by Lori Drake
“Can I help?” he asked.
She smiled wryly. “From afar, maybe. Pretty sure everyone there knows you were behind Marcus’s death, which means if I show up with you, there’s no way they’ll trust me.”
“Oh. Yeah, I guess so. But you should consider taking some backup anyway.”
“I have, and I’m working on that. I promise I won’t take any unnecessary risks.”
He squeezed her hand. “Good. When were you thinking of leaving? Not before Joey gets back, I hope. She’ll want to see you.”
“Will she?” Her expression showed some skepticism.
“She will. What about Cathy?”
“I think they’d recognize her too…”
“No, not like that. I mean… she seems to want you to stick around.”
Dawn lifted a brow. “She does, does she? I mean, she told me she’d teach me magic if I did, but I’m not sure how I feel about letting her take the risk.”
Interesting. Cathy hadn’t told her about her potential. Or, if she had, Dawn was playing it down considerably. Chris rubbed her hand with a thumb and nodded. “I get that. But she’s a big girl, capable of making the decision for herself. And as you said, it’s hard for a jail to hold a witch that doesn’t want to be held. And Cathy…”
She laughed. “Has more power in her fingernail than I have in my body? Yeah, you’ve got a point. But let’s wait and see what Joey has to say about me being here before I make any plans. Anyway, I’m not planning to be gone forever. Just long enough to get the lay of the land out there and help if I can. Maybe raid the library if I have a chance. There’s bound to be some interesting shit there.”
“Gotcha. But you’ll stay at least until Joey gets back?”
“Sure. Where is she, anyway? You just said she was out of town. Wouldn’t think you’d let her out of your sight after everything that’s happened.”
Chris grunted. “It wasn’t my first choice, I assure you. She went to Wenatchee with her brother Ben and Maria—one of my pack. There’s a pack there that we think might be Maria’s birth pack, and we’re trying to find out information about her birth family. She was, uh, adopted.”
Dawn snickered suddenly.
“What?”
“I just realized. You all give ‘raised by wolves’ a new meaning.”
Smirking, Chris shook his head. “Like I haven’t heard that one before. But that’s kind of Maria’s problem. She was raised by a human claiming to be her uncle and… it’s complicated.”
She perked up on her stool. “Lycanthrope family intrigue? Do tell.”
“It could take a while.”
“Put on a pot of coffee. I’ve got time.”
Chris laughed and nodded, but before doing so, he walked around the counter and wrapped his arms around Dawn, hugging her hard and lifting her off the stool.
She squeaked and swatted at his shoulders, but her laughter was music to his ears. “Let me down, you oaf!”
He gave her cheek a wet smooch. “I missed you too.”
14
Joey’s phone vibrated in her pocket just a few short minutes into cleanup. She considered letting it go to voicemail, but it could be important. Fishing it out, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Dean’s face on the screen.
“I’ve got to take this. I’ll be right back!” she called to the others, then answered. “Hey, you’re a hard man to reach.”
“Sorry. After the third time my brother-in-law called this morning, Harper made me leave my phone outside.”
Joey let herself out the back door while she listened, closing it softly behind her. The air outside was dry and warm and smelled like fertilizer. She wrinkled her nose. “Outside, eh? That sounds inconvenient.”
“It beats the alternative. He threatened to throw it in the ocean.”
Joey chuckled. “He would, wouldn’t he?” It was easy to imagine Dean’s technophobic mentor saying that. Just as easy to imagine him doing it, too. The man didn’t even own a proper coffee pot. Joey didn’t know how Dean could handle living down there, but it must’ve been worth it to get Harper’s help. Dean’s spirit-related abilities had gone a bit haywire a few months ago. Harper was his best chance at getting everything under control again.
“I left it outside, didn’t I? Anyway, what do you need?”
“What makes you think I need something?”
“You haven’t called more than once since I left, and it was to ask me about voodoo dolls.”
