Wolf with Benefits (32 page)

Ricky glanced at his watch. “More like today . . . and yes, I do.” He pulled Toni closer, his arms around her, her chin resting against his collarbone. “I think when we’re done . . . those bears won’t know what the holy hell hit ’em.”

W
ith Freddy attached to her like a backpack and Cherise and Blayne by her side, Livy headed back to the rental house. It had been a long night but a good one. She’d had fun.

Of course, the entire derby team hated her, but whatever. She had her family and friends and that was all that mattered to Livy. She didn’t need more friends. A small group of loyal friends was more important to her than a bunch of drinking buddies. So not going out with the team after the tryouts had been no big deal for her. Instead she’d been Responsible Olivia as Coop liked to call her when she said she needed to get Freddy home.

Cherise had gratefully tagged along and Blayne pretended that she wasn’t happy about it, but even Livy knew she just wanted to get home to that walking landmass she called a fiancé.

Standing on a city street, Livy waited for the light to change. As she did, she glanced around, taking in her location, surveying any nearby threats. It was a skill taught to her by her parents before she could feed herself.

And it was while she was looking around that she saw her. Across the street, coming out of some church.

“Hey. Cherise.” She nudged her best friend’s sister. “Do you see what I see?” There wasn’t much in this universe that stunned Livy, but seeing Delilah Jean-Louis Parker coming out of a goddamn church was definitely one of them.

“Holy crap!” Cherise burst out. “Is she robbing churches now?”

“Even
my
mother wouldn’t sink that low.”

Except that Delilah was talking to people from the church. Talking and hugging.

Livy shuddered at the thought of hugging Delilah.

Blayne stepped up beside Livy. “That’s not a church. Well . . . actually, it depends on what you think about religion and what you consider a religion and what you consider a—”

“Blayne,” Livy cut in. “Get to your point before I start hurting you.”

“It’s a cult. They took over the church a year or so back, but the people in the neighborhood have been trying to shut them down. Something about young people joining the church and then disappearing to some farm upstate.”

Livy sighed. “Lovely.”

Deciding she’d talk to Toni about it when she got back and was settled from her trip, Livy hiked Freddy up on her hip and continued on to the rental house.

When they arrived, Livy trotted up the stairs, Freddy giggling as he bounced around on her back. She reached the door and pulled out her key, unlocking it. But as soon as she stepped in, she froze in the doorway. She lifted her head, sniffed the air. By the time Cherise reached her, Livy was shoving Freddy into her arms.

“Take him across the street. Blayne, go with them.”

Cherise moved without question, just as she’d been taught. But Blayne . . .

“Are you—”

“Protect Freddy.”

That seemed to work and Blayne followed behind Cherise.

Livy silently stepped deeper into the house, sniffing the air, listening for any sounds. Glancing back and seeing that the others were now safely on the other side of the street as the wild dogs’ front door opened and they were welcomed in, Livy unleashed her long, steel-hard claws. She scented humans. Full-humans in her family’s home. At least her unofficially adopted family and if something—anything—happened to them while Toni was away because Livy didn’t protect them, she’d never forgive herself.

She locked on the strongest remaining scent and headed up the stairs. She could smell that the full-humans had been in each of the bedrooms although everything appeared untouched. Honestly, if she wasn’t a shifter, she’d never have known anyone had been here.

Livy went floor by floor, clearing each one, quickly realizing that no one was home. Although most parents had their kids in bed at this hour, the Jean-Louis Parkers were known to do things their own way when it wasn’t a school night. So chances were they’d gone out for ice cream or something. But when Livy reached the stairway that would lead to the fifth and final floor, she stopped and sniffed the air again.

“Jackie,” she whispered, and then charged up the stairs and into Jackie’s practice room. She pushed the door open and went inside, stopping immediately when she saw Jackie’s body on the couch, facing the back of the seat.

Heart breaking, Livy slowly approached Toni’s mother and, when she was close enough, she gently touched Jackie’s shoulder.

Which was when Jackie Jean-Louis screamed and flipped over.

Livy stumbled back as Jackie laughed hysterically.

“Goddammit, Livy! Don’t sneak up on me like that! You scared the life out of me!”

Livy had scared
her
?

After several seconds, Jackie’s laughter faded away. “Hon, what’s wrong? You look upset.”

Livy took a breath and said, “Someone broke into the house. I thought they’d killed you.”

Jackie blinked. “What? I didn’t hear a thing? Oh.” She held up her earbuds. “I was listening to Johnny’s playing before I fell asleep. It’s possible they came in then.” She studied Livy for a moment. “You look like you’re about to cry. Is that because of me? Oh, sweetie!”

“Jacqueline!”

“Sorry. Sorry.”

“Where’s everybody?”

“Paul took them out to get ice cream.”

“Good.”

