CHAPTER THREE
Hastings agreed to come up to Hollywood from his current base of operations in Las Vegas the next day, but as it turned out, that wasn’t soon enough. In the middle of the night, the silent alarms started going off, one after another. The perimeter was being breached in a big way.
Nick tried to mobilize the perimeter guards, but nobody was responding to his radio calls. Shit was happening, and he had only one thought—protect Sal at all costs. He couldn’t do that effectively from the marble foyer. No, he had to have eyes on her.
Nick took the steps up to the second floor four at a time, making light work of climbing the sweeping staircase that led to the bedrooms. He followed the scent of fear to Sal’s bedroom, his heart climbing into his throat at the silent indicator that she knew something was very wrong.
He smelled something else, as well…a predatory scent. Pungent. Sickly sweet. Madness. Obsession. Shifter.
Oh, shit. Sal’s stalker was a crazy-assed shifter. It wasn’t common, but sometimes, shifters did lose touch with reality and go bat-shit crazy. He hadn’t encountered that scent often, but he recognized it now. The bastard was up here. Close to Sal. Or had been. The scent was growing fainter…
Nick burst into Sal’s bedroom to find her holding a handgun with an expert grip. The sliding glass door that led to a small balcony was wide open, filmy curtains blowing in the night breeze. The shifter was gone.
The scent trail went out that way and down. He’d jumped, Nick saw right away, going to the balcony, discounting the fact that Sal still held her handgun. She wouldn’t shoot him. And if she did—unless she’d loaded her pea shooter with silver bullets—he’d heal. The risk was negligible.
Nick wanted desperately to follow the mad shifter’s trail, but he had conflicting desires. On the one hand, he wanted to hunt. On the other, he wanted to protect. He couldn’t exactly jump off the balcony in Sal’s sight. That would raise more questions than he was prepared to answer. And he couldn’t leave her alone. Not when the perimeter team still wasn’t answering their radios.
He very much feared they’d been taken out by the shifter. It wouldn’t have been too difficult. A crazed shifter, uncaring about secrecy, could easily have used his superior strength and senses to take down a group of human security guards in quick succession, leaving his path to his target clear.
Nick wanted to growl, thinking of Sal as a target. That just wasn’t right. She was a caring, beautiful woman. Not a target.
He closed and locked the balcony door, for all the good it would do. Then, he turned back to her, glad to note she had lowered her handgun but kept it ready at her side.
“Let’s get you out of here,” he said in as calm a tone as he could manage. He picked up the slinky robe lying across the chest at the foot of her bed and handed it to her.
She put it on, never relinquishing her handgun. Good girl. He liked her instincts. She wasn’t going to be one of those silly girls in the horror movies who hide in the basement or give the bad guy their only weapon. No, Sal was a fighter. Nick’s inner cat liked that. A lot.
“How did he get past the guards outside?” she asked as she joined him near the door to her bedroom. She wasn’t balking at coming with him, and her question was a good one.
“That’s what I need to find out, but first, I need to keep you safe. This room is too exposed, and I need to get to the com equipment, though help should already be on its way with how many alarms were going off as I ran up the stairs.” He started out the door with her close behind, his senses stretched to their maximum range, just in case the bad guy had only been bluffing about running away. “Stick close to me,” Nick told her. “Unless we run into trouble, then hug a wall and give me room to fight, but stay in sight so I know you’re okay. Clear?”
“Clear,” she replied, as if she was one of his men, acknowledging orders.
He heard her gulp and knew she wasn’t as calm about all this as she was pretending to be, but he’d take it. She was holding up well so far, which made his job a whole lot easier. He knew from past experience that it was really difficult to protect someone who didn’t know how to listen and follow orders. And she was armed. He hadn’t realized she had a handgun, which was something she should have told Halibut about when she hired them, but he wasn’t too upset about it.
“You know how to handle that thing?” he asked, nodding toward the weapon still held in her right hand, pointed toward the ground.
She nodded. “I haven’t always been as you see me now. I learned how to defend myself when I was very young, and I keep in practice. I hit what I aim at.”
Better and better. Nick’s inner jaguar wanted to purr. His mate was hell on wheels when faced with danger.
Wait a minute. Mate?
Nick paused and would have swayed if he wasn’t holding onto the banister at the top of the stairs. Crap. He’d gone and done it. He’d found his mate. The cat had known but had, for some unknown reason, waited to spring it on his human half until just this minute. Great. Just great.
