Alpha Geek (6 page)

FIFTEEN

Knox didn’t like taking Scarlett into any kind of dangerous situation. By the time they arrived at Richmond, Knox had a feeling they were cutting things too closely. He landed in the back of a rental car lot. The sun was setting and so they were easily covered under the dark.

They got a car and while she drove, he was able to hack into the GPS of the car Francis had rented and locate him.

Scarlett dialed Nick while Knox tracked their target.

“Nick?” Scarlett spoke into the car’s Bluetooth speaker.

“My guys are racing to the house where Knox says the car is parked.”

“We’ll be there in the next few minutes. What do you want us to do with him?” she asked.

“I called in some favors in DC and was able to delay both people he’s supposed to be meeting with. You have about thirty minutes to get in, get our stuff, neutralize him, and let our guys get him.”

Knox glanced at his mate. She might not bear his mark yet, but she was his. He worried she might get hurt. He finally understood where she was coming from when he’d been human. But he was a lot stronger than her, and he’d rather handle the guy himself than get her involved.

“Does she really have to be there?”

“Save it, hot stuff,” she told him. “I worked with my brother for years. I’m in charge. I’ve done this countless times and you have no clue what needs doing.”

“She’s right,” Nick added. “Scarlett leads. You follow her orders, Knox. Don’t try to be a hero. She knows what she’s doing.”

The house was off a dirt road. They turned off the car lights so they wouldn’t be seen. Francis’s car was parked out front and lamps inside the house were on.

They drove to the side and parked behind a barn. His gut told him this wasn’t a good idea.

Quietly, they walked up to the house and peeked through a window. The last thing they needed was to go in and the guy be surrounded by explosives. He inhaled. “I don’t smell anything from out here, the wind’s blowing the wrong way.”

She turned to face him. God, she was beautiful. Her face pursed as she thought. “We have to split up so he doesn’t take off on us. I’ll take the back and you take the front.”

He grabbed her shirt and looked her in the eyes. “Be careful.”

She smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips. “You’re bossy but so damn hot.”

He watched her walk away and headed for the front door. The house had one floor, so nowhere for Francis to run. He waited until he knew she was opening the door before he put pressure on the front lock and broke it, making minimal sound.

Inside, he heard Francis talking to himself.

He waited behind a sofa for the man to come out of the bedroom. His gaze went to the hallway. Scarlett should have come up from the back already. Suddenly, Francis came into the room, dragging Scarlett at his side.

“Come out, don’t you think I have cameras in this place?” Francis asked, pointing a gun at Scarlett’s side. “You must think I’m really fucking stupid.”

He stood up from behind the sofa and watched the pale, pimply man that couldn’t weigh more than a hundred ten pounds wet shove a gun deeper into his mate’s side.

“You have something that isn’t yours,” Knox said, staring point-blank at the guy.

He smelled the guy’s fear, but that gun helped him feel in control. He didn’t know they were shifters.

“Yeah? So Zeke sent you two to get his serum back? Too bad. It’s mine now and I’m about to make millions by selling it to two different people.”

Knox strode forward. “Can’t let you do that, kid.”

“Stay right there or I’ll shoot her,” he screamed. “Don’t fuck with me. I’ll do it.”

Knox met Scarlett’s gaze before looking at Francis again. “Then I kill you and the serum still goes with me.”

“Over my dead fucking body!”

Scarlett turned, swiping razor-sharp claws over his face. Francis yelled and fired one shot after another into Scarlett’s side. Knox was too far to stop it.

Knox’s wolf pushed out, taking control. He shifted and tackled the guy, the gun hand was mangled before he got a chance to shoot more.

In less time than it took Francis to take his last breath, he was torn limb from limb. The wolf clawed at him, bit and ripped him to bite-size pieces.

The door burst open and Nick’s guys flowed in. Knox changed to his human self, picked up a bloodied Scarlett and carried her out. “What do I do?”

She winced in pain. “I need to shift.”

