Rules of Engagement Read online

  “No, nothing,” Lenny said. He picked up the piece of chicken he’d been eating and took a bite, chewing as he waited to see if Chavez noticed him.

  He shouldn’t treat this like a game. Chavez hunting him down was fucked all the way up, even if Lenny had thoroughly enjoyed the earlier flirting. He would have to remember to thank his cousin, because that was the only way Chavez would know where to find him.

  While he still hadn’t noticed Lenny, Chavez pulled out his phone and dialed. Seconds later Lenny’s phone rang.

  No way.

  Lenny’s screen showed a phone number he didn’t recognize. He used his pinky to tap the Answer button since his other fingers were greasy. He put the call on speaker. “YOLO.”

  “Unless you believe in reincarnation.”

  Damn it. There he went again being charming. Lenny didn’t have to hide his grin since Sexy couldn’t see it. “I’m gonna strangle Winnie. What do you want?”

  Lenny smiled his thanks when Moose set down a stack of napkins. He used a few to wipe his hands. He tossed them aside, grabbed his phone, and took it off speaker before pressing it to his ear.

  “I wanted another chance to talk to you.”

  Lenny leaned back and crossed an arm over his stomach. “Where’re you at?”

  “Does it matter?”

  He leaned sideways and checked out Chavez’s ass encased in dark jeans. He sank his teeth into his bottom lip and sighed. “It matters.”

  “In your town wondering where you are.” Chavez took a few steps away from the window, almost moving out of Lenny’s sight. He was shocked the guy had told the truth. Lenny wasn’t sure why that meant a lot to him.

  “Why’re you looking for me?”

  “I told you.” Chavez paced back toward the window but had yet to notice Lenny. “I just want to talk to you again.”

  “Dude, you need a role model. You’re doubling down on the creep factor. We just met and talked for five minutes, and now you’re in my town looking for me. I should call the cops on you.”

  He watched Chavez’s shoulders stiffen. Lenny really needed to stop doing that. He’d called the police on Wallace. It was becoming a habit.

  “Give me one good reason I should meet with you.” Lenny waved at Moose for his check. He’d had enough of this game. Chavez was gonna explain why he’d tracked Lenny down, or he was sicing Moose on the guy.

  The waiter would eat Chavez up and spit him out.

  “You’re in danger.”

  Those words froze Lenny. He looked toward the window, but there wasn’t a smile on Chavez’s face. The guy wasn’t kidding.

  Lenny hopped up and went to the register. He paid his bill, tipped Moose, and hurried out the door. “What do you mean I’m in trouble? Did something happen to Winnie? What’s going on?”

  Chavez’s green eyes darkened when he turned and looked at Lenny. Lust shot through them, making Lenny think that maybe the guy had made that shit up.

  “Get into my truck and I’ll explain it to you.”

  “Do I look like boo-boo the fool to you?” Lenny was seconds away from going in to get Moose. “I’m not taking candy from you, helping you look for a lost pet, or giving you directions. If you wanna talk, we can do it right here on the sidewalk.”

  Winnie might think that Chavez was okay, but his cousin had his brain twisted. For all Lenny knew, Chavez could be a serial killer. Those types of people always had everyone fooled, and Winnie was too damn gullible for his own good.

  Chavez ran his hands over his head. “Goddamn, you’re a suspicious little shit. What do I have to say or do to convince you I’m not a bad guy?”

  “We can go to the coffee shop.” Lenny had just eaten, but Bistro should be a safe enough place to talk. There were plenty of people in there all the time, so if Chavez had ill intentions, Lenny should be safe.

  He didn’t want to go back into the diner. Moose might know something was up, and as much as Lenny wanted to walk away from Chavez, he was also interested in what Sexy had to say.

  Just not enough to get into the man’s vehicle. His mama hadn’t raised a fool.

  Chapter Two

  Chavez looked up and down the street before he held the door open for Lenny so his mate could enter the coffee shop. At least Lenny was willing to listen instead of calling the cops on him. Even so, Chavez saw now that his mate would be a handful.

