by Vella Day
Jillian sighed. “I feel your pain. I had to run away too.”
“What happened?”
“A cop shot and killed my former roommate who’d flown in for a bachelorette party.” Now it was Lexi’s turn to suck in a big breath.
“You witnessed a murder? What did you do?”
“I only saw the aftermath, but I knew who’d killed my friend. Fearing he’d come back for me, I kind of freaked. Even though it was two in the morning, I packed a bag and hopped on a plane from California to come here. I rented a car and ran straight to my big brother, Dalton.”
“You were lucky you had someone. I only stopped here because I ran out of gas.” Wanting full disclosure, she told them how Sam and Connor had found her eating out of the trash bin. She told them she was in her wolf form at the time.
“Eww,” Anna said, “though if I’d been that hungry, who knows what I might have done.”
Izzy stood. “Speaking of hungry, how about we grab a bite to eat and then hear the rest of Lexi’s story?”
“Don’t you have an announcement to make?” Missy said.
Izzy’s face turned pink. “I was waiting until I could tell all of you at once. I guess this is as good a time as ever.”
“Tell us!” Jillian practically shouted with great enthusiasm.
“Rye and I are expecting our first child in August.”
Several of the women shrieked while others clapped. Eventually, they all jumped up and hugged her. Anna placed a hand on her own protruding belly, and Lexi leaned over. “When are you due?”
“June. Dalton and I are so excited. I can’t wait until our child shifts. I just love kittens.”
Lexi tried to remember what species she was. “You’re a white tiger, right?”
“Yes.”
“Come on, everyone. Eat up,” Elana said.
The group of ladies crowded around the buffet that contained platters of cold cuts, three different types of salads, and four casseroles. Lexi wanted to sample everything, so she took some of each. “This is amazing. Thank you for this,” she said to both Izzy and Elana who were next to her.
Izzy smiled. “We want to start a tradition of having a get together every month or two where we each bring a dish.”
“Sounds wonderful,” she said, though she wasn’t sure if she’d still be there in a few months.
After working her way around the table, Lexi took her plate back to the living room.
Elana sipped her wine. “Lexi, when you’re done eating, please finish your story. I’m fascinated how your auspicious visit in a dumpster had you ending up sitting here. I thought Kalan told me there was some guy after you.”
“Yes. The man who my dad owed money to.” She then explained how after she arrived in Silver Lake, Connor and his team asked Devon to check out Justin Kapok. “My father warned me that Justin was determined to mate with me and would come after me no matter what. To find more information on him, Devon flew up to Vermont. He found him. Somehow Devon learned that Justin and his crew were headed to Silver Lake to find me.”
Izzy shook her head. “I know the feeling of being stalked. The worst part is the wait.”
“You can say that again.” Now that she had this powerhouse of knowledge in front of her, she wanted to take advantage of it. “The only good thing to come of all this is that I met Sam. I will admit he fascinates me. What can you tell me about him?” Naturally, her gaze drifted to Teagan.
“You might know him better than I do since he’s been overseas for so long. Even though he’s back home, he works a lot. I know that growing up, he was fun to be with, until Dad decided to embrace all things paranormal. Our father kind of changed his focus in life from us kids to teaching others. It took me years to realize that I couldn’t let what my parents said or did affect me now.”
“I feel the same way,” Lexi said. “When my mom was alive, my life was good. Even Bill was more or less happy. I have an older brother who is great, but he had his own life—playing sports, dating, and being with friends. A few years ago Mom became ill, and when she died, Bill turned inward. Ronan, my brother, distanced himself too. He said he just couldn’t bring himself to babysit our father. So now I’m on my own.”
Most in the group nodded. Blair looked around. “I’m so sorry. I feel lucky that I have great parents, but Elana and Anna had a raw deal, and Jillian’s dad was murdered when she was six.”
