Chapter Eight
Tap groaned when he heard buzzing. The sound was like a jackhammer in his head. Bleary-eyed, he turned to see his phone dancing across the makeshift nightstand. It was two stacked crates with a small board lying on top. Tap reached for his phone but something held him down. He glanced at his chest to see Dustin draped over him.
Fuck.
He stretched, snagged his phone, and pressed it to his ear. "What?" he mumbled. Tap ran his hand over Dustin’s hair, pressed his lips against the soft strands, then stayed there, resting his face against his mate as he inhaled his scent.
Mate. Tap had been out to seduce Dustin, nothing more. He'd only wanted mutual sex that would have satisfied them. Maybe he would have come back for more. But…hell…the last thing Tap had thought about was finding his mate. The very last thing. Now Dustin was draped over him as Tap ran a hand down his mate's spine.
"Can you get out from between the cat’s legs long enough to help me track Wilfred down?" Hennessey asked.
"Meet you at the agency." Tap tossed the phone aside. He pressed a kiss into Dustin’s hair again before, as gently as he could, he eased Dustin off him. The leopard mumbled incoherently, turned, then curled around a pillow.
Tap sat up, planting his feet on the cold floor. He reached behind him and pulled the covers over Dustin’s balled-up body.
Mate. Shit.
Tap quietly dressed and then let himself out. He dug his keys from his pocket, got into his truck, then drove to meet Hennessey. His dash clock read 4:26. It was way too early for this shit. Tap yawned as he spotted the all-night gas station. Hopefully they had fresh coffee. He needed something to jump-start his still-sleeping brain.
Tap had avoided relationships his entire life, feared becoming just as abusive as John had been. Now there was no going back. He and Dustin were mates. That scared the hell out of him. He’d never struck any of his lovers out of anger, but Dustin was no longer just another lover and shit happened. There was always a first time.
Tap's gut twisted. He would never let there be a first time. Ever. He despised the fact John was always a shadow lurking in the back of his mind. His fear of becoming his father shouldn't have been an issue—shouldn't have been since Tap was nothing like him. But growing up in an abusive home left internal scars not easily forgotten.
And Tap did have a temper.
He parked, got out, and entered the station. He breathed a sigh of relief at the smell of freshly brewed coffee. At least his morning was starting off right.
Tap was making a cup when the door opened. He glanced up to see Chance strolling in. Now what were the odds he’d run into the prick right after mating Dustin? Tap felt an overpowering need to rip the bastard’s face off when he thought of how Chance had choked Dustin against that building. His nostrils flared and his claws threatened to emerge.
He kept his cool. That was the past and Dustin was now his.
Mate. Fuck.
But if Chance tried that again, Tap would lose his shit and spill Chance's entrails.
Chance spotted him, curled his lip, and headed toward the back of the station where the coolers were located. Tap glanced over the packaged pastries. None appealed to him. He wasn’t hungry. Not for food. All he wanted was to go back to Dustin’s and curl around his kitten.
Why in the hell had Hennessey chosen four in the morning to go running around Mercury? He would thank the bastard with a throat hug when he saw him.
His gaze followed Chance as the man made his way back up front. Tap stepped in front of him and set his coffee on the counter, giving the cat his back, telling him silently that Chance was no threat to him.
He remembered Chance's file and wanted to rid the world of the sadist. The Consiglio had detailed a lot of Chance’s proclivities and all of them were sicker and more twisted than the last. Tap couldn’t understand why a capture warrant had never been issued for the leopard.
"Morning," Kramer said from behind the counter. He was average height, slim, with a head full of brown hair. Kramer had a pronounced Adam’s apple that looked as if he’d swallowed a golf ball.
Tap nodded. "Just the coffee."
Kramer's gaze wandered behind Tap before he rang up the coffee. Was that fear? The clerk was leopard and more than likely knew about Chance’s sick fetishes. Had he been on the receiving end of them?
Tap paid but didn’t leave. He stepped to the side and grabbed a copy Mercury Gazette and read over the front page. Chance paid for the forty he’d grabbed. Who drank beer for breakfast? Then again, it was four in the morning. The guy might be wrapping up his night.
"Chance," Kramer said in a clipped tone.
"Kramer," Chance said mockingly. "Glad we know each other’s names."
The clerk rang Chance up, averting his gaze. He gave the man his change but Chance didn’t leave.
"Don’t you have somewhere to be, wolf?" Chance asked.
"Nope." Tap went back to reading the front page. "Got all the time in the world this morning." He felt Chance glare at him before the guy stalked out of the station.
"Thanks." Kramer blew out an unsteady breath. "I know what you just did, but it won’t help. He’ll be back."
Tap tossed the paper back on the rack. "Why doesn’t Vane do anything about Chance?"
Kramer gazed at him. "Don’t you know?"
