by Morgan Wylie
“I can’t until you go somewhere,” a man’s voice came from behind her, startling her so badly she jumped and gave a little squeal. His deep masculine laugh was soothing in a non-threatening, I’m-not-here-to-kill-you kind of way. Her hand flew to her chest as she sucked in a breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
“Who are you? Why are you following me? And how did you know I was in here?” she blurted out in rapid fire.
“Whoa, Poppy,” he raised his hands in front of himself to fend her off. “I just wanted to talk with you.”
“How do you know my name?” She cocked her head inquisitively, waiting for his response.
“I researched you. I know a lot about you,” he said with a smirk and a matter of fact manner.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” she replied to his surprise.
“Aren’t you afraid I’m going to kidnap you or something?” he asked cautiously.
“Well, I’m in a public place that has surveillance, so I’m pretty sure you aren’t going to try anything.” She eyed the camera in the doorway curiously, quickly studying the make and model.
“I bet you could turn that camera on and off with only a touch or even a flick of your finger,” the guy before her taunted.
Her eyes widened with surprise. “I can’t do that! No one can do that.” But something in her expression told him she wondered if it was possible. “I mean, I’m good with computers, that’s for sure, which you obviously already know… hey, is that what this is about? Are you looking for a hacker?”
“I am indeed here to offer you a job, though not necessarily as a hacker. I’m looking for an additional IT person for my companies that may at times require discretion and creativity,” he baited her, watching her responses.
“It’s not really my thing to cook books if that’s what you’re looking for—”
“No, the business books are legit.”
“I hear a but coming,” she pressed.
“It’s the daily operations that can be interesting to say the least. One of my businesses I run is a hotel and the other is a security guard/bodyguard for hire operation.”
“What would I do with that company?” she asked, curious.
“Run the operations, create technology and gadgets at will, be the home base operator… things like that.” He eyed her, studying her reaction, which she surprisingly gave little.
“What’s your name?” Poppy inquired.
“Rylen Duncan, at your service.” He gave a little bow.
A twinkle lit in her eyes. She stuck her hand straight out in his direction. “When do I start, boss?”
Rylen smiled. “I’m excited to have you on board, Poppy. Let’s grab coffee and discuss your terms as well as some other small things you should know about the others you’ll be working with. They’re going to love having you in the PAC!”
“Pack? Is that what you call your team?”
“It’s what I call my family.”
Poppy smiled up at him, excited about her new adventure and what lay in wait for her future.
Chapter One
It bothered Mather to no end that he couldn’t get a scent off the letter Rylen received. The faintest whiff of something was there, but barely and not enough that he could determine anything. It was the strangest thing, and it insulted him to the core. He should be able to get something… anything from it, but it was like whoever sent it had erased their traces. Maybe that was what he was smelling, some kind of erasing agent? He would have to ask Poppy about what that could be. Poppy. He hadn’t talked to her since she had been rescued from the clutches of the Fairfax Human Rights Alliance a.k.a. the Fairfax Alliance. His wolf had been whining to go to her since they had brought her home, but so much had happened in such a short amount of time, and he used it all to his advantage. She had been his friend for several years, so why was he having issues with talking to her now? It’s not like anything had changed… except that everything had changed. That moment he saw her trapped in a cage and she asked him to leave her there had rendered him almost incapacitated. Then when he thought she had died in that fight…
The letter coming to the Lair meant that whoever sent it knew where they were. Everyone was on edge, and Rylen had positioned more men at the entrance of not only the Lair but even upstairs in the hotel that remained the business front of their operations. Rylen positioned a guard with Gracie, the resident Oracle, at all times. Mather couldn’t help but laugh at her expressions whenever he would see her trying to escape one of them and getting caught. But Gracie… well, they couldn’t lose Gracie. She was special. They all thought of her as their little sister and would do anything they could to protect her—well, maybe not all. Mather couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his brother’s head. He had never seen Lucius flustered, but he was around little Miss Gracie. No one else—maybe Rylen—could tell, but Mather could. Something was up, but Luc would never tell him about it. They’d always been close, but Luc had never been one to open up much and share his feelings.
