Bear Naked and Bite Marks (16 page)

“I told him to leave you alone, but my
brother has this sick fascination with you.” He tilted his head to the side,
and this was the first time she noticed the mask around his neck. How she had
missed it was beyond her. “He’s always held this torch for you, but I don’t see
it. You’re far too ill-tempered and strong willed for my taste. I prefer a
female that will bend no matter what.” Her stomach clenched at the words he
said, because laced with them was this sick desire, and she could just imagine
the kind of things he liked to do to make a female break. She looked down at
the gas mask type thing again. It wasn’t very large, just big enough to cover
his nose and mouth, but it also wasn’t one of those paper ones either. “You
know what I use this for?” He ran his finger along the mask, and she snapped
her eyes up to him, but before she could respond Manny was walking out with the
same mask around his neck.

“Melissa.” Manny said her name like they
were lovers or something. It was all gentle and caring, but held this warped
sense of affection. He knelt in front of her, and she leaned back as much as
the restraints allowed. “Don’t be like that, Melissa.”

“Don’t be like what?” Her wolf rose up a
little in front of Manny, but was still apprehensive around Robert and this
dark vibe he let off. He certainly had gotten worse over the years.

“You look at me like you don’t even know
who I am.” Manny was on his haunches close to her, and fortunately Robert
stayed against the counter.

“I don’t know who you are, Manny.” This
hurt look crossed his face, but she didn’t give a shit.

“I’m the same male you have known nearly
your whole life.”

She shook her head. “No, the guy I knew
my whole life would never have drugged me, kidnapped me, tied me up like some
kind of hog, and sure as hell wouldn’t have played me for a fool after I found my
mate.” She gritted her teeth and tested the restraints.

“You can try all you want to get out of
those.” Robert gestured to the rope that bound her. “But those knots will only
tighten when you struggle.” Melissa stilled and watched the nasty-ass smile spread
across Robert’s face.

“You asshole.”
He shrugged, looking unconcerned. She turned her attention back to Manny.
“Declan will come for me, Manny, and there won’t be anything anyone can do to
stop what he does to you.” An evil look crossed Manny’s face, but Melissa was
feeling a hell of a lot of anger and betrayal right now, and she was going to
let Manny know exactly how she felt. “You’re a spineless coward, and so is your
brother.” She snapped her eyes to Robert, not caring that this male was even
more unstable and evil than Manny. Manny sighed, but Robert pushed off the
counter and moved toward her in angry strides. She knew he was going to hit her
before he brought the back of his hand across the side of her face. Her head jerked
to the side from the force of his blow, and she tasted the metallic tang of
blood as her teeth sliced into her lip.
“You asshole.
What kind of male hits a woman, especially one that can’t even defend herself?”
Maybe the smart thing to do was to keep her mouth shut, but that wasn’t who she
was, and Melissa wasn’t about to let these little dick bastards win. She spit a
mouthful of blood and saliva on the ground by his feet, heard his hiss of
outrage, and knew he was going to hit her again. But before he could slap her
Manny had his body between hers and his brother’s.

“Don’t hit her again, Robert.” There was
strength in Manny’s voice that she had never heard before, but Melissa didn’t
give a shit.

“You should have never brought her here.
This complicates everything, especially if she’s mated.” Robert stormed away,
but she didn’t miss how he put the mask on his face as he stalked to the
backroom. He slammed the door shut, and she was left alone with Manny. Her
anger and rage started to grow, as did the need to shift into her wolf. But
shifting while she was bound wasn’t that smart, and would only make her more
vulnerable. The ropes could get tangled around her paws when she was in wolf
form, and unless she knew she had enough time to make sure she could get out of
it if that happened, she didn’t want to risk it with them so close.

“I wouldn’t even try shifting, Melissa,”
Many said, but he seemed tired all of a sudden. “We won’t leave you alone long
enough to make any real progress, and I don’t want to have to drug you again.”
Her blood ran cold at his words. “It will make things so much easier if you
just play nice.”