Nick went down the stairs—one at a time on this trip—with Sal following close behind. He let his senses guide him. No threats down here that he could discern. He led her to the security desk in the front foyer and parked her in the spare chair while he plugged into the system and made the necessary calls.
“What’s going on over there?” Linelli asked when Nick got him on the line. “Judging by my remote alarms, all hell is breaking loose.” Some of the sensors were mirrored to a second panel that Linelli, or any of the principles of Halibut Security, could access at any time to check on both their clients and their employees.
Nick gave a concise sitrep, filling his old friend in on the situation. “I’ve got the client with me,” he told Linelli first. “I haven’t been able to check on the guys stationed outside.”
“No worries. Keeping the client safe is your first priority.” As Nick had known, but it was good to hear Linelli taking Sal’s safety as seriously as Nick did. “Backup should be to you within the next three to four minutes. I’ll check on their ETA. I’ll coordinate from here for the moment, but will come down if the client wants someone to yell at.”
Nick almost laughed at the resignation in Linelli’s tone. Apparently, working with the Hollywood elite created situations where he had to be the designated stooge. Better him than me, Nick thought. He would not have enjoyed having to listen to some civilian harangue him about how to do his job.
“The lady is cool under fire,” Nick was glad to report. “And armed.”
“No shit?” Linelli sounded impressed. “Does she know what she’s doing?”
“Looks like it,” Nick reported.
“I knew I liked her when she signed up.” For Linelli, that was high praise, indeed. “You should see the first squad arrive. They’re coming in openly. Black SUV. They’ll blink their lights for you. The second, third, and fourth units will come in on foot, on the flanks and from behind. They’ll check on the original team and report back directly to me. I’ll let you know what we find out.”
“I expect you’ll find everyone incapacitated. Probably knocked out by blows to the head. At best, you’re going to have some concussions to deal with,” Nick said, knowing his tone was grim. He might have to get creative in how he reported this to Linelli.
Though the human ex-SEAL might suspect there was something a little larger-than-life to some of his former co-workers, the secret wasn’t out. There was a don’t-ask, don’t-tell policy pertaining to shifters in the armed forces. Nick wouldn’t be the one to reveal the secret—even to someone as cool as Linelli. This entire mission was all about preserving the shifter secret.
“A team, then? More than one perpetrator?” Linelli was on alert again.
“No. Only one,” Nick said. “We’re secure for now. Perp’s gone.”
“What kind of man could get all of them?” Linelli asked the million-dollar question, of course. He was no slouch.
“I’ve run into something like this before,” Nick told his old friend, skirting the question. “Most of it is still compartmentalized, but I can say, it’s possible. I recognize the mode of attack.”
Linelli gave a long-suffering sigh. “And here I thought I left all that secret super power shit behind when I left the Teams.” Linelli muttered a few curses before continuing. “All right. If you’re right, most of the team is going to be out for a few weeks nursing concussions. Since it sounds like you have the top-secret decoder ring—which nobody ever saw fit to give me—I’ll let you run with this. I assume you have men in mind to reconstitute the night shift?”
Nick wasn’t imagining the edge in Linelli’s voice. The human knew darn well that there were certain secrets kept even from fellow Special Operators, and he sounded more than a little bitter about his lack of knowledge. Nick understood. He couldn’t help illuminate things in this case, but he definitely understood. It was frustrating to run a mission with bad or missing intel.
“Hastings arrives later today. Some of his folks would be perfect for this job.”
Another one of those annoyed sighs. “Okay. Pick your team. Send them to me, and I’ll sign off on them once they clear background checks. There are liability issues since Miss Lane’s contract is with Halibut, but if we put Hastings’ people on as sub-contractors or something, we should be able to do this. I’ll sort it out. For now, just keep her safe. Make contact with the backup teams and report back in thirty. Linelli out.”
Nick had to chuckle. Sounded like Linelli forgot he was talking on a phone and not a tactical radio. The line went dead as Linelli hung up without further ado, which was just as well. Nick had things to do on his end, and Sal was still sitting next to him, looking stunned but determined.
“Backup is here,” he told her. “I just need to talk to them, and then, we can decide what you want to do for the rest of tonight.”
“I don’t want to stay here,” she said almost immediately.
