Hot Pursuit (19 page)

“I’m sure many blame me.” Zoey was slowly regaining the confidence and determination she’d shown Ben on the way to the bookstore.

“Then they’re idiots,” Angel said sternly. But then her expression relaxed and she gently touched the side of Zoey’s face with her fingertips. “You need to see a doctor.”

“I can’t stay here.” Zoey pulled back and against Ben. “Angel, do you think you could give me a ride? Remember that cabin outside of Zounds that is for rent?”

“You don’t know it’s still for rent.” Angel glanced at Ben when he placed his hands on Zoey’s arms to steady her. “Maybe we should all go inside and discuss this further.” She gestured to a door that appeared to lead to the dark interior of the bookstore.

Since Zoey had mentioned Angel lived above the bookstore, Ben guessed the stairs leading to her home were through the store. With the lights off and the glow of the store sign on the front of the building, at least it would be hard for anyone outside to see movement inside unless they were standing in front of the store, or had really good night binoculars, he mused.

Zoey was shaking her head before answering. “Ben and I barely escaped the bed-and-breakfast. You know they’ll come here next looking for me.”

“Your father’s guard dogs?” Wolf grinned and rubbed his hands together before looking at Angel. “Round two. I can’t wait.”

“You are not pulling a gun on Cortez’s men again,” Angel snapped.

“What?” Zoey and Ben demanded at the same time.

Chapter Nine

Wolf didn’t like the idea of Angel being without a car. Otherwise, the plan was solid, with only a few minor loose ends. Zoey Cortez wasn’t his chief concern, though. If Ben Mercy wanted to chase after the hot, little dark-skinned beauty, that was his choice. Wolf thought she came with way too much baggage. But she’d distract Ben, which would assure Wolf that anything he uncovered leading to the Mulligan Stew assassin would be a fresh lead.

Wolf much preferred Ben taking Angel’s car and leaving with Zoey. Wolf would stay here. He’d already confirmed Angel had the only bookstore in Zounds. If he stayed the night, hung around some tomorrow, he might get a good feel for the citizens of this town. Who knew what one of them might say? It sure as hell beat driving aimlessly around the town and surrounding area, wasting his gas, when he didn’t know what the assassin even looked like.

They’d barely made it to the top of the stairs, with Wolf following Angel and getting one hell of a nice view of her swaying ass, when someone pounded on the front door of the shop downstairs.

“Oh crap,” Angel swore, spinning around and almost sliding into him as the front windows rattled when whoever it was put some force into knocking on the bookstore doors.

“Don’t hurry to answer.” Every muscle had stiffened in Wolf’s body. He braced himself on the narrow flight of stairs, grabbing Angel when she slid down a step toward him.

“We know who it is,” she pointed out. “Why postpone the inevitable?”

Because it was so much more fun to toy with the enemy. “So we can discuss how we’ll handle this,” he told her, lifting her up backward and climbing the remaining few stairs until they were in her living room. “There will be questions. Our answers need to be solid, exact, and not conflicting.”

“You’re right. They’ll want to know what you’re doing here.”

“That answer should be obvious.” He grinned when she narrowed her eyes on him.

Her eyes grew wide when the pounding repeated. A moment later the phone rang downstairs and simultaneously Angel’s cell rang, which Wolf had forgotten he’d slid in his shirt pocket. He pulled it out, handed it to her as it rang a second time.

“Answer. Sound sleepy,” he told her, plotting as he spoke. “Sound agreeable and tell them you’ll be down in a second. Then hang up on them even if they keep talking.”

Angel stared at him, her nervousness apparent, when she answered and did as he said. Her swallow was forced when she hung up and dropped her hand to her side with her phone still in it.

“Now what?” She glanced around her home, lit by a few lamps. “They are going to look everywhere.” Without waiting for him to keep plotting and decide their best plan of attack, she walked to her bed, pulled down the blankets, and scattered the pillows. “Take off your shirt. Make it look as if you just threw clothes on.”

Wolf had no problem letting the assholes outside think he’d been getting it on with the hot bookstore owner. He tossed his shirt to the floor and kicked off his boots and socks for good measure.

“Where is your car?” he asked, ready to prep her with answers to questions that she would inevitably be asked. But when he looked up after pulling off his socks, his jaw dropped.

