by R. J. Blain
“What happens after we’re in Canada?”
“You’ll settle in. I’ll go to work arranging new accounts for you. You’ll be given funds, and my contacts will establish you in your new home. It’s a bit like witness protection, but better. You’re not the first person I’ve made disappear. Money will be deposited automatically into your new accounts for a period of ten years. After that, you’re on your own.” Once she was in Canada, it’d be business—business conducted from thousands of miles away.
It’d be better for both of us that way.
“All right. That sounds fair.” Evelyn stood, picking up the empty bottle, and set it on the dresser before heading to the phone. “What sort of wine do you want? It seems we have run out.”
“Your choice,” I said. “I prefer red over white.”
“Red it’ll be then.” She grabbed the wine menu, made a thoughtful noise, and called the front desk to order two more bottles. “We’ve got a lot of time and nowhere to go. Let’s play a game.”
Intrigued and curious about what sort of game a Fenerec found amusing, I asked, “A game? What sort of game?”
“Truth or Drink. We’ll take turns asking a question. You either choose to answer honestly or you drink. No lying allowed. The penalty for lying is drinking half a bottle. Don’t think you can get away with it, either. I can smell a lie, Mr. Jackson.”
I eyed the emptied bottle warily. “This sounds like a dangerous game. Why?”
“I want to learn more about the man willing to defy the Inquisition for my sake. Why not?”
“Have you ever had a wine hangover before?” I asked, shaking my head.
“Food helps with that. Eat before it gets cold. Do you really have anything to lose by playing? If you don’t want to answer, you drink some wine. No harm done, right?”
“Right,” I acknowledged, turning my attention to the hamburger. While I ate, I was aware of her gaze on me. When I finished, I didn’t look up from my plate. “I’m not all that interesting, you know.”
“Any man who can rig his brother’s truck to explode is plenty interesting. I’m also of the opinion that any man with your restraint is very interesting.” I heard laughter in her voice, and when I stared at her, she grinned.
“Compared to the people I know, I’m an amateur at explosives,” I countered, feeling my face growing warm.
She crossed her arms and arched a brow at me. “And your restraint?”
I needed a lot more than a glass of wine to answer that question—an entire bottle wouldn’t be enough to take the edge off my nerves and embarrassment. Unfortunately for me, she deserved the truth, and drinking wouldn’t make the problem magically go away. “You deserve better than some one night stand with a man you don’t know.”
My words were the same I had said to Suzanne the first time we had met. I had been doing the Inquisition’s dirty work.
She had been working a corner.
With a dead-end job and student loans she couldn’t afford, she barely paid her rent, so just to get by, she took any man willing to pay to her bed. I had been the last to buy her time, and I had refused to sleep with her until our wedding night three years later.
“You’re thinking about her again, aren’t you?”
It was pointless to deny the truth, but I took a long swallow of wine anyway. “Every day.”
“Ask me a question.”
“If Fenerec mate for life, why throw yourself at me?”
For a long moment, she didn’t speak, and I doubted she would answer. She sighed. “I wanted to see what you would do. If I didn’t want you, you wouldn’t have me. It’s that simple. I’ve been alone a long time. You risked your life to save mine. You’re risking it even now. Why help me?”
I could have drunk to avoid the question. I could have evaded without lying. Once again, I cursed myself for my unwillingness to take the easy way out. “Suzanne had green eyes, just like yours. I knew you were alive. I just couldn’t leave a woman to die alone like that. I’m to blame, at least in part, for the death of your pack.” I finished off my glass at the same time there was a knock announcing the arrival of the replacement wine.
Evelyn fetched the new bottles, murmuring something to the server before closing the door.
“Did your pack really kill those people in the park?” I asked despite fearing the answer.
“There were deaths we were responsible for. I can’t say the Inquisition was wrong about us. Why are you involved with them?”
She opened both bottles, handing me one of them. I poured a new glass and took a swallow because I could only tell her a small part of the truth. “An accident of birth. You don’t have a mate?”
