Chapter Six

Nikki didn’t know what to do as a look of pure despair crossed RJ’s face. Mike broke away from the other spectators on the sidewalk and embraced RJ and she appreciated that he did. She was beyond pissed off that this had happened. RJ had only been targeted because of her. He’d threatened Samson in order to defend her. If she hadn’t been with him that afternoon, RJ’s shop would still be in one piece.

She didn’t understand why Samson had changed so much. Yes, his father was a bit of a prick, but Samson had always stood up for himself. He’d spent a lot of time with the Stratton family. To this day, Nikki still wanted Samson to return to the caring teenager he’d been. It can’t be too late. There are redeeming qualities. She just didn’t know how to reach him.

Staring at the glass that littered the sidewalk, she doubted herself. With Samson’s drinking and drug use, it was going to take more than just talking to him to get him back to who he’d been. And people could get hurt in the meantime.

She sighed. RJ’s vision for his shop was meaningful and, out of the blue, a tattoo of her mate in his wolf form leaped into her mind. She eyed RJ. It might be way too soon to even consider RJ as a mate, but the thought stuck there. As much as she flew around the world, it would be nice to have a connection with home like that.

Maybe not now, but she’d have to think about it when and if she ever returned to Houston. Nikki was lucky enough that she could be based anywhere. The travel assignments were issued over the phone, and being in Lawton she could still do her job.

Years ago she’d been searching for freedom. Now what do I want?

“Nikki?”

She turned toward RJ. He looked puzzled. Damn, she’d gotten lost in her own thoughts when she should have been taking care of RJ. He held out a hand and she quickly clasped it, letting him pull her close.

“I don’t want you going anywhere without me or Mike with you,” he said once she was against him.

Huh, what have I missed? “Excuse me?” She glanced up at him. Where the hell did that come from?

“Just listen.” He turned and cupped her face. “This is a direct attack on me. Add in that your brother has switched sides, and Samson’s words earlier… I don’t want you alone.” Mike was beside him, nodding.

“RJ, this is my hometown. Everyone knows me and I have been on my own a long time. I have been in more hostile places than this. I can take care of myself.”

“Just wait until after the ceremony,” he pleaded. “If something happened to you… I wouldn’t be able to hold in my wolf. I need to make sure you are protected.”

She opened her mouth again to protest when Justin interrupted, “I agree. You’re a target now. All of us are. You shouldn’t be alone, either, Ben,” Justin added.

Ben frowned. “Now wait!”

“Enough!” Mike growled. “It goes for everyone in both families. No one from either family will be alone. Double up and figure it out.”

“I couldn’t have said it better,” Dylan offered as he and Brandon joined them. “In fact, Brandon and I just spoke about the same thing in the car on the way over.”

Nikki shook her head, but she knew she was beaten. She might have been able to fight against RJ and Justin, but just the expression on Brandon’s face told her he was in full protective mode. “Fine.”

Everyone else agreed and Brandon put a hand on RJ’s shoulder. “I’ll take you inside to but don’t touch anything yet.”

RJ clenched his jaw. He nodded and glanced at her. “Come with me?”

She offered him the best smile she could manage. “Of course.”

“I’ll take Mike and get some wood to cover the windows and door,” Dylan said. “Ben, you and Justin hang out here and watch everyone. Samson might not be here, but I doubt he wouldn’t have eyes and ears out to let him know what’s going on.”

Nikki kept a hold of RJ’s hand as Brandon led them inside. On top of the windows and door glass having been smashed, all the furniture had been upended, the leather couches and chairs shredded, ink spilled over the counters, floors and walls and RJ’s instruments had been broken and tossed around the shop.

“Son of a bitch,” RJ grumbled. “Damn it!”

Nikki rubbed his arm with her free hand as he took in the mess.

He stomped over to the floor where several pages of paper were ripped up. Nikki squinted, trying to figure out what it was.

“My sketches,” RJ said, his voice quiet.

Jesus, did they have to tear up his work?

“You have insurance?” Brandon asked from the door.

RJ nodded. “Yeah, of course. Ben made sure everything was in place.”

