by Neva Bell
Frank pulls on my arm and gives me a warning look. His eyes are saying, “Don’t be stupid.”
“I want to give them my regards,” I explain.
Frank isn’t happy, but he relents. He doesn’t want to cause a scene. I walk toward my parents and wait patiently in the line. Frank follows close behind me, ready to snatch me up if I do something stupid.
When I reach my parents, I kneel down in front of them. It kills me that I can’t wrap them in my arms and tell them how much I love them. I search their eyes, hoping to see some recognition on their part. Frank nudges my shoe.
I glare at him for a moment, then turn back to my parents. “I’m so sorry for your loss,” I choke out.
My mom leans down to give me a hug and softly whispers, “I want you to kill some wolves for me.”
I almost fall over. She knows who I am.
I gather myself. “I will,” I whisper back.
My dad leans down next. “We love you. Be careful.”
I am stunned. Dad knew it was me too.
I want to hold on to them forever, but I need to keep moving. I stand and place my hand on the coffin. Some of the attendees have taken a pink rose off the casket. I take one for myself and quietly say, “Good-bye Chelsea.”
Frank takes my hand. We stand solemnly beside the casket a moment longer before I say, “I’m ready to go.”
Back in the car, I sit quietly until we are out of the cemetery.
When we hit the main road, I break the news to Frank. “My parents knew it was me.”
Frank gapes. “They did?”
“Yes. I don’t know how, but they did.”
“What did they say?”
I smile. “My mom told me to kill some wolves for her.”
“No shit.”
“Yeah. And my dad told me he loves me and to be careful.”
Frank loosens his tie. “Do you think anyone else recognized us?”
“I don’t think so.” I stop twirling the pink rose in my fingers and smell it. “I have to be strong now Frank.”
“You are strong,” he responds.
“No, really. I have a lot to take care of. A lot of people depend on me.”
“There’s a lot of people who will help you too.”
I smile. “I know.”
Frank pulls into McDonald’s and gets in the drive-thru line. “Want anything?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“Whether the food I eat will go against my own body fat percentage or my glamour’s body fat percentage.”
Frank considers this. “Good question. I’m thinking this body, not our own.”
“Well then, I want a cheeseburger, french fries and a chocolate shake.”
Frank laughs. “Going all out, huh?”
“Oh, and an apple pie,” I add. A girl needs to take advantage of situations like this.
Twenty minutes later, I’ve finished off all the junk food I ordered. Frank crumples the wrapper of his fish sandwich and tosses it into the McDonald’s bag.
“You ready to talk about the plan?” he asks.
As much as I want to hear all about this covert plan, there’s something I have to do first.
“In a minute. Can I see your phone?”
“My phone? Why?”
“I need to call Elliott.”
Frank frowns. “Now? I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Yes, now.”
Frank pulls his cellphone out of his back pocket and reluctantly hands it to me. I find Elliott’s number and hit the “dial” button.
He answers on the second ring. “Frank? Frank? Is she okay?”
“It’s me Elliott.”
“Who is this?” Elliott asks.
“It’s me. Chloe.”
Has he forgotten the sound of my voice already?
“I know what Chloe sounds like. And you do not sound like Chloe.”
Understanding finally pings in my mind. The glamour. I don’t sound like myself.
“Elliott, it’s hard to explain, but I swear it’s me.”
“Oh yeah? Tell me then, what song did I hum while giving Chloe her tattoo?”
I laugh. “Love Yourself.”
Elliott sighs with relief. “Oh my God. I’ve been so worried about you.”
“I’m okay.”
“I have to see you. I need to see for myself that you’re okay.”
A sad smile crosses my lips. “That’s so sweet of you.”
“You’re my girl! I have to see you. When can I come?”
“You can’t.”
“What?”
I take a deep breath. “You can’t come see me.”
There’s a pause. “Okay…so I can’t come see you right now. Maybe in a week or so when everything has calmed down.”
“That’s just it. It may never calm down.”
“Chloe, come on. Stop this. I need to see you.” He’s starting to sound desperate.
“Elliott, you need to forget about me.”
“Forget about you? Are you crazy?”
I close my eyes. “I’m not crazy. I’m serious.”
“Jesus Chloe. Are you breaking up with me?”
“I guess so.”
“You guess so? You guess so?”
“I have to go.”
“I know what you’re doing.”
I look out the car window, trying to avoid Frank’s concerned old-man face. “If you know what I’m doing, then don’t make it harder for me.”
“You think you have to keep me safe. To protect me. You don’t.”
I sigh. “The thing is, I do. I do have to protect you. I can’t let anything else happen to the people I care about.”
“Let me come to you then. Let me be by your side,” he pleads.
“You can’t. You’re a Reader. You have a responsibility to our people.”
“Screw everyone else,” Elliott snaps. Then softer he says, “I want to be with you.”
“I want to be with you too,” I admit, “but we can’t. So please, move on. Live your life. Don’t get caught up in this mess.”
“Chloe, please,” he begs.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I can’t let my resolve crumble. “Don’t call me again. I won’t take your calls. And don’t try to come see me.”
“Well this is just great!” he yells into the phone.
“I need to go. I can’t have any more distractions.”
“A distraction? I’m a distraction?”
I can’t keep talking to him or I’ll give in. “Be safe. I love you.”
I hang up the phone and give it back to Frank. I put my head against the window and start ugly crying. I don’t care that Frank is here to see me break down. I have to let it all out.
Frank’s phone rings immediately, but he silences it. “You did the right thing,” he says after I’ve calmed down.
“Whatever.” I lean the seat back and close my eyes.
I don’t need Frank to patronize me right now. I may have done the right thing, but what was left of my heart has shattered.
---
“Chloe…Chloe...wake up.”
I blink my eyes several times. Once they adjust, I realize we’re back in the parking garage.
I rub my stiff neck and stretch my arms. “Man, I must have been out a while.”
Frank nods, a frown on his new face.
“What’s your problem?” I ask.
“We have to talk about the plan.”
“Right now? Can’t we go inside first?”
Frank grips the steering wheel. “The thing is, the plan is inside.”
“What do you mean the plan is inside? Is it written down or something?”
“The plan is a person. People, actually.”
“People? Who?”
Frank squeezes his eyes shut and pinches his nose. “Man, you’re going to hate this.”
I sit straight up. “What have you done?”
He sighs. “It wasn’t my idea.
”
“Tell me,” I insist. “Who is inside the building?”
“The leader of the werewolves.” Frank cringes, knowing I’m about to explode.
“What?!”
“They got here this morning.”
“There are werewolves in our building! Is that what you’re telling me right now?!” My voice booms in the car.
Frank winces. “Yes.”
“We’re trying to kill those assholes and you’ve let them in the building?!”
“Calm down Chloe. Please, I can explain.”
“You have two minutes to convince me I should stay or I swear to God I’m walking out of this garage by myself.”
Frank launches into his explanation. “Willa has been allies with the leader of the wolves for years, like twenty years. He’s been here before, and she visited his home two years ago. He agreed to help us track down the leader of the rogue group. He knows who the leader is and has a way to find him.”
“He’s a werewolf Frank! We can’t trust anything he says. He could be making all of this up and then kill me in my sleep tonight.”
“He won’t.”
“How do you know?”
Frank grimaces. “I read him.”
“You read him?” I ask incredulously. “When?”
“This morning.”
“This morning?! He was in the building with me this morning and you didn’t tell me?!”
That’s it. I’m out.
I open the car door and sprint toward the garage’s exit. Frank swings his door open and chases after me. The damn heels I have on are slowing me down. Frank grabs me by the arms, but I zap him with a power surge. Frank lets go and I start running for the exit again.
“Chloe! Stop!” he yells from behind me.
“Screw you Frank! I thought we were tighter than this.”
He catches up and stands in front of me. “Hear me out. Please.”
I step to the right to get past him, but he anticipates my move and jumps right too. When I try to go left, he pulls me in tight for one of his signature bear hugs. Other members of the Guard stand around us, waiting to see what will happen.
“I didn’t tell you this morning because I wanted to deal with the funeral first. Get that out of the way, and then worry about this.”
I stop struggling. My only other option is to hurt Frank, and I don’t want to. Even if I am mad as hell. Frank drops his arms and I step away.
Glaring at him, I ask, “You read him?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t let Willa drop the wards on the block until I did.”
I’m temporarily side tracked. “Willa has wards around the entire block?”
“Yes. A wolf can’t get within a half mile of this place.”
Good to know.
“What did you see when you read him?”
“He wants to help us. I would know if he is lying.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“How can you be sure you can read werewolves?”
“Well, I wasn’t at first,” he hesitates, “but then I read one of them to be a liar.”
My eyes narrow. “Explain yourself.”
“Ivan, the pack leader, brought a traitor with him. One of the rogue wolves.”
“What? Where is this rogue wolf now?”
Frank looks down at his feet. “In quarantine.”
I explode. “You’ve gone mad! You let a rogue wolf in the building? And left him in our quarantine? You can’t honestly expect me to go back in there.”
“Just listen. I asked Ivan to bring the rogue wolf so I could be one hundred percent sure I can read wolves. He didn’t tell me who it was. If I wasn’t able to pick out the rogue wolf, I wasn’t letting any of them in the building. But I was able to read the bad wolf. Which is how I know Ivan is telling the truth.”
Frank always thinks of everything, but I’m pissed. I’ve been left in the dark and I hate it.
“How many are here?” I ask after a moment.
“Including the guy in quarantine? Four.”
“Who are the other three?”
Frank relaxes. “Ivan and his two grandchildren.”
“Who’s the guy in quarantine?”
Frank shakes his head. “I don’t know his name. All I know is he tried stealing documents from Ivan’s office. When I read his skin, I saw he was lying about wanting to help us.”
I stand in the garage, fuming. I’m not sure what to do at this point. I don’t want to go inside the building, but I can’t exactly walk out into the city by myself either.
