Rage & Killian (7 page)

“I’ll come up with a payment plan,” she muttered.

Without warning, he leaned to press a light kiss to her lips. “I have to deal with this, but I swear I’ll be back.”

Lucie stepped back, her brows lifting in surprise at his words.

Did he think that she was just going to sit home like a good little girl while he had all the fun?

“I’m coming with you.”

Rage stiffened, his eyes narrowing. “No way.”

She folded her arms over her chest, not for the first time wishing she wasn’t so tiny. It was hard to be intimidating when she was a foot shorter than everyone.

“I wasn’t asking permission,” she informed him.

“You’re a Geek, not a Hunter,” he growled.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m aware of that.”

He leaned down until they were nose to nose, the power of his cat pulsing through the air.

“You’ve done your job. Now it’s my turn.”

Her animal prowled beneath her skin, instinctively wanting to back down beneath the stronger male, but Lucie refused to be intimidated. Not just because she was stubborn and overly independent, but because there was no way in hell she was going to let this male walk into danger alone.

That was unacceptable.

“You need me,” she told him, meeting him glare for glare.

Taking advantage of their proximity, he swiped his rough tongue over her bottom lip. Such a cat.

“That’s true,” he agreed in husky tones. “But first I have to put an end to this threat.”

She pulled back, resisting the urge to do a little licking of her own.

Later…

“I mean, you need to me to stop the auction,” she insisted. “Unless you’ve become a computer expert?”

His brooding gaze lingered on her lips. “With enough encouragement, I can force the bastard to end it.”

She didn’t doubt that. For all of Rage’s easy charm, he was a ruthless predator who would do whatever was necessary to get the information the Pantera needed.

A knowledge that she intended to use to force him to take her along.

“And if he won’t? Or if he manages to escape?” she demanded. “Or you accidentally kill him?” She held up her hand as his lips parted to assure her that he could take care of the enemy. “The auction is set on a timer. It’s going to happen unless I can gain physical access to his computer and stop it.”

His lips snapped together at her indisputable logic.

They both knew that right now, nothing mattered but halting the sell of the technology that would use Pantera blood as some sort of weapon.

“Dammit.” Reaching into his pocket, he yanked out his cellphone. “I need to call Parish.”

Knowing she’d won, Lucie turned and headed forward to the door. “I’ll wait for you in the garage.”

Chapter 5

Rage completed his call to Parish and then took a few minutes to regain control of his temper.

Damn, Lucie. She was supposed to be in her beautiful home, doing whatever it was she did on her fancy computer system. She wasn’t supposed to be directly confronting their enemy and putting herself in danger.

 Unfortunately, he couldn’t deny her logic.

They knew nothing about the person responsible for setting up the auction. Or even if they were still in Bossier City It was only reasonable to have a backup plan to make sure they could prevent the information from being spread to some unknown buyer.

Once he’d managed to gain command of his anger, he followed the scent of primroses to the narrow flight of stairs that led to the garage. Entering the small space, his brows lifted at the sight of the Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle.

It was a sleek, fast work of art.

Just like his Lucie.

“Why am I not surprised?” he murmured.

Tossing him a helmet, she tugged on her own before she straddled the bike and started the engine with a throaty roar.

“Get on,” she commanded.

Rage put on his helmet. It wasn’t that he was afraid of an accident. Pantera could take one hell of a beating. But they didn’t have time to be stopped by the local police.

Crossing the floor, he studied the female who was impatiently waiting to leave. “Why can’t I drive?”

She sent him a wry glance. “You got to drive in bed.”

Heat streaked through him at the vivid memory of her bent in front of him as he took her from behind. Instantly, he was hard.

“True,” he murmured.

She flipped down her visor, revving the engine. “Are you coming or not?”

Swinging his leg over the bike, he settled in close behind her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

“This gives me ideas,” he said, rubbing his erection against her lower back.

“Stop that,” she chided, trying to pretend her arousal wasn’t scenting the air. They just had to be in the same room for desire to combust between them.

