by Shara Lanel
His hands were actually shaking, and the sound of Kitty’s voice didn’t calm him as it usually did. “These files, they’re Richard’s.”
“Really? Aren’t those confidential?”
“Yeah, subpoena. Even so, I don’t think I’m supposed to see them.”
“Well, your lawyer probably needs to, though.” Kitty read the notes. “Wow. This is making sense now.”
“Really? Because I’m just more confused.”
“Haden, your mom…”
He could smell her doubt and anxiety. “Tell me. I need to know the truth.”
“She had an affair with the mayor in the eighties.”
“She told you?”
“Mostly with her thoughts, but she did finally admit to some of it when I asked her about Richard.”
“Richard, the mayor.”
“No, Richard, her son.”
“What?” God, could his stomach get tied in any tighter knots? He didn’t want to know this. He didn’t want to discover how these things tied together with Leslie’s death, but Kitty knew already. “Tell me all of it.”
“You were adopted because your dad was sterile.”
“Yes. They finally told me that.”
“Then your mom had an affair with Mr. Langtree and got pregnant.”
He hated the queasiness in his stomach. A man shouldn’t have a queasy stomach.
“Mr. Langtree took the baby by agreement, and he and his wife officially adopted Richard. And how these notes tie this together with the murder is they’re saying he found out that he was your mom’s son. It’s probably on his birth certificate. What he didn’t find out is that you were adopted. He thinks you’re his half brother.”
“He saw me change, so he thinks he’s a werewolf.”
Kitty nodded, eyes wide. “He thinks he’s a werewolf.”
Haden tried to let this news sink in. Richard must have been trailing him now as much as he’d followed his group around in the old days. He’d seen Haden change and thought, since they were brothers, that he must have the same ability. He was probably already ill before these discoveries. Then there was Leslie.
“He was always a geeky kid. I guess he just wanted a girl like I had?”
“It almost sounds like he became obsessed with your life.”
“But then why ruin it?”
“So he could have it, maybe. Take it away from you and keep it for himself.”
“Daniel said this drug he was taking can sedate a person in the right dose.”
“That explains a lot, don’t you think?”
“But it proves very little in the eyes of the law. We can’t go into court and talk about him witnessing my change.”
“I think your lawyer can use this info to create reasonable doubt…” She sighed. “Which does nothing to get you out before the full moon.” She tapped her forehead on the bars, and Haden patted her hair as he tried to keep from howling in frustration.
* * * * *
Kitty had to spend some time at the store, and she hated it because she was so far away from Haden and did nothing to help set him free. However, she passed the hours by playing with her ability in a way she hadn’t tried before. She was learning to focus it and to turn it on and off. When the store was the most crowded, she could stand at the cash wrap and pinpoint who was thinking what. She could even single out a person and focus in on their thoughts specifically. It took a lot of effort, and she wound up with a headache, but she thought practice would make even that side effect dissipate. Controlling her mind reading might offer her the chance to have a permanent relationship. Haden needed her gift right now, but eventually he might find it aggravating and invasive.
The pub was still open. Emilio had stepped into Angelica’s role, proving he’d just needed the opportunity, and Haden’s infamous arrest kept the place hopping. Kind of sad, really, but good for Haden’s financial situation in the long run.
Finally, it was time to go home, go to sleep, then hopefully, drive to Wolf’s Crossing in the morning. The whole thing was definitely wearing her down. It was nice to have someone need her after spending so many years alone, but she wanted to lay her head on a sturdy chest and let someone take care of her for a while. She yawned as she turned the key in the deadbolt to lock the store. It was midnight, so all of her employees were gone, and the shopping center was quiet except for the pub. She listened to the strains of a harmonica as she crossed the parking lot to her car, which was in the last row near Three Chopt Road and a row of bushes. The night air was warm but less humid than it had been during the day. The pleasant spring breezes were gone, and Kitty doubted they’d return this year.
