I rolled my eyes. “Adrian, meet our cook. Ignore her—she’s just the help.” I couldn’t say the words without smiling.
“Aren’t you feisty? You were in a bad mood when you left, as you have been for the last week. He must be a good influence on you.” She smiled at Adrian, and then the smile faded. “As long as you’re not replacing Nate, he’s my favorite.” She winked at my new friend, and he smiled in return. Mona had won over yet another guy.
“Don’t worry, we’re just friends,” he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I have my eye on another girl.”
“Ooohh. Maybe Megan could help you with that. She needs something to do while she learns to forgive whatever Nate did to her.”
Peeling a clementine I stole from the fruit bowl, I mumbled, “Who said he did anything to me?”
She quirked a brow. “Why else are you home? You hate it here, always have.”
When I just stared at her blankly chewing the fruit in my mouth, she laughed and went to the fridge. “Okay, what do you want to eat?”
“How do you know we’re hungry?”
“Because you’re in the kitchen, and all you’ve been doing lately is eating.” She turned away from the fridge, and faced Adrian. “She has a tapeworm. I’m calling the doctor in the morning.” Adrian laughed, and even though I tried not to, I joined him.
Mona was right. I had been in a bad mood for too long, depressed over something I couldn’t change. For the first time in a week, I almost felt happy, and it was because of Adrian. There was something about him that made me feel comfortable and relaxed. That is, until the image of him practically naked hugging me popped in my mind, and my face turned hot again. I moved to the windows so they wouldn’t notice.
“Do we have any burgers?” I asked absently as I watched Ben covering the cedar bushes along the path of our back patio with burlap. He did it every year at this time. When I was little, he told me he was putting winter clothes on the trees. I smiled at the memory as I spun to hear Mona’s answer.
“Yeah, I froze some patties a few days ago when you started to eat like you were about to die.”
I scoffed. “You’re really funny. Could you make us each a couple? Or I can, if you want.”
Horror washed over her face. “Oh God no, I’ll do it. I don’t want to clean up that mess.”
“I’m getting better at cooking.” I pouted, popping a slice of clementine into my mouth. The fresh tangy flavor exploded on my tongue. I handed Adrian a few pieces. He took them from my hand with a small smile.
Mona’s face sobered. “You are,” she said unconvincingly. “But I like to cook for you. I know you’ll smarten up soon and go back to Nate, and I’ll lose you again.”
My eyes burned with tears at her words. Despite my love for the cottage and my desire to return to Nate, I really did miss Mona. She was my real mother. She was the one who cared for me, fixed my cuts, and tied my shoelaces.
“If I do go back, I’ll visit more, okay?” I quickly wiped away a tear.
Mona blinked with watering eyes. “Okay. Now go sit down. I’ll bring you some food.”
After downing two burgers each and freshly cut fries, we helped Mona clean up before heading to Adrian’s car.
Chapter Seventeen
The Message
“What took you so long?” Nate asked Joe as he watched him turn off his car and climb out.
Joe shrugged his shoulders. He was wearing cargo pants and a black coat that was open, exposing a gray sweater. His hair was messy, and there were creases in his clothes.
Nate smiled to himself, wondering what had happened after he left. The grin that spread on the werewolf’s face told Nate the answer. “I take it things went well with Lauren?”
Joe’s grin turned smug as he got closer to Nate and stood before him. “It went really well. Thank you for giving us time alone.”
Nate couldn’t help but grin himself. His friend’s happiness was a long time coming. The ache in his heart for Megan didn’t take away the joy he felt for them. “She finally gave in to your Irish charms?”
“Was there ever any doubt?”
Nate chuckled. “Yes, there was.”
Joe winced. “I know, I thought she’d never give in. But, we’ve a date tonight, so let’s get on with it. What’s going on? You didn’t say much in your phone call.”
Nate leaned on his car and pointed to the barbeque restaurant. “I found three of Charlotte’s werewolves in there having lunch. I want to follow them when they leave.”
The lot they were in was far enough away that they wouldn’t be seen, unless someone was specifically looking. And the fountain in the center of the square was hopefully enough to hide their scents.
Joe leaned on the car next to his friend. “How long have they been in there?”
Nate glanced at his watch and sighed. “A half hour. But when I left, they hadn’t gotten their food yet.”
“Did you speak to them?”
Nate nodded, not taking his eyes away from the restaurant door. “Yes, they wouldn’t give up her location. I was tempted to beat it out of them, but there were too many witnesses.” A gust of freezing wind blew a few pieces of garbage in front of them; the debris whipped around in circles. “One of them is my nephew James.”
Joe spun to face Nate. “What?”
“Have you ever heard of James Riley, Will’s cousin?”
Joe shook his head as he glanced at a girl riding past on a bike. The shrill sound of the bell echoed across the square. “No, the name’s not familiar, and I thought I knew most of the family.”
Nate’s face clouded with guilt. “James, Will, and I were close. I think you were out of the country somewhere doing an opening. I was in town for a few months visiting the family. Will and James were just finishing college. We used to go to bars and talk about the different sides of the family business. He was eager to join the company. Unlike Will who wanted to work in the department stores, James was focused on the income properties. He couldn’t wait to start. James’ father was in charge of our holdings and was excited for his son to join him.
