by Carmen Fox
“Yeah.” Drake waited for a car to pass, then reversed out of the parking lot to join the road.
I crinkled my nose. This would not be another drive in silence.
“Do I look like Raven?” I leaned forward. “Leo thinks so.”
“Leo is delusional.”
“Hell, you’re making this partnership difficult than it needs to be,” I mumbled loud enough for him to hear. Still, I wasn’t beaten yet. “How is your brother?”
“He’s a mess. One broken leg, and he’s falling to pieces. Can’t cook, can’t do anything.”
“Good thing he has you.”
“I can’t be there for him all day.” He slammed the indicator into the on position and turned onto a different road. “Sometimes I wonder which of us is the older brother. Then there’s the trouble with the house.”
I reclined into my seat and motioned with my hand. “Go on.”
“He inherited our parents’ house in Denville, but the plumbing is old, and so is the wiring.”
“That sucks.”
“I’d tell him to move in with me, but we’d end up killing each other.”
“What does he do?”
“For work? He’s a lawyer and helps Jonah through the legal landmines. With him incapacitated, Leo’s supposed to step up, but clearly he’d rather spend time with you.” His sideways glance was unreadable.
It took more than a look to make me feel guilty.
“Land negotiations?” I scoffed. “You can’t blame him for preferring my company.”
“It needs to be done. Let’s not forget, Leo told everyone who’d listen that he’s the guy for the job. You know, the guy who keeps the machine oiled. That’s how he sells himself. But he keeps finding excuses.”
“I don’t know.” I adjusted the vents, which moved smoothly into the correct position. “Leo strikes me as a guy who does what he has to do.”
“Leo’s an empty shirt. The only reason Jonah hired him as a protector was to make the transition easier on Marlon’s followers.”
Where did all that venom come from? There might be a part of their history they hadn’t shared with me yet.
“You talked to Natalie, you had breakfast with Leo.” Drake gave his steering wheel three sharp taps with his fingers. “Anything else I’ve missed?”
“Not really.” My grin grew wider and wider. “Unless questioning Cody counts.”
The truck jerked.
Drake’s head spun toward me. “You did what?”
“Keep your panties on. You were otherwise engaged, remember? Leo took me. Anyway, Cody admitted to dating Raven. They were supposed to meet up, but she never showed. He thinks she’s dead.”
I fished the USB recorder from my pocket and rewound to the beginning of the conversation, so he could judge for himself.
“Clever device you have there,” Drake said afterward.
“It cost me a fortune, but it was worth every cent.”
Drake scratched his chin. “Cody thinks Raven’s dead, and yet he never alerted the police.”
“That’s what Leo pointed out. Unhelpfully so, I might add, because as you heard, once Cody thought we suspected him, he shut down.”
“Total idiot, that dude. Told ya.”
This time, I settled for a reproachful look. “Anyway, I want to try again, but Cody needs space to calm down.”
“Okay. We’ll wait.” Drake turned into the long, bouncy road leading to Jonah’s home.
The butterflies that had plagued my stomach when I arrived had flown away. Even the fields didn’t strike me as eerie today. Sure, Raven was still missing, and I had zero leads. My information-gathering about my mother’s past had also stalled. But at least I’d figured out the pack’s major players.
Maybe not all of them. Drake continued to be a mystery. He made me chuckle one minute, and wish for my dominance the next. Right now, his relaxed posture contrasted with his focused look onto the road ahead, yet I’d been around him long enough to know that driving didn’t take up all his concentration. Which begged the question, what was he really thinking?
“One more thing.” I shifted forward slightly to better catch his expression. “Leo mentioned that Raven and Sable once had a bet about seducing older boys. Sable tried it on with Leo. I wonder who Raven picked.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He shot me a shut-up glance.
I poked him with my index finger. “Ah, it was you. You fooled around with her.”
He braked. For a second the engine idled while Drake stared into the distance. “Raven wasn’t the girl Leo makes her out to be. He may have hoped she was, but she was all right, not easy like some.”
“You think she’s dead, too?”
“What? Of course not.” He shifted in his seat to let me feel the full force of his accusing glower. “Why do you say that?”
“You said she wasn’t the girl Leo made her out to be.”
Drake sucked in air and then got the truck moving again. “She wasn’t that type of girl back then.”
“I’m not saying she was evil. But she sounds like a woman forced to live a life separate from her family. A woman with a secret boyfriend who made plans to elope. How do we know there weren’t other guys in the picture? An angry ex, maybe.”
“Raven’s different. She wanted love, romance, a big wedding, the whole enchilada. Ralph was the same, you know. Idealists. Dreamers. Always thinking something great was waiting around the corner, and always looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses.”
I puffed out my cheeks. Dreams were for those without perspective. Dad ignored reality enough for the both of us. Don’t sit there, it was your mother’s favorite spot. You can’t have the music box, it was your mother’s. As if she didn’t lie dead six feet under, but had merely popped out to the supermarket.
Drake pulled into the sizeable drive and turned off his engine. He checked his phone and made a sound of dissatisfaction. “I gotta call my brother. Can you find your way in?”
“Sure.” The perfect time to tell Jonah about Natalie’s request.