As she drew close to her car, the last one in that section of the lot, she sensed another mind. Someone was watching her. She saw her body centered in the glow from the pole light and stopped dead. She was only a few feet from her car, while she was yards away from the populated pub. The beat of her heart was loud in her ears. Fight or run? She saw herself grow larger as the watcher came closer. Where was he? She peered into the shadows, but the light that she stood in washed out the shadows. Fight or run?
Run!
She turned toward the pub, took three steps, leaving the circle of light; then the arms wrapped around her. She sucked in air, preparing to scream. Only the tiniest sound escaped as a cloth covered her mouth, the chemical smell on it overpowering. The red haze filled her mind for a moment more, then blackness.
* * * * *
The moon called, and Haden paced his cage like a lion at the zoo. Where was Kitty? She’d promised to visit him today. Pray to God that she found something to get him out of here. Their plan B, telling Daniel about the wolf, could completely backfire, and he didn’t want to risk it. What choice would he have, though?
“Come on, Kitty. I need you!”
It wasn’t just need, though. When he thought about Kitty, he saw happiness, safety, and optimism. He loved that she seemed comfortable with the wolf, and he loved that she met him strength for strength during sex. He loved her intelligence and business sense. He could spend hours watching her sleep. He loved waking up to the scent of vanilla on his pillow. He didn’t think it was fair to bring up the future with her until after the trial, but he wanted to. For the first time, he could imagine a future shared with someone. That was a nice dream indeed.
The buzzer sounded, announcing Daniel. He stalked down the hall, the radio at his belt squawking the whole time. He smelled like sweat and worry and anger.
“What’s the matter?” Haden asked, gripping the bars and trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut.
“Kitty’s missing.”
“What? You’ve checked…?”
“Everywhere. The Henrico County cops checked her home after she was reported missing. Her car’s still in the lot at the shopping center. Her employee Gina said the store was locked when she arrived, and repeated calls to her boss went unanswered. They searched the store and checked at the pub. A witness leaving the pub saw a man carrying a woman to a dark vehicle, thought the woman was drunk.”
“What about the vehicle? What did the man look like?”
“A Lexus. The description was really vague, but in my book, it matches Richard.”
Haden’s heart stopped, literally stopped, then he started coughing, his body’s way of reviving him. “You have to get me out of here!”
Daniel pulled out the keys. “Your lawyer and I talked to the judge, presenting the information we had about Richard’s psychotic history, Angelica’s relationship with him, and your alibi for the time of her death now that the ME gave his report.”
“Yeah, so…what did he say?”
Daniel’s eyes were shadowed. “He said I can let you out pending trial.”
“Then let me out, dammit. We’ve got to find Kitty before he does to her what he did to Angelica and Leslie!” His grip on the bars had turned his knuckles white, and the beast fought to surface. How could Daniel keep him in here if he believed him innocent? When he knew Kitty was in tro
uble?
“Aidan…Aidan!”
“What?!”
“I don’t want to have to lock you up again, so that means that you have to work with me to find her.”
“Yeah, whatever.” He’d say anything to get out of this cage. Daniel still didn’t fit the key in the lock. Haden looked up, saw his friend watching him. “What are you waiting for?”
“I’m waiting for your sanity to return. This man is the best suspect for Leslie’s murder, and if you kill him, the truth might die with him, and I’ll wind up locking you up on his murder charge. Do you hear me?”
“Damn you!” He struggled to slow his breath, slow his heart, push the beast back down. One more night until the full moon. He was barely under control as it was, and now Kitty was in danger. He fought with his anger. Daniel wanted him calm, needed to trust him. Working with the sheriff made the most sense. He’d have all the latest information. He sucked in another breath. “Okay…okay. I’ll follow your lead. We have to find her. I’ll do whatever it takes to do that.”
Finally, his old friend turned the key in the lock.
