Wolf with Benefits

CHAPTER NINETEEN

By the third day, Toni truly thought her head might explode. For three days she’d been forced to sit in this room. For three days, she’d been forced to wait for hours until someone came in to tell her to “try again tomorrow.” And for three days she’d been forced to keep her temper under control.

Although Toni hadn’t realized she had a temper quite like this. The more they made her wait, the worse it was getting. What made it even worse were the two males she was stuck with.

She looked across the room. First at Vic Barinov. He was reading a book on the Teutonic knights and their battles.

Really? Really? Was reading about Teutonic knights seriously that important? When her entire life was falling apart around her?

Knowing she was moments away from biting the man’s nose off, Toni turned her gaze to the wolf. Unlike the hybrid, he wasn’t reading anything. He was just sitting there, placidly staring at the wall. How did he do that? How did anyone do that who was not already in some sort of catatonic state?

This whole situation was insane! And making her absolutely crazy. Even worse were the regular texts from her family. Text after text after text with just enough information to have Toni seriously worried for their collective safety.

And did any of that concern the bears? Well, she had no idea because she hadn’t spoken to any of them. Instead, a bear led her into “The Room” as she now called it, left her there for hours, and then another bear led her out.

Well you know what? Today was going to be different. Today she was going to stand up and say, “I’ve had enough!”

But before she could, the door opened and some bear looked at her and said, “You can go now.”

With a yip that made the black bear stumble away from the doorway, Toni got to her feet, grabbed her backpack, and stormed out of the room. She didn’t look back to see if the two males with her were following, because she no longer cared. She no longer cared about them. Or this job. Or these bears. Or anything else in the universe. She was fed up with everyone and everything.

Toni reached the car first and tapped her foot while the two males ambled up. Barinov remotely unlocked the doors and Toni got inside. She tossed her bag to the floor, pulled her legs up on the seat, and wrapped her arms around her calves. She worked to control her breathing because she knew a panic attack was coming on. Yes. Like Freddy and Cherise, Toni did get panic attacks, but she’d worked hard over the years to control the problem since she couldn’t afford to have panic attacks while her siblings were.

And just a few days around bigoted bears seemed to have ruined all the good work her therapist had done. This was unacceptable!

“How ya doin’, darlin’?” the wolf asked her from the front passenger seat.

Toni dug her fingernails into her hands and lied, “Fine.”

Ricky turned on the TV in his room, then quickly turned it off again. He didn’t know Russian, wasn’t about to start learning it now, and there was just something upsetting about watching a John Wayne movie dubbed into any other language but good ol’ American. Or, as his sister liked to correct him, “You mean English, dumb ass?”

So Ricky grabbed his laptop and fired up one of the movies he had on his hard drive. He was just getting into the original Ocean’s Eleven when Vic knocked on his door.

“We both know you have a key,” Ricky called out.

A few seconds later, the hybrid was in his room. “Of course I have a key, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for me to just walk in without asking. I’m not a housecat, ya know.”

“You’re actually talking about lions, aren’t you?” Ricky took his Titans cap off and dropped it on the side table. “All right, how long is this going to go on?”

“Not sure.”

“Because I’m gonna be honest with ya, Vic. I’m not sure how much longer she’s going to—”

Ricky abruptly stopped, his gaze moving to Vic’s. They moved together, both of them heading for the doors that separated Ricky’s room from Toni’s. Vic opened the first door and Ricky kicked in the second, assuming it would be locked. They went through and immediately stopped.

“Holy shit, Rick.”

“I know.”

It was like a tornado had come through the room. Everything in it had been ripped apart. The comforter, the sheets, the blankets, the pillows, the bed, the dresser, the desk, the TV, the stand the TV had been on. All of it. And it all hadn’t been smashed, or tossed aside in a pouty little girl rage. No. This was dog damage. Claws and a canine body had done all this.

And now . . . that canine was ripping at the bedroom door, trying to scratch and bite her way out. It was as if Toni had forgotten she had thumbs.

“Now can I say it?” Vic asked.

Ricky sighed. “Yeah. Go ahead.”

The hybrid leaned closer. “Separation anxiety, dude.”

Ricky, as a fellow canine—but like Toni, not a dog—was ashamed to say it, but yes. This was clearly separation anxiety. She was having separation anxiety because she was away from her family. And the longer the bears made her wait, the worse it was getting.

“So what are we going to do?” Barinov asked.

“The only thing we can.”

Toni knew she was losing it, but she couldn’t help it. But what surprised her was that Ricky let her continue losing it without actually doing much more than keeping her away from the front door.

When she went for the bed again, digging her way down until she hit springs and wood—he didn’t stop her. Even when she started chewing up the wood and springs and spitting them across the room—he didn’t stop her.

When she began to attack the glass doors that led to the balcony, he didn’t stop her then, either.

