“I don’t know,” Penny answered honestly. “But I don’t think she wants to hurt us. If she did, she would have done it by now. She needs us for something.”
“Why?” Milo asked the same question Penny had been asking herself over and over again since they looked out of the window. What did this old woman want with them? They were new in town. They weren’t magical. She lifted her chin. Perhaps that was why she wanted them. Maybe she needed normal humans who didn’t possess magic. But why?
“I’d rather not ask her.” Penny reached for the door handle. “If we never see her to find out, that is fine with me.” Was it? If she didn’t find out what the old woman wanted or why she’d brought them here, how would she ever feel safe?
Logan had promised to protect them but how did you protect someone from the unknown?
Chapter Twenty-Four – Logan
He checked his watch once more and then glanced at the clock in the kitchen just to double-check his watch wasn’t wrong. “She should be back by now.”
“Relax,” Ivan told him as he made a sauce for the evening meal. “She might have found the perfect home for her and Milo and can’t bear to leave. That would be a good thing, wouldn’t it?”
“I guess. Although, I’d rather Penny and Milo stayed here at the hotel or moved in with me.”
“The cabin is fine for a bachelor wolf but it’s too far out for a child to go to school every day. Unless you had a dragon, who could fly back and forth each morning and afternoon.” Ivan waggled his eyebrows at Logan.
“I don’t mean them sharing the cabin with me. I could rent a house with them in town. Or maybe on the edge of town.” He sighed and left the kitchen. “I’m going to check if they haven’t managed to sneak past me. They might already be in their room.”
“Do you think it’s even possible for your mate to sneak past you?” Ivan asked as he stirred the sauce with a wooden spoon.
“No.” Logan left the kitchen all the same. He needed to be doing something. Standing still, waiting for them to arrive back at the hotel was almost impossible when his concern was starting to grow. If Penny was going to be on time for the start of her shift, she should have been back at least ten minutes ago. “Have you seen them?”
Rift also shared his concern, he’d gone out into the parking lot to check that her car wasn’t there. “No sign. I went along to the garage in case her car has broken down again. Frank hasn’t seen them since they picked up the car.”
“So, where is she?” Logan raked a hand through his hair and ran upstairs to her room. He hadn’t gone inside out of respect for Penny’s privacy, but he put his ear to the door and listened. There was no one in there.
We knew that before you listened, his wolf told him. We would sense her if she was in the hotel.
His wolf was right. Of course, he was right.
Plus, if Rift says her car isn’t in the parking lot, I think we can be certain Penny and Milo never made it back to the hotel.
His heart was like a lead shot in his chest. What if something had happened to her?
Worse, his wolf replied. What if she chose to leave Wishing Moon Bay because she doesn’t want to be with us?
At least she would be safe. Logan didn’t want to think about his mate leaving but that was easier than the thought of them being hurt. Or worse. They had stumbled across a town filled with supernatural beings and had no idea how to handle some of the odd inhabitants.
Are you thinking a rogue vampire might have sucked their blood? His wolf snarled and snapped at the air.
No. Although now that his wolf had put the idea into his head, Logan had trouble getting rid of it. But other people in town might want to cause her harm.
Like who? His wolf’s eyes widened. What about the warlock who disappeared? He might have gone after Penny and Milo as an act of revenge. His wolf shuddered and bared his teeth. I can track them down.
Let’s not jump to any conclusions. Logan tried to calm his wolf. It made no sense for the warlock to disappear and then go after Penny and Milo.
Did you check if Sophie managed to charge his card? His wolf paced up and down in Logan’s mind.
I’ll go check myself. Logan ran back downstairs, Sophie was due back on duty in half an hour. He didn’t want to wait that long. He needed answers now.
Logan tapped on the keyboard and the computer came to life. Clicking the screen with the mouse, he entered the guest registry and found the warlock. “There you are, Jeremy Barnes.”