  He was on high alert as they went to the counter and ordered their drinks. Chavez scanned the coffee shop, looking for Benjamin Trails or anyone else who might be studying him a little too closely. Being with Lenny out in the open wasn’t a wise idea, but Chavez needed to get it through his mate’s thick head about how much danger he truly was in.

  “They have the best hot chocolate here.” Lenny dumped half the container of artificial marshmallows bits into his cup. The tall pile looked like it would topple over at any second. His mate walked carefully to a table, trying to sip his drink.

  As predicted, a few tumbled and hit the floor.

  Chavez grabbed a straw for Lenny before joining him. “This might work better for you.”

  Lenny had a chocolate mustache as he smiled at Chavez. “Thanks. Now what’s all this danger you’re talking about?”

  “Can’t we do this in a more private setting? I don’t want anyone hearing us.” Chavez sipped his hot chocolate. He had to agree with Lenny. It was amazing, although it was too damn warm outside to indulge in the hot drink.

  Lenny leaned in and lowered his voice. If it weren’t for Chavez’s superior hearing, he wouldn’t have heard a word his mate said. “Are you about to tell me some government secrets?”

  Chavez leaned in until their shoulders touched. “In a way, yes.”

  Chavez and his teammates had been working for Uncle Sam when they tried to take Jack Frost down. He wasn’t going to give his mate all the details, though. Chavez was forbidden from doing that since it had been a top-clearance black ops mission.

  “Seriously?” Lenny said a little too loudly then curled his lips in as he looked around. “Are you pulling my chain?”

  “No.”

  Lenny squinted at Chavez, as if he were trying to determine if Chavez was really telling him the truth. He ran his tongue along his upper lip, swiping away the chocolate mustache. Chavez wanted to taste his mate so badly that his wolf growled.

  “Okay, but I’m warning you, if you try anything, I’ll remove your balls.” Lenny got up. “We can go to my apartment.”

  Thank fuck. Chavez wanted out of the public eye. Until Trails was taken down, he wouldn’t feel comfortable with Lenny being so exposed.

  “No funny business.” Chavez crossed his heart with his finger. But if given the chance, he would be all over Lenny. His wolf was snarling to claim the guy.

  He was also going to find out exactly what Lenny was. The guy smelled human, but didn’t. Chavez was more than curious to know why Lenny’s scent confused him.

  They headed out the door. Chavez led his mate to his Hummer. Lenny looked it over. “I’ll take my car,” he said. “I don’t want to leave it in town.”

  Chavez was on edge. He didn’t want Lenny two feet from him, let alone in another vehicle. “Fine, but I’ll be right behind you.”

  Lenny crossed his arms. “Don’t trust me? Think I’ll race through town to shake you from my tail?”

  Chavez chuckled. “I have your home address. Run if you want.”

  The chase would only thrill him. He was half hoping his mate gave him a run for his money.

  “I’m really gonna kill Winnie,” Lenny grumbled as he went to his sedan and climbed in.

  The ride was uneventful. His mate went straight home instead of making Chavez chase him all over the county. It was kind of disappointing.

  Chavez was at Lenny’s car door before his mate could get out. Lenny pursed his lips as he looked Chavez over. “Okay, what the hell is going on? You’re hovering way too much. Are there bad guys after you?” His brows shot up. “Has the government sent an as
sassin after you for going rogue?”

  “You’ve been watching too much TV.” Lenny wasn’t too far off the mark. It wasn’t the government sending anyone after Chavez, but Trails was an efficient assassin. He could be watching them at this very moment or have the scope of a rifle trained on them.

  A shiver trickled down his spine. Chavez pressed his hand on the small of Lenny’s back and led him through the back door of the building.

  He didn’t like the fact that his mate lived on the first floor. That would make it a lot easier to crawl through a window. Chavez had to stop himself from checking the windows to make sure they were locked.

  He’d do that after their conversation.

  “Okay,” Chavez said. “I’ll tell you everything just as soon as you tell me what you are.”

  Lenny didn’t react. The guy was good. He squinted at Chavez. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Bullshit.” Chavez tapped the side of his nose. “I can smell that you’re not fully human. You’re out in sunlight, so you’re not a vampire, though I know how a bloodsucker smells. You’re also not a demon, because, again, I know how they smell. What exactly are you?”

