Veiled Target (A Veilers Novel) (16 page)

Without taking his eyes off her, he grabbed the bottom of her shirt and yanked it over her head. After tossing it over his shoulder, he took in every inch of her exposed flesh and let out a low, guttural sound.

“You’re unbelievable,” he breathed. “The most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.” His gaze paused at her hip and a devilish smile took hold of his sexy mouth. He’d noticed her own tattoo, peeking out of her jeans.

“You’re not too shabby—”

He cut her off with another fierce, greedy kiss. He made love to her mouth with firm, teasing caresses from his lips and tongue, and her toes curled. Everything inside her tingled times a thousand. He kissed from her lips down to her neck, where he stroked and nuzzled, making her head fall to the side so he had easier access. He put his hands on her waist, moved them up her sides and slid them around to her back to unclasp her bra.

Then very nimble fingers skimmed over her shoulders to lead the straps down her arms. The kisses to her neck never stopped. When the bra hit the floor, he licked his way to her shoulder before pulling back once again to check her out.

Tess never paid much attention to her body. She wasn’t blind to it, but she was so comfortable in her own skin she rarely looked at it. Watching Hugh rake his eyes over her now, she was glad she’d been blessed with what she had because he seemed to be rendered speechless.

To make him drool just a little bit more, she arched her back, pressed her shoulders against the door. Okay, so she wasn’t oblivious to her feminine wiles. The gesture had the desired effect and he swooped in to capture her breast in his mouth. While he suckled one, his hand massaged the other, rubbed her nipple between his fingers, traced her areola.

Her head fell back against the door. The best, most arousing vibrations
ever
surged through her system and woke up every nerve ending in her body. God, it felt good to have his mouth on her, to have him groping her, fondling her, learning her curves. She moved her hands to the back of his head, ran her fingers through his silky soft hair.

Leisurely, he made his way down her abdomen, dropping kisses along the underside of her breasts, her sides, her belly button. His hands roamed to her backside, cradling her ass before moving to her button fly.

After popping two buttons, he hesitated. Traced the tattoo on her lower abdomen and she guessed he was wondering about it.

“I’ll tell you about mine if you tell me about yours,” she said.

“Later. I don’t want to talk right now.”

“You mean you’re not going to whisper sweet nothings in my ear?”

He resumed the button task. “Anything I might say in the next hour is not going to be sweet.”

Tess shuddered. “Hour?”
Holy shit.
“That’s the sexiest thing you could say right there.”

He slid a finger along the edge of her panties and she sucked in a breath. His touch dipped lower. Unthinking, she widened her stance. He drew slow, lazy circles over the thin cotton, over the nub swelling with each unbearably good stroke of his finger.

“Please, Hugh. Get me naked.”

“Soon.” He slipped his finger underneath the material and she let out a moan. Pressed her palms against the door.

“Now.” She wanted his fingers inside her, his other hand all over her, his mouth sucking her nipple. And that was just the start.

“Impatient, huh?” he said, voice ragged with eagerness too. He gripped her jeans. She wiggled to help ease them down, but halfway there the phone rang. The sound interrupted his momentum. He paused, listened to the second and third rings before saying, “Fuck.”

“Don’t answer it.” Tess knew—she knew—if he answered the telephone their extracurricular activities would end. And she desperately wanted to continue.

“I have to. It could be important.” He stood, and she almost whimpered at the sight of the erection in his pants. He adjusted himself and went to the nightstand beside the bed.

“What?” he growled, bringing the phone to his ear.

Tess smiled. He didn’t want to stop either. His frustration at being interrupted matched hers.

“You’re sure it’s going down tonight?”

Not what she wanted to hear. She pulled up her jeans, picked up her bra. Her body still thrummed from his ministrations. His taste, smell, handprints, lingering.

“Repeat that location, would you?”

She let out a deep breath. It sounded like they had the lead they’d been waiting for. After being cooped up in the house for a week, this tip-off was what they’d wanted, but the timing sure sucked.

