Veil of Lies

by Nicky Charles

  He took a deep breath, once again resuming an implacable countenance. A bear did not run from adversity. He would face his accusers before the Lycan High Council, tell the truth and trust in the rule of law.

  And if it fails? His bear asked.

  He stared straight ahead. No jaw clenching, no fisting of his hands, no outward sign of perturbation. “If it fails, we will follow our own rules and make them listen.”

  His bear grumbled happily at the idea of bashing a few Enforcer heads together, especially those that had taken them into custody.

  Lucy had finally recovered from the shocking events of the night. Well, not all of them, but at least from the revelations Mel and Jenna had told her. Mel had shown her books on cryptozoology and even a secret website for Lycans and then related her own experience with discovering this strange new world. It had been a humorous recount…except when it had reached the part where that lawyer, Aldrich, had bashed her in the head and almost killed her.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay, Lucy.” Mel reached out and squeezed her hand. “I’ve felt guilty about what happened to you every single day since then.”

  Lucy shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault. And if I hadn’t been there, there wouldn’t have been that clue for Ryne to follow. He might not have rescued you in time.”

  “True.” Mel shuddered.

  “Everything happens for a reason,” Jenna said. “Even bad things can lead to good.”

  “But what good is going to come from Armand and Daniel being arrested?” Lucy asked.

  “I’m not sure.” Jenna made a face. “I really am sorry.”

  “You were doing your job,” Mel said. “Just like I was doing my job when I came here to write a report on Ryne. It all seemed innocent enough.”

  Jenna nodded. “I thought I was helping prove they weren’t involved. And no one was supposed to know I was here. It was between me and Captain Fielding.”

  “Nothing travels faster than a secret,” Lucy said. “Someone overheard something or left a bit of paper lying about…” She paused mid-sentence. It made her think of Roxi who she’d yet to call as promised. There’d probably be a gazillion texts on her phone asking what was going on. “Um, you said I can’t tell anyone about this, right?”

  “Correct. If you ever do, there are serious consequences.” Melody tapped one of the books she’d taken from Ryne’s shelves. “It’s all outlined in the Book of the Law. And, it’s probably one of the reasons Armand was so slow to make a move with you. He had to be sure your relationship was going to be permanent before telling you he was a shifter.”

  “Being a shifter must be awkward then. Always hiding your real self from the rest of the world.”

  “It has its challenges.” Mel agreed.

  “And being a human in a relationship with a shifter is even more awkward or so my mother always said,” Jenna added. “She never did tell her parents what my step-father was, and they never understood why she seldom invited them over. It caused a rift. The same for the friends she’d had all her life; she purposely drifted apart from her old life in order to keep the secret safe. Being involved with a shifter isn’t easy but my mother said the rewards were worth the sacrifice.”

  Lucy thought of Roxi who always noticed even the smallest of details and treated information as a commodity to be sold. It would be too dangerous for Armand and the others if Roxi were to come and visit. And what about when Caleb got older? What if he said something to Roxi that he shouldn’t? It seemed joining this new world was like heading down a one-way street, no U-turns allowed.

  Some of what she was thinking must have shown on her face for Mel suddenly stood up, declaring it was late and they needed to get a few hours of sleep.

  “We’ll talk more in the morning, Lucy, and I’ll let you know as soon as Ryne gives me any information about Armand. Try not to worry. It will all work out.”

  “I hope so.”

  Mel gave her a gentle push toward the stairs. “You head to bed. Jenna, I’ll show you to a guest room.”

  “A guest room?” Jenna blinked. “I hadn’t—”

  Mel planted her hands on her hips. “Listen girlfriend. You and I have come to an understanding of sorts, but Ryne will skin me alive if I let you off this property before he’s talked to you.”

  “But—”

  “You might have been working for Lycan Link, however the fact remains you broke in. He’ll want to know how and why and a ton of other details. And don’t think of trying to slip away because Ryne has already texted Bryan and there are extra patrols around the house until Ryne says otherwise.”

  “Oh.”

  The look on Jenna’s face almost had Lucy laughing and she left them to their discussion.

  Her head was swirling with information and questions and worry. She doubted she’d sleep a wink.

  Surprisingly she did. In fact, it was halfway through the morning when she awoke to a soft tapping on her door.

  “Lucy, you have to get up.” Mel called out as she knocked on the door before opening it.

  She blinked blearily and reached for her glasses then automatically glanced at the playpen Caleb had been sleeping in. It was empty!

  “Don’t worry. Caleb is downstairs with Grace. I heard him starting to fuss and knew you needed to rest. He’s been fed and changed and is now being thoroughly spoiled.”

  “Thanks.” She hitched herself up in bed. “It seems like ages since I’ve slept through the night.”

  “Technically, it was only half a night, but I remember those days all too well.” Mel smiled and drew the curtains, letting the light in. It looked like a beautiful day. “Head down to the kitchen once you’re ready. I have some news from Ryne to tell you.”

  That was incentive enough to have her flying out of bed. After a record fast shower, she dressed and hurried to the kitchen, anxious to know how things were unfolding.

