Ellison walked steadily to the desk and stopped in front of it, doing nothing but standing there. “You know where Clifford Bradley is,” he said. “Don’t you?”
Chapter Twelve
Pablo made himself not blink. Shifters liked to stare a man down, to intimidate with a steady gaze. Pablo had learned in this last year that showing fear was the worst thing he could do—no matter that the small boy he used to be was quivering inside him in terror.
“Don’t mess with Bradley,” Pablo said. “Find the cub and then go home. I’m telling you this for your own good.”
Ellison leaned his fists on Pablo’s desk. “You’re working for him, aren’t you?”
“No.” That was the honest truth. Bradley wasn’t paying him.
The wolf Shifter inhaled sharply, testing Pablo’s scent, hunting for lies. “But you know,” Ellison said. “Tell me everything.”
Pablo had always thought of Dylan as the scary one. He knew damn well that at any time, for any reason—or for no reason at all—Dylan could simply kill him and walk away. He had no illusions that the human police would be very bothered about Pablo’s death, and Dylan knew that too.
Ellison was different. He was the most laid-back of the trackers, with his cowboy hat and his slow West Texas–style drawl. He, Spike, and Sean did little more than stand as silent pillars behind Dylan when Dylan came to visit, although Ellison might toss in an understated joke or tip his hat on the way out.
Today Ellison had left his hat behind, and the Texas drawl was laced with steel.
Pablo contrasted Ellison in his jeans and button-down shirt with Bradley and his ice-cold eyes and five-thousand-dollar suits. Bradley was dangerous because he was all business, no sentiment. The man had no family, no friends, no warmth in him whatsoever. The Shifters would lose against him, because they were all warmth, all emotion. Bradley was a robot.
“If I tell you, I’ll get you killed,” Pablo said.
The human woman, the cute little thing called Maria, stepped forward. From what Pablo had seen, she was a smart, compact firecracker. If he were fifteen years younger and not in love with his obnoxious, silken-haired hacker girlfriend, he might think about her for himself. But the way Ellison closed in on her protectively . . . Nope, she was spoken for.
“Mr. Marquez,” she began. That was sweet, calling him Mr. “Think about this. If it was your brother, your son, or your best friend who was missing, what would you do? You’d stop at nothing to go after Mr. Bradley, wouldn’t you? You are that kind of person.”
“True,” Pablo said. “I’d go find Bradley and get my head taken off for my trouble.”
“You’re not Shifter,” Maria said. “Shifters can do amazing things.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Pablo turned the force of his gaze on her, and met brown eyes full of fire. “You want to see him shot down, chiquita?” He gestured to Ellison. “With enough firepower to blow him to pieces right in front of you? Bradley and his boys are used to dealing with Shifters. I mean, shit, he steals their cubs.”
“Which is why you’re going to help us,” Maria said. “He took Connor—while I was watching. Do you know what that made me feel like?”
“Yeah. Actually, I do.” As a teenager, Pablo had seen his best friend dragged off by a rival gang and executed, while he’d hidden in terror, unable to do anything to stop it. From that day to this, he’d vowed to have the power to never have to go through that again. He’d protect his family and friends to his last breath. “I do get it. But sweetheart, let Dylan and his crew handle finding Connor. You go back home and wait.”
Ellison spoke again, the Texas accent not as pronounced this time. “Bradley wouldn’t have taken Connor to his own house. He’d have a place to stash him until delivery, and that’s where you sent Dylan and Liam. Right? What I want is Bradley himself. The body of the hydra. Not its heads.”
“Cut one off, two grow back, right?” It had been a long time since Pablo had read a book, but he remembered that story. “Let it go, man. Dylan will obliterate the thugs who did the kidnapping, you’ll have the cub back safe and sound, and all your Shifter friends will live.”
“And it will happen again,” Ellison said. “And again.”
“And cubs will have to imprison themselves in Shiftertown,” Maria said. “We can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen. I thought you were a tough guy, Mr. Marquez. Why haven’t you eliminated your competition?”
“Because Bradley’s not competition. And I don’t have a death wish.”