“HA!” Mather burst as he walked into the kitchen.
“Something funny?” the very female he’d been avoiding asked. Poppy. She stood in front of the sink with a kettle in her hand, preparing to make some tea. Her shoulder-length, red curls framed her porcelain skin perfectly. She had cleaned up nicely except for a couple bruises from her ordeal.
Mather’s fists clenched seeing the sight of them. He cleared his throat. “Oh. Nothing really.” He had been imagining Lucius sitting down with him and spilling his guts about everything under the sun. It struck him funny. “Just picturing Lucius being light and friendly.”
“Oh, that would be comical,” she replied with a slight smirk on her reddish-brown lips.
He hadn’t seen that color on her before and thought it must be new since she had used the lipstick from her car to hide a computer chip inside. But girls had more than one of those things, right? “Making tea?” he asked awkwardly.
Poppy gazed up from what she was doing, piercing him with her knowing green eyes. “Would you like some, Mather?”
“Um, no… no, thanks.” Mather turned to leave and headed for the doorway.
“Are you going to keep avoiding me, Mat?” She leaned her hip against the counter and crossed her arms, her features more amused than upset.
“I guess so,” was all Mather could say before he stormed out the door. He could hear the faint sound of her laugh behind the door as it swung shut behind him. “What is wrong with me?” he mumbled as he turned the corner into the Den, paying no attention to anyone else who was already there.
They had a meeting scheduled this afternoon. The Den was the preferred place for small gatherings with its warmth and comfort, plus, it was where the more comfortable couches were as well as the TV for games and movies. The room was swathed in warm tones of browns and mahoganies, thick plush couches, and velvet curtains. The lighting was warm and ambient from vintage parlor lights scattered throughout the room on various small tables, side tables, and bookcases that played host to the limited library the Lair boasted.
“I could start a list of what’s wrong with you if that would be helpful,” Enock teased.
Mather pushed Enock’s chair forward as he walked past him. Enock fell forward in his chair, smacking the legs of the chair back onto the ground with a thud. His blonde dreadlocks flopped into his face, almost concealing the boyish grin he sported. Mather walked away with a satisfied chuckle.
“Come in Mather, we were waiting on you,” Rylen spoke while leaning against a tall bookcase. His expression was grave, and his eyes tired. Alana sat on the ground and rested against his legs, holding a book she must have been reading. She looked up and smiled when Mather walked into the room. Everyone was getting used to Alana being there. Some still didn’t trust her. She was the daughter of the leader of the Fairfax Alliance, which had taken numerous magic users—including Poppy—off the street and even from their homes under the guise of rehabilitating them for society
once again as “normal” humans. Unfortunately, they had learned a little too late that Arturo Krestle was actually siphoning their magic for his own use and much more. At least, he was until Rylen and the team interrupted his plans and put a stop to what the Fairfax Alliance had been doing. Unfortunately, Arturo and Eli Fairfax—the face of the alliance—and their henchmen had disappeared, taking whatever knowledge and plans they had with them. The only thing the PAC was left with was a mysterious letter, threatening Gracie. Most of the inner circle had decided to give Alana a chance. Since Rylen trusted her—and brought her into the Lair and his heart—they could, too. At least everyone else seemed to, except for Mai and Lacy. Lacy was understandable since she’d been hooking up on and off with Rylen in the recent past. Most figured she was trying to sleep her way into the top position in the Lair for whatever her selfish little plans might be. Mai was still a bit of a mystery, but her attitude hadn’t changed much overnight.
