Purrfect Protector (13 page)

Kale grit his teeth and ignored it. “Fine. I’ll go back to my room to change, then I want to see the sights. I’ve never been here for a stopover longer than a few hours before.”

“Sounds good. Why can’t you go in what you’re wearing?”

“These are my clothes. I’m paid to wear designer clothes and jewelry in public.”

“Oh.” Kale didn’t have to ask what Aleksi thought of that. People not in the business didn’t understand and Kale wasn’t going to explain it. He could tell it was another mark against him.

Well, screw Aleksi and his disappointed glances.
Kale earned more in a year than most models made in ten. He and Caleb had worked damn hard to make it that way. The more he made, the more they could give to the veterans’ charities. At a rough estimate, they had managed to give over two million dollars to rehabilitation, grieving spouses, children of brave people who served, scholarships and guide dogs for injured soldiers, Marines, SEALS and many more—all in Garrick’s name.

Aleksi didn’t know him and apparently he didn’t want to.

Kale stomped down the corridor to his room, not caring if he looked ridiculous. All of his attitude fled, smothered by a wave of fear when he saw the door standing ajar. He stopped dead and didn’t argue when Aleksi pushed him flat to the wall.

The big shifter pressed against him, leaving no part of Kale exposed and despite his issues with Aleksi, he did trust the man implicitly when it came to his safety.

Aleksi got his attention by producing a gun from behind his back and leaning down to press his lips to Kale’s ear. “I can’t hear or smell anyone inside. But we know that Not-Barry has access to scent blockers. I need you to get behind me when I move and stick to me like a second skin. We’re going to go backward but move fast.”

“I need to tell Caleb—”

“When you’re safe,” Aleksi interrupted, leaving no room for negotiation.

Before Kale could argue, Aleksi stepped away from him and quickly whipped him around with a strong arm so that he faced Aleksi’s back. He did as he was told and clung to the shifter’s body, his fingers in the man’s belt loops, and moved when Aleksi moved.

Aleksi raised the gun and turned them so that they were facing his hotel room. Just as Aleksi warned, they moved fast and if he hadn’t been holding on to Aleksi, he would have fallen on his ass more than once by the time they entered the elevator. Aleksi didn’t put the weapon down when they were in the secure metal box, only tensed as if ready for anything and listening to everything.

If Kale wasn’t angry and scared right then, he would have totally jumped the hot shifter and demanded Aleksi take him in the elevator. Kale snorted to himself. It sounded dirtier than he’d meant it to.

Chapter Seven

The elevator dinged to signal its arrival on the ground floor and Kale found himself once again pushed flat against the metal wall as the door opened. Loud voices shattered the small amount of calm he’d managed to force into himself. “
Polizia
! Come out slowly with your hands in the air,” a man with a thick Italian accent called out.

“Fuck.”

Aleksi cursing couldn’t be a good thing.

Kale stayed quiet and didn’t move when Aleksi pushed him in closer until the wall bar dug into his back and Aleksi shouted back a fluent torrent of Italian. He wasn’t even surprised that Aleksi knew Italian. The shifter seemed full of hidden talents

“I repeat. Come out slowly and put your weapon on the ground.”

“And I repeat. I cannot do that, I’m protecting my charge, model Kale Andrews. I am a close-protection specialist working with Shifter Protection Specialists, Inc. I cannot let my protectee out until I know he will be safe. His room has been broken into. Room four sixty-three.”

Kale flinched when there was a wave of aggressive Italian bellowed from outside when Aleksi said who he worked for. He could imagine the panic going through the local police. They wouldn’t know what kind of shifter Aleksi was, but they would know he was dangerous, just from the sheer size of him as a human. The last thing he needed was for one of the police to get trigger happy.

Aleksi switched back to Italian and Kale had no idea what was exchanged but they seemed to have reached an understanding. The shifter relaxed slightly and pulled back enough that Kale was finally able to take a full intake of breath.

“Stay close to me and don’t make any sudden movements,” Aleksi cautioned before slowly taking Kale’s hand and leading him out of the elevator.

