by Desiree Holt
“She wasn’t here.” The girl said the words emphatically. “She never came to the office that day.” She looked around, suddenly nervous. “Anyway, we’re not supposed to talk about it. All questions have to go through Mr. Fisher. He was very specific about that.”
That was interesting.
“Well, then.” He found a smile for her. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.” He took out a business card, wrote his cell number on it and handed it to her. “But if you happen to think of anything, I’d appreciate it if you could give me a call.”
“Okay, but I don’t really have anything to tell. Mr. Fisher said he’d be a few minutes. Would you like some coffee while you wait?”
“No, thanks. I’m good.”
He sat down in one of the plush chairs arranged in a little grouping and spent his time studying the area and the people who moved through it as they went from one office to another. He took note of the fact that everyone seemed slightly on edge. Cale figured it was natural giving the circumstances, but he also wondered if any of them knew something and that knowledge was what was making them so nervous.
At last Gray Fisher emerged from his office, still in hushed conversation with a tall, lean man. Both men had grim looks on their faces, but when they spotted Cale, the frowns smoothed away to be replaced by professional smiles. The tall man headed for the elevator and Fisher came over to greet Cale.
“Sorry for the delay,” he told him as he led Cale into his office. “A meeting with the foundation’s attorney ran a little longer than expected.”
He tried to tell himself not to let his opinion of Fisher be coloured by the fact that he kept Cale waiting for more than half an hour, despite the fact he’d told him he was available. Or by the smooth, well-manicured appearance he presented when he finally stepped out of his office. Or by the unpleasant softness of his handshake when he came over to greet Cale. What was important was to make sure the man had told everything he knew about Cathy’s disappearance.
“Of course.” He kept his voice neutral, despite disliking the man on sight.
Gray Fisher sat across from him with an acre of desk between them, as if separating himself from Cale. He wore a concerned look on his face, which Cale would have bet was from his arsenal of professional expressions. He’d met men like Gray Fisher before, impressed with themselves and their positions, carefully creating a persona for the wealthy donors they dealt with. His conciliatory attitude rubbed Cale the wrong way, and he had to mentally bite his tongue to keep from telling the guy what he thought of him. He was Cathy’s boss and they’d get no information if he antagonised him. In the end it turned out he got nothing anyway.
“I wasn’t aware that Miss Porter had hired a private investigator.” Cale could almost see him turn up his nose.
“She’s very concerned that the police have turned up nothing. She wants to know what happened to her sister.” He paused. “And she hopes everyone else feels the same way.”
“I want to assure you,” he said in his smooth voice, “that we are all extremely upset over the situation with Cathy. Of course we want to know what happened.”
Cale stared at the man. “I think it’s a little more than a situation. She’s disappeared without any trace at all. From what I understand, she isn’t the kind of person to do that.“
“No, no.” Fisher smoothed a hand across the immaculate blotter on the desk. “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I just can’t imagine what could have happened to her.”
“And she never came into the office at all that day?” Cale wanted to grab the man by his throat and shake him out of his practiced silky veneer. He could imagine Fisher clucking over some well-heeled prospect while he finessed them out of every dime he could.
“No. As I told the police and Cathy’s sister, she was out on calls all day.”
“And she never checked in? Isn’t that unusual?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. There was nothing pending we needed to touch base on and I don’t think there was anything going on here that needed her input. She’d gone over her schedule with the staff and me the day before. If anyone had to get in touch with her, she always carried her cell.”
Despite careful probing, Cale got nothing new from the man. He called up his wolf senses to see if he could detect anything beneath the surface of Gray Fisher. He didn’t like him at all, or the scent he gave off, but that didn’t make him a liar or guilty of something. Just an unpleasant person. At least to someone like Cale.
“Sorry I couldn’t be more help.” Fisher stood up, signalling the end of the meeting.
“If you think of anything, please give us a call.” Cale handed him a Sentinels’ card.
He punched in the office number as soon as he got into his truck.
“The guy’s an asshole,” he told Brian when he came on the phone. “Unfortunately that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s hiding something. I’d feel a lot better, though, if you’d do one of your ‘pull everything out of the closet’ searches to see else what we can find on him.”
“I’m on it. Who’s next on your list?”
“Jim Franklin, the guy Cathy was living with. He works for an ad agency downtown.” He looked at his watch. “Shit, the morning’s already gone. Maybe I can take this guy to lunch. Catch him off guard.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Cale heard the clicking of computer keys.
“Call me when you finish with him and I’ll see what I’ve got on Fisher by then.”
“Good. Thanks. Oh, and find out who their attorney is. He and Fisher were in a hush-hush meeting when I got there. Let’s see where he is in all this.”
“Okay. Later.”
Jim Franklin was fifteen minutes late meeting him and dropped into the chair on the other side of the table with a harried look on his face. “Sorry. It’s crazy at the office right now. We just picked up a new account that’s huge and everyone’s running around like idiots putting a campaign together.”
“I appreciate you taking the time to see me,” Cale told him.
