Forbidden Shadows (Lee County Wolves Book 7)

Chapter 4

Malcolm turned on the lights in the shop, ready to start on one of the cars. Running tonight had been exactly what he needed to tame some of the intense feelings he had felt earlier. There was not much clarity on why, but he felt better and more relaxed, which always happened when he could shift and let his wolf have free rein.

Lifting the car’s hood, he turned to get what he needed to start tearing down the transmission. Malcolm had always enjoyed fixing things. He couldn’t even count the number of motorcycles he had worked on starting at an early age. He just had an instinct when it came to these things, and making money doing it was just an added bonus.

Walking toward the huge toolbox he glanced out the window toward Roxy’s to see Clare’s car still sitting in the empty parking lot. Looking away, he roughly tossed tools out of his way, looking for what he needed. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. He had no rights to Clare. None. So why did it bother him so damn much that she left with a man and wasn’t back yet? He barely knew the woman, for fuck sake.

The word mate echoed in his ears, making him growl. “No!” He hissed, slamming the drawer shut, causing the heavy toolbox to slam into the wall. The thought had him breaking out in a sweat. He had way too much baggage to drag a woman into his life, mate or not.

Pushing all thoughts from his mind, he began working on the transmission. He enjoyed working on anything mechanical. He had always been good at it. Time passed as Malcolm continued to work, but he caught himself glancing at the clock more than normal. Mumbling a curse at seeing the time, he frowned, looking out the window. Her car was still there. Disgusted, he quickly put his stuff away, clicked off the lights and headed toward the small makeshift bedroom in the back of the shop.

Kicking off his boots, he pulled his shirt over his head and laid down on the cot. He stared at the ceiling; his arms crossed behind his head. This was a difficult time for him. Sleeping was almost nonexistent. This was when the shadows of his past came out from the darkness, replaying his mistakes repeatedly. Nothing he could do stopped the memories, the what-ifs that plagued his mind. Liquor could stop it all, but that was a fight he fought because what he had found here in Lee County was something he didn’t want to throw away. Dell warned him that one fuck up, and he was gone. He couldn’t do that to his sister and didn’t want to do that to himself. For the first time in a long time, he felt as if he was contributing to something worthwhile, and it felt good.

The reflection of lights floated across his ceiling, indicating a car had pulled up to Roxy’s. When they didn’t disappear, he knew it had stopped. Closing his eyes, he kept to his own business, ignoring the urge to get up to ensure Clare left alone and not with that fucker. Hearing a car door shut, he opened his eyes just in time to see another light reflection hit the ceiling and stop. Still not moving, he lay silently waiting for the sound of the car engine, but instead, an angry male voice echoed through the shop.

Malcolm was up instantly, heading toward the front of the shop, the shouting growing louder with each step.

“How dare you embarrass me.” The male voice, who Malcolm figured was the asshole Jeremy or whatever in the fuck his name was, shouted. “I’ll never be able to show my face in that establishment again.”

“Good. I did the staff a favor.” Clare’s voice reached him, and he actually heard her snort. “But I can’t take all the credit. You did an outstanding job embarrassing yourself, being extremely rude and disrespectful to the staff.”

Malcolm opened the door, and just as another car drove past him, a lighted Uber sign appeared in the window. Obviously, the date was a fail, which made him happier than he wanted to admit. As his head snapped back toward Clare, his mood darkened dangerously. Jeremy was stomping toward her from across the street, his posture aggressive. Malcolm also started toward Clare, his eyes not leaving the asshole as a growl from deep within escaped his lips.

“You are going to learn that I am not someone you want to fuck with,” Jeremy stated just as he stopped in front of her, and Malcolm swore right then and there that if the bastard touched her, he was a dead man. He started to jog, his eyes missing nothing.

Malcolm’s jog became a full-out run as the bastard leaned over Clare, his arm lifting toward her. Not on his fucking watch, Malcolm said to himself, his eyes zeroed in on his target. His wolf howled inside his head wanting him to shift, but Malcolm refused the call wanting the bastard himself.

“And you are going to learn that no woman likes to be called a cunt.” Clare’s voice rose, full of anger, just as she slammed her knee into his crotch. “Get a better vocabulary, asshole.”

Sliding to a stop, Malcolm watched as Jeremy fell to the dirt, grabbing at his nuts. He withered around, moaning and crying like a little bitch. Though Malcolm had to give the asshole some sympathy, nah, fuck that. He grinned, watching him, then glanced at Clare, who was working her neck back and forth like a prize fighter. Her gaze fell on him, and she looked surprised.

“Oh, hey,” Clare said, looking a little guilty. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.” She stated lightly as if she hadn’t just put a man down with a perfectly executed knee-to-the-crotch move.

Before he could answer, Hunter came jogging down the street with Devon and Dell coming from opposite directions. Hunter made it to them first, staring at Jeremy, who was still rolling and moaning, holding his balls. He looked over at Clare.

“How was the date?” Hunter asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Clare shrugged and then glared down at Jeremy. “I’ve had better.”

