Jodi_ByTheLight (14 page)

“What did you do?”

“I said I’d wait.” He grinned. “They didn’t like that answer. They suggested I leave the money on the counter. I said okay and walked over to the counter. I heard them come up behind me. I slammed the cash down and turned in time to see the bigger of the two men swinging a bat at my head.”

“Did he hit you?” Her eyes widened.

“I ducked and then tackled him. After I knocked him out, I saw the other guy pointing a shotgun at me. He must have gotten it from behind the counter.”

“A crashing sound from the beer cooler startled him and the gun went off. I ducked. The full impact missed me and I was left with only a few buckshot in my shoulder.” He touched his scarred cheek. “And, here.”

“I was wondering how you got that.” She frowned. “I thought werewolves could heal. Why do you have a scar?”

He snorted. “When I rushed the guy with the gun, we ended up toppling a shelf-full of salt. Once you get salt in a wound it won’t heal. There will always be a scar.”

“I like your scar. It makes you look even sexier.” Ava grinned and took a drink.

He blinked a couple of times. She actually thought his scar was a turn-on not a defect.

“Go on. What happened next?” She folded her hands under her chin.

“It didn’t take much to subdue him. After making sure both guys were restrained with some zip ties, I went over to the cooler. Opening the door, I looked past the broken beer bottles to the very back of the cooler where they stock the shelves from the inside. There was the missing clerk, gagged and hogtied.”

“Was he okay?”

“Yeah, he was just shaken up. The two thugs were trying to get the security code for the owner’s safe in the office. He said he’d seen me come in and knew if I’d have left they would have killed him to keep him from making a positive ID. He managed to scoot close enough to the beer shelves and kick the bottles off.”

“Did you call the cops?”

He nodded. “I didn’t stick around. I’d already lost too much time by stopping, so I kept going.”

She shook her head. “You didn’t stick around because you didn’t need the recognition of being a hero.”

He grimaced. “I’m no hero, Ava.”

“You’re my hero. You’re that clerk’s hero, too. Without you, we’d both be dead.” She reached out for his hand and held it between her palms. “You’re going to be Haley’s hero, too.”

He swallowed down the ache that had suddenly developed in his throat. Things didn’t always work out like you wanted. He knew that all too well.

***

Ava was busy brushing her teeth when Damon poked his head in the bathroom.

“Jayden called. I’m heading over to his room for an update on what they found at David Jenkins’s house.”

She turned. “Did they find Haley?”

He shook his head. “No. I didn’t expect her to be there.”

Her heart shuttered and fell.

“It doesn’t mean she isn’t somewhere else.” He gave her a determined look.

“Wait and I’ll come with you.” She knew they were up against the clock. They could be torturing that poor girl right now, while she was safe and comfortable in her hotel room with Damon as her guard.

She pushed past him to grab her jacket.

He shook his head. “No, Ava. It’s late and you’re exhausted.”

“But…”

“No buts. Stay here and get some rest. If there’s anything new, I’ll let you know.” He pulled down the comforter and sheets and motioned for her to climb in. “I put the do not disturb sign on the door, so no one should bother you. Jayden has rerouted the hall camera to his computer so I can keep an eye on you from his room.” He reached in his jacket pocket and handed her his cell phone. “Jayden’s number is programmed in. Call me if you need me.” He handed her the phone before leaving the room.

Ava plopped down on the bed, not bothering to stifle the yawn that rose up in her throat. Damon had been doing all the work. He was the one who was exhausted. Not her.

She placed the cell phone on the nightstand and slid between the soft covers. Guilt surged in her chest as her mind wandered back to the kidnapped girl. She knew what those wolves wanted to do to Haley. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the vivid images that rose like ghosts in her mind. How fair was it that an innocent girl should be caught in the clutches of animals so evil?

She curled herself into a ball as the tears fell. She cried for the injustice of the whole fucking situation, for Haley’s innocent stripped and for what tomorrow would bring. A short while later, with her body exhausted and her heart heavy, she drifted off to sleep.

She didn’t look at the clock later that night when the door eased open. The bed shifted as Damon slid in behind her.

She smiled as his large hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her against his chest. Safe and content, she drifted back to sleep.

***

Ava blinked open her eyes and arched as the light of dawn spread into the room. When her hand landed on the empty mattress, she froze. She glanced at the clock. 9:00 a.m.

Weird; she’d never slept this late.

She threw off the covers and headed to the bathroom door.

“Damon?”

No answer. She opened the door and stared into the empty bathroom. Great, he was probably in another meeting with Jayden, leaving her out of what was going on.

She grabbed her clothes and turned on the shower. She wanted to be dressed and ready when he got back.

She had just finished drying her hair when Damon pushed the door open with his shoulder while balancing two large cups of coffee. He let the door slam behind him.

“I wondered where you had gone.” She smiled and took the steaming cup. “Thank God. I was beginning to get a caffeine headache.” What she wouldn’t give for a cup of her own coffee versus hotel coffee.

“Were you worried?” He gave her a devastating grin, the kind of grin that made her go wet.

“Maybe.” She took a tentative sip, hoping he couldn’t see how badly he affected her. “What did you find out last night?”

“Not much. Jenkins didn’t even own the house, only renting it. Our guys retrieved a computer. They spent all night scouring the data, trying to recover any detail that might be of importance. We’re on our way over to Jayden’s room to see what they found.” He handed Ava her jacket and ushered her out of the room.

Five minutes later they were sitting around Jayden’s living room, finishing their coffee, and eating an assortment of glazed and jelly-filled doughnuts, compliments of their host.

