Chapter Nine
Two days had gone by and Tap still hadn't caught Wilfred or talked to Dustin. He was on edge and he knew that everyone around him felt the strain. He'd picked up his phone a hundred times to call Dustin, had driven by his place as if casing the joint, yet Tap hadn't been able to bring himself to face his mate.
How much more of a screwup did he have to prove himself before Dustin washed his hands of the whole situation? Tap could have simply explained things to the male, told him about his past, even if he'd given vague details. But nope. He had to get all defensive, act like an ass, and push Dustin away.
You're a real piece of work, you fucking idiot.
"I think we finally got a lead," Hennessey said as he walked into the Pit. "Ready to catch this bastard?"
Tap was more than ready to put Wilfred down. He had too much pent-up aggression and needed some way to let it out. Before Dustin, Tap would have used sex to clear his head, but that was no longer an option. The thought of taking anyone other than Dustin to bed didn't even appeal to him.
It was amazing what finding the right person did to a guy. And, for real, though, it wasn't even the mating thing. Even before last night, since seeing Dustin hemmed up against that wall, he'd been all Tap thought about.
And now he was avoiding the male because his guilt and fears kept him from going to Dustin and apologizing.
"Let's do this." Tap got off the barstool and followed Hennessey from the agency.
"He was spotted on the Southside," Hennessey said as they climbed into Tap’s truck. He handed Tap a piece of scrap paper. The address wasn't that far from Dustin’s apartment. That made Tap only more determined to catch the lion. Wilfred was snatching people at random, which made figuring out his next target difficult.
They pulled to the curb on Chatman Street. A few houses down there were motorcycles spilling from the driveway and parked along the street. From the rock music he heard echoing in the night air, Tap could tell the Grizzly Bastards were having a party.
A few of the bikers stood on the front lawn, bottles of booze in hand and club whores hanging off them. One biker glanced Tap’s way as he pulled a long drag from his cigarette. They eyed each other from a distance.
Tap knew why Wilfred had chosen this part of town to hide in. The bikers weren't too keen on strangers in their neighborhood, but they were even less tolerant of bounty hunters because most had criminal records.
He just hoped like hell the lion hadn't paid the bears to protect him, or Trap and Hennessey might find themselves in a tight situation.
"Watch your back," Tap said as he cut the motor.
"This isn't my first rodeo," Hennessey said. "Just as long as we don't go after one of theirs, we shouldn't have too much of a problem."
This bear clan was nothing like the LaSalle clan. They were ruthless, cutthroat, and wouldn't bat an eye about killing someone.
"Unless Wilfred paid them," Tap spoke his thoughts.
Hennessey glanced at him and then cursed. He grabbed his phone and dialed as Tap kept an eye on the bikers in the front yard.
"We're heading in for Wilfred’s capture," Hennessey said into the phone. "Bastards are heavy two houses down. Just giving you a heads-up in case our asses go missing." Hennessey paused for a second and then said, "Might not be a bad idea, but don't let them see you. I don't want them thinkin’ this is a takedown."
"What’s up?" Tap asked when Hennessey hung up.
"Some of the pack is on their way in case shit gets dicey. They won't make an appearance unless they have to."
That was a damn good idea. Tap exited his truck just as Preacher stepped onto the front porch. The president of the Grizzly Bastards looked their way. Tap didn't fear too much in life, but Preacher made him cautious. The male was huge and wasn't anyone to take lightly.
It would take a rocket launcher to put Preacher down and Tap didn't have one handy. They gave a slight nod to one another before Tap and Hennessey moved stealthily up the driveway. He eased to the side of a window and glanced inside.
Tap silently cursed and then held up four fingers. Hennessey shrugged. Tap shook his head. "Three are Bastards," he mouthed.
Hennessey’s jaw flexed as Tap moved toward the garage that sat twenty feet behind the house. He pulled out his phone and texted Matt.
Got warrant in sight but three Bastards at his side
Seconds later Matt texted back. Prez?
Few houses down
Sit tight till I give word.