One by one, the women told their stories about how they all became friends. Lexi had never been in a room where such strength and affection existed in one place before. “You’ve all led such interesting, or maybe I should say, trying and brave lives; from being stalked, to being beaten and kidnapped, and to sneaking into a Changeling’s house, not to mention seeing your good friend after she was killed, and then taking down the killer. Wow. You guys rock.”
“If I may speak for all of us,” Izzy said, “we are better women because of it. Without Ainsley’s stepbrother wanting me as his mate, I never would have met Rye.”
Elana nodded. “If the Changelings hadn’t wanted the red onyx my parents had, I never would have ended up with Kalan.”
Lexi chuckled. “I guess I belong in that club too. If my father hadn’t tried to sell me to Justin Kapok, I wouldn’t have found Sam.”
The buzzing in the room picked up again as they all discussed their darkest moments and how those times turned out to be the best thing in their lives. But Lexi hoped she wouldn’t have to go through that kind of angst again.
For the next hour and a half the women chatted about their jobs, as well as their hopes and dreams. Lexi was particularly interested in where Izzy taught. She asked if there were any openings.
“We don’t have any math positions now, but come Sept, I’ll need someone to teach chemistry for me when I go on maternity leave.”
Lexi shook her head. “I took Chem, but I don’t know it well enough to teach it.”
“I understand. I thought I’d mention it. If I hear of any math openings, I’ll let you know. Our school is expanding all the time.”
How nice was that? “Thank you.”
A shifter signature entered the room, and Lexi turned around. A tall, very good-looking man entered, his smile aimed directly at Izzy. He must be Rye. His gaze swung around toward Lexi. He approached then held out his hand. “I’m Rye. Nice to meet you.”
She’d never met an Alpha before, and he looked like the perfect one too. “I’m Lexi Laramie.”
He smiled at her then faced the crowd. “My mate is feeling a bit tired ladies.”
It took a moment for Lexi to remember that Rye could sense everything about Izzy. The rest of the women jumped up and collected the dishes they’d brought. Lexi helped where she could. She then walked around to each of the women saying how much she’d enjoyed meeting them.
Rye came over to her. “I’ll be happy to drive you home.”
As wonderful as it had been to meet the women, she would be happy to see Sam again. “I’d appreciate it.”
Chapter Thirteen
‡
The next few days were rather hectic, and Lexi almost stopped thinking about Justin. She could only hope that if he had come to Silver Lake, he was no longer here. She just wished she could find out for certain.
Lexi snapped her fingers. Ronan might be able to find out. Picking up the burner phone Sam had given her, she called her brother.
He answered on the third ring. Most likely he was in his car tracking someone. “Ronan Laramie.”
“Ronan, it’s me.” The sound of an engine filled the background.
“Lex? Hey, how’s it going? You okay?”
“I guess. Listen, I need a favor.” She described how it had been more than a week since Justin Kapok had theoretically left Vermont for Tennessee. “No one’s seen him. Either he never planned to come here, or he came here, and when he couldn’t find me, he trucked back up to Vermont.”
“Would you like me to ask around?”
“That would be great. Yo
u can find him, right?”
“I can find anyone. It’s all a matter of time. I’ll look into it and contact you if I learn anything.”
“You’re the best. I want to get my life back, and I can’t if I’m not allowed to leave this building.”
“I hear ya,” he said. “It’s got to be better than Dad’s trailer though.”
“Very true.” She was disgusted with what Bill had done and didn’t want him causing trouble for her brother now that she had left. “Is he harassing you for money?”
“I drive by every few days to make sure he’s alive, but I’m not giving him any money. He’ll just drink it or gamble it away.”
“I know.” A horn blared on Ronan’s end. “I won’t keep you, but thanks for looking.”
“Sure thing.”
When she disconnected, Lexi was both relieved and a little depressed. She missed Ronan. He always had been a steadying force in her life. Adding to her discontent today had been the fact that Sam had been called out on a case. While it was a surveillance job, she missed him being at the office. She debated calling him, but with her luck, he’d be sneaking around the property when his cell rang and get caught.
