Freakn' Shifters Bundle (3-in-1) (67 page)

Okay, now she could panic. Who were these guys and what did they want? And why did she suddenly remember Sheng’s taunting assertion that a woman needed a man to protect her? Stupid jerk. As if anyone could guard themselves against thugs the size of cars. In a battle like that, forget strength. These were gun odds.

While they attached her hands together, using the duct tape they’d thoughtfully brought along, she tried furiously to think of how she could escape. It definitely wouldn’t happen while the two giant goons watched her. She’d have to wait for a moment of inattention. If they didn’t kill her first.

Hands trussed in front of her. Legs taped together. Mouth sealed shut as well, as they replaced her underpants with a length of tape, it occurred her to that even if they left the room she was royally freakn’ screwed. Her only hope was shifting into her wolf in the hopes the violence of the change would snap her bonds.

“There is no escape, dog. I’ve been working with your kind for years, and trust me when I say, I’ve wrangled with better and come ahead.” The speaker, a barrel chested man with a sneer on his face, came to stand in front of her. Gray hair thinning on top, his eyes a flinty grey, she saw no mercy in the human. “I’m sure you’re wondering who I am and why I’m here. I am Kaleb. Perhaps you remember me? We spoke yesterday about Sheng.”

The dude who claimed she had the wrong person? What the hell did he want?

“I’m afraid I misled you. The picture I sent you wasn’t exactly accurate. But this one is, if a few years old. Recognize him?”

Gina’s eyes widened in shock at the younger version of her cat before she thought to school herself. Too late. Kaleb caught it.

“I see you do know who this is. Excellent. And this one?” He held up a picture of a young girl, but this time Gina expected to see Jiao’s face and didn’t react.

“I see we’re pretending ignorance now. No matter. You will tell me what you know of Sheng and his sister, starting with where they live. Nod once for yes and I’ll free your mouth.”

Gina didn’t move.

“A stubborn girl, eh? A pity. I guess I should mention now that I only tolerate obedience. Has anyone ever taught you to listen? Probably not given your poor manners. Lucky for you, I can fix that. See, some people don’t believe in hitting women,” Kaleb remarked as he peeled off his leather gloves. “I’m not one of them.” His backhand caught her cheek and slammed her head sideways. As shots went, pretty damned good.

“Still feeling silent?” Kaleb queried after he’d yanked her by the hair to face him.

As if one tap would loosen her tongue. She’d grown up with a shitload of rowdy cousins, followed by chauvinistic dicks while she trained as a cop. She could handle a hell of a lot.
Bring it, jerkoff.

Apparently, he read the message in her eyes because he smiled. “So be it.” He followed his words with a slap. She needed more color in her cheeks. Smack. Some women paid to plump up their lips for that full look.

“Hey boss.”

Kaleb stopped his methodical damage to her face as one the gorillas beckoned him from her bedroom doorway. Uh-oh. How good was their sense of smell, and would they recognize Jack’s scent, formerly known as Sheng, on her sheets?

Judging by the wide smile on Kaleb’s face, they did.

“It seems you’ve held back. My men say you entertained the cat here and not long ago.” The big man wandered around her living room, his cold eyes taking in everything. He headed to her spare bedroom with the computer and her books. She wanted to curse up a blue streak when he emerged with her folder on Jack and Jill.
Nice job, Gina. I just handed him and his sister over to the psycho. He’s right. I should have minded my own business.

Waving the file, Kaleb smiled. “So kind of you to provide an address. But, it seems I no longer need it. I have a much better plan to capture my missing pets. You see, Sheng always did have a soft spot for helping damsels in distress. You should have seen the lengths he went to just to protect his sister. What do you say we see how he reacts when he finds out I’ve stolen his lover?”

Should I tell him he’ll probably say good riddance?
Her one night stand, passionate as it was, wouldn’t inspire Sheng to do anything dramatic for her. Not when he already planned to skip town with sister. His protection of women only extended to one person, and her name didn’t start with G.

