Chapter 20
If there was one thing I excelled at, it was grossly underestimating my ability to get in trouble. If there was trouble to be had, I was on the scene with my party hat. And last night, I waltzed into a conundrum after engaging in sexual mischief with my packmate.
My packmate.
We had taken a vow to stay loyal to the pack, and that included keeping the peace and avoiding drama. Mercy and Bear took a chance, but they also got mated. Neither Krys nor I were looking for a relationship, so this could only end badly.
That was the hottest damn kiss of my existence, but no, it wasn’t enough. I just had to cross the Rubicon and live out my fantasies. We could’ve gone on with our lives after the kiss—no big deal. What have I gotten myself into?
Remembering the way he ordered me out of my clothes made me flush all over. I’d been with a few newcomers, and there was always trepidation. The guys I’d picked either got cold feet or wanted everything done to them. Not Krys. He flipped me over on that bed like a pancake cooking on a griddle.
It made me reflect on my first sexual experience.
I bedded a woman first, and that was nerve-racking because she was much older and made me feel like a blundering idiot.
My first encounter with a man was brief, but I regretted my choice.
My second partner took his time and made me realize I could be sensual and tender with a man.
I wondered what Krys would take from his first time.
As we headed down a back road, another farmhouse disappeared out of sight. Before leaving Tennessee, we got stuck in a traffic jam from hell and didn’t move for three hours.
Montana called to warn us about speed traps farther down. His contact said there weren’t any insiders working as state troopers on our route, since their main guy had recently transferred. Since they were stopping drivers left and right, he provided an alternate route through Kentucky.
I was hating every minute of it, especially since everyone was fast asleep.
Well, all but one.
“Are we there yet?” Darcy scooted onto the center console. “This is long and boring. So, what did you guys do last night? If you didn’t at least make out, I’ll be disappointed for all eternity.”
A smile widened on my face, and damn if I couldn’t help myself.
“Booyah!” She laughed excitedly and clapped. “I wish I could’ve seen it. He’s so into you.”
When I didn’t answer, Darcy glanced in the back seat. “Cleo’s still asleep. You can talk to me. She was taking pictures and reading a book about her camera. I wonder if anyone has any pictures left of me out there.”
A gnawing feeling settled in my stomach when the road narrowed and the trees closed in. I decelerated. “Get in the back,” I said quietly. “I need the map.”
Darcy flew out of sight.
Using my knee to steer, I dug in the console and opened the map to double-check the highlighted route. Yep, I was definitely on the right road, but I was getting bad vibes.
“A shortcut to hell,” I muttered.
It wasn’t supposed to get us there faster, only safer.
Away from humans and the trappings of their law enforcement.
If the cops pulled us over, they might want to search the vehicle.
While we had fake IDs and tags, we didn’t have insurance, and getting locked up in the good ol’ state of Kentucky wasn’t high on my bucket list. I shoved the map back into the console and slammed it shut.
Krys stretched awake and rested his arm next to mine. When he stroked my fingers, my pulse quickened.
I thought one of two things would happen after hooking up with Krys last night: I’d finally be over my sexual attraction, or I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about him naked.
Instead, I found myself stealing glances at him, yearning for his soft touch or a gentle word. Why did my traitorous heart want more?
He took off his sunglasses and ran his fingers through his unkempt hair. The bumpy surface and potholes forced me to slow to twenty miles per hour.
“Is this the route Montana gave us?” he asked. “Watch the potholes.”
I scratched my stubbly chin. “It’s not the road that bothers me.”
“Then what?” He reached into the back seat.
“We’ve passed three ghosts already. Is there a cemetery on this route?”
“Weird place for a cemetery.” He opened a bag of shelled pistachios and poured them into his mouth. A nut bounced off his knee and disappeared, never to be found again.
When we neared two men standing in the road in front of a red truck turned sideways, I slowed to a stop.
Krys kept chewing. “Turn around.”
In the rearview mirror, a larger truck eased up behind us and blocked us in. The man who got out tipped his hat at us when he passed by my window before joining his crew.
“What do you think it’s about?” I quietly asked.
Krys sent a text message to someone. “Tollkeepers.”
“This isn’t their land, is it?”
“I doubt it. They squat on private roads used for shortcuts.” After a long sigh, he set his phone down. “Montana doesn’t know anything about it.” He twisted around to scan our surroundings. “At least they’re not Vamps.”
