“Your partners in the law firm are wolves,” Jake said. Having smelled several in the reception area, he assumed the law firm was made up of werewolves. But it was also a way of letting Sherry know that if she couldn’t deal with this on a strictly professional basis, he’d look elsewhere for help.

She smiled coyly, immediately getting his drift. “For our friendship, Jake, I won’t charge anything for my services.” She focused again on Alicia. “So exactly how did you get yourself into this mess?” She held a hand up, stopping Alicia before she could say a word. “Tell me from the beginning what happened.”

Chapter 20

Mario swore at Danny as he paced around his condo in Breckenridge. “What the hell do you mean Rudy’s in police custody? And didn’t I tell you to… hell, disappear?”

“The police were keeping a tight lid on Rudy’s arrest. Hell, I dropped by Alicia’s apartment to see why Rudy wasn’t answering his cell phone while he was waiting there to see if she returned. Not only were the police there, but Alicia was coming out of her apartment with three other men after the police left. One was wearing a uniform, but they all took off in two vehicles.”

“And you followed them.”

“Hell, yeah. From a safe distance. They drove to Silver Town, then out through the country and pulled off on a private paved road. I couldn’t see it, but I imagine a house is tucked back into the woods.”

“Why didn’t Rudy use his phone privilege to call you so you’d tell me and we could get him a lawyer?”

“I checked with the police, and some sergeant informed me that Rudy had gotten his phone call.”

Mario stared at Danny. “You didn’t get a call.”

“No, sir.”

“Hell. I want him out of there before he says something he shouldn’t. Did Celinas say he’d gotten in touch with Rudy?”

“No. I called the lawyer right away. He hadn’t had any word, so he went down to the jailhouse, and they said Rudy already had a lawyer.”

“Who?”

“Some guy named Alistair Gray. He’s a lawyer in the area, and he convinced Rudy he’d save his hide.”

“Tell Celinas I want him down there changing Rudy’s mind. Now.”

“All right. And sir?”

Mario frowned at him.

“I got word Miss Greiston is being questioned by the Denver police. Seems she was at Ferdinand’s condo when we killed him.”

Mario stared at him, then shook his head. “Damn it, Danny. I told you Jimmy said Ferdinand had taken her before we terminated him. She must have been hiding somewhere in the place. So what did she see?”

“According to our source, she wouldn’t speak to them without a lawyer present.”

Mario rubbed his chin, then stalked over to the window and stared out. “Was she still with the men she’d been with earlier at her place?”

“Yeah. They’re sticking pretty close to her. Plus they had another SUV full of bodyguards protecting her.”

“Hell.”

“You want me to find where she’s staying? It’s probably in Silver Town. Celinas checked with the art gallery and learned Jake Silver is the artsy-fartsy lover boy.”

“He’s a dead man,” Mario grumbled under his breath.

“He’s got a home that’s even more isolated than the house I followed them to. I could put some men on it and—”

“No. Just give me the location, and I’ll check it out.” Hell, the artist would not be able to stand up to a wolf. Mario would kill him and take Alicia for his own. And then he’d hide her away from the police, from humans—his trophy mate. She was a werewolf now. And as much trouble as her mother had given him, and then Alicia, she would pay for it.

Danny was another story. Mario hated to eliminate his last cousin, but once the police learned the gun Danny had hidden in his house had killed both Missy and Tony, they were sure to link Danny to him. He just had to think of a way to get rid of Danny so that no one would ever learn of it.

***

“We’ll only do this with the promise Alicia Greiston will not have any threat of prosecution,” Sherry Slate told Detective Sanderson while Jake listened in at Massaro’s condo. Peter and Tom stayed with Alicia in the hallway until the detective had agreed to the lawyer’s terms. “She saw nothing, heard voices, but that was all. She doesn’t know who the men were who murdered Ferdinand Massaro. Although, like you, she suspects Mario Constantino had him killed.”

“All right,” the detective grudgingly said.

“Remember what I said about her delicate condition,” Sherry repeated. “I don’t want to have to go to your superiors if you make this difficult for her. She was the victim in all this.”

Sanderson nodded once, his blue eyes hard. Jake could tell the detective didn’t like being dictated to by a lawyer, particularly because she was a woman, Jake suspected.

