Putting down her wineglass, she headed for the kitchen, where she poured herself a tall glass of water. Dehydration would be her enemy. She needed to feel better so that tomorrow after work she could meet Darryl for their next date and see about taking their relationship to the next level. After all, a girl couldn’t get serious about a man without knowing how he kissed, could she?
* * *
The party Ryan had originally arranged for several of his top performing employees, as well as Jeff and David, the other guy who’d been supposed to meet Maria, had somehow morphed into a monster—pounding music, scantily clad models dancing on the table, and way too much alcohol. Since he knew he couldn’t let any of these people actually drive, he’d already resigned himself to letting them bunk there for the night. Actually, he wanted to leave, but didn’t dare leave his house and furniture unsupervised or he felt sure there’d be another fire or worse.
So he tried to stay away from the loudest group of revelers, which meant staying outside on one of his several patios. Mostly he watched strangers having fun inside his house, on the outside looking in, with no desire to join them. Odd how this, something he used to find highly enjoyable, now made him feel lonelier than if he’d been all alone. And he didn’t really understand why.
It just no longer seemed enough, somehow.
Blowing out his breath in a snort, he gazed out over the darkness, unable to tell where ocean separated from sky, and wondered yet again how Maria was doing. No doubt she’d been seeing a lot of her new guy—the very thought made his stomach clench and his chest feel too tight.
He’d brought Timothy down from Austin and had him handle the party. Arranging such things had become one of Timothy’s specialties. Hounds knew he’d had enough practice over the years.
Spying Ryan alone, Timothy hurried outside. “What’s wrong, boss?” he asked, frowning with worry. “Why are you out here by yourself? Don’t you like any of the models I invited?”
“They’re fine.” Ryan gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “They’re all very beautiful women. Jeff and David seem thrilled.”
“They are. But what about you? You seem a little...off.”
Ryan nearly laughed at his assistant’s description. “I am off. I find myself thinking there must be more than this.”
Now Timothy looked alarmed. “You wanted a more extravagant party? I’m sorry, I thought—”
“No.” Ryan turned away, gazing out at the blackness, wishing the clouds would move out so he could at least see the stars. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just...” He looked to see Timothy staring at him, his face scrunched in worry. “Never mind. It’s nothing to do with you. I guess I’m just not in the mood for a party tonight.”
“Do you want me to make everyone leave?”
Ryan thought about it. “No. Let everyone have a good time. Just make sure no one destroys my house. I’m going to go for a walk on the beach.”
Though Timothy nodded and attempted a smile, he appeared almost apoplectic with concern. “Will do.”
Beyond caring, Ryan waved and headed down the stairs to the sand.
Away from the house, though he could still hear the thump-thump of the base from the music, he finally felt his soul settle. He breathed in, loving the hint of salt in the air. Though he was probably setting himself up for a world of hurt, he dug in his pocket for his cell phone, aching to hear Maria’s voice.
The phone wasn’t there. Nor in his other pocket. He must have left it on the kitchen counter in the house.
Gazing back at the brightly lit structure, he knew he couldn’t go back in there just now. Maybe it was all for the best, a sort of omen from the universe. It had gone way past the time for him to figure out a way to live without Maria. Maybe he should cut his summer vacation short and head back up to Austin. There, he could always lose himself in work.
But here, with the sea breeze ruffling his hair and the comforting roar of the waves rolling onto the beach, his entire soul rebelled. He’d been a fool. It wasn’t time to learn how to live without Maria. He needed to try and win her back. Yes, he wanted more than the shallow emptiness his life had become. He wanted her. He only hoped he hadn’t waited too long.
Spinning around, his heart pounding, he sprinted back for his house. He’d locate his phone and call her. If she didn’t answer, he’d swing by her house. They needed to give each other a second chance. Surely they could find some middle ground.
