Her Dragon Protector, page 14
part #2 of Black Claw Dragons Series
The days ran together. I ran home from work as quickly as possible to be able to see her faster, then kept her out as late as I dared.
We didn’t repeat our performance in her bedroom. It was hard to resist, but now that we’d done it, I wanted to backtrack and do things right.
Friday morning, Charlotte was in the kitchen when I went down for breakfast. She and my mom worked around each other, making pancakes and bacon.
I offered to help. I never wanted either of them to think I expected them to be in the kitchen. I could cook for myself easily enough.
But I had to admit to myself I was relieved when they both said no. I hated to cook.
In a few minutes, Charlotte set a plate in front of me and joined me with her breakfast. Mom disappeared, shockingly.
Everyone in the family had been giving us as much space as they could all week.
“Ava and I are doing girls’ night at Ava’s house with Harley from the salon,” she said. I raised my eyebrows. I hadn’t even known that she knew Harley. “Ava and I were hoping you and Stefan would drop by a little later in the evening. Maybe bring some wine and dinner?”
I chuckled with my mouth full. After a big swig of orange juice, I shook my head at Charlotte. “Why are Stefan and I bringing booze and food?”
“Because Harley has a crush on him!” She winked at me. “We might as well get those two crazy kids together.”
She was so cute in her excitement to play matchmaker.
“I’ve been feeling romantic this week.” She widened her eyes and fluttered her eyelashes at me. “I can’t help it.”
Slapping my hand to my heart, I closed my eyes and sighed. “I suppose it’s all my fault?”
“Indeed. So, you’ll come, right?”
Like I’d refuse her. “Of course I’ll come, and I’ll do my best to get Stefan to come with me.”
After a kiss that made me want to carry her upstairs and spend the day in bed, I headed to the station. The day crept by with my mind on the evening’s festivities. At lunch, I stopped by the service station to ask Stefan to go with me.
He was under a car in the bay. “Want to join us for dinner at Maverick’s?” I asked by way of greeting.
Stefan rolled out from under the car, squinting up at me. “Sure.”
“Sounds good. Pick you up after work. About five.”
“Okay,” he said, already under the car again.
I didn’t have patrol, so I spent most of the day near the station, taking calls and running paperwork. After Carlos came to replace me, I swung into the grocery store parking lot to get a couple of bottles of wine. Then I picked up Stefan. He lived above the shop and had taken the time to clean up. A bit.
He wore old, ripped jeans and a threadbare t-shirt under a jean jacket.
“Don’t dress up on our account,” I teased him.
“It’s just dinner with you and Maverick, right?” he asked. I didn’t respond as I crossed the road into the Chicken Shack.
Equipped with a huge bucket of chicken and several large sides, we made our way to Ava and Maverick’s house. My phone rang when we were a few minutes away and I hit the speaker button.
“Axel.” Dad sounded worried. “Bad news, son. I just got a call from the Santa Fe PD. They got a hit on Logan’s credit card. He was at a gas station outside Trinidad a few hours ago.”
I cursed under my breath. “Trinidad is halfway between here and Santa Fe.”
“Yeah. I don’t know what took him so long, but it seems he’s on his way here now.” Damn it. Enough time had passed that I’d hoped he’d given up and was just hiding out, not after Charlotte.
“I wonder what changed. What made him surface now?” I sighed. “Let’s get some extra patrols set up. Call Carlos and have his pack do some running tonight, all around the town and our property.”
“I don’t know. Maverick already got the ball rolling on that. I stopped in at the station to pick up my watch. I’d left it on my desk. The call came in while I was here.”
Irritation flashed through me. I hadn’t even had a chance to get the ball rolling. It was already done.
“Why is Maverick already on it?” I asked. “Charlotte is my mate. I can protect her. I can take care of it.”
“Everyone is trying to help, son.”
“I know that, but I should be the one doing it.”
“Maverick is the alpha. It’s his job to keep everyone in the town safe, including you and your mate.” Dad’s voice was kind, but that wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
“She’s not Maverick’s to protect! She’s mine!” My voice lowered into a growl.
“What’s gotten into you, son?” Dad sounded surprised and maybe disappointed.
I didn’t answer right away. My resentment faded a little, but not enough to let me back down. I was the firstborn. I should’ve been the damn alpha. “I’ll keep Charlotte safe. And I’ll tell Maverick the same.”
I hung up the phone and threw it down on the seat behind the bucket of chicken. Stefan stared at me with an eyebrow up and his mouth hanging open. I ignored him as we turned onto Ava’s driveway.
“I get it,” he said. I cut my eyes at him and didn’t respond. “The need to feel useful. Powerful. Like you’re not doing enough. I was alone for years, and now I constantly have the need to prove myself. But man, you’ve got nothing to prove. Your family loves you. And Maverick looks up to you.”
I shut off the engine and turned to him. “What are you talking about?”
“Maverick looks up to you, regardless of who is the alpha. You should hear how he talks about you.”
I didn’t know what he meant. “You’re nuts.”
Stefan shook his head. “Man, you don’t see it at all, do you? Maverick considers you his best friend. His closest confidante. You don’t return the feelings, but he doesn’t realize that. As far as Maverick is concerned, you’re the best brother he could have.”