Suddenly Jackie got to her feet. “Oh, my God . . . Irene!” She ran out of the room, and Livy followed right behind her to the only other room on the floor.

Jackie threw the door open and Irene spun around in her office chair; computer equipment, papers, and books covered the two desks. A small bed was on one side of the room and looked very unused.

“What is wrong with you guys?” Irene demanded.

“We’ve been robbed!” Jackie shot back.

“No, no,” Livy quickly corrected. “We had a break-in. But I can’t see that they took anything. In fact, if I hadn’t scented them, I don’t think any of us would have known they’d been here. They’re good.”

“Government good?” Jackie asked.

Livy shrugged. “I guess.”

That’s when Jackie locked on her friend. “Again, Irene?”

“How do you know it has anything to do with me?”

Jackie’s eyebrow went up and Irene sighed.

“I’ll go home.”

“No.” Jackie shook her head. “We can’t assume this is about you. And if it’s about Freddy or Troy, I’ll need you here.”

“We’ll get security,” Livy said.

“And contact Dee-Ann,” Irene said.

Both Livy and Jackie took a step back.

“What the hell for?” Livy demanded.

“If there’s one person I know who has connections you and I can only dream of and, more important, can terrify those connections into giving her answers about why strangers are searching this home . . . it’s Dee-Ann Smith.”

As always, Irene was right.

“You take care of that,” Livy told her. “I’ll deal with security. But do me a favor, go over and wait at the wild dog house until I get back. Call Paul so that he knows to bring the kids back there rather than here.”

“Where are you going?” Jackie asked when Livy headed to the door.

“I’ll be back. And Jackie . . . make sure no one texts or calls Toni.” She narrowed her eyes on the woman she’d briefly mourned. “And that means you, lady.”

“But she should know—”

“Oh, all right! I promise! And you can just put those vile-looking claws back, little miss. There’s no need to threaten me!”

 

Reece Lee had just turned over, his dream about skating naked in front of an audience of beautiful She-predators making him smile, when a scent he’d just learned to recognize woke him up. He thought maybe he’d left the
Infamous Book of Smells
lying on the bed with him, but when he opened his eyes he saw the vicious honey badger standing at the edge of the bed, staring at him.

“Aaaah!” Reece screamed, scrambling back until his shoulders hit the headboard.

“You scream like a girl,” she observed.

“Why are you here? Have you come to kill me?”

“It’s crossed my mind, but no. I need a security team and I heard the company you work for is really good.”

“Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”

“No.”

Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to just get this feral little woman out of his hotel suite without a fight, Reece admitted, “Look, if you want the full team on this, it’s gonna cost you, darlin’.”

Livy lifted a dark green duffel bag from the floor, unzipped it, and turned it over, dropping a veritable shit-load of money onto Reece’s bed.

“That enough?” she asked. And when he only stared, she added, kind of defensively, “It’s clean.”

“You know, darlin’, I wasn’t actually going to ask you that. But now that you offer it up, it makes me think this money wasn’t always so clean.”

“Do you want it or not?”

“Don’t get tense. I was simply making an observation.”

“Can your people start tonight?”

“Yeah.” The company had a plan in place for last-minute protection teams. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay.”

“Is it just you?”

“No. The Jean-Louis Parker family.”

Reece sat up. “Toni’s kin?”

“They’re all okay and Toni’s still in Russia.”

“Yeah. I got a text from Ricky. They’re so far ahead, he’s afraid of calling when I might be sleeping.”

“We need to keep the family safe,” she said after a time. “I can’t have Toni coming home and—”

“Don’t you worry about it. If you think Toni will have your ass if something happens while she’s away, it’ll be ten times worse where my brother’s concerned.” He grinned. “He’s got a little thing for your friend.”

“I don’t think it’s little, but you’re male—I wouldn’t expect you to understand that.”

Reece’s grin widened. “Want me to toss this sheet aside and show you how male I am?”

And with no expression at all, Livy replied, “Do you want me to cut your dick off?”

Reece swallowed. “Not really.”

“Then I’d suggest keeping that sheet on until I’m in the next room. Okay?”

“Yes’m.”

“Good.” She walked out and Reece let out a relieved breath.

“Either that girl is gonna end up killing me,” he muttered,

“or end up one of my best friends.”

“More like I’ll end up killing you,” she called out from the living room.

Reece shrank down into the bed, pulling the sheet up to his chin. “Honey badgers are just mean,” he whispered, praying she didn’t hear him.
“Mean.”

V
ic stopped the Range Rover and turned off the engine. “Everyone ready?” he asked.

“Yes,” Toni said from the back. Ricky would say she looked “brave,” but she didn’t. She looked determined. He found that much scarier than brave because when the woman made up her mind . . .

“And remember the rules.” Vic looked directly at Ricky. “Keep your feet off the table.”

