Ruling Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 4) (16 page)

Brock clenched his jaw and fists as he forced himself to keep his anger under control. “Thanks for the update. I’ll be sure to give Lana a call.”

“I’ll let you know if I find out anything else.” Seth hung up.

Brock hit the Forward button and sent the picture on to his security department. He didn’t bother with a message in the email. He was already standing up and striding down to the forty-second floor to discuss the matter privately with his head of security, Russell.

Holt Automated was large enough that most of the employees were the standard variety human, but it was still the top employer of werewolves in the continental United States. Working with family was never easy, but at least he had the added benefit of being king, giving the weight of his authority extra heft.

Brock strode into Russell’s office, where the picture of Elsie and the mystery guy was already on Russell’s computer screen. Russell stood at Brock’s entrance.

“Already feeling the jealousy of having a mate in the modern world?” Russell grinned.

Just seventy years ago, it would’ve been perfectly reasonable for Brock to order Elsie to stay indoors and away from windows anytime he was gone. Now it was expected that he allow her to be in danger every day for the sake of her independence. Theoretically, Brock had never had a problem with independent women. Now that he was going out of his head with worry, he was starting to see the appeal of feminine oppression.

“Not jealousy. At least not this time. Seth snapped these this morning. He thinks this guy spooked Elsie, but she still sat with him a few minutes and he transferred a cell phone to her as she left. I want to know everything about him. Where he was born, what his favorite color is, and why the hell he is scaring my mate.”

Russell raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. “Understood. I will edit Elsie out of the picture and distribute it around until we find out what was going on.” He paused a beat before he added, “Have you tried asking her who he is?”

Brock looked to the gray and blue speckled carpeting.

“Ahh,” said Russell with understanding. “You are afraid she’s going to lie about it?”

Brock hated how well his brother knew him. It was obvious Elsie was spooked in the pictures, but he never got a phone call from her to discuss it. He was her mate. If she was upset, frightened, or even a little hungrier than normal, she should be sharing it with him.

But this wasn’t a blushing bride he’d wooed and courted. This was a coworker who never even knew he thought about her in any sexual way until very recently. Why would she call him under stress?

“I’ll talk to her as soon as I can and you’ll be updated,” he insisted. “Take care of this.”

Russell nodded. “Will do.”

Brock made his way back to the elevator and punched the button for the forty-fourth floor. Without letting himself overthink anything, he snatched his phone from his pocket and hit the speed dial for Elsie.

It went straight to voicemail.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Elsie stared down at the vibrating phone. She couldn’t hit the End button too soon or Brock would know she was avoiding his calls. Instead, she walked out of her office and ignored the buzzing.

If she stayed in her office and didn’t answer, Brock would call Jackson and Jackson would know something was up. To keep suspicions down, she pulled her favorite office girl, Shannon, into a conference room and told her about the shifting job responsibilities. Shannon would be taking over the various reconciliations Elsie currently did, but Elsie would be carefully reviewing them every month.

For the rest of the day, the two of them stayed in the conference room as Elsie walked Shannon through all her new responsibilities. At least the closed door meeting was a good excuse to ignore Brock’s calls. Jackson had already popped in a few times to bitch about Brock blowing up his phone too.

Considering Jackson could verify she was still alive and in one piece, she didn’t feel one ounce of guilt over ignoring Brock’s constant calls. She was supposed to be helping him run his company, not taking calls from her new boyfriend/mate/whatever-the-hell-he-was.

As five o’clock rolled around, Jackson interrupted her more and more frequently, trying to get some type of assurance she didn’t want to work too late. After all, because he was her babysitter, he would have to work just as late. However, if she wanted tonight to go off as planned, she would have to lose the sitter.

Shannon never once asked how late Elsie planned to make her work. One more mark in her favor.

For all his faults, Jackson was loyal to his family. He might not like it, but if Brock asked him to watch Elsie, he would do it even if he had to complain the entire time. As far as bodyguards went, he wasn’t half bad. He was well built, and being able to grow fangs and claws on command was always a plus in a fight.