With a disgusted snort, she sank down on the chair opposite of me. “From that sorry lot? I refused them all.” Evelyn lifted her chin, her eyes cold and hard. “I deserve better than one of those bottom feeders. So did April, the other bitch in the pack, but the Alpha got her drunk enough one night so she accepted him. What do you intend to do once we’re in Canada?”
“Once you’re under the protection of a pack, I’ll call my brother and confess. He’ll skin me for a rug, I’m sure. If I’m lucky, he won’t have me executed for it—though considering the circumstances, it’s anyone’s guess. We’ll see. How old are you?”
Evelyn grimaced and didn’t bother pouring into the glass. She took a long swig directly from her bottle. “You?”
“Thirty-two.” I considered her for a long moment before asking, “What do you have against clothes?”
She laughed. “I like clothes when necessary. I certainly wasn’t going to let the guy bringing room service get a look. Would you like me to take them off?”
I wanted her to, but there was no way I was going to admit it. After draining my glass, I set it aside in favor of her method of drinking right from the bottle. I had the feeling it was going to be a very long day.
Chapter Four
On a scale of one to ten, I was drunk. It happened sometime between finishing off the first bottle of wine and opening the third, that much I managed to piece together despite the pleasant numbness of intoxication. I wasn’t sure which one of us had the idea to watch television, though I had the dim recollection of stealing the remote before Evelyn could claim it.
I had set the channel to Animal Planet, and from my stretched out position on one side of the bed, I watched the auburn-haired Fenerec wiggle on the bed’s edge, leaning forward to watch rabbits on the big screen. The special made me laugh, detailing the lives of wild bunnies and the species preying on them.
Evelyn sat on her knees, beating her leg as a wolf lunged for a rabbit, crashing into a tree instead of catching its prey. While she howled her discontent, I choked back my chuckles.
“Mangy mutt! Disgrace to all of our kin, that’s what you are,” Evelyn wailed, waving her fist at the television. She flopped backwards, her arms slapping against the mattress over her head. “It’s inexcusable, Jackson. Did you see that? Completely inexcusable.”
It took several deep breaths and a drink of wine to keep from chortling. “It does, indeed, seem as though the rabbit got away.”
“A beginner’s mistake. He shouldn’t have missed. He shouldn’t have hit the tree. It’s a disgrace, Jackson!” Rolling over, she pouted at me. “Don’t tell me you were cheering for the rabbit.”
In truth, I had been too busy watching her to care about the rabbit, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. I laughed. “The rabbit won, didn’t it?”
She wrinkled her freckled nose at me. “Inexcusable.” Sitting up, she crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at me.
“Surely you’ve had at least one defenseless little bunny escape you before,” I teased.
“Bite your tongue!”
Pointing at the television, I said, “Listen! The show even agrees with me. Rabbits escape predators thanks to those powerful hind legs. Evolution at its finest.”
Even in my less-than-sober state, I was pretty certain her sniffle was faked. “I do not let
my prey escape.”
Eyeing the bottle of wine, which was dangerously close to empty, I wondered if I classified as predator, prey, or both. “Is that so?” I murmured.
With a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, she leaned over me, narrowing her eyes. “That is so.”
The huskiness of her voice and her rumbling tone warned me of trouble. The deliberate way she lowered her gaze to my mouth confirmed my suspicions. Every desire I had tempted me to accept her invitation. My breath caught in my throat as I watched her watch me.
When she ran her tongue over her lower lip, I wanted nothing more than to reach up, run my fingers through her tousled hair, and pull her down to me.
My cell rang, the shrill noise startling me into rolling over and reaching for it so I could grab it and fling it at the wall. I reached the edge of the bed, groping for the nightstand and the accursed device, and rolled right off the bed. I hit the carpet with an undignified squawk. The room chose that moment to spin in lazy circles around me as all of the wine worked its way to my head.
I groaned and draped my arm over my eyes, thinking of all of the curses I couldn’t bring myself to say while Evelyn could hear me.
