by Cara Adams
“I’d never really thought about it before, but I certainly do now.”
“What about you, Willow? Do you believe in shape-shifters?”
“Me?” Willow gave a little jump in her chair. She’d been content to be a bystander as Hawthorne told her story. She trusted the nurse, although possibly wouldn’t have actually told her the story, but she knew the indecision and worry was wearing Hawthorne down.
“I do now. I believe Hawthorne saw a man change into a wolf. Or possibly a wolf turn into a man. Hawthorne doesn’t pretend falsehoods are true, and she certainly wouldn’t have kept up a joke since it’s brought all this drama down on us.”
The nurse looked at them both very seriously. “I’d like your permission to bring Cadfael into this conversation, and possibly Rhion as well. Cadfael Hanson is the managing director of this mall and a very sensible and wise leader. Rhion Jones is his second-in-command, and even if you didn’t tell him, if you wanted Cadfael to take any action, likely Rhion would be the one getting things done. But I won’t break your trust. I believe they can help you and solve your dilemma. But I won’t call them into this room without your permission and you will have to tell your story to them yourself.”
Willow hadn’t seen that coming. Eilidh was saying these people would go further than they had already gone. They’d given her sister and her a safe place to stay and looked after them. The nurse had befriended them and cared for them. Now they were saying the managing director himself would try to help them. Surely such a powerful person would know what they could do to stop Bailey persecuting Hawthorne? But the decision was Hawthorne’s alone. Willow would never try to interfere in her sister’s choices.
Willow stared at Hawthorne. Her head was bent and she was gazing at the carpet. Her shoulders were hunched and tense and Willow knew this was a very difficult decision for her.
“Whatever you decide, I’ll support you,” she said.
Hawthorne looked up and smiled. “I know. Thank you. But we can’t keep running. We have a plan to run some more, but we can’t keep doing that forever. We need to know why Bailey is acting so unreasonably. I agree to tell these people. Thank you for your advice, Eilidh.”
The nurse nodded, took out her cell phone, and dialed a number. “Can you and Rhion come visit with us?” she asked.
She clicked off the call and said, “They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
Willow almost panicked. What if they didn’t believe Hawthorne? What if they started persecuting and punishing her too? Had they just made the worst mistake of their lives?
Chapter Three
Cadfael was surprised that Eilidh had summoned him and Rhion. Apparently one of the women had told her something important, but instead of explaining it to him herself she must want the visitors to tell him in their own words.
“It seems we’re about to learn what the problem is. Let’s go,” he said to Rhion. They were both in his office, supposedly looking over the monthly reports, but making very little progress. The mall was doing well. That wasn’t the problem. The situation with the young women, however, preoccupied their minds.
“Good. I can’t concentrate on the spreadsheets anyway,” said Rhion, expressing almost exactly what he was thinking.
As always he led the way into the stairwell. As often happened when he did, Rhion said, “We do have an elevator, you know.”
They both chanted together, “We need the exercise,” and Cadfael laughed. His friend knew him so well.
He schooled his face to innocent blandness though, as he pushed open the fire door and entered the seventh-floor lobby. 7C was at the end of the hallway. As soon as he knocked on the door the nurse opened it for him, her body blocking the entryway until she’d seen it was just him and Rhion in the hallway. She was taking her role as protector of the women seriously, as he’d known she would. Cadfael was a little surprised she didn’t step out into the hallway and give him a brief summary of what she’d learned. Instead she waved the men inside and said, “Willow, Hawthorne, this is Cadfael Hanson and Rhion Jones.”
He nodded to both of them and sat opposite them on an easy chair. Rhion pulled a straight-backed chair from the table and sat beside, and a little behind, him. Eilidh stood in the background as if she was still protecting the women, but leaving them to speak freely.
The two women said hi, and then looked at each other. Cadfael thought he could almost see the older one sending the younger one strength and courage. That was interesting. It was Hawthorne’s story and Willow was not going to take charge, but rather let Hawthorne tell it in her own way and own time. That showed a lot of trust between the women.
Hawthorne sat up straighter on the two-seater couch she shared with her sister. Cadfael noticed they’d done something to their hair. It wasn’t glowing red in the light anymore and it seemed shorter and curlier. Women’s hair was a closed book to him, but he guessed it had been altered to change their appearance a bit. He shrugged. That was not what this was all about. It was the reason behind why they needed to change their hairstyle that was important.
There was complete silence in the room as Hawthorne began to speak. “Bailey Hamilton was my boyfriend. We didn’t date a lot and I was never in love with him. I suppose I was flattered by his attention. He’s a lot older than me and important and—Anyway one evening I was out walking. I try—tried to walk every day, and I stopped at the park. It was still light. I don’t—didn’t go there late at night.”
Cadfael nodded encouragingly. She was struggling with her tenses, realizing that her previous normal life was now in her past. It was a sobering assessment for a young woman that her life had changed irrevocably.
