Reclaiming Angelica

Chapter One

Raul Santiago pulled into the parking lot of Lobos Investigations, exhausted down to the bone. Lobos Investigations was the business he and his pack—Billy Ray, Mercer, Dominic, and Knox—had started after leaving the military. Their primary source of income was private investigations, but they specialized in skip tracing and fugitive recovery—bounty hunting.

Raul rubbed weary hands over his scrubby face and sighed. His prey had led him on a teeth-gritting, jaw-grinding chase, managing to stay one step ahead of both him and law enforcement officials until a stroke of luck dropped the perp right into his lap. The disgusting bag of puke now sat behind bars, denied bail, and facing two life sentences if convicted. Raul had received grudging acknowledgment of a job well done from the FBI, and a nice fat bonus on top of their hefty fee from the client. One that would have them sitting in the black for months to come.

In addition to his weariness, his wolf crawled beneath his skin like a rash, demanding to come out. It had been too long since he’d given way to his four-legged form, the chase having taken him to places where the sight of a massive timber wolf would have resulted in him being hunted down and captured by state wildlife enforcement, if not shot on sight by some spooked citizen. He’d go to a nearby nature park soon and satisfy his beast, but at this moment he needed to write his report and turn it in to his partners.

It was late. Well after business hours, but a light was on in the office. One of the other guys must be working late.

As he entered, Dominic looked up from the computer. His blue-eyed gaze seemed wary. “We expected you back hours ago.”

“Traffic was a bitch.” Raul held up a check. “Our grateful client threw in a little something extra for the fast results and minimal expenses charged to their account. Since you’re here, I take it your hunt was equally successful?”

“Yep, I caught her. Silly woman hadn’t run far. Took less than a day to find her. She’s cooling her heels in a cell, and their daughter is back with her grateful father.” Dominic leaned back in his swivel chair, his blond head shining in the dim lighting. “I take it you haven’t been home?”

Home was a dilapidated old apartment building in an older section of town his pack had purchased and remodeled. It contained four two-bedroom/one-bath units. He and Dom had the upstairs units while Billy Ray, Mercer, and Knox had the bottom.

Raul shook his head. “Negative. I wanted to stow my gear, drop off the check, and file my report first. Then I’m going for a long run. Once I get home, I don’t plan on surfacing for days.”

Two and a half weeks he’d been gone. He missed his place and his bed, but most of all, he missed his mate, Angelica Ruiz, his beautiful Angel. A sweet name for such a fiery-tempered woman. Long, curly brown hair, golden-brown eyes that sparkled with an inner light, pouty lips made for kissing, and skin that reminded him of honey in sunlight, she was his—every luscious, curvy inch of her. Four months ago he’d talked Angel into moving in with him when the lease was up on her apartment. When he finally made it home, he was crawling inside Angel and not coming out for a week. His cock throbbed at the thought.

“Uh, maybe you should, you know, go straight home. Skip the run and the rest of this.” Dom waved, indicating the office and paperwork. He sounded strange and smelled off too.

Raul’s beast, which had been driving him crazy, stilled, senses alert. The man was equally concerned. “Why?”

Dominic’s gaze slid away, his head tilted to the side in a subtle baring of his throat. His continued silence caused Raul’s heart to beat faster as a sudden thought crossed his mind.

He leaped the distance between them and cleared the desk in a single bound to grip Dom by the neck of his shirt. He dragged the other man—his partner, best friend, and beta—out of the chair and gave him a small shake. “What’s happened? Is it Angel? Is she all right?”

Raul hadn’t spoken to her since he left. This case had been more intense than most, with an element of danger normally not present. He’d needed to focus all his energy and attention on the hunt. As a professional bail bondsman, one who frequently used their services, Angel understood. Instead of complaining, she’d insisted he not worry about her but concentrate on finishing the job at hand so he could return home in one piece. He’d hated being out of touch for so long but knew his pack would look out for her and contact him if an emergency arose.

“She made us promise not to say anything,” Dominic choked out.

When Dom’s face began turning red, Raul let him go. He was tempted to beat the information out of him but knew it would do no good. Dom was loyal. He’d die before betraying his alpha. That loyalty extended to Raul’s mate as well. His fragile, human mate.

“Just tell me if she’s hurt,” he said finally.

“Not physically, no,” was the cryptic response.

“What the hell does that mean?” he bellowed.

Dom held up both hands, palms out. “I’ve said too much already. Go home, Raul. I’ll take care of your things. I’ll be home later if you need me.”

“Fine,” Raul snapped, temper straining at the leash. He handed Dom the paperwork and check, laid his gear and weapons on top of his desk, and then left, trusting Dom to do exactly as he said.

He hit Speed Dial as he crossed the parking lot before placing the cell phone to his ear. “Come on, come on. Pick up the phone, Angel.”

When the answering machine came on, he hit the Disconnect button and immediately redialed. Why the hell had he let Angel convince him not to keep checking in? He jumped into his SUV, cranked the ignition with a vicious twist of the key, shoved the vehicle in gear, and peeled out of the parking lot and onto the street.

It was after nine in the evening, and traffic was still a bit heavy. He weaved in and out, causing more than one motorist to honk at his aggressive driving. Raul didn’t care. He’d called three times—make that four—and Angel still hadn’t answered. Not the house, the cell, or office phones. All calls went straight to voice mail. As a bondsman, her job was rarely nine-to-five. She spent a lot of time on the phone with prospective clients and concerned family members. He’d never known her not to answer his or anyone else’s call.

On a good day, home was a thirty-minute ride from the office. He did it in fifteen. Gut clenching, he braked in front of the apartment complex with a squeal of tires, noticing his apartment was dark. Raul left the vehicle parked crookedly in the driveway, dived out the driver’s-side door, leaving it open, and sprinted for the entrance.

