Dragon Triplets (Triplet Harems Book 1) Page 5

  “Yes,” she said. “I understand.”

  She stepped in, and he shut the door behind her. Sarah was finally alone, and she sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to wrap her mind around what had happened that night.

  This is fucking insane, she thought. One minute, I’m on a plane to New York, leaving everything I’ve known behind. And now I’m staying at the apartment of some...shifter? And then I sleep with him like I don’t have any control over it? What the hell is going on?

  She laid back on the bed and closed her eyes, trying to at least sleep. But after an hour, she realized that sleep wouldn’t be coming.

  I have to leave, she thought. I have to get out of here, get back to Kelly. But I can’t let Adrian know I’m gone.

  Sarah got up and opened the bedroom door slowly. The apartment was quiet, and she stepped out into the hall and looked around. No sign of Adrian. In the living room, she spotted a piece of paper with his number written on it.

  I don’t ever want to see these people again. But... Without giving it a second thought, she folded the paper and pocketed it.

  After listening for another few moments to make sure she was alone, she went to the elevator and called it. The elevator arrived, and she stepped inside and reached the lobby. Once on the main floor, she hurried out to the street, called the closest cab, and told the driver Kelly’s address.

  She watched as the skyscraper disappeared in the distance as they drove off. But Sarah had a feeling this new world wasn’t done with her yet, not by a long shot.

  CHAPTER 7

  Sarah awoke in a cold sweat. She looked around, relieved at first to see she was at Kelly’s place. She thanked her luck that Kelly had been home to let her in.

  Then the events of the previous night came back to her. She remembered the party, the wolves, and Adrian. As much as she hated to admit it, the sex was still fresh in her mind.

  What the hell came over me? she thought. I’ve never fallen for a man so fast before.

  And more that she hated to admit—the sex had been incredible. It’d been like nothing else she’d ever experienced, and she’d had no idea it could be so good.

  Put all of that out of your mind. It was a weird night, but it’s over now. You’ve got a new life to start, and it begins right now.

  The thought calmed her. Sarah stretched and yawned, feeling rested despite the small amount of sleep she’d gotten. She checked her phone and saw that it was a little past noon.

  As soon as she stepped into the shower, she flashed back to last night once again. This time she thought of Adrian, how he’d shifted into a dragon form that was powerful and majestic and frightening all at once. He was gold, brilliant and bright against the night sky. As the water ran down her slim, toned body, she realized that as much as she feared him, she was also drawn to him in a way she didn’t understand.

  Alphas and omegas, she thought. He said I was one of them. But what does that even mean? I’m supposed to...have his kids?

  She turned off the shower and stepped out, shaking her head in disbelief.

  Doesn’t matter. Keep a low profile, and you won’t have to see those...people, or whatever they are, ever again.

  Sarah dried off and got dressed, her stomach growling as she left the bedroom. Kelly was seated at the kitchen table and flicked her eyes up to Sarah as she entered.

  “Hey...” she said weakly.

  Sarah knew right away that something was up—something bad.

  “Morning,” said Sarah as she stepped over to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup. “What’s going on?”

  Kelly chewed her lip, and it was clear that whatever was on her mind, she wasn’t sure whether or not she should talk about it.

  “Listen,” she said. “Sit down. There’s...um, a situation.”

  Dread took hold of Sarah’s gut. Coffee in hand, she sat down across from Kelly, the steam from the drink rising and curling in the air before vanishing.

  “Is it bad?” asked Sarah.

  “It’s bad,” said Kelly. “And I need your help.”

  Kelly’s hand was on the table, and Sarah reached over and took it. Kelly gripped it back, her eyes still downcast.

  “What happened to you last night?” asked Sarah. “Who were those men you were with?”

  “That’s what it’s about,” she said. “Those men I was with, they weren’t normal men.”

  Shifters, thought Sarah. Everyone at that party was a shifter. She wondered if Kelly would bring up the fact.