He saw her struggle to get into her lioness, but once she did, she slumped over and passed out. Nick called in more favors and got them a helicopter to take them home, along with the serums.

SIXTEEN

Scarlett sat up in bed and watched Shani bring her a tray with soup. “You know, I can eat fine. I can even walk if you all would stop babying me.”

Shani grinned. “Shush. Knox is beside himself that he let you get shot.”

She rolled her eyes. “Newsflash. I did that on purpose. I just didn’t expect the asshole to empty the damn clip in me.”

Shani flinched. “I know. I’ve never seen you need so much recuperating sleep before. You were out for three days straight.”

She didn’t like thinking about it, but that dickwad Francis had hit some vital organs when he shot her. Luckily, she could shift into her lioness or she definitely would’ve died.

“How’s Nick?” she asked, knowing her brother better than anyone. He was probably holding himself accountable for the fact his men weren’t there when she needed them.

Shani grimaced. “He’ll be okay. He just needs time to see you’ll be fine.”

“I already am. If they would stop treating me like I’m going to break, I could get up and walk around and find out what’s going on with Knox’s tests.”

Shani widened her eyes. “Oh! Yes. So apparently, Zeke hasn’t found anything to say that he’s going to go postal or on a killing spree with dual animals inside him.”

Good. She already knew that, but it was nice to hear the words. Maybe now he’d get naked and they could break a bed or two. The mansion had enough of them that it would take a while to go through every room.

“I see your smile.” Shani laughed. “I’m going to get Knox, and then Nick and I have to go home.” She winked at Scarlett. “Have fun.”

* * *

Scarlett didn’t realize she’d dozed off. She woke to Knox sitting beside her, with his laptop. “What are you doing?”

He raised his gaze from the computer. “Making sure the people meeting up with Francis didn’t have anything to go after.”

She yawned and sat up. “Hacking stuff again, huh?”

He grinned. “Yes.”

She glanced around the bedroom and raised her brows. “Your bedroom, I presume?”

“That’s right. I didn’t want you far from me.” He closed his laptop and set it on the bedside table next to him. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, Knox.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him on to the bed where she kissed him. “How are you?”

“Fine, now that you’re awake.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I’ll die if something happens to you.”

“Come here,” she said and made him get under the covers with her. She leaned into his side and let him hold her. She could think of a time not long ago that she would have laughed at the idea of Knox being in bed with her. “Nothing will happen to me.”

He kissed the side of her head and held her close. “I won’t let it.”

“I know. You’re my sexy Alpha geek.”

He barked a laugh. “You have no idea how correct that is.”

His cell phone rang and she watched him put it on speaker. “Hey, Nick.”

“Knox. I know you’re with Scarlett, so I wanted to fill you both in. We got Francis erased. And for the time being, Zeke will have security until we’re sure he’s in the clear.”

“Sounds good. Anything else?”

“Yeah, one more thing. We’ve searched through your guest records for the night of the party. The only thing we could find is that someone either brought those guys in, or they came through the river side of the house. Otherwise, there would have been no way for them to get in. Not with my guys all over the place.”

Knox rubbed his jaw on Scarlett’s head. She could feel the tension coming off him in waves. She wanted to make all that shit go away, but knew she couldn’t. This was something they had to deal with.

“Thanks. I’ll check out the river myself.”

“Take care of my sister,” Nick ordered.

“With my life,” he replied.

She smiled at the definite way he said that. He closed the phone and they were silent for a moment. “Knox, there’s something that’s been bugging me about this room since I woke up.”

SEVENTEEN

“What’s that, love?”

“Where’s the remote control?” She glanced around but didn’t see one. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those guys who doesn’t have a TV in the bedroom. Please tell me you’re not one of them.”

He chuckled and pressed something above his head. A secret compartment opened and he pulled out a remote. Before he closed it, he hit a button and a TV rose from a giant dresser.

“No, baby. I’m not one of those,” he said. “What do you want to watch?”

She snuggled closer into him. “I don’t care. Let’s watch your favorite movie.”