Snatching up his phone from the coffee table, he decided he’d just drive to her house and surprise her without calling. He grabbed the keys to his Jeep. Fending off two inebriated models, he located Timothy and told him he would be leaving for a few hours. His assistant nodded, his mouth turned down, and promised to watch over the house.
Then Ryan started the engine and headed toward Maria’s. If her new boyfriend was there, he figured it was time they had it out once and for all.
* * *
One thing that bothered Maria about Darryl was the way he was always so agreeable. He never expressed an opinion of his own and instead agreed with everything she said. He wouldn’t choose a restaurant and so she always chose where they’d go so she didn’t have to spend twenty minutes mentioning places only to have him say “You decide.”
A few times she considered trying to make him angry, just to see what he would do, but she found the idea oddly frightening. She could honestly say his bland exterior made her wonder what she’d do if he didn’t know how to get angry.
But then, what kind of man was he? She knew little more about him other than what he’d told her in the beginning. He didn’t make her laugh or cry; in fact, he didn’t make her feel much of anything at all.
She’d spent the entire afternoon before their date pondering how to get him to kiss her. She’d finally reached the conclusion that she’d have to do it herself, wondering if he’d kiss her back or recoil in horror. Odd that she found the last strangely amusing.
In preparation for that evening, she’d taken extra care with her appearance. A few months ago, Rhonda had talked her into buying a dress, a formfitting, miniscule thing that Maria had never worn. Even the thought of putting it on made her feel as if she’d be approached by strange men wanting to hire her for the night.
Tonight, she’d made herself wear it to see if she could get a reaction, any kind of reaction, from Darryl.
Of course, her thoughts then drifted to Ryan. She knew what he’d do. His eyes would go dark and his breathing would hitch. He’d haul her up against him and kiss her until she was senseless.
Damn. Slamming the lid down on her fantasy, Maria shook her head at her own foolishness. All she needed to do was remember the breathy, slightly tipsy feminine voice answering Ryan’s phone and she was good.
Dressed and nervous, she stared at herself in the mirror, wondering if she could walk in the five-inch stilettos. For one heart-stopping instant she panicked, considering changing into something more sensible. But she didn’t. The time had come to find out if Darryl would be a viable prospect or if she needed to cut him loose.
Operation Kiss would happen tonight.
Darryl arrived promptly at seven. He was never late or early, something else Maria found mildly annoying. She let him in, standing in a semi-provocative pose so she could gauge his reaction.
His expression hardened. “You look nice,” he said, swallowing hard. That tiny bit alone gave her hope.
“Thank you.” She grinned. “I’m looking forward to tonight.”
They had dinner and drinks and, at her request, went for a stroll on the beach. Though there was no moon and clouds obscured the stars, as usual she found the sound of the surf soothing. Even the ever-present bodyguards lurking in the background couldn’t spoil the mood.
Finally, she tugged on Darryl’s arm, making him look at her. When preplanning this moment, she’d thought about asking him to kiss her, but she decided to take matters into her own hands and kiss him herself.
Facing him, she stood up on her
tiptoes and cupped his face with her hand. And then, her heart flopping in her chest like a fish out of water, she covered his mouth with hers.
Instantly, he deepened the kiss. Not entirely comfortable with this (and not really feeling it), she went along. But when he tried to ram his tongue down her throat, she reared back. “Uh...that was nice,” she managed. Unbelievably, she wanted to gag. If her breathing sounded fast, it was due to stress rather than arousal.
“Come here,” he said, attempting to draw her closer. “I want to do it again.”
She suddenly developed an urgent need for a drink of water. When she communicated that to him, he nodded and let her lead the way to a small bar and concession area near the chair rentals.
Fetching her a bottle of water, he handed it to her. “Here you go.”
Staring at it in bemusement, she nodded. “Thank you.” Her reply came out mechanical.
Increasingly, she felt worse and worse. Darryl, on the other hand, seemed to grow more and more exhilarated.
“You did it!” he exulted. “I knew if I played hard to get, you wouldn’t be able to resist the challenge.”
