“A car jumped the curb and hit that woman,” he said, pointing to the ambulance.
Lucien looked around. Traffic was stopped but he didn’t see a car with the appearance of having just hit a person. “Where’s the car?”
The guy shrugged. “It left. Hit and run.” The man shook his head and dashed across the street, away from the ambulance as it pulled away from the curb, siren blaring.
Lucien approached the building. He noticed skid marks on the sidewalk and studied them. Pulling out his phone, he snapped a couple of pictures of the treads. Then he noticed a faint scent of fox. Hmm, just like the guys who tried to kidnap Willow. The scent seemed to go in the same direction as the skid marks on the street, so he followed it.
The scent took him southeast.
Lucien walked for hours but lost the scent near the river. Or rather, an overwhelming smell of fish stole the shifter’s scent from the air. He looked around for street signs and landmarks. Fulton Street. A stone-paved pedestrian zone.
He scrubbed his hand through his hair and turned back the way he’d come.
The sun was starting to set, so he headed to Central Park. It should be safe enough to shift and run in the denser areas of the park. Really, he needed a distraction. He’d wanted to do something concrete to help Willow, but he was no closer to an answer. And he wasn’t ready to face Ryenne.
The run worked off some of his excess energy and a shower at Gavin’s helped him put on a neutral expression.
Until he saw Ryenne in the waiting room. She could barely look at him.
He hated himself for his weakness. If he were a stronger man, the kind of man Ryenne needed to get through her adjustment period, they could be together now.
“Where have you been, man?” Gavin asked.
Lucien explained how he’d spent the past few hours. “But I lost the scent around the South Street Seaport,” he ended.
“What?” Ryenne asked, sitting up straighter. “The South Street Seaport is where the cops found the bodies of the dead Fangs last night. There has to be a connection. It can’t be a coincidence.”
The cops again. Lucien was getting sick of those guys. Then he pushed the feelings of jealousy down into his gut to deal with later. Now wasn’t the time.
As he made himself comfortable in one of the waiting room’s uncomfortable chairs, he realized he’d never felt this way before. Envy and jealousy were foreign to him.
Ryenne had always made him feel new things. Since the day they’d met.
***
Ryenne was startled awake by someone shaking her.
“Miss Cavanagh.”
She looked up into Dr. Nakamura’s serious brown eyes. “Doctor, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Your mom is awake again and I thought you’d like to sit with her,” he said.
“Yes, thank you.” She stretched and looked around but there were still no windows in this waiting room. “What time is it?”
“It’s about four a.m.”
Lucien and Gavin were sprawled across some of the other chairs, but as she watched, Lucien’s eyes fluttered open.
“I’m going to see Mom,” she told him. “Maybe you and Gavin should go home and get some rest. I’ll text you later.”
He stretched, his shirt riding up and showing off a mere inch of tan skin. A familiar sensation hit her core. “No,” he said. “We can’t leave. I want to see her, too. Can I?” He looked to the doctor.
“Another fake brother?”
Ryenne’s gaze whipped toward the doctor. “Why, Doctor Nakamura, you have a sense of humor.”
He shrugged. “Sometimes.”
“Okay, you caught us. Lucien is definitely not my brother. And while Gavin isn’t my brother by blood, he’s the closest thing I’ve had since I was a kid, and he looks to my mother as his mom, as well, since his own doesn’t accept his lifestyle.”
Dr. Nakamura raised his eyebrows. “Lifestyle?”
Ryenne nodded. “Yes. Gavin’s lovely parents think being gay is a choice. My mom never judged him for the things he can’t help. So, of course, he loves her.”
“Ah,” the doctor said. He glanced at Gavin and his normally hard and serious features softened.
Hmm, maybe Gavin had been right. But she still wasn’t ready to trust Dr. Nakamura.
She followed Nakamura from the waiting room, leaving Lucien and Gavin behind, down the same corridor to the same door. He waved his pass in front of the scanner.
