Chapter 9

"Who sent it?"I asked.

"Another unknown number. I am seriously regretting our trip to Sugar Mountain. Everything was fine before that."

To hear Vena say something like that struck a chord of fear in me.

"Hey, none of that. Regret doesn't change anything. Actions do. You taught me that. Now, you're going to text back, asking where and when and then we're going to text Cross and let him know someone's asking about him."

She was quiet as she typed the texts.

My phone buzzed again a minute later.

"Cross is headed to our house now," she said.

"Anything from–"

My phone buzzed.

"They want to meet at a club tonight at ten. Let me look where it is." She was quiet for a minute. "It's across the river. Twenty-five minutes from Blur and it's open until four am. I'll tell them we'll meet at two instead."

Part of what I'd loved about working at Blur was the earlier closing time. We were almost always out of there by one-thirty. Now that I knew what Shepard and his guys did, the hours made more sense.

"As long as Cross goes with us, it sounds like a plan," I said. "But you know ditching Doc is going to cause us problems, right? Especially after telling Shepard about Cross."

"Why did you change your mind about telling him?"

"Seeing Sierra like that and knowing how much you're worrying about Anchor. Not that I'm not worrying. I just didn't realize how much you liked him."

I glanced at her and saw her head tipped down toward the phone.

"I didn't know how much I liked him until he was gone," she said softly.

"We'll find him, and you can tell him," I said.

She lifted her head and gave me a sad, crooked smile. "Does that mean my V is ungrounded?"

"Only because you're exceptionally pathetic right now. But not when I'm in the house. You need to give me a heads up before you launch all your muchness at Anchor."

"Deal."

I pulled up in front of our house and caught movement in my rearview mirror. With a frown, I watched the truck park a block down, just on this side of the curve in our road.

Vena saw I was looking back and turned in her seat.

"Is that MC's truck?" she asked.

"Let it go," I said softly. "We have a few hours before our shift starts. You can watch some reruns of The Other House while I whip you up something sweet."

When we got out of the car, I noticed Doc's little electric number a block down in the other direction.

"Still want to let it go?" Vena asked.

"Yep. I dropped a bomb on Shepard, and he's freaking out. Do you know what he wanted to do?"

"What?"

"A strip search for bites."

Vena cackled so hard that she stumbled.

"Figured you'd enjoy that," I said.

"The man is devious. You still haven't said how you ended up lip-locked with him. It looked impressive, by the way."

I unlocked the door as I rolled my eyes at her.

"Don't ask."

She chuckled again and followed me inside. I didn't see Cross standing in the opening between the living room and the dining room until I'd tossed my purse on our couch.

His eyes were flickering between brown and black as he stared at me.

I stood there like an idiot for a moment. Vena cleared her throat and patted my back.

"Kissing brings nothing but trouble," she said. "That's probably why he has two of his guys following you."

Cross held up three fingers and nodded toward the back of the house.

Then he closed the distance between us and pulled me into his arms. The kiss he planted on me was absolutely toe-curling and would, without a doubt, cause Shepard to lose his mind when I went in to work later.

When Cross finally eased up and looked at me, I could barely remember my name.

"Am I the only hungry one here?" Vena called from the kitchen. "How about a sandwich?"

"Sounds good," I murmured, holding Cross' gaze. He still hadn't said anything, and I wasn't entirely sure if the anger simmering in his gaze was due to the people surrounding my house or knowing Shepard and I had kissed.

Cross let out a long breath then leaned in to press a kiss to my forehead. Fingers entwined with mine, he led me to the kitchen, then took out his phone. He surprised me by sending a group text.

Cross: Is there any additional information you would care to share with me?

Me: I told Shepard you're a friend. He didn't believe me because he could smell that you'd kissed me. Then he kissed me based on my claim that friends can kiss.

Vena glanced at her phone and set down the mayo knife to add to the conversation.

Vena: He also offered to strip-search her before giving her the kiss that was panty-melting hot. Just in case you wanted details.

I shot Vena a dirty look.

Cross: I do not want details. Why did you tell Shepard about me?

Me: They have Sierra at their place. The vampires told her to kidnap Miles and get information about the werewolves. The fact that Gunther was kidnapped by vampires right after and that Anchor is still missing seems related, right? I was hoping you could talk to her again.