“Does he need to die?” Hunter asked a little too eagerly.

They all glanced at Jeremy, who cried out, looking up at Hunter in disbelief. His eyes then shifted toward Clare as if waiting for her answer.

Hunter moved slightly, looking down at Jeremy. “Dude, did you piss yourself?”

Jeremy opened his mouth, but only a croak escaped. He coughed a few times, then tried again. “No.” He wheezed; his eyes narrowed as they glared up at Clare. “The bitch—” A round of growls cut him off.

“I dumped his blackened scallops in his lap,” Clare finished for him with a large grin. “And no, Hunter. He doesn’t have to die…tonight. Having a woman put him in his place is enough for today, but if he returns, I may call for your services.”

“You’re crazy!” He spat up at her. “No man in his right mind would ever have anything to do with you. You have no clue who you’ve messed with.”

Malcolm noticed Clare jerk slightly at his words, but her face remained emotionless as she bent toward Jeremy, who had finally stopped rolling around in pain.

“You are no man.” She said, her words quiet, but everyone heard them. “And I know exactly who I’ve messed with. You are nothing but a spoiled boy who uses mommy and daddy’s money to bully people less fortunate than you, especially women. Stay away from me and stay away from Roxy. I don’t care what you have to do, but I swear if I see you anywhere near her when she is having her baby, you will live to regret it. And yes, I will talk to her and Marcus about tonight, so I suggest you resign because I promise you that Dr. Allender will not be happy with your thoughts about the women in his care, and neither will their husbands. You are disgusting.”

“You’re going to pay for this?” He hissed as he shakily got to his knees.

“I highly doubt that.” Clare said, then leaned closer. Every male there took a step closer just in case Jeremy decided to make a huge mistake and touch her. “I’ve dealt with men like you before. I don’t intimidate easily.”

“Okay, time for you to get the fuck out of here before we take the choice of killing you out of Clare’s hands,” Devon said as he grabbed Jeremy’s arm roughly.

“Are you threatening me?” Jeremy stumbled to his feet, adjusting his crotch carefully. “I have a damn good lawyer, and I will own you. I will own all of you!”

“I threatened you first. The name’s Hunter.” Hunter said, watching the man closely; he wasn’t smiling. “Hunter Foster. You send a lawyer this way; I will hunt you down, bring you back here, and no one will be able to help you, not even your fancy-ass lawyer.”

Malcolm remained silent, letting his rage simmer down. He wanted nothing more than to drag the fucker into the woods and make good on Hunter’s threat himself but refrained. It wasn’t his place, he told himself, but inside, his wolf raged in total disagreement.

Instead, he watched Devon practically throw the guy into his car, slamming the door. Everyone had started back toward their places but stopped waiting for the man to leave. Malcolm could see his mouth moving and could hear mumbled threats as he glared at Clare. The car started, but the man continued to rage, slamming his hand on the steering wheel several times having a fit. It was odd. Devon had turned away, heading back across the street toward Clare.

“You okay?” Devon asked Clare just as the car engine revved. “Roxy sure knows how to pick them.” He snorted with a shake of his head.

Malcolm’s eyes narrowed as he saw the insanity register in the man’s eyes as he glared at Clare. “Watch out!” Malcolm shouted the warning just as the car headed toward Devon, who jumped out of the way in the nick of time. The car sped a short distance toward Clare, still standing against her car. Her eyes widened, and Malcolm saw the flash of regret cross her face as she realized she couldn’t get out of the way in time.

“Clare!” Devon shouted as he rolled and jumped up, heading toward her.

Malcolm took off and leaped, grabbing her with one arm just as the car slammed into the side of her car. They hit the ground hard, with Malcolm landing on his back, taking the brunt of the fall. Clare lay on top of him, wrapped in his arms, stunned.

“Clare?” Malcolm whispered, looking up into her shocked face. “You’re okay. I got you.” When she continued to stare at him with wide, terrified eyes, his heart began to race, and his body tensed in an emotion he’d never felt before.

Her eyes filled with tears, but it wasn’t until she blinked that they fell from her eyes, landing on his face. Rage like he had never felt before shook him to his very core. Malcolm rolled her over gently so he could make sure she was okay. Leaning up on his arms, he continued to stare down at her.

“Are you hurt?” He searched her eyes, relieved when she shook her head as the shock of what just happened began to wear off.

“I don’t think so,” she said, sounding a little confused, her voice shaky. “Th…thank you, Malcolm.”

Hearing his name whispered from her lips made all his protective instincts roar to life. It was like a switch that snapped on; and he knew it would never snap off. All he could do was nod that he heard her. His head turned to see Dell pulling the bastard from his car. Turning his attention back to Clare, he knelt, helping her to a sitting position before standing and pulling her up. Devon rushed over and stared at Clare with worried eyes.

“Watch her,” Malcolm ordered as he handed her off to Devon, and then, without thought, he turned and walked straight toward the bastard he was going to kill.