“Okay, I’ll give you a copy of the report as soon as I can.”

RJ turned with an expression of rage on his face.

“Listen, man,” Brandon said, holding his hands up. “We didn’t start off on the best of terms. That’s my fault, I can admit it.”

RJ tilted his head.

“I’ll make up for my behavior and it’ll begin with helping you rebuild.”

“You don’t have to do that,” RJ said.

“Maybe not, but this sucks. It’s a clear violation and a challenge, but we need to handle this legally.”

“Legally,” RJ repeated.

“We can’t go vigilante on Samson. It will send the wrong message to the Pack. You’re the new Alpha’s brother.”

“I hate this,” RJ declared.

“I know. Let me handle this, RJ. It’s what I do and I am damn good at my job. But what we can’t do is let this distract us, let him separate us and what we are planning to do about mingling the Pack.”

RJ growled and picked up one of the chairs before hefting it across the room.

“Feel better?” Brandon deadpanned.

“Bran!” Nikki complained.

But RJ started to laugh. “Actually, I do.”

Nikki glimpsed between the two of them as they both chuckled. She threw her hands up. “Men!”

“However, I do need to ask you not to touch anything else,” Brandon stated. “We’re going to do a full investigation. I have one of my deputies outside ready to take fingerprints.”

“When can I get in here?” RJ asked.

“In the morning,” Brandon said. “I just need a few hours.”

“Then what?” Nikki pressed. “Are you going to arrest Samson?”

“I need proof, Nikki.”

“Proof?” she demanded. “Come on! We all know he did this.”

“He did it the night before the ceremony, expecting a strong reaction,” Brandon stated. “We need to be calm here and let things play out.”

She snorted. This is fucking ridiculous.

RJ wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I hate to admit it, but Brandon’s right. This is just a distraction. If we go after him, he’ll use it as an excuse against Dylan. The ceremony is tomorrow night. We’ll get the shop cleaned up and I’ll reopen. But after Dylan is Alpha. All of our attention needs to be on the ceremony.”

“Fine,” Nikki said. “But we’re all helping you in here.”

“That works for me.”

“And we will replace that furniture right away.”

“Furniture?” he asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

“So we can break it in properly.”

“Nicole!” Brandon objected as RJ grinned.

She laughed and started for the door. “The sooner we get this place boarded up, the quicker we can start…practicing.”

She wasn’t surprised when RJ beat her to the door while Brandon mumbled, following. Nikki wouldn’t under normal circumstances be so vocal about a relationship within earshot of her eldest brother, but this was about making RJ feel better. That and she really did plan on helping RJ break in his new furniture. She was also starting to get a thing for black leather.

Outside, Justin and Ben stood in the street, blocking the view of anyone hanging around as Dylan and Mike kneeled with supplies.

“What’s going on?” RJ asked, crouching.

“The men with Samson earlier are across the street. We’re trying to figure out how to go after them without drawing attention to ourselves,” Mike said.

“No!” Brandon growled. He, too, dropped down. “Let my department handle this.”

“We’re not going to talk to them. Just see if they go and report to Samson,” Dylan stated.

Brandon sighed. “Mike, you’re the one who isn’t known well. Can you slip away and get behind them? Follow when they leave the scene?”

“I can,” Mike assured him. “I’m trained in this. Just give me the right opening to disappear and I’ll get it done.”

“Good enough,” Brandon said. “Please don’t make any contact with them.”

“I promise,” Mike said. “They’ll never know I’m following them.”

“Okay—let’s get these windows covered and Mike can do his thing,” Dylan said.

RJ helped Dylan lift one of the large boards. Nikki followed with a hammer and nails while Brandon and Mike grabbed another piece. She didn’t know how Mike was going to sneak off, but she made it a point not to look in his direction. She didn’t want to give away anything to Samson’s buddies.

“Just relax,” RJ whispered.

Nikki nodded. Relax? That was easy for RJ to say. He’d been involved in more serious situations than this.

“Nikki.” RJ snapped his fingers.

“What?”

He smiled. “He’s already gone. Just act normally.”

