Three Hours (Seven Series Book 5) (15 page)

I hesitated at first, but then dared to ask, “Is Wheeler still awake?”

She hopped on her foot and gave me a peculiar look. “It’s late, and I don’t want him to upset you.”

“Please? Just ask if he’ll come in here for a minute.”

“If you need me, I’m just down the hall… across the house… up the stairs… and down another long hall.” She laughed and covered her mouth before it got out of control. “Good night.”

I smiled reassuringly as she closed the door. Then I went into the bathroom and changed. The request for Wheeler had surprised even me, but suddenly I needed him. I also needed to know how he’d gotten so close to my panther without losing his head.

***

Wheeler twirled the saltshaker on the long wooden table in the kitchen, lost in thought. The lights were out except the twinkle ones strung around the windows along the wall behind him. William sat across from him, picking at the knotty wood on the table.

William Rush had entered the pack around the time Ivy had left. He had an easygoing personality that made it easy to confide in him. It was obvious why he was once Lorenzo’s second-in-command but now slid in third in the Weston pack. Reno was the second, but William had a subtle way of leading that was more politic than direct.

“Austin still pitching a fit?” Wheeler asked.

William ran his fingers through the curls of his dark hair and sat back. “I think his mate is smoothing things over the way only a woman can. Did you notice the way she had him
carry
her up the stairs, all because of a tiny splinter? Lexi plays a good game with her man’s heart, and she knows exactly what makes it tick.” He paused for a moment before speaking. “I know you weren’t raised in a pack, but Austin’s in a position where he has to make decisions that benefit his family for the short- and long-term. You’re fortunate to be sitting here. Let’s just say had you pulled that stunt in Enzo’s house, he would have strung you up in the tree right beside the panther.”

“I had it under control.”

“Indeed. Walking a two-hundred-pound jaguar into a house full of wolves, humans, and children. Had you lost control, she could have attacked one of us. Austin had a right to be angry, don’t you agree?”

Wheeler cut him a sharp glare. William had a sneaky way of injecting guilt into any man with a simple prick of words. “Maybe I also think my brother could have trusted me and given me a chance to explain.”

“You two should talk it out first thing in the morning.”

“And mayhap I don’t want to,” Wheeler growled.

Some forgotten, juvenile part of him wanted unwavering loyalty among his brothers, who were not just pack to him, but family. But that’s not the way it worked.

“Perhaps he’ll listen, or not. But if you don’t plead your case, you’ll never give him that chance.” William stood up and rubbed his eyes sleepily. “That woman must like you something fierce.”

Wheeler scoffed at the remark. “That what you think? Naya despises me with the power of a thousand suns.”

William pressed his fingertips on the table, his eyes lit with amusement. “I think we both know that’s a lie. Unless it’s their first change or they’re scared, the animal within us always respects the ones we care for. If you’re blind to that fact, then maybe it’s just as well. If you know it to be true, then you are a black-hearted man if you choose to mistreat her henceforth, as that woman has feelings for you.”

“She doesn’t have feelings for me. She’s… confused.”

A smile hooked one corner of William’s mouth. “She didn’t look very confused when you escorted her panther onto the porch and patted her side as she rubbed against you. You
do
know why cats rub their faces on things, don’t you? They’re marking territory.”

Wheeler unscrewed the lid from the salt and flung a handful at William. “Get the fuck out of here.”

William laughed and shook his head. “Good night, brother.”

When he left the room, Wheeler wiped up all the granules of salt from the table. His mind drifted back to the club when Naya had begun her performance…

Jesus effing Christ.
Naya was like a symphony of movement as she walked the stage. He’d never seen anything so captivating as the way she had complete ownership of her body, delivering more than a dance, but using it in a way that evoked emotion. He’d visited many a strip joint, but nothing compared to what he had witnessed. In fact, it struck him in a most profound and unexpected way when he saw the chain shackled to her wrist and her struggle for freedom.

Had it not been for his damn cell phone ringing, he would have watched the whole performance. He might have been able to save her from the man who had brazenly walked onstage, and you can bet your ass that man wouldn’t have made it five steps in her direction. Austin had sent him to protect her, and the one time she needed Wheeler, he was dealing with family shit.

