*****
Chicago, Illinois
Leon Aldrich sat stiffly in the burgundy plush chair. It was directly in front of a large, leather topped desk. As per usual, the room was dimly lit and on the cool side, despite the fact that there was plenty of money to pay for electricity and heating. Aldrich took no note of his surroundings; the shelf-lined walls filled with leather bound books, the stone fireplace, the expensive Persian rug spread out over old oak flooring. He knew they were there, but instead of glancing around, he stared straight ahead. His hands rested on the report in his lap, his finger beating an impatient tattoo on the manila cover.
Anthony Greyson watched his lawyer with grim amusement. The man never indicated his displeasure by word or expression, the tapping of his finger the only sign that he wasn’t happy with Greyson’s decision. Finally tiring of waiting for the man to break—he never did—Greyson shifted in his chair and spoke. “So is there anything else to report?”
“No, sir. Ms. Greene’s file remains unchanged. She has a distant though cordial relationship with her mother. There are no close friends nor romantic interests enquiring about her.”
“And her father?”
“Still listed as unknown.”
“Good. Just wanted to make sure she hadn’t been lying on her application.”
“If she had been, I would have discovered it before she got this far into her assignment.”
Greyson snorted. No, of course not. Nothing got past Aldrich, which was why he’d hired the man in the first place. Sharp as a pin and as close mouthed as a clam. “And her ‘assignment’ is progressing?”
“If you can call it that. She is in Stump River.” The man seemed to want to sniff derisively at the name of the town. Greyson watched intently for any sign of an emotional response, but none came. After the briefest of pauses, Aldrich continued. “She has discovered where Taylor purportedly lives, but claims she has yet to make contact with the man.”
“Claims?”
“There was something in her voice that made me wonder, but since it was just a message on the answering machine, it wasn’t possible to question her.”
Greyson nodded. “It’s to be expected. And all our research shows Taylor isn’t interested in publicity. Hopefully, Greene can get under his natural radar.”
“I hope you’re right, sir.”
“I know you do, Leon. You think I’m a crazy old fool to spend my time and money on this. But if I’m right—and I’m sure I am—the payoff will be well worth it.”
Aldrich stood and set the manila file on the edge of Greyson’s desk. “If that’s all, sir, then I’ll be on my way.”
“Yes. You’re dismissed. Franklin will show you out.” He moved to ring the bell.
“That won’t be necessary. After all these years, I know the way.”
Greyson barked in laughter as the lawyer left the room. That pathetic attempt at humour was the closest thing to a human response that he’d forced out of Aldrich in months. He leaned forward and picked up the file, thumbing through the contents until he found the page he wanted. “Ah, Ms. Greene. Whatever will become of you before this is over?”
*****
Smythston, Oregon
Kane put down the phone and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was happening. What he’d most feared for years, hoped against with every fibre of his being, was finally occurring. He clenched his fist, uncaring that his nails were digging into his palms, tiny drops of blood appearing.
It was beyond his control now and he didn’t like the feeling at all. He was Alpha. This sitting back and waiting went against his nature, yet he knew reacting could cause the cards to tumble even faster. All he could do was sit and wait while playing out the various scenarios in his head.
The ball was in Ryne’s court. He trusted his brother to make the right decision, to do whatever needed to be done. Kane just hoped it wasn’t the worst case scenario.
The door to his office opened and he looked up. His mate, Elise slid in and locked the door.
“Am I disturbing anything?” The warmth of her voice washed over him, soothing his fears and worries with her calm tone. It had always been like that, from the first time he’d seen her. She’d been young and frightened by his sudden appearance in her life, but something had attracted them to each other.
“You disturb me, but in all the right ways.” He pushed aside his concerns and extended his hand. She came to him, settling in his lap, and snuggling her head against his shoulder. “To what do I owe the honour of this visit?”
“I was lonely.” She pouted up at him and blinked her eyes innocently.
