Zach considered. Did Mrs. Fitzpatrick know what her wonderful husband was really like?
He hadn’t seen her around the house, nor the children. That didn’t mean anything—they might be away or just out of the house for a few hours. But then he remembered Sienna, staring down from a top window. If he had seen her, then Mrs. Fitzpatrick and their children would be able to see her too. How did Jack Fitzpatrick explain to his family that a young, beautiful woman had to live with them? He couldn’t imagine that any wife would be so broad minded as to accept that.
Unless…the wife and children didn’t live here. Or only came here occasionally. With enough forewarning that Sienna could be tucked away somewhere else, out of sight.
He had to find out more. That much was obvious. Rushing in now to save Sienna wasn’t going to work. He had to plan this methodically. Perhaps get a layout of the building and the movement of the guards. Understand the routines of the place, and when Jack Fitzpatrick was away on his political junkets. That would be the perfect time to swoop.
Zach stood up, turning to leave. He walked away then stopped abruptly.
A lightbulb had just gone off in his head.
He knew the way that he was going to get in there and save her.
He just had to get back to the warehouse and convince Thad that he hadn’t lost his mind entirely.
Chapter Nine
Zach followed the guard through the bowels of the mansion, adjusting the regulation tie. It was too tight and was threatening to choke him. The guard gazed back at him, and he smiled innocently.
The shoes were a bit small, too. But he could put up with all the discomfort of this uniform if he managed to get close to Sienna. That was all that mattered.
The guard led him into a small room, gesturing that he should take a seat. Zach obliged, staring around the space. A sitcom was playing on mute on a tiny television in a corner. He watched the show for a minute, then plastered another smile on his face as the guard sat down across from him.
The guard, whose name was Ted, pushed a security clearance card attached to a lanyard across the table towards him. Zach picked it up, staring down at his own face behind the laminate. It was a head and shoulders mugshot, and his face was expressionless in the photo.
“That should be everything,” Ted barked, frowning. “All I need you to do now is sign this.” He pushed some papers across the table, flourishing a black pen.
Zach scribbled his fake signature on the papers where required without reading them. For this job he was Brad Miller, one of the many aliases he used when working.
“Aren’t you going to read them?” Ted’s frown deepened.
Zach smiled again. “I already have,” he said. “I’m a speed reader.”
The man grunted but left it at that, standing up. “I’ll take you for the grand tour,” he said. “You need to know the layout of the building.” He paused, staring back at Zach. “But if you see Fitzpatrick, you can’t say anything. He doesn’t like to be disturbed by anyone. I had a young guy start here and you know what he did? Got out a piece of paper and pen and asked for his autograph.” Ted rolled his eyes disdainfully.
Zach laughed, standing up too. “I won’t be doing that.”
“Just as well.” Ted shook his head. “That young guy didn’t last after that. Fitzpatrick had him escorted out of the house before he had even finished his first day.”
Zach arched his eyebrows. “A bit extreme, don’t you think? The poor guy probably didn’t mean any harm.”
Ted coughed. “Yeah, well, that’s the boss. Finicky. And you’d probably be the same, if you were in his position. He’s a busy man.” He gazed at Zach hard. “Rule number one: don’t disturb him unless absolutely necessary. Got it?”
“Got it.” Zach nodded as well, just to reinforce to the guard that he really was listening.
“This way.” The man walked out of the room without glancing behind him.
Zach slowly followed. This was going better than he had thought. His first day, and he was getting a tour of the house. Surely, he would find out where Sienna’s room was? But he had to make sure that he didn’t look too interested. These old guards were always on the lookout for any suspicious behaviour, and he couldn’t afford to blow this chance.
He smiled slightly as he followed Ted down the hallway and to a set of stairs, climbing slowly upwards. His heart started to beat faster. He was so very close to her. And it had been hit and miss that he was even going to get here at all…
***
He was pumped when returned to the warehouse after leaving the mansion that day. He knew what he had to do. He just needed to get Thad up to speed with what had happened and persuade him to wield his magic, securing him a guard position at the Fitzpatrick residence.