“I know you’re a shifter,” she whispered, stopping on the other side of the security door.
“Indeed.”
“It doesn’t worry you?” she asked.
“Should it?”
She considered him for a moment. He could be unconcerned because he had nothing to fear because he didn’t know about the Fangs, or because he was a Fang and thought he was above the law.
“Mind showing me your ankles?” she asked.
His eyebrows rose even higher. “I beg your pardon.”
If he were a Fang, he’d know why she was asking, so she’d already lost the element of surprise. “Got any tattoos, Doctor?”
“No,” he said in a bland voice. “Where my family comes from, only gang members have tattoos.”
“And where’s that?” she asked. She didn’t want to assume from his appearance and his last name. She didn’t know his first name, but it might not give any clues, anyway.
“My family is from Japan,” he said, “but I was born here in the States.”
She started walking toward her mother’s room. He definitely got points for answering her question and being open about his background. He didn’t have to answer her, and a Fang probably wouldn’t have.
He paused outside her mother’s room. “Miss Cavanagh, I’ll probably be off shift by the time you come out. But I’ll be here again this evening, and I promise you, I will take good care of your mother.”
His face was back to his serious and expressionless mask.
“Is your friend out there single?”
She had started to enter her mom’s room but stopped. “Which friend?”
“The blond one.”
“Oh yeah, he’s single.” She smirked. “But if you’re a Fang and you hurt him, I will end you.” She walked into the room and closed the door behind her.
FOURTEEN
When Ryenne got back to the waiting room, Lucien was sitting with his head down and his forearms on his knees. As soon as he saw her, he jumped up. “How is she?”
“She’s in pain and we still don’t know if her brain will be the same, but otherwise, she’s doing okay. She drifted off to sleep again, so here I am.” She plopped down on a chair near Lucien. “Really, you guys should go home, get showers, and eat proper food. I’ll stay here with Mom. When you come back, maybe I’ll go home and shower, too.”
Gavin stirred. “I’m not going anywhere if you don’t go anywhere.”
“Someone needs to stay here with her,” Ryenne said. “I’m not trusting Mom’s security to this hospital. Even with their badges and scanners. For all we know, there could be Fangs working here.” She pointed at Gavin. “Your Doctor Hottie could be one.”
Gavin scoffed.
She paced around the small room. “I just don’t get this. I thought the Fangs wanted her expertise for the anti-healing gunk or something else chemistry related. Why would they kill her?”
Gavin and Lucien shook their heads.
It didn’t make any sense.
“Maybe they decided they can’t kidnap her because of all of us, so instead, they will try to kill her,” Lucien suggested.
“How is that easier for them?” Ryenne asked, frustration evident in her increasing volume.
“Because kidnapping has to be up close and personal. Killing doesn’t.”
Ryenne threw her hands up in the air. “Great! So now I have to worry about snipers in the building across from her hospital room?”
“I’ve never heard of a rogue who used a sniper rifle,�
� Gavin said.
“I suppose it depends on how desperate they are,” Lucien said.
“Ugh, I need to run,” Ryenne said. She raked her fingers up her jeans as if her skin was itchy. She felt like crawling out of her skin. Her wolf wanted to leap out of her body and pounce on something. But not in a fun way this time. It just wanted to hurt something. And Ryenne wanted to hurt something, too. She wanted to hurt whoever had just landed her mother in the hospital.
“We know who has answers,” Ryenne said, jumping up from the chair. “Tess. I saw her across from Mom’s building just before the accident. I chased her away and she jumped into a van a couple of blocks away. It’s almost like she was leading me away so Mom would be left alone in front of the building long enough for them to drive a car into her. Tess knows what this is about. I have to go see her.”
Ryenne patted her pockets and the sheath at her back to make sure her weapons were all in place, out of habit. She only had her dagger at her back, not her former arsenal, now that she was a shifter. Once reassured she had her favorite weapon, she marched toward the door. Lucien scooted in front, blocking her exit.
