by Renee Rose
He clasps his hands. “That’s good. And what about your partner? Where is he?”
My chest seizes. I can hardly breathe. He definitely shouldn’t know anything about Charlie.
“What partner?”
“Oh, I assumed you had one of your field agents on this with you,” he says smoothly. It’s so smooth, I can’t quite decide if I’m being paranoid or not.
“Nope. Totally alone.” I clutch the edges of the attaché case in my lap. “I wouldn’t involve agents on a personal matter. That would be unethical. Um, may I use your restroom?”
Senator Flack stands up. “Of course, right this way.”
I follow his directions and shut myself in the bathroom. I just need a minute to think. To get my heart rate down, figure out what to do next. I stare at myself in the mirror, still surprised to see myself blonde.
Okay, I just need to leave. If there was a bathroom window, I’d already be out it. I wish I had a phone number for Charlie. But he’s already out of town. I have to figure this one out on my own.
And I can. All it takes is staying calm. If I keep my wits about me, I can figure out for sure if the Senator is a part of things. I take a page out of Charlie’s book and turn the recorder on my phone.
Here goes nothing.
I step out of the bathroom and pain explodes at the back of my head.
The last thing I remember is the floor rushing up to meet my face, then I’m out.
* * *
Charlie
I see the four meatheads hustling out of the Grand Cherokee parked in front of Senator Flack’s house, weapons in clear view. They’re private mercenaries by the look. Military trained. Probably from a high-profile, top-secret security company.
Hopefully, their presence means Annabel’s still alive. I race around the side of the manor, climbing up to look in each window.
Oh God.
Annabel’s on the living room floor, her wrists, ankles, and mouth taped with duct tape. The four goons stand around her, jawing with Senator Flack. I’m going to kill them all.
There are bars on the windows or I’d bust through this one right now.
I need a distraction. I grab a grenade from the duffel Otis packed for me, light it, and throw it into the front yard, then race to the back of the house. The grenade explodes, and the men inside the house shout and run out the front door. It takes me thirty-five seconds to pick the lock on the back door.
My wolf hearing detects someone on the other side of the door, so I throw it hard and smack him with it. The guy stumbles back. I kick his gun out of his hand and punch him in the face. He lunges for the gun on the floor, and I slam my boot into his back, flattening him with inhuman strength. He’s out cold. Picking up the gun, I tuck it in the back waistband of my pants and race forward on stealthy feet. Three shots and the other guys are down. Their shots go wild. Senator Flack fires on me from behind the couch, but I dart behind the door frame.
Annabel stirs on the floor, and her eyelids flutter open. Thank fuck. I heard her heartbeat but seeing her lifeless made my wolf insane.
I need to eliminate Flack’s threat to her.
I dive into the living room, rolling in front of her body and crouching, gun pointed. I take a bullet to the chest and return fire. Call me old school—I always aim straight between the eyes.
Flack drops to the ground.
I use shifter strength to tear off the duct tape around Annabel’s wrists and ankles and wince with her when I pull it off her mouth. She throws herself at me, and I gather her in my arms, crushing her body against mine.
Sirens sound outside.
“Annabel. Christ. I almost lost you,” I choke. “I never should have left you unprotected.”
“You saved me,” she breathes. “I knew you would. I mean, it wasn’t rational—I didn’t think you could possibly come to my rescue, but I knew. When I heard the explosion outside, something in me said, See? He’s here.”
“Get on the floor, face down!” The police charge in, guns drawn.
12
Annabel
I don’t walk out of FBI custody until noon the next day. It took some red tape to cut through, but with the recording on my phone of Senator Flack ordering his lackeys to kill me, and my boss, Agent Tentrite presenting the report I filed yesterday, they released me without charge.
Tentrite escorts me out, a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry about wiping that file on your dad and telling you to back off. I should’ve questioned my orders a little closer.”
“No, I understand. You were just doing your job.” I look around the busy lobby. “Where’s Agent Dune?” I ask. “Has he been released?”
“Yes, he walked an hour ago. He turned in his resignation.”
My heart plummets. He’ll be leaving again. He has to. Just because he came back to save me doesn’t mean he can stay.
And yet the idea of letting him go again is like my face scraping concrete.
I walk outside and blink in the sunlight, fumbling with my phone to call a Lyft. My ride is accepted immediately, and it tells me the driver, Tom is one minute away. I watch for the white Honda Accord, a heavy pit in my stomach.
Charlie didn’t even wait for me. Did he leave a message? I fumble with my phone, trying to get onto our private server. The white car pulls up. I step toward it without looking up from my screen.
A deep, familiar voice says, “Where to, ma’am?”
My head flies up. “Charlie!” I throw myself at him with a strangling hold.
His teasing grin dissolves into something more serious. “Annabel.” He cups the back of my head, and I wince when he touches the bruise left by Senator Flack.
“You’re hurt.” Fury blazes in his eyes.
“Flack knocked me out.” I rub the place. “I don’t know what he hit me with.”
“You should’ve been taken to the hospital for a once-over, not kept here overnight.”
I smile at his vehemence. “Thanks, but I’ll be okay.” I look at the running car. “So, what? You already have a new job?”
