Bill winked at his woman. “I will ask the waitress to turn it down a notch.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, taking a sip of her whiskey sour. She went straight for the hard stuff to get a fire going in her. She was in the mood for a little bit of liquid courage. She was about to ask the bartender how much for everything. In her state of mind, a good buzz was tempting and it would take her mind off of her dilemma. But she was here with Bill’s parents, after all, so instead she sipped her drink.
Bill’s parents continued to ask her a lot of questions about her work and her life. And they told her stories about Bill as a child that had her laughing. A lot of the stories included Dwayne and their daughter. She felt bad for the man she hadn’t met. It seemed that all suspected Danielle was the mastermind behind this plot. The evening passed quickly as Annie finished a story about one of the worst homes she had ever sold. “I couldn’t believe the guy bought the place. I mean it was so filthy, the cockroaches had to ride on dune buggies just to get around.” Everyone laughed.
“You are such a breath of fresh air,” Kathy stated. “My son needs laughter in his life, and you are just the woman to give him that.” And more, Kathy hoped.
“You are,” Tony agreed. “Bring her another drink.” He motioned to the waitress walking by. It was nearly time for the restaurant to close, but the owner, a former boxer turned restaurateur, knew the Armbrusters well. Their families had been friends for a long time.
“Okay, but this is the last one,” Bill cautioned. Bill was enjoying himself immensely and seeing Annie interact with his parents so freely was encouraging. He already knew he had their stamp of approval. But he also wanted to take Annie back to his cabin and he had plans for their first night together in his former home.
“Absolutely, babe,” the very tipsy Annie purred. “But it’ll help me wash down my dinner. I can’t believe I ate so much. If I continue to eat like this, you’ll have to grease my hips and coax me with a Twinkie to get through the door.”
“I think I can coax you through the door with other things, my love.” Annie heard the suggestion in his voice. She was ready for some coaxing, though she didn’t want to seem too eager in front of his parents. The moment her whiskey sour hit the table she downed it in one shot.
Tony joined her and finished his.
“I’m ready to go,” she hiccupped, wiped the back of her mouth with her sweater and stood abruptly.
His parents exchanged a knowing look and knew it was time for them to allow their son to take Annie home for the evening. Both of them stood and helped Annie back to the car while Bill took care of the check.
Chapter 13
The lake house literally sat right on Lake Cazenovia. It was a gorgeous A-frame structure that extended three stories and was the home of the pack’s leader. But the meeting was being held in the large red barn that was common in the area. Annie had seen several like it as the beautiful country side whizzed by on the drive over. She was a city girl at heart, but she could appreciate the beauty of this mountain. The vistas of rolling hills, with farm houses dotting the horizon had its appeal. This was Bill’s home. Annie sat beside Bill’s mother, Kathy, in the backseat of their rented SUV, while Tony sat up front with his son, Bill.
“Ready or not, here we go?” Annie stated as Bill looked for a good place to park.
“Don’t be nervous, my dear,” Kathy encouraged.
Bill scanned the area and there were already at least a dozen cars as well as a few pickup trucks. They had one of the smaller packs in North America. They kept their numbers low so as to not over hunt or draw attention to them. But from the looks of it, almost the entire pack had come to hear Bill’s story and meet his perspective life mate.
“It’ll be all right, son.” Tony’s words to his son were said softly to bolster him. His son was extremely nervous about this meeting. “You are doing the right thing. This is not something you want to handle on your own.”
Bill had thought that’s exactly what he should do. Rip out Danielle’s throat and help Dwayne get out of the stupor he was in because of her.
All four opened their car doors at once and climbed out into the chilly air around the lake. The sun was just setting and the cool breezes off of the lake made it feel even colder than the 55° the temperature stated on the dashboard of the vehicle. Bill took Annie’s arm and began the trek across the massive lawn to the imposing barn that sat 100 yards away. His parents followed right behind them and he was glad to have their moral support.
Two men stood outside the large double door entryway and nodded in greeting. Bill recognized them both. They were twins, Remy and Ron. Friends of Derek, the Alpha’s younger son. They were in their early 20s and their faces revealed nothing. He was here to bring charges against their pack leader’s eldest son, the future pack leader, and so he didn’t expect to see too much sympathy.
When the doors opened, Annie saw several people sitting on haystacks. The scent of cows, horses, and manure struck her senses. The barn was obviously not for show. But she quickly became accustomed to the odor the further into the barn she went. There were perhaps 20 people sitting on haystacks in a large circle and a dozen or more people standing around talking in small groups. When they approached the space became quiet.
One large man stood with graying hair, and although Annie hadn’t met him yet she knew it had to be the pack leader. His size was impressive. He had to be six and a half feet tall. His rugged good looks were clearly apparent despite his age. The moment he stood, all eyes instantaneously turned to him out of respect.
His voice was firm and harsh when he spoke. “Welcome home, Bill. It’s great to have you back.”
No trace of emotion flickered across the man’s features, though Annie did see the woman behind him crack a small smile at Bill. From her appearance and Bill’s earlier description of Theodora, Annie knew this was Dwayne’s mother. Bill had great respect for her and as he had told Annie on several occasions, she had been like a second mother to him because of his close relationship to Dwayne.
