Good going, Liv. Could you have possibly made it any harder?
“I—”
Fingers tightened further around her throat, and he slammed her head against the wall again. Hard enough that she couldn’t hide another wince as she shot a quick glance at him. His face darkened. “I. Said. Don’t. Talk.” He scowled. “Fucking-A. I don’t know why I put up with you sometimes.”
Because he had serious inadequacies that he covered by demonstrating his power.
Because he was a psychopath who liked to hurt people.
Because throwing his weight around made him feel like a man.
Take your pick. How he’d managed to remain as pack leader for as long as he had was beyond her. Those who didn’t outright hate or fear him seemed to be merely biding their time until they could do something about him.
When that would happen was anyone’s guess. Certainly as the Omega of the pack Olivia would be the last to know. For now, Eddy was the leader, and that was what mattered. It was the hand she’d been dealt and had to play as best she could.
So she stood still and waited.
Like a good little wolf.
Her pulse fluttered in her throat. Spots started to dance behind her eyelids. If he didn’t let up soon, she’d pass out.
She knew that from experience, because it had happened before. It was another way he had of exerting his control over her. Choke her into unconsciousness and, many times, she’d come to while he raped her—one of the many ways he had of showing her just how little she really meant to him and how easily he could do anything he wanted to her with impunity. How completely he held her life in his hands.
Literally.
“Look at me.”
She raised heavy lids and stared into dark eyes glinting with the knowledge that she’d gotten the message. He dropped his hand and strutted away from her, confident that she’d stay put.
She watched him, loathing him with each shaky breath she drew. When the bastard had moved in next door, fate had dealt her a dead man’s hand. He’d seen her, had wanted her, so he’d taken her, turning her into a monster. Six weeks ago he’d told her he had a special job for her, a job that could elevate her from Omega to something…well, something more than the bottom of the pack.
She’d perked up, as he’d known she would. But when he’d told her the job was to murder someone, she’d refused. She was a middle school phys ed teacher, for crying out loud. Not an assassin.
But then he’d taken Zoe, threatened to kill her if Olivia didn’t do as she was told. She’d seen him act with swift ruthlessness where disobedience and defiance were concerned. Just a few months ago he’d broken the neck of another pack member’s son as casually as if he were flicking lint off his sleeve. So she had no doubt that, even though he might love Zoe in his own twisted way, he would carry through on the threat. So this time when he’d told her to go, she’d gone. Thankfully she had enough tenure and foresight to ask for a leave of absence from work.
Eddy turned to face her. “Go kill Sullivan. You have one week.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. He’d not given her permission to speak yet.
A slight smile tilted one edge of his mouth. “Very good, pet.” He gave an approving nod. “You may respond.”
“A week?”
He lifted his brows. “I’ve given you six weeks already, two of which you squandered by being stubborn. I hardly think you need more than another week.”
She clamped her lips together and gave an abrupt nod. Arguing with him would accomplish nothing except to have him shorten the deadline even further.
He sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “I’m not such a bad guy, Livvie.” He shrugged. “I just know what I want, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get it—and that includes killing everyone who gets in my way. Some women find that kind of confidence appealing. Attractive, even.”
What kind of women? The ones with a death wish?
She licked her lips. “May I ask what it is you want? Why is it so important that Rory Sullivan be killed? What did he do to you?”
Olivia thought for a moment he wasn’t going to answer her, feared that she may have gone too far when his face darkened. But it was remembered rage that colored his features, not anger directed toward her.
“Let’s just say there’s a man I want to destroy, and I’m beginning by removing everyone who’s important to him. Starting with his friends.” His lips parted in a grin. “I hear he’s fallen in love, so very soon I’ll be ready to take that away from him, too. Although”—he tapped his chin—“if she’s fetching enough, I may have to use her before I kill her.”
“You’ll kill her?” The words left her mouth before she could stop them. She bit her lip, preparing to be smacked because of the incredulity in her tone.
The smile faded from his face, and his eyes narrowed, though he didn’t lift his hand to her. “Yes. The male friends are peripheral, not enough for me to bother with personally. But a wife?” The grin returned, this time so full of malicious glee it wrapped ice around her gut. “To watch his face, the agony in his eyes as I fuck her and then kill her, with him powerless to stop me?” He nodded. “That is something I must do myself.”
Well, if he was going to use Olivia to do some of the dirty work, she damn well deserved to know why. “Who is this man? Why do you hate him so much?”
Eddy turned away from her. “Merr…” He broke off and shook his head. “He had everything—a loving family, wealth, power, and the poor sod couldn’t stand that he wasn’t normal.” With his heightened emotions, Eddy’s New York accent slipped a bit and took on a British flavor. He shook his head again. “It should have all been mine. If his father had just done what I’d asked—begged!—things might have been different.”
He trailed off, seeming to be lost in his thoughts. After a moment he shrugged. “Never mind. It’s not something you need to know.” He glanced over his shoulder at her, eyes hard. “All you need to know is that for your daughter to remain safe you have a job to do.”
Eyeing the distance between them, Olivia wondered if she could catch him off guard long enough to kill him. She could morph her fingers into claws now, just like he did. She might be able to do it.
It would only take one quick slash across the throat.
But then what about Zoe? There was at least one bodyguard standing outside her door, his bulk casting a shadow onto the floor of the hallway.
Olivia briefly closed her eyes. She’d never be able to do it. She couldn’t kill Eddy and go for the bodyguard before he could get to Zoe.
She had no other choice. She must finish the job she’d been given.
Thinking back over the last few days, she remembered her first impression of Rory Sullivan. Tall, dark, and dangerous.
An earnest protector.
Sexy as hell. But…
He had to die.
Chapter 1
Detective Chief Inspector Rory Sullivan chased the rape suspect down the paved pathway in London’s Battersea Park, a sense of euphoria he’d never before experienced lending strength and speed to his strides. He had never run this fast, never felt like he could keep running without tiring.
On one level Sully realized it was his new werewolf metabolism that enhanced his abilities. And even as he appreciated that aspect of his…condition, the fact that he also felt a nearly