Until July Read online

  “Another one?” Kayan asks as I check him over, seeing if there is anything I can do to save him before I unwillingly put him to sleep.

  “Yeah,” I whisper as I force myself to accept there is nothing I can do. Tears begin to fill my eyes, but I fight them back and do my job, making sure he’s comfortable before I give him the injection that will help him go to sleep and never wake up again.

  “Do you want me to call your uncle and have him come out?” Kayan asks as we walk toward reception.

  “No, I called. He’s checking the cameras he set up. He said he’ll stop by at some point today.”

  “Are you okay?” she asks, looking me over.

  I let out a long breath then tell her what happened with Wes last night and this morning. The more I talk, the bigger her mouth opens, and by the time I’m done, her jaw is almost hitting the floor.

  “So, no, I’m not really okay,” I tell her.

  “I bet not,” she mumbles then sits back in her seat. “So you really didn’t kiss him?”

  “No.”

  I shake my head and laugh when she whispers, “Wow.”

  “He is a jerk, and I’m glad I found out now, rather than later.”

  “Yeah.” She nods then her eyes get glossy. “So what does Jax look like wearing nothing but a towel?”

  “You do know he’s my cousin, right?” I frown at her.

  “Your cousin is hot.”

  “You’re delusional.” I roll my eyes then walk down the hall, yelling that I’ll be in the back.

  *

  “So did you see anything on the video?”

  “Nothing, kiddo,” my uncle Nico says on a sigh.

  “I don’t know what I should do,” I mumble. Watching the video that he had pulled up, the only thing you see is taillights then the image of someone wearing jeans and a black hoodie carrying the dog and setting him down in front of the double doors.

  “You’re doing nothing.”

  “Okay,” I say, but a plan starts forming in my head.

  “We’ll get it worked out, kiddo.” He gives me a hug and I hug him back then walk him out front and watch him pull away in his truck. Then I go over to where Kayan is still looking out the door.

  “He’s really hot for an old dude.”

  “Can you stop lusting over my family members?” I laugh.

  “Whatever.” She smiles then her face goes serious. “So did he tell you anything?”

  “Nada, but I have an idea. How do you feel about having a stakeout with me?”

  “A stakeout?” Her eyes flash and a smile spreads across her face, making her already beautiful features striking. “Hell yes, I’m down.”

  “Okay, we’ll start tomorrow.”

  “Good. Tonight, we can go shopping.”

  “Shopping for what?” I ask, and she looks at me like I’m crazy.

  “We need gear. We need black clothes and a camera, maybe some kind of device that lets us know when someone is coming. I don’t know for sure, but I’m thinking the police supply store will have some stuff we can use.”

  “I just wanted us to sit in my jeep and wait until someone came.” I frown, and she lets out a huff of air.

  “You have so much to learn.”

  “And where did you get your stakeout knowledge?”

  “TV.” She shrugs then looks to the left when the bell over the door goes off. “Uh oh,” she whispers as Wes walks in.

  “Can I talk to you for a second?” he asks as his eyes come to me.

  “Sorry, do you have an appointment?” I ask, tilting my head to the side, studying him.

  His eyes go to Kayan and he bends slightly over the desk. He takes the calendar that’s in front of her and looks at it then pulls a pen from the jar that sits on the upper ledge and writes his name in one of the boxes.

  “Looks like I have an appointment.” He sets the calendar down.

  “Great, follow me,” I mumble, leading him back toward one of the exam rooms. Once we’re inside, I go to the opposite side of the counter from him. “What can I do for you, Mr. Silver?” I raise an eyebrow, using his last name I learned yesterday when we filled out paperwork.

  “Fuck.” He runs a hand over his head then down his jaw, which is covered in stubble that makes me want to rub up against him.

  No, you don’t want to rub against him, I remind myself.

  “I don’t have all day,” I say, making a point to look at the clock.

  “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”

  “Really?”

  “I came over wanting to see you, and Jax answered the door in a fucking towel, then you in only a shirt. I saw red.”