She glanced to the side and saw Justin holding up the board with Brandon as Ben hammered nails in. “Oh.” Guess I don’t need to worry about giving Mike away.

* * * *

RJ groaned at the loud beeping in his ear. He reached over and slapped the alarm off before burying his head into the pillow.

“It can’t be morning already,” came the complaint from next to him.

RJ lifted his head and grinned. Nikki lay wrapped in his bedspread with her head hidden under the pillow. He’d taken her home with him the previous night and they’d spent all evening into the early morning hours practicing how they would ‘break in’ his new shop furniture. He chuckled while scooting closer to edge the top of the blankets down, revealing her naked shoulder. He ran his tongue over her soft skin until she shivered.

“Ugh!” she said; laughing. “You can’t want more already.”

RJ smiled. He was actually feeling pretty sated but just waking up beside her had all kinds of ideas popping in his head. “Well, if you can’t handle it…”

The pillow above her head slid off the bed as she burst up. “Can’t handle? Me?”

He chuckled. “Well…”

She pushed herself up and crawled along him, causing him to roll over. She straddled his hips and bent low, her hair curtaining them. “Well what?”

“Oh, nothing,” he said, as much innocence in his tone as he could manage.

“Hmm.” She brushed her lips across his. “Feeling better?”

He smirked and raised his hands over his head. “Feeling pretty damn good.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, as matter of fact…” RJ sucked in his breath when she grasped his cock under the covers.

“You’re right, baby,” she teased. “You do feel pretty damn good.”

He sucked in a breath and she tightened her grip and rubbed her body down his.

“As a matter of fact, you feel so good I think I’ll have to taste.”

He did his best not to buck with her wet mouth wrapped around his shaft. But damn, did she have a talented mouth and that thing she was doing with her tongue…

“Baby…” He buried his hand in her hair. “More.”

She looked up at him from between his legs and deep-throated him again.

“Oh, sweet Jesus!” he yelled, unable to keep quiet.

She continued to suck and lick until he at last lost control and plunged in and out of her mouth. She urged him on with a hand on his hip.

“So good… Yeah, suck me deep… Oh, baby…”

Too soon, his climax threatened. He tightened his hold on her hair and gave a gentle tug. She popped off and grinned.

“Get up here,” he ordered, already pulling on her. “I don’t want to come until I’m inside you.”

She moaned, sitting astride his thighs. “Yes.”

He held her around the waist while she positioned herself over him. She sank down slowly, drawing a moan from them both.

“God, you fill me so good,” she told him, arching once he was seated deep inside her.

He couldn’t have agreed more. He held her tight and pushed his hips up. “Come on, baby, ride me.”

She pressed her hand down on his shoulders and rose before sliding down. She took her time, rising and falling, teasing and taunting.

“Please, Nikki,” he begged as she tortured him.

Her laugh was wicked.

He slapped her ass playfully. She tightened around his cock and moaned. Oh, now this is interesting. He did it again and was treated to her gasp and her pace picking up.

“Yeah, baby, faster, harder,” he encouraged and gave her another smack.

“RJ,” she cried, tightening even more.

He braced his feet on the bed and thrust up each time she came down on his cock. They sped up, with him spanking her every few strokes, until only the sound of flesh against flesh filled the room.

RJ lifted up to sit and gripped her hips hard, yanking her down on his shaft deeper. “Come for me, Nikki, come on my cock.”

She did. Crying out his name, she fell over the edge, pulling him with her. He dropped down, keeping his arms around her as he struggled to catch his breath. She nuzzled his chest and he knew he wanted to wake up like this every morning for the rest of his life.

Pounding on the door broke up the peaceful, sated state he had fallen into.

“Come on, you two! Get your asses in the kitchen,” Dylan ordered.

Nikki groaned.

“We’re coming!” RJ called out to his brother.

“God, I hope not!” Dylan shouted. “I’m surprised you haven’t killed each other yet.”

Nikki squeaked and started to squirm off him. RJ tightened his hold. “He’s just messing with us,” RJ tried to assure her. He wasn’t ready to lose the connection with her yet.

