Enticing Their Mate (6 page)

Sarah knocked and waited for him to ask her in. The man was such a dick.

“Enter.”

Commands were his modus operandi. She pushed open the door and walked in, her hands behind her back and her gaze slightly cast downward. “You wished to speak with me, sir?”

“Yes. Have a seat.”

That didn’t sound good. He’d already placed a chair in front of his desk and he motioned her toward it. She sat.

“How is Nancy doing?” he asked.

Her heart nearly stopped and bile rolled up her throat. “She’s resting quietly.”

“Good. I’m afraid I have some sad news.”

This was about Michelle she bet. “Yes?”

“Michelle asked for a leave of absence, as did Darnell Rodriguez, so there will be some changes around here.”

That was a line of bull if there ever was one. “Okay.” She wished she could walk away from it all, but she needed to stay so that Jay and Riley could find a way to take him down.

“I need both you and Amy to work twelve hour shifts. You’ll be working from six in the morning until six at night and Amy will take the evening shift.”

Every muscle in her body tightened, but then she thought what that would mean. She’d drag during the day, but being here when the shit hit the fan would be good. “I can do that. Do you have an end date in mind?”

His eyes swirled a goldish color and his pupils dilated. She wanted to lower her gaze to see if his nails had grown, but when one incisor peeked out, she had her answer. Fear settled heavily in her gut.

“Just come to work when asked. You may go.”

She didn’t need to be told twice.

I
t would be a bold move on Connolly’s part to waltz into the wolf’s den and tell Statler how to run his business, but he’d been trained to pull off this type of con. From what the General had said, Statler exuded confidence and liked to intimidate at every opportunity. While Connolly didn’t want to get into a pissing match with him, he wouldn’t mind going a round or two. Often times, bullies only responded to other bullies.

Swiping Darnell’s card at the front entrance to the warehouse, the door clicked open.
Piece of cake
. The guard had his uses after all.

From the diagram the Field brothers had provided him, he knew the location of Statler’s office as well as the placement of the women, but he wanted to sense the vibe of the area before charging into the man’s office. Connolly didn’t immediately spot any guards or either of the nurses. Then again, if there were only two guards per shift, they could cover only so much territory. He’d already seen the guard outside, but if that man had been his employee, he’d have fired his ass for taking a smoke break and failing to sense a newcomer nearby.

As much as Connolly wanted to wander, if Sarah saw him, he feared she might recognize him as the man who’d tailed her, and then call attention to him. This past week he’d spent much of his time making his presence known; he’d wanted her to be aware that she had a shadow. It would make her pay more attention to her surroundings.

When he wasn’t trying to keep Sarah safe, he’d left some not-so-subtle hints around the warehouse to imply someone was casing the joint. Connolly wanted to believe it was what prompted Statler to call in the security team in the first place. His master plan was to show Statler how much he needed a new head of security.

As he strode toward Statler’s office, disbelief swamped him that alarms weren’t sounding at the intrusion. It didn’t matter he’d used a swipe card to enter. There should have been cameras to detect he wasn’t the owner of the badge. According to the General, Statler’s old lab was top notch, implying he wasn’t oblivious to possible threats. Once he moved, he must have thought that without many people coming and going, no one would notice him. However, he had hired a firm to beef up the security, and Dante and Trax had an appointment tomorrow to load the place up with cameras—cameras they’d be monitoring remotely.

It was time to convince Statler that he needed a new security man. Connolly knocked on the office door and pushed it open. Waiting for Statler to answer would have given the man the upper hand. As soon as he stepped inside, he almost smiled at the hair that had sprouted on Statler’s face—a sign his shifting had begun.

“Who the fuck are you?” He had to give Statler credit for keeping his voice within range.

“Someone who’s going to save your ass.” Connolly widened his stance and crossed his arms, probably looking like a cross between Paul Bunyan and Mr. Clean—though he was nothing like either fictional character.

Statler pushed back his chair and it toppled behind him. Claws extended, he strode partway around his desk, stopped, and then straightened his blue striped suit jacket. Inhaling deeply, he attempted to stand tall, though in Connolly’s opinion, he failed to pull off the power pose.

“To answer your question, I used to work for Harvey Couch, but I left the country for a while until things cooled down.” Connolly used his Scottish accent for affect. It was widely known that werewolves from Scotland had the purest blood.

“You worked for Couch?” Apparently, the name still held awe. Harvey Couch had been the head of the Colter organization until his untimely death.

“Yes. He and I had the same philosophy toward General Armand.”

Looking more composed, Statler stepped back behind his desk. “How did you get in?”

“On my own two feet. Your security is piss poor, by the way. Highly unsophisticated.” Statler winced at the last word. “That’s where I come in. You see, I want you to succeed. Prosper. Grow your business. I want to thwart the General more than life itself.”

“Why?”

Connolly had his answer ready. “His men killed my brother.” He growled and narrowed his eyes. That might have been overkill, but men like Statler liked hearing tales of the General’s wicked deeds.

His chin notched up, though Connolly could detect a hint of fear. “How did you find me?”

He wasn’t going to play twenty questions with the man. “Do you need help or not?”

Statler tugged on his lapels and pursed his lips. His gaze darted right then left. “One of my guards took off yesterday and I could use a replacement.”

“For starters, you need more than a replacement guard.” Connolly could almost detect the steam coming from the man’s nose. As much as Statler probably wanted to tear his head off, he was smart to realize he could use the help more.

“I’m having security cameras installed here tomorrow, but I’ll need someone to oversee the operation. You interested in the job?”

Saying yes right away would toss the power back into Statler’s hands. “Might be. Let’s talk compensation.”