  “I had shorts on.”

  “Pardon?”

  “I had shorts on under my shirt,” I tell him then wonder why, because it seriously does not matter at all.

  “I shouldn’t have said what I said.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have.”

  “Can you forgive me?” he asks, and I see he’s sincere. I’m sure it looked that way to him, and I’m still pissed, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.

  “Absolutely, apology accepted.” I stick out my hand and he looks down at it, his frown lines growing deeper.

  “Fuck,” he whispers, and his gaze comes up to lock on mine again.

  “Well, if that’s all, I really need to get to work.” I walk to the door and open it up. “See you around, Wes.” I walk out then head to one of the other exam rooms. I hear Kayan talking as I wait behind the closed door until I hear the front door alarm go off, letting me know he’s gone. Only then do I head back out of the room.

  “So, your biker dude just ruined my whole calendar,” Kayan grumbles, and I peek over the counter to see what she’s talking about, and everyday at noon, it says ‘Lunch with Wes’.

  “Not happening,” I tell her, and she looks at me doubtfully. “I’m serious.”

  “Okay,” she whispers, looking down at the paper, but I can still see the smirk on her lips.

  “I need a drink.”

  “Yeah, a tall drink of hot biker.”

  “Shut up,” I mumble as disappointment floats through my system. Wes was hot and edgy, and obviously a man with issues, so sadly, we were never going to explore things, but that didn’t mean I didn’t wish things had turned out differently.

  “Your two o’clock is here.” Kayan says and I come out of my daze mutter.

  “Thanks.” Then smile at my patient’s family before kneeling down to greet Cloyed a very hyper Yorkie who makes me wish that men were as easy to understand as dogs.

  The rest of the day passes quickly between patients and back work that I have to catch up on. I don’t leave the building until it’s dark outside, leaving Kayan to go shopping alone, which I regret the next evening when she shows me what she picked up.

  “I’m not wearing that.” I look at the black full bodysuit that Kayan just pulled out of the bag she set on my bed.

  “You are.” She smiles then walks to the bathroom and comes back a few minutes later wearing a matching black bodysuit that is unzipped, showing cleavage, and a pair of black boots that go to her knee, with three-inch heels. Her black hair is up in a high ponytail, and she has put black smudges under her eyes.

  “Come on, go get dressed.” She pushes me toward the bathroom, and I go unwillingly then frown when I put on the outfit. I have no idea how I let her talk me into this. I leave my hair down. The bodysuit shows off every single curve and dimple of cellulite that I have. I don’t have a choice but to leave the top unzipped, because my breasts are so large the zipper is likely to bust. When I come out, she’s in my closet and she comes out with a pair of boots I wore once for Halloween. They are basically stripper boots that are shiny and have five-inch heels.

  “I’m not sure about this.” I frown.

  “We need to blend in,” she tells me, and my frown grows deeper.

  “Blend in where? At the strip club?” I ask, and she laughs, handing me the boots that
I reluctantly put on.

  We get in my Jeep and go over to the office, and we park off in the distance where it’s completely dark. It’s after ten at night, and from the video footage timestamp, I know whoever dropped the last dog off had done it after midnight.

  “What’s that?” I ask as Kayan pulls a bag from the backseat.

  “Supplies,” she mumbles distractedly and begins pulling items out. The first is a camera that she sets on the dash. Next is a pair of walkie-talkies that she sets next to the camera, and then a thermos and a box of powdered doughnuts that she holds in her lap.

  “I think you’re taking this too far.”

  “The guy at the cop store didn’t even let me get everything I wanted.”

  “What?” I laugh.

  “I wanted to get one of those things you roll out to blow out tires, but he told me I needed to be a cop in order to buy them, along with smoke bombs.”

  “Ugh.” I look at her and she smiles.

  “This is going to be so much fun,” she whispers, and I shake my head and look out the front window. At one o’clock I’m just about ready to give up and go home, when lights flash and a car pulls into the parking lot. I tap Kayan, who had fallen asleep after eating the whole box of doughnuts while drinking the thermos of hot cocoa.