Ben called with an emergency, as usual. To Wheeler’s surprise, Ben was in one of the private rooms at the back of Club Sin. Nothing went together better than strippers, money, and gambling, so most club owners combined the three. They weren’t small potatoes either. If you played in one of those clubs, then you needed serious cash. Ben normally worked the human tournaments or in casinos, but sometimes he got the itch for a bigger pot, and he’d wander into one of these clubs with a big set of balls and a medium-sized billfold.

And every time, Wheeler bailed him out.

Wheeler had angrily tucked his phone in his back pocket and made his way to the private rooms. Naya was fenced in by bouncers in a crowded room, so he’d only have a short time to resolve this crisis before her dance ended. Once he made his way past security, he found Ben surrounded by three men who looked like they’d been using his face as a punching bag. The fear in Ben’s eyes vanished when he caught sight of Wheeler.

“Brother! See, what did I tell you?” he said to the men. “I’ve got the money; it was just a delay in getting it all here.” Ben patted one of the tall suits on the shoulder, who immediately knocked his arm away.

Wheeler gave Ben a punishing stare. A table to the left had cards and poker chips spread all over, as if someone had been thrown on top of it and roughed up. Maybe it was the blood spatter on the queen of clubs that gave it away, or the gash on Ben’s cheekbone.

While each of the Weston pack contributed to the family account, they all had their own separate funds. Ben’s account was as depleted of money as a Vampire’s victim was of blood. Without a word, Wheeler sat down and signed a check.

Meanwhile, a man wearing what looked like a communication device over his ear had turned his head away, listening to someone. Then he approached Ben and baited him with another game—a bigger pot.

Wheeler held his check between two fingers and glared at Ben. “Do you want this? Then say no. We’re done here.”

Ben filled in the numbers of what he owed and walked out with cocky strut and a smug grin on his face.

“These guys are loaded, Wheeler. I can beat ’em.”

“The fuck you can. What am I doing here then?”

Ben stopped him in the hall. “Now I know how they play and all their tells. Sometimes you have to lose a little to hustle the next game. I’m serious, man. That pot could set us up for the next five years. Don’t you care about your pack?”

Wheeler pointed a finger in his face. “
Don’t
. If I even hear that you came back in this club to eat a fucking sandwich, then Austin’s gonna know about it.”

“Fuck you,” Ben spat. “Austin doesn’t give a shit what I do because I’m bringing in a hell of a lot more money than you.”

“And how many times have I had to bail your ass out to get you that money? Your contribution to the pack has been at my personal expense. All my savings, Ben.”

Ben snorted. “Yeah, well, spare me the guilt trip. Aren’t we a team? You help me and I help the family. What the hell is wrong with that? You need to get that chip off your shoulder. What’s past is past.”

That last sentiment rang in Wheeler’s ears as he sat at the kitchen table, listening to the house creak and shift like older homes often do. He poked at the miniature mountain of salt and wondered how the pack would view his situation if they knew about it. Both brothers thought they were in the right, but there could only be one, which meant the other was wrong. Wheeler had always felt he was the one doing the right thing, but what if he wasn’t? What if Austin decided Wheeler was the one who had to go? This was the only place Wheeler wanted to be, and his loyalty for the pack ran deep.

Lexi strolled in wearing Austin’s flannel bathrobe.

“How come your hair isn’t wet?” Wheeler asked, not used to seeing her walking around in a robe.

She pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and took a long gulp. “I had a splinter. Long story, and you really don’t want to know. So tell me, what’s going on between you and my friend?”

Wheeler felt a flutter in his stomach and he sat up, his shoulders stiffening. “Nothing’s going on. Why?”

She put the bottle back in the fridge and shivered. “Well, you two have been at each other’s throats for years, and it just seems odd she’s asking for you all of a sudden.”

Wheeler looked at her, nonplussed, waiting for the punch line that never came.

Lexi leaned against the cabinet and watched him, expecting an answer.

“What?” Wheeler asked. “Austin hired me to watch her, and that’s what I did. Nothing’s changed. Your friend’s still a diva.”