Tap slid his phone into his back pocket before pulling his nine out. If anyone came outside before his alpha got back to him, Tap wanted to be ready. He'd been in plenty of tense situations, but there were Bastards inside, and Preacher was close by. He'd seen Tap and Hennessey move up the driveway. He could gather some bears and ambush them. Sweat coated Tap's body as he waited.
His pocket vibrated. Tap pulled his phone free and read the text.
Permission granted
Which meant they could take Wilfred down without having to worry about the Bastards converging on them. Preacher had given his permission for Tap and Hennessey to execute the warrant.
As far as Tap knew, there were about a dozen members and Mercury was the mother chapter. If the prez had been against this, one phone call from Preacher, and Mercury would be flooded with Bastards.
It had only happened once in the forty years Tap had called Mercury home and a lot of lives had been lost back then. He wanted to avoid a war at all costs, so getting the president’s approval to take down a warrant in his territory was vital to Tap’s continued breathing.
He nodded at Hennessey. By now, Preacher had called his men and told them to stand down while the bounty hunters got their man. If they would've gone in without Preacher’s permission, the three Bastards inside would have opened fire.
There was an add-on on the back of the house. The room looked to be twenty-by-ten and had a large sliding window on the side. The screen was pushed all the way to the side and the window was halfway open. Tap glanced at the door and decided the window was their better option. He didn't need the element of surprise spoiled by a squeaky door.
Shoving his gun back into the holster at his hip, Tap reached into the window and eased the vertical blinds aside before crawling through. The room looked like it was used for storage. There were piles of boxes to one side, a large deep freezer, some workout equipment that appeared broken, and… Shit. There were toys scattered around.
Tap pointed to a baby doll lying facedown and saw Hennessey silently curse. He needed to find out who lived here, but Tap didn't have his laptop with him, so he couldn't check property records. That meant they would have to take Wilfred down hard and fast or wait for another chance to catch him.
Tap couldn't do that. What if Wilfred hurt this family or found another victim before then? His head shot up when someone shouted and another person laughed. The Bastards were a crude bunch, but Tap highly doubted they'd hurt a kid.
Matt and the rest of his pack were vehemently against any form of child abuse, and the alphas in this town felt the same way. The Bastards were great in numbers, but they would have been dealt with if any of the preternatural suspected them of hurting a kid.
Tap could only hope the residents weren't home.
He eased the back door open and entered a small hallway with steps that lead downstairs and three steps to his right that led into the kitchen. Tap entered the kitchen, nine held out in front of him as he swept the room. It was clear. Hennessey moved past him, gun in front, as he checked the hallway to his left. In front of Tap and to the left was the entrance to the living room. That was where he spotted Wilfred chilling on the couch.
One of the Bastards strode into the kitchen. He glanced at Tap and then at the gun in his hand. The guy opened the fridge as though an armed man hadn't been standing not two feet from him and grabbed a beer. The bear held no fear in his eyes. He leaned against the counter, cracked open the bottle, and eyed Tap as he took a swallow.
"Grab a few of them, Dime," someone hollered from the living room.
"Do I look like one of your bitches?" Dime hollered back. "Get your own fucking beer."
Seconds later two men wearing cuts entered. They glanced at Tap as Hennessey entered the kitchen. Everyone sized each other up before the bears headed for the door. Tap stopped Dime from leaving by placing a hand on the male's arm.
"He alone?" Tap mouthed.
Dime nodded before disappearing.
Thank fuck for small favors.
"You must really take me for an idiot."
Tap glanced at Hennessey. If the house was clear, then Wilfred had to be talking to them. He hurried toward the entrance to the living room. Hennessey went left through the kitchen. The hallway let Hennessey into the living room from the other side. There was nowhere for Wilfred to go except through the front door.
"Did you think I'd make it that easy for y’all?" Tap saw the empty pin around Wilfred's finger seconds before the lion dove through the open front door.
"Grenade!" Tap shouted.
Tap and Hennessey hauled ass out the back, making it outside two seconds before the explosion blew out the back windows. Tap fell to the ground and covered his head to shield it from the flying debris. He shoved to his feet and took off after Wilfred, Hennessey right behind him.
