Prey (4 page)

“
Yeah, it’s tempting.” She
crossed her arms under her breasts. “Of course I could just call
the police too. Explain everything to them and bam they do the work
and I get the bounty.”

“
You should have done your
homework,
suiker
.
This is my town, my word here is law and you have no other
options.”

Chapter Three

The door to the clubhouse swung open
silently. One of the ceiling fans squeaked with every rotation,
stirring up the air. During the day, the place was a far cry from
the rowdy bar it morphed into at night. Most of his brothers were
either working or sleeping. El knew he wasn’t the first one in
since he didn’t have to unlock the door.

He sauntered along the bar to the
half-swing door and pushed through to get behind the counter.
“Who’s here?” El called out.

“
You mean the beloved son
is actually here for a meeting.” Gunter’s voice drifted out from
the back.

“
I’m always here, work
permitting.” He bent and grabbed a bottle of water from the
mini-fridge. When he rose, Gunter was leaning on a wall next to the
bar.

“
Was she worth it?” Gunter
cocked his head.

“
Yeah, I can’t get away
from her scent. Of course I still can’t figure out how she—her name
is Nae by the way—thinks I’m an escaped felon from Reno.” El
twisted the top off and took a healthy swig of the cool
liquid.

“
I figured, when I got a
whiff of you. You know what that means? Why didn’t you ask her all
the pertinent questions last night?”

“
Yes, I know what it
means.” El grumbled. “I was otherwise occupied…several times.” He
continued, as he ambled from behind the bar and into the hall,
which led to the windowless room he called his office.

Gunter followed. “You do realize
something is off about the whole situation? I mean, somebody
literally sent your mate, practically wrapped with a
bow.”

“
Yes, I do. But, half the
fun will be finding out exactly what’s wrong.”

“
She’s a
human.”

“
You’re a hyena, but I
don’t hold that against you.” El stomped to his desk and dropped
into the seat behind it.

“
Boy I will… You don’t
like
humans
”
Gunter started, and then snapped his mouth shut.

“
Well, the Goddess didn’t
give me much of a fucking choice now did she?”

“
Cut her loose, El; she
has no clue of our world. You’re asking for trouble.” Gunter’s face
was solemn, with the corners of his mouth turned down and deep
furrows in his forehead.

El leaned forward. “No, how can you
ask a beast to cut off the other half of his soul? My lion demands
she be taken. For whatever reason, she’s here, and I have no
intention of letting her go.”

“
Son, you’re gonna put her
in danger. We don’t have easy lives out here.”

“
Easier than it was in
Africa. She stays. If you don’t like it, challenge my position.” El
growled.

“
El, don’t make me hurt
you.”

The front door in the
main
room
banged.
The boisterous voices of his sentries floated to the back
area
.

El cocked a brow. “Don’t stop now old
man, we haven’t had a good fight in years.”

“
I kicked your ass then
too youngster.” Gunter turned to the side to allow some of his men
through the doorway.

“
Did someone say something
about a fight?” Aristotle, the clan’s resident hacker, strolled
past Gunter and plopped down on the short couch along the far
wall.

“
Someone needs to beat
some sense into our Pride Chief’s hard head.” Gunter
grumbled.

Ursala breezed by. “That’s a fight I
would pay to see since I missed the last one.” She flipped a lone
chair around, straddled it then wrinkled her nose. “El, did you
pick up the wrong shower gel again? You smell sorta
sweet.”

Trace was the last to enter, skulking
past Gunter as he pulled the door shut. He raised a brow in El’s
direction.

El ignored the comment, glaring at
each member of his team, before nodding. “Last night a human walked
into our territory and claimed I’m wanted in Reno. I need to find
out what the hell is going on.”

“
I heard about that. Shame
I wasn’t here. I always miss the good shit. Someone told me Zima
was spitting mad.” Ursala giggled. “I want to shake that female’s
hand.”

Aristotle sighed. “I’ll get on it.
What’s her full name?”

El leaned over his desk. “Nae McCain.
Trace when I’m not with her. I want you to be her shadow. She was
sent on a wild goose chase for a reason, and I want to know
why.”

Trace gave a sharp nod and slid back
into the cushions of the sofa he shared with Aristotle.

“
What do you need from me,
El?” Ursala tipped the chair forward. “Wait, hold up one minute.
Why is this
human
suddenly so important to
you
?

El scowled her way. “She’s a possible
Pride mate. Mine actually, so I expect Nae to be given the same
respect you show me.” He waited for his statement to sink in before
continuing. “I got nothing at the moment, La, all our operations
are going smoothly, and I haven’t gotten any new contracts. It
looks like you’ll get some much deserved down time.”

“
Pfffssttt. I’d rather
slit someone’s throat. Come on El, throw me a bone, something!” The
legs of her chair hit the floor with a thud. “Oh shit! You found
your mate!”

El placed his palms flat on the wood
surface. “I did. Enjoy the freedom while you can La. You never know
when shit is going to hit the fan, and we’ll need your aerial
expertise.”

“
Yeah, don’t you need to
molt or something, birdy?” Aristotle teased, before adding, “That’s
great El, but – umm - you hate humans.”

“
Keep joking Ari. Don’t be
surprised when you find shit in your hair.” Ursala
interrupted.

“
Correction Ari. Now I
only despise
some
of the species.” El wiped a palm down his face.

Gunter sighed.
“
Goddess only knows what I was thinking
when I took you beasts in
.”

Trace abruptly rose and stalked to the
door. With his hand on the knob, he turned back to glance at El. El
leaned back in his chair and flicked his fingers. Trace opened the
door and exited the room.

Ursala shuddered. “Ugh, that
communication thing you two got going on is creepy.”

