Page 6 of The Enforcers: KANE

And every night, Wolf wouldn’t let him leave until he’d gotten one last glimpse of her. So he haunted the edge of the forest, a giant and deadly predator, watching until Raven walked out of the resort, got in her car and drove away.

Sometimes he thought about approaching her, walking up to her like a normal human being and striking up a conversation.

Hello.

How are you?

Do you want to fuck?

Can you make me not be the person that I am?

Yeah. He could imagine how well that would go. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a conversation beyond pack business and security with anybody but Israel.

As far as women, he confined himself to the occasional one-night stand that didn’t require talking. Selina had been his only relationship, and if he ever saw her again he’d rip her throat out for what she’d done to him.

So it wasn’t exactly a good reference point for romance.

He stood in the darkness, paws on the cold ground, and waited. Fireflies sparked in the woods, lighting it up like a fairyland. He knew, deep in his heart, that if this kept up much longer he’d follow her home.

And he couldn’t. Because he didn’t know what he’d do after that. She spoke to something in his heart, and he had to forget his heart.

He had to use his head. It was the only way to keep from going back to the monster he once was. That, and work. Protecting his pack. He needed the pack.

He needed people to take care of, and he needed to know he was doing what was right for them. He just had to do it without emotion. Emotions had betrayed him, and they’d made him betray others.

Never again.

* * *

Rachelle slipped out the side door of the casino, shivering a little as the cold night air hit her. The summer was coming to a close, and the nights were already getting nippy here in the Idaho mountains. She huddled into her jacket as she walked to her car.

Behind her, she heard footsteps crunching on the gravel. Her shoulders tensed. She hadn’t noticed anyone in the parking lot when she left the building.

A man’s voice said, “Hey, pretty songbird.”

Rachelle froze. Had they found her already? Had she been made?

She swung around, weight on the balls of her feet, ready to move quickly. She slid her hand slowly into her purse, wrapping her fingers around her tiny pistol.

She faced a middle-aged man, paunchy and balding.

“Hey,” he said again, smiling vacantly at her.

Rachelle relaxed slightly. Probably just an annoying drunk.

“Who are you?” she asked in a firm, steady voice. “What do you want?”

The man stopped and blinked at her, swaying on his feet. His forehead wrinkled in a frown, as if the effort of remembering his name was too great for him.

“Eddie,” he said finally. His face lit up. “Eddie! That’s me. I heard you sing. Wanna have a drink with me? I’ll buy.”

Right. Because a girl on her way to her car at one a.m. was always looking to party. Still, a middle-aged out-of-shape drunk was no threat. This she could deal with.

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m not looking for a date. But thanks anyway.”

That wasn’t what Eddie wanted to hear. He lurched forward, his face now twisting into an ugly mask.

“Oh, yeah?” he slurred. “Think you’re too good for me, with your shiny red dress? Holdin’ out for some guy with lotsa money and a fancy suit, I bet.”