Chapter Two

How long had it been since I'd seen Lilou?

Years.

She was a memory from a past I'd done my best to put behind me. Seeing her should've brought all the dark memories of what I'd lost rushing back. But instead, my heart ached, and I was hit with the realization I'd missed her.

Her deep purple hair glowed in the soft interior lights of her SUV and her eyes stayed locked on the road ahead. The unusual color of her hair almost made her pale gray eyes appear lavender.

Were her eyes shifting colors, or was it just a trick of the light? I tucked that question away to ask another time.

"So, where are we going?" I kept my tone conversational, not wanting to stress her.

Lilou snorted and shot me a quick glance, before focusing back on the rain-slick freeway. "I'm not telling you that!"

I couldn't hold back a smile. "I'll find out, eventually."

The moment I said the words, the scent of her panic and the flustered heat of her body hit my senses. She could cling to the fa?ade of calm, cool, and bad to the bone, but I could smell the truth.

There was another fragrance that was almost completely masked by the others. It was sugary sweet, yet hid a sour scent I couldn't quite place.

I rested my head back against the seat, letting the day's events run through my mind. When I'd woken up that morning, I hadn't expected to be kidnapped by a woman I hadn't seen in nearly a decade. But here we were.

Could I have avoided being kidnapped? Yes. With both hands tied behind my back and wearing a blindfold.

Was I intrigued enough to go along with it, even though I knew she didn't have a gun? Also, yes. Frankly, my life was boring, and this was the most entertaining thing to happen in years.

I didn't know for sure what she'd poked against my back, but I would've smelled gunpowder if she'd had a gun. Instead, when she'd poked me in the back with the soft, round-tipped weapon, I'd smelled only silicone and the faintest hint of… arousal? Which made no sense at all, unless I'd just been kidnapped with a dildo or a massage gun.

I squinted at her, trying to decide if she would've been brash enough to kidnap a werewolf without a real weapon.

Yeah. Lilou was exactly the type of girl to commit a crime with her fantastic plastic lover instead of bringing an actual guy along to act as the muscle.

She'd literally threatened me with a good time.

"So listen, I don't mean to make things awkward, but I really need to use the restroom." It was the truth, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to watching how she would navigate the request.

Even in the low light of the SUV radio and dash lights, I caught the faint pink tinge spreading across her cheeks.

Uncertainty flickered across her face. "Now? Like… right now?"

"I mean, it's not an emergency, but I'd rather not wait too long, you know?" Her dismay made it difficult to hide my amusement.

"Okay, yeah. I'll find somewhere to stop," she mumbled, giving me a double-take when she caught me staring. "What?"

"I've just never had a kidnapper be so thoughtful and worried about my comfort." Lilou was so adorably bad at this. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, how many times have you been kidnapped?" she snapped, more flustered than annoyed.

It was a valid point.

"Alright, this is the first time, but I've seen movies. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to blindfold me and rough me up," I smirked. "Not caress my head after you banged it on the metal doorframe?—"

"That was an accident!" Taking one hand off the wheel, she jabbed her index finger in my direction to punctuate her words.

I couldn't help but grin. She was cute when she was riled up. But before I got the chance to bait her more, red and blue lights began flashing behind us. Lilou checked the rearview mirror and gave a panicked squeak.

"Did you call the cops?" she demanded, her hair flying around her face as she whipped her head to glare at me.

Reaching out, I grabbed the wheel before we could drift into the next lane. Clenching her jaw, Lilou stared hard at the road again. She curled her fingers around the wheel until her knuckles turned white, like she was imagining she was choking someone.

"No, I didn't call the cops." I didn't point out that she would've noticed if I'd made a phone call. "Just pull over."

To my surprise, Lilou didn't argue. Although she did insist on taking my phone. Listening to my voice of reason, she flipped on her blinker and rose in her seat to check her rearview mirror as she crossed the lanes of traffic.

The flashing lights on the vehicle behind us mirrored her motions, pulling off the side of the road and eliminating all hope that they just wanted to get by us to go after someone else.

Part of me found it amusing that she'd kidnapped me and ended up getting pulled over for seemingly no reason. It was like the universe had it out for her.

There was no way my pack had already figured out I was missing. That meant no one was looking for me, so I had no idea why they were pulling her over. But it was funny all the same.

Lilou came to a halt on the shoulder of the road, and I glanced in the side mirror at the flashing lights on the vehicle behind us.

I studied her, trying to take stock of how she was feeling. Her arms were straight and her hands still white as she gripped the wheel.

She looked at me, wild panic in her eyes. "Please don't say anything."

"Or what? You'll massage me to death with your gun?" I joked.

Her eyes widened, and she shot a quick look between her seat and the console, probably to see if the gun was still hidden. "You knew?"

