Guardian (Wolf Shifter Romance): Reckless Desires (Alpha Protectors Book 1) (10 page)

“What?” I bit out, cutting Greg off.
Nearly there.

“The flowers came with a letter.”

“And?”

“They weren’t from the same person. The note tucked into the bouquet is in a different handwriting.”

“Another stalker?” I hit water, choosing the most direct path.

“No. This is a death threat. You’re right, you’ve got to get to her. He means business.”

Jorge reached for Tasha, his arms closing around my mate. He cupped her jaw roughly, angling her face toward the camera, and captured her mouth.

She moaned, her arms slipping around his neck, her body molding against his.

Red flashed in front of my eyes, rage flaring and firing through me.
She’s just a good actress…
“No!” I shouted. This shouldn’t be happening…

Tasha whirled around, sending water sloshing and lapping toward the shore. “Cole! What’s happening?” Her eyes widened, looking past me. “What is Vin doing with Scar?”

I closed the gap, fingers reaching out to snag her hip. A
crack
echoed through the air, sending birds screaming for the sky. Pain sliced through me, a red-hot trail burning bright with agony. “Is somebody on him?” I managed to grunt out before falling back into the water.

“No! Cole!” Her screams tugged at me, her hands patting and smoothing my chest.

I couldn’t open my eyes. The darkness was dragging me down, seductive and heavy.

“…Not meant to be like this…” The words were a low hiss, foggy and indistinct.

H
e was sinking
, blood spiraling out and tainting the water crimson. I dragged his head up, yanking at his shoulders. “Help!”
He was too heavy!
I tugged again, my feet sliding on the pebbled lakebed. “Please! Someone help me!” I screamed. Jorge was nowhere to be seen, having hightailed it out of the lake seconds after the shot had been fired.

I had to stop the blood.
There’s too much blood!
“Cole, you can’t leave me. You can’t!”

“Get down, Natasha!” Vin’s voice screamed at me.

Panicked screams drifted on the air. There were sounds of the crashing of people fleeing and searching for shelter.

Another
crack
snapped through the air, and the water next to my elbow jumped as a bullet whizzed by, grazing my arm.

Cole grunted, his body jumping in my arms. More red pooled around us.

Vin roared at me, already running flat out toward us, “Get the fuck down! He’s still out there!”

I couldn’t bring myself to worry, not when the man I loved was dying in my arms.
Loved?
When had
that
happened? I shoved his sopping wet hair back, smoothing it gently away from his face. He was pale, his face drawn up in what must be agonizing pain.

His eyes blinked open, blurry and unfocused, his chest rising as he sucked a rattling breath in through his mouth. “Tasha? What—? Is he—?” He blinked again, giving his head a shake.

“You’ve been shot,” I whispered, willing him to tell me everything was going to be all right. That he would heal. It took a lot to take a shifter down, and whether they survived depended on their strength. Cole was strong. I knew he was.

“I can tell,” he grunted. “Did the guys find—”

His words were cut off at the loud
crack
of another shot being fired. In seconds he had rolled over, pressing me beneath him, his arm under my head the only thing keeping me from drowning. He arched, his body shuddering as his mouth twisted in a grim parody of a smile. Tapping his ear, he panted, “Have you got him yet? That last one fucking hurt!”

“Have they?” I demanded, the cold from the lake infusing my bones with ice. He couldn’t just lie there on top of me all day taking bullet after bullet!

“Not yet. They’re closing in.” He frowned as his earpiece squawked to life again. “No. Take him alive,” he murmured, his eyes pure emerald and glinting with eagerness.

I held my breath, not daring to speak.

“They’ve got him.”

Relief flooded me as his words sunk in. Breath exploding from my lungs, I hugged him as tightly as I could. Then, remembering his wounds, I immediately let go. “
Shit,
Cole, I’m sorry! Did I hurt you? Are you going to be okay? Will you heal? Don’t you dare die on me!”

Amusement tugged at his lips, the corner of his eyes crinkling as he lost the fight, a wide grin spreading across his face.

He was fine.
Or rather, he
would
be fine. I closed my eyes, the adrenaline that had been thundering through my system leaving me with a bang. I was cold and tired and confused by everything.
Most of all him.