Or maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

“I’ll meet you there.” He hung up and turned his incredible body in her direction. He frowned when he saw she’d dressed.

“Where we going?” She tried to ask the question to his face but couldn’t keep her eyes off his chest.

He grabbed his shirt and covered himself before answering. “I’m going to meet a few Night Runners. It looks like we found where the Wolf Seekers are keeping Trey.”

“By
I
you mean you and not me?”
Bye, bye, residual lust.
If he thought he’d leave her here while he went out to fight or do whatever it was he planned on doing, he was sorely mistaken.

Big Bad Night Runner Hugh added his watch to his wrist. “That’s right.”

“And what makes you think I’ll agree to that? I thought you knew me better.” She sure knew
him
. Knew he’d try and protect her, do things the way he always had. By himself.

“It’s not open for discussion.”

“Exactly. I’m coming with you.”

She stood in front of the door, blocking his exit. Reading his mind wasn’t difficult. His wandering eyes were trying to figure out a way past her without engaging in force. Because if he tried to get by her before agreeing to take her along, she sure as hell would put up a fight. And win.

“Tess.” His voice softened, his disposition mellowed. “I need you to stay here.”

Foolish man. “And what bullshit do you plan to fling my way to convince me of that? Come on. You know I’m not staying here.”

“This isn’t a Banoth we’re up against.” He ran a hand through his mussed hair.

Remembering her fingers in his mane, she tripped over her first attempt to reply. “Oh thank God. That thing stunk.”

“I don’t need your help.” He took a step toward her.

Wasn’t that just the bane of his existence? “I know. You don’t need anybody’s help. I don’t either. So that makes us even. I won’t help you. And you won’t help me. Deal? We’ll just team up as equals only looking out for ourselves. At the very least I can prove to be a distraction, don’t you think?”

“That’s the goddamn problem.” His hand went to his mouth, where the back of his knuckle wiped at his bottom lip.

Oh.
“What I meant to say was diversion. I can divert the bad guys.”

He shifted his weight, growing impatient. “And who are the bad guys, Tess?”

She was about to answer Wolf Seekers, but stopped herself. The Wolf Seekers were humans. The Night Runners wolfen. Who did she think the bad guys were? Her goal here was to help him find Trey and in return get his help in finding Dobson. A wolfen. A bad guy. A guy that had killed. If the Wolf Seekers had hurt Trey, what did that make them? The line dividing humans and Veilers continued to blur.

Too many damn questions swirled in her head.

“I told you I’d help find Trey and that’s what I’m going to do. I’ve seen and done a lot of things, Hugh. I know I can offer assistance that no one else can, given my background. It’s to your benefit to take me with you.”

For a long moment, they stared at each other. The kind of stare that made her believe a link between two people was stronger than spoken promises and terms of endearment. She knew looking at him that he believed she could take care of herself. He only had to give up any rights to her. Rights he didn’t have to begin with.

“Stop looking at me like that.” She put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot.

“I don’t have time for this shit.” He finally took his attention elsewhere, looking around the room for something. He found it in the corner on a chair and took haste to retrieve it.

Her purse.

He tossed it, catching her a little off guard. “If you’re coming, you’d better at least have some protection.”

The gesture filled her with appreciation. “Thanks. You never know when I might need some Chapstick.”

“This isn’t a joke,” he growled, leading with his shoulder to knock her off balance and push past her to open the door. “There’s a good chance someone could die tonight.”

She prayed it wasn’t him.

Chapter Twelve

The Ducati maneuvered through busy streets quick and easy. It also purred, the sound music to Hugh’s ears because it calmed his nerves. He tried focusing on that as Tess wiggled so snug against his backside he wanted to forget what the hell he needed to do and take her back to his bedroom.

Her closeness made it difficult to think about anything but what had almost happened between them. And how he craved her more than anything now. After tasting her lips, her neck, her breasts, he wanted to lick every inch of her, mark her as his. She needed to stay alive in order for that to happen.

