The Beast in Him (19 page)

“Jessie Ann, I’m not sure why you didn’t tell me this in the first place.”

“Because her father is Walt Wilson.”

“Who?”

Jessie gave that soft smile that made him crazy. It was so misleadingly innocent. “Walt Wilson? Of the Wilson Pack? Your cousin?”

He shook his head. “Still drawing a blank.”

“Out of Smithburg, Alabama.”

Smitty thought real hard and then it hit him. “Oh. Oh, yeah. I remember.” He grimaced. “Lord, I made him eat shit one time.”

Jessie rubbed her eyes. “Tell me you didn’t.”

He stroked his jaw, trying to get so long ago into focus. “Yeah, I did. If I remember correctly, he was mean to Sissy. Made her cry. I don’t think either one of us was more than eight or nine. She was only six or seven. I was gonna make him eat dirt... but they used to have a dog.”

To his relief, Jessie laughed. “That is a horrible story.”

“I know. I know. I’m not proud telling it. But it’s the truth.” He took another spoonful of ice cream, enjoying it more than he thought he would. “And you didn’t want to tell me because you lived in Smithtown long enough to know the Smith credo.”

“Family first,” she recited. “Pack second. Everybody else dead last.”

Or dead, his daddy would always add. A credo the old bastard drummed into the heads of his children growing up. Every Smith in every town lived by it. And that way, everyone knew if you messed with one Smith—really, truly messed with them—you messed with all the Smiths. And no one wanted that laid at their doorstep.

“The Wilsons are blood,” she said.

“Barely.”

“Still. I lived in Smithtown long enough to know how this works. I have no doubt my Pack could take on the Wilson Pack and win. But all the Smith Packs... ?” She let out a breath and treated herself to more ice cream.

“Okay. You’ve got a point. So how about I do this. I quietly take a look into this—”

“Bobby Ray, I don’t want you involved.”

“Or you could let me finish,” he said gently. “I take a quiet look into this. Maybe with my help I can get him to back off. If all he wants is money. But if he just wants to see his daughter... ”

“Then we’re fine with that. We never lied to Kristan. She knows Danny isn’t her blood, but he is her daddy. That little girl’s got a big heart and I won’t have anyone crushing it.”

“Understood.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “But let me help.”

“Are you sure? I know how your father can be.”

“Let me worry about my daddy. He’s my cross to bear.”

“That’s a lovely way to see your father.”

Smitty grinned. “You always liked my old man, didn’t you?”

Jessie licked her spoon. “You know, he always made me laugh. And when he found me under tables—”

“Under tables?”

“At parties my foster parents made me go to. He’d never tell anybody I was there. Instead, he’d hand me a bottle of... well, a bottle of beer.”

Smitty placed his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. “Good Lord.”

“And he’d say, ‘Don’t worry none, little gal, you’ll be just fine.’ I had no idea what that meant, but it always made me giggle.”

“That could have been the beer.”

“Are you sure about this, Bobby Ray?” she asked after a few minutes of silence.

He dropped his hands back to the table. “I can always tell when you’re serious because you call me Bobby Ray.”

“This is serious. I won’t get between you and your family.”

“You’re not, darlin’. This is what one friend does for another. And we’re friends. Just like me and Mace.”

She gave him a wicked little smile. “You fuck Mace too?”

“Only when he’s feeling needy.”

Jessie laughed, a wonderful sound that echoed around his home. Leaning forward, Smitty peeked into the ice cream container. “I wonder what use I can make of this leftover ice cream.”

He gazed up at Jessie, raising one eyebrow. She gave a little squeal and made a run for it.

Sitting back in the chair, Smitty asked the cute ass dashing away, “Where are you always running to? It’s a one-room apartment.”

Jess turned over and looked at the clock. She’d overslept. It was nearly eight in the morning.

She sat up and Smitty’s arm immediately wrapped around her waist. “Don’t go.”

“I’m supposed to make breakfast for the kids this morning and I’ve already missed that.”

“It’s Saturday. Stay the weekend.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why?”

“Um... ”

“As she scrambles for an excuse,” he mumbled under his breath.

