Beneath the Skin: de La Vega Cats, Book 3 (7 page)

This time she simply looked at him for a few heartbeats. “I think not. I’m perfectly capable—”

“Of getting shot in broad daylight. These cats aren’t running on a full deck. They’re acting way out of character.”

“Why? And why me?”

“Maybe they saw you helping me. Maybe they think you know something. The problem is that I don’t know enough of anything right now and I need your help.”

Oh. Well.

She nodded. “I’ll help if I can. But I didn’t see anything that night.”

“You smelled it though.”

That was true.

“Take your time. There’s no rush. I’m leaving that cat in a cell overnight.”

“Where he’ll have hours and hours to think over what you’ll do to him. Diabolical.”

Gibson nodded.

“You’re scary.”

He smiled at her, just a brief glimpse of those white, white teeth. Goddamn, she really, really wanted to lean in and bite him. Somewhere. Anywhere. His bottom lip would be a good place to start.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. This was a de La Vega. He was not on the menu.

Chapter Five

She looked through the video twice and then pointed at the screen with her pen. “That’s the woman who was in the shop earlier. I don’t recognize the male though.”

He took notes. The female she’d pointed to was a low-ranked cat. She hadn’t even come into the room when he’d met with the Bringer. No wonder she’d run at the first sign of trouble.

“Have you seen her before? Before today?”

“I don’t think so. Who are these cats?”

“They’re members of the Smithville Jamboree. Near Nashville.”

“What’s their beef?”

“What makes you assume that?”

“Let’s see. I’m not stupid. You got shot. I got shot. You know, the types of aggressive behavior that don’t normally just happen for kicks, but usually comes from motivation.” Her smile was bright, and Dario studied the floor carefully, a smile flirting at the corners of his mouth.

“It was a stupid move.” He explained the issue about bringing so many into their territory without asking and how they’d had to be escorted from de La Vega territory.

“If you did that—I mean, without Max’s permission—what would happen?”

“That’s not something healthy for a Bringer to do.”

“Clearly then, it’s motivated by some slight or something someone in the jamboree did, or was perceived to have done to one of their cats. This isn’t random. It’s not stupidity. It’s still stupid, but the acts are on purpose as a response to something they think you did.”

“Ostensibly. But I can’t get in touch with their Alpha. He’s out of the country.”

“Convenient.”

He thought so too. And he didn’t like it one bit.

“Will you wait for me outside? I’ll be with you shortly and get you home. I just want to speak with Dario a moment.”

She stood and he didn’t fail to notice the way she kept her weight on her left side. She was still in pain, and he wanted to get her home as soon as possible.

She left and he turned to Dario. “Anything new?”

“Nothing. Galen pulled up some stuff on this Hal Pepper guy. He’s from Tennessee. Nothing about the jamboree, not that membership in a paranormal organization is such public news.”

“Call Bertram’s second. I want this answered for and I want those answers now. I’ll go down there if I have to. They really shouldn’t make me.”

Dario nodded and Gibson knew Dario would make that point.

“No one in to see Hal. He’s not to make calls or any other kind of contact. I’ll be back in the morning to question him. I’m going to get Mia home. Call me if anything comes up.”

He went out to catch her at a window, looking out over the city.

“I missed Boston. When I was in Iraq. And then when I was in Los Angeles. I wanted to be home.”

He walked with her to the elevator and then down to the garage. “I’ve traveled a fair bit. But I’m always happy to come back here. Shitty drivers and all.”

She smiled. “I rarely drive here. I just take the T everywhere.”

He hoped she did less of that while these cats were out and about.

“Leaves you exposed.”

She snapped her seatbelt. “Public transportation? Probably. But I know how to defend myself.”

“What did you do in the military?”

“I was a pilot. Supply mainly.”

“That where you got hurt?”

“I got hurt in Iraq several times. Lots of people shooting at you, all the time.”

He remained quiet as he pulled out onto the road and headed back toward her building.

“The attack happened in Los Angeles. A few months after I’d been discharged.”

She stared out the window and he wanted to touch her, reassure her. He was sure it was tied in to her being one of his cats. After all, his family had run de La Vega for generations. That’s all it was.

“Hey, Gibson, there’s a car following us.”

He forgot about her skin for a moment. “What makes you say so?”

“Headlights. Same shape and size. Following us from the building and through the last three turns you made.”

He kept an eye on the car she’d indicated.

“How’d you learn to see if you were being tailed?”

“I can’t say I knew much at all until Iraq. Now I know.” Her laugh was rueful.

“Were you ambushed?”

“More than once.”

And then she braced her arms. “We’re going to be hit. Do you have a weapon?”

He turned, and saw the car coming toward them. Toward her side of the SUV. So he sped, maneuvering between traffic and narrowly avoiding the crash.

“Glove box. It’s loaded.”

She pulled the Sig out and checked the clip.

“Turn left up here. If you go around the park you can bypass the congestion up ahead.”

He obeyed, knowing she was right.

He ordered his phone to dial Dario and told him where they were and what was going on.

“Later-model Jeep SUV. Bronze. Charlie, Tango, Racetrack 145. Man at wheel is white male. The tail appears to be a sedan. An Audi. Nice taste your violent little friend has.” She spoke as she continued to scan the area.

“Did you get that?”

Dario had and would be running the plates.