“Did they find anything on the computer?” Damon handed her another lemon-filled doughnut. She grinned. She’d already eaten three. Guys were not known for encouraging cellulite growth. Yet, here he was, encouraging her to eat.

Taking the doughnut, she settled back on the leather couch. Damon rested his hand on her knee. His larger-than-life presence calmed her, like her own personal fortress against a raging storm.

“We found something that was very interesting.” Jayden swiped a glazed doughnut and took a huge bite. “Haley wasn’t kidnapped at random. According to what was recovered on the computer, David Jenkins had been doing his research on her.”

“What kind of research?” She licked the sugar off her fingers. When no one spoke, she looked up. Both men were watching her with unveiled interest as her tongue swirled around her fingertip.

Damon cut his gaze at Jayden and growled.

“Sorry, man.” Jayden held his hands up defensively and looked a bit worried. “I will
so
keep my eyes off your girl.”

“I’m not above ripping your throat out.” Damon’s voice sounded more animal than she’d ever heard. Her heart sped up, as excitement blossomed in her chest.

She placed her hand on Damon’s muscled arm. “I can think of a better use of all that testosterone and it has nothing to do with fighting.”

Damon jerked his head back to her, his expression a mixture of surprise and desire.

“Jayden, please continue.” She gave a wave with her hand.

He cleared his throat. “Jenkins kept a file on Haley, everything, from where she lived to her hobbies. He’d even followed her around during the day to get a fix on her daily schedule.”

“Why Haley? Why target her specifically? I mean if he wanted to kidnap a girl, surely there would have been easier targets. According to her file, she comes from a well-known family. He’d have to know people would be looking for her.” She reached for another doughnut.

Damon nodded. “Ava’s right. He specifically wanted Haley. Just like they specifically wanted Ava. We need to find out why.”

“Well, there is something else, something odd.” Jayden looked from Damon to Ava.

“What?”

“They found a link to a website for a family tree.”

She shrugged. “So? Lots of people research their ancestors.”

“It wasn’t on him. It was on Haley.”

The room grew silent, the tension pressing down on them like an anvil.

“They also ran tests on Jenkins’s DNA from his toothbrush. He’s a wolf, a red wolf.”

She swallowed hard and set the half-eaten doughnut down, her appetite suddenly gone. A cold dampness seeped into her very marrow. She’d suspected this from the lipstick. But hearing the confirmation brought her fear to life.

Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself against the invisible chill.

Damon’s hand squeezed her knee, assuring her without words that he was going to protect her, even from the unseen force that seemed to scare her with each new vital piece of information.

She wished she could turn back time and never answer the door that night. If only she’d been more cautious.

“They would have come for you, no matter what you would have done, Ava.” His gaze bored into hers.

“Can you read minds, too?” Her stomach cramped and she regretted eating so many doughnuts.

“No. I can smell your fear. It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault.” He cupped her cheek as he forced her to meet his intense gaze.

She blinked back the tears and nodded, not trusting her voice.

“Do we have a copy of Haley’s family tree?” Damon stretched his neck side to side as he looked at Jayden.

“Not yet. I asked the Guardians to send me a copy.”

“How the hell did you get them to agree to that? You’re not even employed at the compound.” Damon’s voice was harsh and Ava could detect a hint of resentment in his tone.

Jayden’s grin split across his handsome face. “I may not be employed as a soldier like you, my friend, but I do have my connections.”

“You mean you blackmailed someone.” Damon snorted.

“It helps to be one of the few in the world who can erase an entire night of debauchery that’s been caught on Facebook.” Jayden shrugged.

Ava narrowed her eyes. “That’s impossible. Even if you erased some pictures someone else posted, someone would have already seen them.”

“That’s when you replace what they think they saw with a subliminal message that makes them forget what they saw.”

“You’re serious. You can actually do that?”

“Thanks to technology, our information is limitless.” Jayden stood. “I’ve got to check on some things down in the casino. I do have a job, you know.”

“I was beginning to wonder. You seem to have a lot of time on your hands to be hanging with us.” Damon walked Ava to the door.

“Just trying to keep Ava entertained.” Jayden shrugged. “Wouldn’t want her to think all wolves are as uncivilized as you.”

***

Walking through the casino, Ava stayed close to Damon. He’d not touched her since they were interrupted in the room, and since then his mood had changed for the worse. He’d grown more distant. It was probably for the best. She didn’t want to get him in trouble with his job. He’d told her many times that his job was his life, his everything. She couldn’t take that away from him. Besides, she wanted to be first in a man’s life, not second best.

Her gaze swept the casino as the flashing lights and the rhythmic sounds of the slot machines lulled her into a sense of normalcy. Despite having her world turned upside down these last few days, she thought she had handled it pretty well. Discovering she was a werewolf hadn’t shocked her as much as it should. In some odd way, she’d always known she was different.

An older blue-haired lady pulling an oxygen tank hurried to pass them to a recently vacated slot machine. Easing herself up onto the stool, the old lady held her bucket of coins in one hand while feeding the machine with the other, all the while oxygen pumped into her lungs via tubing attached to her nose.

Ava grinned and watched with interest as a second elderly lady walked up to the blue-haired lady and accused her of stealing her slot machine. A few heated words were exchanged and security was called. Jayden, dressed in his black security uniform, arrived at the scene and tried unsuccessfully to diffuse the situation. The woman with the oxygen refused to move, arguing it was empty when she sat down. The other lady said she had to go get more money and had intended to come back.

“Do you want to wait and see if they end up slugging it out?” Damon’s breath tickled her ear.