After half an hour of questioning, Alicia appeared worn out. But she looked relieved, too, when Jake bundled her up in the car and headed on the long drive back to Silver Town. All he could think of was lighting a fire in the fireplace at his home, making her a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top, and cuddling with her in front of the fire until he could coax her into bed. He wanted to make love to her, like he always did, but he wanted to comfort her if that’s what she needed more for the time being than the lovemaking. They had a lifetime of that ahead of them.

“What are you thinking about?” Jake asked as he held her close and she snuggled against him in the middle seat of the SUV.

“How nice Sherry ended up being. I mean, she loathed me, but she really was very good at her job. Of course, I think she was trying to catch Tom’s eye and probably didn’t think she’d stand a chance if she didn’t try her best to get me out of hot water.”

“She had to or face the consequences. No newly turned wolf could be incarcerated without causing dire consequences for all of us,” Jake reminded her, rubbing her shoulder in a loving way.

“Hmm.” She turned her attention to Tom and asked, “What did you think of her, Tom? Possibilities?”

He shook his head. “She’s just like Jake said. All business through and through. I doubt she has a seductive bone in her body.”

“Sometimes all a woman needs is the right man.” Alicia ran her hand over Jake’s thigh.

He slipped his hand beneath her blouse and stroked a bra-covered breast, enjoying the way her nipple strained against the silky fabric with his touch. If they’d had more privacy, he would have taken her cue and had his way with her. Stopping at a hotel on the way was an idea, too. But he couldn’t inconvenience everyone with his insatiable need to have her.

Tom said, “Darien told me everyone in the pack is coming to the wedding. It’ll be a feast to end all feasts.”

“Lelandi said it would be in the clearing in the woods out back,” Alicia said. “Is it big enough?”

“Yeah,” Tom said. “We have pack games and other pack gatherings there.” He turned to give Jake an annoyed look. “You realize that after this wedding is over, Lelandi’s going to be on my case even more about finding a mate, don’t you?”

Jake shook his head. “Her babies are coming soon. She’ll be wrapped up in that. So you’re off the hook for a little while.”

Alicia was melting into Jake’s lap, and he was getting damned hard as he continued to massage one of her breasts. “Tell Peter to drive faster,” she whispered to Jake.

Tom shook his head, probably having overheard Alicia’s words spoken in private to Jake. “Hell, I’ve got to get me a mate,” Tom said.

***

Of all the damned things, Mario thought as he circled in his wolf form around the house that the artist lover-boy owned. Wolves lived in this area. Were they wolf-wolves or werewolves? He couldn’t tell the difference. But never having met any other werewolf types except the bastard he’d killed and the ones he’d made, although only one still lived, he hadn’t thought many more existed. They probably were regular wolves.

He sniffed the area and listened. No one was here. The place was quiet, and no one was guarding it. He figured that when Jake Silver returned with Alicia, he’d most likely have that bodyguard force with him. Mario was going to have to enlist the help of the one other man he’d turned if they had to fight a couple of wolves. Danny and a couple of others would have to be the firepower to serve as a distraction so he could grab Alicia and leave. Things were getting too hot for Mario in Colorado. A warrant had been issued for Danny’s arrest, and he was a dead man once Mario got his hands on Alicia.

Not only was that damned police chief in Breckenridge breathing down Mario’s neck, but the Denver police somehow had linked his name to Ferdinand Massaro’s death. And the Feds were looking into Tony Thomas’s death, somehow linking him to someone named Antonio Frasero.

Mario was thinking of going someplace else. Somewhere in Minnesota, maybe. Up nearer to the Canadian border where he could slip away if need be. He’d heard there were real wolves in those parts. That meant he could blend in.

All his trouble had started with that damned Tony. If he hadn’t been looking into Mario’s business dealings, and then if Missy Greiston hadn’t gotten involved, everything would have gone along like it always had. Their deaths had gotten Missy’s daughter involved, and she had created even more trouble for Mario. One little woman. Wolf now. He’d show Alicia what it meant to mess with him.

He turned and loped off to his car hidden in the woods. Time to get reinforcements.

***

After dinner at Darien’s and a much more relaxed atmosphere, except for Lelandi bringing up the wedding plans again, Alicia had had a wonderful time with the family and already felt as though she’d known them forever. When she and Jake returned to his home, guards were again posted outside. She hated that men had to stand guard detail all night, although Jake assured her no one minded doing what they needed to when they had to keep pack members safe. Even so, she did feel much safer knowing they were there.