“There were children playing on the swings and a couple of young men throwing a ball to each other, but I immediately noticed the wolf. He seemed so very happy, running and jumping, and racing around over near the tree line. I’d never seen a wolf before. Not just at the park. Anywhere. He was so self-assured and content I stood there and watched him for ages. Maybe ten minutes. It was starting to grow dark and I knew I needed to get home but I couldn’t stop watching him. Finally he ran behind a tree and I was about to leave, when he sort of shimmered, and changed into a man. I must have been staring at him because the man looked my way and then ran among the trees.”
Hawthorne stopped speaking and Willow took her hand clasping it gently but encouragingly. Cadfael didn’t say anything. He didn’t think she’d finished yet.
“A few minutes later I saw the wolf running away. No man. Just the wolf, but he came out from the trees where the man had gone. The next evening Bailey came around to our apartment to see me and I told him about the wolf. He asked so many questions. Questions that made no sense. And then he tried to make me go with him right then to visit a psychiatrist he knows. Of course I refused. He came back to our apartment the next night and tried to drag me into his car, and he sent me dozens of text messages. He was waiting outside my office building when I finished work the next day. I had to get special permission to leave through the customer entrance instead of the staff exit to avoid him. Then he arrived at our apartment building before seven the next morning and parked right outside the front entry. In the no parking zone.”
Hawthorne sat back on the couch, obviously exhausted.
“That’s when we packed a few things and ran away. I rang my boss and Hawthorne’s supervisor and said we had a family emergency. Then I booked a taxi to come to the back of the apartment building, by the laundry and the delivery gate, and we went to the bus station. We’ve been running ever since,” said Willow.
Cadfael saw how the sisters held hands. He knew they were giving each other mutual support. But also, now he was in a position to help them. Not that he understood Bailey’s motivation at all as yet. He glanced across to Rhion and his second-in-command asked, very gently, “What kind of questions was Bailey asking you, Hawthorne?”
“Stupid things. Was the man hairy all over? Did he fall to the ground or stay standing up? What col
or were his eyes and what color were the wolf’s eyes? Stupid things. How could I tell his eye color from way over the other side of the park? What do any of those things matter? I saw a wolf change into a man. That’s what matters. Shape-shifters are fact, not fiction.” Hawthorne was shaking her head as she spoke. Cadfael could see what Bailey was looking for though. Those questions pointed to the heart of the issue. How closely had Hawthorne been watching, and how much detail had she noticed? This Bailey knew about shape-shifters. He might not have seen one himself, but he knew, or possibly just believed, they existed.
“Did Mr. Hamilton mention the name of the psychiatrist? Or where his office is?” he asked.
“No, but he really made me wonder if he was trying to lock me up in a mental health facility. He was so very adamant about it. And the way he tried to drag me into his car. It was like he wanted me locked away so he could go somewhere or do something. But that’s crazy, too. We weren’t so close he couldn’t have just done whatever he wanted to do. I had no claim on him at all.”
“It’s possible he wants to take possession of our house, even though it’s not worth all that much and he has plenty of money already. I know Nurse Eilidh thought of that as well. But I don’t want to go calling local realtors in case they then trace the call and learn where we are,” said Willow.
“I can get one of the staff here to make some enquiries. Since we’re a business, people never wonder why we’re asking strange questions,” said Rhion.
Cadfael nodded. That was a good plan.
“Won’t the staff wonder why they’re asking questions?” asked Hawthorne.
“I’ll mix it in with a whole passel of other calls they need to make,” Rhion assured her.
“Thank you for trusting your story to us. We’d like you to stay here as long as you want. Do we have your permission to do some checking on Bailey Hamilton’s background as well?” Cadfael asked Hawthorne. Quite likely Rhion already had some searches running, but she didn’t need to know that.
“Yes, of course.”
“Rest and recuperate again tomorrow. You need to recover your strength.” Cadfael stood to take his leave. He noticed Eilidh was standing right over by the door, distancing herself from the questioning yet still present in case the women needed her. He didn’t pay her enough. He really ought to give her a raise.
And find out what the fuck was going on with these women. And possibly even tell them about the pack.
No. Hell no. He couldn’t do that. Shit. He was losing his grip. Just because they were young and pretty didn’t mean his brain should hide in his dick.
* * * *
Rhion followed Cadfael back to his office on the top floor, pushed the door closed behind them, and settled himself into a chair. Cadfael didn’t have many luxuries in his office, especially seeing he was the Alpha of the pack as well as managing director of Hanson Mall, but the comfortable chairs under the big picture window were a definite plus. Although decent coffee would be good. He usually remembered to bring his own. Oh, well.
“When are you going to tell them about the pack?”
“What?”
“You aren’t deaf. You heard me.” Rhion stared at Cadfael’s back as the man reached into his bar refrigerator and pulled out two beers. Ah, beer. It was even better than coffee.
Cadfael removed the caps then crossed the room, handed one bottle to Rhion, and sat in the opposite chair. “It’s a fraction tricky.”
“You don’t say.”
“Stop needling me and start thinking,” ordered Cadfael. “Admitting she saw a shape-shifter has caused those two women to be ripped out of their nice ordinary lives and pursued across the state. We don’t know who she saw or what the fuck the idiot was doing transforming in a public park. We also don’t know much about Bailey Hamilton, including why or how he is ‘important’ to use Hawthorne’s word for him, or why the hell he’s hung up on getting her to the psychiatrist. My opinion is he knows about shape-shifters and wants to use her as leverage. But the how or why escapes me. Until we know more about Hamilton, there’s not much we can do.”