I got out and rang the doorbell.
“Kensi.” Leo opened the door and immediately leaned in for a peck on my cheek, while resting his hand on my arm. “Nice to see you again so soon.”
“I’m here to update Jonah.” I kept my voice light, but twisted slightly to shake off his touch.
“Where’s Drake?” He lowered his voice. “Did you finally kill him? Because no jury would convict you.”
I laughed and aimed my thumb over my shoulder. “He’s on the phone. Besides, my investigation, my report.”
“All right. Come on in.”
We headed to the same room in which Jonah had given me his good ol’ werewolf welcome.
The alpha sat in his chair, barely glancing up when we entered. The large windows bathed half the office in light, while the front half, where the table was located, relied on the high ceiling lamps for illumination.
Finally, Jonah put down his pen and pushed his papers aside. “Kensi. What have you found?”
His tone demanded not just news but answers. If only investigations were that simple.
I followed his outstretched hand and sat in the chair opposite him. “All I can say at this point is that Raven did intersect with humans. She has a human boyfriend and is a member of an environmental group that’s fifty-fifty human.”
“Okay.” He repeatedly struck the table with his pen. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing without context, and I don’t have anywhere near enough of that. The good news is that these are solid leads, or starting points.”
Jonah crossed his arms and tilted his chin up. “How so?”
“I can check out the other members of the group, look for unusual behavior or a break in patterns.” I lifted my shoulders and straightened. “Cody, her boyfriend, is due another visit, too. And we’ll have a look around the spots where Raven used to hang.”
“In other words, you have nothin
g solid.”
My fists clamped tight, but I kept my expression smooth. In a couple of days, I’d achieved more than his protectors had in months. “I already checked with the morgues and hospitals in the area and put a bulletin out to the remaining ones in the state. My assistant is working a few angles from Chicago, and I will check in with her this afternoon. Eliminating possibilities is as important as confirming them. We’re making progress.”
“I wasn’t criticizing you.” Jonah waved off before letting his hand re-join his folded arms. “Forgive me. I’m not a patient man.”
“It’s okay,” I mumbled.
“But I’m a grateful one. Really.” He impishly fluttered his eyelids.
I couldn’t help but smile. Was this the real Jonah? The guy he was when he wasn’t playing mind games?
“No biggie.” I gave a one-sided shrug. Jonah unplugged was a man I liked.
An elderly woman carrying a pot of tea entered the room through one of the side doors.
“You see?” Jonah said. “All will be well. I spent a year in England and firmly believe in their national motto that tea heals all troubles.”
The woman’s warm smile was directed at the room, but her shrewd gaze targeted only me. Her large irises were a deep brown, bursting with the things they’d witnessed in her long life. No makeup altered her smooth light-brown skin. She was a stunner now. In her youth, she must have been downright devastating.
“Thanks, Liza.” Jonah pushed a second cup forward to be filled. “How about cookies?”
“Of course.” She retreated through the same door.
Transfixed, I watched her graceful gait.
“Is she human?” I asked once she was out of earshot.
“Who, Liza? No. Why?”
I reluctantly returned my attention to the alpha. “Her name isn’t an animal name.”
“She wasn’t born into our pack.” He narrowed his eyes. “No one knows where she was born. She doesn’t talk much, but she’s an excellent cook.”
The sight of another outsider could have sparked her interest in me, or maybe she was excited to meet a princess.
“Before I forget.” He pushed a small stack of papers in front of me. “Buck emailed a copy of the police report, a form you need to sign—” He pointed at a page and gave me his pen.
I skimmed the insurance document and added my signature.
He retrieved both pen and sheet from me. “—and a list of names for POOF. He said you asked for it.”
“That was quick.” I folded the two sheets and slipped them into my pocket. “I have another request, if I may. It’s not actually for me, though. Consider me the messenger.”
“I’m intrigued.” He bent forward, letting his forearms slide along the table.
“I had lunch with Natalie Daniels, the local librarian. She told me about this town, about the deep rift between old and new—or werewolves and humans, as you would say—and she fingered you as the sower of discontent.”
“Excuse me?”
“Again, I’m not being disrespectful, only relaying a message. So no shooting, okay? Nat claims you and your followers oppose any of the town’s efforts to hop into the twenty-first century.”
“My followers?” He gave a subtle shake of his head, then rubbed his eye with the heel of his hand.
I cocked a finger gun and clicked my tongue. “Pretty astute for a human, isn’t she? I believe she mentioned the term ‘cult leader.’ ”
“Is she going to be a problem?” Leo pressed his hands tight against his thighs. “Do I need to pay her a visit?”
“Whoa, stand down, soldier.” I raised an arm. “She’s not dangerous. Jeez.”
He lowered his gaze.
Jonah coughed, yet a grin radiated across his face.
“Sorry.” I crossed my arms between me and my cup. “Your protector. I get it.”
“No, that was good.” Jonah made an inviting gesture. “You certainly have the dressing-down part down for when your time comes.”
I chuckled. “Practice. Dad says I was bossing him and Mom around the second I popped out of the womb.”