Needing a break from working on her spreadsheets, she played solitaire on her computer. Before she’d completed the first game, the office phone rang. “McKinnon and Associates. How may I help you?”
“Lexi, it’s Sam.”
Her pulse sped up at just hearing his voice. “What’s up?”
“It was the stupidest thing. I was on my way back to the office when I hit a patch of ice. The truck skidded, and I slammed into a tree.”
Her heart jumped to her throat. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but the truck’s not. Can you pick me up?”
“Sure. Where are you?” He gave her detailed instructions. “I’ll leave right now.”
She disconnected and then rushed through the main room to the hallway. She hadn’t even reached the door that led to her safe room when she realized she didn’t have the keys to her car. Sam had them. He’d forgotten to give them back the night he looked for the tracker on her car—or else he didn’t want her sneaking off and running into Justin. She supposed she could get a cab, but it would be faster if Devon, Connor, or Jackson could drive her.
Since she was closest to Devon’s office, she knocked on his door and entered. He jumped up. “What’s wrong?”
How could he tell something was wrong? When she glanced down at her hands, they were shaking. “Sam just called and said he was in a car wreck.”
“Oh fuck. Is he okay?”
“Yes, but his truck isn’t. He asked that I come get him, only I realized that I don’t have my keys. Do you think you could pick him up?”
Devon’s brows pinched as he ran a hand over his head. “Are you sure he asked that you come get him? Sam has been very adamant about you not going anywhere?”
“I know, but when he asked, I figured he thought it must be safe.”
“And you’re sure it was Sam.”
Lexi planted a hand on her hip. “I’m very good with voice recognition. It was Sam.”
“Okay, okay. Let me call him and see if he just needs help or if he wants me to call a tow truck.”
She didn’t understand why Devon was not rushing out to help his friend, but without a car, she didn’t have much choice. He picked up his phone and dialed Sam. “Hey, are you okay? Lexi said you just called and told her you’d been in a wreck. Let me put you on speaker.” He pressed the button. “Go ahead.”
“I didn’t call Lexi,” Sam said. “What’s going on?”
Her legs weakened, and she dropped down onto the chair in front of his desk. She leaned close to the phone. “I just spoke to you,” she said.
“Hon, I didn’t call you. Tell me exactly what was said.”
She tried to remember every detail. “Are you saying someone impersonated your voice?” How was that possible?”
“I don’t know, but there are voice synthesizers that might fool you. It couldn’t be the Changelings. The red moon was over a week ago. Might it have been Justin?”
Justin had a slight northern accent. “I can’t be sure.”
“Devon,” Sam said. “How about calling Kalan and asking if he and Dalton can head out to the supposed crash site? I’ll meet them there.”
“I don’t think you should go,” Devon said. “It might be a trap to put you out of commission so they can get to Lexi.”
“Damn, you may be right.” Sam said. “Fine. Stay with Lexi until I get there.”
Her heart swelled. Sam would always be there for her. While some members of her Clan in Vermont might not be faithful, Sam sure seemed to be.
“I’ll call Kalan right now,” Devon said. He then disconnected. “I don’t know what to tell you, Lexi, but someone is out to get either you or Sam.”
She slumped in her seat. “This sucks.” Drawing on all her inner strength, she stood to leave.
“If you want to head out front, that’s okay, but don’t let anyone in, no matter who it is. If you think they are legit, come get me.”
“Okay.” Lexi headed back to her seat, hoping Sam would get there soon.
*
Vinea was livid. How had her plan gone so wrong? That bitch Lexi was either smart or else she didn’t care for Sam like Vinea had thought. When the cop car rolled up, instead of Lexi’s Toyota, Vinea assumed they’d stopped because of the accident.
She did get some satisfaction when they ran the plates and were confused by the fact they belonged to Sam. Eventually, they’d figure out this truck had been stolen from the local car dealership lot, and Sam’s plates had been exchanged, but for now they were making calls and scrambling for evidence. She had to laugh at their attempt to find fingerprints. Like she’d leave any?
