a loss for words. He hadn’t expected the feisty vet to even allow him to manhandle her out of the way in front of her family, much less favor him with a subtle display of acceptance—or worse, affection. But surprise wasn’t enough to make him drop his hand from Heidi’s sweet curves. He held on as Axel’s gaze dropped to his hand, and Javier couldn’t help but smirk when the man’s gaze met his once more.
He was impressed as hell that Axel hadn’t chosen to attack him then and there. The man was well within his rights. She was his sister, and Javier was not her mate.
Instead of aggression, Axel posed a question. “Your species heals fast?”
“They do. I suspect I’ll be on my feet again within a couple more days at most.”
“Your mate?”
Javier frowned. He hadn’t wished to disclose his failures to Heidi or the others, although he’d already shared his tragic past with their fathers. It had been important they know he was no rogue. So the alpha before him probably already knew the truth. There was no point in lying.
“Dead, along with my twin.” And my unborn sons...
He heard a soft inhalation from one of the other ladies present. Heidi flinched but, to his surprise, stayed by his side. “Now you’re Mr. Talkative,” she muttered under her breath.
The hint of feminine pique made him smile, despite the gravity of his admission and the wound it reopened in his chest.
Axel glanced at Heidi before saying, “See that you leave the instant you are capable.” His gaze returned to Javier to punctuate a tone filled with authority.
Javier nodded and dropped his hand from Heidi’s hip. “You have my word.”
Just then, both fathers appeared in a doorway, one declaring, “I’m starved,” and the other asking, “Is dinner ready yet?”
Though they didn’t say it, Javier suspected the elders had witnessed the whole confrontation. He admired the family unit, the fathers stepping aside to let the eldest take his rightful place as alpha.
Would he have one day passed the legacy to his eldest? Would he have grown old, watching his children protect their mates, their siblings and children?
As Heidi and the ladies jumped into action to finish setting the table and arranging seating, Javier turned his attention away from the painful thoughts to watch the family settle around the table. Axel and Gunnar visibly relaxed as the elders filed into the room followed by four younger males.
Introductions were made. Kelan and Reidar, the two who’d fought with Heidi to gain entrance into the bedroom the night before, Beth’s mates. And the two youngest, Sindre and Torsten. All of the males looked like carbon copies of their fathers, fair of skin, hair and eyes. He wondered what the alpha’s children would look like when they were old enough to shift, their coloring so different from the cougar coloring of their fathers.
Each male took a seat at the table without any signs of opposition to Javier’s presence. Apparently, if the alpha accepted him—for the time being—then he would be allowed to recuperate in peace.
Lev moaned in pure ecstasy as the masseuse dug into the muscles of his lower back. This was just what he needed. The last few months had been hell, flying from country to country, making deals that would make him and his partners rich. But it was exhausting. Murder was exhausting.
“Harder,” he groaned when she let up on the pressure of the intense massage. “Hurt me.” His body relaxed for the first time in what seemed like forever.
Just then, the television across the room caught his attention and he lifted his head in time to see grainy photos of... “Montero.” The word left his mouth like a curse. “Son of the bitch!” He sat up, the masseuse yelping in surprise, but he dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
“...a hoax that caught the attention of a local newspaper reporter in Leavenworth, who contacted the town’s veterinarian. Doctor Heidi Falke denied the existence of a black panther, stating that such creatures did not exist...”
Lev frowned at the television. Leavenworth was the town where he’d ditched his rental, the last place he’d seen Montero.
“Handleman has admitted the pictures and video of what appeared to be a large, wounded animal he posted online were a prank that got out of hand. Both he and his brother have since denied the shooting, calling themselves experienced hunters who would never really mistake one kind of animal for another.”
Lev grabbed the remote from the end table and muted the television. Dr. Heidi Falke of Leavenworth, Washington might not have treated a black panther, but she damn sure could have a black jaguar. Of course, if Montero was under her care, she wouldn’t know what she was in possession of, but he did. And if that cat was injured, now was Lev’s chance to get rid of him.
He went to the phone and punched in the number of one of his local Seattle contacts. When the ring was answered, he said, “Paul. Lev. Where is the new passport I ordered?”
“I told you I’d deliver it tomorrow morning,” said the nasal voice on the other end. “I’m working as fast as I can. I had to wait for a new order of the chips to come in.”
“I need it now. I must leave town. Do you have my driver’s license finished?”
“First thing in the morning. I can’t work any faster, boss. I can’t.”
The panic in the man’s voice made Lev sneer in disgust. “Bring it as soon as it’s done. I have business to attend.” Too bad the guy was the best in the business. His forged identification was undetectable by authorities.
“Yes, sir.”
He hung up the phone and glanced at the television, but the story had changed from the black panther prank in Leavenworth to gas prices in Seattle.
Finally. Finally! After two years of running from the bastard, he’d finish off the Montero family as he should have done the first time.
After her brothers and Beth left for work the next morning, Heidi entered her bedroom to find her wounded guest sleeping soundly.
“What are you doing?” The gruff, sleepy question came from Javier, who sat up and blinked at her with a curious smirk.
“I’m not snooping,” she said, a bit defensive. She’d tried to be quiet as she packed the last of Javier’s meager belongings into his duffle bag, but apparently not quiet enough.
“Didn’t say you were.” After a yawn and a stretch, he threw back the sheets and slid his legs off the edge of the bed, moving more easily than she’d seen him do in days, despite the cast.
His bare, broad chest and sexy abs froze the air in her lungs, and she had to force herself to focus on something other than his gorgeous body.
“You look like you’re feeling better.”
He pushed to his feet and grabbed one crutch instead of two. “The ache is more tolerable.”
Damn, the man looked good in nothing but gym shorts and a plaster cast. His sleep-tousled locks softened his hard features and made him appear more approachable, more...adorable.
He glanced at his bag again. “Am I going somewhere?”
“I’m taking you to a hotel.”
He smiled. “Ready to get rid of me already?”
“No,” she said too quickly, then met his gaze and frowned at the humorous glint in his eye. Was he glad to be getting away from here...or her? “I mean, I figure you’d want some privacy and a chance to heal in peace, away from...all of this drama.”
“Ah...the drama.” He nodded and stared at her.
With a shrug, she handed him his toothbrush, zipped the duffle and slid it toward the door. “I left a change of clothes on the chair by the bathroom door. Cereal okay for breakfast?”
“Sure.”
