The Tracker's Mate: Sunderverse (Mate Tracker Book 1) by Ingrid Seymour (book recommendations website TXT) 📕

She leaned forward in her seat, making the huge car shrink with her closeness. “Tell him to leave me alone or there will be war.”

“Tell him yourself,” I snapped, surprising myself.

I was scared, but I’d had it. I was done with being intimidated by her. Or anyone else, for that matter. I already had enough to worry about to add a deranged vamp to the list.

“I don’t work for him,” I added. “I was trying to do him a favor because I know his son. That is all. So leave me out of it.”

She reassessed me, leaning back and letting her gaze travel the length of my body. After a moment, she said, “Then let me give you some advice, be careful who you do favors for. It will do you no good to get involved in things you don’t understand. You might... get yourself killed.”

“Is that a threat?”

Bernadetta chuckled, deep in her throat. “I don’t do threats, Ms. Sunder. When something bothers me, I simply take care of it. Have a good day.”

As she said the words, Bertram opened the door and sunlight cut through the door. The vamp pushed back in her seat. I let out a pent-up breath and would have hugged the particles of light if I’d been able to.

I’m alive. I’m alive.

Apparently, the Dark Donna didn’t stoop to personally killing little peons like me. She preferred others to get their hands dirty, thank goodness. I jumped out, and without a glance back, hurried back toward my car.

I had completely lost my appetite.

Chapter 28

I drove back to the office on autopilot. I parked a few spaces down from the front door, shut the engine off, and went limp in my seat. Maybe packing and moving to where nobody knew me was the real answer to everything. I could FaceTime with Rosalina and my family. They might hate me for being a coward, but at least I would be alive and safe from all St. Louis’s Skew badasses. I could get a job as a barista, my biggest worry tracking the hazelnut creamer on the shelves. It would certainly be a lot easier than this mess.

I’d almost convinced myself this was the worst idea in the world when Jake walked up to the car. He knocked on the glass twice, even though I saw him coming. I heaved a sigh. China here I come.

He wore his customary tight jeans, a black T-shirt that didn’t seem to have enough fabric around the biceps, and a pair of very expensive-looking boots. I stared at his left pec for a second, which seemed on the verge of talking to me as it flexed.

Flipping my hair, I forced my gaze upward and found purple circles under his tired eyes. As a werewolf, Jake could go without sleep for days before it started to affect him. From the looks of it, he’d probably gone without it for weeks, which meant he hadn’t really slept on Rosalina’s couch last night. His hair was tousled as if he’d been running his fingers through it, trying to pull it out. I bit my lower lip at the disheveled look as it reminded me of mornings when we woke up together. I shook the errant thought away.

“Any news about Stephen?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I got your message. I was busy and couldn’t call back. What is it?”

“Oh, yeah.” With everything that had been going on, I’d forgotten about it. “Um,” I glanced around, worried this might not be the best place to discuss dark things like kidnappings and vampire threats. “We shouldn’t talk here. Have you eaten lunch? I haven’t, and I’m starving.”

“I’m starving, too.”

“How about pizza?” I gestured across the street.

“Perfect.”

“Let me check on Rosalina first, I’ll meet you there.”

He walked away, and I tried to resist the urge to glance over my shoulder and check out his ass. I failed. The jeans fit him perfectly. They were well-worn with faded lines in the shape of his wallet in one of the pockets. He walked with, not quite a swagger, but something that spoke of his infinite confidence.

I tore my eyes away from him and went into the office. Rosalina was on her cell phone, scribbling notes furiously on a yellow pad. She held up one finger, and I waited for her to hang up. After a minute, she disconnected the call, set her pen down, and reclined on her chair with an expression of relief.

“That was the insurance company,” she said. “The adjuster was here earlier, and he has just approved payment for our laptops, damaged ingredients, and other repairs.” She picked up a credit card from the top of the desk and shook it with delight. “Now I can go to the store and load this baby up with some new macs. We’ll be back in business in no time.”

I put on a smile that probably looked more like a cringe.

“Oh, no.” Rosalina stood and walked toward me. She put her hands on my shoulders. “You decided to condemn the man to a life of celibacy, didn’t you?”

I didn’t have to explain myself. She knew me too well not to guess what I’d done. “I talked to him. He’s happy doing what he does, and not only that, he’s good at it. I get the feeling he’s the kind of man who makes a difference wherever he goes.”

“Want me to do it? I have no qualms about it. He’ll be happy either way.”

“No. It might be bad karma.”

Her mouth twisted to one side. “I hate to see you lose your condo, and things are getting a bit tight around here.”

I searched her face, feeling wretched.

“You know what. You’re right.” She waved her hand around. “You have to live by your principles. Otherwise, the job will make you unhappy, and that’s not worth it.”

Tears pricked the back of my eyes. “Thank you for understanding.”

“It’ll be okay. I have two customers lined up.