Joey winced, leaning against the side of the house. She remembered that night. Mostly. She’d made the mistake of letting Lucy mix the margaritas and, for maybe the second time in her life, had gotten fabulously drunk. Somehow the topic of voodoo dolls had come up, and it sounded like a great idea at the time to make one for Lucas and fill it full of pins.
“Sorry. I’m a bad friend.”
“Eh. You’ve got a lot going on. Chris told me. So, what’s up?”
Now that she knew he’d been expecting her to want something, she hesitated to even ask. “Um, well, I was just thinking… you remember the night Chris and I first met Roger?” She cast a wary glance around the immediate vicinity, seeing no one but lowering her voice anyway. “When he killed a couple members of Chris’s pack?”
“Yeah, I remember. You threw me out a window.”
“Uh, no. I dropped my phone out a window…” She paused. He was laughing. “Laugh it up, chucklehead.”
“Sorry, Red.” He was still snickering.
“No, you’re not. Anyway, that night Roger possessed one of the corpses and had it shambling around the house.”
That sobered him quickly. “Do you have another poltergeist on your hands?”
“No,” she said reflexively. “I mean, I don’t know. That’s why I called. I was wondering just how powerful a spirit needs to be to do that, and if there’s a time limit on it.”
“I’d say on a scale of one to ten… maybe an eight.”
“With ten being uber-ghost?”
“Yeah. As for a time limit, the spirit is limited by its spectral energy. It can possess the body until it runs out of juice, basically.”
Joey glanced up at the starry sky in time to see a shooting star. She made a quick wish. Namely, that this whole mess with Kate would quietly go away. It didn’t seem likely, but a wish was a wish. “Not that kind of time limit. I mean, does the corpse have to be… fresh?”
“This is starting to sound a lot less hypothetical.”
“One of the bodies is missing. We’re not sure where it went, and I’m trying to rule out it getting up and walking away.”
He was quiet for a moment, no doubt digesting that. “Huh. I imagine it’d be pretty obvious if it did.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, where was the body?”
“Buried in the… Oh.” She slapped her forehead. “Right. The ground would’ve been disturbed if it’d crawled out. I’m an idiot. Thanks, Dean.”
“Anytime, Red. I dunno what’s going on up there, but you be careful. Okay?”
“I’m always careful,” she lied. And he knew her well enough to call a spade a spade, too. But he didn’t. “How’s your training going, anyway? You planning to head back this way anytime soon?”
Dean didn’t answer right away, and Joey picked up the sound of a Zippo opening and closing a few times. “It’s going. And I’m not sure. I’ll let you know.”
“Are you ever coming back?”
The lighter clicked a few more times. “I don’t know.”
“You’re always welcome. You know that, right?” She bit her lip. Dean had been there for her through some rough shit, and it pained her that she couldn’t be there for him now.
He sighed. “I know. Just like I know I can’t stay here forever. Right now, I just need to focus on one day at a time.”
“You’re not getting out of coming to my wedding, training or no. I’m trying to talk Chris into Vegas. It’ll be fun.”
“Vegas, eh? Maybe we’ll ge
t that chance to get thrown out of a casino after all. Just don’t ask me to be a bridesmaid. Taffeta is so not my thing.”
Joey snorted. “Taffeta? Please. Nothing but silk for you, buddy.”
They said their goodbyes, and Joey disconnected the call before heading back inside. When she got there, though, she discovered that Heidi, Amanda, Caroline, and Maria were just finishing up. So much for Joey’s opportunity to ask them some questions without the menfolk around.
“Sorry, I guess that took longer than expected. Is there anything left for me to do?”
Caroline offered her a tray of mugs, which Joey gladly carried out into the living room. Lewis and Owen had settled there, while Gerald had apparently decided to opt out of the Q&A.
“Still no Kyle?” Joey asked casually as she set the tray down on the coffee table, which for once was being used for its namesake. The others came along behind her, Heidi with a pot of coffee and Amanda with a tray of sliced banana bread and dessert plates. Maria brought up the rear, carrying nothing.
“Not yet. I’m sure he’ll turn up soon,” Lewis said.
