Chapter Four
Elijah groaned as he turned over. He had a killer headache, and his mouth was so dry his tongue was sticking to the roof. And why did his breath taste so horrible?
His heart pounded as fragments of the previous night came rushing back—the pool game, the flirtation, the overwhelming presence of Matias pressed up behind him, guiding his every move with a firm hand and a voice dripping in sin.
And then… the bourbon. The cosmos. His absolutely humiliating exit.
Elijah groaned again, flopping back onto the bed as realization hit. He’d puked. Right in front of Matias. The most dangerous, gorgeous, and arrogant man he’d ever met, and what had he done? Turned into a drunken, useless mess.
“Tell me that didn’t happen,”
he grumbled to himself.
Cracking his eyes open, he froze. This was not his bedroom. Those were not his scratched and chipped dressers. These were polished, expensive looking. The tops of his dressers were cluttered. The ones in this room were clear, except for the large flat screen perched on one of them.
This room was large with black-out curtains hanging in the windows. The walls were free of framed dime-store pictures like Elijah had hanging on his bedroom walls.
This room spoke of elegance. Elijah’s room shouted of second-hand furnishings. He didn’t even have proper curtains in his room. They were thrift store sheets he’d nailed in place.
Even the air smelled clean, like freshly hung laundry.
Elijah stiffened when he felt a presence. Turning his head slowly, he furrowed his brows. Matias was sitting in a cushioned chair, his hands clasped over his stomach, his eyes closed.
Was he sleeping or just resting his eyes? If it had been Elijah in that chair, he would’ve been sprawled over it, drooling as he snored.
But Matias? It figured that even in his sleep he had control. And how in the hell had Elijah ended up in this room? He glanced down to thankfully find his clothes still on.
It was a relief to know the guy who’d full-on seduced him last night wasn’t a perv.
As if Matias felt him staring, his eyes slowly opened. God. They were just as stunning during the daylight as they were in a dimly lit tavern.
Just as intense.
Elijah waved his hand around. “Where exactly am I being held hostage?”
The guy just sat there studying Elijah. “Glad to see you’re feeling better.”
His tone implied the opposite.
Now that Elijah was no longer drunk and ready to hug the world, unease crept in. He might not remember all of last night, but he recalled enough to know Matias had commanded an entire room without speaking a single word.
“Glad to see I’m alive.”
Elijah glanced around. “Thanks for not killing me.”
Matias slid his hand down his pant leg, wiping away invisible lint. “Did you expect to wake inside a cage in some dank basement?”
He stared incredulously at the guy. “That was… just a little too detailed.”
Either he’d seen that same kind of scene on television or experienced it in real life. Since Matias didn’t look like someone who vegged out on a couch…
The side of Matias’s mouth curled into a half-smile. “I have quite the imagination, conejito .”
I just bet you do.
Elijah licked his lips, heart thundering. “How far am I from the tavern?”
How far had Matias driven Elijah’s unconscious body, and why did that thought unnerve him? Friends gave drunk friends rides all the time.
But he’s not your friend. He’s danger shrouded in mystery.
“A thousand miles.”
“What!”
Elijah’s brows shot up, his jaw dropped. It didn’t dawn on him that he hadn’t been passed out long enough for that kind of trip.
Had he?
Matias chuckled. Was that a “I’m joking”
laugh or a “you’re fucked”
kind of laugh?
“Relax,”
he said in his accented voice that Elijah was becoming addicted to. “You are still in my tavern, conejito asustado .”
Pressing his lips together, Elijah pulled his phone from his back pocket and looked up those words. He narrowed his eyes at Matias. “Frightened bunny?”
Then it dawned on him. “You’ve been calling me a bunny all night.”
Matias’s light brown eyes twinkled with amusement. “I have, hermoso .”
Elijah typed the word in then glanced at Matias who was watching him closely.
Beautiful. Matias just called him beautiful.
“Not going to translate that one to me?”
Matias’s brow arched. “You were much braver last night, conejito .”
“I was drunk, and stop calling me that.”
Elijah threw the covers back, but it hadn’t gone unnoticed that Matias was flirting with him again. It wasn’t going to work this time. Elijah wasn’t going to fall for his… everything.
When Matias pulled out his phone and began to type, Elijah eased from the bed, wondering if he could make it out of the room without being stopped.
“Get back in bed,”
Matias ordered in an infuriating sexy tone.
“Why?”
Elijah bristled, pressing his hand against his hip, but had enough self-preservation to keep his distance. “I’m awake. I’m sober. I’m leaving.”
