Libby (A Children of the Hunt Short Story)

  "Leave her be," Liam warned him with an edge of threat in his voice. "I'm the one who won't stop talking." Liam appeared to have no problems with provoking Ed and Libby hoped he knew what he was doing.

  "Maybe you'll shut up if I threaten to shoot her," Ed told him.

  "You don't want to do that," Libby rushed to say. "No one's been hurt yet, have they? In any of your robberies? If you start now, you can't go back from that."

  "How do you know about the others?" Ed asked, showing his surprise. Maybe she could use that to her advantage.

  "It was in the paper," she said gently.

  "You don't have any proof that was me," he told her with a hard glare.

  "But it was, wasn't it?" She asked and Ed shook his head, but she could see the denial was half-hearted, so she kept talking. "Please, Ed. I know you don't want to hurt anyone. Why are you doing all this?"

  "What do you care? You don't know me."

  "No, I don't, but I don't think you're doing this for the thrill of it. You don't have that look in your eyes." Libby make her voice as gentle as possible when she added, "So there must be a good reason. Why don't you tell us what it is?"

  Ed glanced away, then back at them, his voice breaking as he said, "It's my daughter. She has a heart condition and my insurance won't pay for the operation she needs. I need to get the money somehow."

  "That's why you said what was in the register wasn't enough?" Libby asked sympathetically.

  He nodded, resigned "It's going to cost thousands of dollars and I can't just let her die without trying to do something to help her."

  "What about her mother? Does she have access to insurance?" Liam asked softly.

  "My wife lost her job last year when the company closed and she's only been able to find part time work where they don't offer insurance."

  "So if she had a job that offered decent insurance, you wouldn't need to be robbing stores?" Liam asked him solicitously.

  Ed thought about that for a moment and said, "No, I suppose I wouldn't."

  Libby looked over at Liam, wondering what he was getting at when the door to the office burst open and Ryan Sandusky flew through it, tackling Ed to the floor with a very loud oomph. As Liam's second, Ryan took his responsibilities seriously. Those responsibilities included protecting the employees of the bookstore and when Libby had called him, he'd wasted no time getting his ass there. The gun flew out of Ed's hand and went skittering across the floor, where Liam bent to pick it up. Libby saw him open the chamber and shake his head as he saw it was empty. Somehow, that really didn't surprise her.

  "Ryan," Liam said wearily. "Let him up."

  "Boss?" Ryan looked up questioningly from where he had Ed pinned down. Ed didn't even struggle, just lay there like he'd been expecting something like this to happen eventually.

  "He's harmless," Liam assured him. "Let him up."

  Ryan climbed to his feet and stood over Ed as he got to his hands and knees looking defeated. "Do you want me to call the police?" Ryan asked him.

  "I think that will be up to Ed." Liam sat down at his desk and laid the empty gun down on top of it. Ed lifted his head in surprise. "Have a seat, Ed."

  Ed grabbed the edge of the desk to pull himself up and looked at all of them cautiously before sitting down on the chair that sat on the opposite side of Liam's desk. Ryan stood over him menacingly; which was his job. Libby finally moved from her place by the wall and came to stand behind Liam's desk so she could have a front row seat to whatever Liam had planned. She did love watching him be the Alpha he was.

  "This could go two ways, Ed," Liam informed him. "We can call the police and they can come arrest you, which would ensure your daughter would get no help. Or you can give up your life of crime, I'll offer your wife a job here at the bookstore, and the excellent benefits I offer my employees would ensure your daughter gets the help she needs."

  "I thought you were her boyfriend," Ed said, his confusion showing as he gestured his head towards Libby. "Who the hell are you?"

  Ryan choked on a laugh, which earned him a glare from Liam before he turned back to Ed. "I'm Liam MacKenzie, the owner of Crescent Moon Books."

  "I thought you said his name was Chip," Ed said, looking up at Libby.

  This time Ryan laughed out loud and stepped over to Libby, high fiving her. Libby's cheeks burned as Liam glared at both of them. Ryan said, "Good one, Libbs." He went back to stand behind Ed, putting his serious face back on.