  “What do you mean ‘not normal men?’”

  “I mean...they’re bad people. The criminal kinds of people.”

  Right as Kelly finished speaking, her voice appeared in Sarah’s head. Not to mention, they can change into animals. But she doesn’t need to know that yet.

  So, Sarah realized, Kelly knew. But she decided not to press Kelly on the subject—she clearly had enough on her mind already.

  “Criminals?”

  “Criminals. Like...the mafia.”

  “Kelly,” said Sarah, her tone hard but concerned. “How the hell did you get mixed up with people like that?”

  “I don’t even know,” she said, shaking her head. “One day at work, this guy approached me, really handsome and well dressed and all that crap. He invited me to this party and...it was like the one you went to last night. All the guys there were all over me, and one of them, this guy named Brandt, he told me that he saw something special in me.”

  Sarah thought back to her old life, how her ex Carter used to entice girls into working for him. He’d use the same kinds of lines and flattery.

  “And what did you do for him?”

  She shook her head again. “It started so simple, you know? I’d go to these parties, meet with Brandt or one of his assistants. They’d have me deliver stuff, different stuff. Sometimes packages, sometimes messages. And they paid me well. I got to go to parties, hang out with rich guys, and make a little money on the side. Like I said, super simple.”

  “But then it stopped being simple.”

  She nodded. “Last night, they gave me another package to deliver. I left after the party and on the way there, these...guys. They jumped me and stole it.”

  Sarah gasped. “Are you OK? Did they hurt you?”

  “I’m OK,” she said. “Whatever I had, they were more interested in it than me.”

  Thoughts of the fight with the wolves came back to Sarah’s mind. She wondered if the men that jumped Kelly were part of the same group. But she put the thought aside, knowing it wasn’t important at that moment.

  “Then what happened?”

  “I was scared out of my mind, and I didn’t know what to do. So I called Brandt, and he told me to meet him at his apartment.”

  Brandt. Sarah had no idea who this man was, but something about merely hearing his name made her blood run cold.

  “I told him that I lost the delivery, and he wasn’t happy about it. He said that what I’d had was worth more than my life, and that it fell into the wrong hands.”

  “But...he let you go. He couldn’t have been that upset.”

  She shook her head. “That’s the hard part. Because...that’s where you come in.”

  Sarah said nothing, letting her go on.

  “I told him I’d do anything to make things right with him. At first, I worried that he might kill me on the spot—I’d heard stories about how he treated people who failed him. But he didn’t. Instead, he just...smiled. Told me there was something I could do for him. More specifically, someone I could bring to him.”

  “Me.”

  Kelly nodded sadly. “He said that he’d seen you at the party, and he thought you had potential as someone who could work for him.”

  “Kelly.” Sarah’s tone was hard like before. “You did what?”

  Her eyes went wide. “I didn’t know what else to do! Sarah, these are bad people, and I’d screwed up. What would you have done in my situation?”

  “I wouldn’t have sold out my f
riend!”

  “I didn’t ‘sell you out.’ I...offered your services.”

  Sarah leaned forward. “You knew that I came to New York to get away from my old life. All I wanted was to leave it and Carter behind, and now you’re telling me I have to work for the mafia again?”

  “I know it’s bad,” she said. “And I know that’s why you came here. But...I’m in a really bad spot, Sarah. You have to help me. I don’t know what else to do.”

  Tears glistened in Kelly’s eyes. As much as Sarah wanted to chew her out and tell her she’d have no part of whatever this Brandt asshole’s business was, more than that, she knew she had to do anything to keep her friend safe. Sarah squeezed Kelly’s hand again, her friend responding with a grateful expression.

  “What did he say he wanted from me?” asked Kelly.

  “Just that he wanted you to do a few jobs for him. Like what I did. Probably going to parties and passing along some messages, maybe drop off a package here and there. He said he wouldn’t need you for long, and that once you’d done a few jobs for him, he’d let me off the hook.”