“You’re a criminal,” Maria said. “I’m sure you’d like it if you could remake those stolen cars outside without being bothered. If you help get rid of someone like Bradley, just think how much the cops around here will appreciate you.”
“Just think how much every other gang boss won’t appreciate me. They’ll never trust me again. I’ll be a dead man walking.” Sweat beaded on Pablo’s forehead. He didn’t want to have to kill Ellison and Maria, because he liked them, but these two were getting crazy.
“No, no,” Maria said. “You’ll be a hero. I bet your rivals aren’t thrilled with Bradley either. I bet you all have to pay him, not the other way around.”
She really was too smart. “You know, sweetheart, I like it here,” Pablo said. “Austin’s a cool town. Great music scene, awesome food. Something for everyone. I don’t want to have to leave. Understand?”
“Maybe you won’t have to.” Maria smiled.
Now Ellison was looking at Maria as though he wanted to yank her out of here and hole her up somewhere safe. Poor guy would have his hands full with her.
“Tell us where he is, and then you can sit here and work on whatever it is you’re doing. Otherwise, we’ll come back with Ronan and Spike and all the others, plus every cop in town. Maybe some reporters too. That would be fun.”
“Don’t threaten me, sweetie,” Pablo said in a mild voice. “You won’t make it out the door.”
Ellison didn’t move, but Pablo saw the wolf gleam in his eyes. One of Ellison’s fists tightened minutely on the desk. “Tell us where he is. No one needs to know where the information came from.”
“Right. Shifters visit me, then Shifters go after Bradley. They’ll know. Then Bradley steps over your broken bodies and comes after me.”
Ellison’s fist went even tighter. “You won’t have to worry about that. But if you don’t help now, you’ll have to worry about me. And Ronan. And Spike. That’s just for starters. I won’t talk about Dylan and Sean, and you don’t even want to know what Liam will do to you. The rest of us are Girl Scouts compared with Liam. He’s the alpha of the alphas. He does what he has to do, no matter what.”
Damn it. He’d known when his little brother had stupidly gotten Shifters pissed off at them last year that Pablo would never get out from under them. He could toss them at Bradley and rid himself of his Shifter problem, but he knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
“I don’t know,” he said. “My girlfriend’s niece is a Girl Scout, and they can be pretty vicious when it’s cookie time. I always end up buying about fifty boxes.”
“I’m sure your men appreciate that,” Ellison said, straight-faced. “You give up Bradley before I lose my cool, or you’ll wish you were facing an army of little cookie-selling girls in green.”
Maria watched Pablo, not Ellison. Pablo held out a moment longer, then one of the most powerful gang leaders in South Texas bent his head, sighed, and said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
***
Shiftertown was nearly empty when Ellison and Maria pulled into Ellison’s driveway. Ellison helped Maria off the bike, then he walked her across the street to Dylan’s house, to find the door locked.
Andrea answered Ellison’s knock, looking tense. “I thought you’d be with Dylan and Sean,” Andrea said as she let them in. Locking doors was unusual in Shiftertown, and Ellison hoped this wasn’t the beginning of a trend.
“Took a detour,” Ellison said. He looked around the quiet house. Kenny
was sleeping in a bassinet, Liam’s daughter, Katriona, playing by herself in a playpen. “Where did they go?”
“I don’t know. Sean said he’d keep me posted when he could, but he hasn’t checked in yet. Which means he can’t. Kim went to talk to the police.”
Ellison returned to the porch and looked up and down the empty street. “Leaving Shiftertown deserted when someone’s kidnapping cubs isn’t the best idea.”
“They didn’t. Ronan is still here. He’s scared for Olaf and Cherie. Broderick is here too, because he won’t leave his younger brothers and nephews. And Tiger. Liam wouldn’t take him—too afraid he can’t control him. Tiger is livid, which is why I’ve got the kids. I’m not leaving them or this house.”
“Good. Maria . . .” Ellison slid his arms around her and leaned down for a brief kiss.
The brief kiss turned into something deep and hot. Ellison felt Andrea’s gaze on them as he eased back, but he enclosed Maria in a tight hug.