  "Are you two done?" Liam asked them caustically. When neither one of them answered, Liam turned back to Ed and asked, "What would you prefer, Ed? Going to jail or helping your daughter?"

  "Are you serious?" Ed finally asked. "Why would you help me after I tried to rob your store?"

  "Sunapee is my adopted town and I've made it my purpose to give back when I can. I do have one stipulation though if you take me up on my offer to employ your wife."

  "What's that?" Ed asked cautiously.

  "I want you to give back the money you've already stolen. Anonymously of course. Can you do that?"

  Ed looked down and said softly, "I don't still have all of it. We had to pay for medication."

  "Well, I imagine with your wife's new job, you'll be able to make some payments?" Liam prompted.

  Ed looked relieved and said, "Of course."

  "Before you go, I'd like you to give Ryan your contact information." Liam took a business card out of the holder on his desk and slid it across to Ed. "Have your wife contact me in the morning."

  Ed took it and stood up cautiously, ducking his head slightly. He looked like he thought Liam was going to change his mind at any moment, but he said, "I don't know how to thank you for this."

  "Just pay them back and I'll be happy. Oh, and stop robbing businesses."

  "Of course," Ed agreed, then, "Thank you again."

  When Ed and Ryan had left the office, Libby moved to sit on the edge of Liam's desk so she could look at him. Liam leaned back in his chair and met her eyes.

  "That was a nice thing you did for Ed," she told him, feeling surprisingly emotional.

  Liam sighed and said, "The whole thing could have gone pear-shaped so easily. He was lucky Ryan only tackled him. And if he had hurt you..."

  When he didn't continue, Libby asked, "What?"

  "He wouldn't have walked out of here alive."

  Libby sucked in a surprised breath. "Are you serious?"

  "Aye. Never doubt that your life is as precious to me as any of my Pack, Libby. Any man who harms you will answer to me."

  Libby blushed under the ferocity of his gaze, not quite understanding where all of this was coming from. Did Liam view her only as someone to be protected or was there more to it than that? She broke eye contact with him and lowered her gaze, feeling self-conscious. She heard Liam's soft growl, but didn't react to it until he was suddenly in front of her, his fingers raising her chin. He didn't say anything, but Libby felt her body react instantly to the closeness of him. When he was this close, it was all she could do not to reach out and touch him or press her lips against his. Liam's eyes got darker the longer they stood like that and she could feel his warm breath against her face. She felt him move closer and licked her lips nervously, wondering if he was about to kiss her.

  The moment was broken by Ryan coming back into the office and clearing his throat. Liam stepped back and pulled his keys from his pocket, saying, "I have things I need to do. Ryan, why don't you watch the store so Libby can have her lunch?"

  "I thought we were going to have lunch together." Libby said softly, feeling suddenly disappointed.

  "I'm sorry, lass. This can't wait. I'll be back later."

  Liam was gone before Libby could say anything else. Ryan picked up their lunch bag from the top of the file cabinet and set it on Liam's desk, but Libby wasn't hungry anymore.

  "You don't have to stay, Ryan. I'm not really in the mood to eat now."

  Ryan gave her a sympathetic look and nodded. "Sure, Libby." Ryan turned to leave an
d stopped. "Do you mind if I take the food? I haven't had lunch yet."

  "Go ahead," Libby told him desolately as she walked back out into the store.

  Liam was sitting out on his deck with a beer in his hand when Ryan showed up. He sat down and put the lunch bag down on Liam's table. Opening it up, he took out Libby's sandwich and bit into it. Liam reached over and grabbed it out of his hands.

  "I bought that for Libby! What do you think you're doing?"

  Ryan took it back and held it out of Liam's reach as he took another bite. Only after he swallowed did he answer, "She told me she wasn't hungry and said I could have it."

  "Bloody hell," Liam cursed under his breath.

  Ryan took Liam's sandwich out of the bag and laid it in front of the Alpha. "You fucked up this time, boss."

