“Oh,” she replied, lowering her eyes.
“Don’t worry, were going to get out of here. Mark my words,” said Meredith, trying to console her again.
“My mother can’t marry him,” said Caitlyn.
“She would never marry Blake, unless she planned on killing him on their wedding day,” said Meredith, with a smirk.
Caitlyn smiled.
She patted her hand. “It won’t be long now before we’re out of here.”
“How do you know?”
“I’m a grandma. We always know these things,” she said, smiling warmly at her.
“Do you know how to bake cookies, too?”
“Yes, although I prefer pie.”
“Me, too!” she said, relaxing. “I love apple and pecan. Those are my favorite.”
“Tell you what, as soon as I can, I’ll bake you one. Maybe I’ll even bake a pecan pie for Blake,” she said, smirking.
“Him? Why?”
“Nut allergies.”
“He has them?”
She nodded. “So I’ve heard.”
Caitlyn’s eyes widened. “So, if someone kissed him after eating nuts, he could die?”
“Maybe.”
“Does Mom know this?”
“No, I don’t think she does.”
“Then we need to tell her!”
Meredith smiled. “I see where you’re going with this.”
“Exactly.”
Meredith walked over to the window and looked out. If only she could send her daughter a message, letting her know about the allergy.
“I can’t believe I’m hoping someone will die,” said Caitlyn.
She turned around. “Blake has killed a lot of people in his time, including my husband, your grandfather.”
“What about my father? Did he kill him, too?”
She put a hand to her chest. “Do you know who he is?”
“Not really. She said he died many years ago. Before I was born.”
“Oh.”
“Can you tell me about him?”
“No, I’m sorry. I really don’t know much about the man.”
“It’s not Blake, is it?” she asked, horrified at the thought. “I mean, she’s kept so much from me. Would she have kept that, too?”
“He’s not your father.”
“You’re sure?”
She nodded.
Caitlyn sighed in relief. “Thank God that jerk, Lucah, isn’t my brother.”
Meredith didn’t say anything, but she knew that if he was, Caitlyn would have been better off.
11
Mitch waited in the den for Blake to gather his son. Surprisingly enough, the man had been in an agreeable mood and had even given him permission to interview Lucah as well as search the property. It was as if he’d flipped some kind of switch in his brain since their last conversation.
Or maybe he just finally realized that his political future would be in jeopardy if he stood in the way of a missing person’s investigation, he mumbled to himself.
He picked up a small, pewter figurine of a wolf. The eyes appeared to be made of rubies and when he flipped it over, he noticed the word ‘Alpha’ engraved on the bottom.
Mitch snorted. That sounded like Blake. The megalomaniac. He’d been a bully as a child and was still ordering people around, including the mayor. It made him sick to his stomach.
The door to the den opened and Blake walked in with Lucah, who was the spitting image of his father, minus the beard. He hadn’t noticed it before, but Blake looked more like an older brother than a man pushing forty. Apparently, being an uncaring asshole kept one looking youthful. Or maybe it was just Botox.
“Hello, Sheriff,” said Lucah.
“Good evening, Lucah.”
“Sit down, son,” Blake told the young man and then looked at Mitch. “Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, soda, scotch?”
“I’m good and I’m on duty, otherwise I might have taken you up on that last offer.”
“Maybe we should have a real drink when you’re not on duty sometime, Mitch? I think it’s about time we took our hats off and got to know each other better.”
“Sounds good,” he replied, knowing that would never happen. Mitch loathed Blake and knew that deep down, the feeling was mutual. The only reason that Blake would want to have a drink with him was to try and grease his pockets, like he had with the mayor.
Blake poured himself a drink. “If you get thirsty, just ask Lucah to get you something.”
“I certainly will. Thanks,” said Mitch, reaching into his jacket for a pen. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask your son a few questions. Alone.”
“By all means,” said Blake, taking a sip of his cocktail. “One thing, however, I’m having a dinner party in about an hour-and-a-half. I’d appreciate it if you could get this over with quickly or wait until the next morning. I don’t want to alarm any of my guests.”
“Don’t worry. It won’t take long,” said Mitch. “After I’m done in here, I’ll do a quick search of the area where the teens were last seen, and then in the morning, I’ll send a couple of deputies over to take another look.”
“What do you think happened to those kids?” asked Blake, feigning concern.
“Not entirely sure,” he replied. “But, their parents are worried sick and nobody has seen or heard from them since last night.”
“What about their vehicle?” he asked.
“That’s missing, too.”
“Maybe they ran away,” said Lucah. “And got married or something?”
“Their families don’t believe that’s the case. Still, this is why I’m here. To collect any information I can and try to find them.”
“Understandable,” said Blake, walking toward the doorway. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair. Holler if you need anything.”
“Will do,” answered Mitch, opening his notepad up.
“Do you think those missing teens might have been attacked by some of the wolves in the area?” asked Lucah, when the door closed behind Blake.
