Three Southern Beaches: A Summer Beach Read Box Set (26 page)

I nodded again, terrified that I was going to beg for a quickie before I went out and kicked some ass.

He slowly slid his hand from my panties and my body felt bereft. I may have nodded yes, but the rest of this conversation was never going to happen. He already had my broken heart. I’d given it to him years ago. There was no way in hell he was going to take my pride.

“Your appointment is in fifteen minutes. You’ll meet me for lunch afterward. Everyone in town believes we’re back together.”

One last time I nodded, afraid if I spoke I might cry. I stared at him for a long moment. His strength and power were evident in every move he made. At one point in time I basked in it, but now I just admired it from afar. He was a force of nature—a true alpha. I worried for a brief moment that if he couldn’t find his people that I might not be able to either, but I pushed that thought aside. I might be a screw-up in life, but I was damn good at finding trouble…it came to me. And now because I was prepared I could destroy it—and I would.

I walked slowly toward Hank. His quick intake of breath brought a small smile to my lips. He was right. Who knew what I was getting into? Today might be my last and I wanted to do one small thing, just in case. He stood as still as a statue as I pressed my lips to his. I breathed in his masculine scent and I was home. It was just too damn bad his lips liked other necks and chests and asses. But for one brief moment I pretended he was still mine.

I pulled back and moved to leave.

“The conversation is not over, Essie,” he warned.

I turned and walked away. There was little else I could do.

Chapter 7

The agency was on Main Street next to the cozy used bookstore that I had practically lived in as a kid. Models Mania was sleek and modern and didn’t fit into my charming town at all. The name was beyond stupid too. I let go of my attitude, hunkered down in my smelly car and reviewed what I knew.

It was run by three human males from New York: Peter Pyre, Paul Tinder and Puck Flare. The names were bizarre and slightly unfortunate. I had concluded that they were aliases since we couldn’t trace them. They clearly thought they were hot, considering they all had forms of fire as their surnames. I bit back a groan and read on.

There was no indication that the Three Ps knew that shifters existed, but I didn’t buy it. No human women had gone missing and I didn’t believe it was a coincidence. It was risky to imply that the Council, since they had backed the agency, had let the humans in on our secret, but evidence was pointing that way.

It appeared that the missing girls had been recruited. Did the humans recruit them or did the Council? I flipped through the file and found nothing. I quickly texted Granny and told her to call around and find out the buzz on the recruiting. She texted back that she would get on it after she and Dwayne finished a round of paintball. She promised to have some info at lunch. I hoped to hell they’d at least gone out to the deserted beach to shoot each other with paint, but my expectation was that they were attacking each other in broad daylight in the quaint confines of her neighborhood. So much for no arrests…

The agency looked empty, but I had an appointment in five minutes. I grabbed a cup and filled it with water from a bottle I found under the seat. I hoped to come out of there with some fingerprints on it.

Checking my makeup in the rearview mirror I was satisfied. The fact that I could pass for a model didn’t thrill me. My looks were inherited. Actually most Shifters were pretty people. While being attractive had gotten in the way occasionally during training, it certainly came in handy today. I pushed up my boobs, hiked up my skirt, checked my wire and went into battle.

“Hello,” I called out in the darkened office. It was obsessively neat and smelled odd. I couldn’t place it. I wandered to the counter and examined the stack of beauty products. I found the culprit—self tanner. It had the strangest odor. I slipped one in my purse and took a seat on the white leather settee.

“Be right with you,” a rough male voice called from the back.

The sound of a woman giggling in the back room made my stomach lurch. I recognized the laugh and I had to breathe deeply to keep my claws from coming out. Literally. I despised the owner of the laugh. Damn it, if one of them was back there, I’d bet money all three were. Of course they were here. They were beautiful on the outside even if they were nasty evil home wreckers.
Whoa, Nelly
. Hank had a choice. It took two to tango, or in their case, four. I might hate them, but if it hadn’t been them he would have most certainly fooled around with someone else. Maybe I should thank them…nope, that was never going to happen. I could have mated with him and found out what a cheating dog he was after the fact. As much as I wanted to shift into my wolf and tear those girls apart, they had actually done me a favor.

“What’s she doing here?” a nasal voice demanded. “I didn’t give her an appointment.”