“It’s nice to see you both looking so well,” Bill’s acknowledgment included both Darryl and Theodora.
“I spoke to your father at length a few days ago. And I spoke to Gerri Wilder earlier today. But we would like to hear your version of the story before I pass judgment.”
Bill nodded and took center stage in the barn after assisting Annie in sitting down next to his parents on one of the large hay bales. “I moved to Florida, as you know, to get away from Danielle. Our relationship ended years ago, but about six months ago she approached me wanting to form a triad to lead the pack when Dwayne takes over.”
“I’m not ready to step down yet.” The man before him growled. His green eyes glittered like broken glass. There were several rumbles of approval from other men in the barn.
“I understand,” Bill admitted. “But she does have this plan, and suggested it to me before I left. I think you need to be concerned about it. The girl is power-hungry, Darryl. If she’s willing to kill my mate in order to make me part of her triad, what will she do to you in order to lead this pack?”
Those words had several of the crowd murmuring their shock and displeasure.
Darryl growled incoherently and his eyes snapped with fire. He whispered something to Theodora and then turned back to Bill. “Do you think I’m afraid of Danielle? You don’t know she made this attempt on your life mate’s life!”
Bill did not hesitate. He took a step forward and spoke. His words were harsh. “But I do!” Bill had his phone in his hand and passed it to the leader of the pack. The pack leader looked at the image. “There are other photos that the police sent to me. Although we can’t see the driver who hit my Annie’s car, you can clearly see who is sitting in the passenger side. And it’s her.”
Darryl looked at the images and there was no denying that his son’s mate had tried to kill Bill’s woman. If she was Bill’s mate, this could not stand. He would have to do something.
Darryl handed the phone back to Bill who didn’t flinch when he asked him, “What do you want me to do about this?”
“She tried to kill my life mate.” Bill’s words were said confidently. “I want you to act. But the decision is yours.”
Darryl looked at his son’s best friend of three decades. He had loved this boy as his own. Taught him the ways of the dire wolf, as his father could not after he had saved him. He looked beyond Bill to the woman he claimed was his. She was a beauty. But could she be more. He wondered if she were strong enough to join them. Wondered if she were worthy. “Are you sure she is your life mate?
“I am. Gerri made the match.” Several people murmured in their groups.
The leader nodded. All knew of Gerri Wilder’s match making abilities. No one had ever known her to get it wrong.
The massive man turned towards Annie. He looked directly at her though his question was for Bill. “Are you going to turn her, Bill?”
Annie answered. “I haven’t decided that yet. It is my choice, or so I have been told.”
Spunky. Fire. Brave. Those words came to Darryl’s mind. Like Lola. The girl who should have been Dwayne’s mate. This Annie had spoken out of turn, but she apparently hadn’t been told everything. But Darryl was pleased to see her courage. He had hoped his sons would meet their match. Danielle wasn’t it. He had obviously given his son too much rope in trying to figure that out.
Annie stood her ground and did not look away from the imposing giant of a man. She felt Kathy’s arm slide behind her and that gave her courage. Darryl made a guttural sound in his throat and turned back towards Bill. “If we don’t catch her and your mate is not a wolf, she will be in danger.”
“I will protect her,” Bill vowed. “She is everything to me.” Darryl took in Bill and glanced at his mate once more. She made eye contact. Bill interrupted his thoughts, “But what are you going to do about Danielle, and . . . Dwayne?” Bill stated, challenging the pack leader, demanding that he take charge of the situation.
The pack leader didn’t speak as his eyes gazed out at all in attendance. He was in a tough situation but to kill somebody’s life mate was a serious accusation and the pictures proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Danielle was behind it all. He despised the woman anyhow. His son had become a different person since his involvement with her. He grieved what his son was before this power-hungry she-wolf sunk her eye teeth into him. He’d known what he was going to do before Bill had gotten there. But Bill had to ask. “First, I will find her and question her. I need to know if my son was involved.” All were silent. They knew there was more. “But she shall die.”
Several men howled their approval. A woman in the back began to cry and rushed out the door. Bill looked back and recognized the young woman as Danielle’s cousin, Isabelle. Both she and Danielle were from a pack in Pennsylvania. Isabelle had married a member of the Cazenovia pack. And he was sure she had hoped her cousin would be joining them as the mate of the future pack leader.
A look from the pack leader to Isabelle’s man sent him scurrying after her. “Don’t let her out of your sights until we find Danielle,” he ordered. “I don’t want her being warned that we are looking for her.
George nodded at his leader and quickly followed after his wife.
Once more the pack leader turned to Bill. “We will find her and bring her here. She will be questioned and then punishment meted out.”
Bill was satisfied with Darryl’s judgment. It was done this way when someone broke the rules and violated their laws. But he still had concerns. “What about the driver?” He didn’t say it was Dwayne.
“We don’t know who that was.” His tone clearly bespoke the fact that he didn’t want to decide his own son’s fate yet.
Bill saw Theodore reach for her husband’s arm to hold him back. Her tone was soothing when she spoke. “My son, Dwayne, has fallen under her spell and my priority is to find out why that is. He will be questioned and I will pass judgment on him later.”
