Miss Taken (10 page)

TWENTY-SIX

Kira’s anger shot through the roof. “Hang on a fucking second, here. I didn’t lie at any point,” she said, facing Luke.

He narrowed his eyes. “So you don’t own Rakida Construction?”

“Technically, I do. But I don’t get to make decisions until I’m married or turn forty. Those are the rules in my father’s will.” She sighed. “I didn’t come here looking to get anyone to sell anything.” She rubbed a hand over her temple and threw Melissa another glare. The bitch kept smiling and she was so close to slapping the smirk off her face.

“Maybe you should talk in the cabin,” Luna offered.

“I demand to be let loose, Luke,” Melissa screeched. “If this whore can be loose, then so can I.”

Kira made a move only to get pulled back by Luke. “Who are you calling a whore? You psycho bitch.”

“Do you honestly think you can take me on?” Melissa laughed. “Your days are numbered.”

The crazy lioness was threatening her. Luke growled at Melissa. “Watch your mouth. I can leave you tied in here until I feel otherwise.”

“I killed a hunter for you!” She gave Kira a deathly glare. “I defended him. I saved him when someone was ready to shoot him. What can you do for him? Nothing. You useless human.” She glanced at Luke. “I will always have your back, Luke.”

“You tried to attack Kira. I haven’t forgotten,” he roared.

“You two go,” Bastien instructed. “I will handle her.”

She followed Luke inside the house, barely aware of the cold between the buildings. He was mad at her. She knew he was. She hadn’t really lied to him. Dick Peter was in charge of the company. She’d be misrepresenting Rakida if she said she was the owner
and
had voice over Peter. What a fucking mess.

Luke didn’t say anything. The fact he wasn’t talking wasn’t a worry. It was the anger rolling off him in waves.

“I never lied to you,” she started the minute they entered the kitchen. “I told you who I worked for. I told you my mother left it to me.”

Shit, she did. He’d been so engulfed with getting her into bed, he never put it all together. “You own the company,” he threw back. “Own it. Have final say.”

“I did tell you I owned a business. I am
not
in charge,” she snapped. Why was he only focusing on what he wanted to? “I told you my father gave control to my brother.” She sat on a kitchen chair with a sigh. “Peter is an asshole. He tends to upset anyone when he wants something.” She met his gaze with determination. “Right now, he wants this land. He has stubborn down to a science. I don’t know what is so special about this land, but he is hell bent on getting it.”

“I didn’t realize that was the business you were referring to when you explained about your parents. As for Rakida, the lawyer for the owners declined his offers,” Luke said through clenched teeth.

“You think that will stop him? He’s a brat. My father indulged him in everything he wanted. He feels Rakida is his. Until I get married or turn forty, he’s in charge.” She shook her head. “Three more years of this hell. I don’t know if I can take it.”

There was another moment of silence. “If you were in charge, you wouldn’t continue the harassment over the land?”

She laughed. “I know the meaning of the word no. I would pull back. You can’t force someone to sell you anything. I came here to talk, to smooth ruffled feathers. One day I will get control of my company and I want to make sure there is a company to go to.”

He nodded. “You said you can’t be in control until you marry?”

“That’s the fine print of my dad’s very fucked up way of trying to control my life via his will. Get married or Peter keeps Rakida.”

“Have you taken this to court?” he asked, not seeming as angry, but still way too serious for her taste.

“My lawyers have been looking for a loophole for years. I refuse to be forced into marriage.” She shrugged. “That means the owners of Raging Falls will need to deal with him until he gets tired or finds another more interesting piece of property, I just wouldn’t hold your breath for that to happen. You need to urge the owners to talk to him, to put an end to this, but please don’t let them destroy my company over anger at him. It’s all I have left of my mother.”

“I need to see about Melissa,” he said. “I’ll be back soon.”

He walked out and his mother waltzed in.

“How are you feeling, Kira?” Luna asked. The older woman reminded her of her mother. With short, wavy black hair and beautiful golden skin much like Kira’s, she appeared much younger than she was.

