I lick my lips, trying to think of who to ask for. "I was told this was a pack operation."
"You were told wrong," the big guy tells me. He's a shifter, but I can't scent what type of animal, though I feel it, big and brooding under his intimidating skin. Definitely an apex predator. "This here's independent from the pack."
My brain scrambles. If Garrett's pack isn't running this operation, who is? "I thought this place was under the Tucson pack's protection."
The big guy shrugs. "We're fighters. We protect our own."
"That's"-I shake my head, not wanting to say 'crazy'-"I'm from the Phoenix pack. I was sent here to find out what's going on-"
"Hey, Grizz. Who's your friend?"
I turn towards the silky voice, and get my second shock of the night. Grizz-the big guy at my back, steps between me and the speaker, but not before I get a whiff of cologne. The seductive scent covers an uglier smell-a stone-cold scent like a tomb, with an undertone of old blood.
My lips curl back and I snarl, "Vampire."
The leech is tall, too tall, with a fine-boned face so beautiful it's inhuman. His beauty is predatory, lethal, like a poisonous flower. Men and women will find themselves attracted to him, but before they know why, they'll be dead.
He smiles, showing a pair of pointy teeth. My hackles go up and my wolf surges to the fore.
"Back off, Nero," the big shifter barks, his brawny shoulder inserted between me and the vamp. "She's a guest."
"My dear Grizzly." The vampire spreads his elegant hands. He's wearing a thousand-dollar suit and snakeskin cowboy boots. "Aren't we all?"
"Come on." Grizz herds me toward the back, away from the smiling vampire. "Office's this way. The boss will want to speak with you."
I let the scarred shifter-grizzly bear, of course-guide me around the fight cage toward the corner of the warehouse, where a dark, room-sized cube hugs the walls. Behind us, Nero watches, his teeth shining in the gloom. I suppress a shudder.
"So the rumors are true," I mutter. "This place has gone to the leeches."
Grizz gives me a sharp look and pushes me gently toward the office door. "Someone to see you, boss," he calls and raps the side of the cube.
The door opens and I get my third shock. Spiked hair, lip ring, dark tattoos running up and down muscular arms. And those ice blue eyes piercing me through. I sway as if stabbed, and he automatically puts his hands out to steady me.
Trey Robson.
"Sheridan." It's just like the first time he spoke my name. Trey stares as if he's not sure I'm really here. I'm tall, but he towers over me. And I'm lost, drowning in the past, the heat and memory in his pale blue gaze.
Trey
SHERIDAN GREEN GLARES up at me, looking like she stepped out of my dreams-wet dreams-and into my life. My wolf presses against my skin, clawing to touch her. I don't know whether to yell at her, slam the door in her face, or pull her into the office and reacquaint myself with every inch of her body.
My dick is not so ambivalent. It'd be easy, so easy, too easy, to yank her to me, hike up her skirt, and have her against the wall.
Then she opens her mouth. "Get your hands off me," she spits, her green eyes sparking.
"Fuck," I rasp, and let go of her as if burned. "What's going on?" I ask Grizz without taking my eyes from Sheridan's angry face.
The grizzly shrugs. "She came in looking to talk to Garrett. I figured you'd want to know."
"Garrett?" I cross my arms over my chest, mirroring Sheridan's stance. She's got her hackles up. As if she has a right to be mad at me after what she did. "Your cousin isn't here."
"I learned that," she snaps. "Right before I ran into a freaking vampire."
A growl rises at my chest. Not at her. I'm not happy about the leeches.
"Come in." I step back, holding the office door open. She marches in and turns in a circle, hands on her hips. For a moment I see the office through her eyes. The messy stacks of paper, the dim light broken by the glow of an ancient desktop computer. The empty cans of beer overflowing from the trash can. Not exactly a professional work environment.
Whatever. It's my business and I get shit done when I want, how I want. I'm done trying to please her. Those days are over. She killed any tie we ever had to each other.
A little voice in the back of my head whispers, You had it coming. I have to admit, I snuffed out the feelings we had for each other as efficiently as I could. Our relationship was on life support by the time I was through with it. But Sheridan was the one who plunged a knife into my heart, and twisted it until there's was nothing left. No love, no feelings. I've been an empty shell ever since.
"Vampire, Robson, really? What the heck is going on?"
Heck. She still doesn't swear. Still the perfect pack princess, working so hard to please everyone. Her family, her pack, her alpha-everybody but me. She doesn't have a problem treating me like dirt.
Right now she's looking down her nose like I'm dogshit on her designer shoe. Her fancy-pants high heels that make her legs under her skirt look long and sexy as fuck.
My eyebrows snap together and I glare right back. Who the fuck wears high heels to an underground fight club?
"What are you doing here, Sheridan?"
A perfectly polished fingernail stabs me in the chest. "You answer me first, wolf. Why is there a leech out there? This is pack territory. Why haven't you thrown him out and staked him as an example?"
"I can't. He belongs to Lucius. We have a deal."
Sheridan sucks in a breath. "You're dealing with vampires?"
"Fuck." I turn away, scrubbing my hand through my hair. I hate leeches more than anyone. They've turned my dream into a nightmare. "It's complicated."
"Explain."