“You know me well enough that I am not
just going to sit back and allow myself to be a victim.”

He sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I know, and
that is why you will get drugged again, be bound to the bed in the back room,
and have a gag shoved in your mouth.” She didn’t flinch even though his words
were said so coldly and maliciously. “I can’t have you hurting yourself or Robert
or me.” He sighed, removed his glasses to rub his eyes, and placed them back on
the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry about all of this, but I think if we just
spend some time together, you will realize that we were meant for each other,
Melissa.” He leaned forward until there was hardly any space between their faces,
and before she could react he pressed his lips on hers. Bile rose in her throat
when he moved his tongue along her lips. She snapped at him, and pleasure
slammed into her when he grunted in pain. He pulled back, and she saw the blood
that lined his lip. “You’re angry right now, but everything will work out,
Melissa.”

“Declan will come for me.”

Manny narrowed his eyes at her. “He
can’t find you out there. This place is under Robert’s name, and he doesn’t
know anything about my brother.” She didn’t mention the fact that Declan’s job
was to find people that couldn’t be found by anyone else.

“You can’t keep me here forever.”

Manny walked over to the kitchen and
checked a few pots on the stove. “We won’t be staying here very long. The heat
is getting too strong right now with those bodies being found. Robert and I
just need to finish this last batch to distribute since we have orders for
triple the profit. It would be foolish to leave when that kind of money is on
the line.” He turned and looked at her, and it was then that she realized what
he was talking about. “But we know that some local bikers are searching for the
suppliers of the drugs since one of their kids up and died.” He shrugged,
sounding completely unconcerned. It took her only seconds to understand what he
was talking about, and when she realized her stomach dropped and a cold sweat
broke out along her forehead.

“You two are responsible for the drugs
these kids are taking?”

He shook his head. “If they did the dose
instructed to them they wouldn’t have OD’d. They’re all dumb, but then again
they are junkies so you can’t really expect them to follow simple
instructions.” He grabbed two wine glasses out of the cupboard and lifted them
to her. “I have a nice dinner planned for us just as soon as Robert finishes
this batch. After he heads out to give it to the distributors we are heading to
Alaska. Robert has an isolated cabin there, and you and I can find our own
place and start our lives together.” His grin was downright vicious. “No one
will find you, Melissa. I have many plans for us, and I have all the time in
the world to make you see that you love me just as much as I love you.”

“You two are sick fuckers.” Clearly her
profanity and insults didn’t make his distorted pleasure wane. “I don’t love
you, Manny, and I’m not in love with you. I never will be.” Sick dread settled
inside of her, and she felt her pulse increase. She trusted Declan, knew without
a doubt that he was already looking for her since she didn’t meet him at the
restaurant, but she didn’t know if would get here in time.

****

Declan stood beside of Maverick, Trace,
Link, and the Wylde brothers. Other shifters in town offered to come, but he
needed a small unit to do this. A lynch mob could backfire, have these assholes
doing something drastic, and when someone was in duress they fucked up. They
had his mate, and he needed to do this the smart way so he could get Melissa
out safely. After Maverick had left Declan had found the address of a cabin
that was under the Martin family name. Robert’s name was listed on the legal
documents. Declan had found out that
 
Robert
had been living in the cabin twenty miles from town and deep within the Sweet
Water Mountains for a while now, but had kept a low profile. Right now they
were right outside the cabin, hidden amongst the trees as they scoped out the small
building and the land around it. The lights were on, and the scent of chemicals
was far too faint for humans to detect, but had shifters smelling them
instantly.