Joey found a chair to sit in while Heidi poured the coffee. Owen scooted over on the couch, inviting Maria to sit beside him. She hesitated, then went over and did so, settling on the center couch cushion.
“You sure have been quiet,” Owen said, studying Maria’s profile.
Maria shifted her eyes in his direction but stopped short of turning toward him. The fact that she was sitting beside him at all astounded Joey. Maria typically kept her distance, and with unfamiliar wolves, that instinct had to be riding high. But she kept her silence.
“I’m a quiet person,” Maria said, then murmured a thank you when Heidi served her a cup of coffee.
Joey claimed a cup too but declined the banana bread. It smelled delightful, but she was still full from dinner and avoided sweets as a general rule.
Owen nodded, but if he picked up on the uninterested vibes Maria was putting off, he didn’t give any indication. “Whereabouts are you from, originally? I’m guessing Midwest, from the accent.”
“Ohio.” Maria smiled politely around a sip of black coffee.
“What about you, Owen?” Joey said, attempting a rescue. She knew Owen had been affiliated with the Cincinnati pack, but not for how long.
“Cincinnati, born and raised.” He leaned back, crossed his ankle over his knee, and draped his arm along the back of the couch behind Maria. “You?”
“San Diego, originally. Needless to say, moving up here was quite a shock. It must’ve been for you too, moving from big city life to ranch life.”
“Sure. But after fifty years in Cincinnati, it was well past time for me to move on. I had to go somewhere, and figured it would be easier giving this a go than starting over again with a whole new pack.”
“I was glad to have him come along. Breaking in a second is hard work,” Lewis said.
Joey wasn’t sure if it was a joke, but Owen chuckled, so she joined in. Fifty years. That meant Owen had been in Cincinnati when Maria was born. “What about you, Heidi? Were you Cincinnati-born too?”
Heidi had just settled in a chair with her own coffee and looked up distractedly when Joey spoke her name. “Hm? Oh, yes.”
Neither Owen nor Heidi looked much older than Maria, but appearances could be deceiving. Joey mentally marked Heidi down as probably old enough to have been around when Maria was born, mostly on account of her relationship with Lewis. If Lewis became Alpha ten years prior, he had to be pushing thirty—and probably older. While it wasn’t uncommon for young alphas to issue challenges, it was less common for them to win against seasoned Alphas. According to the database, the pack’s previous Alpha had been over a century old, and had held his position for fifty-something years. Yes, Joey would be surprised if Lewis wasn’t at least fifty, and it was unusual for there to be a huge age difference between a mated pair. Sara and Jon were nearly twenty years apart, and that was one of the biggest gaps Joey had heard of.
“So you two have known each other a long time.” Joey glanced between Heidi and Owen.
“Pretty much all our lives,” Heidi said. “I was five when Owen was born.”
Bingo. Joey smiled and nodded, indulging in a little self-congratulation. If Owen was around fifty, that’d put Heidi around fifty-five, which meant Lewis was most likely… thirty-five to seventy-five? Unless there was a huge gap between them, but Lewis didn’t look that old. There wasn’t even a hint of grey in his thick brown hair. Then another thought occurred to her. “Wow, two in five years, in the same city? That’s practically a baby boom, by lycanthrope standards.”
They nodded, but Heidi kept her eyes lowered and fidgeted with her coffee cup.
“Something in the water, maybe,” Owen said.
“Remind me not to visit Cincinnati anytime soon,” Joey said, and everyone chuckled.
“Not ready to start a family yet?” Caroline asked.
Joey held up her left hand and wiggled her fingers, drawing attention to her engagement ring. “I’m not even married yet. Call me old-fashioned, I guess.” Granted, her marital status had nothing to do with her desire to have a child. If she wanted one, that certainly wouldn’t stop her. “Actually, I came pretty close to riding with the Gray River pack a few months ago.”
That caught Amanda’s interest. She studied Joey with a spark of curiosity in her blue eyes. “Oh? Why didn’t you?”
“Do I have to pick one reason?” Joey chuckled. “Let’s go with love. But I did manage to piss off Abby pretty thoroughly before they left town.”
