by Moxie North
Looking back up to King he asked, “Is this full-time security?”
“Don’t know yet. She wanted to meet in person. I think she’s nervous that we’re Kindred.”
“Nervous?”
“It’s not an easy decision to hire us. We aren’t cheap and everyone knows that our bears will kick ass if needed.”
“Your bear, you mean, I do just fine in this form.”
“I’m impressed. Besides, you know these stalker cases are normally someone they know, they just haven’t realized it yet. If we can help her figure that out, she won’t have to be paying us long-term.”
“Well, aren’t you the philanthropist.”
“I just don’t see why people should live in fear if they don’t have to. By the way, what’s with the haircut?”
Anson ran his hands through his recently shortened hair. It was still a little too long on top, but he liked being able to mess with it.
“Conditioner was costing a fortune,” he smarted back. “Any word on when Van is coming back?”
Van and his new mate Cora were taking some time to relax after their presentation ceremony, but now that she had been introduced to the Clan, everything should progress fairly quickly. They had already been on a pre-honeymoon, now they were on a post one too. Anson knew Van well enough to know that it was more about Van not wanting to let his mate out of his sight than anything else.
“Soon. I know Cora wants to settle in and start planning their nursery.”
“That was fast.”
“Like you wouldn’t impregnate your mate as fast as you could.”
“I’ll be too old and decrepit to make cubs by then.”
“Somehow I doubt that. Make sure you talk to AJ this afternoon, he should be here after lunch.”
“I’ll go chat with Nadia and wait for him, then I’ll go to the gym and work out unless you need me?”
“No, Luca is skulking around somewhere. He did the diamond run this morning; it always puts him in such a great mood.”
“I’ll avoid him then, thanks.”
Anson took the tablet with a nod and went to the locker room to change out of his black camo pants and KSI shirt.
The guys sometimes gave him shit for wearing the monogrammed shirts but he reminded them that King had bought them, so why not supplement his wardrobe with them. Besides, there wasn’t really a dress code for private security. You had to adapt to the situations as they came and Anson didn’t put up half the fuss that Van did about wearing a suit.
Switching into a pair of running shorts and his tennis shoes, he took the tablet to the gym, which was set up with large padded mats that went up ten feet on the walls. King had them installed to protect against the utter destruction when the guys decided to wrestle while shifted. Big bears fighting could be hell on human furnishings.
He set the tablet on the treadmill and started at a low jog before building up to a full run. He looked through the information trying to figure out his client before he ever had to meet her. He came across as a bit of a jock to most people. They thought he was dumb and that his love of sports and adrenaline made him unintelligent. He didn’t bother to correct them. He had his own philosophy on life and what it meant to really live it and he didn’t care that the other guys gave him shit about it.
Being a bear shifter didn’t always mean you were destined for the military, law enforcement, or security like the men of KSI. Kindreds often gravitated to what they were best at. He hadn’t joined the military outright, although he did join the reserves, and was still on an active reserves, but Anson had found that he was much more of a lover than a fighter.
Security worked for him. It was a lot of planning and analyzing, and his insights on how people approached the world helped him predict how people would react to certain situations.
Keeping his pace steady on the treadmill he looked over Piper Armstrong’s family history. Mother and father, older sister and a brother. She was the youngest child.
The family business seemed to be banking of one form or another. So he wasn’t dealing with someone that didn’t understand confidentiality or security. He had to wonder how she’d let something like this go on so long. And what had made her want security now? Something, or someone, had obviously scared her enough that she couldn’t stand going it alone any longer.
Chapter 3
“I’ll have a vanilla chai latte, please.” Piper ordered her usual fare at the café in the lobby of her office building. Standing in line, she absentmindedly scrolled through her phone. Her appointment with King Security International was in forty-five minutes and even with the walk ahead of her, she would still be early.
Piper had worked with many Kindred over the years, especially the wolves that were involved in the world of finance. It wasn’t as common to interact with bear shifters, but the detective had told her that if you wanted big burly security, KSI was some of the best in the business. Bears were bigger than average shifters, and most humans. She’d always found them a little intimidating, but you couldn’t have anyone better watching your back. Piper found the courage to call KSI and talked to a very pert woman to schedule her appointment.
Hearing her name called, she went to grab her cup when another hand reached for it and she looked up to see Jerry, a guy she knew from college. He was just a few inches from her, his not-so-nice breath washing over her.
“Fancy running into you here,” he joked. Jerry still looked much like he did in college. Tall and thin with his prominent Adam’s apple bouncing as he laughed unconvincingly. He still had hair that seemed to go the opposite direction from the way he had tried to comb it. She’d gone on a date with him once after he’d asked her out after a class.
“Hey there, Jerry. What brings you downtown?” Not that she wanted to have idle chitchat with Jerry, but she had time to kill and didn’t want to be rude. She felt a little sorry for him.
“Dropping off some paperwork to my boss’s lawyer. I think he’s on his third divorce. That guy just doesn’t know how to pick ‘em!”
“That’s too bad. Well, it was good seeing you. I have an appointment I have to get to,” she said, trying to excuse herself.