“Sorry, boss. Had to check up on something,” Mather replied, taking a seat on a wooden chair behind one of the couches. Everyone who was a part of the inner circle was there: Enock, Lucius, Mai, Lola, Vi, Alana by association, and today, even Gracie. She wasn’t always invited to the meetings—not that they didn’t want her around, but Rylen was afraid they would taint her innocence or influence her sight. As an Oracle—the Oracle—Gracie was gifted with visions of the future and sometimes the past and present, but they didn’t always come with much information, leaving it open to her interpretation. She was still growing in her power and understanding of what she was capable of.
“All right. Let’s start this meeting. Before I get into the threat at hand, is there any other order of business to discuss?” Rylen’s gaze passed over everyone in the room, checking to see if anyone would speak up. Gracie was on the edge of her seat. Everyone in the room knew what she would say before she spoke.
“I would like to address the guard detail that has been shadowing me all night,” Gracie stated proudly. Rylen turned his head to prevent Gracie from seeing the small smile threatening to escape his stoic face.
“They are there to protect you,” Lucius interjected to everyone’s surprise. The other’s stared at him, but he did not take his eyes off of Gracie even when her cheeks started to blush.
“I know. And I’m grateful, truly, I am”—she started looking from Lucius back to Rylen—“but everywhere Rylen? I mean they were standing outside the bathroom door waiting for me. Do you know how embarrassing that is?”
“I apologize for the uncomfortable situation, but your protection is our number one goal, Gracie.” Rylen shifted his stance so he could face Gracie square on. “Would it make it less awkward if perhaps in the mornings while you are getting ready one of the girls here took their watches?”
“Yes, that would be better. Thank you.” Gracie smiled smugly toward no one in particular, but it could be presumed it was toward Lucius since he had been the one to assign the first set of guards to her. He even raised an eyebrow at her behavior.
“Anyone else have anything?” Rylen continued with the meeting.
“Any word how the group that was rescued with Poppy from the Fairfax group is doing?” Lola asked, not noticing Mather’s fist tightening beside her.
“Thank you for asking, Lo.” Rylen moved out from behind Alana’s back against the bookcase. She pulled her long blonde hair in front of her shoulder, adjusting her position accordingly. “From what we’ve gathered, almost all have reintegrated back into the lives they had before they left them. Some have joined our ranks here but will still live off site in their current homes unless compromised once more. The children, Jasmine and Jessup, are doing well with the Stanton family in one of the safety houses.” Rylen smiled. “I’ve heard little Jasmine has taken up fencing with one of the older children there. She is something else. Other than that, the older ones: Jesse, Ricky, and Kelsey are in training for their magic and combat to join our ranks as soon as they’re ready.” Rylen nodded his head that he had covered everything.
“That’s good to hear,” Lola responded. “And what of our Poppy? She seems all right outwardly, but do you think she really is?” Her voice was small and concerned.
“Time will only tell, Lola,” Rylen answered, “I think, for now, we need to give her some time and a little space to process everything for herself.” He looked straight at Mather. “However, too much space and time might give her the wrong idea. So simply be sensitive.” He looked back at Lola but watched her and the others shift their focus between him and Mather as if they were having their own unspoken conversation.
“Ok,” Lola replied, not sure if she really should or not. She half expected Mather to say something, but he didn’t. He shut down his expression and sank into himself a little, closing everyone out not privy to his own thoughts.
“In light of the threat against Gracie, does anyone have anything new? Please tell me you have something people… anything.” Rylen began to pace in front of the stacks. It seemed to be how he did his best thinking other than when he meditated.
“I have scouts, including a wolf or tracker in each group, out looking at every location in the city that the Fairfax group had been at one time or another. So far, there have been no leads as to the whereabouts of the alliance. It’s like they’ve disappeared,” Enock informed.
“Keep them looking,” Rylen instructed.
“Aye, aye, boss.”
“Lola, anything from your network of information on the streets?”
“Zilch. They say everything that had been chatting suddenly silenced. They’ve got nothing. Sorry, boss.”
