Vice (Fireborn Wolves Book 1) (8 page)

She shook her head slowly. The smile he gave in response made her pulse bound. Her wolf bowed her head and raised her haunches, ready to play.

Milo must have sensed the shift in her inner spirit; he leapt to his feet, barking and wagging his tail.

“What’s gotten into him?” Kyle asked.

“I have no idea.”

“Come on. It’s a beautiful night.” He gestured toward the patio.

She collected the glasses and Scotch and followed him outside to an umbrellaed table near the pool. She noticed he only brought one fork but she didn’t say anything.

Milo followed, off leash. She wasn’t concerned, given the fenced yard, but he proved too tired to run anyway. The big dog curled up beside them.

“Did you always want to be a vet?” he asked.

She sipped her Scotch and sat down beside him. “Always. I’ve had a special connection to animals since the day I was born, more so than I do to people sometimes. Caring for them just seemed like a natural extension of that.”

“If your work with Milo is any indication, you made the right choice. You’ve been here half a day and he’s already glued to your side.” Kyle offered her the first bite and she accepted. The omelet was good, although the egg was slightly overcooked. She presumed he didn’t cook often.

“How about you? Did you always want to run a gentleman’s club?”

“It’s not…” He rolled his eyes and seemed to accept that it was fruitless for him to try to explain Hunt Club once again. “Has it ever occurred to you that we hire a bunch of women at obscene salaries, women who want to be here, women whose time here pays for the next step in their careers?”

“Women who don’t mind being objectified.”

He straightened. “Are
you
the one to decide for them what is or isn’t appropriate employment for a free and independent woman in America?”

She frowned. “I just…Well… No…”
Crap.
She didn’t like what Hunt Club was all about, but as a feminist, she couldn’t argue that women should have a right to self-determination, even if that meant making what she personally considered a poor choice. She changed the subject. “So, this is what you always wanted to do?”

He took a drink. “In short, no. This is one of over a dozen businesses I’ve run. Hunt Club was my father’s idea. He grew up during the Playboy generation and wanted to create something modern but in the same vein.”

“Wait, even though you are the brand behind Hunt Club, this wasn’t even your idea?”

He shrugged. “My brother, Nate, is the actual CEO. He handles operations and is the true leader of the company. He has the passion for it. I’m part owner and on the board of directors but I’m more of a figurehead when it comes to the details.”

“Wait… Nate from the club is your brother?” There was absolutely no family resemblance.

“Half brother. We share a father.”

It was easy to see why Kyle had been the chosen figurehead for Hunt Club. As unfair as it was to judge a book by its cover, his carved-from-stone physique and Hollywood good looks would be far more effective in the media than Nate’s overstuffed-Danny DeVito appearance, given the nature of their business.

“Is your mother also involved in the business?”

He shook his head and laughed. “I don’t know who she is. Dad never married. Two boys from two different women. We’ve never met either of them.”

She took another sip of Scotch. “Must’ve been hard growing up without a mother.”

“Gerty’s been with me from the beginning.” He shrugged and cut off the corner of the omelet. “Open.”

She obeyed and was rewarded with another bite of omelet. As he pulled the fork from her mouth, he stared at her lips, his eyelids lowering. He fed himself while she chewed. The conversation diverted into the mundane: the unseasonable warm weather, where she’d gone to school, his time at Harvard, her first job at an animal shelter. By the time the eggs were gone, they’d talked and laughed for over an hour.

“Are you close to your family?” he asked, pushing the empty plate away and concentrating on his Scotch.

She nodded. “Very close. To my brothers at least. My parents were killed several years ago.”

“Killed? How awful.”

She nodded. “They’d gone to a play—a charity event—and were gunned down in their seats. You probably read about it. It was all over the news at the time.”

“Does it bother you to talk about?”

“It used to. Not as much anymore.” She frowned. “It still bothers me that they’re gone. Their loss left a hole in all of us. Enough time has passed, I can talk about it now. Was your father ill long?”

“We think about a year. No one knew until the very end. He had the cabin on Red Grove Lake and would stay there with a nurse when he was too ill to function. We got the call when it was clear he was passing on.”