I was right, it was Tina #1 and she was not pleased to see me. She was one of three. They were all named Tina and they had all had a hand in ruining my life. She’d clearly moved on from Hank because she was draped over a large attractive man like a barnacle.

Large Man shoved Tina #1 off of him and stepped forward with his hand extended and a slick smile on his pretty face. “Please excuse the help — it’s difficult to find subordinates with manners these days. I’m Puck Flare, owner and talent coordinator of the agency. It’s lovely to meet you. You must be Essie McGee.”

Tina #1 positively seethed. As delighted as I was with the way he shot her down, it was also appalling. Not to mention it stymied me why she would let a mere human treat her so poorly. She was a Werewolf and we rarely mixed with humans in a romantic or sexual way.

“I am.” I plastered on a smile that I prayed didn’t look fake and took his hand in mine. He felt a bit cool for a human, but he was definitely human.

“I do believe we could book you on some very big jobs.” He circled me like I was a car he was considering.

“Great. That’s great,” I jumped up and down a bit to appear as vapid as possible. Tina #1 hissed and narrowed her eyes.

“Tina, don’t you have work to do?” Puck snapped.

She nodded meekly and went to the back room.

“Sorry about that, my dear,” he said. “She wants to model, but she’s a bit too short. Let’s have you fill out some paperwork and then we’ll take some Polaroids for your file. Do you have a head shot or portfolio?”

“Um, no…I’ve just always thought this might be fun and I’m into travel and being in magazines,” I gushed.

“That’s wonderful. You’re available to travel? No jealous boyfriends or silly little day jobs to speak of?”

“Nope. Free and clear. No job and definitely no boyfriend,” I said, and wondered what Hank thought about my answer. I knew he was listening through an earpiece at the station. “Can I ask a few questions, Mr. Flare?”

“Of course, and please call me Puck.”

“Sure, um…Puck. What kind of jobs could I book with you? And what’s the pay?”

“Dear girl, for someone with your looks and body the sky is the limit.”

He made me feel dirty and I was positive he was involved with the missing girls, but I had no clue how or why. I giggled and searched my repertoire for something girlie and flirty…I unconsciously did the Dwayne hair flick over my shoulder and almost burst out laughing. Concentrating hard, I held back my eye roll and the strong need to call Puck something that rhymed with his name and ended in “er”.

“Wow,” I cooed and did a little shimmy. “That’s the total bomb! When do I start?”

He chuckled and bought my vapid enthusiasm hook, line, and sinker. “We’ll start tomorrow. However, you’re a bit pale,” he said as he walked to the mountain of beauty products on the counter. “How about you do a little self tanner tonight so your shots tomorrow will be as sexy as you are.”

“Oh Puck,” I gasped and tossed my hair like an imbecile. “You’re such a charmer.”

“I do my best.” He covertly began to flex his muscles and it was all I could do not to throw up in my mouth. “You need to cover your entire body, if you know what I mean.” He gave me a smarmy smile and winked.

‘Ohhhhhh, that’s hot,” I cooed.

He handed me the paperwork and I posed for a few Polaroid shots.

“Well, that’s about it for now, dear.”

Dangit, I needed more info from the pervert…

“What about the others?” I asked as I pulled out my phone.

“What others?” he asked, alarmed.

“The other owners. Don’t they have to approve me too?” I asked innocently as he visibly relaxed.

“Oh no,” he bragged. “I’m in charge. What I say goes. Anyway, they’re off on assignments with some other models.”

“Cool,” I squealed. “Can I take your picture? You are so hot my friends are going to die.”

His ego was huge and he grinned. “Of course, dear.”

“Hold this,” I blew him a kiss and handed him my cup. “All my friend’s bosses are old and fat. I am gonna rub your hotness in in a big way.”

“Shall I flex?” he asked as he waggled his eyebrows.

Oh my god he was a loser, but I got his fingerprints on my cup
. “Absolutely, but don’t be surprised if I faint from your total smokin’ manliness,” I said in the sexiest voice I could pull out of my butt.

“You are a delightful young woman.” He leered and stepped into my personal space. “You are going to be a very desired model.”

I took my cup from his hand and stepped back. Breathlessly I stuttered, “What time do I start tomorrow?”

“Be here at ten, dear. And bring an overnight bag just in case. There’s a chance you might book a whirlwind gig in New York and we’ll have to leave immediately.”