“Are you kidding? Anything for Cathy. I’ve been worried sick about this.” He stared at Cale. “You said her sister hired you?”
Cale nodded. “She’s upset the police haven’t turned up anything at all.”
“Same here. If I’d known about you guys, I’d have come to you myself.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “But I don’t think there’s anything I can tell you.”
“Why don’t you give me what you can and let me decide?”
But Jim Franklin was right. He had nothing. He’d seen Cathy for the last time that morning when she left for work. He hadn’t spoken to her during the day and expected her home late that night since she was supposed to have dinner with her sister. But Cale wasn’t ready to write him off quite yet. The guy was beyond nervous, shredding the paper napkin, fiddling with his water glass. He looked as if he’d been through the wringer, but that could just be a combination of worry about Cathy and the pressure at work.
Just to cover all bases he called Brian and asked for a deep check on the boyfriend, too.
His last stop was at The Hope Centre—the final client Cathy had seen that day. But despite the willingness of everyone to answer questions, again he came up empty handed.
He had just climbed back into his truck when his cell phone rang. He checked the readout.
Brian.
Good. Maybe he had some information.
“I have reports for you,” Brian confirmed as soon as Cale answered. “And feedback from the others.”
“I can swing by and pick up what you’ve got.” Cale looked at his watch. “Linnea will be getting home pretty soon. I thought I’d get some takeout to bring to her. If you’ve got information, so much the better.”
“I have a better idea. How about if I pick up pizzas and Regan and I meet you at Linnea’s about seven. I really want to go over all this stuff in person, and also see what Linnea might add. Then we need to make some plans.”
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“Okay. Sounds good. See you then.”
Linnea was just turning into her driveway when he pulled up in front of her house. He followed her inside through the garage, carrying his new duffel with the things he’d bought that day. When she turned to him, she had such a distressed look on her face he wrapped his arms around her and cradled her to his chest.
“Tough day?” he asked.
“Tough keeping my mind on my work when Cathy’s face keeps swimming in my mind.”
“We may have new information in a bit.” He told her what Brian had said and that he and Regan were coming by at seven.
“I just hope he was able to dig up something,” she said, her voice muffled against his chest. “Anything. I’ll take anything at this point, no matter how remote.”
“We’ll find her,” Cale said, trying to sound positive.
“She’s dead. I know she is. I just want to know what happened and give her a proper burial.”
Linnea lifted her face to his. She needed the connection with him almost desperately. “Kiss me, Cale. Make me feel alive.”
It began as a tender kiss but in seconds his hot tongue swept inside her mouth, igniting a fire that blazed through her entire body. Her skin felt too tight and her clothes suddenly too small. Her toes curled and the dormant pulse in her cunt leapt to life. She pressed her body against his as hard as she could, feeling the bulge of his swollen cock through his jeans.
Suddenly she wanted that thick shaft inside her. Wanted him filling her, stretching her, cementing that connection that had sprung up so suddenly last night. Wanted the assurance of it as well as the wild feeling it created inside her. A wildness she hadn’t even realised she possessed.
She wiggled one hand between them, reaching for his belt buckle, but it was too complicated for her to manoeuvre.
“Be careful what you start,” he warned, his lips still against hers.
“I can’t start anything unless I can get your pants off. Help me, please,” she begged. “I need you, Cale.”
“We don’t have all that much time,” he reminded her.
She laughed lightly into his mouth. “That shouldn’t be a problem for the wolf.”
He lifted her in his arms and strode into the living room, kneeling to place her on the thick carpet. “I should take you upstairs to the bedroom, but I’m not sure I can wait that long. Jesus, Linnea. The minute you touch me I’m ready to fuck you.”
She gave him a small, satisfied smile, enjoying the feeling of sexual power she obviously had over him. She’d always enjoyed sex as much as anyone, although not nearly as indiscriminately as some. But she’d never met a man with whom she shared such explosive sexual chemistry. Was she really his mate? Could she create a relationship like the one Regan and Brian had?
Yes! Her inner self shouted, even as she worked feverishly to strip off her slacks and panties.
Cale had yanked his belt from his jeans, pulled the zipper down and freed himself.
“I feel like a rutting hog,” he rasped as he reached for her. “But Jesus, Linnea, you just do it to me. I can’t even wait to get my clothes off.”
“Don’t wait,” she urged. “Hurry.”
She was already so aroused she was on the verge of an orgasm, and he’d done nothing but kiss her. Her eyes raked over his magnificent cock as he took it in his hand and guided it to her opening. She was already soaking wet and pulsing, her need for him clawing through her. The moment he entered her, small spasms rocketed through her, stealing her breath.
Mine!
The word echoed through her and a fierce possessive streak gripped her. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since they’d met and already she wanted to put her brand on him. Was that what he’d meant? Was that what mating was all about?
Then he drove fully into her and all rational thought fled. He filled every inch of her, stretching her, sending such pleasure through her she wanted to clamp onto the feeling and never let go of it. She forced her eyes open and saw Cale’s black ones staring at her, tiny glints of gold licking the onyx like flames.
