Wolf Bite (Wolf Cove #2)

by Nina West

  My mind is swirling with all this new information, with the extent that Henry’s own brother would go to take over the business. It’s impossible to comprehend, but I don’t come from this world. Is this what it’s like to be a part of the Wolf family, to be surrounded by so much greed and wealth that you’ll do anything, hurt anyone? Maybe this is why their mother ran off!

  As angry and upset as I am with Henry, I’m also relieved for him. “So, she’s dropped the charges?”

  He pulls his hand out of the bucket and takes a look at his knuckles. They’re red but they don’t look too bad. “Yes. And taking the severance package we offered her. Her husband now knows that there was no sexual assault, so I’m not sure where that will leave things with them. But that’s not my problem. If she had just come to me in the first place, I would have informed my father what Scott was up to and we could have avoided all of this.”

  “So, what happens now?”

  “Now, my father gives me controlling power of Wolf Hotels. He’s not waiting until the end of June. He’s having the paperwork drawn up today.”

  “All because of Scott?”

  “To spite Scott, or because he knows I’m the right choice....” Henry shrugs. “I don’t really care. I get what I want and it’s what’s best for the company.”

  “Well... that’s good. I’m happy that it all worked out for you.” It doesn’t change what happened between us but I do mean it.

  “Are you?” He levels me with steely blue eyes, and I instinctively tense. There’s something behind that gaze, as if he’s restraining himself. And I remember that he smashed a glass. He’s still very angry about something.

  “Of course. I wouldn’t want you to be accused of something you didn’t do.”

  His lips twitch. “You mean, like being accused of fucking the key media contact who’s doing a write up of my hotel?”

  Is he seriously still going to deny it? I swallow my anger, but it’s impossible. “I know what I saw.” The looks, the touches....

  Henry folds his arms over his chest, ignoring his sore fist. “And what exactly did you see? Because I know what I saw on the security footage, when I reviewed it to see what the fuck went on that made you think I was with her—me, leaving the main lodge late Friday and heading back to my cabin, fighting the urge to demand that my assistant come here so I can bury myself in her.”

  My heart skips a beat but I don’t get a chance to even process that because Henry’s still talking.

  “My brother, appearing at the bar the moment I’m gone to lubricate Roshana with enough martinis that she willingly brought him back to her suite.”

  My stomach drops. “Scott?”

  “My idiot brother knew how important Roshana is to Wolf Cove, so he decided it’d be a brilliant idea to fuck her on Friday night.”

  Wait. What? Scott was with Roshana Friday? Not Henry? All those condoms from Friday night weren’t on account of Henry? I frantically wrack my brain with everything I know and think I know. Scott’s the one who told me that Henry and Roshana were together Friday night, but he’s also convinced there’s something going on between us. So Scott lied. But of course he lied. He figured he’d get a reaction out of the poor dumb assistant who’s head over heels for her boss. To get me to confess to our inappropriate relationship. And he’s been around the hotel industry all his life; I’m sure he knows what staff is like. He probably made sure to leave her place littered with condoms just to spark gossip through the housekeeping staff.

  My heart begins racing.

  If that’s true....

  Henry’s voice has turned icy. “What’s wrong, Abbi? You look guilty. Did you do something that you’re perhaps ashamed of?”

  I feel the blood leave my face. “No,” I whisper.

  “Really?” I swear I hear Henry’s teeth crack from his jaw clenching so hard. “How was Michael this morning?”

  Oh my God.

  Henry knows.

  How the hell does he know?

  Tears sting my eyes, because I do feel guilty. I am ashamed.

  But... no, it doesn’t matter, I remind myself, as I wipe the teardrops from my cheek. “I saw you last night, leaving the lobby with Roshana and that blonde in the red dress.”

  “You saw me walking her back to her cabin, which is directly beside my cabin, and so you just figured you should go and fuck someone else.”

  “I know what I saw.”

