Fairplay Shifters Boxset

by Serena Meadows

  “Well, I’m sorry I can’t help you with that,” Charlie said, hoping that would end the conversation.

  Now that she knew about her brother and sister, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be talking to any friends of theirs. Something had warped them, changed them into the kind of people who would use violence to get what they wanted, and any friend of theirs was probably just as bad.

  “That’s too bad, I was really hoping you could help me with this. The thing that they borrowed belongs to someone else and he wants it back, if I could just look through their things, I might find it, problem solved,” the man said, his voice a bit desperate.

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible, they didn’t have any stuff, well not here anyway and I don’t know where they were living,” Charlie said.

  There was a long silence on the other end of the line, then the man said, “I’m having a hard time believing you, I think you’d better rethink that answer.”

  Charlie was beginning to become afraid, the man’s voice had lost its genial tone and begun to turn hard. “Well, that’s your problem, I don’t know where their stuff is. You were their friend, you should know where they lived, you’ll just have to go find this thing yourself, I don’t have it,” Charlie said, then hung up the phone her hands shaking.

  When the phone began to ring only a few seconds later, she blocked the call, then shut off her phone. The call had really thrown her, the man’s voice had been harsh by the end, almost threatening and she wondered how much trouble her brother and sister had been in before they died.

  Smelling something burning, she rushed over to the oven and pulled out the cookies, groaning when she saw that they were just little blackened circles. Just when she’d begun to feel strong and capable again, that call had come in and destroyed her peace.

  She wanted to just blow off the phone call, but something told her that she was going to be hearing from the man again. He’d sounded a bit desperate and she aware that desperation could make people do terrible things, things they wouldn’t normally do. She dreaded telling Steven about the call, but knew that she had to, he’d be angry if she hid it from him.

  But a part of her didn’t want to soil her sibling’s memory any more than it had been, the way the man was talking what they’d borrowed was very valuable and she wondered if they’d stolen it. Considering everything else she’d learned about them, it wouldn’t have surprised her.

  ***Steven***

  When Steven walked into the house, the first thing that hit him was the smell of smoke and he began to panic. “Charlie,” he called out heading for the kitchen. “Are you here?”

  She poked her head out of the kitchen, and said, “I’m in here burning cookies.”

  Steven breathed a sigh of relief, “On purpose?” he teased, walking into the kitchen and opening the door to let the smoke out.

  “No, I got a phone call and it distracted me,” she said, picking up a towel to fan the smoke out the door.

  Steven could see that something was bothering Charlie, her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes and he could see the worry there. “Who was it?”

  “I’m not sure, he didn’t give me his name,” she said, then walked over and sat down at the table. “He said that he was a friend of Clarise and Gerome’s and that they’d borrowed something from him and he wants it back.”

  Steven was instantly on his guard, the amulet was still around his neck, tucked under his shirt. “Oh, yeah? Did he say what it was?”

  “That’s what was so weird, he never said, just wanted to know where their stuff was so he could look for it. I didn’t like the way he sounded, his voice was….” she trailed off, unable to explain the terrible feeling she’d gotten.

  Steven wasn’t sure what to say, they’d all wondered where the amulet had come from, how the wolf-shifters had gotten their hands on it and now they might have the answer. “Well, if he calls again, I’d like to talk to him,” Steven said, as if it wasn’t a bit deal. “But I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

  Charlie seemed to calm down then, “Okay, maybe I’m just making a big deal out of nothing.”

  “I’m sure it’s not a big deal,” Steven said, feeling like he was lying to her.

  Part of him felt like he was making a huge mistake not telling her about the amulet and the role it had played in her brother and sister’s death, but he wasn’t ready to share that information. He was ashamed to admit it even to himself, but there was a small part of him that still didn’t trust Charlie.

  Daniel would have said that he was thinking with his head instead of his heart, but it still felt like he was betraying Charlie. What he needed to do was talk to his dad, it had been a few days since they’d talked, but the last time he’s said that they’d finally found some information on Charlie’s family, if he was lucky they’d know more now.

  Plus, he needed share what he’d just learned, if there was someone else out there looking for the amulet, that was information his father needed to have. The last thing they needed was someone else up here looking for the thing, even as harmless as it was now, in the wrong hands it could still be deadly.

  Without realizing what he was doing, his hand came up and he began to stroke the amulet through his shirt. Then he realized that it felt warm again, and he could feel the power locked inside it, a low humming that seemed to invade his head and spread though his body. He could understand how tempting it would be to use that power, to unleash it and let it fill him completely.

  Shocked at the path his thoughts had taken, he grabbed a soda out of the refrigerator and asked, “Has Daniel come down from the barn yet?”

  “No, I haven’t seen him this afternoon, I think he was going to the top of the pasture to check on a cow though,” Charlie said, dumping the burned cookies into the trash.

  “I think I’ll go look for him,” he said, then crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. “But first I need a kiss.”

  When he finally found Daniel, he was in the barn and he looked like he’d had a hard day. “Looks like I choose the right day to go to town for supplies,” Steven said.