“Okay,” she said. Frustration was alive and well in Kira’s chest. She wanted to go home and slap Peter upside the head. It was his fault she was in this predicament.

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Yes,” she said, finally remembering she needed to figure out a way to get back to her office. “I need to use a phone.”

“Oh, sure, darling,” Luna said, taking hers out of her pocket.

Kira searched up her company information and dialed Carly. She watched Luna leave the room and head for the kitchen.

“Hello?”

“Carly? It’s me,” she said in a hurry. “You have to get me out of here. I need to go back to the office and talk to our lawyers.”

“Kira. There is a lot more than that you need to be here for. Peter is losing his mind. He is driving me crazy asking me where you are. Something is definitely wrong, those goons came back too. That’s not the worst though. I was approached as I was leaving work last night.”

“Are you ok? Who approached you? Please tell me he didn’t cause you to be harmed. I will kill him.” Kira could barely contain her anger.

“No, I wasn’t hurt. Sorry I should have said that first. I didn’t mean to worry you. Two guys stopped me. They were with the FBI.”

“What did they want?”

Carly let out a weary breath. “They are investigating your brother.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

Ah, shit. “Why? What did he do?”

“I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell me much. They want to talk to you, they are worried about you.”

“They wouldn’t tell you why? I don’t understand?”

“Do you know where you are? I will come get you.”

“We’re snowed in,” she said, biting her lip.

“I will send a fucking chopper to pull your ass out. I am at my wits end. Come handle Peter or you might be coming back to his funeral.”

“Hang on,” she said and put the call on mute. She rushed to the kitchen where Luna was making a meal. “Luna, do you know where we are? Like an address?”

Luna smiled. “If someone is coming to get you, it’s best to give my address. I can take you there to meet your party.”

Oh. “Okay. Thank you.” She got Luna’s address and directions and passed them to Carly. “Come first thing tomorrow.”

“You got it, boss lady.”

She hung up with Carly and handed the phone back to Luna. “Thank you so much for your offer. This crazy harassment from my brother is not going away unless I go back to my office.” Kira sat at the table lost in thought. What could the FBI want with her? What has her idiot brother gotten himself into now. He was nothing but a spoiled child who had to have his way. God, please don’t let him have gone too far.

She wondered if Peter had anything to do with those gunmen. He could be vicious to get his way, so she couldn’t rule out anything pertaining to him. She found it hard to think he’d kill these people to make them sell. He wasn’t that stupid. Spoiled and self-indulged yes, but not stupid. It took Kira a moment to come back to the conversation with Luke’s mother. She had been too lost in her head to realize Luna had been talking to her.

Luna nodded. “I understand. I’m sure Luke will too.”

She highly doubted it. She had lunch with Luna, but he didn’t show up for a long time. Sadness and loneliness crept inside her. Luna tried to cheer her up by telling her stories of Luke as a child.

“What was Luke like?” Kira needed something to get her mind off things. There wasn’t much she could do stranded on the mountain as she was.

“Oh, he was a sweetheart. You wouldn’t know it now, but he was as shy as you can imagine. He was about eight, when I met his father and joined their family. He stole my heart the moment I saw him. So polite, but you could see in his eyes, he was mischievous.” Luna paused in her storytelling to peek out the back door. “Looks like they are going to be a bit. Do you mind if I stick around for a little while and keep you company?”

“I’d like that, but you have to tell me more stories of Luke.”

Luna laughed in delight. “I like you, this is going to be fun. Did you know that Luke and Bastian grew up together here on the mountain. The two of them were like peas in a pod. If there was mischief to be had, they found it. Don’t get me wrong, they are also two of the sweetest men. When they love, they love with their whole hearts. A woman could do worse than that, you know.”

Kira blushed at her words and smiled. Luke said she was his, but that was before Melissa and the gunmen. Who knew what he would feel now. She didn’t like that he had such a bad image of her. There had to be something she could do to help him.