Then she reached out, shoved his head down and shot right through the space where his head had been. She grabbed the wheel and wrenched it hard toward her. “Speed up!”

The back of his SUV got clipped but because she’d taken the wheel and moved them enough, he was able to get the car to the side.

And then she got out!

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“Damn it! Mia, get back here.” He kept low, following her out her door, keeping the car in between them and their attackers.

“Listen, I’m no one’s target. Got me? No one’s victim and no one’s target.”

“There are bystanders all around.”

“So call the cops. But you can’t and the problem still exists.”

She stood and stalked toward the car, her arm with the gun in her hand extended. Her face was a mask and it sent a shiver through him.

The car reversed in a hurry and she squeezed off three shots, all hitting the car as it sped off.

“Well then.” She put the weapon in her waistband. “I got the license plate for that one too, but I think it’s stolen.”

He hauled her close. “Are you out of your mind? What do you think you’re doing?”

“Not laying down for anyone else to kill me.” She paused and sighed. “You’re bleeding. Come on. I can bandage you up at my house.”

“Mine is a few blocks away.”

“Fine. Shove over and tell me where. We’ll get there while you call those plates in.”

Which is how he ended up with her in his house.

She cleaned up the cuts on his arm and forehead as he remained as still as he could. Which was hard enough when she was so close. He just wanted more. Wanted to lean in and sniff.

He tried to think about the situation. Piece it through. If he focused on that maybe he’d stop thinking about her naked. He should have had Dario come to the house instead of giving him the information over the phone.

It was just the two of them now.

“They’re already closing up. You have a very fast metabolism.”

“That was some really quick thinking back there.” Without the way she’d simply taken over, they’d have ended up in a pretty bad car crash. The chances were good they both would have been all right, but she was already injured enough. Not to mention the not-so-small problem that there’d been passersby who’d have been even more endangered that way.

“Your window was already halfway down. I’m sorry you got cut.”

“I can survive. Especially when worse would have happened if you hadn’t been so smart.”

And then he wanted her. Wanted her more than he’d wanted anything in a really long time.

She stood between his thighs as she’d been tweezing the glass out of a wound on his shoulder. He made her dizzy. Which was also part of the adrenaline, she knew. But it was him.

His pheromones changed. Surged and then sort of blanketed her in warm, sexy hotness. This was… Well, she’d never had this before. Her arm throbbed, her leg throbbed, and she really should sit down and rest. But she was rooted to the spot as one of his hands slid up the back of her thigh and came to rest, cupping her ass.

The heat of him blasted against her chest as his scent rose to her nose. His dreads brushed against her bare arm. His cat was just barely leashed, but he vibrated with all that self-control.

He tipped his head back and her breath caught.

She shouldn’t be doing any of this. But she dipped her head just that small amount to meet his mouth and that was it.

He surged to his feet, his free hand joining the other, cupping her ass to haul her closer. Not that she minded. He was hard against her. A mass of man and muscle that nearly sent her to her knees.

Which, all things being equal, wasn’t a bad next step.

His taste slid through her. Her cat approved of his, approved of this man with his hands on her ass, his tongue in her mouth, teeth grazing her lip until she gasped and he growled.

He opened his eyes and met her gaze, and it shocked her into total stillness. But when she freed herself, she nipped his bottom lip like she’d wanted to earlier.

He’d been nearly back under control until she grabbed his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged as her fingers dug into the muscles of his shoulder, hanging on and driving him right back to the edge of sanity.

He exhaled and tried to let go of her ass but found it impossible. His cat wasn’t having any of it.

She moaned, her fingers relaxing, no longer digging into his shoulders, but didn’t make a single move to disentangle herself from him. His cat eased back a little, but he kept that luscious ass in his palms.

“Where you goin’?”

She swallowed with some effort. “Where do you want me to go?”

He groaned, tugging her close enough to grind his cock against her. “What do you think?”

“I want you to say it.”

He smiled, mainly because she had a spine of steel and he liked that about her. But also because she knew what she wanted and she demanded it.

“I want you to go into my bedroom so I can get you naked.”

“Was that so hard?”

“It is, yes. I hope that penchant for demanding your due extends to fucking.”

It was her turn to smile. “Fuck me and find out.”

He bent his knees and picked her up, adjusting his hold on her butt. She wrapped her legs around him as he carried her into his bedroom and put her down carefully on his bed.

“I’m not fragile.”

He snorted. “You got shot today. If I break you, how can I fuck you?”

She whipped her shirt up and over her head, tossing it across the room. Her bra followed, and she shimmied from her shoes, socks and jeans. “That’s true. You’re not naked.”

He remedied that while he watched her get totally naked. Not bothering to hide his hum of satisfaction as she slid the panties from her legs and lay back, her gaze roaming over his body.

“You’re something else.” He got on the bed, kissing the pink parts on her chest and shoulder, and she shivered.

“I was about to say the same.”

Her fingertips traced over the muscles of his back as he kissed over her collarbone and watched her nipples stand at attention.

“The piercings are so hot I can’t quite stand it.”

He stretched to take her mouth again and she pressed her body to his.

Skin to skin, she gasped at how good it felt, and he swallowed the sound. He smelled good and felt even better. He kissed her nearly senseless. The scratch of his facial hair only made it better.

She pushed him back and got to her knees to look down at him. He was…holy shit he was amazing.