  Lenny’s eyes widened as he looked toward the door.

  “Don’t,” Chavez warned. “My wolf would love nothing more than to chase you.”

  Revealing that he was a wolf shifter should’ve scared Lenny. Instead, he looked relieved. So the guy knew about the preternatural world. That was interesting.

  “You’re talking nonsense.” Lenny gave a nervous chuckle. “You should stop reading all those crazy books.”

  Chavez slowly shook his head. “Not buying it, novio. You’re not some clueless male. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” He advanced toward Lenny. “Confess and things will go much more smoothly.”

  The short shit squared his shoulders and glared at Chavez. “I knew I shouldn’t have brought you home. You’re a nutjob, not my novio.”

  Chavez would be lying if he said he wasn’t getting a slight kick out of this. The pipsqueak acting tough was endearing.

  “But you did bring me home,” Chavez reminded him. “I’ll not have my mate keeping secrets from me.”

  Lenny’s brows shot up as he gasped. “You’re lying.”

  “I’m standing.” Chavez folded his arms over his chest. “Now tell me what you are so I can tell you why you’re in danger.”

  “Winnie doesn’t know,” Lenny said. “My mother and his mother are sisters, but it was my dad who…” He held a hand up. “Nice try. I almost fell for it. I’m not really in danger, am I? You just said that shit so I’d talk to you.”

  Chavez cursed up a storm in his native tongue. He waggled a finger at Lenny. “You’re the most non-trusting person I’ve ever met.” He let his canines descend. “I’m a wolf shifter. Now what are you?”

  Instead of seeming frightened, Lenny looked curious. “My dad’s are much more impressive.”

  “So your father is a shifter.” Chavez nodded. “Since I can’t tell what you are, I’m gonna assume your mom wasn’t. You’re a half-breed.”

  “Don’t you call me that!” Lenny’s nostrils flared as he glared at Chavez.

  Note to self, don’t mention half-breed again. Chavez wasn’t sure why Lenny was ashamed of who he was. There was nothing wrong with it.

  “I used to work covert ops.” Chavez took a seat on the couch, satisfied they’d gotten Lenny’s secret out of the way. “A decade ago, my team and I went after a guy known as Jack Frost. He’s as bad as they come. Cleaver, cutthroat, and if you ask me, he has a black soul. When the sting went down, Jack Frost got away. He saw me, though. Saw my face as plain as day. Got a call from one of my team members telling me Frost, his real name being Benjamin Trail, was seen near Falls Bend.”

  Lenny gaped at him. “So you pulled me into this bullshit? He didn’t know anything about me and now you’ve put me at risk?”

  “He’s good, novio. He would’ve figured it out anyway. I wanted to get to you before he did. For all I know he saw you leaving Wallace’s house and tracked you here.”

  “So now what? We sit on our asses and wait to be killed?”

  “My team is on its way.” Chavez patted the cushion next to him. “They’ll be here tomorrow. We’ll find him and take him down. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Famous last words.” Lenny paced the living room, his arms wrapped around his stomach. “I have a job, you know. A life. I can’t just go into hiding. I have bills to pay, responsibilities.”

  “You won’t have any of that if Trails finds you,” Chavez pointed out. “A job can be replaced. You can’t.”

  Chavez felt bad for Lenny. His mate hadn’t asked for any of this, but Chavez’s past was coming back to bite him on the ass. It didn’t matter if Trails may or may not have found out about Lenny. Chavez wasn’t taking that chance. Not when it came to his mate.

  He watched Lenny pace and didn’t stop him. Chavez was pretty sure his mate had a lot of pent-up energy and needed to work things out in his handsome head. Though Chavez wouldn’t have minded pulling Lenny onto his lap and finding more exciting ways to pass the time.

  Lenny paced by the window. Chavez had opened his mouth to tell Lenny to close the curtains when he heard something splinter. “Get down!”

  Lenny was already on the floor, crying out as he gripped his shoulder. Blood seeped through his fingers. Chavez leaped from the couch and hit the floor next to his mate.

  He dragged Lenny to the kitchen and grabbed a hand towel, pressing it against his mate’s wound. “Don’t move, got it?”

