Melonee Bracs Mistletoe Madness 30 (11 page)

Maverick tugged at the tie around his neck. It felt more like a damn noose as he stood in the mirror and examined himself. Never would he have thought to see himself in a business suit. Kota thought it would make a better impression when he showed up in court to defend his mate and the other two.

Kota was going, of course, along with Micah. They looked like they were heading to a boardroom rather than a courtroom.
Smoothing his hand down the front of his suit, Maverick prayed he came home with his mate or he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He didn’t get a second of sleep last night. He couldn’t, not when his bed was so damn empty. It gave him a glimpse of what his life would be like without Cecil in it, and Maverick didn’t like it one bit. The man might be a royal pain in the ass sometimes, but the cold, empty feeling Maverick had suffered through last night wasn’t something he ever wanted to experience again.
Last night was a harsh reminder of what his life was like before Cecil had come into it. The memories of those lonely times had haunted him all night. No matter what happened today, Maverick was bringing his mate home—legally or not.
Maverick turned when he heard a throat clear behind him. A camera flash went off, temporarily blinding him.
“No one is ever going to believe me if I don’t get proof.”
“Show anyone that picture, Kota, and they’ll never find the body.”
“Oh, come on, Maverick,” Kota teased. “You look fucking fabulous. We should have gotten you into a suit years ago.”
Maverick gave a low growl. He was not only dying to take the damn suit off, but take the leather thong out of his hair. Heaven had come into his room this morning and put his hair into one long braid. Maverick wasn’t used to his hair being bound. It was driving him crazy.
“Luke is here,” Micah announced as he walked into Maverick’s bedroom. “Holy shit, look at you!”
“One more word from either of you and I’ll dispose of both your bodies.” Maverick walked from his bedroom and down toward his office, praying he didn’t see anyone on the way. He looked like a damn idiot in the dark suit.
Luke was in his office waiting, but thankfully—although the man’s eyes grew round—he didn’t say a word. He grabbed his sunglasses off of his desk and placed them on his face before giving a nod. “Ready.”
Luke grabbed the three and shimmered them behind the courthouse. Maverick was in a foul mood and prayed no one pissed him off. He didn’t like being without Cecil. Not only that, Melonee’s mates were walking a thin tightrope with the bullshit they were pulling. He still couldn’t believe Adam had led the vampire hunters toward Brac Village and Ruttford’s brother was in debt up to his eyeballs.
He was going to clean the mess up when he got home and show those two the door. There was no way he was allowing his little girl to be mated to two irresponsible men. Ruttford didn’t have a serious bone in his body, and Maverick was tired of dealing with the man. Adam could get his ass out of town as well.
Maverick walked into the courthouse, feeling his skin tighten as he looked around at the hustle and bustle of men and women in suits as they hurried from one direction to the other. He knew he had grown accustomed to dealing with matters in the paranormal world because being in the human world, in this court system, made him feel out of his depth.
It was unfamiliar territory, and all Maverick wanted to do was get the three mates and get out of here. This was what he had tried to avoid, contact with the human populace on their terms. If something happened, he couldn’t shift and Luke couldn’t shimmer. Their hands were virtually tied.
Maverick pushed the doors open to the courtroom where Cecil and the brothers were having their bail hearing and noticed how crowded it was. The judge was sitting up front behind his raised desk, looking irritated already this morning.
“Bail denied,” the judge said as he slammed down his gavel. “Next case.”
Cecil was nowhere in sight. Maverick, Kota, and Micah took a seat up front, waiting. Luke had shimmered out, telling them to call when they needed him. He had said being here in New York made him nervous. It was too crowded, too busy, and he feared his ears would give him away.
Thankfully Maverick didn’t have to worry about sunlight or any other problems with Cecil, Blair, and Oliver. They were human.
What concerned him was the judge taking his frustrations out on the mates and throwing the book at them. There was no way he was allowing the three to do any time, but that would mean housing fugitives.
He was going to kill Cecil for this.
“Docket number 56421. The state of New York versus Cecil Walters, Blair Weston, and Oliver Weston.”
Maverick stood as the three were ushered into the courtroom. He smoothed his hand down his suit nervously, wondering if he could really get them out of this when someone called out, “Devlin Stanton as their attorney, Your Honor.”
Turning, Maverick saw a man walking toward the front of the crowded courtroom, a briefcase in his hand.
“You always show up late?” the judge asked. The man did not look pleased.
Maverick groaned. This had to be a public defender. He prayed this man knew what he was doing—although, for a public defender, he wore a very expensive suit.
“Your Honor, these three men were caught in a raid on an illegal bare-knuckle boxing ring that had been under surveillance for months,” the prosecutor said as he stood on the other side of the three mates and the lawyer.
“My clients are upstanding citizens in their community, Your Honor. They have volunteered for over a decade at the local recreation center, have helped out at the resource center for the battered, and have helped the community in many other ways. Request they be released on their own recognizances.”
“Your Honor,” the prosecutor argued, “they have the resources to escape the country. They don’t even live in the state of New York. Request their bail be denied.”
“They are deeply rooted in family in Brac Village, Your Honor. They pose no flight risk.”
“Tether them,” the judge said. “Released on their own recognizances until their court date.” The gavel came down.
“This way,” the lawyer said to Maverick.
“You’re one hell of a public defender,” Maverick said as he grabbed Cecil and pulled him into a hug. God, it felt so good to have his mate in his arms again. He knew this wasn’t over, but feeling Cecil safe in his arms calmed Maverick’s wolf.
“I’m not a public defender,” Mr. Stanton replied. “Christian hired me.”
“Now what?” Cecil asked.
“Now you get a pretty little bracelet around your ankle and stay home until your trial.” The man moved forward until they were out of the courtroom. “I’ll take care of the paperwork while you three go down to have the bracelets put on. I’m pretty sure I can get the charges dropped, but you’ll have to give me until after the holidays.” The man gave Maverick a hard stare. “Christian told me about Cecil’s penchant for trouble. Mark my word. This judge is a hard-ass and will bury them under the jail if they disobey the court order. Keep him home.”
Maverick wasn’t letting the man out of his sight.

