by Lisa Kessler
She lifted Charlie down from the chopper and glanced at Jared as she straightened. “I’ve been trying to place it, too. By any chance, did you go to boarding school?”
My jaw slackened. “Brightwood.” It finally clicked. “You’re little Nadya Dalca.”
She chuckled. “Not so little anymore.”
“What are the chances we both ended up here?”
She shrugged. “I was actually in college in Massachusetts until recently. I’ve only been in Reno for a few months.”
“Jared told me you’re finishing your degree?”
“Yeah, two more classes for my degree in liberal arts, then another year for my credential.”
I still couldn’t wrap my brain around Nadya being all grown up. She’d come to Brightwood just before I left. She was an empath, sensing the emotions around her. And she’d been so cute and homesick. It was tough not to fawn over her.
Did she remember my gift? I stiffened. “Thank you for watching Charlie.”
“No problem.” She nudged her boyfriend. “Gareth is making us pizza, but we were waiting for you to get here before we put on toppings.”
“I love pizza.” Charlie ran over to hug me. “Bye, Mom.”
I managed to snag a kiss before he took off to the little kitchen area. Jared and Gareth clasped forearms. He’d done the same thing with his brother. Maybe it was like a secret handshake in a fraternity?
“Thanks for keeping Charlie company. We should be back in a couple hours.”
Gareth almost smiled. “Give Sebastian my best.”
Jared laughed. “Will do.”
I lowered my voice, watching the kitchen. “Will you tell Nadya that Charlie doesn’t know about psychic powers or Brightwood? I’d like to keep it that way.”
He raised a brow. “All right.”
“Thanks.” I held out my hand. He looked at it, then at Jared, before finally shaking my hand.
“No problem. Nice to meet you.”
Jared touched the small of my back, guiding me toward the door. “We’d better get going.”
Once we were inside the truck, I turned toward him. “Did you know she went to Brightwood?”
He nodded and met my eyes. “Yeah. I told you I’ve dealt with Nero before and they funded your school.”
Heat licked at my belly. I pulled in a breath. “So she and Gareth know about my Pyrokinesis?”
He shrugged and started the truck. “If you went to school at the same time, maybe she does.”
“If they see the burn on Charlie’s arm…”
He put his hand over mine. “Nadya and Gareth are good people. I’ve known Gareth my whole life.”
“That doesn’t matter. Charlie’s scar, that wound he suffered, was my fault. If she remembers my power, she’ll know I hurt him, and I won’t be there to explain it was an accident or tell her what happened.”
“They’re not going to see his scar and call CPS.”
I blinked back tears, struggling to calm the fire inside. “How can you be so sure?”
He tucked my hair behind my ear. “Because they’re like my family. I trust them.”
“Charlie is all the family I have in the world.”
“You guys aren’t alone anymore, remember?” Jared cupped my face, his thumb stroking my cheek. “I would never leave him here if there was any chance he’d be in danger.”
Jared had a family and close knit friends. He’d never be able to relate to this deep-seated fear brewing inside of me. I’d lost everything, my family, the father of my twin boys, and even one of my sons.
“I can’t lose him.”
“And you won’t.” He kissed my forehead. “Let’s talk to Sebastian and we’ll come right back, okay?”
He pulled out, and I watched the garage get smaller in the side mirror, and my chest constricted as the heat smoldered deep inside.
Jared scanned the dimly lit restaurant and led me to a table in the corner. Sebastian was taller and leaner than Damian. There was a resemblance, but Sebastian’s features were more refined, definitely more attractive.
“You weren’t followed?”
Jared shook his head as I slid into the booth. “No. We’re good.” He sat beside me, his hand rested on my thigh under the table. Possessive.
Sebastian’s attention turned to me. “It’s good to meet you, Taryn. You knew my mother.”
I nodded. “She was the principal of Brightwood.”
“Yes, she loved that school.”