*     *     *

All last night, Riley and Jay had rehearsed how Riley was supposed to pretend to be a member of Statler’s new security team. It would be difficult to pull off liking the job when all he wanted to do was kill Statler. Riley had no problem acting tough or keeping an eye on things. His main hesitation was that he’d have to be totally professional around Sarah. How he was going to accomplish that feat when all he thought about was delving into her luscious body was anyone’s guess. It was what had kept him awake for hours last night.

Jay tapped the paper where he’d been taking notes. “I think you’re right. Clay and Dirk are going to have to stay at this motel. I don’t see another option.”

They were the General’s other two guards. “It’s the only place to stay in this godforsaken town. I don’t think it’ll be an issue. Because we were hired together, no one will question if I ride in with them in the morning. That way you can have the truck.”

“I still need to keep a low profile, which sucks.”

“It’s only for a few days.” Though if he’d been the one who’d interacted with Statler in the past instead of Jay, Riley wasn’t sure if he could sit in here and not at least case the place. “You could always drive in, shift, and keep an eye out on the place. No one will know who you are if you’re in wolf form.”

“True. When are Clay and Dirk supposed to get here?”

Riley checked his cell for the time. “Half an hour tops.”

Jay chugged the rest of his soda. He’d spent ten minutes locating the machine, but Riley wouldn’t touch one of those drinks. No telling how long it had been there.

“You okay being around Sarah?” Jay asked.

Every muscle tightened. Talking about his feelings wasn’t a topic he wanted to get into. “Sure, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because she’s your mate, dude.”

There was no use denying it. “That may be, but I can keep my dick in my pants.” At least, he sure as hell was going to try.

Jay laughed. “You are such a liar. I saw how you squirmed when you were in the room with her.”

He prayed Sarah hadn’t noticed how antsy he’d been around her. “Don’t worry. I’ll control my urges no matter how hard it is. I have a job to do.”

Jay stood, walked across the cramped room, and leaned against the dresser. “I hope you can, and just so you know, Sarah is my mate, too. When the timing is right, I intend to pursue her. I hope you’re with me on this.”

Riley wasn’t ready to discuss it. Back in Washington, it had all been about fun, never even considering a long-term relationship. “I’m here to save the women. That needs to be your goal, too.”

Jay stabbed a hand in his hair. “It is mine, but I can’t get Sarah out of my head. Her scent is inside me now. As odd as it sounds, I’m almost happy to be watching from the sidelines. If I had to interact with her in Statler’s warehouse, I might go crazy not being able to touch her, and it’s getting worse by the hour.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about me.”

The rumble of a large engine entered the lot, and Riley walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain. “I bet that’s Clay and Dirk.” He’d already detected werewolves close by.

Once he identified the men, Riley opened the door and waved. In seconds, two huge men stepped inside and greeted them. Clay was taller, fairer, and a tad thinner than Dirk, but both were strong as shit. “Welcome, gentlemen.” They all shook hands.

All three of them were expected to head to the warehouse as soon as they arrived in town, so they didn’t have time for idle chitchat. “Is there anything Jay or I should know about this operation before I stroll in there?” Riley asked.

“Just that Tom Hammond is our theoretical boss,” Clay said. “You don’t have to worry that Statler will check on us, though, since he won’t be able to get a hold of Hammond for any kind of confirmation.”

“Works for me,” Riley said. He faced Jay. “Contact me if anything develops. I’ll have my cell on vibrate.”

“I’ll text Sarah and let her know to expect you. We don’t need her freaking out when you stroll in.”

She’d already told them about her change in hours, so she’d be there until six.

Clay dipped his hand in his pocket. “Here are the antibiotics you requested.”

“Great. Sarah will appreciate it.”

They hopped in the truck and Riley directed them to the warehouse. They discussed whether they needed to come up with fake names, but then decided that Statler wouldn’t have bothered to learn the identity of the General’s workers. That kind of intel would have been beneath him. From what the men who’d been hired by Hammond had reluctantly told them, Statler knew nothing about them, only that there would be three.

When he, Clay, and Dirk arrived at the warehouse, an Alltel Security truck sat in front. “Shit.” Riley fisted his hand.

“Don’t worry. That’s Trax and Dante doing their magic,” Dirk said with a smile.

“Ah.” Riley had underestimated the General and his reach. Then again, he hadn’t known the man for very long. “According to Sarah, a man by the name of Russell Sizemore is in charge of security. Sarah said he’s always asking her a lot of questions and that he creeps her out. You should be aware that he’s cozied up with Amy, one of the nurses, who is Sarah’s roommate. So be careful around her.”

“Good to know. Thanks,” Dirk said.

Riley pushed open the car door. “Look mean, gentlemen.”

He hopped out of the vehicle, hoping like hell Statler had left the building because he wasn’t certain he could act civilized if he met him.

*     *     *

When Sarah read the text from Jay that Riley and two of the General’s men would be guards at the warehouse, she was thrilled but also a bit frightened. Believing she was relatively safe from Statler’s evil ways might cause her to lower her guard, which might prove fatal. The other issue was that Riley would be close by. The man did something to her insides whenever he was near, and she hoped she could act indifferently around him.

As if she’d conjured him up, the front door opened and three men strode in, one of who was Riley. Her stomach swirled and twisted with unwanted lust. The man had the most adorable scowl on his face as if he was working hard to appear a real badass. The shorter, stockier of the two unknowns had a frown to equal Russ’s, and the taller one seemed to be spending his time looking around, rather than attempting to appear tough.

Down the corridor, the door leading to Statler’s office opened and she froze, fearing her boss or Russ would fire her for ogling the men and not tending to the women. Instead, a huge man, who looked vaguely familiar, strode down the hallway. She wished she could remember where she’d seen him.