“Still, she’s a girl,” Cavendish pointed out. “I have boys and they don’t do that.”
I wanted to punch him. Worse, I wanted to unleash my wife on him. Not her powers, mind you, but her mouth. Cavendish was prim and proper, but I had no doubt my wife could make him cry in ten seconds flat. She was good that way.
“She’s not hurting anything.” Even though I knew I should stop Sami from showing off for Mike’s benefit, I had no intention of giving in to Cavendish’s whims. “Why don’t you tell me about this lodge and I’ll tell you if I think it’s a good fit? We’ll go from there.”
If Cavendish recognized the warning in my tone he didn’t show it. “That sounds like a fabulous idea. Let’s get started.”
Three
Cavendish’s imperious attitude bothered me. I had no doubt my aloof nature bothered him, because at a certain point he sent everyone except my father out of the room and tried to talk to me on a man-to-man basis.
“You must see the benefits to having a lodge in this area,” he pressed.
I leaned back in my desk chair. It gave me a position of power ... something Cavendish clearly didn’t like but swallowed. “I honestly don’t see the need,” I replied, my voice even and calm. “We have lodges in various parts of the state. We don’t need another.”
“It would be more convenient for you,” Cavendish pressed. “You’re outside of the loop now. You can’t like that.”
On the contrary, I was comfortable with that ... and for a variety of reasons. “I’m fine.”
“You’re pack-less.”
“I have a pack. It’s simply a small pack.”
“Your father and mother don’t constitute a pack.”
Briefly, I shot my eyes to my father before returning my gaze to Cavendish. “I was talking about my wife and daughter.”
“Your wife is a mage and your daughter a half-breed. You must see the need for a full-blood heir.”
Temper churned hot in my stomach. “No. I have my heir.”
“A girl.”
Here’s the thing: The wolf population puts such a premium on boys it turns into a sickness. Cavendish was obviously laboring under the delusion that I felt the same as him. It was time to divest him of that belief.
“My daughter is just as good ... as strong ... as perfect as any male heir,” I shot back. “My wife might not be a wolf, but she’s stronger than any shifter — wolf or otherwise — that exists today. They’re my pack, no matter what you say.”
Clearly expecting the argument, Cavendish offered up a breezy wave. “You love your wife.”
There was no question about that. “I adore my wife,” I corrected. “She’s my favorite person in the world.”
“You can keep loving your wife and still be a member of the pack.”
“Actually, I think that was proven false years ago. I have no interest in revisiting those dark days.”
Cavendish exhaled heavily, the sound long and drawn out. “There’s no need to get snippy. I heard that was your wife’s go-to emotion.”
His tone rankled. “My wife doesn’t get snippy. She gets mean. I wouldn’t push her if I were you.”
“Did I say I was going to push her?”
“No, but I know your type. In fact ... .”
Dad made an odd throat-clearing sound as he shifted in his chair. He clearly sensed things were careening off the rails. “I don’t think now is the time for this conversation.”
“I agree,” I supplied without hesitation. “There’s no need to ever have this conversation. If you want a lodge up here, that’s certainly your prerogative. I obviously can’t stop you. I will not, however, be joining any official events.”
My father snapped. “Aric!”
Cavendish gripped the chair armrests and leaned forward. “You would snub your own people?”
“My wife and daughter are my people,” I shot back. “They’re what’s important. That’s not going to change.”
“Your child is weaker because she’s not a full wolf.”
The simple statement felt like a nuclear attack. “My child is stronger than you will ever know. There’s nothing wrong with her ... other than the fact she inherited her mouth from her mother. Truthfully, I kind of like that, because it means she will inspire awe and fear in people.
“As for the comparison to a pure wolf child, I don’t care about that,” I continued. “She’s strong, smart and beautiful. She’s often a joy. Not always, of course, because she’s a kid and children are never joys all the time. But she’s my pride and joy, and I have no interest in adding to my family in an effort to supplant her.”
Cavendish was taken aback. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I’m serious.” I flicked my eyes to the window, to where Sami chewed on a licorice rope that had somehow materialized out of nowhere, and smiled. “She’s her own person. As a parent, that’s all I care about. The rest of it is all window dressing.”
“But you haven’t even listened to my plans,” Cavendish persisted. He clearly wasn’t used to being shut down. “I have everything planned. We’re going to take you to lunch and show you the blueprints.”
That sounded like a terrible way to spend a day. “I promised my daughter lunch,” I said. “We’re spending the day together.”
“She clearly has someone to look after her.” He jerked his thumb in Mike’s direction. “I insist you join us for lunch.”
“Oh, well, if you insist.” I rolled my eyes. “I promised Sami we would have lunch together. I promised her ice cream and candy. She thinks she’s going to be able to manipulate me into taking her shopping. You know what? Odds are good it’s going to happen.
“It doesn’t really matter what we do, though,” I continued. “I would much rather spend time with her than you. So ... I believe that’s all.” I pushed myself to a standing position, ignoring the look my father scorched me with. He was clearly furious, but I was beyond caring.
“I insist we have lunch,” Cavendish snapped. “It’s only polite. We came all this way.”
