Rogue Wolf (6 page)

After another long moment beneath the weight of their scrutiny, they returned to facing each other. Salvatore touched a hand to his chest. “I wish to express my gratitude for your allowing me the courtesy of entering Willow Bend. I admit this is an unusual circumstance.”

“Agreed,” Mason said. “I’m happy to offer what assistance we can.” Neither man clarified their statements, though clearly they both knew what they were discussing. “For now, if you would like to come inside, we can go over the details and let the others cool off.”

“Excellent. Would you please extend my gratitude to your mate for allowing us the use of your home?”

Chuckling, Mason swung the gate open and stepped into the yard before motioning Salvatore to join him. Both men moved with absolute care, yet the tension cording their muscles threaded their words. “Alexis is annoyed that she had to miss your visit.” Zero explanation on where she was or why, but then Salvatore didn’t need to know. When the two Alphas reached the porch, Margo circled the Charger and reached into the backseat to retrieve Salvatore’s suitcase.

A.J. could be his luggage carrier for all she cared. Setting it on the sidewalk, she nodded to A.J. “I haven’t opened it, but he brought it over on a commercial flight so chances are it’s mostly clean.”

“We’ll take care of it,” A.J. said.

“Margo—” Mason’s voice reached out to grab her attention.
Dammit
. She’d been so close to leaving.

“Yes, Mason?”

“You should join Salvatore and me.”

Surprise rippled through her. One A.J. apparently shared, as he gave her a sharp look.

“The request was to deliver him.” She kept her tone neutral. “He’s here.”

“I know what the request was. Get your ass in here. We don’t have all day.” With that, he opened the door and led Salvatore inside. The door remained open because he’d given her an order and expected her to follow it.

Margo scowled.

“You really shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

“You really should shut the fuck up.” She growled, then held up a hand before he could respond. “I apologize. That was bitchy and out of line. I have a case I’m working, and no time for more posturing.”

A.J. laughed, then coughed once to cover his amusement. “I think this is pretty damn important, posturing or not.”

“Yes,” she said, conceding the point. “It is.” Then she glanced at the suitcase. “But I’m not carrying his bags.”

Leaving them and A.J.’s snort of laughter behind, she headed inside. She found the Alphas in Mason’s living room. Mason had taken one chair and Salvatore sat in another. When she entered, Salvatore rose to his feet and Mason did as well. “Open or shut?” She asked Mason and gestured to the door.

“Shut.”

After closing the door, she stepped down into the sunken living room. Decorated in warm colors, the space seemed inviting. Had to be Alexis’ touch, as Mason never struck Margo as giving a damn about his living conditions.

“Would you like a drink?” Mason asked. Since neither man had a drink, she shook her head. The power politics at play in the room would take some study, so she considered leaning against the wall until Mason gestured to the sofa. “Have a seat. The three of us need to talk.”

Surprise mingled with curiosity and she flicked a look between the two. The
three
of them?

“Margo, I need to make a request, and I expect you to honor it.” Mason didn’t wait for her response. She perched on the edge of the sofa’s center seat and both men sat slowly, their asses hitting their respective chairs at nearly the same time. “As Enforcer, your fealty is to no one pack in the United States, correct?”

“Yep.” She clasped her hands together, because for some reason her wolf was antsy. A trap was in the offing, and every hair on the back of her neck seemed to be standing on edge. Awareness of danger slid all around her, but she concentrated on keeping her breathing calm and her focus on both men, not just one. It would be foolish to think either one was the
safer
prospect.

“Excellent. Did Salvatore tell you why he’s here?”

“Clayborne, she does not need to be involved.” Salvatore answered before she could, his tone terse and forbidding.

“Actually, if you want to do this, she does have to be involved.” Despite his mild tone, steel threaded between Mason’s syllables.

“I will not endanger another woman. Choose another.”

Prickling at the tone and the attitude, Margo said, “He has not bothered to inform me of his purpose here and all Julian mentioned was you needed an Enforcer to escort him into your territory. Apparently neither of you were completely forthcoming with Julian.”

The weight of Salvatore’s regard struck her, and she did her damnedest to ignore him.