She pressed a small device that was mounted on the front of the bike, opening the narrow door of the garage, then gunning the engine, they shot onto the narrow side street that was thankfully empty at the early hour.

Rage gave a low chuckle. If he couldn’t keep Lucie tucked safely at home, then he was going to enjoy their time together.

Keeping his chin planted against her shoulder, he held on tight as they headed out of New Orleans. The morning air was edged with a sharp chill as they hit the highway and headed north, but neither noticed. Instead, they silently appreciated the close press of their bodies.

Finally, it was Lucie who broke the silence, speaking through the Bluetooth that was built into their helmets.

“What did Parish say?”

Rage grimaced. The leader of the Hunters hadn’t been any happier than he was at the thought of Lucie being exposed to their enemy.

“That he would slice off my balls if you got hurt,” he admitted, his ears still ringing from the older male’s angry warnings. Then, unable to resist his primitive instincts, he asked the question that was gnawing at him. “Are you going to tell me what’s up between the two of you?”

“Nothing’s up.” She easily weaved through the thickening traffic, clearly as at ease on the bike as she was behind her computer. Her skill was oddly erotic. “Parish is my friend.”

He believed her. Parish was not only happily mated, but if he’d wanted this female, then nothing on this earth would have kept him from her side.

“Why him?” he demanded.

She snorted. “Because he’s a pushy pain in the ass who refuses to take no for an answer.”

“That sounds like Parish,” he swiftly agreed. “What did he do?”

“He came to me after my grandfather died.”

Rage clenched his teeth. Christ, he wished he’d known what her grandfather had been doing. He’d have given the bastard a taste of his own medicine.

“Is that when you burned down the cabin?” he asked.

“Yes.” He felt her shiver and he tightened his arms, trying to offer her comfort. It was too late to do any good, but it was all he had. “I had to destroy the memories of that place.”

“I don’t blame you.”

She shrugged. “Maybe someday I’ll be able to accept that it was the sickness that made him so cruel, but not yet.”

He hoped she did find some peace in the memory of her grandfather. Bitterness would only eat away at her soul.

“Did Parish help you leave the Wildlands?” he inquired.

She nodded. “Once Xavier told me that I was no longer allowed to work on the computers, he offered me an apartment and gave me some money. I think he was afraid I might do something crazy.”

Rage gave a short laugh. Like she hadn’t been doing crazy shit before then?

Of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to point out her habit of striking out without warning.

“I’m glad that Parish was there for you,” he said instead, ignoring his cat’s growl in protest.

His animal might be convinced that he was the one who was supposed to protect her, but at the time he hadn’t given her what she needed. Thank the goddess, Parish had.

He shook off his cat’s urge to pout. He hadn’t taken care of Lucie in the past, but he fully intended to be the only one to see to her needs in the future.

“You know that Xavier’s going to do everything in his power to get you back after this?” he warned.

She buzzed around a truck pulling a wagon of hay. “There’s nothing he could offer that would tempt me to return,” she proclaimed. “I like my life.”

He pressed his hand flat against her stomach, his touch deliberately possessive. He was willing to spend part of their time in New Orleans if that made her happy, but he intended to make sure that she shared his home in the bayous.

“He’s not going to be the only one trying to convince you to return to the Wildlands.”

“Whatever you say.”

Rage frowned at her flippant words, turning them over in his head. There was some sort of message in them. He knew women well enough to realize that there were always hidden meanings when a woman was acting as if it didn’t matter. A smart male learned to decipher them.

It took several minutes, then, like a bolt of lightning, it hit him.

Hell. She’d decided he was a frivolous flirt. A male who drifted from one bed to another. And right now, there was nothing he could say that was going to make her believe that he wanted more than a casual affair. Obviously he was going to have to prove his sincerity with deeds.

A grim smile of determination curved his lips. “You can doubt me, Lucie, but eventually you’ll accept you’re not getting rid of me.”

