The Keeping

by Nicky Charles

  “And of course, the six foot high locked gate, didn’t give you any clue that you should stay out?”

  “Not really.” She cast a saccharine sweet smile in his direction. “Though, of course, if there’d been a sign stating that there were vicious dogs roaming free, I would have been more cautious.”

  “Dogs? Those weren’t dogs. They were wolves and you’re lucky they didn’t rip you to shreds.” He sounded quite pleased to deliver that piece of news.

  Mel swallowed hard. She’d had a sneaking suspicion they weren’t dogs, but thought she’d throw the idea out, just in case. If the man owned dogs that were out of control, she could always threaten to sue him, if he got nasty about her trespassing. Now, with that gone, she had to acknowledge how much danger she really had been in. Guilt and a ton of regret for her impulsive actions also came into the mix. She knew she should have gone back to town and tried to make a proper appointment with Taylor, rather than sneaking up on him. Her college instructors would berate her over this stunt, if they ever heard about it.

  Sitting up a bit straighter, Mel faced the mystery man head on, thinking she should try to smooth things over a bit, for the sake of the interview she hoped to get. Before she could even open her mouth, everything got a bit dark and her vision blurred. Feeling the blood drain from her face, she clutched the cushion she sat on and closed her eyes until her equilibrium settled. Damn, but this wasn’t going at all the way she planned. Like many of her ideas, it had seemed like a good one at the time. She was supposed to be confidently walking up to Ryne Taylor’s house, knocking on his door, and coolly requesting an interview. Taylor's surprise at her unexpected presence would have had him immediately agreeing to her request.

  Instead, she knocked herself out and wound up talking to this ill mannered person, whoever he was. At least he wasn’t Taylor. From the way everyone spoke, the photographer was a bit of a lady’s man and likely had smooth banter down to a science. Unlike someone else, she added, glaring towards the chair housing her tormentor.

  He must be one of the people who lived with Taylor. Good lord, how did the photographer put up with this fellow’s sarcastic attitude? She’d only known him for less than five minutes and already wanted to smack him. True, she shouldn’t have trespassed, but he needn’t be so nasty about it.

  “Hey, are you all right?” The man leaned forward, possibly concerned over her sudden pallor.

  “Yeah—” Mel flicked a glance his way and stiffened in shock. His change in position had brought his face out of the shadows and he was visible for the first time. Mel was sure her eyes were playing tricks on her. Before her sat one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever seen. Messy black hair hung across his forehead, while a day’s worth of stubble darkened his jaw line. Deep blue eyes, a straight nose, and a firm mouth completed the picture. Sexy and dangerous were the two words that immediately sprang into her mind as she gazed at him.

  A second reason for her surprise was that he was almost a carbon copy of Kane, the husband of the waitress at the Grey Goose. Mel had only seen Kane briefly, but he’d left a definite impression on her. The man before her had different coloured eyes and his voice was different, but otherwise the two men were very similar; they had to be brothers or at least first cousins. Narrowing her eyes, Mel began to connect the dots and an unnerving thought came to mind. Was this man that she was verbally sparring with, Ryne Taylor? No, he couldn’t be. Elise’s name tag had declared her surname was Sinclair and she seemed like the type to assume her husband’s surname; Kane Sinclair’s brother would be a Sinclair as well, wouldn’t he? But then again, there was always the possibility… She sighed heavily and decided she’d best find out. Starting the introductions, she stated her name.

  “I’m Melody Greene.”

  He ignored the implicit social norm that would have him supplying his name in return and glowered at her. “And why, Melody Greene, were you traipsing all over this property?”

  “I wasn’t traipsing all over, just walking down the driveway. And I’m here because I want to talk to Ryne Taylor.”

  A nod was the only response she got. Not even an eyelash flickered.

  Under her breath, she cursed him. Was he, or wasn’t he, Ryne Taylor? His reaction certainly gave no clue either way.

  “Why do you want to talk to him?”

