For the Good of All by Nicky Charles
Tina hummed to herself as she filled orders and gathered glasses. It was almost time for Stone to appear. For all that he’d said their night together was a one-off thing, that had been a week ago. Since then he’d reappeared every night. No explanation. She’d look up and there he’d be, sitting at the bar drinking ice water and watching her with that expressionless look of his. At the end of her shift, he’d escort her home and into the apartment. What followed was the most satisfying sex she’d ever had. Somehow he made her lose complete control until she was begging him to take her over the edge.
Just thinking about it made her hot and bothered.
She exhaled gustily, blowing a puff of air upward so it ruffled her bangs in an attempt to cool her face. Her hair was blue tonight and she wondered what Stone would think. A grin spread across her lips as she imagined his reaction. He had very conservative tastes from what she’d been able to determine. Denim, black and grey were the only colours she’d seen him wear. No fashion sense, poor guy.
What did he do during the day? His clothing gave no hint and he wasn’t forthcoming with information about himself. Not even his first name. Logan? Ethan? She scrunched up her face trying to think of a name that suited him.
“Daydreaming again?” Gwyneth nudged her as she passed by. “Or thinking about your new man?”
“Neither.” Tina wouldn’t give the older woman the opportunity to make a snide comment about her love life. Gwyn really was a bitch of a witch some days.
“Well he’s here again. Taking up prime space and not making me a dime. I’m going to start charging him for the seat and the ice.”
Tina looked up and sure enough, Stone was there. Somehow he’d managed to slip in even though she’d been watching for him. A flutter of excitement stirred inside her and she struggled to keep her voice casual. “You can be the one to tell him the new pricing policy.”
It was satisfying to see Gwyneth give Stone a once over and then back down from the implicit challenge. Tina held in the smile that tugged at her lips. The older woman sniffed. “Well, at least his presence helps keep the rowdies in line.” Grabbing a tray, she headed in the opposite direction.
Biting her lips to keep from laughing, Tina made her way towards Stone in what she hoped was a leisurely fashion. No point in letting him know how pleased she was to see him. Things were going well and she didn’t want to jinx it.
“Hey, Stone.”
He nodded. “Christina.”
The way he said her full name, with a hint of a sexy growl, made her shiver. No one called her that except him. It seemed so formal and yet intimate at the same time. Her mouth went dry as she imagined how he’d whisper it in her ear tonight as he slid inside her.
His mouth quirked. “I like what you’re thinking.”
“How do you...? I’m not...” She sputtered trying to deny the truth but he just looked at her and she subsided, knowing she’d been caught with her mind in the gutter. Face flushed, she asked him what he’d like to drink.
“I’ll have water, thank you.”
She placed his drink in front of him. “You know Gwyneth is thinking of charging you rent for the stool.”
“Is she really?” He looked around until he found the woman and studied her speculatively. “Interesting concept. I wonder what the going rate would...” His voice trailed off and he stilled.
“What’s the matter?” Tina followed the direction of his gaze. He was staring at the table where Damien and his friend were seated.
Without a word, Stone got to his feet and began to purposely walk towards the two men.
Crap and double crap. Tina watched his progress anxiously, hoping he wasn’t planning on causing trouble. He seemed to have an iron control over his emotions but even iron gave way under the right circumstances. She’d seen enough shifters get into brawls before to know it wasn’t something to be taken lightly. And Gwyneth didn’t allow fighting or spells in her establishment. Lycans and witches were expected to keep their unique abilities under control. Any infractions and you were banned for life.
She gulped at the thought. If Stone was banned, she might never get to see him again!
Ice water, that’s what she needed. She grabbed a jug of it and followed at a distance finally stopping at a nearby table. It was empty and she made a show of clearing it. Exactly what business Stone had with the men, she couldn’t tell. The music was too loud for her to eavesdrop and they stood with their backs to her so lip reading wasn’t possible. Still, she kept half an eye on what was happening. If things looked to be getting out of hand, she was there and ready to douse them with her favourite weapon.
“Smith?”
Reno looked up to see a large Lycan standing beside him. The angle of the light left the man’s face partially shadowed, but his scent was familiar though he couldn’t immediately place it. He rose to his feet as the man spoke again.
“Reno Smith?”
“Yeah, I’m—” Recognition dawned. “Eli? What the hell are you doing here?” Reno extended his hand while trying to assimilate all the facts that raced through his mind. It had been years since he’d seen Stone. They’d been Enforcers together; he just starting his career at Lycan Link while Stone had been on the verge of leaving. They’d worked a few cases together and he’d idly kept track of the man for a while. Initially, the story had been that Stone had set up his own organization but still did some covert work for Lycan Link. Then he dropped off the radar, only rumours of his fate remaining. “I’d heard you were dead!”
“Not yet, though quite a few have tried.” Stone shook his hand. “I’m surprised to see you here. Last I heard you were leading up a pack in the mountains somewhere.”
