Caden

by Tl Reeve

  Danielle bit her bottom lip. Now would be the perfect time to break them apart.

  “I’m not afraid of him.” Keeley’s voice quivered ever so slightly.

  Danielle smirked. Yeah, Keeley was afraid of Kalkin. At least in this instance, Kalkin had given her sibling a direct order. One he expected Keeley to follow. He’d tan her sister’s ass but good if Keeley broke her promise.

  “That’s enough, you two,” Danielle said when she hit the last step. Caden stood in the kitchen making her another cup of tea. She strolled over to her sister, taking the hot tea from her sister’s hand. “I believe this is mine. Get your own.”

  Keeley winked at her. Danielle understood then and there, her sister had been poking at Caden for a reaction, something her younger sibling got off on.

  You need to stop.

  Keeley cocked a brow. Now, why would I do that? He’s too easy. Too sensitive. I can’t believe he’s Kalkin’s twin.

  Please…for me?

  She smiled when she heard Keeley give a long, pitiful sigh in her head. Since you asked so nicely. I guess so.

  Thank you. Danielle took a sip of her tea.

  “You know it’s rude to have a conversation while others are in the room,” Caden said, crossing his arms.

  A wicked gleam sparkled to life in Keeley’s hazel-green eyes.

  “You promised,” Danielle reminded her.

  “I’ll take the other cup of tea you were making,” Keeley said, handing the cold tea over to Caden.

  Danielle gave her sister a hip check. “Stop.”

  Keeley’s gaze lingered on her more so than Danielle had been comfortable with. “You’re different. Did something happen last night?” Keeley reached for the tea Caden placed on the countertop.

  Danielle glanced at Caden over the rim of her mug. He was just as stoic as she was, showing no reaction to her sister’s question. He turned back to the stove, finishing up the eggs he seemed to like fixing in the morning. Keeley stepped into her line of vision. Her hands on her hips, she tapped her toe in an impatient manner. She wanted answers.

  “Nothing happened,” Danielle lied, forcing herself not to look away.

  Keeley sniffed. “I wish Kalkin was here. He’d be able to tell if you were lying. That one” —Keeley gestured over her shoulder to Caden— “Is no help.”

  No, he wouldn’t be either. Caden left her to deal with her pain-in-the-ass sister. He deposited Danielle’s breakfast on the countertop and handed her a fork. She was starving. After last night, and their early morning activities, she swore she could eat a whole slab of cow and still be famished. She tucked into her eggs and groaned. So good. She had to admit, even if it was to herself, food tasted better when she wasn’t in one of her funks. Or, perhaps it was due to Caden being around. Eat now. Contemplate later.

  “Well…something did happen,” Caden said.

  Danielle’s eyes widened. What would he would say? Would he be crass enough to tell her everything? She swallowed the bite of food in her mouth. It went down awkwardly and settled in her stomach like a lead weight.

  Keeley glared at Caden. “I fucking knew it.”

  “Stop egging the little tyrant on,” Danielle said, pushing the eggs around on her plate.

  Caden grinned. “It’s so easy though.”

  She snorted. “Funny, she thinks the same thing about you.”

  “Who gives a shit, both of you. What happened last night!” Keeley begged.

  “Your sister finally allowed herself to cry,” Caden answered, winking at Danielle.

  Thankfully, her pesky her little sister’s attention was on her, not the big man lounging against the fridge. Danielle swore Keeley deflated like a popped balloon. “Nothing else?”

  “Well,” Danielle said, wanting to keep what happened this morning to herself, while still poking at her sister. “I did it in his arms.”

  Keeley opened her mouth, but Caden cut her off, warning the feisty alpha female, “Say one word and I’m telling him.”

  “Bastard,” Keeley muttered.

  Caden laughed. “Not helping your case, Keeley.”

  “You done eating, Danielle?” Keeley ignored Caden.

  “Two more seconds. I want to say goodbye to the boys before I leave. They were asleep when I got home last night.” Danielle shoved the last bite of eggs into her mouth.

  “We won’t be out long. I’ve been given orders, no more than two hours of work,” Keeley said.