  Mel noted the use of the word ‘him.’ Ah-ha! So this person wasn’t Taylor. She considered answering his question truthfully, but decided that, no matter how sexy he might be, she didn’t want to share anything with the man. He was just too damn annoying. If he wasn’t willing to even provide his name, then she wasn’t going to give away any extra information either. For all she knew, he even might try to sabotage her attempts to talk to the photographer out of pure spite. “That’s between the two of us.” She added a bit of a mysterious smile and watched with satisfaction as the man’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Make what you want of that, she thought to herself.

  Abruptly the man stood and switched topics. “It’s time for you to go.”

  “Pardon?” The sudden change left her feeling confused.

  “You need to leave. I trust you can make it back to your car by yourself?”

  “Well, yes. But… ”

  He merely extended his arm towards the doorway.

  A wave of temper, at his cavalier dismissal, washed over her and she knew her cheeks were flushing. “Fine.” She snapped the word out. Spying her purse lying near her feet, she snatched it and jumped up, only to stagger as her head once again protested the sudden change in elevation.

  A gusty sigh filled the room as the man reluctantly caught her and steadied her on her feet. “Obviously, you’re in no shape to operate a vehicle. I suppose I’ll have to drive you home.” With that, he scooped her up in his arms without even so much as a ‘by your leave’ and walked out of the house.

  Mel knew her mouth was opening and closing like a fish gasping for air, but she couldn’t begin to formulate the words needed to express sufficiently both her surprise and indignation. Finally, choosing the direct route, she issued a succinct command. “Put me down!”

  “No.” He didn’t even look at her and continue to stride down the driveway, his long legs covering the ground at an astonishing pace.

  “Let me go!” She struggled, pushing against his chest. He merely tightened his grip. Doubling her efforts, she began bucking and kicking her legs. It made her head throb, but at least he took notice and stopped walking. “Thank you. Now put me down.”

  “You aren’t steady enough on your feet to walk the length of the driveway at the speed I want you to go. Nor are your boots suitable for walking on gravel. Now be still, before I throw you over my shoulder. Hanging upside down won’t do your head any good, but if that’s what it takes… ” He began to shift his grip on her and Mel had no doubt he’d make good on his threat.

  “Fine.” Crossing her arms, she pointedly stared straight ahead, gritting her teeth when she felt his chest quiver against her body. He was laughing at her!

  The rest of the journey passed silently. It was strange how quickly he covered the distance, the scenery seeming to fly by her. Probably, it was an after effect of hitting her head. Her visual perception was likely a bit off.

  They finally arrived at the gate and he set her down. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the gate, relocking it after they’d passed through. He looked at her rental car and then at her. His hand extended, implicitly asking for the keys. Mel rolled her eyes, but dug them out and handed them over, quite sure that he would have no compunction about taking her purse and rifling through it, if she refused.

  Stalking over to the car, she got into the passenger side, put on her seatbelt, and folded her hands in her lap. The annoying man followed at a much slower pace, climbing in, adjusting the seat and mirror, before finally putting the key in the ignition.

  “Where are you staying?”

  “At the Kennedys’. I’ve rented a cabin from them. If you
turn left—”

  “I know where they live.” He answered shortly, his lips pressed together, forming a tight line.

  After that, the rest of the ride passed by in an uncomfortable silence. When they finally arrived at her temporary home, Mel barely waited to get the keys from him, before jumping out of the vehicle, eager to be away from the exasperating man. She grabbed the bag of groceries from the back seat of the car and hurried towards the cabin, but a sudden thought had her stopping and reluctantly turning around. He was leaning against the car watching her, an enigmatic expression on his face.

  “Umm… How are you getting home?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I can get a ride if I need one.”

  “Oh… ” As much as it irked her to do it, her mother had raised her with manners. “Thanks for driving me home.”

  “It was the easiest way to get rid of you.”