Mitch shrugged. “It’s possible and that’s why we need to search every nook and cranny of the woods surrounding the look-out, where they were headed originally.”
“If I were you, I’d search the area near Meredith Fontaine’s cabin. Rumor has it that there have been a lot of wolf sightings.”
“Is that so? I was going to head over there when I was finished up here. Wolf sightings, you say?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm… I’ll check it out.”
“You should.”
“Did you know Colton Briggs or Rachel Parker?” asked Mitch, changing the subject.
“No. Should I?”
“You’re close in age. I thought you might have seen them around town.”
“To be honest, I wouldn’t know what either of them even looked like.”
Mitch pulled out two pictures and held them up. “Now you do.”
“Pretty girl,” said Lucah, yawning. “Hope she’s okay. I wouldn’t mind asking her out myself.”
“Colton might have an issue with that,” answered Mitch, eyeing him closely. There was something about Lucah that Mitch found disturbing. Maybe it was the lack of compassion?
“Maybe.”
The teenager looked like he was trying to keep a straight face. “Something funny?” asked Mitch.
“No,” he replied quickly. “Not at all.”
He stared at him hard. In his gut, he knew that Lucah was hiding something. Whether it had to do with the case or something entirely else, he wasn’t sure. But, he was definitely holding back. “So, you’ve never seen either of them?”
“Nope.”
He pulled out two more pictures. “These two girls disappeared about four months ago. Do they look familiar?”
“I believe one of your deputies already asked me about them.”
“Humor me, since I wasn’t there.”
“Just like I told him, I’ve never seen those two. If I did,�
�� he smiled, “I’d have remembered. They certainly were hot. What a waste, huh?”
“I take it you believe that these two are dead?”
Lucah’s smile fell away. “I have no idea. I just assumed that since you were asking me about them, that they might be.”
“Unless I find a body or have clear evidence that someone is dead, then they’re still alive in my book.”
“Understandable.” Lucah looked at his watch. “Are we almost done here? I have some things I want to do before my father’s dinner party begins.”
“Almost. I just have one more question – where were you last night? Around ten p.m.?”
“Playing a game with my friends, here, in the cabin, why?”
“Just wondering if you saw anything.”
“No. Like I said, we were here.”
Mitch tapped his pen against his notepad. “You mentioned a game. What were you playing?”
“War Hounds.”
“War Hounds? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the game.”
“It’s a PC role-playing game. You hook up with other players and form teams, online. Then you go on quests, kill monsters, and steal from your opponents. Everyone’s playing it. I can’t believe you’ve never heard of it.”
“I’m usually too busy for games,” said Mitch, not surprised that Lucah was into gaming. Most of the teens in town were into that kind of thing, even some of the adults. “You mentioned your friends. What are their names?”
“Mike Donally and Phil Blackwell. They live over in Moose Lake.”
Moose Lake was the next town over. He wrote their names down. “Do you have phone numbers for them? I’d like to ask them some questions, too. What time did they leave, last night?”
“They both stayed the night and left here about nine this morning.” Lucah pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I doubt they saw anything, either,” he said, scrolling through his contacts. He read their phone numbers off and Mitch wrote them down.
“Is there anything else?” asked Lucah.
“Not right now. What’s your phone number?”
His eyes widened. “Why?”
Mitch hid his smile. “In case something comes up or I have more questions for you.”
Sighing, he gave him his number.
“Are we finished?”
“Sure. Just one more thing.”
“What?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“I have a few,” he answered with a cocky smile. “Why, do you want me to hook you up?”
Mitch smirked. “Hook me up? How old are you, nineteen?”
“Yeah, but I like older women,” answered Lucah. “Cougars, you know? I could hook you up with one of them. Those women are insatiable. I guess it’s why I prefer them to the younger chicks.”
“Huh. Well, I’m good. Thanks, though,” said Mitch, a little shocked. The teen seemed far too young to be dating cougars. He wasn’t even old enough to get into a bar.
“You change your mind, let me know.”
There was a knock at the door and then Blake stuck his head in. “Sorry to bother you, but I need something from my office.”
“No problem, we’re done here anyway,” said Mitch, standing up.
Blake stepped inside. “That didn’t take long. Was he able to help you?”
“Unfortunately, not with the case. I guess if I need a date, however, he can ‘hook me up’,” said Mitch with a smirk.
Blake patted his son on the back and chuckled. “Really? Why don’t you hook up your old man, Lucah? I could use a date.”
“Right. You don’t need me for that, especially now that you’ve got Megan,” answered Lucah.
“Megan? Megan who?” asked Mitch.
“Megan Fontaine,” answered Blake, taking out a cigar from the small humidor sitting on his desk. “You once dated her, didn’t you?”
Mitch was at a loss for words. Had she come back into town because of Blake Van Buren? The thought of them together made him ill. “Many years ago. So, you two are dating now?”
“Something like that,” he replied with a little smile.
“Tell her that I said ‘hello’,” answered Mitch, feeling deflated. He’d been looking forward to seeing her and now that he knew about their relationship, he wasn’t sure how to feel.