But when it got dark later, sometime after eight that evening, the wolf suddenly picked up her jackal body, pushed her into his empty duffel bag, and left the hotel. Maybe they were going home! Maybe the bears had said they refused to meet with some lowly canine. Maybe . . . maybe . . .

Still in that bag, Toni was unceremoniously dropped into the backseat of the car and they began moving. After about forty-five minutes, the car pulled to a stop, the bag with Toni still in it was dragged out of the backseat, unzipped, and turned over.

Toni landed on her back. She gazed up at the wolf.

“According to Vic, we’re now in canine and cat territory. This is your opportunity to run. Run your little heart out. Get it out of your system. Because maybe once you do that, you’ll be able to think straight and get this goddamn job done.” He threw up his hands. “Look what you’ve done to me. Now I’m blaspheming as bad as you!”

Toni turned over and stared into the dark but lush Siberian landscape near Lake Baikal. God, she did want to run. She wanted to run until everything in her hurt.

She started to get to her four feet when a large, bushy tail flicked her snout. Once, twice. Ricky had shifted into his wolf form, and he had his ass in her face. Rude!

Toni jumped to her feet, onto the wolf’s back, and over him. She tossed her tail into his face before she took off running. She glanced back, saw the wolf right behind her.

Laughing, Toni picked up speed and ran her heart out.

Reece was ordered to the main floor of the shifter area so that he could be photographed. He didn’t mind being photographed. Unlike his brothers, he was real photogenic. Still, having to sit here, waiting to be primped and probably oiled up like some porn star did make him a bit uncomfortable. And when Reece was a bit uncomfortable, he started to look for things to do. Things he probably shouldn’t do but couldn’t keep himself from doing because he bored so easy.

It wasn’t his fault, he’d just been born that way. According to his momma, he was like that as a baby, too. “Couldn’t leave you alone for five minutes, Reece Lee Reed,” his momma still said to this day. “Because once I turned my back, you’d find something to get your dumb ass into.”

Yet what many didn’t understand was that Reece didn’t always have to look for trouble. Sometimes trouble found him. Sometimes trouble slinked its way right up next to him and sat down on the bench beside him.

Like now.

“Well, hi, Reece Lee.”

Eating his cheesesteak sandwich, Reece said, “Hey, Laura Jane.”

“Heard your big brother left town.” She pressed her hand against her chest, her tight, white V-neck T-shirt showing off her cleavage. “I hope that’s not because of little ol’ me.”

“Huh . . . Rory left town?”

Laura Jane’s left eye twitched the slightest bit.

Reece knew that Laura Jane had always thought he was stupid. And sometimes he could be. But mostly he just liked to irritate people by being dense. It was one of the main reasons Bo Novikov insisted on beating him up at every opportunity. Honestly, Reece should leave the short-tempered hybrid alone, but he couldn’t help himself. The man was just so uptight!

“Not Rory,” Laura Jane said, still managing to keep her voice sweet and sultry. “I’m talking about Ricky Lee.”

“Oh. Yeah. He’s in Russia.” He took a big bite of his sandwich, chewed a bit, then added, “I’m sure it had nothing to do with you, though.”

Laura Jane cleared her throat and wiped away the bit of cheesesteak that had hit her cheek. Lord, he was rude. Rude!

The She-wolf tried again, moving closer to him on the bench, making sure to lean in so he could see down her top. Nope. No bra there. Although one was sorely needed.

“You know, Reece Lee, I’ve been hearing such good things about you on the hockey team.”

“Really? Because most say I’m just a big ol’ battering ram. ‘No technique,’ I hear a lot. No style. All abuse.”

“That’s kind of sexy.”

“Really? My momma says it’s sad that she’ll end up taking care of me when I become brain damaged.”

Reece could see Laura Jane’s patience beginning to wane, but she was on a mission, so she’d hold it back if she could. He wondered what she was up to. Was she really so desperate that she thought getting between the Reed Boys was a good idea? Or, more important, even possible?

The title “Reed Boys” was not given out lightly to just any Reed males. Siblings had to earn it and then keep it, and they kept it with loyalty. Reece might torment his brother on a daily, sometimes even an hourly, basis, but that didn’t mean he’d ever screw a woman Ricky was interested in.

What Laura Jane didn’t realize was that Reece could fuck her on this bench, in front of God and everybody, and he was positive Ricky Lee wouldn’t give a damn. He wouldn’t have given a damn two weeks ago, but he especially wouldn’t give a damn now. Not with that little She-jackal in his sights. He knew what had Ricky fascinated, too. It was probably that hair. All wild and curly, it always looked like Toni had just rolled out of bed after a great night of sex. There were few men who could resist that sort of thing.