  Caden snorted, and Danielle smiled.

  “Please try to be nice to each other while I’m saying goodbye to my boys,” she said on her way to the playroom down the hall.

  Twenty minutes later they were in Keeley’s SUV driving to the orphanage. Everything seemed a bit brighter, not so dull around the edges. Their sleepy town was waking from its long winter slumber. Wild flowers waved in the soft, warm mid-morning breeze. Roadrunners charged across the desert sand in search of their next meal. So much had happened in the last year. When they drove into Window Rock under the cover of darkness, alone, scared out of their wits, Danielle never expected the twists and turns of their new lives. Any other time, they’d be packing up by now and running once more.

  Never again.

  “How pissed off was Kal last night?” Danielle glanced over at her sister.

  “Pissed off enough he turned down the blowjob I offered,” Keeley replied. “He never turns one down. Ever.”

  She pretended to gag. “Oh, dear sweet baby Jesus, Keeley. TMI.” Danielle shivered.

  “You asked.”

  “I asked how mad he was, not about your sex life,” Danielle quipped. “What happened to my sweet, innocent little sister?”

  “She was corrupted, by the big, bad wolf. And she loves every damn second of it,” Keeley admitted. “You want to stop at Yo-Jo before heading to the Post Office? I’m craving an Iced Mocha.”

  Yo-Jo was the tiny little coffee house in town. They made sinful iced and hot drinks. Keeley found almost any opportunity to stop and get them something from Yo-Jo’s every time they were in or near town. Her sister, thankfully, had stopped obsessing about her figure since mating Kalkin.

  “You’re already hyper enough. You sure you want additional caffeine in your system?”

  “Fuck me, you sound like Kal. He’s started limiting my intake since I’m still nursing the twins. I’m about to commit murder on someone if I don’t get something caffeinated into my bloodstream.”

  Danielle held up her hands in surrender. “If you need a sugary beverage, I won’t stop you. I wouldn’t want to be an accessory to murder.”

  Keeley laughed, steering the SUV into an open spot in front of the bustling coffee house. “Want anything?”

  “Nope.”

  Keeley hopped out of the car, then made her way into the shop. While Danielle waited for her sister to return, she cast out her feelers. Slowly, but surely, she was learning to let go. It’d been a work in progress most days; however, every little bit helped. The peaceful calm of the town settled within her. None of the anxious activity like before, when Simon had been there, permeated the area. Danielle gave a soft content sigh. Wow, Caden really did a number on me. She giggled.

  Keeley exited the cafe five minutes later with an extra-large iced mocha with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. The happy grin on her sister’s face made Danielle laugh. Her sister looked like the cat who ate the canary.

  “I need to ask Kal if mates can get diabetes,” Danielle teased.

  “Nope.” Keeley wrapped her lips around the red straw and sucked in the thick, sugary substance. Once she let go of the straw, she put the drink into the cup holder. “I already asked. Not only do I get a longer life, I also never have to worry about STDs, cancer, or other human maladies.”

  Danielle blinked. “STDs? I’d have given my eye teeth to have been in the room when you guys had that conversation.”

  Keeley put the truck into gear then started for the post office a quarter of a mile down the road. “It was just
general information. Things I needed to know since I’m alpha female and our kids are shifters, not human.”

  “Still…”

  “Pfft. Kal has no filter.” Keeley pulled into the post office parking lot. “It’d been one of our tamest conversation.”

  Danielle had no doubt. Keeley was quickly picking up her mate’s ways. The biggest being the lack of filter she too had developed in the last year.

  “Mind going in and getting the mail, while I finish my drink in record time?”

  “I hope you get brain freeze,” Danielle said as she reached to open the door.

  “Why are being so mean to me?” Keeley joked.

  “Whatever.” Danielle slammed the door shut before making her way into the post office.

  Several of the townspeople stopped to talk to her, and it took longer to get the mail from the box. They actually looked surprised when Danielle stopped to speak with them. Some only wanted to know about Nicolas. Others Aiden and Nicolas. But, there were a few curious inquiries about Crow. She answered every question, promising to update them all when she could. The ravenous part of her psyche sucked up their energy, filling in the empty places, invigorating her.

