Page 36 of Shifter For Hire (For Hire 2)

“But why? You don’t even want anything to do with your people. You said as much when you agreed to meet Declan.”

“Just like I will protect you, I will protect them. I won’t live among them. I want to be free.”

“And yet you’re not free. Not even a little bit.”

Chapter 14

The moon sat high in the sky, bright white and chasing away the shadows just enough for Lachelle to see the area outside her hotel room. Restlessness took her, and she turned to Gerard. “I want to see you in dragon form. Let’s go out.”

“We’re supposed to meet with my brother in an hour and have dinner.”

“So?”

Earlier Declan had arrived and taken his fiancée and baby away. Lachelle had fallen asleep, so she never saw him or got to say goodbye to Janessa. All she heard was that Declan was pissed and ready to rip off heads. She knew Janessa wouldn’t have left without talking to her or being sure she was safe. That meant Declan wasn’t listening to reason, not with his family in danger.

“I get it,” she said. “We’re lucky Declan has agreed to meet with you after learning about you working for Patrick. But if I don’t get out of this suite right now, I’m going to go loco. Are you going to take me out, or am I going to have to escape on my own?”

“You’re not a prisoner.”

“Says who?” She placed her hands on her hips and stared up at him. “Well, Gerard? Are you going to help me or not? Is Patrick more important than me?”

“No.”

She suppressed a laugh. “Good. Let’s go.’

He gave in. She knew he would and partly felt guilty for using his feelings for her against him. Up until that moment, the men were calling the shots. She’d had her fill. So if getting Gerard on her side was what it took to leave the suite, so be it.

They passed Patrick’s men on the way to the elevator, and not one of them spoke a word or got in the way. Once on the ground floor, Lachelle led the way to the parking garage and held up a set of keys she had managed to secure. She grinned and pressed the button. One of the SUVs responded with a horn blast, and they were off.

“How did you get that?” he asked.

“Don’t underestimate me, buddy. Lachelle Waverly is a survivor.”

His appreciative expression made her happy. They drove around the city, looking for an open space that was also secluded. She imagined him shifted, assuming he would be a human sized dragon. Excitement over seeing it and nervousness stirred in her belly.

“Oh, there’s a drug store,” she said. “Let’s stop in real quick. I have an idea of how we can pass the time once we’re back in the room.”

He agreed.

“When I was a kid, my parents used to play cards with Janessa, my brother, and me on family fun nights. We hated board games, but give us a deck of cards, and we’re good.”

Gerard opened the door for her, and she walked ahead of him. Out of habit, she took in the place, noticing the few customers grabbing snacks and the two cashiers behind the counter.

In the aisle nearest the door, she found a pack of cards and waved them at Gerard. “Do you know how to play gin rummy?”

He screwed up his face like he tried to remember. Apparently, he hadn’t played lately. “I might have played years ago. Once. With my brother.”

She nodded. “My parents taught us, but they wouldn’t let us bet. When Janessa found out betting was a thing, we did it in secret. That is until Janessa got interested in boys. Then I didn’t hang out with her as much. That sucked.”

She chattered nonstop as she scored a few snacks and sodas for their outing. When the purchases became too much for her to hold, she stuffed everything in Gerard’s arms. He took them without complaint and continued to follow her.

At the register, she instructed him to dump everything on the counter. “I’ll cover it.”

“No, you won’t.”

She snorted in amusement when he took out his wallet and almost choked at the knot she glimpsed there. “Good Lord, Gerard. You shouldn’t carry that m— Uh, I mean. What did you do for a living before Patrick hired you?”

“Anything that allowed me to live simply and still eat.”

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