A shame really, because despite her tough exterior, Gina always wondered what a damsel getting rescued felt. And if she ever needed a knight to come to her rescue, right about now would work. Although, she’d recommend an Uzi semi automatic instead of a sword, because the gorillas looked like they could take a licking and keep on beating the crap out of a person.

They also had rock solid fists her jaw discovered. Not that she pondered it for long since they knocked her unconscious.

Jiao woke to the slamming of the front door and loud shouts. She recognized Sheng’s voice as he stomped around, in the grips of a hissy fit, bellowing for her like a madman. While she’d usually not reply and would wait for him to find her, she kind of had a big problem. A really, really big problem, and it was naked in her bed with an arm slung around her waist.

Oh no – oh yay – Chris fell asleep with her. But how to make sure Sheng didn’t find her mate? And kill him? Somehow she doubted her talk of ‘I think we need a fake divorce’ would go over well with the reason so blatantly sprawled in her bed.

Although, Sheng didn’t need to know who slept under her covers if she headed him off. Sliding out from under Chris’s arm, she held her finger to her lips when he opened his eyes. They opened even wider as Sheng’s ranting got closer.

“Stay here,” she whispered before sliding on a robe. Concerned her scent would give her away, she held her nose and also doused herself in body spray. Smoothing her hair down, heart pounding in fear of discover – and her tummy doing back flips because Chris leaned back in her bed, letting the sheet fall low enough to display an indecent amount of flesh – she went to find her brother.

She found him in their office area, stuffing papers into a garbage pail. She recognized his plan by the smell of gas and barbecue lighter on the desk top.

“What are you doing?”

“What’s it look like I’m doing? Covering our tracks. Pack a bag. We need to go,” her brother growled.

“What? No. I can’t leave.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Sheng snapped. “We’ve been found.”

“Found?” Her heart stuttered to a stop. “Are you sure?”

“Gina, you know that girl you met at the dinner? She’s a cop and she checked up on our identities. I don’t know how she did it, but somehow she managed to catch Kaleb’s attention and accidentally gave us away.”

“Kaleb’s coming?” Her heart stopped.

“Kaleb’s here,” he answered grimly.

“No! He can’t be. I won’t go back to the compound!” Raw panic threatened to overcome Jiao and she dropped to her knees, tucking her head down as she hyperventilated.

Arms came around her and Sheng adopted a soothing tone. “No one’s taking you away,
jiā z
ǐ
. I won’t let him.”

Pressing the heels of her hands in her eyes, Jiao tried to calm herself. Tried to think past the thick fear fogging her mind. “Are you sure it’s him?”

“The description matches and the airplane he arrived in holds silver cages.”

Jiao shoved away from her brother and sprang to her feet. Like a panicked animal, her gaze roved around the space; seeking escape, expecting an enemy, looking for help. She licked her lips. “We’ll hide. Hide until Kaleb thinks he’s mistaken and leaves.”

“No.”

“Yes. We have to. I can’t go. I won’t let Kaleb chase me away.”

“Are you insane? We need to do more than hide.” His gaze narrowed. “Is this because of that wolf?”

Jiao saw the curl of his lip and heard the disdain in his voice. “Yes,” she replied meekly.

“Forget him. We’ve leaving before it’s too late.” Sheng dropped a match in the pail and the contents lit up, small flames dancing while an acrid streamer of smoke curled upward.

Jiao dug in her heels when Sheng would have pulled her after him. She yanked her arm from his grasp and straightened her back. A defiant stare met her brother’s angry one. “No. I’m not leaving. I’m tired of running. Tired of hiding and putting my life on hold. This stops now.”

Sheng’s lips tightened and she mentally braced herself for his upcoming harangue. Except it never happened. A body inserted itself between them. The broad back of her lover – bare, muscled perfection – hid Jiao from her brother’s view as Chris rumbled, “Dude, calm down.” Despite the grave situation, she peeked down and almost sighed in relief as she noted he’d at least put on pants. Not that it would help. It seemed the cat, ahem the wolf, was out of the bag, or in this case, bed.

“What are you doing here?” Sheng asked, his query much too quiet.

