Page 22 of Stolen

Chapter 11

For Ariana, it was almost a relief to hear that she and Hawk had been right, and that Ricardo truly was on his way.

Far worse to have him take them by surprise, and Hawk’s patron had promised that all the wolves of Outlaw Ridge would come to fight, if necessary.

He was also arranging to evacuate the town, so that no humans would be hurt. In the meantime, he was sending some men to the cottage, for extra protection in case Rico had advance scouts.

Around two o’clock in the afternoon, a closed van pulled up outside the house. Two handsome men with hard faces got out, wearing jeans and hunting vests.

They would have looked like any other men in town, if they weren’t muy guapo in that wild way that shifter men were—and if it weren’t for the automatic weapons they had slung over their shoulders.

“Mierda,” Ariana whispered. It was almost like being back home in Colombia. Armed guards outside the house had been an ordinary part of her childhood, but seeing them here, in this tiny, safe little town, was like waking up from a good dream into a nightmare.

Hawk came to the window and looked out. “For fuck’s sake,” he muttered. “Could they be any more obvious?” He glanced down at her face, then touched her arm. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Sí.” She shook her head to clear it. “I know they’re here to protect us. Seeing them just… took me back for a moment.”

He laid his hand gently on her back, as if to support her. It was odd how such a small touch could make her feel like she was being held in a warm embrace. She gave him a small smile and added, “Should we go meet them?”

“If you want,” Hawk said. “Honestly, though, if I were you I’d put it off as long as possible.”

The two guards began unloading boxes and duffels from the back of the van. One had long brown hair that hung down to his shoulders, a rangy build, and moved with a kind of cocky arrogance.

The other was taller, with shorter hair and hooded eyes. He was maybe a few years older than the first, and a whole lot scarier. His face had that dead look of men who had been pushed beyond the limits of their humanity, and had not been able to come all the way back. He moved more carefully, too, as if everything he did was calculated not to give any part of himself away.

They each picked up a pile of stuff and walked toward the house. The first man—the one with the long hair—arrived on the doorstep and kicked the door with a resounding thud. “Hey. Hawk. Quit looking out from behind the curtains like a little old lady and open up!”

Hawk went to open the door. “Seriously?” he said to the men on the stoop. “Of all the wolves up at the ridge, Thanatos sent you two?”

“Obviously he hates you,” the man said, shouldering past Hawk and coming into the house. His presence seemed to fill the little living room. “Also, I had to interrupt myself in the middle of a new project. It was a big sacrifice. You’re welcome.”

He put his stuff down and turned to Ariana, looking her up and down. “Well, you’re hot,” he said. “Go Hawk.” It should have been offensive, but oddly, she felt no threat behind it. Maybe this one’s bark truly was worse than his bite.

“This is Ariana,” Hawk said. “She’s off-limits.” To Ariana he said, “This is Boomer. Our weapons expert.”

“Explosives are my favorite,” Boomer said. “You know. Kaboom.” He made an exploding noise.

Ariana offered him her hand to shake. “Thank you for coming to protect me.”

He looked at her hand like it was an alien object, glanced at Hawk, who glared at him, then grasped it briefly and dropped it like it burned him.

“Well, anyway,” he said. “Yeah.” He gestured at the second man. “This is my brother.”

Ariana looked at the second man, considered shaking hands, caught the look in his eye, and thought better of it. “Hello,” she said. “Thank you for coming. What’s your name?”

He gave her a flat, hard look. “Boomer’s brother.”

Ariana glanced at Hawk, who gave a tiny shrug.

Boomer said to Hawk, “We need a place to sleep, and also a room for my projects. There’s three bedrooms here, right?”

Hawk said, “We’re using two of them, moron.”

Boomer actually walked down the short hallway and looked into the bedrooms, then walked back. “You rescued her from a drug cartel in a hail of bullets and you still haven’t gotten lucky? Dude.” He shook his head.

Hawk flicked his hand against the back of Boomer’s head. “Show some respect, asshole.” Boomer’s brother gave a faint growl, but Boomer just smirked. Hawk added, “Do you seduce the women you’re assigned to protect?” Without pausing for a reply, he went on, “The correct answer to that is ‘no’.”

Boomer said, “I can’t help it if every woman I guard falls in lust with me and wants me to comfort them with sex. It’s like a movie or something.”