In the Company of Wolves(28)

Kostandin wasn’t fazed by her threat. Instead, he kept the automatic pointed at her head for a few more seconds before casually slipping it into the holster behind his back. Then he chuckled again and brushed past her.

He stopped just outside the door and looked back. “Your pack, Jayna? Does Liam know you’ve taken over?”

Jayna didn’t offer a reply. That was okay because Kos didn’t seem to expect one.

Still trembling with anger, she headed for the stairwell. She had one foot on the steps when Liam’s voice stopped her this time. Dammit. Was the whole world trying to piss her off today? She turned around to see him jogging to catch up with her. Fifteen years older than her, she used to think of Liam as the big brother she never had. Now, she didn’t know what to think of him.

“Where have you been all day?”

Normally, she would have come up with a good lie, trusting in her ability to talk her way out of most tight corners. But after the run-in with Kostandin, she wasn’t in the mood to play games with Liam. Right now, she wanted to make sure Megan was okay.

“I was out taking care of something.”

His eyes narrowed. “What kind of something?”

Jayna felt her fangs slip out at the suspicion in his voice. She forced them back in and regarded her alpha with what she hoped was a calm expression. “I had to get out of here for a while.” She jerked her head toward the lobby. “Away from all…this.”

Liam frowned. “Why would you want to get away from this? It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”

If she’d had any doubt that he’d lied about Frasheri forcing them to work for him, she didn’t now. “Best thing that ever happened to us? You’re kidding, right?”

His face darkened. “Why do you always have to act like this? I’ve never done anything but try to take care of all of you. Frasheri and Kos are going to look out for us…protect us.”

She’d thought Liam had simply looked the other way when it came to all the illegal crap the Albanians were into, but now she realized he really was indifferent to the danger he’d put the pack squarely in the middle of.

“Protect us from whom?” she demanded. “The only people who are likely to hurt us are these new friends of yours. Or haven’t you seen the way Kostandin and his buddies look at Megan and me?”

Liam actually looked like he didn’t know what she was talking about. Maybe he didn’t.

She turned and started up the stairs, done with the stupid conversation. But apparently, Liam wasn’t.

“Kos values us too much to risk pissing me off.”

Liam made it sound like he and the Albanian were equals. He was even further gone than she’d thought if he didn’t know Kos was using him.

She threw a disgusted look over her shoulder as she kept walking. “You keep believing that right up until it’s too late.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Liam asked.

She stopped and turned to look at him. Liam was standing at the bottom of the steps, an annoyed look on his face.

“When we first came down here, you said your debt would be paid off in a few weeks,” she said. “Well, it’s been a few weeks and we’re still here.”

Liam didn’t answer right away. “We’ve got something good going here, Jayna. We’d be crazy to leave. Can’t you see that?”

No, thinking Liam might actually come clean with her and admit there was no debt and never had been was crazy. She should have known better.

Jayna didn’t say anything as she turned to climb up the stairs again. Fortunately, Liam was smart enough not to follow her. If he had, Jayna knew she wouldn’t be able to help what happened.

She walked down the hall to the small, one-bedroom efficiency apartment on the third floor that she and Megan shared and tapped on the door. Even though they both had a key to the place, they had no idea if Kostandin or one of the other Albanians had a second one. So anytime one of them was in the room, they slid a chair under the doorknob to wedge the door closed even after they put the chain on it. It wouldn’t stop any of those thugs for long, but it would slow them down.

She heard Megan move the chair aside and undo the door chain. A moment later, the door opened. Megan stepped back so Jayna could enter, then closed the door and locked it again.

“Hey! I was wondering when you’d be back.” Megan smiled. “You smell different. New shampoo?”

Jayna opened her mouth to tell her best friend about Eric, but then closed it again. She wanted to trust Megan, wanted to think she wouldn’t tell Liam anything Jayna asked her to keep secret. But honestly, Jayna wasn’t sure what Megan would do if Liam got in her face and asked her straight out if she knew where Jayna had been. Even if Megan could keep from telling Liam, she still might slip up and tell one of their other pack mates, which was essentially the same thing. The guys, especially Joseph, were still really tight with their pack alpha.