Blame It on the Moon
Chapter Fourteen
The tears wetting her cheeks kept her from all-out panic. She couldn’t say why. She focused on the wetness, the taste of the salt as a tear rolled across her lips, the coolness of the air drying the tears from her face. She owned the tears. They were tangible parts of herself. The ropes encasing her body like a mummy’s bandages were not real, couldn’t be real. The pictures in her brain also couldn’t be real. Words like shibari, Hishi-kikkou, and kinbaku meant nothing to her, so she tried to block out the illustrations that went with them, photos on the Internet and in magazines and books.
She understood from other minds she’d encountered that bondage could be beautifully erotic when partners trusted each other. She’d even brought home some videos from the backroom of her store on Japanese bondage, but the consensual element was missing here. Even the erotic element meant nothing to Richard as he concentrated solely on creating his work of art. He hadn’t touched her breasts and pubis more than to position the rope, completely engrossed in his act of creation.
Kitty could almost believe that he meant to go no farther than decorating her with ropes. Almost. If not for the flashes of bright red cuts added in an array between the ropes. He planned to cut her as part of his sick art project, and if he followed his pattern, he’d rip her throat out before he was through. She held her breath each time he used a gently curved, engraved blade to slice through the cotton line like it was softer than butter. That blade would slice her flesh just as easily.
He’d gagged her with a red rubber ball attached to straps, so sometimes her spit caught in the back of her throat, making her gag, and she thought for sure she might choke on her own bile. Thank God he hadn’t blindfolded her, though. The helpless panic would multiply if she couldn’t observe her surroundings.
Not that the surroundings were much to look at. She seemed to be in a shack in the woods, judging by the sounds of birds chirping and leaves blowing. Boards creaked, and the ceiling above her sagged abnormally and was covered with dark brown and gray stains. Jagged glass filled the panes of the window she could see. She couldn’t see the door. A musty mattress held her off of the floor, and she could swear she heard creatures scuttling beneath her. She tried not to dwell on that.
There was absolutely no hope of freeing herself. He’d done most of the binding while she was unconscious. Ropes crisscrossed her body in diamond shapes and pulled her ankles up to her wrists behind her back, bending her in an awkward and now painful position.
A memory called to her, and the ceiling above her washed white. A long fluorescent light appeared, sounding like a fly buzz as the bulb flickered. She was higher off the ground on a smaller mattress, and her shoulder bumped against a padded wall. Her arms were crisscrossed over her chest, encased in fabric. She could hear canned laughter from the television in the break room across the hall. She couldn’t blame them for the straightjacket, not really. Think of the liability if she’d killed herself. She was trapped, trapped with the thoughts of the insane, trapped in this room, in this binding, and she’d done this to herself. Committed herself.
She would’ve laughed if the panic didn’t eat at her stomach so.
Kitty shook her head. A memory. Only a memory. Above her, she saw the water-stained ceiling again. She returned to the present.
But how to keep the panic from overtaking her? Haden was in jail. Did anyone know she was missing? Probably Gina would’ve reported it or checked with Marsha, at least. Yeah, they probably knew she was missing. They’d probably found her car. But what more than that? Who would do the looking, and how would they know where to look?
Panic clawed at her stomach as Richard smoothed a rope into her slit, touching her clitoris briefly. Like a thong, the rope slid up her butt crack to be secured to the rope wrapped around her waist. Kitty stared up at the ceiling and prayed to at least not die with Richard’s thoughts crowding her head.
* * * * *
“Here’s a map of the Langtree property. The Richmond police have scoured the U of R campus and talked to Richard’s friends. There’s been no sign of his Lexus. I really don’t think he’s there. I think he’s more likely to bring her here, someplace he’s familiar with and has the run of without worry of witnesses.”
Haden nodded. Daniel’s logic was sound, and the only thing they had to go on at the moment. He ran his finger over the map, which was warm because Daniel had spread it out on the hood of his cruiser. Thousands of acres, a lot of it wooded, dotted with caves and ravines. They’d just left the main residence, speaking to Mrs. Langtree and searching the house. She’d smelled anxious and sick, but Haden didn’t think she knew where her son was.