Melonee knew Maverick was going to blow a gasket when he found her gone, but she had decided that leaving her home behind and moving away wasn’t the answer. This was her family, and she was going to fight to keep them
and
her mates. She knew in her heart that she would be miserable if she had to live outside the Den.

As much as she loved Ruttford and Adam, life without her family didn’t hold any warmth for her. Melonee had to find a way to keep her mates and the people she loved more than life itself.

If Maverick wanted proof that she was an adult, she was going to give it to him. She knew it wasn’t easy for him to let her go. Melonee even understood his need to keep her safe and happy.

But she was suffocating under his love.
If what she was about to do didn’t prove that she could handle her own and that she was grown, Melonee wasn’t sure what she was going to do.
“This is a very bad idea,” she mumbled to herself as she walked into the small building with high windows and a buzzer system. She didn’t know the first thing about dealing with Shadow elf henchmen, but she needed to find a way to get Fire out of this mess without going to Maverick for the money.
She was going to show him that she could handle this situation on her own. She just hoped the two blue men didn’t squash her like a bug when she met with them.
If they would even talk to her.
Steeling her nerves, Melonee walked up to the counter, looking the woman directly in her eyes. “I’m here to see Myne and Yanyte.”
The woman with her purple spiked hair and loud makeup gave Melonee a droll stare as she lowered her horn-rimmed glasses and looked at Melonee over the bridge of her nose. “Are you sure about that, darling? Most people don’t get a visit from those two until it’s too late. I’ve never had anyone come looking for the two. Do you have a death wish?”
That was not comforting, but Melonee knew she had to find some way to free Fire from his debt before she killed her brother-in-law herself. Melonee nodded at the woman, even though she felt like turning around and running from this place. “I need to speak to them.”
The woman shrugged. “Your funeral.” She picked up a phone and dialed, talking quietly into the receiver.
Melonee glanced around at the plainness of the room she was standing in. She wasn’t sure what she had expected when she tortured Fire into telling her where this place was, but it didn’t look like a bookie office—not that she would know what one would look like.
Just as the woman hung the phone up, Myne and Yanyte shimmered in behind her. They weren’t what she was expecting either. For some reason, Melonee had pictured them as some sort of Italian musclemen with greased-back hair and toothpicks sticking out of their mouths.
Instead, she found herself standing in front of two stunning blue men who could have worked a runway in Paris. One had black hair that settled at his shoulders in soft waves, while the other had a deep chestnut-brown coloring to his hair, which was cut short and stylish. They both had intense green eyes and handsome faces. They were sleek in build, but there was no mistaking the power emanating off of them in thick, commanding waves.
“You come to pay a debt?” the black-haired one asked.
“No,” the brown-haired one said as his eyes glided over Melonee, making her feel as if he had just violated her with his deep-green, penetrating gaze. “I would have remembered a fine-looking female like this one.”

