Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Ben Stone, her twin sister’s wealthy new husband, had offered to help her with a down payment so she could buy a house of her own.
The sound of a car door slamming made her look out the window. Jeremy had better have a solution for—
But it wasn’t Jeremy.
Three lethal-looking guys got out of a dark blue Range Rover and strode purposefully to the front door. They didn’t bother knocking and she stupidly hadn’t locked it.
Holy hell. They were here, in the house. They were going to kill her.
Heart jammed up high in her throat, she dived for the closet, squirrelling back behind the clothes.
Please don’t let them search the house.
Her phone lit up, the first note of the ring sending her into a wild swiping frenzy to shut it off. It went silent. She held her breath, listening to hear if the men downstairs had noticed, but only heard the sound of their voices calling to each other. Were they moving in to wait for her and Jeremy?
Her hands shook so hard, she could hardly read the phone, but saw it had been Ashley calling.
She texted her back.
They’re in the house.
Cody Steele washed the plaster off his trowel and wiped everything clean. Almost finished—just a couple of quick coats of paint over this repaired hole in the wall and the house would be ready to go on the market. Buying historic buildings and homes, fixing them up and selling for a tidy profit had put his restless, hands-on personality to good use. CJ Steele properties had become well known in Colorado Springs for their real estate successes and his company provided jobs for most of the wolves in his pack.
Not bad, considering his dad had thrown him out of the pack at sixteen, saying he’d never amount to anything. It was a source of pride that he’d started and made his business successful completely on his own, starting a pack in a city where they’d previously been loose members of the Denver pack.
His cell phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket and frowned. Ben Stone, the alpha from Denver. What in the hell did he want?
He answered it. “Cody speaking.”
“Cody? Ben Stone, from Denver.”
“I know who you are.”
“I need a favor from you—a big one.” There was a curt sense of urgency in the guy’s voice.
He ground his molars. Pretty presumptuous for a guy who hadn’t offered him or his pack even a hello since he took over as alpha nine months ago. “I don’t recall owing you one.”
Stone didn’t hesitate. “I’ll be the one owing. My sister-in-law lives in Colorado Springs and she’s run into trouble. I’m out of the country or I’d come down myself to handle things.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Her place got broken into. There’s a threatening message spray-painted on the wall. Probably her loser ex-boyfriend got himself into some trouble, but she’s not involved. I need you to keep her safe.”
Fuck.
This was the last thing he wanted to get involved in. But having Ben Stone in his debt would only be a good thing for his pack. Ben had all kinds of resources, money being at the top of the list. He also had a large pack with members of every skill set, and being friendly with them would mean he’d never have to turn to his father’s pack for help. And he’d rather die than do that.
“Steele?”
He blew out his breath. “Yeah, okay. What’s the address?”
“I’ll text it to you. You’ll go right now?”
“I’ll go. What’s her name?”
“Melissa. Steele—alpha’s promise you’ll give her pack protection.”
Shit. What in the hell was he getting himself into? Stone wanted him to vow his own life to protect her. Well, that’s what wolves did.
“Yeah,” he grunted. “Alpha’s promise.”
“Thank you.”
He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand across his face. He’d live to regret this.
Because his pickup was full of painting supplies, he left it in front of the house and jogged the few blocks to his own place, where he hopped on his motorcycle and checked the address Ben had texted.
His wolf instincts kicked into gear before he got there, putting him on high alert. He cut the engine and coasted silently up to a small two-story house. A dark blue Range Rover was parked in front, behind a white Toyota pickup. Tingles of warning raced across his skin.
The front door stood open and male voices barked inside.
He skirted the building to peer through a window. Three guys sat on the couch. They all sported guns and one wore a fancy suit.
A chill made the hairs on the back of his neck bristle. Looked like Junior Rabago, a drug dealer out of Denver. He moved heavier drugs like cocaine and heroin through one of the local marijuana dispensaries. If Ben’s sister-in-law was tied to him, this was bigger trouble than he’d imagined.