Rescuing His Heart [Wolves of Desire 13] (The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection) Page 7

  Joe cursed. The last place he wanted to be was Brac Village. In the city, he had a good chance of eluding the preternatural who were after him. In a small town filled with those beasts, his chances would drop to zero.

  “We’ll hand this over to Carl.” Joe got into the car. Enrique did the same.

  Besides, he didn’t want to run into Lucinda. She might be short and petite, but she wasn’t a woman to trifle with. Her beautiful face ghosted through his mind, but Joe slammed a lid on his thoughts as he grabbed his cell phone from the center console and sent Carl a quick text, giving him Sylvester’s name and his last known location. He hated to hand this over, but Joe knew when a risk was too high.

  “It’s done.” He pulled away from the curb and headed toward the business district to meet up with a few of his men.

  From what Joe had learned, the leaders of the beasts had formed a group that hunted down the Hunters. The thought had crossed his mind that maybe one of them was behind the killings, but he knew better. The Dark Knights operated in the shadows. Their killings wouldn’t have been so sloppy and public.

  Joe needed to eliminate those hunting his men. But first, he had to find where the Dark Knights were hiding out.

  Then he and Enrique would end them.

  “It’s like they’ve fallen off the face of the earth,” Duke said as he entered Leo’s office. “No one has seen Sylvester or Sario.”

  Riley entered right behind him. Leo sat forward, strumming his fingers on his desk. If those two little shits thought they could duck and dodge him, they had another think coming. He owned them, and they would do as he said, even if he had to beat them to within an inch of their lives.

  No one ran from Leo Ramsey. It was time he taught them a lesson about defying him.

  Leo made a quick call to the chief of police. Harold Burns answered on the second ring. His voice was filled with sleep as he said, “Hello.”

  “Harold, this is Leo Ramsey.” Leo explained what he needed, and as usual, Harold quickly complied. He knew better than to piss Leo off. Not only was Harold on his payroll, but he wasn’t an idiot. The human knew Leo had friends in low places—friends who could make his car explode or break into his home to slice his throat while he slept.

  The chief told Leo about Sario’s credit card use.

  After thanking Harold, Leo hung up and looked at his boys. “They’re in a town called Brac Village.” He stood and rounded the desk. “Grab them, but don’t kill them.” Leo turned to his eldest son. “And don’t lay a hand on Sario. You know exactly what I mean.”

  Duke grunted. “I don’t see why you won’t let me have that human as my toy.”

  “Just do what I fucking tell you to do,” Leo barked. He ran a hand through his hair as he forced himself to calm down. “Do as I say and I just might let you keep him.”

  In truth, he’d been in love with his wife until her untimely death. She had been his mate, and Leo would have done anything for her—even promise to look after Sylvester and Sario.

  Though he hadn’t promised to be kind to them. It was time he put his foot on their necks and showed them the consequences of running from him.

  Leo waited until his sons left before he pressed a button on the side of his desk. The bookshelf slid aside and Leo entered the small room behind it and turned on the light.

  The demon blinked a few times before he glared at Leo. He mumbled something, but with the gag in his mouth, Leo couldn’t understand him.

  He pulled the bandana free. “Looks like I have an errand for you, boy.”

  Bolchin’s eyes were filled with pure hate. But he couldn’t do anything because he wore an enchanted collar that rendered him unable to use his powers.

  “When I get free, I’m going to enjoy ripping your spine out.” Bolchin spat on the floor before turning his head away from Leo.

  “Until then.” Leo patted Bolchin’s cheek. “What say you to a little fun?”

  Bolchin slowly turned back to Leo, wariness in his eyes. “What kind of fun?”

  Leo smirked. He had no doubts his sons would do as they were told, but he also wanted Sylvester and Sario to learn a terrifying lesson. A lesson that taught them they were powerless to escape Leo’s clutches. “I want you to fetch my wayward stepchildren.”

  “And?” A sadistic glint entered Bolchin’s red eyes.

  Leo tsked. “Sorry, but you can’t kill them. I want them brought to me, but they don’t have to be in one piece, just alive.”

  A lecherous smile curled Bolchin’s lips. “When do I leave?”