I cleared my throat and lifted my chin, sliding into my comfort zone, my all-business persona protecting me like armor. “I’m sorry if this comes off as rude, but I’m not here for a trip down memory lane. Your brother grabbed my son last night. I need to make him leave us alone.”
Sebastian raised a brow. “Direct. I’ve heard that about you.”
“They don’t call me the Ice Queen for nothing.”
Jared rubbed my thigh under the table. “Sebastian’s not known for his warm personality either.”
Sebastian rolled his shoulders back. “My brother has envied my place as first born since he came into my life. His thirst for winning our father’s favor in the hopes he might inherit my birthright often consumes him. I’m sure stumbling across a female with the psychic ability to manipulate fire had him frothing at the mouth.”
“And why aren’t you?” Having Jared beside me helped to control the heat in my body. His touch grounded me. Sebastian couldn’t hurt me in a public place, and even if he tried, Jared would protect me like he defended Charlie last night.
Sebastian ran his index finger around the lip of his wine glass, but his gaze never strayed from mine. “Because unlike my brother, I think before I take action. Kidnapping a prominent business owner would attract too much undesired attention.”
I frowned, the muscles in my back tensing. “So it has nothing to do with doing what’s right.”
He smirked. “Right and wrong look very different depending on which side of the chess board you’re sitting on.”
While I enjoyed business negotiations, I’d never dealt with another party who admitted that kidnapping would only be wrong if it brought the police to your door. I took a breath and got myself back on point. “How can we stop him?”
“You could kill him.”
Jared slapped his hand on the table. “That’d make things easier for you, right? And then your father sends all of Nero after us in retribution.” Jared shook his head. “This is getting us nowhere.”
I pressed my lips together. “We’re not done here yet.” I looked across the table at Sebastian. Negotiations depended on knowing what each party desired. “You want to know why your mother helped me.”
He nodded.
“And if I tell you, what do you have to offer us in return?”
Sebastian chuckled, shaking his head as he sneered at Jason. “Your woman is so pleasant.”
Jared leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a threatening intensity. “Insult her again and we’re leaving, you arrogant asshole.”
Pissing contests like this were why hot-heads were poor negotiators. “I’m still waiting to hear your offer.”
Sebastian’s dark eyes met mine. “I put a GPS tracker on Damian’s car this afternoon. I will monitor his movements and keep you alerted if he is heading your way.”
“Where is the tracker?” I asked.
A crease formed between his eyebrows. “Why does that matter?”
“Because it shows good faith.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Very few have faith in me.”
“With good reason,” Jared grumbled.
“Where did you put it?”
Sebastian sobered. “It’s on the muffler.”
My pulse thrummed. Now we were getting somewhere. He didn’t hesitate when he revealed the placement, no blinking, and no breaking eye contact. He wasn’t lying. “And how do we trust you’ll keep your word to call us if he’s heading my way?”
“I don’t see that you have much
choice.”
“Maybe not.” I shrugged. “But we could leave now.”
He rolled his eyes, biting his words, the first inkling I’d finally struck a nerve with this guy. “What do you suggest?”
“I’ll give you a prepaid cell phone from my office, and when we text you for Damian’s position, you’ll answer.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then the next time I see Damian, and we both know I will, I’ll tell him you’re in town and to check his muffler.”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “No one threatens me.”
“That was no threat.” I reached for my ice water. “I meant every word.”
His stare bored into me as I took a sip and waited. This was the moment most people fell apart, but I held eye contact. Daring him not to take my deal.
“Fine, we use your cell phone and I’ll answer.”
I swallowed. “Fair enough.” The tension in my back eased up as the heat in my chest subsided. “What do you want to know?”
He straightened, still not happy, but too eager for information to sulk. “I want to know why my mother helped you get out of New York.”
“I contacted her after my apartment caught on fire.” I took a breath collecting myself. “I asked if I could stay in the dorms again until I had money for a new place. But she said no.”
He steepled his fingers together, all his attention on me. “Did she tell you why not?”
