Brought to His Knees-Tough Guys Laid Low By Love Read online

He shook his head, not giving in to her curiosity. “I can’t involve you in this.”

  She pulled away from the window with a pout. “So this is a top–secret, launch codes kinda getaway.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I only hired you because your mom made me.”

  She snorted. “My mom. Are you not claiming her right now?”

  “Not when she’s making me hire you as a personal assistant.”

  “Whatevs. Have a good time. I was just trying to earn my paycheck for once.”

  And in true to Katalin form, she lost interest that quick. It seemed as though nothing could hold the twenty–one–year–olds attention for longer than five minutes. She turned to walk away.

  “Katalin,” he called.

  She stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. “What?”

  “Take care of everything here and stay out of trouble.”

  She smiled mischievously. “Yeah, right.” And turned to bound up to the front porch, taking two stairs at a time.

  He shook his head and rolled up the window. One day he might even consider hiring a real personal assistant, but right now he’d stick with his little sister.

  On the way to the airfield, he let his mind go over everything that had been happening over the past months. He and his brothers had known there was an embezzler in their midst. Hence the reason for the outside accounting firm. Dark Wolf Enterprises had an in–house accounting firm that rivaled some of the largest accounting companies. Well, used to, until he discovered someone had been taking money from the pot. The only problem was his company was run entirely by the family or the pack. No one in their right mind would deceive the pack. Until now, he thought no one could deceive the pack.

  There were only a handful of people who even knew that an outside firm had been contracted to audit the books. But the amount of money involved, thirteen million dollars, and the heinous way the human had been killed warranted swift action. What they’d done also indicated that whoever was behind the embezzlement was also willing to kill to keep it a secret.

  When the limo stopped he didn’t wait for Michael to open his door but did it himself and stepped out. The cool night air welcomed him. On nights like this, Marquette, Michigan was at its best. He could shrug off his business attire and, with it, the need to be cool and calculating. All he’d need to do was give in to his primal side and let nature take over. The wolf in him momentarily awoke at the hopes of doing just that. But no, not right now. His human side had business to take care of.

  Kristof grabbed his heavy, floor–length wool coat and shrugged it on over the business suit he was wearing. The human side of him preferred the expensive clothes while his wolf growled in the back of his mind. The slam of his driver closing the door behind him and the roar of a motorcycle pulled him out of his thoughts. Lajos whizzed by him with a nod and drove his sleek black MV Agusta F4CC, which he’d dropped $120,000 on–in cash–into the garage.

  Kristof waited patiently for Lajos to park and walk the short distance to him. While he waited, he let his wolf enjoy the crisp cool air. Where they were going it was a stifling eighty–five degrees and he doubted Jacksonville had many places for his wolf to roam free.

  Lajos stood next to him and took in a long deep breath, doing the same for his inner wolf. “What are you thinking?”

  “I want to know if anything was found and then pull the human firm off the account.” Kristof started for the steps of the Citation X that was waiting for them.

  “I won’t be able to sleep until I find out how the human firm was found out. I can’t believe one of my top security aides would allow a breach or worse yet, was the breach.”

  As he ascended the stairs with Lajos on his heels, Kristof thought about it. If a member of the security team was involved in the embezzlement, the crime ran deeper than he’d ever imagined. “Let’s hope it was just a breach. Breaches can be fixed.”

  Kristof nodded at the pilot as they entered. Since they didn’t fly often and preferred to keep to the ground, the company hired a private contracting service when pilots were needed. He took one of the seats on the luxury jet, settling into the comfortable leather seat. Lajos threw his bag into the closet where Kristof knew Michael had put his and then took another seat.

  “Where are you going to send the account to now? You can’t use another human firm. I don’t want another death on our hands.”

  Kristof grimaced. Lajos was right and it had been something that he already thought of. “The Vamps.” Just saying it left a bad taste in his mouth and the wolf inside stirred and growled with displeasure.