“Kolding’s Pass. I still work for Lycan Link as a consultant. What about you?” Reno wondered what the man would say. A few years back he’d come upon some disturbing information about Stone. It had been during Damien’s days as a rogue. Damien had worked as a mercenary for a bitch named Deirdre. The woman headed up what was basically a group of thugs and murderers for hire. Apparently Stone was Deirdre’s brother. She’d taken over Stone’s business after his supposed death and had turned the organization on its ear.
“I’ve been out of the country, in the Middle East.” Stone seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “My last mission took longer than I planned and I’ve spent the last year getting things back in order.” His mouth twisted briefly. “What brings you to Chicago?”
“I’m here on Lycan Link business. My friend, Damien—” Reno gestured towards the Lycan who was seated with him and Stone turned to greet the other man, only to freeze when he saw who it was.
He flashed his gaze between Reno and Damien. “You two know each other?”
Damien rose to his feet. “Depends on why you want to know.”
“What’s up, Stone?” Reno tensed sensing the undercurrent between the other two. Had his information been wrong? Had Stone actually been involved in Deirdre’s organization while Damien was working there? He watched Stone’s reaction carefully as he spoke. “Damien was my partner back in the day when he worked for Lycan Link.”
Stone frowned. “I wasn’t aware of that. Must have been while I was...away.”
“Away doing what?” Damien narrowed his eyes
Stone narrowed his eyes. “None of your business.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, this is my territory. As Alpha, I have the right to question any Lycan who enters.” Damien took a step forward. “That makes it my business.”
Stone sneered. “Alpha? I thought you just rode on the coattails of your mate.”
A rumble rose in Damien’s throat. Reno stepped between the two knowing the situation could easily escalate into a full-blown fight. A moment too late a blur of movement caught his eye. The witch, Tina, was standing mere feet away and in the process of pitching the contents of a large jug of ice water right at them.
“What the fuck!”
“Hell!”
Both he and Stone gave indignant sh
“Oops!” Tina gave a squeak. “I tripped. I’m so sorry!”
“What’s going on over here?” Gwyneth appeared, scowling at the group. “Dogs that fight are permanently banned from the club.”
“They weren’t fighting, Gwyneth. I tripped, that’s all.” Tina stammered her explanation all too aware of how Stone was glowering at her. Her knees shook as she imagined the retribution he might demand. Maybe she could slip out the back door after work and hide somewhere.
“Hmm...” Gwyneth gave her a suspicious look. “In that case, clean up the mess and bring them all a free drink. The price comes out of your tips.”
Tina nodded and tightly clenched the handle of the jug she still held. “I’ll be right back. Two beers and...” She paused and looked at Stone, his wet shirt clinging to his body, outlining his impressive form. “Er...do you want more ice water?” Even as she spoke the words, she realized how inappropriate they were. Heat flooded her face.
Stone slowly pulled the wet material of his shirt away from his chest and wrung the water from the shirttail, the whole time his eyes locked on her.
Tina swallowed hard.
A bark of laughter came from Damien who had managed to avoid being doused. “I think he’s had enough ice water for tonight, Tina. Bring him a beer.”
She bobbed her head and quickly escaped.
Still chuckling, Damien looked at the other two men. “For two old guys you seem to be pretty wet behind the ears.”
“Not funny, Damien.” Reno plucked at his wet shirt. “How’d you manage to stay dry?”
“I’ve been the victim of Tina’s tactics before.” Damien looked at their table, noted it was covered with water and gestured towards the bar. “I suggest a change of location.”
“Does she do this often?” Stone was still watching Tina’s retreating back even as he took a seat.
“She got me once.” Damien grimaced at the memory and then returned to the topic that had started the whole incident. “So, Stone, why are you here?”
“Between jobs.” Stone gave him a level look.
“Staying long?”
“Don’t know yet.”
Reno sighed. “Can you two give it a rest before we get doused in water again and kicked out of the club?”
Damien shifted his attention to Reno. “I want all cards on the table first. Stone worked with Deirdre. About a year ago he showed up on my doorstep, punched me in the face and then said he wouldn’t kill me. Now he’s back.” He looked at Stone. “I don’t want trouble in my territory. Deirdre means trouble.”
“Deirdre and I are no longer associated. In fact, I ensured she closed up shop.” Stone answered the question with obvious reluctance.
Reno pressed for more information. “No longer associated? I thought you and Deirdre were related. Brother and sister aren’t you?”
Stone’s jaw tightened. “We are but, in my defence, I’ll remind you that you can’t pick who your family is.”
“She always hinted that you were her partner in the business.” Damien wasn’t about to let him off the hook.
“Initially, she worked for me. While I was gone, she took over, twisted things to suit her.”
“You allowed her to continue unchecked for years.” Reno pointed out.
“Like I said, I was out of the country for an extended period. I had no control over what happened during that time.” Stone’s face darkened, then he took a deep breath obviously trying to maintain his control. “Look, if you two want to play a twisted version of good cop, bad cop do it with someone else. What happened is old history now.” His expression indicated the topic was out of bounds.
“Sorry,” Reno apologized. “Force of habit. Damien and I were a team for quite a few years.”
Stone waited a beat before giving a nod. “Understood.”
Damien grunted. “Maybe I overdid it, however...” Stone raised a brow but Damien continued. “I do need to know how long you plan to be in the area. Standard pack protocol.”