  “I’ve known men like this,” Sarah said. “Carter was a man like this. Working with them is hardly as simple as they make it seem.”

  “You’re probably right,” said Kelly. “But I don’t know what other option I have. I can’t leave New York—he said he’d find me if I did. Please, Sarah, you have to help me.”

  Sarah was conflicted again. After all she’d done to leave her old life behind, there she was being pulled right back into it. But she knew she had no other option if she wanted to keep Kelly safe.

  She sighed. “I’ll...meet with him.”

  Kelly’s eyes lit up, total relief washing over her pretty features. “You will? Thank you, thank you so much, Sarah. I don’t know what to say.”

  “But you have to promise me that as soon as I’m done working with this guy, you’re going to tell him you’re done. When the debt’s paid, you’re out. OK?”

  She nodded. “OK. We can leave it behind together.”

  “Good,” said Sarah. “What do I do now?”

  Kelly took out her phone. “Brandt told me that if you agree to let him know right away and he’d meet with you. I’m going to send him a text.”

  Before Sarah had a chance to say anything, Kelly’s fingers danced over her phone.

  “Shit,” she said. “He already responded. He says he’ll have someone come for you in twenty minutes.”

  Dread flowed through Sarah. She knew this situation would be bad, but she had a gut feeling it would be far worse than she was even anticipating.

  “Kelly...I need to ask you something else.”

  “What is it?”

  “These men. When I talked to you last night, you seemed, I don’t know, out of it. Like you weren’t really there.”

  Kelly looked away, as if not sure she should say what was on her mind. “There’s something about them. Sometimes when I’m talking to them, especially Brandt, I feel like I can’t make my own decisions. Like they’re influencing me or something.

  Can they control humans too? thought Sarah. How powerful are these people? Or whatever they are?

  But there was more to it than that. “Anything else about them?” she asked. “Anything strange.”

  A brief expression of conflict flashed on Kelly’s features. “No,” she said. “Not that I know of.”

  Kelly’s voice appeared in her thoughts again. She’s got enough to worry about. And if she knows what these people are really like, she might not agree. I need to ease her into it.

  Sarah didn’t like being lied to, but she knew Kelly was already in over her head. She was her friend, and Sarah had no idea where she’d be if Kelly hadn’t offered her a place to stay.

  “OK,” said Sarah. “But if I’m going to do this, you’re going to need to be honest with me. Tell me what you can, but tell me at your own pace. Got it?”

  This seemed to put Kelly at ease. She nodded, and the two of them went back to their coffee. Minutes passed, and after a short time, Kelly’s phone buzzed.

  “It’s him,” she said. “He’s here.”

  Sarah took a deep breath before rising from her seat.

  “I’m so sorry to have to do this to you,” said Kelly. “But...I don’t know what else I can do.”

  “It’s fine,” said Sarah. “We’ll get through this together. OK?”

  Kelly nodded. “OK. And thanks.”

  “Love you, Kel.”

  “Love you too.”

  Nothing else to be said. Sarah grabbed her things, slipping her purse over her shoulder, and left. The day was mild and calm, the sun above in a cloudless sky, the sidewalk in front of the apartment bustling with activity.

  And in front of the building was a sleek, black car, not too different from the one she’d been in with Adrian last night. The driver waited for her, and opened the door to let her in. She could make out the figure of a man inside, one dressed in a dark suit.

  One last calming breath and she slipped into the backseat. Sure enough, a man was seated across from her. He was handsome, well-built, and well dressed. His sun-blond hair framed his cheekbones, and a knowing smile was on his face. Whoever this man was, he was wealthy as hell. He signaled to the driver with slender fingers, and the car took off.

  “Sarah,” he said in a low, melodic voice. “It’s a pleasure to meet you finally.”

  Sarah noticed something: that strange, intriguing scent that Adrian had.

  “You know who I am?”

