way out, he would be taking it right now. But he didn’t, and Ox watched as he slowly made his way out from under the bed.
Ox followed him, shifting back into his human form and grabbing his clothes as soon as he was out from under there. He put his clothes against his groin as he sat on the floor, not willing to waste time to dress, and crossed his legs. He pointed at the rabbit. “You better shift.”
“I agree,” Win said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Ox hadn’t realized so many people had arrived. It was as if all the assassins and their mates were in the bedroom, and Lawrence looked like he might be about to kill someone—possibly the rabbit shifter.
Ox could understand that. With so many people living in the warehouse, the bedrooms were the only private spaces they had. This was the sanctuary Lawrence and his mate shared, and they didn’t deserve to have everyone in there. But the alternative would be grabbing the rabbit and dragging him out, and that would give him a chance to escape. As it was, both the door and windows were blocked, so he had nowhere to go. He could stay in his rabbit form, but sooner or later, he would have to shift.
And he did.
The rabbit turned into a man, and to Ox’s surprise, a few of the assassins groaned. Roark took a step forward and faced the rabbit. “Really?” he asked. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
The rabbit shifter wrapped his arms around himself. He was naked, but he didn’t seem to care.
He looked worse for wear. He was thin, probably too thin, since Ox could count his ribs from where he was. His skin was streaked with dirt, and his hair was all over the place as if he hadn’t washed it in a while. If Ox had to guess, he thought the rabbit had either been living in his rabbit form or on the streets as a human.
The rabbit shifter looked at the floor, making it obvious he didn’t want to speak.
Roark rolled his eyes. “For those who don’t know him, this is Julian. You might remember him from that time when a few of us went away for a winter vacation, and he made sure we couldn’t leave the house by cutting our tires. Armand caught him and tied him up like a sausage. Or you might have seen him at the Halloween party we threw at the shelter. He was the one who sabotaged the oven.”
Win nodded curtly. “The rival assassin.”
“Yes, him. He was angry at me for killing one of his marks,” Roark told the rest of the room, “But that doesn’t explain why he’s here.” Roark turned toward Julian again. “I’d appreciate an explanation.”
Julian rubbed the back of his neck. He still wasn’t looking at anyone, and Ox couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He had no idea what Roark had been talking about. He didn’t know what kind of history Julian had with the assassins, but that didn’t change the fact that he looked like he could use a good meal and a bed.
“I need help,” Julian finally said.
“You’re going to have to be more specific,” Roark told him.
“Someone is after me. They’re hunting me, and I have no other place to go. They found my house.” He paused. “My houses. My apartments. They’ve been following me for weeks, and I don’t know what to do anymore.” He finally looked at Roark. “I don’t want to die. I know we haven’t always been on the same side, but I need help, and I’d be grateful if you didn’t kick me out to fend for myself. Please.”
Ox wasn’t happy to find out he was right, but he hoped Roark and the assassins would give Julian the help he needed. He might not know the back story between them, but it was obvious to him and to everyone else that Julian needed help. The assassins were good people, even though they were professional killers. As long as Julian hadn’t done anything to hurt any of them, they would help him.
Probably.
Chapter Five
Julian wasn’t quite sure what to make of the situation. It was what he’d hoped for when he decided to come to Roark and the other assassins, but he’d expected them to kick his ass or stick him in a cell.
Instead, he was lying at the edge of the pool, sunning himself and listening to the people around him having fun.
He