Rhion was following Cadfael’s logic. “And you don’t want her to know our secrets until you have a plan worked out.”
“Precisely.”
“I had a brief look on Google, but his name turned up something like forty-eight million hits and there were a passel of them on Facebook and LinkedIn, both male and female. So I decided to wait until tonight to have a proper go at it. Now I know he’s older and important that should narrow the search down a bit,” said Rhion.
“See if he has any links to a mental health facility or to a psychiatric practice as well.”
“Yes. It’d be good to know if he was just using that as a means of gaining control of Hawthorne, or if he really wants her to be assessed for a reason.” Rhion was nodding as he spoke.
“We need to get their address to enquire about the property as well.”
“Dammit, I should have done that before we left. I forgot. But I hate to add anymore stress to their lives. These last few days must have been hell for them.” Rhion pictured the two women as he’d last seen them, holding hands on the couch in the apartment. They still both had dark circles under their eyes, although they didn’t look as thoroughly exhausted as when they’d first arrived. But still, likely they needed another good night’s sleep at the least.
Both women were quite beautiful. They’d changed their hair. He noticed that immediately. He supposed redheads were more visible in a crowd. But just altering their hair would never make these women blend in. It wasn’t only their looks that people would notice, although a man couldn’t help but be attracted to their lithe figures and pretty faces. What was outstanding was that they were also clearly women of strength and character, and that was impossible to disguise.
Which meant the Hanson Mall Werewolf pack really ought to claim them. Two beautiful, intelligent women had walked right into their pack headquarters. Make that two beautiful, intelligent women who believed in shape-shifters had walked right into their pack headquarters.
“It’s a sign from the gods,” Rhion said.
“What is?” asked Cadfael, clearly confused.
“Willow and Hawthorne seeking refuge here in Hanson Mall. They belong to us. To the pack. They’re beautiful, intelligent, honorable, and ours.”
Rhion watched the thoughtful look come into Cadfael’s eyes.
“I’m surprised you hadn’t thought of it first.”
“I must be slipping. Getting old and tired.”
Rhion snorted. “Old. Right. You’ve only just turned thirty-five. I’m thirty and I promise you I won’t be old in five years’ time. Which one would you choose?”
“I’d need to get to know her a lot better first. But I can see what you mean. Their actions so far have indicated excellent character and they’re both quite lovely. I feel drawn to Willow. She’s freely given up everything to support her sister in a crisis. That says a hell of a lot about her.”
Rhion put his empty beer bottle down. “The first step would be letting her—letting them both—know we’re shape-shifters.”
“Not yet. Everything about them that we’ve seen shows them as being of good character. But anyone can act nicely for a short time. I’ll decide when we tell them who we really are.”
“That’s fine. Meantime I’ll get some people working on finding out all about Mr. Bailey Hamilton. But we can’t wait indefinitely. Once we do tell them, they might feel hurt we didn’t tell them straight away. And if it’s been too long…”
“Understood.” Cadfael looked him in the eyes and Rhion knew the topic was closed. He and Cadfael were good friends and worked closely together to make the mall a success. But Cadfael was the Alpha of the pack and Rhion had sworn allegiance to this man whom he honored and trusted. He had to trust him now to choose the right time to explain about the pack to the women.
* * * *
“I’m not ready to go to bed yet. Eilidh, would we be able to go
look at the various stores, please? I mean, I know we can’t buy anything because they’re shut. But may we just walk around and look at them?”
“Oh, that sounds like fun. Could we please?” added Hawthorne.
“We’ll need to be careful and stay away from where people going to or from the movie theater could see us. It must be boring for you shut up in the apartment all day when you’re used to working. Of course you can. I’ll just tell security so they know we’re wandering around.”
Willow waited as Eilidh made the call, then she took them down in the external elevator to the lowest level of the mall, which was predominately a huge grocery store and the food court, plus the Laundromat and a dry cleaning store.
“So many choices.” Willow had lost count of the number of small snack bars and restaurants, all of which had long counters facing the central area, which was full of tables and chairs for diners. They took a glass-walled elevator up to the second level, which had clothing stores, toy stores, card and gift shops, a couple of pharmacies, a bookstore, a DVD store, and more.
The escalator wasn’t operating since the mall was closed for the night, but they walked up it anyway, to the third level which was predominantly furniture stores, and electrical goods, although there was also a fabric store and a store selling sheets, towels, and other Manchester items.
“There’s everything you could ever need, right here,” said Hawthorne tilting her head back to look at the next level up.
The fourth and final level was the entry to the professional suites, but also had a gymnasium, three restaurants, and a movie theater. Willow agreed with Hawthorne’s comment. “You’re right. As long as the apartment had a stove we could buy our groceries on the ground floor, or eat out at any of the many places in the food court. We could exercise in the gym, go to the movies, and buy whatever we needed in the mall itself. Of course, I doubt there’d be much call for a scientist working in the offices here though.”