While racing into possible danger, he told himself to stop worrying, stop giving a damn about anything other than finding Trey. Tess was an eliminator with sights on him. Their alliance equaled short term. She didn’t matter—but if anything happened to his young apprentice, he’d never forgive himself.

They headed into the seedier part of town with smaller, unkempt streets. Trash littered the broken sidewalks, bars trimmed windows of mom and pop shops, and a foul stench hung in the air. Cars with flat tires or broken windows appeared every block or so, buildings needed new stucco and paint.

Dane’s call had been about a fight between a couple of Wolf Seekers and Night Runners. Dane was certain the brawl started because the pack members had zeroed in on Trey’s location—and most likely the Wolf Seekers’ home base. They needed to strike, he’d told Hugh, before Trey was moved to a new location.

Slowing his speed, he took a corner and downshifted. Their destination came into view. According to their research, the old deserted public library had remained unoccupied for the better part of two years. Adjacent to it was a small park. Lots of grass, a few trees, a park bench. With tall streetlamps illuminating the area, it still looked like a nice place to relax. A little slice of heaven in a dilapidated setting.

He veered around to the side of the park and brought the bike to a stop beside a large tree trunk. Humidity hung in the air, the temperature warmer than usual for the end of September. With zero breeze, the tree leaves and grass blades didn’t sway in the slightest, yet the smell of charcoal made his nose twitch.

Traffic sounded in the distance, far enough away to guarantee some privacy on the quiet street.

Dane approached, followed by a few other Night Runners. The younger wolfen wore faded scratches on their faces, a few rips in their clothes. Hugh’s gut clenched.

Wolf Seekers knew how to fight Night Runners. They knew where to strike with the mercury knuckle bands they wore. They knew how to shoot a tranquilizer to slow them down.

He watched Tess take in the park and building. She knew exactly where they were and only arched her brows at him when she caught him looking at her.
She
had actually found Trey. A tip from one of her sources had led them to this location. She spared a glance at Dane before studying the other pack members. By the way she narrowed her eyes, he could tell she was trying to formulate an opinion about something.

“We’ve got confirmation that Trey’s inside,” Dane said. He didn’t acknowledge Tess.

“Good. You and I will go in, get Trey and get out. Boys, you’ll take up the perimeter and give us the signal if anyone else approaches. I don’t want anyone getting hurt if we can help it. Tess, you’ll stay here and watch the bike.”

Now that he knew for certain Trey was inside, he wouldn’t leave without him.

“I’m not—”

Hugh cut her off. “You will watch the bike.”

“I will—”

“Not move from this spot.” He got in her face. “Do you understand me?” He didn’t care that it sounded like a threat. All he cared about was keeping her safe.

She crossed her arms and didn’t say a word. He took that as her acceptance and moved toward the library with his men.

Before they reached the building, however, a group of Wolf Seekers spilled out the front door, looking left and right. When they caught sight of Hugh and his men, they froze. In the middle of their huddle stood Trey.

His mouth was swollen, one eye black and blue. A deep cut bisected his left eyebrow. With no time to waste, Hugh stepped forward and called out to the Wolf Seekers. “Let him go.”

A man Hugh recognized as the ringleader came forth. “You offering to take his place?”

“If that’s what it takes to get this done peacefully.”

The man chuckled. “Since when are Night Runners peaceful?”

To the best of Hugh’s recollection, his pack had never done anything to upset the Wolf Seekers. The Seekers had simply decided to rid Los Angeles of the pack strictly because they hated Veilers. There were groups of Wolf Seekers across the country with the same mission.

Hugh took a few more steps. “Why don’t you enlighten me on what it is you think we’ve done?”

“This is a simple retaliation. You take one of ours, we take one of yours.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’ve never taken one of yours.”

“You not only took him, but we found him dead. Your friend is only alive because we want you to watch him die.”

Fury festered inside Hugh. The asshole didn’t know what he was talking about, and if he thought Hugh would watch his apprentice die, he was delusional.

“I repeat: your accusation is wrong. And if you don’t hand over my friend, we’ll have to take him by any means necessary.”

