The Finding

by Nicky Charles

  “Trespass on their territory? We might ruffle some feathers, Kane. That’s breaking the rules.”

  “So? Since when have you cared about rules?” He perched on the edge of his desk, thinking it was curious that he was the one instigating the situation. It was quite a role reversal for the two of them.

  “Good point.” Ryne chuckled softly. “Being mated must be making me soft.”

  “It happens, brother. It happens.” Kane smiled thinking of how his own mate, Elise, managed to wrap him around her finger.

  “So do we just barge into Chicago’s territory or do you have a cover in mind?”

  Kane thought for a minute. “I think we should take our mates on a vacation. Make it sort of a family reunion.”

  “Good idea. Mel’s been acting...strange lately. A vacation might be just what she needs.”

  “Do you think we should tell them exactly why we’re going to Chicago?” Kane focussed on Elise. She had the baby on her hip and was listening intently to Jacob as he pointed out something to her. Elise had been rather vocal about him keeping his nose out of Chicago, but...

  “Do you really think we’d be able to take them to Chicago and not raise their suspicions?”

  Kane exhaled loudly. “Good point. Elise will kick up a fuss I expect, but maybe when she learns Marla’s involved, she’ll feel differently.”

  “I expect she will. The woman did try to kill her, after all.”

  Kane chuckled. “Having someone try to kill you does tend to colour your perception of them.” He sobered quickly though. “So we’ll meet in Chicago, do some reconnaissance, and then formulate a plan to get at Marla and Aldrich, agreed?”

  “Agreed. I’ll see what flights are available and then get back to you.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Kane paused and then asked cautiously. “Did you say Mel had been acting weird as of late?”

  “Yeah. There’s something bugging her, but she won’t say what. Even has me blocked out of our mental link. Olivia tells me it’s just part of her being pregnant.”

  Kane was silent. It wasn’t his place to say anything, though why Mel was holding back he wasn’t sure. He rubbed his chin. “Yeah, Olivia is probably right.”

  *****

  Marla stared at the phone in disgust. Not only was she stuck working late, but there’d been several prank calls—no one on the other end, just barely audible breathing then the caller hung up. It wasn’t even an obscene phone call, just creepy silence. The caller ID was blocked, so she had no way of knowing who it was without doing an elaborate trace.

  Her wolf wasn’t at ease with the calls either. It seemed to sense something, but couldn’t or wouldn’t communicate what it sensed, stupid beast. Why she found herself fighting and arguing with the creature, she had no idea. Werewolves were supposed to live in accord with their inner animal. It was just her luck that her animal had to be so contrary. All it did, these days, was whine and complain...

  Pursing her lips, she tried to concentrate on the last of her work, eager to clear her desk and then meet up with Jeffries for some tooth rattling sex. The man wasn’t a brain trust, but what he could do with his fingers and tongue was amazing.

  She shivered in anticipation while trying to keep the phone calls from creeping back into her mind. It was ridiculous to even give them a second thought. People got prank calls all the time. No one was out to get her—at least no one who’d be making a phone call, that is. A dark alley, walking in a park; those were places for concern, not the penthouse suite. Besides, the security that Aldrich had in place ensured the safety of everyone in the building. No one got in or out without a thorough security check and even then their movements were monitored by hidden surveillance cameras.

  Finishing the last form, she stacked the papers into a neat pile and began to shut down her computer. Finally, the day was done and now she could have some fun away from paperwork, e-mails, and annoying prank phone calls. Jeffries was waiting for her and she’d spend a sinfully delightful night with him.

  Briefly she considered that perhaps she should be spending the evening working on Aldrich, cozying up to him, pandering to his ego. She hadn’t done that in a while and men enjoyed such attention, but Jeffries was so much more fun and responsive. Besides, Aldrich was such an old stick.

