Page 14 of Hunted Temptation (Alpha Nights: Unlikely Heroes #4)

Chapter Thirteen

VAUGHN

The goddamn California State Comptroller…

and I shot him in the fucking head, leaving him in the front seat of a car.

Zero fucks given, considering what he was doing at Scoggins’s, or at least trying to.

Testing things out or whatever the fuck they had planned.

I don’t know, and I don’t care. And I would do it again a million times over.

I’m glad they are dead and even happier that I got to be the one to end them. There is also a sense of relief that fills me as I think about the fact that I was able to get Elodie away from that situation. She didn’t deserve to be born into that, to be used the way she was. No child does.

Even if our time together is done, she’s safe, and that’s really all that matters at this point… at least that’s what I tell myself. Even though I want nothing more than to keep her. I’m not going to hold her back, keep her from doing what she needs.

“What do we know about him?” I grind out. “Aside from the fact that he’s one of the most powerful men in the state.”

It’s Lucille who breaks the silence, and then she gives me a wince before she speaks. “I found his name on the web,” she announces. “I didn’t know what I was looking for exactly, but when I found it, it was eye opening.”

“Eye opening?” I ask.

She hums, her tongue slipping out before she slides it along her bottom lip. She clucks her tongue before she continues.

“Someone wanted him dead, and it wasn’t any of us. Although I can’t deny that it makes this a little easier on us.”

"Does it?" Theron asks.

“It does,” she snaps. He lifts his brows but doesn’t comment on her short tone. “Dozens of people would have killed him had they had the chance, and whoever added him to that list wanted him dead the most. Well, other than us.”

Sliding my gaze over to Nadine, I arch a brow and shift my focus to her. If anyone can find out who put the hit in for the comptroller, it would be her, and judging by the way she continues to shift around in her seat, I have a feeling she already knows.

As much as I want to tell them all to hurry the fuck up and just spit it all out, I know that some of this meeting is for nothing more than dramatic flair. So, I give that to her and wait for her to continue.

“I was able to find out the name of the man who put the hit into the system, but he doesn’t exist. It’s fake. All I could find out was that the order was submitted in New York. Nothing else, and honestly, that part probably is fake, too.”

“What happens now?” I ask.

Trying to get information out of this group has become fucking tedious. I am playing the game right now, but I don’t think I’ll last much longer. I’m itching to find out the truth, so I know what I’m dealing with. I have a feeling that this is deeper than I even imagined.

Nadine inhales a deep breath and holds it for a moment before she lets it out slowly. I watch as she places her palms on the table before she gently pushes down, straightening her legs, standing tall and never releasing eye contact with me, but it’s not Nadine who speaks.

This time, Colette begins, and I’m surprised because she hasn’t said much of anything during this meeting. Now she’s got something to say, and I’m going to be the man who listens.

“I’m pretty sure it has to do with money, maybe even money laundering.

The name of the man from New York wasn’t connected with Marcello, even if it was real and he was living off the grid.

I asked,” Colette murmurs. “I couldn’t find what organization he was connected to, because I’m pretty sure it’s all fake, every part of it.

At least what he’s putting out there is. ”

I don’t know what to do with that lack of information.

Instead of asking her, demanding that she tell me every little thing she knows, I bite my tongue…

literally. The taste of blood fills my mouth, and as much as I want to demand more information from her, I don’t know how much there actually is to demand, so I don’t say anything.

I wait.

And I wait a little longer.

“Nobody will miss him, but I don’t know exactly who it could be. All the research I’ve done has come up completely empty. Dead end after dead end.”

I’m no stranger to the web she’s been searching on, or to the quality of people who are listed on there and the ones who do the listings. They’re all part of the underbelly of society. And while Securus has always stayed on the up and up, I have not. I am part of that underbelly.

What I don’t understand is how I was there, on the job, without knowing it, and killed both him and, who I assume was, his assistant. Or whoever the fuck he was. I want to know how they got to California and how they’re connected to Scoggins.

“I went ahead and took the job for you, and the money,” Lucille announces, her lips curving up into a smirk.

Blinking, I can’t stop my lips from curving up into a smirk. “Did I get paid?” I ask.

Lucille laughs softly, but instead of confirming that, it’s Theron who speaks for her. “You did, but we all took a cut, so it’s not as much as you probably would have wanted.”

Shaking my head once, I clear my throat as I let out a chuckle. “It is more than I thought I would ever have, considering this was on the house. I wanted that fuck dead. I wanted Scoggins dead, too. I got what I wanted on that front, and that was payment enough. Put my portion in Elodie’s account.”

