Chapter 2
NICCO
“You ready to go, Alpha?” Vinnie asked me. I stared at the spot where the girl disappeared. I wanted to go after her. No one ignored me, especially not women. Most women threw themselves at me.
I frowned, remembering her awkward lies about the big dog and her boyfriend. I must have scared her, somehow. I know I’m a scary guy, but women usually didn’t run away from me.
And there was the little matter of her being my mate. My wolf, Lupo, was going crazy. As soon as I got out of the car I could smell her. She smelled like violets and sunshine and oranges, all at once. Lupo began screaming that she was our mate as soon as we caught her scent.
Problem was, I couldn’t sense her wolf and that meant one thing. She was human. And there was no way that my mate could possibly be a human. This was a huge mistake.
I realized Vinnie was talking to me and I nodded, sliding back into the car. Vinnie turned over the engine and it sounded a lot better. He carefully steered back on to the highway and tried to have a conversation.
“That was lucky, huh Alpha?” Vinnie was prattling on. “Who would have thought that we would find a mechanic in the middle of the woods?”
“It’s weird that she was there where we broke down,” I mused. And it was even more weird that she turned out to be our mate, although I didn’t say this to Vinnie. He was my Beta, but I knew he wouldn’t understand. He was a hopeless romantic.
Vinnie looked at me sharply in the rearview mirror. “It was just a coincidence, boss. No one knew you were coming here.”
I nodded, not convinced. This just felt like a setup, somehow. “Her sweatshirt said Earl’s Automotive Repair in Summerville,” I mused. “I wonder if she works there.”
Vinnie looked over at me. “She is just a nice girl who was out here camping,” he said. “Sometimes things are just as they seem.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. And sometimes it’s more than just that,” I said. I lapsed into silence, watching the miles drift by.
Vinnie got us settled into a hotel for the remainder of the night even though I had no intention of sleeping. I don’t sleep much during the week, and I tend to crash on the weekends. My staff knows this habit of mine and most people don’t last long in my employ. I need people around me that are available when I am working, and eighteen-hour days are too much for the average person. That’s why most of my staff were wolves from my pack. Werewolves didn’t need as much sleep as a human did.
My business wasn’t an easy one. I had inherited my pack and the family business after the untimely death of my father. Sometimes there were unpleasant aspects to the job. That was the reason I was down here, away from the city and my pack. I had some unpleasant business I needed to attend to.
“Give me the details,” I said, sitting down in the uncomfortable chair that my hotel room provided.
Vinnie handed me a stack of photos and I began to leaf through them. “They are human. Their kids leave for school at eight,” Vinnie said. “Private Investigator got these pictures for you.”
I studied them. The kids were nice enough looking, both very young. Unfortunately for them, their dad decided to try to cheat me. Since this family was human, we dealt with things like this a little differently than we would if they were shifters. My business serviced both demographics and we were always careful not to expose ourselves to humans.
“Mister Steven Luin has a little dish on the side that the missus isn’t aware of,” Vinnie continued, recapping the report we had gotten. “His wife takes the kids to school, and he gets dressed. He leaves before she gets back. The side dish usually comes for some side action around noon at his office. He’s home at six. She’s the typical soccer mom, taking the kids where they need to go.”
I half listened, going through the photos. This meeting I was having tomorrow morning wasn’t going to end will for the mister. I had loaned him some money with some very strong terms, and he decided not to pay me. I was down here to make an example of him. I had a few other borrowers who were thinking of re-negotiating their terms and that was unacceptable.
I put the photos down and looked over at Vinnie. “When’s Charlie coming?” I asked. Charlie was Vinnie’s son and my age, but about twice as heavy.
“He’ll be here in the morning,” Vinnie said. “About three hours. That last job you sent him on went a little long.”
I nodded. I hadn’t felt the need to personally attend to that one, but the photos that Charlie had sent me were acceptable. The personal apology from the blubbering banker was also a nice touch. I gave a half smile remembering. Charlie had cut the tip of his little finger off. He would be back in the office next Monday with a bandage on his hand and a story about being more careful with power tools. Wolves had amazing healing abilities, but regenerating a finger was beyond most wolves. His finger would always serve as a reminder not to mess with me.
I waved Vinnie away. “I want to get there after the kids leave,” I said. “So, figure we are there at 8:15. You have a few hours, so get some shut eye or do whatever you need to do.”