The pained expression that crossed both of their faces was sufficient answer.
“Enough!” Darryl pronounced gutturally. He looked at several men in the crowd. “Find her now!” he commanded. About a half-dozen people stood and before Annie’s eyes, they transformed into massive wolves. She knew this pack were Dire wolves, but seeing one for the first time chilled her. They were nearly twice the size that Gerri had been when she transformed. Their jaws snapped and several howled before sprinting towards the exit.
A gust of chilling wind swept through the barn, as both Ron and Remy opened the large doors to allow the shifted wolves out. The search had begun.
Chapter 14
Bill put Annie into bed in his small yet comfortable cabin. Getting her up into the loft hadn’t been an easy task. She had a bit too much to drink and was a tad loopy. After the meeting at Darryl’s they had gone out for drinks to unwind. “Did you see that kid with all the tattoos and piercings outside of that bar?”
“Yes dear, I did.” She had spotted the boy, he’d been sleeping on a bench. Homeless. She had slipped a twenty dollar bill in the kid’s back pack.
“I wonder how the job hunt is working out for him,” she murmured groggily.
“I’m sure it’s a struggle.” Bill laughed. He didn’t mind tattoos but the kid had been covered in them and that could be a problem for some people. Most of the younger generation round these parts worked on their father’s farms. But lots of people were struggling to get by. Many came through their little town looking for work, but there wasn’t much to be found. He’d love to do something to help these displaced kids out, but for now he had bigger things to worry about. And number one on his list of priorities was keeping the woman soundly asleep in his bed safe.
Bill went downstairs and made a quick call to Annie’s neighbor in Florida. She was watching Buddy for them and they hadn’t had a chance to call and check in yet.
When the call was done, he put a couple of extra logs onto the fire. It would be chilly and so he decided to go back outside to the shed and grab more kindling. Though it was toasty in the cabin now, if the fire went out during the night it would get cold. The evenings, even in the summer, could get below 40°.
As he rounded the corner a familiar scent struck his nostrils. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He began to shift and whirled around into the direction of the wind. But it was too late. Something hit him on the back of the head and he crumpled to the ground from the strength of the blow.
Everything went black.
* * *
When Annie awoke, she was startled to not recognize her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was climbing the stairs to the loft and Bill tucking her into bed. Through half lidded eyes, she saw in the far corner of the room two people sitting. Heard them talking in soft whispers. “Drink this, baby,” the female said. “It’ll help you with those allergies of yours.
She saw the man lift a cup to his mouth and drink. “You always take such good care of me, Danielle.”
Shit, it was Danielle. How had she gotten here? She glanced around the room for a way to escape but they were sitting near the door and that seemed to be the only exit. There was only a small high window on the other side of the shack, but she would not be able to get to it or get out of it. The only way out was the front door.
She scanned the room once more without moving her head. She didn’t want to alert them that she was awake. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a candle flicker behind the duo on a shelf. She saw the paraphernalia used to grind up herbs and other drugs. There was a pestle and mortar. One of the foreclosures she had shown recently had been broken into by some local vagabonds. She recognized the materials from the police report that had been filled out. So that was how she was controlling Dwayne. She was drugging him.
A feral growl got her attention. The woman who had been sitting in the corner must have noticed her movement. Or maybe her breathing had changed. Gerri had told her wolves had excellent heari
ng and smell. Danielle got up from her chair and crossed the room over to where Annie lie on a filthy mattress on the floor.
And it was definitely, Danielle. Annie recognized her from the police image of the passenger in the vehicle that had hit her. Also, Bill had shown her other pictures so that she could be on the lookout for her.
Her dark hair was as black as a raven’s wing. It fell across her face as she leaned over Annie. Her smile was not a smile at all. It was wild and menacing.
“So the blonde bombshell finally wakes up,” she sneered at Annie. Annie pushed herself back, scooted across the mattress, and put her back against the wall.
Danielle only laughed at her actions. “What a joke you are. This is the woman Bill picks,” she scoffed, including Dwayne in her comment. His answer was a nonchalant grunt as he continued to sip the concoction Danielle had handed him.
“Where am I?” Annie asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.
“You don’t have to worry about where we are. You won’t be going anywhere. Ever. And no one knows about this place so you can forget about being rescued.”
“What are you going to do with her?” another voice asked. It was the man from the corner. He set down his glass and got up from the chair. As he came out of the shadows, Annie recognized him from photographs too. It was Bill’s old friend and the pack leader’s son, though he looked gaunt. His eyes were glazed over and looked haunted too. Annie recognized the signs. He was clearly taking something, but she didn’t know what.
“I’m going to kill her. It’s the only way.” The smile that spread across her face was pure evil. “But I want to play with her first. Scar that lovely face of hers.”
The man got closer and peered down at Annie. “But you said you just wanted to scare her?” The man was clearly confused.
Annie pounced on Dwayne’s doubt. “Scare me?” she questioned. “She wants to kill me so that Bill will join your little Ménage.”
Paranormal Dating Agency: In Dire Straits (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The Cazenovia Pack Book 1) Page 8