“No, I’m not! If you two go at it again, I’m going to make you sleep in separate rooms,” Dylan argued.

“Damn shifter hearing,” Nikki muttered. “The horrible thing is Brandon would be just as bad.”

“I know you did not just compare me to your brother,” Dylan called. “How about I get him on the phone and he can see if he can get you two out of there?”

That got Nikki moving. She leaped off the bed in a flash.

“We’ll be down in a minute!” RJ hollered, watching a blushing Nikki dart into the bathroom. His brother’s laughter started to drift away and RJ rubbed his hand over his face. He’d have to think of a way to get him back and soon.

It was about time that Dylan settled down. In fact, RJ didn’t know of any serious relationship that his older brother had been in. Dylan had always been the love-them-and-leave-them type. Now that he was Alpha, it wouldn’t be as easy for him. Not unless he casually dated one of the humans in the towns close to him or a shifter from another Pack.

Dylan had already stated that he wouldn’t be with a shifter from their Pack unless he was prepared to settle down with her. Too often Alphas found themselves the center of attention just because of their position.

The shower turned on and RJ climbed out of bed. If he wasn’t able to join Nikki, he could at least get dressed so he wouldn’t be tempted to bring his brother back there. He wouldn’t put it past Dylan to get Brandon over to embarrass Nikki further.

* * * *

After a wonderful, if not embarrassing, morning, Nikki found herself with Justin and Ben at the Pack clearing, getting ready for the barbecue prior to the ceremony. She was pleased with the number of volunteers who had come and the progress they were making.

Six grills stood off to the side ready to be fired up. The teenagers of the Pack had finished setting the tables and chairs and started piling wood in the fire pits for later in the night. She grinned as Sabrina and Max began to load one of the tables with an assortment of desserts. It was all coming together. They just had to get through the night and hopefully by morning they would have a new Alpha and the Pack would be complete. Then she would have to figure out what she was going to do about her and RJ.

When she’d made the trip home, she hadn’t known anything about what she had now found herself in the middle of. Finding a man like RJ hadn’t even been on her radar. Now she couldn’t imagine returning to the city without RJ. But she could tell that RJ was at home here—with his brothers, with his Pack—and she couldn’t ask him to leave. So where does that leave us?

“Penny for your thoughts,” Ben said, his voice soft as he came up behind her.

She turned and smiled at the youngest Cross brother. “Do you think we’ll be able to pull this off?” Okay, that wasn’t what she had actually been thinking, but it was close.

Ben looked around and nodded. “I think so. Even if Samson tries something, without Brandon there to back his play I don’t think much can come from it. The Pack respects Brandon and that was our biggest concern. He would have support just because he’d earned it. Samson doesn’t have that going for him.”

“Brandon never wanted to be Alpha,” Nikki reminded him.

“No, he didn’t. But if you hadn’t come down, I don’t think we would have been able to come together like we did. All Dylan and Brandon needed to do was relax and talk about the future of the Pack. To see that they both shared the same ideas on our future.”

Nikki laughed. “Yeah, well, leave it to the men to be stubborn and almost fight instead.”

Ben chuckled and Justin caught her eye as he moved from the group of teenagers to talk to Max. She glanced over at Ben.

“So you want to let me in on what’s going on between you and Justin?” she teased.

Ben blushed and shifted on his feet. “Uh…well…”

Nikki turned to face him with a smirk. “Should I ask what your intentions are with my brother?”

Ben shook his head, his eyes going wide. “No! It’s not like that! I mean…we haven’t really decided…”

She threw an arm over his shoulder and turned them so they could see Justin trying to steal a cookie from one of the platters an older Pack member placed on the table. She slapped at his hand, but he danced away, laughing.

“Just treat him right. I think the two of you are perfect for each other.”

Ben sucked in a breath. “Really?”

Nikki hugged him closer. “Yeah.”

“I’ve never felt like this,” Ben confessed. “He makes me laugh. Makes me feel like there might be something besides work to concentrate on. He’s just so friendly and free.”

“He is good at that. I think he became a teacher both in school and for the Pack because he can relate to them so easily.”

