And it wasn't me.

It was the blaring of his phone. He ripped his mouth from mine and a string of profanities fell from his lips. He whipped out his phone with an aggression I thought would break it.

"Monroe," he barked as he pressed the phone to his ear. I stifled a laugh as I tried to disentangle myself from him. However, his arm was ironclad around my waist and he was not letting go. My eyebrows hitched as his furrowed. I couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, and from the look on Vincent's face, I didn't want to. "I'll be there in thirty." And with that he punched the end button and slipped his phone back in his pocket. His eyes locked on mine, and he looked deep in thought.

"Vincent," I murmured, placing my hand on his cheek. "You need to go."

"Mhmm."

"So go."

"Will Dexter be alright by himself tonight?"

"What?" I blanched.

"Come with me. The guys need me, but only at the warehouse."

"I don't know if that's such a good –"

"Juliette," he cut me off, eyes boring into mine. "I told you I wanted to spend tonight with you to give a good end to my shitty day. Apparently, my shitty day isn't over yet. So, please, come with me."

"Alright," I heard myself saying before I even really thought about it. I mean, when was the next time I was actually going to hear Vincent say please? "But can't I bring Dexter with me?"

"Is he going to eat my men?"

"No." Dexter chuffed next to me, seeming offended that Vincent thought he would misbehave like that. "He's met quite a few of them anyway."

"Touché. Get his stuff together. Let's go."

And that was how Dexter and I ended up loaded into the SUV, making the cross-city drive with Vincent. There was a warmth in my chest that I couldn't ignore, no matter how much I wanted to. It was something I never could have considered a month prior – before I had known Vincent. If someone would have told me I would have been abducted and ended up developing feelings for the one responsible, I would've laughed at them. I mean, there wasn't a shred of sense about it, but it was there all the same. The smile that tugged at my lips couldn't be helped, and I shook my head as I looked out the window.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Vincent asked.

"Just thinking about how insane this is," I said, motioning between us.

"How so?" he asked, his brows pulling together to cast a dark shadow over his cheekbones.

"You threatened my life the first time we met," I reminded him.

"Oh right. That."

"Yes. That." Despite my eye roll, there was a broad grin on my lips.

One of Vincent's rare smiles split his face as he chuckled. Then he switched the familiar piano notes on, and a soft silence swirled around the cab of the SUV. I sighed and settled against my seat for the rest of the ride. It didn't take long, and before I knew it Vincent was helping me unload Dexter. The dog in question bristled, sniffing along the sidewalk as we headed into the warehouse. The lights were brighter than I anticipated, and I had to squint as my eyes adjusted. When they did, I had to fight the urge to shrink behind Vincent. Dexter growled so low I couldn't even hear it; I could just feel the vibrations through his leash.

I had never seen the warehouse so full. There were people everywhere.

One familiar head of blonde hair turned to look at me, and a smile broke out across his face. "Juliette!" he yelled, causing every head in the room to snap towards me.

That time I did take a step back to stand directly at Vincent's side.

Vincent's familiar, taunting smile played with his lips as he settled his hand at the small of my back, barely applying any pressure as he ushered me forward. I reined Dexter in, holding him tight to my side as he continued to growl. Then, he spotted Lucas making his way over to us. He bolted away from me so fast I couldn't keep a hold on his leash. The bark that he let out sounded anything but friendly as he tackled Lucas to the ground. A couple of the men I didn't know jumped to their feet. However, it barely took them a moment to realize that Lucas was only in danger of being licked to death. The blonde's laughter reverberated off the walls as he wrestled Dexter off him.

"Dex," I scolded. The dog's head dropped, but he removed himself from Lucas and came to stand at my side all the same. The tense atmosphere evaporated from the room in the same instant the instant Dexter sat on his haunches beside me. Lucas was still laughing when he pulled me into a hug.

"Long time, no see, sugar," he said, lifting me off my feet as his arms constricted.

"Hello to you too, Lucas," I forced out. He set me on my feet, and I sucked in a lungful of air. "Did you miss me?"

"Always."

"He's intolerable. The sooner he picks your detail back up, the better," Brandon inserted, materializing like smoke beside Lucas.

"You would be bored without me."

"I would be sane without you."

As the cousins continued their bickering, I caught Arkin's gaze from across the room. He smiled and began to make his way over. Dexter's nub began to wiggle back and forth. Arkin's calm demeanor washed over me as he knelt in front of Dexter, scratching him between the ears. As much as I loved Lucas and Brandon, I was glad I had Arkin around to balance out their crazy. Just as the thought crossed my mind, Brandon lunged at Lucas and snagged him in a headlock. They tumbled to the ground mere inches from me, and Vincent pulled me closer to him as they began to roll.

"Sometimes I feel like a babysitter," Arkin muttered, staring at the other two with obvious disdain on his face.

"Why do you think I keep you around?" Vincent asked. "I'd lose my mind dealing with them by myself."

"Your words are hurtful, Vince," Lucas said, disentangling himself from Brandon before standing up.

"And you're a child," Vincent replied, his voice cold. The muscle in his jaw began to twitch.

"Hey," I murmured, placing my hand on his bicep. "They were just messing around."

He blew out a deep sign, and let his eyes roll skyward. When the tension dropped from his shoulders, his eyes found mine. I could see the battle warring within their forest depths. He was still frustrated at being interrupted. Hell, I was too, but I wasn't about to let him take it out on the guys.