“I most certainly will. She’ll be here later, with the other guests.”
Mitch forced a smile. “It’s getting dark. I’d better get cracking. I should be out of your hair by the time your first guests arrive.”
“Sounds good. What exactly are you looking for anyway?” asked Blake.
“I’m not exactly sure,” he answered. “Something that will hopefully lead me to those kids, though.”
“What if they wanted to disappear?” asked Lucah. “Run away, you know?”
“Like I said before, they had no reason to run away.”
“Not that you know of,” he answered.
“Not that I know of,” he agreed, smiling grimly. “Well, thank you for your time.”
“Have a good night,” said Blake, sitting back behind his desk.
“I’ll let you know if I find anything,” he answered, opening the door. “I’ve got your number.”
Blake smiled. “And I’ve got yours, too, Sheriff.”
12
Torin followed Megan back to her mother’s cabin after convincing her to attend the dinner party. They returned as Lycan and kept their distance from each other. When she reached the porch, Megan went into the cabin and closed the screen door. Then she changed back into her human form.
“I guess I’m going to get ready. Where will you be?” she asked, keeping the porch light off. He’d also changed back and was standing in the light of the moon, on the other side of the screen. Her eyes moved down to his hips and her womanhood tingled. The affect that this stranger had on her was disconcerting.
“If you want a closer look, all you have to do is ask,” he said, smiling wickedly.
Her cheeks turned pink. “I wasn’t… For the love of God, can’t you be serious for one minute?” she snapped, embarrassed to have been caught checking him out.
“It’s hard when a beautiful, naked woman is ogling me,” he said, walking up the steps.
“I wasn’t ogling you,” she argued, turning to the coat rack next to the doorway. She grabbed one of her mother’s jackets and quickly slipped it on. “So, get over yourself.”
His eyes sparkled in the darkness. “It’s you I’m having a hard time getting over,” he said, leaning one of his hands against the doorframe.
Lycan males and their over-zealous sex drives, she thought. “Well, you’d better for the next few hours, and focus on the matter at hand,” she said, trying to keep her own eyes above his neck. The fact that he was obviously aroused again made it difficult to concentrate. She blamed her body’s reaction to the fact that it had been several years since she’d had sex with anyone. The last had been a human, and because she’d come so close to shifting, during it, she’d given sex up all together. Needless to say, it had been a long time since she’d even allowed herself to think about sex and now, this man was using it as a bribe. If he only knew how willing she was to pay up. But only after he helped save her daughter and mother.
“Focus is my middle name,” he said, smiling at her as if he could read her thoughts.
“So, what’s the plan?”
“I’m going to go and get ready for the dinner party.”
“So, you were invited, too?”
“Of course. It’s why I’m in town,” he lied. “To hear about his newest plans to rule the world.”
She grunted. “I should have known. Between him and his crazy brother, Victor…”
“Have you met Victor?”
“Yes. It’s been many years, fortunately.”
“They’re both dangerous, although I’ve heard that Victor can be much more sadistic.”
“I’ve heard the same,” she said, unable to look away from his face. For some
one so ruggedly handsome, he had a sensual smile. “Um, so are you coming back here, to the cabin, when you’re ready?”
“No. I’ll meet you at Blake’s. We obviously don’t want him to know that we’ve been in contact with each other.”
Megan, wondering what in the hell she was doing, trusting this stranger, began to panic. She’d been alone for so long, trying to protect Caitlyn and now she was putting her faith into this man that she’d just met. One who worked for Blake? Her eyes burned into his, trying to read him. “Can I really trust you to help me get my daughter and mother back?”
He returned her stare just as intensely. “As long as you agree to our terms. All of them.”
“I do.”
“How do I know that I can trust you, Megan?”
“You can.”
“You’re not going to take off on me, are you?”
“No.”
“Good, because if you do, I’m very good at finding people.”
“You don’t have to worry about it, Torin. If you save my family from that monster, I’ll gladly pay up.”
He smiled slowly. “Gladly?”
She nodded.
He opened the screen door.
“What are you doing?” she asked, taking a step back.
“Getting my down-payment,” he answered.
“Down payment?”
“Of course. I’m a businessman. I’d be stupid not to.”
“I guess I can understand that. I’ve got some money in the truck,” she said, looking toward the SUV, where she’d left everything, including her purse. “I’ll be right back.” As she tried walking past him, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
“That’s not the kind I meant.”
Megan opened her mouth to protest but his lips claimed hers, not giving her a chance. She stiffened up and tried pushing him away, but he held her firmly.
“Don’t fight it,” he growled against her lips as his hand slid into her hair. Then his tongue was in her mouth, hot and greedy as he tasted her for the first time.
Caught up in her own desires, she moaned and began kissing him back, enjoying the way his tongue instantly moved in sync with hers, as if they’d done it before, but still couldn’t get enough. It wasn’t until his hand slipped inside of the coat and he cupped her breast that she came to her senses and shoved him away.
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