  Anger radiates from him. “Well, I hope it was worth it because Michael is on the ferry as we speak.”

  “What!” Did I hear him correctly? “You fired him? You can’t do that!”

  “And yet I did.”

  “But he didn’t do anything wrong!”

  “You let him fuck you!” All calm composure is gone as Henry’s booming voice fills the cabin and his face contorts with rage.

  Is he kidding me? “You were off screwing two other women!” I know I sound hysterical now but I don’t care. The tears have begun to slip unbidden again. I don’t think I cried this much even after Jed hurt me.

  Henry dips his head away from me, studying the hardwood floor, trying to calm himself, I presume. When he finally looks up again, I see something floating in his gaze that I can’t read.

  But that steely face that I now see, I know well. “You’re right,” he says in that overly calm, cool voice. “I did fuck two women. Right over there.” He nods toward the living room, where dirty drink glasses litter the coffee table and the cushions are all out of sorts. Housekeeping hasn’t been in to clean up because Henry doesn’t allow housekeeping in here. “I sat in that chair with a scotch and watched the two of them tongue fuck each other, and then I took turns shoving my cock into first one, then the other.” Each new detail is like a needle-sharp blade poking at my already aching heart. I don’t need to hear the specifics. It only brings it to life in my head. “It was nice, you know, being with two women who knew what they were doing.”

  I recoil at the well-timed insult. Now he’s trying to hurt me.

  But Henry doesn’t let up, his face twisting with a vicious smirk. “Don’t you dare play the wounded fawn, Abbi. You do play it so well, don’t you? But you didn’t waste any time spreading your legs for another guy.”

  How did he turn this into my fault? “You can’t fire Michael.”

  “Well, that’s where you’re wrong. I can do whatever I want.” He examines the cuff of his dress shirt and, noting the spots of blood on the crisp white material, he begins unbuttoning this shirt.

  “No you can’t,” I hear myself say, taking a step back, away from him. “You can’t just do whatever you want.”

  “I will own 61 percent of Wolf Hotels by Tuesday, so you are very wrong about that.”

  “Does your father know about us?” It’s a simple, innocent question.

  And yet the flare in Henry’s eyes tells me he sees the underlying threat immediately. Of course he does. A good predator is always five steps ahead of their prey.

  I clear my throat, trying to sound more confident, even through the tears and the shakiness. “I’m guessing he asked and you convinced him that nothing happened between us. You lied right to his face.”

  He’s lost interest in his soiled shirt, turning to face me head-on. “What are you trying to get at, Abbi?”

  I won’t let him punish Michael. “That you need to give Michael his job back.” Or else.

  I don’t need to say it out loud. By the tightness in his jaw, he gets it. “Are you threatening me?” He takes a step forward.

  I take three back, suddenly wondering exactly how bad an idea this was. “I’m trying to make sure you do what’s right.”

  “And let me guess, letting you stay at Wolf Cove and work wherever you want is also the right thing to do?”

  Yes.

  “And if I don’t give you what you want, you’re going to tell my father that I fucked you, after I swore up and down that I didn’t?”

  I swallow my wariness.

  He peels his dr
ess shirt off, tossing it to the chair, his casual persona back. “That sounds an awful lot like blackmail, Abbi. Did you not just learn anything from the situation with Kiera? Did you not learn about how I deal with these kinds of situations?”

  That he doesn’t go down without a fight.

  And here I am, threatening the one thing he wants more than anything: Wolf Hotels.

  What the hell was I thinking?

  Suddenly, the thought of staying at Wolf Cove no longer appeals to me. I’d rather deal with Mama and Jed than what Henry will do to me. It really is the devil you know versus the devil you don’t situation, and I suspect making an enemy of Henry would be the worst decision of my life. “I’ll hand in my things to Belinda and be on the next ferry out today.” I turn to leave.

  “You’re not leaving Alaska.”

  I squeeze my eyes shut. “You said I had to stay and work for you, or quit and go back to Greenbank. So, I quit. Have a great life, Henry.” I wish my voice wouldn’t waver so much.

