A Kitty in the Lion's Den (10 page)

Chapter Twelve

They ended up staying at the bar for another twenty minutes
..
Although it had been six years since Maverick had dealt with Viktor or anyone from that organization, there were some things that were ingrained in a person’s head, things that he had seen, done, and would never forget. When he first moved to Sweet Water and befriended Trace, he had known right away that the male could be trusted, but that didn’t mean he could divulge the nastiness of how he had lived his life. Maverick relied on his instincts and used those to determine if the men he had been hired to kill were really as evil as they were said to be. He would never have taken a life unless he knew with certainty that the world would be better off without them. Although the people Viktor associated with couldn’t be called anything but bastards, sometimes the asshole just liked to see someone suffer. That was what had happened the night Maverick left.

“Why did you leave?” The ride thus far had been silent, and maybe he had been projecting his thoughts a little too hard since she asked him the one thing he had just been thinking of.

He also knew she wasn’t talking about the bar they had just left. There was no point in lying to her or sugarcoating anything. She needed to hear it straight up. Maverick took a deep breath and flexed his hands on the steering wheel.

“You already know what my profession was.” He hoped like hell he didn’t scare the shit out of her further. “I have killed a lot of fucking people, but you already know that. But I don’t feel any sympathy for those men’s lives I took.” He glanced over at her and saw her full attention was on him. “I may be cold and brutal, but the things they did…” He squeezed the steering wheel so hard he felt the leather dig into his palms. He wasn’t about to tell her the things he had seen those men do. “I should have killed your father, Kettah, should have shot him in the back of the head like I did so many of the men I killed in the past.”

“Why didn’t you then?” There was no sadness or accusation from her. There was that glow of worry that came from her, some for him, and some of the other innocent lives that she thought she had inadvertently put in danger.

“I was a different male six years ago, believe it or not. I enjoyed what I did, was fucking good at it. I liked killing those males, and I liked when their blood sprayed across my chest as they took their last breath.” The shift in the air grew cold, and an icy shot came from her. He glanced at her and saw the horror in her eyes. “I’m not telling you these things to frighten you, baby, but you do need to know that I loved what I did. A lot of people wanted me for my skills, and I was more than happy to oblige them. That also means that I’m going to enjoy killing your father, Kettah. I’m going to really fucking enjoy it.” They drove for another five minutes in silence. He felt like a bastard for being so coarse, but she needed to know.

“I don’t think any differently of you, Marick, and I want my father dead just as much as the next person.”

He wanted to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, because the pain she was feeling was thick and suffocating. His little kitten was a gentle creature, and for as shitty and fucked up as Viktor was, and the fact she wanted him dead, she still felt bad for wishing death on anyone. He pulled into his driveway and cut off the engine. For a moment all they did was sit there in silence, their thoughts as loud as if they were speaking them. But Maverick had to touch her. He reached over, pulled her closer to him, and kissed the top of her head.

“You should, because I am not a good male, Kettah.” The touch of her hand along his had him pulling away just enough to look down at her. She held his hand with hers, ran her finger along the length of his thumb, and he felt his heart jerk in his chest.

“I can relate to feeling like you’re worthless, that you are guilty by association, and the evil that surrounds you will take hold and drag you down to hell.” She rested her head on his shoulder, and a serene, almost tranquil, stillness filled the air. “You are a good male, Maverick. You have wanted nothing more than to protect me since we first met, and I know that if not for you I would have already been found.” She slipped her fingers between his, and they sat in more silence for several seconds.

There was no running for her, or for them, because it would be a never-ending cycle, and eventually they would be found.

“I still can’t help but blame myself for bringing this to Sweet Water, if it comes to that.”

