Saving Penelope (The Knights Book 1)

  Saving Penelope

  Zoe Jane Fox

  Saving Penelope

  By Zoe Jane Fox

  © Zoe Jane Fox 2019 Flirty Filth Publishing.

  All Rights Reserved

  By the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for brief quotations used in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  The use of actors, artists, movies, TV shows and song titles/lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as an advertisement. Trademark names are used editorially with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.

  This book is intended for adults only. Contains sexual content and language that may offend some. The suggested reading audience is 18 years or older. I consider this book as Erotic Adult Romance.

  ASIN:

  Cover created by Zoe Jane Fox using Deposit Photos and Photoshop.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Untitled

  Untitled

  1

  Penelope

  “You look tired. Are you working another double today?” Mabel asks me as she comes back to the counter to grab the pot of coffee.

  “No, Ted won’t let me. He says I’m over my hours already” I say as I wipe down the counter.

  "I'm sorry," she says as she walks off.

  I have no idea what I'm going to do. Rent is due next week and I'm short on money. Ugh, this is all my fault for trusting someone I met off the internet. I'm so stupid!! Mabel comes back up to the counter and I tell her I'm going to take my break and get some fresh air.

  “Ok, Penny, I’ll handle your tables for you until you get back,” she says

  I go in the kitchen and wave at Ted while he is cooking and nod to the back door letting him know I'm taking a break. He nods back and continues on cooking.

  Pushing open the door I walk to the side of the building towards the alley where there is a little ledge that drops down about three feet and I sit down letting my legs dangle. I take a deep breath and try to calm down and come up with a plan. I should probably start looking for another job and somewhere else to stay but I don't know where to start. That's what happens when you had no place to go and turn to the internet looking for a roommate. It was going well for about six months, I even adopted a dog from the local shelter because I could finally afford it. Then my roommate Sam, out of nowhere says she's moving out of state and left me with her half of the rent to pay as well as mine with only a week's notice before she left.

  I hear something from farther down the alley and lean forward a bit to see if there's anyone but don't see anything. This alley is the back of Ted's diner, a few bars, and a pool hall. There's always drunks stumbling into the alley coming outside for a smoke break or to act like an animal and pee outside. Not wanting to get caught up with any of that mess I quickly get up going back inside. Just as I'm about to reach the door, I feel my neck break out in goosebumps. I feel like someone is watching me. I've seen those horror movies where the helpless girl turns around and calls out if anyone is there then dies. But I'm smarter than that. I just go back inside without looking around.

  “Well that was a short break, I thought for sure you would have been out there longer than that,” Mabel says as I return to the front of the diner.

  "Yeah, well I got a creepy feeling out there and decided to come back in," I say. Reaching up I rub the back of my neck at the memory.

  "Penny, it was probably just those damn drunks. The only good thing about that bar being so close is that it brings in customers," she says I just nod knowing she's right and gets back to work.

  After what feels like forever, it's finally time for me to head out since Ted won't let me work another double and stay for the overnight shift. Even though I need the money, I'm kinda glad because, after two nights in a row working doubles, I'm exhausted. I say my goodbyes grabbing my purse and making my way out of the diner.

  I normally walk down the alley then walk home but I'm still feeling spooked out, so instead, I take the long way home, walking in front of the buildings. I only live about ten blocks from the diner but going in front makes it a little bit of a longer walk. I get out my can of mace, having it ready just in case I need it. You never know. A girl can't be too careful. I'm about three blocks into my walk when I get the feeling I'm being followed. I don't want to look over my shoulder and check because then it will make it true. Besides, I'll probably trip and fall, as much as I love scary movies I don’t want to become a cliché, where the girl looks behind her trips then dies.

  I speed up my pace to hurry and make it home but whoever is following is speeding up just as well. I decide to make a turn even though it's away from where I need to go but I need away from whoever is following me.

  "You're going the wrong way," says a voice says with laughter.

  I start full on running now. Still not daring to look over my shoulder. I duck under a chain-link fence then around another corner. Whoever is chasing me is laughing like I’m falling right into their trap. I hear some music and see someone step out of a building and heads towards a small parking lot across the street but before the door can shut I grab a hold of it quickly and duck inside. The door clicks shut and auto locks behind me.

  “Thank God,” I breathe out as I turn around to see where I am.

  SHIT! It looks like I just crashed a wedding. Even though that wasn’t the plan, I’m just thankful to get away from whoever was chasing me. Maybe I can sneak into the bathroom without being noticed. I need to find a phone to call the police and have someone take me home so I’m safe. I look around but I see I’m going to need to cross over the dance floor first to get to the restrooms. This should be fun.

