by Moxie North
“I didn’t see in your file that you were married, is your husband concerned?” Anson asked frowning.
“I didn’t get married. We… broke up.”
“A week before your wedding?”
“No, he actually didn’t show up on our wedding day. In retrospect I’m glad that I didn’t plan a big affair. I didn’t hear from him for a month after he disappeared. Then I got a voicemail saying he was sorry, but he just couldn’t go through with it and then he wished me a happy future.”
Both men were staring at her with similar expressions of anger and shock on their faces. She felt a little vindicated at that because it had honestly taken her years to shake off the feeling it was all her fault.
“After my non-wedding, it was quiet for a while. I moved. I thought maybe it was over with. But it started again. Just like before. Calls, letters, flowers, chocolates. When I told the police they gave me the same lines over and over.”
“I see you filed a report eighteen months ago about the calls to your cell phone and a break-in at your apartment?”
“My fiancé told me I had to report it.”
“You were engaged again?” Anson asked.
“Yes, I thought my life was getting back on track. My fiancé wanted it all to stop. He was trying to talk me into moving out of state to get away from it. The tires on my car had been slashed. Mail was stolen, it was getting worse.”
“And this husband-to-be?”
Piper felt her stomach twist. “This time I was left at a beautiful altar overlooking the sea in Greece. My family was there, they all flew in. His parents own the villa that we were getting married at. And he was a no-show. I’m starting to think I’ve been cursed.”
There were distinct looks of pity in the room now. Piper was used to it. No one that ever heard her tales of woe at being left at the altar not once, but twice, could look at you with anything but sadness.
“I’m very sorry to hear that,” Anson said, his voice low and full of concern.
Piper pushed back the tears that welled up in her eyes. She’d cried enough. She’d also eaten enough nachos and movie theater popcorn to go up a dress size. A healthy-sized Xanax prescription had also helped her get through the rough spots. Now she was back to herself and back to business. She didn’t need anyone’s pity.
Giving a shrug she took a deep breath. “I’m better, or at least I was.”
“I see the police report came back on the heart. It may not be professional to say, but that’s pretty fucked up,” Anson remarked.
“You know, it really was. I got it at work and I really didn’t know how to react. It smelled and I’ve even had nightmares about it. Since I spoke to the detective last week I don’t know if it’s paranoia or if someone is actually following me when I leave work at night. I drive home to the east side every night. My townhouse is in a gated complex, but I still don’t feel safe. I have security cameras on my doors and an alarm system that chirps and drives me nuts. I’ve started keeping a bat by the front door, but it’s not as if I could even do any damage with it.” Her shoulders slumped as the exhaustion hit her. “This has all been going on for so long that I don’t know what it would be like to live without it.”
“Piper, that’s no way to live. We aren’t only going to help you feel more secure, but we can also try to do some investigative work to figure out who this person may be,” King said, pulling her attention from Anson’s face. She couldn’t seem to keep her eyes from tracking back to him, especially since he was staring at her so intently.
“The police have asked me that too. They say it’s someone I know, but I really can’t believe that. I watch enough of those crime shows that it seems more likely it’s someone I ran across once and they think that we have some kind of relationship now.”
“That could be it, for sure. It could also be someone you see every day. A family member, a coworker, even an ex-fiancé using your previous stalker as an example.”
“No, I couldn’t imagine it being Tristan or Darius. They loved me, at least I thought they did. It’s fine if I’m not marriage material, but tell me before I’m waiting in a white dress,” she said with a scornful little laugh. It came off just as pathetic as she was trying to not be.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence in the room and Piper wished she’d kept her mouth closed. She always said just a little too much.
Looking down at her fingers in her lap, she picked at some leftover paint under her nail. She’d been nervous about the meeting and had spent the evening painting into the wee hours in her converted spare bedroom.
“We can help you, Piper. We can keep you safe as long as you let us. If you need full protection right now, or if you just want transportation, we can do that for you,” King said.
They weren’t laughing at her, which was a good thing. Piper really needed someone to not laugh at her right now. It had taken a lot for her to even call them. She’d been dealing with this alone for so long that she didn’t want to appear weak. Not just to strangers, but her family and coworkers. Her tough ‘can do’ attitude had served her well over the years, but it was starting to come apart at the seams.
Last week was the first time she really thought that someone could hurt her.
“I feel safe at work and when I’m inside my home, at least for the most part. I don’t like walking alone to my car at night. When I get home I often have to do things like bring in my trash cans or get my mail from the boxes down the road. Those are the times I feel really scared. Maybe getting a big dog isn’t such a bad idea.”
“How about a few bears?” This came from Anson.
Piper gave him a sad smile. “Yeah, maybe that’s what I need.”
“Let’s figure out who’s going to take you home tonight, shall we?” King stood up and held out his hand to her. Piper shook it and for the first time in a week she felt like someone had her back.