I pursed my lips. “It’s up to Sami.” Internally, I smirked when I pictured her face at the suggestion. “She gets to pick the restaurant. If she doesn’t want you there, then you can’t come. It’s as simple as that.”
“So ... you’re going to let a child dictate your afternoon?”
“Yup.” I strolled past him and shoved open my office door. I planned to call to Sami and let her pick where she wanted to eat. I knew which restaurant she would select. She was a big fan of the local Coney Island (as was her mother) and I had no doubt I would be eating diner food within the hour. The question died on my lips, though, when I realized Cavendish’s traveling companions were buzzing about the showroom in an unexpected manner. “What’s going on?”
Eyes wide, Sami turned to me, her tablet clasped in her hands. “One of the guys is missing.”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “He’s missing. They can’t find him. He was here a little bit ago and now he’s gone.”
Instinctively, I strode toward her instead of the men, and hunkered down so we were eye to eye. “Did something happen?”
“I don’t know.” She looked bewildered. “I was talking to Mike. They were making me nervous and stuff, but I tried to ignore them because I didn’t want to be bad and upset you.”
My heart rolled. “You’re not bad. Even when you’re naughty — something you inherited from your mother, by the way — you’re never bad. Okay?”
She gazed into my eyes and nodded. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. Stay here.” I pressed a kiss to the top of her head and exchanged a weighted look with Mike before crossing to the front of the store. He understood the message I conveyed without saying a word and moved closer to Sami, cutting her off from the other men in the process. “Who is missing?” I demanded.
“Someone is missing?” Cavendish asked, sliding into the spot behind me. I didn’t particularly like him st
anding there, because I didn’t trust him, but I managed to hold it together and refrain from lashing out.
“One of your men apparently,” I replied. “I’m not sure which one.”
“It’s Franklin Horton, Mr. Cavendish,” one of the other men volunteered.
The name meant nothing to me, so I waited to see how Cavendish responded.
“Franklin?” He furrowed his brow. “Where did he go?”
“I don’t know, sir. He was here and then ... well, we simply didn’t see where he went. He’s gone, though. He’s not in the store.”
“Did you check the yard?” I asked. “He could’ve wandered out there.”
“We have, sir,” the man confirmed. “Your men outside said they didn’t see him. We don’t know what to make of it.”
Slowly, I tracked my gaze to Dad. He looked as perplexed as I felt. “What do you think we should do?”
He shrugged, noncommittal. “I don’t know,” he replied after a beat. “I don’t know what to make of it. I just ... we can’t pretend he wasn’t here. Franklin comes from a prominent family.”
Of course that was what he was worried about. I should’ve seen it coming. “I’ll head outside and see what I can find.”
“I’ll go with you,” Dad volunteered.
“We’ll all go with you,” Cavendish corrected, his tone telling me that arguing wouldn’t be welcome.
“I’m going outside, Sami,” I announced. “I want you to stay here with Mike. Do you understand?”
She nodded, but I didn’t miss the flash of fear in her eyes.
“I’ll be right back,” I promised. “Don’t leave. I’ll tell your mother to wear those boots you hate to the next parent-teacher conference if you do.”
Her lips curved down. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.”
AFTER AN HOUR OF FRUITLESS searching, we regrouped in front of the store.
“He’s not here,” Cavendish announced.
“Really? I never would’ve guessed,” I said dryly, shaking my head. My father’s heated look was full of warning, but I ignored it. “He left on foot, but I can’t keep up with his scent because there are too many bodies here. I have no way of tracking the direction he went.”
“No cameras?” Cavendish challenged.
“No. I don’t want cameras here.”
“He could be in trouble,” Dad said pragmatically. “He could’ve wandered out there to take a look and tripped and hit his head.”
“He’s a wolf,” Cavendish argued. “That doesn’t generally happen to wolves.”
“No, but nothing is out of the realm of possibility.” Dad held firm. “We have to look for him.” His eyes hopped to me. “You agree we have to look for him, right?”
I did, but not for the reasons he assumed. “Yes.” I pressed the tip of my tongue to the back of my teeth as I considered our options. “We’ll break into teams. Just let me lock Sami in with Mike to make sure she’s safe before we head out.”
“You want to leave Sami behind?” Dad didn’t appear to be on board with the suggestion. “She could help us.”
I was instantly suspicious. “How?”
“She can do that thing Zoe does.”
My spine stiffened as I worked overtime to remain calm. I knew exactly what “thing” my father referred to. It was a mage power Zoe unleashed while still in college, using magic to track individuals. While my wife had become adept at it, my daughter had never as much as tried.
“No.” I immediately started shaking my head. “Sami is not getting involved in this.”
“We have a missing man,” Dad argued. “Besides, this is a chance for you to show Cavendish how strong Sami really is.”
“I don’t care if he believes she’s strong or not. She’s staying here.”
“We need her.” Dad refused to back down, and it set my teeth on edge. “You said it yourself. We’re searching blind without a trail.”
“Have you considered he purposely hid his trail?”
A muscle worked in my father’s jaw as he bobbed his head. “I have. Why do you think I’m so worried?”