  Danielle stepped into the post office and went straight to their box. When they decided to set up the orphanage, and Vigilante Security, Keeley rented a P.O. Box for them. It would keep their private life, private and their public life, available to those who needed them. A strange sense of normalcy filled her. She’d talk to Keeley about it later. She supposed her sister experienced the same after being locked down for so long. Once she gathered all of the mail, she headed back out to the truck where her sister sat waiting for her.

  “What the hell took you so long?” Keeley snipped when she opened the door. “I thought I was going to have to send a rescue party for you or some shit.”

  Danielle started going through the mail. “Nah I—” She pulled out an envelope with a return address based in the District of Columbus. Weird. “Chatty town folk.”

  “You going to stare at it, or open it?” Keeley inquired.

  “It’s from Washington D.C., Senator Winter’s office,” Danielle whispered. Her fingers trembled, as a bolt of fear shot through her. She contemplated handing it to Keeley to open. Charisma’s father was a rich, powerful man who also happened to be leading the PBH hearings. Maybe he wasn’t happy his daughter was working with a less known charity. Or, worse, they were going to reinstate the PBH program.

  “He wasn’t on the contribution list I made.”

  “Yeah…I know,” Danielle said, turning the letter over in her hand.

  “Rip the damn Band-Aid off, Dani.”

  Keeley was right. She spent so much time being afraid of her shadow after everything, she misplaced her balls, as Kalkin would say. Danielle slipped her nail under the flap and ripped open the entire length. She peeked inside and gasped.

  “It looks kind of thin,” Keeley hedged.

  “It’s a check.”

  “Well alright. How much is it?”

  “Ah, well...” Danielle swallowed, trying to find her voice. Her entire body was already shaking as she pulled the check from its spot. “Holy shit, Keeley. It’s for three million dollars.”

  “Get the fuck out of here,” Keeley said, snatching the check from her fingertips. “Damn, look at all those zeros!” There were six of them. Written in masculine handwriting and no note.

  “I think I’m going to throw up,” Danielle admitted.

  “Not in my vehicle you’re not,” Keeley warned.

  “There is no letter of explanation or anything,” Danielle said, ripping the envelope apart.

  “It says on the memo, for the children at the Orphanage,” Keeley pointed out.

  “Ohmigod, Keeley. Do you know what this means?”

  “You’re rich?”

  Danielle laughed. “No. The Orphanage is rich. Some of those things we had to push off because we didn’t have the funds, we can get now. I need to call Rapier. Wait!” She flipped through the stack of mail and found a large brown envelope with the Senate seal and Winter’s name printed on it. “Holy shit.” She tore into the pack. There in black and white were the forms for small community grants and federal assistance for pet projects supported by congress and the country.

  “What?” Keeley peered over Danielle’s arm. “Are you serious?”

  Danielle nodded. “Yeah. There’s a letter.”

  Danielle Blueriver and Keeley Blueriver-Raferty,

  I wanted to take a moment to personally thank you for taking on a huge epidemic here in the states and around the world. Orphaned shifter children shouldn’t go without due to any unfortunate circumstances. Your love and dedication to these children are the hallmark of who we are as a nation, and I am proud to support your endeavors. However, one contributor will never properly compensate your services. Attached you will find the correct paperwork needed to register your orphanage with the federal government and the applications needed to support your organization.

  Thank you for your service and your compassion,

  Jackson Winters – U.S. Senator, 4th Congressional District of Arizona

  She read the letter again. “Wow.”

  “So, you’re going to keep it?” Keeley prodded.

  “It’s a donation. Don’t you think we should?” She tapped the papers. “Plus...”

  “Maybe instead of calling Rapier, you should call Charisma?” Keeley suggested.

  “Do you think she knows?” Danielle tucked her bottom lip between her teeth.

  Keeley chuckled. “I’m sure she does. I’m sure our new employee had some influence in getting her father to send it.”