“The week before they both graduated, we went to celebrate, and we had a blast. It was rare that I let myself get too close to my family, but I had been away from them for a long time. I told myself I would leave as soon as they graduated.” Nate paused as a group of people exited the restaurant and took a few steps forward. He relaxed when he realized it was just a woman and her two young children. Joe waited patiently for Nate to continue. “After the graduation ceremony, I got a call from Will’s father John, warning me of some trouble. Apparently, Peter, James’s father, told his son about me, and it didn’t go very well. James called me a monster and was contacting all the relatives, trying to get backup to kill me. John wanted me to leave town just in case James found the help he was looking for.”
Joe’s face fell. “That’s awful, Nate! Why didn’t you tell me?”
Nate shrugged. “I’m not sure. I didn’t want you involved in our drama, and for the first time in a long while, I felt like an outsider. My father had always tried hard to make me part of the family, even when I tried to distance myself. When my immediate family members died, they each asked me to look over their children. I promised I would and have tried my hardest ever since. But when James wanted to come after me, it really hurt.” Nate stopped speaking and stared off in the distance. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he remembered that night. He was afraid his own family, that he had vowed to protect might want to kill him. It was a low point in his long life, and one he didn’t like to remember. He cleared his throat and continued.
“It was a reminder that I wasn’t part of the family, just a dirty little secret. I left that night, and Will told me later that the family turned James away when he wouldn’t give up his quest to kill me. I’ve always felt guilty—that I was the reason he lost everything.” A weight fell on his chest, threatening to smother him as all the memories resurfaced.
Joe’
s face was hard. “It was James’ choice to turn on you, and I’m sure he was shown your father’s will. So he had to know what the consequences were. It was his choice, and you did nothing wrong. Stop feeling guilty for everything in the world, Nate. It’s not good for you.”
Nate couldn’t completely agree with Joe but allowed him to continue.
“So how did Charlotte get her clutches into him?” Joe asked.
“All he said was that after the family shunned him, he met a pretty red head.” Nate gave a sheepish shrug.
“She really does like to stick it to you, doesn’t she?” Joe ran his hand through his auburn hair. “Do you think she knew you were related?”
Nate smirked at his friend. “We have the same hair and eye color and the same last name.”
“Right, gotcha.” Joe shifted his weight and glanced around. The area was beginning to fill with people. Some were wandering around shopping and others sitting on the edge of the fountain hovering in their coats for warmth. The sporadic snowflakes were bringing out early Christmas shoppers. “They’ve been in there for a while. Is there a back door to the place?”
Nate spun to face Joe, his eyes wide. “Damn it,” he growled. “Go look and call if you catch their scents. All three were at the island.”
Joe nodded, and he rushed away.
Nate watched Joe cross the busy street. He wasn’t the only one watching. Two young women who were sitting on a bench in front of a coffee shop smiled as he passed. Joe didn’t even notice them. He only had eyes for Lauren.
Five minutes later, Nate’s cell rang. The high pitched ring was cut off immediately as he answered the call. “Did you find the scent?” he asked, his voice anxious.
“Yes, all three exited the building back here. By the strength of the scent, I’d say they left soon after you did.”
Anger sliced through Nate but not for the three werewolves they were hunting, but for himself for not thinking to check for a back door. “I’ll be right there,” he barked, before ending the call and heading for the back of the restaurant.
Joe was waiting against the Dumpster with his hands in his coat pockets when Nate appeared. Sure enough, the scent was there.
“You ready?” Nate asked Joe.
His friend nodded, pushing himself off of the garbage bin. “Should we run?”
That would definitely be faster, but as Nate glanced around, he noticed a worker up ahead unloading goods off a truck. He turned at a tinkling sound and spotted a woman walking a dog, its tags jingling as it trotted along. “No, too many people.”
They started to walk forward, sniffing the air for the scent. It was there, and it went along the back of a strip mall through a four story parking lot. They climbed the four floors and walked to the back and down another flight of stairs to the main level again. “They’re playing with us,” Joe muttered, as they exited the closed parking garage into the fresh afternoon air. Nate agreed, but there was little they could do about it. If they wanted to find Charlotte, they had to see this through.
The scent led to the hub of downtown and to a door. “Is he serious?” Joe asked looking up at the sign in front of the building. James had led them to Riley’s Department Store.
A feeling of dread formed in the pit of Nate’s stomach. James had been gone for twenty years and in all that time had never contacted the family. And now he was back as a werewolf with Charlotte. Nothing good would come of this.
The scent went through the main building, and one of the men veered off into the women’s underwear section. Nate knew it was one of the brothers, but he couldn’t place which one. All he remembered was that both of their names started with a C. Nate and Joe stayed with the main scent knowing that the young men were screwing with them. Finally, it led to the stairwell that went up to the offices. When Nate and Joe entered, a few heads turned from their computers. The stairwell door opened into a small work room, and the men and women in the room smiled at the sight of them. Some of them glanced at them curiously. Nate and Joe simply nodded as they continued on their mission.