“This better be good,” Evelyn growled, and with a sinking feeling, I realized she had answered the call. “What is it, Zachary?” Her tone was so sharp I wondered if she was about to break my phone. I shifted my arm to my forehead to watch her hover over the nightstand, pouting.
If she did break my phone, I wouldn’t blame her. I wanted to destroy the damned thing—preferably by sending it on a collision course with my friend’s thick head.
“Yes, yes you did interrupt something interesting, thank you absolutely not at all,” she snapped.
I sighed, mourning the lost opportunity while also relieved that Zachary’s timing had spared me from doing something I’d regret later. It was probably for the best, as I had no doubts I wouldn’t want to stop if I did give in to my desire for the gorgeous woman hanging off the side of the bed while talking to my friend on the phone.
“No, he fell out of bed trying to answer your call. Jackson? He wants to talk to you.” Evelyn leaned over, dangling the phone within easy reach.
I groaned again and lifted my hand. Once I had a good grip on the cell, I flopped it down somewhere in the general vicinity of my ear. “I hate you. What do you need? If it involves driving, you’re fu—out of luck.” I coughed at my lack of discretion and loose tongue. “Did I mention I hate you?”
“Damn, Boss. I’ll make it up to you later, but you need to go take a very cold shower and get your ass checked out of that hotel in twenty minutes or less. There are sixteen Inquisitors booked on the Wave Dream, and I’m pretty sure they’re tracking your phone. Smash it, sober up, and get ready to hit the road. No, you don’t have time for arguing—or treating your lady properly. Give the nice and angry woman a kiss on the cheek and tell her to get dressed. I’ll be there with a pickup soon.”
I bit back the hundred and one curses I wanted to spit out. Without waiting for my acknowledgment, Zach hung up.
“I hate my life,” I lamented, holding my cell up to Evelyn. “I don’t suppose you’re strong enough to break this, are you?”
She leaned over the edge of the bed, her hair spilling over her shoulder. “Why do you need to smash your poor phone?”
“GPS tracking,” I grumbled, waving it at her. When she reached down to grab my cell, I captured her hand, pulling it down to kiss the back of it. “I need a very cold shower now. And clothes.” I was already wearing clothes, but at least my other suit wouldn’t look quite so rumpled. “We check out in twenty.”
She sighed. “So I heard. Okay, I’ll get dressed while you shower.”
I wanted to kiss her cheek, but I didn’t trust myself not to miss—on purpose. Her pouting lips tempted me far, far too much. “I’m sorry.”
Gripping my phone in both hands, she snapped it in half. “I do not let my prey escape.” She broke the two halves into smaller pieces, all without looking away from me.
I gulped. “I’ll remember that.” Staggering to my feet, I stumbled across the room to fetch my suit and retreated to the bathroom, cursing the Inquisition, Zachary, and the fact I was stupid enough to leave a gorgeous and willing woman alone on a bed plenty large enough for two.
~~*~~
Between the shower and my new worries over how the Inquisition had linked my new phone to me, I was reasonably sober by the time we were checked out. I limited my interactions to tired grunts while Evelyn handled anything that required actual words. Once we finished checking out, I stowed my disposable credit card in my pocket.
Before I could worry about whether or not Zachary would show, he swept in through the hotel’s automatic doors.
“All ready?” My friend had gained a few more gray hairs since the last time I saw him. He wore his crisp white uniform with his captain’s hat tucked under his arm.
I judged the distance and my capabilities of crossing it without tripping over my own feet. The odds weren’t in my favor.
Evelyn met him halfway across the lobby, thrusting out her hand. “Nice to meet you,” she said. Judging by the way her pitch dropped, I ranked my friend as one of the very last people on Earth the Fenerec wished to see.
With a sigh, I stooped to grab our bag. That I made it upright without staggering was something I classified as a miracle. Leaving the two to their posturing, I headed for the door. Once outside, the cooling evening air revitalized me more than the shower had. The salt in the air filled my lungs, and while it didn’t help sober me up, I halted to enjoy the scent.
