Loving Their Vixen Mate (Pack Wars Book 4) (11 page)

Mac leaned forward. “When did Cheryl arrive?”

“I couldn’t tell you how many days it was, as I kind of lost track of time, but if I had to guess, I’d say two weeks or more after I first arrived.”

Mac’s stomach churned. She wasn’t as ready as she thought to hear the details, especially if abuse was involved. Had Brandon or Sam checked with airport security to see how a cohort of Couch’s could have had access to a secure room? “Do you have any idea what happened to my cousin?”

“No, I’m sorry.”

A door down the hall opened, and a hulking werewolf came toward Elena. He smiled, kissed the woman’s head, all the while focusing on Mac.

He held out his hand. “Dirk Tilton. Brandon said you’re Cheryl’s cousin?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry.” He turned to Elena. “The General called. I have to run, but I’ll text you when I can.”

She looked up at him with devotion and love. “Be safe.”

“Always.” He kissed her lips then headed out.

Mac wanted to ask her about this mate stuff, but since Elena was human, she wouldn’t have felt the same pull toward a man as Mac had.

For the next thirty minutes, Elena went over the series of events that led to her release. “A man with the snake and devil tattoo on the back of his hand came to the warehouse. He blindfolded and tied up both Cheryl and me, and then drove us to the place where I was to be sold. Once they dragged me out of the van, I never saw your cousin again.” She lowered her gaze. “I wish I could have helped more.”

“No. You’ve been great.” Mostly because Mac had been able to see the love between Elena and one of her men. “I don’t want to keep you.” She stood.

Elena wrung her hands together. “Let me know if you learn something.”

“I will.”

*     *     *

Sam and Brandon were parked down the street from Dirk and Clay’s house. Sam wanted to make sure nothing happened to Mackenzie as she entered or left. The men’s home was secure, so as long as she remained inside, she’d be safe. It was where she might go afterward that had him worried.

Jay hadn’t harmed Mackenzie last night, but that didn’t mean she was out of danger. She and Jay had been too far from the window bugs for Sam to hear their conversation, so he’d waited a few more hours after she went to bed before heading home.

“There she is,” Brandon nodded to Mackenzie, as she left by the front door.

Sam studied her demeanor. Her face appeared drawn, but it didn’t look as if she’d been crying. That was good, but he wished she’d have been a little more aware of her surroundings. Not that he wanted her to spot them, but she needed to be more cautious.

He waited until she took off before starting his engine. “Looks like she’s heading back to Jay’s.” Before he came out here, Sam had checked Jay’s house. His car wasn’t in the drive, which meant she’d be safe for now.

His cell rang. “It’s Chris Williams.”

“Maybe he was able to get into John Hood’s laptop.”

“Let’s hope.” Sam swiped the screen. “Hey, Chris.”

“I finished checking out Hood’s laptop. If you want to come pick it up, it’s done.”

“Find anything?” Sam glanced over at Brandon.

“Not much.”

Damn. “I’ll be right over.” He hung up and eased onto the road. “Nothing. Want me to drop you off at your job?”

Brandon had the best gig in the world. He worked for the phone company installing lines and service. His boss was also a shifter who had his own reasons for hating the Colters, so he let Brandon use the poll-climbing job as a means to spy on those bad boys.

“I’ll go to work as soon as we speak with Chris.”

“How about looking on your tablet to see if Mackenzie is heading back to Jay’s. I want to know her whereabouts at all times.”

“You got it.”

*     *     *

Mac had been back at Jay’s house after visiting Elena no longer than a half hour when her cell rang. To her delight it was Sam.

“Hey.” She was surprised to hear from him. He must have gotten her number from Brandon.

“Just wondering if I could convince you to give me some computer help. It involves a certain relative of yours.”

She walked over to the living room and sat down, her mind going a million miles an hour. “I’d be happy to.” Her stomach grumbled. It was close to lunch and she needed to pick up some food. “How about if I grab some fried chicken from the drive thru and come on over?”

He didn’t answer for a second, “Tell you what. Give me fifteen minutes, and then come over. I’ll pick us up lunch.”