That was the only way in. He needed to become one of Fitzpatrick’s henchmen.
He had paced the floor for over an hour, waiting for the alpha leader to get home. When Thad had finally walked through the door, Zach had leapt on him before he even had a chance to take off his boots.
“Slow down,” Thad had said in a weary voice. “I can’t even understand what you are saying.”
So, Zach had forced himself to slow down, explaining again what had happened. How he had managed to find Sienna, but that the case wasn’t what it seemed. How she had been taken back to Jack Fitzpatrick’s mansion, but that the place was impenetrable. That Thad had to access his connections and get him a job there.
Thad had stared at him. “You are telling me that Jack Fitzpatrick, the famous politician, has taken Sienna against her will?”
Zach nodded impatiently. “Yeah, he’s keeping her as his fortune teller. She sees things, Thad. The future. That’s why he wants her there so desperately.”
Thad looked disbelieving. “And Julia knows all this?”
Zach nodded. “She was in on it, Thad. She handed Sienna over to that bastard! And the only reason that she came here asking us to search for her was because Fitzpatrick told her to.”
“Fitzpatrick knows about us?” Thad was frowning.
Zach shook his head impatiently. “I don’t think so. I think that he just told Julia to try to find her, and she thought of you. She’d probably tried other ways to get to her and they hadn’t worked.” He shook his head again, sighing deeply. “It doesn’t matter. What is important now is that I get into that house and get Sienna out of there, once and for all.”
Thad stood up, walking to the drinks cabinet, and poured himself a whiskey. He turned to Zach. “Do you want one?”
Zach shook his head.
Thad poured him one anyway and silently held out the glass to him. Zach sighed, then threw it back in one. He didn’t have time for this. He needed Thad to start putting the wheels in motion and get him into that house. He clenched his fists in frustration, almost breaking the glass.
Thad sat back down. “You need to calm down, man. If you let yourself get too stressed, you are going to start changing into the wolf.”
Zach took a deep breath, staring at the alpha leader. “I’m calm. I promise.”
Thad took a sip of his drink. “You are sure that your information is correct, and that Julia is involved in this?”
Zach nodded. “She’s dodgy, Thad. Sienna herself told me that they weren’t friends, and then the old bookseller told me that she handed Sienna over to Fitzpatrick.”
Thad had shaken his head, sighing. “If it’s true, I’m not very happy about it. Julia has used me, and our friendship.” He took another sip of his drink. “I let her come in here against my better judgement, breaking my own rules. I wanted to help her. I thought that there must be a shred of the girl that I used to know still in there.”
Zach sighed. “It says more about her than you, Thad.”
Thad took a deep breath. “It’s murky, Zach. The whole thing stinks to high heaven. I don’t want you involved in it anymore.”
“What?” Zach had thought he hadn’t heard properly. “I’m already involved! And
I can’t just leave Sienna to her fate. That man is holding her against her will!”
Thad’s face twisted. “That man is rich and powerful,” he said slowly. “And once Julia knows that we don’t believe her, she might tell him about us for revenge. We can’t afford to have a man like Jack Fitzpatrick looking at us. We have to leave this alone.”
“I can’t believe that I’m hearing this.” Zach stared at the alpha leader. “A woman is being held against her will. If I don’t help her, no one will!”
Thad stood up. “I only let you do this as a favour to Julia, and now that’s been smashed to pieces. There is no Vilgath involvement in this, Zach. This isn’t what we usually do. Maybe you should give the information to the police, and they can follow it up.”
“The police?” Zach wrinkled his nose. “You know as well as I do what they will do. They’ll file it as a missing persons case and it will stay that way forever. They won’t follow it up. They wouldn’t dare. It’s Jack Fitzpatrick we are talking about here.”
Thad was silent. Zach gazed at him, not sure what to say next.