Chapter 4
“I’m guessing she got in a cab okay?”
Anson had been waiting in King’s office none too patiently while his boss had escorted their new client back downstairs. The woman needed protection, protection that she should have had in two fiancés. Men who should have moved heaven and earth to keep her safe. They knew about her problems yet they abandoned her. It didn’t make sense. What kind of man would run away from the woman he loved? The thought rankled Anson more than he wanted to admit.
“Yes, on her way back to her office building. She said she usually gets off at six o’clock and since we will be waiting for her, she’ll make sure she keeps to that schedule.”
“There’s something off about all of this,” Anson mused, rubbing his hand over his jaw and realizing that he needed a shave.
“Who understands the mind of a stalker? They’re always going after what they can’t have. It’s standard operating procedure.”
“And what about the two fiancés? Who gets left at the altar twice?”
“Maybe she’s not as nice as she makes out to be? That doesn’t seem to be the issue we’ve been hired to take care of. It’s just unfortunate.”
Anson snorted. “I think she’s a successful, beautiful woman that someone thinks needs to be taken down a notch or two. That means she’s had two men in her life that said they loved her, and one that wants to hurt her.”
“Beautiful, huh? You don’t usually care how a client looks.”
“Come on, that short hair sticking out all over. Those big brown eyes. Did you notice her ass?”
“No, I did not notice her ass, and it’s not your job to notice her ass either. You need to stay focused. This is your gig, you decide who is going to do the running. Maybe remind them they don’t need to be noticing her ass either.”
Anson let out a growl that made his boss’s eyebrow rise just a little. “I’ll pick her up tonight and see if Luca can meet us at Donuts or Die so she can meet him. I’ll pull in Van when he’s back, and Hudson and Zion. I know they have their dailies, but can probably fill in.”
; “Introduce her as you go along. I want her to feel comfortable with all of us. I still think there’s something else going on. What did AJ have to say?”
“I’m meeting with him this afternoon, his mate is expecting again and he said if he doesn’t help with the cubs in the mornings he gets hell,” Anson laughed.
“I bet he does. Damn, Van’s cubs are going to be running around here soon enough.”
“You might want to think about some monogrammed KSI onesies or baby blankets next.”
“Jackass, that’s not happening,” King grunted.
Anson laughed and stood up, walking out of the office without a retort.
He made his way to the front desk to check in with Nadia and maybe kill some time until AJ showed.
Nadia happened to be standing next to the desk opening a large cardboard box that was on the floor.
“Need some help with that?”
The petite woman looked up and glared at him before softening her look. Anson knew it was because he sounded a lot like Luca, and there was something about Luca that rubbed Nadia the wrong way. She didn’t get along with him as well as she did with the rest of them, and it was obvious.
“Does it look like I need help?” she sniped back.
“Yes, it always looks like you need a big strong man to help you out. I mean really, what size shoes do you wear? Are those pixie shoes?”
“Har-har, I wear fours and that is a perfectly respectable size.”
“I think my big toe is a size four.”
“That’s because you have abnormally large feet that can be used as paddles if you get caught up a creek without one.”
“Holy shit, Nadia made a joke. You should put that in a memo so we can all share in the joy of it.”
“I’ll get right on that.”
Nadia was a tough nut to crack. The only time she played along with their shenanigans was during the office pools when women would come into the office with obscure requests for Kindred security details. They were easy to spot, Kindred groupies looking for a mate who were just wasting everyone’s time, or a reporter looking for an inside story for the Kindred-focused tabloids. The groupies were something else entirely. The story was usually the same; these women hoped that if they showed up and looked needy that some kind of animal desire to protect them would kick in and they’d get a mate out of the deal.
As far as Anson knew, that had never actually worked out. Kindred only found their mates when they heard the mating call. What it was, and when it would happen, was a mystery. Even the Crones of their Clans only got clues as to who their mates could be. Then they seemed to be more shooting in the dark on things than having clear notifications. Gaia liked to keep them guessing, that was for sure.
Anson leaned on the counter and watched her struggle with the packing tape. She was cutting it with scissors and was failing the task. Nadia ran the office like a tiny dictator. Anson and the rest of the team knew that even though King was in charge, Nadia ran the show and they wouldn’t be able to do their work without her, but Anson had to admit that it was mildly satisfying to watch her struggle just a little.
Pulling his Clan knife from the sheath at his back, he spun it so the handle was facing her. “Try this?”
Nadia glared at the knife then took it grudgingly. She made quick work with the knife and offered it back to him.
Opening the lid, Anson leaned over to see what was in the large box.
“Those assholes,” Nadia hissed.
“Did you just say, ‘assholes’?”
“No.”
“Okay then,” he said with a straight face. Anson knew she swore at vendors but was always professional in the office. Maybe she was a little more relaxed with him, but he was special.