  The smirk on his face washed away all her good intentions and she snapped out an angry retort. “You have to be the rudest man I have ever encountered.”

  He grinned and dipped his head in acknowledgement. “Thanks. I try my best.”

  “And you certainly succeed! I’m eternally grateful that this is the last time I’ll have to see you.”

  “Really? After tearing down that sign, climbing the gate, walking almost half a mile, and facing a pair of wolves, you’re giving up on me?”

  “What?” She had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

  “I’m Ryne Taylor, Melody Greene.”

  Mel felt her mouth drop open then she snapped it shut and quickly turned away fighting for composure. Why did these things always happen to her? Yes, the man was being purposely aggravating but she still needed to work with him. She slowly shook her head in despair, completely at a loss as to how she’d repair the damage. Pasting a conciliatory look on her face, she turned around and opened her mouth to begin to say… something, though she didn’t know what… .only to gasp. He was gone!

  Looking up and down the road, she couldn’t see a single trace of him. What the… ? Turning in a circle, she scanned the area. Nothing was in sight, except what appeared to be a large black dog… or maybe another wolf… running through the woods behind the cabin.

  All too wary of canines due to her recent encounter, Mel wasted no time hurrying into the cabin. As she slammed the door shut, she was thankful that she’d changed her plans earlier on and bought groceries before going to Taylor’s. There was no way she was going outside again. She’d had enough encounters with animals for one day, thank you very much. Taylor, wherever he was, was on his own!

  *****

  Ryne headed for home, loping through the woods and enjoying the chance for a run. The exercise was clearing the alcohol residue from his body and the cobwebs from his brain, though there weren’t too many of those left after his encounter with Ms. Melody Greene. She was an impudent little thing; trespassing on his property and then insinuating that he had vicious animals on his land, trying to twist events around so it became his fault she ran into a tree. No doubt, she’d probably try to threaten him with a law suit.

  He wondered why she hadn’t asked him about her ‘rescue’ but decided she was probably still slightly ‘out of it’ from the bump on her head and not thinking clearly yet. No doubt at some point in time it would dawn on her that someone had ‘saved’ her from the vicious canines. How he’d explain that, he wasn’t quite sure. Maybe he should make Bryan and Daniel come up with the solution, since it was their fault to begin with.

  Grinning, he thought how insulted Bryan and Daniel would be when they learned that she’d initially considered them to be dogs. And the look on her face when he’d said ‘wolves’ had been priceless. If he’d told her the whole truth, and said ‘werewolves’ she would probably have passed out again from shock. It would almost be worth it, just to see her in that state. But the Keeping was one of their most fundamental laws. Breaking it on a whim was a serious offence; even pups knew better than that.

  From his earliest memory, he could recall his mother drilling the Keeping—as they commonly called the law—into his head. Non-weres could never know their true identities. Ensuring the pack’s existence remained hidden from the human population was their first duty. Of course, out of necessity, some humans were aware of the truth, but selecting who to reveal the secret to, was carefully considered by the Alpha and his council, and had to be for the overall good.

  Telling Ms. Greene she was in the Alpha den of a werewolf pack was definitely not in their best interests.

  Ryne slowed down his pace, not tired, but thirsty. Damned alcohol always left him feeling dehydrated. Pausing by a stream, he took a drink, savouring the cold water as it cascaded down his dry throat. The spring thaw was on, causing the waterways to swell as the snow melted. Just last week, ice had covered this particular stream almost completely, with only the smallest trickle of free running water visible. Now it was a foot wide and by next week, he’d have to wade through it, rather than jump over it.

  Bending to take another swallow, he absentmindedly noted his reflection; black fur, gleaming white teeth and bright blue eyes. Ah, you are a looker, he mocked himself. The female had noticed it, too. After all these years, he was very aware that women found him attractive and used it to his advantage whenever necessary. He wondered why he’d felt the need to provoke his unexpected visitor rather than charming her, as he usually did. It must be the fact that he was still hung over, he decided.