  “What?” she mumbles, and I elbow her again.

  Her head comes up as I hiss, “They’re here.”

  “Oh shit,” she whispers, pulling the camera off the dash.

  I pull out my phone and call one of the vets, Mark, who has been working with me over the last few months. I tell him he needs to get to my office and take care of the dog that was just dropped off, and to call the vet tech on call. He agrees, and I watch as the person drops the dog at the door then gets back in the truck.

  Everything in me wants to go to the poor dog, but I know there will be someone coming to help him soon so that I can follow the truck. I need to see if I can find out any more information. When the person gets back in the truck and pulls off, I make sure my headlights are off before I start up the Jeep and follow him out of the parking lot.

  “I wonder where he’s going,” I say as we head out of town on one of the back roads.

  “Don’t know,” she mumbles, watching the truck in the distance, which pulls into a large parking lot that is packed with cars. That’s when I remember it’s a Friday night. I pull in and park a few spaces behind him then wait until the driver gets out before I open the door to my Jeep. I watch him, taking in what he’s wearing so that I know what to look for if we lose sight of him inside.

  “Just so you know, I’m firing you on Monday,” I tell Kayan as I realize the outfit I have on.

  “You look smoking hot,” she whispers, but I can tell she’s nervous as well.

  I shake my head, slam the door, and head into the building. The moment we walk though the door, the loud country music hits my ears. I follow the guy toward the bar, feeling every single person in the bar looking at Kayan and me. Hell, if I were them, I would be looking too. It’s not everyday you see two chicks dressed like cat-women walk into a country western bar.

  “Your dad’s in back, bud,” the bartender tells the guy we followed here. He looks probably twenty-five. He takes his hat off and runs his hand over his hair then gets up and starts walking toward the back of the bar. I start to follow him, when an arm bands around my waist and breath whispers against my ear.

  “Where you going, pretty girl?”

  I elbow the guy holding me then back up, grabbing Kayan’s hand and pulling her with me toward the restrooms saying. “You’re really getting fired.” As my gaze connects with Wes’, who is standing near a pool table talking to some guy, his eyes sweep over me, and even from across the room, I can see anger enter his handsome features.

  “Oh no,” Kayan whispers, and I remind myself to start looking for a new receptionist and best friend on Monday after I have a full-face transplant.

  “Run,” I breathe.

  “What?”

  “I said run!” I cry, and we both turn and start toward the front of the bar. We get down the hall, almost to freedom when I’m suddenly pulled back into a hard body.

  “What the fuck are you wearing?” is growled near my ear, making my whole body shiver.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, trying to get away.

  “Z, watch her,” Wes tells a tall guy with a bald head and tattoos that run from his neck and down his arms, which you can see from the white tank and leather vest he has on. His arm muscles look even more intimidating as he stands, crossing his arms over his chest while looking down at my very petite best friend.

  “That’s not necessary; we were just leaving,” I say as I’m walked backwards into the men’s restroom through a swinging door.

  “Out,” Wes growls to some guys who are standing near the urinals. They all look between Wes and me, zip up their pants quickly, and then rush out of the room.

  “That was rude,” I mutter, then my breath comes out in a whoosh as my body is pressed into the wall behind me.

  “What are you doing here, July?” he rumbles.

  I feel the vibration of his words against my chest as he speaks, and I ignore the butterflies that have erupted in my stomach since seeing him. “I wanted to learn how to line dance?” My answer sounds more like a question.

  “Don’t lie to me.” He presses deeper into me, and I can feel every hard inch of him through the thin material of the bodysuit I have on. I hold my breath and squeeze my eyes closed, trying to get my body back under control. “There are some fucked up guys here right now, babe, and you can’t be here.”

  I open my eyes and search his face. “Are you in trouble?” I ask, and his eyes sweep over me as he mutters, “Yes,” making my insides turn liquid.

