When she was certain the house was empty, she made her move. Her clothing lay in the dirt where she’d left it. Shifting quickly, she yanked on her jeans and Eli’s shirt, grabbed her boots, and sprinted toward the vehicles. The key should be in Eli’s truck. It seemed fitting to steal his ride.

  The back of her neck tingled in warning. Her wolf grew agitated. Manifesting claws on one hand, she stabbed a back tire of the other three vehicles, rendering them useless. Guilt churned inside her, but she shoved it aside. This was a matter of survival. She yanked open the door to the truck, tossed her boots inside, and jumped into the driver’s seat.

  The key was missing. It was too late to check the other vehicles. She’d disabled them. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Think! She yanked down the visor, swallowing a yell of triumph when the key tumbled into her hand. She jammed it into the ignition. The powerful engine roared to life. The sound would bring the Sin brothers running. Putting the vehicle in gear, she stamped her bare foot on the gas and rocketed down the narrow drive.

  White-knuckled, she scanned the area ahead, expecting to see Eli or his brothers bolting from the trees any second. She rounded a curve on two wheels and slammed on the brakes. Four massive wolves, larger than any she’d ever seen, blocked the road in front of her. Despite the similarity in their brown coats, she knew which one was Eli. She ignored the deep concern reflected in his dark eyes. He’d fooled her once. He wouldn’t get a second chance. Cyrus was the furious one. Amusement glittered in Levi’s eyes. Zach seemed almost bored. Even as wolves their personalities were distinct.

  Her wolf whined inside her, wanting out so it could join them. The lure of belonging was great. It was all she’d ever wanted.

  Kinley swallowed heavily. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple. Like gunslingers from a showdown in the Old West, each watching, waiting for the other to make the first move. Narrowing her gaze, she gripped the wheel and took a shaky breath. While she didn’t want to hurt them, the will to survive was strong. Surely they’d get out of the way of a speeding truck. It was now or never.

  She shoved her foot all the way to the floor. Small rocks and dirt sprayed into the air as the tires dug in. She shot forward, bracing for impact as the distance closed. Rather than scatter, Cyrus vaulted onto the hood, claws digging into the metal for traction. Levi and Zach jumped into the truck bed. Eli shifted to human and stayed right in the center of the road. He’s not moving! She was going to hit him.

  At the last second, she cursed, jammed her foot on the brake, and cranked the wheel hard to the left. Cyrus flew from his perch, flipped in the air, and landed easily on all four paws. The two in the back slammed around the cab but managed to stay onboard. The entire side of the truck scraped against the trees, peeling away the paint. She yanked the wheel to the right, trying to get back onto the road. The passenger door was ripped open and Eli dove inside.

  “No!” she screamed. “I won’t go back.” Opening the driver’s door, she bailed from the still-moving vehicle. She tried to roll but hit the ground hard, knocking the breath from her. Before she could get up, Eli was beside her swearing a blue streak. “Are you hurt?”

  She didn’t think so. Not that it mattered. Any minor bumps and bruises would fade within a few hours. She closed her eyes, unable to face him or the truth. She’d lost her one chance for freedom. It wasn’t likely she’d get another.

  “Kinley.” Gentle hands lifted each arm and leg, testing for broken bones. She wanted to scream at him not to be kind. It made it more difficult to view him as the enemy. A tear leaked from the corner of her eye and trickled down her temple to become lost in her hair. “Don’t cry, sweetheart.” The genuine worry in his voice made her want to cry harder. He didn’t care. It was all a lie.

  “She okay?” Without opening her eyes, she recognized Cyrus’s gruff tone.

  “What do you think?” Eli carefully lifted her into his arms and began walking back toward the house. She should fight him, but what was the point? They’d caught her. He had to be furious that she’d stolen his truck, or tried to. Not to mention the damage she’d done.

  “Shit, she really did the job, didn’t she?” Cyrus grumbled. Guess they found the three flat tires on the other vehicles.

