Cats in Heat (11 page)

“So.” Addie hated small talk and shifted uncomfortably.

She expected to see some kind of waiting smile in Robbie’s expression but there was none. Just seriousness as he leaned forward, sandy brows pulled low over his eyes.

Her alarm bells were blaring again and she opened her mouth to ask what was up.

“I wanted to ease into this but I don’t think we’re going to have time,” he interrupted.

“Excuse me?”

His frown hadn’t let up. “I need to talk to you about your grandmother.”

Oh Jesus, who doesn’t?
“I don’t want to talk about her.”

“I realize that but...but things are going faster than I’d expected.”

She shifted again, her hands coiling into fists under the table and feet itching to run. Roughly ten steps to the door but she didn’t have a vehicle and would have to run home.

Wait, this is Robbie. You don’t need to—

But Erik had been warning her yesterday, hadn’t he? About being careful, about not trusting anyone, even people she knew, when she was outside of her house. And she was far, far from her house
now
.

She looked at Robbie again—good, reliable, sweet Robbie, that logic said—

Don’t trust anyone
.

The hell with logic. She had to start listening to her gut.

Addie swallowed dryly. “What
about
my grandmother?”

“You need to know who she was.”

“I already—”

“Because you’re the same.”

Play dumb
. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do. Listen.” He leaned forward, the table creaking under his elbows. “I know you’re probably freaked out but I’m not here to hurt you—”

“Newsflash: people don’t announce they’re not here to hurt someone when they
actually
don’t plan to hurt them.”

He winced and no matter how she looked at him, he still
seemed
like Robbie. And Robbie wouldn’t actually hurt her, she didn’t think, but thoughts were swirling in her head and she couldn’t think clearly anymore.

My house—I need to be in my house
. Erik had said as much and everything in her said it was true.

“I know how this sounds,” he continued. “I told you, I wanted to wait. But there are people in town and they’re dangerous to you. It’s my job to ensure you’re safe.”

She cocked a brow in skepticism. “Your
job
?”

“Just listen. I know you...you have someone in your house.”

Ice flashed through her body, her veins running cold. “How do you know who’s in my house?”

He raised his hands in a defensive gesture. “We don’t have time for that. But the point is, others are looking for him and until you know the truth, you’re vulnerable. They’ll find him—
and
you—if you don’t listen to me.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“I’m someone who wants to help you make it out of here alive.”

Shit. Oh shit.

He must’ve read her expression. “I know, I know, none of this is coming out right. If your mom had just told you—”

The bartender interrupted, carrying their beers, and Robbie sat up straight, all polite smiles again instead of dead seriousness. As the bartender set down the drinks Addie saw her chance. She locked her fingers around her purse, abruptly slid to the end of the booth, and ran.

Robbie shouted something behind her but she didn’t listen, instead ducking outside. Thunder cracked above, the wind howling around her. She only glanced around briefly before she bolted around the side of the building and down the next alley. Sure, maybe Robbie wasn’t totally nuts, but no way was she sitting in the damn bar having a conversation about this with him. She needed to be
home
. That was all she was sure of. Home was safety,
sanctuary
, and Erik...

Erik knows what’s going on. He might know what Robbie was going to say
. And at least she was one hundred percent certain Erik wouldn’t harm her, which was more than she could say for a whole lot of people right in that moment.

She continued running, around another building and onto a side street. Havelock wasn’t terribly big but it had plenty of small streets and twisty corners—it was easy to lose a person who might be looking for you.

The air was cool and smelled of fresh rain, though only a fine mist was falling. Addie glanced around, gathered her bearings, and started the long way around. She hadn’t brought a cell phone—she usually forgot it at home considering she didn’t travel far enough to really need one for emergencies—but if she ducked into a store and used someone’s phone, she could get a cab home.

Home. Erik.

I hope he’s still there.

If he wasn’t, she didn’t want to think about what she’d do.

