“What do you think happened?” She told him that she didn’t know, but she really hated that he was going through it alone and not asking for help. “Have you asked him what you can do for him?”
“I did. Just the one time.” Grace laughed hard. “He gave me a bonus for yelling at me. Took me to lunch, and then begged me to forgive him. I could do that again—a nice bonus is fun—but I won’t take advantage of him while he’s down.”
“Is he down, or just going through something that you’re unaware of?” Wayne liked that Grace thought about her answer. When she told him that she thought her boss was depressed, not angry at all, it seemed to surprise her as much as it did him asking her. “Well, since I don’t know him, I can only assume that he’ll get this resolved or he’ll soon ask for help. If, as you said, he’s a nice guy, then I hope the best for him.”
“I do as well. I really hate to think of him going through something like whatever this is, and not asking for someone to help him out. Mr. Moody is really a nice guy all the other times.” Nodding, not sure what could be bothering the man, they looked over the rest of the houses.
After having a nice late lunch, the two of them went to the rest of the houses on the list. That left them with four, none of which were his, for Moody to approve of. Before she left to take them to her boss, Wayne asked if she would be all right.
“Yes. And if he gives me anymore crap, I’ll come right out and ask him about me putting my foot up his nice bum.” Wayne was glad that Grace wasn’t stressing about her boss very much anymore. She was a nice person as well. “I should hear from him by the end of the day. How much longer are you going to be staying in London?”
“I’m here until he no longer needs me. I would love to be home as soon as possible, but I’m in no rush to find him just what he wants.” Grace told him that she’d tell her boss that. “Thank you. You’ve been a pleasure to work with. And I really meant it earlier when I told you that if you needed me for anything, just give me a call. You have my cell phone number.”
“I do, and I thank you very much for that. But I don’t see him giving me any more trouble today.”
When she left him there, Wayne decided to do a little window shopping. He’d not had anyone to buy for before, and he thought this was going to be fun.
Wayne had an idea that he was spending too much when he was trying to figure out how to get another couple of pieces of luggage to take things home in. Lucky for him he’d only brought a carry on, thinking to only be here a few days, so he’d not have to pay extra for the things that he’d bought.
At the hotel that night, he called Easton at a time so as not to wake him in the middle of the night due to the time difference. Also to tell him what was going on with Moody, as well as some of the things that he’d bought the kids for Christmas. It was fun to hear the excitement in Easton’s voice when he was telling him about the tree that was going to be put up for them. Also, Easton realized that they didn’t have a single ornament of their own. Neither of them had put up a tree in a long time, so they needed to get some while they were shopping this year.
“Next year they might enjoy helping us put up our own tree. We’re going to look stupid if all we have are one or two ornaments that we got the kids while out.” Wayne told him that he’d look around tomorrow while waiting on Moody to call. “I did get one for Abby today. It’s adorable. The one that I wanted for Alex was sold out, but she assured me that she’d have more to choose from. I would like to get them one yearly so that we can give them to them when they’re older.”
“Excellent idea.” He made himself a mental note to get one for him and Easton as well, for their first Christmas together. “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be here, but I will call you when I find out. This Moody guy, he’s going through something that has his staff worried about him. Grace, the woman that is looking for houses with me, said that he’s normally a great guy. Whatever it is, it must be bad for them all to be upset with it.”
“I was thinking the same thing. That he must be one hell of a person to have everyone so worried about him.”
They talked for a few minutes more before Easton told him that he loved him.
“I love you as well. Kiss the kids for me, and tell them that I love them. And don’t wrap anything until I get home.” Easton said he’d only wrapped one for him so far. “Good. All right. Time for me to get to work so I can come back sooner.”
Before going to bed, Wayne pulled up the real estate that he had shown to Grace. None of the houses had sold, something that had happened before—a house selling before he could put a bid on it. He was glad to see that he’d not have to start over.
Then he went to bed. Tomorrow he might well make a sale and get to go home sooner. He’d love that. Wayne was sure that Easton would love it as well.
Chapter 11
Oliver dialed the number, sure that he had the wrong number for Grace. He was hurting badly. When a man picked up again, he chuckled just a little. The pain had him holding his breath while the man finished berating him.
“You fucking dick. You had better say something this time. Do you have any fucking idea what time it is? I’m sure you don’t, or you wouldn’t have dialed me twice, hanging up the first time.” Oliver asked him who this was. “So you don’t even know who you’re calling? You ass, you’d better be drunk or near death right now.”
“I am. Near death, that is. I don’t know who you are, but Christ, I need your help. I was looking for Grace Lane. Do you know her?” He could hear the man shuffling around in the bed. “I’m so sorry. I don’t think that I can dial another number right now. I need help.”
“Where are you? I’m in London.” He had a feeling that it meant something that the man told him that, but he hurt too badly to try and speculate on it. “I can come and get you if you tell me where you are.”
