Chapter 2

Chapter 2

NICCO

“You ready to go, Alpha?” Vinnie asked me.  I stared at the spot where the girl disappeared.  I wanted to go after her.  No one ignored me, especially not women.  Most women threw themselves at me.

I frowned, remembering her awkward lies about the big dog and her boyfriend.  I must have scared her, somehow.  I know I’m a scary guy, but women usually didn’t run away from me.  

And there was the little matter of her being my mate.  My wolf, Lupo, was going crazy.  As soon as I got out of the car I could smell her.  She smelled like violets and sunshine and oranges, all at once.  Lupo began screaming that she was our mate as soon as we caught her scent.

Problem was, I couldn’t sense her wolf and that meant one thing.  She was human.  And there was no way that my mate could possibly be a human.  This was a huge mistake. 

I realized Vinnie was talking to me and I nodded, sliding back into the car.  Vinnie turned over the engine and it sounded a lot better.  He carefully steered back on to the highway and tried to have a conversation.

“That was lucky, huh Alpha?”  Vinnie was prattling on.  “Who would have thought that we would find a mechanic in the middle of the woods?”

“It’s weird that she was there where we broke down,” I mused.  And it was even more weird that she turned out to be our mate, although I didn’t say this to Vinnie.  He was my Beta, but I knew he wouldn’t understand.  He was a hopeless romantic. 

Vinnie looked at me sharply in the rearview mirror.  “It was just a coincidence, boss.  No one knew you were coming here.”

I nodded, not convinced.  This just felt like a setup, somehow.  “Her sweatshirt said Earl’s Automotive Repair in Summerville,” I mused.  “I wonder if she works there.”

Vinnie looked over at me.  “She is just a nice girl who was out here camping,” he said.    “Sometimes things are just as they seem.” 

I shrugged.  “Maybe.  And sometimes it’s more than just that,” I said.   I lapsed into silence, watching the miles drift by.

Vinnie got us settled into a hotel for the remainder of the night even though I had no intention of sleeping.  I don’t sleep much during the week, and I tend to crash on the weekends.  My staff knows this habit of mine and most people don’t last long in my employ.  I need people around me that are available when I am working, and eighteen-hour days are too much for the average person.  That’s why most of my staff were wolves from my pack.  Werewolves didn’t need as much sleep as a human did.

My business wasn’t an easy one.  I had inherited my pack and the family business after the untimely death of my father.  Sometimes there were unpleasant aspects to the job.  That was the reason I was down here, away from the city and my pack.  I had some unpleasant business I needed to attend to.

“Give me the details,” I said, sitting down in the uncomfortable chair that my hotel room provided. 

Vinnie handed me a stack of photos and I began to leaf through them.  “They are human.  Their kids leave for school at eight,” Vinnie said.  “Private Investigator got these pictures for you.” 

I studied them.  The kids were nice enough looking, both very young.  Unfortunately for them, their dad decided to try to cheat me.  Since this family was human, we dealt with things like this a little differently than we would if they were shifters.  My business serviced both demographics and we were always careful not to expose ourselves to humans.

“Mister Steven Luin has a little dish on the side that the missus isn’t aware of,” Vinnie continued, recapping the report we had gotten.  “His wife takes the kids to school, and he gets dressed.  He leaves before she gets back.  The side dish usually comes for some side action around noon at his office.  He’s home at six.  She’s the typical soccer mom, taking the kids where they need to go.”

I half listened, going through the photos.  This meeting I was having tomorrow morning wasn’t going to end will for the mister.  I had loaned him some money with some very strong terms, and he decided not to pay me.  I was down here to make an example of him.  I had a few other borrowers who were thinking of re-negotiating their terms and that was unacceptable.

I put the photos down and looked over at Vinnie.  “When’s Charlie coming?” I asked.  Charlie was Vinnie’s son and my age, but about twice as heavy.

“He’ll be here in the morning,” Vinnie said.  “About three hours.  That last job you sent him on went a little long.”

I nodded.  I hadn’t felt the need to personally attend to that one, but the photos that Charlie had sent me were acceptable.  The personal apology from the blubbering banker was also a nice touch.  I gave a half smile remembering.  Charlie had cut the tip of his little finger off.  He would be back in the office next Monday with a bandage on his hand and a story about being more careful with power tools.  Wolves had amazing healing abilities, but regenerating a finger was beyond most wolves.  His finger would always serve as a reminder not to mess with me.

I waved Vinnie away.  “I want to get there after the kids leave,” I said.  “So, figure we are there at 8:15. You have a few hours, so get some shut eye or do whatever you need to do.”

Vinnie looked relieved.  “Thanks, boss,” he said, putting down the folder he was carrying and leaving my room.  I could hear the door to the adjoining room opening up and then closing.  Within moments the snoring started.  I smiled.

I leaned back in my chair, thinking.  I was having a hard time wrapping my head around the coincidence of a mechanic being available in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere.   The fact that she was my mate was even more absurd.  I felt like I was being set up, but I couldn’t figure out what anyone would have to gain from it.  I picked up my laptop and searched for Earl’s Auto Repair in Summerville and was surprised when it popped up immediately.  It was reviewed very well.  It looks like Earl is an honest guy.

I wondered about the girl.  Was she his daughter?  Most girls didn’t go into mechanics unless they grew up with it.  Daddy’s business?  I closed my laptop, leaning back and thinking again about the tall, brown haired beauty that showed up on the side of the road, just when we needed her.

I closed my eyes and a vision of her came unbidden.  I knew it was my wolf.  He had gotten a whiff of her scent and he was smitten, wanting to take her and mark her.  That wasn’t going to happen.  We didn’t know anything about her except that she was human.

I stood up with a start, going into the bathroom and turning on the shower.  I couldn’t have a human as a mate.  I am the Alpha of the largest pack in the Eastern United States and the head of one of the mobs in New York City.  I was responsible for a huge pack, and I had hundreds of people that worked for me.  I needed a strong Luna who understood the business and would know what I needed.  A human wouldn’t be able to do that.

I stood under the hot spray, washing myself down, still thinking.  I knew that my business was always under attack.  I took over the family business when my father made one bad deal and lost his life over it.  I was the youngest Alpha Don ever, and I was constantly being underestimated.  I quickly garnished a reputation of being hard, fast and ruthless. 

I had sent my mom and my sister to Spain, setting them up in a nice little villa there.  It had gotten too dangerous to have them here and I was having a hard time watching my back and theirs, too.  They had an around-the-clock security team and, last I heard, my sister had met her mate.  She was fourteen when I had sent her over there and she was eighteen now, the same age as my mom was when she was mated to my dad.

I sighed, getting out and dressing in my typical black slacks and black button-down shirt.  It was almost time.  I checked my watch.  Charlie was here and Vinnie was up.  We would head to breakfast and then over to Steven Luin’s house.  He had some explaining to do.