Jiao winced as she could just imagine her brother’s red faced apoplexy at seeing the wolf, in their home, at this hour, wearing her scent. It was official. The marriage was over. Unfortunately, given the situation, she couldn’t muster the joy she’d thought she’d feel.

She jumped to Chris’s rescue before her brother could completely go off the deep end. “Chris is here because I asked him to stay.”

“I see.” Two words spoken in such a way as to make her feel about two inches tall. Yeah, she’d hurt and disappointed her brother. But did he leave her any choice? “We will talk about this later. Get dressed. We’re leaving.”

Jiao gaped at him. Did Sheng not grasp things had changed? That she’d changed? He’d also not counted on her mate. As if her lover would let Sheng make an announcement like that and then step aside.

“Leaving? No one’s leaving. Baby, what’s going on? Why does he want you to go?” Chris turned to ask her.

“I—” The truth caught in her throat.

“This doesn’t concern you, wolf.”

Chris whirled back to face her brother. “Oh but it does. Jill is my mate.”

“Find another. Because she leaves with me.”

“Listen dude. I understand she’s your wife and all, but, truth is, she’s my mate. I can show you the mark. Now, I know you might find this hard to handle, and I’m real sorry to spring this on you like this but—”

“Jiao! Is this true? Did you mate with the wolf?”

Peeking around her lover’s body, Jiao muttered a low “
Yes”
and watched her brother’s incredulity grow.

“It changes nothing. We still need to leave.”

“What part of she’s my mate didn’t you get?” Chris bristled, and fearing violence, Jiao stepped between her brother and mate.

“I heard. I just don’t have time to listen about how you’ve been running around behind my back. Betraying me.” He aimed the words at Jiao and she bit her lip as she hung her head. Faced with her brother’s disappointment, she couldn’t help but feel the chagrin at having hurt the one person who’d always loved and stuck by her.

“I’m sorry, Sheng,” she whispered.

“Sheng? I thought that was your brother?” Chris’s gaze bounced between Jiao and Sheng.

The moment of truth arrived, and of course didn’t unfold at all like she’d hoped. Was there an easy way to say
‘Hey, my husband is my brother and we’re running from a demented ring master?’
Hallmark really needed to expand its selection of cards. “Chris, I wanted to explain. I truly did, but I couldn’t. I promised to keep the secret.”

“Explain what?” Chris looked between Jiao and Sheng. She noted the moment understanding dawned. “You’re not freakn’ married, are you? You’re brother and sister. But why? Why pretend you were a couple? And why not tell me? Do you have any idea how I struggled with my feelings for you thinking you were married? How hard it was for me to come to terms with it?”

“I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you. Believe me. I did. But I couldn’t. Sheng and I needed to keep up our fake marriage so that anyone spying for Kaleb wouldn’t tell him where we were.”

“Who’s Kaleb? And what does he have to do with all this?”

Showing no patience for their lover’s quarrel, Sheng interrupted. “We don’t’ have time for this, Jiao. Patricia called and said Kaleb landed hours ago. He’s come to find us and it’s only a matter of time before he shows up here.” Sheng clenched her arm and began to pull.

Chris caught her other limb and halted him. “She’s not going anywhere.”

“Oh yes, she is. This doesn’t concern you,” Sheng replied, his eyes flashing darkly as he tugged.

“It does too bloody concern me. She’s my freakn’ mate! And she is not going anywhere without me.” Chris yanked Jiao free and tucked her against his side.

Sheng stumbled back, the hurt in his eyes creating an ache in her heart. “Is this what you want?”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen, Sheng. But from the moment I met him, I knew Chris was my mate. I couldn’t fight it, nor did I want to.”

“But the danger of discovery…”

“Seemed worth it if I could have a chance at happiness. I never meant to hurt you.”

Sheng sighed loudly and spun on his heel. The fire in the garbage can now licked a foot or more in the air, as it consumed the dry paper. Cursing, Sheng grabbed the pail and marched it past them into the kitchen, dousing it with the retractable sprayer. Jiao followed, her fingers laced with Chris, who while surely full of questions, remained silent as she dealt with her brother.