Cross: Did you think Shepard would give me permission to speak with her?

The look Cross gave me made me mad enough to drop my phone on the counter and walk away from him. He caught my wrist. Refusing to turn around, I tried tugging it free. He didn't loosen his hold. Instead, he moved to stand in front of me.

"Forgive me," he whispered. "But you have to know that wolves and vampires can never be friends, let alone work together. They are too stubborn for that."

"I agree Shepard is stubborn, but he also needs you to get through to Sierra so we can find Anchor."

"The only way that will happen is if Sierra is removed from their custody. Even if Shepard would grant me permission to talk to Sierra, I'm not stupid enough to walk into a wolf compound alone. I can deal with a couple of wolves, but not their entire pack."

I supposed it would be too much to ask them to break their long-lived hatred for each other for the greater good.

Cross' gaze whipped across the room at the front door.

"Text me later," he said.

He planted a kiss on my forehead and was down the hall and into my bedroom before I blinked.

The front door crashed open, and Doc and Tank rushed inside. Like a SWAT team, they searched the house and came up empty. Cross had escaped through my bedroom window again.

"He was here," Doc said. "I smell the vamp everywhere."

Tank stepped over to me, his nose twitching. "Everywhere. Including on Everly."

Doc came over, his nose wrinkling as his eyes scanned me, stopping at my mouth.

"If you start sniffing her butt, I'm calling Shepard," Vena said.

Doc frowned at her but took a step back. "Tell me what happened."

"I already told Shepard about Cross," I said. "He's a friend."

"A kissing friend?" Doc questioned.

"I think the kisses stopped being friendly a while ago. It's now a battle," Vena said. "Cross kissed her. Shepard kissed back. Now Cross again. Really, they should just cut out Ev as the middleman and kiss each other."

The men cringed as if Vena had nut-punched them.

"I'll have to tell Shepard," Doc said.

"About the kissing suggestion? I highly encourage it. While you're at it, tell him we also didn't agree to three wolves," Vena said. "I appreciate the security, but our neighbors are going to start calling cops with all the loitering vehicles out there."

Doc waved Tank out the door. He trailed after him as he brought his phone to his ear.

"Think Shepard will be over here soon?" Vena asked.

"I hope not."

"Why? He needs to cover up all traces of Cross. And judging from Cross' kiss, Shepard will have to put in some overtime."

I rolled my eyes. "Can we forget this and just watch The Other House reruns until our shift tonight?"

"I'm game for that." She slid a sandwich to me. "Sandwich O'Vena, madam."

It was ham and cheese. I took it gratefully along with a glass of water.

Sitting on the couch, I flipped on the TV and pulled up one of our favorite episodes of The Other House. As the opening credits rolled, Doc knocked on the door and let himself in.

"Do you mind if I hang out in here?" he asked. "Shepard wants Tank stationed outside."

Vena waved to the chair. "Have a seat. Do you want a Sandwich O'Vena?"

He raised a brow.

"It's ham and cheese," I said.

"Oh. Yes. Please."

"I'll make some for Tank, too." As Vena went to the kitchen, she said, "Pause it when the show starts. I don't want to miss anything."

When Vena was out of the room, Doc leaned toward me. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm not bitten or thralled. There's no need to worry."

"You know we'll worry."

I paused the show at the opening scene. "Vena, it's on." I then glanced at Doc. "I can't stop you from worrying, but please trust me when I say that Cross is different."

Just like Shepard, Doc didn't believe me, but when Vena handed him a plate with three sandwiches stacked on it, he fell silent as he ate.

"We already know Donte is the wolf in this season," Vena said, settling in next to me. "I can't wait to know about the current season's wolf. I bet it's Chase."

"It's not him," Doc said. "It's--"

Vena launched at him, her hand pressed against his mouth as sandwiches flew into the air. Ham and cheese slicked with mayo dropped with a splat onto them and the couch.

Doc peeled ham from his cheek.

With a sigh, I paused the show again to get towels. When I restarted it, Doc wisely kept his mouth shut and ate the destroyed remnants of his sandwiches.

