Loving Their Vixen Mate (Pack Wars Book 4) (6 page)

Somehow I doubt she’d agree
, Brandon answered.

You’re probably right. She’s sitting at the bar
.
Third seat from the right
.”

I see her.
Given she’s the only woman there, she’s hard to miss
.

To his delight, Mackenzie was by herself. As he approached from the side, he could see that she was more beautiful than he’d remembered. He could only see her profile, but her straight nose and high cheekbones spoke of good genes. His heart turned heavy just thinking about the news he’d have to break to her. If he didn’t succeed in convincing her to stay clear of Jay, Brandon and Sam might never have a mate.

A purse sat on the stool next to her as if she were saving the spot just for him. A guy could dream, right? She sat up straighter.
Aha!
She must have felt his presence, or else she caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye. She reached for her purse, as if she wasn’t sure if what she felt was one of danger or desire.

Before he could say anything to assure her he wasn’t a threat, Mackenzie swiveled in her seat and gave him the once over. Was she trying to see if he was evil? Or was she letting him know she recognized him as her mate? From the gleam in her eye, it was closer to the latter. Relief poured through him.

The last few steps were the hardest. He was truly struggling to keep control. Brandon didn’t mind if she spotted the hair on the back of his hands, but if anyone else noticed it, there’d be trouble.

“This seat taken?” he asked using his most approachable tone.

She smiled. “It’s all yours. I was keeping it warm for some tall, dark, and handsome stranger.”

Yes!
Mackenzie was making it easy for him. He wasn’t sure what he would have done had she said she was saving the seat for someone else. He held out his hand. “Name’s Brandon.”

The moment their palms touched, it was like an electric spark shot straight to his heart, his soul, and his cock—a cock that had yet to settle. If the size of her eyes were any indication, as well as the way she was shifting on her seat, Mackenzie wasn’t immune to the connection between them either.

As if burned, she quickly withdrew her palm. The light in the bar might be dim, but a hint of confusion, or possibly fear, crossed her face.

He suspected that she might be baffled about why she was having this type of reaction. Brandon wanted to put her at ease. “Does the beautiful lady have a name?”

“Oh, Sorry. I’m Mackenzie, but I go by Mac.”

“Mac. I like it.” Brandon noticed the long delay before she’d answered, as well as the omission of her last name. It was as if she wasn’t sure how much she should share. Then again, he hadn’t told her his last name either. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t mentioned it. She couldn’t know he was aware of who she was, nor would she have any reason to suspect he knew something about her cousin.

He slid onto the seat next to her. “You from around here?” God, his pick up line sounded like an inexperienced fifteen-year old.

“Indiana. You?”

Not much of a cover. That concerned him. She shouldn’t be so forthcoming with the facts. Then again, if she wanted to learn about Cheryl, she’d have to be truthful. “Born and bred here. You come down to escape the cold weather?”

Her features hardened, but she recovered quickly. “I have a cousin who lives down here. We hadn’t seen each other in a while, so I wanted to catch up with him.”

Brandon looked around, pretending he didn’t know who Jay was. “Is he here now?”

She glanced down at the glass. “No.”

“Didn’t he warn you about coming to a place like this? You never know what kind of person you’ll run into.”
Shut up, Brandon
. He sounded like a dad warning his teenage daughter about the big, bad world.

She smiled, causing his body to light up. His reaction to her was too intense, too unpredictable. He inhaled and looked away, hoping for some calm.

“He did, but I told him I could take care of myself.”

Brandon needed to tone down his big brother attitude. “Well, thank him for me. If you’d like, I’ll be happy to be your bodyguard for the night.”
Did I just say that?

Thankfully, the bartender came up, preventing Brandon from hearing her possible groan from his second bad pick-up line. “What’ll you have?”

“Whatever you have on draft.”

The bartender poured the drink and plunked it on the counter. “You want to run a tab?”

