Chapter Four
The prospect of fighting these three didn’t worry Eli. They were used to bullying others, using their God-given abilities to overpower opponents. If these were the enforcers for Kinley’s pack, he had to wonder about the strength of the alpha. These men were all swagger with little substance.
The one Kinley had called Holden had a problem with self-restraint.
She’d easily pricked his temper. It was fine to have emotions, but you either controlled them or they controlled you.
Any decent fighter understood the mind was the greatest weapon.
Discipline had been drilled into him and his brothers from the time they could walk.
After their daddy died, Cyrus had continued their education, which included hunting and tracking, survival, weapons training, and several martial arts disciplines, not to mention good old-fashioned street fighting.
It almost took an act of God to get Cyrus to change his mind.
The man was convinced he was always right.
Worst part? He usually was. There was no getting around it.
This was going to bring the wrath of the Alabama Pack raining down on them.
He knew it. Cyrus knew it, but he’d backed him anyway.
His brother’s support shouldn’t have surprised him.
Loyalty to family had been bred into their very bones.
It was as much a part of their DNA as their wolf genetics.
While he might privately cuss Eli out for his actions—and there was little doubt they’d have words over this—he backed him in front of the others. His actions weren’t only going to affect him but his entire family.
Never had he pictured a situation where he’d put the safety of a woman above that of his brothers. But listening to the men who’d come for her, he’d known he wouldn’t let them take her. It went beyond words, beyond logic. The primal urge to protect wouldn’t be denied.
He would not let that bastard mate her as long as there was breath in his body. Kinley was vibrant and alive. Even tired and stressed, she exuded warmth and resiliency. Her beauty shone through despite her exhaustion.
Holden wanted to crush her spirit. The other man would never admit it, but she intimidated him. She’d fearlessly set out on her own, defying pack law because it was the right thing to do. That kind of integrity was always threatening to those who didn’t possess it.
The tension mounted, tightening to the snapping point.
He silently willed Kinley not to do anything rash, to stay out of the direct line of attack.
She’d already proven she wouldn’t back down from a fight.
He couldn’t worry about her. The bigger threat was in front of him.
He bent his knees slightly, moving into a fighting stance.
He didn’t question his brother’s readiness. Cyrus was always prepared for trouble.
“You’re willing to go to war over her,” Holden snapped. “I wonder what your alpha will say about that.”
“Why don’t we ask him?” Eli cocked his head and glanced to his left. “What do you have to say about that, Cyrus?”
In a blur of motion, the silent wolf that looked similar to Holden lunged toward Kinley. Eli pivoted, spun around, and caught him under the chin with a kick that sent him flying backward and skidding across the pavement on his ass. He jumped to his feet, put his head down, and charged.
“No!” Holden grabbed the man and yanked him back. “Not here. There will be other opportunities. This isn’t over.” He began to walk backward, shooting his finger out to point at Kinley. “Whatever blood is shed is on you.”
“Just let me go,” she pleaded. “I don’t want you. I’ll never want you.”
A combination of wounded masculine pride and rage flashed in his brown eyes. “It doesn’t matter what you want. You’re mine. I’ll never let you go.”
A sound of anguish escaped her. “Don’t do this, Holden. Uncle Duke won’t want a pack war.”
“A motley group led by a bounty hunter who works for humans?” He sneered at Cyrus. “Duke Wright will be only too happy to rescue his niece from their clutches.” With that parting shot, he stalked to his truck with the other two flanking him and burned rubber as he sped out of the motel parking lot.
“That went well.” The words were barely out of his mouth when a heavy fist slammed into his jaw. Expecting it, Eli managed to turn his head enough to not take a direct hit, but it still knocked him back a few steps.
“Stop it.” Kinley jumped between them and planted a hand on both their chests. “People are looking out the windows. Keep this up and someone will call the cops. Is that what you want?”
Pushing his luck, Eli asked with mock sincerity, “Is that what you want, big brother?”
“I’m going to fucking kill you when we get home.” He began to walk toward his truck. “Don’t linger. We’ve got a long drive ahead.”
“I’m not going with you.” Kinley dropped that bombshell before Cyrus had made it to his SUV. “If I’m not with you, they’ll be too busy looking for me to bother with you.”