Another moment of silence followed then Stone spoke. “Respect for pack law is important.” He turned to face Damien, his expression neutral. “The length of my stay depends. I was following the trail of a person of interest but it led nowhere. Now I’m looking for a job. If nothing turns up, I’ll be on my way.” Stone’s gaze followed Tina’s progress as she delivered drinks to a group at the other end of the bar.
“Fair enough.” Damien relaxed. “If you end up staying, you’re welcome to join our pack provided the others approve of you. We’re looking for able-bodied members.”
“I’ll keep the offer in mind.”
Reno shifted his gaze between Stone and Tina. “Nothing else keeping you here?”
“Nope.” Stone turned his back on the witch, almost as if he were forcing himself to ignore her. “You know of anyone looking to hire an Ex-Enforcer?”
“Actually,” Damien nudged Reno, “weren’t you looking for someone to do a job for you?”
Reno frowned. “Now that you mention it…” He pulled the folded report from his inner coat pocket. “I do have a job that might be right up your alley.”
“What is it?”
Reno tapped the file in his hand, looking between it and Stone. “It’s out of the country; Central America.”
Stone shrugged. “As long as it isn’t in the desert, I’ll consider it.”
Giving a nod, Reno handed the file over to Stone. “Read this and then tell me what you think.”
Tina cautiously set down three beers in front of the men she’d earlier soaked with water, inwardly bracing herself for some sort of comment about what she’d done. Surprisingly, the only response was a vague grunt of thanks from Damien and the merest flick of a glance from his friend, Reno. She recalled Reno from the challenge Sam had fought against Damien a while back. Sam said he was a decent enough sort and it would appear that evaluation was true. After all, he’d seemed to have forgiven her for the impromptu bath. Right now, they were watching a pre-season baseball game on the TV mounted in the corner. Stone, however, was focused on some paper he was reading. He didn’t even acknowledge the drink she’d placed in front of him.
She moved a few feet away and wiped some water rings from the bar feeling vaguely disappointed. Of course, she hadn’t wanted the men to make snide remarks about her impulsive action but being ignored was annoying. Secretly, she’d been looking forward to some verbal sparring, especially with Stone.
Out of the corner of her eye, she checked on what he was doing. He seemed to be questioning Reno about the contents of the papers he was reading. Curiosity had her edging closer under the guise of cleaning the bar.
Nope she couldn’t make out a word they were saying. Luckily, she’d developed some lip-reading abilities over the years; taking orders in a noisy bar made it a useful skill. She focused her attention on their faces.
Central America. Gorillas.
Tina frowned. There were gorillas in Central America? Weren’t they found in Africa? And while she had no idea what Stone’s job might be, dealing with gorillas just didn’t seem like something he’d do.
She inched even closer, absent-mindedly gathering empty glasses. What were they saying now?
Something about a turf war?
Oh.
The pieces fell together. Guerrillas not gorillas. She cast a worried look at Stone. He already had a scar on his face. Whatever he did for a living was obviously dangerous.
“Hey! I wasn’t finished with that!” Tina pulled her attention back to her job and realized she’d taken a still full glass away from someone.
“Sorry.” She quickly mixed a new one and handed it over. “On the house.”
The man took it with a half-hearted ‘thanks’ and moved to sit elsewhere.
Tina glanced towards Stone and found that all three men were looking at her. She swallowed hard and then forced a smile on to her lips. “Can I get you another round?”
Stone gave her a pointed stare. “Eavesdropping again?”
“Again?” She tried to look affronted but knew he was referring to the ice water incident earlier in the evening.
Stone kept his gaze fixed on her and she struggled to keep her shoulders from slumping in defeat. “I’m not eavesdropping. At least, not exactly. Just working my way down the bar serving customers. You’re next in line.” She could feel her face growing warm and wished she were a better liar.
Stone glanced at his watch and then turned to his companions. “I’ll consider your proposal and let you know.”
Reno nodded. “We’ll meet here tomorrow night. Nine o’clock?”
“Sounds good.” Stone stood up and looked at Tina. “Your shift is over in five minutes, Christina. I’ll be waiting at the door.”
Chapter 3
Stone lay in bed, one arm tucked behind his head. Christina was snuggled to his side, her head pillowed against his chest. He could feel her breath skimming over his skin, the heat of her body along the length of his. Her scent filled his lungs as he inhaled. Nice.
A pleasant interlude. His wolf murmured its approval. For how long?
It wasn’t often he allowed himself the luxury of staying the night with a woman. And to return every night for a week was a definite change of habit. He still wasn’t totally convinced that she hadn’t cast a spell on him. It seemed the only logical explanation for his behaviour. Turning his head slightly, he brushed his chin against the top of her hair. Blue. The corner of his mouth twitched. Crazy little witch. Of course, if she had cast a spell on him, she’d likely have changed his hair colour in the process.
That would not be amusing! His inner beast scowled. A Lycan should be dignified.
He made a soft sound in agreement and let his eyes drift shut, his mind wander. Images of himself with ever-changing colours of hair formed and he snorted. When had he developed a sense of the absurd? Definitely the influence of a witch.