Rogue Wolf (3 page)

“At the risk of being insulting and challenging you directly…” She let the last three words hang in the air between them for a moment before continuing. “You are a stranger, so your word has no value.” Admittedly, he hadn’t lied to her as of yet and she gave him points for honesty.

“Admirable.” He made it sound like a compliment, if one left him perplexed. “Few would willingly oppose my desires, at least openly. Fewer still would refuse to back down.” Though his English was flawless, she didn’t let his comment sway her determination.

“Still not an answer to my question. Where is your pack, Mr. Esposito?” The perspiration sliding down her neck threatened to soak her shirt. Thankfully she’d worn the jacket, though even in the dense cloud of human bodies that made up the airport population, she didn’t doubt he would scent her distress sooner rather than later.

Neither she nor her wolf cared to rouse whatever sleeping beast the Alpha possessed, but they couldn’t afford to back down. If he proved intractable, she’d have to deal with him there and find an excuse to toss him back onto a plane. No one ever said the life of an Enforcer would be boring.

“
Bella
, you amuse me, but I have little time for play.” A hint of authority crept into his words. “I will, however, show you courtesy as you made a request and your assistance would be useful as you know the terrain and I do not.”

Rather than interrupt, she simply raised her eyebrows and waited.

A frown, like a swift moving storm, gathered his brows together before they relaxed and the expression erased. Yep. She was pissing him off, a talent she had in spades.

“They are in Canada, in unclaimed territory. They will not cross into the United States until I send for them.”

“What part of Canada?” She pulled out her cellphone.

“A little town on the other side of border called Pierre St. Pete.”

Weird name, but it was Canada. She dialed Hadley as, last she’d heard, Hadley was in that area. “Hey, it’s me. I’m in Chicago. We have—” She glanced Esposito. “How many?”

An aggravated sigh, and his teeth gave an almost audible click. “Four.”

Gauging his expression, she tested a theory and simply raised her eyebrows again. Something was a tad off in his scent, but the exotic richness of it worked like a drug against her tired system, so she wasn’t sure if it was quite a lie.

His eyes didn’t change color but the weight of his stare seemed to double. “Four.” He repeated, “Only four.”

Hadley didn’t interrupt, but then she could hear the conversation clearly. “Four wolves from the Seven Hills Pack, Italy, in Pierre St. Pete, Canada. Keep on them, don’t engage. They’re waiting for word from their Alpha, who is here in the States with me.”

“Why do you get all the fun assignments?” Hadley teased. “Are any of his wolves hot?”

The Alpha’s lips twitched, and his bad mood evaporated. “Ask for Giovanni. He is very popular with the ladies in Rome.”

After clearing her throat, Hadley whispered. “Will do. Should I check in with you, Margo, or you want me to call Julian?”

Still eyeing Alpha Troublemaker, Margo said, “Julian, unless you think I need to know. I’m escorting him as far as Willow Bend.” Then because his smug smile annoyed her, she added, “Where he will be Mason’s problem and not mine.”

Goodbye, knowing smirk
. Disconnecting the call, she motioned to the doors. “Shall we?”

“After you,” he said. “You know the way and, I promise, I will guard your back.”

Fantastic
. A foreign Alpha with an agenda behind her, four foreign wolves waiting on the other side of the border, and she was on her way to see another Alpha who hated her.

The trip just kept getting better and better.

Chapter Two

The city gave way to open road, interspersed by fueling stations, fast food restaurants, and odd shops full of tchotchkes. Boring as vistas went. Salvatore, however, focused on the woman driving. She provided a far more attractive view. Entertaining, as well, considering her steadfast determination to ignore him.

“Tell me about Willow Bend.” He needed some point of discussion; something else to focus on, else all he would think about was Luciana. And Rayne, the bastard rogue who abused Salvatore’s hospitality, kidnapped his sister, and fled across an ocean to escape him. His sister’s safety mattered—for her, he would risk the wrath of foreign Alphas, irking their Enforcers, and wrest control, if need be, in the effort to locate and bring his sister home.

“I’m not a tour guide.” The bite in Margo’s response amused him further. Even her name—powerful and provocative—appealed to him. “We’ll be there in four hours, you can find out for yourself.”

