Hagen, Lynn - Murphy's Madness [Brac Pack 15] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (2 page)

Johnny tilted his head at Ludo and grinned. “You’re teasing, right?”

He chuckled and nodded. He watched Johnny race off and jump into Hawk’s arms.

Ludo found it hard sometimes to watch the mated pairs, knowing he and Montana were the last bachelors. There were the Santiago brothers, but they didn’t count. They kept to themselves mostly. Ludo yearned to find his mate just like any other shifter.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Ludo grabbed his truck keys, heading to do as his Alpha requested. Their town was only ten minutes away, less if you pushed the accelerator harder, but Ludo was in no rush. He was just delivering news after all.

He pulled close to the diner, getting out of the truck. Before he took a step further, he reached into his front pocket, extracting the coated black rubber band he used to tie his shoulder-length hair back.

He pulled the diner door open, stopping to inhale the scent of George’s cooking. The mate was an excellent cook. The Timber wolves found themselves running more often to get rid of the extra pounds the mate was determined to put on all the warriors.

Ludo regarded the three stools in front of him and decided to sit in the one furthest from Keata, keeping a safe distance as Cody came from the kitchen.

“Hey, Ludo.” Cody smiled at him as he walked through the door from the kitchen, automatically going to the coffee pot and pouring him a cup of coffee.

Oddly enough, Cody was among the few who hadn’t treated Ludo like a leper when Storm accused him of patting Keata’s ass, and the wolf was the guy’s mate. That gained a lot of respect from Ludo for the warrior.

“Thanks.” Ludo accepted the mug and then sipped at the black brew, letting out a relieved breath as the dark liquid calmed him. “Maverick sent me.” Ludo sat the mug down and looked around, seeing no one in listening range. He relayed to Cody what had been said in the meeting.

“Damn.” Cody shook his head. “Melonee?” Ludo knew how he felt. It still seemed unreal that a fey child was the cause of all the upheaval. The question of why was still a mystery, though.

Figuring he might as well get himself something to eat while he was there, Ludo yelled into the kitchen for George to fix him a plate of whatever was ready. He wasn’t picky, and at six five and two hundred ninety pounds, he could put it away.

George dropped a plate of pork roast and little baby potatoes in front of him. The serving size was enough to feed three people. Oh yeah, baby. He was going to enjoy this.

Cody looked at him strangely when the fork hovered at his open lips. Ludo couldn’t move. He was frozen.

Dropping the fork, Ludo looked around the diner. He tilted his head back as he sniffed the air in the direction of an empty booth. The smell was faint, but it still lingered in the air. His wolf was whining as Ludo looked around.

Timber wolves didn’t have a great sense of smell. They relied on their hearing, but when it came to finding their mate, fate made sure all shifters could smell them.

“Who sat there?” Ludo turned to Cody, but his finger was pointing over to the corner booth.

“I don’t know. I’ll have to ask Tangee.” Cody tilted his head at Ludo, examining him closely. “Why?”

Ludo ignored the wolf’s question. He pushed himself from his seat at the counter, making his way across the restaurant, and sniffed closely.

His eyes slowly closed, enjoying the aromatic scent of a hot summer night and fresh roses. His cock hardened instantly, and his skin tingled as the aroma permeated his lungs.

“Ludo?”

Ludo turned. All eyes were on him. Keata was sucking his smoothie down with a straw as his eyes followed Ludo, Cody was leaning across the counter, his brows pulled together in confusion, and the few customers who were in the diner were watching him as well.

He straightened, not wanting the human customers to notice his strange behavior. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, fighting the change. The need to claim that scent was riding him strong.

“Where’s Tangee?” He desperately needed to know. His mate had been here, and from the scent, just recently.

“He’s taking his break in the kitchen with George.” Cody tossed his thumb over his shoulder, looking at Ludo like he had lost his mind.

Panic began to set in. What if he had been a tourist who was at this very moment driving away from here? Ludo knew his mate was a male. There was no doubt in his mind.

Ludo slammed the palm of his hand against the double chrome doors leading into the kitchen, making the mates behind the door jump.

“Could you tell me who was in that corner booth last?” Ludo growled, making the smaller mate pull back.

“Ludo, what the hell’s gotten into you?” George huffed when he witnessed Tangee’s reaction. The Alpha would kill anyone who abused a mate, and intimidating them fell into that category. Ludo knew better, but his instinct to find his mate was making him crazy.

Ludo cleared his throat, trying to still his racing heart. The thing was about to beat out of his chest. His mate had been here,
his mate
. After two hundred and twenty-six years, he was this close to finding him. The level of apprehension in him rose with the thought of his mate gaining miles away from him.

“I apologize. Could you tell me?” Ludo bit his bottom lip. “Please,” he added on.

“Which one?” Tangee slowly stood, heading toward the door. Ludo had to take a calming breath. The urge to shove the mate through the door quickly and point the booth out was making him edgy.

Following Tangee, Ludo’s hand shot out as he pointed to the booth he was referring to, getting more agitated by the second when the mate took his time answering him.