Pig.
“I’m here to talk to you about Fire’s debt,” Melonee replied as she stood her ground. She refused to wither under their gazes. She could tell they were used to their intimidation tactics scaring people, but Melonee had grown up with Maverick. They were going to have to come at her harder than with mere glares.
“Why don’t we talk in a more private setting? I am known as Myne, sweetness.” The dark-haired man took Melonee’s hand, kissing her knuckles.
Melonee pulled her hand free. “This will do just fine.” She waved her hand around the room. Privacy was something she didn’t need with these two horndogs. She had a feeling they wouldn’t be talking about Fire if they got her alone.
Yanyte glared at her when she refused their offer. “The only thing we want to hear about Fire’s debt is that it was paid. That sorry son of a bitch better be lucky we are currently busy, or he would be dead by now.”
Myne leaned forward, his face inches from hers. “And you would own the debt after his death. We are fully aware you are Ruttford’s mate.”
“There has to be something you gentlemen want in exchange for clearing his slate,” Melonee replied and then rolled her eyes when Myne’s nostrils flared. “Besides sex.”
“As good looking as you are, doll,” Yanyte replied, “you don’t have fifty thousand dollars’ worth of goodies for us to play with.”
Melonee wanted to smack the crap out of both of them. If she wasn’t bargaining for someone’s life, she just might have done it. “There’s nothing you two need taken care of?”
Yanyte threw his head back and gave a deep laugh. “What could you do for us that we couldn’t take care of ourselves?”
“Wait,” Myne said as he placed his hand on Yanyte’s arm. “There is one thing. If you can accomplish this feat, we will wipe Fire’s debt clean.”
Melonee knew it was going to be colossal. Fifty thousand dollars was nothing to sneeze at. But she knew, no matter what it was, she would do it. “Go on.”
Yanyte glanced at Myne, and Melonee caught the nervousness in the man’s eyes. What could be going on that would make these two so ill at ease?
“We seemed to have incurred someone’s anger,” Myne began. “So far, he hasn’t come after us, but I have a feeling it is only because he wants us to sweat before he seeks his revenge.”
“It was a misunderstanding,” Yanyte added. “If we had known the person placing the small wager was being protected by this creature, we would have forgiven the debt.”
Melonee was pretty sure that if the person was demon or shifter, she could help these two. Her pack was on good terms with most of the demons and shifters. If not, she would find something to bargain with. “Who have you pissed off?” she asked.
“Ceri,” they both replied at the same time.
Melonee felt her heart sink.

Ruttford walked down the hallway, searching the rooms for Melonee. He knew Adam was in the den with Murdock, and Maverick was gone, dealing with his mate in New York. But he hadn’t a clue where Melonee had taken off to.

“Who ya looking for?” Johnny asked, sipping on orange soda from a straw as he came down the hall from the opposite direction Ruttford was heading.

“Melonee, have you seen her?” he asked as he closed the door of the room he had just searched.
Ruttford growled when Johnny stiffened and then quickly spun around, heading away from him. “Hold on right there, Johnny.”
Johnny stilled, glancing at Ruttford over his shoulder. “I don’t know anything.”
“The guilty look on your face says otherwise,” Ruttford said as he strode over to the human. “Where is she?”
Johnny pursed his lips as if he had to really think about it. “I saw her this morning when she was awake, and then I ate breakfast, right before Keata pulled me into the den to play a video game, only her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, so I—”
“Johnny.” Ruttford said the man’s name in warning.
“Coming!” Johnny shouted and took off. Ruttford followed, determined to find out what was going on. He spotted the human ducking into a room as the door slammed shut. There was no way he was letting this go.
Ruttford grabbed the handle and flung the door open, ready to demand Johnny tell him where Melonee was, but froze. What in the hell was Fire doing tied to a chair with a gag in his mouth? Ruttford glanced around to see Keata sitting in a chair across the room, flipping through a manga, relaxed, as if nothing were wrong.
“We’re busted!” Johnny shouted. “Hide Fire!”
“I can see him, Johnny,” Ruttford said as he crossed the room and yanked the scarf from Fire’s mouth.
“About damn time you showed up!” Fire shouted at him. “These damn people are nuts.”
Keata stood and tucked the comic under his arm. “I think my services are no longer needed.” Before Ruttford could ask any questions, Keata and Johnny bolted from the room. He ignored them as he turned toward his brother.
“What in the hell is going on?”
“Your crazy-ass family kidnapped me,” Fire said as he struggled against the binding. Ruttford could see a metal bracelet on his brother’s wrist, stopping him from shimmering out.
“Why did they kidnap you?” He crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn’t letting his brother go, and he wasn’t budging until he had answers.
“Nobody can resist my charms,” Fire said with a smirk. “They all want a piece of me.”
“You are so full of shit, Fire. If anything, they all want to strangle you just for being related to me.” Ruttford had a feeling he wasn’t going to get anywhere with his brother. The man wasn’t forthcoming, and all he was doing was pissing Ruttford off. A horrific thought entered his mind. “Does Maverick know you are here? Did he put you in this room?”
“I’m pretty sure everyone has avoided the man finding out.”
Ruttford felt a measure of relief, but that still didn’t tell him why Fire was here.
“Melonee came to see me,” Fire said in a tone that said he was more than happy with her visit.
“If you don’t want to spit your teeth out, stay away from her,” he said to his brother.
“She came to me,” Fire defended.
“Why?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Fire asked with a twist to his lips.
“If you don’t tell me, I’m calling our parents and telling them about your debt.”
Fire lost the playful gleam in his eyes as he paled slightly. “She wanted to know where to find the Shadow elves that are after me.”
Ruttford shoved the scarf back into Fire’s mouth and raced from the room. What in the hell was Melonee up to? Why would she hunt those no-good men down? He wasn’t sure, but he knew he had to rescue his mate before she got in over her head. He found Adam in the den, still talking with Murdock.
“I need to talk with you.” He pulled Adam into the foyer. “We have to go save Melonee.”
“Isn’t she here?” Adam asked.
“No, she went to deal with some unsavory characters who would sooner kill her than listen to her pleas.”
Ruttford headed toward the front door. If he couldn’t shimmer while in the house, he needed to get outside.
But fate was being a bitch today because as soon as he opened the front door, Maverick stepped through, giving them both a murderous glare.