  Unfortunately, the news wasn’t as good as she’d hoped. Armand and Daniel were still being held and would be seen by High Council—which Mel said was like a court of law—the next day.

  “It’s not much time for their counsel—that’s like a lawyer—to assemble a defence.” Mel nibbled on her fingernail.

  “Maybe this Lycan Link realizes it’s a ridiculous case and wants it cleared away as fast as possible?” Lucy peeked around the corner to check on Caleb who was lying on a blanket watching Grace play with another little boy named Marco. Two women who had been introduced to her as Tessa and Olivia were sitting nearby keeping a watchful eye on the children.

  “Perhaps.” Mel gave a tight smile that didn’t inspire much confidence.

  “Well, if Armand is going to trial, I want to be there to support him. Last night, he might have said I wasn’t involved, but I am.”

  “I don’t think that’s possible. You’re a human. You and Armand aren’t officially mated.” Jenna pointed out from where she stood at the sink, doing dishes. It seemed Melody had her on kitchen duty.

  “You’re a human. Have you been to Lycan Link?” Lucy asked.

  “Yes, but—”

  “So, it is possible.” She folded her arms and nodded.

  “Well…” Mel frowned. “There’s a slight chance. After all, Ryne and I weren’t officially mated—that’s like a marriage ceremony—until after Grace was born but my name was still down as Alpha female.”

  “Armand and I have a child together. That should be proof enough, shouldn’t it?”

  Jenna turned from the sink. “I could probably get Captain Fielding to send a chopper to get us.”

  Mel groaned. “Not another helicopter in my yard!”

  It didn’t take long for them to get organized and by that evening they were watching a chopper land in the front yard for a second time in as many days. Jenna climbed in first—allowing her to accompany them had been the only way she’d agree to call Fielding—and then Tessa followed, reaching out to take Caleb from Lucy’s arms as she prepared to board. The young girl had volunteered to go along
to watch Caleb, a fact that had Mel smiling and whispering in Lucy’s ear. “She has the hots for Daniel but she’s too shy to act on it.”

  As the others settled in their seats, Mel gave a few final instructions to Bryan who would be in charge while she was gone.

  “Ryne is going to be pissed when he sees you,” Bryan warned. “He called and specifically told me you were to stay put.”

  “Well, when he’s not here I’m in charge and I say circumstances require our presence at the trial and,” she gave Bryan a warning look, “don’t you dare tell him we’re coming.”

  “You realize I’m going to be in deep shit when he gets back home?”

  “You’re a tough guy, you’ll survive.” She patted his arm and joined the others.

  Chapter 39

  “Yes, I’m Reno Smith. Why?”

  Reno stared in surprise at the contingent that stood at his door. Why were four women and a baby knocking on his door at midnight? Was this some kind of joke? He peered into the hall expecting to see a group of Enforcers laughing their asses off.

  Nope. No one was there.

  “We need a place to stay and Damien recommended you.”

  “Damien?” Okay, this had to be some kind of elaborate prank. The kid hadn’t pulled one of these in years but—

  “I’m Melody Greene, Ryne Taylor’s mate, and this is Jenna Lewis, Tessa Lobero, and Lucy Chalmers with her son Caleb.”

  “Ryne Taylor?” It all began to make sense. Taylor was that friend of Damien’s, the Alpha who had inadvertently become involved in the stolen security codes case.

  Melody Greene brushed past him and the rest of the women followed. “We’ve been travelling for hours and when we finally arrived here, the motel had given our rooms to someone else! I wasn’t sure what to do, but I remembered Damien mentioning you had an apartment in the area, so I called him. He gave me your address.”

  “Sure. Come on in,” he muttered as he shut the door and followed them to his living room. It was a small apartment and seemed even smaller with all the extra people. “I…uh…don’t have any spare rooms.”

  “That’s okay,” Melody spoke while looking around. She poked her head into his bedroom. “Two of us can use the bed. There’s the sofa and the recliner.”

  “It really is kind of you to offer your apartment.” The woman with the baby smiled at him. She had amazing blue eyes. “Your friend Damien said you loved company.”

  “Yeah, right.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Listen…”

  The baby started to whimper and all the women seemed to spring into action, one looking for a place to change diapers and another was inquiring about breastfeeding or heating a bottle. The young woman—Tessa?—began to place cushions on the floor saying they’d suffice as a crib.

  He shook his head. He liked women. He even liked babies, but this was a bit much. Damien would have a lot to answer for next time they spoke. In the meantime…

  He cleared his throat. “You ladies make yourselves at home. I’m…er…just going to grab a few things and crash at a friend’s place.” He hoped there was a spare bed at the barracks.

  “Aren’t you just the sweetest man in the world, offering us your home like this.” The woman with the blue eyes placed her hand on his arm and smiled at him.

  “Um…yeah.” He noticed how the thin wire frame of her glasses matched the colour of her eyes. Damn, she was beautiful. If he wasn’t head over heels in love with Brandi… He gave his head a shake and realized she was still talking.

  “Now you be sure to get here in plenty of time for breakfast in the morning. We’ll whip you up something extra special before you take us to where the High Council will be meeting.”