  “Of course, I do,” he said, the smile still on his lips. “Anyone who’s anyone in this town already knows who you are.”

  “How is that possible? And what do you want from me?”

  He looked away for a moment as if trying to figure out where to begin. “Your friend Kelly’s gotten into some serious trouble, you know.”

  “I know. And that’s the only reason I’m here with you.”

  He nodded. “Quite a loyal friend. She started out promising enough, but the more I worked with her, the more I realized, sadly, that she didn’t quite have what it takes to be a useful member of my organization.”

  “Then you’ve got no reason to make her keep working for you.”

  “That’s the plan,” he said. “And why I decided to take her mistake and use it as the perfect opportunity to have you meet with me.” He took a slow sip of the drink he had at his side. “But here I am, getting ahead of myself as always. My name is Corbin Brandt. But everyone calls me Brandt.”

  “And you already know who I am.”

  “That’s right. And I know more than you think. After learning you were in town, and who you were, I had some of my men look into you, Sarah. You’ve got quite the checkered past, working with some pretty unsavory people.”

  Fear ran through Sarah’s body. She hated the idea of this man knowing so much about her.

  “You and that man Carter. Running drugs, protection rackets—so many bad things that a beautiful woman like you has no business getting into.”

  “And what’s your point?”

  “You came to the city to get away from all of that. But unfortunately, a past like that will catch up with you eventually. Sooner, in this case, than later.”

  “If you want me to work with you, get to it,” said Sarah.

  He grinned, shaking his head. “That’s what I mean. You’ve got a hard edge to you, Sarah. And I want to put it to use.”

  “Doing what?”

  “The exact nature of your work will be revealed to you. But needless to say, if you want to find a place in my organization and get your friend out of some serious trouble while you’re at it, I’m more than willing to help you.”

  “All I want is to settle Kelly’s debt and be done. I don’t have any interest in you and your organization outside of that.”

  “Figured you’d say that,” he said. “And rest assured, if you work with me and follow my instructions to the letter, then her safety is certain.”
<
br />   “And...if I don’t?”

  Another grin. “Then things will be very difficult for your friend. To put it lightly. The goods she lost were worth more than her life, but I’d be happy to take that as payment.”

  “You’re a monster,” snarled Sarah.

  Brandt didn’t seem bothered by her words. “Not exactly. But you’re not too far off.”

  He signaled to the driver, who took the next right.

  “So,” he said. “Do we have an agreement?”

  Anger boiled up in Sarah. She wanted to tell Brandt to fuck off, that she didn’t want any part of what he was planning. But she knew she had no other option.

  “Fine. I’ll work with you.”

  “Excellent!” he said, his face lighting up. “We’re going to make a great team. I’ll send the car for you tonight for your first task.”

  Sarah looked out the window and saw that they were making their way back to Kelly’s apartment.

  “Oh, and one more thing—don’t get any big ideas about running away. I have men all over the city, and they’ll be keeping a very, very close eye on you.”

  “I’m sure they will,” said Sarah.

  The car came to a stop in front of Kelly’s apartment. Brandt opened the door, cool air rushing into the stuffy interior of the car.

  “Just do as I say, and everything will be fine. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get a taste of my lifestyle, find that you like it more than you’d think.”

  “I seriously doubt that.”

  He shrugged. “I’ll see you soon, Sarah.”

  She got out of the car, the door shutting and the car driving off.

  All Sarah could think about was what the hell she’d gotten herself into. And whether or not she’d survive it.

  CHAPTER 8

  HUNTER

  Damn fool girl.

  Hunter watched from a nearby roof as Sarah climbed out of Brandt’s car and headed back into her building.

  No fucking idea what she’s gotten herself into. Gonna get herself killed. Or worse.

  He’d been tasked with following Sarah, making sure she was safe and not getting herself into any trouble. But the moment Hunter had watched Brandt’s car pull up to her apartment, he knew she was in over her head.