“You’re sure about that?” He turned his head to peer at her.
His eyes were gorgeous. “Yes. Please. She’s like a mother to me. I hate how Mark treats her. She does deserve better. She needs to find a man who cares about her instead of what he can get her to do for him.”
He looked away, staring at Peggy again. She felt relief as he whispered, repeating what she’d said almost word for word. Jadee gave him a little space and approached the trailer to keep the guys distracted. One glance at Kar assured her that he still had a handle on Mitch. She hated that freaky bastard and felt no sympathy for him.
“Make sure you get everything,” Jadee called out. “You’re representing my dad. This was his big find.”
“I know.” Mark sounded annoyed. “It’s our find though. We share the credit.”
She rolled her eyes. “Spare me.”
“We’re going to have to hire tow trucks to locate and pull out our vehicles.” Mark didn’t even bother to look at her as he checked the sample case he opened. “And we have to buy a new rig to pull this trailer. I want your father’s motor home. You sure won’t use it.”
Jadee grit her teeth. “Do you want my bone marrow too, Mark? Maybe a kidney?”
He paused and lifted his head to direct an annoyed look at her. “You know how important this was to your father. Just because he’s dead doesn’t mean this is over. You also know I can’t afford to buy you out. Most of the equipment is owned by your dad.”
“Got it. You could at least try to kiss my ass a little when you want something instead of barking out demands.”
His anger took over. “I told your dad to put me on his accounts and on the titles instead of you so this wouldn’t happen.”
“Always the asshole, aren’t you?”
Brent, the peacemaker, got involved. “He’s just upset. It’s been a traumatic few days. He doesn’t mean to sound so cold, Jadee. You know we loved Vic. We’re all grieving.”
She believed that. Her father’s team was closer to him than she had ever been. It left her feeling a little bitter but she’d swallowed that pill a long time ago, when she’d chosen to live with her grandmother. Her dad could have retired then and stayed with her. He’d kissed her goodbye instead and hit the road. It was little comfort that he’d made sure she was taken care of in case he died by ensuring she had access to his money and putting her name as co-owner on anything he bought.
Lavos approached her side and she looked at him. He gave a slight nod of his head then climbed up inside the trailer. “I need your attention.”
Jadee backed up and turned around. Peggy stood motionless a few feet away, her eyes closed.
Kar came closer, keeping Mitch in a chokehold. “She’s fine. He put her in a kind of sleep trance while he talks to the other two. He’ll bring her out of it when he’s done. She’ll only respond to his voice until then. She can’t hear us.”
She hoped Lavos could do his mind magic on the guys and faced the trailer to see how it went. Lavos stood motionless, talking to Brent. “Is it working?”
Kar hesitated. “It seems to be.”
“Good.”
“Lavos is strong. I’m not good with that shit. I don’t have the experience to mess with planting information into minds but he deals with humans more often.”
She was interested. “He does?”
“I was never allowed to go on missions far from home, but he has. We test our powers when given the chance. You never know when it’s going to come in handy.”
A lot of bad scenarios played through her mind. “So you can have sex with women and then make them forget?”
Kar crinkled his nose. “Hell no. Why would we want to do that?”
“Easy sex. You’re a man.”
“I’m…” He paused, looking uncertain.
“A Werewolf,” she supplied.
“We don’t have sex with humans. It’s frowned upon. We stick to our own kind, and they’re immune to mind control.”
“Why? Can you accidently transmit what you are to others?”
He shook his head. “No. It’s just that…” He hesitated again, glancing down her body.
“What? Will you stop doing that? Spit it out.”
“You’re too damn fragile.” He held her gaze and winked. “I’d break you.”
It was her turn to study him.
“We’re stronger than we look and we’d have to hide what we are. Laws, remember?” He shrugged. “That’s the truth. We don’t mess with humans or hang around them unless we have to. Our contact is very limited.”
“So you just live with other Werewolves in your pack?”
He moved his arm from around Mitch’s throat and grabbed the top of his shirt, forcing the jerk to his knees. He gripped the back of his neck. “Try to move and I’ll break it. Got it? I’m tired of smelling you.” He gave his attention back to Jadee. “Something like that. Are you going to screw us over and tell someone what went down here?”
“No.” She meant it. “I’m going back home and forgetting everything. I’ll never have my face plastered on the cover of some crazy magazine, right next to the guy who swears he has a three-headed love child with an alien chick.”
He chuckled.
“Who’s Kira?”
His amusement faded. “Forget that name. You heard Lavos. He didn’t want me to say anything else.”
“I take it she’s human, and you said she was with his brother.”
He glanced at Lavos, then her. “Look, I like you, so I’ll share this much. Just don’t tell him I said anything. Kira’s father is one of us, but he mated a human. She was born mostly human without many traits. It made her life a living hell, dwelling with our kind, because weakness is looked down upon in our culture. Is that enough info to curb your curiosity?”
Not by a long shot. She held her questions though. So it was possible for Werewolves and humans to have kids, just not popular or sanctioned by others of their kind. That meant they were sexually compatible.
She stared at Lavos. He was one hot guy.
Dangerous too, and totally not someone to get involved with, she reminded herself.
Jadee shivered. It was growing colder. “How many hours until the sun comes up?”
