Her Billionaire Werewolf Stepbrother (11 page)

“Come here and see yourself strip
in my office.” Her face turns red. I click play. “They didn’t see anything.” I
say and she looks relieved. I’ve removed it from their archives so they can’t
ever watch it again.”

“Thanks.”

“Want to repay me?” She chuckles.
“Go change that shirt. I don’t like tee shirts with words on them.” She thinks
about that then nods and leaves. I didn’t think that would be so easy. I check
some emails and she’s back in a pretty fall blouse that looks good on her. It’s
rust colored and has a round neck. A tan skirt is under it. I like it. I shut
the computer down and stand. I hold my hand out and she takes it. We head for
the stairs. I don’t want to interrupt the workers.  Mack stands as I open the
door. “We’re going to breakfast across the street then to the office.”

“Should I radio command?”

“Let them know my plans, we can
make the trip alone.” I feel Jane shift on her feet beside me. I pull her
toward the stairs and we walk down one flight to the help level. I open the
fire door and find Lucinda pushed up against a wall getting well fucked by
Jamison. They’re grunting and do not hear me. He’s a cheetah and she’s a wolf.
I cringe. Jane has her face behind her hand. She doesn’t like the show. I hear
the radio crackle then and Mack is announcing where I’m going. I clear my
throat.

“You’re both fired.” I say calmly.
“Get out.” What is up with my staff lately? I go in the command center to find
Pete. He’s watching the cameras and switching around from camera to camera.
“Peter.” I say and he looks up. “I’ve just fired Jamison and Lucinda. Did you
know they were screwing in my hallway?” He makes a face.

“Sir, what they do out of my view
and during their time off is none of my business. My job today is to watch the
cameras.” I agree with him and give him a nod.

“Look!” Jane says suddenly pointing
at one of the video feeds. That blonde bitch is in my building again. She’s in
the stairwell between four and five. I text Mack then the front lobby. I lock
down all of the fire doors with my code. No way out for her now. I put Jane in
a chair. Her eyes are pinned to the screen. I tell her to stay put and I take
my elevator to four then ease into the stairwell. I have an earpiece in my ear
so I can hear the team. They’re silent. I climb the stairs. She’s trying the
door on six. It’s locked. I smile. I climb quickly, the lobby team is behind
me.

I see her peek over the rail.
That’s when I know.

Jake is going to drive me crazy
with this stuff. I’ve never been rich so I don’t know what it’s like. I know
that not everything lasts forever. My mother proved that. I didn’t want Lucinda
in the house so he pays extra to have a door installed early on a Saturday
morning. I’m not sure if he needs this wall so bad to protect me or so he can
have his way. He wants Lucinda sitting in the foyer watching the elevator when
she isn’t glued to my side.

I don’t want her in either place. I
don’t think it’s because she’s a wolf, that’s only part of it. I don’t want
another female in my house, no, I don’t want anyone in my house. I can live
with the housekeeper because she will leave at the end of the day. Jocelyn is
okay, she’s a lot older than we are and if he wanted her he would’ve had her
already.

The whole thing is exhausting and
the incessant banging is on my very last nerve already. That noise is poisonous
to a wolf. The shower was nice. I couldn’t really hear it in there. I pull on a
blouse because Jake didn’t like my Taj Mahal Arcade shirt. He doesn’t know art
when he sees it. That shirt is a classic. They have the last standing Asteroids
arcade game in the state. I put the khaki colored skirt on that is hanging with
it and take my socks and shoes off. There are a pair of tan leather flats so I
wear them instead.

I think he’ll like this. It has a low
round neck and it’s a dark rusty color, like the fall leaves. I wouldn’t have
chosen it in the store but I have to admit it looks good on me. I go back down
the hall to find Jake again. When I go into his office he’s shutting the
computer off then takes my hand. He looks me over and gives me a smile. Who
needs Lucinda when I have him?

We go to the stairs because there
are men in the foyer banging on drywall. It’s all I can do to not cover my
ears. When we get to the stairwell, there is a big guy standing there at
attention. He calls him Mack. Jake talks to him while I look down through the
center of the stairwell. It’s a long drop and I think someone is down there.
Maybe the cleaning crew. Jake is pulling me along and he stops at the first
floor we come to and pushes through the door.

Oh gross. Get a room. I hide my
face because I don’t want to see sweet Lucinda getting pounded into by what
smells like cat. Sick. Very professional. Jake tells them to get out and that
they’re fired. Good. No more body guard. We go into a room full of monitors and
there’s a guy sitting there actively clicking through various feeds.

I don’t know how he knows where to
look. Jake calls him Peter and tells him about the show in the hall. I’m
looking around at all of the rooms on the screens and then I spot her. “Look!”
I see that little bitch and my wolf pushes. I want her blood. She’s in my
territory and it is not welcome. Jake springs into action. He has everyone
scrambling before he pushes me into a chair and tells me to stay. He runs out
and I’m left with Peter. Great. He looks over at me and I smile.