  There were only three people who would ever tell Liam he had fucked up. Their Pack elder Michael Cooper, his cousin Jamie, and his Pack second Ryan. Of the three, Ryan was the one most likely to actually point it out to his face, with Jamie a close second. Michael would couch it in nicer terms. Liam sighed and opened his own sandwich, but didn't take a bite.

  Instead, he said, "I'm old enough to be her father."

  Ryan snorted. "That excuse hasn't stopped most men from dating younger women."

  "She's not just any woman."

  "No, she's not," Ryan agreed. "She's a woman with Daughters blood in her, with the potential to become a Daughter of the Hunt if she takes a wolf as a lover."

  "But she doesn't know that," Liam pointed out. "And there's more to it."

  "Look, I know you're expecting Bodhi to join the Pack, which will keep Cory with us, and Michael has Raelle, but the Alpha is always stronger with a Daughter of his own. We've had this discussion before, boss. There is obvious mutual attraction going on. Why are you fighting it?"

  Why indeed? It was a question Liam would never be able to answer without opening Pandora's Box. He had been seconds away from kissing Libby when Ryan had walked in on them. His resistance crumbled more each time they were alone together and he continued to tempt fate at every opportunity. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly and finally picked up his sandwich, taking an unsatisfactory bite. He'd had every intention of spending his lunch time with Libby, something he should stop doing if he was going to be able to maintain any distance between them.

  Liam sighed and said, "I am not going to have this discussion with you, Ryan."

  Ryan finished Libby's sandwich and rolled the paper wrapper up, putting it back into the bag. He stood up and looked down at Liam before he finally spoke.

  "Fine, don't talk to me. But you should talk to Libby. She deserves that, at least."

  Then Ryan walked away and left Liam there with his own thoughts.

  Libby was sitting behind the counter when Liam came back into the store. He gave her a strained smile as he went back to his office and she sighed sadly. Her shift was almost over and for the first time in a long time she was eager to leave. Perhaps it really was time for her to move on. It was becoming painfully obvious that he was never going to return her interest and she didn't think she had it in her to keep putting herself through this torture.

  Gino came in soon after, giving her a bright smile as he went to drop his things in the back room next to Liam's office. He was one of Liam's wolves and he'd been working the closing shift for as long as Libby had been working at the store; about five years. When Gino came back, he frowned at her this time. He came around the counter and bumped shoulders with her.

  "Why so sad, pretty girl?"

  Libby shook her head, not wanting to get into it with him. "Just a long day, G. I'm ready to go home."

  "Is the big man here?"

  "In his office."

  "Anything I should know about?" Gino asked her.

  "No." Libby shook her head again, thinking it probably wouldn't be good for the other employees to know that their newest employee's husband had tried to rob the store. Ryan certainly wouldn't talk about it. Libby gave him a wan smile and said, "Have a good night, G."

  "You too, Libby."

  She went into the back room to grab her purse, then paused outside of Liam's door. When she finally knocked on it, she knew what she needed to do.

  "Come in," Liam called out.

  Libby opened the door and slipped inside, closing it behind her so she could lean against it. Liam looked up at her, then at the clock on the wall before asking, "Done for the night, lass?"

  Libby cleared her throat and said softly, "I was thinking, since you're hiring a new employee…" She trailed off, finding she couldn't say the words.

  "Yes?" Liam prompted her.

  "I thought maybe…" The words still stuck in her throat and she cleared it softly.

  Liam raised an eyebrow and asked, "What did you think, Libby?"

  "I thought it might be time for me to move on," she finally got out, feeling miserable.

  "Excuse me?" Liam asked. "Did you just tell me you're quitting?"

  "Yes," Libby answered softly, looking down.

  "Why?"

  Libby shrugged and said, "I just feel like there's probably something better out there for me."

  "Something better?" Liam's voice suddenly sounded odd and she looked up at him. She hadn't expected the hurt look he was giving her. "I thought you loved working here?"

  "I did."

  "But not anymore?"

  She shook her head and he asked again, "Why?"

  She braced her back against the door, eyes downcast, and said, "It doesn't matter. I just wanted to give you my two weeks' notice."

  "No."