Something was going on. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid some Colter dude is going to kidnap me, now are you?” He seemed to be very protective.

“Let’s just say fried food isn’t good for my boyish figure.”

She laughed. “Uh-huh.” If he didn’t want to tell her the real reason for the request, then so be it. She just wanted to get her hands on the computer, especially if it would give her a clue to Cheryl’s whereabouts. “Deal. Will Brandon be there?”

“He has to work. Hope you can handle me. I can be a bit pushy at times.”

“Not a problem.” Or was he talking about sex? It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t let herself get carried away two days in a row.

Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into their drive. Instead of parking in the back like before, she found a spot in front. She was about to slip out of the driver’s side when Sam stepped onto the front porch and jogged down to meet her.

He pulled open her door. “Thanks for coming.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Come on in and I’ll tell you.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, and her heart stammered in her chest. If only that were the only visceral reaction, she could handle it. Dampness pooled between her legs.

It was true. She was their mate, but Mac couldn’t worry about that now. She had a cousin to find.

“I set up the computer at the dining room table. While you get started, I’ll put the lasagna in the oven. I also made you some iced tea. I didn’t know if you took it sweet or not.”

“Unsweet. Thank you.” If only the men at work treated her this well, life would be great. “But you didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”

“Just trying to be nice.” He walked into the kitchen, his tight hips barely moving.

She inhaled to gain some control. This must be some computer job. “Did you crash your hard drive or something?” she called out.

“Be right there,” Sam said from the kitchen. He returned with her drink and set it in front of her. He nodded for her to take a seat. “Remember we said Cheryl had been captured by a man named John Hood.”

Every nerve in her body shot to life. “Yes.”

“The man’s now in jail, and this is his computer.”

Adrenaline slammed through her. “How did you get it?” This might be a goldmine, and the key to finding her cousin.

“Brandon and I
borrowed
this from Hood’s residence.”

She laughed. “My firm is good at borrowing, too.” He grinned, and it was as though she’d been hit in the chest with a lust bomb.

“I had someone at work look at it. While he was able to get into the file section, there are encrypted files that he wasn’t able to access. You told Brandon you could hack into anything.”

“Within reason.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed then.”

“What are you looking for exactly?”

“I’m hoping Hood wrote down the names of the men who bought the women and put the file somewhere.”

Her pulse soared. “Oh, my God. Really?”

“That’s my hope, anyway. I’ll leave you be for a while. Let me know when you have something.”

Mac was in heaven. Here was her chance to find Cheryl. As much as she enjoyed being around Sam, it was better if he didn’t sit so near. His presence seemed to mess with her thinking process.

She went to work, her fingers flying across the keyboard. The encryption software was sophisticated, but it wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen before.

Twenty minutes later he returned with two plates of lasagna. “Lunch is served. Take a break and eat.”

Because she wanted to get back to her search, she ate quickly. Mac waved her fork. “This is really good.”

“Only the best for you.”

She wanted to think about the meaning behind all of his compliments, but she had other things on her mind. When they both finished, he cleared the table and returned with a beer in his hand.

“Anything yet?” He slipped next to her.

“You’ve only been gone a few minutes.” He leaned over to look at the screen. She chuckled. “You don’t have to keep watch, you know. If I find anything, I promise to tell you.”

Sam tilted back his drink. “I want to be here when you open that file.”

“You don’t even know it’s here.”

He grinned. “Oh, it’ll be there. You just need to find it.”

So now she was a magician? Even though Sam’s presence distracted her, she kept the image of Cheryl firmly in her mind. By the time she’d gone through a few glasses of iced tea, she found the key to the encryption.

“Yes!” She clicked open the file.

Sam scooted closer. His shoulder touched hers, and her body reheated. Mac debated asking him to give her some breathing room, but the words wouldn’t form. The same spell she’d shared with Brandon was happening between her and Sam.

He leaned closer and read what was on the screen. “Carl Hampton, Roger Medlock, Charles Nesmith, William Daniels. The list goes on. Holy fuck, I think you hit payday, woman.” Each had a dollar amount, between thirteen and thirty thousand dollars, after their name.

