Dwyer, Dixie Lynn - SWAT Team Two and Miss Robin Hood [The Men of Five-0 #2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) (21 page)

Chu hung up and immediately contacted Felix.

* * * *

“What do you think?” Sunny asked Frankie as he caught up with him behind the apartment complex.”

“I think you scared the fucker off,” Frankie replied.

“Good. Because my wolf is very uneasy about not being close to Melissa.”

“So are the rest of ours as well. So what did you find out about her? You met the family? The kids?” Frankie asked, and Sunny explained about the small apartment, the two bedrooms and how Melissa sleeps on the couch. He told him about the pictures and the neighbor who Melissa had helped. He also talked about Brandon, Tommy, and Lea.

“The kids were that much fun, huh?” Frankie asked, sounding unsure.

“They were great. Very respectful and courteous. They helped with everything. Melissa’s done a great job with them, I could tell.”

“How was the food?” Frankie asked, and Sunny laughed.

“Jake has some serious competition.”

“No shit?”

“No shit,” Sunny replied as they laughed.

“Well, it looks like it’s all clear.”

“Then let’s head home. Logan wants a rundown of my meeting the family and what I found out,” Sunny stated. Then they headed back to his Jeep.

Chapter 13

“So what’s the plan for tonight?” Chu asked Bret as Bret poured himself a snifter of brandy.

He turned toward Chu and smiled.

“Nothing.”

Chu raised his eyebrows in response.

“I got a call from an inside guy about thirty minutes ago. He said Mel was asked to be an informant.” He took a sip from his glass and smirked.

“What? Who the hell asked Mel to do that, fucking cops?”

Bret nodded.

“Son of a bitch. What did Mel say?”

“She downright refused.”

“Smart woman. It would have been an instant death sentence.”

“She knows that, Chu, but she also knows not to cross me. I can use this information on her. I can get her to cooperate with my demands.”

“What about the Valdamar? They seem to like her a lot, and there are five of them.”

“Fuck the Valdamar. I’ll make her believe that they’re the bad guys. I’ll keep her away from them without physically having to do it. She won’t know who to turn to. Especially if she thinks her kids and aunt are in danger.”

Chu rubbed his chin.

“It could work. She knows you’re of the wolf. She has to know that the Valdamar are. We could put a little scare into her, just to seal the deal.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I’ve got some ideas. Give me some time to set it up. I’ll let you know first and get your approval before I do anything.”

“Sounds interesting, Chu. It’s good to have a wolf of your resources on my side.”

Chu chuckled.

“So we won’t be headed to Charlie’s tonight to visit?” Chu asked.

“No. We wait a few days and make our move.”

* * * *

Melissa replied to the text messages from each of the guys. It had been one day and they acted as if it were a week. Releasing a sigh as she fixed her lip gloss in the bathroom at Charlie’s, she admitted that she missed them, too. It was crazy to think how obsessed they each had become with one another. She longed to be held in their arms, kissed thoroughly by each of them, and of course made love to by them as well. But it wasn’t love. She had to remind herself that it was lust, infatuation, and a good time for now. Eventually they would grow tired of her. They would find some other woman to shower with affection and send into a fantasy world that could never last forever.

She took a deep, unsteady breath and exited the bathroom.

Charlie was there waiting for her.

“You look beautiful, Melissa. Like a woman in love,” he teased her. She lowered her eyes and shook her head. “No, not a woman in love.”

“Well, they’re your mates, and it’s the same thing as when humans fall in love. It’s just more intense for wolves.”

She was shocked at his words. “Mates? What are you talking about? What do you mean?”

Charlie looked like he lost all the coloring on his face.

“Ah…I take it they didn’t explain how it works.”

“Uh, no, not if you’re talking about anything having to do with wolf culture. They haven’t explained anything.”

“Well, maybe it’s best if you ask them. I just assumed since you were with them that you were beginning the mating process.”

“Oh crap, Charlie. I have no idea what the hell you are talking about.” She moved closer and whispered despite the fact that no one was even in the club yet except for Spike and the workers who were in the other part of the club.

“Do you mean the sex?”

Charlie placed his hands in his pockets and seemed to blush.

“Ah, listen, honey, I think it’s best if you talk to the guys. The only information I know is from my cousin. She is mated to two wolves, and there was this whole mating process. They united and once he and his brother bit her during sex, their bond was formed.”

Melissa placed her hand over her shoulder where the bite marks were. Not all the brothers had bitten her yet.

“Did they bite you Mel?”

“Not all of them.”

“Well, you’re not truly bonded until they all mark you their mate. It’s for security, protection, and a symbol of their love and commitment to you.”

She thought about that a moment and remembered something the guys said.

“They mentioned a mating musk. What’s that?”

“My cousin said it’s what told her she belonged to her two men. She couldn’t go long periods of time without them by her side. At least until the mating process was complete. When wolves mate, they mate for life.”

“For life?” She panicked. What about the kids, her aunt, her life?

Suddenly she felt her blood boiling.

“They had no right to begin this,” she stated as she began to pace the hallway. “I can’t believe this is happening. I won’t let this happen.”

“You don’t have much of a choice, Mel.” He laughed.

“I do, too. I have a choice. I have a say in this. My whole life will change.”

Charlie took her hand and smiled at her.

“Your life has already changed, Mel. You are glowing and in love. So stop fighting it and enjoy it.”

In love? What the heck was he talking about?

