Turning Payne by Chantel Seabrook Page A

making her cheeks burn.
    She shook her head slowly and closed her eyes. "I need to talk to Marcus, to look in his eyes when—" Her voice hitched. "When he admits why he did it."
    Turner leaned in and placed his forehead against hers, exhaling slowly. She could hear the faint rumble in his throat.
    "Please."
    He pulled back and studied her. "You need to do what I say."
    "I will." She smiled, knowing she'd won.
    He shot her a dark, threatening look. "I mean it, Riley. If I say stay, you stay. Run, you run. Understand?"
    "Come, I come," she teased, biting her lip when he groaned, deep and throaty.
    "Later," he promised, before slipping out the door.
    The promise of later sent a fresh wave of arousal crashing through her system, and from somewhere down the hall she swore she heard Turner chuckle.
    * * *
     
    Turner shut the car door and walked around the hood to join Riley. Chase and Lora waited for them outside the run-down apartment complex. A siren screamed a few streets over. The full moon illuminated the dark parking lot enough that Turner could make out the deep frown on his brother's face.
    Chase raised his eyebrow at Turner as he approached and nodded to Riley who spoke with Lora. "Trying to see how many rules you can break in one week?"
    "She'll be fine." He took the device Chase handed him and scanned the blueprints of the building. "He's in apartment 890?"
    Chase nodded, then glanced at Riley. "It's dangerous to bring her here."
    Turner mirrored his brother's expression and tilted his chin to Lora. "Then why is she here?"
    As if overhearing him, Lora shot him a dirty look, then turned back to Riley. Yeah, it was an asshole comment, and he knew it.
    Chase scratched his jaw. "Lora is a Therian agent and a metamorph. She can handle herself."
    "Like I said. Riley will be fine." Turner handed the device back and glanced up at the crumbling structure. "I'll make sure of it."
    "Fuck." Chase's nostrils flared, and a snarl lifted the edge of his top lip.
    "What?"
    "You slept with her."
    Turner felt the muscles at his jaw flex. "None of your damn business. Can we get this shit started?"
    Chase groaned and swiped his hands over his face. "You're walking a dangerous road. One of these days I'm not going to be here to save your sorry ass."
    Turner pointed his finger against his brother's chest and hissed, "I've never asked for saving."
    The growl that vibrated from Chase's chest echoed into the night sky. "Right. So I'm supposed to just sit by and watch you self-implode. For once in your fucking life, stop being a self-absorbed asshole and realize your screw-ups affect the people around you."
    Turner fisted his hands at his side. The mood he was in now, he was more than happy to hit somebody or something. He didn't want to admit the truth of his brother's words, but Chase was right—he was a fuck up. Once he'd done what he set out to do, he'd do everyone a favor and get the hell out of this godforsaken town. There were places a metamorph could hide, places where not even the Therian agency could find him.
    "Everything okay over here?" Lora asked, placing her hand on Chase's arm, her gaze darting between them.
    "Yeah, we're fine," Chase grumbled.
    Riley's eyes were wide with concern, and he knew the look he gave her back was less than reassuring.
    Raking his fingers through his hair, Turner clenched his jaw and fought to maintain control of his lion. The animal was already on edge, and Chase's accusations only edged the beast closer to the surface.
    "Lora, stay with Riley," Turner ordered, before popping the trunk and grabbing two tasers from their case. He handed one to Chase. "Once the place is secure, we'll call you up."
    He ignored the stubborn look Lora gave him and turned to Riley. She looked at the gun he held, eyes rounding.
    "It's a taser. We won't hurt him unless we have to."
    She nodded and blinked. "Be careful."
    His throat tightened at the genuine concern in her voice. The way she looked at him, as if he wasn't the