The man didn’t squirm, didn’t flinch, didn’t move a muscle. “Ahh, what happened to peaceful now?”

“Hand him over.” He was done talking. The idea that the Wolf Seeker might be right stoked an unpleasant flame inside him. Something was wrong. Very wrong. No way could one of his pack be guilty of such an act without Hugh knowing about it.

Right?

Had he been too busy with his helicopter company to notice disobedience? Was he too wrapped up in his own world, too determined to keep distance between himself and others that he’d missed something so important? So detrimental to the pack?

No. Impossible. Trey would have told him. Dane would have told him.

“I can’t do that.”

Hugh counted seven Wolf Seekers. There were six of them, excluding Trey and Tess. He looked over his shoulder toward the bike.

Tess was gone.

Scanning the area for some sign of her, he clenched his fists, tightened his jaw. “What
can
you do?” Where the hell had she gone?

“As I said before, we’ll execute your man as you watch. Does now suit you?”

“You know I’m not going to stand by and watch.”

As if on cue, the six Wolf Seekers behind the foreman pulled out tranquilizer guns. “No, but maybe you’ll lay.”

In less than a second, Hugh, Dane and the other Night Runners shifted. If the Wolf Seekers wanted a fight, he’d give them a fight.

He knew it was sheer determination, mind over matter that made the Wolf Seekers think they were on an even playing field with wolfen. Sure, they were all over six feet, two hundred pounds, but Hugh didn’t doubt he and his pack mates would take them down.

They spread out and rushed the Wolf Seekers, their speed and agility no match for the overgrown men who ran toward them with guns raised.

“No permanent damage,” Hugh yelled out.

With his eyes trained on Trey, he avoided one dart, then another, and reduced the distance between him and his apprentice. He couldn’t figure out why Trey stayed motionless—until the Seekers had scattered and he got close enough to find a short, beefy man with a gun aimed at Trey’s chest. A gun that no doubt contained a mercury bullet.

Trey’s hands were bound behind him, but a flash of animal in his eyes told Hugh he wanted to battle. If Hugh could just…

A Wolf Seeker blindsided him like a linebacker, taking him to the ground. They tussled for half a minute before Hugh knocked the guy out with a right hook. He jumped back to his feet and sprinted toward Trey.

The Seeker holding Trey captive didn’t seem the least bit intimidated when Hugh’s eyes clashed with his. He did, after all, have the gun right where it needed to be. Hugh slowed as the man shuffled Trey to the side, closer to the building. He must have figured out that standing in a wide-open space wasn’t the best defense when fighting Night Runners.

A slight nod from Trey told Hugh he’d drop at Hugh’s signal. Kick the Seeker’s legs out from under him on the way down and roll away, giving Hugh enough time to leap and wrestle the gun away.

But before it came to that, the Wolf Seeker lowered the firearm.

Huh?

The man’s hand fell to his side. He dropped the weapon and kicked it to the side. Trey took a step away and turned to look behind him. Right then Hugh caught whiff of Tess. Her lavender body lotion fragrance, the one cosmetic she’d requested Blanche get for her touched his nose and hell if a grin didn’t spread across his face.

Two seconds later, the Seeker’s knees buckled and he went down, face first into the concrete. Tess stood in his place, the pistol she’d used to hit him over the head in her hand and a tough as nails expression on her face. When her eyes met Hugh’s her mouth moved into a pucker and she blew him a kiss.

Hugh picked up the gun and took the few steps toward them. “Nice work.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You okay?” Hugh tore the bindings from Trey’s wrists with one swipe of his claw.

“I’m fine,” Trey answered.

A howl sounded and Hugh spun around. Two Wolf Seekers were on one of his men. Without hesitating, he ran to help. He grabbed the first Seeker by the back of his shirt collar, lifted him into the air, and tossed him aside. The second Seeker, witnessing the action, let go of the Night Runner and back peddled to a safer distance.