  Finishing his drink, he licked the remaining water drops from his muzzle and continued running towards home, still thinking about the young woman. Why did she want to see him? He’d certainly never met her before; he wouldn’t forget someone that looked like her. She was a cute little thing—not his usual type, of course—but still cute and worth a second look. If he was looking to settle down with a human, she might be worth considering, but a permanent mate wasn’t in his plans at the present time, despite his drunken musings of the previous night. There was enough to do trying to establish his territory without having to worry about a female.

  Sure, he wanted the pack to expand, but he wasn’t planning on being the one responsible for that—at least not for awhile. Bryan and Daniel were randy enough, though. They could locate mates and provide the pups. He’d just keep finding willing females to help him release his sexual tension, whenever the need arose.

  But enough of that. Melody Greene was here looking for him and he was pretty sure it wasn’t just for the pleasure of his company and a quick roll in the hay. It had to be something to do with that damned picture. After all, what were the chances of two different strangers looking for him in the course of a month; one in Smythston a few weeks back and now one in Stump River? She had to be the same person, but how had she found him? He and Kane had gone to great lengths to bury the trail that connected them. Ms. Greene must be one hell of an investigator and incredibly determined if she’d been able to ferret out his whereabouts.

  His house came into view and he paused in the backyard, phasing back into his human form before walking to the building. The smell of frying chicken and fresh coffee drifted towards him causing his mouth to water. He inhaled deeply, savouring the smell, but then frowned. What was that other smell? Oh. Right. Ms. Greene’s scent lingered in the air too. Damn. Grimacing, he hoped he’d be able to get rid of her. He didn’t need the type of complications she represented.

  Chapter 7

  Mel put off calling Aldrich as long as possible. She had nothing positive to report and hated lying to the man, since she was sure the lawyer saw right through her attempts at evasion. During the job interview that she’d endured with him, she’d felt his eyes on her as if he’d been trying to delve into her brain to find every little secret she’d ever had. The background information he’d required had been extensive; family background, medical history, school records, letters of reference, a police background check… Given the large amount of money involved, she supposed he couldn’t be too careful, but it had seemed a bit exc
essive. However, his employer, Anthony Greyson, hadn’t become a wealthy man by entrusting his money to just anyone.

  She still recalled sitting in the upscale office, trying to remain calm as Aldrich interviewed her and gave a few generalized hints as to what the job might entail. His demeanour had made her feel like she was on trial. He’d ask questions nicely then moved on to a new topic, only to suddenly revert to the previous train of thought and re-ask the same question with slightly different wording and an accusing tone of voice. Mel knew she had nothing to hide, but still felt guilty and nervous. At one point she’d almost felt the need to confess to stealing Timothy Hawthorne’s chocolate bar in fourth grade! Thankfully, she’d controlled the urge, but somehow she was sure Aldrich already knew the truth.

  Aldrich was an imposing man, not because of his size—being only average height and weight—but because of his appearance and demeanour. His greying hair was always too perfect; his eyes were a pale ice blue while his face was impassive, only the faintest hint of a smile or frown gracing his thin lips. The man seemed cold and calculating, and Mel hoped she’d never end up on his bad side. After making a few notes on her answers and double checking her contact information, he’d dismissed her, leaving her with the impression that she’d failed the interview. It was with great surprise that she’d received a phone call a few weeks later, saying she had the job. Her surprise was even greater when she discovered that Aldrich worked for Mr. Anthony Greyson, head of Greyson Incorporated.

  Anthony Greyson was a well known business tycoon in the Chicago area. His name was synonymous with wealth and success, yet he led a life shrouded in mystery. Very few people ever saw him and even when he entertained, it was rumoured that he only put in a perfunctory appearance before disappearing into the private depths of his mansion. Some said he was involved with the mob. Others claimed he led a double life and had homes all over the world where he assumed other identities. The tabloid stories about the man were even more ludicrous and not even worth mentioning.