“What are you going to do?” she asked. Left unsaid, was would Sheng leave her? She hoped not, but not because she needed him for protection. It was time she stood up to her past and stopped letting fear dictate her future. While she couldn’t be sure of how, she trusted in Chris enough, even with the secret that finally came out into the open, that he would stand by her side. And she wanted Sheng there too.

“What can I do? I won’t leave you alone with only a guard dog to watch your back.”

“You’ll stay?”

“Of course I will. You’re my little sister. I promised to always protect you. I can’t do that if I’m not around.”

“Don’t do me any favors, dude. I can keep her safe,” Chris interjected.

Sheng snorted. “I’m sure you will do your best, even if it’s not good enough. And if we somehow make it out of this mess in one piece, be warned, I’ll be watching you. Hurt my sister and –”

“Oh would you both stop with your threats and posturing. Kaleb is still out there looking for us. For all we know he could be outside our door.”

Two sets of eyes veered to the kitchen window and Jiao sighed. “I didn’t mean it literally. I’m just saying we need to make plans. Warn the community. Just because Kaleb’s come looking for us, doesn’t mean he’ll be content to leave with only us.”

“We’ll need to –” Whatever Sheng prepared to say got interrupted as a phone rang and Sheng dug his hand in his pocket and yanked his cell out.

While her brother answered his call, Jiao stepped closer to Chris. Relief suffused her when his arms wrapped around her. She’d feared his anger when the truth came out. Feared he’d reject her when he found out just how she’d lied, even if her reason was good. But it seemed he could look past the things she’d withheld, although she was sure later, when they were alone, he’d expect an accounting.

A whispered, “No,” came from her brother, and she turned her attention from her mate to her brother. Face ashen, Sheng took the phone from his ear.

Icy fear squeezed her heart. “What’s wrong, Sheng?” What had him looking like tragedy struck?

“They’ve taken Gina.”

“Gina, as in my cousin, Gina?” Chris asked.

“Yes. That Gina. Kaleb says unless Jiao and I give ourselves up before dawn, he’ll kill her.”

“Like freakn’ hell he will,” Chris snarled.

“Agreed. I will give myself in exchange,” Sheng said, straightening from his slouch. Grim purpose shone in his eyes. “But, you must take Jiao and hide her until Kaleb departs with me. Even better, disappear. Start anew if you can. Patricia will help.”

“Sheng, no,” Jiao cried. “You can’t do this.”

“I must. You have found your mate, and while I never claimed her, I found mine. It is only right that since I inadvertently led Kaleb to Gina, that I give my life for hers.”

Chris clapped. “Bravo. Nice speech. Now, if you’re done getting all melodramatic and sappy, why don’t we come up with a real plan? One that involves getting my cousin back. Keeping you here. And letting Jiao live with me openly.”

“And how would you suggest we manage that, wolf?”

“You and Jiao are family now. And to the Grayson’s, that means everything. We don’t let anyone in the pack fight alone.”

“While the offer is honorable, it will be dangerous. Kaleb and his men are likely armed. We can’t allow your family to get involved any further.”

“Armed or not, they won’t get away with this. And you don’t know us too well if you think we’ll just sit back while some prick kidnaps our cousin and holds her for ransom.”

“What are you going to do?” Jiao asked. “Call the police?” Contact the shifter secret council that Patricia reported to?

Chris though, had another plan. “I’m going to call my mother.”

*

As declarations went, Chris could understand Sheng’s snicker. After all, his mate’s brother didn’t understand what his mother was capable of. If anyone could organize a rescue operation and take down a villain, dear old ma could. And provide food for after.

The first call he made was to his mother. He gave her the basics, listened to her coldly spoken, “He’s a dead man,” before hanging up.

“So?” Sheng asked, still looking uptight, but Chris could forgive him that. One, because Sheng wasn’t married to Chris’s woman –
no threesome for me, yay!
– and two, because Chris could see the fear in Sheng’s eyes that only appeared when he heard of Gina’s capture. Anyone willing to trade themselves for that hoyden deserved some respect. Or at least a free pass from a fist in the face for being a jerk the rest of the time.