Task Force Three and the Irish Jewel [The Men of Five-O #3] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) (8 page)

“She’s with me,” Simon stated, and Willy smirked as a light snort escaped from him.

“I don’t think so,” Willy replied.

“Absolutely not!” Ava’s voice, barely audible from behind his brothers, emerged, but he ignored her.
“Keep her quiet,”
Willy stated to his brothers through their link.

“We’ve been looking for you, Simon. It was nice of you to turn yourself in right now,” Mick stated, taking position a few feet behind Willy. Their brother Pat was moving in behind Simon as they conversed.

Simon chuckled. “You got nothing on me, Declan. I’m not looking for any trouble. I’m just claiming what’s mine,” Simon said, glancing toward where Ava remained hidden.

The fact that Simon said “claim” pissed off Willy’s wolf and his brothers’.

“She’s with us and doesn’t seem to want to go with you,” Mick countered.

“She does. She’s just scared right now,” Simon replied.

“She’s not going anywhere with you. She’s coming with us,” Sean stated angrily. Willy gave his brother a look, but then he inhaled the other scents coming from Pat’s direction.

“Watch your backs. We’ve got company,”
Pat stated through their link just as numerous growls filled the alleyway. In an instant they were surrounded and a full-fledged fight began. When Simon shifted, so did the others except for Kyle.

* * * *

Ava pushed away from Sean and Kyle just as the other men turned into wolves before her eyes. Her first inclination was to sink into the fetal position and pray that no one ate her, but then she saw the numerous men attack Sean, and thank goodness that Kyle remained next to her to protect her. One guy hit Kyle with something metallic, and he roared. She released her hands on the syringes and closed up her purse. She looked around her, shocked at what she was seeing. Some of the men remained in human form, fist fighting, while others fought as large, ferocious wolves. It was crazy.

“Stay back, Ava. We’ll protect you,” Kyle told her in a semidistorted voice, and she noticed his elongated teeth despite his human form. He was a wolf just like Fenly. They were all wolves. What the hell did they want with her?

“Come with me now!” Some guy grabbed her arm, trying to pull her toward the back entrance to the restaurant. She slammed her elbow into his side then punched him in the nose. The man was obviously surprised by her ability to fight. She didn’t take a second to celebrate, but instead pulled out the syringe and stuck the guy with it. He fell to the ground immediately.

The second she had a chance, Ava ran to escape only to be hit by one of Simon’s men. At least she thought that was who they were. More roars filled the alleyway, and a large black wolf appeared, striking the wolf that hit her out of the way. The black wolf looked at her, and she covered her mouth to stifle the scream and waited for its attack. It never came. The wolf just watched her closely. She crab walked backward as some brown wolf jumped on the black wolf’s back.

Rolling to her knees, she pushed herself up and began to run from the alleyway. She stopped a moment at the corner, turning back to the outrageous scene, more surreal than anything she could have ever conjured up or read about in any fantasy book.

It appeared that the Declan crew, as Simon had called them, was in control as numerous bodies lay still on the ground and wolves began to shift back into naked men. Turning abruptly, she ran into a brick wall. The man grabbed her by the arms and held her firmly.

“Ava, are you all right?”

She was shocked to see Walt, dressed in a tuxedo and looking concerned.

“Walt! Oh my god, what are you doing here? Wait, don’t answer me. We need to hurry,” she told him, and he looked over her shoulder.

“Declan? Let’s go!” he exclaimed, sounding like he knew who the Declan brothers were while pulling her toward the sidewalk and an awaiting limo.

“Wait!”

They turned toward the voice just as Walt closed the door. She could see through the tinted windows that it was Kyle, Sean, and the others.

“Step on it,” Walt told the driver and off they went.

* * * *

“What in the world is going on?” Sean asked Willy as he stood by the sidewalk watching the limo pull away with their mate inside. Mick, Pat, and Kyle began to clean up the mess in the alley and arrest Simon and his men.

“Fuck if I know, but I recognize that guy she just left with. He’s a government operative,” Willy told Sean.

“I’m not liking this one bit, Willy,” Sean replied.