Brandon had no intention of staying longer than was necessary. If he did, he might embarrass himself. “Nope.” He pulled out a five and tossed it on the counter. He held up his glass to toast, and she did the same. “To a fun vacation.”

“To a fun vacation.” They tapped their glasses and drank. “Do you come here often?” she asked.

She sounded overly curious. “Not if I can help it, but I was thirsty and decided to stop on in.” He certainly couldn’t have blurted out the truth. She’d have run for sure.

She nodded, seeming to think about his comment. “So, Brandon, what do you do for a living?” From the way she was running her finger up and down the glass, she was a little uncomfortable with the small talk. It was if she wasn’t all that experienced in the dating scene.

He wanted to give her a hug and tell her everything would be okay, but he suspected any overtures on his part wouldn’t be welcome. Mackenzie was his mate, which meant lies would only make things worse. “I work for the phone company installing lines, checking to make sure the service is working.” If he expected her to open up to him, he needed to tell her more. “But I also work in law enforcement when needed.”

“Really?” Mackenzie twisted toward him, delight in her voice. When their knees bumped, adrenaline soared through him. “Then I guess you heard about the Barbie Lassiter murder a few weeks back. From the reports, her body was spotted right behind this bar.”

So that was why she’d come here. “I did, but I wasn’t involved in that case. By the time I heard about it, she’d been found.” That was the truth. The General, in one of their weekly meetings, had appraised everyone of the situation. It was a sad day indeed.

“Do the police have any suspects?”

“I don’t know.” The Pack sure had a few—namely John Hood.

Mackenzie’s shoulders slumped.
Tell her
.

I can’t.
His sixth sense was telling him to wait a little longer. If this had been some random stranger asking about the sensational case, he wouldn’t have mentioned The Pack, so why should he now? Mackenzie might be a halfling and could be trusted with knowing The Pack existed, but he feared she’d tell Jay that she’d met a few members. That might make it worse for her.

Her bringing up Barbie Lassiter’s name intrigued him. Had Mackenzie figured out that Barbie had been with Elena and Cheryl in the warehouse? If he asked and she said, no, he’d have a lot of explaining to do. Jay could have mentioned something to her, but it didn’t seem likely. There’d be no reason to give Mackenzie any information that would lead her to her cousin.

“What about you? What do you do?”

“I work for a private investigation firm.”

He was surprised Chris Williams hadn’t come up with that information. “Really? So you’re a PI. That’s cool.”

She glanced away. “Actually, I work mostly in the office doing computer stuff, but I have skills.”

He bet she did. “What’s your forte?”

She glanced to the ceiling. “Hmm. That would be tough. I’d have to say finding information on people.”

“Like hacking into their accounts?”

She wagged a finger in front of him. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

He laughed. She was smart not to admit to a stranger that her actions might have crossed the legal line every once in a while. “You like your job?”

“For the most part.” She leaned forward. “But enough about me. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” Now she’d intrigued him again.

“Since you’re from around here, I was wondering if I can pick your brain for a second.” Her voice caught. Clearly, what she had to say wasn’t easy for her.

“Sure.”

“I have a…friend who came down to Gulfside for an interview about two weeks ago, and I never heard back from her. I’m thinking she took off for some exciting adventure. What’s there to do around here that would lure her so far away that she can’t return my calls?”

That was a clever question. He pushed aside what he knew to be the truth and went with the typical answer. “She could have found a good deal on a cruise. I don’t know if all the ships have a satellite signal. She might not be able to call.”

“That’s a thought, but she was pretty low on funds.” Mackenzie pressed her lips together.

Brandon waited for her to ask him something else, but she seemed to be struggling with how to really ask her question. To her, he was merely some random passerby intent on hitting on her. What else could she ask without telling him more?

She swiveled to face him. “Okay. Here’s the thing. I think something bad might have happened to my friend.”

