Welcome to the Neighborhood (31 page)

He gripped her arms and pulled her close to his body. “You’re the only person who makes me truly happy. If I can’t have you, I don’t want to live. I don’t want to breathe. I don’t want anything. I love you, and I want to spend every minute of my life with you.”

“Greg, please.” The tears flowed from her and she couldn’t stop them. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“You won’t. We can leave together.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. “I love you, Alexi. Don’t shut me out.”

His heart thumped fast under her ear. Heat drifted from his body in waves, warming her. She soaked in his love, his life, his warmth, and savored it in case it might be the last time she could feel his naked body so close to her.

“You deserve a life with a mate who can give you children. You deserve–”

“Stop it!” He jerked her away from him. “Just stop it. I don’t want children. I want you. I’d give up life to spend eternity with you. Why can’t you believe me?”

She wanted to. Her mind, heart, and soul encouraged her to take a chance. Believe him. Accept him. Spend every minute of his mortal life with him.

“You’re afraid–”

“I want to be with you,” she said, cutting off his words. “But I don’t want you to end up hurt because of me. You can win against humans, and even your kind. But I doubt you could survive against a vampire.”

“You’re not even giving me a chance, or us a chance.”

She shook her head. “You mean too much to me. You’re a good man, a great man–”

“Then make me happy and give me what I want. You.”

She opened her mouth only to have it covered with his. He kissed her with utter passion and desperation, as if he were claiming her as his woman, his mate, and wanted to prove nothing else mattered. His need for her was pure and strong, full emotion and demanding to be acknowledged. She couldn’t ignore him, couldn’t resist him, no matter what her brain told her. She wanted him. Why not take a chance and find out if they could be happy together? Her heart seemed to think she should capitalize on the once in a lifetime opportunity.

Curling her arms around his neck, she clung to him. Feelings of confidence, hope and joy swept the fear out of her system as she accepted his kiss, his love and his willingness to give up everything to spend his days with her. Her body warmed, craving his touch and what he eagerly wanted give her. He loved her, and the feeling came straight from his heart.

“Uh…I hate to interrupt,” Chris said softly. “But we might have a problem.”

Alexi reluctantly pulled her lips from Greg. Her body wanted to stay glued to him and enjoy his scent, his touch and his kiss. He was the light in her darkness, her savior who genuinely cared and would do anything to help her. She’d hold on to him for the rest of his days and would ensure they were all happy.

Greg exhaled a deep sigh. “What is it?”

She lowered her arms as she turned to see Chris standing partially in the doorway with his attention focused away from them.

“I think we have company,” Chris said.

Together, Greg and Alexi headed toward Chris. They followed him around the van and when Chris stopped on the side with his arm stretched out, they came to abrupt halt.

Silently, they stared at the front doors. The hum of an engine moved closer to the barn. When the deep throttle ended, the sound of three heartbeats and three male voices revealed they did in fact have company.

Chris turned to Alexi and Greg while he pressed one finger to his lips and held up three fingers with his other hand. They both nodded with understanding.

Greg stepped in front of Alexi. His heart thumped fast and his muscles tightened while he kept a steadfast gaze at the door. Much like his need to take protect her, she too felt an overwhelming urge to shield him against any potential attackers. He was a werewolf with superhuman strength and senses, but as vulnerable as any mortal, especially in the buff and without a weapon. She couldn’t, wouldn’t let any harm come to him.

“Stan, look at this.”

Alexi heard the voice from the other side of the door and bit her lip. Her anxiety rose to a new high. If she, Greg and Chris could hear their heartbeats, the men standing outside would hear Greg and Chris’s soon too. Assuming they were werewolves.

Shadows moved underneath the door. Greg squeezed her arm and tried to force her back behind the van, but she didn’t move. Chris took slow steps forward. Metal clinked together.

“Who could have broke it?” asked a man with a deep voice.

“Listen,” another one whispered.

Shit. Their cover was blown. At any minute, she expected they’d come rushing inside.

Chris stopped and stood sideways near to the van. Slowly, he crouched until his hands touched the floor. The man looked like a naked monkey ready to leap.

