Scar (10 page)

“Umm, ladies, can we dial it down a notch?” the guy added.

A thunderous sound came from the hallway. Suddenly the doorway was crowded with men. They pushed into the room to let Rhys through.

He stepped over the threshold and placed his fists on his hips.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked. His voice was rife with disbelief.

“I was doing my job, Rhys, and she pulled a gun on me.” Lori voice was low and she seemed to change before Fre’s eyes into a meek woman.

Fre snorted. “Simple, I’m about to shoot a mofo.”

“Fre, luv, put the weapon down.” Rhys sighed.

“Not on your life. I’m not stupid, Rhys. She brought the claws, and I brought the heat. This ho is either going to walk away or I promise you one of us is going to be hurt, and I guarantee I will bust all six shots in her ass before she touches me.”

He turned his attention to Lori. “Leave now.” Fre watched the woman slink away. When Lori left the room she lowered her arm. Gripping the covers, she walked to the bed, eased the trigger back in place, and returned the safety to its position. She dropped the weapon into her purse and rounded on the men staring at her.

“Want to tell me what’s going on?” Rhys crossed the room to stand next to her, oblivious to the people watching them.

“I guess you weren’t lying about the turning into animal bit,” Fre answered.

“No, I wasn’t.” He reached up to place a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Okay. So there is such a thing as werewolves. Seeing is believing. I think I’m going to be sick now.” Fre pushed past him and rushed to the bathroom.

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Chapter Nine

Rhys knocked on the bathroom door again. He heard Fre’s muffled,

“Go away” and dropped his head on the doorjamb. Keen sat at his feet with his legs crossed. His son wouldn’t leave the door but his gaze kept drifting toward the sitting area where the television played cartoons. Rhys rubbed the back of his neck.

After ordering everyone from the room he’d tried everything to coax Fre out of the bathroom. She hadn’t budged. He stepped back and sized up the door. Worst-case scenario, he could break it down. Rhys shook his head. She was traumatized enough, but he couldn’t stand there all day either. He looked down at Keen.

“Any suggestions on how to get Fre out the bathroom, Keen?” he asked quietly.

His son dragged his gaze away from the TV and vehemently shook his head at his father. A quick succession of knocks and Myka strutted in. His younger brother took in the scene and pursed his lips. Myka’s eyes twinkled with mirth.

“What is it, Myka?” Rhys growled.

“Roman’s on the phone demanding to speak with you.” Myka looked down and winked at Keen.

“That idiot can wait. I have more pressing problems at the moment.”

“Who would have thought it? The great Scar cut off at the knees by a woman.”

“Leave, little brother, before I chuck you through the window.” Rhys voice dropped lower. He turned his back to Myka, dismissing him.

“Can’t. Colin sent me to get you and although you’re infinitely scarier, Colin is still our father. So out of respect to the old man, I will tote your ass to the conference room if I have to.” Rhys glanced over his shoulder. “Why are you still here?” 64

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“Hey, Boris, I guess I owe you that fifty spot. You were right, he won’t leave her,” Myka yelled out.

“Told ya.” Boris crossed the threshold into the room holding his hand out.

“I’ll give it to you later.” Myka scrubbed his scalp with his hand.

“Seriously, Rhys, Roman’s on the phone and he spouting pack rules and demanding you turn over Fre to Wallis.”

Rhys growled, turned on his heel, and stalked out the door way grumbling. “I should have killed that son of a bitch years ago.” He was halfway down the passage and before he backtracked his steps. Looking into his bedroom, he pinned Boris and Myka with his stare. “You two stay the fuck here.” He glanced at Keen. “Make sure they don’t leave the room, son.”

Keen gave a solemn nod.

Rhys gave a short nod back and headed to the conference room. He ignored the stares of his sentinels and staff as he exited his wing of the house. The slap of his boot soles on the marble floor sounded like the crack of a whip with every step he took. One advisor latched onto him as he entered the hallway that lead to his office and meeting room. He ignored the technical wolf’s chatters and walked into the hub of his clan’s business.

He took a seat at the head of the table and everyone stopped what they were doing, hustling to seat themselves around him. He leaned forward and pressed the speaker button.

“What the fuck do you want, Roman?” Rhys leaned into his chair.

“As I understand it, you’re holding Wallis’s mate and I want her released into his custody,” Roman answered coolly.

“Not going to happen. Next.”

“It will happen,
Scar,
or I will have your ass before council for breaking pack covenants. Do you really want to start a war?”

“Do you think you’re talking to some pup who just assumed position?

Fuck you, Roman. Call the damn council.” Rhys watched his father’s 65

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brow slowly climb his forehead. “Wallis claimed right at first mating. We both know the rules. I challenge that right. Tell your whelp to meet me in the circle. Dead man loses.”

“As his Alpha, I accept your challenge. If you want a fight to the death, you just got one. But I invoke the right to issue gauntlet. You will fight four of my best fighters before you can even assume the pleasure of challenging the first mating,” Roman countered.

Rhys looked at his father, who was wildly shaking his head and mouthing the word “no.” “Agreed, as challenger I want a closed circle. No one but you, your four men and me, my father and brothers.”

“Fine.” Romans exasperation came across loud and clear. “The fight will commence here at my compound sundown tomorrow.”

“No, Roman, Fre is here. If Wallis wants her, we fight here.”

“Unacceptable. A member of Black Mountain pack issued first rights.

You come to us,” Roman sputtered.

“Get over it and bring your pussy ass off that hill. Colin accepted Fre as pack member. She is one of ours and your man wants her. You and your…playmates come to me. Be here by midnight tonight or consider your claim forfeit.” Rhys depressed the speaker button.