“I like him,” Ben confessed.

“Make sure he treats you right. I’d hate to have to kick my brother’s ass.”

“Speaking of kicking a brother’s ass, may I ask why you are hanging on mine?” RJ’s voice came behind them.

“Because he is so damn cute!” she told RJ as he pulled her away from his brother and into his arms.

“Not cuter than me, though, right?” RJ asked and winked.

“I…I think I’ll go see if Justin needs some help,” Ben gabbled and left them alone.

Nikki didn’t even glance after the other man. Her entire focus was on the one in front of her. “I wouldn’t really say you were cute,” she taunted.

“No?” he breathed against her neck.

“No. Sexy, maybe. Hot, for sure.”

“Mmm, sexy, I like that,” he told her, licking a path from her ear down her neck.

“Oh yeah, sexy as sin.” She shivered when he started to nibble.

“Haven’t the two of you had enough of each other yet?” Dylan asked as he joined them.

RJ sighed and loosened his hold. “I hate you.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I might not if you would stop cock blocking me,” he groused.

Dylan laughed. “My sympathies.”

“Where’s Brandon?” RJ looked around. It had been agreed that Brandon and Dylan would partner up for the day so that neither man would be alone.

Dylan nodded to the parking lot. “He’s going over something with his deputies. He wants everyone on high alert. Hopefully the ceremony will go off without any problems, but I don’t see Samson just giving up. That attack on your shop last night shows how pissed he is.”

“Hey, where’s Mike?” Nikki asked RJ. Mike had been supposed to stay with RJ for the same reason.

“He had some calls to make. I left him in the truck.”

A commotion from the parking lot had them stiffening up. Nikki let out a nervous laugh when a dozen small school-aged children came running into the clearing.

“Damn,” Dylan groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. “We need to calm down or we’ll have heart attacks and the ceremony hasn’t even started.”

“No shit,” RJ said. “We’re too jumpy. If we can’t control ourselves, the Pack is going to pick up on it.”

“So what do we do?”

“Act as normally as possible even as we stay aware of our surroundings.” RJ kissed the side of her neck before pulling Dylan by the arm. “Come on, brother. Let’s get a drink.”

Nikki watched them go, smiling. They stopped to talk to several people, both new and old Pack members, finally making it to the drink station. She saw Justin and Ben sitting close together at a table off to the side.

“I never thought I would see you smiling at someone like that here at home.”

Nikki turned to face Brandon. “I didn’t either,” she admitted. When he didn’t say anything else, she figured she had some things to tell him. “You know I was pissed when you ordered me home?”

He nodded. “Yeah, you didn’t hide that well.” Brandon led her away from the others. It appeared he needed to say a few things to her as well. Nikki didn’t like that this seemed to be the only time they had serious conversations—when something bad might happen.

“I’m sorry for being such a little shit,” she said.

Brandon laughed. “Nothing to apologize for.”

“Still, being here this time has me thinking a lot about the past. You didn’t have to do everything that you did. We weren’t really your responsibility.”

“I don’t regret a thing.”

“That’s good. I really am very lucky. Justin, too.”

“Have I ever told you how proud I am of you?”

“Yes, I know,” she assured him.

“I read every article,” he said. “It scares me to death to know you go to some of the most dangerous parts of the world. It also makes me feel as though I didn’t do too bad a job raising you.”

“Or Justin,” she added.

“Yes,” he agreed. “But I never worried about him the way I did you. I guess I always knew it would be you that would try to take on the injustices in the world.”

Nikki laughed. “Just like you have to protect everyone.”

“Turns out Justin is the smart sibling,” Brandon said. “He’s the only one who chooses to stay out of danger.”

“Nah, he’s just crazy.”

Brandon raised an eyebrow.

“Kids?” Nikki said. “Teenagers, to be more specific? You have to be nuts to choose that profession.”

Brandon chuckled. “Someone has to do it.”

“I guess.” She gave a mock shudder. “Better him than me.”

“Damn.” Brandon smiled. “It’s good to have you home.”