“She wanted to meet for lunch. When we did, she told me Brightwood wasn’t safe for me. She gave me $10,000 in cash and a plane ticket to Reno with a phone number. I was supposed to call the number when I landed.”
He didn’t reply so I went on. “I called Malcolm Sloan, and he showed up with new ID for me and my baby.” I glanced at Jared and back to Sebastian. “I tried to give him the money from Sylvia, but he wouldn’t take it. He bought my place in Tahoe and I rented it from him. I bought it outright a couple of years ago.”
Sebastian tipped his head toward Jared. “Does your…family know about this?”
Jared nodded slowly. “Aren is still checking in Sloan Consulting’s records to see if we can find any notes.”
Sebastian rested back against the seat, staring at the ceiling for a second. “It makes no sense. Why would she have arranged this with Malcolm?”
I felt like there was a huge puzzle piece that Jared and Sebastian hadn’t shown me yet. “I assumed they were friends. She told me he would keep me safe, and he said something about owing Sylvia a favor.”
Both men turned toward me with stunned expressions. Jared squeezed my leg. “He owed her a favor?”
I shrugged. “That’s what he said.”
They stared at each other, again making me wonder what I was missing.
“If my father discovered his wife worked with Malcolm…”
Jared glanced over at me. “Can you think of anything else? Any reason he owed her a favor?”
I shook my head. “No. I only saw him one other time after I signed the loan docs to buy the house from Sloan Consulting. He said he was proud of me.”
Sebastian got up from the booth. “Meet me tomorrow with the phone.” He wrote down an address on a napkin and handed it to Jared, then his gaze bore into me. “My brother isn’t well. He never has been. The new moon is coming, and you are nothing more than a bauble to give to my father. Your son is merely a tool to get you. Never forget that.”
And without a word, he walked away.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jared
My head spun with the implications that Adam’s father, our Alpha, could’ve owed the wife of the head of Nero a favor. What the hell kind of secret had he kept from all of us? My dad grew up with Malcolm. Maybe he knew something.
It didn’t help that the clock was ticking until new moon. Damian would be in jaguar form, a dangerous predator hunting in Lake Tahoe.
The waitress came over, jarring me from the tempest brewing in my head. “The other gentleman paid his tab for the wine. Do you two want anything?”
I glanced at Taryn, and my stomach growled. She almost smiled. I kissed her temple. “Let’s eat a couple steaks and then we’ll get back to the garage and pick up Charlie. Sound good?”
Taryn nodded and we placed our orders. When the waitress walked away, Taryn met my eyes. “What does the new moon have to do with any of this?”
I’d hoped Sebastian’s slip had passed her by. “It’ll be very dark with no moon in the sky, so it’ll be easier for Damian to surprise us.” All true. I just left out he’d also be a hulking black jaguar. I brought her hand to my lips. “You were amazing tonight.”
“I do like negotiating.”
She had no idea she’d just shut down a jaguar assassin on the other side of the table. I chuckled. “I noticed.”
“You are one of the only people who refused to negotiate with me.” Her blue eyes sparkled in the dim light.
“Nothing to compromise on.” I shrugged. “I gave you a fair price.”
She smiled and rested her head on my shoulder. “That was beside the point. You were going to walk away and lose the job completely.”
I lifted her chin to meet my eyes. “Truth was, you intrigued me and I wanted to get to know you.”
“Then why didn’t you negotiate?”
“It’s the principal of the thing. I always give my best work, ideas, and prices right up front so I don’t need to deal with the bullshit of negotiating.”
Her lips caressed my neck, instantly waking the wolf inside of me. “You should let me handle your bids. My deck is worth much more than you charged me for it.”
I turned my head to claim a slow kiss. “I definitely got the better end of that deal.”
Her hand slid up my thigh and suddenly I had to adjust myself in my jeans.
“How’s your back?” She whispered.
