“We need to talk. Can you meet with me?” Talon replied.
“Yeah, I’ll be at the pack’s gathering hall in an hour.”
“Fine.” Talon disconnected the call.
The delicate touch of Esther’s fingers searching under Robert’s wrinkled shirt made him jump.
“Why such a serious face?” She inched closer, hooking her fingers in his jeans. She looked perfect in his bed. Sleep tossed hair formed a dark halo around her face and the thin sheet gathered around her waist, her exposed breasts drawing his gaze. Her heated blue stare was full of come-hither-and-ravish-me. Nothing would have pleased him more than to spend the day buried inside her.
But—there was always a but with Esther—he couldn’t trust her. Not with something as fragile as his heart. A woman like her probably ate men like him for breakfast. He rubbed at the dull ache in his chest.
The action caused her gaze to drop, and she released her grip on his clothes. “Is there anything I can do to make things right between us?”
“Probably not. I’ll always wonder if you’re being sincere or just playing a part to get what you want.”
She pulled her cuffed arm, and the metal rattled against the wooden headboard. “I want you. Fuck, I screwed things up so bad. I wish—I wish…” She turned her face away.
Those heartfelt words almost tore apart his resolve. But—he sighed and got a fresh set of clothes. There wasn’t time to shower.
“Where are you going?”
“I never finished last night’s mission. My troublemaking pack mate needs to be taught a lesson.”
“You’re not going alone.”
He chuckled at the command in her tone. Naked and cuffed to a bed yet still thought she was in control. He could really fall in love with a woman like Esther. “I don’t have much of a choice. It’s too early for Daedalus to rise, and most of my roommates are at work.”
“Most. Who’s home? Take them.” She pleaded with her eyes. “Hell, take me. Cuff me to your wrist if you have to. I can still use a gun with one hand.”
He changed clothes in the same room. She’d seen him naked before. He felt her gaze roam over his body. “My friend, Sam, is still here. He’ll watch over you.” He pinned her with a glare. “I’ll be very upset if anything happens to him while I’m gone.”
The handcuff clanked as she tried to cross her arms over her chest. “Damn it.” She flung her hands to her sides. “I’m not going to hurt anyone.”
He raised his eyebrow and wished he could believe her.
“You should take me along. Don’t go by yourself.” She slid to the edge of the bed. “Please.”
Lifting the key from the bedside table, he approached her.
She grinned and offered her restraint.
After unlocking the cuff, he grabbed hold of her waist and carried her to the bathroom.
“Wait! What are you doing?” Strong and agile, she squirmed in his grasp.
Dumping her on the cold tile floor, he pointed at her. “You want to earn my trust. You. Stay. Here.” He ran his fingers through his hair. His thoughts flickered to the antacids in the kitchen cupboard. “I have enough problems, Esther. Do me a favor and don’t add to them.”
He gathered her clothes and tossed them in with her. Closing the door, he heard her grumbling under her breath, using his name in vain. With a shake of his head, he jammed the chair under the doorknob using his supernatural strength to ensure it stayed there. Bathrooms were meant to lock people out, not in.
Cutting across the hallway, he checked on the computer tracker’s progress. It had finished tracing the email from Esther’s account to a third party’s account, but the kicker in his programming tracked it to the original sender.
The results made him slump onto his chair. What the fuck? It had to be wrong. He re-typed in the codes again then re-ran the program. It should be finished by the time he got home. The results didn’t make sense.
Taking the stairs two at a time he descended to the basement, hoping Sam didn’t have someone sharing his bed. It would be difficult discussing a prisoner in front of a stranger. He knocked on the bedroom door and it swung open.
Sam stood in only a pair of workout shorts. A set of free weights lay scattered around the room, and the buff werewolf pulled out his earbuds as he turned off the MP3 player at his hip. “Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. Get some action last night?” His voice dripped in sarcasm.
Robert barked out a laugh. “Why would you think that?”
“Tyler told me everything about the slayer you’re hiding. I peeked in on both of you when no one showed up for breakfast. I needed to make sure she didn’t try to off you again.” He winked. “You both looked nice and cozy in that narrow bed of yours. Too bad she’s a killer.” He reached over and smacked Robert across the head. “What are you doing? She should be locked in the bathroom.”
“Hey.” Robert ducked the next swat and grabbed Sam’s wrist. “I need you to keep an eye on her, dickhead. She’s locked in the bathroom now.” Releasing his well-meaning friend, he sighed. “And for the record, she shot me by accident and I haven’t fucked her. Okay?” He glanced down the hallway at the vampire’s man-cave where Daedalus slept during the day. “Make sure that’s locked. I can’t promise she won’t try to kill Daedalus again.”
“Sure.” Sam’s brow furrowed. “Where are you going?”
“I need to get—something from the corporate office. I’m falling behind on work.”
“All right, I’ll keep things tight here.” Sam offered up his knuckles that Robert bumped with his own.
“I’ll call and check in.” Robert sprinted up the stairs, grabbed his keys and ran out the front door. On the stoop outside, he hesitated. The door had been unlocked. They always kept it secured. He glanced around, locked it, and then shook his head.
Esther yanked on her leather pants and shoved her feet into her boots. What did Rob have against accepting help? She bet he didn’t tell anyone from his pack what he was doing, let alone take one of them along.
Stomping to the window, she popped out the screen with an expert’s ease and set it on the floor. She didn’t have much time before he got to his car and drove off. The drainpipe held her weight as she shimmied down to a well-manicured garden.
How could he think she’d sit quietly in that bathroom all day while his life was in danger? Dread squeezed her heart with its sharp claws. He probably thought she didn’t care.
No matter what happened she needed to make sure Rob was all right.
The brownstones all shared their side walls. There wasn’t any way to the front except through the house or around the back alley.
She snuck to the sliding glass door on the stone porch. Pressing her body to the wall, she glanced into a large kitchen. The coast looked clear. She scanned the yard and ran to the toolshed. After finding two flat head screwdrivers, she returned to the glass door panel and popped it off the track enough to stress the latch lock mechanism. She shoved it open and squeezed inside, then shut it.
Taking one silent step at a time, she crept to the front. When Daedalus brought her into the brownstone last night he’d tossed his keys on the front entrance table. She spotted and grabbed them. Two male voices carried from the basement. Her heart skipped a beat and froze for a second before she unlocked the front door. Hurrying to Daedalus’s sports car, she opened the door and got inside before Rob saw her.
She got behind the steering wheel and watched Rob hesitate at the front door before locking it. He jogged to a sedan, pulling out a few minutes later.
Following at a discreet distance, Esther kept the car within sight. They traveled to the interstate, then to an industrial park. The area appeared deserted, making it difficult to follow him. She needed to pull off the road before he recognized the vampire’s car.