But he was horrible at reading people. His whole blackmail debacle just proved how bad he was at reading situations and working out strategies. It was one of the things she hated most about working for him, but in this case, it might actually help.

Assigning Shannon some busywork, Elsie slipped from the room and to her office. Sure enough, there were twenty missed calls from Brock. Taking a steadying breath, she dialed his number.

He answered before the phone could ring a second time. “Where the hell have you been all day?”

Great. He was going to yell at her first thing. “Hasn’t your spy told you already?”

There was a pause. “How did you know I was getting reports?”

Elsie rolled her eyes. Did he think she was an idiot? “I know Jackson told you where I’ve been. Otherwise you’d be yelling at me in person.”

“Yeah, Jackson,” he muttered. “He isn’t my biggest fan right now.”

“Well, neither am I at the moment. Why on earth were you calling so much? Especially if you knew I was fine?”

“Someone telling me you’re okay and you saying it yourself are two different things. I just wanted to make sure everything was going well.”

The words seemed sincere, but Elsie could sense he held something back. Then again, so was she, so who was she to judge? “Everything is fine here. Just a really busy day, as you can imagine. I’ve been locked up with Shannon for the past few hours, trying to teach her what it’s taken me years to learn.”

There was another silence and Elsie knew Brock was trying to ask her something. If he was being this careful with word choice, it was because he was trying not to piss her off. “You’re sure nothing happened to spook you? None of Cullen’s men approached you? Nothing out of the ordinary?”

He knows about Lucian
. “You know if I were worried, you’d be the first person I’d call.” Great. Now he was lying to her and she was lying to him. The foundation for a wonderful bonding. Probably best to change the subject. “Have you found out anything about Dani? Jackson is saying there’s nothing you can do.”

“There haven’t been any sightings of her. There are a couple of Cullen’s hideouts she could be at, but we can’t attack them all.”

Just one more wall she was hitting. “You’re king. You can attack anyone you want to.”

“I’m an unpopular king. If I flex muscle and Cullen wins, that’s it for me. We are already vulnerable with everything going on.”

Elsie could hear the frustration in his voice, but it didn’t make her feel better. “You’re vulnerable because of me. Because I’m not one of you. I make you weak.”

“No, you don’t. It will just take time for everyone else to see that. The fact that you survived one kidnapping attack already is a huge mark in your favor. And every day that goes by that you survive the queen’s curse will instill even more confidence in you.”

“You’re saying the reason we have to leave Dani alone with those creeps is because of me.”

Brock responded with an angry growl. “That’s not what I’m saying,” he bit out.

“Whatever. We’ll have to talk about it later. I’m trying to get shit done here. Have you taken time out of your busy day of calling me to check on Riggs?” She knew she’d be working a long day, so they decided the dog would do better at Brock’s oversized Manhattan apartment where there was plenty of staff willing to bend over backward for the owner of the penthouse.

“He’s already been out twice today. He’s doing fine,” he said quickly. “I want to talk about this. You need to know you aren’t a handicap.”

Elsie was happy he was feeling bad, because she was sure he’d be pissed at her when she finally did see him again. A few sympathy points couldn’t hurt.

Elsie pushed away from her desk and headed to Jackson’s office. “Like I said, we’ll talk about this later. I am going to be working pretty late, but then I’ll head over to your place. Traffic won’t let up ’til seven-ish anyway.” Without knocking, Elsie pushed open Jackson’s door. “Now I’m in Jackson’s office and I’m about to put you on speakerphone.” She hit the button that would allow Jackson to hear Brock. “Now tell Jackson you’re satisfied that I am safe and that I am old enough to not need a babysitter.”

Brock grunted on the other end of the phone. “What she said,” he grumbled.

Jackson stifled laughter at Brock’s grumpy response, and Elsie left his office. Taking Brock off speakerphone, she said, “Thank you.”

“He’s not babysitting you. He’s protecting you. There’s a difference. Paranoia is one thing, but we have plenty of reasons to believe you’re in danger.”

“And I appreciate that you care. But there is a thin line here between you caring and you being a dick.”

Brock laughed. “Luckily, I have you to tell me the second I cross that line.”