  Libby looked up at him again. "No? What do you mean, no?"

  Liam rose from his chair and stalked around his desk towards her before he answered, "I mean no, you're not quitting."

  "I think that's my decision to make," she informed him, suddenly wishing her back wasn't against the door. She felt like she needed to retreat and there was nowhere else to go. Liam stepped into her personal space and crowded her against the door. Libby's heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest. She'd never been this close to Liam twice in one day. He hardly ever got this close to her. She was torn between pushing him away and pulling him even closer. The decision was made for her when he lifted his hand to slide it along her neck and tangle it in her brown hair.

  "I'm going to go to hell for this," Liam whispered.

  "For what?" Libby asked uncertainly.

  "This." Liam leaned in and kissed her hard, his hand gripping the back of her neck to hold her in place. It was so much better than Libby had ever imaged. Liam took complete control of the kiss, tilting her head back to give him better access to her mouth. Her arms slipped around his neck of their own volition, wanting him closer. She was so focused on the kiss that she hadn't realized he'd closed what little distance there was between them, his body pressed against hers. His other hand slipped around her waist and held her in place, ensuring she felt his arousal against her stomach.

  At Libby's gasp, he broke the kiss, but kept his forehead pressed against hers. Both of them were breathing hard and she could feel his warm breath against her cheeks. Neither one of them moved or said anything for a few minutes. Finally, Libby drew in a breath and asked, "Why did you kiss me?"

  "Why?" Liam's voice held a note of disbelief at her question. "Why does any man kiss a woman, Libby?"

  She pushed him back and he let her put some space between them. She looked up at him, searching his face, looking for any hint of how he really felt. All she felt was confusion. Eventually, she asked, "Why me?"

  "Why you?" Liam's voice held just a hint of humor, which made her push him back even further. Liam stepped back even more of his own accord, running his hand through his dark hair. "I remember the first day you came to work here. You were here before the store opened, stocking shelves with Kyle and you had the music on. You were singing "American Pie". You were seventeen. I remember sitting in my office with my eyes closed, just listening to you, think
ing how young you were."

  "Why were you thinking that?"

  "Because your voice called to me. Called to my wolf. In that moment, I knew I wanted you."

  Libby huffed a distressed breath. "That was five years ago."

  "Aye," Liam agreed.

  "You waited five years to tell me you wanted me? To kiss me?"

  Liam sighed. "Libby, I'm old enough to be your father."

  "So?"

  "So, how do you think your parents would feel about that?"

  "I don't think who I date is any of their business," Libby told him, even though she suspected he was right. They might frown upon it. But she knew they wanted all of their daughters to be happy.

  "I can assure you they won't be pleased."

  He was probably right, but she didn't want to think about that right now. Instead, she asked, "What happens now?"

  "Now? That's up to you, lass. I have just one request."

  "What would that be?" Libby asked him curiously.

  "That you hold off telling your family for now. I'd prefer your parents hear about this from me, but I'm not ready for that conversation just yet."

  "Okay," Libby agreed. The only one she would be tempted to tell anyway was her sister, Cory, and right now Cory had her hands full with a wolf of her own. "So, will you take me out on a date?"

  "I think that would fall under not letting your family know if someone saw us," Liam pointed out.

  Libby sighed, already regretting her agreement. How long would she need to wait for a real date? "How about takeout at your house then?" she suggested.

  "How about I cook you dinner?" Liam countered.

  "Really?" Libby had never had a man cook dinner for her.

  "Aye. It would be an honor."

  Libby smiled and said, "I'd like that."

  Two days later, with the whole Flynn family sitting on his deck for the annual 4th of July cookout, Liam watched Libby as she sat on the end of the dock with her sister, Cory. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her in a bikini, but it might as well have been. All he could think of was how much he wanted to find out what she looked like beneath it. He'd been a perfect gentleman the night he'd made dinner for her, but it had been close. Last night he'd already had plans with Ryan to stock up for the Pack party later tonight and it would have been suspicious to cancel, so he'd only seen Libby at the store. But tonight…tonight she would be all his when everyone else was gone.