“With a track record like that, I’m not sure you can help me find Trey. No deal.”

His callous retort had the desired effect. She turned on him with the speed and dexterity of a professional killer. With legs on either side of his, she pushed him up against the car and had his throat in a chokehold that reminded him of how strong she’d been when they’d arm-wrestled. Anger flamed in her blue eyes; her lips were pressed tight.

She’d just convinced him she was a pretty P.I.E. player. And he needed to stop looking at her lips, because God help him, he wanted to kiss his eliminator senseless.

“Fuck you. You’ve got no idea what I can do.” Her mouth was mere inches from his. “I could drop you right here if I wanted to.”

He arched an eyebrow. Took in her heated breath. Then reached up and, with little effort, took her wrist and removed it from his throat. “Do you?” he choked out.

“Do I what?” she snarled back.

“Want to drop me.” He took his other arm, wrapped it around her waist and pulled her against him. “Because I’m kind of liking this position.”

She tried to push away to no avail. “Let go of me.”

Her squirming sent feel-good pulses straight to his cock, threatening his composed disposition. Focus, dude. He couldn’t give her the upper hand. She may very well land him on his ass.

Holding tight to her wrist, he brought her arm behind her back, then the other, so that both her hands were locked at the base of her spine. Her small wrists were easy to grip with his large hand.

“I don’t think so,” he said.

“You’re going to be sorry.” She wriggled and writhed, looking more and more flustered by the second.

The dress shifted around her chest in a most provocative manner as she fought him. He dipped his eyes down, glimpsed the top of a lacy black bra, and gulped down the desire to arch her back and pull the material away with his teeth.

“What are you doing?” she barked. “Do not look down my dress.”

His gaze shot back to her scowl. “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.”

She stopped her protestation and relaxed. Probably realized she couldn’t get out of his hold with force. “Will you please release me now?”

“That depends on what you plan to do next. You see I’m a little confused. You kissed me and saved my life, and yet I think you’re supposed to kill me.” He watched her face register little emotion. However, the hitch in her breath, and the skipped beat of her heart that rang in his ears said volumes.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Tess. I’m not stupid. Your being here tonight is no coincidence, is it?”

“Whatever the hell you think you know, you’re wrong. I was supposed to go on a blind date tonight with some guy named Trey. My friends set me up. It wasn’t something I wanted to do. End of story. All the other shit that’s happened tonight was accidental. With the exception of my saving your ass. And I must say, if this is how you repay me for showing you kindness, I’m going to have to remember not to do you any more favors.”

And with that she kneed him in the groin, effectively getting him to release her. She stepped back and smiled. “For the record,” she added, “I saved you because I needed your help. No other reason.”

“Not out of the kindness of your heart, huh?” The pain in his cock was no match for the pain she’d just flung at his ego.

“I’m not a kind person.”

“Yeah, I think you already mentioned that. Guess I’m having a hard time getting it through my thick skull.”

The wind picked up, carrying the smell of car exhaust and greasy food. She took a step closer, and he’d bet she never wavered or cowered from a fight. She needed things to be on her terms, and if the tables turned, she turned them right back around.

He needed the duct tape. Slipped his hand inside his pocket.

“I’d really like to be on my way. Do we have a deal or not?”

He didn’t like what he was about to do, but she left him no choice. She certainly wouldn’t cooperate with him when she discovered what he was up to. With so much on the line—Trey’s life, the pack’s future, his life—this was the only way he could think of with time ticking to get himself out of her line of fire. He’d make a deal with her, and then all bets were off.

“Yes. We have a deal.” Using his wolf speed and strength, he turned her, crossed her arms behind her back, and duct taped her wrists together. It happened so fast there was nothing she could do about it. “But there’s a few details we need to work out.”

“What the hell are you doing?” she shouted, wiggling her shoulders to try and loosen the tape. He spun her back around to face him. She eyed the offensive binding dangling from his finger and kicked him in the shin. Hard. “Untie me!”

He jumped out of the way before she got another kick in. Moving to the side, he put an arm around her waist and opened the car door. “Get in.” He pushed her head down and goosed her into climbing into the passenger seat.

“Hey! Keep your hands to yourself. And I asked what the hell you’re doing.” After a few humpfs, she settled into the seat, her hands nicely trapped behind her back.

With difficulty, he shook away how her backside had looked as she’d climbed into the car. He situated himself behind the steering wheel and shut the door. “Where’s the key?”

She gave him the silent treatment along with a wish-you-were-dead stare.

“Tell me where the goddamn key is, Tess. Otherwise I’ll duct tape your mouth too.”

“Side of the door,” she mumbled.

The engine hummed. He leaned over and buckled her seatbelt before doing his own. Anger poured off her in tsunami-sized waves that sucked the air out of the small interior. He rolled down the window. “How fast can this baby go?”

Tess shot him the now I’m really going to kill you look.

“I’ll just see for myself.” He shifted into gear and took off. “Hang on.”

Hugh drove Tess’s Beemer through the streets of Los Angeles, speeding through yellow lights and only reluctantly stopping for red. He slammed on the breaks when a white Ferrari crossed into his lane to avoid a limousine stopped illegally in front of a club. God, he hated Sunset Boulevard on weekend nights.

Tess didn’t flinch at the sudden movement. In fact, she’d remained eerily still and quiet since he’d hijacked her car. Every attempt to engage her in conversation had met with cold, hard silence. Her head was turned to the side, relaxed against the headrest of the passenger seat, but he could hear the blood rushing through her veins. She wasn’t calm. Not by a long shot.

Since her attention stayed on the passing scenery, he snuck glances at her legs. They were tan, lean, muscular. Smooth and silky. He pictured them wrapped around his waist before forcing his eyes back to the road. His grip tightened on the steering wheel, he did multiplication problems in his head. He had to get the fuck over the desire she stirred in him and get her talking about eliminating him. That ought to cure his idiotic attraction to her.

“How about we’re honest with each other?” He tossed a sideways glance and smile her way.

“You’re an asshole,” she said without moving a muscle.

“Okay. That’s a start. You’re”—he hung on to the “rrrr”—“a bitch.”

She whipped her head in his direction and shot daggers at him, then just as quickly turned away so she looked out the passenger window again.

“I thought we were being honest,” he added.

Silence.

“You know, a bitch isn’t all bad. Especially coming from a wolfen.”

Silence.

“You started it, Tess. So why don’t you finish it? Come on. I know there are things going on in that head of yours. Let’s hear it. Give it to me straight.”

Silence.

The road grew more congested so he made a turn down a less crowded street. They were only a couple of miles away from his hideout now. Up the canyon and they’d be there. He didn’t plan on telling anyone where he was, at least for tonight. The place was well equipped with food and necessities for occasions like this, so even if they needed to stay a few days, it wouldn’t be a problem.