Warm lips pressed against mine, insistent and tantalizing.

My eyes flew open in shock.

He deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing the seam of my mouth, arms tightening around me, his fingers sifting through my hair to cradle my head.

Punched full of holes, soaked to the skin, and half-drowning in an ice-cold lake, and he was asking me to make out with him?
Well, who the hell was I to argue? My lips parted on a sigh, inviting him in.

A low rumble of appreciation vibrated against my chest, his tongue dipping into my mouth and swirling with mine in a playful dance. He broke away, pressing a kiss to one corner of my mouth, then the other. “I couldn’t help myself,” he admitted, looking a little bashful, but mostly pleased with himself.

“You couldn’t?” My voice was breathy.
Dammit!

He nodded, stealing another kiss, this time short and sweet. “You’re safe. I had to.”

And what did that mean?

He struggled to stand, tugging me up with him. Swaying a little, he gave his head a quick shake, annoyance clouding his expression. “I think we’re done for the day. How do you feel about digging some bullets out of me?” Grabbing my hand, he winked at my shocked expression. “Okay, I’ll let the guys dig them out. But you’ve got to promise me you’ll be the one to kiss me better.” Sliding an arm around my waist, he secured me to his side and started trudging to the shore.

Had I missed something? A blow to the head maybe?
Confused and bedraggled, I didn’t pull away. “Why—?” I glanced at him, seeing his wounds for the first time. It was a miracle he was still standing. He’d been shot in the chest, the thigh, and the shoulder. Blood still oozed from the chest wound. “Why aren’t you healing?”

“I am. Mostly,” he grunted, his face as white as a sheet under his tan. “Thigh and shoulder are fine. The bullets passed straight through. They’ll take an hour or so. My chest is a different matter. Need to dig it out before I can heal.” He staggered to the side, dragging me with him.

“Hey there.” Vin waded into the water and grabbed his arm, hooking it over his shoulder. “Let go of Natasha, man.”

“No,” Cole ground out, his hand flexing and digging into my side. A low growl trickled from his lips, his eyes glowing.

Looks like I’m staying put.

Vin looked over at me, his eyebrows raising in silent question.

“I’m fine. We need to—”

Vin nodded, relief spreading over his face. “I know.” He dragged us both out of the lake and started to lower Cole to the ground.

“Not here. In the van. And then I want to speak to our prisoner. I have a couple of questions for him,” Cole snapped out between gritted teeth.

Yeah, me too.

* * *

B
ack at the house
, and several hours later, I eventually emerged from one of the small, dark rooms just off the basement. Wiping my hands on a cloth, I gave up when all it did was smear the grime around. I had never wished for a shower as much as I did right now. I was covered in dirt and blood, and the water from the lake drying on my skin was starting to itch.

On the plus side, I could feel my skin knitting back together, the blood rushing to my wounds in an effort to speed the healing. It had hurt like a motherfucking bastard when Angel had dug out the bullet, but a hell of a lot less than it would have done if it had found its original target.

Heart hammering in my chest, panic gripped me and squeezed me tight.

My gaze snapped over to Tasha. She was curled up in a corner of the main basement, completely swaddled in a terrycloth robe with only her head peeking out. Her hands had a death grip on a mug of hot chocolate, the steam rising and curling around her as she blew carefully before taking a cautious sip. The tightening around my chest loosened.
She was okay.

“What did he say?”

I didn’t have to ask who. She’d been seated out here waiting for me for hours. She knew exactly who I’d just been speaking to—or rather, interrogating. I shoved the blood-stained rag behind my back. No need for her to see the evidence. “Not much.”
Exactly what I’d thought he’d say.

She struggled to her feet, her legs tangling in the white robe. “What do you mean,
not much
?”

Walking over to her, I stopped an arm’s breadth away. Blood and white toweling didn’t work well together. “He’s a paid assassin. He won’t tell us anything.” And I had been convincing.
Very
convincing. Let’s put it this way, he wasn’t walking out of here anytime soon.

I could see her connect the dots, reaching the conclusion I had known the second the shots had been fired.

“He’s still out there.” Her bottom lip wobbled and she clamped her mouth shut.