People hurried from their homes to see what was going on. Two houses down, the Bastards filled the front lawn. Fire licked through the front door and spilled out the windows as Tap raced down the street. He spotted Wilfred cutting a corner and took off after him as the sound of motorcycles revving filled the night air.
Tap chased the lion two blocks before his world tilted sideways. No! No! No!
Coming down the street, oblivious to the danger heading his way, was Dustin.
* * * *
Two days and Tap hadn't called or come around. Dustin was both depressed and pissed. Mostly pissed.
His mate demanded Dustin give him the truth, but when the shoe was on the other foot, Tap had clammed up and taken off. The wolf had proven once again that he was a straight-up jerk. A part of Dustin was glad leopards didn't go through the Katana like the wolves and bears did. He couldn't imagine being pregnant while Tap acted this way.
He was ready to string his mate up by his balls. The least the jerk could have done was give Dustin a ride home from his job. Was that too much to ask? Then again, did Dustin really want to start relying on Tap for…anything? Even though the answer was no, he was still ticked Tap hadn't shown up to take him home.
Being mated sucked. Dustin wasn't sure if he'd ever be a part of Tap’s life the way mates were supposed to be. The sex was great, but outside the bedroom Tap acted like a different man. Dustin wanted more to their mating than sex. He'd grown up in a leap that was more concerned with running their escort service and going out on ops. All Dustin had ever wanted was a normal life and a guy who truly cared about him.
And fate had given him Tap.
Well played, bitch. Fate could kiss his lily-white ass.
He dug out his key as he rounded the corner, glad he'd finally made it home. His feet were killing him and a hot bath was calling his name.
Dustin came to an abrupt stop when heard someone shout his name. He looked up to see Tap and Hennessey racing toward him, guns drawn.
What the hell?
Too late he saw someone else, a much larger guy barreling toward him, his eyes locked on Dustin. Every cell in his body screamed for Dustin to run.
And he did. But he'd reacted too slowly and the stranger caught up to him in no time. Dustin screamed when he was grabbed by his hair and spun around. The guy smelled like lion. He wrapped an arm around Dustin’s waist, squeezing until Dustin could barely breathe. He used his other hand to press his thick claws against Dustin’s throat.
"Back off or this little harlot dies!"
Harlot? Dustin squirmed, trying to get free, but the more he struggled, the harder the lion dug his claws in. Something warm and wet trickled down his neck. Blood. The scent wafted up to him as the guy squeezed him even harder around the waist.
Tap aimed his weapon at the lion with both hands. "You got five seconds to let him go before I blow your brains out."
The lion laughed. Dustin didn't find anything remotely funny.
"You'll kill lover boy if you pull the trigger." The lion tsked. "Be a shame to kill your mate."
"What's he talking about?" Hennessey’s eyes bulged.
Dustin ground his teeth. Tap hadn't told his pack about their mating. Was he ashamed he'd gotten saddled with a leopard? Was that the reason Tap had ignored him?
"Let. Him. Go," Tap said between clenched teeth.
"Make. Me," the lion taunted.
"You bastard," Dustin shouted at Tap. "You mate me and then hide the fact like I'm some dirty little secret?" As hard as Dustin fought them, tears welled in his eyes. The truth was like a gut punch.
"It's not like that," Tap argued. "You got it all wrong."
"If I have it wrong, then why did Hennessey look so surprised?"
"Can we talk about this later?" Tap asked.
The lion chuckled. "Do tell, wolf." He licked the side of Dustin’s face, making Dustin dry-heave. "Or maybe I'll keep this pretty little kitten for myself since you don't seem to want him."
Darkness flooded Tap's eyes. "I'll bathe in your blood if you touch him."
The challenge only seemed to excite the lion. "Why, you don't want this. He's free game." Dustin shuddered when the lion sniffed alongside his face. "I can practically taste his fear."
Terror would have been a better word. Dustin was about to piss himself as the claws dug a little deeper, making him whimper as pain pulsed across his neck.
Tap’s gaze shot to Dustin and there was tangible fear in the wolf’s eyes. The sound of Dustin’s distress terrified Tap. Hennessey moved closer, and the hold on Dustin’s neck tightened. He cried out as he squirmed to get free, digging his nails into the lion’s hand. His air was being cut off and Dustin fought just to breathe.