“You couldn’t tell before then?”

“My father and I… weren’t close. Even when he was actively running the company, he did so remotely. Nate and I rarely saw him. I feel like I barely knew him.”

Laina tried to think of something comforting to say. “Maybe your father didn’t want to burden you with his illness.”

“If that’s the case, it was the first selfless thing he ever did.” He snorted. “But we loved the asshole. He provided for us. Funny as hell on the rare occasion he was around.”

There was much more to Kyle Kingsley than met the eye, and didn’t that just set her wolf to pacing? She’d counted on him fitting the mold—a man whose existence flew in the face of her feminist ideals—but he didn’t. In fact, he didn’t fit a mold at all. He wasn’t a boy scout or a playboy. He was just a man. A man she found scaldingly attractive.

She threw back the rest of her Scotch.

“You are a walking contradiction,” he said, staring at her lips.

“What? Why?”

“You’re obviously smart and independent, a young veterinarian and successful entrepreneur. Your views about sex seem modest and old-fashioned, at least based on what you say… and your ability to back off that hurricane of a kiss this afternoon.”

Heat washed over her face.

“That blush tells me I’m right about the modesty.”

She shrugged. “I’m not a virgin either. I’m not saving myself for marriage or anything. I just don’t believe in casual sex.”

He sipped his Scotch. “Morals, convictions, strength, independence.”

“And this makes me a contradiction?”

He shook his head as his gaze drifted over her. “You drink straight Scotch like it’s Kool-Aid, and you were comfortable enough with your nudity to serve at Hunt Club in nothing but a coat of latex.”

“Monty made me—”

“You can’t force the kind of confidence I saw that night.” He shook his head. “Plus, you took a hit to the face by a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound linebacker—”

“The bear was a football player?”

“—and popped off the floor like you wrestle actual grizzly bears every other Tuesday.”

“I do. Maybe not bears, but I deal with large animals all the time.”

“You kiss like something wild, like you know exactly what you want and how you want it. I’ve never been kissed like that. Not even close. And by someone who could stop so easily.”

“The stopping wasn’t as easy as it seemed.”

“And you’re here, running from something, some family violence.” He tapped a finger on the table and frowned. “Are you in the mob?”

“No!” She laughed like the idea was ridiculous but didn’t elaborate. It would be too hard to explain her actual situation, even if she could tell him the truth.

“So, you see the contradiction.” His gaze dug into hers, and his fingers moved slowly to brush over the tops of her knuckles. She didn’t pull her hand away. “You are a conservative academic with a streak of something positively animal. I can’t put my finger on it.” He shifted his jaw. “But there’s no one like you.”

“According to the sign out front, you want the thrill of the chase. Maybe what you’re feeling is a desire to tame me,” she murmured, more to lighten the mood than as a serious observation.

“No.” He shook his head. “On the contrary, I was hoping you could teach me to be wild.”

Her wolf leapt. Her heart, her stomach pitched with the wave of heat he brought to the surface of her skin. She leaned toward him, locked in his gravitational pull. Inside, her wolf raced after her prey, air huffing through her nose. She wanted him so badly she whimpered against the ache of it as her mouth met his, the smoky malt of the Scotch on his breath adding to the burn at the back of her throat. His fingers tangled in her hair.

She lost herself in his touch, his scent, the rough stubble of his chin, the soft waves of his hair. As his muscles shifted beneath the smooth fabric of his shirt, her tongue met the curve of his earlobe. He groaned and grabbed her waist, lifting her slightly to pull her onto his lap. She didn’t protest, simply repositioned herself to trail kisses down his neck. She squirmed against his hard length beneath her, wanting desperately to straddle him and get a better feel of him between her thighs.

His phone rang. He ignored it. It rang again. His fingers stroked along the scoop neck of her T-shirt, dipping inside her bra to gently thumb her nipple. She arched her back and repositioned for a deeper kiss as he palmed her breast.

“Kyle!” a man’s voice barked.