He saw me change. Haden scanned the map for the spot. Was it marked? No. He could find it by memory, but it was about here. He tapped his finger. “There’s a cabin here. I think it was used for hunting.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I used to go there when I wanted time alone. It’s not on a part of the property that the Langtrees really used, so I never thought they’d mind.”
“The road goes here. Is there a drive or something?”
“I think there’s only a foot path, and it was half overgrown when I used it.”
Daniel folded the map, leaving the part they needed on top. “Get in.”
They drove along the bumpy, rutted road until it faded out in a gravel circle. It was getting dark, so Daniel slapped a Maglite into Haden’s palm. They shone the beams at the overgrowth surrounding the clearing, looking for something like a path. The moon lingered on the horizon. Haden faced it and breathed in the air as his wolf called to him, tempting him to change. He forced his focus back to the edges of the clearing, walking slowly, aware of every scent. He heard a rabbit and a deer as they crashed through growth, racing to get away from the hunter.
“There.” He pointed when he smelled a familiar scent. Just a trace of it and no sign of the path at all, but he didn’t wait for Daniel. He crushed branches and swatted leaves out of his way, and the scent grew stronger. What was it? It tickled his memory. Angelica. It was what he’d smelled the day Angelica had interviewed with him. A mix of cologne and sweat that was familiar, only he hadn’t placed it at the time. Now he knew it had to be Richard’s scent. He walked faster, broke into a jog, returning Daniel’s call, but not waiting for him to catch up. If he changed into the wolf, he could go faster, could rip the throat out of the creature who’d taken his lover. The temptation rode him, and the closer the beast came to the surface, the easier it was for him to follow the trail. He caught the faintest trace of Kitty on a leaf. Richard must have carried her, because her scent was not on the ground.
“Aidan, wait. You don’t know what you’re going to run into.” A few minutes later. “I’ve got the gun, dammit. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
The voice seemed far away as the beast dropp
ed to all fours, placing his nose closer to the ground. He was still man-shaped, but he loped with confidence over the uneven ground, relatively silent compared to the man breaking through the brush behind him. His prey was close now and would die for taking his mate.
* * * * *
Kitty turned her head. She thought she’d heard a sound, but her normal five senses lacked the strength of her mind-reading ability, and it was that she trusted now. The black-and-white movie showed leaves and ground underfoot, speed; the smells all around coated his nose, but only one tugged him forward: her scent. He hadn’t changed, or she wouldn’t have picked up his thoughts at all, but he wasn’t completely unchanged, or the images would’ve been in color. He saw the building. Was that the building she was in? Oh, yes, he could smell her. She felt the power pulling at him. He wanted to change completely.
Haden, no. Don’t lose your consciousness!
She willed him to hear her. Wishful thinking. Prayer. If he changed into the wolf, he would kill Richard, then Haden would be a murderer in truth. No one would believe he hadn’t killed Leslie.
She closed her eyes, repeating his name, the name only she called him. The beast paused, looked up, and sniffed the air. He stood just beyond the cabin below the back porch. Kitty knew he was low to the ground, but couldn’t see what he looked like.
Haden! Don’t change!
Sharp pain cut through any connection she had with him, and her eyes flew open as she tried to understand what hurt. Her stomach hurt because it was bleeding. A thin line of red appeared under the knife blade, welled, grew larger and more distinct.
I’m bleeding! Shit!
And in Haden’s mind, he smelled the blood and recognized it.
He changed.
* * * * *
Daniel heard splintering wood and shouted into his radio to let the others know his location. The dilapidated building seemed to rise up out of the ground, but he knew that was an illusion. Adrenaline pumped through him. His legs burned like hell. How had Aidan run so fast? He’d completely lost sight of him. Back porch. Rotted wood. A step broke under his foot. He pulled free and stepped more cautiously onto the porch, noting the caved door. Aidan hadn’t even stopped, had he? The fool! He’d be no match for Richard if the man had a gun, not to mention the bowie knife the ME thought he’d used on Angelica’s throat.