Fuck!
Another reel of unwelcome imagery flashed through my mind before I shut it down, hard. Damn that sexy wolf. It’d be a while before I forgot what he did to me.
If the siren was in town, then it’d be an easy snag. Okay, maybe that was hopeful thinking, because sirens were mean as hell. Besides, if she was here, the odds were she was looking for me. Sirens didn’t forgive easily, and I’d been the one to take her down and her twin sister.
Humans knew their own weaknesses, and catching supernaturals was one of them. They depended on us bounty hunters to do it for them, and paid a hefty fee for the service. It’s what put food on the table, and I was grateful for the job. How the rookies had lost Calista, after I’d handed her over bound in anti-magic cuffs, I had no idea. I was just glad we still had her twin, Constance, locked behind bars, and likely soon headed for the Island.
The sirens were bad news.
Once I responded to Mack to tell him I was on the job, I reached out to Cass.
‘Cass, one of the sirens broke out three days ago. She’s in town.’ The bar was only a couple miles up the road. He should be able to hear me.
‘The sirens from last week? Which one of them?’
‘Calista, the meaner-looking one.”
‘You’ll have to be more specific. They were both bitches.’
True. ‘The one with the ugly scar across her chest.’
‘Damn. For real? I thought we nailed them good.’
Speaking of a good nailing, my thoughts whisked to the wolf, and I cursed. Cass laughed across our connection. ‘You’ve got it bad for the alpha, don’t you?’
‘I absolutely do not. It was just good sex.’ I hesitated. ‘Okay, it was great sex, but that doesn’t mean anything, Cass. You know that. You have good sex all night long, every night, and you rarely hit the same girl twice.’
‘Yeah, but you’re talking about good sex, not great.’
‘Same difference.’ I hurried to change the subject. ‘I need you to case the place. She was seen at the hotel the other night. But don’t let her know you’re on to her.’
He laughed again. This time he went on and on, before finally wheezing across our link. ‘You’re saying you want me to find her, but not be noticed. Have I got that right?’
We’d worked a hundred jobs together. He knew the drill. ‘Of course that’s what I mean.’
‘Have you met me?’ my pink-haired, beer-bellied bestie asked.
Damn. He had a point. ‘Then you need to get your happy, furry ass back here and let me case her.’
‘Uh-unh. Not gonna happen, hon. Sorry.’
‘Why not? This is a case we’re talking about. Drop the bimbo and get back here.’
‘No can do. I’ve got two saucy fae lined up. Two, Evie. And I’ve already bought them their first round of drinks. They’re not going anywhere but upstairs with me. Besides, if shit goes down here, you need me for backup.’
For a beat, I didn’t say anything. How the beer-loving imp got this much action was one of the universe’s great mysteries. He must have a giant—I pushed the thought out of my mind and shivered a little.
‘Two. You can’t ask me to give up on a threesome,’ he pressed further.
I groaned. Could I deny Cass his one true happiness? A threesome with fae?
‘Fine.’
‘Thanks, girl. I owe you one.’
‘You owe me a hundred, you horndog,’ I shot back playfully.
‘So, we’re even.’
Yeah, we probably were. The imp had saved my ass more often than I cared to remember. I totally owed him a threesome.
‘Ask the vamp to stay while you head out,’ Cass suggested.
‘The lawyer?’
‘Yeah, why not?’
‘Because he’s a vamp, that’s why.’ Honestly, did Cass think he would actually come house-sit for me?
I felt Cass telepathically shrug. ‘You never know. Miracles happen.’
Yeah, but did they happen to me?
‘Gotta go, Ev. The girls are getting feisty.’
Yuck. And just like that, the fucking imp was gone. Huffing, I threw my hands in the air, and got up from the couch.
Beyond the Black witches and wizards, I didn’t know anybody else in town, and I’d rather commune with a viper than any of them. Maybe I should call the vamp? What was the worst he could say?
I stalked through the living room toward the nook where Gran took her coffee, and where I’d abandoned my cell days ago. Powering it on, I prepared to march around the property to try to catch a signal.
The front door creaked open as I pushed it, and that’s when I noticed the wolves outside. Two hunky young werewolves with their shirts off were sawing at an old tree, right at the edge of my property line—at least the one Gran claimed. It was nearly dark out, after dinner. What the hell were they doing?
I yanked the door open all the way and stomped across the porch in my bare feet. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“The boss wants the tree down, so we’re taking it down,” the blond hunk said, sweat glistening across his bare, muscled chest.
It was the night of the full moon, and fucking Brock the Cock sent two newbie werewolves to cut down a tree on my property? I’d kill him! Was he hoping I got attacked, or that I would shoot his wolves, and get in trouble with the Supernatural Council?
“Those trees aren’t his to cut down,” I shouted. “My grandmother loved those trees! They’re part of my inheritance.”