It would come to that, Maverick knew without a doubt. It was just a matter of how quickly it would land on his doorstep. “You have nothing to blame yourself for, baby. I may have been under their radar for the last six years, but I’ve also lived this life longer than you, and have been right in the thick of it.”
But it might only have been a matter of time before I was found. I stayed too close
. “Believe me. These men are ruthless when it comes to something they want. It just happens to be that I am smarter than they are.” He turned his head and pressed his mouth to the top of her head again. With the darkness surrounding them, and the still of the night, Maverick could almost picture himself with Kettah in a world that wasn’t fucked up.

****

Konstantine wiped the blood from his hands and looked at the work he had done on the wolf shifter. Bronson and Sevastian were busy untying him from the chair, and immediately his lifeless body slumped to the floor. Once they had reached Sugar Rush finding out some information on the whereabouts of Kettah hadn’t been easy. They had searched every square inch of the town and hadn’t come up with anything. Kettah wasn’t smart enough that she could evade them for this long, so it had meant that someone had helped her get out of this shitty little town. So what had Konstantine done? He had started talking with the shitty folk that lived in this rundown town, starting with the local drunks in a bar attached to the one and only motel, until one of them had some useful information for him. The three of them had ended up finding the asshole currently bleeding out on the floor, who had told them exactly what they wanted to know.

Konstantine pulled out his cell, punched in his father’s number, and grew fucking excited to tell him the information he had acquired.

“If you’re calling you better know where she is. It has been too fucking long, and my patience is thin as hell.” His father’s voice was low and annoyed.

“Not only do we know where she went, we also know the location of someone else that might be of interest to you.” There was a beat of silence.

“Don’t fucking play games, boy.” His father’s voice was a low growl.

“She left Sugar Rush with someone, because you and I know she isn’t smart enough to evade us for this long. The wolf male we got the information from described a certain lion shifter with fucking clarity.” There was a long pause, and Konstantine could practically feel the excitement come from his father right through the damn phone. “The wolf said some big motherfucker got into a fight over the girl, and then after they went into a motel room for a while, she left with him in a truck. He said some guy with nasty looking claw marks was bitching about the whole thing at the bar. That human is off the grid, but the one I got the information out of knew enough. He even described her to us, smelled her Pallas’s cat all over the human that apparently wanted a piece of her ass, and we know
it’s
Kettah. The way the wolf described the lion shifter she left with … I have no doubt
it’s
Marick. His description matches the lion to a fucking T.”

“What else did he say?”

“Apparently this lion shifter comes to Sugar Rush when he wants a piece of pussy, but lives in the town of Sweet Water, about two hours south.”

“You expect me to believe some drunk gave you all of this information?” His father sounded pissed again.

“He was sober when I got all this shit from him, and the truth flowed out of him when we started pulling off fingernails.” There was a beat of silence, and Konstantine looked over at the wolf shifter’s body again.

“Marick was pronounced dead, has been for the last six years. What you’re saying is that my most trusted hit-man betrayed me.” There was another round of silence. “It could be a lion that resembles Marick.” But Konstantine could hear in his father’s voice that he didn’t believe it. Marick had been the best of the best, and his death, from a car bomb no less, was a little too cutesy to take out the fiercest fucking shifter Konstantine had ever met.

“The wolf didn’t catch the plate number of the truck she left in, but I know in my gut the lion played us, and has been hiding like a fucking coward this whole time. All of this shit is just too coincidental.” The wolf had been excited as fuck to answer their questions for a little monetary gain. Of course all of that had been bullshit just to have the wolf shifter cooperating. Konstantine could have let the male go after he got the information he needed, but what fun would that
have
been? “We’re heading to Sweet Water now, and it shouldn’t be too much work to locate his whereabouts, although I have no doubts he has changed his name.” He heard his father drum his fingers on his desk, and Konstantine knew that meant he was deep in thought.

“I’m on my way. I want to take out the lion myself. You can have Kettah.” There weren’t too many things that surprised Konstantine anymore, but hearing Viktor say he wanted to take out someone himself, well that was a pretty big fucking kick to the balls. Viktor Milokov never got his hands dirty, but Konstantine knew the history with Marick, and knew that the fucker had clearly faked his own death. The torture his father would deliver once they had the lion would be just as fun as taking out his betraying bitch of a sister.