He clicked on billing. The encrypted credit card details were all there but there was nothing to say Jeremy had been charged for his stay at Wishing Moon Hotel. If it had failed, the bill should have been logged as needing a follow-up. There was nothing. Sophie was usually very thorough with these things, particularly since he’d spoken to her about it himself.
Perhaps she was in the middle of doing it when Valerie returned and then she forgot. His wolf always tried to see the best in people. However, Sophie’s whole attitude had been off over the last couple of days.
Logan ran his finger under the card details and then checked through the receipts. If Sophie had charged the card, there would be a receipt. There wasn’t. Logan checked the bill and then clicked to charge it to the card they had on file. The computer buffered before he got a success! notification. Weird.
So this means the warlock wasn’t committing fraud? his wolf asked.
I don’t know what it means. Maybe he was just hoping he’d get his stay for free if he complained enough. I don’t think he was upset enough to take it out on Penny and Milo. They had nothing to do with what happened.
It was Penny who took the soup away before he had a chance to scream mouse. His wolf gnashed his teeth together. If we find out he’s touched one hair on their heads...
“Logan.” Sophie walked in through the main door and Logan jumped, looking guilty.
“Hi there.” He smiled, smoothing over his features as he tore off the receipt for the warlock’s bill. “I was just checking through the receipts and noticed you hadn’t charged our missing warlock’s account.”
She frowned. “I didn’t? I’m sure I did.” She tilted her head to one side. “At least I was sure I was going to. I must have forgotten. There’s been so much going on these last few days. I’m really sorry.” Her expression faltered. “You’re not going to fire me, are you?”
“No, of course not.” Logan shook his head a little too enthusiastically.
“Great. I was worried after the other day. I wanted to apologize if I offended you or Penny. I realize you make such a great couple and since you are a shifter, you have no choice in who you love.” She ducked her head and batted her eyelashes. “You can’t help who you fall for. At least not if you aren’t a shifter. I envy you in some ways. It must be incredible to know without a doubt who your mate is. The pull of a true mate must be strong. Unbreakable even.”
“It is.” He nodded and looked around. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen Penny or Milo, have you?”
“No, not since... I think it was around an hour ago, I thought I saw Penny’s car heading toward the tunnel.” Sophie pointed away from the bay, in the direction someone would go if they were leaving town.
“You saw them leaving?” Logan choked on the words.
Sophie came around the desk and put her arm around his shoulders. “I’m sure they weren’t leaving just because they were driving that way. They could have been going anywhere...” Her voice trailed off. “Penny looked so happy with you. And it’s obvious you all dote on Milo. Did something happen?”
“Her sister is coming to town tomorrow. Maybe she went to meet her earlier. Penny might have gotten another message from her.” He raked his hand through his hair, at this rate he wouldn’t have any hair left by the time he found his mate. If he found her.
“Wouldn’t she have had the decency to tell you?” Sophie’s barbed comment was said with a dose of sweetness.
There is something about her I don’t like. His wolf snif
fed Sophie and wrinkled his nose. There is something off about her.
This isn’t the time to pick a fight. We have enough to deal with and if we have to go out and search for Penny, we’re going to need Sophie here to keep an eye on things. Logan smiled warmly at Sophie. “I’m sure Penny just lost track of time. Maybe they’re down at the bay watching the moon come up. I told them about the wishing moon this morning and they each have a pebble. You know what it’s like with kids, they have no concept of time.”
“I know, but Penny made out like she was so conscientious about pulling her weight and working a shift. She must know you can’t just pick and choose these things. People are relying on her.” Sophie clamped her mouth shut. “I’m sorry, there I go again. I just want the best for you, Logan, and even though she’s your mate, I just worry you could do so much better. I suppose if Penny was a shifter, too, then she’d understand you more. But she’s from out of town, all this is new to her and she just doesn’t get it.”
