Rewind & Go: A Blue-Collar Billionaire Romance (Sander's Valley Book 1) (15 page)

We’ll get our cub back. Promise.
The vow wrapped around him, strengthening him. He let the connection to his cats fade and took a deep, calming breath. A familiar scent invaded his lungs. Lion. Faint, yet distinctive. He was on the right path.

Long strides took him around the bar, an older structure that appeared as if it had seen several upgrades and expansions over its lifetime. An upper and lower deck graced one side. The raised level had tables, while the lower featured a live band and dance area. People moved on both, and the sharp twining from instruments as the musicians warmed up carried over the drone of laughter and conversation.

The place was packed, a good thing for those partying and an inconvenience for him. He had business to take care of that didn’t need an audience. He continued past the decks to the employee entrance. Several cars and trucks were parked near the door.

He followed the smell carrying on the breeze to a blue SUV. A child’s car seat was secured in the back. He tugged on the door handle. Locked. No matter. Going by the strength of the scent seeping from the cracked window, Megan had traveled in the vehicle recently.

He pulled out his cell and dialed his friend and fellow pride member, Devin.

“Yeah?” Devin answered.

“You were right. Megan is with her uncle. I found Josh’s car, and there are enough stuffed animals and toys in it to amuse any cub with a short attention span.”

“Have you spotted her?”

“Not yet, but if she’s here, I’ll get her.” Rafe glanced over his shoulder at the building. “And once I hand her over to you, Josh and I are having a little talk about how kids should be raised.”

“Just because the neighbor remembered seeing Megan with Josh doesn’t mean he took her to the bar. The woman said he owns the place. Maybe he’s working, and he dropped Megan off at a sitter or something.”

The idea didn’t comfort him. Actually, it’d almost be better if Josh had taken Megan to work with him. It’d be harder to carry a screaming five-year old through a packed bar than killing her sitter without bystanders nearby and walking away with their rare cub—the innocent child who had a price on her head.

“As soon as I find out, I’ll call.”

Devin’s sigh carried over the line. “Good. I want out of here as soon as possible.”

“You didn’t have to come. I could’ve brought one of my brothers.”

“You know I couldn’t stay behind, not when kids are threatened.”

Yeah, he knew that. It was a damn honorable trait, but Devin wasn’t exactly sane. Dropping him in a tense situation with humans close by was a disaster waiting to happen, but Rafe wasn’t their pride leader. He didn’t get to make the decisions. Kade did, and sometimes Rafe wondered if his twin thought through his dictates before issuing them.

“So, what did you find at Tony’s office?” Rafe asked.

“A whole box of documents from the lawyer who handled Megan’s adoption and…”

Rafe waited for him to finish and finally prompted, “And?”

Devin cleared his throat. “The female you smelled at Tony’s house has spent time here too.”

Rafe cursed. When they’d stopped by the house listed as Megan’s residence, they’d found it engulfed in flames. There had been no sign of their white lion cub, but
her
fragrance had lingered there—a feline scent-marked human. Rafe had to find her. He had questions for her, including what her interest was in Megan.

More importantly, he needed to discover which male had marked her. He’d been a Royal, not a single species shifter. That much Rafe had been able to tell from the unique scent. The mix of lion, tiger and jaguar was unmistakable, but he couldn’t put a face to the smell. Considering there were only a couple dozen Royal feline shifters in the States, an unknown male was a threat. The safety of their women and children couldn’t be risked.

“Did you pick up her trail?”

“Nope. She must’ve driven every time.”

“All right. Check out the next of kin addresses. I’ll corner Josh and find out what he knows. Hopefully one of us will get lucky.”

He ended the call, gave the pile of toys in the car another glance, then headed to the front entrance. The door opened before he reached it. The stench of sweat and stale beer swept out along with the heavy thump of music. He inwardly cringed at the sensory overload. With three animal spirits sharing his body, everything was enhanced, from his instincts to his senses. It was enough to drive a male insane. Fortunately, he’d been dealing with his shifter nature for centuries. He knew how to handle it—with patience and control.

Darkness edged the room. Rafe moved toward the farthest wall, needing a moment to acclimate to the environment. Eyes closed, he parted his lips slightly to taste the scents on the air. He had two very specific ones he sought—Megan’s and the feline scent-marked human’s.

After a few more deep inhales, he cursed. Neither had been in the bar over the last couple of hours. Still, he loped the room and checked the hallways. Nothing. He ground his teeth and leaned farther into the shadows. He might’ve missed out on finding the females he sought, but his trip hadn’t been a complete failure. Josh Conway, Tony’s brother and Megan’s uncle, stood behind the bar with his arms crossed over his chest.

His commanding personality was clear from his confident stance and the way his wait staff interacted with him, responding immediately to whatever direction he gave. Had the tall, black-haired, blue-eyed male been born a shifter, he would’ve been a dominant or maybe an alpha, leading his own pack or pride.

Rafe rubbed his knuckles under his chin. Just his damn luck the human who’d been left as Megan’s guardian was Josh. Rafe doubted the male would blindly accept the bullshit speech or the legal papers claiming Megan was an Alexander and had been stolen at birth.

It wouldn’t matter if it were the truth. Or partially true. She had been stolen, but Rafe had no idea which pride she belonged to. White lion shifters were nearly extinct. Megan was the only female left. No matter the circumstances. Josh wouldn’t give her up without a fight. Rafe would bet his life on it.