“The second you even nudge it,” she promised. “Seriously though, I have a mountain of work and limited time. I’ll see you later tonight.”

Brock said a quick good-bye and hung up.

That wasn’t too bad.
Now she just had to get rid of Jackson. Striding back to his office, she put on her most confident-looking face. “Brock said thanks for everything. I’m heading back to the conference room with Shannon, so have a great night if I don’t see you.”

Jackson furrowed his brow. “I thought I was staying until you left.”

Elsie widened her eyes. “Didn’t you hear Brock just now? He agreed I didn’t need a babysitter. It’s not like Cullen’s guys would try anything so soon after they failed anyway. You can take off whenever you want. I know you had a busy day.”

She could see Jackson was trying hard to make sense of her lies. But Jackson did want to go home, and he would try his hardest to twist reality to fit what he wanted. “Well, I guess so,” he muttered.

Before he could second-guess himself, Elsie cheerfully said, “Have a nice night,” before she turned back to the conference room. Phase one was completed. Unfortunately, that was the easy part.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Elsie pulled her car into the farthest spot from the door. Lucian was exactly where he’d promised he’d be, sitting in his black, nondescript Chevy outside the fast-food restaurant down the street from the plant.

For a few moments, she sat frozen in the driver’s seat, the shadows of the almost completely set sun giving the whole meeting a nefarious feel. This was her last chance to back out. Run to Brock. Let him and his men take care of everything.

Dani brought this on herself. There was no reason for Elsie to put her ass on the line for a disobedient teen who might not even want to be rescued.

But then Elsie remembered Dani crying as her father struck Elsie on the beach. She pleaded for them to be gentle and they all ignored her. Derek was far more interested in pain and violence than his own daughter.

No. Elsie couldn’t just abandon Dani, no matter what mistakes she was guilty of.

Newly determined, Elsie strode toward Lucian. He and two other men got out to meet her. Like Lucian, each of the men was drop-dead gorgeous. All three men were well over six feet tall. While Lucian had shiny and long chestnut hair, the blond man had short hair cut just as it started to curl. The other man was bald, but combined with his dark, African skin and hulking build, his bare head somehow seemed to make him more attractive.

The grin Lucian aimed at her told her he knew exactly how tempted she was to run. “Guys, I’d like to introduce you to Elsie, the siren queen of werewolves. Elsie, these are some of my most trusted men, Cade and Dean,” he said, referring to the blond and bald man, respectively.

Elsie smiled nervously and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Cade raised an eyebrow at the offering, but Dean smiled back at her and reached out to shake her hand. “You too.” His grip was warm and firm, but not comforting at all. Elsie couldn’t stop thinking about the monsters hidden behind the smiles and beautiful faces.

Elsie turned to Lucian. “I feel like I’m overdressed for this.” Although she still wore her dress slacks and bright, patterned shirt, the three myotises all wore loose t-shirts and sweatpants. From spending the last few weeks with werewolves, she understood why. The loose clothes made changing forms easier.

“You look fine the way you are.” Lucian’s look said he wanted to eat her up. Elsie just couldn’t figure out whether he wanted to eat her in a sexual or literal way.

“If you’re going to kill me, please get it over with quick. I’m already way too nervous about this.”

Lucian looked to Dean and Cade. “Take a beat, guys,” he ordered. Immediately, the two disappeared right in front of Elsie’s eyes and she blinked at the sudden exit. “Never seen anyone transport before?”

Elsie shook her head. “Only when you broke into my house.”

“One of the benefits of transporting is that nothing in your home was broken. We really just entered.” Elsie raised her brows at that but didn’t bother fighting him. “I wasn’t expecting you to call so quickly.”

Elsie chewed on her bottom lip. “Can we cut the small talk? I just want to get this over with.”

“I can respect a woman who gets right to business.” He slowly approached her. Elsie took a steadying breath as everything in her told her to run. He stopped just inches from her. “If I was going to kill you, you’d be dead already.” He gently laid his big palms on either side of her waist.

Elsie’s hands shot out and grabbed his wrists. “Understand this. We might be working together, and, for the time being, I might be keeping this from my mate, but none of that gives you permission to put your hands on me.”