The collective hush that follows throughout the room should probably bother me, but it doesn’t. I know what I’m saying, what I want. I need Elodie to have whatever she could possibly have in life, even if, selfishly, it’s the exact opposite of my desires.

This kill was for me just as much as it was for her. I can do one on my own and make triple what they’re going to put into Elodie’s account, if not more. I’m not worried. Plus, with what I’ve already made over the years, I could have retired a long time ago.

“Well then,” Theron says after clearing his throat. “One puzzle solved and another one pops up.”

“No shit,” Merrick mutters.

I don’t say anything, mainly because I need to get my shit done here and head home to Elodie. It’s only been an hour or so since I’ve seen her, and I already feel the need to check in on her, to touch her… to taste her.

“I’m worn the fuck out from driving. I’m going to head home. I’ll be in the office first thing in the morning and get back to work.”

Without waiting for a response, I stand up and walk away. I’m sure that at least half of them have something to say to me, but I’m also positive it’s nothing I want to hear right now. So, instead of waiting around, I head home… to Elodie.

ELODIE

It’s been days since I’ve had more than just a few minutes alone, and I don’t think I like it. No… I know I don’t like it. I don’t want to be here by myself—without Vaughn. I know I’ve become far too attached to him, but I don’t think I can do this without him right here beside me.

The idea of being alone and navigating any part of life is not something I want to be part of.

My room is set up, the washer and dryer are running, and I have nothing else to do, so instead of standing at the window and watching people walk around outside without a care in the world, I make my way into the living room and take the remote control off the small side table.

I stare at the buttons, wondering how to work the thing. Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I touch the red power button to at least get it started and hope for the best, not that I would really know what to watch or how to work anything.

Television wasn’t really something I took much stock in at home, and I was only allowed to watch it when I was alone. Even then, it was heavily monitored. So I didn’t bother too much.

The television powers on, and I stare at the screen for a moment.

There are so many streaming services to choose from that I am frozen.

I don’t know what’s what. I mean, we had Netflix, and I’d heard other people talk about different ones, but as far as going into the services and looking around, I don’t know what to do.

In this moment, I realize just how much my father kept from me. I wasn’t just under his thumb—I was deep and buried. I was so far gone that he hoped never to hear my voice again. He wanted me lost, unable to live in the world, and at his mercy. He almost got me right where he wanted me, too.

When the door opens and closes, I don’t hear it. I don’t hear Vaughn move through the house, and I don’t realize he’s sitting beside me, not until I feel his hand on my arm. Only then do my muscles stiffen and my breath hitch.

Slowly, I turn my head and look over to see that Vaughn is sitting directly beside me. “You good?” he asks.

“I didn’t hear you come in,” I murmur.

His brows snap together, his eyes searching mine for a moment before his lips curve up into a smirk. “I wasn’t quiet, and you weren’t watching anything on TV. So what’s up with this?” He tips his head toward the television.

It’s still on the home screen. “I thought I could work it, but I have no idea what half this stuff is,” I confess with a shrug of my shoulder.

I’m still holding the remote control in my hand when Vaughn reaches out and slips it from my grasp then reaches across me to set it down on the table. I don’t say a word, waiting for him to respond to the fact that I can’t even work a simple television.

“Television is overrated,” Vaughn murmurs, his eyes shifting down to my lips before they slide back up to meet my own.

“Is it?” I ask. “I was never really allowed to watch much of it,” I say, though my words come out breathlessly.

He hums while shifting forward. I feel his fingers glide up the side of my neck before they curl around the back, twisting in my hair slightly. He tugs my neck back, his eyes searching mine for a long moment before he speaks, his lips so close to mine that they touch me with each word he says.

“It really fucking is,” he growls right before his lips slam against mine.

My eyes slide closed as he kisses me. His tongue slides inside me, tasting me, and my whole body melts. He keeps his fingers tangled in my hair, flexing them, tightening them. Whimpering, I lift my arms between us, pressing against his chest and feeling his warmth beneath his shirt.

He nibbles my bottom lip then breaks the kiss before he lifts his head slightly.

He looks down at me, his eyes searching mine for a long moment.

I think about asking him what’s going on.

He’s not explaining anything to me, but maybe I don’t want to know.

Maybe it’s best if he doesn’t actually say whatever it is.

Clearly, something is working behind his eyes that I can’t read. Then he smiles, and his hand releases my hair, his fingers shifting to curl around the side of my throat.

His warm, firm grasp causes my entire body to melt closer to him. “There are some things we need to discuss, but I need to taste you first.”

Yes.

Please .