Slowly, Matias rose to his feet. He was a lot taller than Elijah remembered. “But you haven’t eaten yet.”
He pointed at the bed.
He was definitely used to having his demands followed. “I’m not one of your men, Matias. I don’t jump at your command. I’m heading home. It was nice meeting you… I think.”
Just as Elijah was about to walk out the door, someone knocked. He moved back and to the left so whoever was on the other side wouldn’t see him. Matias stared at him as he answered the door but looked away when he opened it.
When Matias pulled back, he had a tray in his hands. He used his foot to close the door, and the most wonderful, mouthwatering smells hit Elijah hard. His brain had checked out, his body following those delicious aromas to where Matias set the tray on the bed. Matias lifted the silver domes off the plates, and Elijah was pretty damn sure he’d died and gone to heaven.
The plates were full—cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs with diced bell peppers and mushrooms, linked sausage, homestyle potatoes, and a stack of French toast, dusted in powdered sugar and topped with strawberries. There was even a tall glass of orange juice and cup of coffee to one side, a bowl of creamers next to it.
What was this, a five-star hotel?
Okay, so maybe he would take off after he’d eaten. “There’s no way someone whipped this up in the five seconds since you texted them.”
Elijah scooted onto the bed, ready to dig in, when Matias’s phone rang. He was trying to decide what to eat first when Matias snarled, “What the fuck do you mean Diablo is missing?”
* * * *
“He was supposed to meet me at my house last night, but he never showed,”
Santiago said. “I’ve tried calling him multiple times, but it keeps going straight to voicemail.”
Matias glanced at Elijah, who was staring right at him. He pointed to the tray. “Eat.”
“Whoof,”
Elijah replied, his response irritating Matias.
The kitchen always cooked a big breakfast. Most pack members either came in to eat or they’d never left from the night before.
They were wolves, their appetites ferocious. The kitchen in their tavern wasn’t an ordinary bar kitchen—greasy, small, and sometimes disorganized.
The kitchen at Sin & Steel was modern, with everything a cook could want and need.
Six-burner stove, industrial refrigerator with two ice and water dispensers. A large, chrome workstation, and a large, walk-in pantry that could hold enough food to feed a family of four for six months.
Since Matias’s pack consisted of two dozen men, wolves no less, the food didn’t last long.
He’d been tempted to fill Elijah’s tray with even more choices—gravy and biscuits, crepes, home fries—but the human was too skinny. Matias doubted Elijah could finish what he had before him.
Switching to Spanish, Matias asked, “Who was the last person to see or talk with Diablo?”
“Me,”
Santiago replied. “I told him I had to take Percy home before we made that run. But he never showed or even called.”
The run. It wasn’t technically a run. Once a year, on the anniversary of his parents’ deaths, Diablo visited their graves. Matias had gone with him. He couldn’t recall how many times. Diablo cleaned the debris from their headstones, laid flowers, and said a prayer.
There wasn’t anything on earth that would prevent him from making the trip. He also wouldn’t go alone. Matias had ordered Diablo to always take backup since the graves were deep in bear territory.
Matias always called ahead and cleared the visit with the clan alpha. A call he was supposed to make this morning. “Why were you two leaving ahead of schedule?”
Santiago hesitated. Matias clenched his jaw.
“Do not make me ask twice.”
Santiago might be his second-in-command, his top enforcer, and one of Matias’s closest friends, but he didn’t tolerate shit being kept from him. Secrets destroyed packs, bred mistrust, and made it harder to lead. Matias liked all the facts before he made a decision, especially decisions that affected everyone he cared about.
His pack.
“He planned on chilling last night, but since he was kicked out of the room he was relaxing in, he decided to head out early.”
Matias clenched his jaw as he closed his eyes. He’d kicked Diablo out. Even so, it hadn’t been the wolf’s decision to change plans.
“Gather some men and find him. Do not return until you have either Diablo or information on him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Santiago hung up.
Shit. Matias gripped his phone tightly, cursing under his breath. Diablo knew better. Why would he try to take off before Matias had made the call? It made no sense to him.
“Is everything okay?”
Matias glanced at Elijah, then his gaze dropped to the tray, stunned the plates were empty. Where had the male put all that food? Had he scarfed it down?
“Are you full, or do you wish for more?”
Matias stopped himself from pacing. It was a habit he’d broken a while ago but felt the overwhelming need right now to fall back into.
“I’m full. Thank you for the food.”
Elijah slid off the bed. “I can see you have a devil to find, so I’ll get out of your way.”
