Page 5 of Coyote Underground (Monsters of New York #9)

Resistance

A na Sofia

With the understanding that Pack Reyes is going to help me, and insists on no payment, I find myself being ushered along with them as they leave my apartment.

In a way, it feels almost like being kidnapped myself.

I don’t like it, but there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

It doesn’t matter how hot it is to be dominated by these men who annoy me to no end.

My sister is more important than my attraction or my annoyance.

I barely have time to throw some things into a bag before we leave.

I have no idea if I’ll have what I need or not.

“You guys don’t have to do this. I’m sure I’d be perfectly safe at my apartment,” I say.

“Nonsense, we’ll get you settled at our house, then we need to head out and do some more investigating,” Diego tells me.

He sits next to me in the car, holding my hand.

It’s weird for me, because he always acts like I’m so far beneath him.

But now he’s being comforting, and I don’t know how to handle it.

So, I don’t fight him on it. I let him sit with his fingers threaded through mine, his thumb rubbing lazy circles on the back of my hand.

I don’t argue with his plan, even though there is no way I’m going to let them investigate this without me. He doesn’t need to know that yet, though. I make up my mind to notice every possible exit when we get to their home.

When we pull up to the brownstone house in Brooklyn, I have to admit, I never thought I’d see the inside of one of these. And I’ve always wanted to. The outside is gorgeous, with the signature brown stones, the wrought-iron railings leading up the front steps to the ornate door.

The car stops on the curb and Diego continues to hold my hand as we climb out.

Lorenzo opens the front door for us, and Isaac grabs my bags.

Wait, I only packed one bag—why are there three now?

I’ll figure that out later. For now, I have to pay attention to my surroundings so I can follow them when they leave.

It’s hard to focus, I find myself distracted by how amazing this place is once we’re inside.

“We have everything you could need here, princess,” Diego tells me as they give me a tour.

“Isaac and I need to get some guys lined up to protect you while you’re here.

Zo can finish the tour.” Then he does something that completely floors me.

Diego, the Alpha who hates me, kisses my temple.

I don’t notice where he goes as Lorenzo takes over the tour, showing me different rooms I’ll have access to while I’m here.

He explains which ones are theirs and which ones I am restricted from.

Of course, I take note of that. I want to know what secrets they have hidden here.

“And this, buttercup, is your room. It has a built-in nest we can customize for you with anything you’d like.

We want to make you comfortable here. Please think of this as your home. ”

This conversation is strange, like they’re planning on me staying longer than just to find my sister. Did I miss something? Fuck, I should have paid more attention. “What?” I ask as he’s kept talking while I lost myself in my thoughts.

“I was just explaining that you’ll have to let me know what you need for the nest. I will personally go out and get what you want. Or I can take you with me and you can pick it out yourself. Whatever you want,” he says with a smile.

What is it about this Alpha that makes me want to submit? He wraps an arm around my shoulder as we enter my room and I lean against him, accepting the comfort he offers. “I don’t understand why you guys are doing this for me. I can’t afford to pay you, and I know you don’t do charity work.”

“I know you won’t believe me, and that’s okay.

But we honestly just want to help you. We’ve gotten to know you over the past few years working alongside your department, and while I can’t speak for Zac or Diego, I really like you.

” He pauses, then continues, “And I know you’re not fond of us, because we delay your work a lot.

It’s not intentional, I promise. We’re just trying to do our job, too. ”

“I understand that,” I say, realizing he’s rubbing his hand up and down my arm, and I kinda like it.

I snake my arms around his waist, turning so my head can lay on his chest. I should fight this attraction, but maybe I can use it to my advantage.

Is it wrong? Probably, but this is my sister we’re searching for, so I don’t care.

I will do whatever I have to in order to find her and keep her safe.

His arm stays on my shoulders, and his other arm joins it. I tilt my head to look up at him, his dark curls resting on his forehead, just above his eyebrows. Chocolate brown eyes meet mine, and for a minute, the world falls away. Lorenzo leans down, his lips a whisper away from mine.

In that moment, I realize how much I want him to kiss me. I’ve hidden these desires behind my anger at their arrogance, but I want this pack to claim me. I’m so conflicted in my feelings that I don’t notice we have an audience until a throat clears and I jump back, out of Lorenzo’s arms.

My face heats, realizing it’s Diego and Isaac. Shit. This is embarrassing. “Zo, we need to go,” Isaac says quietly.

“Why not bring Ana Sofia with us?” Lorenzo says, as if he’s reading my mind. I try to hold back my excitement, but I know my face lights up with his suggestion.

“What? Why would we put her in danger like that?” Isaac asks.

Diego grimaces, then answers. “We’re not using her as bait. If you bring her, you keep an eye on her. Understood?” And just like that, I get my way, and am convinced again that Diego hates me. Ugh. Things start going good with one of them, and the other two push me away.