Angel was stark naked, bent over, and grabbing Wolf’s shirt. She pulled it over her head and let his 2XL T-shirt fall over her slender figure and past her thighs. Her grin was wicked when she turned and tousled her curls.

With a shrug that made him proud she said simply, “it was the closest thing I could find.” Then sobering, she pondered his question for only a moment. “Zoey called earlier, asked if she could borrow it to go to Seattle to see some friends. Since I was a bit preoccupied,” she said, smiling again and tugging at his T-shirt, “I left the keys under the floor mat for her to get and take the car so we wouldn’t be disturbed.”

“I like how you think, lady.”

Wolf didn’t like how Brutus and Julius thought, however, and had no problem delaying their search and possible destruction of Angel’s property by refusing to relinquish his gun to the men.

“Unless you’re officers of the law, your demands are pointless. I’m not committing a crime,” he said, stressing the last sentence with a hard, pointed stare at each of the ugly bastards. “What the fuck do the two of you want, anyway?”

“Zoey Cortez,” Brutus sneered. He tried stepping around Wolf toward Angel. “Where is she?”

Wolf moved and blocked his path. A vein popped out on Brutus’s bald head as he growled, sounding as fierce as an abused guard dog.

“It’s okay, Wolf,” Angel said, putting her hand on Wolf’s arm. “She isn’t here, Brutus,” she added, with too much civility.

“Put your dog on a leash,” Julius snarled, a man with no neck and a face so puffy it was impossible to see his eye color through two narrow slits.

“I will when Cortez does,” Angel said sweetly.

This time both men growled and Wolf grinned with satisfaction, then decided to be amiable. “Zoey called Angel earlier.”

“Wolf,” Angel said, looking at him as if she didn’t want this information revealed.

She was good at this. Wolf looked down at her and patted her hand, which was still on her arm. “They’ll tear your place apart if you don’t tell them the truth.”

“Where is she?” Brutus demanded.

“Probably headed to Seattle,” Angel said, sighing. She didn’t look at either man but at the floor between the four of them as she spoke. “She did call me. I’m not sure, maybe less than an hour ago. My phone died or I’d check for you.” She waved toward the stairs leading to her apartment.

Wolf was brimming with pride at her skills but kept his focus on her instead of looking at the two men to see if they were buying it.

“She asked if she could borrow my car and said she was going to visit friends in Seattle. I was busy.” She glanced at Wolf, then at Brutus and Julius.

“I put the key under the floor mat.” Wolf pointed to the storeroom door. “The car was parked outside. It might still be out there. She didn’t say when she was getting it. Go look for yourself. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.”

Brutus curled his lip at Wolf and gestured to Julius. “Go see if the car is out there,” he rumbled under his breath. He turned to Wolf. “What are you doing here?”

Wolf doubted pulling a gun on the man would work twice. He’d seen men like this before. They would kill without hesitation. Wolf knew Brutus had shared what happened when he’d come to the bookstore earlier with his employer. Wolf was probably on the Most Expendable list right now. He’d been on lists like that before.

Smiling, he stepped into the man’s space. “Once again, that would be my question for you. Pretty sad that a man of your stature is playing babysitter.”

Brutus rumbled and his chest puffed out as the sound vibrated through him. “Answer the question, asshole.”

“It’s none of your goddamn business what I’m doing here,” Wolf growled, his smile fading.

“What are you doing in Zounds?”

Wolf turned, reached for Angel when Julius returned from the back room. She looked panicked. She was hugging herself, her eyes wide as she shifted her attention from one man to the other. Wolf wondered how she’d managed her store over the years with men like these around to terrorize her.

“Car’s not back there,” Julius grunted, and shrugged.

Brutus pointed a finger at Wolf. “Don’t move. I’ll deal with you in a second.” He stepped around Wolf toward Angel. “You’re going to tell me exactly where Zoey went and—”

Wolf wasn’t about to follow orders from these thugs. He put his hand on Angel’s arm, gently moving her out of reach of Brutus. Wolf wouldn’t shove or manhandle her. That would make him no better than these thugs.

“She doesn’t know. It’s late. Leave now.”