Tap frowned. "Know what?"
The clerk glanced out the window. Tap did, as well. They watched Chance get into his car, rev his engine, then race onto the main road before he roared out of sight.
"I guess you wouldn’t know. It’s a well-kept secret. Only a very few know."
"Know what?"
Kramer looked back at Tap. "That Chance is Vane’s son."
* * * *
Dustin woke to find himself alone. He hoped Tap’s line of work was the reason his mate wasn't in bed with him. In a way, Dustin was glad for the reprieve. He needed time to himself to absorb what had happened.
Mate. Damn it.
Tap was his mate. Dustin wasn't all that happy with the revelation. He may have developed feelings for the guy, but Tap was still Tap. Rude, selfish, childish, and… Dustin rubbed a hand over his face, hoping the man’s slutty days were behind him now.
Tossing the cover aside, Dustin grabbed his robe, and padded to the bathroom. He had to make it in to work today and he had to stay longer than an hour or Devin would have his head.
Not only did he need to find out what Vane wanted, now Devin needed to talk to him.
The crap just kept piling up.
Mate. Oh hell.
After he'd showered and dressed, Dustin grabbed a quick cup of coffee and left the house. Tap could've at least stuck around long enough to give him a ride to Grizzly's. He zipped up his thick jacket, shivering at the cold start to his day.
Dustin had made it to the center of town when he spotted Chance. He glanced around quickly and then ducked into the coffee shop. He moved to the side of the door and peeked through the window to see if Chance had seen him.
"What’re we looking at?" Shane asked from beside him. Dustin jumped and spun, his heart lodged deeply in his throat. "Don't do that!"
"You screamed loud enough to bring the walls down last night and now you're dodging Tap?" Shane scowled. "What did he do to you besides fucking you? Am I gonna have to slash his tires in your defense?"
"You really do need to get a life," Dustin complained. "And no, it's not Tap I'm hiding from."
"Do you have someone else interested in you already?" Shane mock punched him on his arm as he grinned like an idiot. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Don’t settle on just one guy." He frowned. "But hiding is counterproductive to letting this new dude know you're interested."
"I'm not interested in someone else," Dustin ground out. "Trust me. I'd rather get shot in the head than get anywhere near this guy."
Shane's frown deepened as he moved a little closer. "Is it the same sicko who kidnapped Stephen?" He glanced out the door as his features darkened. "I'd like to get my hands on that whackjob."
If Shane only knew the truth about Wilfred, he'd stay as far away as possible. Chance was even worse. Wilfred had knocked Stephen around. Although that was bad, it would have been far worse if Chance had kidnapped Stephen. Dustin didn’t want to think about the horrors Chance would have unleashed on the little human.
"I'll be right back."
"You're leaving me?" Dustin hissed.
"Just don't go outside," Shane said before he hurried away. Dustin turned back to the window and scanned the street for Chance. He didn't see the guy, but that didn't mean he was in the clear. Grizzly’s was a good mile away and he wouldn't be able to run the rest of the way to work in his human form. Dustin wasn't keen on showing up to work naked if he had to shift.
His gaze shot left when he heard tires screeching. Tap’s truck stopped in the middle of the street and his mate jumped out and stormed toward Spotos. Dustin pushed the door open and met Tap on the sidewalk.
"What’s wrong, Kitten? I was told someone was after you."
"Kitten?" Hennessey’s smile lit up his handsome face as he rounded the hood of the truck.
Tap jabbed a finger at him. "Not another word or I swear I'll scalp you."
Hennessey threw up his hands as if surrendering. "Just tell me I get to shoot someone and I'll shut the fuck up."
Dustin looked at the guy as if he'd lost his mind. Seconds later the sheriff's patrol car stopped front-grille-to-front-grille with Tap’s truck. The sheriff got out and glanced around before joining them on the sidewalk. By then, a small crowd had gathered.
"Got a disturbance call," Sheriff Braxton said.
Dustin turned to see Shane standing just outside the door. He was gonna murder the guy. What had he done, called everyone in Mercury? "What, no National Guard?" Dustin snapped.
Shane appeared unrepentant. "After what happened to Stephen, you should be thanking me."
"Talk to me, Kitten," Tap said.
Dustin prayed a hole would open and swallow him. The morning crowd grew thicker as they tried to see what was going on. Dustin swallowed tightly as he glanced at the swirling lights on top of the sheriff’s car, Tap’s truck parked on the street, and the people gathered in hopes of seeing some kind of action.
He was definitely going to kill Shane. Slowly and painfully. "Nothing," he told Tap. "Nothing is going on. False alarm."
Tap didn't look like he was buying what Dustin was trying to sell.
"Shane called the agency in panic and you're telling me it was nothing?" Tap asked.
"That's exactly what I'm telling you." Dustin turned and headed down the sidewalk. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to be late for work."