With her carefully placed plan foiled, she needed a new tactic, one that involved Devon McKinnon. How much fun would it be to steal Sam’s magic, and then have Devon be blamed for it? Her plan was for Justin and his men to incapacitate Sam first. With him nearly comatose, she’d swoop in and take his magic. She could almost feel his abilities soaring through her body now.
It was time to have a little powwow with Justin and his mates. They had a plan ready, or so they said, and she needed to hurry them along. One way or the other, Sam’s magic would be hers soon.
*
When Sam arrived at the office, he was jittery and angry. Lexi had never seen him like this. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked as she followed him into the main room.
“I’m worried.”
She was worried too. “I’m still confused about what happened. Is your car okay?”
“Yes, it is, but I checked with the local police; someone stole my plates and then replaced them with some other vehicle’s plates.”
Connor and Devon came in the main room from the hallway, along with Jackson. They each filled up their cups. “Let’s head to the auditorium,” Connor said.
In silence, she and Sam followed. A large table sat on a raised platform at one end. It faced a U-shaped group of seats. Jackson moved to the front and faced them.
“I’ve spoken with Kalan, and here is what we have.” He pulled up a slide that listed facts. “First, the car was stolen from Lander’s Motors sometime last night. Kalan will ask for the surveillance to see if we can see who did the stealing. Secondly, the plates were Sam’s.”
Sam blew out a breath. “I have to be honest. I haven’t looked at my plates in quite a while. They could have been stolen a week ago for all I know.”
Jackson nodded. “To bring Lexi up to speed, every phone call that comes into this office is recorded. I quickly compared the voice to that of Sam’s. I’ll have to study it more carefully, but with the quick listen I did, it sounded like a match.”
“How is that possible?” Sam asked. “I did not make that call. The fact my truck wasn’t in the accident should prove that. Besides, I was—”
Jackson held up his hand. “Ea
sy there. No one is accusing you of anything. Whoever called is sophisticated. I’ll have to do more research, but right now I’m not aware of anything that can perfectly replicate a voice, but clearly this person possesses it. When I find out where it is manufactured, I might buy one.” A few of the men chuckled.
“So what are you saying?” Connor asked. “We’re dealing with someone who is highly sophisticated.”
“Or this person has a magical talent, unlike anything we’ve seen before.”
Damn.
“I don’t see Justin as being this sophisticated” Lexi piped up. “However, he’s wealthy; really wealthy. Maybe he has access to some prototype technology.”
“For the right price, anything is possible,” Jackson said.
“It would explain a lot,” Connor said.
“I’ve done some research on him and watched Kapok in action,” Devon chimed in. “He likes to get his power from smooth talking. It’s possible he learned about this device while gambling. Hell, he might have won it in a game of chance.”
Jackson nodded. “It’s possible, though at first I thought the Changelings might be involved somehow, but their red moon has past.”
“Someone touched me at the restaurant, but that was days ago,” Sam said. “Otherwise, I would have suggested a Changeling was trying to become me.”
Jackson shook his head. “I don’t think the Changelings are involved. I’ll speak with Ainsley to see if she’s picked up any chatter, but we should focus on Kapok and his men for right now.”
“Did you check our surveillance footage to see who stole my plate?” Sam said. “Admittedly, the theft could have occurred when I was parked by the church last Sunday, when I was having dinner at the Lake Steakhouse, or at my house. Shit. We’re never going to get this guy are we?”
Lexi rubbed Sam’s arm. He seemed more anxious than she was to get Justin.
“We are,” Connor said. “We just need to be patient.”
Lexi raised her hand. “I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m willing to walk up and down Main Street and window shop, trying to draw Justin out in the open. You could glue tracking devices all over my body, along with a wire. Hell, Jackson could fly his drone overhead. You said you have a ton of shifters in the Clan who are willing to help, right?” She spoke as quickly as possible in hopes they would understand the lengths she was willing to go to in order capture this guy.