“
La, I swear you bumped
your head when you fell out of the nest. I understood Trace as
clear as day. He was asking to leave.” El stared at the door Trace
exited.

“
He doesn’t speak! For as
long as I’ve known him, which is
forever
, he has never said a word.”
She looked toward Gunter.

Gunter shrugged. “What do you want me
to say? I understood Trace completely.”

“
Oh-my-freaking-Goddess!”
Ursala stood and placed her fists on her hips.

“
El, please give La
something to do, kill, or maim. I’m not sure our pride can handle
her neurotic ass.” Aristotle clapped his palms together.

El rubbed his temple. “Sit down La. I
swear you two are like five year olds. I’m like Gunter now,
wondering why the hell I put up with your antics.”

Aristotle grinned wide. “That’s easy.
Gunter…”

His words were cut off by a distinctly
high pitched, nasal sound. “Oh good, I found you.” Zima shoved the
door wider and glided into the office.

Aristotle eyes widened at
the intrusion. “Shit
just
hit the fan!” He burst out laughing.

Gunter straightened, strode toward
Aristotle, and yanked the man up. He gazed over at Ursala and
cocked a brow. She swung her head between Zima and El.

Ursala pleaded. “But … but … please
let me stay! I never get to witness the good stuff!”

Gunter pushed Aristotle forward.
“March La. Goddess, I should’ve never prayed for patience, ‘cause
every time I did I got saddled with one of you.” He shoved
Aristotle and Ursala past a beaming Zima. She did a little finger
wave as they left, and Gunter yanked the door shut behind
him.

El watched as Zima flitted across the
room, touching the framed pictures on the wall. She skimmed her
hand over his club vest lying over the arm of the sofa. Zima
sauntered over to El, planted a thin hip on the edge of his desk,
and bent forward so her cleavage filled the deep v of her blouse.
Ignoring her, he steepled his fingers and waited for her to speak.
After a few minutes, she turned away with a huff, flounced across
the room, and plopped down on the couch. El pressed his lips
together and stared.

Zima pouted. “Well say something,
baby.”

“
Who the fuck are you to
interrupt my meeting?” She jerked at his guttural
demand.

“
Sweetheart, I had to see
you. After last night, I wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
Her voice wobbled with uncertainty.

The growl started low in his throat.
El leaned forward in his seat. “At what point in our hook-ups did I
ever give you the impression I was your baby? Nor am I your mate.
I’m not sure what world you live in, but you got it twisted. Not
once did I indicate we were a couple. And, we never will
be.”

Zima’s eyes shimmered with unshed
tears as she stared over at him. “We were so good together. Why
would you want to throw that away?”

“
You were a temporary
distraction. You are not my woman
.
Your council is unwarranted and unwanted. Stick
to what you know. You’re the pride’s accountant. I allow you to
handle our finances, and to date you have done an excellent job,
don’t fuck up now.”

“
This about that human.”
Disgust dripped from her words. “I can smell her on
you.”

El was out of seat and across the room
in seconds. He gripped Zima by the throat and heaved her off the
sofa. His teeth grew, making it hard to speak. “Actually, it’s
about you overstepping your bounds. What I do in my personal life
is none of your damn business. You’d best remember that.
Furthermore, you will respect Nae, because if I get an inkling
you’re not, I will skin your ass alive. Tell me now if that’s not
something you can handle. If not, I’ll have you escorted to the
town’s boundaries and wish you a safe trip.”

Zima clawed at his hand, her nails
digging into his skin as she fought to breathe. Her lips took on a
slight blue tint.

He released her and stepped back to
lean on his desk. “You’re actually lucky you caught me in a good
mood.

She crumpled into the cushions and
rubbed her throat. “You’ll regret dismissing me.”

El’s claws erupted from the pads of
his fingertips and dug into the surface of his desk. His voice
dropped to a harsh rumble. “Is that a threat Zima? Because I could
end your life. Right. Fucking. Now. Take my advice, close you damn
mouth before you say something we will both regret, and walk out
the door before you lose what little respect I have left for
you.”

Zima rose and smoothed out the
invisible wrinkles in her mini skirt. With a flip of her hair, she
strolled to the door.

“
One thing, Zima. Why did
you attack Nae anyway? You didn’t know what her intentions
were.”

She pulled the door open and crossed
the threshold before turning to face El. “You’re the damn genius,
lover. Figure it out.” Zima slammed the door behind her. The walls
surrounding the barrier shuddered, and a few pictures slid down the
walls, crashing to the floor.

El pulled the cell from his pocket and
stabbed the screen. The line picked up on the third ring. “Gunter,
tell me again, who did you send to find me last night?” he waited
or an answer and grunted in response. “Send La to my office. I
think I have a job for her after all.”

***

Nae cuddled up with a pillow. The
soothing smell of lavender had her pressing her face into the downy
softness. She lifted her head and glanced around. The bed clothes
didn’t smell like her covers, and the sparse room lacked color. It
was a far cry from the vibrant and cluttered bedroom in her home.
Her current surroundings consisted of black, white, or gray; white
walls, black furniture, and grey sheets. Her night spent with the
bail jumper crashed through her mind in vivid detail. The things he
could do with his tongue were probably illegal in several
states.

Images of what they did
rolled through her mind like a movie, and she flipped over on her
back. Starting at her breasts, she skimmed a palm down her body
beneath the bed linen. Slowly, she opened her legs and eased a hand
between her thighs. Using her other hand, she caught a taut nipple
between her thumb and index finger and pinched. Her clit pulsed,
and she dipped her
digits
between the
moist lips
of her labia
. She thrust a finger into her
passage. Bliss rushed through her as she closed her eyes. She
flexed her pelvis and angled her wrist to press down on her
clitoris with the heel of her hand.