The dinner rush hadn’t gotten underway yet, so it shouldn’t be that damn hard to remember. Ludo took a step back. The need to throttle the slow-walking mate made his hands itch.

“Oh, yeah, now I remember.” Tangee smiled up at him as if he was waiting for Ludo to ask who…again.

“Well?” Ludo gritted his teeth, almost positive a few were going to crack at the restraint he was using to keep his hand from cuffing Tangee on the back of his head.

“Murphy sat there.”

“Murphy?” Ludo was about to explode. He had a name. That was a start. “Could you tell me who that is?” he asked through clenched teeth. He was feeling achy and agitated. Not a good thing when he needed patience right now.

“The bookstore owner.” Tangee looked at Ludo with a
duh
expression.

Ludo left the mate standing there. He raced from the diner and rushed the few doors down to the bookstore. He racked his brain trying to remember if he had ever seen the man before. He’d never been to the bookstore, but had he ever seen him in the diner? He couldn’t have if he’d never been there. God, he was losing his mind.

When one of the mates wanted to go there, the warriors had to escort them, but Ludo had never pulled the short straw for babysitting them while they browsed.

His mind raced at what his mate looked like, how his voice sounded, and how fast he could throw him down and claim him.

Everything came crashing down around him when the big blue and white sign hanging in the door told him his mate had closed early. “Fuck!” Ludo shouted in frustration as he fisted his hands at his side. Now what? Did anyone know where his mate lived?

Turning on his heel, Ludo walked at a fast pace back to the diner, almost ripping the door off of its hinges as he sought out Tangee.

Spotting him talking with a customer, Ludo tapped his booted foot, waiting. He shoved his thumbs through his belt loops as he fought for patience once again.

How long did it take to write down an order? God, this was frustrating. He wanted to shout at the people sitting there to make up their damn minds. Good god, there were only so many damn choices on a menu.

Finally, after a million years, Tangee smiled at them then walked away, placing the order ticket in the window for George to fill.

“Tangee,” Ludo called the mate’s attention.

Tangee turned his head and smiled at Ludo. “Did you find him?”

Would he be back here if he did? “No, he closed early.” Once again he found himself breathing out slowly. He loved the mates, but at times they could push someone’s blood pressure through the roof. “Would you happen to know where he lives?” Ludo asked through a tight smile.

“Uh, why?”

Argh! Just shoot me now and get it over with
. What the hell did it matter?
He’s a
mate, you can’t throttle him, he’s a mate, you can’t throttle him.
Ludo kept repeating the mantra in his head over and over again, hoping it worked. “I need to speak with him.”

“He’ll be open tomorrow.” Tangee offered as he walked over to another table and began to talk with the customers.

Ludo headlocked Cody and dragged him into the kitchen. He couldn’t kill a mate, but he could take it out on a warrior. They were built tough, and Ludo was actually losing his mind right about now. It didn’t matter which warrior, anyone would do.

“What the hell, man?” Cody shoved Ludo off of him. “Have you lost your mind?”

“I need to find the bookstore owner. Please help me out before Maverick kills me for harming a mate.” Ludo yanked the black band from his hair and ran his hand through it so hard he pulled strands out.

“What’s going on, Ludo?” Cody leaned against the counter in the kitchen, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Why is everyone giving me such a hard time?” Ludo threw his hands up exasperatedly. “Can’t anyone just answer a question around here?”

Cody’s brow slowly lifted, but he said nothing, waiting for Ludo to answer him. He could see he wasn’t going to get an answer until he gave one.

“Fine, he’s my mate. Now will somebody in this place answer my fucking question?” Ludo couldn’t shake that desperate feeling. Which was odd considering his mate was a resident here and not a tourist driving away. His whole damn body itched to get it wrapped around the elusive man.

He didn’t remember any other warrior having such a strong reaction and wondered why it was affecting him like this. It was as if he had to find him before he lost him.

What sense did that make?

“Tangee,” Cody yelled toward the dining area. About damn time he got some help. Ludo paced the kitchen as he waited for the mate to get in there.

“Yeah?” Tangee walked slowly into the kitchen, eyeing Ludo cautiously. He knew he must look like a nut job running around in circles shooting questions off that were bizarre to them.

“Do you know where Murphy lives?”

As Tangee shook his head, Ludo felt his heart plummet. “Sorry, no.”

Ludo wanted to crumble to the floor and kick his feet in a tantrum. This was unreal. He went through all of this only to end up back at square one. No closer to his mate than when he’d started. The only thing he gained from this was a name and a damn migraine.

“Let me call the house, see if anyone knows.” Cody pulled his cell phone out.

The only thing Ludo could do was have a seat back at the counter. He pushed his plate aside, no longer interested in eating. He wanted Murphy in the worst way. When you knew there was someone out there that was handpicked for you, it made it almost impossible to have patience. Fate thought Murphy would be perfect for him, so he desperately wanted to get to know the man. He wanted to lay his eyes on him and show him how wonderful they could be together.

Keata’s hand shot over to him, stilling the fork he was beating against the counter. For once, he didn’t jump away from a mate. He just started bouncing his leg instead.