  “I’ve spent the entire day chasing the cattle out of the woods at the top of the pasture, that fence we’ve been bugging Justin about finally fell down,” Daniel said, shutting the gate on the stall where he’d put his horse.

  “I knew that was going to happen,” Steven said, grabbing Daniel’s saddle from him and hanging it up on the back wall of the barn.

  “I’m starving, and I need a shower,” Daniel said, heading for the barn doors.

  Steven fell into step next to his brother, “Charlie got a phone call today.”

  Daniel looked over at him, “And?”

  “It was a man claiming to be a friend of her brother and sister’s,” Steven said, waiting for a reaction from Daniel.

  “You’re kidding, he just called out of the blue. Who is he? What did he say?”

  “Eventually it came out that they’d borrowed something of his, something he really needed to get back,” Steven said, raising his eyebrows.

  “The amulet.”

  “Exactly,” Steven said, “But he didn’t give her a name and she was too flustered to ask for one.”

  “What did she tell him?” Daniel asked, coming to a stop on the path.

  “That she had no idea where their stuff was and then she hung up on him. It scared her Daniel, and I think we need to tell her what he might be looking for.”

  “No, way, we’re not telling her, but we are going to call dad and tell him,” Daniel said.

  “I think we should tell her. What if this guy comes looking for the amulet? Shouldn’t she be prepared for that?” Steven asked, feeling uncomfortable keeping a secret from Charlie.

  “If he knew where to look for it he’d have already been here. Think about it, all he has is her phone number and it’s a cell phone. He has no idea where she is,” Daniel said, reasonably.

  “I just don’t like keeping secrets from Charlie, that’s not the w
ay relationships are supposed to be,” Steven said stubbornly.

  Daniel studied his brother for a second, “Are you thinking with your heart or your head?”

  Steven knew the answer to that question, so he didn’t bother to answer. No matter what his heart was telling him, he knew in his head that it was necessary to keep this secret from Charlie for just a little bit longer. And he knew deep down that if they hadn’t become involved he wouldn’t have felt the same; would haven’t even given it a thought, so no matter how unhappy it made him, he’d have to keep the secret at least for now.

  Chapter 16

  ***Charlie***

  It had been several days since the phone call and Charlie was finally beginning to believe that she’d read the man wrong, that he wasn’t going to call back. Steven seemed to have forgotten about it and that was fine with her, although she knew that eventually they were going to have to face the truth about who she was.

  That phone call was a constant reminder that her future was far from settled, even though she knew that she was madly in love with Steven, at some point her past might come back to haunt them. But there were so many if’s that it was easy to get lost in them, what she needed was to know the truth.

  She needed to know if she was human or shifter, she needed to know what happened to her brother and sister that made them do what they did. There were so many questions that still needed to be answered before she could move on with her life, a life that hopefully included Steven.

  That night at dinner Steven wasn’t his normal self, instead of teasing her or harassing his brother, he pushed the food around on his plate and sighed. Daniel was usually quiet as well and she wondered if something bad had happened and they were afraid to tell her.

  “Okay you two, what’s going on? You’ve both been unusually quiet tonight and I’m beginning to get worried,” she finally said.

  Steven pushed his plate away, “I was going to wait to talk to you about this, but dad called today, and he thinks he found the house you grew up in.”

  It took Charlie a second to absorb what he’d just said. “Oh, I guess that’s good,” she said, her heart hammering in her chest.

  “I know it’s scary,” Steven said, putting his hand over hers, “But it is our first real clue to who your parents were, up until now all we had was names. If we’re lucky some of the neighbors will still remember them, where they worked, where you kids went to school.”

  Charlie had a flashback of walking to school with Clarise holding her hand, “I think Clarise walked me to school, I remember that, but I don’t know if she and Gerome went to school, they were so much older than I was.”

  “But that’s still good, the school would have a copy of your birth certificate, and if they did go to school any where around there, it’s worth checking for Clarise and Gerome’s,” Steven said.

  “I see,” Charlie said, then asked, “Why is your family trying so hard to figure this out? Clarise and Gerome are gone, I’m the only one left and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt your family.”

  Steven was tempted to tell her the truth, that he had a very powerful amulet hanging around his neck that had caused at least two deaths directly and many more indirectly. But he resisted, “At first it was because dad wanted to know if what they said was true, but now it’s to help you,” he said, feeling like at least he’d been partially honest with her.

  “Why would they want to help me? They don’t even know me,” Charlie asked.

  “That’s what we do in this family, we help people who need it,” Steven said, “And you’re almost part of the family.”

  “Did you tell your dad about us?” she asked, still a little bothered by the fact that he didn’t seem to want to.

  “Not yet, but I’m going to soon I promise. Which brings up something my dad wanted me to ask you,” Steven said, looking uncomfortable. “You might not want to do it, but it might help a lot.”

  “You know that I’ll do what ever I can to help, this is my life, I need to know,” Charlie said, squaring her shoulders.