“Good catch.” He says. He seems
jealous that he didn’t see her first. My stomach growls. It wants food or her
blood, either is fine. I can see the elevator feed and the top of Jake’s head.
I grin stupidly. If he pushed me up against the doors, the video wouldn’t see
us. He’s getting off and I see him and a lot of guys on the stairs. Jake looks
up and I switch cameras to see up the stairwell. That’s not her. That girl is
wearing a wig. Now that I can see more of her, I know. We’ve been duped. Why?
This makes no sense until I see her on another camera.

“There!” I scream. He jumps.
“Sorry.” I mumble.

“You’re really good at this, you
should go into security.” He smiles. I’m a decent hunter. I can spot my prey.
Then there’s another. Shit. There are at least twelve blonde women on various
feeds around the building. Peter is talking into a black radio. I start
pointing to all of the monitors and he freezes mid-sentence. Pete starts
shouting into the radio when I see another one in the elevator. That’s the real
one, I’m sure of it. The rest are decoys. I put my finger on the screen and he
stops talking.

“That’s the real one.” I say
calmly. I pull out my phone and text Jake. Peter’s on the radio again.

“I can’t stop it, she’s used his
code.”

“I thought he changed it.” Peter
nods. So she is either somehow intercepting the codes or she’s a hacker. I’m not
as tech savvy as Jake so I wouldn’t know. The elevator stops and she gets off
pretty as you please. “What floor is that?”

“Software. She’s a thief.” Peter
says. He’s on that damned radio again. I watch her walk effortlessly through
the empty floor. Nobody is working on Saturday. She goes straight for one of
the offices and plugs a device into it. Within seconds, she’s inside. I see
Jake now. His eyes flash and I wonder if Peter saw that. Peter scents as human.
“Jake better get it together or the rest of the team is going to be exposed.”

“Exposed?” I ask. I’m not sure what
he means.

“To the big bad wolf. I know. You
don’t have to pretend. My wife is a Jaguar.” Pete winks. What the heck? Is
everyone in this damn building something? I’ve come across the occasional
shifter in my life besides pack mates. I met a Coyote once, he was a little
weird and skittish around me. This is shifter overload though.

“How many are on this team?” I ask.
He considers answering me for a few seconds then decides it’s okay to tell me.

“In security in this building there
are about twenty, give or take, we lost two earlier.” He chuckles. That’s the
thing about shifters, they can’t keep it in their pants until their mated.”

“I know. Jake got around.” He makes
a face.  Then shakes his head.

“I’ve never seen him with anyone. I
mean he goes out with arm candy for events but I’ve never seen one come back
here with him.” Peter may be trying to make me feel better but I know Jake. I
know how many women paraded through our upstairs that fall.

Jake is moving toward the office
and the team is behind him. He’s just outside the door and I’m holding my
breath. The lights come on suddenly and the team crowds inside. A minute passes
and they come out looking confused. Jake looks up at the camera in the hall and
shrugs with his hands up. I don’t understand. Where could she go? I look around
at all of the monitors and I don’t see her anywhere. I don’t see any of them
anywhere. I see Jake’s nose twitch then his head shakes. I watch the monitors.
The ones inside and around the outside of the building. How does someone just
disappear? The monitors all freeze for a second and I narrow my eyes. Suddenly,
there is a man on a screen that was not there a second ago.

“She’s hacked your security
system.” I say quietly when Jake comes back.

“Impossible.” He’s looking at the
feeds and ignoring me. I cross my arms over my chest. I want to scream at him
but I know he won’t like it if I do that in front of Peter.

“Can you roll these back?” I ask
Peter. He grins at me because he appreciates my talents already. “This one?” I
point at where the man popped up. “And this one.” I point to another random
camera. “Um.” I shrug. “Ten minutes? Is that how long it’s been?” Peter nods
then does what I asked. Jake is furious that Peter is taking orders from me. I
know that’s only part of it. He’s really upset because he can’t find her and he
couldn’t sniff her out. I stand up and go to him. I rub my hand over his chest
and he tenses. Shit. We are borderline nuclear. “Just watch. I could be wrong.
I probably am but you should see what I saw.”

“She’s really good at this boss.”
Peter says without turning around. Jake swallows and shifts on his feet but I
don’t let go. I have my arm anchored around his waist and my head tucked into
the crook of his shoulder. My body wants the safety and protection that he can
offer. The monitors play simultaneously.

“Watch this one.” I point to where
the man will appear. “This guy has skills.” Jake watches. The camera freezes
for a micro blip then the man appears out of nowhere.

“Fuck me.” Jake says. I raise my
brows and he kisses the spot over my nose.  “Good girl.” Jake pulls his phone
out and starts texting someone. I’ve never seen fingers move that fast.

“She’s a hacker right?” I ask. Jake
nods and walks away from us. My stomach growls again. Peter reaches into a
drawer and hands me a granola bar. He winks when I take it. “Thank you.” He
nods and goes back to his screens. I eat it quickly and throw the wrapper away.
I’m not sure how long I will be sitting in this little room but I don’t like
it. There are no windows and it feels closed in.

