As Rachel's eyes adjusted better to the darkness and the sun crept a little closer to the horizon, the sky lightened and she was better able to see the wolf-turned-man. Now she knew who he was. Benjamin, the leader of the wolf shifters was who had summoned Chris to this meeting.
“Let's just say I have a vested interest.” Rachel squeezed Chris's hand as she spoke.
“I received word that you think I may be behind your missing wolf.” Benjamin's gazed turned back to Chris. “I am not, and you are not the only one with missing Fraction members.”
“I know we're not the only ones with missing people, but how do I know I can trust your word that you're not who's responsible?” Chris snarled through clenched teeth. Rachel could feel the tension in his body and knew he was fighting the urge to jump at Benjamin.
“Ask you're 'vested interest' there, she knows who I am.”
“I know who you are, yes. But I don't know what your interest is in this, or what exactly Chris suspects you of.”
“He thinks I'm the mastermind behind his people running an underground meat market.” Benjamin tilted his head to one side as he watched Chris's re-actions.
“You are!” Chris stared. “I know there's someone pulling the strings behind Harrison's back. He's not smart enough to run the operation on his own. And the trail leads right back to you.”
“Your investigators have taken the crumbs that were left for them without looking past the obvious.” Benjamin kept his voice patient. Rachel knew from having dealt with him before that he did his best to deal with the business before letting any-thing personal interfere. “Whoever is pulling your man's strings isn't local. From what I can tell, they are in Reno, or somewhere in that direction, possibly Carson City. “
“Why did you make us come all the way out here to tell me that?”
“I thought you'd enjoy the trip down memory lane.” Benjamin glanced around at the crumbling remnants of the old mining town. “You know, revisiting the place you were born.”
“How would you know that?” Chris's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“I know a lot about you. It's my job to know about all the Fraction leaders in town, but I have a special interest in you.” Benjamin's eyes flicked from Chris to Rachel and back again. Rachel wasn't sure what was going on, why did these two act as if they didn't know each other when she could tell they were brothers? Did they really not know each other?
Chris growled again. Not the low, back of the throat growl from earlier, but a loud, aggressive growl.
“I don't know who you are, and I don't like what-ever is between us, but I've already found my mate. I have no interest in you.” Chris's hand on Rachel's tightened as he spoke to the man across the clearing. Benjamin threw his head back and laughed.
“You're crazy. Not only do I not swing that way, but I have no idea what you're talking about.”
Chris growled again, this time lunging toward Benjamin. Rachel watched the two, wondering again what was going on between them.
Benjamin lunged, shifting mid-air. Chris released her hand and shifted as he jumped to meet Benjamin in the middle of the clearing.
Not wanting to watch a pair of brothers tear each other to shreds, she used the same power that al-lowed her to fly to thicken the air between them in-to a barrier separating them. Rachel watched as the two men hit opposite sides of the invisible wall and slid down like cartoon characters. Rachel bit the in-side of her lips to keep from giggling as she watched the matched looks of shock appear on their lupine faces. Stepping forward, she cleared her throat.
“Now that I have your attention,” she set her hands on her hips and stared down at the two of them as they picked themselves up off the ground, “I have a few things to say.” Rachel looked back and forth between the two of them, waiting for them to look at her. “I came here to find answers, not watch brothers tear into each other. Now, I have some questions, so if the two of you would shift back, we can address them.”
14
Muscles stretched and bones ground and popped as Chris shifted back into his human form. What did Rachel mean brothers? He didn't have a brother. As soon as he was human again, he went to the truck and pulled the extra set of clothes he kept with him just in case, pulling them on. He took a deep breath and turned back to the other man, once more hu-man and fully dressed, and Rachel.
“All right. Let's talk more calmly.” Chris sighed and moved closer to Rachel. There was still some-thing drawing him to the man, but the pull toward Rachel was stronger. And somehow different. Chris wasn't sure how though. “What questions do you have?” Chris focused his attention on Rachel but didn't ignore the wolf shifter. That would be dangerous.
“First, you said we're not the only ones with missing people, who else is missing?”
“Not my Fraction,” the other man shook his head, “not my place to say. But I can tell you that there have been several supernormals disappear in the last couple months, and you two are not the only ones looking into it.”
“Who else is looking?”
“The ones who oversee all things supernormal in the City of Sin, who else?”
“So, the issue is big enough to have come to the angels’ attention.” Rachel stared down at the ground and spoke mostly to herself for a moment. “I'm not sure if that's good or bad.” She looked up first at Chris, then to the other man. “Benjamin, you say someone is trying to make it look like you're the one behind the black-market meat trade, someone from out of town. I'll take your word that you're not behind it, but I'd like to know what makes you say that whoever it is, is west of here?”
“I've had people investigating them longer than he has.” Benjamin tilted his head toward Chris. “Longer than he's been in charge.”
Chris narrowed his eyes and stared at the shifter leader. “I've done as much as I could manage since I have taken over.”
Benjamin looked at him a moment. “I wasn't blaming you, just pointing out a fact. Your Fraction really went to shit under Jackson's rule. As much as I don't want to have to deal with you, we were all glad to see you beat him.”
