Chapter 34 Liza #2
“I’m helping a friend with a money-laundering case.
The details are bizarre, and I won’t go into all of that…
” He couldn’t tell us if he was employed and working on the case.
Not in more than the abstract, anyway. “But the interesting part is that the client has charges against him for an illegal gambling ring.”
Ty perked up. “Really? Do you know where the ring is located?”
Dad nodded. “As a matter of fact, I do. It happened in Loveska.”
Loveska was about a three-hour drive from Presley Acres and was known as the City of Sin.
I’d never been there and, quite frankly, had never had even the slightest desire to visit.
It was a relatively small city, but an abnormal amount of criminal activities were said to have been going on there since as far back as I could remember.
Illegal gambling, of course, but also prostitution and drugs.
And rumor was that ‘made men’ ran it all.
Mafia.
All my life, I’d heard that drunkards, prostitutes, drug addicts, and outlaws hung out in Loveska. It wasn’t a place for straight-laced young ladies, and it certainly wasn’t a location the future alpha’s mate would want to visit, therefore, I’d never even thought about setting foot in the place.
As if he could hear my thoughts, Ty groaned and cursed under his breath.
“Loveska? That’s the absolute last place on Earth I ever want to be.
The alpha there is a pompous dick. We had to stop dealing with him because he was making shady deals outside of pack law and he was a headache.
My father didn’t want to be associated with him, but it doesn’t surprise me in the least that there’s a gambling ring thriving in his territory.
” Ty stood and shook Dad’s hand. “Thanks for the information. I’ll pass it on to my father. ”
While I collected my things, Ty said goodbye to my parents, then waited for me to give them each a kiss and a hug. I’d enjoyed staying with them, but I was ready to get back to my own house now.
Just before we walked out the door, Dad grabbed me by the elbow and gently spun me around. “Liza, promise me that you’ll check in with us regularly, okay?”
I smiled and rose onto my tiptoes so I could kiss my father on the cheek. “I promise. Try not to worry. I have Ty to protect me.” I smiled softly and confidently, and I didn’t have to fake it. Ty would never let anything happen to me.
Dad shot Ty a knowing glare that begged him to keep his daughter safe. The look was loaded with threats and promises.
Ty nodded, respecting my father’s sincerity, then we walked out the door.
Silently, Ty opened the passenger side door for me, but as soon as we pulled down the street and out of my parents’ sight, Ty pulled the car over.
“What’s wrong?” I looked at my mate just as he reached for me. He pulled me close and kissed me hard, running his hands through my hair and moaning lightly into my mouth.
Ty’s tongue danced around mine, tasting every corner of my mouth.
My mate was intoxicating and addictive.
I reached up to smooth my hands over his chest, down his arms, and then slide my hand up the back of his neck, sinking my fingers into his hair.
Ty’s face stayed close to mine, our eyes locked, his pupils dilated with desire, and his chest heaving with each breath.
My mate’s body was so big, so hard, and so strong. His strength radiated in just the way he held me.
When we finally broke apart, he left me panting for air with desire pulsing through my body. I stared quizzically at him and the smug grin plastered to his face. “What was that for?”
Ty breathed out hard and fast as he pulled the car back onto the road. “Do I need a reason to kiss you?” I cocked my head to the side, and he glanced at me from the corner of his eyes. “I missed you..”
We spent the next ten minutes talking about my time with my parents, then moved into making safe small talk about anything and everything unrelated to Castro: our favorite holidays when we were kids, television shows that had recently ended or were in their final season, bad drivers we had encountered on the highway, and how long ago our respective childhood dogs had died.
Neither of us wanted to acknowledge the intense stress we were under.
Once we pulled up to my house, though, we couldn’t pretend that this was a normal day where we’d just returned from a simple visit with my folks. Reality hit hard.
My hand trembled as I reached for the door handle. Just as my fingers were about to grasp it, Ty’s hand swiftly intercepted mine, denying me access. “No, ma’am,” he said, his voice laced with an air of authority.
Frustration swelled within me. I really wasn’t in the mood for games. Reality had returned, and she was back with a vengeance. Who the hell did he think he was? Ma’am?