Laina whipped her head over her shoulder, spotted Nate standing poolside, and growled. She didn’t mean to. Desperately she wrestled the wolf back where she belonged. Luckily, Milo sensed her aggression and growled as well. As she climbed off Kyle’s lap and straightened her clothes, she hoped the mastiff’s reaction masked her own.

“Nate?” Kyle leaned back slightly. “What are you doing here?”

“You weren’t answering your phone.”

“A little busy. What do you want?”

“It’s an emergency. I need to talk to you now.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

“Excuse me.” Kyle crossed to the other side of the pool and had an animated conversation with Nate. A moment later, he was back at her side. “I’m sorry. You have no idea how much I’d love to stay, but there’s been a disturbance at the club. One of the picketers made it past security. I need to handle this.”

“I understand,” she said. The idea that she’d once again gotten ahead of herself with Kyle passed through her mind, but she kept it to herself. Another self-righteous protest was useless. He was her vice, and as Jason had predicted, she couldn’t keep her hands to herself.

“Go out with me tomorrow, on a real date.”

“Not in public. I’m undercover, remember?”

“Leave it to me.”

He gripped her shoulders and planted a hard kiss on her mouth. And then he was gone.

W
ith Milo by her side
, Laina retired to her room, fancying a cold shower and a good book. It was probably for the best that Kyle was called away. Sex with Kyle now might interfere with the start of an otherwise beautiful relationship, and the way things were heating up, she would have been hard-pressed to stop that train from leaving the station. She genuinely liked Kyle. He was funny and kind, well educated, and forthright. She hated his job but was relieved that most of what she’d seen was pure fantasy.

A buzz from her back pocket made her jump. She could count on one hand how many people had the number for the phone Silas had given her and none of them would call her unless it was an emergency. Bracing herself, she brought the phone to her ear, not even bothering to say hello.

“I don’t like this,” Silas growled.

“Nice to hear from you big brother.”

“Make an excuse and get back to Monty’s.”

“I’ll do no such thing. I gave Kyle my word. I’m going to do what I said I would do. Anyway, the accommodations here are much more comfortable.”

“It turns out the wolf that was murdered wasn’t taken from the wild. She was stolen from the Carlton City Zoo.”

“That bastard. Not even brave enough to give his victim a fighting chance.”

“The good news is, his cowardice left us a clue. I found a fingerprint on the gate to her cage that didn’t match any of the zookeepers’ prints. Turns out Jonah had a record. I was able to track him to his last apartment.”

“Did you apprehend him?”

“No, he was gone. But Laina, there were pictures of the three of us all over that place. He’d been taking pictures of you at Four Paws for months. There are pictures of me at Valentine’s and Jason at the gym. Jonah’s been following us since before Alex was killed.”

“Where is he now?”

“I don’t know, but his landlord hasn’t seen him in three weeks. He’s out there somewhere.”

“We covered every footprint. This is the last place he’d expect us to go.”

“True, but as an ogre, Monty can help protect you. He has enchantments to ward off dark magic. You’re on your own at Hunt Club. Frankly, I’m concerned. Jason says the place is filled with men from all over the country every night. You’re too vulnerable.”

“No. Kyle has me staying in his private wing.” She looked down at Milo. “The security here is top notch.”

“I’d feel better if you and Jason were together.”

“Give me some time to do what I promised. I’ll be back at Monty’s before you know it. Before the next shift for sure.”

He groaned. “Be careful, Laina. Jonah is a master of disguise. He’s an accomplished actor and fraud. Add that particular skill set to the fact we are certain he’s working with a member of the magical community and it’s entirely possible he looks drastically different. He could have a different skin color, be a different sex. Don’t trust anyone. Stay out of sight. No one can know who you really are.”

She thought of Kyle. Should she tell Silas he knew her true identity? Her first instinct was to keep it a secret, but then she remembered telling Jason. It would get back around to him sooner or later. She’d rather he heard it from her.

“Silas, there’s something you should know.”

“I don’t like the sound of this.”

“Remember how I told you I had a date the night of the ball and you ordered me to go to Rivergate instead?”