“Lonely? Or lusty?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, knowing that the hormonal changes from her pregnancy were sending her libido into overdrive.
“Both.” She laughed and then pulled his head down for a kiss, tracing his lips with her tongue.
Kane groaned and opened to admit her, while grabbing her hips and shifting her body so that she straddled him. Pulling her shirt free, he worked his hands under the material while she sucked on his tongue. Her skin was warm and smooth. He moved his hands higher, searching for the clasp of her bra and was pleasantly surprised to discover she’d neglected to put on that piece of clothing. He broke away from the kiss and looked at her questioningly, while moving his hands to cup her breasts. She purred in pleasure.
“It seems you forgot something when you got dressed.”
“Uh-huh.” She winked at him. “I forgot something else, too. No panties.”
Unable to help himself, Kane growled and picked her up. Setting her on her feet, he made quick work of divesting both her and himself of clothing. Clearing his desk top, he laid her on the wooden surface then leaned over her. He nibbled on her neck and collarbone before working his way down to her breasts and then her stomach. Pausing there, he kissed the slightly rounded surface. His child was in there.
Kane pressed his ear to Elise’s belly listening intently. Sometimes, he was sure he could hear its heartbeat, despite that fact the Nadia, their resident nurse-practitioner, said it was way too soon. He gently rubbed the skin and whispered “I love you” to the child within.
Feeling Elise’s fingers combing through his hair, he looked up and flushed, feeling slightly embarrassed. She was smiling at him tenderly. “I love how much you love our baby already.”
He surged to his feet and bent over her, bringing his face close to hers. “I love his mother just as much.”
“I know.” She barely managed to get the words out before he captured her mouth with his.
Soon they were lost in the throes of passion. Elise’s legs wrapped around him as he moved within her, responding to her urgings. When he’d first realized she was pregnant, he had tried to alter their mating, thinking she was now too fragile for such a vigorous workout. Elise would have none of it. Their love making, for the present, remained as wild and as passionate as always. Her moans and sighs of pleasure matched the rhythm of his thrusts, until they turned into cries of release. Her body tightened around his and Kane gave a guttural cry as he too reached his climax.
Afterwards, he picked her up, grabbed a convenient afghan that was on an armchair, and wrapped her in its warmth before sitting down to cuddle in his chair. Elise nuzzled his neck. “Why were you looking so worried when I came in?”
Kane hesitated to tell her, but knew she’d find out one way or another. It was better coming from him. “Someone has found Ryne and is asking about his pictures.”
Elise stilled her movements and pulled away, looking up at him with solemn eyes. “The same person who was here?”
He nodded.
“It could be totally innocent. She said she was just writing an article about artists.”
“Would she travel all the way to Stump River, if that’s all it was?”
Biting her lip, Elise shook her head. “What are we going to do?”
“Nothing… yet.” Kane sighed heavily. “Hopefully, Ryne can deal with it and it stops there.”
“But what if it doesn’t? What if she’s working with someone? What if they come here looking for us?”
Kane shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to say the words, but knowing he must. “The Keeping is our most important law. Not just for us, but for our people everywhere. It’s kept our kind safe from persecution and allows everyone to live in peace. We can’t ignore it just because it’s inconvenient.”
“Inconvenient? “ Elise pushed away from him and abruptly stood up, protectively clutching her belly and the unborn child within. “Our lives, the lives of the pack members… ” She choked on the next words. “The life of our child—those are more than inconveniences, Kane!”
“I know.” He got to his feet and wrapped her in his arms, rocking her gently back and forth. “I know. I don’t want our way of life to end. I don’t want to be responsible for ordering the deaths of our friends and family.” Kane put his finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. He offered what little reassurance there was. “If it comes to that—if it appears that they will find us—we’ll send as many of the young away as possible. Other packs will take them in. Just enough of us will remain behind to make it look real. The humans will say it was just another cult suicide, and whoever these people are that are searching for us will be left with no evidence.” Elise whimpered and he hugged her even more closely. “The Keeping is law. Our existence remains secret, even if it means death.”
