Lover's Instinct: A Moon Shifter Novella by Katie Reus

Author:Katie Reus [Reus, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: PENGUIN group
Published: 2012-08-06T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Nikan crouched low, peering down from the roof of the run-down two-story building he and Esperanze were on. Neglected duplexes and empty warehouses dotted the industrial area where crime had left its mark. The farther into this northeast neighborhood they’d driven, the more working girls and drug deals they’d seen—in broad daylight.

The abandoned building with boarded up windows and graffiti tags they were using as their lookout was thankfully uninhabited. He and Esperanze had decided to park beside it once they realized they were close to Antoine’s meeting place.

Thabit had chosen the building next to theirs so they weren’t all clustered together. Nikan had his hands-free earpiece in so they were able to easily communicate. He might not have liked the way the guy eyed Esperanze, but Connor had sent him. After they saved Antoine’s woman, he didn’t plan to stick around and grab a beer with the guy. He intended to get Esperanze alone as soon as possible so they could figure out what was going on between the two of them.

Across the street behind a dilapidated chain link fence with huge chunks cut out of it, a flashy black Mercedes had been idling for the past ten minutes in front of a ramshackle warehouse. Though they couldn’t see past the tinted windows, Nikan was sure the Moretti brothers were inside since it was the scheduled meet place. And they’d been early.

“I see him,” Esperanze whispered next to Nikan. Crouching down in the same position as him, her leg was lined up against his as she peered over the building. She passed him the binoculars Thabit had let them borrow.

He could see well without them, but took them anyway. Antoine was pulling up in his gray Land Rover. As he stepped out of the vehicle, he started to glance around, then caught himself. Nikan only hoped whoever was inside the car hadn’t noticed.

A moment later, the driver and passenger door opened and the two men from earlier stepped out. Before they’d even spoke to each other, Marco, the one Nikan had knocked out, punched Antoine in the stomach, then in the face.

Esperanze let out a hiss and Nikan instinctively rested a hand on her knee. Energy hummed through her, but she didn’t make a move. There was nothing any of them could do.

“They’re probably still angry at him for our appearance this morning and they might be testing to see if he brought backup,” he said.

Her mouth was a grim line. “I know, but I hate seeing him get beat up.”

“He’ll heal,” Nikan said softly, knowing it wouldn’t make a difference to Esperanze. With each punch, she tensed underneath his fingers.

After a few minutes, they stopped abusing him and practically dragged him to the car. They shoved him into the back. Then Marco slid into the front seat of Antoine’s Land Rover while Gregorio got back in their own vehicle.

His packmate Ryan had sent what he could dig up on their financials on the drive over and it

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