“Awesome,” I squealed and hustled to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Yes, dear. Tomorrow.”

As I quickly made my way to the exit, I heard something large and glass shatter in the back room accompanied with a string of swear words from the lovely Tina #1. Puck Flare’s eyes narrowed frighteningly as he marched back to investigate. Tina #1 was one of my least favorite people in the world, but I actually felt fear for her. I considered following him back to diffuse the situation, but I could not under any circumstances blow my cover. Innocent women’s lives were possibly at stake—or at least their dead bodies.

Besides, I was sure he wouldn’t harm Tina #1 with me having witnessed their tiff… I raced to my car and texted Junior. I told him to stop by the agency and buy some products for his mom. I explained the situation and told him to go immediately. He texted back he would.

As much as I wanted to tear Tina #1’s limbs from her body, I didn’t want to knowingly be responsible for someone harming her. I wanted that honor for myself…

Chapter 8

There was no missing them. Dwayne’s bald head and face were dotted with purple and green paint specks, making him look diseased. Granny was wearing a greenish hued blush and her left eyebrow was royal blue. Clearly, protective headgear during paint ball wars wasn’t necessary for them. I rolled my eyes and sat down in the booth. Casey’s Honkytonk was a hole in the wall diner a block from the beach. It was a total dive and one of my favorite places in town. The food was awesome and the human owner loved all the locals, so much so that she often threw startled tourists out when there wasn’t a table available for one of her regulars.

“You do realize you look ridiculous,” I said as I pulled out my phone and snapped a few blackmail shots.

“Essie,” Dwayne said as he bounced in his seat. “Granny is going to take me to a football game in the fall.”

“The Georgia Vultures?”

“Yep,” Granny said. “I got some season tickets real cheap.”

“That’s not a big surprise.” I laughed. “They lost every game last season.”

“Who cares? Hot guys in tight white pants with grease paint under their eyes grabbing each other’s asses and… Oh my GOD,” Dwayne squealed, making me jump and slap my hands over my ears. “What are you doing here, Jeff?”

Who in the hell was Jeff?

“Actually, Dwayne, my name is Hank.”

The sexy bane of my existence stood next to the table with a grin on his face that would melt hearts, but not mine. One mystery solved. The pieces fell together with sickening clarity. Dwayne was Hank’s informant. Dwayne had been giving up the goods on me for a year to the assmunch who had cheated on me.

“Oh sweet Jesus, Essie, I am so sorry,” Dwayne gasped, going as green as the paint dots on his head.

“It’s alright, Dwayne,” I said as I stared daggers at Hank. “There wasn’t much to tell.”

“Oh, but there was,” Dwayne moaned and placed his hand over his mouth. “He knows…oh god, I can’t even say it.”

What in the hell had he told Hank
? My stomach roiled and my appetite disappeared.

“However,” Dwayne said carefully as he recovered from his shock. “The whole thing is kind of hot in a reality TV show kind of way. Don’t you think so, Essie?”

“No. I don’t,” I snapped.

Granny was quiet and watched the exchange with great interest. Where was her loyalty? She was supposed to stand up and cold cock Hank. Instead, she had a sneaky little grin on her face. I pretty much hated everybody right now and I still had no clue what Dwayne had told Hank.

“You are not welcome here,” I hissed at him. “Go away. I will talk to you after I have lunch with the people I love.” For a brief second I could have sworn pain flashed in his eyes, but it had to be the sun streaming through the windows. He was a heartless wanker, obsessed with what he thought he owned.

“Nope.” He grinned and wedged his huge body into the booth next to Granny, who patted him on the head with affection. I was so going to divorce her. “We have things to discuss and time is of the essence.”

He was right, which only made me hate him more.

“Fine. Talk and leave.”

“Essie, your boob is kind of falling out of your top,” Dwayne announced loud enough for all the tables in the restaurant to hear. All eyes shot to my boobs. Hank quickly leaned across the table and covered my chest with his bare hands. A zing shot right through me and my evil traitorous nipples hardened with delight. Hank’s grin almost sent me into meltdown. The kind where I killed him, but first I would stick my tongue down his throat and ride him till he was blind.

