So not what I was expecting.

His power vibrated around me, sending little pinpricks of energy into my skin. It came from somewhere deep inside him, I could sense that much. He was old, there was no question. Power like that took a long time to accumulate.

“Hello, Rourke,” I said, taking in my first full breath of him. I almost choked as my nails shot into the underside of the bar to steady myself. Hoooooly shit. My wolf started barking incessantly. Quiet, I can’t think. Be quiet!

He smelled like the woods, like I’d originally guessed, but there was no fresh-cut grass about him. What emanated from him was thick, dark, and rich, like some kind of molasses mixed with cloves. Its deliciousness made it hard for me to concentrate. My wolf was still yipping excitedly. You have to calm down. We look completely unprofessional and he’s not going to take me seriously if we keep this up. Get a grip. She quieted begrudgingly so I could get down to business.

Rourke shifted in his seat slightly, turning his body to face mine. He gave me an unabashed once-over without uttering a word. By the amused expression on his face—a lazy grin highlighting two faint dimples—he recognized my distress, indicating that this kind of reaction to him was par for the course.

“Pompous ass” came to mind.

He caught me off guard by extending his hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Hannon. Your reputation for being the best in the business precedes you.” His voice held the same deep bravado I remembered and a tingle wound its way up my spine. The accent was more discernible in person, but I still couldn’t place it. Possibly South African?

I contemplated shaking his outstretched hand. Or not shaking it. I’d already lost valuable street cred by acting like a babbling teenager, so I grabbed on to his hand and was rewarded with a jolt of power up my arm. Dammit. I clenched my teeth and tried to ignore it. I couldn’t risk any more foolishness. “If my reputation precedes me, then let’s cut the shit, Rourke. There’s no need to keep the act going. I know you know who I am.” I was going with bad cop. It usually worked in my favor. Nick was good cop. “I’m just not exactly sure why you’re here and what you’re looking for, which is why I decided to keep our meeting tonight.” I lowered my voice. “Why exactly are you here, Rourke?”

Mild surprise shot through his expression. “No beating around the bush for you, huh, sweetheart?” He took a swig of his drink and placed it in front of him. Then he settled his full, clear gaze on me again.

Holy balls.

He had to quit doing that. All the hairs on my arms rose to attention and my wolf had taken to constant whining. Before he looked away, I saw an almost imperceptible tiny green spark in the depth of one of his irises. Interesting. I cleared my throat. “Why would I want to beat around the bush? It’s a waste of time. And you haven’t answered my question yet, so I’ll ask it again. Why are you here?”

“You already know why I’m here.”

“Do you honestly think I’d be sitting here if I knew?” I cocked my head, making my own show of giving him a once-over. “I’m assuming you’re not going to break my neck in front of the after-work crowd at dinnertime, but other than that, your sudden appearance in this city is unclear. No more circles, Rourke. I want to know exactly why you’re here.” I tapped my index finger on top of the bar to emphasize my point. “Right here, right now. With me.”

He waited before answering. Then he leaned forward, his huge leather-clad arms brushing my fingertips. “I’m here, beautiful, because I was hired by an extremely interested party to retrieve all the information possible, and by whatever means necessary”—his voice lowered to a soft, gravelly purr—“about the only female werewolf in town.”

I sucked in a breath.

Motherfucker. “Are you implying I’m a werewolf?” I gave a caustic laugh. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You may have me a bit confused with being the daughter of a werewolf, which I am, as you well know.” I wasn’t worried about being overheard. The noise level in the bar was enough to cover the conversation. The fact that Rourke knew I was a wolf was more than a bit staggering. “Your employer must have their facts wrong.”

He threw his head back and laughed.

I folded my arms across my chest and slapped on a pissy expression.

When he was done with his fit of mirth, he motioned for the bartender. “Bring us a round.” He held up two fingers. He turned back to me, his eyes still crinkled at the corners. “Listen, even if I hadn’t heard it with my own two ears, on good authority, I’d still have known you were a wolf from the moment you walked through those doors. Your power climbed up my skin like a bad rash, and your scent is so powerful, I’m surprised these humans around us”—he jerked his thumb absentmindedly—“aren’t coming up to congratulate you on your recent change.”

Harrumph. “Very funny.” I narrowed my eyes. “Now you get to tell me how you got your hands on this very secret and extremely unsubstantiated information in such a short amount of time.”

“A pro never divulges his sources.” He winked. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

I leaned forward in my seat. “You’re kidding me, right? Then why meet me here at all? Why tell me your real name? If you’re so notorious, why didn’t you just take what you wanted by force? Isn’t that your usual mode of operation: snatch and grab and ask questions later? Instead, we’re sitting here—at your request—so we can … what? Chat about the fucking score of a ball game? You came to me, remember?”