One corner of his lip curled at her threat. Before she could react, he rolled his wrists, dislodging her grip, and grabbed her arms right above the elbow, pulling her close.

“Understood.” His grip pressed into her flesh and a painful tingle shot through her hands. When she looked down, her claws were extended and ready to cause damage.

“I don’t think you do,” she growled.

Lucian cocked his head and stared down at her. “Trust me.”

He gripped her arms even tighter and the world around them fell away. Colors swirled together as though they were caught up in a tornado, but no breeze touched Elsie.

After just a second of the disorienting sight, the world righted itself, but the scenery was completely different. Elsie pulled herself away from Lucian and turned in a circle. They were in some old neighborhood. The houses were all aged and once beautiful, but years of neglect left them all in various states of disrepair.

The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows over the street, which only added to the eerie feeling that filled Elsie. “Where are we?”

“Cullen’s latest hole in the ground is around the corner. Your girl is there. I didn’t want to use a car they could trace, not that they couldn’t find you if they wanted. I more so didn’t want them tracing me. But we do have a car stashed in case we need one.”

In case Lucian wasn’t able to transport her back for some reason...

Elsie looked back to him. “Are you afraid of them?”

Lucian’s jaw tightened. “Every single thing they don’t know about us is an advantage.”

“That’s the reason no one knows the myotis are shape shifters?”

He shrugged. “Some people know. They just know better than to blab about it to the other supernatural races.”

“And I’m one of the lucky few,” she said with a sarcastic smile.

“I’m trying to help you,” he pointed out.

“You want something from me. I still have every reason to hate you.” Elsie looked at the sad neighborhood again. “Why would they stay here? It’s so…”

“Crappy?”

“Unfamiliar. My stepdad’s place is so posh and Brock’s family all live so well. Why would Cullen stay in a place like this?” Every supernatural being she’d ever met lived a lavish lifestyle. Cullen didn’t seem like the modest, humble type.

Lucian’s brow furrowed. “Cullen and his wolves are different from your Brock. They’re primal and vicious. They don’t believe in integrating into human society. They refuse to work or fit in. They take what they want, when they want.”

Elsie clenched her fists. “And no one bothered to tell me this?”

“Your man was trying to protect you. Probably felt bad for dragging you into all of his shit.”

She turned her angry gaze on him. “Don’t stand there and defend him. This is all your fault. If you weren’t so busy trying to defend a murderous rapist, Brock and I would still just be coworkers.”

“So you think your mating was a mistake?”

She turned her gaze away from him. She’d been asking herself the same question ever since this whole thing started. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Cullen’s shitbox is around the corner.” Lucian started down the sidewalk.

She followed closely behind. “Aren’t Cade and Dean going to help?”

“They’re around. There are going to be a lot more wolves than us. If you show up with one and two more show up, Cullen will assume more can show up just as easily.”

Elsie couldn’t fault the logic but still wondered out loud, “Why didn’t you just bring more men?”

“Because I can’t imagine you’d need more than three. We know what we’re doing and we specialize in scaring beings of any species shitless.” He held out his arm, signaling her to stop. “It’s time to get my game face on. You okay with that?”

“I’ve seen it before.” She decided not to mention that the image had haunted her ever since.

Judging from the look he gave her, he already knew. He pulled the t-shirt over his head and Elsie turned away. He laughed at her reaction. “You don’t have to shield your eyes. I’m assuming it’s nothing you haven’t seen on your wolf.”

“Well, Brock is my wolf and you aren’t. So I’m going to keep looking away.”

A sharp intake of breath told her he was going through the change. She heard the sound of bones breaking and skin shifting. She stayed facing away from him for ten long seconds before she turned around to face the beast.

She knew it was Lucian. The same attractive and sardonic man she was getting used to. There was no question it was him. Yet every cell in her body screamed at her to run as fast as she could.

His formerly beautiful, bronzed skin was now a dark gray, wrinkled mass over muscles that now seemed larger and more intimidating. His nose had flattened, leaving two open holes where his nostrils used to be while his ears lengthened and flattened against his head.

