Dimitri (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 6) (10 page)

“What the fuck, Jake?”

“What? Oh, sorry. Jenny, meet Dimitri,” he offered with a slick smile.

“Hi-ya,” his perky date greeted Dimitri. She gave him the once over from his wet hair down to his toes, settling her eyes on the small towel wrapped around his waist. “Didn’t know you had a friend? If I didn’t have to get to work, a threesome might’ve been fun.”

“Yeah, not happening,” Dimitri barked, irritated that Gillian was missing.

“He’s a grumpy one, huh?” she asked with a giggle as Jake kissed her neck.

“Somethin’ like that. He’s got a tiger in his panties. Sorry, babe, but I gotta help my friend out.”

She raised an eyebrow at him.

“No, not like that. He’s, uh, looking for a girl.”

“Well, I got a friend if you wanna meet at six.”

“Sorry, we’re outta here today. Maybe next time I’m in Vegas.”

“Or I’m in NOLA?”

“You bet,” Jake promised, opening the door.

“Thanks for last night, sweetie. See ya round. And you too, big guy,” she added with a wave, stopping to whisper in Jake’s ear. “Maybe next time. I love tattoos.”

“Yeah, maybe,” he lied, knowing that Dimitri was out of sorts.

Dimitri paced while Jake said his goodbyes. Where the hell had she gone? When he’d left to go take a shower, she’d been sleeping soundly in bed. She’d given no warning that she was getting ready to fly the coop. Rubbing his scruffy beard, he blew out a breath.

The familiar cadence of his cell phone sounded. Running back into his bedroom, he picked it up off the bed stand and read the message:
Thanks for last night. Sorry to kiss & run. Gotta get back home. Go see the witch.

Dimitri threw the phone down on the bed and tore off his towel.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She did not just leave me without saying goodbye. Yeah, that’s exactly what just happened.
Rummaging through a dresser drawer, he pulled out the same pants and shirt he’d worn the day before, and sniffed. They smelled like blood and wolf…Chaz. He shook his head in disgust.

“Here,” Jake said, tossing him a new pair of jeans.

“Where the hell were you?” Dimitri growled, snatching them. He shrugged into the stiff denim, wincing as the rough material nicked his dick.

“Thank you so much, Jake, for getting me new clothes. I feel so much better not stinking like the Alpha pig that I almost killed last night,” Jake taunted.

“Fuck you,” Dimitri said as a t-shirt hit him in the head. He shot his friend a nasty grimace before slipping the garment over his head. Dimitri glanced down to the slogan printed boldly across his chest in bright gold letters. He shook his head.

“For real?”

“Elvis has Left the Building!” Jake joked, reading it aloud. “The king’s the bomb, bro.”

“Where the fuck were you? How did you not hear Gilly leave?”

“Uh, for the same reason you didn’t.”

“I was in the shower.”

“Yeah, my guess is that you were strokin’ off a case of blue balls in there. I, on the other hand, was making love to my sweet lil’ Jenny.”

“Showgirl?”

“Too cliché. Travel agent. We met at home. We were busy, making up for lost time and all that.”

“I am a goddamned idiot. I should’ve known she would take off. Come on, if we hurry we can catch up to her.” Dimitri grabbed his cell off the bed and pecked at the phone number from where she’d sent the text.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m calling her. It’s not safe out here. Who the hell knows if New York is safe?” The call went to voicemail and he ended the connection. Sending her a quick text back, he told her to wait at the airport for him.

“Listen, D,” Jake began, plowing his fingers over his cropped hair. “I know you’re sweet on the tiger but you’ve got to let her go.”

“We’re going. Now,” Dimitri ordered, sliding his feet into the pair of Vans that Jake had provided. He strode out toward the exit.

“I’m just saying that we can try to catch up with her, but if we don’t find her,” he paused, trying to keep up with Dimitri as he opened the door and started toward the elevator, “I think she’s right. You need to go see Ilsbeth. You’re vulnerable.”

Dimitri grabbed Jake, shoving him up against the wall. Quickly, he realized his transgression and released him.

“I’m not vulnerable,” he denied.
I’m compromised. I’m a liability.
Dimitri’s jaw ticked in anger as he mulled over the situation.

“I know this can’t be easy, but ya know, Gilly left because she wants you to go home. She healed you and knows that whatever piece of shit evil took your wolf from you the first time could happen again. And then what good are you to her?”

“Let’s just see if we can catch up with her.” A ding resonated, alerting them the lift had arrived. They entered and Dimitri stabbed at the lobby button with his finger.

“She’ll be okay. You saw what she did last night.”

“Yeah, I saw, all right. I saw her tied up like an animal for a whipping. If we hadn’t gotten there in time, they would have…”
Raped her. Killed her…she’d never submit.
“…hurt her.”

“But we did get there, and now she’s skipping town to where she’ll be safe. She’s lived in New York for a while. New Yorkers are tough.”

“Badass,” Dimitri added, hoping their speculation was true.

“Yeah, that’s right. She’s tough. Nothing happened to her while she lived there. The danger’s here. Chaz would have to have a death wish to go to New York City. You and I both know that Jax wouldn’t take kindly to strangers in his town, causin’ a ruckus.”

“Maybe.” Jax Chandler, the New York Alpha, was an arrogant prick who wouldn’t have allowed a rogue wolf anywhere near his territory, let alone another Alpha who was looking to attack a shifter.

Still, it rubbed Dimitri the wrong way that Gillian was on her own. He was angrier at himself that he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t end up mortal, unable to protect his woman. He quickly corrected his runaway thought.
His woman?
Yeah, right. Dimitri didn’t keep women like belongings. It was more like he entertained the ladies, no ties, no promises.