  What? They were going to High Council?

  “It’s a surprise, so don’t tell Ryne, please.” Melody Greene handed him his coat.

  Before he knew it, he found himself ushered out of his apartment and standing in the hallway, car keys in hand.

  “What just happened?”

  You were scammed by a bunch of females. His wolf smirked.

  “I wasn’t. I was…” His voice trailed off.

  Scammed. His wolf chuckled, turned in a circle then settled down to sleep.

  Lucy pressed close to Mel as they walked down a hall within Lycan Link headquarters. It was a lot like any other corporate headquarters she supposed; modern with neutral coloured walls, fluorescent lights, cubicles and computers. There was even the occasional sickly plant propped in corners and a few paintings hung on the walls trying and yet failing to create atmosphere. Private offices lined the hallway and she caught glimpses of meeting rooms with long tables and projection screens. People sat at desks working on computers or talking on phones, while others walked down the halls carrying file folders or gathered around break stations drinking coffee. Yep, it was like most office buildings, except it was situated inside an enormous fenced compound in the middle of nowhere, and most of the building was underground beneath a fake organization called the International Center for the Study of Cryptozoological Phenomena. Just a minor difference, nothing to be concerned about.

  They’d passed through layers of security to get this far and Mr. Smith had muttered the whole time about pulling strings and his ass being in a sling. Now that they were inside, his mood had improved; not to the level that it had been during breakfast when he’d inhaled the meal they’d prepared as promised, but at least he wasn’t scowling. Melody didn’t seem to notice but there was an aura about the man that made everyone they passed step out of his way. She was still surprised they’d been able to hustle him out of his apartment last night.

  The halls were growing busier and she began to notice people staring at her and Jenna, giving them assessing looks.

  “It’s because they can scent that we’re human and humans rarely get this far inside the building. I’ve only been here twice and never this deep,” Jenna explained before lifting her chin and returning the looks with a hard one of her own. “The most important thing is to be confident and act like you belong.”

  That was easier said than done. The idea that she was surrounded by people who could turn into animals at any moment was unnerving. She held Caleb closer and walked a bit faster to keep up with Mr. Smith’s long strides.

  At least the stares usually melted into smiles when people saw Caleb. Apparently, a baby was as big of a rarity as humans were within the organization. As they stood in yet another elevator, several people were making silly faces at Caleb. He gurgled in response and a wave of soft laughter filled the small space. It helped her relax and she managed her own smile.

  “Okay, we’re outside the chamber where the case is being heard.” Reno led the way from the elevator and stopped outside a set of double doors. “We’ll slip into the back row of seats. High Council has no sense of humour, so be on your best behaviour.” He cracked the door open and peeked inside. “Shit, the room is full of reporters.”

  Reporters? She hadn’t thought of Lycans having their own newspaper or television channel. Maybe it was e-news?

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “This isn’t good. We’ll need to lay low. Follow me but stay quiet and keep your head down. We don’t want to attract attention.”

  They slipped into the room and sat in the back as instructed and she immediately began to look around hoping to find Armand and Daniel. Neither was present but there were empty seats at the front which she assumed were reserved for them.

  “High Council will sit there.” Mr. Smith explained in a low voice as he pointed to a long table at the front. “The counsel representing Lycan Link and bringing the charges before High Council will sit on the right. Armand and Daniel will be on the left with their counsel. They’ll come through that door where the Enforcers are standing.”

  She located the guards, or Enforcers as he called them, and nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Smith.”

  “Call me Reno. And don’t worry. Machado is good.”

  “You know him?” She took her eyes from the
front to glance his way.

  “Yeah, he was assigned to me once. And before you ask, it was a long time ago when I was a cocky kid.”

  “Hey, it’s Reno Smith!” Someone walked by and gave Reno a playful nudge. “In trouble again? I thought you had that rogue side under control.”

  “Not funny.” He slunk down in his seat and scowled. After a pause he leaned closer to her and whispered, “He was joking.”

  “Right.” Lucy nodded but began to wonder as others started to turn around to stare in their direction. She wasn’t sure if they were looking at her or Reno, but she did hear his name murmured several times.

  She reached over and patted his leg. “It’s okay. I know what it’s like to have a certain reputation. Just hold your head high; no one knows your real story but you.”

  He looked at her for a moment and then chuckled. Before he could reply, there was movement near the front of the room. The door Reno had previously pointed out opened. It seemed the trial was about to begin.

  Armand sat listening to Counsel Machado discuss the trial that would begin in a short while.

  “The trial should go in your favour,” Machado said.

  “Should?”

  “There’s never a guarantee. In theory, High Council is impartial, but I’ll be honest with you. Lycan Link has been in turmoil since the director unexpectedly quit. A lot of irregularities have been uncovered and the Council might use your case to try to show the population that they’re still in control of the situation.”

  “Thanks for being honest.” He nodded, outwardly calm but inwardly concerned. “If the trial doesn’t go in our favour, what will happen?”

  “I’ll file a protest on your behalf, however in the mean time, you could be put in detention.”

  His hands tightened into fists below the cover of the table that separated them.