  “That was then.” He steps right through the spilled scotch, tracking the liquid toward me, stopping maybe a foot away, his towering body looming over me. “You know, Kiera was going to drop the charges and the lawsuit. I knew that, even before I knew what Scott had done. I knew she would make the right decision because the PI was going to show her the video I had of her spread-eagle on a table. The one I’ve been keeping, just in case.”

  My mouth drops open.

  “The camera never gets a good view of my face but Kiera... well, her family, her husband, anyone who clicked on that link after we leaked it over the Internet would get a good view of all of her. And I promised her that I’d make sure everyone she knew would see it. I’d say she made the right choice with backing off, don’t you?”

  My heart is hammering in my chest.

  “To be fair, she had no idea that a video like that exists. Had she, I’m sure Scott wouldn’t have been able to manipulate her into all of this in the first place.” His eyes drop to my mouth. “Most women would think twice before blackmailing a man if they knew he had something as revealing as that on them. Wouldn’t you think so?”

  Prickles run down my back. What is Henry saying, exactly?

  Has he videotaped us having sex?

  My eyes skate around the cabin’s rafters, looking for evidence of a camera. It could be anywhere.

  As if my mind and heart haven’t been reeling enough over the past few days, he’s sending me into a new tailspin. Who is this man? Not that I ever mistook Henry for an angel, with his dirty mouth and brash style, but he’s telling me that he videotapes himself having sex with women, without their knowledge?

  How could I have been so wrong about him? How could he be the Henry I fell for—gave myself willingly to—only to then so quickly morph to this? Was he always this, and I was just too blind to see it? I can’t keep the tears from trickling out my eyes. “Please don’t do this.”

  His mouth opens but he hesitates, squeezes his eyes shut. The chiseled lines of his jaw clench as he hardens his face. “You can go now, but don’t even think about getting on that ferry. Be here at 7:00 a.m. sharp tomorrow morning.”

  I rush out the door.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Abbi, aren’t you going to grab dinner?”

  “No. I have a terrible headache that I’m trying to overcome,” I lie to Katie, pulling my covers to my neck. Here, curled in a ball within my hidden cocoon of a bunk, curtain drawn, I feel safe. If I go out there, people may ask questions.

  Does Katie know that I slept with Michael last night?

  Does she know that Henry fired Michael because of me?

  She hasn’t said a word to me about Michael, but I figure the gossip must be running rampant.

  I almost went to Michael’s cabin. Henry said Michael was already on the ferry but I hoped he was wrong. I wanted to talk to him, to apologize to him. But then I started to worry that he’d somehow figure out why he was fired, and then one thing would lead to another and the whole town of Greenbank would get to see me having sex on some video that Henry leaked because I was stupid enough to try and blackmail him. So I ran straight here.

  I don’t even have Michael’s number to text him and see where he is, how he’s doing.

  “Do you want me to bring you back something?”

  “No. I’m okay, thanks.” I won’t be eating tonight. I won’t be sleeping either.

  I’ll be too busy dreading the rest of my summer in Alaska.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The sight of Penthouse Cabin One sparked a wild thrill in my body before.

  Now, the moment I round the bend in the covered path to see it, my stomach flips with unease.

  A housekeeping cart sits outside of the main door. I guess Henry called them to clean up all the broken glass and booze. Good, because I’m not doing it. I don’t want to be here. I dragged my feet all the way from my cabin after a night of tossing and turning.

  I hate him, I tell myself over and over again. Because if I can be angry, and hate him, then it distracts me from how hurt I am, I’m learning.

  Taking a deep breath, I swipe my key card and enter through the service entrance.

  “Hello?”

  “Yes?” Bell dumps a dustpan full of glass into the bucket before looking up to see me.