“Don’t close your eyes, Linnea. Watch me while I fuck you.”
He held her gaze with almost magnetic force as he thrust into her harder and faster. This was primal sex at its highest level. No foreplay. No soft music. No kissing and stroking. Just the most elemental of sex binding two people together. She could see his wolf gleaming in his eyes and feel its power in the movement of his body. She revelled it, relished it, welcomed it.
Wrapping her legs around him, she locked her ankles into place and lifted herself to meet him stroke for stroke. He pounded into her, his eyes never leaving hers. Nothing existed except her and this man and the act itself, and that was like a match to her senses. Her blood raced, boiling in her veins.
They exploded together and she came totally apart, splintering and shattering. Violent spasms rocked her, the muscles of her pussy clamping hard onto his cock as if trying to drag it even deeper inside her body. He pumped into her again and again, finally holding himself taut as every muscle strained, and he threw back his head.
“Linnea!”
His voice thundered through her, possessing her as much as the sex itself had done.
She tightened against him with every muscle of her body, her heels digging into the small of his back. She kept herself wrapped around him until the last tiny aftershock had subsided and her muscles were so limp her legs dropped of their own accord.
Cale dropped forwards, catching his weight on his forearms and resting his forehead on hers. “Look at me,” he commanded again when she closed her eyes.
She dragged them open. There was such heat and possessiveness radiating from him that for the first time since Cathy’s disappearance she felt safe. Secure. Wanted. Desired. And in the place where she belonged.
“Mine,” he growled.
“Yours,” she agreed breathlessly. “Yes, yours.”
He eased himself slowly from her body. “We need to clean up before Brian and Regan get here.”
She nodded. “A shower. Right now.” She couldn’t help the grin that stole over her face. “But all things considered, it would probably be better if we took them separately.”
“You’re right. I’ll get my things.”
She sat up. “I saw the duffel you brought in. Did you drive down to the ranch?”
He shook his head. “Just did a little shopping. I’m not leaving until we get this resolved. My ranch is in good hands. If I have to make a quick trip, we’ll do it on a weekend and you’ll go with me.”
“All right.” The strange thing was, she, the control freak, had no desire to argue with him. For the first time in her life she felt at peace with someone else taking charge.
By the time Regan and Brian arrived, she and Cale were showered and dressed in clean jeans and t-shirts. They helped themselves to pizza. Then Brian pulled a folder from his briefcase.
“Well, boys and girls, I found out some very interesting things today.”
Linnea felt a spark of hope flicker in her chest. Had The Sentinels finally found things the police had missed? Or hadn’t taken the time to look for?
Brian chewed and swallowed a bite of pizza and lifted the top sheet from the pile. “Let’s talk about greasy Gray Fisher first.”
Cale snorted. “That’s a good name for him. Believe me.”
“Graduate of the University of Chicago with a degree in business. Worked for four foundations before being hired by Gage. I checked newspaper articles on him, and although they were pretty straightforward, it was easy enough to read between the lines. He wasn’t exactly the most popular kid on the block. I looked at the pictures of him and wanted to take a shower. I have no idea how the guy raises any money, but apparently he’s very good at it.”
“That’s it?” Linnea frowned, disappointed. “That’s what you’ve got?”
Brian’s smile had a slight, evil leer to it. “Not quite. I contacted a buddy of mine in the last city where he worked.
He runs an agency like ours. Said the too smooth Mr. Fisher left the city under very hush-hush circumstances. It seems he was playing house with the wife of one of the foundation directors. The couple got a very quiet divorce and Fisher left town.”
“Where’s the woman now?” Cale asked.
“Interesting you should ask.” Brian took a swallow of the beer that Linnea had provided. “She seems to have just disappeared off the face of the earth.”
“What?” Linnea’s heart thudded. “You mean, no one knows where she is?”
“You got it. I’ve got Josh working to see if he can pick up any electronic trace of her, although it’s been four years.”
“Who’s Josh?”
“Another Sentinel,” Regan answered. “He gives Brian a run for his money on the computer.” She glanced at her husband. “He’s also an unequalled hacker, something we don’t discuss, right, honey?”
Brian winked at her. “Certainly not with an officer of the court.” He turned back to Linnea. “So he’s hard at work seeing what he can find.” He turned to the next report. “The lawyer for the Foundation is also a real piece of work. Brad McIntyre. Very high-powered tax and corporate law firm. Lives in a seven figure home in a gated community. Belongs to what is euphemistically called a ‘gentleman’s club’, which can mean anything from cards to women.”
“It’s possible his income doesn’t quite keep up with his lifestyle,” Cal commented.
Brian nodded. “Again, Josh is working on it. He’ll have something by morning, I’m sure. But we haven’t gotten to the best part yet.”
“Wait until you hear this,” Regan told them.
“Jim Franklin didn’t exactly come here because he was making a career choice.”
Linnea’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“It seems the last place he lived the police were called several times for a domestic violence report. The last time they had to cart his then-girlfriend to the hospital. When she got out, she moved in with two friends and took out a restraining order against him.”