“All right,” Nick replied slowly. He hadn’t really thought about where he could stash her for the night, but he’d figure something out. First, though, he had to interface with the squads that were securing the perimeter. “You okay here with me?” he asked her gently as he saw the big black SUV roll into the driveway and flick its lights in the prearranged pattern.
“Yeah. I’m sticking to you like glue for now, Nick. Sorry.” She swallowed hard, her body trembling just the slightest bit.
“Don’t be sorry. That’s what I’m here for. To keep you safe. Stick with me, kid, and you’ll be fine. I promise.” He made that vow even as he raised the short-range radio they used on site and made contact with the men in the SUV, giving them the proper code before they piled out of the dark vehicle.
Nick pushed the button that would unlock the front door for them. A minute later, seven big guys entered in the foyer then fanned out to search the rest of the house. The team leader—a behemoth named Doug—stayed in the foyer with Nick and Sal, communicating with his guys on their own radio frequency and reporting their progress back to Nick, who was site commander in this situation.
The house was clear, which was no surprise to Nick. The scent of insane shifter had faded. The perp was long gone. At least for tonight. Now, Nick just had to figure out where to take Sal for what remained of the night.
“Let’s go upstairs, and you can get dressed and pack an overnight bag,” Nick said to her in a gentle voice.
“Where will we go?” He liked that she had no doubt he’d be by her side throughout. The cat wanted to purr in satisfaction. She was already seeing them as a couple.
“Not sure yet. Worst-case scenario, you can come back to my place. I have a spare room.” It was a furnished rental he’d selected when he’d arrived in town. Secure building. Difficult approaches should anyone come for him for whatever reason. The guest room was full of equipment at the moment, but it wouldn’t take long to clear off the twin bed in there for her use. “It’s not the Ritz, but you’ll be safe there for a few hours until we decide what we’re going to do about tonight’s events.”
“Let’s just do that,” she said quietly. “I’m still a little too shaky to make good decisions right now. If I can stay with you, I think I’ll be able to calm down and think clearly. I’m sorry to invade your personal space, though. Are you sure it’s all right?”
“I’m sure,” he told her as he escorted her up the stairs. He went into her bedroom and checked both it and the attached bathroom while she watched. The place was empty. “You can change in the bathroom. I’ll be right out here, securing the sliding door and looking for clues.”
He flashed her what he hoped was a reassuring grin and was glad to see the corners of her mouth curve upward slightly as she went to her dresser and pulled out a few items of clothing. He tried not to notice the silky underwear in her hand. He really did.
Nick turned away, willing his raging attraction to settle down. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off.
Luckily, the radio drew his attention as she walked into the bathroom, the other teams reporting in. As Nick had suspected, the original guards were down with blows to the head. Thankfully, it wasn’t worse. That shifter could have just as easily killed them all.
Then, his cell phone rang. It was Linelli, calling earlier than expected.
“Problems?” Nick asked by way of greeting.
“Fucking concussions, man. In the Teams, if someone rang your bell, you just shook it off and kept going. In civilian life, it means a shitload of paperwork and medical testing, plus time off work. Your original team is toast, Nick. They’re all going to be at the ER for the next few hours, then off duty until the damage can be fully assessed.”
“I figured. I’m just glad they’re not dead,” he replied honestly.
“Yeah, there is that,” Linelli agreed in a somber tone. “Anything that could blow through five guys that efficiently could have done a lot worse.” He paused. “You recognize this?”
“Yeah,” Nick admitted, saying nothing more. Linelli had to have run up against this sort of thing when he was in the Teams. He was a good man, but the shifter secret wasn’t something Nick could share.
“I wish to hell I knew what you know,” Linelli said at last, and Nick breathed a sigh of relief. Linelli had accepted the need for secrecy.
“Actually, I truly believe you wouldn’t want the burden of this knowledge,” Nick answered after a moment’s thought. Linelli and the other human Special Operators thought of themselves as invincible. As the top of the food chain. The predators who protected the innocent.
They were all that, but if they knew about the existence of shifters among them, Nick honestly didn’t think it would be good for morale. Sure, there were always some guys who were better at certain things than others, but in the end, they were united because they were all the same. Dedicated people who wanted to serve and protect with the special skills they had acquired through hard work, perseverance and training all the time.
If human Spec Ops soldiers suddenly became aware that the guys next to them weren’t fully human, after all, it could cause a rift that might never be healed. All in all, Nick thought it was safer all around—for the humans and for shifters—to keep the existence of their kind under wraps. Possibly forever.