He understood the alpha leader’s concerns, but he just couldn’t accept it. Thad was usually a compassionate guy. Why was he hedging on this? Even though there wasn’t any indication of demons in this, that didn’t mean they could just turn their back on Sienna.
Men could be just as evil as demons. Sometimes even more so.
“Listen,” he said, leaning forward across the table. “If Julia comes back to you, just play along with her. Tell her that I investigated it but couldn’t find Sienna. Or that I’m still looking. Don’t let her know that we know she’s involved, and there won’t be any fall back on us from Fitzpatrick.”
Thad swirled his drink in his glass, thinking. “You’ve fallen for her bad, haven’t you?”
“What?” Zach stared at him, confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Sienna.” He drained his glass. “That’s what this is all about. I saw your face change when you looked at her photo, and I know you, Zach. You are fired up in a way that I’ve never seen before.”
Zach gasped. “She’s beautiful, but she’s messed up. She doesn’t know who to trust.”
“And you want to show her that she can trust you.” Thad stared at him hard. “I don’t blame you, Zach. She is beautiful. But she’s also a working girl, don’t forget.”
Zach reddened. So what if Sienna had lived in a brothel for years? As far as he knew from what Shelby had told him she didn’t perform those services for Fitzpatrick. He wanted her for an entirely different reason. She had moved on from her past, hadn’t she?
He shifted restlessly on the chair. Why did he even care? It wasn’t as if Sienna even noticed him like that. She had been so skittish the whole time he was with her. It was all so pointless.
“And don’t forget your other entanglement.” Thad’s eyes were narrowed. “Crystal. Your soon-to-be wife. I don’t think that she would be too happy to see you running after another woman with your tongue hanging out.”
Zach smashed his fist onto the table, causing the glasses to jump. “Crystal is not my fiancée! She’s just got it all wrong.” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “I’m going to talk to her tonight and get it all straightened out.”
Thad shook his head. “Zach, you need to get your head straight. You’re chasing a woman who is caught up in some seriously bad business. A hooker. Meanwhile, your girlfriend is waiting faithfully on the sidelines. A woman who loves you and would probably make you very happy.” He paused. “More importantly, a woman without a past. Can you see what is wrong with this picture?”
Zach stared at him. “I thought you said you weren’t judgemental. That’s what you said to Julia. It sounds like you are being pretty damn judgemental now, Thad.”
Thad sighed. “I’m just trying to look out for you, Zach. I don’t want to see you get hurt. And Sienna sounds like a woman who will probably hurt you without even trying.”
Zach stood up. “Well, that’s my choice, isn’t it? Are you going to help me or not? Because if you don’t get me into that house, I’ll just do it another way. On my own.”
Thad sighed again. “Okay, okay. I’ll try to pull a few strings and get you in there. But promise me that you are going to be careful, alright?”
Zach grinned with relief. “I’m always careful, Thad. It’s my job, remember?”
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” muttered Thad, shaking his head in defeat.
***
That had been a week ago. A whole week, where he had to bite down his impatience as Thad got him into the place. Sienna probably thought that he had wiped her entirely.
Zach thought of Thad’s reaction now, as he followed Ted up the stairs. He had been angry with the alpha leader, but he knew that Thad was only trying to protect him. He was worried about him. Worried that Sienna was going to hurt him, somehow.
Zach also knew that the way Thad had reacted had as much to do with his hurt over Julia as anything. The woman had been his friend, and then deliberately used her knowledge that he was a wolf shapeshifter to her advantage. She had dragged Thad into a mess that the alpha leader wasn’t pleased about. It was his responsibility to protect the pack, and Julia had threatened that. If she wasn’t trustworthy, she could tell anyone about them, and where they lived. Julia had the potential to destroy their entire operation.
Julia was a loose cannon, thought Zach grimly. When he had a spare moment, he should visit her and make it clear that she really shouldn’t mess with the Wild Keepers.
But first, he had to find Sienna and get her out of this once and for all.