Greg nudged her, and she met his gaze. Lips together, he tilted his head toward the back of the van. She understood his intentions, but she shook her head and refused to budge. She was faster than he was, and stronger too. If she could get to the men first and knock them out, she wouldn’t have to worry about them harming Greg or Chris.

She lifted Greg’s hand from her arm. Toxic anxiety gave her the jitters, yet boosted her energy. She could attack at a second’s notice, but first she need to break free from Greg.

Taking her by surprise, he gripped the waistband of her jeans and bumped into her body. He placed his face near hers and silently mouthed,
Don’t
. His heated breaths brushed over her, and she sensed his fear.

Clicking sounds from outside yanked her attention from Greg. The shadows underneath the door didn’t appear to move. She couldn’t determine what the clicks were from, but they most certainly weren’t man made.

The door swung open, squealing and allowing light into the barn. Two men rushed inside, one with his arm outstretched. In his hand, he held a gun and pointed it at Chris.

23

“No!” Alexi yelled.

In a split-second reaction, she broke free from Greg’s grasp and rushed toward the man wielding the gun. Greg stood in horror and shock, watching as she flew by Chris who was still crouching on the cement. Vampires were fast and strong, and she’d just proved it. His fingers tingled slightly as he’d had them curled through the loops of her jeans. The cloth had torn as she’d pried herself away from him. He had superhuman strength, but he had no chance of stopping her.

Chris leaped into the air and headed for the man holding a chain similar to the one that had been wrapped around the door handle. The man saw Chris coming for him and swung the links in preparation to hit Chris.

The man holding the handgun saw Alexi coming. Arm raised, he changed his target and pointed the weapon at her.

“No!” Greg roared before he charged forward.

Three actions happened within a second of each other. A loud shot blasted, Alexi reached the assailant with the gun and Chris pounced on the second goon. Appearing unaffected, she grabbed the weapon out of the man’s hands and tossed it behind her. Greg saw it coming and darted out of the way just in time. The gun hit the ground somewhere behind him.

Chris battled with one man while Alexi fought the other. Greg was mere steps away from reaching her, but she seemed too far from him. She balled her hand and swung it back. By the time he made it to her side, she’d thrust her fist into the man’s face. The attacker flew back and hit the wall. His limp body fell to the ground with a solid
thud.

A third man came running into the barn with a gun in his hand. He looked down at his partner on the ground. Alexi took full advantage of those few seconds and rushed toward him. She grabbed his arm and punched him in the face. Bones crunched and his head jerked back. Not wasting a second, she ripped the weapon from his grasp. Blood flowed from the man’s nose and he staggered around like a drunk.

“Don’t fucking move,” she said, pointing the gun at the man with the broken nose.

He stopped wobbling and held his hand over his face. “You fucking bitch. You broke my nose.”

“And I’ll take out every one of your limbs, starting with your legs, if you come any closer.”

Chris and the man with the chain were still fighting, but Chris had the upper hand. He slammed the guy into the van, then head butted him. The back of the attacker’s skull crashed into the window and shattered the glass. Shards fell all around them on the cement. A dazed look occupied his face. Chris seized his opportunity and stripped the metal links from the thug’s hand. He quickly wrapped the chain around the assailant’s throat and tightened it.

Greg veered his attention to Alexi. She stood firm, legs apart and arms up like a cop ready to face the enemy. A few feet from her, the man she’d punched first lay unconscious on the ground. Greg strode over to him and pressed his fingers on the guy’s neck, feeling for a pulse. The beat was slow compared to the others in the room, but it was there.

“Where’s my stuff?” Alexi asked.

Greg straightened and moved to stand next to her.

The man with the broken nose wiped his face, then spit blood on the floor. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She lowered the gun and fired it at his feet. A piece of concrete chipped off near his shoe and he flinched. “Quit bullshitting me. You took my safe. It’s in the back room and the shelves are empty. Where are the contents?”

Grunts and choking sounds came from behind Greg, but his attention remained fixed on Alexi. Her face was paler than normal. Dark splotches had formed under her eyes while lines from the edges made her appear aged with wrinkles. He drew in a breath and the smell of blood was thick. He glanced at her shirt and noticed it was darker and clinging to her torso. The strong aroma had to come from her.

