Claimed by my Lycan Boss

Chapter 4 : Close Encounters

*Amara*

After the brothers walked away, I shook off whatever confusing feeling had a death grip on my chest. I had a job to do.

Sophie watched me carefully for a few moments.

"Everything alright, sugar?" she asked softly.

"Totally fine," I answered her, popping the tops off a couple of bottles of beer to pass to a couple of thirsty patrons.

"You look a little rattled," Sophie prodded.

"I'm okay. Every new job is an adjustment," I tried to shake off her concern. She was the one who told me not to gossip, after all.

"I promise it gets easier," Sophie assured.

I offered her a grateful smile. She was endearing, and I looked forward to becoming better friends with her.

The night moved quickly. Bartending is busy work, and it helps a shift move by in a flash.

The bar closed down at two in the morning. Last call had been a frenzy, the bar still a flurry of activity. Once it was over, I enjoyed watching patrons drunkenly stumble out of the club, saying they’d look for other bars that were open later.

"Ready to split tips?" Sophie asked.

"You better believe it," I cheered.

There was a tip jar next to the register, stuffed with cash. The tips that people had left with their cards would show up on my paycheck, but the cash was what I was excited about.

I didn't need the cash. I didn't have a lot of bills, but more money is always better than no money, especially because I still have a year left in my MBA program

Sophie counted out the bills, separating them into two stacks. She slid one my way.

"I enjoyed working with you. Are you working tomorrow night?" she asked.

"I think so," I answered, jamming the cash into my pocket.

"Cool. I'll see you then. Do you want me to find someone to walk you out?" Sophie asked. She gestured towards one of the bouncers.

"No, I'm good. I parked close by," I assured her. I had been shocked there had been a parking spot so close by, but I knew better than to question my luck.

Sophie tucked her hand into the elbow of the bouncer she had summoned.

"If you change your mind, any of the bouncers would be happy to walk you down. They're good people. The company does a good job of that. I heard it was because Mr. Hale Rowes insisted on ensuring the safety of the employees" she told me, turning to go.

Yeah, I bet he did. I wondered what Sophie and Tasha saw in the man. How could they miss what a villain he was? Was his handsome, perfect shell enough to convince them?

"Have a good night," I said, waving her goodbye and ignoring her comment about Hale.

She walked out, giggling with the bouncer. It was sort of sweet. Sophie truly had a charm about her, it seemed like everyone who knew her liked her.

I pulled out my phone, shooting a quick text, updating my contact. I let them know Hale had shown up today, and that I had interacted with him twice. I did not mention the little scene he made during my interview though. This much information wasn't necessary.

Someone cleared their throat from next to the register.

I looked up. A bald man stood with his hands jammed in the pocket of his hoodie. He shifted nervously from foot to foot.

"Is Hale Rowe here?" he asked.

"I don't know. We're closed though, maybe try again tomorrow," I suggested. I grabbed my keys from under the bar.

"I really need to speak to him. Could you just go get him for me?" the man insisted.

"Sorry, buddy. I don't even know where he would be."

The man lunged, leaping over the bar with surprising speed. He grabbed me by the ponytail, jerking my head backwards.

Then, he revealed what he'd been keeping in his pocket.

He pulled out a handgun, pressing the cold barrel to my temple.

"Listen here, b***h. You're going to find the man I'm looking for, or you're going to watch your own brains paint that wall over there," he growled. He used the gun to gesture to the wall over my left shoulder, then slammed it back against my temple, hard enough to bruise.

Tasha was by my side in an instant. I didn't know when she got there, but I'd never been so pleased and terrified to see someone I had only just met in my entire life. I tried to look around to find the bouncers that Sophie had just mentioned a few minutes before, but apparently, they were also not at sight.

"What the hell are you doing, Dimitri?" Tasha demanded.

"You tell Hale and Declan if they're not down here in the next sixty seconds, they'll be replacing me for the second time this week," he threatened.

Tasha took off in shock. With my head held in place from the way the man was gripping my hair, I couldn't watch where she went.

Dimitri breathed heavily, his breath reeking of some unnamable stench. I wanted to gag at the smell of it. My heart heaved in my chest, and every second felt like an hour.

"That stupid son of a b***h, thinks he can get rid of me," Dimitri muttered to himself. "I'll show him just who he's dealing with."

"I really feel like this is between you and Hale, maybe you could leave me out of it?" I suggested. I was going to get my brains blown out, it was worth a try to speak some reason into the man.

"You think you're innocent in the matter?" he demanded, pressing the barrel of the gun harder against my head. "You're the replacement. They'll do the same thing to you, just you wait. I'm doing you a favor."

"This doesn't feel like a favor," I retorted. I didn't know where my sudden bravery was coming from. Who was I to smart mouth a desperate man with a gun?

I had nothing else to lose. That was all. It was almost empowering. He couldn't take anything from me that mattered. Not after Hale had already done it.

"You got a real smart mouth, you know that? Maybe I ought to just pull this trigger, put us both out of our misery," Dimitri snarled.

"I'd caution strongly against that," a deep male voice growled.

I recognized it instantly. My hair stood on end. Fear ran like an icy river through my veins. I thought I had been scared for my life before, but now that Hale stood between Declan and another man in front of the bar, I felt certain death was imminent.

