Chapter 4
“She’s safely away,” Troy reported in Cassius’s earpiece. The lady was in her car and on the road.
That was their cue to release the man from the elevator.
With the Pack’s help and Jimmy’s theatrical skills, they’d managed to delay the guy long enough for the human woman to make her getaway.
Cassius had blocked the elevator door while Jimmy lit into the guy with indignant outrage about the way he’d manhandled the lady.
Jimmy was in his element, pretending to be some kind of self-righteous Midwestern preacher, condemning the man and his big-city ways. Jim was about to launch into something that Cassius was sure would rival the Sermon on the Mount when they got the all clear. Thank goodness.
“Look, gentlemen,” Cassius said in the most docile bellman tone he could cultivate.
“Can we just agree to leave pretty young ladies alone and leave it at that?” He made a show of looking around.
“I don’t want to get anyone in trouble with my boss.
He loves calling the cops, and I don’t want to do that to anyone.
” He looked at the creep with a knowing expression.
“I’m willing to forget this ever happened.
” Cassius held out one hand—a clear signal that he’d forget it if the man was willing to grease his palm with a hefty tip.
Personally, Cassius thought that was a masterful touch. No self-respecting bellman would let a guest go without at least trying to milk him for some pocket change.
The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a fat wallet. His gaze seemed to lose some of its suspicion as he forked over a small wad of cash.
Cassius smiled and moved aside for the elevator creep while Jimmy began tsking at him like the outraged preacher character he was playing.
He kept it up until the guy left the building.
Jimmy left the elevator shortly after, maintaining his persona as Cassius got into the elevator with his luggage cart.
They had to maintain the facade in case elevator guy had friends.
As soon as the elevator doors closed, Cassius began relaying orders. “I want that guy followed.”
“On it, boss,” came the feminine reply. Jilly was on her motorcycle. She’d be great at tracking the lone human through the crowded city streets.
They also had multiple people set up at varying distances from the hotel for just this sort of mission. Jilly would follow for a while then hand off to the next Pack member. They had a big Pack. They could follow the guy for miles and miles.
“Backup team, make him your first priority. We need to know everything we can about him. The jags have a big problem, and we need to give them as much information as possible.” Cassius frowned as he thought about what he’d seen when the man was fiddling with his wallet. “What floor was his room on?”
“Eleven,” Ben replied over the earpiece. Cassius bent to hit the number and moved upward in the big hotel. He’d thought their job would be over as soon as the lady left, but now, it was looking like it might have only just begun.
“Seal it off, guys. Ben, call Emily and ask her if she can come here right away.”
“Emily?” Cassius heard Ben’s gulp over the earpiece. Shifters didn’t much like magic users, but as witches went, Emily was one of the nicer ones.
She did spell work for the Midtown Pack from time to time. And the fact that she was Cassius’s aunt didn’t hurt. She was loyal to him, if not to the entire Pack. Her sister had been his sire’s second wife. Unfortunately, they’d both died together, years ago.
“You heard me. We need her to go over the room,” Cassius confirmed.
“Why?” Ben asked. He shouldn’t have questioned Cassius, but he let it slide for now. It was rare that any member of the wolf Pack would involve a witch in their affairs, but he knew he had to do it this time. And he knew the rest of the Pack that was in range was listening…waiting for his reply.
“Because that guy had a tattoo on his inner wrist. The one we’ve been warned about. It glowed with magic,” Cassius replied, dread filling his heart at what he had just seen.
“I didn’t see any tattoo,” Jimmy piped in. Cassius would have to deal with the younger wolf’s challenge later.
“You wouldn’t. Your magic sense is about as good as your acting.
” The insult helped Cassius deal with his anger about being questioned.
Jimmy was a professional actor. He took a lot of pride in his craft, so belittling it was a grave insult.
If they’d been on the street or in the wild, Cassius would have knocked him down a peg or two until he submitted to Cassius’s dominance, but the verbal assault would have to do…
for now. “Just make the call, Ben. Better yet, send someone to escort her here. Tell her we’ve got a Venifucus situation. That’ll bring her.”
“Venifucus?” Ben gulped again, his voice shaking. He was such a beta.