“Those guys are bad news,” Darcy said from the back seat. “Bad news.”
I glared at her. “Are you trying to make me crazy?”
Krys opened the door.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll go see what these assholes want.” He shut the door and coolly strutted toward them like the badass he was. Krys had on his black jeans and a cutoff today, and I quietly admonished myself for stealing a glance at his perfect ass while on the brink of a confrontation.
Darcy bounced into the front seat. “Are you going to let him go out there all alone? Shame on you!”
“What’s your catastrophe? He can handle himself.”
“This is a snazzy car, and that guy on the left is staring at it like it’s his next date. It’s three to one, Virgil. He could die right in front of your eyes!”
“I hate you.” I unbuckled my seat belt and got out.
Time to turn on the charm. I brandished a charismatic smile and kept my pace at a leisurely stroll.
“Gentlemen, are we having a party without me?” I stretched out my arms. “Who can hook a thirsty guy up with a sensory drink? Know any good dealers? I bet you do,” I said, pointing at the guy in the cowboy hat.
Sometimes the best way to thwart an attack was to ask unexpected questions.
I put my arm around Krys. “I’m Virgil, and this here is Krystopher Kelso.”
Krys slid me a sideways glance at using his full name, which immediately linked him to a serial killer in our world. Krys spelled his with a K, whereas the other guy used a C, but they didn’t know that.
The scrawny one retreated a few steps, but not Mr. Cowboy. He pinned his gaze on me while I reached into my back pocket.
I offered him a hundred-dollar bill. “You wouldn’t happen to know how to get to the nearest highway, would you? We got turned around.”
The third fellow with tattoos around his neck flashed toward me and snatched the money. Obviously a Mage.
“We’re passing through,” Krys said flatly. “Can you move your truck?”
Mr. Cowboy tilted his head to the side. “That depends. See that bridge behind us? It’s my turf, and everyone who crosses pays a toll.”
Krys held up his fist. “I’ve got four knuckles. Is that enough?”
The man narrowed his eyes. “You’re not gettin’ through without paying. How much you got? Empty your wallets.”
“Fuck that,” Krys fired back. “We’re leaving.”
“No one leaves without paying the toll.”
“We’re not going over your damn bridge!”
“Well, too fucking late.”
I held out my hands. “Whoa! Pump the brakes, amigos. No reason to escalate. Give us a ballpark figure.”
If we showed him what we had, it wouldn’t be enough.
He flicked his eyes back and forth before putting his hands on his hips. “Ten thousand.”
I sputtered with laughter. “Nobody carries that much cash except drug dealers and messengers. We’re neither, gentlemen.”
Krys took out his wallet and dropped cash onto the road. “That’s fifteen hundred. Virgil, give them your money.”
“What money?”
He reached inside my back pocket and pulled out my wallet, then dumped an extra five hundred dollars into the pile. “Move the trucks. We’ll be on our way.”
Mr. Cowboy stepped forward and swiped up the money. After looking it over, he said, “Ain’t enough.” Then his eyes flicked up. “But if you add the girl, I’ll let you live.”
We both twisted around. Cleo sat wide-eyed in the front of the SUV.
Krys speared him with a glance. “You’re not taking the girl, but I’ve got more money.” He stalked back to the vehicle and opened the passenger door. While he was searching the front seat, Cleo climbed into the back.
Darcy floated into view and circled the men. When she finished, she stepped inside me and showed me a visual memory of the gun tucked in the back of Yellow Shirt’s pants. He was the scrawny fellow on the right.
Get out of me! I snarled at her in my head.
She huffed. One of them might be a Gravewalker! I’m trying to be sneaky.
If you don’t get out of my holy vessel—
Darcy popped out, but instead of uttering an indignant or sassy remark, she walked behind the men again, leaving behind a prickle of dread that raised the hair on my arms.
“Be right back, gentlemen.” I turned on my heel and whistled while strolling back to the car.
When I reached the passenger side, I gripped the door. “What are you doing?”
“He’s lucky my wolf didn’t jump out the second he noticed her.” Krys shut the glove compartment. “I can’t believe Montana didn’t put a gun in here.”
“He was thinking ahead. What if we got pulled over? If you need one, the guy in yellow has a firearm tucked in the back of his pants.”
While searching underneath the seat, he glanced over his shoulder at me. “How do you know?”
I casually looked toward the men, who were talking among one another. “A little bird told me.”
“Any other weapons?”
“None that are visible.”