She stopped worrying, clutched her purse tightly, and ducked down another side street. The wind rushed violently between buildings and tree leaves in the distance rustled. She felt a prickle over her skin, the fine hairs on her arms rising, and then lightning cracked and thunder shook. The rain came down in sudden sheets, drenching her in an instant. There was nowhere to go for shelter but she stuck close to the building at her left, avoiding the worst of it. Her feet splashed through sudden puddles, soaking through her shoes. If she recalled correctly, there was a convenience store just around the corner—they’d have an ATM and, if she looked pitiful enough, maybe they’d let her use their phone.

Addie turned the next corner, expecting to see the convenience store, and instead her eyes settled on a bright red sports car in front of it.

Her stomach plummeted. Though she scanned the area, she didn’t see the people from yesterday. Maybe they were parked there for no reason. Maybe...

Stop thinking about it, get inside, and call a cab. It’s a public place—even if they
are
dangerous, no one’s stupid enough to do something in public like that.

She took a deep breath and ran forward.

The car windows were dark and obscured by rain; she couldn’t see if anyone was inside, not without staring which she didn’t want to do. So she ignored it and dove through the door into the store. A bell jangled over her head and she swiped wet hair from her brow, blinking as she glanced around.

The clerk was a teen, some young kid she didn’t know. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and she realized the power was out.

“Electricity just went,” he said with a sigh. “Hadn’t put the sign on the door yet.”

Shit.
Well, she might have a little cash in her purse and she
thought
the cab company in town had debit machines in the vehicles. “Phone?”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t work.” He looked her over, the expression on his young face softening. “Here, lock up, turn the sign over, and I’ll get my cell from the back—it might work.”

“I’d
really
appreciate that.”

He blushed, nodded, and walked around the counter, disappearing through the staff door at the rear.

Gotta love trusting small towns
.

Addie shivered in her wet T-shirt, brushed tendrils of soaked curls from her forehead, and turned to face the front door just as the bell jangled again.

Her eyes widened as she recognized the lanky dark-haired guy, the one she’d seen the day before with the redheaded biker woman. The woman wasn’t with him but there were two other men who stepped into the store after him. She didn’t look at them, however—she couldn’t look away from the one she’d passed off as forgettable the day before. His eyes had settled on her, locking on, and his nostrils flared for a moment’s breath in before recognition passed his face.

“You,” he said slowly. “I know you.”

Addie tried to smile but knew she was failing. “Small town.”

She took a step back as the others crowded into the store. The door banged shut behind them and jarred her nerves, her shoulders jumping. Her heart rate spiked and though she tried to breathe normally, she couldn’t stop the sudden panic. Clammy fingers of warning dragged over her, urging her to run though there was nowhere to go.

More and more, though, she was certain
something
was off about this man.

He’s not human
.

Steps sounded behind her and then she heard the voice of the store clerk. “Oh, I’m sorry, guys, but we’re closed.”

They didn’t pay any attention to him, however. No, the man in the lead was still locked on Addie as he stepped forward, his head cocked to the side, eyes raking over her in study.

She took another step back. In a minute she’d hit one of the racks, she knew—the store wasn’t that big. But every fiber of her being was telling her to flee and it was difficult to stand her ground. She crossed her arms at her chest and tried to at least keep from shivering from the rain still clinging to her.

“You can take turns using my phone, I guess,” the clerk said, his voice pitching higher with nervousness. “But...”

Mr. No-Longer-Forgettable stepped closer still until Addie’s head was tipped back to maintain eye contact with him. He wasn’t particularly tall but he stood a head above her and his reed-thin body made him seem to tower. Water dripped from his shaggily-cut brown hair, darkening it to almost black, and his dark clothes made him even more sinister in the low-light.

“Your heart is beating very, very fast.” Another step forward. He breathed in again, his nostrils flaring widely, and she didn’t think it was a normal sort of sniffing. His eyes bored into hers. “Want to explain why that is?”