He dashed up the stairs and had his unit door opened and the alarm disabled in seconds.

“Angel! Where are you, baby?” he asked, trying to ignore what his senses were telling him.

He raced through the small apartment, checked every room, every corner, his heart unable to believe what his eyes and mind were telling him. Raul came to a halt in their bedroom, which he’d instinctively saved for last, fearing what he’d find. There the evidence was undeniable. His mate, the love of his life, was gone. The closet and drawers were empty of her clothing. The bathroom and dressers bereft of her possessions.

He threw back his head and let out an enraged howl.

Raul was due back today. Should have been home hours ago, according to his business partners. She’d spent the day in uneasy anticipation of his reaction to her moving out of his apartment.

Angelica nervously paced the floors of her new four-bedroom/two-and-a-half bath ranch-style home. The house had been foreclosed on by the bank and put up for auction where she’d bought it for a ridiculously low price. It was a home meant for the family she hoped to one day have with Raul.

She loved Raul with all her heart. Wanted to have children and grow old with him, but she could no longer live with secrets between them. She wanted all of him. Wanted to give him all of her. As long as they were both hiding who they were at the core, their relationship would never work.

Oh, she knew Raul loved her. It was there in everything he did, every gesture he made. Her happiness was his happiness. Yet she knew there was something he hid from her. Knew it and was sick of it. When was he going to trust her enough to tell her the truth? If they could just get past this one little thing…

Her cell phone rang again. She glanced at the screen. Not Raul this time, but Dominic. “Yes?”

“He’s home and headed your way. I hope like hell you know what you’re doing,” he said with a low growl. Dominic and Raul were like brothers. He’d only reluctantly agreed to help her once she’d convinced him and the others that her goal wasn’t to leave Raul, but to force him to take their relationship to the next level. Now that the moment was at hand, she wasn’t quite so sure she’d chosen the right course of action.

“I do.” Angelica endued her voice with confidence she didn’t feel. She swiped the touch screen to end the call and tossed the phone on the couch. Agitated, she gathered her long, curly hair and plaited it, then twisted it into a knot at her nape. Raul would be here soon. It wouldn’t take him long to find her since she’d made no effort to hide her whereabouts.

Angelica walked to the window and stared out over the backyard at the yellow-tinged moon. Not a full one, but a three-quarter. Raul’s wolf would still be strong in him but not in complete control.

“Oh God, what have I done?” She wiped sweaty palms on her skirt as she continued pacing. When she began panting on the verge of hyperventilating, Angelica stopped and closed her eyes, counted to ten, then twenty, then thirty while taking deep, slow breaths.

Please, God let this work. I don’t want to live without him.

It had to work. They were running out of time. If they didn’t settle this now, there wouldn’t be a later. Her blood ran cold as she considered the consequences if her plan failed.

As she stood there, eyes closed, praying and bargaining with her maker, Angelica felt a change in the atmosphere. Raul. He was here. A sudden calm descended over her. Raul—her lover, her life, her very soul—was here. Now everything would be okay. She would make it be okay. There was no other option.

Her locked door slowly swung open with an ominous creak worthy of any horror movie. Then Raul’s shadowed form stood framed in the doorway. Her lover was tall—a few inches over six feet. A big man with broad shoulders, a huge chest, meaty arms and legs. Right now his angular, ruggedly handsome face wore a forbidding scowl.

“You. Left. Me.” His voice was a deep, rumbling growl.

His rage blasted across her senses, muddied with the underlining tang of pain and…confusion? Angelica nodded her agreement and then voiced it. “I left you.”

“YOU. LEFT. ME.” His voice was louder, the tone sharper. Raul stepped inside, tucked his lock-picking tools into his back pocket, then slammed the door so hard it closed with a bang that had Angelica jumping.

Watching him warily, she took a single step backward. One should always be cautious with a wounded animal, especially one that was part human.

His golden-eyed gaze dropped to the offending foot before returning to her face. “Don’t. Run.”

Of course she was going to run, silly man. If she didn’t run, he wouldn’t chase her. Tonight was all about making Raul lose that ironclad control of his. Angelica eased her left foot back behind the right and shifted her weight onto it.

Raul went predator still.

She placed her right foot behind her.

His eyes narrowed, and a small snarl filled the air. “Don’t.” A plea. A command.

Because she loved him, Angelica did the only thing she could—turned and ran. Angelica was quick, but in her current form she was no match for a shifter. Unfortunately Raul was still pretending to be human.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Raul vaulted smoothly over the couch and lunged out to grab her by the waist. He missed her by inches. She’d already dropped into the skid of a professional major league baseball player, bounced up before he realized she’d eluded him, and sprinted toward the dining room.

He was on her heels in moments, still using human speed, human moves.

Angelica opened her senses, all of them, and the game was on. Except she was the only one who knew the rules. For every move Raul made, she was seconds ahead of him. She could feel his frustration at being outmaneuvered growing. More, she could feel that primal part of him straining at the leash.

Come on, big boy. Show me what you’re made of. Show me what you’ve been hiding for the last eighteen months. Show me the real you, so I can finally let down my guard and show you me.

Time to up the ante.

Angelica sprinted for the stairs, shoving chairs, lamps, and any kind of obstacle she could put in his path to slow him down. There was a thud and a curse. Raul let out a bellow. She paused and chanced a quick glance over her shoulder. He’d tangled with the legs of a chair and gone down hard. A chair he’d have easily avoided had he let out the wolf.

On the floor, propped up by both hands, he slowly raised his head. The eyes that stared back at her were no longer human. She smiled and knew it was taunting.

Oh yeah, now we’re playing.