Welcome to the Neighborhood (27 page)

Reaching the staircase, she stopped and stared at the open doorway. Although the drawn curtains upstairs blocked all sunlight, she decided not to ascend the steps. She’d already fallen down the stairs once, cracked her skull open and left a bloody mess. No need for a repeat. She twisted and sat on one of the steps.

While listening to Greg, she leaned back and rested her elbows on a step. His responses had changed to “uh-huh” and his steps patted on the floor as he moved closer. She twisted and stared up, waiting for him to appear in the open doorway. When he did, his eyes were wide and his expression jubilant.

He descended the steps. “Yes. I have the owner of the property with me. She can give a description of the men.”

“That would be great,” the masculine voice on the phone replied.

Greg sat beside her, his hip and leg touching hers. He tilted the phone away from his mouth, yet continued to hold it near his ear. “I have someone who found the truck. It’s at an old house in Merrillville. He’s seen three people–”

“I can describe all of them,” she said quickly. “The driver had curly, brown hair and a wide nose. He had two men with him when they delivered my safe. One had short red hair and was the shortest one of them all. The other had short, light brown hair and freckles on his face. I recall he had a scar on his ear too. There were four other movers here. Do you need their descriptions?”

“No, the three she gave match exactly,” said the voice on the other end of the phone line.

Alexi straightened as excitement shot through her from hearing the good news. If they’d found the thieves, her safe had to be there too.

“What do you want us to do?” the caller asked.

Greg lifted one of his brows. The question stumped her and she hesitated to respond. She wanted her safe back, or rather, the contents of the safe. But how to get it was the question. Should she let these strangers get it and meet them? Or should she contact the police and let them handle recovery of her property? If she contacted the police, they might hold on to her property before giving it back. Time was of dire importance. She didn’t want to wait another day to claim her belongings.

She stood and gripped the rail of the staircase while she faced Greg. “Can he watch them until I get there?”

“I can do that. I may need to leave for a bit, but I can get someone to watch them for me,” the person on the line replied.

“I can be there in four hours and meet him.”

Greg brought the phone closer to his mouth. “I’ll call you when we’re almost there. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”

“All right. See you later.”

Alexi stared at Greg as he lowered the phone. She hadn’t expected him to join her for the trip. He’d already taken the day off with her. Four hours there, maybe two or so to get her property, and another three hours back would mean they would make it home close to midnight. The man had exhausted himself from the full moon and long hours of sex. He needed a break at some point for food and sleep.

“You don’t have to come with me. I’m sure I can handle things once I meet with your connection.”

Greg set the phone on the step, then grabbed her hips and tugged her closer. “I gave you my word I would make sure your belongings are returned.” He kissed her tenderly with gentle flicks of his tongue. “And I care about you, deeply. I can’t possibly let you go alone. Not to mention the fact the sun is still out.”

True, she would dehydrate if she stayed in the sun for too long. However, her car had tinted windows to block out the rays. The drive wouldn’t be a problem. Her issue would come into play if she had to confront the thieves in the sun. She could last for a while, but the rays would drain her.

Smiling, she buried her fingers into his dark hair. She started to speak until a deep moan erupted from his body. “You must be starving–”

“For you, always.” One hand glided over her butt while the other slid up and found one of her breasts. Desire flooded her as he thumbed her nipple. His carnal appetite nearly matched that of hers. What a deadly combination they made.

“You need to eat–”

“Let’s go back to your bedroom and I will,” he said with a naughty grin.

“Food. You need food.”

“I can wait for that.”

He rose and covered his mouth over hers. As he took her in a kiss, his stiff erection poked her. The speedy growth amazed her. Body tingling and longing with need all over again, she fought the temptation to take what she yearned for. Him. They had four hours to clean up, find food for Greg and arrive in Merrillville. Another round of love would have to wait.

She pressed her palms on his solid chest and pried her lips from him. “Why don’t we pick this back up later? I promise, I’ll make it worth the wait.”