He didn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t for the police to charge suddenly at them, weapons raised as they surrounded him and Aleksi.

Several of the police tried to snatch him, grabbing at his arms harshly, making him yelp in surprise and pain. He would definitely have bruises. Aleksi threw his head back and roared, an angry sound that Kale was glad wasn’t aimed in his direction.

“Aleksi!”

Another uniformed police officer jumped Aleksi from behind, smacking a metal police baton over Aleksi’s head when Aleksi tried to free Kale.

Kale jerked against the painful hold. “No!”

Aleksi went down hard, falling to his knees as Kale struggled to get to his bodyguard. Kale yanked against the hold until the police officers had to either let him go or break his arm. Thankfully they chose to let him go, yelling something at him in Italian. He leaned down in front of Aleksi and put his hands on the man’s cheeks, lifting his face so that he could see the damage.

A nasty cut on the side of Aleksi’s head bled so much that it was turning his blond hair red as well as dripping on the floor. But while that was a concern, it wasn’t the most pressing issue. Aleksi’s eyes had gone completely cat and Kale shivered at the anger in them. This was nothing like when the shifter’s eyes changed with passion. There was no humanity in Aleksi’s eyes right then, only pissed-off saber-tooth tiger.

Kale spun around and tried to keep himself between Aleksi and the police. Aleksi was on his feet now and trying to dodge around Kale, but he couldn’t seem to do it without shoving Kale out of the way. He knew neither Aleksi nor his tiger would risk hurting him if they viewed him as their mate or potential mate. He just had to keep Aleksi from getting to the police until his lover was back in his right mind. The last thing he wanted was for Aleksi to cause an international incident and end up in jail. There were different laws here regarding shifters and Kale wasn’t sure he’d be able to get Aleksi out if he was imprisoned.

“Stop!
Basta
,
basta
!”

The police officer who was shouting came toward them. Aleksi growled low and dangerously, using Kale’s distraction to slip around in front of him. But the shifter stayed with him when he yelped as one of the grabbers tried for him again and missed, hitting his arm where they’d bruised him. Aleksi hissed at them and shielded Kale with his big body. It was kind of hot and Kale ducked his head as his face heated when Aleksi sniffed the air and turned to look at him.

Getting turned on at the wrong time was becoming a too-often occurrence for his liking. Kale really needed to sort his inappropriate attraction to Aleksi under control whenever his lover became all growly and protective.

Rapid Italian came from both the new officer and the puffed-up officer who was clearly in charge of this little gathering. The new one, who was tall and thin with shiny black hair, pointed to Aleksi frantically, waving his hand at the police officers. The one in charge went from purple with anger to ashen gray, glancing at Kale and Aleksi as the new officer continued to berate him.

Aleksi continued growling and paced back and forth in front of Kale like an angry tiger stalking prey that it couldn’t reach. Kale didn’t think Aleksi would hesitate to pounce on the officers if an opportunity presented itself where Kale would be safe. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, though. This was the first time he’d seen Aleksi’s cat without any of his lover’s control. It didn’t help much to know he was the only safe person here.

Finally, the yelling stopped and the police left, all looking shame-faced. The new guy had obviously ripped them a new one. If the police officer hadn’t been trying to drag them off a few minutes ago, Kale would have found it funny.

“Gio, it’s nice to see you again, old friend. I see your knack for showing up at the right time hasn’t left you,” Aleksi greeted warmly. He’d come back to himself when he’d heard the familiar—yet irate—voice of his friend.

Aleksi was a mix between touched beyond words that Kale had protected him from himself and angry that the man had put himself in harm’s way.

The blow to the head with the police baton had caught him by surprise and his tiger had taken over while he’d recovered and healed the damage to his skull. If he had been human, the strike would have killed him. As it was, he had a killer headache but not much damage apart from to his pride. He should be the one protecting Kale, not the other way around.

Gio came closer and flung his arms wide. Aleksi let the dark-haired man pull him into a hug then kissed his cheeks, but he couldn’t help flicking his gaze toward Kale. If looks could kill, Gio would be in the ground. He never thought he’d be so happy to see Kale throwing a death glare in his direction.