His lips twitch. “I may have borrowed a Lyft driver’s car for a few hours. I wanted to be the one to pick you up.”
“How’d you know I ordered a Lyft?”
He shrugs. “I have my ways.”
“I was afraid you left,” I admit, dropping my eyes when my voice wobbles.
He lifts my chin. “Did you... want me to stick around?”
It’s the first time I’ve seen Charlie Dune look vulnerable, and it attacks my heart in a way I didn’t know was possible. It lends me strength—courage. I grab his shirt in both my fists and twist.
“I’m not letting you go figure your wolf thing out on your own. I’m going with you. Wherever you go. I know you like to work alone, but that’s tough. You might need me. Even if it’s to… put you down.” It’s a lie. I could never shoot Charlie, but I’m feeding him what I think he might accept from me.
To my surprise, he grins. “Is that so?”
I haven’t seen him this jaunty since he showed up and ate my ice cream cone. It’s a look I happen to adore on him.
I stand on my tiptoes and lean my face up to his. “Yes.”
“What about your job?”
“I’ll turn in my resignation, too.”
He claims my lips in that passionate way of his—a firm, demanding kiss. “That’s good, baby. Because I found out something about that bite I gave you.”
I stiffen. Oh God, I’m going to be a wolf, too. Well, as long as I’m with Charlie, I’m up for anything.
“What did you find out?”
His gaze is tender. He strokes my cheek with his thumb.
“It means you’re mine. Forever. I marked you with my scent so no other wolves will touch you.”
Laughter bubbles up from my lips. “What? That’s ridiculous.”
He shrugs, smiling. “Ridiculous but true. And the reason I was going crazy, scratching to get in the cabin that night is my wolf had already chosen
you as my life mate. He needed to seal the deal or else he’d go moon mad.”
I roll my eyes, laughing. “And I’m not given a choice in the matter.”
Charlie sobers. “Of course, you are. If you tell me to go away, I’ll…” He rubs his forehead. “Well, actually, I’m not sure I can leave you now, angel. But I would do my best if you insisted.”
I’ve never felt so light in my life. The man I thought would never settle down, could never be pinned to one place or person is telling me he’ll never leave. It’s more than I ever hoped for. I choke up.
“Charlie…”
He studies my face, his body language changing slightly, drawing back. “It’s okay. I won’t hold you to anything. I promise.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I have to bear these scars.” I touch my shoulder where he bit me. “You damn well better stick around.”
“Yeah?” I’ve never seen such a wide grin on his face. It’s spectacular.
“Yeah. I’ve always wanted my very own secret agent man. Now I have one.”
“At your service,” he murmurs, looping one arm around my waist and drawing my body right up against his.
“Did you really quit?”
He nods. “Yeah. It would be hard to keep watch over you if they were constantly sending me all over the globe on missions.
“What will you do for work?”
He shrugs. “I have plenty of money. We don’t have to work unless you want to.”
I blink up at him in surprise. “H-how?”
“Secret agent salaries can be pretty flexible, considering the job and risk involved. And my living expenses have been paid for since the day I enlisted. All my money has been in offshore accounts, growing interest. We’re rich.”
He said we.
There’s a we.
I can hardly believe it. “We are?”
“Rich enough. Where do you want to live, angel?”
“I don’t care,” I answer without thought. “As long as I’m with you.”
Epilogue
Charlie
Annabel and I slide in behind Sarah and Grady on the Space Mountain ride. Taking them to Disneyland was the first thing Annabel wanted to do when we left D.C. I guess she’s been promising a family trip for years.
I’m loving it. Every slice of apple pie Americana I get feels like I’ve won the lottery. It’s the life I never thought I’d have—the cotton candy, the girl, the kid. Well, he’s not ours, but a nephew is close enough.
And I’m all about getting to know Annabel’s family. I want to absorb everything that is Annabel for the rest of my life.
After this, we’re going to Kentucky to visit my mom. Hopefully, she won’t have a heart attack when she finds out I’m still alive. I want to hear from her the story about my dad—everything she knows. And I want to make up for the years I stole from her. Well, I probably can’t ever do that, but I’m going to try my best.
The ride starts up, the roller coaster sliding over the tracks. “You’re not going to scream like a girl, are you?” Annabel asks me. She’s dyed her hair back to the dark auburn I love so much. I burrow my fingers into it and massage the back of her head.
“Oh, assuredly.” I grin like an idiot.
“I am, too,” Sarah says, putting her arms in the air and pasting on the terrified/excited face she’ll be wearing for real in a few seconds.
The cars streak off into the darkness, and I turn Annabel’s face toward mind, capturing a bumpy, breathless kiss.
“This is what it’s always like with you,” she shouts over the rattle of the tracks and the screams of the passengers.
“What?” I shout back.
“A rollercoaster ride I don’t want to end.”
I capture her face with both hands and find her mouth again, holding my lips against hers while we ride over the bumps and turns.
Same here, sweetheart.
Same here.
Epilogue II
Annabel
This is the most tense I’ve seen Charlie. I find it fascinating and somewhat swoon-worthy that the guy doesn’t flinch in life or death situations, it’s the emotional ones that get him.
