Chapter Six

“You look happy and relaxed tonight,” Troy told her.

“I am.” She was; Tristan had spent last night holding her. Today he made her relax in his enormous tub. She’d give good money to have one of those in her apartment. Jets had worked overtime on her muscles combined with bath salts and skin creams.

Then the male was a doctor with the most talented hands. When he gave her a massage, she thought she’d melted into a Mira puddle. It was a once in a lifetime stay. The kind of thing that only happened in her dreams. The fact that she lived it sort of scared her.

“Have you ever had the most delicious thing happen to you?” She waited a beat before going on. “I have; it feels like I reached the pinnacle of my life, and now I’m waiting for it all to come crashing down.” She still expected to wake and realize Tristan was a dream.

“I’ve been there. I figured if I was still alive after it happened it meant there was more out there for me to experience.”

“Troy you’re a freaking philosopher, who knew.”

He wagged his brows at her. “If only you let me show you what else I can do.”

“Be still my heart.” She clutched her chest and walked off smiling.

Troy walked over to Tristan, who was sitting in the corner of the bar watching the door that Mira disappeared through.

“If you hurt her, you will regret it,” Troy’s eyes flashed red.

“Why would I do that?” Tristan’s eyes blazed bright green.

“That’s the wild male in his natural habitat. You can tell from the glaring eyes and the flexing of the nose. Soon he will take his foot and began to kick up imaginary dirt on the floor.” They turned to stare at Mira. She had come back out without them noticing her.

“That look is a warning to the female to stop interfering with a man’s business.” Mira turned and gave Anna a smile. “Since Troy is busy grab us a few bottles of water. I wouldn’t want them to stop threatening each other with bodily harm.”

“Did you think this through?” Troy turned to look at Tristan.

“No, I was overwhelmed with her beauty and brains. Do you think I’ll survive?”

Mira rolled her eyes and walked away. They laughed as the door closed behind her.

“She’s special,” Troy told him.

“I know. I’m already wondering where I would be if I hadn’t met her.”

“In the ground.” Troy turned and walked away.

He had a point. That was the reason he left his compound. It was time to give it up and let the younger Kur’iks live the life he never found for himself. It was amazing that in the minute he was about to give it all up, change was seeking him.

If he had left sooner or moved faster, he would have missed what was in store for him. Mira wasn’t going to be easy. His little mate was fighting the attraction. A smile played around his lips. This was the dream he never thought he could have. He found it in a small extra curvy human female. If only his creators could see him now.

“Tristan where is your mate?”

“Backroom with the other dancers. What are you doing here Cade?”

Cade took a seat playing with the glass of whiskey in his hand. “Everyone else is back at the house, including Ven. I told him if he didn’t get two good nights of sleep I was calling Deja to come take him home.”

Tristan chuckled. “You’re going to pay for that one.”

“Maybe, but I don’t like the way he looks. I came out tonight so you would have some backup in case you needed it.”

Tristan wanted to protest, but the look of Tina and what Mira had to do to stabilize her stilled plagued him.

“What do you think we’re dealing with?”

“I don’t know. Why bother Tina? She reads as a low-level psychic. There are fifteen of them in here tonight. Were they following us, and Tina got caught in the crossfire?”

“When I fought the first one he said something about us being holed up in our compound. That’s why we didn’t know what was going on.”

“He made a good point. Enigma One was in the ground, and Declyn and Enzo were just trying to hold the rest of the pack together. Then Deja showed up. We would still be there if you hadn’t of decided to walk away.”

“I didn’t just decide.” Tristan shook his head. Nothing he said was going to change what happened.

The female who had been with Mira, and another came out from the back of the stage.

“You have good taste,” Troy told Tristan. “The females here are gorgeous.”

“I think Mira’s protective of those two.”

“Of course, she is. They look like the kittens she wrangles.”

Tristan nodded and watched as the women owned the stage.

“Trouble,” Cade said with a low voice.

“I see her.”

A female walked in; she was thick and muscular for a female. She looked like she threw around weights for a living. Her hair was cut close, but her makeup was superb. She gave off a distinct feminine smell.

“She has eyes for the kitten on stage,” Cade commented.

They watched as the porcelain doll strutted her stuff. The minute she caught the female watching her, she tripped. When the set was over, she spoke to the female she was sharing the stage with before leaving it to talk to the one watching.

Tristan and Cade leaned closer to hear what was being said.

“What are you doing here?”

“I missed you, Anna.”

“I’m not coming back, Julie.” She fidgeted unable to keep still.

“We had a fight; all couples fight.”

“You scared me.”

“I’m sorry baby. It was a rough night. Nothing like that will ever happen again.”

“You say that all the time,” Anna told her backing up.

“I’m getting help.”

“You are?”

“I am, let’s go outside, so we can talk about it. Please? If you ever loved me.”

“Troy tell Eve I’ll be back in time for the next set. I’m going to be out front if she needs me.”

“Anna are you sure?”

“Of course, she’s sure. My baby knows I would never hurt her.” Julie took her arm in a firm grip and led her outside.