Blondie shrugged and kept sawing, while the red-haired one swept his shirt from where he’d discarded it on the ground, and wiped at his face. The ginger was just as hot as the other one, and I suspected the alpha hadn’t really sent them to cut down a tree but to taunt me.
He must think I was some kind of slut. Sure, I’d behaved like one, but just for the one night. Didn’t he realize it wasn’t my usual M.O.?
He thought I was going to, what, swoon over the two werewolves and invite them into my bed, where I’d be distracted and forget that he was about to tear down what was mine? Fat chance.
To add insult to injury, he’d sent dudes who weren’t him to tempt me. Werewolves were notoriously possessive. Alphas were borderline crazy with how possessive they were about their women. He’d sent his underlings as a big eff-you, to show that I meant nothing to him. Yeah? Well, two could play this game. Hadn’t he learned that already?
Without another word, I spun on my heel, and stalked into the house.
I unbuckled my weapons belt, which I always wore, even if I was grieving, and placed it on the table. Then I shed my jeans and top and picked up my cell.
After sauntering onto the porch in my skimpy unmentionables, I grinned inside as the two wolves stopped what they were doing to ogle. Blondie stilled mid-saw.
“Don’t let me interrupt you, boys,” I called, like the vixen I was.
Ginger patted at his forehead again, and I took perverse pleasure in the hard-on that was springing to life in his pants, big enough that I could make out its outline from where I was. Who was tempted now?
I sauntered across the length of the porch, staring at my cell, while looking at them through my peripheral vision. Blondie’s jaw dropped as I put my ass on display in my thong.
Ha! Brock sent them to distract me. Well, who was distracted now? Take that, you fucker! I hoped he was watching with binoculars.
Croft’s contact listing popped up on the screen, and I pressed dial. Out on the porch I had one tiny bar of signal. If the vamp wouldn’t come through, maybe I could go online and find some kind of property sitter. Like a babysitter, only for cabins.
“Croft,” the vamp answered, all business.
Wickedly, I smiled at the wolves, whose eyes were pinned on me and only on me. Who said you couldn’t have fun while you worked?
“I need a favor. I’ve got some important business in town. Is there any way you could… cabin sit for me? Make sure this alpha douchebag doesn’t tear it down while I’m gone?”
Please say yes, please be so indebted to my Gran that you can’t refuse.
“I’m sorry, Evie. I’m busy tonight.” His denial cut me in two.
Fuck.
“Although my blood mistress can do it. She’s human, but of course is knowledgeable about the supernatural community, and doesn’t frighten easily.”
Relief descended on me with his words. “That would be awesome. I could pay her… a little… when my next job comes in.”
I might need this girl more than just tonight. Blood mistresses were hard to find, willing humans who weren’t scared of the creatures that went bump in the night. I’d need a tough chick to face down Brock if he came, and tried to intimidate her.
“Perfect. Molly will be there in twenty minutes,” Croft replied, and hung up the phone.
The two idiot werewolves were still staring at me, mouths open.
An idea lit up my mind, and I dashed in the house back to my laptop. A simple internet search gave me Brock’s phone number. It seemed he also ran a construction business in town, building mansions for other stupid rich people. He was a contractor. Awesome.
I pushed away my fantasy of seeing him in nothing but a hard hat and tool belt—hey, can you blame me?—and rushed back outside to dial his number.
The two stupid werewolves were still ogling me, no doubt wondering if I was going to invite them in for a good time.
“Brock Adams,” he answered on the first ring.
“Get these two douchebags off my property before I shoot them,” I said coldly. He was pushing buttons I didn’t even know I had.
“Oh, Evie, are you still down there? I totally forgot about you.” I could hear the smile in his voice.
Like hell he’d forgotten me. “You told me I gave you the best blowjob of your life,” I purred into the phone. “Do you really expect me to believe that you forgot about me that easily?”
He cleared his throat, and both of his boys grinned ear to ear. Werewolf hearing. Gotta love it.
“Okay. We’ve had our fun, but you need to stay inside tonight. I’m taking my wolves on our monthly full-moon run, and there’re three new members. They’ll be jumpy and itching for an easy kill.”
First he threatened Gran’s cabin, and now he dared to threaten me?
“Hah!” I barked into the phone, ready to fucking charge up that hill and punch him in the throat. “Tell that to my sawed-off shotgun. Keep your pack outside a hundred feet of my cabin tonight, or I’ll pop off so many silver bullets your wolves will never recover. Not even with a healer witch.”
Brock took a deep breath. Silence, another deep breath. “Just stay inside and put some damn clothes on,” he finally barked and hung up on me.
“Argh!” I screamed, but something he’d said gave me great satisfaction. He was totally watching with binoculars.
The two hunks retrieved their saw and turned to head back up the hill. “And stay out!” I shouted at their backs.