  Thus far she’d fondled and cooed over him, presented herself in revealing dresses and displayed her legs, but the man hadn’t made a move yet. Could he be gay? No. She’d seen a bit of tenting in his lap when she’d leaned over him on occasion, rubbing the side of her breast against his arm. He had a physical response to her, but chose to not act upon it, darn his self control! Never before had she been forced to make the first move, but maybe it was time she changed her game plan. Standards were all well and good, but if they kept you from the main prize, well then they might need to be altered. But not tonight. Tonight, Jeffries awaited her.

  Gathering her things, she stood in the doorway, force of habit having her scenting the air and listening carefully, locating everyone else in the penthouse.

  Swanson, the security officer, was in his office, faint clicks and whirs letting her know he was reviewing surveillance tapes. The housekeeper was washing dishes in the kitchen and Aldrich was working in his office, coughing slightly. Sylvia’s footsteps could be heard heading towards Aldrich’s office. The woman was humming slightly under her breath. A growl escaped Marla’s lips as she considered the nurse. Aldrich’s lack of interest was partially that woman’s fault, as hard as it was to admit.

  Marla proceeded to the elevator, her stiletto heels clicking on the terrazzo tiles. Determinedly she punched in the security code that would summon the elevator. Over the electronic hum of the elevator, Sylvia’s own humming could still be heard. It was a damned annoying habit. Getting rid of the woman would have to become a priority. As the elevator doors opened, Marla wondered if it was possible to arrange for Sylvia to fall down the shaft. Hmm... She’d have to research that, but right now, there were more important things to be concerned about. Tossing her hair over her shoulder she entered the compartment and pressed the button for the lowest level.

  As the door slid shut, she had the briefest glimpse of Sylvia standing in the shadows watching her. Now why would the woman do that? And what was that strange expression on her face?

  *****

  “Something’s gone wrong.” Franklin paced the kitchen of the Greyson estate, running his hands agitatedly through his hair.

  “Calm down, just calm down.” Mrs. Teasdale murmured the words as she endlessly added pepper to the simmering pot on the stove. “Wearing a hole in the floor and stressing yourself into a heart attack won’t help Miss Cassie.”

  “And adding a whole pot of pepper to the soup won’t either.” He pointed out what she was doing. Mrs. Teasdale gave a gasp, set the pepper pot down and turned off the burner under the now ruined soup. “What are we going to do?”

  He shook his head. “Meredith seemed so sure this morning that this new young man was one of them and I concurred with her assessment of the situation. Her description of him and his behaviour indicated a strong probability that he was a werewolf. But now it appears there’s been a violent struggle in the house. If he’s interested in her joining his pack, he would have treated her well.”

  “Perhaps it wasn’t this young fellow who caused the problem. Maybe it was someone else?” Mrs. Teasdale’s voice quivered as she offered the vague hope.

  Franklin pursed his lips. “Or perhaps Mr. Greyson was right to be cautious in approaching a pack. Maybe this pack felt she didn’t meet their criteria and decided to do away with her. He always said if he found a pack, he’d have guards on hand to take her to safety in case she wasn’t accepted. I thought he was too cautious; that a pack would willingly accept a young female...” His voice trailed off and he dropped down into a nearby chair, hunching his shoulders, his hands clasped in front of him. “What if I was wrong? What if my grand scheme leads to her downfall?”

  Mrs. Teasd
ale placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It won’t. And it wasn’t just you. When we found out where she was, we weighed the options together and both agreed on the course of action every step of the way. From letting her live her own life, to sending the anonymous personal ad to that little newspaper in Ontario—”

  “We tried to lure the pack to her, but were never sure if that worked or not,” Franklin mused staring sightlessly at the floor. “Mr. Greyson’s private files on that last project only indicated that the reporter was working in the Stump River area, not that the pack was actually there.”

  “It was all we had to go on at the time and there was no way of verifying their existence without stirring up more trouble.”

  “But it wasn’t enough. Meredith watched her carefully for the next month and nothing unusual happened.”

  “Short of posting her address or where she worked, I don’t know what else we could have done. You’ve told me over and over that subtlety is important in dealing with these wolves.”

  He sighed heavily and stared morosely across the room. “We did our best to lure the Ontario pack to her and to the best of our knowledge it didn’t work—”

  “Or the fools found her and rejected her.”