“Excuse me?” I retorted. His choice of words had caught me off guard.
“Stay put and keep the doors locked until I’ve done a thorough search of the cottage, both inside and out.” With that, he exited the car, now focused on the task at hand.
Gazing at him, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of apprehension and curiosity. I mulled his actions and words over while staring at my quaint little cottage, feeling its warmth and familiarity.
“I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come in,” he informed me, then shut the door and hit the button on his key fob to lock the door.
Questions surged through my mind, but for now, I suppressed them. The intensity in the air was palpable, yet a glimmer of trust formed between us as he headed toward his mission of ensuring our safety. He took it damn seriously.
Ty carefully inched past my front door, methodically moving from one side of the house to the other, clearing the outside first. I lost sight of him as he checked the perimeter for any signs of Castro.
Finally, he made his way back to the front door and into the house while I waited not so patiently, instinctively looking up and down the street for suspicious cars.
Maybe it wasn’t instinct as much as paranoia, but I damn sure was going to know if anyone was coming for us.
A rock of disappointment settled in my stomach as I contemplated the extent of the measures we had to undertake just to gain access to the front door of my own home.
I knew it was all for my safety, but it grated on me.
Heaving out a sigh, I pondered how fortunate I was to be the singular fixation of Castro’s relentless attention.
The weight of the extraordinary circumstances I found myself in was so heavy in the air, it nearly suffocated me.
A few minutes later, Ty stuck his head out the front door and gave me a quick thumbs up. All clear. I wished what I felt was relief but it wasn’t. It was… just a lesser sense of the dread I couldn’t seem to shake these days.
He jogged back to the car, picked up my bags, and carried them inside, never more than a step or two away from me the whole time.
Once we were both in the house, he dropped my suitcase and overnight bag onto the floor, then locked the door behind us.
The alarm pad next to the door beeped as he enabled the door alarm.
“A team will be coming by in a bit to set up cameras around your house. I want to be able to see every inch of this place from every angle. It’s gonna take a magician to get past me and the guards. Only a dumbass would try it,” Ty said.
We both knew Castro was dumb enough to try and make a move. Cameras wouldn’t stop him, but it might give us an edge.
I nodded my agreement and didn’t even bother to argue. Castro was unhinged, so no one would hear me complaining about extra safety measures, even if said measures were above and beyond what was necessary.
I stood in the hallway as Ty set off through the house, checking all the windows and doors were securely fastened. He was so focused on making sure I was safe that it made my heart swell. I found myself wanting him more than I ever had.
He made his way back to me and pulled me into his arms. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.”
I believed him, but I wondered about another important aspect of my life: work.
“What about my office and the homes I visit for my catering jobs? Surely you won’t install cameras there as well, right?”
“You’ll need security. They don’t have to go inside the homes of your clients, but they will be posted outside their houses. If there’s a need for them to enter quickly, they won’t hesitate.” Ty reached out. “Can I see your phone?”
I pulled it from my purse and handed it over, one eyebrow raised. Surely, he wasn’t going to make me give it up for safety’s sake.
He tapped the screen a few times. “I’m installing a security app my friend Zephyr came up with. Everyone on your security team has the app on their phone, and if at any time you think you’re in danger, all you have to do is hit the power button three times.”
“Really? What happens if I do that?”
“Everyone with the app will get an alert and your location will be sent to them.” Ty handed me my phone. “It’s as simple as that.”
Simple? I was put off by the whole thought of being tracked. “I don’t really like the idea.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Suddenly, I’m a prisoner in my own home.
” I gestured toward the alarm system. “I can’t go about my day-to-day business without an entourage of security guards standing outside my clients’ homes.
How do you think that will look?” I didn’t give him a chance to answer.
“To top it all off, someone’s created an app just so all these strange men can track me? ”
Ty looked bewildered. “Strange men? They’re reliable members of the Keller security team, Liza, not fucking bums off the side of the street. Why are you questioning any of this? You do remember that there’s a psychotic asshole after you, right?”
I crossed my arms beneath my chest and stared at him.