And the only way he didn’t end up burying himself in her before the end of the night. “I’ve slept in worse places.”
And then he felt it. It was a little thing, but he’d learned to trust it. A little prickle that ran up his spine as though his body could process his surroundings faster than his brain could, and it sent a warning. He stopped in the middle of the street.
The night was quiet, only the muted sound of mariachi music coming from the restaurant down the street. He looked up and down but there was no one out. Just him and Shelley.
But he knew they weren’t alone.
“Hey, did you change your mind? We could just get some wine and go back to my place.” Shelley looked up at him.
Wolf held a hand up, his fingers in a tight fist.
“You want to punch something?” Shelley asked, her mouth hanging open.
Of course. It was a habit. That fist would have told anyone in the military to go silent, but Shelley hadn’t served for years and obviously didn’t have the same instincts he had. “Hush, love. Stay still. If I tell you to run, you run.”
Up ahead there was a long line of bushes that garnished a small store. The store’s lights were out, but the streetlight glowed through the leaves. Except in one place. There was a man-size dark spot. Wolf looked down. Shoes.
Fuck.
Adrenaline, his old friend, began to pump through his body. He loved the fight. God, he’d missed the fight. Even now his muscles were loosening and his mind sharpening as he got ready to fight for his life.
But he had Shelley.
Double fuck.
His need to kill would have to wait. He pulled his SIG and grabbed his cell, pressing a single button. “We’re heading back to the garage, love. You stay behind me.”
Those feet were starting to move.
“What’s up now?” Leo asked over the line.
“Trouble. Come now. I’m taking her to the garage.” He slid his cell back in his pocket, certain Leo was on his way.
The streetlight above the shrubs flickered, and Wolf could see that whoever had been waiting there was moving a bit faster now, hugging the brick of the wall. Wolf gave the guy thirty seconds before he hit the end of the shrubs and then he would be out in the open. There would be no more play. There would be a bullet.
It was the lightest of sounds that had Wolf turning, realizing that Shrub Guy wasn’t alone. Someone was coming up from behind him, and it sure as hell wasn’t his brother. Leo wouldn’t have made that little mistake. Leo wouldn’t have made a sound. The only way Wolf would have known Leo was there would have been when Leo wanted him to know. It would be the same with Ben and Chase, who had also put in their time with the Teams.
So it was an easy thing to turn and, in the blink of an eye, the scene played out in front of him. A single tango coming in at a run. He held a gun in his right hand. He wore all black, and he’d covered his face with a ski mask.
Yeah, Wolf knew how to handle that. He aimed and squeezed twice, moving his hand not more than an inch. The sound broke up the night. The minute he squeezed the trigger, he turned, absolutely certain the man wouldn’t get off a shot of his own. His aim would be true. There would be two holes, one in each lung. Wolf grabbed Shelley around the waist with one hand just as he heard Shrub Guy’s shot. Wolf dove, curving his body around hers and trying to take the brunt of the roll he had them in. He heard Shelley’s little gasp as they hit the street, but he had protected her head.
“Stay down.”
Another bullet whipped by, but this guy wasn’t a pro. His shots were going wild.
Wolf’s didn’t.
Two final shots rang through the night, and the man who had been running at them stopped, went still, and then fell to the sidewalk, his lungs both useless now that Wolf’s bullets had lodged there. He wished he could do what he knew he needed to. He’d prefer to leave nothing to chance. Two to the chest, one to the head. But Shelley was here. He had to take care of her first.
Wolf kept a hand on Shelley’s head, his eyes searching the night.
“Goddamn it, Wolf. You couldn’t have left one of them alive?”
Yep. He only knew Leo was around when Leo was ready to start bitching at him. With a long breath, he reached for Shelley. “Hey, sweetheart, are you all right?”
Her whole body was shaking. Her eyes were wide. Wolf’s blood was still pumping hard through his system, but his heart softened. Shelley had been here before. She’d had someone—her husband—shot dead right in front of her. What if she was scared of him now?
Shelley nodded, but her eyes were on the second dead man.
“I’m sorry. I acted on instinct.” He’d just killed two guys on their first date. He was really glad he hadn’t taken the head shots.
“Sorry?” She sounded like she was in shock. “You’re sorry?”
“I should have gotten you away.”
She threw her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. “You saved me. Don’t you dare feel bad for killing them. You saved me.”
She sobbed against his neck, but he relaxed. It was natural that she would cry, but he was so damn grateful she understood that he felt a smile cross his face.
“This one’s dead, too, Leo,” one of the twins said. Wolf thought it was Chase. The big Dom had a gun in his hand as he examined the body.
“Oh, excellent.” Julian Lodge stood over the scene with his arms crossed. A tall, well-built man stood beside him wearing slacks and a dress shirt. He knotted his silk tie as he said something quiet to Julian and then pulled out his phone and walked away from the crowd.
Wolf pulled Shelley closer. He was going to get fired. He’d killed two people on Lodge’s land. He would do it again, but, fuck, he was getting tired of having to find new jobs. He was running out of places to work.
Julian walked over to the first dead guy, staring down with unabashed fascination. “Do you know how long it’s been since I had to deal with corpses? It’s been ages. I almost felt…legitimate.” He said the word with a shudder. “You never kill anyone anymore, Leo. And Ben and Chase are far too lazy. Wolf, you’re my new favorite. You get an extra waffle tomorrow morning.” He sighed and straightened his shirt. “Well, I should get inside. The police chief is calling this in. It will be handled with discretion, but I think we want this on the record. Wolf, don’t incriminate yourself.”
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t,” Leo said with a frown.
Shelley simply shook and held on to him. He tightened his arms around her. He’d almost lost her. Damn it. Someone was coming after her, and it really pissed him off. Two assholes had hidden in the dark with the intent of taking her out. He didn’t believe for one stinking second that this was random, and that meant that this afternoon hadn’t been random, either. Someone wanted his girl, and they would have to get through him.
And his brother. Leo stood over the man who had tried to kill Shelley, and Wolf saw his intent. Leo would kill anything that came her way. Leo’s eyes came up, and they were dark and hard, his brother every bit the SEAL he’d been trained to be, only this time he wasn’t protecting his country. He was protecting the other half of his soul.
While Shelley wept out all her anxiety, Wolf and Leo made a silent promise.
They would take out anything that came her way.
Chapter Nine
Shelley walked into Leo’s condo feeling like a zombie. Her feet shuffled in, but it was an instinctive thing with no real purpose behind it. Since that moment when she’d realized someone was after her, she’d simply followed Wolf’s instructions. Wolf had been something real and tangible to hold on to. His big hands had gripped her, holding her to reality. His strong arms had protected her. He’d covered her with his body, willing to take any bullet that came her way.