The big guy from the stairwell
comes into the room and Peter leaves. It must be time for a break. Mack sits
without acknowledging me. I get up and walk into the hall. Jake is over in the
corner on the phone talking to someone. I go to the fire door and head back
upstairs. I need more to eat. The granola bar wasn’t enough and I can feel
myself getting shaky.

When I get upstairs there’s a
different man there and he is scowling down at me. I keep climbing. “Hi.” I say
as I go for the door. He’s on my then. Two hundred pounds of Cheetah. Oomph,
the air hisses out of my lungs as I’m pushed up against the door. “Stop.” I
cry. He doesn’t care and he doesn’t speak. My wrists are put into zip ties and
they are cutting into my skin. “No.” I tell him and he hoists me from my feet
by the ties. That hurts. “You’re hurting me.” I say.

“That’s the idea you little cunt.”
The wolf surges and I crumple to keep her in. It takes all of my effort and I
nearly black out. He’s dragging me down the stairs. Jake is bursting out of the
fire door now and he is pissed.

“Jake.” I whimper. He lunges toward
me and I hear his fist connect with the asshole’s jaw. Good. Jake gathers me in
his arms and orders the guy to untie me. I can’t help the tears streaming down
my face and I try to wipe them off before they both see them.

“Did he hurt you?” I nod. “Jane,
look at me.” I lift my eyes to see worry and anger. “What happened?”

“I was hungry. I went upstairs and
he threw me up against the door and tied my hands then he called me a cunt.” It
was the last part that hurt most and I spit the word out with venom. No woman
wants to hear that. Ever.

“She didn’t identify herself sir.
We had a perp still in the building and I thought…”

“Did you ask her who she was?”

“No and she didn’t volunteer.”

“You assumed that a woman with long
dark hair in a thousand dollar blouse was your perp?” A thousand dollars? I
look down at it. Really? Who pays that for a shirt? The Taj Mahal tee shirt was
ten bucks originally and I got it half price. He’s nuts. Jake is texting
someone again. I sigh. I’m still starved.

“Can I go upstairs now?” I whine.
Jake looks up.

“Do you need to pee?” I shake my
head. “Then?”

“I’m starving and I feel like I
might pass out.” I get a woozy feeling and put my hand on the wall to steady
myself.

“I’m sorry.” Jake says and shoves
the phone in his pocket. He grabs me around the waist and ushers me through the
door to the security floor. “Back to your post Jared.” He calls over his
shoulder just as the door closes. We go to Jake’s private elevator and go down.
He’s holding me to his chest and texting with one hand. I hate that phone. I
want to crush it under my heel. I guess that I should get used to it but if
he’s already on it that much this soon…I’m afraid eventually he won’t see me at
all. He will only have eyes for that phone.

We cross the lobby when we land and
go across the street to a diner. It’s small and looks as though it just arrived
from 1950. We go inside and the scents overwhelm me. I sway and Jake puts me in
the closest booth. A glass of orange juice is placed immediately in front of me.
I gulp it down. Coffee follows then seconds later a bowl of fruit and a plate
of scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, and bacon. Yum. I grab my fork and dig in.
Jake is eating the same breakfast. When I look up, he is watching me. “I’m
sorry Jane.”

I’m not sure what he’s apologizing
for, the guard, the sex show I saw, not believing me about the security hack or
how long it took to feed me. I decide it’s probably about the food. The sugar
and cholesterol are coursing through my blood now and I have a little high. I
shrug. What else can I do?

“What does that mean?” He shrugs
back.

“I’m not sure what you’re apologizing
for but whatever, okay.” He narrows his eyes. “There are a lot of things.” I
say. I go back to my sausage and fork a link into my mouth. It’s so good. I get
the other one ready for when I finish chewing this one.

“What things?” He asks sipping coffee.
I know he is on the edge and I need to tread lightly.

“How about a thousand dollar blouse
for one? Really? That’s a lot for a shirt.” Jake grins over his cup. “Um,
subjecting me to porn this early in the morning. Not trusting me in the
security room. All that banging.” I roll my eyes and then promising me
breakfast but taking all damn day to deliver. The hog tying. Didn’t like that,
or being called the C word. I don’t want to ever hear that word again or be zip
tied either.” Jake sets his cup down and picks up his phone then snaps my
picture. He texts again. I roll my eyes and stir sugar and cream into my
coffee. It smells strong. “And that damned phone.” I mumble.

“I just sent your picture to the
security team and office. I gave your name and position. You shouldn’t be
bothered again. You have free reign to every room in the building. If anyone
zip ties you they will be dismissed instantly.”

“Good, but I don’t need free reign,
just access to food would be okay.” I smirk.

“You have it. This diner belongs to
the company. If you come here and show your ID you can order anything you like
and you don’t need money to buy it.” I like that. There is a picture of a
milkshake that I’ve been eyeing on the wall behind Jake.