“Why do y’all keep telling me that?” he demanded.

“Because you’ll put your feet on the table,” Vic and Toni said together.

“Fine, but I don’t see what the big problem is. Bears and all their dang rules.”

They opened the doors and stepped out.

Toni cracked her neck and moved her shoulders. She looked like she was about to step into a boxing ring.

“Ready?” Ricky asked her.

She nodded. “Let’s go bag some bears.”

 

They headed down the hallway to that room where the bears had continued to stick Toni every time she’d come for a meeting. She let one of them lead her toward that room, Ricky and Vic right behind her, but she cast for a scent and when she locked on it, she immediately made a left and headed down another hallway.

“You! Dog! Where you go?” demanded the bear behind her.

Toni ignored him and kept moving until she reached a room where she heard male laughter and scented bear. Lots of bear.

Taking a breath, she pushed open the door and walked in. “Morning, gentlemen!” she said, smiling. “How is everyone doing today?”

The laughter and words died, but Toni ignored all that and moved toward the long table. She spotted an open seat and walked over to it like she knew it was just for her. She didn’t ask permission, she didn’t stop to look around. Instead she remembered what Ricky had said about always looking like you know where you’re going, even when you don’t. She sat down, placing her messenger bag on the floor beside the chair.

“Okay,” she said, making sure her grin was large and confident. “Let’s get started.”

The bears looked at each other and then one with horrible facial lacerations—she assumed he was Yuri Asanov since he was the only one in a wheelchair—nodded his head.

“Good,” Toni said, reaching into her messenger bag and beginning to dig out papers.

While she pulled folders out, she saw from the corner of her eye one of the bears pushing away from the table and standing.

Toni looked up and said, “Where are you going, Ivan Zubachev?”

Walking toward the door, Zubachev didn’t bother to look at her when he replied, “I have business that cannot wait.”

“Then we’ll just sit here and wait until you get back.”

The grizzly stopped. “What?”

“No deal gets made in this town without you, Ivan Zubachev. I’ll be wasting my time talking to all these handsome but relatively useless bears if you’re not here. So we’ll wait for you. All day if necessary. All century.”

He slowly faced her, but said nothing.

“Let’s be honest here, Ivan. This isn’t about what Bo did to your boy.” Toni looked over at the team’s coach and said, “By the way, the wheelchair’s a bit much.” And when Yuri Asanov’s cheeks grew slightly red, she knew she’d been right. “But I do apologize, Yuri Asanov, for what he did to your face.” Because that was bad.

She looked back at Zubachev. “This is about what Novikov did to
you
. And what he did to you, Ivan Zubachev, is turn down your job offer.”

Zubachev folded his massive arms over his enormous chest but still said nothing.

“What you failed to understand was that it was not personal. The bottom line is that playing
with
your team would not have been a challenge for him. A team filled with bears, Siberian tigers, and
Novikov
—will do nothing but win. He knows that.
You
know that. That’s why you wanted him. But Novikov needs a challenge. He needs to know that he can’t just waltz off with a trophy. He wants to
earn
that win. So let’s forget the past. Let’s forget about cages. Let’s forget the insults. And let’s talk about
money.
Because a game between our teams in a neutral, shifter-only location, will have money coming down on us like snow in Siberia.”

That made Zubachev smirk and, after a moment, he walked over to the chair he’d just left, pulled it out, and plopped down into it.

He briefly lifted his hands, then dropped them. “Let’s negotiate . . . little doggie.”

Toni grinned. “Yes. Let’s. You big, adorable bear, you.”

 

Twelve hours. Twelve hours to negotiate one goddamn hockey game. During that time, Ricky and Vic had stood behind or beside Toni—Vic sometimes briefly stepping out to answer phone calls—while Toni handled it all like a pro. She never looked tired, even though Ricky was sure that she was exhausted down to her toes. Nor did she snap when the bears made things difficult. And like most bears, these Russian bears certainly enjoyed making things difficult.

Like now, when the bears had agreed to almost all the terms except one. Although they wouldn’t insist on putting Novikov in a cage, they were insisting that the man was to be shackled before and after game time. Toni kept reminding them that the damage done to their coach had happened
during
a game, so what would be the point of chaining her player before and after? But the bears wouldn’t be moved on this point and Ricky was thinking Toni was about to give up and decide to head on home. Especially when her cell phone went off.

Toni glanced at the screen, while one of the bears muttered, “Rude,” as she did.

“Everything all right?” Ricky asked her.

“Just Cooper.” She sighed, glancing up at Ricky. “He’s wondering when I’m heading home.”

“I can’t believe Cooper Jean-Louis Parker is your brother,” Vic suddenly announced . . . rather loudly. So loudly that both Ricky and Toni looked at the man. He shrugged. “Just an observation.”