Chris frowned. “Tyrone Jackson will be a dark shadow over my Fraction for a while yet, but I'm doing my best to eradicate every bit of his legacy. He left no offspring that we know of, so I don't have to worry about any young werewolves he may have poisoned the minds of, but he did enough damage to the weres without that.” Chris narrowed his eyes at Benjamin. “Why don't you want to deal with me?”
Benjamin watched him for several long seconds, and Chris couldn't tell what he was thinking. Benjamin sighed. “Because of who you are.”
What the hell was he talking about? Was it be-cause Chris was a were? That would eliminate any of his people, not just him. Chris felt Benjamin's eyes on him.
“You don't know what he means, do you?” Rachel asked after a moment.
“I assume it's because I'm a were, not a shifter. It's the only thing I can think of.” Chris turned to Rachel as he responded with a slight shake to his head.
Benjamin snorted and turned away, taking sever-al steps before stopping and turning back to face them. “It has nothing to do with you being a were and everything to do with you. Your father and your mother.”
Chris looked at him confused. “My father was no saint, that's no doubt, but I never knew my mother. She left when I was born, and I don't even know her name.”
“She didn't leave.” Benjamin spit the words with unmistakable venom. “You were taken from her. She was told her job was done, to leave and never come back. She wasn't welcome in your life.”
Chris's wolf growled at the idea that he had been taken from his mother, never given the chance to know her. Chris scrubbed one hand over the back of his neck, suddenly it had begun to ache, and stared at the ground a moment then shook his head, looking back to the wolf shifter.
“How do you know this? You couldn't have been there. You're no older than I am.”
Benjamin stared at him for several long seconds then turned to
Rachel. “Do you think it will come better from you than me?”
“It might.” Rachel sighed and moved close, wrap-ping her arms around Chris's waist and waiting until he looked down into her face before speaking. “I'm not entirely sure the details, but I'm guessing that your mother is his as well. Chris, Benjamin is your brother.”
Chris had no words. How could he have a brother, much less one he didn't know about. Was what Benjamin had said about his mother true? Had she not left when he was born? Chris's father had told him she had been disgusted that he was a werewolf and left, never wanting anything to do with him. Had his father lied? His mind spun. Is it true? He asked his wolf.
It is. The shifter is our brother.
Why didn't you tell me before?
I only discovered him a few days ago, you weren't ready for the news. You needed to focus on se-curing our mate. This was one of those moments when Chris wished he could strangle his wolf. It wasn't possible but damn, it would be satisfying. Tugging Rachel closer to his body, he glanced across the clearing.
“Is she right, do we share a mother?”
“We do.”
“Is she still alive?”
“She is.” Benjamin kept his answers short. Chris didn't know if it was because the other man was pissed at him or for some other reason. Right now, he didn't really care.
“If she's open to the idea, I'd like to meet her. I know my father was a mean son of a bitch, and I wouldn't doubt he lied to me.” Chris sighed and looked down at the woman in his arms then back to the brother he'd never known existed. “I under-stand the natural animosity between shifters and weres as well, but despite that, I'd like to try to get to know you as well. Perhaps we can mend some of the fences between our two Fractions, which has kept us so distant in the past. Maybe help solve some of the problems that plague both our Fractions.” He stared at his brother with new interest. “How long have you overseen your Fraction?”
“Not as long as many in this town, but significant-ly longer than you.” Chris could tell by the way that he skirted the question that he wasn't going to get a straight answer on that one.
“All right. You said you've been investigating the underground meat trade, will you send me the in-formation you have on that? I know Kyle is the lead man here in town, but he's not smart enough to pull off the whole operation. He's answering to some-one, and I want to take them down too.”
“I'll send what I have over. Are you using the Lunar Obsession as your headquarters?”
“I am. I'm in my father's offices, not the one Tyrone took over on the main floor.”
“Very well. I'll get that sent over to you sometime today.” Benjamin turned away, Chris thought it looked like he was ready to leave.
“Wait,” Chris called out. Benjamin turned back, watching him without speaking. “Will you check with our mother and ask if I can meet her?”
“I will, but you are a difficult subject for her, so it may take several days before she decides. I'll let you know either way.”
“Thank you.” Chris couldn't resist tightening his arm around Rachel as Benjamin turned and walked away, shifting as he reached a pile of rocks near the base of one hill and bounding quickly out of sight.
A brother he'd never known he had. Chris wasn't entirely sure how he felt about having a brother, but now that he had one, he wanted to know more.
15
Sunlight glinted off windows and cars, temporarily blinding Rachel as they reached the heavier traffic close to town. Stretching her arms over her head, her back and shoulders popped and cracked from sitting, almost unmoving, for the past two hours it had taken them to make the drive back. Unable to stop it, she yawned, her jaw popping louder than her back. After a moment, she settled back in her seat, leaned against the passenger door, and watched Chris across the empty seat that stretched between them.
