by Jodi Vaughn
I pulled out of my driveway and headed out of the subdivision. I had made sure to drink a couple of glasses of blood before leaving so I would be alert and on top of my game at the meeting.
It was the first time in a long while that I felt incredibly alone in the world. I had been orphaned at a young age and spent the majority of my life in foster care. I didn’t share that with a whole lot of people, and other than Miles, the only other person who knew was Nikki.
And they had both betrayed me.
I drove through downtown without turning the radio on. Charming, Mississippi was just that. A charming, little town with big-city appeal. The crime rate was near zero—except for my murderous neighbor, Cal—the schools were some of the best in the nation, the hospital was top-notch, and the town was close to Ole Miss University.
It was one of the reasons we had settled here.
I pulled up to Harold Lang’s law office and spotted Miles’ Tesla. I intentionally parked as far away as I could before sliding out of the car.
The sun was down, and the cool air hit my skin. I loved this time of day, when I was far from the reach of the sun and before the night had completely engulfed everything in darkness.
I slung my purse over my shoulder and walked across the parking lot with my head held high.
The front door of the office opened, and Mr. Dover was standing there in a suit with a yellow bowtie. He smiled.
“Hello, Mrs. Jones. So good to see you again.” He stepped out of the way and allowed me to enter.
“Thank you. I hope you haven’t been waiting long.” I glanced at my watch and frowned. I was twenty minutes early.
“Oh, no. Just got here myself.” He smiled and headed down a hallway. “Mr. Lang said you and I could meet in here and talk.” He stepped inside a room with a wall full of law books, a large table, and four chairs.
I nodded and eased into one of the chairs. “I hope you got my email.” I pulled the papers out of my purse. “I printed off another copy just in case.”
He pulled an old leather briefcase from the floor and sat it on the table. He unlocked it, flipped the latches, and opened the top. He pulled out a folder and set it down.
“No need. I printed off the attachment you filled out. Thank you for getting them back to me so quickly.” He didn’t look up from shuffling the papers on the desk. “I see you were very thorough in listing your assets. That’s good.” He frowned.
“What is it?” I sat forward and looked at him.
“Nothing. I’m just surprised that that’s all the money you have in the bank account.”
“Twenty thousand dollars in a checking account is pretty good.” I sat back and crossed my arms, feeling a little offended.
“And you have a hundred thousand in a savings account.” He shoved his glasses up on his nose and studied the paperwork in front of him.
“Yes. Ever since Miles started working, we made a conscious effort to invest in our retirement. Plus, it helps with the tax write-off.”
“I see, I see.”
I thought we had been doing pretty well. I knew a lot of people our age who hadn’t even decided to think about retirement and others who were living well beyond their means. Money was important to me. It meant security and safety.
“What about custody?” Mr. Dover looked up at me.
“We should share custody. It’s only fair. The girls need their father in their lives.” I might not like it, but I was doing what was best for the girls.
“I see, I see.”
A knock at the door had me turning in my seat. Harold poked his head in and smiled politely.
“The mediator is here. Are you ready to begin?”
“I am.” I stood and followed Harold to a different room. I sat down at a long table and waited.
I braced myself as Miles sat on the opposite side of the table. I got a little dizzy, and the oxygen seemed to be sucked out of the room.
I clasped my hands in my lap.
The door opened, and a tall, pretty blonde with short hair came bustling in. “Hello, everyone. I’m Erin Flag. I’m the mediator for both parties tonight.” She gave me a friendly smile before looking at Miles. “Have your attorneys advised you about what it is I do?”
“A little,” I said and looked over at Miles.
Erin sat down and opened a briefcase in front of her. “Basically, I am here to help you both reach a settlement that will be acceptable to both parties. If there is something that one of you doesn’t agree with, I’m here to help negotiate so that each party gets what is fair and just.”
I breathed out a relieved sigh. I was okay with that. All I wanted was what was fair and just.
“Mrs. Jones, thank you for coming here tonight. I know your schedule is tight with two little girls. I’m glad this time could work for everyone,” Erin said pleasantly.
“And thank you for freeing up your evening, Dr. Jones.” She looked at Miles.
“Yes, well, I know that Miles had office hours all day, so this worked for both of us.” I didn’t return the smile.
“Let’s talk about the big items first.” Erin pulled out some papers. I frowned when I noticed that her stack was a whole lot thicker than what I had given to Mr. Dover.
“Let’s talk about the house. Right now, Mrs. Jones is living in the house with her two daughters. We can have an appraiser go out and estimate the value versus what’s left on the loan.” Erin made a note on a piece of paper.
“What does it matter what it appraises for? I want to keep the girls in our home without upsetting their lives,” I said a little too quickly.
“Yes, well, we still need to know the value of the property.” She smiled.
“I have to get the girls’ Easter dresses next week, and they also have soccer practice. So, the appraiser will have to work around my schedule.” Plus, I didn’t want him showing up while I was sleeping. It was hard enough to rouse me at two thirty in the afternoon to go and get the girls. And impossible to wake me any time before noon.
“We can arrange that.” Erin nodded and jotted down a note on the stack of papers.