“Thanks, Sophie. I’ll go find Rift and we’ll go out and look for her, I’m sure she’s down by the beach.” He ground his back teeth together as he went to find Rift. Sophie had begun to sow seeds of doubt in his mind. Not about his mate, but about Sophie. What was the receptionist trying to do?
She’s jealous, she probably sees this as her opportunity to drive a wedge between us and our mate. She might think she knows how shifters feel about these things, but she has no idea if she thinks that’s going to work.
Okay, we find Rift and round up the twins. Between us, we should be able to trace Penny’s steps. He hurried into the kitchen where Rift was talking quietly with Ivan.
“Have you found her?” Rift looked up as Logan entered.
“No. Sophie said she saw Penny’s car driving toward the tunnel.” Logan rubbed his chin and turned away from his brothers to stare toward the reception desk where Sophie was greeting a couple of guests and handing over their keys. “She insinuated that Penny was leaving.”
“She wouldn’t do that to you,” Ivan said firmly. “If she left, she’d tell you, she knows how much you mean to her.”
“And I know how much Milo means to Penny.” He turned to face his brothers. Perhaps Sophie had managed to seed those doubts after all.
“Penny would tell you if she was leaving.” Rift came to Logan and put his hand on his shoulder. “You know she would.”
“Do I?” He shook his head. “Penny knows how much she means to me and that might be the problem. She might have changed her mind about staying and thinks I’d force her to stay.”
“So she left before you could do anything about it.” Rift pondered this for a moment. “No, Penny knows you won’t ever hurt her, that you would support her in any decision she made. She wouldn’t leave the town of her own accord without telling you.”
“Of her own accord!” Logan raked his hand through his hair. “You mean someone took her?”
“Maybe. But I don’t know who. Her ex-husband would never find the town, would he? I doubt the town would reveal itself to a guy who dumps his wife and kid and leaves them practically destitute.” Rift’s eyes flashed with anger.
“I don’t think he even knows they are here. Unless Helena told him.” Logan chewed the inside of his cheek. “Unless it was the warlock.”
“The warlock? You mean the guy who put a mouse in his soup?” Ivan’s spoon clattered to the floor. “Does the guy have a death wish?”
“No, but he might be out for revenge, and what better way than to take Penny and Milo?” Rift shook his head and sighed. “Okay, let’s backtrack a little way.” He held out his hand to Logan. “You’re just going on Sophie’s word that she saw the car leaving town.”
“You think she’s lying?” Logan whispered.
“I think that we have to look at this from all directions. Firstly, she might be outright lying. Secondly, she said she saw the car leaving town. What if someone stole Penny’s car? Thirdly, she might just be mistaken.”
“Rift, the voice of calm reason.” Ivan threw the spoon into the sink and went to the drawer for another one. “My advice is to start the search for yourself. Ask questions, try to find someone who can corroborate what Sophie saw.”
“That’s a good plan.” Rift pointed at the dragon shifter. “Can you look after things here if I go with Logan to search the town? We can grab the twins on the way out. They are good at tracking. I’m sure we can round up a few other people to help. People we trust.”
Logan nodded. “I need to go find Valerie and tell her what’s happening. I don’t want anyone else speaking to her and poisoning her mind against Penny.”
“Go. I’ll find the twins and we’ll make a plan.”
“If you haven’t found her by the time the restaurant closes, I’ll help. We can extend the search further afield.”
“Thanks, guys.” Logan nodded.
“We will find her,” Rift assured him. “If she’s in town, we will track her down.”
“What if she’s not in town?”
Neither of his brothers had an answer for that.
Chapter Twenty-Five – Penny
Penny put her hand on the doorknob and closed her eyes in silent prayer before she turned it. If the door was locked, she’d have to choose whether to try to break it down or try to climb out the window. Slowly, she turned it and pulled the door toward her.
“Damn it!” The door didn’t budge. It was locked.
“What are we going to do now?” Milo asked.
