Craving Her (Keeping Her Series Book 4) by Kelly Lucille Page A

Logan could say a lot
without saying anything at all, and it reminded her she had family.  Family
that actually deserved the title.
    “Hell of a day you’re
having, sweetheart.”
    He was not wrong, even if
he only knew parts of it.  “Any chance Eli will find this guy and we can end
this before it blows up in our faces?”
    “You mean before he tries
to take you again, or your mother makes a cameo?”
    She grunted and gulped
her wine.  “Pretty much.  That’s exactly what I mean.”  
    “If anyone can find him
it’s Eli.  But this guy,” he looked truly concerned and the warning in his
voice was to take it seriously, “has deep pockets.  We will protect you, and we
will eventually end this, but I don’t think it will be quick or easy.  If it
was that easy, we would have ended him already.”  His eyes sharpened on her
face even more, telling her to take what he said and absorb the implications.  “He
knows who we are and what we are capable of, and he has prepared for it.”
    Not what she wanted to
hear, but a second later Eli walked through her door with his usual presence,
and unfortunately, Ian was with him.  Who the hell called my brother?
    ***
    Who the hell called Ian? Shawn
wondered, smelling him before he turned to see him come through the mangled
door with Eli. 
    Ian looked from the door
to the rest of them.  “I guess Dad was here, huh?” 
    Ignoring the glare his
father sent his way, he looked over and saw his sister at the bar and headed
there with a certain gleam in his eye Shawn did not trust.  Cleo, he noticed,
took a big swig of her wine and poured another glass, her eyes narrowed on her
brother.  But it was Eli’s grim face that had Shawn’s attention.  Cleo would
have to fend for herself where her brother was concerned.  He had bigger game,
and from the look in Eli’s usually irreverent green eyes and the way his short
black hair was sticking every which way like he had been running his hands
through it in frustration, the answers he had were not going to make anyone
happy.
    He looked to Lucas first,
shaking his head.  “The signal was scrambled to hell and back.  Whoever this
Gerent guy is, he knows what he’s doing and he has the money to pay for the
best.  We are going to have to find another way.”
    Shawn ground his teeth in
frustration, while he saw Lucas doing the same.  The larger male hissed,
turning to pace the front room and then back.  It was almost funny but he didn’t
seem to realize he was dragging his mate along with him.  For her part, Miley
just went where he walked, her hand tight in his, until he settled again, and
then she ran her hand up his back in a soothing caress.
    That seemed to calm the
lion male, but his teeth were still overly prominent when he turned flashing
eyes back to Eli.  “And the guards?”
    “That I can help with; they
did not take chances, everyone’s phones were wiped but nothing is really lost,
not on a cell phone.  I will recover the calls made, it’ll just take time.  We
moving Cleo back home tonight, or are you waiting until tomorrow?”
    The fact that Eli was not
joking showed how serious they all took Cleo’s safety.  Not one of them would
see her in danger without reacting strongly, and with violence.
    Miley cleared her
throat.  “I think Cleo prefers to stay here, and as she is an adult ,we
certainly have no intention of trying to force her into an action she is
against.”
    Shawn caught the gleam in
Lucas’ eyes and the lowered brow.  Clearly he was all for forcing her into
whatever action he deemed necessary.
    Seeing it, Miley narrowed
her own eyes in warning.  “That would be a good way to get her back up, and if
she decides to leave the safety of Lionsgate for good, you would have no one to
blame but yourselves.”
    Lucas growled at his mate
and she spoke with firm exasperation.  “It’s not like you can keep her prisoner
indefinitely if she balks.  Besides, with a little backup, Cleo is