“Stay here with Andrea until it’s safe. And thank you for alerting us. They sure knew how to pick the right moment.”
Maria’s dark eyes glittered as her brows came down. “I wasn’t about to sit and finish my exam when Connor was in danger. I can always take another test.”
“I know.” Ellison kissed her forehead. “That’s why I love you.”
He turned away, pretending to ignore Andrea’s interested look, left the house, and started across the street.
Maria banged out the screen door and followed him. He should have known she wouldn’t stay put.
“You don’t think I’m letting you go after Mr. Bradley by yourself, do you?” she demanded as she caught up to him.
“Yes, I do,” Ellison said, not turning around. “You’re not Shifter; you can’t fight.”
“You also didn’t wait for me to answer,” Maria said as Ellison let himself in his front door with his key. Deni had locked up too.
“Answer what?” Ellison tossed his keys to the table and sniffed, scenting that no one was home. He needed to call Jackson and Will, make sure they were still safely at their jobs.
“That I love you too,” Maria said.
Chapter Thirteen
Ellison’s body went so still that Maria barely saw his intake of breath.
She’d known he’d thrown out the That’s why I love you, offhand, Ellison always joking. But he had murder in his eyes, rage so deep that he wouldn’t stop to think before he attacked Mr. Bradley.
Maria knew that Pablo wasn’t wrong to say that Bradley was untouchable. She might not have another chance to tell Ellison what she felt.
“What?” Ellison asked, his voice deadly quiet.
“You heard me.”
Maria started to push past him into the house. Ellison clamped a hand on her shoulder, drawing her back, turning her around. She looked up into gray eyes that held hunger and silent need.
“I know I heard you,” he said. “I want you to say it again. Like you mean it.”
“I do mean it.”
Ellison’s eyelids slid down in a slow blink. When he opened his eyes again, they were lighter gray, the wolf in him coming out. “Say it again, Maria.”
Why not? She wasn’t ashamed or afraid. Maria drew herself up straight and looked into his eyes. “I think I love you, Ellison Rowe.”
His fingers bit down. “You think? What, you’re not sure?”
“I don’t know what real love feels like. I loved my parents and grandparents, but I was a child. I thought I loved Luis, but I never really knew him.” She swallowed under Ellison’s burning gaze. “All I know is, I can no longer imagine my life without you in it.”
Ellison yanked her against him, his hands remaining on her shoulders. His grip held raw power—strength, but not imprisonment. Never that.
“Then mate with me,” he said, his voice low, savage. “Let me mate-claim you, and join with me sun and moon. I’ll give you . . . everything.”
Maria warmed against his body. “Will you stay alive for me? And stay with me?”
Ellison started to smile. “You bet. But I hope you’re not gonna ask me to stay home and not go after Bradley.”
“No.” Maria said. “I want you to get that sucker. We need to, as Spike would say, take him down.”
Ellison’s eyes narrowed. “Who’s we? You are staying with Andrea.”
“We need to stop him, Ellison,” she said.
Ellison stilled again, the laid-back human with the smiles and jokes fading into the Shifter who took care of his family at any cost. “We will. But not with you. I don’t want him knowing anything about you.”
“He already does. Like you said, he had his men following me with the cubs, and he knew Connor went with me to the test today. He must have planned the abduction by watching me, figuring I wouldn’t be able to stop anyone taking Connor.”
“Yeah, but to Bradley right now, you’re just the human female who lives with Shifters. He’s an idiot if he thinks you’re nonessential, but I want him to think that, if it means he’ll ignore you. You flash yourself in front of him, he’ll have you in his sights as a person trying to interfere with his lucrative business.”
“If you’re so confident you can stop him, it won’t matter.” Maria balled her fists. “We have to stop him, Ellison. They can’t keep trying to hurt us.”
Ellison’s eyes flickered slightly, and Maria realized she’d said us.
Well, she was one of them now. She’d lived with the Austin Shifters, laughed with them, helped take care of them, and loved them, for months now. Ellison had imprinted himself on her, and she knew that no matter what else she’d do in life, she’d somehow be bound to him.
“We will stop Bradley,” Ellison said, a deadly edge to his voice. “But my way.”