“Hmm. Well, that diva wanted you to swing by her room before bedtime. I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think it’s better if everyone goes to sleep and we all talk in the morning. So don’t go in there; you’ll just upset her and she might try to run out of here. If I wake up in the morning and she’s gone, I might reconsider going to bat for you. Just so you know, I agree with Austin that what you did was dangerous and stupid, but Naya’s also my friend, and I’d rather she be here than anywhere else. Austin puts his foot down when he needs to, but he also listens to what I have to say. An influential woman is not someone easily ignored,” she said with a smirk. “Get some rest. It’s been a long night.”

When Lexi left the room, Wheeler stood up. As if led by an invisible string, he walked down the hall and took a left.

Naya had a penchant for playing with his head, and she probably just wanted to yell at him some more. William was mistaken about her feelings for Wheeler. Naya had always made it clear that she considered him her enemy, and it was something she’d told him years ago. Maybe he deserved to be vilified for shouting at April in the middle of a mall, but her actions had almost created a rift between the Packmaster and second-in-command. If Reno had left the pack early on, it might have severed the chances of the pack surviving. Jesus. Wheeler needed this pack more than anyone, so it had scared the hell out of him when an outsider stole money from them, even if it was replaced soon after. He’d long since buried the hatchet with April, but Naya didn’t forgive nor forget. Looking back, he couldn’t blame her for striking him.

Wheeler reached the door and his chest tightened. His presence would only piss her off, and that woman did unpredictable things when she was under the influence of diva hormones. And Wheeler needed to avoid pissing Naya off so he could stay on Lexi’s good side, since she had influence over the packmates in the house.

The connecting hallway looked like a corridor at a hotel—devoid of windows. Beneath the dim lighting overhead, Wheeler slid down the wall next to the door and closed his eyes. Maybe he should have just gone back to his room, but Austin hadn’t officially taken him off the job yet, so he stood guard by her door for the rest of the night.

I don’t think I got a wink of sleep after Lexi went to bed and left me waiting in vain for Wheeler.
While the pack would keep me safe, these were new surroundings, and I was on edge after what had happened with my panther.

The items in my travel bag were a disappointment. I’d forgotten what I’d packed for our trip to South Padre, and what I found were shorts, Capri pants, a couple of bikini tops, and button-up shirts that tied at the midriff. I just wasn’t in a fun-and-flirty mood after the night before, so I chose the beige Capris and a white top. I craved a sense of normalcy and found it in simple things, like my favorite strappy brown heels and a toe ring. Once I’d brushed my hair and used gel to bring out the curls, I began to feel more like myself.

“Time to face the firing squad,” I murmured. When I swung the door open, I took a step forward and tripped.

“Oomph!” I hit the hard surface of the floor and rolled on my left side.

Wheeler was sitting against the wall with his long legs stretched in front of the door. He groggily rubbed his eyes. “What are you doing down there?” he grumbled in a sleepy voice.

I tapped my hard nails on the wood floor. “Admiring the unique grain in your flooring. I couldn’t help myself. The varnish is breathtaking.”

He rose to his feet and looked down his nose at me. “You ready for this?”

I sat up and straightened my shirt. “I didn’t mean to cause such a fuss.”

“Women don’t mean to do a whole lot, but they sure do it.”

“Where does that sexist attitude come from?”

“Living in a house full of women who never mean it, but do it anyhow.”

I sighed and stood up gracefully. “You’re impossible.”

He walked alongside me. “I respect women. But they’re complicated creatures. I’ll never understand you, but I have respect for your ability to get yourselves out of trouble more easily than I can.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. We’re both in hot water, but something tells me that all will be forgiven with the great Naya James.”

“And you?”

He held the doorknob and glanced at me over his shoulder. “Sweetheart, I’d be surprised if I got to stay long enough to watch you eat your eggs.”

Wheeler opened the door to the main house and we walked through a modestly decorated room with a few sitting chairs and accent tables. The door on the left let us into a short hall that opened into the living room.

“No!” I heard a stubborn little voice yell.

“Melody, do it for Daddy. Put this on; it’s so super cool,” I heard Jericho say.

When we walked into the living room, he was squatting down and holding up a purple skirt that matched her top. Instead, she had on a pair of pea-green tights. Melody’s hair was the same as I’d seen at the party—divided down the middle with braids beginning halfway down.

She put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin.

“Melody, this goes with your shirt,” he said. “Don’t you want to look pretty?”

“Let her wear what the fuck she wants,” Wheeler spat out.

Jericho glanced up. “We’re going to the movies later.”