The trail led to Nate’s office. There was a note on his desk. It was from James and it said: Nice try, Uncle.
Joe groaned as he read the note over Nate’s shoulder. “What do you bet the trail leads to a body of water or a car?”
“No doubt,” Nate agreed, crumpling the paper in his hand. “My nephew is pissing me off.” With a glance around the office to make sure nothing was missing or disturbed, they went back out into the hallway.
The scent led to Will’s office. He was in his chair, wearing a light gray business suit and white shirt. His glasses rested on the bridge of his nose as he leaned forward, reading a report. “Are you alright, Will?” Nate asked his nephew.
Will jumped, startled by the sudden voice, and appearance of his friends. “Yes, I’m fine,” he replied, his face and voice filled with confusion.
Joe smiled at Will, his face strained. Nate could imagine things between his nephew and friend would be awkward for a time, now that Joe was dating his daughter. “I’ll go outside and finish looking, but I think we’re done here.”
Nate nodded, agreeing that the trail would lead to nothing. He watched Joe head through the stairwell, and then turned to focus on Will. “James was here.”
Will’s eyes went as round as the large clock on the wall, and he dropped the report in his hand. “James Riley?”
Nate nodded.
“He came back? Where has he been?”
Nate moved to the chair in front of the desk and sat down. He slumped into the plush material feeling defeated. “I have something to tell you.” When Will nodded, resting his elbows onto the wooden desk, Nate explained what had happened since he found James at the restaurant.
Will’s eyes were like ice, his jaw as hard as stone. “When will that witch leave us alone?” He pounded the desk with his clenched fist, hitting a pen that rolled away, landing against a stapler.
Nate lowered his head and stared at his black boots. He focused on the dirt scuffed on the edges and the small crack in the stitching. “I’m sorry, Will.” When would his family be safe from this predator, hell bent on destroying him?
“Stop blaming yourself. This is her fault. First, she turned you, and now James. It’s a good thing she didn’t do the same to Lauren and Megan when she had the chance.” Nate flinched at his words but didn’t have the heart to set him straight. And it wasn’t his place to tell him about Lauren.
Will leaned back in his chair. “Still, she needs to be killed before she hurts someone else.”
Nate nodded in total agreement.
Will sat up abruptly and started to sift through folders, until he found a newspaper. His face was full of shock and fear.
Nate swore as Will held up the paper, horrified that it was happening again.
Joe stepped into the office. “Yep, the trail ended at a car.” He glanced at both men “What’s going on?”
Nate pointed to the headline sprawled at the top of the front page of the newspaper: Five Hikers Killed By Wild Animals.
Chapter Eighteen
The Workout
Adrian took me to a gym in the warehouse district and stopped in a lot that was basically empty. Two lonely cars sat in the back next to a dumpster. The gym was a small steel sided building with a sign on the front that held just one word—GYM, an original name that must have brought in a lot of customers.
“They’re in between classes right now. They’re usually packed,” Adrian explained as if he had read my mind.
“You come here a lot?” I asked, eyeing the place apprehensively.
He nodded as he turned off the ignition to his Jeep. “Yeah. I like to work out, and I usually find a gym as soon as I move to a new place.”
We both climbed out, and I followed him to the entrance. The sun was going down and was now dusk. Since the snow had picked up, there were little flecks of white against the dark sky.
The inside of the building was wide open with workout equipm
ent at one end. The other side was empty, except the floor was lined with mats. At first the only smell I noticed was lemons and some kind of wax. But with my werewolf nose, I could also scent sweat, which I guess was expected in a gym. It wasn’t overpowering though, and if I didn’t have the heightened senses, I never would have smelled it.
“Adrian?” We both turned toward a voice coming from the left far wall. A woman about my height was restocking a shelf with what looked like vitamins and supplements. She had brown hair that was braided and pulled up into two buns on the back of her head. She was wearing workout clothes that consisted of a tight black tank top and low riding sweatpants. She stepped away from the shelf toward us. “I didn’t know you were coming in today.”
“I hadn’t planned to, but my friend here wants to learn a few moves, so I thought I’d show her some.” He gestured to me with his thumb. “Lola, this is Megan.”
I nodded and said hi, while she simply smiled at me. This close up, I noticed how defined her muscles were. I had never seen a woman with such thick arms.
“Tommy and I were just heading out to get some dinner. Will you be okay on your own?”
Adrian nodded as he shifted the duffle bag he brought with him to his other shoulder. “Of course—we’ll be fine.”
She grinned. “Great, and if anyone shows up, tell them to come back in an hour, okay?” She said this over her shoulder as she headed to a door near the entrance.
“Will do,” Adrian called to her as she banged on the steel door twice. The clanging sound rang out in the otherwise quiet room.
Almost instantly, it opened. A tall, very broad man with a buzz cut came out wearing sweats and black leather fingerless gloves.
“Ready for food?” Lola asked him. “Adrian’s going to work out while we’re gone.”
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