Havenfall Harbor: Book One

by Albany Walker

  My wet shirt serves as a cold reminder that I did, in fact, just knee Griffin in the balls. “Wonderful,” I spit, and rip my shirt over my head, pulling out my messy bun in the process.

  Chapter 8

  Quinn

  “You will never believe what I did last night.” I cover my eyes with one hand. I’m almost done with my lunch, and I’ve been fighting not to tell Alice what happened since I sat down.

  “I can guess it wasn’t getting laid,” Alice supplies, while chomping through an apple.

  I peer at her from the side. “Really?” I ask dryly.

  “What? It’s true,” she defends.

  “And how might you know that?” I drop my hand back to the tabletop.

  “Well, you don’t smell like a shifter, and I don’t think a vamp bite would leave you looking quite so…grumpy.”

  “I don’t smell like a shifter.” I shake my head in disbelief. “So you’re saying you would know if I had sex with a shifter?”

  “Not just me.” Alice lifts her hand and makes a small circle motion. “Everybody.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal.

  “Good to know,” I drawl.

  “Hey, guys.” Rob sits down opposite Alice, and I no longer feel the strong desire to share what happened last night.

  “Hey, I didn’t think you were coming.” Alice watches Rob for his reaction.

  “I ran into Noah in the hall.” Rob’s eyes dart to me at the mention of Noah’s name.

  “Why hasn’t he been around?” Alice pushes her empty plate to the side and gathers a few crumbs from the table, dusting off her hands over the dish.

  Rob watches me from the side while he answers Alice. “Something for Stone, I guess.” I glance down at my watch. I really don’t want to hear about Noah, so I use the excuse of needing to get back to my office to escape.

  “Wait, before you go, we usually head into town on Thursdays. Drinks, dancing, a little debauchery, you in?” Alice lifts her brows, waiting for my response.

  “Can I ride with you? I don’t have a car.”

  “Sure, already talked to Wes.” Alice smiles softly. “Be ready at eight.”

  “See you then.” I wave. When I turn to leave the room, I look back and see Rob’s and Alice’s heads close together as if they’re whispering. I wonder if it has anything to do with Noah. Ignoring my curiosity, I keep going.

  Near the bottom of the stairs, I spot a familiar head of long blond hair. “Afternoon, Mr. Winters.” I look up at Evan as I pass. My face falls when I notice the man he’s speaking with. It’s the asshole guard that told me to stay away from Wes.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.” I lift my hand in a wave and focus on the stairs instead.

  “You’re not interrupting, Ms. Shaw.” Evan turns to face me, so I stop my retreat and peer up at him. I can’t help but catch sight of the man behind him scowling. “I’ve been meaning to catch up with you. How is everything?”

  “Oh, good, thank you,” I answer on instinct.

  “I was informed about an incident in your room.” Evan’s light brows rise. “You haven’t had any other issues?”

  That’s confirmation Griffin is checking up on me. “No, sir, just a misunderstanding, I’m sure.” I should have known Griffin wouldn’t have kept that a secret.

  “Quinn.” Alice’s raised voice has me looking down the hall. “I was hoping to catch you. Hey, Evan,” she adds. “About tonight, are you sure you want to go?” Her eyes roam over my face.

  “Yeah, but if you guys already had plans, it’s no big deal,” I tell her, wondering why the sudden change. She seemed like she wanted me to go just a few minutes ago.

  “Where are you going?” Evan crosses his arms over his chest. I take a moment to admire the way his shirt sleeve tightens over his arms, showing off his biceps.

  “Over to Bakersville,” Alice informs him.

  “Who’s all going?” Alice rolls her eyes at Evan’s question, seems like these two know each other well.

  “The usual crowd.” She turns her shoulder a bit, excluding Evan. Alice’s eyes get a little wide and she says, “I just wanted you to know that if you already had plans it’s okay.” Her lips are turned up in a wide smile.

  “I don’t have plans,” I assure her, somewhat confused about why she’s smiling at me like she knows something.

  “Bakersville?” Evan ignores the way Alice tried to omit him from the conversation.