“I’m not in love.”

“Listen, I think you should talk this over with your men. They can better explain this than I can. Now let’s get ready for a busy night. I have a new girl starting since you won’t be dancing anymore.”

“Says who?” she asked.

“You did, and I’ve been thoroughly warned by an entire SWAT team as well.”

“Great. And so the controlling begins,” Melissa stated as she sighed in anger.

* * * *

Melissa worked the bar and ignored every text she received until about midnight. Glancing down at her phone as she finished serving a group of businessmen martinis, she saw that it was Vince. For some strange reason, she had a soft spot for Vince. He just seemed so sincere and up front. He didn’t hide things, and maybe that’s why she was hurt that they hadn’t explained the whole mating thing before they just did it.

Mel, call me please. I know something is wrong. I can feel it. Call or text me now. Vince

Great, now he could sense her emotions from afar. Could he sense her anger, too?

She pulled her cell phone off her hip and stared at the people around the bar and in the club. It just wasn’t the same anymore. She was beginning to feel lost, and it was all because of the men.

She took a moment to text him.

I’m mad at you. I’m mad at your brothers, too. You should have explained and asked me first. Maybe I don’t want to be mated.

As she pressed “send,” her heart ached. If she were at all honest with herself, she would realize that she wanted to be with them. She was falling in love with them.

Instead of a text, her phone rang. It was Vince.

“Tara, can you cover for me for a few minutes?” Melissa asked.

“Sure, honey. I hope that call puts a smile back on your face.”

Melissa forced a small smile then answered the phone as she walked to the end of the bar and to a small doorway.

“Hello.”

“Who told you?” Vince demanded to know.

“Does it matter? The point is that you didn’t. Neither did your brothers.”

“We’re sorry you’re upset, but things got out of control quickly. We didn’t know if you were involved with the case against Bret. We also felt compelled to have you. It’s new for all of us as well.”

“To have me, huh? That sounds romantic,” she stated sarcastically.

“If you want romantic, we can do romantic. Wolves are sexual creatures. We like to make love to our women thoroughly and waste no time with the other stuff. Are you really that angry with us that you avoided our texts?”

“Yes. I’m hurt, that’s all.”

“Well, that’s not acceptable. We would never hurt you. What time are you finishing up?”

“I don’t know. It’s kind of a slow tonight.”

“Can you meet us at our place?”

She thought about it a minute. Aunt Peggy had Alice next door to help if she needed it. That woman was practically over at the apartment for coffee every morning anyway.

“Okay. I suppose I can, but I want to talk.”

She heard the muffled cries and wise-guy comments of the others in the background.

“Call me or text me when you’re leaving there.”

“Okay.”

Melissa hung up the phone, and for some reason, she felt a little better. If she were honest with herself, she would admit that she was excited about seeing her men again.

* * * *

She returned back to the bar to find a new guy waiting to be served.

Tara came up to Melissa and whispered to her, “He was asking for you. Wanted to wait for you to serve him. I think he’s a cop.”

She swallowed hard then slowly walked toward the tall blond-haired guy. He was big and quite attractive.

“Melissa?”

“And you are?”

“I’m Special Investigator Declan. I was just by your apartment a couple of hours ago. I met your family. Very nice kids.”

“What is this all about, detective?” she asked, moving closer to the bar.

He leaned closer, and it seemed like he sniffed her. Great, was he a wolf too? Suddenly there seemed to be a lot of wolves around her.

He was hesitant as he spoke.

“I’m with the DEA. During an investigation into a recent drug operation bust, a large amount of money was stolen. We’ve tracked down some of the bills. However, it seems that some have wound up in an account with your name. Any ideas how that money got there?”

Oh shit!

“Um, I have no idea. I mean, I pretty much work here all the time. Different people come in and leave tips.”

He looked her body over and hesitated as if contemplating his next comment.

“You’ve got a hot body. But thirty grand worth of dough in one night, I’m not buying.”

“I don’t know what you’re inferring, Investigator Declan, but I don’t know anything about any drug raid. But as far as the money, I just deposit any cash I get here into that account.”

He looked her over again and sniffed the air. He smirked.

“Normally, I would believe a story such as yours. However, after further investigation by my team, it appears your friend Celine Lewis had a large sum of money in her account. Which came directly from your account, by the way.”

“I’ve been saving my money for years. What’s your point?”

He leaned forward so only she could hear.

“My point is that you’ve come into a lot of money in a short period of time. I’m not certain how exactly yet, but I do know stripping and bartending doesn’t bring in that kind of cash in less than two weeks. There are numerous drug dealers that hang around this club. Perhaps they’ve offered you financial freedom so you can take care of your dead sister’s kids and dying aunt. I’m not sure. What I do know is that these individuals are going down. The illegal drugs, the transporting and distributing of drugs, will come to an end. Are you going to be part of the problem or part of the solution?”

She stared at him, uncertain if his statement was a direct threat or if he was fishing for clues. She covered her tracks, and despite the marked bills, how the hell would he know that unless he illegally went to the bank and investigated? He was taking a chance on a hunch, nothing more.

She leaned back closer to him and smiled.

“This is all very interesting on hearsay. However, in order to prove that any individual has deposited money that is marked, that person would have to be present at the time of that deposit. If by chance they weren’t, and they were guessing, then that person would have to get a warrant to look at the registers at that particular bank and verify a timetable, a location, and a precise register and teller that received those marked bills.