His sparkling blue eyes were now a dark gray that matched his dark skin. His fangs were so long that his mouth couldn’t fully close around them.

Although the myotis who attacked her at the plant had been scary, Lucian seemed to take it to another level. She narrowed her eyes at the beast. “Are your teeth longer than they were when you broke into, sorry, ‘entered’ my house?”

Lucian shrugged. “I’m trying to be extra scary,” he said with a lisp caused from his enlarged fangs.

She snorted. “Talking doesn’t help the badass image.”

He smiled at her joke and for a brief second she could recognize Lucian. Then drool started to drip from his open mouth and she looked away before her disgust showed.

Which was his true face? The man or the monster? She shook her head. “Let’s get this over with.”

He pointed to a house. “Over there. You lead. I’m just here as backup.”

Elsie nodded. “Remember. Kill me now or never. Last chance I’m giving you.”

He groaned. “Just go.”

Taking a nervous gulp, Elsie walked toward the house he’d pointed to. She didn’t look behind her, but she could hear his loud breathing and footsteps. Was his breathing always that loud in his beast form or was he hamming it up for dramatic effect?

Either way, she had to keep on reminding her subconscious that he was there to help her, not kill her. Theoretically.

The door to the house had seen better days. It looked as if she could give it a heavy push and it would creak inward, just like a cliché horror movie.

Hoping to avoid any more horror movie comparisons, she knocked politely at the door, ordering her hand not to shake. She was going for the confident, badass vibe. Not the “please don’t kill me, sir” one.

Her heartbeat banged against her chest as she stood and waited for the door to swing open. She was about to confront her kidnappers. They’d tied her up. Beat her. Laughed at her pain. And she was about to barge in and make demands. What the hell was she thinking?

An arm grabbed her shoulder and Elsie jumped. Gasping for air, she turned to the threat but only saw Lucian’s hand on her. “Calm yourself,” he mouthed, careful to make sure she could make out the words through his fangs.

She nodded. They would be able to smell her fear. Hear her heartbeat. She couldn’t just play at being the brave queen. She had to actually
be
her.

At least for the next few minutes.

The doorknob moved and Elsie panicked. Her arm reached blindly behind her, gripping Lucian’s rock-hard forearm. He stepped closer, just off to the side, so her body would hide the death grip she had on him. His comforting presence allowed her heart rate to slow as her hands stopped shaking.

The werewolf who opened the door was unfamiliar to Elsie, but she didn’t get a good chance to look him over. His eyes glanced past her straight to Lucian. A growl sounded from behind her and she knew Lucian was doing his best to be scary.

It must’ve worked, because the wolf scrambled away from the door, tripping over pieces of broken furniture. “Cullen!” he called. “Get out here!”

As he retreated, Elsie moved forward. The werewolf’s fear boosted her confidence, allowing her to release Lucian’s arm. The house didn’t look much better on the inside. The smell of dust and dirt permeated the air. All the curtains were down, a few dim lamps the only form of illumination.

The house wasn’t messy in the sense that there wasn’t much stuff. A small coffee table and couch in the living room, but no other furniture Elsie could see. Who would live here?

Footsteps pounded on the stairs, announcing Cullen long before he was in Elsie’s line of sight. He wore only a pair of boxers, and his long hair was down and covering most of the burn scar that stretched across his face. Even in his state of undress, he was still intimidating, and the memory of his fist slamming into her face was all too fresh.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Elsie and Lucian. “What the fuck?” he muttered.

The clattering of more footsteps sounded and Rachel appeared, wearing only an oversized t-shirt that hit her mid-thigh and Derek close behind her.

“Hey boys,” said Elsie with a calm and sultry tone she didn’t feel. She looked Rachel over. “And, whatever it is you are.”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed as she lunged forward, but Cullen caught her before she reached Elsie. Lucian let out a threatening growl from behind her.

“Obviously you don’t want me here, and, believe me, I don’t want to be here. Just give me my niece and I’ll get out of your hair.”

Cullen sneered at her orders. “Do you have any idea what you’ve started by coming here?”

She rolled her eyes. “What? A civil war between the werewolves? If you haven’t noticed, I’m not here with wolves.”