Vinnie looked relieved. “Thanks, boss,” he said, putting down the folder he was carrying and leaving my room. I could hear the door to the adjoining room opening up and then closing. Within moments the snoring started. I smiled.
I leaned back in my chair, thinking. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around the coincidence of a mechanic being available in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. The fact that she was my mate was even more absurd. I felt like I was being set up, but I couldn’t figure out what anyone would have to gain from it. I picked up my laptop and searched for Earl’s Auto Repair in Summerville and was surprised when it popped up immediately. It was reviewed very well. It looks like Earl is an honest guy.
I wondered about the girl. Was she his daughter? Most girls didn’t go into mechanics unless they grew up with it. Daddy’s business? I closed my laptop, leaning back and thinking again about the tall, brown haired beauty that showed up on the side of the road, just when we needed her.
I closed my eyes and a vision of her came unbidden. I knew it was my wolf. He had gotten a whiff of her scent and he was smitten, wanting to take her and mark her. That wasn’t going to happen. We didn’t know anything about her except that she was human.
I stood up with a start, going into the bathroom and turning on the shower. I couldn’t have a human as a mate. I am the Alpha of the largest pack in the Eastern United States and the head of one of the mobs in New York City. I was responsible for a huge pack, and I had hundreds of people that worked for me. I needed a strong Luna who understood the business and would know what I needed. A human wouldn’t be able to do that.
I stood under the hot spray, washing myself down, still thinking. I knew that my business was always under attack. I took over the family business when my father made one bad deal and lost his life over it. I was the youngest Alpha Don ever, and I was constantly being underestimated. I quickly garnished a reputation of being hard, fast and ruthless.
I had sent my mom and my sister to Spain, setting them up in a nice little villa there. It had gotten too dangerous to have them here and I was having a hard time watching my back and theirs, too. They had an around-the-clock security team and, last I heard, my sister had met her mate. She was fourteen when I had sent her over there and she was eighteen now, the same age as my mom was when she was mated to my dad.
I sighed, getting out and dressing in my typical black slacks and black button-down shirt. It was almost time. I checked my watch. Charlie was here and Vinnie was up. We would head to breakfast and then over to Steven Luin’s house. He had some explaining to do.
NICCOI waited in the car for about a half hour. This was how it usually went when we were dealing with humans. The boys went in, cleared the home and then roughed up the guy for a little bit. I would join them later. Today I was waiting for the missus.I saw her pull into the driveway and I got out, pocketing my cellphone in my hip pocket. She watched me cross the street, warily. I gave her a wide smile, trying not to look threatening. From the way she widened her eyes, I probably wasn’t successful.“Amy?” I asked, pleasantly. She nodded and then looked nervously at the house. I could hear a muffled scream coming from inside. “What’s going on?” she asked, clutching her purse and backing up. I continued up to her and took her elbow, using my other hand to gesture in front of me. “Let’s go inside, shall we?” I tugged gently on her arm, but she wasn’t having it. She stayed put. “Tell me what’s going on.” Her voice was flat. I sighed. “We’re having a little conversation
NICCO “What now, Alpha?” Vinnie asked. He was watching me closely and I was pretty sure that he knew something was up. I wasn’t acting normally. My wolf was driving me crazy, and I was having a hard time thinking. “Can you get me more information on her?” I asked Vinnie. He wasn’t that great with computers but some of the guys that worked for me were. Vinnie nodded. “Sure. Give me a minute.” He selected someone from his contacts and spoke for a few minutes. He got a text and checked it, confirming something and then disconnected. “Joey is working on getting more information, but he was able to access DMV records and found a license for a twenty-year-old woman named Hope Smith. Photograph matches our girl. He did a run on the address listed and pulled up a vacant lot in Provo, Utah. No phone number listed. Joey didn’t find a lot of background information on her initially so he’s going to do a deep dive. He did say that she has a minivan registered in her name.” We b
NICCOI checked my watch impatiently. Hope struck me as the type of girl that was early to everything and I hoped she was. I valued promptness. I didn’t even know why I was doing this. My wolf was thrilled but the businessman and Alpha in me knew that this was a really bad idea. I was mated to a human and the sooner I rejected the mate bond the better it would be for my business and for my Pack. I had heard stories of other Alphas being mated with humans and their Pack embracing the change. Most of the time it worked out, the human Luna a meek head of the Pack. Usually in those cases, the Beta’s wife was the one with the real power. That wasn’t going to work for me. My Pack was also part of my business, and I needed a partner that would be ruthless and know the games of the profession. I sighed. This was a really bad idea. I should have just walked away.Her black van pulled up, five minutes early and she slid out of the driver’s seat. I could see that her hair was wet a