“What are you doing, Lucien? Get out of my way.”
“No. You can’t run off like this and confront Tess.”
She wanted to scream. She hated when he had a point. Yeah, going off like this to attack the Fangs in Paris hadn’t gone well. She had temporarily lost Gavin to the Fangs and gotten Lucien’s sister injured. And the other night, she hadn’t been very effective against Tess by herself.
“But I can’t just sit here and let them plan the next move. I have to stop them,” she said.
“I understand that,” Lucien said, holding her upper arms. “But you flying out of here on little more than adrenaline isn’t going to help anything, and you could get yourself seriously hurt. Remember, they have that gunk. They’ve already used it against you twice. What’s to stop them from using it again?”
Shit. He was right.
She should’ve learned her lesson in Paris and yet she’d done it again the other night, chasing after Tess and her brothers, like it was no big deal. But it was a big deal. If she’d been able to get answers out of them the other night, maybe her mother wouldn’t be lying here.
Lucien rubbed his hands up to her shoulders. Heat zapped through her. It had been too long since she had been physical, and her wolf wanted out.
“Look, Ryenne. Why don’t you go back to your apartment, work out, get some of this excess tension out of your body, shower, and come back. Gavin and I will stay here with your mom.”
Ryenne shook her head. “No, I can’t leave her. Not even to go after Tess. I was just running my mouth off.”
“It’s okay,” Lucien said. “We won’t let anything happen to her.” He looked to Gavin, who nodded.
“We promise, Ry.”
“And neither will we,” said a voice from the door.
“Dr. Nakamura,” Ryenne said, “you’re still here.”
He stood in the doorway holding a tray of disposable coffee cups. “I was on my way out but decided to bring you all some real coffee from the café across the street from the hospital. It’s better than what we’ve got here in the waiting room. You’ve been here for a long time. You’re probably tired of that stuff.”
Ryenne couldn’t help but wonder who he was trying to impress: Gavin, because he was interested in him, or was he trying to ease Ryenne’s mind since she had already shown suspicion about him being a shifter?
The coffee worked on Gavin at least. He wore a goofy grin and Ryenne couldn’t watch what might follow.
“Okay, you guys win. You get to stay here with Mom and I’ll go home and... you know.” She started for the door. “But don’t you dare let anything happen to her.”
The guys raised their hands up in surrender.
She shook her head and strode from the room.
FIFTEEN
Ryenne returned to the hospital a few hours later and sent the guys home. Then she went to see her mom, now out of the ICU and in another private room.
A large bouquet of flowers sat on the bedside table.
“Where did these come from?” she asked.
Her mom turned her head to look. “I don’t know. I didn’t notice them before now. None of the nurses mentioned them.”
Ryenne walked over to the flowers. “There’s a card.” She pulled it out. The envelope had her mom’s first name printed in a feminine script. She showed her mom. “Must be one of your friends.”
“I haven’t talked to anyone but you since I’ve been here,” her mom said. “I don’t know if any of my friends even know I’m here.” Her mom’s face went slack. “Oh no. Did you call John in my office?”
“Yes, Mom. I called on my way home a few hours ago. I guess he could have sent the flowers, from everyone.”
Ryenne stared at the envelope and tried to sniff out its source.
“Read it,” Mom said.
Ryenne pulled out the card from inside the envelope. The handwriting was different this time, more masculine.
Dear Willow,
I’m sorry this happened to you. I’ll make sure it never happens again.
Get well soon.
All my love, Mike
Ryenne’s hand froze and the card fluttered to the floor.
“What’s wrong, Ryenne?”
She didn’t know how to answer. Or even if she should. Maybe it would be too upsetting in her mom’s current state.
“Sweetie, what? Who are they from?”
Ryenne bent to retrieve the card and handed it to her mother without a word.