“We’ll get to our mate, Sean. Even if we have to die trying,” Willy stated then turned around and headed back toward the alley.

“No! Absolutely not, Walt. I don’t believe this!” Ava yelled as she paced back and forth across Walt’s living room. This could not be happening to her. When was she going to wake up from this nightmare? She explained about the police chasing her and about Pat and Kyle from the other night. This new information was not anything she expected, never mind trying to comprehend it. She was stuck in a nightmare that just kept getting worse.

Walt kept his lips firmly together. She wasn’t certain if he was trying to stifle a laugh or was truly feeling her pain. She halted in front of him and placed her hands on her hips.

“Are you laughing about this? You, of all people. You’ve lived your life exactly the way you’ve wanted to. Mine has been dictated for me since birth for crying out loud! I am not the mate to a bunch of oversized fur balls.”

“Now now, Ava, there’s no need for insults. The Declan brothers are quite a sought-after bunch of Alpha males. Many women would find them irresistibly attractive.”

She felt her nostrils flare and her blood pressure rise as she fisted her hands by her side.

“I am not accepting this, Walt. Call whomever you have to in that Circle of Elders and tell them I said no!” Ava crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at Walt. His eyebrows scrunched up as he rose from his sitting position. Now that he stood in front of her at over six feet three inches tall, she swallowed the intimidation the best she could.

“It makes sense that the gods have chosen such strong and superior wolves for you to mate with.”

“Why is that? I am not of the wolf, as you and Brennan call it. Others in my family would be more suitable than I. For god’s sake, Walt, did you get a load of the size of them and all those muscles? They would crush me if they even hugged me, never mind…”

“Never mind what, Ava?” he asked as he held her gaze.

She ignored his question, but he wasn’t going to allow that. Walt knew her almost as well as his cousin Brennan. God, she wished Brennan was here. She wished her father was.

“You’re worried about the sex aren’t you?” he asked, and she turned toward him, shocked at his question. She felt herself blush, and then she thought about the men. Each of them was a sight. All five men sinfully good looking, but still. They weren’t human. Those men were animals, and she hadn’t chosen them herself. If she wanted to accept a fate like that then she would have stayed in Ireland with Fenly. She wasn’t stupid. She learned a lot about wolves and what they expected from their women or mates. That was why she carried the syringes.

“Your silence tells me I’m right on the money.”

She looked at him, giving the evil eye best she could.

“My sex life is none of your business, Walt.”

“What sex life? You’re a virgin and that is exactly what a woman of your age and bloodline should be.”

She gasped then gave him a shove to his chest. She was fuming.

“What I should be? What kind of old-fashioned bullshit is that? And bloodline? That’s your damn wolf speaking. I am not going to be some breeding machine destined to give birth to more hair balls while chauvinistic males drag me around by my hair as they growl and drool on me.”

Ava stared at Walt. She couldn’t believe what was coming from his mouth. She remembered when she first met him. How handsome and sophisticated he appeared with his slicked-back black hair and deep-brown eyes. Even the small scar by his neck made him appear sexy and mysterious. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on how angry she was getting with Walt instead of how most wolves appeared to be eye candy.

“Watch your tongue, Ava. Brennan didn’t send me to keep an eye on you for the past two years to allow you to ruin yourself.”

“Oh, you just better stop talking right now, Walt, or I swear I’m going to lose it.”

“Sit down, Ava, and let’s talk about this. I can answer any questions you have about the mating process and about…the other stuff,” he added shyly.

Ava threw her hands up in the air and headed toward the door.

“Ava, don’t be so quick to dismiss your fate. They could be exactly what you need now.”

“Five animals to do as they please with me and toss me to the side when they’re done? No thanks, Walt. If I wanted that life then I would have stayed with Fenly.”

“The Declan brothers can protect you. They are not like Fenly. Plus, they are special.”

She held the doorknob and took a deep breath before she replied.