Ted was taking out a large set of keys and unlocking doors, showing him the place. Zach made sure that he looked suitably impressed. And if he was being honest with himself, it was impressive. If you were into over-the-top furniture and all the latest mod cons, that is. Jack Fitzpatrick had spared no expense here, and it showed.
“This is the formal sitting room,” said Ted, leading him into a large room. A grand piano stood in one corner, along with some very expensive designer sofas and antique furniture.
“Who plays?” asked Zach, staring at the piano.
Ted shrugged. “No one, really. It’s just for show, like everything in this place. Although I think I’ve heard Andre, their son, murdering a tune or two on it. But he’s not here very often.”
“Why is that?” Zach ran his hands over the top of the piano.
Ted shrugged again then grinned. “It’s the way the boss likes it. The kids are always at their boarding schools, and the wife is a jetsetter. She’s French. Spends a lot of time in Paris buying up a king’s ransom in clothing and art.”
Zach grinned as well. “Does he entertain lady friends while the wife’s away?”
Ted hesitated then lowered his voice. “I shouldn’t gossip, but that guy has them all over the place. Takes his private jet to Hollywood to see a very famous movie star. And you know that civil rights lawyer who’s always in the papers?” He winked, not saying anything else.
“Wow.” Zach stared at him. “Does he ever bring them here? I mean, if the wife and kids are barely at home…”
Ted shook his head. “Nope. He goes to them. He has other arrangements when he’s in Covenester. A whole string of women. Some of them are ladies of the night, if you get my drift.”
Zach nodded. “I get it. So, he entertains hookers here?”
“Sometimes.” Ted hesitated again. “He even has a pet one...”
“Really?” Zach held his breath. “Tell me about that.”
But Ted looked abashed, suddenly, as if he realised that he had said too much. He shut his mouth and silently walked out of the sitting room, gesturing for Zach to follow.
They climbed another set of stairs, leading to the top floor. When they reached it, Ted turned to him, studying him carefully.
“Listen,” he whispered, his eyes darting around. “I shouldn’t have said anything about the boss�
��s love life. Not any of my concern, is it? I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about him.”
Zach smiled. “Hey, I’m just here to do a job like you. I’m not judging him. If I was in his position, I’d probably do the same. How could any man resist when women throw themselves at you like that?”
Ted’s face relaxed a little. “Yeah, so would I! Not for guys like us, though, hey? Tell me, you got a girlfriend?”
Zach’s smile tightened. “Not at the moment.” Well, Crystal was soon to be his ex-girlfriend. He just hadn’t gotten around to telling her yet.
“Make sure it stays that way,” said Ted, nodding his head sagely. “Women are more trouble than they’re worth. My ex-wife is taking me to the cleaners. I’ve never been able to do one goddamn thing to make that woman happy. The boss has the right idea, let me tell you. Treat them mean and keep them keen.”
Zach nodded sympathetically. He didn’t want to hear Ted’s lament about his love life, but he had to appear interested. His eyes flickered down the hallway of the floor. Was Sienna here, somewhere? When he had spied her through the binoculars he could have sworn that the window she looked out of was on this floor.
Eventually Ted’s vitriol against his ex-wife petered out. He cleared his throat. “These are the private rooms. The boss has his bedroom up here, and the children when they are home from school.”
Zach’s eyes narrowed as he studied the rooms. “Does the wife have her own room?”
“No.” Ted frowned. “They like to appear like they are a normal couple when she’s here. Why do you ask that?”
“There are four rooms.” Zach gazed at him. “They only have two children, don’t they?”
Ted looked nonplussed for a minute. “Yeah, they do. The fourth is a spare bedroom.” He didn’t look at Zach as he spoke.
They walked slowly down the hallway. Ted told him who resided in each room, but he didn’t open any of the doors here. They were almost to the end of the corridor when Zach heard a sound behind the closed door of the furthest room. The one that was by all accounts the spare.
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