  He nodded. “That could also be the case. Either way, for two years we’ve sat twiddling our thumbs—”

  “Waiting and praying for something to happen.” Mrs Teasdale finished the thought. “And now when there’s finally some hope on the horizon, a new glitch occurs.”

  Franklin grunted and rubbed his eyes. “So what do we do? Do I call in some old favours and send in a team to rescue her? I’m sure I could think up a plausible story without giving her true heritage away.”

  “Or do we trust in fate? Meredith Mitchell didn’t know for sure who had been struggling in the house. When she peeked in the window, no one was about. Perhaps Miss Cassie wasn’t involved. Perhaps it was that Kellen fellow who was in trouble.”

  Franklin gave a short, dry laugh. “Just a few hours ago, I was the one reassuring you.”

  She patted his shoulder. “That’s what friends are for, Franklin. I say we wait a bit, let Meredith do a bit more snooping around before we act. If we jump in too soon, we may inadvertently ruin Miss Cassie’s chances of bonding with a suitable young man.”

  Reluctantly he nodded. “All right. We’ll wait for Meredith’s next report. I just hope nothing happens to her because we waited too long to act.”

  Chapter 15

  Cassie paced her living room, though given its small size, she never had to go very far. Regardless, she had to do something. Inaction was killing her. She wrapped her arms around her body, her fingers digging into her flesh. At least the slight pain took her mind off her mental turmoil over this new twist.

  After leaving Dollar Niche, they’d driven back to the house. Bryan had been quiet, seemingly lost in thought and Cassie wondered what he was thinking about. The man didn’t know Kellen, so it seemed unlikely he’d be that perturbed over the abduction. Something else was bothering him and she was sure it had to do with the phone call he’d made to the number on the poster.

  But whatever it was, he hadn’t been inclined to share. After a few unsuccessful attempts at starting a conversation, she’d stayed silent and had begun to plot her next move. Bryan’s friend Daniel might come up with something, but just in case, she wanted to be ready.

  She’d been in the middle of listing of steps in her head—finish packing her bag, withdraw the cost of the airfare from her savings account—when the car pulled into the driveway. Bryan had jerked it to a stop and started swearing, leaving the vehicle before she even had time to register what was going on.

  When she finally got out and made her way to the front door, he had tried to block her view of something, but it was her home and she wasn’t about to let him tell her what to do. Pushing him aside, she’d taken one look and gasped, stepping back in shock. A picture of Kellen had been taped to the front door.

  He was badly beaten; his lip split, his eye swollen shut. She’d wanted to cry at the very image. A note had accompanied the picture as well. Kellen was being held for ransom and she had to go to Chicago if she wanted him set free. There was a phone number to call for further instructions, once she arrived.

  Terrified, she’d suggested they go to the authorities, but Bryan had been adamant. Involving ‘humans’ would endanger werewolves. She’d argued against him, but he’d been unyielding on the point, assuring her they could take care of the matter on their own.

  Exactly how this was going to happen, she didn’t know. Surely it would be better to send the police after the perpetrators? It was a fact that Eddie Perini and Hugh had taken Kellen and left what was basically a ransom note. Wouldn’t that be enough information to cause the police to act?

  Bryan had murmured that Leon Aldrich was involved, as if that mattered. Whether the man was just paying out a finder’s fee to Eddie for bringing her in, or whether he was somehow masterminding the whole situation, Cassie didn’t know. Nor did she really care. So what if the man was involved? The police could sort the whole mess out, including whatever part Mr. Aldrich was playing.

  Cassie hadn’t thought much about Mr. Aldrich over the past few years, or rather when she did think of him, it was to recall his horrific death. Only, he wasn’t dead and that fact seemed to give her freedom to recall other things about the man. She’d never formally met him even though he was often at the house meeting with her uncle. Sometimes, she’d sneak downstairs and spy on them, her back pressed against the smooth panelling or crouched under a draped table. While she’d never really understood what was being discussed, she’d enjoyed the grand trick she was playing on the adults.

