“Then what?” Accusation blistered in his eyes. “Live among humans? You can’t hook up with another pack. What if they’re worse than the one you’re running from? There’s also the risk they’d send you back to your uncle.”

  It wasn’t anything she hadn’t considered. It was a chance she had to take. “I don’t have a choice.” There it was—the bleak truth. “I don’t have a choice,” she repeated. Although resistant at the start, Eli had tried to help her. If not for him, she’d likely already be back in Alabama. “Thank you for everything.” She met Cyrus’s gaze, reading his determination to protect his brothers. While it put her in a tenuous position, she respected him for it. Still, there was a favor she was hoping he’d grant. “I’d appreciate it if you’d give me a few hours head start before you call my uncle.” She pushed back her chair.

  Eli grabbed her hand. “You’re not leaving.”

  Eli.” She swallowed heavily. Her wolf whined inside her, not wanting to leave anymore than Kinley did. There was something between them, something they’d never have the opportunity to fully explore. It was yet another example of the unfairness of her life. “You have to let me go.”

  It was getting harder to push the words out when all she wanted to do was crawl into his arms and recapture the peace she’d found there. Being with him had awakened instincts and emotions she’d never experienced before. They’d simply have to go dormant once again. She couldn’t afford to care about anyone but herself. Not if she wanted to stay free and alive.

  “Not without me,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “You hired me to do a job. I’m going to see it done.”

  “You turned me down.”

  “I’ve reconsidered.”

  God, the man was stubborn. “I’m rescinding the offer. I won’t pay you a dime.”

  He brushed a lock of hair away from her face, his touch gentle despite the fierce expression on his face. “I don’t want your money.”

  “Then what do you want?”

  Cyrus cleared his throat, reminding her of their rapt audience. “Let’s discuss this over breakfast.”

  Eli shook his head. “She goes, I go. Nothing to discuss.”

  “All in favor of helping Kinley?” Levi asked raising his hand. Zach looked from her to Eli and back again and put up his hand.

  “I’m in.” Silas rapped his knuckles on the table. “You in, Noah?”

  An enormous platter piled high with bacon and toast was set on the table. “I’m in. Let’s get this done. Breakfast is getting cold.” He went back to the kitchen for a bowl of scrambled eggs and another filled with hash browns.

  “There’s no money in it,” Josiah began, “but I’m in.”

  “Cyrus?” Eli stared at his brother. “What’s it going to be?”

  Kinley held her breath, torn between doing the right thing by leaving and praying she could stay. The brothers might believe they all had an equal vote, but she wasn’t buying it. Cyrus was the oldest, for all intents and purposes the alpha, the one they turned to. In the end, the final say was his.

  Cyrus kicked back in his chair, his hands clasped on his stomach. Like the rest of them, he was dressed in jeans, boots, and a plain t-shirt. He appeared relaxed, but she knew better. As the oldest, he’d probably started their business to support his family. Now she was threatening all he’d built. Yeah, he had every right to be pissed with her.

  “You’d leave over a woman you just met?”

  She couldn’t allow Eli to lose his family. “I’ll go. I don’t want to make problems.”

  “You’re not the problem,” Eli stated, implying that his brother was.

  “Stop it.” Ignoring the others, she took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. Her bold audacity surprised her, but the desire to protect Eli and his brothers was strong. Maybe because they’d been kinder to her than anyone ever had, other than her daddy. “Do you have any idea how lucky you are to have a family who loves you, who want you safe?”

  “With our job we’re never safe.”

  She lightly shook his head from side to side, trying to shake some sense into him. “Now you’re being difficult. Your brother wants to protect you.” She scanned the room, taking in all of them. So big, so strong, so much alike. They might call themselves the Seven Deadly Sins, but they were the most admirable men she’d ever met.

  “Cyrus wants to protect all of you. You’ve kept yourselves isolated from the packs for a reason.” Whatever the motive, it had to be powerful. “If I stay here, there’ll be no avoiding bloodshed.” She licked her dry lips. “I won’t be the cause of that.”

  Seven sets of eyes were filled with a range of emotions from pity and indifference all the way to respect. Eli was being torn between love of family and some sense of misplaced loyalty to her.

  “Kinley.”

  She pressed her fingers against Eli’s lips. “You know I’m right. I’ll forever be grateful for all you’ve done for me, but you have to let me go.” It would have been easier if she’d managed to escape last night, except then she wouldn’t have spent the night in his arms, something she’d never regret.

  “I don’t want your gratitude.”

  It was going to kill her to do this, but it was the right thing. “Then how about this, I don’t want you with me. It will be easier to disappear on my own.”

  All expression vanished from his eyes, as if it had never existed. She’d not only cut the connection between them, she’d ripped it out by the roots. The pain was so bad she almost doubled over. How had he come to mean so much to her in such a short time? Was it because he was the only male wolf, besides her daddy, who’d ever genuinely cared about her?

  Clinging to the edge of the table for support, she stood and nodded at Cyrus. “Thank you for your hospitality.” The front entrance seemed miles away, each step harder than the last. Her wolf howled in pain, not wanting to leave the man who’d made her feel safe and wanted. It was because she cared that she had to go.