  “Yes, Bakersville,” she deadpans.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea? There’s a heavy supe presence there.” Evan steps to the side, pushing back into our space.

  Alice tilts her head and studies the side of Evan’s face. “You seem awfully interested.” I watch as she turns her nose into the air slightly and sniffs.

  Evan turns his head slowly and meets Alice’s stare. “And?”

  Alice drops her eyes from his, but not the grin she’s sporting. “And I guess you’ll just have to go with us, to make sure it’s safe and all.” She nods at the end, her tone a little patronizing.

  I watch Evan’s jaw tic once before he turns and trudges away. “We’re leaving at eight!” Alice hollers down the hall after Evan, pushing up on her toes.

  I hear what can only be described as a growl emanate from Evan’s direction. Alice’s shoulders shake with a little snicker, but she rolls her lips in to keep any sound from escaping. “Don’t you have someone else to bother, Bill?” she eventually asks the scowling man. He narrows his eyes on Alice, but turns and walks away without a word.

  “Such a jerk. Anyway, so you were going to tell me about last night?” She bites her bottom lip.

  “God, it was so embarrassing, but I’ll have to tell you later. I have a kid coming by in…” I glance at my watch, “…nine minutes, and I still need to read her request. Later, okay?” I promise, backing up the stairs.

  “Fine, but I want to know,” she declares, as if it’s a warning.

  “Good, then you can share my pain.” I hustle upstairs to the third-floor landing, not huffing as badly as I did the first few days, but still winded.

  Griffin is stepping out of the office in the corner near mine, Letty is next to him. He doesn’t notice me as he rebuttons his suit jacket and straightens his cuffs.

  I duck my head, pulling my key from my pocket, hoping to hide the blush on my face as the embarrassment I felt last night rekindles when I see him. The rumble of his deep voice hits me, but I don’t catch what he’s saying.

  “I understand.” Letty’s voice is clear.

  “Damn,” I curse under my breath. That’s all I need, to run into her while she’s with Griffin. In my rush to get into the room, I end up dropping my key ring. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep another curse from leaving my lips. I see Letty’s boots as I bend to retrieve the keys. Pretending not to notice her, I face my door and slide the key into the tumbler, like I wish I could have the first time.

  “Need help with the door, Shaw?” Letty questions, but I know she’s not really offering.

  I show her my teeth, but not in a smile. “Nope, but thanks for the kind offer.” I use my shoulder to push the door open—damn, heavy wood—and slip inside, not acknowledging Griffin.

  I don’t leave the door fully open like I usually do, I don’t want to invite further conversation with her. Griffin steps inside anyway.

  Letty moves in behind him and stands off to the side. Her eyes eat up the space as if it’s the first time she’s seeing it, and her lips tighten in response.

  My gaze bounces between the two of them. “Did you need something?” I lower myself into my chair. As I tilt my head back, I realize I should have stayed standing.

  “From you, no,” Letty scoffs, as she widens her stance and folds her hands together near her belt buckle. She looks like she’s settling in. My gaze jumps back to Griffin.

  “Then why are you here?” I ask the question slowly.

  “She’s leaving,” Griffin announces.

  Letty’s head snaps
to Griffin. A second passes before she turns on her heel and walks out of my office without a word.

  I let out a sigh when she’s gone. “If you’re assigning her as my new babysitter, can we please pick someone, anyone, else?” I pick up the folder that contains Riley’s information and quickly scan the sheet inside to get an idea why she requested the appointment.

  “You don’t have a babysitter.” Griffin lowers himself into the chair and it creaks. I peer up at him from under my lashes.

  Placing the folder on my desk, I inquire, “Then why are you here?” Griffin smooths his palm over the buttons of his suit, and I wonder what he was doing with Letty that caused them to be unbuttoned. It’s not something I’ve noticed him doing. He gives a halfhearted, lazy shrug.

  I want to roll my eyes, but I refrain. One of us can be an adult. I see a fisted hand poised to knock on the door, but the hand and the young lady attached to it freezes when she looks into my office.