Why had he been directed to Chicago if it was so many hours from the pack’s central location? Prudence, he supposed, yet it was a waste of time to address politics when he should be hunting his sister. The last report he had put the rogue somewhere in central New York and heading west. It was why he broached the subject with Hudson River. He’d wanted to simply land there and begin his pursuit, but the Alpha refused to speak to him directly and his lieutenant refused Salvatore access.

Giuseppe advised against the act of aggression ignoring the denial would have constituted. Still, the wolves didn’t have to know he was there. He didn’t give a damn about their lands or their claims. He wanted Luciana safe, the rogue Rayne dead, and to return home to Seven Hills. Giuseppe was strong enough to keep the pack together in Salvatore’s absence, but only a fool would leave his Centurion in power for overlong. The wolves might get used to him, then Salvatore would have to kill his Centurion to take his pack once more.

Closing his eyes briefly, he took a deep breath. Within the confines of the vehicle, he was surrounded by the richness of her scent. The provocative tease filled his nostrils and tempted him. Rose was the primary note, darker, deeper, and far richer than the roses in the gardens of his home. Margo’s scent had more texture, and left him entertaining thoughts of velvet petals, seduction, and captivating the fierce warrior within the distinctly feminine form. Beyond the initial notes, he caught deep woods, a hint of cedar smoke and—this one truly delighted him—chocolate.

Full-bodied and capable, she reminded him of the most exquisite of wines. Over the years, his family had discovered some grapes grown under the harshest of conditions had the most powerful of flavors. Would she taste similarly exquisite? His wolf wanted to roll around in the scent until they were coated in it—coated in
her
. Snapping his teeth at the alluring direction of his thoughts, he settled for glaring at the landscape racing past. “Then tell me about Mason Clayborne.”

“No.” A single syllable, yet it echoed with defiance and dared him to take offense. From the moment his gaze landed on her in the airport terminal, she’d met his gaze and refused to back down. The impersonal challenge frustrated him. At home, a wolf who wouldn’t drop their gaze wanted to challenge his authority, wanted the fight, and yet he didn’t sense that in the woman driving the vehicle.

She possessed command, for he’d been on the receiving end of her unflinching demands for information. More she showed courage when she refused to back down even when he invaded her personal space. Composure—he needed to stop listing her attributes. Schooling his features, he pinned her with a look—one she damn well ignored as her gaze never left the road—and said, “He is not your Alpha, so it is no betrayal to tell me of the Alpha I am to meet.”

“One,” she said, holding up a slender finger. “You’re right he’s not my Alpha, nor are you. Two, you’re a guest of Mason Clayborne. You should have done your own homework. Three, my job is to see you safely onto Willow Bend lands, which I will do, and you can do it from the passenger seat of the vehicle or the trunk. Not really caring much at the moment which you pick. But if you give me another order, I will kick your ass out of my moving car and go get lunch.
Capisce
?”

Uncertainty invaded him. As unfamiliar as the emotion was, he found it even more aggravating because he wasn’t certain whether he was furious or enchanted. “No one speaks to me in this manner.”

“They should. Keep your overbearing ass humble.” She shook her head. “I can’t stand Alphas.”

“Then why are you escorting me?”

“Because Julian
asked
me to do it, because Mason
asked
the Enforcers for our assistance in seeing you safely to Willow Bend lands.” She huffed a breath, and blew a lock of her deep red hair from her eyes. The hair was a fascination, yet it didn’t belong with her mocha colored skin or her jewel-like green eyes—cat’s eyes on a wolf. They suited her, however, as she kept showing him her claws.

Narrowing his gaze, he drummed his fingers against his thigh. “Who is Julian?” The ease in her voice at the first man’s name, and the hints of affection, irritated him.

“No one you’re going to meet.” Another blatant denial and the corner of her mouth kicked higher. “Though I have to admit, watching you and Mason chat might be the entertainment highlight of my year.”

Curious when she said nothing more, he attempted another foray. “Why?”

“Alpha plus Alpha? You two demanding crap from each other should be worth at least one laugh before the bloodshed begins.”

Understanding kindled within him, and he ceased drumming his fingers. “There will be no bloodshed.”