Shoving him off and grabbing a napkin, I covered my tatas and raced to the bathroom. I had a sundress in my bag. Being an agent had taught me to always carry something extra to wear. No one liked sitting around in blood-spattered or bullet-riddled clothes.

The bathroom of Casey’s Honkytonk was an anomaly. The restaurant was tiny but the ladies room was huge — six Pepto Bismol colored stalls and a diaper changing station. I went to the far stall and locked myself in. Peeling off the slutty outfit, I realized I was still wired. Not knowing if I would need it again today I left it taped to my body and pulled my sexy but comfy sundress over my head.

I leaned against the cool wall and tried to decipher my feelings. Why was I so angry with Hank if he didn’t mean anything to me? Maybe because I was still madly in love with him… No. I was stronger than that. I had more pride. He had cheated on me with the three Tinas and I had seen the results with my own eyes. I deserved someone who wanted only me. Was I nuts? The magnitude of what I still felt for him was confusing. Maybe I should have talked to him—did he get cold feet and make a mistake? Mistake was mild for what he did. However, the girl I was a year ago only knew how to run. The woman I’d become might not have, but it was fruitless to be consumed with what ifs.

“I can’t believe she came back,” a voice hissed. “I was sure she’d never set foot in Hung again.”

“I saw her today,” Tina #1 said. “She was hitting on Puck.”

“Clearly we didn’t do a good enough job,” Tina #2 snapped angrily.

Son of a…why couldn’t I catch a break? The Tinas had entered the bathroom and they were talking about me. Should I step out and beat the hell out of them? No. That would be childish and possibly messy. I liked my sundress and, quite honestly, Hank deserved my anger more than they did. After a short internal debate with my inner wolf,
who wanted to kill them
, I decided to stand on the toilet so my feet weren’t spotted and listen to what the vipers said…They might have some information on the missing girls. Tina #1 was working at the modeling agency.

“Oh, please,” Tina #2 griped. “You’re all just pissed because none of us could bag Hank.”

Wait. What
?

“He’s a fool. I literally showed up at his house naked the day after she took off and he kicked me out. No one kicks me out when I’m naked,” Tina #1 ground out with fury.

The other Tinas laughed and Tina #1 growled. I was missing a piece of info and my stomach dropped, making me feel ill.

“I vote we give each other hickeys all over our bodies again, show her and tell her he did it. She bought it last time. She’s so stupid she’ll buy it again.”

“Do you remember how she sobbed when we showed her what her boyfriend did to us? It was so much fun. I haven’t been able to make anyone cry like that in a year,” Tina #3 gushed.

“I actually kind of enjoyed giving you all hickeys,” Tina #3 said.

“Are you gay?” Tina #2 demanded.

“No, we were drunk so it didn’t count,” Tina #3 shot back.

“Look if she hits on Puck again, I’ll give both of you hickeys on your faces to get rid of her. I don’t see why men are so attracted to her,” Tina #1 spat.

“Because she’s beautiful,” Tina #3 groused. “Let her have Hank. I never really wanted him anyway.”

“Liar,” Tina #2 purred. “Everyone red-blooded female Were wants that man. He’s the alpha and he’s sex on a stick. You’re still completely hung up on him.”

“Speak for yourself. We have to go back to the agency and get back to work. Those fiery boys are major taskmasters.” Tina #1 giggled.

My body felt hot and cold at the same time. I wanted to scream and cry and crawl out of my skin. The need to shift and run until there was no feeling left in me was intense. How had I made a mistake like this? Why had I believed them? The tears rolled unchecked down my cheeks. I could not go back to the table.

I heard them leave and I let the sobs roll through my body. The sounds I made were foreign. I thought my heart had broken a year ago, but I was wrong. It was shattering now and it was no one’s fault but mine.

The Tinas were right. I was stupid. I had destroyed the best thing in my life by jumping to conclusions and I was too embarrassed to come clean at this point. Hank deserved someone far better than me. Oh my god, the thought of him finding love and happiness with someone else was horrifying, but I owed him that after how childish and selfish I’d been. I just needed to get through the next week. I would treat him kinder and try and leave as friends. As much as I hated the reality of him with someone else, I loved him enough to want that to happen.