“I am finished allowing other people to make choices for me.
I’m
in control of my fate. I’m tired of hearing about all these special wolves and forces yet no specifics. I’m tired of running and hiding. I want to go home. I want my life back. I want Fenly to pay for what he has done. I don’t care who these Declan brothers are.” She stated the last syllable broken halfway with emotion.

Walt was immediately by her side as Ava laid her forehead against the door.

“I won’t lie to you, Ava. I won’t make promises of happy ever after or even for your hope of returning to your homeland. What I can tell you with great certainty is that when a wolf, or in this case wolves, finds their mate, they will do anything in their power to protect, to possess, and keep her in close proximity to them at all times. They will be your personal bodyguards. They will care for you and provide for you and fulfill your every need.”

Ava looked up at Walt with tears in her eyes and uncertainty in her heart. Everything he said sounded farfetched and like such a load of bullshit, yet she found herself asking one question, with her entire heart and soul, with every word she stated.

“And what about love?”

The tear escaped from her eye and rolled down her cheek. Walt began to console her by placing his finger underneath her chin to turn her face toward him, but as he tried she blocked him by wiping the tear away before she reached for the doorknob.

“I’ve got a job to do. Nothing else matters right now.”

* * * *

Duggy Doolin tried to maintain his composure as he stood in front of the painting while the police commander and his wife spoke. He knew the castle in the painting. He had visited it just recently when in Ireland on business with Fenly. It was the O’Brian castle. The estate was currently being taken over by Fenly with hopes to gain control over the entire country of Ireland.

“What seems to have your utter and complete attention, Duggy?”

Duggy turned around, looking way up to see Fenly himself staring over his shoulder. He didn’t need to answer the monstrosity of a man, for as Fenly caught sight of the painting his eyes grew wide and began to glow.

“Who created this painting? Was it the same person who painted the one of Central Park I purchased?” Fenly asked, sounding desperate for the answer.

Duggy looked toward the right corner of the painting and noticed the letters AO.

“Whoever has the initials AO painted this one, too,” Duggy offered.

“Ava,” Fenly whispered as he brushed by Duggy and took a closer look at the portrait.

* * * *

Fenly felt a surge of emotions as he stared at the painting of the O’Brian estate. It could have been a photograph, considering how accurate and identical it was to the real thing. He stared at the strokes of color and the castle situated on a hill of grassy green, gently rising from a lake of thirty acres in the middle of the woods. He could practically smell the outdoors, the scents of County Clare and surrounding wildlife.

His Ava was here in the United States. She was in New York and perhaps here in this gallery tonight. He looked around him frantically, and immediately Miller and Pete were by his side.

“What is it, boss?” Pete asked.

“My Ava is here. Find her and I want this painting in my possession immediately.” Pete and Miller took off in opposite directions as Fenly searched the crowded gallery. His heart pounded inside of his chest, and his beast roared with hunger. He would have his Ava back again, and he would take her home to Ireland where she belonged.

“What can I do to help?” Duggy asked Fenly.

“Get your men on this. Find out where she is and anyone who knows anything should be thoroughly questioned.”

“I’m on it,” Duggy stated then walked away.

Fenly began to look at some of the other paintings Ava had surely painted. He had known that painting was a hobby for her back in Ireland. He had witnessed her beauty and focus as she painted on the back patio to the castle. But it wasn’t until she escaped and was out of his life that he truly missed her presence. She was more than just a valuable commodity. She was his destiny and the key to a family mystery decades old. She had to be the key to finding the Irish Jewel. Her father had had possession of it. But where did Patrick hide it? Ava had to know the answer.

* * * *

Willy and his brothers gathered into the two SUVs and headed toward Walt’s high-rise apartment. As Mick drove the vehicle, Willy’s cell phone rang.

“Hello?” He answered it, half caring about whoever was on the line. He wanted to get to his mate.

“Don’t sound so thrilled to hear from me, Willy. I remember the days of you and your brothers flirting like crazy with me just to get my men going.”

“Samantha? Holy shit, how are you, honey?” he asked, feeling instantly happy about her call. He hadn’t heard from her in months or from her mates. The Valdamars were busy these days keeping the Circle of Elders in order and dealing with aspects of the government.