“I am not scrambling for an excuse.” Man, she really needed to stop lying. But what did he expect? Casual sex didn’t involve whole weekends. At least they didn’t if she hoped to have a prayer not to get too deep into this. “I just can’t—”

“I know,” he said, sitting up. “Let’s ask the Pack.”

And before she could stop him, he’d grabbed her cell phone off the bedside table.

“Give me that!”

“Not until we get an answer.” Flipping her phone open, he went up on his knees and went through her contacts. Jess tried to get the phone from him but he kept moving so she couldn’t get a grip.

Putting the phone to his ear, he asked, “And who is this? Well, hi, May, darlin’. I’ve got little Jessie Ann here—”

“Give me that goddamn phone!”

“—as you can hear, and I’m trying to get permission for her to stay the weekend at my house while my parents are out of town.”

“I am not playing with you!”

“Yeah, she said she already missed breakfast, but I figure she can make that up during the week. Uh-huh. Yeah, she’s still naked.”

She gasped. “Bobby Ray!”

“Keep her naked the whole weekend? Yeah, I can do that. Yup. Naked and happy. I can handle that. Thanks, darlin’.”

He looked over his shoulder at her. “May says you can stay.”

Jess grabbed the phone from Smitty’s hand, and as she brought it to her ear, she heard her Pack yell, “Have a good weekend, Jess!” before they hung up.

Slamming the phone shut, Jess turned to yell at Smitty but he’d disappeared—with her clothes!

It was a one-room apartment, but the man was crafty. And by the time Jess had spun in a circle looking for him, he’d suddenly appeared in front of her—without her clothes.

“Where are my clothes?”

“Safe.” He reached for her. “Safer than you are.”

Jess slapped at his hands and quickly stepped away. “I am not staying the weekend.”

“You are if you want your clothes back.”

“Blackmail!”

“Extortion. Now bring that pretty ass over here. You know I’m cranky in the mornings.”

“Go to—hey!”

Smitty scooped her up and walked back over to the bed, throwing her on it. “I don’t know why you insist on fighting me.” His smile was slow and wicked. “’Cause we both know you’ll give me what I want.”

“You are such an egotistical ass—”

He kissed her, pinning her to the bed with his body, his arms holding hers above her head. Before she knew it she was writhing and gasping beneath him.

“I wager,” he panted in her ear when he finally pulled back a bit, “I can keep you in this bed all weekend long.”

And much to her annoyance and enjoyment... he did.

CHAPTER 16

Smitty slammed open their bedroom door, thoroughly enjoying Ronnie Lee’s squeal of surprise and Shaw’s roar of anger. Especially when Shaw scrambled to pull the covers over their naked bodies.

“Hey, Ronnie Lee,” he said casually. “I was wondering if you could help me with something kind of important.”

Shaw went to say something, but Ronnie slapped her hand over his mouth. Smitty bit the inside of his cheek as he eyed the position of their bodies—Brendon on top of Ronnie. And, again, naked.

Lord, Bobby Ray Smith, sometimes you can be a real asshole.

“Bobby Ray, can you go out into the living room? I’ll be out in two shakes of a dog’s tail.”

Fighting to hold in his laughter, he turned and moseyed on down the hallway. As promised, Ronnie suddenly appeared, a hotel robe wrapped tightly around her. She backed out of the bedroom, holding up her finger and pleading, “You just wait right there, darlin’. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I promise.”

She closed the door and headed down the hall toward Smitty. She held up that finger again, brought it to her lips to indicate silence, and flashed five fingers at him. Then she disappeared down another hallway.

Smitty wandered into the living room and dropped onto the couch to wait. In about ten minutes, Ronnie reappeared. Freshly showered and dressed, she motioned to Smitty while grabbing her leather jacket.

Ronnie opened the front door and again motioned to Smitty. Knowing where this was going and wondering what exactly was wrong with his people, he stood and followed after her. He met her at the elevator. “What are you doing?”

“Same thing you’re doing, only for a different reason.” She pushed the elevator button again. It dinged its arrival and the doors slid open. Ronnie pushed Smitty inside as Shaw’s roar rang out from their apartment.

“Ronnie Lee Reed! Where the hell are you going?”

“Lunch with Bobby Ray. I’ll talk to you later tonight. Have a good day at work. Love you!”