“Like mother, like daughter.” He shook his head. “Man, Aldwych wouldn’t stand a chance against you two.”
The laughter left my lips and my heart. Of course, Jonah would have known my mother. He’d have been young back then, even younger than my dad, yet old enough to have a grown-up conversation with her. Here I was, her own daughter, and I couldn’t even remember her voice.
“I’m sorry.” He pushed a white bowl of sugar toward me. “I shouldn’t have mentioned her.”
Although a sweet tooth wasn’t one of my vices, I heaped two spoons of sugar into my tea. The mood change that occurred when someone spoke of my mother wasn’t one of the better traits my father had passed on. Shouldn’t I be over her death by now?
“It’s okay.” I lifted the cup to my mouth and promptly burned my lips. “What do you know about my mother?”
“She was pretty, funny, and confident as all hell. As I said, you remind me of her.” He twisted his expression into a wince. “When her pack moved into this area, they caused upheaval, though, and she was of course at the center of it.”
“Must have been overwhelming for them.” I stared out the window at the large back yard. My knowledge of travelers was limited, but constantly being on the move had to be tough. I focused back on Jonah. “The minute you get settled in a new place, a bucketful of tension erupts not with humans, but with your own kind.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Jonah fumbled with his pen and didn’t meet my gaze. “Your mother was the reason—”
Liza returned with a small plate of baked goods.
“Thank you.” Despite Jonah’s ominous words, I smiled at her.
She touched my arm for a few seconds, and then quickly left the room again.
I sucked in air and steeled myself. An atmosphere like this, heavy with unspoken words, rarely led to a barrel of laughs.
“Okay.” I prodded my finger against the table, beckoning Jonah to spit it out. “You were going to tell me about my mother.”
“Forget it.” He waved me off repeatedly. “It’s not important.”
“Seriously?” I shook my head. “It sounded like what you had to tell me was pretty damn important. I know so little about her.”
“If your father hasn’t told you about this, he must have a reason. Whatever that reason is, it’s between you and him.” His thin lips would divulge no more.
“Dad doesn’t talk about her. Period.” I slipped down an inch on the smooth chair and averted my gaze.
Jonah had said my mother had been the reason. The reason for what? That man was infuriating, but he was right. It was time Dad and I had a proper conversation. No more vague excuses.
“Anyway. You mentioned your friend from the library.” Jonah’s frown disappeared, and he was back in amiable alpha mode.
If only I could compartmentalize that easily. “Yes. You’re currently opposing a project that is of special significance to Natalie. An activity center for disabled children. If she’s the person I think she is, she’s going to fight you tooth and claws on this if she has to. But for now, she’s going to try diplomacy.”
“Meaning?”
“She wants to meet with you.”
Leo made a move forward, but his alpha’s raised finger warned him off. One move was enough. Jonah knew how to keep his people in line.
Leo shrugged and ambled out of the room.
Jonah looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Is this still because I went over your head to engage your services, or do you just hate me?”
“No, this is about you giving up a few minutes of your time to be a good guy.” I’d failed to check my tone, but it was too late.
Jonah’s eyes narrowed into cold slits.
“Why should I meet some woman who has a stick up her ass about one of my land deals?” His dominance swept over me with the force of a hurricane. “What the fuck do you think I
do here all day? Fluff cushions and cuddle kittens?”
Keeping my chin raised and my gaze steady, I let the prickling heat tear across my skin.
“I don’t want you to meet with some woman.” I countered Jonah’s power with my alpha voice. “She’s a canny lady who’s spotted that you hold a special position in the Triangle, and with it, the key to influence half the locals. A woman who, as a librarian, is a wizard at doing research and finding dirty little secrets if she put her mind to it, and someone who’s decided to use anything she can against you to make this project a reality.”
His dominance slowly ebbed away.
I relaxed my legs, where I typically concentrated my resistance so none of the strain would show on my face. “Meet her, be nice, serve cookies. Twenty minutes to save you serious trouble down the line.”
“Surely you’re not considering this?” Leo returned to the room. “We’ve invested too much in the paperwork already. You can’t allow this woman to derail our progress. I mean, if we concede any more land to these humans, the pack will revolt.”
I gestured there you go with my hand. “All the more reason to compromise. Deflect the ball before it gets anywhere near the ten-yard line, and you might be spared grief.”
Leo’s eyes widened. “Oh, you know about football?”
I scratched my chin with my middle finger. “The things I know would astound you.”
“Kids, please.” Jonah raised a hand. “I’m not entirely convinced it’s necessary, but you make a good point, Kensi. Set it up.”
“Any particular time?”
“She’s not already here, is she?” Jonah tilted his head as if to check for her presence through the solid wall of his office.
“Of course not.” I dialed her number before he could change his mind. “Tomorrow okay?”
“Three o’clock.” He rubbed a circle over the spot between his eyebrows. “And you’d better be here, too.”
Natalie was delighted at the good news.
After I’d hung up, I pushed my cell back into my pocket and got up. “I’d better leave you to it. Where’s Drake?”
“Gone to run an errand for his brother. He’ll be back in an hour.” Leo smiled. “If it’s okay with Jonah, I can give you a lift home.”