  “I hate the bloody Vamps,” Lajos said.

  “Everyone hates the Vamps.”

  Chapter Four

  Trudy checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror for the twelfth time in the past two hours. It was seven–thirty at night and she had on a business suit when all she really wanted was to be in her PJ’s and nursing a bowl of ice cream. After she received the call from Kristof Farkas, the CFO of Dark Wolf Enterprises, saying he was flying into town and wanted to meet with her, something deep inside told her this wouldn’t be a happy meeting.

  Had he seen the front of her office plastered on all the major news stations? The story had run all day long, showing the broken down door and blood splattered on the wall. Of course he’d want to drop her like a hot potato now. A company as big as his wouldn’t want a firm known for break–ins and murder having access to their books.

  She’d tried to press him for more information and when he wouldn’t budge, she went to desperate measures. She told him that she found something–which she had–but normally she would’ve waited until after confirming her findings before blurting anything out to the client, but she had no other choice.

  When he heard that, he seemed to be more intent on meeting with her–tonight and at her home no less. She’d washed her face, applied a small amount of make–up and changed out of her sweats to the business attire. She had also put her mid–length hair into a bun and clipped the wayward tendrils down with pins.

  If she ignored the panicked expression in her eyes and the light sheen of sweat across her forehead, she thought she looked professional. She glanced down at her feet. Well, except for the white baseball socks. Would putting on heels overdo it? She was at home and it was seven thirty–correction, seven–thirty three.

  She chewed on her bottom lip. Why was he coming all the way from Michigan on such short notice? She’d spoken to him once before and that conversation had been just as brief as it had this last time. Before he’d wanted her verbal assurance that she would give the account her full attention. He requested that no one else in her office work on the account nor know that she even had been tapped to handle the task. Why he wanted her verbal confirmation she didn’t know, especially after she had signed so many waivers.

  She grabbed the towel hanging on the rack and wiped her brow. What does one wear to a business meeting, at night and at your house?

  Not baseball socks, she decided, and rushed to her closet for a pair of loafers. It didn’t take long to grab the modest brown pair and slip into them. Her mother told her once that brown went with almost anything. Brown is also a safe and boring choice, Meisha had also told her.

  Crack.

  She cocked her head. Off in the distance she thought she had heard a glass breaking. Piper raised her head from where she was sleeping in her doggy bed, next to Trudy’s bed. “Piper, did you hear it too girl?”

  Piper stood and stretched at hearing her name. Maybe she didn’t? It had been so faint that it could’ve come from next door. She didn’t have the problem with living in an apartment as Meisha did, but she did live in a young and thriving neighborhood where quiet was a four letter word.

  Footsteps.

  Trudy froze. Piper growled low in her throat and lowered her head. Definitely not outside. Trudy crept to her bedroom door and peeked out. Two men where tip–toeing down her hall. Her eyes widened as she recognized them–from her office. They sp
otted her.

  She grabbed the door and slammed it shut as the men bolted for her. She turned the lock just as one of them hit the other side of it.

  “Go away!” she yelled as Piper began to bark uncontrollably.

  Her door creaked as one of them hit it again. Thinking fast, she pushed over her dresser, blocking the door before it splintered. The contents of her dresser fell as the dresser toppled to its side and crashed to the floor.

  Window.

  Unlike her office, her window opened to her backyard. No long drops. Unlocking it, she opened it in a panic. Piper continued to bark at the men. One of them had punched a hole in her door and pushed a hand through, trying to move the dresser out of the way.

  “Piper! Come!” She yelled.

  Piper didn’t give her a backward glance as she continued to bark and growl. Trudy thought she heard one of the men growl back.

  Oh God.

  She ran to scoop Piper into her arms and then headed back to the window. There, she tossed Piper outside, where she grunted and whimpered as she hit the ground none too gently. Trudy went out the window not so full of grace herself. Head first, landing on her arms and chest. She rolled to her feet and grabbed Piper. She took off for the front of her house and ran straight into a wall.