Confused, she eyed him. She felt a bit strange, weak even, though not from his kiss. That had been a bit like pressing her lips up against a mannequin.
“I did what?” she asked. Even her voice sounded weird, flat, as if the life had been sucked out of her.
“You kissed me. You did kiss me of your own free will, correct?”
She felt a prickle of unease. “Yes. I wanted to see how well we went together.”
His laugh turned her unease into fear. “That no longer matters. You’re mine now.”
Staring at him, she shook her head. “I don’t understand...” A wave of dizziness hit her. Had she been drugged?
“Not by anything you ate or drank,” he replied, making her realize she must have spoken out loud. “But by my kiss.”
“Whoa.” Reaching out blindly, when her hand connected with the back of a beach chair, she used it to steady herself. “You’re a bit overconfident there, Darryl. Honestly, I really don’t feel well.”
“I’m sorry.” He took her arm. “Let me help you. I’ll take you home right away.”
Grateful, she leaned on him, aware that to anyone watching she must look drunk, but beyond caring. He assisted her out to the parking lot and then into his car.
Her head felt heavy. Fighting nausea, she closed her eyes.
When she next opened them, she was in total darkness. Confused, she suppressed her instant flash of terror. This reminded her of Eyrie. Except—she moved her arms and legs, stretching—she wasn’t tied up and she wasn’t hanging upside down.
But wherever she was, the darkness felt overpowering. Uneasy, she pushed to her feet and took a halting step forward, and then another, with her arms outstretched in front of her. Two more steps and she encountered a solid surface. Concrete, judging from the feel of it.
It took a while, but eventually she believed she’d made a complete circle of the room. All concrete. If a door existed, she hadn’t been able to locate it.
Trying to think what could have happened, she realized the last thing she remembered was getting into Darryl’s car.
Which meant one of two things. Either Darryl was holding her prisoner for some reason, or something had happened to him and Doug Polacek had gotten hold of her.
* * *
The instant Ryan stepped out of his car, he knew Maria’s house was empty. The windows were completely dark and the lack of bodyguards approaching his car was his first clue. Checking his watch, he realized the hour was still early for Friday night, and if she’d gone on a date with that guy it could be hours yet before she returned home. If she came home at all.
Even that thought had his inner wolf snarling. He briefly debated whether or not to wait it out, and decided against it. He didn’t want to go home, not to the noisy party and inebriated guests. He briefly considered changing and letting his wolf hunt, but his highly charged emotional state as human would make him too unpredictable as wolf.
He decided to drive over to the Strand, pick a bar and have a drink. If he was lucky, he’d be fortunate enough to happen upon Maria and her date.
Decision made, he turned to walk back to his Jeep. Just as he did, a black sedan came screeching around the corner, slamming to a halt right in front of him.
Both of Maria’s Pack Protector bodyguards jumped out.
“What are you doing here?” Colton Richards snarled.
Looking from one to the other and noting their disheveled appearance, Ryan raised a brow. He didn’t get a sense of urgency, rather more of confusion. “Shouldn’t the better question be, why aren’t you protecting Maria? Is everything okay?”
When Colton cursed, Ryan began to worry. “Seriously. Where is she? Is she out on a date with that guy?”
“Darryl Pride,” Colton answered, his jaw clenched. “We were guarding her inside the concession area while they were at the bar, when all of a sudden both of us fell asleep. It couldn’t have been a roofie. We didn’t have anything to eat or drink.”
A chill snaking up his spine, Ryan stared. “Do you know if Maria is all right?”
“No.” Colton met his gaze, his own eyes bleak. “The next thing we knew, someone was shaking us awake and telling us to go home and sleep it off. Maria and Darryl were nowhere in sight. We checked his place, a rental over by the ferry, but no one is home. So we came here.”
Sheer black terror swept through Ryan. “You need to alert the Council.” Pulling out his cell phone, Ryan pulled up Maria’s number. “I’m trying to call her now.” But the call went directly to voice mail.