  The fine hairs on her body rose as silence enveloped her. None of them called out or tried to stop her. And why should they? She was a stranger who’d dropped into their lives bringing nothing but chaos and potential violence. They’d be happy to see the last of her.

  A single tear rolled down her cheek, but she didn’t wipe it away. It didn’t matter since they couldn’t see it and weren’t witness to her damn weakness. Hand on the handle, she tugged the door open, or tried to. It wouldn’t budge.

  She closed her eyes and prayed for strength. Lost in her misery, she hadn’t heard him following, but Eli stood behind her with his hand on the door keeping it shut. He leaned down until his lips grazed her ear. “I told you, you’re not leaving without me,” he whispered.

  “You can’t do this.” She rested her forehead against the wooden panel.

  “I can.” He wasn’t touching her, but his body curved protectively around hers.

  “Why? Why are you doing this?” It didn’t make any sense. “You don’t know me. Not really.”

  “I know you’re willing to walk away, to go on the run on your own, and possibly sign your own death warrant rather than come between me and my brothers or risk their lives.”

  He was making her out to be some kind of hero. Something she wasn’t. She was scared to the marrow of her bones, but that wasn’t the point. “This isn’t their fight. It’s not yours either. It’s mine.” It was selfish of her to involve them in her battle.

  “It became mine when you walked into the bar. I noticed you, even though I was in the middle of the fight. Got sucker punched for that momentary lapse.”

  She winced, remembering the hard blow he’d taken. That it was her fault was something else to feel guilty about. It could have been worse, would be worse if her former pack got involved. He wasn’t fighting a human this time, but predatory wolves.

  “That’s physical attraction, pure and simple.” It had to be. If it was more, she’d never be able to leave. She was tired of being alone. Even when her daddy had been alive, he’d been gone more than he’d been home. And she’d never been confident if he’d take her side or that of the pack. It felt disloyal to think it, but it was the truth, and it hurt.

  “It is.” His ready agreement made her heart ache.

  “Then you know I’m right.” Why weren’t his brothers dragging him away?

  “But it’s more than that. Holding you in my arms last night, watching you sleep, it filled a void in me I hadn’t realized existed. It was as if I was finally fulfilling the reason I was put here on this earth.”

  Another tear rolled down her cheek and dripped off her chin. The beauty of his confession left her speechless.

  Kinley sensed someone walking toward them. It didn’t take her heightened senses to know it was Cyrus. Not about to hide from him, she swiped her cheek against the shoulder of her borrowed shirt and turned to meet his gaze. Big and brash and none too happy, he pointed at her.

  “I’m not about to lose a brother over this. You’re staying and that’s it.” Having said what he came to say, he sauntered back to the table. “Let’s eat.”

  “You heard the man,” Eli wrapped his arm around her waist. “Let’s eat.”

  Chapter Eight

  His brothers were watching him with various degrees of concern, but all Eli’s attention was on Kinley. She’d honestly been ready to walk out the door. She’d cried too, the telltale stain on her shirt giving away her secret. He didn’t mention it, knowing she wouldn’t want him too, would despise what she’d see as a sign of weakness. She wore her bravado like a shield.

  He half-expected her to make a break for it, but she walked back to the table and sat, keeping her eyes on her plate. He wanted to carry her someplace they could be alone and talk, but that would have to wait. They had plans to make. But first he had to feed her.

  “Have some bacon.” Without waiting for her to take some, he dumped a half-dozen pieces onto her plate, hesitated, and added two more. Levi smirked, while Silas grinned. Noah passed him the eggs. Before he could add some on her plate, she snatched the bowl from his hands.

  “Let me do that or I’ll end up with all the eggs and there won’t be any left for the rest of you.”

  He swallowed his grin of relief at the return of her natural assertiveness and grabbed the bowl of hash browns. Nothing seemed to keep her down for long. It was probably a combination of her take-charge personality and how she was raised. Made him wonder how much shit she’d dealt with over the course of her life. She was probably already planning her next move. Spoon in midair, he realized he had no idea what her plans were beyond surviving. Just because he’d been considering what might happen after this problem was handled, didn’t mean she was thinking along the same lines.

  “You gonna take some of those or just waving them in the air for fun?” Zach pointed at the hash browns.

  Ignoring his brother, he loaded up and shoved the bowl down the table. There wasn’t much conversation beyond “pass the bacon” as they chowed down, all of them more concerned with filling their bellies before they got down to business. Cutlery clinked against plates. Coffee mugs were refilled. Food vanished at a rapid rate until there was nothing left but crumbs. Kinley had emptied her plate. Good, she needed the calories. She was too thin for a healthy she-wolf.

  Cyrus rapped his knuckles against the table to gain their attention. “First things first.” He turned to Kinley, who tensed. “You need clothes.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “I can manage. I’m sure it’s only for a couple of days.” The breakfast he’d eaten sat like a stone in his stomach as she confirmed his worst fear—she was going to bolt as soon as she was safe.

  “You need clothes,” Eli insisted. “There’s no telling how long you’ll be here.” He silently dared Cyrus to contradict him. “Zach?”