Erik...help
.

Chapter Fourteen

Erik all but heard Addie’s voice.

He felt the fast thrum of his heart and his own rise to answer it; felt the cold on her skin, the fear rushing through her veins.

But her voice, her words. Those were crystal clear in his brain, almost like she spoke directly to him.

Erik. Help
.

He stormed through the dark house and tore open the front door. A storm was in full swing, thick dark clouds and rain having descended on the town. Fresh air hit his face as he stared out into the early night for a moment, then he slammed the door and ran.

Again that cord between them seemed to
pull
and he went in the direction it tugged him, racing barefoot across Addie’s lawn and onto the street. Ahead, the small town of Havelock was dark, just the lightning splitting the sky enough for him to make it out. Any remaining pain in his side or bruised muscles were forgotten, adrenaline pushing everything away. His gaze narrowed, feet hit the pavement faster.

I hear you, Addie. I hear you.

****

Angelica sat straight up in the back of the limo, her head swiveling as if listening.

Lincoln’s attention was drawn straight to her. “Angelica?”

“He’s alive.”

He hit the intercom and barked at the driver, “Stop.”

The limo came to a halt.

Angelica opened the sunroof and immediately rainwater drenched them, the sudden wild winds from outside invading their quiet space. She stood until her head was exposed to the elements, her long red hair whipping around her. From his vantage point, Lincoln saw her eyes close.

A moment later she sat back down. She didn’t smooth her hair back, the tresses hanging wildly around her, and her eyes were alight with murderous glee.

“Wherever he was, he’s out now, and he’s moving.”

Lincoln didn’t need to reach out with his own magic—he trusted her judgment. Instead he immediately reached for his phone to text his teams to be on the lookout.

The hunt was on and he’d soon have the stray’s head for his transgressions.

****

Before Addie could respond to the creepy guy before her, the man’s cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He eyed Addie for a moment before retrieving it, and glanced down at the message while still facing her.

“Hey,” the clerk started. “I’m sorry, but we’re closed, and if you don’t need the phone—”

“Shut up,” the man said harshly.

One of his companions peeked over his shoulder. “What is it, Rogers?”

The apparent leader, Rogers, frowned at the message for a moment, then a twisted smile curved his lips. “We’ve got him.”

Addie’s heart seized.
Erik—

The front door crashed open suddenly and she expected to see the powerful, dark-haired shifter there. Instead her rescuer peeked around the trio congregating.

Her hopes sank as she recognized Robbie.

“There you are.” He smiled brightly but it was that smile she’d seen a hundred times—the one she now suspected wasn’t entirely truthful. “Got my truck around the corner. Since everything’s closing”—he gestured the store around them—“I’d better get you home.”

The weight in his words was obvious at least to her. Home.

She swallowed dryly and tipped her head down, moving around Rogers and toward Robbie’s outstretched hand. When his fingers locked on her upper arm, she took a steadying breath in. Whatever was going on, she’d be fine. Given the choice here, she’d prefer Robbie Milford, and at least—

Rogers’ hand thrust out and banged the door shut suddenly. The bell overhead jangled loudly.

Robbie went stock-still and slowly lifted his eyes to Rogers’. Tension worked up his body and prickling awareness rushed through Addie. Perhaps it was the low light but
something
passed through his eyes...

And whatever it was told her Robbie wasn’t human.

Rogers grasped for Robbie; her friend ducked, pushed her back. The clerk shouted something but his voice was lost in the overall noise of the men grappling. Addie backed up, away from them, and her instincts kicked in. She homed in on the clerk and rushed to him, grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the back.

Protect
. The word blared over and over in her brain.
Protect.
She had to keep the kid out of harm’s way.

Chip bags crunched and racks of food rattled as the men fought at her back. Addie thrust the kid ahead of her, through the back room. Her eyes settled on the back door only to find it sealed with a padlock.