Despite everything, Kale did care, did want him.

“It has been a long time, tiger,” Gio teased him in Italian. The man stepped back, smiling, and shot a glance in Kale’s direction.

His lover was now pointedly ignoring them, picking at some imaginary dirt from under his fingernails. Aleksi’s cat liked that Kale felt possessive.

“What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time? You are like a magnet for it. It is a wonder you are still standing,” Gio retorted with a sly glance at Kale.

“Now, we
both
know the last time we were in trouble with that car bomb it was entirely
your
fault,” Aleksi pointed out with a grin. They had switched back to English and he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Kale was unobtrusively trying to listen in on their conversation.

“We will have to agree to disagree there, my friend. Now, tell me about this tip that was sent into the station. An armed rogue shifter has taken a hostage, along with your photo.”

Aleksi frowned at the information. “A tip? When was this?”

Gio shrugged. “Around one hour ago. The runts picked the tip up and ran—without getting clearance from their boss, by the way. My superior spotted the photo on one of their desks after they’d left.” Runts were what he and Gio called officers new to the force who wanted to make a name for themselves. Runts had been one of the biggest obstacles when he and Gio had been protecting the Italian president.

Aleksi knew Gio was suspicious of what was going on inside his head. Gio would no doubt recognize the look in his face. They’d spent months together working protection detail together after all.

“What are you thinking?”

Kale’s question caught him off guard. “How would anyone know I would have my gun out and was transporting you down in the lift at precisely this time when we should have been in your room? Unless…”

“Unless they had planned it that way and the open door to my room was a set-up.” Kale caught on to what he was getting at and frowned.

Nodding, Aleksi stepped closer to Kale. Neither the human part of him nor the tiger liked the fact that they’d been played. Another thought struck him and he turned back to the tall Italian. “Gio, where would Kale have been taken if the runts had succeeded in grabbing him?”

Gio frowned as if he couldn’t follow Aleksi’s train of thought. “To be processed at the station until it was confirmed he was a victim and given his statement, signed paperwork and the like.”

He turned to his friend. “Gio, I need you to call whoever is running front of house at the station and tell them to see if there is anyone waiting around in the background, looking expectant or seeming nervous or excited.”

Calling on his phone instead of the radio to prevent anyone from overhearing the conversation, Gio did as he asked. When his friend’s gaze shot to his, Aleksi had his answer even without listening in on the conversation. “Tell them not to let him leave. The man is wanted for several murders in the US, including two police officers.”

Kale hugged close to Aleksi’s side and he glanced down to see the man was trying to phone someone on his cell. From Kale’s frustrated grimace, he wasn’t getting through. His protectee must be trying to contact his brother. Aleksi put an arm around Kale’s shoulders in a brief hug. “Try texting. If he’s…busy he might not want to speak to you.”

“What do you…?
Oh.
” Kale blushed delightfully again.

Damn.
Aleksi couldn’t believe how stunning the man was. If he was given even the smallest of chances to keep Kale as his mate, Aleksi was grabbing it with his saber teeth.

Gio was still talking with whoever was at the station but from the furious glower his usually happy and easygoing friend wore, Aleksi could tell it was bad news before Gio even ended the call. Though, the violent stab of the End Call button was a clue too. “The man spooked, grabbed an old lady who was bringing her grandson lunch and used her as a human shield until he got out of the building and ran into a bus load of tourists. My men lost him. I’m sorry, my friend. He’s in the wind.”

Cursing, Aleksi dragged a hand roughly through is hair. This guy was too slippery.

A hand on his biceps got his attention and he turned to look down at Kale again. “Hey, we’ll get him.” Kale held up his phone, showing Aleksi the new text and forced a laugh. “Caleb doesn’t even know anything has happened. He seems like he’s having a great time with his hook-up. He still sounds drunk if his texting is anything to go by.”

Aleksi had to smile at that. “Caleb seems like he could use a good way to relax. He’s too stiff.” Then he realized what he’d said and they both shared a real, if short, laugh.