Enticing Their Mate (9 page)

“What were you and Amy talking about when Riley, Clay, and Dirk showed up?” His fists clenched and his brows pinched. Not a good sign.

That she was interested in branching out.
“Nothing.”

He moved closer. “I saw the way Amy’s eyes lit up. Did she say she wanted to fuck one of them?”

Sarah couldn’t tell if he was jealous or just possessive. “No.”
She said there was always room for one more.

“What about you?”

She didn’t know what he was asking, and while she’d been in a lot of uncomfortable situations before, she was too tired to deal with his bullshit. “Can we continue this discussion tomorrow? I really need some sleep.”

“My shift is ending, too.” He stepped in front of her car door, blocking her entry.

A hundred responses rushed to mind, but most would result in her being in a worse position if she said them. She waved her key, indicating he should move. “Russ, excuse me.”

“Come on. I saw you go into that storage room with Riley, and with all that moaning and groaning, you two were getting it on. Don’t deny it.”

Her stomach contracted and nearly took her breath.
Stay calm
. “He was helping me reach some medicine.”

“You’re not a good liar. Admit it, you were fucking him.”

Perhaps if she told him the truth, he’d leave. “Yes. So? He worked at the clinic and we hooked up there.”

“Really?” He dragged a hand down her arm and she wanted to vomit.

So as not to piss him off too much, she stepped out of his reach instead of slapping his hand away. “Amy really likes you,” Sarah said. “Why don’t you see if she wants to have a go in the closet with you.”

His eyes changed color. “I want you.”

Before the words had a chance to sink in, Russ grabbed her, swung her around, and pushed her up against her car. When he pressed his lips to hers, the violation made her want to scream. Unable to even breathe, instinct kicked in and she lifted her knee, aiming for his balls, but he twisted in time to prevent contact. As he tried to work his tongue between her lips, he pressed his whole body against hers.

She managed to turn her head and yell, “No. Stop.” The slap came so hard and fast, that her vision blurred.

“You’re easy, and I’m not going to let that newcomer take what I want.” In one tug, he tore open her blouse. She saw red.

Sarah stomped on the instep of his foot and reached up to claw at his eyes. With animal quickness, he grabbed her wrist, but with her free arm, she managed to jab him in the chest with her elbow.

He staggered backward, giving her a chance to escape. She sprinted toward the warehouse—toward Riley—but after three steps, Russ grabbed her from behind. Since she had her key in her hand, she threaded the metal between her fingers and blindly slammed her fist over her shoulder, hoping to hit his face. She met with some resistance, and he grunted and then let go.

She took off again.

“You won’t get far,” he called, pain lacing his voice.

Move faster.
She couldn’t breathe as her chest cramped
. Thirty feet to the door. Now twenty
. Heavy footsteps sounded behind her and then his fingers grasped the back of her shirt, nearly pulling it off her.

She was no match for the large man. “Help!”

Russ tripped her and the ground rushed up to meet her. A second later, she was on her back with him between her legs, rape clearly on his mind. Whatever it took, she wasn’t going to let that happen.

Adrenaline charging through her, her FBI training kicked in. With her arms straight, she pressed her hands on his shoulders to keep him from getting any closer, and then shrimped out to the side. That twisting motion enabled her to slam a foot on his hip. Lowering her hands to his wrists, she lifted her other foot and planted it on his other side, which made it nearly impossible for him to crawl on top.

“Bitch.” When Russ leaned back to reposition himself, she lifted both feet and jammed a heel into his chin then followed it with a swift kick to his solar plexus and then his groin. With her feet continuing to pummel him, he rolled out of the way.

Scrambling to her feet, she raced toward her car, praying she’d make it before Russ caught her again. Her legs weakened and her vision blurred. If he changed into his wolf form, she’d be torn to shreds.

W
hen Riley heard what he thought was Sarah screaming, every animal instinct in him went crazy and he raced to the front of the warehouse. Jerking open the exit door, he ran outside where Russ’s hormonal scent and Sarah’s fear permeated his nostrils. His mate was jabbing the key at her lock repeatedly, while Russ was staggering toward her. The torn blouse and disheveled hair caused Riley to shift.

He growled and charged. Paws gaining purchase on the dirt, he raced toward them and launched himself at Russ. He bit hard on the man’s calf. Russ’s yell split the air, and a second later he, too, was in wolf form.

Killing Russ would raise too many questions, but teaching the man a lesson would be a pleasure. Riley tried to maneuver the fight away from Sarah’s car so she could escape, but Russ had blocked her ability to open her door.

Riley didn’t dare look at her. If he did, he’d let his anger rule, and Russ would suffer greatly. Russ’s eye was red as if Sarah had scratched or poked him, but werewolves healed quickly, so any weakness on Russ’s part would soon disappear. Needing to approach his prey from the side, Riley circled him, forcing Russ to keep his hindquarters toward the car.

As much as he wanted this altercation to end quickly, he needed to show Russ that any further attempt on Sarah could end in death. Crouching low, Riley growled then sprang, aiming for the man’s neck. Russ avoided receiving the full force of the bite, but it was enough to make him stagger.

The passenger side door opened then closed, and a second later, Sarah’s engine started. Good. As much as Riley wanted to make sure she was okay, he had to deal with Russ first.

Snarling, Russ stalked toward Riley and swiped a paw the entire length of his flank. Fuck that hurt, but the sting wasn’t enough for him to stop. Believing he was the superior fighter, Riley lunged at his adversary and the two tumbled and rolled, nipping at each other’s bodies. The warehouse door banged open and they both disengaged at the arrival of another werewolf. They didn’t need a full on fight.

“Hey, you two.” Clay stood with his legs wide and his hands on his hips. “Get back inside.”

