The next morning, Nikki stared around at the mess Bret called an office, a different kind of horror hitting her.

“You call this organized?” she asked, shocked.

Bret flushed as he stood next to her, his blue eyes scanning the room as well. “I've been busy!”

The flush of his brown face took her by surprise, and she relaxed a little more.

She raised an eyebrow. “Busy.” Shaking her head, she sighed and prepared to roll up her sleeves and get to work.

She noticed an ancient-looking computer sitting on the gleaming desk, the only thing that wasn't covered in dust, and groaned. “You have got to be kidding me!”

“What?” Bret followed her gaze and frowned. “What's wrong?”

She looked over at him in astonishment and pointed to the box sitting on the desk. “Wrong? How old is that thing?”

Bret flushed again and shrugged. “I don't know. It was given to me.”

“By who, Salvation Army?” she asked sarcastically.

Bret chuckled, not seeming to be phased at all by the sarcastic remark and her attitude. Walking over to the desk, he opened the drawer and rummaged around before pulling out a pad and pen.

“Here. Make a list of what you'll need, and I'll have it by lunch.”

Grumbling beneath her breath, she took the pad and pen and quickly made a list without looking around further. He probably didn't have anything of what she needed, and a twenty-first century computer was at the top of the list. After five minutes, she handed him the list.

He scanned the paper. Nodding, he turned to leave and then stopped, looking over at her. “You're safe here, Nikki.” Heart pounding, they stared at each other, their gazes locked.

How did he do that? How did he know the fear hasn't left me yet?

She nodded and watched as he left, closing the door behind him.

Alone, she stood there for a moment, lost in thought.

Snapped out of it by the voices coming from the club, the cleaning crew he had warned her about, she literally rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She decided to tackle the tower of papers in the corner on top of the filing cabinet first.

A knock came to the door, and she looked up just as Bret entered, a box in his hands.

“Wow. That was fast.”

Putting the box down on the now spotless desk, he barked out a laugh. “Fast? Darling, it's after one.”

“What?” Shocked, she glanced at the wall clock hanging above the door and, sure enough, it was after one.

“Time for lunch. The rest of the order will be here after three, so that gives you time to relax and eat.”

She started to shake her head, but he ignored her and nodded. “Yup. There’s a good cafe about two blocks from here. They serve awesome steaks.”

Nikki started to protest and say she wasn't hungry when the growl erupted into the room, startling her.

Seconds passed, and her prayer that he hadn't heard it went unanswered as Bret roared with laughter. She flushed and stood up.

“I guess I could eat.”

“You guess?” Bret gasped, still laughing.

“Oh, shut up.”

She started to walk around the desk but then froze as she thought of leaving the safety of the office, the safety of the invisible cloak that had hidden her from view and prying eyes. The fear wouldn't leave her as the world faded, leaving the door open to anything that might hurt her.

“I take that back. I'm not really hungry after all.”

Bret met her eyes, and his chuckle was immediately choked in mid amusement.

Understanding flashed in his eyes.

“I'll order in. No worries, darling, but you will eat, away from the desk.”

With that, he grabbed his cell out of his pocket and made a quick call. Hanging up, he motioned to her, a small smile on his face. “Thankfully, I can still have my steak. I know the owner. She’ll deliver for me. I ordered you something too. Was that okay?”

Spying the insecurity in his eyes melted something inside of her, and any fear she had of him vanished.

“Yes, that's fine,” she said quietly as the first real smile she had felt in years curved her lips. It stretched into a grin as she heard his sigh of relief.

“Good. We’ll eat upstairs if that's okay.”

She nodded as they made their way up the back stairs and into the apartment.

He made her sit at the table in the corner as he got glasses and silverware from the kitchen.

“I can help.”

He shook his head as he put everything on the table. “No need. It's done.”

Just then, a knock sounded through the apartment, and she couldn't help but stiffen, her eyes shooting over to the front door.

“It's okay, darling. The food is right on time.”

He quickly got the bags, paid the person at the door, and closed it before coming back to her.

“I hope you like tender chicken drowned in gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans.”

Her mouth watered at the aroma that filled the room as soon as he opened the containers.

“Yes. That sounds perfect!”

Another growl from her stomach chose that moment to follow her words, and Bret barked out another laugh, but at least this time, he didn't look like he was going to bust a gut.

“Okay, okay. I'm starving. Happy?”

“I will be once you finish eating,” he replied, grinning.

Nikki wanted to moan as the first piece of chicken seemed to fall apart in her mouth.

“Oh my God, this is good.”

Bret nodded, chewing his own steak. Nikki happened to glance over and spied the food on his plate. Her eyes widened at the sight.

“Dear Lord, are you seriously going to eat all of that?”

“What?” Bret looked down at the two plates in front of him. One contained two steaks, and the other had mashed potatoes and green beans. He looked over at her, confused. “Yeah, why?”

Nikki shook her head as she took another bite and couldn’t contain the moan this time. “Just seems like a lot, that's all,” she said, flushing at her rudeness.

Bret grinned. “Darling, I'm a bear and a growing boy. Have to have my protein!”

Before long, Nikki couldn't take another bite. She felt like she was going to explode and couldn't remember the last time she had eaten that much. She looked down at her empty plate in shock.

“I ate it all! No wonder I can't move!”