HOPEVinnie pulled up to the restaurant and I gave an involuntary gasp. The restaurant had set up a red carpet of sorts with thousands of fairy lights strung up and lighting the way to the entrance. It was a busy night, and the walkway was crowded with couples in varying degrees of fancy dress.Vinnie opened my door and Nicco walked around the car. He put his hand on the middle of my back where the dress dipped lower, and the feel of his palm on my skin did strange things to my body, sending heat straight to my core. I involuntarily shuddered as a vision of Nicco kissing me came to my mind. I looked over at Nicco hoping he didn’t notice my reaction. He had a slight smirk on his face as he led me to the entrance.The maître d' greeted Nicco by name and led us to the back of the restaurant in a little secluded alcove. Nicco waved the host away and held my chair. “Thank you,” I murmured, looking around at the opulence. The restaurant was decorated in the typical Parisian style,
NICCOI watched Hope try to lick the chocolate off from her face and I could feel myself stiffen in my pants. She was so sexy. My wolf was right below the surface, yelling at me to take her and mark her right there in the middle of the restaurant. I handed her a napkin and she scrubbed at her face, her cheeks red with embarrassment. For some reason, this endeared her to me even more and I felt my smile widen. My watch dinged and I looked down. Vinnie had just pulled up. I stood up and helped Hope up. She was a little wobbly and I looked at her with concern. She really didn’t hold her alcohol well. It was not safe to take her back to her van. “Thank you for dinner,” she said primly. “It was very good.”“It was my pleasure,” I said. And it was. She was fun to be around, sexy as hell and smart. I enjoyed dinner. She stumbled a little and I put my hand around her waist, supporting her. She moaned a little and my wolf went crazy. She can feel the mate bond, Lupo screamed
NICCOI woke to Hope moving. The sun was up and bright and, when I squinted at my watch, I could see that it was after ten. I rolled to my back and watched her, waiting for her to completely wake up. She stretched and she opened her eyes a little bit before they flew open, looking at me with her long lashes framing them, her hair fanned out over the pillow. “Oh my God!” she said, sitting up, pulling the blanket off me. She saw my bare chest and gasped again.“Oh my God!” she repeated, pulling the sheet up and over me. She looked down at herself. I chuckled.“No, I didn’t undress you. It’s a shame. That dress is too pretty for wrinkles and I’m pretty sure you are hiding a spectacular body underneath.”She gave an audible sigh of relief and then looked at me with narrowed eyes. “Why aren’t you dressed?” she asked.“Relax. I’m wearing boxers.” I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the look on her face. “Would it be so bad to wake up naked next to me?”She bit her lip and
HOPEMy day turned into a whirlwind. I had given directions to a department store where I could find something cheap and comfortable to wear today, but Nicco nixed that plan. He took me to another boutique shop, and he picked out the outfit he wanted me to wear. I grinned at myself when I saw my reflection in the mirror. He had chosen a white, sleeveless polo dress with a blue belt. I had a pair of white sandals waiting for me when I came out of the dressing room. I had taken the time to braid my long hair over one shoulder and Nicco spent a moment playing with the heavy plait. I put my phone in the new bag he insisted on buying, and tucked my hand in his before leaving the shop.“Thank you,” I said, again, for the umpteenth time. Nicco looked pleased. “I like buying you clothes,” he said. I laughed.“Why?” I asked, genuinely curious. I didn’t really care about clothing, probably because I never had the money to care about the clothes. He looked at me sideways. “You have
NICCOI haven’t had a day like today in a long time. Maybe ever. It was a lot of fun walking Hope through the stores and picking out clothes for her. She had no idea how beautiful she was, and she had no idea of the effect she had on the people around her. There was a genuine sweetness about her that drew people to her. My sweet Hope.She was also so innocent. Lupo and I wanted to know all her secrets, the good and the bad, and protect her from them. We wanted to be the one that explored her not-so-innocent side that I caught glimpses of, like when I kissed her. I knew that there was a wild woman underneath, and I wanted to be the one to tame that.She had disappeared into the bathroom when Vinnie sidled up to me. “Alpha?” he asked, his tone slightly tentative. I knew that he was going to ask me something against his better judgement. “Yeah?” I asked. I wasn’t going to make it easy for him.“What are you planning with Miss Hope?” he asked. I raised my eyebrow at him. He