Riley almost laughed. Because he and Clay had supposedly been hired from the same company, he doubted Russ would attack if the odds were two against one. Riley shifted, and then Russ changed, too. From the looks of it, Russ better hope Statler wasn’t around to see how poorly one of his men had faired in a fight.

“This ain’t over, Bishop.”

Yes, it was.

*     *     *

Connolly wasn’t pleased. When Trax called and said they couldn’t watch Michelle and Darnell, he had to give a lame excuse to the men why he needed to leave the warehouse. Some computer expert and her fiancé who worked for the General would be arriving soon to take Michelle back to Florida and care for her. He was good with that—it was Jay showing up at the house that he didn’t need.

Connolly faced Jay. “How are the motel accommodations working out for you?” he asked, needing some time to figure out how he wanted to handle this. His initial plan had been to keep Jay and Riley in the dark about working for the General. By them believing he was one of Statler’s men, Riley would remain cautious and wouldn’t suggest some plan that involved the few of them taking Statler down.

Jay stared at him with his back so straight that Connolly feared he might break his spine. He should tell him they were on the same side, but he needed the tension release of yanking his chain for another minute.

“What are you doing here?” Jay asked.

“Taking care of business. You want to come in? You look like you could use a cup of coffee.”

Jay widened his stance. “I came for Michelle.”

“Then you’re out of luck. I’ve already promised her to someone else.” If he understood the General right, the woman who would be escorting Michelle and Darnell was Jay’s cousin.

Jay’s eyes turned a dark gold, and then he shifted right out in the open as if the world was aware of werewolves. Thankfully, the trees that rimmed the property were thick enough to block anyone’s view.

Oh, hell. He didn’t need to get in a scrap with Jay, so he held up his hands as the feral-looking animal bared his teeth and closed the gap between them. “Only kidding. I work for General Armand.”

Connolly expected Jay to shift back, but apparently he didn’t believe him. The wolf advanced, looking fiercely determined. It was time to stop this. “Your cousin, MacKenzie, and Sam are headed here now.”

Three beats later, Jay was back in human form. Connolly had to chuckle at the look of confusion and anger on his face. Perhaps joking with someone on a serious mission hadn’t been a good idea.

“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t a Statler hire?” Jay asked.

“I had my reasons. Come inside where we can talk.”

Jay scrubbed a hand down his jaw and followed him in. “The General didn’t tell me about you.” His voice sounded like grated glass.

“I asked him not to.” Connolly explained his reasoning.

“Riley and I are professionals. We wouldn’t have gone off half-cocked because we knew you were on our side.” He glanced to his right and his shoulders seemed to relax. Jay inhaled and then faced him. “May I see Michelle?”

“Sure.”

No sooner had they taken three steps than Jay’s cell chimed. He checked the message and his face paled.

“What is it?”

“It’s from Riley. Russ tried to sexually assault Sarah.” The hair on Jay’s face sprouted and his teeth extended.

Holy fuck. He’d pegged Russ as a troublemaker and someone who was ruled by his dick, but he hadn’t expected an assault. “How is she?”

Jay slowly returned to full human form. “She was able to fight him off. Look, as much as I want to see my cousin and her fiancé, I need to—”

“By all means, go and see to her. I’ll ask Trax and Dante to come on back here, so I can fend off any further incident. I’ll talk to Statler about firing Russ.”

“Statler won’t give a fuck what Russ tried to do.”

“We’ll see.”

*     *     *

Sarah’s hands were shaking so hard she had to work to keep them from slipping off the steering wheel. To make matters worse, the image of that smug bastard standing by her car refused to go away. Everything about the situation burned a hole in her gut. Russ had been waiting for her, and then actually had the balls to attack her in front of where they worked.

She was able to thwart his attempt this time probably because he hadn’t expected her to put up any resistance, but the next time she might not be so lucky. If Riley hadn’t come along, no telling if she’d even be alive. Leaving him in the lot with Russ was the right thing to do, but it also had been the hardest. She’d reasoned that if he’d feared for her safety, he might have been distracted.

She glanced down at what was left of her blouse and fury raced through her. If shooting Russ would actually harm him, she’d buy a gun right now. Damn werewolves and their healing abilities.

Her house appeared and another wave of depression descended. At least Amy wouldn’t be home for another twelve hours, which would give her time to shower and regroup.

Once inside, she locked her doors and called Riley, wanting to make sure he hadn’t been seriously injured. When he picked up on the second ring, relief raced through her.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She almost smiled. That was what she’d called to find out about him. “I’m pissed and have a few scratches on my palms, face, and knees, but other than that, I’m okay.”

“I want to come over to make sure.”

Images of him checking out every inch of her body surfaced, causing beads of excitement to form on her skin. “Do I have time to shower?”

“No.” With that, he disconnected.

Even if he left the warehouse this second, it would take him fifteen minutes or more to reach her—assuming he had her address. Needing something cold to drink, she traipsed to the kitchen to brew some tea. Just as she’d poured the boiling water over the loose tealeaves, the doorbell rang. Hmm, Riley must have been closer than she thought.

Halfway to the door, she halted. Russ and Riley had just gone at it. If Russ’s ego had been damaged, he might be seeking revenge. “Who is it?”

“It’s Jay Wagner.”

She let out a breath. Riley must have called him. Sarah looked down at her torn blouse. “Give me a minute, okay?”

“Sure.”

She rushed to her room, slipped off her ruined top, and dressed in one of her running T-shirts. When she pulled open the door, she drank in his presence. “Come in.”

Jay was slightly taller than Riley, and though Jay’s jaw was squarer and his eyes were bit wider, he was equally handsome. All in all, he was a hot looking man.

Jay reached out and when he cupped her chin and twisted her face right then left, her pulse soared. She would have pulled away if his touch hadn’t brought such comfort.