Grinning, he squeezed her body to his. “That is tempting, but I have an idea. Since we have to shower before we leave, how about we take a few extra minutes to enjoy it. I’ll scrub your back, front and everyplace in between. Then you can wash my dirty body. What do you think?”

Her body warmed from thinking about his excellent idea. She’d take good care in cleaning his filthy body. And she was certain he’d do the same to her. A few extra minutes wouldn’t cause much of a delay. They could make up the time on the interstate.

“I like your thinking,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. In one leap, she coiled her legs around his body. “I expect a thorough cleansing.”

Greg held onto her tight as he headed toward the hall. “It will be my pleasure.”

20

Alexi twisted in her seat, trying to find a comfortable position. No matter how much she attempted to find the right one, she just couldn’t relax completely. Eyes closed, she sat half-awake and half-asleep with her legs stretched out as far as they could go under the dashboard while Greg steered the car along the interstate. They had another hour of driving before reaching Merrillville. Another long hour she dreaded. She’d never been a fan of road trips. Flying was so much easier, and quicker. However, they didn’t have time to catch a plane to Chicago and find a rental car to drive to Merrillville. She wanted her property back, and the sooner she could retrieve it, the better.

Conversation had occupied the first hour and a half while Greg drove. They’d stopped for gas twenty minutes ago, and she’d offered to take over driving so Greg could get a little rest. He’d refused–no surprise to Alexi. Since then, they hadn’t spoken much.

The deep throttle of a motorcycle zoomed by. She opened her eyes and Greg was the first image she saw. He glanced at the rear view mirror, then pressed the turn signal lever. The click-click of the blinker continued until he’d finished swerving into the next lane. Then he glanced at Alexi.

“Are you feeling all right?” he asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

“I’m fine.”

“If you need to feed–”

“I’m fine, really,” she said reassuringly as she straightened.

He’d asked her multiple times since they’d left Westport if she needed to feed from him. The tinted windows kept the harmful sunrays from dehydrating her. She could use a snack since she’d burned quite a bit of energy during their long hours of sex, but she wasn’t famished. And she refused to take any more blood from Greg. The werewolf was strong, but he showed signs of weariness. His eyes were slightly red and puffy underneath. He’d been up at least thirty hours and spent just as much, if not more, energy than she had. He needed rest, if only for an hour. And more food. He’d eaten two double cheeseburgers and fries before they’d started the road trip. That small amount of food couldn’t have filled him up.

“What about you?” Alexi asked.

He nodded. “I’m okay.”

She stared at the dark area under his eyes and suspected he wouldn’t admit if he needed more food or sleep. He’d promised to help her, and that seemed to be his number-one priority. Amazing. He set aside his own needs for her and asked for nothing in return. Greg was a good, honest man who didn’t think with his dick. He was unlike any other in the world.

And she was in love with him.

Anxiety bubbled within her and she turned to face the window on her side. Her feelings for him ran deep. She couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same way. Sure, he acted as if he loved her. Clearly, he cared about her. Yet, they’d only known each other a short time. How could either one of them know if their feelings for each other would last?

The question plagued her mind. She didn’t want to lose him or ever let him go. Yet, she might have to leave him. Vampires were immortal. Werewolves lived longer than normal humans did, but they were vulnerable all the same. They could be hurt and eventually, they died. The thought made her queasy, especially since they were going to face the thieves her stole her safe. She would hate to see one of them hurt him. Moreover, she couldn’t handle seeing him die. He deserved a good life, one full of happiness. Although he’d said he didn’t want children, he might change his mind later. She didn’t want him wasting years of his precious life with her if he could be happy with one of his own kind and producing offspring.

Dread slowly crept into her soul, and she swallowed the lump rising in her throat. Her heart rebelled what her mind told her what she had to do.
If you love him, let him go.

“Alexandria?”

She blinked her eyes to stop the tears from forming. “Yeah?”

Warm fingers glided down the side of her face, and she turned. “Are you okay? I sense some strong feelings coming from you.”