  “Oh no.” Danielle frowned. “Do you think he feels obligated because his daughter works for us? I didn’t hire Charisma for who she was related to.” She worried Charisma might think they were using her to get funds from her wealthy father, which wasn’t the case at all.

  “From what I’ve read or seen of Senator Winters, he’s not the type of man to do something like this because his daughter simply asked. I think we should call her.”

  Danielle relented. “Okay.” She reached into her bag and sighed. “Crap. I forgot my phone.”

  “Let’s just go there. We need to check on Crow anyway. We can kill two birds with one stone.”

  Danielle nodded. Keeley was right. They needed to work with Crow a little more to help heal his mind and body. “Let’s go. I want to make sure he got a good night’s rest.”

  Keeley agreed.

  When they pulled into the driveway, it didn’t surprise Danielle to see the front door open, or the handsome Maxwell Steele step out onto the porch. He was again dressed in a three-piece suit. Danielle hoped the man was staying well hydrated. Otherwise, she’d have another patient on her hands she didn’t really have time for.

  “Agent Steele, you realize you can lose the suit. You stand out like a sore thumb,” Danielle said in greeting.

  “So I’ve been told,” Steele replied. “At least one hundred times this morning. Royce is scheduled to relieve me this afternoon. I plan on making a trip into town to find better-suited clothes.”

  “Till then, make sure you drink enough fluids,” Danielle replied. “How’s Crow?”

  “He’s had a busy morning.”

  “Oh? No one called me with any issues,” Danielle said, hustling up the steps.

  “No issues. Just some visitors. Kids really. A smart-mouthed one named Nico, and another one who has to be a Raferty,” Steele answered. “Plus, two boys who seem a little lost.”

  “The other one would be Bodhi,” Keeley said, coming up behind her. “The two boys are Henry and Tate. They belong to Rapier Dryer. Are the girls in?”

  “Yeah. Marie figured out this morning Crow likes to read. They’ve given him an e-reader downloaded with about twenty books. He hasn’t put the damn thing down since,” Steele replied.

  “That’s good,” Keeley answered.

  Charisma appeared in the door
way and stepped outside to join them. “Hey. I didn’t think you guys were coming till after dinner. Is everything okay?”

  “Yes,” Danielle stated.

  “No,” Keeley added.

  “You ladies want to take a minute or two to get your stories straight?” Steele cocked a brow.

  “We went to go get the mail,” Keeley announced.

  “Well, first we went to Yo-Jo’s. Keeley was craving something sweet,” Danielle teased.

  “Then we went to get the mail.” Keeley narrowed her eyes.

  “No fucking way. Will one of you just tell the story? I’m getting fucking whiplash,” Steele snapped.

  “You tell it,” Keeley said, glaring at the agent.

  “We got a check,” Danielle hedged. “From your father.” When Charisma didn’t say anything, Danielle continued. “It’s for three million dollars.”

  Steele let out a low whistle.

  “Did you have anything to do with it?” Danielle didn’t want to sound rude or anything. Nor did she want to sound ungrateful.

  Charisma laughed. “No. I spoke to him last week. I told him about my new job, and what you and Keeley were trying to do.” Charisma crossed her arms. “He asked for your website and your full names. Which I gave him. I’m surprised by the donation. He seemed unimpressed when I told him.”

  “Should uh… Should we keep it?” Danielle inquired.

  “You’d be foolish not to. My father, when he believes in something, he’ll back it and so will those in power around him.” Charisma waved them into the house. “I’ll bet this will be the first of many you’ll be getting in the next coming weeks.”

  “Seriously,” Danielle said, surprised by Charisma’s answer.

  “Seriously,” Charisma replied.

  Danielle’s knees went weak and her stomach wobbled with a wave of nervous energy. This was no longer a prayer and a dream. With one check, abandoned shifter and gifted children who had no one in the world or any place to go could now come home, to Window Rock, and be assured of a place in the world.

  “I think I need a drink,” Danielle whispered, easing down into the chair beside her.

  Charisma smiled. “Oh, don’t fall.” She helped Danielle into her chair, so she didn’t miss the seat. “I don’t have anything stronger than soda, sweetened iced tea, and water.”