“What would have happened if I hadn’t come?”

Brandon shrugged. “I hope I would have gotten my head out of my ass. I got caught up in all the politics.”

“You have it worked out now?” she asked, stepping closer to her brother. He was a good man, so she did believe he would have figured it out. No matter what happened, she was proud of him.

“Dylan asked me to be his Beta. He wants Max and RJ as his Enforcers and a couple others from both Packs in the inner circle. Everyone he named made sense and Cameron agreed with his choices. I do believe he will make a good Alpha.”

“Well then, congratulations,” she said with a hip bump against him.

He grinned. “Thanks, but it’s not over yet.”

“We don’t even get to celebrate a new Alpha or your promotion. Samson has taken that from us.”

“I know.”

“You never told me what happened between the two of you. Why you stopped being his friend,” Nikki said.

“It doesn’t matter,” Brandon said, his voice small.

“I think it matters to you,” Nikki corrected. “You stopped being his friend, but you never gave up on him.”

Brandon sighed.

“You can tell me,” Nikki pressed. “Maybe it will help.”

Her brother was silent for several minutes then nodded. “You know his dad is an asshole.”

Nikki snorted. That’s an understatement.

“Samson loved coming over to our house because he felt like a part of the family. He’d get hell when he went home, but he always told me that a few hours with us was worth whatever his dad did to him,” Brandon explained.

“What changed?”

“Sarah Green.”

“Your ex-girlfriend?”

“Yeah, I guess he had a crush on her, although he never told me. When I started dating her, Samson was supportive. Over time he turned bitter. And started to talk to her behind my back.”

“He tried to steal her away,” Nikki guessed.

“The sad thing is had he told me, I would have broken up with her. I wasn’t in love or anything. She was just a girl who I took out sometimes.”

“Then what happened?”

“He stopped hanging out with me and got mixed up with the wrong crowd. Began doing drugs. Took Sarah with him.”

“Oh, God!” She regretted asking. The pain in Brandon’s voice made her ache to comfort him.

“She got addicted to meth,” Brandon said. “Eventually she overdosed.”

“Shit.” Nikki hadn’t heard about any of this. She’d met Sarah a few times and had known that Brandon wouldn’t ever mate her. Nikki just hadn’t picked up on any sort of strong connection. “I’m so sorry.”

“When I confronted Samson, he just shrugged off his responsibility for what had happened to Sarah. I knew he was messed up, too, but I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t watch him destroy his life.”

“I’m sorry.”

Brandon shook his head. “I’ve tried to get him into rehab. To get him help. I’ve even clashed with his father over it.”

“If he doesn’t want to get better then there is nothing you could do.”

“I know,” Brandon agreed. “But he was my best friend.”

So much made sense. It hurt that Brandon had dealt with this on his own. “Justin doesn’t know?”

“Not all of it. I didn’t want him to get involved.”

Nikki didn’t know what to say.

“Now that you know what’s been going on, you shouldn’t have to be told to be careful. Samson isn’t thinking straight. If you get in the way, he’ll hurt you. Don’t think you can reason with him.”

“I won’t,” she promised.

“Stay close to either me or RJ.”

Nikki sighed but he cut her off.

“I mean it. This will be the last chance before anything done against Dylan will be against the Alpha. It’s all or nothing tonight.”

“I know, Bran,” she assured him. “I’ll be careful.”

He nodded. “Cameron just arrived. I have to go over a few things with him.”

He left. She’d gotten more out of him than she’d expected. Nikki glanced around the yard, pleased at how many of the Pack were already showing up. With the ceremony still several hours away, it was a good sign.

At least something is going according to plan.

She had a feeling that Brandon didn’t believe this would work. He expected trouble, which meant that she needed to be alert.

RJ waved her over to where he stood with several Pack members. She plastered on her best smile as she strolled over. She’d have to fake a good mood even if she was scared to death of what the night would bring. It wasn’t just her own family who were in danger anymore.

In the span of a few days she’d started to care about the Cross family, one in particular. If Samson had something up his sleeve, she wouldn’t be able to relax until she returned home and all of this was over.