My arms twitched by my side, aching to hold her. But I had a man’s blood on my hands. I was filthy. Hell, I knew I wasn’t worthy of her but I was going to try my hardest to make it up to her. “Shh, we’ll find him. I promise.”

“He’s got money then.”

Pride swelled inside of me. My mate was sharp. She’d not only connected the dots, she was jumping ahead. “Yes. That guy didn’t come cheap.” The fact that he wasn’t spilling his guts spoke volumes as to how much he’d been paid. “He’s a professional.” I should know, I’d had the same training.

Taking a sip of her hot chocolate, her eyes flicked from me to the door I had just exited and back again. “So, what now?”

“I have a couple of ideas, but I need to check some details first,” I said, keeping my answer deliberately vague. I was pretty sure I knew who was behind this, but I didn’t have any evidence. I needed a little more time to lock the bastard down. “Why don’t you go get some sleep and we can talk again in the morning.” Again my arms tried to rise, my hands itching to smooth away the damp patch on her cheek.
Not now, not yet,
I cautioned both my wolf and myself.

I could see her closing down, pulling away from me and retreating into herself. Breaking my gaze, she turned and made her way up the stairs, back to the main house.

I needed to keep my head in the game for now. But after this was all over?

There’d be nothing holding me back.

S
leep
? Was he trying to be funny?
I shoved open the door at the top of the stairs, the daylight streaming in through the windows a mocking reminder that it wasn’t night yet, despite the illusion the dark, musty basement had given.

“Natasha, there you are!”

“Jorge?” Blinking in astonishment, I watched as the cluster of tall, musclebound wolf shifters parted, revealing Jorge standing in the middle.

Sensing freedom, he rushed toward me and grabbed my arm. “Are you okay? I was worried that you’d been caught in the crossfire!” He pushed me back, his gaze raking over me.

Quashing the familiar feeling of distaste I always got when he manhandled me, I forced myself to smile. “I’m fine. A slight graze but nothing serious.”

“Oh, thank God for that!”

Then it hit me. “Jorge, how did you know where I was?”

He stumbled back a step, righting himself almost instantly. “I was worried. When I saw the van leave with you in it, I followed you. Natasha, darling, these guys—” His lip curled, his eyes darting over the members of Cole’s team. He lowered his voice to a low hiss, leaning forward. “They’re a bunch of ruffians! I mean, look at today! You very nearly got shot! You could have died!”

I tugged my arm away, surreptitiously rubbing where his fingers had dug in. “I almost did. I’m only alive now because they saved me,” I snapped at him, my cool faltering under his steady stare. “They caught the guy, actually!”
There, take that and chew on it!

“They did?” His eyes narrowed, and I’m pretty sure he would have frowned if he’d been able to. Botox ruined the effort.

I nodded. The guys were still milling around, trying to look busy, but I knew they were listening. Looking out for me. “Where’s Scar?” I asked Angel.

“In the kitchen cooking up a storm,” he replied, sounding hopeful.

“She always does that, cooking or baking when she’s in the middle of a crisis. It’s her way of coping.”

“Speaking of your sister,” Jorge murmured. “I didn’t know you had one. It’s astounding that you’ve managed to keep your family out of the press—”

“And I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Of course.” He glanced around, his eyes pausing on the heavy, obviously expensive paintings and sumptuous elegance of the hallway. “Nice place these guys have.”

“It’s not much, but it’s home,” Greg quipped from the corner of the room where he sat fiddling with wires and cables.

“And how did you find the money for—”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business, do you?” Greg’s easygoing demeanor melted away, giving a glimpse of the alpha wolf inside. He was metaphorically baring his teeth.

“No. You would think that, wouldn’t you?” Jorge’s answer was vague, like he wasn’t really listening.

The door behind me swung open, and Cole finally appeared.
What had taken him so long? He’d been right behind me…

“Jorge. This is a surprise.” He drew level with me, his arm brushing against mine.

Goosebumps erupted in a scatter of zaps and tingles.

“He followed me home to check that I was all right,” I offered.

Cole’s eyebrows arched high on his face. Scratching at his five o’clock shadow, he stared at Jorge. “You followed her to my house? Why, when you could have had your agent call to check on her.”