“Oh, yeah sure, don’t want to keep you. Maybe we can get together and have coffee sometime,” he said and handed her the cup, his hand shaking a little as he held it.
“You know my office, give my secretary a call and she’ll tell you when I’m available.” Piper really hoped that he wouldn’t call. Normally she avoided Jerry because he gave her the creeps. Mostly because he had no concept of personal space. Also because she still felt a little guilty about not handling their date in college well.
“Great, happy to!”
Piper smiled and waved and started walking. She turned back to look at him and he was still waving at her. Jerry was definitely the goofy guy that just kept popping up where you least expected him. Turning to the doors, she stopped short, her coffee spilling and burning her hand.
“Shit!” Piper looked up to see Colleen from Personal Accounts cutting in front of her.
“Might want to watch where you’re going,” Colleen smirked as she kept walking.
“Or you could,” Piper shot back. She really didn’t like Colleen. They’d been ‘office friendly’ years ago when she’d first started at the company, and then Piper was promoted over her to a Private Banker position and Colleen had moved to being an angry bitch ever since. Colleen clearly couldn’t see that she didn’t have the disposition to handle high net worth individuals and companies. It took finesse, an ability to adapt to all manner of people, and a Master of Finance Degree, all of which Piper had.
Rolling her eyes at Colleen, she licked some of the tepid chai latte off her hand and started walking away, refusing to give Colleen the backward glance she probably wanted. She’d tried to be nice to the other woman but it had become impossible. Some people just weren’t worth the effort.
Shaking it off, she started walking, her heels clicking on the concrete sidewal
k. It was October in Seattle and the weather was mild, but Piper had still slung on a gray soft wool jacket that tied around her waist. Ever since receiving the box the previous week she’d had a chill. The police did call her to let her know that their tests had revealed that the organ was, in fact, a pig’s heart. That gave a small sense of relief. Although how one obtained a pig heart was foreign to her. Piper didn’t even know where a butcher was in the downtown area. She had to hope that the heart was purchased and not procured by other means.
Looking around, she tried to be aware of her surroundings while not being the creepy person that made unnecessary eye contact with strangers and broke the unspoken code of walking while downtown. Look forward, keep your eyes focused in the distance, ignore everyone, don’t get run over.
King Security was about six blocks away. In downtown Seattle there were often steep hills when moving to or from the water. Thankfully, these six blocks were all downhill.
Piper had tried to prepare for the meeting but just ended up abandoning everything in the end. She had agonized over what to bring, whether she should bring anything at all, or if she should just show up begging for help. She’d been tempted to tell her family about the situation, but just like every time before she had stopped herself. They couldn’t fix the problem so there was no need to drag them into it. Simple.
Besides, her mother would probably insist that she move home and her father would agree. Her parents had a house on Whidbey Island that overlooked the Sound. It wouldn’t be the worst place to live, not by a long shot, but having to ride a ferry everyday could wear on you after a while.
Frank, her brother, lived in northern California with his wife and their daughter. Rose, her sister lived in eastern Washington and was a Professor of Finance at Washington State University.
They all had jobs and their own stresses. They didn’t need hers. Besides, as she reminded herself, she’d never been physically attacked. Sure, mentally she often felt bruised by the letters, the calls, and packages, but it was nothing serious. Nothing... dangerous.
Pushing all of it to the back of her mind had worked for quite a while. Until now. She was scared now. Having that lump of flesh on her desk was something she couldn’t ignore.
Piper shoved her hand into her purse and felt the outline of the letters she’d finally decided to bring to show the security professionals. They were written like stories of trips and experiences that she and this person had shared. They were clearly the product of a twisted imagination, and they were written like diary entries.
Piper didn’t know how much of her life she would have to share with the security company. Her family and her coworkers already knew what a disaster her love life was, but telling a stranger would just reopen the wounds.
Hopefully they could stay on topic and ignore the fact that she had terrible luck when it came to relationships.
Making it to the building that held the KSI offices she stepped into the lobby. A smiling man sat at the information desk.
“I’m looking for KSI?”
“Do you have an appointment, ma’am?”
“Yes.”
“One moment. They have a private elevator and you have to be confirmed before going up. May I have your name?”
“Piper Armstrong. I’m meeting with King?” It didn’t matter that she was twenty-eight years old, she always felt awkward calling Kindred by their first names. They didn’t have last names, just the Clans they belonged to. So there was no Mr. this or Mrs. that.
Piper gave him a small smile and waited as he picked up the phone. He spoke to someone, giving them her name.
“They’re sending the elevator down,” the man said after hanging up the phone. He gestured towards an elevator close to his desk. “Just wait there, it will be here soon.”
She nodded and went to stand in front of the metal doors he had indicated. When the elevator arrived, she stepped in and noticed that there were only two buttons on the panel. An up arrow, and a down arrow. She pressed the up button and stared at her reflection in the polished doors as they closed.
Luckily, her appearance didn’t show the fact her heart was pounding and her hands had a small tremor. She had put on her armor today. Her fitted gray pinstripe suit had a skirt that fell fashionably to her knees and she had paired it with cream button-up shirt that ended in a mandarin collar. She’d added heels that were just borderline work appropriate but still made her feel powerful.