“I wasn’t entirely certain I would make this request,” Mason said by way of answer. “So my initial request was completely truthful.” Not tasting even a hint of a lie, Margo nodded. “That said, you and I have our differences, but one thing I am certain of—your word.”

Shock held her tongue in check. He believed her word?

With an amused smile, Mason added, “Ryan vouches for you and you protected Alexis.”

Reminded of her choice to honor the debt she owed Ryan and protect his daughter after Mason got her pregnant, Margo nodded once. “I gave him my word.”

“Exactly. I will be asking your word on this, as well.” The statement of choice improved her outlook on the following conversation.

“I’ll consider it,” she said. “I can’t promise anything until I know what’s going on.”

“Excellent.” Mason surprised her again with another quick smile, then he glanced at Salvatore. “This is how it will work, Esposito. I will give you free reign to perform your hunt, but only if Margo accompanies you and only if Margo agrees.”

Hunt?

What. The. Fuck.

“You have narrowed my choices to none by waiting to inform me of this here.” Salvatore was not pleased. Iron had more softness than was present in his expression.

“Yeah, I did.” Mason didn’t seem keen on apologizing for it either. “You want my help. This is the price for that assistance.”

Silence dragged between the two men, and the moment the stare off began Margo wished she was elsewhere. The tension thickened. If either man went for the other, she would have a very small window to decide whether to side with one or the other or get out of the way. Mason was a U.S. Alpha and this was his land. By all rights, she had to protect him from interlopers.

Salvatore, however, was a guest and—since she’d been charged with his escort—she was also in charge of his safety. Some aspects of pack politics she truly did not miss. They needed another target, and a way to back out of this showdown before blood really was spilled.

“Well, we haven’t discussed my terms for this agreement. Since I don’t answer to you, Mason, or to anyone for that matter, you would both be better off deciding to tell me what is going on before I get up and leave.” She made a show of glancing at her watch. “You have thirty seconds.”

As one, they turned on her and their glares added weight to every part of her. The urge to slink onto her belly grew, and her wolf stiffened her spine. They crawled for no Alpha, not even these hard-heads.

When no answer was immediately forthcoming by twenty-nine seconds, she sucked in all her courage and rose to her feet. “Have a great day, gentlemen.”

Three steps to the door, Mason said, “Margo…stay. Please.”

With an aggrieved sigh, Salvatore said, “Yes,
signorina
. Please stay. I will explain all.”

If she’d been alone, she’d have sagged in relief. As it was, she simply offered up a silent prayer of gratitude. After returning to her seat, she said, “Great. Fill me in.” Whatever the story was, she’d committed herself as it was the best way to keep the peace.

Mason walked over to the bar, poured three drinks and returned. He didn’t ask her what she wanted but the bourbon smelled good and worried her in the same breath. Salvatore accepted his with a nod, and exhaled a long breath before continuing.

“Six months ago, I allowed a wolf by the name of Rayne Barrows into Seven Hills territory. He was in Rome on a student visa of some kind. He requested permission for temporary residence, and I agreed because wolves shouldn’t be isolated. Plus, granting him permission allowed my wolves to monitor him directly.” Everything from his posture to his tone was carefully modulated, yet despite the relaxed appearance, she couldn’t shake the sensation of pure fury underscoring every word.

Rayne Barrows. She knew that name from somewhere.

“For the first couple of months, all was well. He’s a rather personable wolf, and he followed the guidelines we set out for him. He even joined the pack on a couple of runs. We have less open land in Italy than you do here. It was safer for him to run with us than apart.”

Why was she waiting for the other shoe to drop?
Because he’s in the United States talking about a visiting wolf. Where the hell do I know that name?
She didn’t know every member of every pack in the United States, but she did know the Lone Wolves—Lone Wolf. Rayne Barrow was a Lone Wolf, roughly forty years old. Hardly a youth, so why would he be in Rome on a student visa? He’d been part of Delta Crescent, but left after Serafina Andre rose to power.

“He spent a great deal of time studying in Rome. Art history, architecture, and more. When he wasn’t in Rome directly, he came to our vineyard. By the third month, he’d begun to ask questions about how the pack was run. About how we determine rank and position. Perhaps he considered emigrating permanently. He got along well with my wolves—it was a possibility.”