  “Oh, I’m…” Her face flushes bright red. “I thought…” She stammers but doesn’t finish.

  I stand and make quick work of meeting her near the entry. “You must be Riley, I’m Quinn.” I extend my hand, but Riley is still staring at the side of Griffin’s face. She blinks several times then focuses on me. It takes her a few seconds to return my handshake, but eventually she does, still stealing glances at Griffin.

  “Come in, have a seat,” I urge her.

  Riley’s eyes widen. “Am I in trouble?”

  I lean in closer to her and pretend to whisper, “Apparently I am.” Riley leans back from me and swallows. “I’m kidding, just ignore him.” Her eyes flare even wider, then dart past me to land on Griffin. My attempt to lighten the mood fails miserably. Shit, with Griffin here I’ll be lucky to get Riley to talk to me at all, let alone get her to open up about why she scheduled this appointment. But it’s not like I can just kick him out either.

  “Do you mind giving me just a moment?” I ask the young woman. “If you could just wait in the hall?” I direct her, so I can handle the elephant in the room.

  “I can reschedule,” she suggests, her feet already moving.

  “No, no. I’ll just be a minute. Please wait.” I offer her an encouraging smile. She doesn’t look reassured, but I hope she sticks around.

  Once she clears the door, I move closer to Griffin and keep my voice low when I say, “You need to leave. You’re too distracting.”

  Ever so slowly, he turns his head so our eyes meet. I’m much closer to him than I’d intended. “I don’t want to.”

  I scoff, unprepared for his petulant response. “If you’re that worried about watching me, set up a damn camera, but I’m here to do a job, and you are getting in the way of that job.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Is this something I should take up with Director Stone?”

  One side of Griffin’s lips tip up just enough that I notice the change in his features before he smooths his face back to a more placid expression. “I assure you, he already knows I’m here.”

  “Griffin, that girl can barely speak when you’re in the room. How do you expect me to do my job if you’re tying my hands?” His eyes dip to my wrist, which are currently sitting over my breasts.

  “You don’t look tied up to me,” he remarks lazily.

  “You can’t be serious.” I drop my arms. “You can shadow me for the rest of the day.”

  “I know I can.” Griffin uses the arms of the chair to push himself up, the wood makes a popping sound that he ignores. “I have something I need to take care of anyway, but I’ll be back,” he warns.

  “Good, perfect.” I shoo him out the door with my hands. “And I’ll be making that appointment with the director.”

  “You do that, Ms. Shaw.” Griffin smiles around the words but strolls out of my office. I poke my head around the door to find Riley shuffling her feet, looking at the ground.

  “You ready?” I sound way too chipper, so I clear my throat. She shrugs in response. “Let’s try this again, have a seat,” I offer, slowly lowering myself into the seat Griffin vacated. If it breaks, I don’t want her to end up on the floor.

  The young woman glances around my office as if she’s checking to make sure no one else is going to pop out. I give her a few seconds to settle. “So, what can I do for you, Riley?” She left the reason for her appointment blank, all the other questions were answered, so she must have done it on purpose.

  “I have a little brother,” she admits softly, her hands gripping the bag in her lap hard enough that her knuckles are turning white.

  “Okay,” I murmur, unsure where this is going.

  “The pack we were with, it’s rough, not like here, and he’s still there.” Riley licks her lips. “I didn’t know who else to talk to about this, but…”

  “But you want him to come here?” I surmise. She nods quickly, relieved if the long breath she lets out is any indication.

  I settle back against the chair. It’s clear this girl wants my help, but I’m just not sure if I’ll be able to give it to her. “I heard Jon talking, and he said you were going to get him into a human medical program.” Riley’s words come out rushed.

  “I’m going to do my best, yes. But, Riley, I don’t know anything about pack laws or admittance into Havenfall.”

  Riley’s face ages years beyond her time in a matter of seconds. The downward slant of her eyes and mouth tells me I’ve just made her lose the little bit of the hope she was clinging to.

  “I can try…” I find myself saying just because I can’t stand to see the look of defeat on her face. And because I want to help her, that’s exactly what I’m here for.