That wasn’t what he thought she’d say, but he had to admit, he liked the direct approach. When she leaned close, her scent invaded his nose, causing his cock to harden once more. Not only that, his bones cracked. Fuck.

He nodded to the hair on the back of his hand. “Listen. I’d like to help, but I seem to be experiencing some technical difficulties. How about we step outside and discuss this?”

“Oh, my.” She set her glass on the counter and swiped her palm down her leg. More indication she didn’t understand this mating thing any better than he did.

She paid her bill and stood. On their way out, several of the men shouted some lewd comments at her. Brandon’s protective nature shot up, and he wrapped his arm around her waist as he ushered her toward the front entrance. He was pleased she didn’t pull away, but he had to inhale deeply to avoid the sexual draw.

As they passed Sam, Mackenzie stiffened and glanced his way. Brandon did a mental fist pump. She was attracted to Sam, too, only she probably didn’t realize it.

“Don’t worry, darlin’, that big lug is my cousin. Sam’s here to make sure nothing bad happens to us.”

Her steps faltered, but she didn’t stop. Once outside, he maneuvered them away from the entrance. He’d hoped the fresh air would help calm him, but it didn’t.

“Your cousin is your bodyguard? Why do you need one?”

Brandon laughed. God, but it felt good to let that out. “No. He’s not
my
bodyguard.” He didn’t know how to explain it. She wrapped her arms around her, as if she were cold. “Here. Put this on.” He slipped off his lightweight jacket and placed it over her shoulders.

“Thanks.”

Sam moved in front of her and smiled. “Hey there. I’m Sam.”

Smooth, Sam.

Mackenzie backed up. “Is this some kind of setup?” She dipped her hand in her purse, pulled out a thirty-two, and aimed it at Sam’s chest. With her free hand, she held the jacket closed. “Stand back. I know how to use this. And these aren’t regular bullets in case you’re wondering.”

Christ, but she was feisty. Sam looked like he was about to shift and charge. “No,” Brandon interceded. “You’ve got it all wrong. He’s here to help, too.” He looked around to make sure they were out of earshot of anyone.

She didn’t lower her arm. “How did he know I’d need help? He couldn’t hear us. Are you wearing a wire or something?”

Shit, but she was a sharp one. “No. It’s nothing like that. We can communicate telepathically. You didn’t know that?”

“Sure. I forgot.”

Brandon hated upsetting her. “We do want to help. We’re with law enforcement, remember?”

“Him, too?” She nodded toward Sam.

“Yes. He’s a deputy with the sheriff’s department.”

She lifted her chin. “Show me your badge.”

Sam’s glance lowered. “I don’t wear it when I’m not on duty.”

“Figures.” Her arm didn’t waver.

“Mackenzie, how about you come with us, away from this place, and we’ll explain everything.”

Her chin jutted out. “I wasn’t born yesterday. We can talk here.”

“Fine, but would you mind putting that weapon away? The next person who walks out of the bar will see it. They just might call the police. Sam’s cool, but the regular ones might ask too many questions.” He hoped she understood what he meant.

She gave in and stuffed the gun back in her purse. “Fine. So talk.”

She kept her hand inside, probably with her finger on the trigger, and Brandon was glad she remained cautious.

He glanced to Sam.
Should we tell her we’re members of The Pack?

Not yet
. Sam had moved farther away from Mackenzie as if being near her was messing with his mind.

He wasn’t much help. “We’re the good guys here.” Mackenzie glanced to the sky. “Okay, here’s the truth. Sam and I are working on a few missing persons’ cases, and we have reason to believe Cheryl might be one of the women missing.” He didn’t think she was ready to hear that her cousin had been housed in a cage.

You said I was the tactless one?
Sam messaged.

Brandon slipped a finger behind his back.

Her eyes widened, and she quickly lifted her gun again. “I never mentioned that my friend was my cousin. Who are you really? And how did you know her name?”

Oh, crap.