He hung up with his father, pocketed his cell, and turned back to watch his men go to work on the human’s body. They were currently in an abandoned farmhouse on the outskirts of Sugar Rush, and after they were finished getting rid of the body parts Sweet Water was on the map. Konstantine felt a rush of adrenaline course through him, and sensed his cat rise up, hungry for blood. Kettah may be his sister, but in this business blood relations were only as thick as one made them. She knew the repercussions if she was caught, and the time for payment was nearing. And the fact she apparently had found Marick made this an even more anticipated event. Konstantine didn’t believe in fate or destiny, but he did believe in luck, and this was the Milokov family’s luckiest fucking day.

It was going on one in the morning, and by the time they reached Sweet Water they would still need to locate Marick. It looked like this confrontation would need to wait until tomorrow evening, especially since his father wanted to participate in the fun. Konstantine grinned. This was going to be one hell of a fight. That was for damn sure.

Chapter Thirteen

Kettah watched Maverick through the window as he bent on his haunches and worked on a motorcycle. The white t-shirt he wore was covered in grease, as were his hands and even parts of his face, but good God, did he make it look sexy. His arms, so thick and muscular and covered in tattoo sleeves, made him look ominous and powerful, and she knew that wasn’t just a façade. Maverick was all those things and more. The jeans he wore looked like they were as old as he was, and although forty-five wasn’t really that old, compared to her twenty-one years, it was quite an age gap. But honestly, the fact he was so much older than she was an aphrodisiac all in itself. He knew how to touch her, how to make her beg him for more in a matter of seconds. She was uncomfortably wet, her arousal seeming to be a never-ending living entity inside of her whenever she was around Maverick. He refused to let her out of his sight, but it wasn’t a suffocating sensation, but more so one that comforted her. But on that thought she realized she wanted to know the little things that made up Maverick.

She wanted to know the little things, the stuff that no one else knew. What was his favorite color? Did he have a favorite food?
The things that some people may not care about, but that she desperately wanted to know.
She had only been in Sweet Water for a week, and although there hadn’t been any sign of her father’s men finding her, it was far too early to wash her hands of the threat
..
Maverick could have easily killed her father, and the men that worked for him without any of them even sensing his presence. But he hadn’t. Why?
Because he wanted to start over, and be a man instead of a killer.
There was so much to Maverick, a deeper entity that he tried very hard to hide. Even when she wasn’t looking at him she sensed his stare, and the ever-present protectiveness and affection he felt for her. They were the same things she felt for him.

He stood and started talking to Liam, who was just as greasy as Maverick. The two males were comparable in height and bulk, but where her lion had years of experience the twenty-three year old polar bear shifter was still clearly in his party stage of life. That was evident by the different females that met him at the garage on a nightly basis, and got onto his Harley to ride into the sunset. And it certainly wasn’t as romantic as it sounded. Over the very short time she had known Liam Dakota she realized he was the epitome of everything that made up a man-whore. He was certainly good looking and alpha enough, but compared to Maverick he was nothing but a baby. As if her mate sensed her thoughts he looked at her over his shoulder. The heat behind his dark eyes flared, and just like every other time he looked at her, those dark irises flashed golden with the rise of his lion. He was more animal than any male she had ever met.

He said something else to Liam while still watching her. Liam slapped him on the back, grabbed his stuff, and headed out. Maverick stood there a moment, just watching her, and then he turned and strode toward her. He shut the huge back door until the garage was locked up for the night. Once he was in the office he strode over to her, reached out for her, but didn’t touch her as his hand moved behind her to close the blinds.
 
It was after eight, the sun having already set, and although the shop had already closed for the night, Liam had stayed late to help Maverick wrap some things up. It didn’t matter that he lived right upstairs. Maverick liked his bikes and cars, and the way he took care of them was almost intimate in nature. He leaned in closer, and she moved back until the window halted further retreat. She wasn’t trying to run from him, but she certainly didn’t want him to know how eager she was for his touch, even if he could sense it on her.

