She let out a deep breath. “Unless you can help me, that’s none of your business. Do you think you can help me?” Her stomach muscles tightened as she held her breath. God, she needed help. She’d thought that by coming here, they’d give her all the answers she would need. She’d sign a few papers and be done with it and then she could move on with her life. If only it was that simple.

“It depends.” He looked around at the crowd of faces walking past them. “Where’s your family?”

She smiled and knew it was sad. “Not here. This doesn’t involve them.” At least, not in the way he probably thought.

His eyes stopped sweeping the faces around them and locked on hers. It felt like he could discover every hidden thought she had with those striking eyes. For a moment, panic flared that he could, but she relaxed her mind. He was just a vampire, and being one didn’t give him a special psychic power. Just a thing for blood and living long.

“All right, then, tell me what’s wrong? And why you’re in Chicago.”

The words almost tumbled from her lips. She wanted to. Maybe it was because he’d saved her in the past. Just being near him made her feel safe, like everything was going to be fine. It was a lie. She had to remember that. If she told him and he didn’t help her, he could ruin the little bit of freedom she’d fought so hard to achieve.

She smiled at him. “Sorry, I can’t do that.” Her phone beeped at her and she pulled it out of her back pocket. “Time for me to get to work.” She gave him one last look. Not for the first time, her mind flashed to what it would have been like to be mated to him instead. She doubted, even with his ostensibility, that she’d be here right now getting thrown out of Justicar’s headquarters. He wasn’t like Joseph, not at all. “Take care, Brayden.”

She turned to leave, but his hand caught her arm. His hand touched the bare skin of her arm making her breath catch as warmth rushed through her body. “What do you mean you have a job here? You live here now? Where do you work?”

She wanted to stand there with his hand touching her gently, wanted to wrap her arms around him and just hug another good person, but she couldn’t. So, with a sad smile, she tugged her arm out of his grasp. “I can’t tell you that. For all your good intentions, you might just do more harm than good. ’Bye now.”

She turned and forced one foot in front of the other. She wondered if he’d call out to her, if he’d stop her. Worse, her gut was clenched with excitement that he just might do it. But he didn’t and she tried to tell herself it didn’t bother her. She was doing the right thing, she knew it.

Brayden let her go—for now. If she wasn’t going to give him answers, then he’d find them. She had no idea just how good at that he was. Or she’d forgotten at how skilled he was at tracking.

Inside, he cornered the secretary behind the lobby’s main desk. He checked her nametag for her name. “Sara, what did that woman want?”

Sara’s eyes sparked with pleasure and Brayden wanted to shake her. Certain women seemed to always find him attractive and it either helped or hindered whatever he was doing. He hoped for the prior in this case.

“The woman that made the scene?”

He glared at her in answer.

She fidgeted with her collar. “Yes, her, of course. She came asking questions about an annulment, divorce, things like that. I told her both parties must be present for any formal arrangements, and when she threw a fit, I called security.” She tossed a bright-white smile up at him and he left without a word.

Settling into his SUV, he turned the car on then sat back, his thumb idly scratching his chin. He caught stubble there and made note to shave later. The questions wouldn’t leave his mind. What was Vanessa Kategan doing in Chicago and whom was she trying to get a divorce from? His mind scoured the events that took place two years before. The name Joseph popped up. She’d run away from her father because he planned to have her mated to Joseph, an older Alpha from a different pack. In return, they’d combine packs to have more land. By law and duty, she had to obey her father. His gut twisted tight with nerves. Law was law and needed to be obeyed. He’d chosen his job based off his own personal beliefs. He’d even told her then that she should be a good daughter and do what was needed of her. Now he clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut to the pounding sting banging at his temples. Had he made a mistake?

Grabbing his cellphone out of the center console, he flipped through the contacts to Vane Kategan. His finger hovered over the green ‘call’ button. With a curse, he shut his phone and tossed it into the passenger seat.

He put the car into drive and took off. He’d find her and figure out what she was up to. Even if that meant sending her back to where she came.

Vanessa couldn’t stop looking over her shoulder. She wasn’t sure what she’d find. A tall, gorgeous man with a full head of thick, slightly curling hair, and lips that taunted her to taste them, or a shorter, stauncher man with meaty fists and a steadfast frown. A chill swept down her spine at the thought of Joseph. She petted the pocketknife in her jean pocket to calm herself.

The sun began its descent from the sky. A crackle of thunder clapped overhead and she jumped, her legs moving faster. The streetlights kicked on, casting the streets in a dim yellow glow. She passed a small 7-Eleven crammed between two clothing stores in large brownstone-type buildings and turned left at the next street. She spotted the glowing neon sign for the trendy little coffee shop she’d taken a job at, and sighed.

She dashed across the street and rushed inside, the feeling of eyes on her only now lessening from the warmth of the room and laughter of the small crowd already gathered. A Cup of Joe was a trendy coffee shop with a small stage set up for poetry readings, small local bands, and karaoke nights. The furniture consisted of old, vintage-style chairs and worn-out leather sofas sandwiched together in a tight area. The aroma of vanilla, cocoa, and chocolate made her sigh as she made her way into the employee’s lounge in the back. She had a small locker here and inside sat her only belongings—a satchel of things she’d managed to grab in a hurry.

“Hey, Vanessa,” a male voice called out.

She pulled on the dark brown apron and pulled her hair back into a tie before turning around. Her boss, a youngish human in his thirties checked his watch then smiled. “You’re on time. Good, I like punctuality. Want to try your hand at taking orders tonight?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He handed her a small pad and pen. “Have at it and don’t forget to clock in.”

Time passed in a whirl of dirty coffee cups, fresh brew, and bawdy laughter from the guests. The muscles in her back felt tense and hard and she desperately wanted a massage or a steaming hot bath. But she dredged on carrying trays laden with iced and hot coffee drinks until the clock struck midnight. As the last guest left, she sighed and got to work wiping down the tables and sweeping up the joint. Her boss, Rob, and the other three employees joked and laughed at the bar as they wiped it down and ran the dishwasher. She wished she didn’t feel alone, left out, but she did. Maybe it was for the best that she didn’t try to make friends. Yeah, making friends could make possible targets. See? Being alone wasn’t so bad after all.

In the back room, she put away the broom, dirty towels, and hung up her apron. She counted her tips and grimaced. Twenty-nine bucks and fifty cents.

“Hell,” she muttered.

She stuffed her measly change into her bag, waved goodbye to everyone, and stepped outside. The strong male presence hit her fast and hard. With frantic fingers, she reached into her pocket and clenched the pocketknife in her hand, which she’d bought after escaping. With the press of a button, the blade stuck out. She kept it flat and pressed against her thigh as her eyes darted left and right, narrowed on the passing cars, searching every face, every window in the building across from her until her eyes hurt from squinting into the night. Someone watched her. Someone was here.