“You don’t understand male wolves very well if you believe that.
” Arm around her waist to keep her from bolting, Eli collected his duffel and the bag with her things, made sure the door to the motel room was closed, and herded her toward his truck.
“Those men got their asses handed to them. They’re not going to forget that, especially Holden.
What’s his last name, anyway?” He needed that info to give to Zach.
As their computer guru, he had a lot of research ahead of him.
“Holden Lewis. The one you kicked across the parking lot was his brother Edmund. The other one is Ridge Turner.” He unlocked the vehicle, tossed their belongings in the back, and urged her into the passenger seat. She resisted. “It’s my fault you and your family are caught up in this.”
She looked utterly miserable, her eyes clouded with guilt.
He cupped her cheek in his hand. “My choices are my own.” He’d never be able to face himself in the mirror if he walked away and left her to her fate.
Regret would eat at him for the rest of his days.
His wolf gave a lonely howl. Yeah, letting her go wasn’t an option.
“You’re not what I expected.”
He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip, enjoying the way her pupils dilated and her nostrils flared. “No? What did you expect?”
“I’d never met a mercenary before.”
“Bounty hunter,” he corrected.
“That’s not what I was told. I’ve seen television shows and movies, so I assumed you’d be dangerous and tough. You’d have to be in order to do your job. I figured you might be ex-military. Your being a wolf was the last thing I expected. It...” She trailed off and sighed. “It complicates things.”
That was an understatement. “Look at it this way. A normal mercenary would likely be dead, and Holden and his buddies would have taken you.”
“Or maybe he’d have helped me get out of the country.”
“That was your plan?” The thought of her utterly on her own in a foreign country with no protection made him snarly. There was no hiding his disapproval of her ill-conceived idea.
“It was the only option I had.” There was no apology in her voice.
It wasn’t his place to judge. He’d never been in her circumstances. “You were doing the best you could, but now you’ve got me.”
Cyrus pulled up alongside them with the window rolled down. “Stop jawing and get moving. Those idiots might find enough courage between the three of them to decide it’s a good idea to come back and take us on.”
“You’re right.” Eli boosted Kinley into the truck and shut the door before she bailed in some misconceived notion that she’d be keeping him safe.
“We stay together on the road, stopping only for gas and supplies.” Command given, Cyrus drove up to the entrance of the parking lot and waited.
As he went around to the driver’s side, Eli pulled out his phone and texted the names he’d been given to Zach, so his brother could get busy researching. Once he was behind the wheel, he started the engine.
“Where are we going?”
Shit, he hadn’t even told her where he was from. It was little wonder she was on edge. “We’re going home to Kentucky. You’re going to love it there.”
****
Kinley stared out the window and watched the world go by. They’d been on the road for hours. Other than ask her how she took her coffee when they’d stopped for gas, Eli hadn’t pressed her to talk, leaving her to her own thoughts.
She covered her mouth to hide a yawn. The caffeine had helped some, but she kept dozing off, lulled by the smooth motion of the truck, and if she was being honest, by Eli’s presence.
She needed about twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep.
The past week had been brutal, both physically and emotionally.
He’d promised to keep her safe, but that offer had been for one night, and that time had passed.
“How are you doing?” It was the first time he’d spoken in over an hour. Classic rock played on the stereo system, low enough that it didn’t interfere with conversation.
“I’m okay. Listen—”
“No.” He cut her off before she could finish.
Swallowing her irritation, she strove for calm. “You don’t know what I was about to say.”
“Yes, I do. You’ve been thinking about what happened back at the motel. You’re worried about me and my brothers, about what your pack might do. You’re considering going off on your own again. Get it through your head once and for all, that’s not happening.”
He’d read her well, despite their short acquaintance.
“Former pack,” she corrected. “I have no allegiance to them. Not after what they’ve done.
” There hadn’t been time to mourn her daddy’s death before she’d been forced to flee.
The fact that Holden and the others were willing to do anything to get her to bend to their wishes had killed any remaining remnants of loyalty.
“Fair enough. You’re thinking about what your former pack might do.”