And yeah, showing up to tell your mom you’re not actually dead must be a doozy.
We drive to a beautiful but rustic cabin-style mountain home and get out of the SUV we rented in Lexington.
“Wow, is this the house you grew up in?” I ask before I realize it’s probably too new for that.
Charlie doesn’t take his eyes off the structure as he shakes his head. “They arranged a big pension payout for her when I died. It was part of our negotiations.”
Oh God—he died. This woman grieved her only son. What will she think when we just show up at her door?
The door opens, and a slender woman in her early fifties comes out, suspicion crawling over her expression.
We walk toward the house, but every step seems to take forever.
“Forgive me, mama,” Charlie says, but he doesn’t speak loud enough for her to hear.
She’s looking at me with narrowed eyes, her hands on her hips. Her gaze swivels to Charlie, and she freezes.
He nods, still walking glacially slow. “It’s me, mama. I’m alive.”
Her gaze jerks back to me, then she’s in motion, flying down the steps and throwing herself at Charlie. He wraps his arms around her and squeezes, his eyes moist.
“Charlie? How can this be? You’re really alive? What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry, mama,” he murmurs again.
She pulls back sharply to look at his face. Hers is streaked with tears. “You’re sorry for what? What the hell is going on?”
“I went into the CIA. Clandestine services. They killed me off for your protection. I’m so sorry.”
She opens and closes her mouth twice before she turns to me and says, “Well, I guess you both had better come in.”
She leads the way, and I squeeze Charlie’s hand. I can tell this is unbelievably painful for him because he’s practically turned to stone. His movements are mechanical and stiff, his face blank, his eyes vacant.
She ushers us into a beautiful, high-ceilinged log cabin and brings out three bottles of beer. “I guess it’s early to be drinking, but...” she trails off, staring at her son.
He opens his beer and chugs half of it.
“I’m Annabel,” I say, sticking out my hand.
She jerks her gaze back to me and gives my hand a warm squeeze. “I’m Callie. Are you Charlie’s girl?”
“Yes, I am.” My hand subconsciously slips to my shoulder where the bite marks have become subtle scars, and her eyes track the movement. Her expression sharpens and turns on her son.
“Charlie, are you—” she breaks off, uncertainty flashing on her expression.
“A wolf?”
Her lips part, eyes grow wider.
“Yes.”
She throws her arms back around his neck, and he closes his eyes when he holds her, as if in pain.
“I should have told you, Charlie. I just didn’t think you’d become one. I didn’t know.”
“I should’ve told you I was alive. I’m sorry for the pain I caused you.”
She leans against him as if her legs won’t work. Tears flow freely down her face. “Don’t you be sorry, boy,” she says fiercely. “You’re alive. That’s all that matters to me now.”
He kisses the top of her head, the stiffness ebbing from his shoulders and face. “You forgive me?”
She takes his hand and leads him to the couch, waving me to sit down, too. “There’s nothing to forgive. You served your country. I couldn’t be more proud. But what changed? Why are you here now?”
“I quit. It may still be unwise for me to be here, but I couldn’t stay away.”
She sits beside him and squeezes his hand. “I’ll bet you have some questions about your father, too.”
“I do. Tell me, mama.”
“I met him in the woods outside your grandfather’s place. I wa
s sixteen. This giant silver wolf was tracking me.
“It scared the hell out of me. I ran, and he gave chase. I don’t think he could help himself—he had raging teen hormones, and the moon was full.
“He disappeared when I got to the house. I locked the door and told your grandparents, but they didn’t believe me. No one did. Wolves aren’t supposed to live in these mountains.
“I didn’t see him again for two years, then he came into the bar as a man and asked me out. We dated for a couple months. Things got intimate. Then one full moon, he bit me.” She pulls back the collar of her shirt to show marks just like mine.
“I freaked out. Got out of his truck and ran home, bleeding. He tried to follow to explain, but your grandpa went after him with a shotgun.
“I didn’t see him again until after you were born. I had my own place, and I saw the wolf again. I went and got a gun, and he changed—right there, in front of my eyes. The wolf became a man.
“He tried to explain to me what had happened—that wolves mark their mates, except he shouldn’t have marked me because I was a human. He said it was forbidden to mark a human, and his family was furious he’d fathered a child.
“He wanted to see you. I told him no way. I was afraid, Charlie. I thought his kind would come and try to take you away from me. I did my best to keep him out of your life.
“But he cared about you.” Her eyes—the same cash green as Charlie’s—fill with fresh tears. “He never stopped trying to see you. To convince me he wasn’t bad. Then—” she stops speaking her voice choking.
“Then he got shot by Grandpa,” Charlie finishes flatly.
I gasp.
Callie nods. “You saw it, didn’t you?”
“I remember that night. I didn’t put it together until recently. I didn’t find out what I am until recently.”
Callie straightens her shoulders like she’s summoning courage. “His family live up in the deep woods. I could take you to see them if you want.”
Charlie shakes his head. “No, I’m good. Maybe someday. For now, it’s enough to have you.” He looks over at me. “You and Annabel are all the family I need.”