Tap grunted. "I'll drive you."
Dustin wanted to say no. As soon as they were alone, Tap would interrogate him. But he didn't say no, because one block over, Chance was staring right at him.
* * * *
"You want to tell me what that was all about?" Tap wasn't buying the false-alarm excuse. He'd seen the panic in Dustin’s eyes when he'd pulled up to the coffee shop.
"I told you," Dustin said. "Shane overreacted. It was nothing."
"Damn it, Dustin!" Tap took a deep breath as he curled his fingers around the steering wheel. "You don't panic over nothing."
"Fine!" Dustin crossed his arms over his chest and glared out the window. "I saw Chance. You happy?"
"Did he say anything to you?" Dustin had come to mean so much to him in such a short period of time. Tap wasn't sure if it was love yet, but no other male had twisted him up inside. All Tap thought about was his kitten.
When he'd gotten the call from Landon saying Dustin was in trouble, Tap immediately thought of Wilfred. He hadn't felt that kind of fear since living with his parents.
"That's why I didn't want to say anything," Dustin said. "He didn't say anything to me, so I look like an idiot for panicking."
"I'd rather you look like an idiot than have something happen to you," Tap said. "With Wilfred still on the loose and Chance…you have to be careful, Dustin."
"You act like I was roaming the streets at two in the morning," Dustin argued. "If you remember, Chance attacked me in broad daylight last time."
"I should take you to my house and keep you there until this is resolved." Tap couldn't take another scare like that. Thank fuck he'd only been a block away when Landon had phoned. Even so, Tap had nearly rear-ended a car trying to get to Dustin. His heart couldn’t take this shit. Keeping Dustin wrapped in a bubble sounded damn right to him.
"You want to tuck me away in a house full of wolves who wanted me dead the last time they saw me there?" Dustin asked incredulously. "Not on your life!"
"It's different now," Tap argued. "We’re mates."
Dustin shook his head. "Not gonna do it. Just drop me off at work. I'll be fine. I have the bears to protect me."
"It's not their job to protect you!" Tap ground out. "It's mine."
He pulled his truck into Grizzly’s parking lot and shoved the gear into Park. Dustin turned toward him and Tap saw defiance in his pretty blue eyes.
"Before last night, we didn't exactly get along. You think because we're mates that means insta-love?" Dustin scoffed. "Not too long ago you couldn't get rid of me fast enough. Hell, just this morning you raced out of my place as soon as I closed my eyes."
Is that what had Dustin so defensive? He thought Tap was still running from him? Didn't Dustin know he was running toward the leopard every chance he had? He'd never allowed himself to fall asleep in a lover’s bed. He'd never wanted the complications and the awkward morning after. If Hennessey hadn't called and pulled him away, Tap would have woken next to the male.
"I'm not naïve enough to think it makes us instant best friends. You still act like I'll give you fleas. But it does mean it's my job to protect you."
"Your job?" Dustin reached for the handle but Tap stopped him from jumping out of the truck. Fuck. Tap wanted to bang his head into the steering wheel. Dustin was too damn defensive, and he was making their conversation stressful.
"Will you stop twisting my words?"
Dustin pulled at his arm. "You're hurting me."
Tap snatched his hand away like it had caught fire. Those three words evoked memories he would sell his soul to forget. "I…I wasn't trying to hurt you, Kitten."
Dustin's brows furrowed as he gazed at Tap. "I know."
No. Dustin had no clue whatsoever of what Tap was capable of. He hadn't even realized how much strength he'd used to stop Dustin from leaving. Tap curled his hand into a fist and settled it on his lap. "I would never hurt you."
Sweat gathered over Tap’s forehead and for a brief moment it wasn't Dustin staring at him, but Adam. Tap closed his eyes and took a deep and steady breath. When he opened them, he felt as if a black hole were being punched into his chest.
He couldn't do this. It was his job to protect his mate, but what if Dustin needed to be protected from him? What if Chance wasn’t the one Dustin needed to fear, but Tap?
"What's wrong?" Dustin asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Tap dragged a shaky hand down his face. "It's nothing."
"Oh, no." Dustin shook his head. "You wouldn't let that answer wash with me and I'm not letting you use it. Don't shut me out, Tap."
What was he supposed to say? That one day he might get mad enough at Dustin to hurt him? That Dustin might make him angry enough that he would… "You'll be late if you don't head inside."
Dustin narrowed his eyes. "I see how it is. You can browbeat the truth out of me, but I—"
"I didn't beat a damn thing out of you," Tap ground out.
Dustin’s brows rose. "That's not what I said."
"Just…just go." Tap turned his head away from Dustin as guilt and anger filled him.
"Tap."
"Dustin, don't push it. Please."
As soon as Dustin got out, Tap pulled from the dirt lot. He parked a block over, where he punched the dash and cursed.