“I don’t understand the relationships between humans,” Cade told Tristan.

“We were made to fight not understand or indulge in complicated relationships. Still, my wolf is pacing within my skin.”

“So is mine. Tearing her throat out wouldn’t be the right thing to do?”

Tristan looked at him with a smirk. “Are you telling me or asking me?”

“Can you believe Declyn trusted the two of us to be together in the unsuspecting world?”

“He was banking on Ven keeping us in line.”

They laughed and watched as Mira came out. She strutted to the bartender. Tristan couldn’t keep his eyes off her. She was wearing what he now thought of as her trademark oversized raincoat.

She cased the joint giving him a tight smile before she walked over to the other female who was on the stage earlier. She pointed to the door.

Tristan was up following her outside as Cade followed him.

“Anna?” Mira called out. She walked to the parking lot to find it empty. “I knew she wasn’t out here. I can’t feel anything but a residue of her fear.”

She turned around and headed inside. “Troy I’m going after Anna. Have Tonya work a double shift, she can use the money.”

She went back to the room changed her clothes grabbed her keys and purse before she slipped out the back door. Tristan and Cade were waiting by the Jeep for her. Her mouth opened. Tristan pressed his finger under her chin closing it. They got in the Jeep without a word.

“I’m not leaving her there,” Mira told them as she pulled up in front of the industrial warehouse apartments.

“What if she wants to stay?” Tristan asked her.

Mira left the car in silence. Julie’s apartment was on the third floor. She took the steps instead of the elevator to work off some of her fury.

“Who is it?” Came the response to the knock on the door.

“I came for Anna.”

“Go away, she’s not here.”

“I’m coming in, one way or the other.”

“Good luck with that. There’s no way you’re getting through that door.”

“I can’t, but the two males with me will get through. You might want to look out your peephole.”

There was silence then the door opened. “You can’t just come in here. It’s against the law. I’ll call the cops.”

“Do that. I want them to see everything I find.”

“I told you she’s not here.”

“Then you won’t have a problem with me looking around.”

Julie smiled. “Nope, look all you want. When you're done, I’ll be pressing charges. Guess we’ll see how well your act will go over behind bars.”

“I’ll do the searching; I don’t want to get you involved any more than you are.” She told Tristan and Cade. Mira searched closets, cabinets, and looked for secret doors. She ended up in the bedroom without finding Anna.

“What part of that fat bitch isn’t here didn’t you understand?” Julie asked her. Her mouth was curled up in a smile of victory.

“Tristan, do you trust me?” Mira asked him.

“I do.”

“I need you to break the lock on this chest.” A long, thick, wide black chest was sitting at the end of the bed. It would make a great place to sit or even store extra covers. The only thing out of place on it was the thick lock.

Tristan came over taking Mira’s place. He bent over and took the lock in his hand.

“That’s destruction of private property. I’m getting this on my phone,” Julie screamed at her.

“Brilliant idea.” Mira took out her phone and started recording.

Tristan pulled at the key lock. The bottom half came off in his hand. The other part was still holding the trunk closed. He took it off and opened it. Inside was Anna. She had a ball gag in her mouth, and a handkerchief wrapped around her nose.

Mira was there helping to pull her out. She took the ball gag out and ripped the handkerchief off. Anna doubled over gasping for breath.

“You could have killed her,” Mira screamed as she worked on getting Anna’s hands-free.

“Nope, that one would have been your fault. If you hadn’t come, I would have cooled down and let her out in enough time to live.”

“Tell me you don’t want to stay here?” Mira asked Anna.

“I never wanted to come. She forced me. I was a fool, she said she was getting help, and I thought I owed it to her to listen.”

“Get whatever you want we’re out of here.”

Anna lifted her hand to her black eye, and then her busted lip. Mira flinched.

“You’ll live and heal.”

“Thanks to you and your friends. I’ll take this.” Anna marched up to Julie and snatched a ring on a chain off her neck. “This is my mother's ring. She stole it from me. Then she walked over and picked up a photo album. She took the phone that was lying at the bottom of the trunk and tossed it on the bed.

“I’m ready. I’m walking out with what I brought in.”

“You think this is over?” Julie shouted. “It’s not. I don’t need you, you fat bitch I could have anyone. I took pity on you, and this is how you repay me. I’ll make you regret ever having met me.”

“I already do.” Anna turned, with her head held high she walked out.

“Is Eve alright?”

“I doubt it.” Mira met Anna’s eyes in her rearview mirror. “Either she’s blowing up my phone, or my ass has learned to jump on its own.”

“You are rather talented.” They passed a strained smile between them.

“Hush you.” Mira pulled in front of the bar. Eve was pacing back and forth. When she saw the Jeep, she ran over breaking down when she saw Anna.

“I’m so sorry.” Anna started to cry. The two of them clung to each other.

“I need you both to go home and lie low for a couple of days. Can you do that?” Mira asked them.

They nodded. “I’ll make sure they get home,” Cade said directing them back to the club.

“I want to go home.”

“Then that’s what we will do,” Tristan told her.