“Oh,” her mom said on a sigh. They stared into each other’s eyes.
“He’s alive,” Ryenne whispered.
Tears filled her mother’s beautiful blue eyes. “He’s really alive. I didn’t want to believe it. Why would he stay away from us for so long? Why would he let us think he was dead?”
Emotions pounded in Ryenne’s head as if they were physical sensation. Here, finally, was confirmation of her father’s treachery and betrayal. After all this time of staying hidden from them and letting them believe he was dead, why would he shatter the illusion now?
She couldn’t remember her mother being in the hospital before. She was amazingly healthy. Just as she had thought when she saw her mother in this bed for the first time. Could that be it? For the first time, something serious had happened to her mom, and Dad felt the need to reach out?
“Oh my god,” she whispered. “He’s still in love with you.”
Pain crossed her mother’s face.
“Are you okay? Should I get the nurse?” Ryenne asked.
Her mother squeezed her hand and shook her head slightly. “This isn’t how you treat the people you love,” she said in a small voice.
Ryenne’s protective wolf clawed its way to the surface of her consciousness. Ryenne wanted to kill her father.
SIXTEEN
They let Ryenne stay in her mom’s hospital room. She texted the guys to let them know her mom was sometimes awake, and they could come straight to her room when they were done with their own personal errands and freshening up.
So, when a knock came on the door about an hour later, Ryenne expected to see Gavin. Instead, it was Scotty, closely followed by Nick. Each held a bouquet of flowers large enough to hide their faces.
Pushing down the immediate attraction and her wolf’s inner whines to lick one of them, she said, “Seriously, guys?”
“We couldn’t come see Willow empty-handed,” Scotty said with a grin.
They put the flowers on the window sill and sat in the two chairs, scraping them across the linoleum to get closer to the bed.
“How are you doing?” Nick asked.
“I feel like I’m singlehandedly keeping the bandage people in business,” her mom joked.
“You must be doing okay, Mrs. C., if you can make jokes,” Nick said.
“Well, other than feeling like I got hit by a car, I feel all right.
And please, call me Willow. Mrs. C. makes me feel old.”
Ryenne wondered where all this humor was coming from. Was it aftereffects of the anesthesia? Was it the pain meds? It didn’t matter. She’d take it. Her mom’s color had improved and, from her mom’s speech, Ryenne didn’t think they still had to worry about any brain damage.
Scotty gestured with his head toward the bouquet of flowers on the bedside table. “Looks like we weren’t the only ones with that idea.”
Ryenne retrieved the card from the wastebasket and handed it to Scotty without a word. She watched the frown slowly form on his face as he read it.
“Mike?” he asked. “As in your dad?”
She nodded.
“Holy sh—” he started to say and looked at her mom and apologized.
Her mom shook her head. “It’s okay. I’ve heard worse. I am a grown woman, you know.”
“So, here’s your confirmation he’s alive,” Scotty said.
“Yup,” Ryenne said. “But what I really want to know is how these flowers got here. I asked some of the staff, and no one remembers anyone with flowers coming through. No one remembers anyone coming to see Mom except me, Gavin, and Lucien.”
Nick pulled out his trusty pad and jotted down some notes. “We’ll look into it.”
“Great. And while you’re at it,” Ryenne said, “is there anything you can do to help us with security? I’m really concerned that someone got into her hospital room and no one noticed. Someone tried to kill her and they could come back to finish the job.”
Ryenne half expected her mom to shush her or argue that it was just an accident. But she didn’t. Either she was too tired to argue or enough things had happened that she now believed the Fangs wanted her dead.
“I thought the Fangs wanted Willow alive,” Nick said.
“Yeah, we all did,” Ryenne said. “They changed the playbook, and we don’t know why.”
Nick kept jotting notes. “We have some questions for you, Willow. Do you mind?”
She shook her head. “Go ahead.”
“You were outside your office building when it happened?” Nick asked.
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