“Custody. I want to talk about custody,” I said and looked at Miles. I hated to admit it, but he looked good. He didn’t look like he’d lost any sleep over the fact that he’d ruined our marriage and tore our family apart. Regret and remorse weren’t written all over his face like I had expected.
How had I married someone I never really knew?
“I see that you want to share custody,” Erin said, looking down at the papers.
“Yes. I don’t want to keep the girls from their father. It’s important that we co-parent and not upset their lives any more.”
“That is very wise,” Erin nodded. “Dr. Jones? Do you agree?”
Miles looked at me with concern in his eyes. “I know that you are going through a difficult time right now. And it has come to my attention that you are exhibiting some erratic behavior.”
“Erratic behavior?” I frowned. “What are you talking about?” I tried to rack my brain to see if someone had caught me sipping blood.”
“I was told that you were passed out in the car after the girls’ soccer practice.” Miles leaned forward. “I know you like to have a glass of wine at night, but I’ve never seen you drink during the day.”
“What?” I stood up from my chair. “I was absolutely not drunk! And I want to know who said that?” Anger boiled in my veins like lava in a volcano.
Erin’s eyes widened. “Mrs. Jones, I’m sure that Dr. Jones didn’t mean…”
“Veronica said she saw you passed out in the car,” Miles said slowly.
“She’s a fucking liar. I had a migraine and was resting my head on the steering wheel.” I narrowed my eyes. “Did she also tell you that I got out of the car and tended to Gabby’s knee?”
“What was wrong with Gabby’s knee?” Miles’ eyes widened.
“She skinned it during soccer practice. It was bleeding.” I curled my fingers into tight fists in
outrage. “Well, did she say that? If I was passed out, how the hell would I have been able to take care of Gabby?”
Miles looked away, not saying anything.
“Mrs. Jones, I’m sure it was all a misunderstanding.” Erin patted my arm reassuringly. She motioned for me to sit.
Reluctantly, I eased back into the chair. “It blows my mind that you would believe Veronica over me.”
“Rachel, I didn’t say that.” Miles looked down at his hands. “It’s just that I’m not at the house anymore, so I don’t know what’s going on.”
“Well, whose fault is that?” I arched my eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest.
“Why don’t we all just settle down.” Erin’s voice was calm and low. “The objective of this is to get all our requests out in the open. If we can mediate, then it will go quicker and smoother without the drama of bringing everything to court.”
Miles’ phone rang, and he picked it up. I sent him a glare.
“I’m sorry. I have to take this.” He stood and headed out of the room.
Within seconds, Harold Lang came into the room and whispered in Erin’s ear and then left.
“It seems that Miles has some kind of emergency and has to return to the hospital. Rachel, why doesn’t Mr. Dover go over Miles’ requests with you sometime next week. Then we can set up another meeting. How does that sound?” Erin asked.
* * *
“Fine.” I stood, gathered my purse, and headed for the door. Miles was standing outside talking animatedly to someone on the other end of the line. He didn’t look exactly pleased.
At least that roused some joy within me.
“I’ll be in contact, Mrs. Jones.” Mr. Dover held the door for me. “And if you need anything, please call.”
“Thank you. I will.” I marched past Miles, whose gaze wandered to me before he glanced away.
Maybe he was regretting what he’d done. Perhaps he wasn’t.
He wasn’t going to be my husband for very much longer, and it wasn’t my problem anymore.
After I had left Harold’s office, I drove towards the outskirts of town. Since I had the babysitter for a little while longer, I decided to head out to the country to see if I could check on the baby coyotes.
I turned off the dirt road and parked. I opened the window and inhaled deeply. It was the place where we had dropped off the babies.
I felt guilty that I had not been back to check up on them. I wasn’t totally sold on the idea of letting wolves around baby coyotes. What if they decided that they needed a midnight snack?
I opened the door and climbed out, then looked down at my shoes and sighed. Once again, I had forgotten to wear the appropriate footwear.
I leaned against my Volvo and tugged off my shoes. The ground wasn’t wet, but I didn’t want to risk ruining another pair of my shoes.
I hooked my fingers through my heels. Khalan had said to bring a gift for the coyotes. I frowned and opened my car door. What did one bring wild animals?
I looked through the backseat, hoping one of the girls had left a snack. No such luck. I dug through the console of my car and finally found some lollipops from the bank. I grabbed the candy and made my way towards the woods.
The moon was full and bright as it lit my way. I heard the familiar mewling of the baby coyotes and stopped. I looked around. A large, bare-chested man was bending over the two little babies.
“Get away from them, you asshole.” I raced towards him.
He jerked upright, eyes widened in surprise as I barreled towards him.
He growled and got to his feet, but I wasn’t scared. I remembered how those hunters had killed the mother. I wasn’t about to let that happen to the babies.
I slung my shoes at him. One hit him in the chest, the other bounced off his face.
“What the hell are you doing?” He rubbed his forehead and scowled at me.
I got between him and the babies. “I’m saving them from being killed by another hunter.” I looked down his muscular body and realized that he was completely nude. “What the hell are you doing naked? Were you planning to do something perverted to these coyotes?” My voice trembled, and fear replaced my anger. I trained my eyes to his forehead and refused to look down his body.