“And? The fashion police are going to arrest her? She’s three. That’s a little self-righteous coming from a man who wears leather cuffs, ripped jeans, and eyeliner.”

Melody’s expression transformed from willful to endearing. She wrapped her arms around Jericho’s neck and rested her head on his shoulder. “My daddy loves me. Don’t be mean to him.”

Jericho picked her up and held her in his arms, giving Wheeler a look of defeat. “How the hell can I say no to that? Thanks a lot, Wheeler.”

“Anytime, brother,” Wheeler said with a dark chuckle.

“Why does he care what she has on?” I asked quietly.

“Some of the older kids made fun of her clothes once. I guess he didn’t want his kid singled out. He doesn’t have a thing to worry about with that one. She’s not a sensitive girl and she’ll stand up for herself.”

Without another word, he led me down the back hall toward the kitchen. We turned left and entered the room, the smell of breakfast heavy in the air. Straight ahead, Lexi was humming a familiar song and pulling a pan of buttermilk biscuits out of the stainless-steel oven. Denver hovered nearby, holding a spoonful of jelly and greedily eyeing the plate of french toast.

A long wooden table ran along the right side of the room in front of a beautiful row of tall windows. Austin sat at the left end of the table, and most of the pack was already seated. Some of them looked up at me, but no one said a word.

Wheeler left me standing alone and sat next to Ben with his back to the windows. April and Reno were seated across from them, and Reno was absently stroking her lower back with his left hand.

“Sit down, Denver,” Lexi said, swatting him with a dish towel. She took the last bowls of food and set them on the table before sitting on Austin’s left.

Denver walked by me and winked. “You look like an ice cream cone.”

There were a whole lot of empty seats at the table—room for a growing pack. I drifted forward, deciding that sitting opposite the Packmaster might not be appropriate. Did wolves have rules? I knew enough about pack hierarchy to assume they did.

The small table behind me looked as if Maizy had outgrown it—like an Alice in Wonderland picture. Melody dashed into the room and sat in the opposite chair, sitting on her legs and playing with the magnetic dress-up dolls that someone had hung on the wall between the two girls. Lynn set a plate in front of her along with a purple juice cup.

“But I don’t want
that
cup,” Melody complained, looking at the plastic sippy cup. “That’s for babies.”

Izzy craned her neck to get a good look. “Honey, I had the tree fairies bring that cup all the way from Neverland. They said it will give you special powers, and you’ll need them for the movie we’re going to later.” Izzy glanced back at Jericho and lowered her voice. “God knows
I’ll
need ’em.”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “No nachos this time.”

“Well, it was all in her hair,” Izzy went on in their private conversation. “Then it dried and was impossible to get out.”

Jericho shrugged guiltily but didn’t look as upset as Izzy over it. Instead, he smirked and reached for a plate of sausage patties.

“Have a seat,” Austin said to me.

I swallowed thickly and sat on the bench next to Denver.

“At the end—so I can see you.”

I quietly rose from my seat and took the chair at the end of the table, facing Austin and his entire pack of wolves.

Everyone seemed in a rush to eat before the conversation turned serious. Everyone except William, who sat to my right with his arms folded on the table, his attention on Austin. He was an astute man.

“Wheeler, I’m going to let you tell your side of the story first,” Austin said, holding his fist in the palm of his other hand and then cracking a knuckle. “Speak openly. I think it’s pretty damn obvious that confidentiality is out the window at this point.”

Wheeler set down his bacon and licked his fingers. “What do you want me to say?”

Austin threw down his fork and Lexi gripped his arm. “I want you to tell me why you walked a panther into our house,” he said angrily.

Wheeler briefly flicked a glance at Ben, who stuffed a biscuit into his mouth and was eyeing the plate of colorful berries.

“Because when you task me with something, I comply. Did
guard her
only mean in human form? Someone forced her to shift; the club was in a panic. By the time I came in—”

“Came in?” Austin interrupted. “Came in from where?”

Wheeler looked at Ben again, and that’s when I realized something else was going on. He pushed his plate forward and put his hands in his lap. “I had to take a piss. She was onstage and the last thing I expected was for her to shift in front of an audience.”

“Then?”

Wheeler flicked his eyes up to mine briefly. “Then I loaded her into the car.”