Chapter 11
Mel parked her car on the main street and turned off the engine. It was Monday morning and traffic in Stump River was light. A few vehicles were parked in front of the various businesses; pedestrians strolled down the sidewalks at the kind of leisurely pace you’d never encounter in the hustle and bustle of Chicago. For a moment, Mel absorbed her surroundings, lost in wonder at the differences between the lifestyle before her and what she was accustomed to. There were no exhaust fumes, no angry commuters gesturing rudely at each other, no screeching brakes, no high rise office buildings blocking the view of the sky. Life here appeared so simple and quiet, almost a throwback to a different time.
She stared around for a few moments before focusing on the building directly across the street—Miller’s Service Station. The low brick building was white and had a red and blue sign that proclaimed the name of the owner and hours of business. One set of gas pumps was in the front and two large bays for repairing cars were located to the side. A front office with a large plate glass window offered a view inside—no metal bars to prevent break-ins, Mel noted idly. Someone was moving about inside, though with the glare from the sun, she wasn’t sure who. Was it Taylor? Lucy, the waitress, said he worked on Mondays, so the chances were good that he was in there. Now, what was she going to do about it? There’d been no message from him this morning, not that she’d really expected there to be one, but she’d hoped.
Since he hadn’t contacted her, she assumed he was still undecided about the interview. The question was, should she go over there and talk to him? If she did, maybe she could convince him to agree. On the other hand, maybe he’d get upset, thinking she was pushy, and flat out refuse. She furrowed her brow, weighing her options.
When no clear answer came to mind, she struck the steering wheel in frustration and then yelped. She’d hit the horn by accident and it was honking… continuously. Startled, Mel stared at the wheel for a moment before her brain finally kicked in and she began frantically jiggling the annoying feature. By the time she stopped the noise, everyone in the entire two block expanse of downtown Stump River was looking her way. Even Josh and Beth Kennedy were standing in the doorway of the Gazette. Giving a shy wave at her temporary landlords, she sunk down in her seat knowing her face was flushing with mortification.
Hopefully, the little incident didn’t make the front page of the paper. After all, not much seemed to happen in a town of this size. A stuck horn on a car could be big news. As she hid from view, Mel pictured the headlines; Foreigner Creates Havoc in Downtown Core. She shook her head ruefully. Damn, this never happened in a movie when the heroine hit the steering wheel. Why did these things always happen to her? Rubbing her sore hand—the steering wheel had been harder than she’d expected—she reflected that the person in the movie never hurt their hand, either.
After several minutes of hiding out below the dashboard, Mel slowly sat up and looked around. Everyone had gone about their business. Traffic was moving normally and no one was staring out of their windows wondering who the idiot in the blue car might be. Relieved to no longer be the centre of attention, she got out of the car and headed into the diner. There was no point in sitting outside, when she could be inside drinking coffee and possibly eating a Danish. Food could be such a source of comfort, she mused. Besides, since she’d have a perfect view of the service station, she could put it on her expense tab as ‘surveillance.’
Five minutes later she was sitting ensconced at a table, happily munching on a fresh cherry cheese Danish and drinking a cup of coffee. She’d ordered a half decaf-half regular mix, since she was trying to cut back on her caffeine habit and was feeling rather pleased with herself for her efforts. Eyeing the thick, fresh baked Danish slathered in icing, she wondered if she should have ordered it with half the calories, if only such a thing were possible. Still, she had to eat to keep her strength up, and there were cherries in the pastry, so that must mean it had some redeeming qualities. Surely at least one vitamin or antioxidant had survived the baking process. Mel laughed at her own train of thought; she’d do anything to justify her favourite foods!
