Page 92 of Hell on Wheels
Chuckling, I hold the door open for her and follow her into the waning sunlight. “Good to know. I suppose you’ve got just as much chance of keeping me safe as I do you when you’re able to borrow some of my tricks.”
“I have tricks of my own; don’t forget.” Her eyes are dark and I think about the dying shifter in the alley for a moment before I nod.
“You do, and we have an entire family to help. That’s something schemers won’t have, you know. They may have minions, but when the chips fall, people bought with fame or fortune will act in their own self-interest, not their employer’s.”
“Exactly. Luca hasn’t done shit to cultivate true loyalty, D. You and Ang will do that someday, but if he’s depending on his goons to stick by him if it’s gets hot, he’ll be sorely disappointed.” She puts her hand up, looking for our ride. “Ah, there he is.”
Archie roars up, grinning like a loon as he skids to a stop in front of our girl. She laughs, handing me her bag to stow before she hops in. The trunk pops and I stow her gear, then worm my way into the back. “Have a good time, babes?”
My chest flutters a bit at that shared endearment and I feel my skin heat. “She kicked ass.”
Rogue rolls her eyes, then sighs. “Coach keeps making me pull back and I think it’s a bad plan. I’m not sure if Mina can get to the other supe league teams like she did the Mounties, but I’m worried some of the girls aren’t tough enough to take it.”
“Oddly, I had a similar problem, but in the opposite direction. Fucking benchwarmers get ice time and they kept coming for me today. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Archie frowns. “And my Coach didn’t say shit.”
A snarl escapes my lips as it comes to me. “They’re coming at Archie now. They tried you, then Reb, and now it’s his turn.”
“Dude, I’m in pads and I’m built like a brick shithouse. I’ll be fine.”
I glare at him, annoyed as hell. “Arch, your feet have knives on them. Be pretty easy to slit someone’s throat ‘by mistake’ in a pile-up.”
“Didn’t something like that happen on a college team recently?” Rogue pulls out her phone, looking frustrated. “I think there wasa Guardian bulletin about it. They’re saying it was murder and some hockey kid is being accused.”
The lion snaps his fingers. “Oh, yeah, the Wolfenberg heir. That poor kid. I can’t imagine.”
“Well, I can, especially since we already had a beat down and sniper. You need to talk to the Coach, Archie.” He gives me a look that says he’ll do no such thing, and I arch a brow. “You’re not a solo act anymore, man. People give a shit if you die.”
Me. I mean, me. I’m people—and so is our girl, so I’m not letting him off the hook.
Roar
The closer we get to the big meeting, the more hinky shit happens.
Javier had customers receive foods with allergens in them, and he got called to the carpet at work. Our mailbox had an explosive in it when Angelo went to grab the mail—but luckily he’s a speed shifter, so he wasn’t harmed. Archie’s had to fight off bad hits at practice with threats that I’ll hex their dicks. I’ve kicked the ass of no less than three chicks I don’t recognize trying to corner meat the arenas. Reb’s car has been sabotaged twice, but he figured it out before it was too dangerous.
There’s a concerted effort to damage us, maybe even kill one of us, before this fucking thing.
Honestly, it’s become so unpredictable that I can’t pin it solely on Mina and her nasty teammates. Whoever is determined to make us miss this event has more power than they do, and a much bigger reach. Merra Stuhll has long arms, but I’m doubting that she’s able to hit so variably and with precision. No, this bullshit is a team effort and we need to figure out what goddamn group of assholes is banding together with them.
“Wheels, what’s running through your head?”
Looking over at the handsome, muscled lion shifter, I smirk. He’s covered in red marks from the morning torture session D and I gave him after Reb and the other two left for work. Today, neither of us have practice and Damon can do his computer techy shit for the demons from our house. Seeing the big guy lying there with a sated grin on his face after submitting to us like a good boy makes my entire body tingle. I’m enjoying thefuckout of little D’s new growly side, especially because, in human form, he’s much smaller than Archie.
“She enjoys seeing you all marked up,” the demon in question says before he chuckles. “And she really likes that you enjoy us tag teaming the control. I can feel how much it pleases her.”
“That’s the thing, yeah? It makes me happy to please both of you—which I didn’t know I liked—and it makesyouhappy to please her and me… The big winner in this whole thing is our Dommy Mommy mate, right?”
I blink, then glare at him. “Don’t call me that.”
Archie bats his long lashes, lifting his arms to stack his hands behind his head. It makes the display of sporty dude muscles dance and I groan as my body responds. He grins smugly. “You love it, you control freak. That and how fucking built I am. The others are more… lean muscle.”
Damon ponders for a moment, then grins wickedly. “I confess, your bulky big guy begging makes my cock twitch. There’s something about a handsome, eager hunk letting you pin him that’s impossible to deny.”
Fuck, they’re adorable. Meddling was the best. decision. ever.
“What are we doing besides lazing around in bed, then?” I ask as I squint at the clock. “As much as I love this, we should be more productive.”
“Showers. Definitely showers,” Archie groans. “And you still haven’t told me what was going through your head before I asked.”