Page 11 of Waging War
You’re the one responsible for her misery, the darkness whispers.
I grumble as I reach for the supplies I’ve gathered for her. Hazel and her biker family will be reunited soon, and that’s enough for me to tamper down any more thoughts of guilt.
The trees around the small complex have lost their leaves, and the air has turned uncomfortably cold. I immediately felt the chill in her apartment during my last visit—and vividly remember her pert nipples hardening against her towel. I thought she might appreciate a little extra warmth.
I eye the heater sitting innocently in the passenger seat, the bright pink razor she’d threatened me with still fresh in my mind. That hellraiser is more likely to find a way to hurt me with this than use it for its intended purpose.
I make quick work of loading up the food and supplies before sliding out of my truck to make my way up the stairs. The complex lies on a stretch of highway close to the border of Mackville. It’s made up of twenty or so apartments, and from what I’ve gathered, the few tenants who live here are either sick or elderly.
Jackie surprises me. I figured he’d be content to stow her away beneath his house, and maybe he would have been had the Wolves not attacked. But for him to go out of his way to give her a decent dwelling… It’s suspicious, yet significant. Maybe he truly is changing sides.
I work my way up the short flight of stairs and press my ear to the door, curious by how eerily silent it is inside.
“Hazel?” I say quietly, but there’s no response.
I knock twice and wait. Jackie will have me hanged if I let something happen to our only leverage over the Wolves.
“Where the fuck is she?” I mutter.
I unlock the three dead bolts on the outside and slip into the apartment, greeted by complete darkness. “Hazel,” I call again before carefully closing the door and heading straight for the counter.
Did one of the Wolves figure out where she is? No, couldn’t be. There aren’t any signs of a forced entry.
If it’s one of those idiots from Diablo’s compound, I’m going to kill them.
I step farther into her space, on high alert, and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. Unlike a normal apartment, this one isn’t equipped with windows. A sweet aroma is thick in the air, like she may have taken a shower recently, and I twist around, trying to locate the source of the tempting smell.
Where the—
A grunt slips as I’m knocked forward, jarring my knees. A body clings around my back, and sharp heels dig deep into my abdomen as someone wraps an arm around my neck and squeezes.
Struggling to regain control, I beat at their arms. Once I’m able to place one foot beneath me, I shift all my weight into the opposite thigh and reach back to grab my attacker. I grip their waist, noting too late the thin flair of feminine hips before tossing her overhead. Just when I think I have the upper hand, she sinks her fingernails into the meat of my shoulders, and we’re jostled forward.
In a heap of kicking limbs, the familiar scent of honey slams my senses at the same moment a fist—that has way more strength behind it than I expected—connects with my jaw.
Son of bitch.
“Hazel!”
Taking advantage of my stunned state, she makes quick work of pinning me beneath her. Pain slices through my right thigh as she shoves her knee close enough to my groin for it to burn like hell. Her other leg is wound around mine so her foot and ankle trap my opposite leg.
Something cool and silky begins winding around both of my wrists, and before I get a chance to buck out of her hold, I feel a sharp jab at my jugular.
A seductive smile curls my lips in the darkness.This wolf has spunk.I’m twice her size, and even though she’s taller than the average woman, she can’t fully subdue me. But I’ll play along. If only because I’m curious what her next move will be.
“Release me, Ben.”
The tip of her braided hair lightly tickles the base of my neck. Puffs of air fan across my face from her parted lips, and I have the fiercest urge to bring her mouth to mine. I wonder just how sweet they taste.
I know what Hazel wants, but she knows better. She’s not going any-fucking-where.
“I knew you’d be into some kinky shit, baby, but if you want to fuck me… you’ll have to ask nicely.”
“Stopcalling me that,” she grits, pressing the object deeper into my skin. My smile broadens at the annoyance coating her voice. “Let me out of this prison, or I’m going to slit your throat and watch you bleed out on the floor.”
So self-assured.I can tell she’s been working out by the way her thighs clench around my hips, and the sheer strength it takes to hold someone of my stature beneath them.
Hazel could have been a blubbering, crumbling wreck after everything she’s been through. She could have rolled right over and given life her belly, but instead, she’s decided to grab the devil by his horns.