The next hour flew by without any Shepard appearance or text. I wasn't relieved since I knew I'd need to face him at work. The urge to go shower tugged at me, but I knew it wouldn"t do any good. The damage had already been done. Doc had smelled Cross on me and reported it. No amount of washing would undo that. But wouldn't it be a little less of a slap to Shepard's nose if I didn't waltz into work smelling like fresh Cross?

"How many times are you going to sigh like that?" Vena asked. "You're distracting me from the goods."

The goods being the shirtless workout on the screen.

"Something wrong?" Doc asked.

"Yeah, something's wrong. You tattled on me, and I'm worried about what Shepard's going to say when I see him at Blur." Another sigh escaped me, and I slouched deeper into the couch.

"There-there," Vena said with mock sympathy. "Now that you've received some pity, shut it and pay attention. Donte's shirt is off."

I ended up skipping the second half and showering before work instead of drooling over Donte's abs with Vena. When I emerged with my hair styled and enough perfume to make a werewolf wheeze–Doc proven–I was a little calmer about facing Shepard.

Doc followed Vena and me into work, going so far as to linger by the lockers until we'd stowed our things.

"What in the heck do you think we're going to do? Run?" Vena asked with annoyance. "You know where we live, Doc. Besides, I'm here to collect my poor unloved bill-babies, not abandon them."

"Bill-babies?" Doc echoed.

"She means the money people leave on the tables," I said. "You know…tips."

"That's my girl," Vena said, slapping my ass. "Now, go make nice with the boss so we can both get paid."

Doc snorted and shook his head at her.

I rolled my eyes but did as she said and made my way to the meeting room. Surprisingly, Shepard didn't show his face until it was time to assign sections. And he didn't ask me to stay after either.

"Looks like the perfume worked," Vena mock whispered on the way down to our sections.

As soon as the doors opened and patrons started filling the tables, I forgot about being a participant in the Shepard-Cross kissing contest and focused on delivering drinks with a smile. The tip money rolled in like usual, and the hours on the clock ticked by unnoticed until the last call.

Vena's laugh rang out over the music as she served a group of fae. I glanced at them to make sure she was okay, but she had everything under control, keeping a careful distance even while delivering one of her signature flirty winks.

I turned to check my next table and caught sight of Jaws frowning at Vena from Anchor's usual spot. We needed to find him soon. He knew how not to judge the servers for their friendly smiles.

Shepard was at the bar when I came to collect my drink orders. He nodded to me as he set them on my tray. It felt normal. Normal was good. Why was I so nervous then? Could he smell my nervousness over the perfume? Was that why he was being nice?

I delivered the drinks and started to clean up as my tables emptied. Vena did the same and joined me at the bar to count out tips after the last patron left. Shepard was there, cleaning glasses, and smiled at Vena's happy squeal over a fifty she'd been given.

"What did you need to do for that?" Jaws asked from behind us.

Vena slowly turned, obviously hearing the same tone I had. I internally cringed and spun around to face Jaws.

"She learned how to be a people person," I said, keeping my tone cluelessly upbeat. "You should give it a try. It starts with a smile and a kind tone. It doesn't work well when she's hungry or tired though. Then she tries to draw blood. Are you thinking about being a cocktail concierge yourself?"

Jaws stared at me as I smiled at him. Behind us, Shepard chuckled. It wasn't filled with humor.

"I think you owe the ladies an apology, Jaws. They know how to do their jobs. Learn how to do yours. Am I clear?"

Jaws nodded once to Shepard, mumbled an apology to us and left.

"And on that note," Vena said, sliding the bartender split toward Shepard, "I think we should head out. Thanks for the tour this morning. See you again Wednesday. No closing your doors permanently."

"I won't," he said.

His gaze lingered on me as I quickly set my portion on the bar and followed her out.

Doc was already waiting by the back door. He didn't say anything as he got into his car. Neither did we. He did frown a little as Vena got in behind the wheel. I smiled and waved as I buckled just like normal, though.

As soon as she started out, she handed me her phone. I turned off the tracking. Then I did the same to mine. When she was almost to the highway, she coasted through a yellow and smirked as Doc stopped for it.

My phone buzzed.

Doc: Wait for me.

"Shepard is going to be so mad," I said as Vena sped up and took a turn that would lead us to After Curfew.

"It's always easier to apologize later than to ask ‘Daddy' for permission to go," she said.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Did Cross confirm that he'll meet up there?"

