He studied the figures in the distance. A bunch of harmless teenagers out looking for some mischief.
“Don’t hurt them.” He shot her a warming glare.
“I never do,” she said sweetly. As she turned toward the voices, he caught a glimpse of a fang elongating from her mouth.
“What exactly is she?” he murmured.
“Rumor is she is more than a witch. Right now, I don’t want to find out. Come on. We need to go.” Catty tugged his hand.
He hesitated for a second and then followed her lead. They hurried to the entrance and she climbed on his back. Once again he scaled the fence effortlessly and landed on the other side.
He started the Harley and waited for her to climb on.
With the information he had gained he needed to get word back to Barrett ASAP. As soon as the stores opened tomorrow he would gather the ingredients for the spell. He had precious little time to wait.
Or it just might be the end of the Arkansas Guardians.
***
Lucien dropped Catty off at her place long after midnight. She’d been disappointed he hadn’t stayed but she knew he was working. It hadn’t taken long before she drifted off to sleep.
Waking long after the sun had risen, she had a cup of coffee before taking a shower. As the spray of the tepid water washed over her body, her mind kept drifting back to Lucien. Something wasn’t adding up.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that Lucien wasn’t telling her everything.
Her gut told her he wasn’t on the bad guys’ side, but in the past she’d been a bad judge of character when it came to men, so she could be way off where he was concerned.
She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Grabbing a towel, she headed out of the bathroom and padded over to her dresser. She dropped the wet towel from around her body and opened the drawer. It was too hot for a bra, so she pulled out a thin T-shirt and some shorts to wear around the apartment.
“That’s what I like about you, Catty. Not afraid to show off your body.” Big Mike’s voice cut through the silence of her apartment.
She screamed and clutched the clothes to her chest, an attempt to hide her nakedness. Her heart thundered against her chest.
“What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?” Her voice shook as she glared at her boss.
He smiled and stood from sitting on the bed. “I haven’t seen you all day. I got worried about you so I popped over.”
“I had the day off.” She grabbed a blanket off the back of a chair and wrapped it around her body. Unease snaked up her spine and curled around the nape of her neck. Big Mike had never come over to her apartment. Something was off.
“I know. I was hoping to spend it with you. I came by earlier and you were gone.” His assessing gaze held hers, as if he was studying her for a lie. She didn’t look away, refusing to let him intimidate her.
“Are you keeping tabs on me now?” Her heart raced in her chest as her senses went on high alert. She wished she were a gun owner. The bullet wouldn’t kill him, but it sure as hell would slow him down for her to get away if she needed.
“I like keeping an eye on all my girls. Make sure they’re not into some kind of trouble doing something they shouldn’t be doing.” He narrowed his eyes. “Know what I mean?”
“If you’re insinuating I’m doing drugs, I’ll be happy to submit a urine test.”
“That’s not the trouble I was talking about.” He stalked over to the window and looked down at the street. “I heard you went riding with some big fellow on a Harley. Heard he was a wolf.”
Her heart tumbled in her chest. She quickly dressed while his back was turned. “I do have a personal life, you know. The club doesn’t own me.”
He slowly turned and leveled his gaze at her. “Is that right? The club is good money and pays the bills. Sounds like you’re thinking you’re too good for your job.”
“I didn’t say that.” Her throated tightened. She didn’t need to rock the boat, not with him. When she got ready to leave for good, she planned on dropping off the face of the earth. She was going to be impossible to find.
“You’re starting to act different, Catty. You’re not as eager to please the customers as you used to be.”
Rage boiled in her gut. She’d never done anything but dance at the club, despite what some the girls insinuated. She knew it stemmed from jealousy, so she shook it off.
“What does that mean?” She lifted her chin.
“I don’t know. You tell me.” He shrugged his big shoulders and took a step toward her. His buzz cut and goatee made him look intimidating. His dark eyes flashed with suspicion as he continued toward her. He was testing her, trying to see if she was lying.