He got out of the truck with the food and headed toward the door while I sat there, stunned. I couldn’t stay out in the truck forever, though, so I grabbed the bag of wine and followed him.
Charlotte let us in with a cry of delight. “What are you two doing here?” she asked.
“We thought we’d drop by with dinner,” I said as if it was all my idea. My emotions rolled inside me, but I hid it. The ladies didn’t need to worry, especially not Charlotte. Maverick, Stefan, and I were more than enough to protect them from one human man. If Logan made any moves tonight, he’d regret it.
She pulled me out of my preoccupation by introducing me to Harley. I’d seen her around and met her before, but it was a ruse. “Axel, this is Harley.” The redhead ducked her head at me and smiled. “Harley, do you know Stefan?”
I watched the sweet-looking girl look shyly at Stefan. He scuffed his toe on the floor and smiled at her. “We’ve met. Nice to see you again.”
Maverick came in from the study. “Hey, I didn’t know we were having a date night.” He took the bag of wine out of my hand and offered to pour glasses.
He was comfortable and easy with us. As he laughed about something or another with Harley and Stefan, I realized it had been ages since I’d just hung out with him. It reminded me of all the time we used to spend together as kids. We always had a lot of fun then.
Why couldn’t we get back to that?
We played cards and pretended there was nothing going on with Logan. The girls drank a little too much wine and got loud and silly.
Later, after a fun evening, I pulled Charlotte close. “Thank you,” I whispered, nodding toward Maverick across the room. She didn’t just do this for Stefan and Harley. She did it for me to spend some stress-free time with my brother. I pressed my lips to hers and gave her a deep kiss.
“You’re welcome,” she whispered.
Then she hiccupped. “I need more wine.”
With a snicker, I followed her into the kitchen to get her just that. Anything she wanted.
16
Charlotte
When I closed the door, leaving Axel in the hall, I sighed and clutched my hands to my chest. We’d gone on another date, making it every single night since the family dinner that we’d spent together in some way. Usually a date, but sometimes simply a quiet evening at home, having dinner with his family or watching a movie with Jury and Maddox.
All the time together had convinced me of one thing. I wanted to stay in Black Claw.
And if I’d decided to stay in town, I had to make some changes. I couldn’t live indefinitely at the manor, especially if Axel and I planned to have a real relationship. Living with him before the relationship got off the ground had to be a bad idea.
I shot off a text to Ava. I hadn’t seen her in days, since our girls’ night, which had gone well for Stefan and Harley, I was pretty sure.
You up? Call me if you are.
The phone rang seconds later. “Hey, babe,” Ava said in a chipper voice. “I’m just finishing up a rush job for a new client. What’s up?”
I plopped on my bed and threw myself against the pillows with a sigh. “Oh, nothing. I just need to discuss my entire future.”
She chuckled. “Hang on. Let me get comfortable. I needed a break, anyway.” I waited while she rustled over the line. “Okay. Spill.”
“I think I want to stay in Black Claw.” That was the main problem. What to do now that I’d made that decision encompassed the rest of it.
“I should hope so. I didn’t expect you to do anything but stay here. Were you considering going somewhere else?”
My jaw dropped. “You expected me to stay?”
“Duh. You packed up all your stuff and came here. What else were you planning to do?”
I’d never really decided. “Go back. Or somewhere new. I didn’t know.”
“All right, you’re staying. What’s the problem?”
“Um, I can’t stay here forever. I need a place to live. And a job.”
“Didn’t Carla say she’d recommend you at the hospital?”
She had. I hated to impose, especially after I’d been living in her house so long for free. “Think it’s okay to remind her?”
“Of course! I’m sure she’s still up for it. Go ask her right now before you lose your nerve.”
I sighed and sat up. “Okay. You’re right. Thanks, Ava.”
She made a kissy sound and hung up. She was right, of course. What had I been waiting for? We hadn’t heard from Logan in all this time. There was no reason for me to think he knew I was here. He either came here and didn’t find me, or he wasn’t trying to look. We never even had reason to enact our ridiculous bus plan.
Pressing my ear to the door, I listened for anyone in the hall. I wanted to talk to Carla without anyone around making me nervous. Like Axel.
My entire body went on edge when he was around. For one thing, I’d been waiting on him to put the moves on me again and he hadn’t. If he didn’t soon, I’d be putting them on him. I was a modern woman. No reason I couldn’t let the man I desired know what I wanted.
But it was nice to feel wanted by him. And he made me feel that every time he saw me. He just stopped himself from taking it to the next level again.
No sounds came from the hall, so I cracked my door. I kicked off my shoes and padded down the hall silently in my socks.
As predicted, Carla was in the living room, curled up in one of the armchairs with a book. A roaring fire put out a bunch of heat, making the living room a great place to snuggle in.
Ava didn’t live here, never had. Yet she knew Carla would be up. Maybe Maverick had told her.
“Hey,” I murmured. I didn’t want to scare her.
She jumped anyway. “Oh, Charlotte. Are you all right?”