How quickly she’d forgotten werewolves could tune in to one’s emotions.

“I’m fine. I’m just anxious to get my safe back.”

He stared at her as long as he could before he had to face the road again.

“They’ve had it now for several days. If they managed to open it, and recognized some of the information on them, my career might be over and my name ruined.” It was the most plausible excuse she could concoct. After all, anxiety was an emotion that could explain just about anything.

“Well, if that’s the case and you run out of finances, you could move in with me and Corey. I doubt Andy will mind. He’s probably going to move in with his girlfriend soon anyway.”

“Money isn’t the long-term issue. I have enough to last several lifetimes. The problem is I work with very influential individuals. They have money and resources to hunt me down, if they really wanted to.” Did she think they would do it? Some of her clients threatened her when the markets crashed and they’d lost money. She’d convinced them the market would change and vowed she could regain their losses. She’d even volunteered her own funds if she were wrong. They eventually withdrew their bullying tactics and agreed to let her continue managing their investments. She’d held true to her word and within six months, they’d recouped their losses. In another six months, they’d doubled their gains. But for a year, she felt as if she were living on the edge of annihilation. She never wanted to go through an ordeal like that again.

Greg faced her with his brows scrunched and a look of concern. “You mean…they might come after you and hurt you?”

“They have harassed me once before. I could go into hiding, but I’d rather not spend decades on the run, if possible.”

He tightened his grip on the wheel. “If anyone ever tried to hurt you, I give you my word, they wouldn’t walk away.”

A chill shot down Alexi’s spine. The firmness of his words made him sound one hundred and ten percent believable. He’d protect her and defend her no matter what the price was. How honorable and noble of him. The sudden desire to kiss him and make love to him overwhelmed her. A shame they were speeding on the interstate. Making matters worse, his intentions further supported the notion she had to let him go. She’d have to leave him soon to ensure he didn’t end up hurt at her expense.

“Greg, I appreciate your concern for me. But…”

“I’m more than capable of handling your would-be attackers. If they’re human, they don’t have a chance in hell against me. If the other…” He paused to brush the hair away from the side of her face. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect you.”

Her gut tightened. Damn the man. He was not making her feel any better.

She grabbed hold of his hand and slowly lowered it from her face. “Let’s get there and hope for the best.”

He sighed heavily as he returned his hand to the steering wheel. The tight features on his face along with his sealed lips indicated he was probably pondering over her and her situation. Staring at him, she really wished she could read his mind. Would it have changed her decision to leave him? No.

Turning to face the window, she created a list of things to do. First, get her safe home, or at least the contents. They couldn’t exactly load a heavy safe into her vehicle. Second, look for a new place to live. Third, break off ties with Greg. The third would be difficult and perhaps a slow process, but necessary. Once she found a new place to live, she’d disappear and he’d never have to worry about her again. He could live his life freely and find a mate. Her chest constricted her heart as she thought about walking away from him, but it was for his benefit. No matter how painful, she had to do it.

Silence lingered while she stared out the window. Greg drove fast, flying past semitrucks and other vehicles until they reached an area of road construction. A single line of cars driving ten miles below the speed limit quickly slowed their progress. Fifteen miles later, they roadwork ended. Greg zoomed around the truck and in less than a minute, they were cruising back at their accelerated rate.

Alexi continued gazing out the window. When she noticed a sign showing eighteen miles to Merrillville, she perked up.

“We’re almost there.”

Greg dug into his pocket. “Does your GPS work?” He withdrew his cell phone and held it in his hand.

“Yeah.” She powered the small device and watched the screen change.

“I’ll get the address for him. I imagine we should be there in twenty to twenty-five minutes.”

Alexi grinned. At the rate he was driving, twenty minutes max. She wasn’t complaining. They had left her house a little later than she’d planned and he’d tried to make up the time. He’d done a great job until they’d hit the road construction. Still, they were less than hour off their projected time.