“That’s the tattoo I saw. Elevator Creep was one of them. I want every one of his moves accounted for and in a written report transmitted to my phone hourly. Sooner if he does something suspicious. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Jilly replied. “So far, he’s just sitting in the back of a taxi. They’re not going anywhere fast. Stuck in traffic,” she replied. “I’ll hand off to Luke in another block or two then send you my report.”
“Well done, Jilly.” Cassius believed in giving praise where it was due among the younger members of the Pack, even if they sometimes questioned him because of his impure lineage. His mother had been a witch. He was only half-wolf, but his wolf was Alpha all the way, and he demanded respect.
In this particular case, though, the magical inheritance from his mother’s side of the family had paid off in spades.
He’d seen the magical mark when other members of the Pack had been oblivious to it.
Forewarned is forearmed, Cassius believed.
His being able to spot what the man truly was might have been a fortuitous break.
And in the ongoing battle with the ancient, evil Venifucus organization, those on the side of Light could use all the help they could get.
*
Shelly pulled into her driveway an hour or two later. Traffic hadn’t been that bad, and she hadn’t noticed anyone following her. Then again, she probably wouldn’t see them unless there was a problem. That’s what Nick had said. And after the scene at the hotel, she believed him.
Problem free, she had made her drive in peace.
She entered her beloved home and turned off the alarm system.
Everything here was peaceful and secure, the way she’d left it.
The house—one of her own designs—welcomed her as it had for the past several years, and she enjoyed the feeling of security that enveloped her as she kicked off her shoes and sank her toes into the thick carpet of the living room.
She puttered around for about an hour, cleaning areas she had left spotless.
She was nervous, expecting Mark at any minute.
He hadn’t been specific as to what time he intended to show up, and waiting wasn’t something she was good at.
So, she fidgeted. Trying to work was useless.
She ended up doodling and found, after twenty minutes, she’d come up with a stunning likeness of Mark on her sketch pad.
Silly girl. Doodling her latest crush in the margins of her notebook like a lovesick teenager.
Shelly laughed at herself as she turned the paper over so that the blank back side faced up.
She got up and made herself a cup of tea, deciding to relax as best she could while being on edge, waiting for a multi-billionaire not-quite-human to show up on her doorstep.
At one o’clock sharp, the doorbell chimed. Shelly jumped off the stool in front of her drafting table and took the stairs down two at a time. It had to be Mark. She felt it in her bones.
Sure enough, when she threw open the door, there he was. He was every bit as handsome as she remembered. Perhaps even more so in the crisp light of day. Damn.
“Hi.” She cursed her breathless whisper.
“Have you eaten lunch yet?” Mark asked, the smile on his face speaking of much more than just lunch plans.
“No.” She tried for a firmer tone, but the man stole all her air. That had to be why she sounded breathy and…aroused? Oh, boy.
“Excellent.” Mark’s smile widened. “I took the precaution of bringing something for us to enjoy while we talk. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind?” Why couldn’t she seem to speak more than one syllable at a time? She tried again. “No, I don’t mind. Thank you.” Better. She held the door open and stepped back. “Please come in.”
Mark filled the doorway. She tried to get out of his way as he stepped into the house, but he trapped her in his arms, nearly overwhelming her as he propelled her backward. She was almost lifted off her feet by his quick maneuver.
Nick entered the house behind Mark, and then, she heard the door shut and lock.
“Entry’s secure.” Nick’s voice came to her as he passed by on his way farther into the house. Attila the Bodyguard was traipsing around her home like he owned the place, but she couldn’t seem to find the wherewithal to object out loud.
She heard the rustling of paper bags right before Mark pinned her against the wall and kissed her senseless. Good golly, Miss Molly! The man sure could kiss.
There were no sweet words. No preliminaries. Just possession. Passion. And the pounding of her heart as her blood heated from zero to a hundred and twenty in one second flat.
He lifted her upward, using the wall and his big hard body to keep her in place. She was soft where he was hard, and she began to appreciate just how well they fit together.
The sexiest sounds came from his chest. It was a sort of purring growl, but deep and rumbly, vibrating through her wherever they touched.