His eyes were gorgeous. “Yes. Please. She’s like a mother to me. I hate how Mark treats her. She does deserve better. She needs to find a man who cares about her instead of what he can get her to do for him.”
He looked away, staring at Peggy again. She felt relief as he whispered, repeating what she’d said almost word for word. Jadee gave him a little space and approached the trailer to keep the guys distracted. One glance at Kar assured her that he still had a handle on Mitch. She hated that freaky bastard and felt no sympathy for him.
“Make sure you get everything,” Jadee called out. “You’re representing my dad. This was his big find.”
“I know.” Mark sounded annoyed. “It’s our find though. We share the credit.”
She rolled her eyes. “Spare me.”
“We’re going to have to hire tow trucks to locate and pull out our vehicles.” Mark didn’t even bother to look at her as he checked the sample case he opened. “And we have to buy a new rig to pull this trailer. I want your father’s motor home. You sure won’t use it.”
Jadee grit her teeth. “Do you want my bone marrow too, Mark? Maybe a kidney?”
He paused and lifted his head to direct an annoyed look at her. “You know how important this was to your father. Just because he’s dead doesn’t mean this is over. You also know I can’t afford to buy you out. Most of the equipment is owned by your dad.”
“Got it. You could at least try to kiss my ass a little when you want something instead of barking out demands.”
His anger took over. “I told your dad to put me on his accounts and on the titles instead of you so this wouldn’t happen.”
“Always the asshole, aren’t you?”
Brent, the peacemaker, got involved. “He’s just upset. It’s been a traumatic few days. He doesn’t mean to sound so cold, Jadee. You know we loved Vic. We’re all grieving.”
She believed that. Her father’s team was closer to him than she had ever been. It left her feeling a little bitter but she’d swallowed that pill a long time ago, when she’d chosen to live with her grandmother. Her dad could have retired then and stayed with her. He’d kissed her goodbye instead and hit the road. It was little comfort that he’d made sure she was taken care of in case he died by ensuring she had access to his money and putting her name as co-owner on anything he bought.
Lavos approached her side and she looked at him. He gave a slight nod of his head then climbed up inside the trailer. “I need your attention.”
Jadee backed up and turned around. Peggy stood motionless a few feet away, her eyes closed.
Kar came closer, keeping Mitch in a chokehold. “She’s fine. He put her in a kind of sleep trance while he talks to the other two. He’ll bring her out of it when he’s done. She’ll only respond to his voice until then. She can’t hear us.”
She hoped Lavos could do his mind magic on the guys and faced the trailer to see how it went. Lavos stood motionless, talking to Brent. “Is it working?”
Kar hesitated. “It seems to be.”
“Good.”
“Lavos is strong. I’m not good with that shit. I don’t have the experience to mess with planting information into minds but he deals with humans more often.”
She was interested. “He does?”
“I was never allowed to go on missions far from home, but he has. We test our powers when given the chance. You never know when it’s going to come in handy.”
A lot of bad scenarios played through her mind. “So you can have sex with women and then make them forget?”
Kar crinkled his nose. “Hell no. Why would we want to do that?”
“Easy sex. You’re a man.”
“I’m…” He paused, looking uncertain.
“A Werewolf,” she supplied.
“We don’t have sex with humans. It’s frowned upon. We stick to our own kind, and they’re immune to mind control.”
“Why? Can you accidently transmit what you are to others?”
He shook his head. “No. It’s just that…” He hesitated again, glancing down her body.
“What? Will you stop doing that? Spit it out.”
“You’re too damn fragile.” He held her gaze and winked. “I’d break you.”
It was her turn to study him.
“We’re stronger than we look and we’d have to hide what we are. Laws, remember?” He shrugged. “That’s the truth. We don’t mess with humans or hang around them unless we have to. Our contact is very limited.”
“So you just live with other Werewolves in your pack?”
He moved his arm from around Mitch’s throat and grabbed the top of his shirt, forcing the jerk to his knees. He gripped the back of his neck. “Try to move and I’ll break it. Got it? I’m tired of smelling you.” He gave his attention back to Jadee. “Something like that. Are you going to screw us over and tell someone what went down here?”
“No.” She meant it. “I’m going back home and forgetting everything. I’ll never have my face plastered on the cover of some crazy magazine, right next to the guy who swears he has a three-headed love child with an alien chick.”
He chuckled.
“Who’s Kira?”
His amusement faded. “Forget that name. You heard Lavos. He didn’t want me to say anything else.”
“I take it she’s human, and you said she was with his brother.”
He glanced at Lavos, then her. “Look, I like you, so I’ll share this much. Just don’t tell him I said anything. Kira’s father is one of us, but he mated a human. She was born mostly human without many traits. It made her life a living hell, dwelling with our kind, because weakness is looked down upon in our culture. Is that enough info to curb your curiosity?”
Not by a long shot. She held her questions though. So it was possible for Werewolves and humans to have kids, just not popular or sanctioned by others of their kind. That meant they were sexually compatible.
She stared at Lavos. He was one hot guy.
Dangerous too, and totally not someone to get involved with, she reminded herself.
Jadee shivered. It was growing colder. “How many hours until the sun comes up?”