I’d get through lunch and discuss my meeting with Puck Flame and then I’d shift and go for a long run on the beach. I had a whole day to kill before I could work on the case again and I needed to clear my mind and try to forgive myself for being the worst person in the world. I had a feeling that would take decades…

I splashed my face with cold water and tried to fix my hair. My hands shook and tears kept leaking from my eyes
. Pull yourself together. This was your fault. It’s done and you lose. Grow up and move on.

My inner wolf prowled restlessly inside me and I promised her we’d run later. I dabbed my eyes, pinched my cheeks for some color and plastered on a smile that would never reach my eyes again. I could do this.

The lunch crowd had slimmed out and I noticed Dwayne and Granny had left. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Maybe I should go for a run
now
… Hank was still in the booth and he looked ready to explode. Crapcrapcrap.

I owed him an explanation. I was a big enough girl to do the right thing. I had no clue where Granny and Dwayne went, but something was way off. Had Granny read him the riot act? God, I hoped not. It was me that deserved the riot act. If she had pissed Hank off, why would she have left me to deal with it alone? I glanced wildly around the diner and noticed all the shifters had left. Only humans remained. I waved at a few people I knew and dragged my feet back to the booth.

“Um…hi. Where did Granny and Dwayne go?” I asked.

Hank said nothing. His hands were clenched and his jaw was tight.

“Did you order yet? I didn’t order before you got here and I’m kind of hungry, but not really. Actually the thought of swallowing food is nauseating right now, but if you want to eat and discuss the case I can sit here. I could drink some water or a soda or I could go and get my…”

“Sit,” Hank instructed tersely.

I did.

“I think that Puck Flame is definitely dirty and I think the Tinas are possibly recruiting for him and his partners. I got his prints on my cup and I’m sure he’s using an alias. And um, I’m going back in the morning, but I’m sure you know that because you were listening at the station.”

Hank slowly removed the transmitter from his ear and laid it on the table in front of me. My gut burned and my palms began to sweat. Oh my hell, I was still wearing the wire. He heard everything in the bathroom and he hated me. I wasn’t going to get the chance to tell him what a loser I was because he already knew. The need to run was almost overwhelming, but this time I would stay until I was told to go.

Inhaling a deep breath, I gently touched his hand. He didn’t take mine, but at least he didn’t yank his away. “I am so sorry,” I whispered brokenly. “I made a terrible mistake and I’m just so very sorry.”

He refused to look at me and I didn’t blame him. I didn’t want to look at me either. I slid out of the booth and stood. I knew we would have to work together to solve the crime, but I could give him his space when we weren’t working. The tiny pieces that were left of my heart tore at my insides.

“I’ll check in tomorrow morning before my appointment.” I moved to leave, but his hand snaked out and captured my wrist in a vise-like hold.

“If you think you’re about to run again, you have another thing coming.” His voice was low and furious.

“Let go of my wrist,” I said as I tried to hold back tears. “I promise I won’t run.”

“Your promises aren’t really worth much, Essie,” he said finally, raising his eyes to mine. “If we weren’t in a public place I’d handcuff you to me.”

Even though I knew he wanted to lay into me, the thought of being handcuffed to him sent excited chills through me
. I had clearly lost it.
I deserved anything he had to say. It couldn’t be any worse than all the things I was saying to myself.

“I have spent a year wondering what I had done to you that was so bad you would leave and I had to hear it like this? You distrusted me that much that you would think I had covered several women’s bodies in hickeys?” He was flabbergasted. When I heard him say it out loud, I had to admit I was too. How could I have been so reckless and dumb?

“I…”

“You made us miss out on a year of our lives together because you believed a lie.”

“I’m sorry,” I said so quietly I almost couldn’t hear it.

“Sorry is not cutting it right now. Come with me,” he said gruffly.

“Where are we going?” I gasped as he dragged me out of the diner.

He stopped and ran his hands through his hair and exhaled an angry frustrated sigh. “To my house. You’ve denied both of us for a year and it’s time to do something about that.”

“You can’t possibly want to have sex after what I did,” I stammered and backed away.

“Who said anything about sex?” He grinned and my tummy flipped.

“I just thought…”

“You need to stop thinking, Essie. It just gets you into trouble. Get on the bike.”

His huge Harley was in the parking lot and I stumbled toward it. He lifted me like I weighed nothing and plopped me down on the seat. He straddled the bike and started it up. It purred and rumbled between my shaking legs.