Page 14 of Stripped

CHAPTER FOUR

“I heard something,” Zane said, appearing in my office without making a sound. “You should come with me to check it out.”

I'd gotten about an hour's worth of paperwork done and was expecting a couple of dancers to show up for some practice on the pole. Carly had gotten Zed and a few of his friends to come over and help clean up. I'd wanted to help, but Zane and Carly, and Zed when he'd arrived, had ganged up on me and insisted I rest. “If it's Leopold,” I said. “Act surprised to see him. I'm not supposed to know about the health department inspection.”

I stepped into the hallway and Zane wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to his side. I stiffened, surprised by the gesture. “We're just about to head out on a dinner date,” he said.

I relaxed against him and we walked into the club.

Carly and the others had swept up the broken glass and gotten rid of the furniture broken beyond repair, but the club still looked rough, with more than half the furniture gone and the shelves behind the bar missing most of their bottles. Even the bar top was cracked and appeared to be in danger of crashing to the floor if the heat blew too hard. “Carly and the others left about fifteen minutes ago to grab a late lunch,” Zane said in a low voice. Lunch. I'd forgotten about that, and my stomach growled at the reminder.

He stilled as we neared the front door, moving his body in front of mine. The door swung open and a familiar man with greasy hair and yellow skin stepped inside.

“Alpha,” Zane said with a groan. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Alpha paused mid-stride, not having noticed us until Zane spoke. I would have thought he was a human, because wolves have the senses not to get caught unawares, but Alpha and his pack members were regulars at my club so I knew he was a wolf. They didn't tip well and tended to start fights, but they were kind to my staff in their over-grown frat boy way.

“Zane,” Alpha said, adopting an easy smile. “Surprised to see you here. I'm just stopping by to help out the owner.”

“Really?” Zane asked. “She give you a key?”

Alpha nodded, but he must have noticed Zane's cold tone, because he also took a step back. “Sure did,” he said. He smiled at me. “Hey, there, Sissy.” Most people assumed I was just a dancer and didn't know I owned the club. I preferred it that way. Even so, the alpha of the local pack ought to be better informed about the business owners in the community.

“Hi, Alpha. Sissy is my stage name. You can call me Abigail or Ms. White. You can also call me the owner of this club who didn't give you a key or ask you to stop over.”

Alpha turned, ready to run, but Zane was faster. He grabbed Alpha by the back of his shirt and lifted him off his feet. “Want to tell us what you're really doing here?”

Alpha shook his head, his yellow skin going slightly green. “They'll kill me, man. Just let me go and pretend you never saw me. I won't cause any trouble.”

Zane looked at me, brows high. He was giving the decision to me. I appreciated it, but wasn't sure what to do with the guy. Obviously, he was working for the vamps. We didn't need to question him to figure that out. It was well known around town that the pack was linked to the vamps. “I don't appreciate you breaking into my club,” I said. “You and your pack won't be welcome here in the future.”

It hurt to ban anyone who brought money into my club, even the measly bit of money the pack brought in, but I couldn't allow them in if they were working for the vamps to destroy me or my club, or both.

“Hear that?” Zane asked. “You aren't welcome here.” He looked at me, a question in his eyes and I nodded. Alpha wasn't part of Zane's pack, but he was a werewolf and I knew they handled things differently than humans did. “Before you're banned, I want you and your pack to replace everything that's broken in this club.”

Alpha's eyes widened and he kicked his feet like he wanted to run away. “I can't help her… They'll kill me, man. My pack had nothing to do with this mess.”

Zane gave the guy a shake. Alpha wasn't as tall as Zane and he was mostly beer gut, with no visible muscle mass, but it was incredibly impressive how Zane held him in the air like he weighed nothing. “You were breaking into this club to do some damage. You and your pack will replace what's been destroyed or I'll go to the council about you vandalizing a human business and working for the vamps.”

Alpha's eyes somehow got bigger. “Fine, man. Fine. We'll do it, but keep it quiet, okay?” He looked at me. “Don't tell anyone we helped you.”

Zane dropped Alpha to his feet and shook his head. “What the hell are you doing? Why are you letting them control you?”

Alpha ignored Zane and focused his attention on me. “You do not want Leopold on your bad side, Sissy. You think the old vamp guard was bad? This guy…” He shook his head. “He won't stop until he owns you.”

Alpha was a drunk and weak, but he wasn't stupid. I'd learned that from seeing him at my club, watching him watch out for his pack. He was a coward, but it didn't mean he was wrong about Leopold. My already shaky body got shakier, but I gritted my teeth and smiled. “I can handle him.”

Alpha nodded. “I'll round up my pack, and I'll be back in less than an hour.”

He left and Zane wrapped his arm around me again. This time it wasn't for show, his arm was tight around my waist, holding me up. “You should lay down in your office,” he said. “I can watch the club for a while.”

“No. I need to work. I need to make sure…” Tears stung my eyes. Shit, was it the concussion making me emotional? Or was it the thought of losing my club, of my employees losing their income, of becoming a vampire pet? “Know any good defense against a vampire king?”

Zane grimaced. “He won't get close to you. I'll make sure of that.”

“He doesn't have to get close to me to hurt me.” I looked around my shattered club, my gaze blurry with unshed tears.

Zane didn't say anything. He helped me back to my office and to the couch.

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