His rule may have gotten him in trouble a few times. A certain witch in New Orleans came to mind. But for the most part, women respected his honesty and he respected them. One hundred and twenty years of dating, and he hadn’t tired of the revolving door of beautiful ladies who’d warmed his bed. So why did it bother him so much that one gorgeous kitty cat went stray?

They reached the car and his phone buzzed. Another text:
Don’t try to come to the gate, baby. Won’t pass security w/out a tix. Go see the witch.

Dimitri huffed, irritated that she’d called him a term of endearment while telling him what to do.
Baby? Baby, my ass.
The girl had a lot of freakin’ nerve. Not only did she just leave him holding his dick in his hands, but she’d bossed him no less than twice in the course of the day. Clever little kitty knew how to sneak out and then found bravery behind her texts. If she thought this was the end of things, she was dead wrong. When he saw her next, he planned to spank her ass pink. For the first time in the day, a smile broke across his face.

No matter how cheery she’d tried to sound in her texts to Dimitri, Gillian was scared shitless. She was certain that Chaz would be hot on her trail. On the way home from the airport, she’d considered calling her mom, but knew if she spoke to her that she’d spill every detail about what had happened in California. Instead, she’d sent her a short text, letting her know that she was okay and that she’d returned to New York. Gillian hated lying to her mom, but didn’t have the heart to worry her.

Carbon dioxide gushed out of a passing pickup truck, and Gillian choked on the fumes. Her taxi swerved to the curb, and she tossed the driver a twenty. She yanked her hoodie down over her head, and ducked out of the cab, then slid into the shadows of an alley and waited. She wiped the city grit from her eyes, observing the steady flow of pedestrians. Her gut told her to be cautious. Her salary didn’t afford her a doorman. She knew that just about any good-looking guy could talk her neighbor, Mrs. Beasley, into letting him into the building. A nice smile and a smooth story was the key to the kingdom.

Deciding a disguise was in order, she lowered her head and hoofed it two blocks to the corner store. As loathe as she was to do it, she needed to change her looks. She sighed, vacillating between her choices. Blonde or redhead? Blondes may have more fun, but something about red hair appealed to her. She pondered her options for only a second, taking care to be cognizant of her surroundings.

Gillian grabbed a box of the strawberry hue, praying she’d chosen wisely. The only other time she’d dyed her dark brunette hair was in high school, and she ended up looking like Ronald McDonald. Instead of fretting, she’d proudly worn it until the roots had grown out. Her mother had fits over the two-toned tresses that graced her graduation pictures. The memory caused her to chuckle in spite of the danger that could be lurking back on the streets.

In haste, Gillian swiped her credit card, and made quick work of getting back to her building. Trekking toward her apartment, she got the distinct feeling someone was watching her. Her stomach clenched, and she glanced over her shoulder and back again to the passing crowd. A young mother hurriedly bustled her children down the sidewalk. An older woman fussed over her toy poodle, who apparently was having trouble doing his business. Gillian jumped as a teenager bumped into her, obviously not looking where he was going as he tapped at his phone. The strangers appeared innocuous, but her instincts remained on high alert. Crossing past the threshold of the entrance, she panted a small breath, relieved that the lobby appeared empty. Tapping in the security code, she prayed she’d make it safely to her home.

Gillian could have won a medal for the world’s fastest dresser, because she’d gotten in and out of her apartment in less than thirty minutes. In the time it took to go from brunette to red, she was on her way to see the Alpha. Unsure of how to best approach Jax, she hadn’t called him, deciding it would be best to go see him in person. Within seconds of entering the building and asking for her brother, she’d been ushered into the elevator. Glancing up into the small orb on the ceiling, she got the distinct feeling she was being watched. Her eyes fell to the bellman, whose fake snobbish accent told her he thought she was some kind of bottom feeder, who didn’t belong in his lobby, let alone in the penthouse. She twirled a strand of her newly dyed hair, and glanced down to her royal-blue toenail polish. She supposed that in her rush to pack, she hadn’t taken great care tending to her appearance, but she was merely grateful to have made it safely across town.

Gillian tried not to think about the melancholy that had washed over her when she’d opened her apartment door. She was relieved that there hadn’t been a thug waiting for her inside, but the sight of her portfolio on her kitchen table brought tears to her eyes. Although she’d been lucky enough not to lose her wallet and cell phone during her ordeal in the desert, her new camera was lost and that was going to cost her money she didn’t have. Replacing it would have to wait, though. Right now, her first priority was securing protection. Security from a family member who didn’t even know she existed.

Gillian’s heart raced in tandem with the overhead flashing numbers that ticked away. Her stomach lurched as the lift came to a stop. Within seconds, she’d face the Alpha who had the potential to save her. This was either going to go really well, or she’d be out on her ass. Would Jax help her? Would he accept her as his sister? If he did, would he force her to live with him…as wolf? She took a deep breath and tried to halt the tornado of questions that whirled in her mind. A gruff demand brought her out of her contemplation.

“You’re here,” he grumbled, nodding toward the opening doors.

“What?” she asked, taking a second to steel her nerves.

“I said, ‘you’re here’. Mr. Chandler is waiting,” the bellman announced, extending his arm to usher her forward.

Putting a foot over the grate, she stepped onto the shiny Spanish marble. The enormous modern glass chandelier that hung from the cathedral ceiling captivated her, and she nearly tripped as her shoe slid over the smooth floor.