I might have glimpsed some grudging respect, but it could’ve just as easily been annoyance. A low growl issued from his chest as his features dropped their playfulness. The predator was lurking just below the surface. I would do well to remember it. “I knew your father long ago.”

I waited for more, but nothing came.

“So I heard. So what? You’re supposed to be a ruthless badass, why would you respect an ancient connection to my father now?”

“Because your father is deserving of great respect.”

“Respect enough to kidnap his daughter?”

“My job is not to kidnap you.”

“Then why the hell—”

Two things happened very quickly.

One, Rourke pushed back his barstool and jumped to his feet. Two, Tyler came screaming into my brain. Jess, you have to get out! Now! This is a setup of some kind. Goddamn—he was breaking up—Southern … all fighting … get the fuck … out …

Tyler! What’s going on? I don’t understand? Answer me! I sprang from my seat, but I had no room to move. I was stuck in the small space between my stool and Rourke, who was now emitting a very lethal snarl over the top of my head.

No answer from Tyler. Goddammit, answer me!

I twisted by body around to see what Rourke focused on.

Five werewolves I’d never seen before were weaving menacingly through the crowded bar. Their combined scent of aggression hit me as my wolf howled in rage. Adrenaline shot through me lickety-split. I knew what was coming next. Wait, wait! I told her. We can’t change in here, and we can’t take all those wolves alone! I had no time to reason with her. My fingertips pulsed close to the tip, my muscles starting their telltale dance under my skin. Just wait a min—

Something grabbed me from behind and I landed hard.

I glanced up and found Rourke glaring down at me, his features twisted furiously, his hands gripping my wrists like steel cuffs. His eyes shone like two diamonds, veins of green blazing across his irises like an electric storm. “I gave you that one”—he jerked his head behind him, snarling savagely—“but trying to get a jump on me was the wrong choice, sweetheart. It seems you haven’t done your homework on me after all. I don’t play nice. Now you’re going to have to say goodbye to all your buddies.”

“What are you talking about? What one?” I stood on my tiptoes and peered around his massive shoulder to see what he was talking about, and surprisingly saw James closing the gap behind us quickly. I hadn’t even known he was here. “Rourke, we’re not jumping you. I’ve—”

Rourke’s hot breath cut me off as it landed firmly in my ear. It wasn’t above a whisper, but I could hear it perfectly. “This deal is changing. I tried to play fair with you, but now your options are officially up. I don’t give out second chances.”

My anger, fueled by a hardy dose of my wolf, surged inside me. “Get your hands off me,” I spat. “Deal with this, asshole. I have no idea who those wolves are coming at us. And if you knew anything about my father and the way he operates, then you already know putting a jump on you isn’t his style. Now, if you’re interested in continuing our little chat where we left off, as planned, then stop this posturing bullshit and help me take out this threat.” Before he could respond, I finished bitterly, “And if that’s not enough of an incentive”—I pressed my fingernail into his chest—“I’m certain your employer would like it if I remained alive so you can continue to extract your much-needed information.”

Rourke’s eyes widened. Not from my harsh words but most likely from my eyes, which I could feel were sparking violet. It didn’t matter. Aligning myself so quickly with Rourke might be a mistake, but my gut, which was almost entirely made up of a grouchy she-wolf, was telling me the greater threat to us was the wolves who were almost on us.

I’d made my choice, now I had to live with it.

Instead of responding, Rourke whipped his torso around and took James by the throat in the time it took me to blink. “What the hell is going on, Irish?” Rourke growled. “Trying to take me here was the wrong choice, and you know it. I let you in here out of respect for Callum, but it ends right here, right now.”

James knocked Rourke’s fist away from his neck like it was nothing more than a mild irritant. “Wrong answer, cat,” James snarled. “There’s no jump. Jessica’s in danger, but you bloody well knew that already, didn’t you? Coming here and announcing yourself was well noted, but now we’ll see if you can be as trusted as you once were all those years ago. I have no other choice left.” His face held a hint of a grimace. “I need you to get her the hell out of here,” he said, his amber eyes blazing, “and I’ll take care of this lot.” He gestured at the approaching five wolves. “As of four minutes ago our Pack went to war. We need every wolf to fight, there are none left to protect Jessica. Whoever sent you here used you to get to us, and they used you well. They knew right where to find us. Now get her out of here, and if you harm her in any way I swear I will kill you myself. Slowly.”