"It's only fair," Dimitri growled back.

"What are you talking about?" Hale asked with a frown as he prowled forward.

"You took my livelihood from me. I ought to take one of your money makers from you."

"Hale had nothing to do with it, Dimitri. I had you fired, and you know damn well why," Declan interfered, as he and the other man flanked Hale faithfully, moving in perfect step. They moved like a unit, trained and self assured.

"I didn't do anything, you have to know that. I was set up. I wouldn't put anything in any girl's drink, I promise," Dimitri pleaded. His voice had turned weepy.

"Just put the gun down, Dimitri. We can talk this out. We can get the help you need," Declan crooned. His voice had changed from hard and angry, to soft and reassuring. He had clearly sensed the desperation within the man, knowing how out of sorts he was.

"I don’t need help. And that would tarnish my reputation in this town. More than you've done. No one will hire me again. Maybe you're the one that needs to pay," Dimitri whimpered through gritted teeth. He tugged harder on my ponytail, jerking my back against his chest and I fought the urge to scream. He turned the gun fully on Hale who had gotten closer to him.

A flash of some strange emotion crossed Hale's face. Relief, maybe? There was no way that could be it. I studied him, attempting to distract myself from the burning in my scalp.

“You know who I am and you think I will care about that girl?” Hale said, as ruthless as I thought, “You could pull the trigger, and I’ll send you to the police station. What’s the next? I think you’ll be sure about it.”

I almost yelled at Hale if the gun was not pressed against my head. How could he say something like that? I knew he was a cold-blooded murderer, but that was still out of my expectation.

Dimitri’s attention was attracted by him, and his hands shook.

"You just want to trap me. Like everybody else in my life did. I guess I can just pull the trigger, and we can go from there. Maybe that will change your mind," Dimitri said casually. His mood was swinging wildly, impossible to predict. I felt as though I was counting down my last heartbeats.

And then, the gun went off.

It took me a second to realize I was still breathing, that the searing pain in the side of my head was just my hair still pulled tightly and a throbbing in my right ear from the gun going off so close to me. The dripping wet sensation wasn't just at my temple, water was coming from somewhere. I took a desperate gasp of air.

I didn't know how he did it. I didn't even truly know what he did, but by the time I gathered my senses enough to take stock of the situation, Hale had Dimitri by the arm, gun pointed to the ceiling. The shot had pierced the fire sprinklers, and water soaked us all. My clothes clung to my frame the way I was clinging to my sanity.

"Let her go," Hale snarled.

My hair was wet enough now that Dimitri's grasp had begun to slip. I jerked my head to the side, getting a glimpse of Hale's face.

His eyes glowed the yellow-orange of a harvest moon. There was something feral and wild about his face. His canines seemed noticeably longer, an animalistic snarl on his face as he growled at Dimitri. Using his forearm, he shoved the man's chest, knocking him to the floor.

I fell to the side, landing hard on my side. I scrambled away, desperate to be clear of the whole scene.

"Taylor," Hale called out. With no need of a proper order, the second man leapt over the bar, so similarly to how Dimitri had done so only minutes ago, but with significantly more grace and took a hold of Dimitri.

"Declan, escort Amara to her car," Hale added, getting to his feet, but not taking his eyes off the man pinned to the floor.

I froze in place. My name rolled off his tongue so smoothly that, for whatever reason, made my stomach flutter. Before I could process why my body reacted to Hale the way it did, Declan had arrived to help me to my feet.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, practically carrying me out.

"I'm okay," I answered, hating the way my voice trembled weakly.

"Where are you parked?" Declan asked as the elevator door opened. His voice was low, soothing, thoughtful, the way someone might speak to a scared little puppy.

I swiped a hand across my face, ensuring no tears fell, though my eyes burned.

"I can get there just fine on my own."

"Hale's orders. Plus, I would feel better if I saw you there safely," he pressed, that charming smile on his face.

I nodded, the only response I could muster, and let him accompany me down to my car.

"This is a really good parking spot," he mused casually.

"I was shocked when I saw it open," I answered. It felt better to pretend that what had happened upstairs was simply a nightmare. The dry desert air on the hot summer night was already evaporating the water off of us.

"Get home safely," he said as a goodbye.

"Thank you. You too, I guess," I mumbled back, climbing into the driver's seat.

However, the instant the door closed and Declan's reassuring presence was gone, the adrenaline rush was over, terror finally settled in. I found myself shaking uncontrollably.

I nearly got killed on my first day on the job and I wasn't even close to getting what I came here for! I realized that the delayed tears started to fall off my cheeks. Was I ready for what my life would turn out to be, especially since none of those guys there seemed normal?

Glowing eyes, sharp canines, inhuman speed and strength. Were those really all my hallucinations? What the hell had I gotten myself into?

Fighting back the idea of forgetting about the revenge and simply moving on with my life, I took a moment to wipe off my tears and calm my pounding heart. All I wanted was to get home, locked in my apartment where I felt safe. For once, I didn't want to think of anything else. Just for the rest of the night, I wanted to simply be Amara Evans, no ulterior motive behind me.