“You won’t get away with this,” the asshole facing her said.

Alexi aimed the gun at his leg. Greg reached out and grabbed her hands. “Let me handle this,” he said.

Frozen, she stared at the thief. “I’ve got it.”

Greg kept his hand on hers and touched her shoulder. “You’re hurting. I can see it and smell your blood. Let me take care of this.”

“I need my belongings.”

“I’ll get him to talk. I promise.”

Slowly, she loosened her grip on the gun as he took it from her. If anyone was going to shoot one of the thieves, Greg wanted to be the one to do it in case the pack investigated the incident or their actions tonight became public. Better a werewolf battle another than a vampire fight and injure one. Otherwise, the tension between races would intensify, and in a world where humans frowned upon all supernatural races, none of them needed any more negative attention.

Once Greg had a firm hold of the weapon, she lowered her arms and turned to face him. “There are only two people I trust in this world, my best friend, Cassandra, and you.”

His heart thumped faster upon hearing her words. He’d worked so hard to prove he was worthy of her trust. She’d been hurt, scarred for too many years to the point she trusted only one. Now that he finally had gained her confidence in him, he would make sure he never let her down. “Thank you.”

Following a small nod and smile, she twisted to face the thief.

Greg lowered the gun slightly, aiming it at the werewolf’s feet. Now that Greg had control of the situation, he wanted quick results. Alexi was bleeding, they still needed to find the contents of the safe, and they didn’t know if others would return soon. He fired the gun and hit the man’s left foot.

“Fuck!” the man screamed as he hopped around. “Fuck. Fuck.”

“That’s for stealing my girlfriend’s safe,” Greg said. “If you don’t tell us where the contents of the safe are, I’ll shoot your knee next.”

Chris shoved the attacker he had in his grasp within Greg’s view. He tightened the chain around the man’s throat. “If that one won’t talk, maybe we can get this one to,” Chris said.

“You’re fucking crazy,” the wounded man said.

“No, you are. You stole from a vampire who happens to be my girlfriend,” Greg said, pointing the gun upward. “I changed my mind. I’ll take out an arm next. What do you think dear?”

She held her arms over her ribs. “I’ll leave it up to you.”

Holding tight to the chain restraining his attacker, Chris kicked the back of his captive’s legs. The man fell to his knees, gasping and with his hands gripping the links.

“If you know where the contents of the safe are, I suggest you say so,” Chris said.

“Thirty seconds or I send another bullet your way,” Greg said to the werewolf with a bullet in his foot.

The thief leaned a hand on the van and lifted his injured foot. “You can’t kill us.”

Greg shifted the gun slightly, trying to narrow down the area for his next target. “I don’t intend to kill you. I want to see you suffer. Fifteen seconds.”

“You won’t get away with this,” the thief growled.

“You’re in
my
territory. I have the right to protect my mate using any means available.”

“Tell him,” rasped the kneeling werewolf in Chris’s grasp. “Tell him.”

“Shut up!” the hobbling, one-foot man snarled.

Chris jerked the chain, causing his attacker to choke. “Talk or you’ll end up like your friend.”

Red-faced, the thief nodded in desperation.

“Your time is up.” Greg pointed the gun at the burglar’s shoulder and pulled the trigger. The loud blast stung his ears for a brief second.

The injured thief’s shoulder jerked back and he stumbled to regain balance. “Fucker! Fuck! Fuck!” He growled.

“I don’t think he’s going to talk,” Alexi said, arms wrapped around her front.

“This one will,” Chris said.

Hearing the injured thief curse, Greg suspected Chris was right. The asshole got off playing a tough guy. Well, he wouldn’t for much longer.

The werewolf held his arm while he hopped around, trying to balance himself without pressing his full weight on his wounded foot. Greg strode up to him with the gun tight in his hand. He pulled his arm back and punched the werewolf with the metal part of the weapon. He hit the thief’s skull and the man fell sideways. His head crashed on the van. Blood smeared on the vehicle as his limp body crumbled to the ground.