  It’s strange to see another staff member in here, even if I know her. I’ve been the only one to step foot inside since I started working for him, besides that one visit from Belinda and then Michael, of course. “Oh, hey.” I do a quick glance around. “Do you know when Mr. Wolf will be back?” Maybe I’ll luck out and only have to deal with him through abrupt text messaging.

  “No idea. They just told me to clean the place out and get it ready for rental.”

  Rental?

  That’s when I notice that his laptop isn’t on the desk anymore. And the checkered jacket he wore to cut wood isn’t hanging on the hook.

  And his hiking boots aren’t sitting on the doormat.

  In fact, all of his personal possessions seem to be gone.

  A strange sinking feeling hits my stomach as I wander into the bedroom.

  The bed’s been stripped and remade. And the closet is empty of all his designer suits and casual clothes.

  Henry’s gone.

  I wander out the door with an absent “Thanks,” to Bell, and pull out my phone to see if maybe Henry texted me and I somehow missed it.

  Nothing.

  Not a single message from Henry.

  What the hell? What does this mean for my job?

  ~ ~ ~

  “Hey.”

  Belinda peers up over her glasses at me. “Good, you’re here. I’ll need your iPad and your work cell phone now.” Her tone is clipped and businesslike. She’s back to her normal, overly calm persona.

  My stomach sinks. So that’s it? I’ve been, what, fired?

  “You can change in your cabin, or in the restroom near the cleaners, up to you, but you better hurry.” She glances at her watch. “The crew will be starting their shift soon. I’m sorry I don’t have a proper uniform for you here yet, but Mr. Wolf didn’t exactly give me much time to prepare.”

  I frown. “The crew?”

  “Yes. The Outdoor crew. That you asked to be reassigned to now that Mr. Wolf has to go back to New York.” She’s speaking to me slow and loud, as if I’m hard of hearing.

  Henry has gone back to New York?

  Clearly Belinda thinks I was aware this was all happening. Why shouldn’t she? That would be the normal thing to do: tell your assistant that she won’t be needed anymore and that she’s been reassigned.

  But Henry didn’t tell me that. Instead, he demanded that I stay and used the threat of a pornographic video to keep me from getting on a ferry and going home. Why put me through all that anxiety if he planned on leaving and letting me transfer out anyway?

  Other than to toy with me.

  To punish me.

  To exert his power and control over me.

&n
bsp; Maybe he’s still screwing with my head now. Giving me what I asked for, only so he can take it away.

  My stomach twists with hurt and anger.

  “You’re going to be reporting to Darryl Sykes, and you’ll be working on a team with twelve guys. Twelve guys, Abbi. You’re the only female. You’ll be expected to carry your own weight around there, but Mr. Wolf seems to think you’ll manage.” Belinda’s lifts her brow knowingly. “For the record, I think you’re insane for wanting to work in the crew. You and them,” she shakes her head to herself. “Let’s just say I hope you’ve developed a thick skin. And if you haven’t... just come and tell me and we can move you to Housekeeping, okay?”

  “Okay.” There was a time, just weeks ago, when she wasn’t being anywhere near as accommodating, but I guess she was stuck playing whatever game Henry was leading.

  She holds her hands out, waiting for the electronics still within my grasp.

  I hand them over to her absently, still in shock over this unexpected turn of events.

  “Mr. Wolf asked that I remind you of the confidentiality agreement that you signed. I’ve forwarded a scanned copy of it to your e-mail address for your records. You should review it.”

  I pull my personal phone out and see the notification from her sitting on my screen. I click on it and the attachment opens up. There’s my signature at the bottom of the attachment. The day I signed this, I had no idea what kinds of secrets I’d be keeping. This is clearly his way of reminding me that nothing has changed.

  “I didn’t mean review it right now!” She glances at her watch irritably. “You should really get going. Darryl will be in shortly. He’ll be waiting for you at the gates, and he doesn’t like to wait.”

  I spin on my heels, ready to make a mad dash for the cleaners, where I can pick up whatever scraped-together uniform they managed to find for me.