She had a wonderful couple hours with Luna. Trading stories and just getting to know one another. She hoped that no matter how this turned out, she could continue being friends with Luna. A time came when she had to finally give up waiting for him and went to bed. Coming up with a way to make him understand that she wasn’t the one controlling the situation was hard.

* * *

Kira woke slowly. The first thing she noticed was the hand on her breast. Luke. He cuddled behind her. He might be pissed at her, but he couldn’t stay away.

She thought about her previous relationships. Her exes hadn’t lasted long in her life. They tried to turn her into who they felt she should be. Luke hadn’t been doing anything other than wanting her as she was. The guy had serious possessive issues, but otherwise he was incredibly sweet, worrying about her and wanting to make sure she was okay.

If she married him, she could take Rakida back. Peter would have no control and they could stop the insane harassment of Raging Falls.

What was she thinking? Marriage? Luke barely liked her at that moment. She was sure the last thing he wanted was to tie himself to her. If only things had been different. She liked what she knew of Luke. Would love to get to know him better and his growly side turned her insides to mush. Things were just too complicated.

She let out a long-suffering sigh. She didn’t want to just leave, but she needed answers. They all did. The best way to get them was going back. Light filtered through the windows. Rakida had an acquisitions department. She’d advise them it would be in the company’s best interest to leave Raging Falls alone.

She slid from between the sheets and watched him. The snow had stopped falling the previous night. She heard footsteps in the house. Luna had to be waiting for her. As quietly as possible, she slipped her clothes on and headed out of the bedroom, ready to find a way to help Luke.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Luke woke to an empty bed. He jumped out and dressed quickly. Something told him Kira was not in the kitchen getting coffee.

His cell phone rang as he looked around the cabin for his mate.

“Hello,” he barked.

“Luke, man,” Bastien said. “Where’s Kira?”

“Not here, why?”

“You need to find her,” Bastien rushed on. “Those hunters? They weren’t here to intimidate you. They were here to kill her.”

His heart thundered hard. “What? How do you know?”

“I caught one this morning. I got him to talk. You were never his target. None of us were.”

“But Melissa said-”

“She knew all about it. She overheard them talking on the walkies and offered to help.”

He’d kill her. He’d given her a chance by putting her in the hands of her brother, but there was no turning back for this. Not when she wanted his mate dead.

“If I’m right,” he said, hoping he wasn’t, “she went home.”

“Not good. These guys have one target: her.” Bastien’s voice sounded rushed.

“Who would send them?”

Bastien gave a bitter laugh. “Take a wild guess.”

The brother. Of course. By killing her, he’d have her completely out of the way and able to take control fully. “So what was the plan? To pin her death on the shifters?”

“You got it in one. He’d come here and demand you sell or he’d make a case out of all of it and bring the human justice system into our world.”

That piece of shit. He dashed out of the cabin and into his garage to get his pickup. He could still smell her on the bed so she couldn’t have been gone long. Now it was a matter of him getting to her before anyone else did. “Grab some of the others and meet me at Luna’s. I think that’s where she’s headed to get picked up. It’s the easiest address to give out.”

“You got it.”

His heart hurt. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, lose his woman. Kira might deny she was his, but deep down they both knew she belonged with him. He’d been ready to offer to marry her the previous day in order to free her of her brother.

It would take more than marriage to do that now. The bastard wanted her dead.

The past days with Kira had been unlike any he’d ever experienced. Getting to know her and spend time with her had deepened the instant connection they had.

He saw the stubborn, mouthy woman and knew she was the one for him. Every part of her fit him perfectly, from her gorgeous curves to her inability to back down. She didn’t let his shifter-status intimidate her. Even though Melissa threatened her life twice, she’d faced her head on.

That was the kind of mate he wanted. He would have to teach her to accept that they belonged together. She might vocally fight it, but her body knew. It gave in to his at the drop of a kiss.

He’d be damned if anyone thought they’d take her from him. Not her brother. Not Melissa. Not fate itself. Kira was his woman.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

He’d go to hell to fight for her.