I shrugged. "Why would I say anything to the cop? You're the one getting pulled over."

She didn't seem to realize I was teasing her and lowered her voice. "Because I kidnapped you, duh."

"Today really isn't your day." I shook my head, feeling almost bad for her, but that didn't stop me from teasing her a bit more. "Please tell me you don't have a warrant out for your arrest. I really don't want to get a reputation for hanging out with criminals and it would be hard to explain to my pack."

"This would be difficult for you to explain?" she huffed, sounding close to tears.

I held up my hands. "Hey, don't get upset with me. I'm the victim here, remember?"

Her hands kneaded the steering wheel, making the faux leather squeak. She was struggling to steady her breathing, breathing that was far harsher than it should've been. That, combined with the unsteady beat of her heart, caused me to take pity on her.

"It'll be okay." I touched her knee, and she trembled, her terror sharp and acrid in the air.

"Maybe now would be a good time to tell me why you kidnapped me?" I asked softly.

She dropped her head, refusing to look at me. "I don't think so. Not yet."

It was the response I'd expected, but not the response I'd hoped for. The officer knocked on the outside of my window and I rolled it down.

"I just want to let you know that my body cam is rolling and I'm on this side for my safety. Do you have any idea why I pulled you over tonight?"

Lilou's terror intensified until she was practically vibrating in the seat next to me.

"No. I don't know, officer." I didn't miss Lilou's sharp intake of breath.

The officer blinked at her. "Are you okay, miss?" He tucked his thumbs into his vest and studied me as if he thought I might be a problem.

Wait a second… Did the cop think I might be intimidating her?

I was the one who'd been kidnapped. Well, kind of. She was so bad at it that I wasn't sure this met the criteria for a legit abduction, but technically, she was the one breaking the law. I was just along for the ride.

"I'm fine, just scared because I've never been pulled over before." Lilou reached into her pocket. "Here's my license. Registration and insurance are in the glove box."

She leaned over me to open the compartment. Lilou's gorgeous body brushed against my thigh and her heat sank through my jeans and into my skin. Something stirred in my chest—something that I'd never expected to feel again.

After rifling around for a minute, she finally pulled out the documents and offered them to the officer, who hadn't taken his eyes off me. He slowly took them and headed back to his car.

"He thinks I'm kidnapping you," I whispered.

"Oh, wonderful!" She gave a half-hiccup, half giggle.

"No, it's not. How is that wonderful?" I hissed.

She glanced at me, relief swirling in her big gray eyes. "If he thinks you kidnapped me, it means he doesn't think I could be a threat to you."

"Well, that is some sexist, back-arse-ward bologna. You kidnapped me with a gun. Doesn't that count for something?" I growled.

Lilou snorted. "A massage gun."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Oh! It counted as a gun when you wanted it to, but now it doesn't count as a weapon? It won't kill me, but it's the principle of the thing."

She rolled her lip into her mouth and I could swear she was trying not to laugh. Despite my annoyance, I was relieved her breathing had calmed and her heart had found its rhythm again.

A moment later, the cop reappeared at the window, offering Lilou her documents. "You have a taillight out, miss."

"Oh, I had no idea!" Lilou's relief was palpable, and a smile curved her lips. "I'll get that fixed as soon as possible, officer."

The officer nodded. "Please do. It's a hazard, especially in this kind of weather." He motioned to the pouring rain.

"Thank you, officer. I'll pull off at the next exit and find an auto parts store. Someone has to visit the little boy's room anyway," she replied with a grin.

I couldn't remember ever being so offended by a bathroom break in my life. If I hadn't been distracted by her hand squeezing my knee and sending electricity sizzling through me, I might have said something.

The cop eyed me with a tight, calculating smile I didn't appreciate, and patted the windowsill. "Well, drive safe. The weather is only supposed to get worse."

I sensed him hesitating just a moment too long, as if waiting for some sign from her that she needed his help. When she only continued to smile up at him, he tipped his hat and walked back to his car.

"I'm glad that's over." She blew out a breath.

I blinked at her.

She hesitated, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. "Why didn't you tell him I kidnapped you?"

That was the million-dollar question. The honest answer was I hadn't been this entertained in years. Just like turning the pages of a good book to see what happens in the next chapter, I found myself wanting to know where this was going… and what she was up to. But I wasn't about to tell her that.

"And miss out on the pure comedy that is your kidnapping attempt? Not a chance." I winked, and her eyebrows scrunched together cutely over her nose. "Who knows? I might turn this into a book, or a play!"

"Rude," she scowled at me. "I think I'll stop by the auto parts store first, just so you have to wait longer to go to the bathroom."

There was no holding back my smirk as she pulled out onto the open road once more.