She stood in front of the door, blocking his exit. Reading his mind wasn’t difficult. His wandering eyes were trying to figure out a way past her without engaging in force. Because if he tried to get by her before agreeing to take her along, she sure as hell would put up a fight. And win.
“Tess.” His voice softened, his disposition mellowed. “I need you to stay here.”
Foolish man. “And what bullshit do you plan to fling my way to convince me of that? Come on. You know I’m not staying here.”
“This isn’t a Banoth we’re up against.” He ran a hand through his mussed hair.
Remembering her fingers in his mane, she tripped over her first attempt to reply. “Oh thank God. That thing stunk.”
“I don’t need your help.” He took a step toward her.
Wasn’t that just the bane of his existence? “I know. You don’t need anybody’s help. I don’t either. So that makes us even. I won’t help you. And you won’t help me. Deal? We’ll just team up as equals only looking out for ourselves. At the very least I can prove to be a distraction, don’t you think?”
“That’s the goddamn problem.” His hand went to his mouth, where the back of his knuckle wiped at his bottom lip.
Oh. “What I meant to say was diversion. I can divert the bad guys.”
He shifted his weight, growing impatient. “And who are the bad guys, Tess?”
She was about to answer Wolf Seekers, but stopped herself. The Wolf Seekers were humans. The Night Runners wolfen. Who did she think the bad guys were? Her goal here was to help him find Trey and in return get his help in finding Dobson. A wolfen. A bad guy. A guy that had killed. If the Wolf Seekers had hurt Trey, what did that make them? The line dividing humans and Veilers continued to blur.
Too many damn questions swirled in her head.
“I told you I’d help find Trey and that’s what I’m going to do. I’ve seen and done a lot of things, Hugh. I know I can offer assistance that no one else can, given my background. It’s to your benefit to take me with you.”
For a long moment, they stared at each other. The kind of stare that made her believe a link between two people was stronger than spoken promises and terms of endearment. She knew looking at him that he believed she could take care of herself. He only had to give up any rights to her. Rights he didn’t have to begin with.
“Stop looking at me like that.” She put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot.
“I don’t have time for this shit.” He finally took his attention elsewhere, looking around the room for something. He found it in the corner on a chair and took haste to retrieve it.
Her purse.
He tossed it, catching her a little off guard. “If you’re coming, you’d better at least have some protection.”
The gesture filled her with appreciation. “Thanks. You never know when I might need some Chapstick.”
“This isn’t a joke,” he growled, leading with his shoulder to knock her off balance and push past her to open the door. “There’s a good chance someone could die tonight.”
She prayed it wasn’t him.
Chapter Twelve
The Ducati maneuvered through busy streets quick and easy. It also purred, the sound music to Hugh’s ears because it calmed his nerves. He tried focusing on that as Tess wiggled so snug against his backside he wanted to forget what the hell he needed to do and take her back to his bedroom.
Her closeness made it difficult to think about anything but what had almost happened between them. And how he craved her more than anything now. After tasting her lips, her neck, her breasts, he wanted to lick every inch of her, mark her as his. She needed to stay alive in order for that to happen.
While racing into possible danger, he told himself to stop worrying, stop giving a damn about anything other than finding Trey. Tess was an eliminator with sights on him. Their alliance equaled short term. She didn’t matter—but if anything happened to his young apprentice, he’d never forgive himself.
They headed into the seedier part of town with smaller, unkempt streets. Trash littered the broken sidewalks, bars trimmed windows of mom and pop shops, and a foul stench hung in the air. Cars with flat tires or broken windows appeared every block or so, buildings needed new stucco and paint.
Dane’s call had been about a fight between a couple of Wolf Seekers and Night Runners. Dane was certain the brawl started because the pack members had zeroed in on Trey’s location—and most likely the Wolf Seekers’ home base. They needed to strike, he’d told Hugh, before Trey was moved to a new location.
Slowing his speed, he took a corner and downshifted. Their destination came into view. According to their research, the old deserted public library had remained unoccupied for the better part of two years. Adjacent to it was a small park. Lots of grass, a few trees, a park bench. With tall streetlamps illuminating the area, it still looked like a nice place to relax. A little slice of heaven in a dilapidated setting.
He veered around to the side of the park and brought the bike to a stop beside a large tree trunk. Humidity hung in the air, the temperature warmer than usual for the end of September. With zero breeze, the tree leaves and grass blades didn’t sway in the slightest, yet the smell of charcoal made his nose twitch.
Traffic sounded in the distance, far enough away to guarantee some privacy on the quiet street.
Dane approached, followed by a few other Night Runners. The younger wolfen wore faded scratches on their faces, a few rips in their clothes. Hugh’s gut clenched.
Wolf Seekers knew how to fight Night Runners. They knew where to strike with the mercury knuckle bands they wore. They knew how to shoot a tranquilizer to slow them down.
He watched Tess take in the park and building. She knew exactly where they were and only arched her brows at him when she caught him looking at her. She had actually found Trey. A tip from one of her sources had led them to this location. She spared a glance at Dane before studying the other pack members. By the way she narrowed her eyes, he could tell she was trying to formulate an opinion about something.
“We’ve got confirmation that Trey’s inside,” Dane said. He didn’t acknowledge Tess.
“Good. You and I will go in, get Trey and get out. Boys, you’ll take up the perimeter and give us the signal if anyone else approaches. I don’t want anyone getting hurt if we can help it. Tess, you’ll stay here and watch the bike.”
Now that he knew for certain Trey was inside, he wouldn’t leave without him.
“I’m not—”
Hugh cut her off. “You will watch the bike.”
“I will—”
“Not move from this spot.” He got in her face. “Do you understand me?” He didn’t care that it sounded like a threat. All he cared about was keeping her safe.
She crossed her arms and didn’t say a word. He took that as her acceptance and moved toward the library with his men.
Before they reached the building, however, a group of Wolf Seekers spilled out the front door, looking left and right. When they caught sight of Hugh and his men, they froze. In the middle of their huddle stood Trey.
His mouth was swollen, one eye black and blue. A deep cut bisected his left eyebrow. With no time to waste, Hugh stepped forward and called out to the Wolf Seekers. “Let him go.”
A man Hugh recognized as the ringleader came forth. “You offering to take his place?”
“If that’s what it takes to get this done peacefully.”
The man chuckled. “Since when are Night Runners peaceful?”
To the best of Hugh’s recollection, his pack had never done anything to upset the Wolf Seekers. The Seekers had simply decided to rid Los Angeles of the pack strictly because they hated Veilers. There were groups of Wolf Seekers across the country with the same mission.