“Fine, but I will be with you every step of that way.” As Ellison started to turn from her, Maria put herself in front of him. “You know that if you go without me, I’ll find a way to follow. Unless you intend to lock me in the basement?”
“No.” Ellison’s tone was harsh. “I’d never do that.” He’d never be like Miguel, he was saying. Never imprisoning her. Never. Then he grinned. “Although, there’s a new flat-screen TV down there. Doesn’t have cable, but Elizabeth has been smuggling me DVDs.”
Maria’s eyes widened into a glare. “Are we going or not?”
“Yep.” Ellison gripped her shoulder again. “I’m taking you, because I know that if I don’t, you’ll follow me, and I can’t be worried about where you are. So you’ll stay with me, and when I tell you to keep out of sight, you do it, all right?”
“Of course I will. I don’t have teeth and claws, or a handy weapon, so what could I do?” She looked up at him in all innocence.
Ellison gave her another suspicious look, but he nodded, as though he accepted her words. “Fine. Let’s go get backup.”
***
Backup meant, first, Ronan, who didn’t want to come. “Ellison,” Ronan said, standing in his front door and filling the entire doorframe. “What if they’re waiting for us to empty Shiftertown? Then they come in for the rest of our cubs?”
Olaf peeked out from behind Ronan, and Ellison was aware of Scott and Rebecca in the background. Ellison seethed with impatience.
“An attack on Shiftertown is a different thing from their snatch-and-grab modus,” he said. “Rebecca won’t let anything happen to the cubs—you know that.”
“You got that right,” Rebecca said. She was tall, like most Shifter women, but when she shifted to her Kodiak bear, in all of Shiftertown, only Ronan was bigger.
“And I’m not chopped liver,” Scott said. “Anyone comes for Cherie and Olaf, and I’ll let my craziness come out.”
“We need you Ronan,” Ellison said.
“And if he’s too much of a wuss to go,” a voice said behind Ellison. “I’m game.”
Broderick. The wolf Shifter stood on the walk between Ronan’s house and converted garage, arms folded. “I know you think I’m an asshole,” Broder
ick said before Ellison could speak. “But I have nephews and younger brothers. We cut this off at the source, Ronan.”
Ronan stroked Olaf’s hair, pushed the lad gently behind him, and closed the door. “Fine. I’m coming.” He glared at Broderick. “But I’m going at you at the next fight club. For calling me a wuss.”
Broderick looked pained—no one won fights against Ronan, except maybe Dylan. But at least Ronan was coming.
“Can we hurry?” Maria asked, as impatient as Ellison.
“One more,” Ellison said.
He’d saved the best for last. He knew that once Tiger joined them, the man wouldn’t want to slow down to let Ellison pick up anyone else.
When Andrea unlocked the door for them to Liam and Kim’s house, Tiger was nowhere in sight. Ellison scented him, though, and the Tiger-man was not happy.
“He’s downstairs,” Andrea said. “Comfortable with TV and lots of snacks. Liam didn’t want him following.”
Ellison faltered a step. “You mean Liam locked him in there?”
“Yes. The basement door’s reinforced steel. The only thing that would hold him.” Andrea smiled her half-Fae, half-wolf smile and dangled a key from its ring. “Here you go. I’ll be at home.”
She got herself out of there with amazing swiftness, the back door slamming. Ellison heard her run back to her own house, the cries of Katriona and Kenny welcoming her.
Ellison grasped the key and drew a breath. “Everyone needs to clear a space. Maybe you should all leave the house.”
“Nope,” Ronan said. “If he attacks, you need us to help pull him off you.”
Maria, at least, had the sense to leave the kitchen. She ducked out of the big room to the living room beyond. “Good luck,” she said.
Gee, thanks. Ellison approached the door to the basement, tucked near a broom closet in the back of the kitchen, squared his shoulders, and put the key into the lock.
As soon as the key turned, Tiger slammed into the door from the other side, nearly tearing it from its hinges. Ellison had danced aside, knowing what was coming. The door, made to withstand Shifter strength and police battering rams, remained whole, but only just.