“My name is Oliver Moody. I’ve let things go for too long, I’m afraid, and now they’re getting serious. They’ve tried to kill me, you see.” Of course he couldn’t see, and he nearly told the man he was sorry again. “I need to talk to Grace.”
“Grace is home in her own bed, I would imagine. This is Wayne Carey, Mr. Moody. I’m the real estate broker you called here from the United States a couple of days ago. Just tell me where you are and I’ll come to you.” He told him that he was at his building in the business district. “All right. If I tell a taxi driver that’s where I want to go, will that get me there? Do you need me to call an ambulance too?”
“I don’t know.” Oliver hissed through the pain when he tried to stand up again. “Please, just tell them that you wish to go to the Moody Building. Anyone around here will know where that is, I hope. If they don’t, then I’m not doing my job the way that I should be.”
Oliver slid to the floor as Carey spoke to him. Some of it he knew about, the rest was just words that he didn’t understand. Not that he thought that the man was jabbering, but Oliver was fading in and out so much that he was sure that the man was worried for him. He had screamed out his name a couple of times.
“I’m in front of the building now. There is no one here. How do I get into the place?” Oliver told him to go to the front door and press in the code when he gave it to him. He was taking a chance with this, but he wasn’t going to make it if he didn’t. “You should know that I’ve contacted Grace for you. She’s on her way in, and knows not to say anything to anyone until we can surmise what has happened. Grace is a good woman; you should treat her better.”
“I should be treating everyone better, but I’ve been under some stress.” Carey said that he could understand that too. After giving him the code to get in, he’d never been so happy to hear someone say that they were in than he was at that moment.
Letting go of the phone, Oliver looked down at his body. His white silk shirt was stained red, he was losing so much blood now. Closing his eyes for only a second, he
thought he’d feel better. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that Grace had made it in and that there were several strangers standing over him. It was too much, the way they were moving, so he shut his eyes again.
When he woke up the next time, or at least this time remembering it, he looked at Grace, who was curled up in one of the chairs that he’d had in his hotel room since he moved in a few years ago. He’d never sat in it—the faces of the people who had were enough to warn him that it was uncomfortable. Saying her name as quietly as he could, he was startled when a man loomed over him.
She’s resting. Are you well? He wasn’t sure, but Oliver had a feeling that this man was a vampire. You would be correct in that assumption. I am Quincey. If you wish a last name to go with it, I’m afraid that I have none to give you. Not yet at any rate. How are you feeling?
“I’m sore.” He realized that the man was speaking to him, but not verbally. When he smiled at him, Oliver wanted to ask him what the fuck was going on, but he figured that he’d get all the facts first. How did I get here?
I brought you once I was able to get you to a more...let us call it, a more stable condition. Oliver only nodded, sure that he didn’t want to know. You were as near to death as I’ve seen any human I’ve known, Mr. Moody. I have had to give you a great deal of my stronger blood just to have you alive.
Enough to change me? Quincey said that it was close, but only time would tell. I’m grateful for your help in any way. I spoke with a man by the name of Wayne Carey. What happened to him?
He is here. Resting as well. You gave both him and the young lady here quite the scare, Mr. Moody. The man and woman that tried to kill you, what can you tell me about them? For some reason Oliver had a feeling that the big vampire not only knew who they were, but why they’d tried to kill him. I do not. I only looked into your mind long enough to see what it was that harmed you, and if you were worth being saved. I have found that while you are a pain in the ass to most who work for you of late, you are a good man otherwise. Is this why most would like to bash your head in?
Do you always just cut to the chase? If so, I’d like to hire you. Quincey told him that he’d not be able to afford him. Probably not, but it was worth a try. Why did they want to kill me? Well, there are two reasons that I was given. Neither one do I think is the right one. They said it was because I had all the money in the world, and that was bad. The other reason was that I’m an American that is taking money from the mouths of those on the other side of the pond by having work done here instead of the good old USA.
No. I agree. Neither one of them are a good reason to stab a man to death when there are quicker and less messy means of killing him. I would have simply killed you and been done with it. No explaining as to why. Dead and done. Quincey looked around the room, then back at him. The others are waking. If you would like, I can find the ones that did this to you. As you are now my child, I would like to do that anyway, but I will await your answer.
Yes, but don’t kill them if you can help it. Quincey said that he would give it his best shot, but they had harmed him badly. I know that. But I have questions too. Like how did they get into my building? Why stab me when, as you said, there are other means that are less messy?
Yes, I can see where you’d have questions that need to be answered. I shall return with them post haste. While I am gone, I should like for you to think on what has happened to you. The two of us, we’re connected now, and if they should harm you again, or someone comes for you again, I shall rip them apart.
When the man disappeared, Oliver thought about that too. He had a feeling that Quincey would do just that. Rip a man apart for harming him.