  Lenny, wide-eyed, nodded.

  Chavez pulled his Glock, hidden under his shirt, from his waistband and crawled to the door. If Trails tried to get in, Chavez would blow the son of a bitch’s brains out. Too bad he couldn’t go after the scum. Chavez wanted to tear the guy apart for shooting his mate.

  After ten minutes and nothing, Chavez rushed back to the kitchen. Lenny had pulled himself into a sitting position and was leaning against the lower cupboards. He still had the towel against his shoulder.

  “Let me take a look.”

  “Thought you left me,” Lenny panted.

  “Never.” Chavez peeled back the towel and grimaced. There was a hole, but he checked Lenny’s back and was grateful it was a through-and-through wound. Still, he needed to get Lenny to a doctor.

  “What’s the name of your town doctor?” Chavez asked. He recalled Winnie mentioning the guy. Had said that the doctor cured him of his poisoning when he’d just “popped” into the room.

  “Dr. Bjord.”

  “Give him a call.” Chavez patted Lenny’s pockets and pulled out his mate’s phone. “I don’t want to take a chance and leave the apartment. Trails might still be out there.”

  Lenny shoved the phone away. “How the hell would I know his number? Just call the clinic.”

  “How the hell should I know the clinic’s number?” Chavez countered. “If you’ve forgotten, I’m not from Maple Grove.”

  “Dude, I’m shot and you’re arguing with me?”

  With a growl, Chavez used his mate’s phone to call Winnie, since he didn’t have the doctor’s number.

  “For the record,” Lenny said between clenched teeth, “I hate you right now.”

  “Don’t blame you,” Chavez said before Winnie answered the phone. He didn’t go into details. They didn’t have time for that. He just asked Winnie for Dr. Bjord’s number and said he would explain things later.

  Winnie was going to turn Chavez into a eunuch for getting his cousin shot. When he got what he wanted, Chavez hung up and called the clinic.

  The doctor was out on a call. Just fucking perfect. “The doctor’s not in, so I’m gonna have to stitch you up myself.”

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” Lenny’s hand holding the towel kept slipping. He wasn’t applying enough pressing, and his shirt was getting redder.

  Chavez had to stop the bleeding.

&nb
sp; God, he wasn’t thinking. His mind wasn’t focused. He had healing powers in his saliva but wasn’t sure Lenny would be happy with Chavez licking him.

  “I need to get your shirt off.”

  “You didn’t answer me.” Lenny grimaced. “Do you know what you’re doing? I’m not gonna have you making things worse.” His mate let out a hysterical laugh. “Like things could get any worse. I’ve been shot! That’s never happened to me before.”

  “Stick around me and you’ll become a pro at it.” Chavez was trying to lighten the mood. Lenny didn’t look impressed. He helped his mate get his shirt off then held up his hands. “I gotta lick your wound.”

  The skin around Lenny’s eyes bunched. “You gotta do what?”

  “Didn’t your dad ever lick any of your wounds?”

  Now Lenny looked like he was gonna throw up. “God no. That’s just sick. I’m not letting you lick me.”

  Chavez rolled his eyes. “We don’t have time for your prudish ways. My saliva has a healing compound in it.”

  “And germs,” Lenny said. “A dog’s mouth is the most inhospitable place.”

  Chavez growled but let the rude comment go. “Just for that, I’m not gonna be gentle.” He grabbed Lenny and pulled his mate close. “It’s not like I’m getting any enjoyment out of this, wiseass.”

  “Okay.” Lenny closed his eyes. “Go ahead, lick me.”

  “So damn dramatic.” Chavez licked Lenny’s wounds, front and back. He’d been telling the truth about not getting any enjoyment out of this. If they’d been having sex, that would’ve been different.

  When he pulled back, Chavez was satisfied that the holes had closed, though there were scars left behind. He touched one with his fingertips, thankful Trails hadn’t been more accurate.

  “Are you done?” Lenny peeked out from under his thick lashes. “How does it look?”

  His mate was still gonna be sore, but at least the wound was closed. “Like you got shot.”

  Lenny shoved at him and winced. “You’re not funny.”