The drive home had been quiet, so quiet that Rachel had caught herself dozing a couple times, only to jerk back awake when her head fell. She resisted asking what Chris was thinking. It wasn’t that she didn't want to know, just the opposite. But she knew if she were in his place, she would need some time to process the revelations of that night.
“I'm sorry.” Chris glanced across the truck. “I wanted to leave you tired last night but not for the same reason.” He shot her a teasing grin. “My original plan would have been a lot more enjoyable.” He reached across the seat for her. Leaning up, she moved close and took his hand, folding it with hers into her lap.
“It would have been more enjoyable.” She nodded, watching town speed by as they got closer to the strip where Lunar Obsession sat. “But not as enlightening.” She fell silent for a moment then looked at him from the corner of her eye. “And productive in an entirely different manner.”
Chris chuckled and shook his head slowly. “Some-times, you surprise me.” He lifted his hand and hers, still intertwined with it, to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand. “What do you want to do with the rest of our day?” He glanced at her before turning his attention back to the road.
“Why don't you drop me at the MesoAmerican? I've a few things I should get done today, and I'm sure you have a few of your own.”
Chris glanced at her, a crease between his brows. “I do, but oddly, I don't want to be away from you.”
Rachel gave him a vague smile then looked away. “I'm sure you don't, but we both have things we need to get done. Besides, after being up all night, I'd like a hot shower and some clean clothes.” She knew she needed to give him some time on his own to come to terms with everything he'd learned that morning. As tempting as it was to stay with him, he needed the time apart.
“You do know how to tempt a man, don't you? A shower sounds heavenly, and it sounds even better with you in it.”
“That does sound good, but the timing's just not right at this time.”
“All right.”
She could tell by his tone that he was disappointed but not really upset.
“Can I come by tonight though? After I check in at The Obsession and take care of what needs my attention?”
“I don't see why not.” Rachel checked the clock on the dash. “I should be done by seven, if you'd like to come by then.” Chris didn't respond for several heartbeats, and she thought he might protest.
“All right, I guess I'll see you at seven.” He pulled up in front of the MesoAmerican, put the truck in neutral, and set the emergency break before getting out. Instead of going around, he curled his fingers at her, inviting her to slide out his door. When she'd slid over, he picked her up, his hands snug on her waist. Chris dropped a hard, possessive kiss on her lips as he set her on the ground.
Rachel stared up at him a moment after he pulled back. She stood there, dazed by his kiss, before realizing his hands had left her waist. With a slight shake to her head, she turned.
“I'll see you in a while.” Chris called after her as she ascended the stairs. Once she reached the door, she turned to watch him climb back in his truck and speed away.
She wasn't sure if she would see him later. Odds were good that after some down time, the weight of the morning would hit him, and he would need some time to work that out. Once she could no longer see him, or the truck, she went inside, the electronic noise of the casino hitting her like a freight truck as she stepped through the doors.
16
Once he dropped Rachel off, Chris had nothing to distract him from the thoughts, which wouldn't stop circling his mind. His mother was alive. He had a brother. His brother was a shifter. His mother was alive. Whoever was controlling Kyle was some-where near Reno. His mother was alive. He made the drive back to the Obsession on autopilot, only realizing once he'd handed the keys over to the valet that he had no memory of the drive.
Chris didn't know why he was obsessed with the idea that his mother was alive. He'd never been told she was dead, just that she had abandoned him. Maybe that was it. Maybe it was because he had been lied to. If his father had lied to Chris about his mothe
r, what else had he lied about?
In his suite, Chris kicked off his shoes at the door and paced the length of his living room while he tried to remember every detail his father had ever said about his mother. She had been pretty, his father had told him that when Chris had been five or six. A few years later, the subject of his mother had come up again, and he had said she had been dis-gusted when he'd been born a were. Chris's being a were was something she couldn't handle, and she had left, leaving him behind. At the time, Chris had taken his father at his word, now though, he was second guessing it all.
Chris shoved one hand through his hair as he struggled to come to terms with it all. Frustrated, he headed for the bedroom where he stripped out of his clothes and went straight for the shower. As the steaming water cascaded over him, his mind flashed to a picture of Rachel in the shower, and he wished he were with her. He'd wanted to stay with her earlier, but now he understood why she wanted him to go home.
AFTER HIS SHOWER, CHRIS was pulling on a clean pair of jeans when the in-house phone rang.
“This is Walters.” He picked up the extension next to his bed.
“Mr. Walters, this is Evan at the front desk. I have a man here with a delivery for you. He wanted to deliver it to your office, but I knew you weren't in today.”
“Send him up to the office, Evan. I'll meet him there.”
“Yes, sir. Right away.”
Chris dropped the handset back on the receiver and finished dressing, skipping shoes and heading down stairs to the office floor barefooted. The other man was a shifter, he wouldn’t think twice about bare feet.
On the office floor, Chris went to the waiting area where the elevator stopped, turned on lights, and waited for the visitor. The elevator doors slid open to reveal an older looking man, though with the way shifters age, he couldn't be sure just how old. The man scowled.
The Dragon Chronicles_City of Sin Page 16