  Kristof held onto the woman in his grasp. When she wiggled and screamed he held her firmer and brought her close to whisper in her ear. “Shh, be quiet.”

  “Help me! Someone please help me!” she yelled, moving her head away from the hand he was using to try to cover her mouth. The dog she was holding in her arms struggled, barked and snapped at him.

  “Stay still. I’m Krist–”

  He didn’t have time to finish telling her his name as crashing pain erupted in his balls. His vision clouded and stars fired in his head as he fell to the ground with a grunt. She took off and all he could do was roll and curse.

  In the distance dogs began to bark. The smell of wolf permeated the air. Not his pack. His wolf stirred and pressed, instinctively wanting to pursue the others. Kristof clamped down and fought against the urge to shift.

  Not here and not now.

  If he shifted in this unknown town, he’d have a hard time getting to somewhere safe to shift back. He couldn’t end up naked in downtown Jacksonville.

  As the pain subsided, he jumped to his feet. He sniffed the air. The woman was no longer in the immediate area. The sound of her banging on a neighbor’s door and it opening and closing assured him she wasn’t in any immediate danger.

  He found Lajos at the side fence, sniffing the air and pacing. Kristof trotted to him.

  “I had one of them,” Lajos growled. “The bastards shifted and got away. I should’ve followed.”

  Kristof placed a firm hand on Lajos’ arm, stilling him. “No. We can’t go running into the night in an unknown city. You did right by staying here.”

  Lajos punched his palm.

  “Did you get a good look at them?” Kristof asked.

  “No. I came up behind them at the window and before I could identify what pack they were from, they shifted and ran.”

  “What about their scent?”

  Lajos shook his head. “None that I recognized. Definitely not one of us.” By one of us Lajos meant they weren’t from any pack that his had an alliance with.

  Kristof narrowed his eyes as he stared out into the night. The embezzlement was an inside job, that much was true. But now it appeared contractors had been hired to do… what exactly? Kill the human and send them a message? Or was this just all a way to buy time? He and his brothers wouldn’t be able to find out anything until they had whoever was behind all of this in their hands.

  Sirens sounded in the distance. “Come on. We’ll probably have to make statements to the police.”

  The sirens grew louder and he and Lajos made their way to the front of the yard. They waited at the rented car as the police came barreling down the street.

  Kristof leaned back against the car as the police vehicles came to a screeching halt not too far from him. Two officers jumped from the vehicle with guns drawn and trained on him and Lajos.

  “Don’t make a move! Put your hands up where I can see them!”

  “Aw, this is just great,” Lajos said.

  Kristof put his hands up and clasped them behind his head. “Do as the nice humans have asked,” he whispered.

  “Are you the punks that broke into the house?” one of the officers asked, as he looked down the barrel of the gun.

  “No officer. My brother and I have an appointment with Gertrude Hollander. When we arrived we noticed her kitchen window had been broken. We looked through the window and saw some men trying to break down one of the doors inside.” Kristof tilted his head toward Lajos. “This is my brother Lajos. He broke the front door down to try to capture them while I went to the back to head them off.”

  “Uh huh, so where did these other men go?”

  “They got away sir.”

  “Sure they did,” the officer said, not too convinced.

  Kristof resisted the urge to glare at the human. “We just flew in from Michigan. I have my wallet in my pocket. If you’ll allow me, I’ll retrieve it for you.”

  “Sure, and while you’re getting your wallet you can also get out your gun.” Both officers laughed. “Keep your hands up. My partner will get your wallets. One move and I’ll make your night.”

  At that, Kristof did glare. But he stood still as he was patted down and his wallet removed. After the officer finished with Lajos, with wallets in hand, he went back to his partner. “Their ID says who they say they are.”