“She’s pretty, Boss. Now I’m genuinely truly and deeply sorry I interrupted you,” Zachary said, taking the bag from me. “You look like hell. What did you do to your hand?”
“She bites,” I replied, turning to open the door for Evelyn before remembering it was automatic.
Coming to a halt at my side, she bared her teeth. At the same time, she brushed her fingers against the back of my uninjured hand. “Later.”
I flushed.
“Miss Evelyn, I will make up for ruining your plans, I assure you. Considering the developments, I thought it was wise to get you both to the Wave Dream and settled. I’ll explain in more detail once we’re in the truck—and on board.” Zachary pointed at a dark blue truck parked near the front of the hotel. Evelyn’s motorcycle was already loaded and secured to the bed.
“I suppose I’ll forgive you this once, but only this once,” the Fenerec murmured, flashing Zachary a smile.
I smirked when my friend’s tanned cheeks darkened with his blush, glad I wasn’t the only one who reacted to her.
“I’ll have to steal him from you for a while for business, I’m afraid. There are a lot of things we’ll need to discuss.”
Circling around the truck, I opened the passenger side door for Evelyn. “I wouldn’t be worried with only one or two Inquisitors to dodge. It’s a big ship. Sixteen, however, is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“The Inquisition officially notified me, informing me that I would relinquish available suites to them. I’ve been led to believe that your killers might have booked passage. Canada’s a popular destination this week.” Zachary climbed into the truck. “Do you mind taking the back, Evelyn?”
“I don’t mind,” she said, wiggling into the narrow backseat.
I think she wiggled more than necessary, and while I should have averted my eyes, I stared at her. When she caught me watching, she smirked.
“Boss, I know she’s pretty, but get in the truck already. I’d rather not leave without you, seeing as I came all this way just to pick you up.”
I grunted and climbed in, buckling up before I shut the door. Zachary started the engine and pulled out. While I expected him to burn rubber, he drove at a sedate speed. “Five minutes if that,” I countered.
“I’m amazed you can still count. How much did you drink, anyway?”
“Too much. Why did I break my brand new p
hone, anyway?”
“I already told you, didn’t I? They were tracking it. In less than thirty minutes, a group of very angry Inquisitors will be visiting the hotel. News on the wire is your killer stole the phone to access Inquisition data.”
Evelyn growled before saying, “He didn’t break it. I did. Into teeny tiny pieces, which I decided to flush to make certain the phone didn’t reappear anytime soon.”
Laughing, Zachary shook his head. “That’s going to drive them absolutely wild. You did dump your wallet, didn’t you, Boss?”
“It’s gone, along with my regular ID. Last I saw it, it was somewhere in Georgia lying on the ground. It might have been covered in blood.”
“No wonder they think you’re dead. Your brother’s in the process of losing his shi—”
I cleared my throat so my friend wouldn’t curse in front of Evelyn. “Yes, I expect he’ll be a little upset with me.”
“A little? Someone blew up his truck. Also, we’ll be talking about who your brother is. I can’t even believe it, and he was the one who told me. Anyway, add in the fact they found your stuff covered in your blood, and almost everyone believes you’re dead. A few believe you’ve been kidnapped, since they didn’t find your body. That said, I heard it’s a real mess there, and it’s entirely possible, according to some, that your body is there, but it’s in so many chunks they might never get a positive ID on it.”
I groaned, wishing I hadn’t drunk so much. Following the conversation was proving difficult enough. It took me far longer than I liked to realize my friend must have done one of the more dangerous and foolish things he’d ever managed since I’d employed him. “You hacked into the Inquisition’s communications, didn’t you?”
While I could handle the fact the world spun around me in slow circles, dealing with the unanticipated fallout of my haphazard escape with Evelyn required sobriety, something I definitely lacked.
With a snort, Zachary pulled the truck into a parking lot near the pier. “Of course I did. I was in less than ten minutes after you called me. It’s going to be hard keeping you hidden, Boss. We both know the Inquisition will cheat, so we will have to cheat better than they do. How do you want to play this?”