Mail-Order Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 5) by Natalie Kristen Page A
Authors: Natalie Kristen
Ads: Link
frightened voice.
“What's wrong, Eddie?”
Lauren looked up and
instinctively tugged Eddie back. She spun on her heel but before she
could urge Eddie to run, two men stepped in front of her. She heard
a step behind her and didn't bother turning around.
There was no way to escape.
CHAPTER
TWO
Lauren found herself
surrounded by three large men with hard faces and cold, predatory
eyes. She pushed Eddie behind her and gulped too loudly. Squaring
her shoulders, she met their stares head on and hoped they wouldn't
see the terror in her eyes.
She recognized the tattoos on
their arms. They were members of the Dire Wolves, a powerful gang
who owned a large number of underground gambling dens.
“You are Lauren
Sanchez,” one of the Wolves said. It wasn't a question. And
it was pointless to deny it. They knew who she was.
Lauren swallowed. Her
heartbeat sounded way too loud.
What did the Dire Wolves want
with her?
“Your brother, Alex
Sanchez, owes us money,” another Dire Wolf said in a
deceptively polite, reasonable tone. “You are his family. You
will pay your brother's debt.”
“D-debt?” She
closed her eyes and inwardly screamed a curse at her dead brother.
Hadn't she paid his debts so many times before? She had zero savings
because she'd had to bail him out time and again. “H-how
much?”
Lauren almost fainted on the
spot when she heard the amount that Alex owed. There was no way in
hell she could come up with that kind of money. She could sell her
body, her soul, everything she had which wasn't much, and still fall
short.
“Please...Alex is
dead,” she tried in desperation. “His debt dies with
him. I can't pay what he owes you.”
The three burly men regarded
her without emotion, without compassion. After a while, the man
standing behind her spoke up. She jumped at his voice and whirled
round. The man was a little shorter than the other two Wolves, but
older. His salt-and-pepper hair was cut close to the scalp and his
arms were scarred and sinewy. But his eyes weren't cruel. “If
your name is Sanchez, you pay,” he said slowly. “But if
you are no longer his family, we don't go after someone else's
woman.”
She shook her head in
confusion. “I c-can't...” she stammered.
“One month. Then we
will find you again.”
Lauren opened her mouth to
plead and reason with them but the older Wolf held up his hand and
jerked his head at his comrades.
The other two men obeyed the
silent command and stepped back.
Lauren and Eddie were free to
go. For now.
Lauren grabbed Eddie's hand
and fled. They ran like the devil himself was at their heels.
Perhaps it would be better for them if it was the devil and not the
Dire Wolves who was after them.
They didn't stop running
until they reached their block. Scrambling up the stairs to their
second-story apartment, Lauren jabbed her key madly at the keyhole.
It took her a few tries before she could unlock the door and fling it
open.
Once they were in their
small, bare apartment, Lauren slammed the door shut behind them and
locked it. She pushed a chair against the door and closed all the
windows.
This wasn't going to keep the
Wolves out, but she didn't know what else to do. She wanted to crawl
under the bed and just stay there even though she knew it was no use
hiding. Even if she packed up and ran away with Eddie, the Wolves
would find them.
She turned around and saw
Eddie standing in the middle of the room, staring at her with wide,
frightened eyes. He didn't say a word and he looked very pale.
“Don't worry, we'll be
fine,” Lauren said in a shaky voice. She closed her eyes and
turned away. She hated lying to her nephew.
CHAPTER
THREE
Eddie didn't answer but his
stomach rumbled loudly.
“Oh!” Lauren
winced and hurried to the kitchen. “I'll make us some
sandwiches for dinner. Can you get the plates, Eddie?”
Preparing dinner took her
mind momentarily off the Wolves' threat. They sat down at the wobbly
kitchen table and ate in
“What's wrong, Eddie?”
Lauren looked up and
instinctively tugged Eddie back. She spun on her heel but before she
could urge Eddie to run, two men stepped in front of her. She heard
a step behind her and didn't bother turning around.
There was no way to escape.
CHAPTER
TWO
Lauren found herself
surrounded by three large men with hard faces and cold, predatory
eyes. She pushed Eddie behind her and gulped too loudly. Squaring
her shoulders, she met their stares head on and hoped they wouldn't
see the terror in her eyes.
She recognized the tattoos on
their arms. They were members of the Dire Wolves, a powerful gang
who owned a large number of underground gambling dens.
“You are Lauren
Sanchez,” one of the Wolves said. It wasn't a question. And
it was pointless to deny it. They knew who she was.
Lauren swallowed. Her
heartbeat sounded way too loud.
What did the Dire Wolves want
with her?
“Your brother, Alex
Sanchez, owes us money,” another Dire Wolf said in a
deceptively polite, reasonable tone. “You are his family. You
will pay your brother's debt.”
“D-debt?” She
closed her eyes and inwardly screamed a curse at her dead brother.
Hadn't she paid his debts so many times before? She had zero savings
because she'd had to bail him out time and again. “H-how
much?”
Lauren almost fainted on the
spot when she heard the amount that Alex owed. There was no way in
hell she could come up with that kind of money. She could sell her
body, her soul, everything she had which wasn't much, and still fall
short.
“Please...Alex is
dead,” she tried in desperation. “His debt dies with
him. I can't pay what he owes you.”
The three burly men regarded
her without emotion, without compassion. After a while, the man
standing behind her spoke up. She jumped at his voice and whirled
round. The man was a little shorter than the other two Wolves, but
older. His salt-and-pepper hair was cut close to the scalp and his
arms were scarred and sinewy. But his eyes weren't cruel. “If
your name is Sanchez, you pay,” he said slowly. “But if
you are no longer his family, we don't go after someone else's
woman.”
She shook her head in
confusion. “I c-can't...” she stammered.
“One month. Then we
will find you again.”
Lauren opened her mouth to
plead and reason with them but the older Wolf held up his hand and
jerked his head at his comrades.
The other two men obeyed the
silent command and stepped back.
Lauren and Eddie were free to
go. For now.
Lauren grabbed Eddie's hand
and fled. They ran like the devil himself was at their heels.
Perhaps it would be better for them if it was the devil and not the
Dire Wolves who was after them.
They didn't stop running
until they reached their block. Scrambling up the stairs to their
second-story apartment, Lauren jabbed her key madly at the keyhole.
It took her a few tries before she could unlock the door and fling it
open.
Once they were in their
small, bare apartment, Lauren slammed the door shut behind them and
locked it. She pushed a chair against the door and closed all the
windows.
This wasn't going to keep the
Wolves out, but she didn't know what else to do. She wanted to crawl
under the bed and just stay there even though she knew it was no use
hiding. Even if she packed up and ran away with Eddie, the Wolves
would find them.
She turned around and saw
Eddie standing in the middle of the room, staring at her with wide,
frightened eyes. He didn't say a word and he looked very pale.
“Don't worry, we'll be
fine,” Lauren said in a shaky voice. She closed her eyes and
turned away. She hated lying to her nephew.
CHAPTER
THREE
Eddie didn't answer but his
stomach rumbled loudly.
“Oh!” Lauren
winced and hurried to the kitchen. “I'll make us some
sandwiches for dinner. Can you get the plates, Eddie?”
Preparing dinner took her
mind momentarily off the Wolves' threat. They sat down at the wobbly
kitchen table and ate in
Similar Books