Grace woke up then and came to talk to him by moving closer to the bed. She asked him if he was all right, then told him what she knew, which wasn’t much more than what Quincey had already told him. Then she introduced him to Wayne, the man who had saved his life. Or so he thought. Oliver asked him if he’d called in the big vampire.
“I did. He’s a good friend of the family, and when I realized that I’d not be able to change you to save your life, I called him in. You scared the hell out of us.” Oliver thanked him, and asked why he wasn’t in a hospital. “Grace didn’t think you’d care for that any more than you did being stabbed. So we had you brought here.”
“Thank you again. I don’t know how to repay you for your help, but I will.” Wayne told him it was nothing, and Oliver thought that he wasn’t being a smart ass, but actually believed that saving his life had been no big deal. “Most people I know would have demanded some sort of reward for doing what you did.”
“I’m not most people.” He was beginning to see that. “Quincey told me to tell you that he cannot bring you the woman, as she has been shot. The man has been killed. Not by his hand. But the woman is nearing death herself.”
“Does he know why?” Oliver said that he could talk to him himself, but he was almost afraid to, if he was honest with himself. “I think I’d rather you told me. So that you can sort of buffer the reason for me just a little.”
Wayne asked for a few minutes, and seemed to be thinking hard on something. Oliver had no shifter friends that he was aware of. Hell, he thought, he didn’t have any friends. His levels of trust were very low. And with this going on, he might even be considered a hermit now. When Wayne asked him how he wanted it, Oliver decided that he really did want to know the hard way. Telling Wayne that, he realized that he trusted this man more than he had anyone in a very long time.
“Your mother wants you dead. She hired the two people that were to kill you just a week ago. You have gotten away from her three other times, and this is the group that promised her results.” Oliver nodding, figuring all the while that it had been a family member. “Your sister is involved, as well as your nephew. Did you know that?”
“Yes.” Oliver asked that Quincey not kill them as yet. “I don’t know why, because I have a feeling that this will never resolve itself without them being in prison or dead, but I’d like to talk to them. When I’m up to par to do it. They’re not a nice group, my family.”
“There are rarely any family members that are nice that I’ve known. Especially when there is money involved. I’m assuming that’s the reason for this?” Oliver nodded, thinking about the last encounter with his mom. “Quincey is going to rest. But he will know when you are in trouble again. So you know too, he’s a very powerful and very old vampire that will kill them without anyone knowing what happened to them.”
“I think I figured that much out. Can you tell me what you know of the houses that I want to buy from you? I need something to distract my mind from the fact that they’re at it again, and that’s the best way. Also, I didn’t put this on the list when I gave it to Grace, but could you please find me a security team that will fix the house so that no one gets in unless I allow it?” Wayne nodded, and said that he’d do that. “I’m sorry, Wayne. I know that we’ve only just met and all, but could you tell me what you are? And why you’re being so nice to me?”
“I’m being nice to you because Quincey said that you were a man to be trusted. You should know, too, that had he found you lacking at all, he would have just drained you dry and walked away. His trusting you means that I will.” Oliver shivered at the hardness of the statement that Wayne just made, but said nothing more. “I’m a wolf. My mate is a wolf as well. We have only been together for a short while, but we’re sharing children now. His and mine.”
It took a second or two for that to sink in. Not she and I, he’d said, but he and I. Not that it mattered to him either, but it was good to know what he was working with here. Nodding once to show that he had little to no feelings one way or the other about his sexual orientation, Oliver asked him about the houses.
They talked well into the afternoon. While he was healed for the most part, Oliver still tired easily. Like right now, he felt as if he could nap for about a week. Asking if Wa
yne would hang around for a couple of more days was about all he could manage before falling asleep again.
~*~
Honey Moody washed as much of the blood off her hands as she could before she turned back to her grandson. She didn’t care much for the kid. He was forever into something that she would have to get him out of, mostly by killing someone, but today he’d done her a solid, and she would cut him some slack while he was in her home. Lyle wasn’t a great person to rely on, but when he’d hired someone to kill his uncle, it seemed that he’d finally been able to do something right for a change.
“Where did she put the body? Did you get that much from her before I had to end her life?” Lyle told her that she said they’d just left it in his office. “I’m sure that that’s going to come back and bite someone in the ass, but since they didn’t have any idea who you were, then I’m happy with the end results. She didn’t know you, did she?”
“She and I had a little fling once a long time ago, but what does that matter now? You’ve killed her and that ass of a boyfriend, so that’s the end of that.” Lyle never thought that there should be repercussions when he did something. It was one of the reasons that she and his mother were forever cleaning up after him. “When do you think it’ll hit the papers that he’s dead? I’m thinking today, if they’ve found him by now.”
Easton: Forbidden: Paranormal Romance Page 13