His expression changed and relaxed. He lifted his head in the air and sniffed. A slow smile crossed his face.
“You’re not human.” He grinned. He walked over to a tree and snagged his jeans off a branch. He then tugged them up to his lean waist and turned back to me.
“What do you mean?” I swallowed hard.
“I mean, you’re like me. Not human.” He didn’t bother putting his shirt back on. He cocked his head and studied me.
“So, you must be a…”
“Werewolf. But you are something different. Not a wolf. Not human.” He walked slowly towards me.
“Don’t worry about what I am, buddy.” I glared then looked down at the coyotes. “What were you doing to those babies?”
“I was trying to get them to drink some milk. The female is on a hunting trip, and I got assigned to feed the little runts.” He stopped a few feet from me. Even at that distance, I could feel the heat radiating off his body like the sun.
He had blond hair, blue eyes, and a body made for sin. One more thing he had in his favor was that he wasn’t human.
I looked at the ground at the plastic bowl of milk and then back at him. “I brought something that might help.” I walked over to where I’d dropped the lollipops and picked them up. I took the plastic off one and dipped it in the milk then held it out to one of the pups. He immediately started sucking on it as he whined.
“That’s a good idea.” The man nodded.
I stood. “I brought five. Those should help.” I bent and gathered up one of my shoes. When I stood, I met his gaze. “Sorry for hitting you with my shoes.”
He grinned and retrieved the other one. He stepped closer and held it out. I took it, and he bent his head to my neck.
I was so shocked, I couldn’t move. He inhaled deeply and sniffed my hair. He let out a low growl, which made my stomach warm. I swallowed and stepped away.
I took my shoe and started to turn to leave.
He grabbed my wrist. “Wait. You didn’t tell me your name.”
“Rachel. My name is Rachel.”
He grinned. “Rachel, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a female as beautiful as you.”
My heart beat furiously in my chest. The werewolf was flirting with me. I cleared my throat. “You didn’t tell me your name.
“Jack. My name is Jack.” He held out his palm. I shook it. He bent and pressed his lips to the back of my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rachel.”
He looked into my eyes. Excitement and forbidden pleasure tugged low in my stomach.
I pulled my hand away and felt my face heat. “Yes, well. I need to get going.”
“Too bad. I would love to have some company tonight, Rachel.” He cocked his head. “Another night, maybe?”
“Maybe.” I grinned and ducked my head. I turned and headed back to my car, feeling his eyes on my butt as I walked away.
Chapter 22
It was Saturday morning, and I hadn’t gone to sleep. The soccer game was canceled due to rain, so it was the perfect time to go shopping for Easter dresses.
I managed to get Gabby out of bed on time, but Arianna was running late.
“Go brush your teeth, Gabby, while Arianna finishes her breakfast. I want to get to the store when they open, so we don’t have to be there all day.”
“Okay, Mommy.” Gabby slid off her chair and put her plate in the sink.
“Are you feeling okay? You always liked shopping before.” Arianna eyed me over her milk.
“I’m fine.” I smiled. “I’ve just got a lot going on, that’s why I’m trying to get back to the house.”
“So, how was the meeting with Dad last night?” Arianna chewed her eggs slowly.
“It went well. Nothing
for you to worry about.”
“Isn’t there?” She set her fork down.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I turned from the sink and looked at her.
“Elizabeth Grace says that Dad is going to make us sell the house and move so he can have more money for him and Nikki to buy a bigger house and start a brand new family.”
If I had the supernatural ability to burst into flames, I would have done it on the spot.
“I wouldn’t listen to Elizabeth Grace. She likes to feed off the misery of other people. That kid is like her mother. A sociopath.”
“So it’s not true? We’re not moving?” Arianna stared at me.
“No. We are not. And stay away from Elizabeth Grace. She’s evil.”
Arianna sighed heavily. “If it were only that easy.”
“What do you mean? What’s going on at school?” I kept my voice calm and poured myself some coffee that I knew I wouldn’t drink. But I did it anyway to try and coax Arianna to talk to me.
“I stay away from her. I don’t sit with our group of friends at lunch. I don’t sit anywhere near her in class. And I even ignore her when we have PE. But she is always coming up to me, taunting me, and saying things about you and Daddy in front of everyone.”
My gut clenched, and my heart ached for my daughter. “What do you say?”
“I don’t say anything. I just stand there and take it.” She seemed to wilt in front of me. My beautiful, sweet, perfect daughter.
Protectiveness that only a mother could understand washed over me like a tsunami. I walked over to her and held her face between my hands.
“I don’t want you to worry about Elizabeth Grace. I have a feeling she won’t be bothering you much longer.”
Arianna’s eyes widened. “You’re not going to speak to Veronica, are you? That will just make it worse.” Her chest heaved, and she scrambled off the bar stool. “Please, Mom, please. You can’t say anything to her mom.”
I nodded and swallowed back the pain in my chest. “Okay, sweetie. I won’t say anything to Veronica. I promise.”