“And still you want me to take my daughter on the hunt for a man who might have willingly disappeared.”
“She’ll be safe with us,” he countered. “Do you really want to leave her behind in case he circles back? Mike is a nice guy and I have no doubt he would die to protect my granddaughter, but he won’t be able to take Franklin in a fight if it comes to it.”
I wanted to argue, but he wasn’t wrong. To buy time to think I slowly turned my gaze to the people watching us. It was only after a full minute that I recognized another presence moving in behind me. When I turned, I found Sami standing in the open doorway. She looked worried.
“What’s wrong?” I asked automatically.
“You’re upset,” she said simply. “What’s wrong with you?”
She had a knack for picking up on emotions. She didn’t know why yet, but I did. Her mother’s powers ran strong through her. She was simply too young to completely manifest. That was a good thing in my book. The more time she had to remain a little girl, the better.
“We can’t find the missing man. We’re going to have to go into the woods. Your grandfather wants you to come with us.”
“He does?” Sami didn’t look frightened as much as intrigued. “What can I do?”
“I don’t know if you can do anything,” I answered honestly. “Your mother has a special ability. She can ... occasionally find missing people.” I didn’t want to put unnecessary pressure on my child. It wasn’t fair to compare her to Zoe, who had developed her powers over an extended period of time.
“How does she do it?” Sami asked.
“I don’t know.” That was the truth. “She just ... concentrates and follows a trail.”
“And you want me to try?”
“If you want. You don’t have to.”
She swallowed hard and looked between her grandfather’s hopeful face and mine. “I want to try,” she said finally, puffing out her chest to show her bravery.
That was exactly what I was afraid she would do. I didn’t like this at all, but it was too late to do anything about it.
SAMI GAVE A GOOD effort, but she couldn’t make the magic work. Her frustration was evident and she was ready to dissolve into tears before I stepped in and scooped her up.
“You tried. It’s okay.” I kissed her cheek as she rested her head on my shoulder. Over her head, I didn’t miss the way Cavendish rolled his eyes. If I didn’t have Sami to worry about, I would’ve explained — with my fists, mind you — exactly what I thought of his attitude. That was the last thing Sami needed. “You did your best.”
“Mom could’ve done it,” she lamented.
“Mom is older and has practiced more,” I reminded her. “You did a good job.”
“I didn’t find him.” She didn’t lift her head from my shoulder as I shifted her. It was easier to carry her when her legs were wrapped around my waist. She sighed as she tapped my shoulder and whispered one word. Left.
I stilled, surprised. I wasn’t sure I’d heard her correctly.
“Left,” she repeated, her voice barely audible.
On a whim, I clutched her tighter and started walking. I heard my father calling out to us, asking where we were going, but I ignored him.
“Straight,” she said on an exhale.
I followed her directions, my hands gripping her tighter as we emerged in a small clearing. There, the scent of another wolf was unmistakable despite the overwhelming evidence that blood had been spilled on the land.
“What are you doing?” Dad asked, chasing behind. “I ... .” He broke off when he picked up on the warring scents. “That’s blood.”
“It is,” I agreed, keeping my arms firmly wrapped around Sami as her head remained planted on my shoulder. I had a million questions, but I couldn’t ask them in front of an audience. Had she always known where to go and balked at saying it out loud? Was the i
nstinct to lead me here overwhelming only because I’d picked her up? It was a tantalizing mystery ... and one that would have to wait.
“Is that Horton’s blood?” Cavendish asked as he strode into the clearing. “Is he dead?”
“You know what we know,” I replied, swaying slowly to keep Sami calm. When she was an infant, she tortured Zoe and me for days until we learned the appropriate sway to soothe her. “There’s only blood as far as I can see.”
“No body,” Dad agreed, straightening. “If there was a body here, someone moved it.”
I kept my eyes on the ground as I swayed and circled. “I don’t see how a body could’ve dropped here without us being able to identify the exact spot where it happened.”
“What are you suggesting?” Cavendish looked legitimately curious.
I shrugged. “Maybe he was injured and walked away.”
“I think we would be able to pick up his trail if that were the case.”
Sadly, I agreed with him. “Maybe something or someone else is involved,” I supplied. “Maybe someone carried him out.”
“I think we would be able to pick up that trail, too,” Cavendish argued.
“Not if someone masked it,” Sami volunteered, taking me by surprise. Her head was still on my shoulder and she felt surprisingly heavy. When I pulled back to stare at her face, I realized her eyes were hollow, lids drifting lower. She was exhausted.
“Masked it how?” Cavendish challenged, ignoring the way I stared at my child. “There’s only one way to do that. Magic. As far as I know, there are only two magical people in this area. Are you saying you did it, girl?”
I jerked out of my reverie and glared at Cavendish. “She was in the office. You saw her.”
“Then it must have been her mother.”
“My wife is at a meeting in a nearby town,” I corrected. “Don’t even think of pointing the finger at her.”
“Who else is there?”
That was a good question. I didn’t have an answer. That didn’t mean I wasn’t ready to fight. “I don’t know, but it wasn’t a member of my family. You brought him here. He’s your responsibility.”
Wolf On the Job Page 3