Finishing the last bite of his own food, Bret chuckled. “You were hungry. Nothing wrong with that.”

Standing up, he started to stack the plates, but Nikki stopped him with one look.

“You paid and set the table. I’ll clean up.”

She saw the protest forming and added, “Please.”

He still hesitated but nodded. “Okay. I have some paperwork to do. I'll start on that until you're ready to head back down.”

Nikki got up when he headed for the couch and in minutes, had the table and kitchen cleaned.

Once finished, she stood in the doorway of the living room and stared at his bent head, his focused expression as he stared at his laptop. She shook her head at the piece of metal on the coffee table. It looked just as ancient as the hunk of junk that had been in his office that morning, but she didn't say anything. She wasn't here to change the man; she was just there to work.

He caught her looking and smiled. The sight of that smile did something to her, something she hadn't felt in years, if ever.

“That was fast. You ready to head downstairs and tackle my mess?” he teased as he stood up and stretched. The black T-shirt highlighted every tight muscle that protruded from the action, and she could barely nod, unable to speak past the lump in her throat as she watched him. Embarrassed, she turned around and tried to stare at anything but the man in front of her.

Walking back into the office didn't give her the same amount of horror as it had that morning. The little pile of papers was stacked neatly in one corner of the desk, the rest filed away accordingly, and the furniture, all of the furniture, gleamed. Best of all, there was a brand-new desktop sitting on the desk, waiting for her.

“Now that's what I'm talking about!”

Bret laughed. “I'm glad you're happy. Now I better get this place ready to open for the night. You going to be okay?”

She didn't answer, already immersed in setting up her system.

The door closed quietly as she started to work.

Bret left the office but didn’t move far before he had one of his trusted bouncers watching the door. Nodding to the man at the door, he walked into an empty bar and spied Travis sitting on a stool facing the door, a beer sitting on the counter behind him half full.

“Hey,” Bret said, sliding on the stool beside him. His waitress had come in a few minutes before and was on the other side of the club, wiping tables down and putting the chairs on the floor. Seeing Bret, she walked over behind the bar counter and handed him a beer. Nodding his thanks, he popped the top and turned back toward Travis.

“Hey,” Travis responded.

Bret noticed his narrowed eyes scanning the empty room. “What did you find out?” Bret asked tensely. The fact that his Alpha was more alert than normal was a red flag, and Bret tensed even more.

Travis shook his dark head and met his eyes, the black orbs showing the surface of his wolf, the rage barely hidden by the essence of his human side. That was never good.

“It's bad,” he said grimly. “We’re talking the worst scum imaginable.”

Bret wasn't surprised, and his own eyes hardened as he waited impatiently.

“Her husband is mob, but that I could have handled myself. It's the sex trafficking ring that Jackson discovered.”

Bret felt his heart drop. Son of a bitch. He knew the look of rage and had a feeling Travis was remembering another type of ring, an underground shifters ring that had almost destroyed the woman he loved.

“Is he sure?” Bret asked harshly. He thought of Nikki back in the office and glanced over. His guard was still stationed by the door, making him feel a tad better but not by much.

Jackson Maddox was ex-military like him, but where Bret was Army, Jackson had been special OPs, secretive shit that Bret didn't even want to know about.

He saw Travis’s jaw clench as he nodded. “Yeah, he found a small trail of breadcrumbs the bastard left.”

Meaning bodies.

Bret thought of Nikki and imagined her lying in a ditch somewhere, and his bear fought to break free, the coarse hair barely visible to the eye.

“Calm down, Bret,” Travis ordered.

At the command from his Alpha, the bear retreated, and Bret took a deep breath before taking a long gulp of his beer. The cold liquor shot down his throat, but it didn't help to put out the fire of rage that coursed through his veins.

Just fucking great. Now we have two rings to take down!

“Jackson said a drop is supposed to happen Friday, which gives us three days to prepare.”

“Drop?”

Travis’s jaw tightened again. “Yeah. A group of girls is being transported. Midnight. Near the warehouse off of Cedar Street.”

In short, they were being sold.

Bret ran his long fingers through his black hair as his thoughts raced. Three days wasn’t long to plan, but it would be enough.

Travis placed his beer back on the counter after taking a swig. “I’d feel better if Nikki stayed at the pack house.”

Bret shook his head. “She won’t go. She barely consented to staying with me, and she’s still hesitant. Don’t worry. I’ll keep her safe.”

“It’s not a matter of keeping her safe, Bret. It’s a matter of twenty-four seven protection. At the house, they’ll have less of a chance to snatch her.”

Bret silently agreed with that assessment, but he wasn’t going to force her to go, and Travis acknowledged his look with a sigh of his own.

“Fine, but I’m sending Noah to help. I trust him. I’ll pull Patrick from the detail I have him on, temporarily, and have him stay at the house.”

Bret nodded. “Thanks, Travis,” he said quietly as they stood up from the bar. The waitress unlocked the door just as the first few customers strolled inside. With it being Tuesday night, it wouldn’t be jammed, but even during the weeknights, it could get busy.

Travis slapped him on the back. A normal man would have gone tumbling under the pressure, but Bret didn’t move.

“You’re family; it goes without saying. And believe me,” Travis added, a glint of satisfaction glistening in his blue eyes, “I’ll get pure enjoyment out of killing the bastards selling girls on the black market.”

So would Bret.