  “I gotta say, I’m really liking her.” Levi’s declaration jolted her. Surely, he was lying. That’s what the Sin brothers did. They lured you in with false promises, sandwiches, and sweet tea. She wasn’t falling for it, not again.

  Eli tightened his arms around her. “None of this is on her. It’s my fault she was scared enough to run, that she thought this was her only option.”

  Wait. What? He was standing up for her rather than blaming her. Confusion swamped her. Nothing made sense.

  “Levi, since you seem so happy about all this, you change the damn tires. There should be replacements in the shed. Zach, you’re on research. I’m calling the others home.” Cyrus was abrupt but didn’t seem overly angry, more resigned.

  She was tempted to peek but kept her eyes shut. Maybe they’d assume she’d passed out. More likely they’d assume she didn’t want to face them after what she’d done, especially while they were naked.

  She did her best to ignore the strong arms cradling her and the broad chest her head rested against. Her wolf chuffed with contentment. Kinley refused to be lulled by the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek. It wasn’t easy when all she wanted to do was snuggle closer and forget the rest of the world existed.

  They went up a set of stairs and down a hall. She tried not to tense when Eli set her down on a bed and kept her breathing steady, praying he’d leave. Clothing rustled, and then the mattress sank by her hip.

  “I know you’re awake. Open your eyes, Kinley.”

  She wanted to ignore him, but it was obvious her ruse had failed. He was a wolf, after all. Despite the sense of betrayal and hurt, some instinct whispered she could trust him. She refused to listen.

  She forced her eyes open and drank in the sight of him, despite her attempt to remain detached. He’d pulled on jeans, but was bare-chested beside her. His lips tightened and a muscle in his jaw flexed.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Her emotional defenses were shaken in the face of his apology, but she held strong. It was the last thing she’d expected to hear. Never in her life had she heard a male werewolf utter one, unless it was to a higher-ranking wolf. And then it was often more about survival than contrition.

  She blinked in bewilderment. Maybe she was unconscious and dreaming or possibly hallucinating.

  He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “When I said maybe there was a way to work this out without it ending in violence, I should have made it abundantly clear that none of the options included sending you back to your pack.”

  “I don’t believe you,” she whispered. As much as she wanted to, there was too much at stake.

  “Yeah, I got that.” His voice was flat. “You need to understand something. My word is my bond. I’ll die before I let your uncle take you.”

  She wrapped her arms around herself to still the trembling. “Why would you do that? You barely know me.” None of this made any sense. “I don’t want you hurt.” He likely found that hard to believe since she’d aimed a truck straight at him. “I wasn’t going to run you over.”

  “You think I don’t know that? You could have plowed right into me, but you swerved.” His frown deepened. “You could have been hurt if you’d crashed.”

  He seemed more concerned about that than the fact he’d almost been hit by a speeding truck. “You’re not angry?”

  “Oh, I’m furious, all right, but not with you. With how I handled the situation? Yes. Especially with your uncle and his minions.”

  “I don’t understand you.” If she’d done this in her own pack, she’d be facing stiff discipline. Not even her daddy’s position as top enforcer could have stopped it.

  He hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck before meeting her gaze. “I know you don’t, but you will.”

  It sounded like both a threat and a promise. It was possible she’d been wrong in her assessment. Or maybe she just wanted to believe him.

  “You led us on quite the chase.”

  “I wasn’t good enough.” She’d been so close to escape, but then she’d be out in the world alone instead of here with Eli.

  “You’d have succeeded against most wolves.” He rose and it took everything in her not to reach out and grab his hand. It made no sense, but she felt better when he was with her. “But against me, against four of the Seven Deadly Sins, you didn’t stand a chance. Get some sleep. You’ve had a hell of a few days. We’ll figure things out in the morning. For tonight, you’re safe.”

  Her wolf curled up inside her, as if Eli’s word was all the reassurance it needed. Kinley closed her eyes, needing to think, which was impossible with him confusing her at every turn. A warm blanket was laid over her. With a sigh, she gave into exhaustion, letting it drag her into sleep.