Jorge’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, but he held Cole’s gaze. “Like I said, I was worried.”

“Sure you were.” Cole turned and walked away, signaling the conversation was over.

I nearly felt sorry for Jorge.
Nearly
. It wasn’t his fault that his touch gave me the creeps. “Uh, it’s probably best if you go. Thanks for coming.”

He beamed at me, nearly blinding me with the whiteness of his smile. Cockiness oozed off him. He had clearly recovered from Cole’s brushoff. “No problem, darling. I’ll see you on set tomorrow.” He started toward the door, then came to an abrupt stop. “You have got the guy who did this locked up nice and secure, haven’t you? I only ask because I wouldn’t want him to have the chance to finish what he started.”

A chill traced a path down my spine, panic pooling in my stomach.

“He’s tied up in the basement. It’s very secure. There’s only one way in and out.” I jumped as Cole’s low voice came from behind me. I thought he’d left.

Jorge’s eyes flicked to the door through which Cole had arrived, his shoulders sagging with relief. “That’s good to know. I take it the police will be arriving soon?”

“No. I’m going to let him stew for the night. See if I can get anything more out of him in the morning. He’s not going anywhere, not with the amount of ropes tying him down. Greg, will we be ready to head out in twenty?”

Greg muttered under his breath, but flashed Cole the A-Okay signal.

I wasn’t the only one whose mouth dropped open at Cole’s words, his teammates exchanging sideways glances.

“Good, good,” Jorge muttered, pulling the door open. “I’ll see you soon then, Natasha. Until then.”

The door clicked shut behind him and as one we all turned around to stare at Cole.

“What was that?” Vin was the first to put into words what we were all thinking.

“Nothing. He deserved to know that the assassin won’t be a threat anymore. Just putting his mind at rest.” Cole shrugged, then stalked off into the kitchen, the open door wafting the smell of freshly baked bread and aromatic spices into the hall.

Apparently Cole didn’t feel the need to explain himself about
anything
. The faint throbbing behind my eyes flared to life. Maybe sleep was a good idea after all.

* * *

“
W
hat the hell
—?” Angel barked out after slamming into the kitchen.

Scarlett froze, halfway done retrieving yet another tin from the oven, the metal shaking just a fraction in her gloved hands.

“Sorry, Scarlett. Here, let me.” Angel grabbed a towel and took the pan from her, his smile widening as he breathed in the yeasty smell. Setting the loaf on the counter, he spun around to face me.

“Seriously, Cole. What the fuck?”

I fought back the urge to stiffen.

My wolf snarled inside of me, his ears pinned back.

He wasn’t challenging me.
Not really. “Keep your voice down,” I growled, leaning back against the wall. I was pretty sure I’d done the right thing, but the waiting was going to kill me.

“Why?” Angel snapped back. If he’d been in wolf form, his fur would have been bristling.

“Does one of you want to tell me what’s going on?” Scarlett muttered, her head swiveling back and forth between us, a scowl dragging at her lips. “Someone tried to kill my sister today and you won’t let me near the son of a bitch.” She had a large bread knife in her hand and she was waving it around, punctuating her words. “I’ve had it up to
here
with men today, so if one of you doesn’t spit it out…” Her eyes glowed with her wolf, and a promise of what would come.

Greg and Vin chose that moment to barge into the kitchen. Whether they were led by their noses or their curiosity, I didn’t care. They needed to be here.

I looked behind them as the door swung shut. “Where’s Natasha?”

“Upstairs.” Vin’s reply was short, his brow furrowed as he stared at me.

I nodded. “And Abel?”

“Running patrol outside.” Greg flipped his laptop open and spun it around. A grid of little screens popped up, each showing a different section of the house. He jabbed a finger at a box labeled
eight
. “There he is.”

Black fur flashed across the tiny square, gold eyes glowing in the afternoon sun.

“Good. Vin, you need to go outside and run perimeter with him. Greg, I need you to power up the main system. I’ve baited the trap, now let’s see what we can catch.” Taking a deep breath, I braced my arms on the back of a chair, meeting their eyes one by one. “This is the plan…”