“How the hell did you manage to do that?” Denver asked in awe. “A panther? We all saw how big she is.”

Wheeler slowly lifted his eyes. “Because maybe panthers can sense fear in a man, and that’s all they need to know.”

“I would have been crapping my pants is all I’m saying,” Denver replied.

Austin turned his attention toward me. “What made you shift?”

I held my chin high. “You mean who. Probably the same man as before. He walked right across the stage.”

“And everyone
let
him?” Reno growled.

“They thought it was part of my act, I guess. He had on a ski mask and approached me theatrically.” I felt myself wringing my hands beneath the table, so I stopped fidgeting. “He used a strobe, and when I shifted, the room exploded with panic. Some people were running out, but a few others looked like they wanted to capture and kill me. Some of the bouncers kept things under control, but my animal was scared and confused with all the movement. By then the man was gone, and then it darkened. I don’t remember anything until I woke up here. I would never have asked Wheeler to bring me here—you have to know that. But what he did was… Well, I respect him for it. He took me to the one place he knew I’d be safe. That’s all that I asked of you, Austin. Someone who would protect my life. And he risked his life to do it. I can’t excuse his behavior, but I’m just as conflicted about it as you must be.”

Austin grabbed a piece of bacon off his plate and devoured it.

“I called to warn you I was coming,” Wheeler said defensively. “It’s not like I walked her inside without a heads-up. I wouldn’t do that to this pack. I wouldn’t intentionally put any of you in danger.”

Austin dropped the bacon on his plate and dusted the crumbs off his fingers. “One of the kids could have opened the door and run out. Would you feel good about your decision if we were sitting here this morning and, God forbid, something had happened to one of them? They can’t shift, Wheeler. We have to protect our children over anything or anyone else.”

Wheeler rubbed his face and I could see the battle raging within. His pack would always come first in his life, but in this instance, he had put me first. I didn’t know how to feel about that.

“What I have to say won’t make you feel better, Austin. It’ll just piss you off. But I had her under absolute control. I don’t expect you to understand it, but I did. We can argue until we’re blue in the face, but that’s just the way it is.”

“Did you feel safe because of your knife?” I asked.

Wheeler snapped to attention, his eyes burning with ferocity. “Say again?”

“The only way a man feels safe around a panther is when he’s carrying a weapon and willing to use it.”

Austin rapped his knuckles on the table, looking between us.

I didn’t see admission in Wheeler’s eyes, only resentment, but he kept silent.

After another moment, the Packmaster scratched his jaw and sat back. “I didn’t give that consideration,” he said. “Wheeler, I know you would have protected your pack by any means necessary, so we’re going to put this issue to rest. But this doesn’t clear your record. If you screw up again, then I’ll have no choice but to put you out for good. I can’t afford to have a weak link in the chain. I need men who will put this pack above everything, whose motives I don’t have to sit here and question. You get off this once, but don’t do it again.” He shook his head, ready to end the conversation.

“I’ll just need a ride home,” I said.

“No, I’d like you to stay here,” Lexi quickly said, her eyes flicking toward Austin. It didn’t look like the offer took him by surprise.

I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“It’s a great idea,” she countered. “You need a place to stay until this thing blows over, and I need someone to help me organize. They’re delivering my menus, and I also talked to your friend about the website. He tossed some ideas at me, but I wanted your input on the layout. You seem to know everyone, Naya. I’ve never met anyone with so many connections. We also have the costume party coming up, and the guy we were dealing with
tripled
the prices on our outfits. Can you believe it? He wants to charge two per person.”

“Two hundred?”

“Two thousand,” Austin said in an irritated voice.

“Oh, chickypoo. That’s too much! He’s taking advantage of you. I know someone who helps some of the girls with their outfits, and we usually end up buying them. He has a warehouse, and you can pick out what you want online and he’ll deliver them. He also sells props if you need anything for the house. I can get you a quote this afternoon.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God. I was starting to panic. Some of the packs must have hit the human shops because they’re all sold out unless someone here wants to be a Mutant Ninja Turtle.”

Denver started to raise his hand.

I shook my head. “Sometimes when the scammers find out they’re dealing with a pack or older immortals, they try to milk them for all they can.”

“Well, that’s settled. You’re staying here.” She nudged Austin’s arm.

“That’s fine,” Austin agreed.