  Chapter Six

  Eli stood by the side of the bed and watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. What a shit show this day had been from start to finish. From the confrontation with Holden and his buddies outside the motel to the mad dash on the mountain, it had been one crisis after another. The best part of the day had been the long drive from Chicago to Sin Mountain, even if she’d barely spoken. He’d understood her need to process what had gone down.

  She’d truly believed he’d hand her over to her uncle. He’d seen the bitter sting of betrayal reflected in her expressive eyes before she’d made her frantic race for freedom, the desperation as she gunned the truck at him before turning away at the final possible second.

  Huffing out a breath, he dragged his fingers though his hair. He was in way over his head. He knew it and so did his brothers.

  Physically, Kinley would be fine. No bones had broken in her desperate jump from the moving truck. She likely had bruises, but they’d fade in a couple of hours, thanks to her werewolf healing abilities. Sleep was the best thing for her.

  He wanted to stay, but there were plans to make and questions to be answered. Emotionally, there was no telling how she’d be when she woke. She’d proven to be resilient, but everyone had a breaking point.

  He grabbed a t-shirt he’d tossed over the back of a chair and tugged it on. He had one hand on the doorknob and stopped. Cursing himself, he spun around and went back to the bed, leaned down, and kissed her forehead. “You’re safe,” he whispered. His wolf huffed inside him, affirming the promise.

  With one final look, he left, shutting the door softly behind him. Not that he thought she’d wake anytime soon. She’d pushed herself beyond exhaustion. The adrenaline rush had led to the unavoidable crash. Both body and brain needed to shut down, if only for awhile.

  As expected, two of his brothers waited at the dining table. Levi was outside changing tires. Eli still couldn’t believe she’d doubled back to the house, stolen his truck, and slashed a tire on the other three. It was a brilliant move on her part and totally unexpected. Kinley was proving to be one surprise after another.

  He pulled a beer out of the fridge, popped the top, and downed half of it in one swallow. With his werewolf metabolism, the alcohol burned off almost as fast as he could drink it, but he enjoyed the taste.

  “She asleep?” Cyrus jerked his chin toward the upstairs.

  “Yeah.” He leaned against the counter, too restless to sit. He wanted to be upstairs with her, but protecting her was his priority. That meant making plans. “What do we know?”

  Zach stopped typing on his laptop. “Not a lot out there about her pack. Like most, they keep things on the down-low. They run all their business through AP Incorporated.”

  “Alabama Pack Incorporated. Not very original.”

  “But effective and necessary.” Zach was their tech and supply guy. If they needed it—whether it was information, electronic gear, or weapons—he could source it. Hacking and navigating the online world was his specialty. “Everything seems on the up-and-up to me, but Josiah should take a look at their finances.”

  Eli nodded. Josiah was the second deadly sin—greed. His specialty was finance. All the brothers had talents that sprang from the seven deadly sins, their namesake.

  “How long until the others get home?” Nothing would be decided until they’d all had a say in the matter.

  “Tomorrow morning. Lunchtime at the latest.” Cyrus rubbed his fingers over his beard in a thoughtful manner. “You know what you’re doing, little brother?”

  That was the question of the day, wasn’t it? He left the unfinished beer on the counter, took the chair to the left of Cyrus, and looked him straight in the eye. There’d always been honesty between them. His eldest brother was as much a father to him as their own had been. He’s stepped into the role when Eli was fourteen. “I can’t say I do. All I know is I can’t let any harm come to her.”

  “Shit.” He shook his head. “You thinking about making this permanent?”

  Was he? “I honestly don’t know.” There’d been no time to consider much of anything since she’d dropped into his life. He’d tried to walk away, but instinct had kicked in.

  “Maybe you should figure that out before we toss our peace and privacy out the window for a woman you met yesterday.” Cyrus’s warning made sense, but Eli’s wolf bristled.

  “I’m not sure it matters what I want. It’s up to her, and she doesn’t like me much right now.” That he’d inadvertently scared her so badly she’d bolted didn’t sit right with him.