Licking a stray bit of icing off of her finger, Mel checked out her surroundings more carefully than she had the previous day. The diner was bright and clean, with white counters and red vinyl covered seats. Red checked curtains hung from the large plate glass window, tied back so as to not obstruct the view of the street. A white board had daily specials listed on it, and a glass display case showed a variety of homemade baked goods.
It was only moderately busy inside the establishment, with just one waitress and the chef on duty. Mel had inquired about Lucy when she arrived—she’d liked the waitress when she talked to her yesterday—but discovered that Monday was her day off. Disappointed, but not daunted, Mel started up a random conversation with Ruth and Al, the waitress and the chef, who turned out to be co-owners of the business as well. Both were sitting at the nearby counter, idly chatting with customers before the noon hour rush.
By time she was done with her Danish, she'd learned that the citizens of Stump River liked Ryne, Bryan, and Daniel. Ruth reported that the local women drooled over them.
"All three are definite hunks and very talented lovers, if even half the rumours can be believed.” Ruth told her in a stage whisper, the thin knob of hair on top of her head bobbing up and down as she nodded emphatically. The woman's cheeks were stained pink as if uttering the words alone were enough to turn her on and she was dramatically pressing her hand to her meagre bosom.
Al had scoffed at Ruth's description. "Quit all that foolish talk, Ruth. They're all 'real men,' not like those sissies you watch on your soap operas.” Al rubbed his bristly chin and leaned back, his elbows propped on the counter. "Those three fellows are honest, hard-workers. I've seen them hauling supplies at the lumber yard and they barely break a sweat. More important, they know the value of silence and don't go around talking your ear off, like some folks do.” He stared pointedly at Ruth as he made that last comment. She responded by hitting him on the shoulder and shooing him into the kitchen to start heating up the soup for lunch. He complied but not before pinching Ruth's bottom.
Mel laughed softly to herself as she listened to the banter between the husband and wife team. It seemed to be a relationship of opposites. Al was short, well-rounded and a man of few words while Ruth was tall, on the thin side and appeared to love a good gossip. They seemed to bicker quite a bit, but she could tell by the looks they exchanged, that they cared deeply for each other. Stump River seemed to be the place to find solid
marriages. Josh and Beth, Al and Ruth… She wondered how many other such couples were in town. Ryne and Lucy? Were they close to tying the knot? Mel frowned wondering why that idea had popped into her head.
Probably because the man in question was right across the street from her, she decided. He was putting gas in a car for a little old lady. From her vantage point in the diner, she watched him chatting away to the customer while providing basic service to her vehicle.
It was hard to miss how his black t-shirt clung to his torso, giving an excellent view of his muscles as he moved his arm back and forth while cleaning the windshield. When he bent over to check the oil, Mel saw how his tight rear-end filled out his low-slung jeans—no plumber’s crack there, she chuckled to herself.
He stood up and laughed at something the woman said. The whiteness of his teeth was apparent even from across the street and Mel was sure she could see a twinkle in his amazingly blue eyes. An unexpected wave of desire hit her and she blinked, realizing that she was actually leaning forward, as if trying to get closer to the man. Possibly sensing someone was watching him, he looked up, staring straight across the street at her.
Mel drew back and snatched up the menu from the table, pretending rapt interest in its contents. Surely, he hadn’t seen her ogling him? She peeked over the edge of the menu, and then hid again. He was still looking her way! Mortified at being caught acting like a school girl with a secret crush, she wondered why she was so intent on checking out his physical attributes. Yes, he was good looking, but she was here to do a job, and it didn’t include lusting over the man. Perhaps, it was all hormonal. It had been quite a while since she’d been with someone, so of course, a hot looking guy would seem even more appealing than usual, regardless of his personality.
Briefly glancing across the road, she experienced a mixture of relief and disappointment, when she noted that the customer had left, and Taylor was no longer outside. She exhaled, blowing a stream of air upwards, causing her bangs to ruffle in the breeze. Fanning herself with the menu, she regained control of her wayward thoughts and focused on her real purpose—surveillance.
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