Oh yeah, they needed to talk, and Josh’s answer would set his path. The way Rafe looked at it, Josh had two options: become assimilated into the shifter world, vowing to protect their secret, or be handed over to the human government for reprogramming, a procedure that mixed brainwashing and magic and had about a fifty-fifty success rate.

Neither option was ideal, but there was no choice. The general population couldn’t learn of shifters’ existence. They weren’t ready.

Rafe’s cell vibrated against his leg, pulling him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the screen and let Devin’s call go unanswered. It was too loud in the room, and he wasn’t about to leave Josh unsupervised. Rafe had no desire to hunt him down a second time.

Knowing the drill, Devin sent a text. The rhythmic thumping announcing its arrival traveled up his arm. He glanced at the screen and breathed a sigh of relief.

Devin had found Megan at the first address: Josh’s parents. Devin was laying low and watching the house. Everyone inside was asleep. At least one thing had gone right tonight. The most important thing—Megan was safe.

Rafe sent a reply saying he’d meet him after talking with Josh. He slid the phone into his pocket and made his way to the bar.

Josh ambled over to the counter. “What can I get you?”

“Actually, the question you should be asking me is, can you help me?” Rafe grinned at the bemused expression on the male’s face. “You see, your brother’s desperation has dropped you in a world I can guarantee you don’t want to be in.”

Continue Reading Treasured Find

Enjoy more sneak peeks, including Nancy’s FREE books.

Sometimes the only choice is to take a chance…and enjoy the consequences.

Kagan Wolves
, Book 0.5

Sean Reynolds is content wielding his dominant personality as the public face of Kagan Industries. Pack leadership—and all the responsibilities that go with it—don’t interest him. But when alpha-in-waiting Nic Kagan skips town, there’s no one to take on his aging father’s spirit wolf. No one but Sean.

Sean wants none of it, but with his wolf growling in eagerness to fill that void, he heads for the bar in an attempt to drink the beast into submission.

He’d like to ignore the sultry blonde shifter burning up the dance floor with moves that make him painfully aware of the full moon. But when she abruptly disappears, his wolf sends him in hot pursuit. Following the scent of a female he can see in his bed not for a single night, but for a lifetime…

Chapter ONE

Another loop around the Kagan Industries’ office, and Sean cursed. Pacing wasn’t helping. Nothing he’d tried since sundown had. He hurt, plain and simple. His skin itched, and his bones ached. The sensation of claws raking the inside of his chest made it worse, but it wasn’t the pain gripping him that left him angry. It was the obstinate wolf he housed. The separate entity he’d been born with had its own wants and goals. At the moment, they conflicted with Sean’s plans for the evening. Since he was ultimately in charge, the animal would just have to suck it up.

His wolf’s pissed-off snarl echoed within him. No doubt it disagreed. Not his problem. His wolf wasn’t the only stubborn one, and he refused to allow his primal side to rule him. He would not make the same mistake his friend Nic had.

Sean was too damn young to fall in love. Or in lust. Both could seal a shifter’s fate.

Hands fisted, he strode for the window. As much as he wanted to ignore the full moon, he needed the strength it offered. He shoved the lace curtain aside and stepped into the swatch of moonlight. Warmth infused him, and his wolf calmed. Momentarily, at least. Still, he’d take the brief reprieve. He had a long night ahead of him.

He leaned against the window frame and surveyed the little slice of West Virginia that had served as the Kagan pack’s home since the early seventeen hundreds. Stone paths wove through gardens and around the large, man-made pond. Beyond the still water, a fountain and a gazebo offered a place to sit and relax. Farther out, trees marked the separation of the humans’ town and their territory. Their communal land was beautiful. He loved every inch of it, but at the moment, he wanted to run as far and as fast as he could away from it.

“Greeting the full moon all alone again, huh?”

Noah’s voice cut through the silence of the night.

Sean peered over his shoulder at his cousin. Protective instincts flared. “What are you doing here? Tanner males aren’t allowed on Kagan pack lands.”

“Worried about me?”

“Yes.” As a member of their rival pack, Noah’s presence could be constituted as a threat depending on who saw him. Sean knew better. Noah would give his life if it meant saving one of them. Sean would do the same.

Noah shut the door behind him. With his dark blond hair in a short ponytail and a white T-shirt stretched over his muscled chest, he garnered the attention of males and females alike. One glance into his deadened green eyes, however, and most people steered clear of him. Guilt, anger and loneliness gave him a don’t-fuck-with-me vibe that was hard to miss. Losing a female days after mating her would do that to any male. It gave Sean yet another reason to avoid their women.

“Technically, I’m not on your pack’s lands. The Kagan office sits a few hundred feet inside the humans’ town. As for why I’m here?” Noah leaned against the opposite side of the window. “Your alpha asked me to try to talk some sense into you.”

About Sean’s refusal to shift. Everyone in their pack had been on his ass about it. Their lectures had gotten old. “You’re wasting your time. I’m fine. My wolf’s fine. End of discussion.”

“Is it?” Noah raised a brow. “You’re not getting edgy? Irritable? Or feel like you’re going to come out of your skin?”

If Noah considered insomnia and the new holes Sean had punched into his bedroom walls as fitting those criteria, then the answer would be yes. He shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

Noah made a noncommittal sound, then glanced out the window, scanning the property the way Sean had. “Any word on Nic? Is he coming home soon?”

“What? No warnings or long speeches about how I’ll go insane if I don’t let my wolf out?”