“Yes.”

“That date was with Kyle Kingsley.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, lengthy enough for her to question whether the call disconnected.”

“I don’t like this, Laina. It’s too much of a coincidence. This guy asks you out the night of the murder? Think about it. Becca didn’t remember the exact time Jonah knocked her out and murdered the wolf in your operating room, but based on the time the plug was pulled on your security cameras, it was sometime after the ball started and before we found the body. The ball started the same hour as your date with Kyle. What if Jonah got wind of the ball at Rivergate and posed as Kyle?”

“Why would he do that? Why not just attack me at Four Paws Clinic?”

“Too public during the day. Too much visibility. If you went on the date, he’d kill you there, maybe poison your food. If you went to the ball, he’d lie in wait for you at your apartment. He murdered the wolf at your clinic. Jonah would know I’d send you home after the murder. Have you ever stopped to consider the heart on your surgical table was meant for me, for after I found your body at your apartment?”

“Jonah would suspect Stephanie was my Zafka.”

“Exactly. So then Kyle mysteriously ends up where you’re hiding and wants you to play house with him?”

She could see where he was going with this, but it couldn’t be true. “Kyle can’t be Jonah. He’s a public figure, Silas. Everyone knows who he is and what he looks like.”

“And the person who murdered that wolf was able to place the body in the center of a crowded room without being seen or heard. Whoever Jonah has in his corner is a powerful magical being. Who’s to say he didn’t kill the real Kyle and take his place?”

“No. Trust me. He’s not. I’ve spent time with him. I’d know, okay. Look, if he was Jonah, I’d already be dead.”

“Unless he’s using you to draw me out by gaining your trust. Has he tried to get Jason there? Has he asked about me?”

Laina’s skin tightened, a chill wrapping her in its icy grip. She’d spent hours talking about her past tonight with Kyle, including stories of growing up with Silas and Jason. What Silas said was possible, but was it true?

“I’ll be careful,” she said. “But he smells human to me. I don’t think you’re right about this.”

Silas growled. “He’ll want to keep you alive to draw me in. That puts you at an advantage.”

“Okay.”

“There are three tests to tell if he’s under a camouflage enchantment. The first is direct sunlight. It can cause color variations to his outer appearance, like an aura. If you’re not looking for it, you might not notice.”

Laina tried to remember if she’d ever seen Kyle in direct sunlight and realized she hadn’t. That would have to change.

“If that doesn’t work, try viewing his reflection in water or through water. If there is dark magic involved, water will reveal him for what he is, if only for a moment.”

“And if that doesn’t work?”

“If all else fails, you need to view his reflection in a mirror under moonlight. The right angle should give you a glimpse of who he really is.”

“And if he passes all three tests, I can assume he’s human?”

“You can assume he’s not Jonah disguised as human. Kyle could still be working for Jonah.”

Laina’s eyes flicked to the ceiling.
Goddess give me strength.
“I don’t think you’re right about this, Silas, but I’ll do it. I’ll test him.”

“The three tests aren’t foolproof, but they’ll catch most enchantments. Look for other clues. And if at any point you suspect him of being Jonah or working for Jonah, don’t hesitate to kill him.” It was a direct command from her alpha. She prayed she’d never have to act on it; doing so would mean killing her vice. Just the thought cut her to the quick.

“I love you, sis. Stay safe.”

“Love you, too.” The call disconnected. Laina stared at Milo for a moment, trying to process what she’d just heard. If Silas was right about Kyle, she was sleeping across the hall from the enemy. Worse, her wolf desperately wanted to fuck the enemy. Even now.

“Time for bed, Milo.” She found an extra blanket in the closet and made him a bed in the corner of the room. She’d have to ask Gerty to obtain an extra-large dog crate in the morning. The big dog curled up obediently. Closing the door to her room, she locked it and checked it twice, then wedged a chair under the knob. Inspections of the bathroom and closet turned up negative for dark forces. Satisfied she was safe, at least for the moment, she showered and crawled under the blankets of the large bed. But although Milo’s snores echoed through the room soon after, sleep eluded her.