Smitty watched Shaw snatch the front door open and, completely naked, charge right for the elevator, but the doors closed seconds before he reached it. His fist slamming against those doors, though, shook the suddenly small box they were riding in.

“Ronnie Lee... ?”

“You interrupted us in the middle of... well, ya know.”

“And so you torture the man?”

“Oh, like you weren’t trying to. Besides, I’d already gotten what I needed.” She grinned in sexual satisfaction. “Twice. My poor kitty, however, had been holding out and was left a little frustrated.” She rocked back on her heels. “Yeah, I left him hanging... I’ll be paying for that tonight.” And clearly she couldn’t wait.

Smitty laughed with her. “You always did play with fire.”

“I know. I know. But I can’t help it.”

The elevator doors opened and she grabbed Smitty’s hand, pulling him out of the elevator, through the bustling lobby, and out to the busy Manhattan streets. Cutting between cars, she led him to a diner across the street and two blocks down.

They walked in and the cook behind the counter called out her name.

“Hey, Matty,” she said with a smile.

“The usual, baby girl?”

“Yeah, and”—she pushed Smitty into an empty booth—“give him the same but triple it.” Ronnie Lee sat down and let out a sigh. “All right. Spill it.”

Jess was on her forty thousandth yawn when Phil walked in her office.

“Hacker.”

It was such a common problem Phil didn’t even bother creating full sentences about it anymore.

“Any good?”

“A little too good. Something familiar about it.”

“Trace ’em,” she said around another yawn. “I want a name.”

“Already on it.” He moved into the room. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Because you’ve been yawning all morning.” He grinned. “Busy weekend?”

“Something like that.”

He dropped into the chair across from her. The man never really sat as much as dropped, flopped, or dived onto furniture. “Is this getting serious?”

“No... maybe... ” She sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Did you tell him about the Wilsons?”

“Yeah, he knew I was lying. I think he only pushed that security stuff on us trying to get me to admit it.”

“So do we still have to pay for all that crap?”

Jess laughed. “You cheap bastard. Of course we have to pay for it. Besides, a little extra security couldn’t hurt right now.”

“Yeah, Sabina wants to up the ante at the den too.”

“It’s not a bad idea. I worry what she’ll do if Wilson makes a move while she’s human.”

“And that worries you for good reason,” Phil muttered under his breath. Unlike the rest of the wild dogs, Sabina was much more dangerous as human. She had this thing for knives...

“Call up Mace. See what they can do for the house.”

“Will do. And the hillbilly?”

“I don’t know, Phil. I keep telling myself not to get in deep with this guy, and then I find myself getting in deep with this guy. Wolves are notorious, ya know? Males and females. They fuck, fuck, fuck. Happily. Bouncing from bed to bed. Until one day they find the one. Their mate. I’m just a way station for this guy.”

“Sweetie, you don’t know that. You could be the one.”

“I may be goofy, but I’m not delusional.” She yawned, running her hands through her hair. “I am having a great time, though. I haven’t been this relaxed in ages.”

“Then we must hold on to him,” Phil teased. “At least for a little while.”

Jess giggled. “Yes, we must. Besides, he’s being really cool. He’s going to try and discreetly help us with this Wilson thing. And he didn’t even get mad when I punched his sister.”

The sound of chairs scraping and running feet had Jess’s head snapping up. Her three friends charged in to join Phil.

Sabina literally dived onto her desk, knocking papers and pens onto the floor. “You punched her?”

“I was startled when I saw her. I didn’t mean to.”

“Did you make her cry? Bleed? Sob softly while begging you not to hurt her anymore?”

“What is wrong with you?”

Sabina took Jess’s hand. “I just love you so much. I am so proud, my friend.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Show her. Show her how proud!”

The other three ran out of the room and Jess jumped up, yelling, “Dear God, no! Not the pom-poms!”

Ronnie bit into her grilled cheese sandwich and said around a mouthful of gooey food, “Why do you want to know about the Wilsons?”

“Can you never just answer a question?”

Ronnie Lee Reed knew something about everybody. She didn’t try to know these things, but she found out anyway. She was always a wealth of information when it came to the Smith Packs countrywide, and Smitty had used her knowledge time and time again.

“All right. All right. No need to get snappy. The Wilson Pack is small and ornery. They are distant cousins of the Smiths, but I don’t know the bloodline.”