13. Mike

THIRTEEN

Mike received the text from Beatriz while sitting on his front porch. He had been considering going over to her cabin again. Her reaction to his sudden appearance could only be described as enthralling, but he thought it was sweet that she was offering to help out Ellie. Ellie was like a little sister to him. He wanted the best for her, as he did the entire Wolfe family.

He sat in the chilling air for about ten minutes after sending her a salacious reply. He liked to imagine her blushing, maybe quivering a little bit with anticipation.

The enforcer then decided to make his way over to the tapas and wine bar, too. The investigation had ground to a halt, with shifters suddenly closing themselves off from sharing any more information with him. Danny and Doris were helpful, but he needed more. Like the actual names of the dealers, for one.

Mike considered they weren't being completely genuine with him. They had participated in illicit activity, after all, and could be protecting the dealer"s name to keep their own names out of any charges. Or to dodge any responsibility.

He combed through the notes he'd made during their interview, as well as the brief interactions he had with store runners in the community. The sun was going down, and the sight of it, plus his empty arms, only made him feel more painfully lonely.

Mike longed for Beatriz's touch, his soft mouth pressed up against hers. It was distracting, to say the very least, but he really didn't mind letting himself wander there.

In Vegas, he had taken a woman or two to bed, but it was mainly for practical reasons. Sex let off steam and forced him to relax. Helping to build up a pack wasn't easy work, and everyone needed some downtime. He appreciated the company of the women, but once their purposes were served, he lost interest.

He wasn't callous or unkind about it. They just didn't stick to his ribs the way Beatriz did. He wanted to know what she was doing at every waking moment … if she was bathing, watching TV, taking care of the triplets, drinking tea in bed, reading, fantasizing about him …

He wanted to know all of it, every single detail. It bordered on obsessive, but he knew that shifters weren"t aware of any other way. He drank in the romance of longing, his thoughts drifting away from the drug investigation like a paper bag in the wind.

The waiting was torturous, he soon understood. Mike realized that he would be counting the hours until he got a chance to see his mate, so why not help out at the bar at the same time? He really didn't need much of an excuse to be around her. Ellie might actually need his help, what with the soft opening and everything. He didn't think it would be that busy just yet, but really, there was no real reason not to.

Beatriz"s perfumed essence made his spirit brim with excitement. It was like being thirsty but never being able to quench it.

Mike headed out, lively with suspense. When he got to Indulge, the air was heavy with mist, and darkness had blanketed the majority of the parking lot. He parked in the front area the way he usually did, but before walking through the front door, he felt a tingle brush up against the back of his neck.

And it wasn't the fun, arousing kind of tingle. It was a hollow sensation inside him. A warning that only the most talented of shifters could interpret.

Mike skulked around the back of the building, where he spotted what looked like a delivery van. It took him a fraction of a second to realize there was a scuffle going on between three wolves, one of which was his beloved mate.

Mike shifted at the speed of light, exploding out of his clothing, and sprinted toward the melee. It appeared to be a two-on-one affair where the strange wolves were going for Beatriz in an unfair battle. When he arrived, the two bastards had their jaws open, ready to feast.

He had no doubt in his mind that Beatriz was a force to be reckoned with. He knew that the moment he saw her magnificence beneath the spill of the silver moon. But it was incomparable to not only an enforcer but a mate willing to do whatever it took to protect what was his.

Shifters were powerful in their own right, but a shifter who had found their mate was defined by their rabidness. All logic dissipated, replaced by a compounded, supernatural fury.

That was what rocketed forward at the strangers who were about to mangle his darling.

Everything moved in surreal, slow motion. Mike galloped, leaping past the van with super-shifter agility, aiming to land on top of the wolf that appeared faster than the other. The second one spotted him as he soared through the misty air, their gray eyes wide with horror and surprise.

He was glad to see that. Their fate, in his mind, had already been sealed.

Beatriz stumbled to her feet, likely having had her head bashed against the brick wall behind her. When Mike connected with the faster wolf, the one who didn"t see or hear him coming, he realized that she had also seen him.

He crushed the first wolf beneath the power of his weight. Bone crunched like weak twigs beneath him, but it did not kill the stranger. He winced and whimpered as Mike scrambled to stand between them and his beloved.

Mike bared his teeth at them, standing tall and snarling while he crept forward to close the gap between them. Neither of them was exactly the brightest bulb in the box, and the enforcer realized that early on. They went in for another attack, two at once, without formation or regard for their own well-being.

Mike took advantage of their foolishness. First, he smacked the one on the left, the one with the gray eyes that had marked his arrival. His claws sunk deep into their cheek, triggering a guttural yowl of pain. They staggered, and then the second one made their attempt.

The second one was far more focused but still reckless. He managed to charge Mike fast and hard, but it had very little effect. He was immune to a lot of pain due to the adrenaline surging through his body and the invisible shield of his commitment to Beatriz.

Mike swatted him away like a fly. He responded faster than the first wolf, spinning around with his mouth gaped wide. The enforcer caught him by the snout with his own mouth, thrashing the delicate cartilage until the victim could take no more.

He tore himself from Mike's vise grip and slumped away. The other wolf did that, too … a woman, Mike started to surmise … and crawled pathetically into the open back doors of the delivery van.

The stronger One of the wolves shifted and slipped into the front seat frantically. He yanked on the ignition and slammed on the gas as the woman followed him into the van.

If it had been a battle between the three of them, Mike would have followed without question. But Beatriz was still unstable, struggling to stand, and she was his number one concern at all times. So he went to her the moment the van vanished out of his sight. As he approached, she fell to the ground, causing his heart to nearly burst out of his chest.

Those mother fuckers.

He shifted quickly back into his human form and fell to his knees, sure to bruise them from the collision with the concrete. As he laid a hand to find a pulse on her neck, he noticed a steady stream of ruby-colored blood leaking out from the back of her head. It was a tiny spot. But the way her honey eyes rolled back was frightening.

Mike held her head in his hands, and she slowly shifted back into her human form. Unaware she had removed her clothes before shifting, he figured her clothing had burst off her also, as she had likely shifted out of nowhere to protect herself. He stroked her cheeks. Her skin had gone pale as a ghost.

"I got you now," he said.

He was beside himself with a sea of tumultuous emotions. Rage, fear, and sadness fused together as one, pushing him into action without a flinch of hesitation. Mike ran into the wine and tapas bar and found Nate, telling him quickly what had happened in the alleyway. Nate gave him a blanket, plus another for Beatriz, who was nearly out cold on the hard ground.

"I'm calling Barbara and Tristan," Nate said. "They will get the shifter paramedics out here, pronto."

Mike barely heard him. He was already racing back outside to wrap his mate in the blanket and cradle her in his arms. Her skin felt cold, so he pressed his palms against her skin, attempting to warm her.

He had never felt such sorrow in his entire life.