She scrolled to the end. “If this is a list of the men who’d purchased the women, where are the women’s names? How can we tell who bought Cheryl?” The euphoria that had claimed her a moment ago was replaced with depression.

“One by one, baby. We’ll check every fucking name until we find her.” He pushed back his chair, stood, and held out his arms. “I say this calls for a celebration.”

Mac wasn’t sure what came over her. Was it the incredible animal attraction to Sam or the fact she might have helped find Cheryl that made her throw herself in his arms? His deep woodsy scent mixed with fresh linen had her snuggling deeper against his chest. Without a doubt, this was where she belonged. With Brandon. With Sam. Mac should be shocked that she had this deep stirring with both men, but her werewolf genes were making it hard to resist either one.

Sam hugged her tighter, causing her senses to shoot to high alert. She looked up at his deep-set eyes—eyes that were filled with a combination of sympathy, excitement, and lust. The swirling golds and browns haunted her in their intensity, as did the faint lines that fanned out from the corners. She had no doubt she was with a man who’d suffered too early in his life. Mesmerized by the depths of his pain, she forced herself to lower her gaze to his full lips. Big mistake. They were even more alluring.

His mouth parted. “I think we should see if the bond between us is as strong as Brandon claims.”

Her belly clenched at the thought. “I agree.”

She didn’t believe for one second that he wasn’t under the same erotic tug that she was. Mac had never slept with a man one day and a different one the next, but with these two, her thoughts had been scattered, different, and way too erotic. Knowing they were fated for each other made it easier for her to give into her prurient urges.

Only this time, she wouldn’t stand like Brandon had asked her to do while he ravished her body. Her need had grown since yesterday. “Okay, but we do it my way.”

Sam laughed, and the sound rumbled inside her. “Or what? You’ll walk away? I’d like to see you try. Brandon was right. You are a vixen. For that, I should tie you up, spank you for your insolence, and have my way with you.”

His words should have scared her, especially coming from a giant of a man like Sam, but he had a gentleness about him that she liked.

He grabbed Mac’s hand and walked her over to the living room. Making love on the sofa worked for her. Instead of guiding her there, he stepped around the coffee table, grabbed a few pillows, and tossed them on the rug.

“Take off your clothes,” he commanded.

What part of that was her way? A compromise was needed. “How about for every piece you take off, I’ll take off the same one?”

He cocked a brow, and then said nothing. With the way his lips twisted, he must be thinking really hard. She bet she was the first woman to challenge him like that. Then again, she was the first woman he’d been with who was his mate.

“Deal.” He kicked off his boots, forcing her to remove her sandals.

With the speed of a racing wolf, he unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans and discarded them. Holy fuck. He wasn’t wearing any briefs, and his cock appeared thicker than Brandon’s. She was already sore. How could she possibly handle someone of that size?

“Ah…maybe this isn’t a good idea. It’s humongous.”

“You can’t turn back now, baby. I’m a steam engine and you are my coal.”

His analogy was so ridiculous that she burst out laughing. In a flash, she was in his arms, and a second later sprawled on the floor by his side. She would have protested the strong-arming, except that she liked being pressed against his chest. He smelled clean and virile. Definitely all man—or rather all werewolf.

Sam clasped her wrist and dragged her palm over his cock. “Is this funny?”

She couldn’t quite tell if he was serious or not. “I’m not sure.”

“What do I need to do to make you sure?” His tone lightened.

“Hmm. Perhaps I should taste it.” Mac had no idea where her boldness had come from, but as soon as she’d suggested she suck on his cock, her body nearly exploded with need.

“You sure you can handle it?” Sam unsnapped her jeans and then cupped her pussy.

“We’ll have to see, won’t we?” Teasing him was a total high. She grabbed his drawn up sac and rolled the balls in her hand.

Sam hissed. “They’re not made of steel.”

She didn’t think she was hurting him. Perhaps he meant he might explode too quickly if she wasn’t gentler. “Lightweight.”

“I’ll show you lightweight in a moment.”

Mac enjoyed his ability to tease. Before he stopped her, she slid down so that her lips were at cock level. With the tip of her finger, she traced circles around his scrotum, pressing inward every once in a while. It was fun to watch the skin pucker and swirl.