  The stranger grabbed Sylvester by his throat and shook him until Sylvester’s brain rattled. “Admit to me you’re a Hunter and I’ll make your death quick.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Sylvester kicked his legs as he slammed his hands against the stranger’s chest. “Just let me go and I won’t tell anyone what I’ve seen.”

  The guy brought Sylvester’s face close until their noses almost touched. “I’m not worried about you running your mouth because you’re not leaving here alive.”

  Sylvester’s gaze shot to the man lying on the floor with his chest caved in. The stranger’s eyes had glowed as a red bolt of electricity had shot from his hand, searing the man’s chest wide open.

  Sylvester shouted as the stranger slung him against a wall. He crashed to the floor, coughing as he sucked in air, his lungs stinging from the effort.

  “By the time I’m done with you,” the stranger said as he took a step closer, “you’ll tell me exactly what I want to hear.”

  Sylvester bolted up in bed, sweat gathered on his body as he looked around. There were no cheap paintings on the wall, no dead body on the floor. A warm breeze skittered through the balcony doors as the first rays of sunlight brightened the room.

  He tried desperately to hold on to the fleeting dream, but it faded too fast and Sylvester couldn’t remember what had scared him so badly.

  Then his gaze dropped to Xander. He was still fast asleep, lying on his stomach. The hard lines of his back reminded Sylvester of what they’d done last night.

  He scrambled from the bed and rushed into the bathroom. Sylvester turned the light on, blinked a few times until his eyes adjusted, then looked at himself in the mirror.

  His gaze dropped to his shoulder, but there was no scar, no wound to show that Xander had bitten him. But he knew last night hadn’t been a dream. His memory was too vivid, and his ass was too sore.

  Sylvester used the bathroom, washed his hands, then reentered the bedroom. He quickly gathered his clothes and threw them on before stopping long enough to stare at Xander.

  The man was simply gorgeous, but after his confession last night, there was no way in hell Sylvester was sticking around. A demon? Fuck no. One was already after him. Had this all been a setup so Xander could swoop in and rescue Sylvester? If so, what was his motive?

  Xander’s confession only confirmed Sylvester’s belief that no one helped anyone without wanting something in return. He just didn’t know what Xander wanted.

  And he wasn’t sticking around to find out.

  He eased from the bedroom and quietly closed the door. When Sylvester turned toward the hallway, he came to a stop, his heart pounding as he stared at a small black panther racing toward him.

  Sylvester squeaked as the panther bumped into his leg and gnawed at his pant leg.

  “Shaylee!” someone yelled from down the hallway. Sylvester couldn’t see who the person was, but if he was to escape, he needed to get moving.

  Sylvester petted the panther’s head, turned it around, and gently patted its backside. “Go play.”

  The panther took off as Sylvester hurried toward the stairs. He peeked around the corner and saw that the living room below was empty.

  And simply amazing. The interior was decorated in a palette of warm colors like forest green, rust, gold, and pumpkin. The back walls were made of glass, with wide doors that led onto a tiered deck that gave way to a garden and a large playset.

  This was the fanciest, nicest house Sylvester had ever been in, and that was saying something since Leo was loaded and his house was spectacular. But it was cold and uninviting, and Sylvester had never felt at home there.

  This place was cozy and had a warm ambiance that made him want to go downstairs to the many couches and chairs and curl up in front of the fireplace with a book.

  Sylvester hurried down the stairs and was headed right for the front door when Sebastian exited a room down the hallway to his right and smiled at him. Shit. The tall bastard wouldn’t possibly let him leave.

  “Can I speak to you for a moment?” Sebastian said.

  With a sigh of defeat, Sylvester made his way down the hallway. He entered a lavish office, and Sebastian directed him to a leather chair in front of a large wooden desk.

  “I’ve already told you everything I know,” Sylvester said as Sebastian seated himself. “I haven’t remembered anything else.”

  “I know,” Sebastian said. “That’s not why I want to talk to you.”

  Sylvester turned when someone entered the office. How in the hell had Xander dressed so quickly and how did he know where to find Sylvester?