Tess and Trey came up behind him, forming a united front. Hugh paused long enough to survey the scene. Each of his men was in combat, but winning. The tranquilizers were no longer in anyone’s possession. Dane handled the leader of the Wolf Seekers, the human’s face not nearly as battered as Hugh would like, but…

“That’s enough,” Hugh yelled. “We’ve got what we came for.”

The fighting stopped. Wolf Seekers scrambled to their feet and took off running, the leader included. Hugh let them go, caring little for where they were headed now that he had Trey.

Dane rounded up his pack mates, checking on their wounds. Hugh shifted and turned toward Trey and Tess. “Talk.”

“First,” Tess said, extending her hand, “I’m Tess. It’s nice to finally meet you, Trey.”

Trey took her hand and held on a little too long for Hugh’s liking. He also looked at her a little too keenly, taking in more than her pretty face. “Tess? Blind date, Tess?” His voice sounded thicker than usual.

She gifted him with a smile that reached the corners of her eyes. “That would be me.”

“I don’t understand. Our date was what, six or seven days ago? What are you doing here?” He looked at Hugh, then back to Tess. “Wait. Whatever the reason, I think you might have saved my life.”

Tess bestowed a killer smile on Hugh. “No problem. I found your location too, but who’s keeping track?”

The way she looked tonight, her hair falling around her face, her cheeks still pink from the motorcycle ride, the blue of her eyes deeper than the ocean under a full moon, Hugh felt so happy she was safe that he’d give her the kudos she deserved without any grumbling.

“I’m in your debt, Tess. Thank you,” Hugh said.

“No need to thank me. It’s your turn now.”

Trey looked confused. “His turn?”

Hugh didn’t feel the need to clue Trey in at the moment. But a deal was a deal. He wouldn’t stop until he found Dobson.

“How do you two know each other? And hang on. You obviously know what we are. Are you Veiler?” Trey rolled his shoulders back like they were stiff. His wounds had all but vanished now.

“No. She’s not. As to how we know each other, when you disappeared I decided to go on your blind date. I thought one might have something to do with the other.”

“That’s funny,” Trey said, chuckling. “You on a blind date.” He looked at Tess. “I guess you had a good time since you’re here. And by the way, Kensie and Francesca’s description didn’t do you justice.”

Something cracked inside Hugh. Warmth followed by a quick burst of cold ripped through him like a tornado. He moved beside Tess and put an arm around her waist. “I’ll fill you in tomorrow. Right now, talk.”

His possessiveness rattled him, but left no impression on Trey, because he said, “The least I can do is take you on that date, Tess. You free Saturday?”

Hugh had such a tight grip on her she couldn’t move away, yet he felt her try. She wouldn’t accept Trey’s offer, would she?

“I think—”

“No date,” Hugh growled. “Now talk.”

Trey winked at Tess and added, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Like hell they would. Hugh wanted to give Trey another fat lip. Instead, he took a deep breath so the hair on his arms settled. “Talk.”

A car drove by, seemingly oblivious to their position in the park. The windows were tinted black but Hugh heard the radio playing, a male voice humming along. It turned the corner and vanished.

“They jumped me outside Cupid’s. Hit me from behind then shot me twice with a tranquilizer. I woke up the next morning here.” He nodded toward the library. “The assholes kept me bound and used me as a dartboard so I never gained enough strength to shift.”

“Dartboard?” Tess asked.

“Yeah,” Trey said. “Aimed at my shoulders, thighs, then turned me around and aimed for the center of my back. The truth is, I could have taken them in the early morning hours after a night of rest, but I wanted to stick around to find out what the hell was going on.”

“What did you find out?” Hugh released Tess, at ease now that Trey was off the topic of dating her. She stayed close, pleasing him to no end. Whether it was a conscious decision on her part or not, he didn’t care.

“The Seeker in charge told you the truth. One of their guys was taken and killed, and from what I heard, it points to a Night Runner.”

Hugh’s leg muscles went rigid. “That can’t be.”

“I didn’t want to believe it either, but a witness who saw the murder gave a description of a wolf-man and said the killer told the Wolf Seeker he could feel his fear.” Trey started jogging in place. “Man it feels good to be back outside.”