“You
trying
to evade me, little cat?”
His voice was low, but the heat in his words sent a blast of hot air over her body.

She placed her hands flat behind her and took a deep breath in. “I’m not evading anything.” He moved closer until he was only separated from her by a foot.

“No?” He cocked a brow, a slight break in his exterior showing he found her response amusing.

“In fact, I was thinking that I don’t know much about you at all. Maybe we should sit down and talk about the boring stuff.” She had wanted to sound stronger, but her words came out choked, and her throat was suddenly very dry form the lust pounding inside of her. He took a step closer, and Kettah couldn’t hold her eyes open any longer as the scent of primal male filled her nose. He smelled like motor oil and everything that made up Maverick and his lion.

“Is that right,
baby
?” She nodded, but still kept her eyes closed. “So, you want to know about what, my favorite dessert and all that shit?” There was clear amusement in his voice this time, and Kettah managed to pry her eyes open, crane her neck back, and stare into the darkly handsome face of the male she was falling for at an astounding rate. She nodded slowly, hoping to seem a bit less crazed than she was feeling.
“And what?
My favorite food, color, and what my favorite pastime is?” Again she nodded, and slowly the smile left his face. He dipped his gaze down to her mouth and moved closer until no space was between them anymore.

“I feel like I don’t know anything about you, Maverick Storm.”

He smirked, but it was anything but humorous.

“Kettah, you know more about me than any other person on this planet.” He took hold of her hand, and the fire that licked over her skin had her gasping. If that was true, then what kind of life had Maverick led as a child? Again, he was either a mind reader, or her thoughts were projected far too easily on her face. “I had no home life, Kettah. My mother was high most of the time. If she wasn’t selling her body for extra money to feed to her crack habit, she was screaming with my alcoholic father. They were both worthless. I have no siblings, and when I was taken away from my parents I grew up bouncing from one shifter foster home to the next.” Her chest brushed against his as she inhaled deeply. There was no pain or sorrow laced in his words. He just didn’t care. “But at eighteen I met a male, one that saw me fighting in a back alley, and wanted to use me for my skills.” He leaned back an inch and stared into her eyes. “My skills of hurting people, of not letting them hit me in return, and for making sure they never crossed paths with me again.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shook his head slowly. “There isn’t anything that you have to be sorry about, Kettah. I’m not. The only thing I regret is not finding you sooner.” He closed the small gap that separated them and took her mouth in a deep, penetrating kiss, fucking her like he had between her legs with his mouth and cock. He was forceful with his actions, slamming his hands on the wall beside her head and pressing his cock into her belly. A hoarse groan left him when she stroked his tongue with her own. He broke away far too soon.
“Apple pie, cheese pizza, hazel, and you.”
She blinked several times.

“What?”

He smiled and leaned closer to kiss her gently on the lips. He murmured against her mouth.
“My favorite dessert, food, and color.”
She felt him smile right before he pulled back. “Hazel is my favorite color because that is the shade of your eyes.” Her heart stuttered in her chest. “And when I said ‘you’–” He slid his hands down her shoulders, along her arms, and took hold of her hands. “You’re my favorite pastime, Kettah. You’re my favorite everything, in fact.”

She was the one to slam her mouth on his now, and the deep growl that left him had her pussy clenching with the need to be filled by him. He slid his hands behind her to cup her ass, and in one effortless move he lifted her off her feet. Kettah wrapped her legs around his waist and tilted her head to the side to deepen the kiss. Right when he reached between their bodies, unbuttoned his jeans, and slid his zipper down the phone on his desk rang. He cursed. She groaned in disappointment, and they both broke the kiss. He slowly let her slide down the length of his body.

“I should let it go to voicemail.” He cupped each side of her face and kissed her again, but just when the phone stopped ringing, his cell vibrated in his pocket.