  “She didn’t run you over when she had the chance. That has to mean something.”

  Eli gave a rough laugh. “I guess.” He wasn’t going to put much stock in that beyond chalking it up to her basic goodness and decency. “I didn’t ask for this.” He tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. It was shocking how fast things had changed. His life had been much simpler a short twenty-four hours ago. It had been lonely but predictable. Now it was utter chaos. And it wasn’t only his life in upheaval.

  “We spend much of our time assessing danger and possible outcomes, controlling as many variables as possible.” Zach closed his laptop and rested his elbows on the table. “But at our heart, we’re wolves. We depend on instinct as much as we do our intellect. If yours is telling you to protect her, you need to listen.”

  Gratefulness flooded through him. His brothers all harbored concerns. Hell, they’d be stupid not to. He had more than a few of his own. They might argue or fight, but in the end, they’d come together and support him in whatever way they could.

  The front door opened and Levi sauntered in, wiping dirt off his hands with a rag. “Two of the rigs have new tires. I’ll get to the third. I figured enough time had passed that things had settled down some and wanted to check on our guest. How’s she doing?” He tucked the rag in his back pocket.

  “Asleep. Exhausted.” Beyond that, Eli had no idea.

  Levi snagged a bottle of orange juice from the fridge. “She led us on a merry chase. Your lady has skills.”

  His lady. He liked the sound of that. Maybe a bit too much. And his brother was right, she did have skills. More than he’d expected her to have. She’d have easily outwitted a group of human males. “Her daddy was senior pack enforcer before he died. I expect he taught her a thing or two.” He’d do well to remember that.

  “That makes sense. I’m outta here. If you need me, you know where to find me.” Raising the bottle in salute, Levi left to finish the job.

  “Are we done?” He wanted to get back to her.

  “For now.” Cyrus stood and stretched his arms over his head. “There’s nothing else to be done until the others get home. I’ll take first watch. Until this thing is settled, we’re all on alert.”

  Eli pushed up from the table. “I’ll take a shift.” It was the least he could do since this mess was his fault.

  “You’d be distracted, something I never thought possible. You’re usually more focused than even I am, and that’s saying something. I won’t lie. That worries me, but it is what it is. You’re better off in the house with her.” He turned to Zach. “You’re on second shift. We’ll make Levi take last shift. It will mess with his beauty sleep.”

  They all tease their brother about being a ladies’ man, but he was as tough as any of them. “I’m glad I’m not the one who has to tell him.” Eli pulled his brother in for a hug. “Thank you.”

  Cyrus clapped him on the back. “We’re the Sin brothers. It’s what we do. Together, always.”

  Eli’s throat tightened and he nodded. “Together always.” He stepped away. “Night, Zach.”

  “Get some sleep. You need it. I’ll be working until I take my shift. I’m going to dig into the individual pack members. See what I can come up with. If they have any secrets, I’ll find them. Yell if you need me.” Laptop open once again, his fingers flew over the keyboard.

  Family was the cornerstone of Eli’s life. It was unimaginable that there’d be a time when his brothers wouldn’t be there. They all faced danger in their line of work, but it was a controlled risk. They were armed with the best knowledge and equipment money could buy. For the first time, they were working blind. He was jeopardizing his entire family for Kinley Wright. He was being torn in two directions. If it came down to one or the other, he’d lose, no matter his choice.

  He took the stairs two at a time and silently slipped into his room. That she didn’t stir told him exactly how exhausted she was.

  Lying on her side with her head resting on his pillow and her hand tucked under her cheek, it was difficult to believe she’d led them all on a wild chase. She’d been running him ragged since the moment they’d met. He’d never had this much trouble with any fugitive apprehension job.

  He shucked his shirt but kept his jeans on and crawled onto the bed beside her. Lying on his back, he listened to her slow, even breathing, counting each one. After coming off a job and not getting much rest last night, he shouldn’t have had any trouble falling asleep, but he remained alert.