  Steven couldn’t help but smile at her, “That’s what I like about you Charlie, you can be tough when you need to,” he said, then asked, “Would you be willing to go to the house and see if it sparks something in your memory. Dad thinks that if you see the house, go inside, it will bring your memory back.”

  That was the last thing Charlie had expected him to ask and her first instinct was to say no. The idea of standing in the kitchen that inspired her terrible memories scared her, but then she realized that it might be the only way all her memories were going to come back.

  “Okay,” she said, then added, “I think it might help.”

  “I promise I’ll be with you the entire time, and we’ll tell my parents about us when we see them,” Steven said, covering her hand with his.

  “What if they don’t like me?” Charlie asked, making his heart break a little.

  “Sweetheart, they’re going to love you. They’ll see right away that you’re nothing like your brother and sister,” Steven said confidently.

  ***Steven***

  It wasn’t hard to get them on a flight a few days later, Charlie was chatty on the ride to Denver, but once they got on the airplane she became quiet. “Are you okay?” Steven asked, once they were in the air.

  “I’m nervous, excited, and scared,” Charlie answered, her eyes full of tears. “I’ve wanted to know all the answers for so long but now that I might get them, I’m not sure I want them.”

  Steven reached over and took her hand, “No matter what we find in Florida, it’s not going to change the way I feel about you. Charlie you’re so much stronger than you know you are, what ever the truth is, you’re going to be fine.”

  She stared at him for several minutes, clearly looking for something in his eyes, then satisfied, she put her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes. He had no idea what exactly she’d found in his eyes, but it seemed to have calmed her and soon he could tell that she’d fallen asleep.

  When they arrived in Jacksonville, he rented a car and drove them to the hotel where they’d be staying with his parents. He could tell that Charlie was nervous, and he understood because he was feeling that way too, it had probably been a mistake not tell his parents sooner that they were involved.

  As soon as they walked into the lobby of the hotel, his mother came rushing up to them. “It’s so good to see you,” she said, giving him a big hug. “How are things at the ranch? Everyone okay?”

  “The ranch is fine, things are going great. Daniel’s got everything under control,” he said, then pulled Charlie forward. “This is Charlie.”

  “Hi Charlie, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Samantha and this is my husband William,” she said, gesturing to Steven’s dad who was at the registration desk a few feet behind them.

  He waved at her and smiled, “Nice to meet you,” he said, then turned back to what he was doing.

  When he finished at the desk, he joined them. “I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving. I hear that have great fish at the restaurant here.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Steven said, “I’ll just run our bags up to our rooms then join you.”

  Charlie shot him a worried look, but he said, “It’ll only take a minute or two.”

  Seeing the look on Charlie’s face, his mother took her arm and said, “Come on let’s go get the best table they have. We usually don’t stay in places like this, it’s a bit of a treat.”

  Relieved that his mother was taking Charlie under her wing, he took their bags up to their rooms. When he got back downstairs and found their table, Charlie was laughing at something his mother had just said. “What’s so funny?” he asked, taking the chair next to Charlie.

  “Your mother was just telling me about the time you got into the cactus,” Charlie said, then giggled.

  Steven glared at his mother, “Gee thanks,” he said, but couldn’t help but grin at the memory. “It wasn’t my fault, Justin dared me.”


  “You were just showing off,” his father said, shaking his head and laughing. Then he became serious. “I think we should talk about tomorrow.”

  “We will, but first I want to talk to you about something else,” Steven said, his heart hammering in his chest.

  Charlie sucked in a deep breath, so he took her hand under the table, but before he could say anything, his mother spoke up. “Don’t worry, Penny told us. She had one of her visions and according to her, you two are a good match.”

  Steven stared at him mother in shock, “Since when does Penny have visions? And why didn’t you say something sooner?”

  He mother shrugged her shoulders, “Ever since she and Quinten met, her powers have been stronger,” his mother said, then added, “I think it’s about time you thought about settling down and from everything I hear, Charlie is a great girl.”

  Charlie blushed, and Steven wanted to kiss her, but instead he put his arm around her shoulders. “Thanks, mom,” Then he turned to his dad, “Dad?”

  “Your old enough to make your own decisions,” his dad said, which he knew was as much of an approval as he was going to get until everything was settled.

  Steven squeezed Charlie’s shoulder to tell her that it was okay, and he felt her relax. “Catch us up on what you’ve discovered about Charlie’s family.”

  “We tracked them to a house in the old part of town, some of the neighbors remember the family, but no one knew them well,” his father said.

  “I got the feeling that they weren’t well liked, a few people said some things that made me think that they weren’t good neighbors. One woman said, and these were her words, they had questionable people coming and going in and out of that house day and night.” Steven’s mother added, raising her eyebrows.

  His father cleared his throat, and his mother’s eyes got big, “Oh, Charlie, I’m sorry, I didn’t think.”

  “It’s okay, I know things aren’t the way I thought they were. I’m learning to deal with it,” she said, squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath.