Wild Keepers

by Dee Bridgnorth

  Yes, Julia had proved useful in many diverse ways. But he doubted that she would get any significant information out of Sienna tonight. Sienna didn’t trust her at all, and he hardly blamed her. Still, Jack was used to using any means at his disposal to get what he wanted. He always cast a wide net.

  He drummed his fingers on the arm rest, thinking. It was possible that Sienna hadn’t heard anything about what had happened between him and the hooker Lola that night. But he had to try to find out, just in case.

  He could use more traditional means of extracting information, of course. But he didn’t want to resort to that yet with Sienna. Much better if he could get her to talk without hurting her. He had found that if he was too rough with her she retreated into her shell, and it affected her visions.

  He had been working her hard in the week since she had returned, consulting her almost every day. After a bumpy start, she seemed to accept it; she was more accommodating with him now than before she had run away. Maybe it had been good for her, thought Jack. Almost like a little vacation. There was nothing like a break from the everyday to revitalise a person.

  Or perhaps she had realised that there was nothing out there for her but living in the gutters, anyway. Maybe she had finally realised that the life he offered her was good.

  Perhaps he had broken her, once and for all. He smiled. The thought pleased him.

  His cell phone started buzzing. He stared at the screen then pressed answer.

  “Well?” He stared out the window at some party goers weaving through the traffic.

  “I’ve talked to her,” said Julia, on the other end. “I don’t think she knows anything about Lola.”

  Jack frowned. “What did she say?”

  “She asked how she was,” Julia replied. “Asked me to pass on her love. She seemed to think that she was back at the house, as normal.”

  Jack smiled slowly. “Good. If she is telling the truth, of course. It could be a ruse. She might have been trying to figure out how much you knew.” He paused. “Anything else?”

  Julia sighed. “She mentioned the guy that I hired to find her,” she said. “Apparently, he did, but he never got back to me, even to tell me he had seen her. She said she ran away from him, and he is probably out there still looking for her. But I just don’t know…”

  Jack’s eyes narrowed. “What don’t you know?”

  Julia hesitated. “It just seems…odd. Why wouldn’t he have told me? Unless they spoke about things, and he is suspicious of me.”

  Jack swapped the phone over to his other ear. “You never did tell me much about this guy. Who is he?”

  “A friend of an old friend,” she replied. “My friend is a professional investigator, of sorts, and this guy works with him.”

  Jack’s frown deepened. He didn’t like the sound of that. He tried to keep away from investigators of any description. They had a bad habit of going off-piste, nosing around where they shouldn’t. And he had many good reasons for not wanting anyone burying themselves in his business.

  If Sienna had talked to this man, even a little…well, it was a security risk, pure and simple.

  Anger suddenly flared to life, and he gripped the phone harder. He had been careless. He should never have asked Julia to try to find Sienna. He hadn’t realised that she would go to a professional investigator. The most that he had been hoping for was that her networks in the Mission Street district would bring word back to her if Sienna was hiding out anywhere.

  “Send me all the information you have on him,” he barked into the phone. “Name, address, background…everything. Is there any other information that you can tell me now about him?”

  Again, Julia hesitated. “There is,” she said in a low voice. “I always promised Thad, my friend, that I would never betray his secret…and it’s pretty wild. I’m not sure that you will even believe me if I tell you…”

  Jack settled back in the seat, his eyes hardening. “Try me.”

  His eyes widened as Julia breathlessly told him everything. This was getting interesting. There were…creatures, higher up than him, that would be very interested in this information.

  ***

  Zach took a deep breath, then ran down the hallway towards the room Sienna was in. Another two days had dragged by, and he hadn’t had a single chance before now.

  He had been hoping that he might run into her somewhere. That perhaps she might take walks in the grounds, or lounge around in other areas of the house. But it appeared that she didn’t. He hadn’t spied her anywhere. It seemed that she was holed up in that room twenty-four-seven.

  Again, he had to suppress his feelings of rage against Fitzpatrick for doing this to her. How was it possible in this day and age that a man could simply take a woman and hide her away in his home, against her will? It blew his mind. It was like they were back in the eighteenth century or something.

  But then he had remembered who Fitzpatrick was. How powerful he was. He realised that nothing was impossible for a man like that. Money and influence always talked; and in this case, it was shouting.

  All the guards obviously knew. Ted had known who was behind that door when they had been in the hallway. Whether they believed Sienna was there of her own free will was another question. But it didn’t bode well that they kept her a secret, obviously on the boss’s orders.

  As he stood outside the door, Zach wondered how long you had to work here before the secret of the house was revealed. Would he be told about Sienna in a month? A year? Or was it on a need-to-know basis?

  His face darkened. The whole thing stank to high heaven, and everyone who worked in this house was complicit in it. A quote suddenly fell into his brain and stuck there. He couldn’t remember where he had read it, or heard it, or even who had said it.

  The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

  Bingo. That was exactly what was happening here. Everyone turned a blind eye to what was happening. They ignored the elephant that stalked the house. And that made it possible for Fitzpatrick to get away with it. Any one of the people who knew that she was in that room could make the choice to help her, but they didn’t. They were too concerned about making life easier for themselves. Whether that was out of fear or cowardice it hardly mattered.

  Well, that was all about to change. He was going to turn the tables, once and for all.

  He held his breath as he turned the door knob. It wasn’t locked and yielded easily in his hand. He stepped into the room. “Sienna?”

  There was no response. He walked slowly into the room. He didn’t want to startle her, but it seemed there was no hope of that now. She could be in the bathroom, or even taking a nap on her bed. It was only quarter past eleven in the morning, but anything was possible.

  His eyes swept over the room, taking it all in. It was as luxuriously furnished as any other room in the house, and as impersonal. As if an interior designer had done everything. He couldn’t see any personal touches in this room at all. Not a framed photograph, or a souvenir from a trip, or a line of childhood teddy bears. Nothing. It looked like something out of a glossy magazine spread, but it was clinical.

  He shivered slightly. Where was she?

  His eyes fell on a table in the corner, where two books sat. He walked over to them, picking them up, and smiled. No, he had been wrong. There was a personal touch here. Two old, battered books. Volumes of poetry, just like the one that she had left behind in the diner. He flicked open one, seeing the stamp of Shelby’s bookstore in the corner.

  He took a deep breath, almost fighting back tears.

  “What are you doing?”

  He spun around. She was standing there, staring at him, her eyes wide. His eyes swept over her, and he had to restrain himself from pulling her into his arms. She was even more beautiful than he remembered, if that was remotely possible. His gaze lingered over her silky brown hair, straightened to perfection, and white two-piece suit. Her makeup was subtle and meticulous. She looked like
she was about to do luncheon with other society wives at a swish Beverley Hills restaurant.

  But then he saw her eyes. Those doe-like brown eyes. They were filled with sadness.

  “Sienna,” he breathed, stepping towards her. “It’s taken me a while, I know. But I’m here. I’ve found you. We can get you out of here.”

  She stared at him for a moment, her brown eyes still sad. But then, he saw them harden, and change.

  “Really?” she said slowly. “That’s quite a proposal!” Her gaze travelled over his guard’s uniform. “It seems that you did know who was pursuing me, after all. And besides, I have no desire to go anywhere.” She took a deep breath, her eyes narrowing. “I’m quite happy where I am, thank you very much.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Zach stared at her, his mouth open. Had he heard her correctly?

  She was gazing at him levelly, her brown eyes still hard. She wasn’t backing down, not one bit. How could she possibly be telling him that she wanted to be here? That she desired to be cooped up in this room all day and night, to be trotted out to service the evil man who had made her life a misery?

  “I don’t understand,” he stammered eventually.

  Her eyes flickered. “There’s nothing to understand, Zach. I don’t want to leave. That’s all you need to know.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, trying to think. Of course. She thought that he truly was a guard here and had been sent by Fitzpatrick to find her. She thought that he was trying to trip her up, or trap her, in some manner.

  “Sienna,” he said, his voice growing stronger. “It’s not what you think. I don’t really work here. I got the job because I knew that you had been taken back here.”

  Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “Zach, this is getting boring, and quite frankly, a bit insulting. You think I would swallow that nonsense? That you just suddenly got a job here to find me?” She paused. “How on earth could you do that? As far as I know, Fitzpatrick doesn’t hire often, and when he does, he only takes the best.”

  Zach was silent. How could he tell her how he had got the job? How could he tell her that Thad had connections all over the place and could basically get any of their pack into any place or industry that they needed? If he did, he would be revealing the Wild Keepers to her. Their secrecy was paramount. It had been drilled into all of them that they must never reveal who they were, or only if absolutely necessary.

  He sighed deeply. And even if he could reveal it to her, it would take time to explain it properly. People tended to not believe that there was a pack of wolf shapeshifters living in secrecy in the city, who were sworn to battle demons. She would think it was just another lie. And he would hardly blame her. It was the stuff of myth and legend to most ordinary humans.

  “I’m telling the truth,” he said. “I can’t tell you how I got the job so quickly, but what I am saying is true. I didn’t work here before, Sienna. The only reason I am here is you.”

  She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Why has he sent you here? To test my loyalty?”

  He grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes. “I am not loyal to that piece of trash. I know all about what he is, and what he has done to you.” He took a deep breath. “Shelby told me.”

  She gasped. “Shelby? You spoke to him? Is he alright?”

  His grip tightened on her shoulders. “He’s fine. I found him on the floor in the bookstore, unconscious. He told me everything, Sienna. About who the man you were running away from was…” he hesitated for a second, then ploughed on “…and why he wants to keep you so badly.”

  She paled slightly, twisting away from him. “I don’t believe you.”

  He cursed under his breath. “Why would I make it up? Why would I be standing here, trying to persuade you to escape, if I truly worked for Fitzpatrick? It’s because I care, Sienna. I know how difficult life has been for you, and I want that to change.”

  She turned slowly to stare at him. He could see tears swimming in her eyes. “Even if what you say is true, it’s too late. All of it is too late! I chose to come back to save Shelby. And now that I am here, I have to try to save Lola as well.” She drew a shuddering breath. “It has to be worth something. It must mean something!”

  He frowned, staring at her disbelievingly. “Sienna, listen to yourself. You are saying that you would willingly stay here to try to find out what happened to your friend? You might never find out!”

  Her eyes shone with tears. “I will find out,” she hissed. “I will save her. Even if I must die doing it.”

  Zach swallowed his frustration with difficulty. How could he persuade her? He didn’t think that he had met a more stubborn, infuriating woman in his life. He was handing her the keys to escape her life and she was turning away from it. Sabotaging herself, and for what? The remote possibility that she could save her friend?

  He swore softly under his breath, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her around to face him again. But the words of censure died on his lips as he stared into her face. He was so close to her. Those eyes. Those lips…

  Before he could stop himself, he pulled her to him and was kissing her. Drowning in those lips. They were as soft and full as he imagined. And he could feel her flowering to life beneath his touch. Could feel the passion flare like a firecracker between them. He was lost in time. He could stay here like this, kissing her, forever…

  She pulled away, breathing hard, refusing to look at him.

  “Get out,” she said in a low voice. “Get out. Do you think you can persuade me with that? You think I’m a pushover, who will do anything you want just because you kissed me?”

  He shook his head quickly. “Sienna, I’m sorry. It just happened…”

  She took a deep, shuddering breath. He could see that she was trembling. He cursed himself. He should never have kissed her. She was too distrustful of him…of everything, really. It was not the time or the place. He hadn’t planned it. It had come out of nowhere. And he had been helplessly swept along in its tide.

  She straightened her shoulders and glared at him. “You’re just like all the others. Take, take, take. Without asking. You think because I lived in a brothel and that I’m kept here that means I’m just an object that you can do whatever you want to?” Her eyes narrowed. “So much of my life is ruled by others. But not this. You don’t ever kiss me without asking if you can.”

  He paled. “Sienna, it wasn’t like that…it just happened! I’m sorry. What can I say? I find you so attractive, and I didn’t think…”

  “I think you’d better go.” She walked to the door, her hand on the door knob. “They’ll be wondering where you are. Don’t want to blow your cover, do you? That’s if anything you have said is true.” She took a deep breath. “It’s none of my concern, anyway.”

  He walked to the door, staring down at her. “I’m not giving up,” he said, through clenched teeth. “I’m not giving up on you. I’m staying until you realise that I am telling the truth.”

  He walked through the door. She banged it behind him, forcefully.

  He took a deep breath. He had stuffed it all up, well and truly. He might have been able to persuade her, if he hadn’t given in to that overwhelming compulsion to kiss her.

  But now she thought he was like all of them. All the people in her life who used her. All the people who pulled at her from all sides, as if she was a toy that they all coveted. She was splitting at the seams with it. And he had acted the same.

  Shame washed over him. She was so very beautiful, and so proud. So strong. She didn’t believe in that strength, but he saw it. He saw the real woman beneath the mask she wore like a shield. He saw the battle scars that she wore like a crown.

  But now, he had blown it, well and truly. She would never trust him, not in a million years.

  ***

  Sienna leaned against the door, breathing heavily. What on earth had just happened?

  She walked slowly back into the room, not seeing anything. Collap
sing onto the sofa, she tried to steady her breathing. She knew that her hands were still shaking. It had all happened so quickly that she felt that she was in shock.

  Zach Byrnes had just appeared in this room. Materialised as if by magic in a puff of smoke. She had just finished her usual makeup routine in the bathroom and there he was, standing near a table, looking at her books of poetry. Claiming that he was here to rescue her.

  And he had kissed her. In a way that she had never been kissed in her life before. The memory of it was haunting her. She felt as if her lips had been blistered by it. The heat of it, and him, had been like a furnace all around, consuming her.

  When she had closed her eyes, giving into it, she had seen the flames licking all around. They were getting closer. Frightened, she had broken away, more confused than she had ever been in her life.

  It had been like a vision. No, it had been a vision, albeit a flash. A vision of fire, with them both in the middle. The flames walling them in. As if they were tied to a stake and were being sacrificed. And then it had changed. They were no longer themselves—a man and a woman. Instead, in their places was a wolf and an eagle, circling each other.

  She shuddered. What did it mean? The awful push and pull of it. She desired to walk into that fire, but she also wanted to run away from it. Flee from it, as if it was about to kill her.

  And she had told him to leave. Rejected his offer to help her. Was he telling the truth? Had he managed to get a position in this house with the express purpose of helping her? It seemed so farfetched. She knew that Fitzpatrick hired carefully. He had to. He had so many secrets to hide he needed to be surrounded by people who were both fiercely loyal and trustworthy. People who would do anything for him without question. Often people of suspect morals, or who at least were willing to turn a blind eye to what happened here.

  How had Zach Byrnes suddenly managed to break through all of that so quickly? She had only been back here over a week. It was too little time to secure a job here. No, it must be a lie. He had been working for Fitzpatrick all along, even though she had never seen him around.