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Just who is this woman?
Nathan lifted his hand in a fist and knocked loudly. If he didn’t get a response within a minute or two, he would knock again, shouting that he was the police. After that, Nathan would have to round the home trying to find some way inside.
He really hoped it didn’t come to that.
To Nathan’s relief, it didn’t. After only a few seconds, he saw the flutter of the curtain in the window to the left of the door. Nathan suddenly felt grateful he was still in uniform, since that would most likely ease a little old lady’s fears if she really did live out here alone.
Am I making assumptions about her being a little old lady?
Hmmm.
Nathan heard the snick of a lock disengaging a few seconds later. His relief at spotting the signs of life were short-lived. A little old lady didn’t answer the door. In fact, it wasn’t a woman at all.
“Sam,” Nathan murmured, frowning. “What are you doing here?” Just as quickly, another thought hit him. “Are you squatting at Misses Waldorf’s?” Moving his hand to the butt of his service weapon, Nathan demanded, “Where is she?”
After a quick glance toward Nathan’s weapon, Sam slowly lifted his hands, palms out. “There’s no Misses Waldorf here,” he told him. “I’m sorry for the subterfuge, Nathan.” While Sam kept his deep voice soft and low as if trying to soothe him, it didn’t work when his next words were, “You refused to meet up with us, so we had to think up another way to get you out here.”
“Subterfuge?” Nathan took another step backward, wariness surging through him. “Why?”
“Khan wants to meet you,” Sam told him, confusing him further. “Officially, I mean.”
“Your wolf?” Nathan shook his head even as he frowned at the bizarre man. “You wanted me to come out here to see your wolf?”
Sam chuckled quietly, mirth filling his brown eyes. “Not quite what I mean.”
“Invite the man in, Sam,” a deep voice from deeper in the house ordered. “We have plenty to discuss, and you’re letting in the cold.”
“Yeah, it’s Colorado in the fall, man.” Nathan recognized that voice as the teasing redhead from the diner. “If Land and I were fuckin’ in the front room, you’d have frozen our dicks off by now.”
Sam scowled even as he took a step backward and peered to the right. “Why the hell would you be fuckin’ in the front room, Payson?”
“Eh. Maybe the mood struck, and this was where we happened to be,” Payson responded glibly. “It could happen.”
“No fucking in the front room unless you’re alone in the house, Payson,” the first deep voice ordered with a hint of long-suffering in his tone. “You know we don’t want to see it, and you don’treallywant us to see it, either.”
Letting out a chortle, Payson responded, “Yes, boss.”
Another man appeared at Sam’s shoulder, and Nathan stared up at the guy. He was even bigger than Sam, and that was saying something because Sam stood six-foot-four and was built like a brick outhouse. This guy also had a larger presence, which screamedguy in charge. His thick salt and pepper hair and goatee, as well as his intense brown eyes, gave him a slightly unnerving look, and Nathan sure as hell wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley.
“I’m Kontra Belikov,” the man told him, holding out his huge paw of a hand. “And we needed to talk to you, Nathan, so Anthony helped us out.”
That was when it hit Nathan. “He set me up?”
“He did,” Kontra confirmed, clearly unrepentant, still holding out his hand. “Come in.”
“Why?” Nathan asked incredulously, even as he hesitantly reached to take the intimidating man’s hand.
Except, when Kontra shook, he didn’t try to squeeze or dominate. He kept his grip comfortable, and Nathan found himself appreciating the warmth of the guy’s palm. The man was right, after all. It was growing colder by the minute now that the sun had set.
“Come inside, Nathan,” Kontra encouraged, tugging lightly with his hold. “And we’ll explain everything.”
Nathan wondered if he had much of a choice. As he started moving forward, he wasn’t certain if they would allow him to leave unless he obeyed. Nathan must not have hidden his trepidation well enough, for Kontra offered him an encouraging smile.
“Try to relax, deputy,” Kontra urged, releasing his hand once Nathan stood in the foyer. “You’re perfectly safe here. This really isn’t a bad thing.”
“It’s really not,” a soft voice piped up from off to the right. When Nathan looked into the sitting room, he spotted the slender black-haired man sitting on Payson’s lap, and he was smiling widely at him.That must be Land.“It’s really actually a totally cool and special thing.” Then the guy tipped his head to the side a little as he added, “Of course, at first, you’ll probably find it a little odd. I know I did.”
Payson began pressing kisses down Land’s neck and over his shoulder as he mumbled against his flesh, “But I made it worth it, didn’t I, baby?”