  2

  Monroe

  I walk around the wedding venue making sure everything is secure. My bear is feeling restless and on edge. I have no idea why. Maybe after the wedding, I can call my best friend Bastian and we’ll go on one of his hunts to release some of this tension my bear is feeling. I own Knightly Security and do this daily. Most of the time it's for bigger and far more dangerous events. I'm only doing this for a buddy of mine who is getting married. He wants to make sure his mate is safe. Not that she has anyone after her anymore. Mates are precious to us and we will always do everything we can to keep them safe...

  But I wouldn't know as I haven't met my mate yet. My bear huffs at that. "I know I know, I want to find her too," I grumble to my bear. He is pushing me towards the dance floor. I always listen to his instinct
s because he has never steered me wrong before on jobs. Right as I start making my way to the dance floor. Mike talks to me through my earpiece.

  "Boss, We just caught a glimpse of someone sneaking in the back door. She is headed towards the dance floor and seems to be making her way right towards you," he says.

  “On it,” I say as I quicken my pace a bit to see who could be crashing a wedding and why. It’s not like she was an ex or anything. Shifters can’t have sex with anyone but our mates so it’s pointless to date and string someone along. I also know my buddy Mark would never do that.

  As I push my way through the crowd on the dance floor, my bear starts going wild. Then I smell it. Smell her. My mate. I see her walking my way with her pretty blonde head down trying not to draw attention to herself. She made the mistake of not looking up and bumps into me. She almost falls but I quickly reach out and grab her so she doesn't hurt herself. She looks up and starts to say something but when I see her gorgeous dark blue eyes I growl out "MINE" before she can.

  "Oh, shit boss did you just claim the wedding crasher as your mate?" Mike asks sounding surprised in my earpiece. I know he can see us on the camera so I just ignore him.

  “Um excuse me? Mine what?” she asks sounding nervous or scared. I don’t want to scare her further, so I smile.

  “You. What are you doing here? You come to dance or crash the wedding?” I ask.

  "I…I didn't mean to crash the wedding. Do you think I ruined it?" she says looking even more nervous while looking around. I notice her heart is beating really fast. I inhale her scent and smell fear and a bit of relief on her. My bear is sitting up, nudging me to find out what has her so scared.

  “No, you didn’t cause any harm to the wedding, I was only kidding. Why are you so scared?” I ask

  Her eye bug out like she can't believe she forgot or I noticed that. I'm not sure which one yet.

  "Um…it's nothing," she says, trying to take a step back from me.

  "How about you have a dance with me since you wanted to join in the wedding activities," I say while holding out my hand to her with a small smile on my face. She hesitates for a moment and then puts her hand in mine. We start swaying to the music. My bear is content and I'm pretty sure if he could purr he would. He finally has his mate right where he wants her. Well, almost but we'll get there.

  “Boss, you might want to bring your mate in here and see the video feeds from outside,” Mike says in my earpiece that I forgot about. I stiffen and she notices it and starts to pull away from me making my bear whine.

  “Hey, it’s ok, I just want to talk. What’s your name? I’m Monroe.” I say with a smile hoping she comes back into my arms.

  “I’m Penelope, but most people call me Penny,” she says and finally gives me a smile that makes my knees weak. I hope I get to see that smile every single day for the rest of my life.

  "OK, Penelope, now would you please tell me what had you so scared and running into the wedding? I just want to help, please don't get scared. And if it helps we can go to the office and look at the cameras outside," I say almost begging her to talk to me, to not leave me yet.

  "Well... I...I was leaving work. I was being followed so I ran. I happened to see someone come out of this building and I snuck in before he could catch me," she says while nervously looking at me. I don't think she realizes it, but while telling me she stepped closer to me, gripping my arms tight.

  “WHAT?” I growl out. Shit! Now she looks scared again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you scared, it just upsets me that someone would try to harm my ma- I mean you,” I say hoping she doesn’t pick up on my almost slip of the word mate. She has no idea about shifters or anything else paranormal. She’s already scared and been through enough I don’t need to add to it.

  I don't wait for her to reply. I lace our fingers together and lead her toward the back room where we have set up our surveillance control room. I feel her tugging on my hand and turn around to look at her to see what's wrong.

  “Monroe, where are you taking me?” she asks nervously

  “To my office, so we can check the cameras. I promise you’re perfectly safe with me,” I say while giving her hand a small squeeze and continue on walking when she gives me a small nod. We walk in the office, where a few of my men are watching the camera screens. Mike is tapping away on the computer. He looks up and I can tell from the look on his face that I’m not going to like it. I feel Penelope tense up beside me, she starts to move behind me.