  Looking back now, she recalled how the man had always made her uncomfortable. He’d been obsequious to her uncle; outwardly subservient and yet she suspected it was all an act, that he secretly held her uncle in contempt. And now the man was in charge of her uncle’s estate. In fact, when she returned to her proper place as the Greyson heiress, she’d have to work closely with him. The idea made her feel slightly ill; she didn’t trust the man at all, but she pushed that aside. Sure, she’d have to return to her life as Cassandra Greyson and deal with the likes of Mr. Aldrich, but it was a small price to pay for Kellen’s life.

  Her arguments had fallen on deaf ears; Bryan was in a foul mood, actually snarling at her when she mentioned yet again that Kellen’s safety was her only priority.

  “You’ll not risk yourself for him or for anyone.” His eyes had seemed to glow with an inner power that had her quaking in her shoes and she’d even seen a flash of his canines. Just the thought of what those sharp teeth could do, had been enough to still her protests.

  She’d clamped her mouth tightly shut and he’d turned away, his displeasure palpable. If she didn’t know better, she’d have said he was jealous of Kellen, which was ridiculous. After all, they’d just met. Bryan hardly knew her.

  Finally she settled in a chair, watching Bryan warily out of the corner of her eye. That snarl had shocked her. For long periods of time she was actually forgetting he was a werewolf, but the fact had been brought abruptly home just moments earlier. He might appear civilized, but underneath, he was still an animal with an animal’s instincts. There was no doubt about it; Bryan could be dangerous. She clasped her hands tightly together and wondered why that fact was oddly thrilling.

  He was on the computer again, re-checking flights to Chicago, searching for better seats. His friend, Daniel, had confirmed that a private plane had been chartered by Mr. Aldrich and had flown out of McCarran International Airport headed for Chicago. She was anxious to follow, but the earliest flight they could get was tomorrow morning.

  It was nerve wracking having to wait around. She wanted to distract herself, but really there was nothing to do. The house was clean, her bag was packed... Seeking to occupy her mind, she began studying Bryan.

  At first glance, he appeared normal enough, but there was something
about him; a certain aura that set her whole equilibrium off balance. It wasn’t just the fact that he was good looking, though that couldn’t be denied. It was the way he carried himself; the ease and self-assurance seemed to shine through. Somehow, she just knew that if he was in a room with well dressed, high-powered business men, he’d be perfectly confident in his casual attire of jeans and shirt.

  His shirt—was it only a few hours ago that she’d been forced to wear it?—clung to his muscular body, highlighting his shoulders and back. She remembered the feel of those muscles shifting beneath her hand as she clung to him in the park, his body pressed to hers, his arousal evident against her belly. The memory had her shifting uncomfortably at the thought of how abandoned the beast inside her had acted. It had revelled in his touch, rubbing against him, whimpering in pleasure...

  The animal stirred and she forced it back down, shifting her gaze from his body. She wasn’t letting the creature get the upper hand again. Who knew what might happen next time?

  A ray of sunlight fell across the room and she concentrated on it instead. Tiny motes of dust floated in the air, creating an elaborate dance that led across the room. Her eyes traced the path they took, the beam of light eventually shining on the back of Bryan’s head, highlighting the strands of his hair. It was a sandy brown with just the slightest wave and had felt thick and silky against her fingers...She gave a silent gasp when she realized what was happening; she was back to thinking about him again.

  Resignedly, she admitted that the man did interest her, but it was nothing more than an appreciation of male beauty, she assured herself. Any woman would react to his physical charms, she hastened to add. Thus reassured, she allowed her eyes to wander over his profile, drinking in each feature. Light brown hair hung over his forehead and he occasionally frowned and brushed it back as he stared at the screen. His brows and lashes were slightly darker than his hair and accented his hazel eyes perfectly. A straight nose and strong chin. His lips were firm, the lower one slightly full. She recalled how he had an almost boyish look about him when he grinned, though right now his mouth was anything but grinning. It was firmly closed as something on the screen obviously annoyed him.