  They locked gazes before Sylvester looked away. Not only was he embarrassed at the wanton way he’d acted last night, but he couldn’t face Xander knowing the guy was part demon. It wasn’t so much that he thought Xander was in collusion with the demon from the inn, but more because he scared the hell out of Sylvester.

  A demon. Who wouldn’t be terrified of that revelation?

  “I had a friend of mine dig into the investigation,” Sebastian said, pulling Sylvester’s attention away from his thoughts. “You’ve become a person of interest for the city cops. They expedited the prints they found at
the motel, and your name came back. Think really hard, Sylvester. Did you or your brother do anything that would lead them here?”

  Sylvester’s heart beat too loudly and the blood rushing in his ears was a deafening roar as he sat in the chair feeling extremely light-headed. The cops had found the prints on the faucet, but the idea of them coming after him wasn’t what made Sylvester want to piss himself.

  It was Leo finding out and sending Duke and Riley after him. His stepbrothers were psychotic and sadistic. They would take sheer pleasure in torturing Sylvester and Sario. They’d flat-out told him that much at the wedding.

  Sylvester was mystified at how his sweet and gentle mother hadn’t seen Leo for the crooked bastard he was.

  “Sylvester?” Sebastian said gently. “Do you remember doing anything that would lead anyone here?”

  A thought struck Sylvester. His eyes widened as he sat up straight. “Sario used his credit card to check us in.”

  Sebastian cursed. “Okay, so whoever comes after you will get as far as Brac Village. Luckily no one there will talk.”

  Sylvester thought of Mrs. Briar. She’d done him a solid by protecting him, and he had to return the favor. “But they’ll go to the bed-and-breakfast,” he said. “What if they hurt Mrs. Briar?”

  Sebastian picked up his desk phone and dialed. “I’ll have Maverick send someone over to keep an eye on her.”

  “Someone…as in someone not human?” Although Sylvester was having a hard time coming to terms with this strange new world, he was relieved that someone who wasn’t human would watch over her. He wanted Mrs. Briar safe, and what better way to keep her out of harm’s way than having someone supernatural there to protect her?

  “Yes, someone who isn’t human,” Sebastian said. As he spoke into the phone, Sylvester became aware of Xander watching him.

  Sylvester refused to turn around. If he looked into Xander’s hazel eyes, he just might cave. He didn’t want to give in. Not until he stopped being terrified of the man. Sylvester was grateful Xander didn’t approach and didn’t try to talk to him.

  Sebastian hung up and looked at Xander. “Maverick is sending Hawk to keep an eye on her.”

  “Good choice,” Xander said.

  Just hearing Xander’s voice made Sylvester’s chest ache. He wanted to jump up from the chair and fall into Xander’s arms. Instead, he stood and headed for the office door. Neither man stopped him as he left.

  But his second attempt at escaping was ruined when Sario headed his way. “I’m freaking starving. We didn’t get a chance to eat at that diner.” He grabbed Sylvester’s hand and hooked a right, dragging Sylvester into a large, beautiful kitchen.

  Sylvester snatched his hand from Sario’s grip. “I’m not sticking around here.”

  “Okay, but we have to eat first to keep up our strength.” As Sario headed toward the fridge, Sylvester crossed his arms over his chest.

  “What are you hiding from me?” He hadn’t forgotten the way Sario wouldn’t meet his eyes last night, or the guilty look on his face when he and Sebastian had entered the room. “You better start talking, Sario.”

  Sario glanced toward the kitchen door before he moved to the island in the middle of the room. “It’s about Leo.”

  That got Sylvester’s attention. “You didn’t look surprised that Xander turned into a wolf, and you didn’t bat an eye at the word mate.”

  Sario crossed the room, pulled out a chair from the kitchen table, and took a seat. His gaze darted to Sylvester before he looked away, biting his lip. “About a month ago, Leo called me into his office.”

  Sylvester took a seat, folding his arms on the table. He remained quiet not only because he wanted to hear what Sario had to say, but because he saw how difficult this was for his brother.

  “He told me I was running an errand for him. I told him he was out of his damn mind. We argued because he wanted me to drive a box truck filled with guns to some location and sell them to some Irish thugs.”