The husky sound of her voice tempted me to forget the steak and take her home. “Still sore, but I’ll live.” Her heavy lidded eyes revealed what she was really asking. I leaned in closer, lowering my voice. “I want you, too.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
I shook my head, eyes on hers. “And I don’t have to lie down to take you.”
Her lips parted and with my heightened hearing, there was no missing the way her pulse surged. Yeah, we needed to eat fast and get the hell out of here.
Charlie talked about motorcycles the whole drive back to my place. I tried to listen, but my mind was stuck on a single track that involved Taryn, naked, pressed against my bedroom wall. I shifted a little in the driver’s seat.
When we got to my house, Taryn took charge of getting Charlie ready for bed on the sofa pull-out, while I took Tank outside for a bathroom break. On the back porch, I took out my cell and gave my Dad a call.
“Jared?”
“Hey, Dad.” Ever since he’d awakened from his coma, hearing him say my name struck a chord. My entire life, he was larger than life. The shock of taking care of him while he lay in a bed, defenseless, changed our relationship. I finally recognized I wouldn’t have him forever. Every moment mattered more.
“What’s up? Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” I had so much to tell him. He hadn’t even met Taryn yet. “But I called because I’ve got a question about Malcolm.”
He chuckled. “How’s the little monster doing?”
I shook my head. “Not little Malcolm. I’m talking about Adam’s dad.”
“Oh.” He cleared his throat, sobering. “What do you want to know?”
“Did he ever mention Sylvia Severino to you?”
Silence.
“Dad?”
“I’m here. I just…” He took a few steps and lowered his voice. “I’ll come by your place tomorrow and we can talk.”
“Okay.” I glanced back at my house. “You can meet Taryn, too.”
“Taryn?”
“Yeah. She owns Goldstone Properties up in Lake Tahoe. Ask Mom, she’s met her before.”
“Wha
t’s she doing at your house?”
I stared up at the stars. “She’s my mate, Dad. And she doesn’t know what we are.”
Telling him over the phone I’d finally found my mate hadn’t been my plan, but until this moment, I hadn’t realized how much I wanted to shout it out to the world.
I loved her and the secret was eating me alive.
“Wow.” He whispered, but if my Mom was in the house, she’d still be able to hear. She’d been a werewolf for over thirty-five years now. “Does Mom know…”
“No.”
“When are you going to tell Taryn…”
“I don’t know Dad. Just come over tomorrow and we’ll talk.”
“Fair enough.”
“See you then. I love you, Dad.”
“Love you too, son.”
I put my phone away and opened the door for Tank. The lights were out. In the living room, Charlie was tucked in the sofa bed. I double-checked the deadbolt on the door and helped Tank onto the bed. He snuggled in beside Charlie and commenced snoring. A smile tugged at my mouth. I could definitely get used to this family thing.
Light filtered into the hallway from under the closed bedroom door. When I opened it, cold air blew through the open window and Taryn got up from my bed in nothing but one of my flannel shirts.
Closing the door behind my back, my gaze slid up her body. My work shirt had never looked so damned sexy. It came down just below the juncture between her legs, and exposed her toned thighs on the sides. She only had two buttons in the middle done, teasing me with the curves of her breasts. Finally my eyes met hers. She wet her lips, the corners of her mouth hinting at a smile.
I went to her, claiming those soft lips, tasting her as I explored her body. I slid my hand down her perfect ass and pressed her hips tight against mine. I was hard enough to break the fucking zipper. She moaned and almost undid me completely.
I broke the kiss and pulled my shirt over my head, the bandage on my back tugged at my skin, but the pain of the burn didn’t hold a candle to my hunger for her. Her fingers freed the button on my jeans as I tossed the shirt aside, watching her carefully lower my zipper.
My erection pulsed, finally free of the prison of my pants. I kissed her again, growling into her mouth as she slid her hand into my boxers, stroking me until I ached for more contact. She pushed my underwear down and I stepped out of them without breaking the kiss. I needed her now.