  “Wes, you’re too close,” I whimper, feeling like his presence is suffocating me.

  “Not close enough, baby,” he whispers back as his hands framing my waist press in deeper and his erection presses into my belly.

  “Oh, God,” I moan as his face lowers and his mouth hovers over mine, his breath brushes across my lips, making me crave him in a way I never, ever thought possible.

  “Don’t,” I tell him, closing my eyes, and after a long moment, I open them back up and meet his eyes when I realize that he didn’t kiss me like I expected him to.

  “I’m gonna walk you out to your car. I want you to go right home, and don’t ever come back here again,” he tells me, placing his forehead to mine.

  “I—”

  “No, babe, you need to swear to me that you will never come back here again.”

  “I won’t come back.”

  “Come on.” He pulls me with him and leads me back out of the bathroom. Kayan is leaning against the wall, looking at the floor, while biker guy ‘Z’ stands blocking her from everyone’s sight.

  “I remember you,” I tell Z when I realize he’s the guy who picked me up like I was as light as a feather the day I tasered Wes. He grins then looks at Wes and shakes his head.

  “Let’s get the girls out of here, and then we’ll come back and finish up,” Wes states.

  “Sure,” Z mutters, wrapping a hand around a struggling Kayan’s waist and walking in front of us out of the bar. I try prying Wes’ fingers off my waist as we walk, but he only holds me tighter. My legs work double-time in the boots I have on to keep up with him, and I let out a relieved sigh once we reach my Jeep.

  “You’re as shy as a kitten. Don’t think I’ve ever had shy in my bed,” I hear Z say as we get into the Jeep. I look over at Kayan, who has her eyes pointed at her lap, but I can see there is dark blush covering her cheeks. “Be good, Kitten,” Z rumbles, shutting her door. I start to shut my own door, when a body cages me into my seat.

  “Straight home.”

  “Straight home,” I repeat then lick my lips when I realize how close his mouth is.

  “We have some shit to work out, but I’ll get in there,” he tells me. My eyes flutter up to mee
t his, and my heart starts to pound when I see the promise in his eyes. His head dips to the side and his lips brush my ear, making my core convulse. “Be good.”

  I nod my head as my voice box closes up. He backs up and slams my door. I start up my Jeep and pull out of the lot then look over at Kayan when I’m at the stop sign. When her eyes meet mine, a smile alights her face.

  “That was scary, but oh, my God,” she breathes out, making me giggle.

  “No more stakeouts,” I tell her, and she smiles and whispers, “No more stakeouts.”

  Chapter 4

  I call Mark on the way back to town, and he tells me he wasn’t able to save the dog that was dropped off. My heart breaks yet again for another dog. I vow then that I will get to the bottom of what’s happening, if it’s the last thing I do.

  “I’ll see you Monday,” Kayan mumbles solemnly when we pull up in front of my house since I got off the phone with Mark, the energy in the car has changed.

  “See you Monday,” I tell her, shutting down my car and heading toward the house. I watch her pull away before heading inside and closing the door.

  “Hey, Juice.” I pick him up off the small table and press my face into his fur while I walk into the back bedroom. I dump him onto my bed then pull off the heels and bodysuit before finding an old t-shirt and getting into bed.

  I lay there for a long time looking at the ceiling and just as I’m about to fall asleep, there is a pounding on my front door, and I hear Wes yell, “Open up!” I stumble out of my room and go to the front door to see that he’s standing there with Z, who has his arm around Wes’ shoulders.

  “What’s going on?” I ask sleepily.

  “He got shot.”

  My eyes go to Z then get big when I see he’s holding a towel to his shoulder and there is blood soaking through. “You need to go to the hospital.”

  “Can’t.”

  “Wes, I’m a vet, not a doctor.”

  “Jesus,” Z grumbles, and Wes gently presses a hand into my belly and pushes me out of the way as he walks into the house and helps him get seated in one of my white kitchen chairs that creaks like it’s going to give out under his weight.