  Sylvester’s heart sped as he curled his fingers. He didn’t doubt one word of the story because Leo would definitely do something as shady as gunrunning.

  “When I kept refusing…” Sario glanced at Sylvester with an expression of terror on his face. “He called his wolves to him. The ones he keeps as pets.”

  Sylvester already knew that. Leo didn’t have any other wolves around him. “And?”

  Images of the wolves attacking Sario made his stomach twist into tight knots. Sario wasn’t just Sylvester’s brother. He was his best friend, his go-to guy, the one who had been in Sylvester’s corner since they were toddlers and some other toddler had tried to beat Sylvester up at daycare.

  It was Sario who rescued him, pulling the little girl’s ponytails and making her leave Sylvester alone. He was Sylvester’s hero, and the thought of anyone harming Sario made him see red.

  “And…” Sario swallowed. “The wolves changed into men, Sylvester. They changed into freaking men right before my eyes. They were naked, and they came toward me, their dicks hard, eyeing me like I was a side of beef. Leo said if I didn’t cooperate, he’d hand me over to them.”

  Bile rose to the back of Sylvester’s throat as tears welled in his eyes. He jerked from the chair and threw his arms around Sario, hugging him close. “I’m so sorry he did that to you.”

  Sario hadn’t shed a tear. In fact, he sat there with a deep scowl on his face. “I did what he wanted, and those Irish thugs nearly killed me. They held a gun to my head, laughing as they threatened my life. If I hadn’t reminded them Leo had sent me, they probably would’ve killed me. You could see in their eyes how frightened they were of him. That was the only thing that saved me that night.”

  “I wish he was dead,” Sylvester spat as he pulled his arms away. “I wish someone would kill him.”

  “And his warped-ass sons,” Sario said. “Duke keeps looking at me as if he wants to play, and not in a good way. I lock my bedroom door at night, afraid he’ll sneak into my room.”

  “I’ll kill him first,” Sylvester snapped. “We’re not going back there, Sario. Ever.”

  “What’re we gonna do?” Sario asked. “We don’t have jobs. He’s the one who provides for us. He’s basically got us on a short leash.”

  “Not anymore,” Xander said as he entered the kitchen. His hazel eyes blazed with anger, and Sylvester knew right then that he’d heard Sario’s story. “You two are staying here.”

  “But Leo isn’t going to let us simply walk away,” Sario argued. “He’ll send people after us because he promised our mother on her deathbed to take care of us. As hard as it is to believe, I think his shriveled heart actually beat for her. He would tear the city apart before he failed her.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, how did she die?” Xander leaned against the island. He spoke to Sario but looked directly at Sylvester.

  Sylvester squirmed in his seat as he tried not to look Xander’s way, but his gaze kept skittering back to the man.

  “Leo said she was hit at an intersection by a drunk driver. She was rushed to the emergency room, but died that night.”

  Sylvester still remembered racing to the hospital, seeing how badly injured, bruised, and bloody she was, and how she was crying for Leo. Sylvester had stood there as she made Leo promise to take care of Sylvester and Sario, and Leo had promised.

  That was the only time he’d ever seen Leo so vulnerable. His eyes had been filled with actual tears as they watched her seize. The nurses had rushed into the room, pushing Sylvester, Sario, and Leo aside. They’d tried to resuscitate her, but she’d passed away.

  Sylvester’s chest hurt as tears spilled. Anytime he thought of losing the woman he loved with all his heart, his emotions got the better of him.

  Xander closed the distance and pulled Sylvester into his arms, and Sylvester willingly went. He slid his arms around Xander as he took comfort in him, his fears fading as inhaled deep drafts of Xander’s masculine scent. Sylvester felt safe—as if the evil of the world couldn’t get to him as long as Xander held him.

  “There’re twenty guys here,” Xander said. “I’d like to see Leo, or his sons, get past my pack.”

  Had Sylvester honestly thought Xander was in cahoots with that demon? He no longer cared that Xander wasn’t human, or that he was part demon. Xander had the biggest heart, and he’d treated Sylvester like he was the most precious thing in the world last night.