“Don’t worry about that. Bob has a standing policy, if anyone bothers a customer, we’re to kick them out. Parker handles this type of thing all the time.”
“He does, does he?”
So he hadn’t come out of the kitchen and charged to her rescue because he had some sort of sense about her? Well, this had to stop. With the two idiots temporarily handled, she moved past Nancy to enter the kitchen.
“I want to say thank you,” she called over her shoulder to Nancy.
The kitchen was surprisingly small, barely ten feet across, but clean and well organized. She’d stomped into it like she owned the place but now that she was inside she felt her nerve leave her. She rocked on the balls of her feet. What was it she wanted to say, exactly?
Clearing her throat, she looked at Parker who kept his back to her even though she was certain he knew she was there. Her scent would have told him if nothing else and she knew he could hear just fine so he had to have heard her enter.
Turning to her left to the scent of the other man in the room, she smiled. “Are you Bob?”
He was older, she would guess from the sounds of his heart struggling and the way his bones creaked when he moved even a little that he wasn’t much longer for this earth.
Smiling, she walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder letting some of her magic make him feel better.
His smile was practically instantaneous and she let go of his arm. “Are you Bob?”
He nodded, moving back to the oven to flip the eggs simmering there. “I am.”
“Would it be okay, sir, if I thanked your dish washer for helping me out back there?”
Bob shrugged. “You can thank him but he won’t answer you. He’s not dumb.” Bob shouted presumably so Parker could hear him clearer. Angel could have told him Parker could have heard him blocks away if he’d wanted to concentrate. “Just stubborn.”
“Okay,” she smiled. “Thank you, sir.”
Angel walked from Bob to the other side of the kitchen where Parker washed dishes.
She moved up next to him until she stood directly at his side. He smelled better than heaven; he was like ambrosia and her wolf rolled around like she wanted to ingest his aroma.
Angel cleared her throat. “Um, Parker. I wanted to thank you.”
Nothing. Parker didn’t even look up or stop what he was doing to acknowledge she was there.
Okay.
Try again. Her wolf encouraged. Maybe he’s shy.
“My name is Angel. Those men out there, well, they’ve been chasing me for some time and you are the first person to ever help me. Thank you.”
Parker glanced at her from the side of his eyes. It wasn’t much, but halfway to full eye contact was better than nothing.
“Um…” She gazed at Bob and decided he was busy but not wanting to risk exposure, lowered her voice. “I think you and I both know that we’re the same in a very important way. I’m wondering if it would be possible for me to speak to you, alone, at another time? I can wait. The truck driver who is going to take me from here to some place called Poughkeepsie isn’t leaving until tomorrow. I’m supposed to spend the night out in his haul if I can’t find a motel room.”
Silence met her query but really what had she expected? He didn’t speak.
“Would that be okay? Could you meet me whenever it is that you get off work?”
Parker growled and stormed from the room out the backdoor.
Apparently that was a no.
Yeah, sometimes her wolf was the queen of understatement.
Chapter Two
Parker Liberty wasn’t sure he could take any more of that she-wolf’s tempting smell.
He might actually go insane. Pacing around outside the restaurant, wasn’t improving his mood.
Out of all the truck stops in the world why did she have to come to this one? He shook his head. And if he was honest with himself, why did she have to leave in the morning?
He wanted to roar from the conflicting emotions inside his system right now.
His wolf yawned. You need to talk to her.
You need to stop saying that. I’m dangerous.
The wolf shook his head. I’m so tired of having this conversation.
With a silent groan, Parker bounded up the side staircase that led to the small apartment he had lived in for two decades. It wasn’t much, but it was his. Of course, it might not be for much longer. When the old man passed on to his next existence, his never-seen-nephews were going to swarm in, take the restaurant and oust him from the apartment. The old guy had told him this much himself last week.
For now, however, it was still belonged to the old man. He sat down on the couch, picking up the book he’d been reading. It was about the life and death of Oscar Wilde. It was interesting, he supposed, if you were looking for a brief discussion on what were otherwise small, unrelated events in the life of a great man…
He threw the book across the room. Nope. He wasn’t going to be able to read it today. Not with the she-wolf wandering around. And who had been those goons bothering her? She’d said they were chasing her.
Well, he knew something about that. Male wolves were dangerous. He knew that first hand. It’s why he stayed away from everyone all the time.
Standing up, he walked to the window and growled in the back of his throat when he saw her—what had she said her name was?—Angel, walking to the motel down the block. He shook his head. It didn’t matter. She’d be leaving soon.
A bang on the floor was the only indication Parker got that Bob wanted his attention downstairs.
He rolled his eyes. Just because he never took a break didn’t mean he wasn’t entitled to one, damn it.
Throwing his hands in the air, he stormed out of the apartment. Back to washing dishes.
Endlessly washing dishes.
You didn’t do anything wrong. You can stop the penance any day now.
That phrase had become his wolf’s mantra lately. Ignoring it, he walked down the outside stairs.
She’s your mate.
Parker sighed. That made it even worse.
Living next to a highway meant he spent a lot of time watching cars as they drove by at high speeds.
Every one of them had a destination, a purpose, or maybe someone waiting for them at home. Every one of them except Parker.
He leaned his head against the windowpane.
Use your senses, man. Everything smell right out there to you?
He closed his eyes. Half of his life was spent in the pursuit of not being a monster, and his wolf side did nothing but try to force him to do the things he longed never to do again.
But this time the furry pain in his ass was correct. Something was tickling his nose and not in a good way. Groaning, he opened his lids and made for the doorway of his apartment. A walk was in order. He would find the cause of his sensory distress, handle it, and then get back to his life.
Closing the door behind him, he took the steps two at a time until he was on the ground below.
He walked out toward the highway keeping his head down as he shivered in his light sweatshirt. It was still technically summer but the nights were getting colder.
His nose twitched and he wasn’t surprised to find he walked in the direction of the motel. This was going to turn out to have something to do with the she-wolf. He knew it.
His mate.
The word conjured up strange images for him, things he hadn’t thought about in so long he’d all but forgotten they ever took place