She looked at me. "You just said to tell him someone was asking about him."

"I said as long as he's with us, I was okay with this meetup." My tone conveyed my frustration and disbelief.

"And I thought that's why he was coming to the house. To discuss how to time this. Not my fault the conversation was cut short."

She wasn't wrong, but it still annoyed me. I started typing up a text, but Vena stopped me.

"Everly, if you tell him now, he'll run straight there. What do you think will happen if the guy they're asking about shows up with us? They won't tell us what we need to know. You know that. The club is a public place. We're going during peak hours. We can get the information and text Cross on our way out."

"Blur is a public place, too," I said. "Remember how that almost wasn't safe?"

She sighed–a defeated sound. "You're right. Your call."

I hated it when she left stuff in my court. I couldn't blame her when things went horribly wrong then.

"Fine. We'll at least drive by," I said and watched the phone for the text or call I knew was going to come as soon as Doc rolled up to the house and discovered we were MIA.

It took less time than I anticipated. By the time we got to the club, I had five missed calls and the same number of texts. But, at least, the club didn't look like a shady cover business like Juicy.

Feeling guilty for making everyone worry, I sent a reply text as Vena searched for a parking spot.

Me: We're running an errand. We'll head home soon.

Shepard: An errand at 1:30 a.m.?

I cursed under my breath as Vena zipped into a parking spot before anyone else could steal it.

"What?" Vena asked. "I parked fine."

"No. I told Shepard we are on an errand, and he's questioning it because of the time. We better hurry. It looked like a long line waiting to get in."

She grabbed my arm to stop me from getting out.

"Tell him we're going to the adult store, and ask if he has a preference on toys. It'll buy us time. And here." She dug into her meager cleavage and pulled out her knife. "Hide this for me. It looked like they were doing pat-downs to get in."

"Texting Shepard that we're going to an adult toy store is not helpful," I said, unbuttoning my top two buttons and tucking the closed blade between the girls.

"Oh, it could help a lot." She opened the door and stepped out.

My phone rang.

"It's Shepard," I said.

"Give him the adult store excuse, or he'll never leave you alone."

Me: Won't be able to hear you. Give me 20 minutes.

Hopefully, that would be enough to get him to stop hounding me. While I knew his reason for tracking me came out of safety, I should be allowed to go somewhere without him knowing every detail.

This was one of those times.

"We should have dressed up," Vena said, eyeing all the club girls in the long line. "I bet those bouncers only let in the pretty people."

"We were asked to come here," I said. "Let's see if we're on the list."

Vena skipped the line, which elicited angry responses from the people waiting.

"Maybe we should wait," I said.

"We don't have time."

She pulled me with her to the bouncer, who looked as big as some of the guys at Blur. He took one look at us and said, "Back of the line."

"We were told to meet people here," Vena said.

"Don't care. Back of the line."

"If you have a list, look at it," she said.

With an annoyed huff, the guy reached around him and grabbed a tablet. "Name."

"Everly and Vena."

He glanced up at us, really looking this time, and set the tablet aside.

"Arms up. Feet apart," he ordered.

He felt for weapons on both of us before grabbing the red rope barrier and letting us inside. "Go to the VIP lounge. Back of the house." On our way to the door, I heard him radio, "They're here. White shirts, black skirts."

The loud music that thumped through the speakers greeted us through the door, followed by a thick crowd that didn't give way. Vena had to push through, which was no easy task. This late, clubbers were already drunk and dancing. A man sloshed a drink, spilling it on my shoes.

"There has to be a better way," I yelled over the music.

If Vena heard me, she didn't stop to reply. We continued through to the dance floor, getting gyrated on by several men and a few women before we reached the other side. I smelled like sweat and alcohol.

We stopped at the roped entrance to the VIP lounge where another bouncer stood. He gave us a once-over. "Names."

"Vena and Everly," Vena said.

He let us through to a staircase that led to a loft. I hadn't been nervous before, due to the crowd, but as soon as my foot hit the first step, my stomach churned. We had no idea who was up there or what they wanted. We had one knife and no muscle. I felt like we were walking into Juicy all over again and we were going to die this time.

I grabbed Vena's hand. "This isn't a good idea."