  Riley picks her head up, her eyes searching mine. “You will?”

  I reach for her hand and fold mine over hers. “I will, I promise. Now, let’s talk about how you got into Havenfall.”

  Riley pulls her hand out from under mine. “I got caught stealing.” Her voice takes on a defensive edge. “We were hungry.” My heart aches at the shame on her face. “Our pack is small, poor. I didn’t even know about Havenfall before getting sent here.”

  Riley leaves my office a short time later. I jot down a few quick notes about the pack she and her brother Jacob come from.

  My first step is getting him into Havenfall, then I need to figure out how to build an outreach program so we can prevent this kind of stuff from happening in the future.

  I pick up my desk phone while running my finger down the computer monitor so I can get the extension I’m looking for.

  “Yes?” I cringe when I hear Millie’s voice on the other end of the line. Did it have to be her?

  “Hi, this is Quinn Shaw, I’d like to make an appointment with Director Stone.”

  There’s a brief pause. “Unfortunately, the headmaster isn’t available to you for appointments.”

  “He isn’t available to me?” I ball my hand into a fist on my desk. Griffin, that jerk!

  “That’s what I said, Ms. Shaw. Is there anything else I can help you with?” Her voice is saccharine sweet. I just bet she’s loving this. I don’t even know why she doesn’t like me.

  I tap my nail on the desk and run my eyes over the names on my extension roster. Evan Winters’ name pops out. “You know what, no. I’m good. Thanks.” I mash the button on the phone to end the call and dial Evan’s extension. It rings a few times before he picks up.

  “Yeah?” He pants down the line.

  “Mr. Winters, this is Quinn. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  There’s a prolonged grunting sound before he answers, “No, what do you need?”

  “I was hoping to speak with you in person. I’m free now if you have time?”

  “I’ll need about ten minutes to finish up, meet me in the gym?” There’s a loud thump and Evan makes an oomph sound, followed by a string of curses.

  “Sure, I’ll see you there.” I look at the phone receiver in my hand and wonder what the hell I interrupted, because surely it was something, before setting the phone back i
n its cradle.

  Chapter 9

  Griffin

  Evan sends a short, powerful jab to my side. If I had to worry about things like organ function, I’d be in trouble. I let the hit crash into my flank, then pull my knee up while jerking his shoulder down. I feel the air in his lungs gust out when he bends forward. He bounces back on his toes, fists already up. There’s a tiny drop of blood on the corner of his mouth from an earlier hit.

  Evan grins and uses his forearm to wipe it away. He knows I let him get the hit in on me so I could return the favor. Without using our abilities, we’re fairly evenly matched in skill and strength. There’s no one else here I could spar with and not have to pull my punches. Same goes for him. Good thing my best friend is as much of a glutton for punishment as I am.

  “You’re distracted,” he accuses, and motions for me to come at him again. He’s right, I am. It’s not the small crowd that always seems to form when we fight. I’m used to them, but the human woman up on the third floor is clouding my head. That’s why I came down here after she all but ordered me out of her office. I need something to get her out of my head before I storm back in there and tie a pretty red ribbon around her wrist like she accused me of doing, only I’d attach it to my bed. Not an image I’ll soon get out of my thoughts, I’m sure.

  Evan seemed just as eager to spar as I was. Which makes me wonder what he has on his mind. He hasn’t asked me any questions, nor have I asked him, but I can see the inquires in his gaze. When we get done here, he’ll want to know—unless I can put him on his back, then he’ll be too pissed at himself to worry about me.

  Keeping my eyes locked on his, I feign a jab but sweep my leg out instead. He’s too smart, too trained to fall for the move, but it does open him up for a left hook to the jaw. Evan’s head rocks back, but he recovers quickly. Another drop of ruby liquid teases his bottom lip.

  Evan doesn’t wait for me to attack this time, he steps into me, getting a few punches to his torso from me in response. I have a brief warning before he jerks his head back and slams his forehead down over the bridge of my nose. “Fucker.” I spit the blood that’s filling my mouth onto the mat and bare my bloody teeth at him.