Chapter 10

Mateo grabbed a cart and started off toward the electronics section. The first thing he needed was a set of burner phones. They could get something better once they were away from the hunters and Alexandra was either in jail or dead.

A tired-looking, middle-aged man—who likely needed another shot of whatever had made tracks in his arms—stood when he got near the register. “I’m not looking for trouble, man. There’s no money in the till. They emptied it an hour ago.”

“I need a phone. What do you have?” Mateo asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

The man, Bill, if his name tag was to be trusted, looked him up and down. He noticed the torn-up clothes and the dried blood. “The phones don’t work unless they’re activated, and I can’t activate it until you buy it.”

Mateo growled, and the man’s eyes widened. “Yes, I intend to buy it, but I’m in a fucking hurry, so if you could show me the damned phones, I’d appreciate it.”

The man swallowed hard and backed away, only to point down at a glass-enclosed case. “They’re here.”

Mateo checked out the selection and pointed to the one he wanted. “They all get decent service throughout the city?”

“This one is okay,” he said as he picked up the one Mateo had indicated. “But the one next to it is better. It’s a bit more money, but worth it.”

Mateo didn’t even bother looking. “Fine. I’ll take two. I’ll pay for it now and finish my shopping. Have them activated by the time I get back, and I’ll give you a hundred bucks for your trouble.”

He pulled the cash from his wallet and tossed it on the counter, not caring that he likely overpaid. Nor did he wait for Bill’s response before he headed to the women’s clothing section. Nothing he saw was good enough to touch his mate’s perfect skin, but it would have to do. He grabbed a handful of underwear that looked to be the right size and tossed them to the bottom of the cart. Next, he picked out a soft sweater that would match her eyes. Baggy shirts were always comfortable. As much as he’d love to see her ass encased in a tight pair of jeans, he wasn’t stupid enough to try to guess Sloane’s exact size. She’d have to shop for those on her own when things had settled down. He chose some soft, stretchy pants that he often saw women wear in a variety of different colors, as well as some T-shirts, adding them all to the quickly growing pile. Socks, plain white. And shoes.

Damn it. Mateo looked at all the running shoes on the shelves and groaned. How the hell was he supposed to know how big her feet were? They sure as shit weren’t his focus when he was in the hotel room with her. He didn’t think they’d be tiny, so he left the smaller sizes there but plucked a pair in each of the remaining sizes. Surely one of them would fit her feet.

He glanced at his watch. Only five more minutes. He headed to the men’s section. Sweats and T-shirts would have to do for him. Rory didn’t have much, and what he did have, he always kept in the SUV, so he was set.

By the time he finished paying and retrieved the phones, it was already past the fifteen-minute mark. He had to get out of there. If Rory was on time—and he always was—they were sitting ducks.

He grabbed his bags and all but ran from the electronics section to the front entrance. Sure enough, the SUV was parked there, but Rory wasn’t in the driver’s seat. Nor was he anywhere in the parking lot. Mateo’s heart thundered as he burst out of the store. With the tinted windows, he didn’t know whether Sloane was inside, but as soon as he reached for the rear door, the locks clicked.

“Where’s Rory?” he asked, his knees nearly buckling with relief at finding her there. He shoved the bags inside, careful not to hit her with them.

“Those guys from before came to the car. He got out and told me to lock the doors behind him. He disappeared around the corner of the building with those jerks chasing him.” Sloane spoke so fast she could barely keep up with her own words as she pointed to where she meant.

“Stay right where you are. If anyone approaches, hit the panic button. I’ll come right back.”

“I can help,” she said as she unbuckled her seat belt.

Mateo shook his head. “Not this time.”

“But—”

“No buts. I need to know you’re safe.” Before she could voice another objection, he closed the door. Once again, he paused to hear the snick of the locks before running to where she had indicated Rory had gone.

He hadn’t even reached the corner before he heard the scuffle. The side of the building had no lights, but with his dragon’s vision, he could see—just as Rory could—as though it was daylight. Six men, each sporting various injuries, circled Rory, who swung at the men when they lunged for him. One went down, and the next one came at him. Rory, still fully in his human form, punched the guy in the nose. The crack of it had Mateo wincing. That’s going to hurt.

