The Real Italian Alphas (6 page)

“I understand.” she agreed.

“Keep this bag with you,” he reminded her as he strapped the bag with the gun inside onto her arm. “You never know when you might need it.”

The ride to the hotel was uneventful. They checked in and were each given a key, and then they left Rico and headed for their own room, holding hands along the way.

CHAPTER SEVEN

            “I do not wish to leave you alone for the day, but I cannot possibly bring you with me to the meeting without putting you in great danger,
mi amore
.” said Gabriel as the pair of them headed for the door to their hotel. “New York is nothing like Nevada. The people here are much more vicious—and these people are related to my ex.”

“Really?”

“I feel I must warn you about Lucretia,” he said then. “Ours was not a love match, Betsy. I was given to her on the night I was made because she thought I would make an interesting plaything. She is a direct descendent from the family of Lupo, and a powerful boss in her own right.”

“A female boss?”

“Yes, it is almost unheard of, but she is a boss in her own right, and hungry for power.” he explained. “She goes about calling herself the Alpha female, and she believes it completely. Her obsessiveness was one of the main reasons we divorced. At the time, I told her that she could have half of my empire if she would just go away and let me take care of my own half without interfering. She agreed.”

“And so she moved back here, with her own family, while you remained back west on your own.” said Betsy with a nod. “I see. So, why the concern now?”

“There are many among our kind who feel that among the families there should never be a divorce.” he said with a sigh as he pulled out the door key. “Her father has insisted for some time that we are still man and wife. I am worried that he may have called me here to forbid our wedding, and that was one of the reasons I felt we should be married before we came.”

“You’re hoping to force him to let you out of that whole mess?” she clarified.

“I’m already out of it,” he insisted. “I’m just hoping to get it through his head.”

They stepped into their hotel room, and came face to face with a tall, red-haired woman who was pacing in their sitting area. Gabriel immediately set Betsy behind him.

“What are you doing in here, Lucretia?”

“Is that any way to talk to your own wife?” she asked in a pouty voice.

“You are not my wife, Betsy is.” he insisted.

“She’s what all the fuss is about?” the woman scoffed. “She’s just a little thing, Gabriel, and you haven’t even bitten her. She won’t even make a morsel.”

“I don’t suggest you continue with that line of thinking,” he told her with a glare that could have melted the ceiling.

“And what are you going to do about it if I don’t?” she wanted to know. “It’s not as if you could stop me.”

“Betsy, you remember what I said to you while we were on the plane?” said Gabriel pointedly. “That item could be pretty useful about now, eh?”

“Way ahead of you, Gabriel,” she answered. She slid her hand into the small bag she had slung on her arm, but she didn’t bother to pull it out again. Instead, she flipped off the safety with her thumb and slid her finger over the trigger, ready to shoot the she-wolf right through the bag just as Gabriel had instructed her.

“Oh, now Gabriel, don’t be like that.” Lucretia cooed. “You know I’ve always been willing to share. I had no problem with anything when I heard you’d got yourself a little whore. You could have kept her as your whore forever and I would have never cared. But calling her the lady of the house and making her your wife—doesn’t that make her the new Alpha in a way? Now, that I cannot abide.”

“You are not my wife, not the Alpha female of my pack, none of that crazy shit you’re always going on about.” he said. “I never loved you, never wanted to marry you, at all. You tried to make me into your plaything instead of your equal. But now, Lucretia, now I have realized you are not my equal. You’re not, because I’m better than you.”

“Don’t talk to me like that.” she growled. “My family made yours. I’m a goddess compared to you. And that little bitch is nothing compared to me!”

Just then, Lucretia lunged forward, trying to get around Gabriel. Betsy screamed, and her finger contracted around the trigger. The silver bullet went right between the angry woman’s eyes just as she began to morph. She only made it halfway to becoming a wolf before it hit, and she changed back again as she fell to the floor.

“I’ll be back, you little whore,” she told her before she closed her eyes and stopped moving.

“She’ll be back?” Betsy asked Gabriel, confused.

“She’s one of the old ones, Betsy,” he explained. “The bullet may have stopped her for now, but it won’t keep her down more than a day. We’ve got to lay low until you can receive the bite. I’ll not put you in even greater danger than this.”

“How can she come back?”

“The Amulet of Fenrir,” he told her. “It is said that once a werewolf touches it, they can no longer die from anything but Gordral’s lance. But most of us believe the items are nothing but a myth. It’s been said that Lucretia’s family keeps them in a crypt, hidden where the body of Lupo was supposedly placed.”

“Supposedly?”

“Lupo never died, Betsy,” he explained. “He is still alive. He is said to be the first bearer of the Amulet.”

“How can these objects affect a werewolf?” she wanted to know.

“It all stems back to alchemical studies.” he said. “But let us leave now. I can explain it better once we are in a safer place. I don’t know how long it will be until Lucretia is able to revive. I know just where to go. Come with me.”

“Don’t we want to tell Rico?”

“There’s no time, and we can’t even be sure if he remains on our side,” he told her. “Rico used to drive for Lucretia. We cannot take the chance.”

“But what about your meeting?” Betsy wanted to know. “Are you going to get into trouble for not going?”

“You are more important.” Gabriel insisted. “
Andare, andare
, we must hurry. I fear we’re going to have to walk,
mi amore
. At least as far as it takes to find a car.”

The pair of them left quickly, and started to trek along the side roads until they saw a flaming red sports car with the top down. Betsy glanced over at Gabriel worriedly, and her suspicion was confirmed.

“That’s a bad idea, Gabriel.” she pointed out. “Nothing like advertising exactly where we are.”