“Yes, I just wanted to talk to you for a minute, if you’re not busy?” What a stupid question. Of course she was busy, she was reading. “I’m sorry to interrupt.”
She put her book on the coffee table and pointed to the chair next to her. “Sit. I’m never too busy for you, dear.”
What a lovely woman. I wished I’d been raised by a mother as caring. “I’ve decided to settle down in Black Claw.”
Carla’s face lit up in the firelight. “That’s wonderful, dear. Are you ready for me to set up that meeting at the hospital?”
She knew what I needed without me even having to ask. “Thank you. I’d appreciate that very much. I want to get my own place as soon as possible, but I’ll need a job.”
I still had my savings but hated to deplete it. If things got bad and Logan turned up, I might need it to run.
“You’ll stay here as long as you need to. We have the room, and you’re a delight to have around. And may I say, I believe Axel is pleased to have you so close as well.” She gave me a conspiratorial wink. “Is there anything else I can do to help?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. Thank you so much, again.”
The rest of the house felt almost cold after leaving the heat of the fire in the living room. To warm back up, I snuggled under my covers and dreamed about a life free of worry. A settled life, with roots. When I fell asleep, I dreamed of white picket fences and two-point-five kids.
Carla had news for me at breakfast the next morning. We’d been playing a game, each of us trying to rise before the other to make breakfast. I forgot to set my alarm the night before, though, so she had an omelet station set up when I went down.
“This looks great,” I exclaimed.
“Come on, build your omelet.” Jury and James sat at the table eating. “Axel went in to work early. Said he had some research to do. He asked me to let you know he’d see you this afternoon.”
I smiled as I piled peppers and onions in the bowl with the egg. He cared enough to make sure and leave word for me.
“I spoke to the head nurse from my old floor,” Carla said.
My hair flew behind my shoulders as I swung my head up. “Already?”
She nodded with a big grin. “We go way back. She said you can stop by anytime today and she’ll interview you. She’s doing an admin day today, catching up on paperwork, so the timing is perfect.”
She’d already written down the details and slid the paper across the counter to me. “There you go.”
I looked at the sweet woman in awe. “Thank you.”
She winked. “Don’t mention it.”
Deciding what to wear was the hardest part. I had to look professional, but interview blogs said the clothes should be completely forgettable. The interviewer had to notice me, not my clothes.
Most of my street clothes were bright and cheery. Wearing pretty, bold colors made me feel good.
In the end, I wore muted autumn colors. Brown dress pants, a burnt orange sweater, and simple jewelry. Jury drove me down to Ava’s, where my car was still parked. He and Maddox had driven it a few times since I’d come to town, just on the back roads a little. They said a car needed to be driven at least occasionally.
They’d moved it behind the house, on the far side of the shed Ava’s Nana had built years ago. If Logan drove by the house or even just into the driveway, he wouldn’t have seen it. But if he’d gotten out and snooped, it would’ve been found.
Axel told me last night about Logan using his credit card about halfway between here and Santa Fe. But that had been days ago, and we hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him. Maverick swore nothing was on any of the cameras, especially around the houses.
I felt safe enough going straight to the hospital and back. It wasn’t far out of town.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?” Jury asked. “I can study in the car while you’re inside.”
He was a sweet boy. One day he’d make a sweet boyfriend. “Thank you, but I think it’s okay. We’ve gone this long without a single word.”
He nodded. “You’ve got your new phone?”
I took it out of my purse to show him.
“Then be careful.”
I leaned over and ruffled his hair, then headed for my car. She wasn’t the newest thing, but I liked her. I’d had her a while.
Unfortunately, we were halfway to the hospital before the heat kicked in. I blasted it the rest of the drive and was warm by the time I got there.
The interview went great. The head nurse was friendly and personable and asked questions I had all the right answers to. About my credentials, my experience. She grilled me on policies and seemed pleased when I told her I could only quote policies of my previous hospital.
“Ours differ somewhat, but you will learn them in no time,” were her exact words, making me think she intended to hire me.
“We have openings on a couple of floors, and I need to run everything by HR and complete your background check.” She handed me a form and had me go to their lab for an immediate drug test.
I wrote down the opioids I’d taken with the prescription numbers. I’d suspected I might have to test today. I hadn’t had them in a couple of weeks, but they could still linger sometimes in the system. Better to say so beforehand than make them chase me down for the answers.
By the time I finished all that, my throat felt like the Sahara and my stomach growled. And it had been a while since I’d had greasy, fried hospital food.
Every hospital cafeteria was the same. Burgers, fries, pre-frozen chicken tenders. And I loved it. I’d forced myself to pack my lunch back in Santa Fe, so I didn’t buy cafeteria food too often.
Everything went smoothly until I sat down with my large soda and plate of tenders and fries. The back of my neck prickled.
I didn’t want to be obvious, so I munched on a fry, then got up for ketchup. As I crossed the back of the busy cafeteria to get a small ramekin of ketchup, I looked around as if I had no worries in the world.
Too many people had their faces obstructed. Too many men with hoods up and baseball caps low. I couldn’t tell who they were. Or if they were Logan.
My breaths quickened as I headed back to my table.
My plate had been moved to the side.