“I don’t like being painted into a corner Frank.”
He puts his hands on my shoulders. “It won’t happen again.”
“Promise me.”
He looks me square in the eyes. “I promise you.”
I turn around and head toward the secret access to our garage. “Let’s go meet some wolves.”
Chapter Ten
When we step inside the elevator, a Guard member informs us Willa and her “guests” are in Conference Room 4. I don’t even try to smile when Frank opens the door to the conference room.
The first person I see when I walk in is Willa. She is sitting at the head of a long conference room table. She stands when we walk in. “Ah, they’re here.”
Everyone in the room follows Willa’s lead and stands.
I scan the room and assess the situation. The conference room is like any other boring conference room. The walls are painted a pale tan and a rectangular oak table sits in the center of the room. The table is surrounded by twelve black leather chairs – five on each side and one on each end.
Standing behind Willa are two Guard members in their typical uniform of khakis and polo shirts. They are standing tall and watching everyone in the room attentively.
The Guard member to Willa’s right is a mountain of a man. Jessica told me Willa’s personal security guard is a beast, but that was not an accurate enough description. The man looks like Bane.
I shift my attention to the group on Willa’s left. Immediately beside her is an older gentleman with long, salt and pepper hair that sits below his shoulders. His well-trimmed goatee matches his hair. He is wearing a black suit and leans on an ebony cane with a silver wolf’s head on top. His eyes are a brilliant green, bright as a gemstone.
I instantly hate him.
Next to him is a young woman who looks to be my age. She is tall and thin with long, brown hair that reaches the middle of her back. She’s in a maroon sweater dress over black tights and knee high black leather boots. Her eyes are the same brilliant green as her grandfather’s.
I hate her too.
And finally, on the end is a tall, attractive man. His hair is shaved close to the skin, but I can tell it would be the same brown shade as his sister’s if he let it grow out. He is wearing a grey-knit shirt, its sleeves pulled up to his forearms. A black and chrome watch with a huge sapphire face hangs on one of his wrists. His shirt is tucked into his jeans, which hit his black boots at just the right spot. Like the others, his green eyes shine a dazzling emerald.
He is Calvin Klein meets badass. I hate him the most.
Badass Calvin Klein appears skeptical. “This is Chloe?”
“Yes,” Willa answers simply, then realizes the source of confusion. “Oh my goodness. Hold on a second.”
The tingling sensation I felt earlier today creeps across my skin. When I look down, I’m in my Rihanna t-shirt, cutoff shorts and Chuck Taylors. My blonde hair in a messy bun. Had I known we were going to have company, I might have dressed a little better.
I turn to Frank. I smile when I see he’s my bodyguard again. “It’s good to have you back.”
He returns my grin. “I was beginning to worry we’d be stuck like that forever.”
I put my mean face on before re-focusing my attention on the wolves. The young woman’s face is frozen in shock, her mouth open and her eyes wide. Ivan is smirking, while Calvin looks unimpressed.
“There! Much bett
er!” Willa exclaims. She waves us over.
When I reach her, she puts her arm around my shoulders. She points to each of the wolves in turn. “Chloe, this is my dear friend Ivan, his granddaughter Whitney and his grandson James. Everyone, this is Chloe and her security guard Frank.”
We all stand staring at each other.
Ivan extends his hand to me, but Frank takes a step forward, his jaw set tight. Seeing that I do not intend to return his handshake, Ivan drops his hand to his side.
Ivan exchanges a glance with Willa, then tries again. He smiles awkwardly and says, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Chloe.”
Before I can say the pleasure is all his, Whitney pipes up. “Can we see your tattoo?” she asks in a giddy voice.
Is she serious?
“No you may not,” I say through gritted teeth.
Whitney mumbles, “Oh, sorry.” She shrinks even more when she sees the angry look on her brother’s face.
Willa clears her throat. “Let’s sit, shall we?”
We all sit, except for Frank. He stands behind my chair and keeps a protective stance.
“Chloe, I understand your hesitation,” Ivan says.
I tilt my head to the side. “I doubt it. You can’t possibly understand how I feel about you. If you did, you wouldn’t be here.”
He frowns. “We were very sorry to hear about your sister. If I could turn back time and change it, I would.”
“Why are you here?” I ask, trying to remain unmoved by what seems to be genuine sympathy.
“We’re here to offer our assistance. We want the rogue wolves eliminated as badly as you do.”
“Again, I doubt it. Seems to me if you had controlled your people properly, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
James pounds his fist on the table. “How dare you! You don’t know anything about it little girl.”
Did he just call me little girl?
Ivan scolds his grandson. “James! Hush.”
James keeps going. “You have no idea what you’re up against. You should be begging us to help you. Someone of your abilities and immaturity cannot handle this on your own.”
My chair leans back ever so slightly as Frank strengthens his grip on the top of it.
I’ve had enough of these wolves. “What do you know of my abilities and maturity level?”
“I know enough,” James huffs.
Oh really?
“I like your watch,” I say calmly.