Still, Reece did want to know what Laura Jane was planning. As it was, she’d effectively wound up his sister. So much so that Ronnie Lee had actually called back to Tennessee to complain. Ronnie Lee did not call back to Tennessee for much. Even when she got pregnant, it was Reece who told their daddy, who told their momma, who called Ronnie Lee to yell at her about not calling home herself. See? That’s how families were supposed to work. In a nice, complete circle of annoyance.

“You know, Reece,” Laura Jane softly suggested, her boob now brushing his arm. “Why don’t you and I go somewhere and talk. I’m worried about Ricky Lee. I swear I didn’t come here to cause him any problems.”

To be honest, Reece would rather throw himself off a mountain, but to find out what this self-centered little twat was up to—

“Hey,” a low voice snapped at him. “Hillbilly. Are you coming or not? I’ve been waiting for you.”

Reece looked up at the tiny female who smelled like nothing he could remember scenting before. She wasn’t a hybrid, but she wasn’t any breed or species he’d been around. And she wouldn’t tell him what she was. So what was she? It was driving him nuts!

“You have?”

“I’m taking your picture. Remember?”

“You’re the photographer, huh?” Reece shrugged. “Okay, uh . . .”

“Livy.” She motioned with her head. “Come on.”

Reece began to stand, but Laura Jane gripped his arm with surprisingly strong hands. “Excuse you,” the one-time debutante practically barked at Livy. “But we were talking.”

“And we have an appointment, so fuck off.”

Laura Jane slowly stood. “Are you really coming at me?”

“Lady, I’m trying to be nice to you. But I wouldn’t push your luck with me.”

“You? Tiny little hybrid freak? What are you going to do?”

“Morally reprehensible things that most good people would be appalled by.”

The She-wolf gawked at Livy, unused to not only the flat tone but the weirdly phrased threat.

Laura Jane looked at Reece, but all he could do was shrug. What did she expect from him?

Disgusted by his lack of reaction, Laura Jane glowered down at Livy. “Get out of my sight, freak,” she ordered.

Reece didn’t know Livy well, but something told him it wasn’t the words that had upset her, but the shove Laura Jane added to those words, her hands harshly pushing at the smaller woman’s shoulders. Because that’s when the butterfly knife was expertly flicked open and sliced across Laura Jane’s arm.

Shocked—shifters fought shifters only with fangs and claws; never weapons—Laura Jane stumbled back from Livy. The pint-size female slashed the blade again, this time cutting across Laura Jane’s chest. Reece saw blood from both wounds.

The blade was flicked closed and slipped into the back pocket of Livy’s jeans, and then she pulled back one hand, claws out, and slapped Laura Jane across the face and neck. Livy kicked the She-wolf to the ground and landed on top of her, her hands slapping Laura Jane over and over again until the She-wolf was out cold and covered in her own blood.

Livy got up, cracked her neck, and walked over to Reece. He stared at her, wondering whether she was about to slap him around. But she grabbed the other half of his cheesesteak and began eating.

“So are we going to do this or what?” she calmly asked.

“Yeah,” he said quickly, trying to ignore the blood-covered claws that were still out and wrapped around that bread and meat. “Yeah. Sure.”

Reece got to his feet, but he looked over his shoulder to see Ronnie Lee, Sissy Mae, and the New York Smith She-wolves standing there watching them. Lord, this wasn’t good. Laura Jane was a Smith, after all. And Smith loyalty meant everything, even when a Smith didn’t necessarily deserve that loyalty.

Yet if Livy was worried . . . she didn’t show it. In fact, she showed no fear at all. Eating his delicious sandwich and staring back at the She-wolves, she waited.

When Livy ate the last bit of the sandwich, she swallowed, burped.

“You ready?” Livy finally asked him.

“Yeah. I’m ready.”

“Good. I’ve got a list of other meatheads to do, too.”

She walked off and Reece looked back at his sister, wondering what she’d do.

Sissy Mae walked over to her cousin, looked down at her, stared for a moment, turned on her heel, and walked off. Without a word, the other She-wolves followed, including Ronnie Lee.

That’s when Reece knew they’d been watching what Laura Jane was up to even before Livy had arrived—and they hadn’t liked it. Slapping her around themselves wouldn’t have been too cool, but letting someone smaller and meaner do it . . . the males of the Pack wouldn’t get in the middle of that. So, as far as the New York Pack was concerned, it was over.

Reece blew out a breath, stepped over Laura Jane’s still unconscious body, and walked into the room Livy was using to shoot the photographs.

She was adjusting lights when he came in—her claws now gone, her hands clean—and she motioned to a metal stool.

“We’ll take a few safety shots first before I try some different stuff.”

“Okay.” Reece sat down, watched the female move around the room. Finally, he just had to ask her.

“What the hell are you?”

She glanced at him. “None of your damn business,” she told him mildly. “Now take your shirt off and look pretty.”