“Cooper Jean-Louis Parker?” Zubachev repeated, and all the bears’ eyes locked on Toni. Ricky stepped even closer and placed his hand on her shoulder. Standing there for the last twelve hours had allowed him to come up with all sorts of exit strategies should things turn nasty. “You know Cooper Jean-Louis Parker?”

“He’s her brother,” Vic said, moving closer to the table and Toni.

Zubachev snorted. “Lie. The freak cat lies.”

“I find that very hurtful, Ivan.”

“Shut up.” Zubachev glared across the table at Toni. “Prove he is your brother or I believe nothing.”

Toni shrugged and again looked at her phone. She began scanning a ton of pictures—
how much memory does her camera have anyway?
—but instead of choosing, Toni kept muttering things like, “Nah. Not that one, I look too fat. No. Coop has that ridiculous smile. No. If I show that one, Cherise will be mad.”

Fed up and exhausted himself, Ricky took the phone from her, flipped through a couple more pictures until he found one that showed brother and sister hugging each other and grinning into the camera. He sent the camera skidding across the table right at Zubachev.

The bear stared at the tiny screen, the other bears soon getting out of their chairs and surrounding him, all staring at the small phone in his giant hand.

After nearly a minute, they all looked up at Toni.

“You truly know him,” Zubachev said. “You know The Coop.”

“I better,” Toni muttered. “He used to throw his dirty diapers at me. I better not have gone through that for no reason.”

“The Coop,” another bear said, grinning. “The man.” Then Ricky watched twelve bears of varying sizes and colors pretend to play air-piano.

It was . . . weird. Yeah. That was the best word for it. Weird.

“You talked all sorts of crap about canines,” Toni reminded Zubachev, “but you love my brother?”

“He plays music like god,” Zubachev cheered. “Species does not matter when man play like that.”

“He’s still a canine.”

“He is The Coop,” Zubachev insisted, as if that explained everything. “You should be proud to be his sister!”

“I am!” Toni snapped back, her exhaustion finally catching up with her. She leaned back in her chair, huffing and puffing a bit, when Vic kneed the back of her seat. Glaring, Toni looked at the man. Vic raised his brows and motioned to Zubachev.

After a moment, Toni focused back on Zubachev. She studied him and, finally, said, “You know . . . He’s doing a tour in Russia in September. I’m sure I could get him to add this territory to his itinerary.”

Zubachev smirked. “What price?”

“His usual rate, because that’s the least he deserves. The concert would be open to all species and breeds and, of course, dinner with his host. But
no
chains for Novikov. Instead, we will rely on Novikov’s commitment to me not to harm anyone. This, of course, is only in effect if none of you”—and she looked hard at all the players at the table—“challenge him while off the ice. Commit to that, and my brother will happily do this favor for me.”

Zubachev tried for a casual shrug. “I don’t know.”

“I’ll make sure he plays ‘Flight of the Bumblebee.’ ”

A few of the players gasped and then they were all whispering to Zubachev in Russian.

Ricky crouched down next to her. “ ‘Flight of the Bumblebee? ’ Heard that one was hard.”

“Yeah, it is. Written by a Russian composer.” She glanced at Ricky and said out of the corner of her mouth, “Coop mastered it when he was three.”

Ricky snorted just as Zubachev looked over at them.

“It is deal, little doggie.” The grizzly grinned. “You negotiate like Russian sow.”

“Awww,” Toni said, her returning smile warm. “Thank you! That is so sweet.”

Only to other shifters, maybe, but that worked for now.

“Now we toast!” Zubachev announced. “Aleksai! Get the vodka!”

Vic tapped Ricky’s shoulder and motioned him over to a corner with a tilt of his head. His gaze still on Toni while she winced and cringed her way through a shot of homemade Russian bear vodka, Ricky stepped next to Vic.

“What is it?”

“I’m coming back with you.”

“Why?”

“Orders from Dee-Ann. Plus she wants us to keep an even tighter watch on Antonella.”

“But she knows The Coop,” he said dryly.

Vic chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s the problem. She said we’ll find out everything when we get back. I’ve already notified the airline we’re coming. Okay?”

Ricky eyed the hybrid closely. “You sure you don’t know any more than that?”

“If I’d spoken to someone else, I might be lying. But you know Dee-Ann. Do you really think we had a long, meaningful conversation about issues?”

“Well, we all know what a chatty little love bug she is.”

Shaking his head, Vic walked away and Ricky faced Toni, who was currently being bear-hugged off her feet by Ivan Zubachev. She didn’t seem too happy about that, but for her job . . . she was putting up with it.

He let out a breath and forced a smile. The last thing he wanted to do was freak her out before they got her home. Not because she’d be worried about herself. She wouldn’t be. He knew that now. But if her family was in trouble . . . ? Well, to quote Ricky’s fellow New Yorkers,
Oy
.