Series: Lee Savino
Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 66414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Maisy releases my hand and stands, squaring her shoulders. “I want to speak to him.”
I barely contain my bear snarl. My lips curl up, and my fangs lengthen. The idea of my mate in any danger makes me savage. “Not safe.” My growl doesn’t even sound human.
“No, Matthias,” Maisy says firmly. “I need to do this. I need to know why.”
The courage in Maisy’s tone makes me pay attention. She sounds different. More sure of herself. More grown up.
I nod. “All right.” I throw a hundred-dollar bill down on the table to cover our drinks, and we hustle out of the restaurant.
Maisy hikes up her skirts. I lead her out of the restaurant, across the street, and into the alley. We walk away from the people in a construction zone through a boarded up walkway and into the deserted alley beyond.
At the end of the alley, the flashing lights of the party bus signal its presence.
A prickle at the back of my neck puts me on edge. I scent the air for a threat, but this part of town is crowded, so I just smell hundreds of strangers and cigarette smoke. My bear instincts are going off. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought Maisy.
I narrow my eyes to peer through the open door of the bus. “Wait here, beautiful,” I murmur and climb the steps to crane my neck to see Allen. Teddy gives him a kick in the ribs. The triplets sit on benches around him, scrolling on their phones and eating taffy. Allen’s tied up on the floor, bleeding at the mouth and nose like my brothers have worked him over a little already.
“It’s okay–” I turn back to get Maisy and freeze, the blood turning to ice in my veins.
A man has Maisy in a headlock with a gun pointed at her temple.
My bear roars with rage, but I somehow manage to remain perfectly still, without shifting to bear form. I’m afraid any sudden movement will get my mate killed.
“You’re coming with us,” the greasy mobster who dared lay his hands on my mate declares. Two other thugs flank him, also holding pistols. Standing a short distance behind them is Lucky Lou himself—the man I intend to kill just as soon as I get that gun away from my mate’s temple. He has a gun trained on me.
My brothers catch on behind me, cursing softly, and drop below window-height.
“You’re late for our wedding,” Lucky Lou says to Maisy.
Maisy’s face has gone pale. Her wide blue gaze locks on mine like she’s waiting for instruction. Like she knows I will save her.
Her trust humbles me, and I vow one thousand times over to make sure I earn it by killing everyone of these fuckers.
“She’s already married.” I use my cool, authoritative doctor voice. “Last time I checked, polygamy was illegal in the state of Nevada.”
“She’s not married,” Lucky Lou insists.
“Yes, I am.” Maisy holds up her hand to display her wedding ring. “I got married two days ago.”
Lou curses. “I knew that lowlife Dankworth couldn’t be trusted. He double-crossed us.”
He advances on Maisy, and I jump down the bus steps to land lightly on my feet, my hands in the air like I’m harmless. There’s no way in hell I’m letting that man get close to my mate.
“Dankworth didn’t,” I say smoothly. “I’m the guy who put a wrench in your plans. Maisy is my wife now.” I take a step closer to Maisy.
If I can just get her to safety, I can take all of these guys, even with their guns.
“Don’t move.” Lucky Lou jerks his gun in my direction. “So you have my money, then. Well, you’re going to sign it over.”
“What money?” Maisy asks.
“Your inheritance,” Lou snarls.
I can see by the bewildered look on Maisy’s face, she doesn’t know what he’s talking about, either.
“What inheritance?” she asks.
“The one your husband controls as soon as you marry or turn twenty-three. The one owed to me by your asshole father.”
So, Maisy receives an inheritance for getting married or after turning twenty-three. That explains the forced marriage. And her birthday is next month, so it seems her father was trying to get control of that money before she did. Allen Dankworth had a trust fund before he partied it all away, so maybe his parents left her something.
Maisy turns a confused face toward the bus, like she wants to ask Allen to explain himself.
“Yeah.” Lou waves toward the bus with the butt of his pistol. “Get Dankworth out here, so he can join Maisy’s new husband in watching me torture her until I get what’s mine.”
I take one half-step closer to Maisy knowing exactly what will happen the moment Lou’s goon steps on the bus.
I ready my bear. I’m shocked I haven’t already shifted with our mate in danger, but he must understand when there are guns involved, I need my human brain at top function for strategy. I keep my gaze trained on the gun at Maisy’s temple and count down in my head. Three…two…one.