I remind myself that I’m looking for my sister, not love.

Anything else will have to wait. I need to find Val and make sure she’s okay.

With Lorenzo’s agreement, I’m ushered back to the car with them.

“Where are we going?” I ask, clueless about anything they’ve discovered with the perusal of my home.

“The Gin Room,” Diego bites out. I can tell he doesn’t want to tell me anything, and I wish he’d decide if he wants to be hot or cold to me. This back-and-forth is making me crazy. I may end up with whiplash.

Settling into the car next to Lorenzo, I don’t resist when he threads his fingers through mine the same way Diego had done earlier, and the same way Isaac did at The Gin Room. Lorenzo’s hand is large, engulfing mine in its warmth. Isaac watches us, and I can’t tell if he’s curious or jealous.

Issac’s dark hair needs a trim, falling just in front of his eyes.

I’m not sure if he likes it that way or just hasn’t had time to take care of it.

It’s sexy but hides his eyes. I can’t tell if they’re a similar brown to Lorenzo’s or if they’re more amber like Diego’s.

Hell, they could be green for all I know.

Realization hits me—I want to know. So many things I want to learn about these men: their eye color, how their lips feel against mine, what their bodies feel like pressed against mine.

Lorenzo’s breath against my ear tears me away from my dirty thoughts. “Buttercup, you should get that under control before you start something you’re not ready for yet.”

I realize that the car smells like a pina colada now, and it’s because I’ve scented, causing all three men to do the same.

The scent is delicious, and I want to wallow in it.

I can’t believe how well it all blends together.

It’s almost like we’re made for each other.

But he’s right—no matter how badly I want to learn these things, I’m not ready.

I have to focus on Val. Finding her has to be priority.

“Sorry, I got distracted,” I whisper, my face hot.

He smirks at me, leaning closer to kiss my cheek. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure we can talk about your distraction after we get more leads on your sister.”

Isaac clears his throat, and I catch him adjusting himself. “Why don’t you tell us more about your sister? That may help us figure out why she was targeted.”

I explain to them about our parents being killed five years ago, not letting myself get emotional about it.

I give the facts, calmly and concisely, as if I’m reciting a news story I’ve memorized.

Then I tell them about Val. “She’s learning self-defense in the afternoons.

At school, she’s interested in art. She wants to be a designer when she’s finished with school.

We don’t have a lot of money for her to buy supplies, so she sticks with altering her clothes for now instead of making them from scratch. ”

I don’t know if anything I’ve told them will actually help.

There’s no reason for anyone to target my sister.

We don’t have money for a ransom. So, it’s not like she was taken because I can pay for her return.

Then it hits me. She wasn’t taken for money.

Oh, no. My mind races, showing me images of all the things someone could want my sister for. Each thought is worse than the last.

Panic hits me, and I double over, gasping for air. What if we can’t find her? What if we’re too late and she’s been destroyed by whatever they do to her? What if she fights and they kill her? I won’t be able to live with myself. I’ll die with her.

Strong arms pull me onto a lap, and I can feel a rock-hard cock pressing into my ass.

That shocks me back into the present. My breathing doesn’t improve, but my thoughts are no longer on what could be happening to my sister.

Rather, they’re split between what could be happening to Val and what is happening to me.

“Just breathe. In, out,” Lorenzo whispers into my ear, rubbing his hand up and down my back to comfort me.

I let myself relax against him as his citrus scent surrounds me.

I close my eyes and tuck my face against his neck.

I’m glad I wasn’t alone when these realizations hit, but now I don’t want to be part of this search.

I’m terrified of what we’ll discover. I don’t think I can handle it.

I should have stayed at the brownstone. But Val needs me, so I have to stop wallowing.

No matter what she’s going through, we will find her, and I will help her recover. I have to. She’s my little sister and I love her. Breathing in Lorenzo’s scent helps slow my breathing and calm my racing heart. Sitting on his erection does other things to me, though.

Before I can do anything that would further embarrass me, the car stops and Diego opens our door. “Let’s go. Is she okay now?” If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was worried about me.

Lorenzo nods, easing me back so I can climb out of the car.

He follows me, and in an instant, I’m surrounded by these three men.

I’m not sure if they’re protecting me, or keeping me from running away.

Either way, my Omega nature loves the feeling of being boxed in by these men.

I fight against the urge to purr as we walk into the club we vacated two hours ago.

“Why are we back here?” I ask, leaning closer to Isaac. He wraps an arm around my waist, letting Lorenzo enter the club before us.

“This is the center of everything in New York City. Good, bad, ugly, it doesn’t matter.

Someone here will know something. We just have to talk to a few people and listen for a while to find out where to start.

Stick with us and try not to say anything, okay?

” he whispers back as we walk into the club.

It’s noisier than it was when we left earlier, and there are more people in here. This hasn’t been my usual haunt for a while, so I’m a little intimidated.