced at him in surprise.

“I should have shared.” Maybe. Regardless, he needed his cousins on his side. Because the more he put pieces together in his mind, the less these attacks seemed random. There were only so many times you could add two and two and get five before you realized things weren’t adding up.

“Yes, you should have.” Colin fumed. Tyler reached out and patted his brother on the shoulder. Max recognized the gesture as the cats inside them craving the comfort of touch. What startled him was seeing it come from Tyler. His stoic cousin rarely sought comfort or touch anymore.

“You think tonight was the second attempt?” Ryan asked, drawing his attention away.

Max hesitated. If he was wrong, he’d be making a big deal out of nothing. But if he was right and he didn’t act, things would be a lot worse. Ryan had already gotten hit in the crosshairs, who next? Colin or Tyler? Or maybe Leah or Amy? Laurie?

The terror at the thought of Laurie hurt, or worse, almost dragged him to his knees. The need to protect beat a steady tempo through his veins. He would kill anyone who dared to threaten his loved ones.

“I’m not sure, but my gut says yes.”

All three men remained silent, waiting for instructions. Putting guards on everyone would raise red flags. He wanted this fucker to strike again. It was the only way to catch him.

“For now, we keep this quiet. We wait, but we watch. We protect Laurie, Leah, and Amy at all costs, without letting them know. We don’t need them trying to help and getting hurt. Next time this asshole slips up, let’s turn the game around on him and bury him.”

Three heads nodded in agreement.

*****

“You’re late,” Laurie accused as soon as the doors started to open. She stood in the arch between the entry and the kitchen, arms crossed, trying to look intimidating. But the excitement bubbling inside her wouldn’t let her hold the pose for long. “But I’m too happy to be mad. It’s a girl!”

She threw herself into Max’s arms and heard a small grunt of pain. Immediately, she pulled away, leaving only her hands clutching his shoulders to keep him still as he tried to turn away.

“A girl, huh? Are you happy, Aunt Laurie?” he asked, knowing she’d been anxiously waiting news of Samantha and Jason’s child for the past week.

Of course she was happy. Thrilled. But she pushed it away, and focused on the pain lining his eyes and mouth.

“What’s wrong?”

“We should celebrate, don’t you think?” He tried to turn away, but Laurie pulled him back.

Annoyance spiked inside her. Always hiding things. But she knew the scent of pain and injury. Damn him. Why wouldn’t he lean on her even a little?

Fine. If he wouldn’t tell her, she’d just have to find out on her own. She examined his face as she reached for the hem of his shirt. He touched her hands to stop her, but she brushed them aside and pulled the shirt out of his pants. A fresh bruise darkened his jaw, and the way he’d grunted, she’d guess there were more on his chest.

He tried to retreat, but Laurie fisted her hands in his shirt. “Stay still,” she all but growled.

Surprise lit his eyes, but he obeyed her command. She’d never been this angry with him before. Mad, sure. But this… She could feel it churning inside her, burning away any happiness in her new niece. What was he hiding from her? And why?

She gasped as she pulled up his shirt and revealed the purple mottled flesh underneath. Gently, she ran her hands over the marks. An ache rose in her throat at the knowledge of the pain he’d suffered. She glanced up and saw the distress in his gaze, and the pain he still tried to hide. He hadn’t wanted her to know about this. But why?

“I take it your meeting with the lions didn’t go well?” she joked, trying to ease some of the tension clouding the air, all the while stroking the bond in her mind to comfort in the only way she could.

Anything to ease the suffering of the man she loved. And she did love him. The knowledge slid into her, making her realize what had been living inside for a while now. She loved him.

When it had happened, she wasn’t sure, but there it was, pounding through her veins with every beat of her heart.

She found herself pulled out of her thoughts and into his arms. She started to struggle, sure the close embrace would only hurt him further, but gave up after he hissed in pain at her effort. His scent surrounded her. Earthy. Male. She put her arms around him and clung, burying her face in his shoulder. Not knowing how to protect him was killing her.