“I’m going to put you down and take a look at the door. Is that okay?” He nodded and slid out of her arms to land lightly on the floor. Penny knelt next to him and used her fingers to feel the door, exploring the lock and handle for any weaknesses. “I sure wish we had a light.”
She put her ear to the door and listened. Was there someone out there?
“What can you hear?” Milo asked.
“Nothing.” She slithered onto the floor and looked under the door, it was just as dark on the other side.
“What was that?” Milo jumped back from the door.
“It sounded like a groan,” she whispered. “There is someone else in the house.”
“What do we do?” Milo’s wide eyes begged for an answer, but she didn’t know what that answer was.
“I need a moment to think.” She leaned back against the door and slid to the floor.
“The door rattled,” Milo hissed.
“I don’t think it matters if someone in the house knows we’re awake.”
“No. The door rattled. That means the key is in the lock. Doesn’t it?” Milo’s excitement roused her. “I saw it in Scooby-Doo once. If you push the key out and then pull it under the door you can unlock it.” He cupped his hands around his eyes and looked into the keyhole. “I’m sure it’s there.”
Penny stood up and grasped the handle with both hands. This would go one of two ways, they would knock out the key and get out of there or they would get a visit from their captor. If the former happened, great, if the latter happened… Penny clenched her fists. She was ready for whoever had hurt them. She was a single parent now, the sole protector of her son, and she sure as hell was going to protect him. “Okay, let’s try rattling the door.”
“Wait, I can try to poke it out with this.” He held out the flint and steel Logan had given him, he’d secured it to a belt loop on his jeans.
“Okay, give it a try.” Penny stood back out of the way, giving her son room.
Milo knelt on the floor and lined the steel up with the lock. The thin, round cylinder-shaped piece of metal slid into the keyhole.
“Wait.” Penny put her hand on his shoulder and then hurried to the bed and stripped off the sheet. Coming back to the door she threaded the sheet under the door, positioning it so that when the key dropped out of the lock, it would land on the fabric and they could pull it back under the door. “Okay, ready.”
Milo pushed the flint into the keyhole once more. He paused, took a breath, then with the flick of
his wrist, Milo pushed the steel forward and shunted the key out of the lock, it dropped on the floor with a thud. “Is it on the sheet?”
“Yes.” Penny could barely breathe as she inched the sheet back toward her. “I don’t think it’s going to come under the door, it’s too thick.” She stopped pulling the sheet and examined the gap under the door. “It’s wider on this end. Not by a lot but it might be enough.” Shuffling backward, she pulled the sheet along the bottom of the door. “This is it.”
“You can do it, Mom.” Milo placed his small hand on her shoulder and Penny blinked back the tears that misted her eyes. She had to focus but fear gripped her. Fear of what would happen to them if this didn’t work.
“Slowly.” She slid the sheet under the door, and the key came with it.
“You did it.”
Her hand trembled as she picked up the key and put it in the lock. With a satisfying click, the key turned and unlocked the door. “Come on.” She held Milo’s hand and stepped into the hallway beyond.
“Someone’s in the other room.” Milo pulled on her hand as the groan sounded once more, this time unmistakable.
“We should just go.” Penny could see the stairs. There were no lights on downstairs, it looked as if whoever had kidnapped them had left. But they could come back at any time. Or they could be asleep in that room, groaning in their sleep. Or maybe they were a shifter and their animal groaned.
“There’s a key in the door.” Milo yanked his hand out of hers and ran back to the door.
“Hello?” a muffled voice called out. “Is there someone there? Please, help me.”
“It might be a trick,” Penny warned as Milo turned the key.
“What if we were still locked in the room and someone could let us out but didn’t?”
“Why do you always make such good sense?” Penny leaned against the door and tried the handle. The door was locked. “Who’s in there?”
“Jeremy Barnes. I was kidnapped.” He paused. “I know your voice.”
“I’m Penny, the server who stopped you from telling everyone there was a mouse in your soup.” She stepped back from the door. “Why did you bring us here?”
The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay Page 18