“There’s movement behind the drapes.”
Declan gritted out and felt his bear ripple beneath his skin and
te
thought he knew his mate was in
there with those motherfuckers. The scent of her lingered in the air around the
cabin, and it was taking everything inside of him not to tear through the front
door and shoot both Manny and Robert right between the eyes. When he couldn’t
get a hold of Melissa after she hadn’t shown up at the restaurant he had acted
instantly. He hadn’t even known if something had happened to her, but his bear
had felt uneasy and itchy, and the mercenary in him had gone into action. Going
back to her office showed her car sitting in the parking lot, her keys on the
pavement, and the scent of her fear still in the air. But he pushed those
memories away, because right now he needed a clear head to get the job done. “We
are going to stick with the plan.” He looked over at Maverick, thankful that
all of these males had dropped what they were doing to help bring down the
males hurting Sweet Water, and deal with the threat that his mate was in. “I’ll
take the back with Maverick, Link, and Trace. Charlie, Bram, and Ford move
around to the front. We’ll come in the rear, and push them out of the front
where you’ll be waiting.” The three Wylde brothers nodded in unison. Declan motioned
for the other three to follow him. They moved stealthily through the trees and
pressed themselves up against the side of the cabin. The scent of chemicals
grew stronger, and he knew that they were most definitely cooking the drugs in
this cabin. There was a window right beside them, and the curtain was partially
opened. He leaned forward, saw Melissa tied to a chair, and nearly growled out
loud. But before his animal took control he grabbed onto his strength. Letting
out any kind of sound was a weakness and could alert others to his presence. He
spotted Manny in the kitchen by the stove. The male’s mouth was moving, and he
had this joyous expression on his face. Declan’s anger mounted even more at the
fact this prick was trying to play house with Declan’s mate.

“Man, you have to get your shit together,
or we won’t get your mate out of there safely.” Declan turned to Maverick and
bared his teeth. “Think with the human part of you. Don’t let your animal get
control until
you
want it to.” Declan
knew Maverick was right, but it was damn hard. But once he was inside his
animal was breaking the fuck free. Declan had never had a problem with keeping
his shit together, but it was clear as day all bets were off when a mate was
involved. He gave a tight nod and motioned for them to continue to follow him.
Although Declan had been in some pretty heavy shit while in the SIL, this right
here was the most important mission he had ever been in, and it was because Melissa
was inside. They moved silently against the side of the house, and right when
they saw the backdoor they slowed.

“Okay, get ready to take some fuckers
down. I don’t know how many they have working for them, or if it’s just the two
of them inside, but be prepared for anything.” Declan looked first at Maverick,
then to Link, and finally stopped on the polar bear, Trace. These males were
capable of handling themselves and getting the job done. That wasn’t even a
question. “Ready?” All three males nodded. He grabbed his cell out, saw the
text from Charlie that he and his brothers were positioned at the front, and
knew it was time to get this shit done. Declan took point, gripped the door handle,
and let his bear come out. Strength poured into him, and he tore the door clean
off the hinges. The toxic smell of chemicals came at them like fucking bullets.
His eyes watered, his skin burned, and he instantly became lightheaded. He saw Robert
with a face mask on standing in front of a very scientific-looking chemistry
set. Beakers, jars, bottles, cookers, and a bunch of other shit Declan knew was
a setup for making drugs littered the tables around the compact room. For a
second no one moved, and then Robert took off.

“Now.”
Declan roared out and let his bear free. He didn’t concentrate on the men
shifting behind him, just took off in his grizzly bear form toward Robert. He
wouldn’t shift into his meerkat, because the only advantage he’d have was
speed, and if Declan or any of the other males got to him then it was game
over. Robert went through the door and tried to close it behind him, but Declan
charged forward and slammed his body into it. He heard Robert grunt, felt the
impact of knocking the other male on the ground, and roared out again.

The scent of Melissa filled his nose,
and he zeroed in on her. He was now in the living room, Melissa only a few feet
in front of him, and Manny standing in the kitchen with the scent of fear
pounding from him like a drum. But he didn’t move, especially not when the
Wylde brothers filed through the front door, still in their human forms but
just as menacing. There was nowhere for either of these pricks to go. Maverick,
Trace, and Link moved behind him, and he lowered his eyes to Robert, who was on
the ground. He showed no emotion though. He tore off his face mask and snarled.
If Declan could have laughed in his bear form he would have. The fact this
fucker thought he was going to intimidate them was hilarious. But Robert
surprised the hell out of him by standing and throwing his mask aside.