And now he risked being detected by infiltrating another formal occasion, and this time, without an invitation. He had managed to sneak in while the catering staff was switching the space from the ceremony to the reception. It was easy enough with all the activity going on, and it was obvious that the Lycan guards were searching for intruders who were not of their kind. The New York Lycan Security Team was supposedly the best in the world, but they were spread too thin. In fact, these past two weeks, Darius had evaded their notice. While he should be proud of such an achievement, it only angered him knowing that those tasked to protect the Alphas were so incompetent and that Adrianna was being left so vulnerable.
“Excuse me. Do I know you?”
Darius turned around, staring down at the man who dared intrude into his personal space. His inner wolf growled, but he tamped down the animal’s irritation. Realizing who the man was, he knew there was only one thing he could do. “No,” he answered quickly. “You don’t.” He pivoted on his heel and headed toward the exit.
The elevator would be faster but physical exertion could help soothe his agitated wolf, so he chose the stairs, taking them two at a time as he made his way down from the rooftop level to the ground floor.
He didn’t want to leave the wedding reception. His wolf didn’t want to leave. But seeing as the groom himself spotted him, it would soon become obvious that Darius was a gatecrasher. He had to leave now.
He picked up his pace as he burst through the exit door. Instead of heading to his parked car two blocks away, he found a shadowy spot across the street and hid himself in the darkness. The snow continued to swirl around him, but the chill he felt was brief as his Lycan blood quickly adjusted to the temperature.
From his vantage point, he could clearly see who came in and out of the nondescript Brooklyn warehouse. He had prepared himself for the long wait; the revelry was in full swing after all. Which was why he was surprised when he spotted her and another woman leaving the building not even half an hour after he’d left.
Adrianna Anderson held her wool coat tight around her as she stood under the small awning covering the main entrance of the warehouse. The woman beside her looked around impatiently before she turned her gaze straight ahead—right where he was standing. For a second, he feared he had been discovered. However, she looked away when the black town car stopped in front of them. She opened the door and got inside, Adrianna right behind her.
He didn’t wait for the car to pull away before he made his way to where he had parked his vehicle. The town car would most likely be headed back to The Enclave. He was already plotting out his route so he could catch up with them when his phone began to vibrate in his pocket.
“Yes?” he answered impatiently.
“Darius,” came the gruff voice of Alexandru, head enforcer of The Family and technically, his superior. “Where are you?”
“In Brooklyn. On business.” The Family had lots of business across New Jersey and New York, so it wasn’t out of the question that he could be in Brooklyn.
“Finish up and come home. Now.”
That did not sound like a request, and he knew better than to think it was. “Of course. I’m on my way.” He put the phone back into his jacket pocket. He glanced across the street. The town car was long gone now. Even if he caught up, The Enclave was the opposite direction of where he needed to be. His wolf urged him to follow her, but he just couldn’t. He needed to go back home.
“Home” or the closest thing to a home Darius had, was a small town in the middle of nowhere in New Jersey. Wakefield was a three-hour drive from Manhattan, in the midst of the industrial section of the Garden State. It was the perfect place to stay hidden while still being close enough to where the action happened. As he approached The Family’s compound, the large metal doors swung open, allowing him to enter and head straight for the parking garage.
Alexandru was already there next to his usual spot, his face stony and serious. But he wasn’t alone. Darius let out a snort of irritation when he saw who else was waiting for him when he pulled in.
“Hello, Darius,” came the low, seductive voice that greeted him as he got out of the vehicle.
“Mila.” He nodded toward the female Lycan in acknowledgment and nothing more. He turned to Alexandru. “Is he in his office?”
“Yes.” The enforcer cocked his head toward the door. “We should go now.”
Mila pouted, her red-painted lips pulling down at the corners. “When are you going to give me a ride in your car?” Her nails, which matched her lipstick, scraped down the hood as she approached him.
Darius lived a spartan life, in a single, sparsely furnished room in the compound. However, the shiny, steel gray Dodge Charger was his prized possession. It was the one thing he owned that was of any value, and his first purchase when his share of the business was large enough. It took the dealer a while to track down the exact color, but it was worth it. It had been the fulfillment of a promise, the American dream his father had sold to them before leaving his family in that poor village.
“Well?” Mila said impatiently. “Are you going to do it?”
“What?”
“Give me a ride?” Her hand reached out to touch his chest, her