“Seems like someone really wants to talk to you.”
That had a frown forming between his eyes.

With one last kiss he turned away from her, dug his phone from his pocket and answered it, “Yeah?” He was zipping up and buttoning his jeans when his entire body grew taut over whatever the person on the other end was saying. With each passing moment his body grew tenser, bigger, and his muscles flexed. How could a phone call cause his lion to come so close to the surface?
 
“When did they leave?” Another moment that was starting to have her
grow
even tenser. “Okay. Thanks, Trace.” He hung up the phone, and for several seconds didn’t do anything but stand there, breathing heavily.

“Maverick?”
She took a step closer to him. Before she could reach out and touch him he turned and took her hand in his. He was leading her out of the office and toward the hallway with determined, angry strides.
Oh God.
She knew what this was about. “They found us, Maverick.” She picked up her speed.

“Yeah, baby, but they won’t get you.” He stopped in front of the door that would lead them up the stairs and to the Fort Knox of above garage apartments. But just as he opened the door and took that first step there was a chorus of soft sounds, ones that a mortal wouldn’t pick up, but that a shifter could hear loud and clear. He shoved her forward.

“Go to the closet, and get to the
safehouse
, Kettah.” He stared into her eyes until she nodded. “And do not stop no matter what you hear.” He pushed her up the stairs, and she stumbled forward, catching herself before she went face first into the wood. The door slammed shut behind her, and she didn’t wait until she heard the sound of violence, which she knew was going to happen any second now.

She reached the top of the stairs, fumbled with the locks Maverick had shown her how to disengage, and pushed the door open. When she had the thick steel shut behind her, and the first lock latched, the sound of the door down the flight of stairs crashing against the wall rang through. Her hands started to sweat as she fumbled with the rest of the locks. A cry left her, and she stumbled back when someone slammed against the door, vibrating the metal with enough force she felt it down to her bones.

“Here kitty, kitty, kitty.”
The sound of Konstantine’s voice came through the metal loud and clear. Oh God, was Maverick okay? She knew how powerful her lion was, but she didn’t know how many of Viktor’s men had come.
Could he handle that many?
“Kettah, baby girl, I can hear you breathing and feel your pulse race.”

Kettah’s heart slammed against her chest, threatening to burst free. That would surely be a better death than what her brother and father had planned for her, which was a horror she could only imagine. She went toward the door once more, grabbed one more, thicker looking lock, and turned it. But Konstantine slammed against the metal again and again. She had to get to the closet before he broke through. Kettah turned and ran through the living room, and just as she reached the end of the hallway the front door burst open and the sound of her brother racing toward her was frighteningly loud. She ran into the bedroom, slammed the door shut behind her, and darted to the closet. But even though the distance wasn’t at all that far, it seemed like miles and miles away. It was like she was stuck in a dream where she was desperately trying to run away, but all she was doing was moving in place. Konstantine burst through the bedroom, and she screamed. The scent of his malice, of his violence and anger suffocated her. She couldn’t let him get her, because even if she fought back, her brother was bigger, stronger, and there was no way she could beat him. Everything else seemed to go in slow motion. Gripping the handle to the escape route, she opened it and saw the secret latch to the door that would lead her to the outside. Konstantine had a hold of her hair and was yanking her away from the closet before she could reach freedom.

She landed on her back hard, and the air left her in a rush. The crack of her skull hitting the hard wood made her ears ring, and flashes of light bounce in front of her vision. Her brother stood beside her, his sadistic smile promising all kinds of disgusting pain.

“Konstantine, God, I’m your sister.” Survival instinct reared up, but she didn’t even know why she bothered trying to reach the human side of him.

“Little sister, those are only words. Blood doesn’t matter when you betray the family. You’ll get punished like the rest of the cattle that think they can leave. You know far too much about what happens inside of the organization, and that makes you a liability. You know how we handle liabilities.”