Colin stared at Rhys for a long moment. “Son, do you think that was wise? He’s going to bring his biggest and baddest men. You need time to prepare.”

“I want it over. Fre is mine and I will kill any man, friend, family or foe, that tries to take her from me.” Rhys held his father’s gaze.

Colin sighed. “Then we best make the necessary arrangements.”

***

Fre cracked the door and Keen scooted over to give her space. She heard Rhys’s orders for people to stay in the room through the door.

Glancing around the area, she caught sight of the window above the toilet.

Just her luck. She might actually fit through it. She closed her eyes and 66

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bumped her head on the panel. How did she get herself into these situations? Her stomach roiled at the idea that she’d taken on a werewolf without blinking an eye and worse yet, she was still trying to come to terms that they actually existed. Damn, her body had been rocked by one.

She pulled her legs in close and dropped her head on her knees.

The pain behind her right eye was rocketing through her head at epic speed. She lifted her lids and stared at a wide-eyed Keen stared back at her through the split in the doorway. Her guards were bickering in the background. She lifted her head and crooked her fingers, motioning for the boy to come closer. He inched to a spot next to the crack.

“I suppose you’re my puppy, Cannonball.” She waited for confirmation.

A huge smile split his lips. “Yep.”

Fre sighed in resignation. She needed to meet up with Nix and get the hell out of there. “Keen, sweetie, can you get my bag of the bed without the men seeing and bring it to me?”

Keen wiggled his lips as if deep in thought. “It’s hard to get around my uncles, especially Uncle Boris. But I could do it.” He looked up at Fre.

“Yes, I could do it,” Keen reaffirmed.

“Well, go get it, my little secret spy.”

“I’m a spy?”

“For me you are, so you’ve got to complete your mission.” He giggled and stood. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” She closed the door to a sliver of a crack.

Fre looked up at the ceiling.
Please get me out of this. I promise I’ll
behave. Hell I’ll even quit stripping. I probably shouldn’t have said hell,
so scratch that. I’ll live the life of a recluse, I swear. Take that back, that
was seriously false promise. Umm, all I can promise is I’ll try to be a
better person so in your immense generosity please make a way for me to
get home.

There was a large bang outside the bathroom. Then large clap made the door shake and the tinkle of glass breaking was within earshot. A man 67

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shouted Keen’s name. The booming sound of footsteps running drifted away. Fre resisted the urge to see what the commotion was all about.

Suddenly the door pushed wider and Keen slipped through. He dropped to the floor panting with her purse strapped to his torso.

“What did you do?” Fre asked out of curiosity.

“Tied their shoes together.” He shrugged.

“Keen, you are my type of kid.” She smiled over at him as she took her bag from his hands.

She dumped the contents on the tile and snatched up her wallet, phone, and gun. Rising, she shook her head.
Dumb ass, you don’t have
clothes on.
Fre looked down at Keen.

“Can you get me my clothes?” She took deep breaths. She needed to think and not go off willy-nilly. She rubbed a palm down her face.

Excitement skittered down her spine; she might actually get out of this situation. Clothes first. She needed something to wear.

“Yea, my uncles are still looking for me.” He pulled the door open and walked out into an empty room. She stood in the threshold between the two rooms and watched the boy move about. Keen was lightning fast, pulling open drawers and yanking items out. She watched as he pulled her things from various places and briefly wondered how her suitcase got unpacked. He ran up to her. She grabbed the jeans and shirt he was holding.

“Stay here.” Fre closed the door and held up the clothing to see exactly what she had. She wrinkled her nose. She didn’t like wearing her things without under garments but beggars couldn’t be choosy. Tugging on the jeans, she stuffed the little revolver into the waistband and slid the dark T-shirt over her head. Fre reopened the door. “I need shoes, Keen.” He nodded and ran to the bed, pulling her tennis shoes from beneath the frame. Keen hurried to her side tossing them to her before jogging to the bedroom door. Fre heard the voices before she saw who they belonged to.

“There you are you, little heathen,” a boisterous voice boomed.

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Keen laughed heartily, then took off down the passage. Fre eased into the bathroom and waited until she heard them running away. She stuffed her feet into the shoes, then bent to grab her wallet and phone.

Before placing her cell in her pocket she tapped the screen and grazed it to scroll through the phone book. She hit the number she wanted and slunk deeper into the room. Fre squeezed into the tiny space next to the toilet and listened to the tones at the other end of the connection.

“I’m on the expressway now. I just passed mile marker fifty.” Nix sounded far away. She could hear wind in the background.

“What the hell? That’s near the club. You should be closer than that.”

“I had to make a stop and find a map. Do you have any idea how many freaking maps I had to go through to find one that had your little no-name town on it?” Nix asked.

“How long? I hope you bought more than a fucking map.” Fre climbed up on the toilet.

“Do I have a damn ‘S’ stamped on my forehead? Of course I did. I remember that last time you had issues. I brought the whole fucking arsenal this time. I’ll be there by nightfall.”

“You’ll see a town sign. Don’t go past that. I’ll meet you there,” Fre whispered.

“Seriously, what the hell did you get yourself into?” Nix sounded exasperated.

“I told you… I think I got married, but I’m not sure.” She tapped the end button, cutting off her sputtering buddy.

Fre tucked the phone into her back pocket and turned the lock on top of the window. She anchored her feet on the toilet seat and hefted the window up. Shutting her mouth when she shouted out in glee as it moved up, slowly she got the window in place. Fre stepped up on the tank and stuck her upper body out the opening. She looked around and jumped.

Without leverage she wasn’t able to get her knees on the narrow ledge.