“Can’t imagine how,” Lewis murmured, but not quietly enough.
Joey snorted softly. “She gave as good as she got, believe me.” Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she slipped it out to check her notifications. It was a text message from Ben:
He’s back.
Joey glanced around for somewhere to set her cup and ended up balancing it on her knee while she replied.
Find out if his name is Kyle.
She flashed Lewis an apologetic smile. “My brother. I forgot, I told him I’d bring him some leftovers.”
Heidi hastened to her feet. “I’ll make him a plate.”
While she bustled off to the kitchen, Lewis cast Joey a speculative look. “I thought you said he had an upset stomach.”
Her phone buzzed.
What if he runs off again?
“He’s feeling better. The good thing about a lycanthrope constitution, eh?” Joey said absently as she tapped out a reply.
I doubt he got a good look at you. He was fixated on Maria.
“Indeed,” Lewis said, nodding. “I imagine you’ll be wanting to get back to him.”
Joey nearly breathed a sigh of relief. She did want to get back to him, but not for the reason Lewis thought. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Sorry to cut our visit short. But I’ll see everyone tomorrow, right?”
They lingered until Heidi came back with a large plastic container filled with leftovers and a paper sack of rolls. It was enough to feed three, easily. Or one extra-hungry alpha male.
“Used to feeding wolves, I see.” Joey smiled at Heidi as she received the bounty. “Thanks.”
Joey didn’t relax until they were in the car, headed back to town. “What do you think?” She glanced at Maria.
“I think there’s something fishy going on, but I can’t put my finger on it. Then again, I’m somewhat conditioned to think your kind are up to something.”
“Our kind,” Joey reminded her, drumming her thumbs on the steering wheel. “But I agree. Still, we walked out knowing more than we walked in with, so that’s good.”
“I thought we were busted when Lewis asked why we were really here.”
“Me too. You’re sure Kyle wouldn’t have recognized you as a hunter?”
“Ninety-nine percent sure.”
Joey frowned, keeping her focus forward while the high beams cut a path through the darkness down the narrow rural highway. What other exp
lanation was there for why Kyle would react the way he did? She hoped to have a chance to ask him. Her foot leaned more heavily on the accelerator practically on its own, and the small car zoomed along.
After failing to make it back to town before the vendor finished packing up and left, Joey and Maria caught up with Ben at the motel. Ben had managed to confirm that the vendor was Kyle, however.
Joey gave the leftovers to Ben, who seemed perfectly happy to sit on the bed and eat them cold. He sandwiched a thick slice of ham between halves of a roll and went to town while Joey caught him up on everything they’d learned at the ranch.
“Remind me which one Max is?” Ben asked. A fair question, since Adelaide had imported numerous potential suitors over the years.
“Maximillian Rochester. He was the one I went out on the boat with.”
Ben snickered. “Oh, that one.”
Joey threw a balled-up sock at him. It sailed across the space between the beds and landed just short of his lap. “Shut up. He’s a nice guy. We kept in touch off and on afterward. More off than on, which is why I had no idea he was here.”
“Think Chris’ll mind you hanging out with your old flame?”
“One, he’s not even an old spark. Nothing happened between us. Two, Chris has no reason to be insecure. Hell, he let Dean move in with him, and I actually kissed him.”
Ben snorted. “While Chris was possessing him.”
“And when he wasn’t. Once.” Joey had no idea why she felt the need to set the record straight and regretted the words the moment they were out of her mouth. She had no real desire to rehash past drama with Ben, though if she was going to do so with any of her brothers, it’d be with him.
Ben’s brows lifted, but Maria cut in before he had a chance to follow up. “When Chris possessed him?”
Joey winced, having all but forgotten Maria was in the room. She really needed to watch her tongue. “Long story. But not in a demonic way. Ask him about it. It’s his story to tell.”
Maria whispered a prayer and crossed herself. Joey rolled her eyes, because she was reasonably certain Maria wasn’t even Catholic. Religious, yes, but not Catholic.