Odd
. Margo leaned forward, studying Salvatore’s expressions. The icy remoteness had returned to his features. Whatever happened with Barrows went beyond a simple insult. Pride kept Salvatore’s spine straight, but some other indefinable emotion discolored his tone.

“Two months ago, I found him in bed with my sister.”

That would do it.

Salvatore tossed the drink back. “We are sexual beings, I have no objections to a sexual relationship. We all have our dalliances.”

Yeah, she waited for the but…

“A week after the discovery, Luciana was gone, as was Rayne. They left Rome aboard a flight for the United States. The last sighting was in Pennsylvania.”

Margo stilled.

“My sister is a good and honorable woman. She is also fiercely loyal to her pack. She would not have left for a lark. He either kidnapped her or tricked her because he convinced her she is his mate. Either way, she must be recovered and he must be punished.”

Mate.

Fuck.

“Rayne Barrows is a Lone Wolf. Lone Wolves are forbidden from taking mates.” She didn’t look at Mason. “If you knew about this, Mason, you should have told the Enforcers first.”

“Not my job to police the Lone Wolves. You’re pretty damn good at it, Margo. I couldn’t take a crap without you knowing. So, it’s not my problem you didn’t figure this out.” The verbal slap hit its mark. Barrows hadn’t been in the Southwest Territories or she would have been responsible for him. Hell, she didn’t know where he’d been living before he left the States.

“Salvatore, I understand you want to find your sister, but if she is mated to this guy, he has no options. He’s broken the laws. He either enters a pack with his mate or the Enforcers are going to execute him.”

Margo would execute him. If he was mated to Salvatore’s sister, Rayne’s death could kill her. She cut a look to him.

“This is why I do not want them involved.” The Italian Alpha rose. “I will handle him. I will retrieve her. They are not mated, not truly.”

“You sound really certain.” Mason studied the other man. “Why?”

“We would have celebrated her mating, Luciana would know that. We are old world, yes, but we value our females. For one to find her true mate, even in an outsider, we would have made allowances. Rayne was our friend. We would have welcomed him into the pack. So, why else would he flee with her? Why else take her when he faced no harm from us?”

Margo could think of more than a few reasons.

“Then my offer stands. You can begin your hunt here, but only if the Enforcers go with you. In this case, that means Margo. She will protect the packs and she knows our laws.” A ringing endorsement if ever there was one. “I also
trust
Margo to handle the situation in a sane manner.”

Shocked, she jerked her attention from Salvatore to find Mason giving her a faint smile.

“You’re a real bitch, Margo, but you’ve always been a straightforward bitch. You make good on your promises, and your word is solid gold. I don’t have to like you to appreciate what you bring to the table.”

“Thank you, Mason. I think you’re a great Alpha, too. Definitely an improvement on the last, but then you didn’t have far to go with that one.” Amused at the off the cuff compliment ended abruptly when Salvatore’s power unfurled. Her wolf went quiet at the sensation of a larger predator in the room.

“Do not talk to her in that tone.” Threat populated Salvatore’s voice.

“I’ll talk to her any damn way I please. She and I have history. You’re the outsider.” Mason’s power swept forward. Margo forced herself to breathe through her mouth to avoid choking on the rising aggression.

“Boys,” Margo kept her voice low. “I get it, you’re both badasses. Killing each other is not acceptable, however. Salvatore, I can fight my own battles. Mason, he’s old world and has a thing about females needing protection. Both of you, dial it down.”

Sweat trickled down her back and, if their open hostility continued, she’d be on her knees all right. Surrounded by Mason’s wolves, they were in a precarious position.

Salvatore’s hand rested on her shoulder briefly, then moved to her hair. The sensation eased her discomfort. Her wolf perked at the contact and rubbed against the inside of her skin. “My apologies, Margo. I did not mean to upset you.”

The concession eased the potential for violence in the room. Glancing left, she found Mason staring at her.

“I don’t care if I upset you,” he told her, but his wry grin said elsewise. She almost laughed, then tugged her hair away from Salvatore. The familiarity in his touch was too welcome.