Brutus assessed Wolf. It wasn’t hard to see in the man’s hardened, cruel gaze that he’d made a career out of being a bully. There were always areas to strike. Wolf searched for them. He hoped the jerk saw few opportunities when he studied him.

“Why are you in Zounds?” Brutus asked, almost whispering. “What would such a successful bounty hunter want in our small little community, I wonder?” His tone turned sweet, with just enough malicious undertones to make it clear he knew how to fight with words, as well as his fists. “I can’t imagine you came to Zounds to look for work. Although I’m sure I’ve heard on the streets that is why you and your friend on the motorcycle are here. There isn’t much need for bounty hunters to work in Zounds. We don’t have a very high crime rate, and, I promise you, not one criminal has ever escaped our grasps.”

Brutus looked pointedly at Angel. “Why is your bounty hunter friend here, Angelina?” he asked.

Angel’s mouth moved. Her confusion was clear. “I don’t know,” she said honestly.

When she looked up at Wolf, searching his face for confirmation that what Brutus was telling her about Wolf’s profession was true, Wolf knew Brutus had succeeded.

“Ah, he hasn’t told you he’s a bounty hunter. I see. Miss Matisse, your friend here, Wolf Marley, has a very solid reputation for collecting some of the largest bounties out there. He doesn’t go after small-time, but the big fish in the water,” he finished, his voice a sneering whisper. “Do you think you’ll catch a whale in Zounds?” Brutus laughed. “Don’t think getting snuggly with our town folk, or tapping our pretty bookstore owner, will help you catch a whale. Miss Matisse, call us if you need protection from this man who makes his living collecting hard cash trying to catch men and women before the law can.”

Brutus nodded toward the door, and Julius fell in line as they started to leave. He turned, his hand on the glass door, and looked pointedly at Angel.

“If you think he’s one of the good guys, you’re mistaken. There is a reason why bounty hunting is illegal in over half the states in this country. Your kind isn’t welcome here,” he snarled at Wolf, then left with his grunt man behind him.

Angel let out an audible sigh and reached behind her to grip one of her bookshelves. “Well, that was fun,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“Do they bully you often?” Wolf asked, aware of his protector’s instincts flying off the chart at the moment.

“Not usually in person.” She ran her hands through her curls, looking beyond adorable in his shirt with her bare legs and feet. “Usually I get nasty letters, like the one that told me I had to collapse all of my boxes in the Dumpster.”

Wolf stared out the windows at the dark, sleepy town outside. Brutus’s threat had been clear. It didn’t bother Wolf so much that Angel knew what he did for a living. Normally he kept information like that to himself and, admittedly, quite often lied to anyone who asked, especially on a hunt. It didn’t seem as important at the moment why he didn’t care if Angel knew. What mattered more was how these thugs and their crime lord boss might make Angel’s life even more miserable with Wolf there. He was torn between leaving her, which would make her an open and very unprotected target, and staying. He wanted to stay.

“They didn’t search the place for Zoey,” he mused, searching the outside. He and Angel stood in the dark bookstore. At the moment he was glad she didn’t have security lights in the store at night. It didn’t make it any easier to see where the two thugs had gone, though. “As much as that asshole enjoyed trying to make me out as some kind of threat, I know their instructions were to find their boss’s daughter.”

“So you and Ben know each other?” Angel asked.

He pulled his attention from the darkness outside and looked at Angel. She walked over to her counter, next to her register, leaned against it and watched him. Her arms rested underneath her breasts. His T-shirt gaped loosely showing off her long, slender neck.

“Yes,” he told her. “We met driving up the state and came here together.”

“Why are you here?”

It was a question he expected but hadn’t had a lot of time to formulate the best answer to give her. Angel was an incredible woman. She had held her own just now in the presence of two men who could scare the crap out of most people. Wolf wasn’t most people. He had experienced men and women a lot more dangerous and less sane than Brutus and Julius. But Angel didn’t waver or fall apart. He had a feeling even if he hadn’t been here, she would have remained strong and protected her store at all costs.

“You can’t tell me, can you,” she concluded on her own, letting out a regretful sigh.

He hadn’t thought of giving her that answer, but her reluctant acceptance of a truth she’d deduced worked for the moment.

Wolf returned his attention to the darkness outside. Headlights beamed across the circular patch of grass with the fisherman statue in the middle of it pointing toward the sea.