  “I can order some stuff online, get overnight shipping, and pick it up tomorrow. Or you can take Kinley to the Walmart in Jackson. She can get the basics there.”

  “Wait a second.” She held up her hand like a stop sign. “I can’t be spending money on clothes. What I have isn’t enough to pay you all for protection.”

  Eli clenched his jaw and sought patience. “I told you I’m not taking your money.”

  “You can’t make that decision for your brothers. They’re risking their lives. This is what you do for a living.”

  “Excuse us.” Shoving up from the table, he grabbed her hand. She jumped up and stumbled along behind him.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Somewhere we won’t be disturbed.”

  “Don’t be long,” Cyrus yelled after them. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

  “Damn, he got out of doing the dishes,” Silas complained.

  Ignoring his brothers, Eli stalked across the yard and down a path toward the creek.

  “Stop dragging me.” Kinley dug in her heels and yanked.

  Shit, he was dragging her. Releasing her, he raked his fingers through his hair. “We need to get a few things straight.” He bent down until their noses were almost touching. “I don’t want your money. And before you start again, they don’t want your money.” He pointed back at the house. Sure enough, both Noah and Levi were watching through the window. “Come on. We can’t do this here.”

  She looked toward the house, but the two bastards had ducked out of sight. They were enjoying his discomfort way too much. “Shouldn’t we stay close, just in case?”

  “There was no movement overnight.” If there had been, someone would have woken them. “We have hidden cameras and sensors set up around the property. Zach is monitoring them. And we’re not going far.” Rather than take her hand, he waved her ahead of him and let her set the pace.

  They walked for quite some time, meandering in circles to stay close, letting the peace of the mountain sink into them. He could practically hear her brain working, trying to come up with some solution where no one would get hurt. He could have told her it was a waste of time.

  Finally, she broke her silence. “I’m not trying to be difficult about all this. I’m trying to be practical.” The thread of exhaustion in her voice diffused his remaining anger.

  “And I’m not trying to take over.” She started to say something but clamped her lips shut. He appreciated her not calling him on that. “Maybe I am, a bit, but you don’t have to carry the entire load yourself.” He wanted to be the one she turned to when she needed a shoulder or someone to listen. It made no sense, considering they barely knew each other, but the instinct wouldn’t be denied. “You’ve done a hell of a job staying free this long, but we all need help sometimes.”

  “I’m not used to asking for it.” Head down, she kicked at the dirt with the toe of her boot, refusing to meet his gaze.

  If her daddy wasn’t dead, they’d be having words over that. “You don’t have to ask.” He stopped her in the middle of the path. “I’m offering. We’re offering.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “I’m not sure you understand how bloody this is going to get. Uncle Duke will view this as you stealing a female member of his pack.”

  “We didn’t steal you. You ran.” Hard and fast with next to nothing. She’d been desperate.

  “The truth doesn’t matter, not to him. As far as he’s concerned, I’m female and exist to do his bidding. In this case, it’s to keep his new enforcer happy and help grow the pack by having babies.”

  His hands fisted by his sides. Over his dead body would he allow some male to take her against her will. What the hell was wrong with them? If all of them were like this, it was little wonder his daddy had impressed on them to keep away from the packs.

  “That’s not happening.” Fur brushed the inside of his skin, his wolf wanting out.

  She gripped the front of his shirt in his hand. “You’re not listening. This isn’t some bounty you’re chasing or even human gang members you’re trying to take down. This is an entire pack of male wolves who can shift, who are as strong, as stealthy as you are, and they’ll be out for blood.” Her breath was coming hard and fast.

  “Sweetheart, we’re damn good at what we do. Doesn’t matter if they’re wolves. We’re better.” He’d been trying to reassure her but decided he’d failed miserably when she smacked him in the stomach with the back of her hand. It wasn’t hard, and certainly didn’t hurt. It was more to get his attention, the kind of swat his mama might have given him if she’d caught him doing something stupid.

  “Arrogance will get you killed.”

  She wasn’t wrong. “You’re right, it will. Your pack members are used to relying on their natural strength and talents to handle problems.” They’d expect Eli and his brothers to be weaker simply because they weren’t part of a larger pack. That overconfidence would be their downfall. The Sin brothers never underestimated an opponent. “This is what we do for a living.”

  “They have the sheer numbers to overpower you. As good as you are, you’re not invincible.” Her eyes clouded with concern. “I don’t want anything to happen to you or your brothers.”

  “Why?” It wasn’t fair to take advantage of her emotional state, but he needed honesty from her. “You tried to hire me to protect you. Why worry now?”

  “I didn’t know you then.” She threw her hands in the air, stalked off, stopped, spun around, and stalked back. “I didn’t care, damn it.” Her voice trailed off. “I didn’t care. I don’t want to care.”

  Ouch! He’d wanted the truth and he’d gotten it. Didn’t change anything on his side. He’d still do everything in his power to protect her.

  “But I do,” she whispered, as though admitting some deep, dark secret.

  “Kinley.” He looped his arm around her waist and eased her toward him. She braced her hands against his chest. Neither of them knew where their relationship was going, if anywhere, but like her, he sensed the possibility that something special existed between them.