It was partly her situation, and partly meeting the bears, that made her want to look and feel in control. Bears. It was hard not to think of them that way. You knew the minute you had to tilt your head back to look at them and then saw the silver reflection of their eyes that they weren’t all human.
The elevator rose and she took a steadying breath as the doors slid open. Piper stepped into the lobby and took in the professionally decorated room. There was raised reception desk with a well-dressed woman sitting behind it.
“Hello, I’m Piper Armstrong.”
“I know. King will be with you soon. Can I get you anything? Water or coffee? I know some people are nervous when meeting him,” the woman said with a smile that seemed like she was testing her.
Piper gave the small blonde woman a bit of an eyebrow raise before she checked herself and pulled it back. “I’m fine, thank you.”
She didn’t know what this woman put up with during the day. There may be a reason she was a bit short with her professional courtesies. She took a seat across from the reception desk on a beautiful sofa and set her purse in her lap. There was music playing over hidden speakers that was upbeat and perky. It didn’t really fit the office.
Piper really wanted to stare at the other woman. She had white-blonde hair and seemed an unlikely receptionist for a Kindred staffed office. There was something about her that made Piper’s eyes keep tracking back to her. KSI’s receptionist was definitely interesting.
“Ms. Armstrong?”
Getting caught pondering, Piper looked up to see a large attractive man wearing a pair of black slacks and a dress shirt that stretched across his muscles. His hair was dark with a little silver at the temples. He also had a short beard that looked to be more five o’clock shadow than intentional.
“Hello. King?” she said standing and extending her hand.
He shook it firmly and gestured for her to walk past him. “Yes, please follow me, we can meet in our conference room right here. Anson will be joining us soon, he got caught in some traffic.”
Entering the standard conference room with a long table, she felt at home. It was the kind of space she spent most of her working days in.
She took a seat and untied her coat to slip it off her shoulders. She felt like she was heating up in the presence of the big man. She learned when she was younger not to stare at Kindred just to see their eyes reflect. They totally knew what you were doing and it was embarrassing to get caught.
“We can wait for Anson if you’d like.”
Piper nodded. She really didn’t want to repeat everything, or answer the same questions twice, it was just too much.
“Let me tell you a little about us first. I started KSI over a decade ago. I’m ex-military as are a lot of my staff. For the most part, our business is about private security. Basic bodyguard detail for priority clients. We also can assist in electronic security, personal defense training, and have resources for security dogs if you would like that. All of our work is à la carte. It can be anything from a simple driver security detail to full kidnapping or catastrophic event extraction.”
“I’m sorry, catastrophic event extraction?”
“Huge earthquake, tsunami, dirty bomb. We make sure you get out of the city. We come to you wherever you are and make sure you are relocated to a safe area.”
“What must that run?” she asked intrigued.
“I won’t lie, it’s not cheap. There are some people that feel safer with every possible detail worked out.”
“Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.
” Piper felt a little more at ease with King knowing he could take her shock at the level that some people went to feel safe.
The door to the conference room opened and Piper turned to see a man just as tall as King, over six and a half feet tall, walk through wearing a pair of black tactical pants and a black t-shirt. He was handsome. Strike that—he was panty-dropping hot!
“Ms. Armstrong, this is Anson, he’ll be the lead on your case.”
Piper stood up. “Please, call me Piper.”
The man held out his hand and they shook. She made herself pull back quickly because his touch was warm and strong and she was feeling a little too vulnerable to let herself linger.
He took a seat a few chairs down from her so she was in direct eyeline to him.
“I’m sorry I’m late, Seattle traffic,” he said with a charming grin.
Piper found herself smiling back at him. His face was very friendly; his eyes were a gray that sparkled a bit when he smiled.
“I was just explaining to Piper about our operations. Let’s get started. Why don’t you tell us how you ended up here? You were referred, I believe?”
“Yes, Detective Klein from Seattle Police Department suggested you. She was very nice when she told me there wasn’t much they could do for me. It wasn’t the first time I’ve heard that from the police.”
“I read your file. You’ve had some kind of problem since college?”
“Well, I thought the college stuff was just someone that didn’t like me. Maybe a girl I’d pissed off. I didn’t really get worried until I was sure I was being followed walking to my dorm late at night. It happened enough times that I got scared and contacted campus security. Then I received a letter saying some not very nice things about me. I took that to the police and filed a report.”
“Did the problem continue?”
“No. I mean, it did, it started small so I tried not to make a big deal out of it. An unsigned letter left on my front porch. I lived in an apartment complex so it wasn’t like I could install cameras. I would get flowers with no card on Valentine’s day. The florist told me that it was a call-in order from another state. Then I started dating my fiancé and everything stopped. I thought maybe it was over, then I started getting hang-up calls at home. I blocked the number. I would get them again. I would change my number. A week before my wedding, I found a bag of... well... shit on my front porch. It could have been a kid playing a prank, but it didn’t feel that way.”