Page 37 of Her Wolf

Neo nodded. “You’re right. Maybe they’d accept money instead of product.”

“Right,” Cora said, but a little less enthusiastically. “Uh…as long as they’re willing to wait a few days.”

Neo’s dark eyes focused on her like ebony razors. “What you mean? You have money, right?”

“Of course…” she said, glancing at the door.

Where the hell were her men? Her self-assurance was disappearing like dawn under the midday sun.

“Because mine’s all tied up right now. What with my fath—” Neo cut off with a cough.

Her jaw clamped tight. He looked like he was struggling not to cry, the way his lips trembled.

Which made her want to apologize again.

But that would show emotion. She’d done what she had to do, and she would not beg for forgiveness.

“I’m sure I can work something out,” Cora said, reaching for him and then deciding against it. She didn’t want him to think she was okay with them having any kind of physical contact.

“Okay,” Neo said, sudden determination in his voice. “I’m going to call them. Arrange some kind of meeting. It’ll probably be tomorrow. We’re going to have it here, right?”

“Uh…” Cora took a step back, and then shook her head as she waved at Neo. “No. No, let’s not do that. Javier was—” shit, why did she keep bringing him up? “—we shouldn’t let people in here. This is our sanctuary.”

“Our sanctuary,” Neo murmured with a slow nod. “Yeah, you’re right. Well, where then?”

She shrugged at this, hugging herself tight and looking at the door. “Let me think about it. When do you have to speak to them again?”

“Tonight, I guess,” Neo said. “I’ll swing by before nine.” He started for the door, and then turned back to her, tapping his temple with a long, slender finger.

He bore such a strong resemblance to Javier, and that gesture was something she could readily see the monster doing. But not with the warm smile Neo had on his mouth; Javier would have worn one of his wide, fake grins.

“We’ll figure this out, Elle,” Neo said.

The name lashed through her like the ghost of a whip. “Don’t call me that,” she managed, but her voice was so tight that the words barely came out.

Neo’s smile widened, becoming as glassy as Javier’s would have been.

“Maybe we don’t make such a bad team after all.”

And then he left her alone with a twisted stomach and a thundering heart.

. . .

“We should get back,” Finn said.

Bailey let out a soft belch and crumpled his third can of beer in a hand. “Sure? Got the feeling she wanted to be alone.”

“Yeah, there’s being alone, and then there’s being depressed.”

“She’s got plenty to be depressed about,” Bailey said. “I mean—”

“There’s no point living in the past,” he cut in, giving Bailey a hard stare. “I insist on it.”

Bailey laughed. “She’s always done what she’s wanted. Or sulked for days if she didn’t get her way.”

“That was your Cora,” he replied, trying to ignore the itch between his knuckles that made him want to punch Bailey in the face. “This one’s mine.”

Ours, came the rustling whisper inside his head, almost the same time Bailey said, “Ours, don’t you mean?”

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