“I’ll have to trust you on that,” Linelli replied, and Nick felt a bit of satisfaction. Trust. That’s what bonded them. Linelli trusted Nick and was willing to put his business on the line and allow Nick to keep his secrets in order to protect their client. That meant a lot.
“I’m glad you do,” Nick said honestly, hoping Linelli understood the very real emotion behind his words.
“What are you going to do with the client?” Linelli changed the subject neatly.
Of course, the question was a loaded one. There were many things Nick wanted to do with her. Most of them X-rated. But Linelli wanted to know about her security, so Nick got his mind out of the gutter and back on business. Admittedly, with some difficulty.
“She doesn’t want to stay here,” Nick told Linelli.
“Well, I can’t say I blame her.” Linelli paused, sighing audibly. “I’ll have to think about where we can put her.”
“No need.” Nick knew this next part would cause Linelli’s eyebrow to rise. He was famous for that one-eyebrow Vulcan question look of his. “I’m taking her to my place.”
Linelli whistled through his teeth, making a horrible screeching sound over the phone speaker. Nick winced. Sometimes, humans were hard on shifter ears.
“My, my. You do work fast, young Nicholas.”
“It’s not like that—”
“I didn’t think she was your type.” Linelli talked right over Nick’s protestations, but Nick couldn’t let that statement stand.
“A gorgeous gal who meets danger with a nine mil in her hand? You bet she’s my type,” Nick said with an easy grin. “But my place is the most secure I know on short notice.”
“You’ve got a condo somewhere, right? Wait a minute…” Nick heard the tapping of a keyboard on the other end of the line as Linelli looked up Nick’s information. “Oh. Wilson Towers. Yeah, that’s a good complex. I’ve stashed clients there myself. Solid floor plan. Good construction. Easy to defend.”
“That’s why I picked it,” Nick agreed amiably. “And it came furnished. It’s not too bad, actually.”
That was an understatement. The place was owned by a rich Chinese businessman who only used the place twice a year. The rest of the time, he rented it out on a monthly basis. Nick had taken it for the month, not knowing how long he would need to wrap things up. That the businessman was one of the rare panda shifters was known only to a few, but the vast majority of those who rented the condo were also shifters, since he advertised mostly in places other shifters would see the listing.
“All right. Hourly check-ins until the end of your shift. I should have something better lined up by then. Or, if she wants to go back…”
“She said she wanted some time to clear her head and think out her next move. I expect I’ll be able to let you know what she wants to do in the morning. I have no problem keeping her at the condo until she’s ready to leave.” In fact, he’d be happy if she just stayed with him. Period. But it was a little too soon to be saying such things to her.
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll set up an escort and some decoy vehicles for your ride.”
“Appreciate it. We’ll be ready to roll in about ten minutes,” Nick told Linelli, then went through the details of the move.
They would take as few chances as possible getting the client from her rented mansion to Nick’s rented condo. It was a complex maneuver, but this was something Halibut Security specialized in. Getting their celebrity clients from place to place while ditching paparazzi was a specialty.
When Nick ended the call, he was aware that Sal had come out of the bathroom some time before. She’d heard a few things that might have surprised her, but he hadn’t turned around, giving her time to pack her overnight bag in relative privacy. He was facing the sliding glass doors, though, so he could see a filmy reflection through the sheer curtains of her moving around from closet to dresser and back again.
He replaced his cell phone in the small holster attached to his belt and turned to face her. He hadn’t been sure what to expect, but he certainly was surprised to see her grinning at him, her delicate brows raised in question.
“So, pistol-packin’ mamas are your type, eh?”
Nick was at a loss for words. He could hear the wry amusement in her tone, and it made him feel lighter…happy that he’d been able to make her feel joy even momentarily on this dark night.
He moved toward her, walking right up to face her from only two feet away. He watched her reaction carefully, not wanting to scare her or throw her off in any way. She’d had enough upset for one night.
But then, she surprised him. She took a step forward. Toward him. Closer than they’d ever been to each other. Her gaze met his and held… And then…
Nick bent slowly. So slowly. Giving her time to escape if she wanted to, but she didn’t move away. In fact, she moved forward, joining her lips to his in their first kiss.
The first of many, he prayed as he’d never prayed before.