“Same thing happened to us,” Colton said. “If Polacek has her, he has Darryl Pride, too.”
“Or,” Ryan heard himself utter the unspeakable. “Has anyone ever considered that maybe Darryl Pride might actually be Doug Polacek?”
After a moment of stunned silence, Colton cursed. “It’s possible. They have the same initials. And it’d be very easy for him to wear a disguise and change his appearance.”
His appearance. For the first time Ryan realized he had no idea what Polacek actually looked like.
“Were you ever actually given a photo of him? I know Maria wasn’t.”
Colton and the other guard exchanged a glance. “No, but I’m pretty sure just about every Drakkor knows what he looks like. We have strictly monitored email groups set up, and ever since we first learned of him photos and information have been distributed.”
“But you have no way of knowing if Maria read those emails.”
“Well, no,” Colton admitted. “But why wouldn’t she? I know her father made sure she was kept abreast of what was going on. He had to. It’s a sacred charge, looking after a female Drakkor.”
Because of their baby-making potential. While he understood, Ryan couldn’t help but feel the need to enlighten Colton and his man. Maria might be what her people needed, but she was also so much more. He swallowed hard, pushing down the urge to speak. His two fellow Pack members would think he was crazy.
And they’d be right. He was. Crazy about Maria.
“We’ve got to find them,” he said. “Mobilize your Protectors. I’d appreciate it if you’d patch me through to Maria’s father. The Drakkor have magic, you know. Some more than others. There’s an enclave of really powerful ones up in Boulder, Colorado. We need them to help us fight Polacek and get Maria out safely.”
Chapter 14
An undeterminable amount of time passed before Maria heard a sound. Faint, at first, then growing louder. Footsteps. The scape of some kind of metal door opening. Then light flooding in from above her, temporarily blinding her.
“Hello?” Darryl’s voice. Squinting, she saw his face peering down at her. She wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved or worried. Since he didn’t appear to be held captive, she went with the latter.
“Darryl, what’s going on? Why am I down here?”
He moved away a
nd she could no longer see his face. Her heart stuttered. “Please don’t leave me here in darkness.”
“What, no magic? Can’t you get yourself out?” When he reappeared, he lifted his hand in a mocking salute. “Let me see how powerful you are. I’ve heard stories about your abilities. Prove them true.”
Magic. Stories. Her heart sank. “Who are you, really, Darryl?” Though she asked, she had a sickening suspicion she already knew.
His answer confirmed her fears. “Doug Polacek. Pleased to meet you. And you, my pretty, are my second female Drakkor captive. Though I have to tell you, Tracey isn’t doing so well these days.”
An instant of stark terror before rage consumed her. Good. Exactly what she needed to bring her magic to life. Stretching, she summoned up her power and willed it to flow through her veins and fill her.
Instead, nothing happened. Nothing at all.
She gave a little cry, nearly collapsing but caught herself at the last moment. “What have you done to me?” she asked, her tone laced with fury.
His smile almost seemed a leer as he waved his hand, bringing her up to the opening, though not out of the concrete cube. “I’ve taken away your magic, that’s what. And doing so was surprisingly easy. Taking little Tracey’s was a tiny bit more difficult.”
She gaped at him. “How? I didn’t even know such a thing was possible.”
“There are quite a few things you don’t know. Now, will you behave yourself if I let you out for a little while? Of course, there’s not a whole lot you can do.”
Not trusting herself to answer, she settled for a nod.
“That’s what I thought.” He wiggled his fingers again, and she flew up through the opening, out of what she now realized was a cement coffin.
He snapped his fingers and she found herself gently lifted and propelled along a hallway, up a flight of wooden stairs and then into what looked like a small waiting room. He lowered her onto a threadbare couch.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked. “I understand you want to father a child, but after all this time, surely you understand you can’t. As for me, while I’m able to conceive, you know darn well there has to be love involved between both parties.”
Billionaire Wolf (The Pack 17) (Nocturne) Page 18