Until Matias knew what had happened to Diablo, Elijah might not be safe. “You can’t leave.”
Elijah’s features darkened, and Matias waited for the fallout. “Look, buddy, I had a great time last night, but it’s time for me to head home.”
“Buddy?”
Matias scowled at him, his anger flaring, unused to being talked to in such a disrespectful manner. “Do I look like someone’s fucking buddy ?”
“Do I look like someone’s fucking hostage?”
Elijah shot back, his voice rising as he spoke. “You gave me free drinks, taught me how to play pool, and gave me somewhere to sleep it off. While I deeply appreciate what you did, that doesn’t give you the right to make me your prisoner!”
Matias erupted into a tirade of Spanish, cursing Elijah’s stubbornness and lack of self-preservation. He’d been ready to walk home last night, by himself, while drunk.
No one should ever get that wasted without having someone to watch their back. Percy hadn’t been that person since he’d been as drunk as Elijah.
“You have no idea what is going on, bunny . There’s more at play, and you just might be an unwitting target.”
Elijah’s brows shot up as his jaw dropped. “Why?”
he cried out. “I have nothing to do with whatever is going on!”
“And I’m going to keep it that way.”
Matias walked out, locking the door behind him.
Elijah banged on the door, cursing Matias’s name and the moment they met.
A few men entering the hallway glanced his way.
Matias just closed his eyes, reeling in his emotions.
If Elijah had had any soft feelings toward him, Matias had just effectively killed them.
But he would rather the bunny hate him than something happen to the human.
This was for Elijah’s own safety. Regardless of the fact he’d wanted to leave, he’d become a part of Matias’s world, and Matias would make damn sure nothing happened to him.
* * * *
“Answer your damn phone.”
Elijah paced, furious and terrified. What did Matias mean he was an unwitting target? Who would target him? And instead of answering him, the asshole had locked him in the room!
At least he’d been fully fed before imprisoned.
“Hello?”
Percy said groggily. “Who dis?”
Elijah rolled his eyes. “I need you to be fully awake, Percy! I’ve been kidnapped!”
The windows were of no use. Elijah had tried to open both of them, but they hadn’t budged. Worse, he’d seen men out back, yet they’d ignored him when he’d banged on the windows.
If he got out of this, Elijah was kicking over their damn bikes.
“Did you just say kidnapped?”
Percy sounded more awake, alarmed, the sound of his sheets ruffling in the background. “By who?”
“Matias!”
Silence hung between them, then Percy chuckled. “Wanting to keep you in bed is not kidnapping, pumpkin. It just means he wants—”
“We didn’t have sex,”
Elijah ground out. “He said I was some kind of target and that I wasn’t leaving.”
Elijah wished it was because of sex. That would at least make sense. But he pushed the thought away when he began to imagine them in bed, naked, Matias destroying him in the best way possible.
If Matias tried to seduce Elijah again, he would kick the guy square in his jewels. He would never forgive the guy for this. Ever.
“Are you serious?”
Percy sounded confused, like he couldn’t wrap his mind around Matias highjacking Elijah.
“Dead serious. Apparently, there’re rooms attached to the back half of the tavern. He locked me in one of them.”
“But…”
Percy paused. “He’s too gorgeous to be crazy, Elijah. That makes no sense.”
Closing his eyes, Elijah counted to ten.
Then twenty.
He loved Percy to pieces, but sometimes the guy was too na?ve for his own good. Which was why he kept dating the wrong men. Guys who saw the innocence in him and took advantage of it.
“Honey, listen carefully.”
Elijah breathed in deeply then let it out slowly. “Gorgeous men are the nuttiest of them all. Remember Carter?”
Percy huffed. “You don’t have to remind me of that mistake.”
“I’m not saying it to shame you, okay? I’m just pointing out that Carter was fine looking and nearly wiped out your bank account. So, yes. Gorgeous men are insane.”
Elijah could not believe he was even having this conversation. “I’ve been kidnapped”
should been enough for his best friend to drop everything and come running.
“Okay, I get your point,”
Percy said. “Let me shower, get dressed, and drop off my mom’s dry cleaning. Then I’ll rescue you.”
Elijah palmed his face. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t. “Can you forego the shower and dry cleaning and come get my ass out of here… please .”
“Right!”
Percy said. “Shower, dressed, then rescue. My mom’s needs will just have to wait!”
The guy sounded proud that he’d compromised. What the hell?
“And be discreet. Just sneak back here and get me out of this room.”