"We're going to wrap this up quickly," he stated, refocusing his attention on the three men in front of us. "Get everyone on the same page while I get these two settled."

The men nodded before breaking off and going to round up everyone in the warehouse. Vincent's hand returned to the small of my back, and he led me to the staircase situated on the far side of the room. Just as we were about to go up, I cast one last look over my shoulder. Then I wished I hadn't. While I had expected to see Brandon, Arkin, and Lucas attempting to corral the multitude of people, I hadn't been ready for them to be failing because all the attention was directed our way.

The more correct phrase would have been my way, but I was choosing to ignore that fact.

Before I could think too much about it, my line of sight was cut off as we ascended the stairs. When we emerged at the top, we were at the end of a hallway that must have stretched the entire length of the warehouse. Doors lined either side. I made a move to venture down the hall, but Vincent pulled me back. When I glanced at him, he motioned to the second staircase I had failed to notice. When we made it to the top of those steps, there was only one door. My eyebrows raised, but I kept my mouth shut as Vincent pulled out his keys. He swung the door open and motioned me inside.

Once he flipped the lights on, I had to keep my mouth from falling open a little. I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting Vincent's home to look like, but the immaculate, industrial style loft before me was not it. The chill of the metal was warmed by the red brick walls and the wood floors, and the overall color palette was rich earth tones. The wall directly across from me was nothing but windows, and it gave an incredible view of the city. Drawn to it, I let Dexter's leash fall from my hand and moved to stand in front of the windows. We were far enough outside of downtown that all the lights of the city simply looked like a mirrored reflection of the stars in the sky.

"Wow," I breathed.

"Not what you expected?" Vincent asked, drawing my attention back to him. He had just unclipped Dexter from his lead and was hanging the leash on the hooks attached to the back of the door.

"Not at all," I admitted. "Did you do all of this yourself?'

"No," he said, a soft laugh falling from his lips as he moved to stand beside me. "My sister did. She was an interior designer. She said if I was going to run a gang like a 'big boss man,' I should live like one."

"Was?"

"She's gone."

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. His jaw was clenched shut, and he was gazing out the window, but didn't seem to be seeing anything. Part of me didn't think he had meant to disclose that much about himself, so I wasn't going to press it. He had said he understood familial loss, now it made sense. Silently, I ran my hand down his arm and entwined my fingers with his. He looked down at our hands and just stared for a beat. His ghost of a smile tugged at his lips, and he squeezed my hand.

"What was her name, if you don't mind me asking?" I questioned after a few moments of silence.

"Alana. She would have liked you."

"Thank you. I think Mom would have liked you, too."

That made one of his real smiles break over his face. He used our entwined hands to whip me around and pull me flush against his chest. My eyes fluttered closed as he leaned toward me. I could feel his breath on my lips when the knock sounded on the door.

"We got everyone together, Vince!" Brandon called, pounding harder. I could hear hushed laughter through the heavy wood.

"They are literal children," he seethed, eyes cutting to where the sounds of their amusement were dying out. A small laugh fell from my own lips as I placed my hand on his cheek.

"Something tells me you're going to have to get used to it." I strained up onto my tiptoes to place a quick peck on his cheek. "Go, I'll be here."

He nodded. Before he left, he gave me brief rundown of how his overly fancy TV worked, then pulled me into a bruising kiss. There was a sparkle of mischief in his eyes as the door fell shut behind him. Dexter sank to his haunches beside me as we stared at the closed door. The smallest whine slipped past his teeth as he leaned against me.

"I know."

He followed me as I sank into the brown leather sofa. He circled a few times before laying his head next to my feet. With a heavy sigh, I flipped the TV on and cycled through the channels until I found a familiar psychological thriller and huddled deeper into the couch.

* * * * *

The tinkling of keys jolted me awake. There was a dull ripping sound as my sweating skin separated itself from the leather. I winced before running my hand over my face. Rubbing at my eyes, I searched for the source of the sound. The door opened just as I sat upright from where I had slouched over when I passed out. Vincent's eyes immediately found me, and a smile broke out across his face.

"Don't even," I warned, holding up a finger.

"Sleep well?" I chucked one of the throw pillows at him. He laughed and swatted it out of the air. "Is that a no?"

"I hate you. I hope you know that."

He made his way toward me, picking up the fluffy missile as he went. He flopped down next to me and kicked his feet up onto the coffee table. He pulled my body flush against his in the next instant, draping his arm around my shoulders. With a content sigh, his head fell back against the couch and his eyes closed.

"I'm going to appoint Lucas as the new head of the gang," he muttered.

"What?" I asked, whipping my head so fast my neck cricked. Ow.

One eye slid open as he grinned. "Not really. But, man, do I want to sometimes."

"Oh." My heartrate settled. "Anything I can help with?"

"With the men? No. With me? Yes."

"Like what?"

"I'll tell you in the morning. We're both exhausted. Let's get some sleep." He pulled me up with him as he made his way towards a small spiral staircase I had – once again – missed.

This man was full of surprises.

___________________________________

I swear one of these days, I'll get better about updating.

The more I read, the more I'm realizing that Howls being split into two books isn't really that bad of an idea. I think this year I'm going to look into rewriting it again, and then into getting it published either this year or in 2023. Definitely going to go the indie route as well. So, I'll keep y'all updated on that.

No matter what, thank you for ALL support on everything I've done. I love you all, and I hope to have more updates for you in the future.

Much love,

Erin

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