Jesse glanced away from Kate at the surrounding area. They drove through what looked like mostly empty buildings, except he kept seeing flashes of movement and color all around him. Ravagers were attuned to the hunt, and he felt his blood stirring to track down those who would hide from him.
“Easy.” Kate stroked his forearm soothing the tight muscle, surprising him that he hadn’t felt himself clench his fists, readying for an attack.
“I just want to find Logan and get the hell out of here. We have unfinished business.”
“Trust me, I know,” she said in a thick voice.
“Right.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
The car came to a halt just inside a large industrial building. But this one showed more movement in it. They exited the car, and Jesse took a swift look around.
Broken windows and doors dotted a landscape of steel scaffolding and mostly empty space. A storage warehouse with a central office, as well as a few extra rooms up the steps to his left. Two flights above the office had sections of steel flooring around the perimeter of the warehouse, leaving the middle wide open. Broken-down cranes and pulleys lingered above them, bound by steel wires and bolted to an X-brace just under the roof.
The Salinas nodded to the open metal stairway leading to a half-dozen armed guards on the second floor.
Jesse counted two Ravagers, what looked like three humans, and a Valk. The pointed ears, sharp nails, and almost fey-beauty gave him away. Jesse made a note to watch him closely. Valks did most of their damage with their powerful voices, and he had no intention of letting some pointy-eared asshole shatter his eardrums.
None of Chen’s muscle talked. They didn’t need to. Their muscles, weapons, and ready stances spoke for them.
When Kate shifted beside him, the Ravagers locked onto her and didn’t look away.
Jesse kept her close, flashing his teeth in warning, and they walked together to the second landing. Behind them, the Salinas left in their car.
Before Jesse could advise the interested Ravagers to back the fuck up, Kate took charge.
“If you two don’t back off, I’ll end you before you take your next breath.”
The males looked to him, and he shrugged. “She’s in heat. I wouldn’t push it.”
They wisely stepped back, letting the Valk lead the procession toward the office. Jesse nudged Kate in front of him while they walked, conscious of the Ravagers and humans at his back.
The Valk stopped before a steel door with a tiny window at eye level. “In there.”
Jesse peered through the window at a large, muscular man sitting behind a desk, his feet propped up on it, his hands behind his head as he rocked back in his chair. On his forearms, distinctive black tattoos shimmered with glints of color when the light hit them just so.
Tommy Chen.
Jesse recognized him from the last time he’d seen the guy, watching the Savages beat the crap out of the Lawless idiots at a pack challenge.
Another man paced in front of him, and he let out a relieved breath.
“Logan.” Jesse yanked open the door and dragged Kate with him. “Where the hell have you been? What happened to you?”
“Finally. I was getting worried.” Logan smiled.
Kate launched herself at Logan and kissed him before Logan could say any more. The door closed behind them, and Jesse kept his back against it, prepared for anything while Logan lost himself in Kate’s embrace. Not that he could blame him, but Logan had picked the mother of all times for sex.
To make matters worse, Kate’s heat tugged at his own, theirguersuncomfortably connected. If he didn’t work hard at it, Jesse could sense everything she did. Disconcerting, not to mention awkward walking around with an erection all the time. Kate had sex on the brain in a big way, and he had trouble remembering his own name when she turned her smile on him.
Chen dropped his feet to the floor. “Wow. Potent pheromones.”
Logan broke the kiss, panting, and draped his arm around Kate, hugging her tight. “I told you. No way I left my mates to maul some poor girl.”
Chen argued, “Yet you were wandering the hotel at four a.m. Alone.”
“I pissed him off,” Kate said, defensive. Her eyes shot sparks at Chen. “He’s mine.”
“Kate.” Jesse shook his head. They had enough to worry about without aggravating a murderous crime boss. “Would someone please explain what the fuck is going on?”