“I’ll get you out, sweetie.”
Elijah plopped on the most comfortable bed he’d ever slept in, unsure if he wanted to laugh or cry. His life couldn’t be this disastrous. First Trent, now this? What god of chaos had he pissed off?
Since he wasn’t religious, Elijah had no idea. “And Percy?”
“Yes, pumpkin?”
“Hurry the hell up!”
Elijah hung up and tossed the phone aside. Unreal. Percy was scheduling Elijah’s rescue like it was an inconvenient side quest. He never thought he’d have to convince his best friend to prioritize his kidnapping. Jesus.
He flopped backward on the bed, wondering why on earth he wasn’t calling the cops.
Because you know how corrupt they are. If they showed up, Matias could pay them off and then, “What kidnapping call?”
He recalled a few times when either Percy or his mom called the police when Jacob was harassing them. Deputy Gilmore had shown up, talked to Jacob for five stinking minutes, then tried to blame the disturbance on Percy.
Some kind of macho bro shit or something. Santiago moving in next door had been a damn blessing.
An hour and a half later—because Percy had been on fire to rescue Elijah—he heard his best friend’s loud mouth through the door.
“If you don’t let him go, I will bring down so much hell on this place!”
he shouted. “No one kidnaps my best friend and gets away with it, bitches!”
Elijah groaned. So much for Percy being discreet. He’d asked for one thing. One stinking thing, and Percy had done the opposite of what Elijah has asked him to do. His best friend was a chaotic mess. A menacing gremlin who always meant well but a lot of times only made things worse.
Unfortunately, he was Elijah’s only friend. He cared about Percy, loved him like a brother, but wanted to wring his neck sometimes.
Most of the time.
Elijah was not surprised when the door flew open and Percy was hauled in.
By Santiago, no less.
More like coaxed inside the room by gentle hands. Like he was a damn guest.
“Hey, Elijah.”
Santiago grinned. “Glad to see you’re feeling better.”
Un-fucking-real. The guy was treating this like they’d run into each other at a coffee shop.
“Would feel fantastic if I could get out of here.”
There was no use trying to run past him. Santiago’s frame filled the doorway. It would be like trying to get past a bear.
“Sorry about this.”
He glanced at Percy, who, for the love of god, was not only smiling at Santiago but outright blushing.
Lord save me from incompetent people.
“It’s just a precautionary measure,”
Santiago said to Elijah. “No hard feelings?”
Elijah stared incredulously at him. “It’s all the hard feelings in the world. Your asshole boss locked me in here with no explanation!”
Elijah turned his scowl on Percy. “And you can act like you’re enraged, even if you don’t mean it!”
“He said he was sorry,”
Percy argued. “How is this Santiago’s fault?”
Elijah was being held against his will, and Percy was defending his captor because he was hot?
Correction, Lord save me from smitten idiots .
“Stop making googly eyes with the enemy!”
Elijah was beyond exasperated.
“He’s not the enemy,”
Percy huffed. “You weren’t calling him the enemy when he brought that roast over and you ate half of it.”
He really thought a well-cooked roast canceled out kidnapping? Percy had switched sides , fully fawning over Santiago because the guy had smiled at him. Elijah had lost his best friend the second Santiago smiled at him.
Elijah couldn’t even. He slipped off the bed and faced Santiago. “So, if I try to run past you, you’ll stop me?”
The guy appeared genuinely hurt. “Don’t, Elijah. I don’t want to lay a hand on you. Matias wouldn’t have done this if it wasn’t necessary.”
Elijah stormed over to him. Santiago braced, as if preparing to stop him if he had to. “Fuck Matias and screw you, Santiago. I actually thought we were friends, but you’re going along with this insanity, uncaring that I’m being held against my will. Save your excuses and apologies for someone who wasn’t kidnapped.”
Something gleamed in his eyes. Elijah took a step back, swearing he’d seen a slight glow in them. It had to be the lighting.
“I’ll bring you guys some snacks,”
Santiago said. “Watch some television.”
“Thanks!”
Percy grinned, making Elijah want to smack him. Worse, he wanted to punch Santiago when his eyes lit up at Percy’s appreciation. Elijah was trying not to scream into a throw pillow, and Santiago was getting butterflies over Percy.
Elijah was surrounded by morons.
Matias being the biggest one.
No. Matias was the biggest asshole Elijah had ever met. Now he felt like a fool for eating up the guy’s attention last night.
Drunk Elijah was no longer allowed to flirt. He’d lost that privilege when he’d drooled over his future kidnapper.