  His gaze flickered to two women, one holding a dog, the other in curlers, and a man walking toward them. Although the dog no longer barked, he recognized them both instantly. The wolf in him stirred.

  She drew closer and stood behind the officers. He didn’t have enough time to appreciate her before, but now there was no mistaking. Gertrude Hollander was beautiful. She was taller than most human females and had a shape he could appreciate. She didn’t look like one of those starving female models that human men seemed to fawn over. No, she had curves–nice curves.

  “Ma’am, are you the one who called the police?” The police officer asked.

  “Yes, Officer.”

  “Are those the men who tried to attack you?”

  When her gaze rested on him, he saw that her eyes were the prettiest green he’d even seen. Then she looked to Lajos and then back to him. “N–no.”

  “Take a good look. Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. The other guys were the same ones that broke into my business yesterday. They were paler than these two, bigger and had on all black. Their hair was longer too.”

  “These two say they had an appointment with you, is this true?”

  Her eyes instantly brightened. “Oh my God!”

  She rushed forward and his wolf sniffed the air that she stirred. His wolf pushed forward. Kristof closed his eyes to control the shift. Not now.

  His wolf beat against the barrier, wanting out. Normally he didn’t have this hard of a time trying to control his wolf. Later I promise.

  Reluctantly, his wolf subsided, but wasn’t too happy. He didn’t fully retreat, but stayed to fulfill his curiosity.

  “I’m so sorry!”

  Kristof opened his eyes. She was even prettier up close. The bun she worn had lost its shape. Fine brown hairs surrounded an oval face, green eyes full of concern stared up to him.

  Mine. The wolf’s emotions pushed through.

  Chapter Five

  Kristof’s knees buckled and his vision clouded. His head swam and his stomach lurched.

  Lajos reached out to hold him upright, his grasp was the only thing keeping Kristof from falling flat on his face.

  He shook his head, trying to regain focus. But nothing seemed to penetrate through to his thoughts except for her. He wanted her with every resolve in his body. Every nerve seemed to fire just for her. His heart beat just for he
r. His hands longed to hold her.

  Oh, shit…did I just…imprint?

  He looked up again. She stared at him with an open mouth–one he wanted to smother with kisses.

  A wave of euphoria careened through him. His wolf sent him flashes of pictures of him and her together. If he was uncertain before, he’d just gotten his confirmation.

  He had found his mate.

  A human mate.

  “Are you okay man?” Lajos asked, concern filling his voice. “Did what I think happen just happen?”

  Kristof regained his footing and shook Lajos off. “I’m fine.”

  Lajos raised his brow. “Wow. That was intense. I’ve never witnessed an imprint–”

  “Lajos,” Kristof said, interrupting him.

  Lajos snapped his mouth shut, but shook his head in disbelief.

  “Were you hurt?” Gertrude looked Kristof up and down, as if inspecting him for obvious injuries.

  “No harm done,” he said to her.

  “So you recognize these men?” an officer asked.

  She looked at Kristof and frowned. “Yes, well, no,” she struggled to say. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Kristof didn’t know what type of effect imprinting would have on a human–or if she’d feel anything at all. He’d never witnessed a human–shifter imprinting in his lifetime. For all he knew, she was genuinely a confused woman.

  “I’ve never met them before, but we had a business meeting,” she said, her words slurring slightly.

  Kristof and Lajos exchanged looks. If he wasn’t sure before, he definitely was now. She was experiencing the effects of an imprint.

  “I guess you boys are okay for now. We’ll need to get a statement from everyone.”

  Lajos growled at the term “boy”. Neither of them had been boys for quite some time now. When the officers had been boys, he and Lajos had been firmly in their adulthoods.

  She opened her eyes and locked on to his. “I–I’m so sorry for kneeing you before. I thought you were one of them. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  His ego took a blow but his wolf didn’t seem to mind. He got the feeling his wolf would’ve liked for her to rub it and make him feel all better.