His possessiveness rattled him, but left no impression on Trey, because he said, “The least I can do is take you on that date, Tess. You free Saturday?”
Hugh had such a tight grip on her she couldn’t move away, yet he felt her try. She wouldn’t accept Trey’s offer, would she?
“I think—”
“No date,” Hugh growled. “Now talk.”
Trey winked at Tess and added, “We’ll talk about it later.”
Like hell they would. Hugh wanted to give Trey another fat lip. Instead, he took a deep breath so the hair on his arms settled. “Talk.”
A car drove by, seemingly oblivious to their position in the park. The windows were tinted black but Hugh heard the radio playing, a male voice humming along. It turned the corner and vanished.
“They jumped me outside Cupid’s. Hit me from behind then shot me twice with a tranquilizer. I woke up the next morning here.” He nodded toward the library. “The assholes kept me bound and used me as a dartboard so I never gained enough strength to shift.”
“Dartboard?” Tess asked.
“Yeah,” Trey said. “Aimed at my shoulders, thighs, then turned me around and aimed for the center of my back. The truth is, I could have taken them in the early morning hours after a night of rest, but I wanted to stick around to find out what the hell was going on.”
“What did you find out?” Hugh released Tess, at ease now that Trey was off the topic of dating her. She stayed close, pleasing him to no end. Whether it was a conscious decision on her part or not, he didn’t care.
“The Seeker in charge told you the truth. One of their guys was taken and killed, and from what I heard, it points to a Night Runner.”
Hugh’s leg muscles went rigid. “That can’t be.”
“I didn’t want to believe it either, but a witness who saw the murder gave a description of a wolf-man and said the killer told the Wolf Seeker he could feel his fear.” Trey started jogging in place. “Man it feels good to be back outside.”
“Did the witness see his face?” Tess asked before Hugh could.
Trey stopped moving. “No. And fuck—pardon my French—if I know anyone in our pack who would do such a thing.”
“Aren’t there other Night Runners here in LA? Maybe you need to look outside the pack.”
“We’re the only ones,” Hugh said.
Tess’s eyes widened. “You’re the only Night Runners?”
“That’s what I said.”
She bit her bottom lip. Her eyes stayed on his with enough affectivity to make his stomach feel like a swarm of eels were inside.
“Wow. How many are in your pack?”
“Sixty-four,” Trey said when Hugh didn’t answer right away. He was trying to figure out what was going on in that beautiful head of hers.
“No wonder you’re so protective.” She broke the connection to look at Trey. “Why have the Wolf Seekers targeted your pack when there are several other wolfen?”
“They hate all wolves,” Trey continued. “But we’re the closest to extinction so they’ve set their sights on us.”
“Have you thought about teaming up with another pack? I mean, is that allowed? Can you co-mingle?”
“That’s enough,” Hugh interjected. “There’s no time for a history lesson here. What else did you learn?” The reasons for their small number didn’t factor into getting to the bottom of things.
“Right.” Trey spoke directly to Hugh. “There’s someone else involved with the Wolf Seekers. I don’t know who, but there were quite a few phone calls from him. And the sons of bitches—sorry”—he glanced at Tess—“are planning something big.”
“Such as?” Hugh needed concrete information so he could form an objective analysis.
Trey wavered. “Unfortunately, I don’t know. When it came down to discussing details or anything worth a damn they turned on a high-pitched siren at a frequency that blindsided me. I couldn’t make out shi—crap.”
“Damn.”
“There is other news I need to share with you.” His tone indicated it was a private matter.”
Anything you’ve got to say you can say in front of Tess.
Whoa. That took all of a split second to register in his mind. Did he feel that comfortable with her to include her in more confidential information?
Yeah, he did.
“Go ahead.”
Trey’s eyes darted to Tess then back to him in a subtle attempt to say get rid of the girl. “You sure?”
“I am standing right here,” Tess said. “You can come out and tell me to take a hike. I won’t take it personally. But I should tell you, I’m very good with private things.”
Hugh just bet she was. His cock was more than ready to get up close and personal. And by the look on Trey’s face, his apprentice thought the same thing.
“Talk,” Hugh demanded, almost on the verge of throttling Trey. Tess was off limits.
“There’s a hit out on you. P.I.E.’s got it.” He glanced at Tess, a mixture of interest and concern on his face.
With a voice sinfully sweet, she said, “I thought pie was something you ate.”
Trey fell for it hook, line and sinker. “No. Actually P.I.E. is—”
Tess laughed before Trey could elaborate. The kid ran a hand through his unkempt hair and looked to Hugh for an explanation.
“Meet the eliminator,” Hugh said, tilting his head in her direction and raising his eyebrows.
“No shit! What is she doing here? What is she doing with you? What the fuck is going on?” His eyes flickered to the coppery brown tone they took before he shifted.
Hugh appreciated his willingness to defend him.
“It’s cool,” Hugh assured him, putting a hand on his arm to let him know shifting wasn’t necessary. “At least for the moment. Tess and I have a deal. She’s not going to eliminate me.”
“Yet,” she chimed in.
“You need to explain.” All interest in Tess disappeared from Trey’s face.
“I will, but for now my relationship with Tess has to be kept secret. No one else knows who she is.”
Trey nodded.
“There’s something else I need to ask you.” Before Hugh could get his question out, Dane approached.
“Trey,” Dane extended his hand, “I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
“Thanks.” They shook hands and genuine affection crossed Trey’s face.
“Anything I need to be brought up to speed on?” Dane passed a glance over the three of them.
“Trey will fill you in. Take him back with you and I’ll call later with instructions.”
“Sure. You ready?” Dane asked, taking his leave.
“Yeah.” He turned to follow Dane but Hugh held him back.
“He’ll be right behind you.” Something nagged at Hugh and he needed Trey to put it to rest.
Dane didn’t look back, just waved a hand in the air.
Hugh released his hold and asked in a hushed voice, “Did you happen to catch the name of the person involved with the Wolf Seekers?”
Trey didn’t hesitate. “Yeah. Dobson.”
Tess nearly came out of her skin when she heard Trey say Dobson. She held her tongue until he walked away then turned and almost tackled Hugh to the ground, she was so excited. Finally, after five years, she had a lead.
Normally nothing ruffled her, but at the thought of coming face-to-face with the wolfen who killed Jason a knot the size of California lodged in her stomach. She’d get her revenge. She’d have closure once and for all.
“Oh my God. Did you hear that?” She nudged his shoulder, wanting to touch him, but keeping a respectable distance since other Night Runners might be watching.
“I did.” He didn’t look half as happy as she was.
“What’s wrong?”
Engines roared to life. The sound grabbed Hugh’s attention and he looked past her to the Night Runners taking their leave. With his focus elsewhere, she took a minute to revel in the news Trey had shared and lift her chin to gaze at the stars. There weren’t any. Only a night sky painted dirty white with low clouds. No wonder humidity filled the air.