“You sound certain.”

“I am certain. I requested permission to enter his territory out of respect. His granting that request shows a certain courtesy which I shall not abuse.” No, he merely needed to observe protocol, alert the Alpha to his intentions, then leave the man and his pack alone while he hunted Rayne. Truthfully, had a foreign Alpha sought to enter Seven Hills, Salvatore would have met them on neutral territory—another flash of insight burst within him and his wolf latched onto the truth in the scent. “You are the neutral territory.”

“Excuse me?” At least some of the hostility in her icy tone thawed.

Seeing no reason to keep her in the dark, despite her own cryptic responses, he smiled. “I would never allow another Alpha to enter my territory without taking their measure in neutral territory. Clayborne sent you—
you
are the neutral territory. You are taking my measure, and you must find me worthy.” The last thought pleased him enormously. More so than it probably should have, but he ignored the niggle of doubt.

With a burst of acceleration, she angled the car to the right and swooped off the road via an exit he hadn’t realized they were taking. Tires squealing, she pulled into a rest area and chose a parking slot away from all the other vehicles. After slamming on the brakes, she shut the engine off.

“Get out of the car.” Deadly intensity ricocheted between the syllables. The demand and order had his hackles rising, but he—not she—was Alpha. He owed her no obedience.

The driver’s side door slammed. From his vantage, he enjoyed the long strides of her circling the front of the car. When she arrived at the passenger door, he met her silent hostility with a cool glance. The door opened under her steady hand, then she gripped the top of the door, her other hand on her hip.

“Not telling you twice. Get the fuck out of my car.” Despite the choice words, her tone had an almost lyrical quality to it and her scent—beyond the arousal it awoke in him—held notes of anxiety rather than anger.

“Did anyone tell you that you catch more flies with honey rather than vinegar?” He’d heard the statement once from the ancient aunt of one of his vineyard retainers. The phrase stuck.

“I can catch about the same, if not more, with your dead carcass.” The challenge slammed into the earth before him and he loosened the seatbelt. Sliding from the vehicle, he rose and went chest to breast with her.

“Margo Montgomery, you are the escort for my journey and, as such, I owe you a courtesy. Do not mistake my manners for tolerance of rude and insubordinate behavior.”

“Right back atcha, buddy.” She exhaled the words and raised her chin. His wolf glared from his eyes, studying the creature before him as she met and held his gaze. Even the scent of her perspiration and rising concern did not dissuade him. “You want to know something you can
ask
. One more order from you and I’ll dump you here to figure it out on your own. You just try finding his territory or entering it without an escort. I dare you.”

She was aggravated with him because he hadn’t asked her questions? His wolf withdrew in thought, and Salvatore rubbed his chin. “Forgive me,
bella
, you wish for me to ask you questions? An odd request considering your refusal to answer my earlier inquiries.”

The most inelegant snort emitted from her and she rolled her eyes, though she did not back away from him. His body hummed at her nearness. “You didn’t
inquire
about anything. You ordered me to give you information.”

Had he? Salvatore frowned, he’d been curious and wanted a distraction. “Tell me what you mean.”

Knuckles whitening, Margo glared at him. “Do you have a word for please in Italian?”

“
Si. Perfavore
?” Why would she want him to say please?

“I don’t speak Italian, so I need you to use your English.” She exhaled a long breath, and the tension in her shoulders seemed to ease a fraction.

Swallowing the urge to growl, he contemplated the woman before him. How frustrating and fascinating she was in turns. Growling demonstrated a loss of control, as did stomping around the vehicle and glaring at him as she had. “I have offended you.” Conceding the point cost him nothing. “Tell me how to repair this breach.”

Margo growled. The sound reverberated in the air between them, low and threatening. Sexiest thing he’d heard in a long time. Beneath the anger, however, he heard a second sound—a gurgling one. Gold bled around the edges of her eyes and her knuckles remained taut and bloodless. The harsh sound of her breathing—

“Again, I have offended you, but you are also hungry. A smart wolf does not allow herself to grow so weak with fatigue and malnutrition. You should have said something.” Glancing around the area, he searched for what buildings might be in the area.