Page 32 of Beast

Well, I’ll prove them wrong. I’ll bring Palgrave Industriesback to its rightful place, and I will bring Dellacorp to its knees.

Starting with Dante.

ChapterThirteen

Dante

My head pounds, the pain a sharp hammer beating arhythm against my skull.

Fuck, I’m in trouble. How much Scotch did I have last night?It’s pretty much a blank, so I’m thinking it was a lot. A party? Iremember climbing a really big tree and thinking that a dog was hot.

Yep, I’m going to rehab.

“Dante.” An annoyed feminine voice screeches my name.

“Mom?” I try to focus, but my eyes aren’t working. “Don’tyell. I know I’m in trouble, but I seriously need something for this hangover.”

“I am not your mother, Dante. Wake up!”

I feel something kick me. Hard

“Wake up, or we’re going to die!”

Whoever is yelling is big on the drama. My whole body aches.“Susie? Susie, don’t tell mom. And whatever you do, don’t tell Dad. He’s pissedenough as it is. Don’t tell him I got drunk and blacked out. Fuck, did thepaparazzi catch me?”

“Oh, for god’s sake, it’s Meg.”

I force my eyes open. Meg. My brain starts to functionagain. What happened? I was with Meg, and there was a tremendously smellymountain I had to climb and shoot through the eye, and I’m married. Holy shit.Yes, that last revelation sobers me up mightily. I’m married.

“Where’s Kaja?”

I focus, putting all my will into figuring out how screwedwe are. I try to pull my hands up, but they’re held tight. My hands are tiedbehind my back, and my feet are bound as well. Not in a fun, sexy way either.I’m lying on the floor of a tent. I can’t see Meg. Where is Meg?

“I don’t know where Kaja is.”

I follow the sound of her voice, turning my head up and tothe right. Meg was given the courtesy of a chair. She stares down at me,tension clear in her expression.

“Please tell me they didn’t kill her.” I’m sick at thethought. How long was I out? What terrible things had been done to Meg and mywife while I was sleeping?

The flap to the tent opens, and a shadow falls over us.Three mercenaries stride into the room.

“Who is this Kaja?” a cultured British voice asks. There’s asnap of his fingers, and I feel myself being hauled up to a seated position.

That’s when I see her. A brown wolf pokes her nose throughthe door and glides in on graceful paws. Lovely, undeniably feminine, and waysmarter than I gave her credit for.

My Kaja.

“She’s just a girl I was fucking,” I say as though it reallydoesn’t matter.

The wolf growls.

“I don’t think she likes you,” the asshole mercenary says.His hand comes out to pet the wolf at his feet.

I feel like growling, too. “The feeling isn’t mutual. She’sgorgeous. Where did you find her?”

Kaja sits back on her haunches. I can practically feel hersatisfaction. Vain little wolf. She knows she’s gorgeous.

“She was at the marketplace. She was close to you when youtook the ogre down,” the man explains. “I thought she was yours.”