“That sounds like a threat,” she muttered.

His fingers skimmed up until they were just an inch from the delicate curve of her breast. “A promise.”

She shivered, reaching up to turn off her Bluetooth. Rage smiled. She could try to shut him out as much as she wanted.

Nothing, not even her stubborn distrust, was going to stop him from claiming her as his own.

* * * *

Lucie pretended an all-consuming concentration on navigating the five-and-a-half-hour drive to Bossier City. Not that she was stupid enough to think for a second that she was fooling Rage. They both knew that she’d have to be dead not to be aware of the six-foot plus male who was snuggled so tightly against her back she could feel every inch of his hard body. That didn’t even include the sparks of awareness that were sizzling between them. She wouldn’t be surprised if her skin was scorched from the heat.

Thankfully, she managed to arrive at their destination without crashing. Or halting the bike so she could rip off Rage’s clothes and have her evil way with him, which had been way more likely than crashing.

Pulling the bike to a halt a block away, she nodded her head toward the large warehouse that overlooked the Red River.

“That’s the place.”

Rage stepped off the bike and removed his helmet, his gaze locked on the brick structure that looked abandoned from a distance. Lucie, however, didn’t miss the new chain link fence that was ten-foot tall and topped with barbed wire. Or the bars that’d recently been added to the windows. Someone didn’t want any stray trespassers having a peek inside.

“Stay here while I check it out,” he murmured.

Lucie reached out to lay her hand on his arm. Shit. She didn’t want him going in there alone.

“I should come with you.”

He shoved back his hair with impatient fingers, clearly anxious to be on the hunt.

“You’re staying here.”

“But––”

“When it comes to geeky stuff, you’re in charge,” he interrupted, tugging off her helmet so he could stare down at her with a ruthless air of authority.

The casual charmer was replaced with the lethal predator.

“Geeky stuff?”

“When it comes to hunting the enemy, I’m in charge.” He reached to cup her chin in his hand, forcing her to meet his steady gaze. “Deal?”

Lucie hesitated. Once she agreed, she would be giving her word that she would be stuck waiting for him, even if her every instinct screamed she should be with him. What if he went in and never came out? What if she truly lost him?

The thought made her heart clench with panic.

Unfortunately, she knew that he wasn’t going to leave until he had her promise.

Stubborn cat.

“Deal,” she grudgingly conceded.

Easily sensing how difficult it’d been for her to accept his demand, Rage leaned down to brush his lips lightly over her mouth.

“I’ll come and get you once I’m sure it’s safe.”

She reached up to grasp his sweatshirt, a strange sense of premonition inching down her spine.

“Be careful.”

“Always.”

He paused long enough to steal one last lingering kiss before he was straightening and jogging down the street, staying in the shadows of the nearby buildings. She held her breath as he reached the fence and scaled it with fluid ease. He was fast, but they didn’t know anything about the enemy’s security.

No alarms sounded as he jogged across the empty parking lot and entered through a back window, but Lucie knew that didn’t mean anything.

Crawling off the bike, Lucie stored the helmets before she pulled out her phone. She wanted to call Parish and ask the leader of the Hunters what Rage had said to him earlier. And more importantly, she wanted to make sure he was sending backup in case things went to hell.

She frowned as she scrolled through her contacts, feeling an odd prickle in the center of her back.

It felt as if she was being stalked.

The thought had barely formed when she caught the unmistakable scent of a human male. Glancing up, she watched as a man jumped from a second floor window to land directly in front her. The stranger was dressed in camo pants and a green henley that was stretched tight over his bulging muscles. His face was square with blunt features, and his dirty blond hair was pulled into a short tail at his neck.

Lucie grimaced. Damn. She didn’t need the edge of musk that clung to the man’s body to realize he’d been drinking Pantera blood. That leap would have broken the legs of an average human.

Shoving her phone back into her pocket, she pinned a faux smile to her lips. The man might have juiced himself on Pantera blood, but that didn’t make him any match for the real deal.