“Why don’t we just ask her? He is her father, after all, shouldn’t she have any ideas where he might be?” Mai insinuated Alana’s possible continued connection to her father, which only earned her a glare of audacity from Lola.
“I understand you are not yet comfortable with…” Rylen started in on Mai, but Alana interrupted him.
“Mai, I know you don’t trust me. I admire your protection of this place and your people. I hope someday that you will see me as a friend and trust me, but I don’t expect that anytime soon,” Alana said as she remained where she sat unconfrontationally on the floor. Rylen reached down and squeezed her hand. “And as for my father…” Alana paused and inhaled slowly, regaining her composure. She placed her hand over her heart with a pained expression. “As for my father,” she began again, “I truly have no idea where he is—or any of his people for that matter. I had friends there, and I haven’t heard from any of them.” The lump in her throat grew, but she swallowed it down as much as it hurt.
“Alana already gave me every location they had stayed in over the past several years, Mai,” Rylen explained. “That’s where our men are searching right now.”
Mai frowned, but nodded her acquiescence, staring at Rylen with no reaction to Alana whatsoever.
“So, basically, it sounds like we have nothing. We don’t know who the threat is exactly, and we don’t know where the Fairfax group is, and we don’t know where the threat is coming from? Does that about sum it up?” Mather jumped up from his seat. He ran his large hands through his thick, dark hair in utter frustration.
“Calm down, man,” Enock tried to placate.
“Don’t tell me to calm down. We are on high alert, and we don’t even know where to look,” Mather retorted. “How can you be calm?”
“Because we are well guarded, and we will find them.” Enock stood up and put his hand on Mather’s shoulder, only to be shrugged off. “It’s not your fault, Mat. Any of it.”
Mather got to the door then stopped, breathing heavily. He turned his head partially back to Rylen without actually looking at him. “You need me for anything else?”
“No, you’re good, Mat. Do what you gotta do,” Rylen said cautiously. “Find me later.” It wasn’t a request, and Mather nodded his head in understanding, then he threw open the door and left the confines of the Den. He heard Rylen adjourn the meeting and everyone rustlin
g about to wherever it is they needed to go next. The Den usually held so much for Mather, but not today. Something other than the letter was bothering him, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it might be. His wolf was agitated. He could feel him pacing within his mind. He needed to run… they both did.
Mather headed for the elevator to take him up to the hotel above the Lair. He thought he would grab a quick shot of whiskey then head outside for a quick run—at least until he could find a place a little more secluded for his wolf to run. Lucky for him, it was almost dark.
Chapter Two
Rylen held the boys back in the Den while dismissing the girls to go about their business. They each had duties around the Lair that needed to be taken care of. Lacy was on dinner duty most nights, and tonight Alana was supposed to help her. He had whispered to Lola that she should remain somewhere within earshot of the kitchen if things got ugly. She had rolled her eyes at Rylen saying, “I told you so: that one”—referring to Lacy—“would come back to bite you in the ass, and now your poor little Alana might bear the brunt of that super awesome decision.” But she agreed that she would stay close.
“Anyone know what is up Mather’s ass?” Rylen asked bluntly. “Luc?”
Lucius shook his head, considering. “He’s struggling. Possibly because of his new attachment to Poppy, but it seems bigger than that. I will try to find out.”
“Yes, Captain Obvious, it seems he is struggling.” Enock’s head fell back in exasperation. “I think we need to Parent Trap their asses and get that shit dealt with so we can move on from Mr. Moody’s swings.”
Rylen chuckled. “You might be on to something there, big guy.” Rylen patted Enock’s shoulder. “Ok, I was just checking. Let me know if it seems he is about to combust or anything.”
“Roger, dodger,” Enock said with a salute of his fingers while Lucius simply frowned at him then turned and left.
“Good talk, man,” Enock hollered at the door. “Those two make quite the pair. Can’t live with ‘em and can’t live without ‘em.” Enock sighed good-naturedly while Rylen silently agreed with him.