  “Penelope, these are my men. That one right there on the computer is Mike and he’s going to help us figure out who is chasing you.” I let her know with a small smile, trying to show her we are not the bad guys.

  “Hi Penny, it’s great to meet you,” he says, both smiling and waving. I let out a growl to let him know not to flirt with my mate. Not that he would but I don’t like anyone looking at her. Penelope looks around the room probably wondering where the growl came from.

  "Your men?" She asks me. “uh... hi, Mike nice to meet you too," she says to Mike.

  "Yes, my men. I own Knightly security. So you came to the right place," I tell her as I give her hand another squeeze. I lead her over to a chair next to Mike and can't help but lean in a little bit to smell her hair. She smells like daisies. I see Mike smirking out of the corner of my eye and I flip him off and kiss the top of Penelope's head before watching the video Mike has pulled up. The scent of fear hits my nose and I notice it's Penelope. Watching this video of her is scaring her all over again. I ask her questions to figure out where she was coming from and where she was going, to see how she ended up here. When she told me that the person knew she was going the wrong way, my bear about took control and came out.

  Mike is trying to dig and find any information he can on this guy. But unfortunately, the guy was smart and kept his head down anytime a camera was there. He even knew the places the cameras were located at when she made the wrong turn. This guy knew what he was doing and planned it perfectly. But Mike is good at getting information and finding things. That's why he's my computer guy.

  "Ok boss, Penny, there is no easy way to say this so I'm just going to say it," he says as he looks at us. I nod letting him know to keep talking and Penelope does the same. I reach over and grab her hand, unable to keep myself from touching her. "Since I couldn't get his face on any of the cameras, I did some digging… Man, I'm going to be honest. It's not good. There are multiple cold cases all over town where a woman says she was being followed and he laughed at her, taunted her that she was going the wrong way." He pauses, taking a breath then shaking his head before finishing. "It seems no one believed them since there was never anything picked up on cameras. Then a few days later the women are found dead in the alley she was tricked into taking." Mike finishes informing us. My bear is growling and I notice Penelope is shaking.

  “Penelope, It is going to be ok. I promise nothing is going to happen to you,” I tell her looking deep into her beautiful blue eyes so she can see how serious I am.

  "Ok," she whispers to me. It's too much. I can't stand it another minute I have to feel my mate on me. I lean forward and press my lips to hers. Her lips are soft and warm just like I knew they would be. My bear huffs in contentment. I pull back before I take things too far in front of everyone.

  Plus I need to come up with a plan to keep my mate safe.

  3

  Penelope

  Wow, I didn’t know that a simple kiss like that could make me feel so safe and turned on. After hearing Mike tell us everything he found out, I should be scared out of my mind running for my life. But for some strange reason here I am daydreaming, what Monroe would feel like above me with his mouth all over my body, the scruff of his beard rubbing against my skin. Which is crazy to have these thoughts since I’m a virgin for crying out loud! Monroe turns around giving me a look like he knows exactly what I’m thinking. I’m mortified that I’m sitting here thinking lustful thoughts when I should be wondering why I danced with this
man, then told him everything while following him into his office. There’s something about him that makes me feel safe and there’s this strong pull to him that I’ve never in my felt. I shake all my thoughts away, focusing on Monroe and the guys talking while coming up with a plan.

  "You can't let her walk out of here. She needs a disguise, otherwise, he will know where to find her. This guy is good so we need to outsmart him" Mike says.

  “I know. I just don't know what yet.” Monroe says while running his hand through his hair.

  "I do." says a voice I haven't heard yet. I look behind me to the open door to a beautiful older woman standing there with a smile on her face. I'm instantly jealous that this woman works with Monroe. Maybe even more. Oh god, what if she's his… his wife!! I'm starting to shake again and Monroe yet again seems to be in tune with me and notices it.

  “Ma, You can’t sneak up on people! You scared her. How did you even know what is going on?” Monroe asks as he rubs my back in a gesture to soothe me. I let out a huge sigh, relieved to know this woman is his Mom. I don’t understand why I was jealous of her, it made my heart feel like it was breaking because I thought he had a wife. I’ve never felt this way before.

  "She's fine, son," she says. Looking at me like she knew I was jealous then winks at me. "About what I was saying that I know how to disguise her. Bailey is changing out of her wedding dress because she wants to be comfortable for her trip. She can wear Bailey's dress. More than likely he doesn't know what the bride and groom look like so you guys can pretend to be them!" She says with a clap of her hands like it was a perfect idea.