He laughed. “I doubt you’d find anything I watch entertaining.”

“Try me. I’ve watched a little bit of everything.” When he didn’t say anything, she glanced at him. “Now you’ve made me curious. What is your favorite movie?”

“
War Games
.”

She frowned. “I don’t think I’ve seen that one. What’s it about?”

“It’s old. From the 80s. It’s about a teenage hacker that plays tic-tac-toe with an artificial intelligence computer.”

She yawned. “Yeah. I definitely did not see that.”

“I told you, you might not like the same stuff I do. It’s okay, sweetheart. Tell me what you want to see and I got you.”

She grabbed his hand and twined her fingers with his. “No. You have to tell me some other movies you like. I must have seen one of them. I watch a lot of movies when I need to relax. I just let them play and zone out.” She sighed. “Come on. One more. If I haven’t seen it then you can spank me.”

He growled. “Don’t play, sweetheart. You’re still recuperating.”

“I’m fine. Now tell me the movie.”

“
Spaceballs
.”

“Oh! I’ve seen that one! It’s hilarious. They’re making fun of
Star Wars,
right?”

“Yes. I’m surprised. It’s old, too.” He laughed. “But now I have a question for you.”

“Shoot,” she said and rubbed his palm with her thumb. It felt so nice to be in his arms and not fighting her attraction for him any longer.

“What kind of movies do you watch?”

“Action. You know, all the Die Hards, though my favorites are
Live Free or Die Hard
, that hacker kid in that one kills me. And
A Good Day to Die Hard
. I love that in those last two, his kids hated his guts at the beginning but by the end they were all
he’s my dad
,” she told him. “I’m a sucker for a good ending.”

“I should have known, but I didn’t take you for an action movie type.” He lifted their twined hands to his lips and kissed the back of her hand.

“Oh? What type of movie did you think I liked? If you say drama, I will hurt you.”

He laughed and she crawled on his lap, placing her knees to either side of his legs and straddling him.

“No,” he met her gaze and inhaled.

At another time she would have worried he could scent her arousal. Not any longer. She didn’t care.

“No?”

“I saw you more as a suspense or slasher film where everyone gets killed because they ignore the obvious escape route and do something stupid like head right for the killer.”

A smile widened her lips. “Maybe you do know me.”

She leaned in, brushing her lips over his, raising her hands around his neck. The kiss was slow, teasing. It was almost as if he were afraid to touch her, but she wasn’t having it. Fire bloomed everywhere his hands caressed. He lifted her top off and cupped her breasts.

His hands on her felt good. Warm and fucking perfect. She continued to kiss him, grazing her lips over his beard and down to his neck then back up to his ear. “I want you inside me.”

She rocked her hips, rubbing her pussy over his erection. Her shorts and his pajama pants were in her way. He twined his fingers into her hair, holding her still and driving his tongue into her mouth. Finally. That dominance she’d come to expect was there. He took control of the kiss, his lips and tongue stroking and caressing to heat the fire at her core.

She stood on the bed. He grabbed hold of her shorts and yanked them down. Then his pajama pants came off and she was back to straddling him.

“I want your pussy on my mouth,” he said.

She bit her lip and raised onto her knees, placing the head of his cock at her entrance. “Maybe later.” He slid into her. “Right now, I need you. In me.”

She pressed down, her pussy swallowing his cock in one quick slide down. He sucked on her neck and helped her ride him. Every glide brought her closer to the earth-shattering explosion she sought.

He dug his nails into her hips. She raked her own across his back and rocked up and down, back and forth, until her body felt it would break from the inside.

“Knox,” she panted.

“I’m here, sweetheart. Let go, I’ll catch you.”

She didn’t know what that meant, but the words had the desired effect. She pressed herself into his chest, her pussy gripping and contracting around his cock. He came in her, his seed filling her aching emptiness with his heat.

He kissed her and changed their position so she was now on her back, her legs wide open. He slid down her body, sucking at her breasts, her belly, and then putting his face in her sex.