“Well, is it my fault the keys are still in the ignition?” he wanted to know. “Hop in, we’ll just take it for a little spin. We obviously can’t drive it all the way to our hide-out, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a bit of fun along the way.”

*

They ended up in an abandoned warehouse somewhere in the middle of town. At least, that was how it looked from the outside of the place. Inside, it was a comfortable home complete with a living room and two bedrooms, and even a shower, all hidden beneath the floorboards of the basement.

Betsy looked around at the place curiously. “Does anyone else know that this place is here?”

“Only a few others, but we are not completely safe either way.” he admitted. “If Lucretia awakens, she’ll be able to track me by our blood bond. She bit me once, but I’m fairly certain it was just so she would be able to know where I was if she ever wanted to. Like I said, we didn’t exactly get along.”

“You don’t have to explain, Gabriel,” she told him. “You were married to her. Of course the two of you must have been intimate enough for her to be that close.”

“Not close,
ma bella
, only nearby.” he corrected. “A consummation was expected, and one was given. But only very few times did we ever indulge before we both knew it wasn’t going to work out.”

“Does she know where this place is?” Betsy asked him.

“I have never mentioned it to her.” he said. “Rico is aware of it, of course, but I am hoping he either won’t think of it, or if he does that he won’t mention it to her.”

“But you’re not sure of him,” Betsy said with a nod. “So, is there a way to make it more difficult to get in? Maybe we should be getting the place ready.”

“It is you I need to be getting ready,” he said. “I know that it is only the night before the full moon, and that it is very near to dawn, but I may be able to turn, at least partially, and give you a bite as we had planned.”

Betsy looked into his eyes and smiled, and her hand came up to cup his cheek. “You can try.” she agreed.

“Just remember, I can’t guarantee your safety with this bite.” he reminded her. “It’s not going to change you. Only to mark you as my own.”

“Do it.” she told him then.

It was a fascinating event, watching as Gabriel slowly managed to transform into a partial werewolf. His eyes flickered with that strange light Betsy had noticed when they first met, only this time with far more intensity. His jaw and nose stretched out and his teeth grew longer, and she knew a moment of apprehension as she realized they were what he was going to use on her.

It was strange, too, that her reaction was similar to what she felt when she knew she was about to get a vaccination or a blood draw. A tightening in the gut and a slightly nauseated feeling, and a desire to get it over with a soon as possible.

Gabriel seemed to be of the same opinion in that matter, at any rate. Just as soon as his teeth were sharp, he grabbed her arm and bit it near the shoulder, making her wince with the pain of it. He didn’t let go immediately, but ran his tongue along the wound. She assumed this was so that the virus, or whatever it was that made one into a wolf, would get into her bloodstream.

Once he was finished doing this, he quickly let go of the wolf form and returned to his human self. Then he kissed the bite tenderly and went to grab a bandage for it from the bathroom. Wordlessly they sat together on the bed as he bound the wound, and then Gabriel took her into his arms and cradled her as a slight pain crept from the arm into her body, making her feel a bit feverish.

“Maybe you should just go to your meeting, Gabriel.” she suggested. “I doubt anyone would come looking for me in here if you’re where you’re supposed to be.”

“No,” he said. “If it was just about me, Lucretia would not have come after us at the hotel. Clearly, they sent for me because of you. Leaving you alone would be foolish, indeed. I must stay here and keep you safe. As soon as the moon is full, I’ll bite you again. But that isn’t for eighteen hours yet. We’ve got a while to wait.”

*

About four in the afternoon, Betsy woke from a fitful sleep to find Gabriel staring up at the ceiling with great concern. He held a finger to his lips, and Betsy didn’t say a word. She tried to breathe as quietly as possible, lest the keen ears of whoever he believed to be there might hear her.

Nearly an hour passed, and still neither of them moved nor spoke, both just staring upwards in a state of anticipation. Finally, Gabriel relaxed his stance and drew Betsy into his arms. “I guess she couldn’t figure out how to get in.” he mouthed, and Betsy nodded. “I doubt she has given up, though. Lay still, Betsy. We still have another two hours to wait. I’ll find us something to eat. Just stay quiet, and hold your gun at the ready.”

Betsy nodded, too frightened at the thought of attracting unwanted attention to say a word.

As soon as Gabriel left her side, Betsy’s eyes riveted upon a shadow that moved on the other side of the room. She aimed the gun with deadly calm.

“I knew that you were here.” she said. “How is it that Gabriel did not?”

“That’s simple, my dear,” Lucretia  scoffed. “I didn’t want him to know. If he bites you again, I’m sworn to kill you. You must know that.”

“But why?” Betsy asked. “I have no interest in being some Alpha or controlling a bunch of mobsters, and most certainly not the group you have out here.”

“Because I don’t like to share my toys.” she said with a smirk. “Because by letting you live, I would be conceding defeat.”

“But you don’t even want him.” Betsy pointed out.

“No, but I do not want to be perceived as weak.” she said. “Your only chance is to leave right now, or I’ll kill you just as soon as I am able.”

“I really don’t want to have to keep shooting you, Lucretia.” Betsy said in a reasonable tone. “But Gabriel belongs to me now. I will not give him up.”

“Suit yourself,” she smirked. “I’ll be seeing you soon.”

With that, Lucretia jumped back up to the ceiling and disappeared back into it again. Gabriel returned with a couple of sandwiches and set them on the bedside table.

“She’s gone, then?”

Smirking, Betsy nodded.

“You didn’t shoot her.”

“Not yet,” she said. “Maybe later, though.”

“Women,” Gabriel smirked. “How do men ever figure them out?”

“They don’t.” said Betsy with a chuckle. She was barely able to eat her food.