“I ordered new infrared tactical lights for all the rifles. Do these look like tactical lights to you?”
Inside the box was a myriad of different sized clips and what looked to be giant canisters of pepper spray that police often used during riots.
“We might be able to use the pepper spray,” Anson offered.
“And random clips? I mean come on, some of these aren’t even legal. It all has to go back. That means the lights won’t be in for weeks.”
“I’m sure you’ll sort it out, you always do.”
“What are you doing out here besides bothering me?”
“Well, I was going to see if you could possibly avoid playing the Bliss Hartley Christmas album until after Thanksgiving, but judging from the look in your eye I’m going to guess that’s not going to happen.”
Nadia just glared at him until he started to feel uncomfortable. “Fine, I’m waiting for AJ.”
“He called a little while ago and said he was on his way in, but had to be home in time for dinner. He’s so whipped.”
Anson laughed because it was true, but also because a Kindred always wanted to be mated. It was a craving that they couldn’t deny. No matter how much AJ complained, he was in heaven.
Anson chatted with Nadia, or attempted to, for a few more minutes when the bell on the elevator finally dinged and AJ, their IT/computer guru, rolled out of the elevator. The front wheels on his wheelchair had spinning LED lights that drew your attention.
“You’re going to give someone a seizure with those things,” Anson said shaking his head.
“It’s not easy finding them anymore. Lucky for you I bought a gross of them last time I found them at a roller blade shop that was closing.”
“How does your mate feel about that?”
“She loves me. She’s a happily mated human with a house full of cubs and one on the way,” AJ said, giving Anson the fakest smile in the world. Clearly his mate was more harassed than thrilled being home all day.
“You know if you’d keep off her she might get a break. This new one is how many?”
AJ looked to the side, “Five…”
“If I didn’t know you were a wolf, I’d call you a dog.”
“Only you’d get away with saying that. So, what can I help you with today?”
“Let’s talk in the pit,” Anson said, pushing away from the desk.
He walked behind AJ and marveled at the man’s strength. AJ had been wounded in Afghanistan and wasn’t able to heal through shifting. It was rare that a Kindred couldn’t heal some of the worst injuries. But like humans, spinal injuries were always tricky.
Luckily for AJ, it hadn’t stopped him from finding his mate and starting his family. Although he might need to decide that his family was finally complete. King paid him well, but that was still a lot of mouths to feed.
It didn’t matter if he didn’t work, the Clan took care of its own. They would always either find work for a member or support them in any way that they needed.
The pair made their way to the end of the hallway across from King’s office. There were a few other ancillary offices that no one had claimed long-term. They weren’t the ‘sit down and do paperwork’ type of crew. They left that to Nadia, who would more than likely redo their work anyway if they even attempted to do it. Her desk and her files were meticulous and more secure than most banks.
Anson followed AJ into a room with a bank of computers. A room to the side ran their server banks. Extra air conditioning pumped into the room to keep the machines running smoothly and Anson was grateful for the slight chill.
AJ rolled himself up to a desk and Anson pulled up a chair next to him.
“We looked through her history but I want to see some information about her fiancés.”
AJ looked at him in surprise, “Plural?”
“I know how it sounds, but she doesn’t seem like the crazy type. Hard worker, beautiful, smart, but not crazy.”
“Like you don’t get enough crazies around here on any given day. Remember the one that made a poster board with King’s face on it? I don’t even know where she would have gotten his picture.”
“Thanks for reminding me. I haven’t given him shit about that for a few days,” Anson said with a laugh.
“So, two breakups doesn’t sound too unreasonable. Do you think that it’s something to do with her stalker?”
Anson shook his head. There was no reason two men would leave a woman as beautiful as her. There was something different about her, something that spoke to him. Maybe it was because he was lonely and she was the kind of woman that looked straight-laced in the office, but could really let loose when she wanted to. Or at least she should.
“She was left at the altar twice... Literally in a dress, waiting. I thought that shit only happened in movies. Who lets wedding plans get to that point then bails without warning? She said that the last one was a big production, family, friends, destination wedding. That must have cost a fortune.”
AJ turned back to his computer. “Let’s start with marriage licenses and work our way back from there.”
Anson sat with AJ for the next hour digging through the digital details of both of Piper’s exes. They were decent guys, no criminal records, good jobs, and from what they could find, stable family lives. So what made both of them bail?
Leaning back in his chair, Anson pondered the screens. A picture of Piper from a corporate event. She was wearing a black dress that looked formal but didn’t show off any of her body. She was holding a full glass of champagne that she probably never even took a sip out of.
Her shoulders were held tight, her face showing the tension of holding her teeth together. If he had to guess, she was holding her tongue for some reason. It couldn’t be easy for her to be in her position in a large bank. The rest of the picture was mostly men, all talking amongst themselves. It looked like Piper was trying to fight her way into the conversation.