Behind Rory, the glint of a blade in the moonlight drew Mateo’s attention. It wouldn’t be enough to kill a dragon, but it would piss him off, and they didn’t have time for the luxury of a dragon fight. Rory didn’t seem to be in any rush to end it, and heaven knew the man had demons to exorcise, but not tonight. Not with Sloane sitting in a vehicle with no one to protect her and hunters on the loose.

“End it,” he said as he closed in on the one with the knife, grabbing him by the shoulder and sending him skittering like a pebble across the pavement. “She’s unprotected.”

He didn’t mention Sloane’s name. If anyone came asking later, the less information they had on them, the better.

Rory threw his head back and roared. The gangsters all froze in their tracks. One of them fell on his ass. Shock registered on all their faces. Their fear reeked as it fouled the already dank city air.

“What the fuck, man?” one of the gangsters yelled as he scrambled to get away. Once that one bolted, the others followed, each of them casting wary glances at them as they ran.

If Rory was injured, it wasn’t enough to stop him from grinning.

“You were fucking toying with them.” Heat churned in his gut. Sloane had been left unprotected while Rory had been having his fun.

The man shrugged, ignoring his growl. “They had it coming.”

At the front of the store, nothing stirred. The SUV was right where it had been, and no one was around it. In fact, other than two other vehicles, the parking lot was deserted. Exhaustion beat at him. Wherever Sloane was taking them, he hoped she was right and it would be secure enough to rest. With everything that had gone down between the time when he’d first set eyes on his mate until then, he was bone tired.

He caught her warm and spicy scent before he reached the vehicle. It was rich and luxurious, and strong—too strong. Had she remained inside the vehicle, it would be muted. Picking up his pace, he jogged the rest of the way. He wouldn’t panic. Not yet. She hadn’t sounded the alarm.

When he reached the SUV, it was unlocked. As he suspected, Sloane was gone. His heart pounded, and his chest ached. He sniffed the air, desperate for clues, but nothing stood out. There was no trace of fear to infuriate his beast. No male had been around, either. He lifted his head and sniffed again. It was there. She was there. The scent intensified toward the building. “Sloane’s inside. Be ready to leave the moment we get back,” he told Rory, whose gaze darted all around, searching right along with him.

Just as he stepped through the sliding glass doors, Sloane appeared with a single bag. Frustration and fear evaporated with her smile—almost. He wouldn’t coddle her, but damn it, they were in a sketchy part of the city in the middle of the night. The only thing keeping him from raging against her was the fact that she was a dragon—and his mate. And she deserved his respect, not to be belittled for her decision. She could handle the humans without his intervention, but that didn’t mean he had to like it, or that he wouldn’t prefer she remain within his and Rory’s reach always. He breathed through his nose, taking long, deep breaths.

“I needed to return a couple of things and grab a few more. I hope that’s okay?” Sloane asked as she reached him, then further disarmed him by taking his hand like any other woman might when greeting her male.

“No one bothered you?” he asked, forcing a calm he didn’t quite feel into his voice as he led her to the SUV. He gripped her hand a little tighter. If she tried to take it from his, he’d haul her over his shoulder and carry her the rest of the way. Not because he wanted to punish her, but there was only so much he could take. He wasn’t used to being afraid, and the thought of her being hurt by anything or anyone scared the hell out of him.

“No, not at all. I’ve returned the six extra pairs of shoes,” she said with a chuckle. “I assume those were for me?”

He grunted his answer and opened the passenger door, ushering her inside.

“Thank you. That was very thoughtful, by the way. I appreciate it. Sorry for making you wait, Rory,” she said as she settled her ass on the seat.

“We all good?” Rory asked as he cast a worried glance from him to Sloane and back again.

What did he think was going to happen? “Yes, of course, we’re good. Let’s get out of here.”

Sloane scooted a little closer so that her thigh pressed against his. She stuck her hand toward him, and when he reached for it, she held out a few bills she’d been gripping.

“I hope you don’t mind. I used some of the money from the return to pay for the other stuff. I’ll get it back to you as soon as I can get to a bank. I didn’t have any cash on me, and I thought using my credit or debit cards might be unwise—you know, in case they were being traced.”

The tension in Mateo eased some more. She wasn’t only sexy as hell, she was smart, too. “Good thinking. And no, you don’t need to pay me back.”

She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again before snuggling deeper into his side.

“How long until we get to 183rd?” he asked Rory.

“Ten minutes. Fifteen, max.”

“Good. We’ll ditch the SUV once we get there.”