"Don’t hurt him." Tap’s voice was strained, his eyes haunted.
Everything clicked in place in Dustin’s head. Tap had gone through some kind of abuse. It had been the reason he’d stopped to help Dustin when Chance had attacked him. The reason he’d gone to check on Stephen. The reason he’d become upset when he thought Dustin was saying something about hitting him.
And it was the reason Tap looked on the verge of a breakdown as he stared at the lion.
"Or what?" the lion asked.
Tap moved so fast that one second he was standing next to Hennessey and the next he was taking the stranger down. Dustin screamed as he fell with the momentum, the lion’s hand still wrapped around his throat. Hennessey appeared at his side, pulling Dustin from the chaos.
Hennessey tried to pull Dustin farther away, but Dustin wasn’t going anywhere. "Let me go!"
"You don’t need to be near this," Hennessey argued, refusing to release him.
"Tap!" Dustin screamed as Tap laid into the lion. He landed punch after punch as if possessed. "Jacob! Stop!"
The look on Tap’s face terrified Dustin. Tap wasn't there. He had checked out and his beast had taken over, ruling him as Tap beat the lion to within an inch of his life. Hennessey released Dustin and grabbed Tap under his arms, struggling to pull him away as other bounty hunters arrived.
Tap yanked free and began to kick the crap out of the lion. "How does that shit feel?" he shouted. "You rotten son of a bitch. How does that fucking feel?"
"Enough!" Matt shouted as he swung his leg over his motorcycle and dismounted. "That ain't John, Tap. Let it go."
Tap spun away, running his hands over his head, a wild and untamed look in his eyes. Dustin just stood there trembling, afraid to approach his own mate. Tap glanced his way and then cursed. He closed the distance and yanked Dustin into his arms. His mate held him tight, but it would never be tight enough.
"I'm so sorry," Tap whispered against his hair. Something settled inside Dustin while Tap openly held him in front of his pack. Tap wasn't ashamed of him.
"Why did you stay gone for two days?" Dustin asked as Tap examined his neck.
"Because I'm a rank asshole who was afraid I'd end up like my abusive father."
"You were afraid of hurting me?" Dustin asked.
"I was," Tap admitted, "until I thought Wilfred would take you from me. Seeing you in distress made me realize I'd eat a bullet before I laid a hand on you."
"I know a cruel bastard when I see one," Matt said as the bounty hunters hauled the lion shifter away. "And you don't have it in you to hurt Dustin." The alpha’s eyes darkened. "But if you hurt the cat, I'll break your fucking neck, you feel me?"
"He ain't gonna hurt the pussy," Levi said as he strutted their way. "Not when he looks like he's about to turn into a marshmallow every time he looks at Dustin."
Matt nodded at Dustin. "I'll have a talk with Vane about your change of allegiance."
Oh hell. Dustin hadn't even thought about that. Now that he was mated to Tap, Matt was his new alpha. Dustin wanted to do a happy dance. He'd never be forced to deal with Chance again.
Matt grabbed his ringing phone from his pocket as Tap turned Dustin in his arms. "You know we're probably gonna get on each other's last nerve, right?"
Dustin smirked at his mate. "Just as long as you do what I say, we'll get along just fine."
Some of the men around them chuckled, some made the whip sound. Dustin didn't care. Tap was his and he wouldn't trade the jerk for anything in the world.
Matt turned toward them, his eyes wide.
"What?" Tap asked.
The alpha looked like he was ready to pass out. "Jason and Stuart went into labor at the same time."
The men cheered as Matt took off.
"You going?" Dustin asked.
"Hell, no," Tap said as he guided them toward Dustin’s building. "I'll go see the pups once they're born. I'll skip the labor part."
Dustin stopped walking and glanced up at Tap. "Do you regret mating me?"
Tap frowned. "Why would you ask me that?"
Dustin shrugged. "Male leopards don't get pregnant. I can't give you a child, Jacob."
Tap growled. "I love when you call me that. And as far as a kid"—he shrugged—"pleasing my kitten is all I need to worry about."
Dustin grinned as they headed inside.