Brents brow furrowed, “How have you managed to collect all that alone?”
“I’ve had help from a few reliable sources.” His gaze briefly went to Kaitlin’s before returning to Brent’s.
Now she was even more confused. Why had he looked at her when he’d mentioned his sources again? Did she know them?
Rhys moved forward and lifted the file from the table. “We should get out of here and head back to the hotel.”
“I agree,” Brent said.
Kaitlin continued to watch Malachi as he grabbed up a few things before joining them at the door and they headed outside to the car.
Chapter 15
It took just under half an hour to get back to the Bay and her puma went on alert at the number of wolves inside the suite. There must have been three times the number she’d met before and she itched to run away; her skin feeling almost like it was crawling. Not a nice sensation at all. She rubbed her arms trying to stop it.
Malachi looked just as freaked. The clenching and unclenching of his hands showed her just how hard he was fighting the urge to do something.
Kaitlin moved closer until her arm touched his and watched as some of the tension left his shoulders. She’d relaxed a little too. He gave her a grateful smile.
“Right guys,” Rhys said loudly, grabbing her attention as well as everyone else in the room. “We have possible information that could bring down the head of the Shifter Council. If it wasn’t bad enough that he put a bounty on my head, he’s also exiled one of his own clan members and abused his daughter mentally and emotionally. He is an evil man and he must be stopped and tried for his crimes.”
A cheer of approval went through the room.
He wiggled the file he was holding. “This holds everything we need. I need volunteers to recheck the sources of this to see whether they’d give evidence against Paul Mahone. Who’s up for it?” Several hands raised and he beckoned them forward to come and retrieve the file from him and had a quiet discussion with them.
Kaitlin looked across at Malachi but he’d relaxed and seemed content to wait while his file was looked through and confirmed. Movement beyond him caught her attention and she glanced past him to see a guy with a phone pressed to his ear talking quietly and rapidly. He seemed familiar, like she’d seen him before but it was only when he turned, finishing the conversation that she recognised him. It was the guy who’d been staring at her her first night here. A shiver moved down her spine as he caught her watching him and gave her a cold glare. Something wasn’t right there. Instinct told her she should tell Rhys and she quickly turned to him. “Rhys? Rhys!”
At the almost desperate quality in her voice he turned sharply. “What is it?”
Turning back, she gripped his arm when she saw the man had vanished. “He’s gone.”
“Who’s gone?”
Her eyes went over the faces in the room but she couldn't find him. “The guy,” she answered, her gaze roaming frantically from face to face.
“What guy, Cat? You could be talking about anyone; only the guys followed me from Darren’s.”
She frantically tried to recall what he looked like. “He was tall, dark hair, dark eyes. Kinda creepy looking. You’ve introduced me to him before, the first night I came here. You told me his name!” The night came back to her suddenly, “Raoul!”
He frowned. “Raoul? You’re sure it was him?”
“Yes!”
Rhys whistled sharply and Brent appeared at his side in the next moment. “Try and find Raoul in the suite.”
“He won't be here. He’ll be long gone by now.” Kaitlin crossed her arms over her chest, unimpressed at not being trusted on this.
Reaching out he brushed his thumb across her cheek. “I can't go jumping to conclusions; it wouldn’t make me a good Alpha. That doesn’t mean I don’t believe you, though, I do.”
Brent reappeared at their side, shaking his head. “He’s not here. Why did you want him?”
“He’s working with someone else,” Kaitlin cut in before Rhys could answer. “I saw him talking heatedly to someone on the phone. When he saw me watching he gave me this cold, evil look and I just knew something was wrong. I told Rhys and when I turned back he was gone.”
“I hate to break it to you, Kaitlin, but that doesn’t prove anything,” Brent said softly.
She took a step closer and shoved her finger in his face, “Don’t patronize me, Brent. My instinct tells me he’s up to no good and it’s never been wrong before. He’s working for someone else. For all we know it could be my father; or Darren; Tito.”
Both men stared at her for long minutes as the rest of the room was filled with the sound of quiet conversation.
“Look, Raoul wasn’t happy to see me when you fetched me here the first time. He may have acted polite but I sensed he’d rather have killed me than smile like he did.”
Brent nodded like it made sense. “We did think it strange that he came with us, didn’t we? He never interacted with us unless he had to so why did he follow us out here?”
“You have a valid point,” Rhys acknowledged. “We need to find out who he’s working for.”
“How do we do that?” She asked.
His brow furrowed as he thought and then a loud sigh left him. “I have no idea. Maybe we should concentrate on one problem at a time. Your father is a bigger concern. If it turns out Raoul is working for him then that will get rid of both problems. If not, we can deal with it afterwards.”
Kaitlin nodded and turned back to stare at the room.
“My source is very reliable. The information doesn’t need verifying,” Malachi chipped in. “And there’s a list in there that documents who’s willing to testify. You may also find a picture of—Raoul?—in there as an associate of Tito’s; which probably puts him on the payroll of Paul Mahone.”
They all turned to stare at him and he held his palms up. “I didn’t know he was in your pack; that wasn’t passed on to me or I’d have mentioned something sooner.”
Rhys glared at him for a moment before turning back to the room. “Alright guys. Change of plan. There should be a list mentioned in the file that lists people willing to testify. Find it and check—just to confirm. Myself and Kaitlin will be working out who on the council will be the best choice to take the evidence to. Brent will be around somewhere, as will Malachi, if they are needed. Please treat Malachi kindly, he is a…guest and an ally.”
A soft murmur of agreement went through the room and then Kaitlin felt Rhys’ hand wrap around her upper arm and she was led down the corridor and into the bedroom and pushed gently towards the bed.
“Rhys now isn’t the time to—” Her words were cut off as his lips claimed hers softly but passionately.
“I know,” he told her with a smirk, when he finally released her, “but I couldn't resist.” His thumb ran over her bottom lip, “You’ve been biting it and it looked so red and inviting.” Rhys’ eyes flared amber as his gaze roamed her face.
Kaitlin could see the effort it took for him to let her go and couldn't resist a small smile. It was certainly something to know you had a hold on someone who was normally so strong-willed. That you were his weakness.
He moved away to grab something off the table and then sat on the edge of the bed. Rhys patted the space beside him and she walked to his side to see what he was doing. He’d grabbed a pad of paper and a pen and was writing all the council members names on it with a pro’s and con’s column under each.
“You think that’s going to help?” She asked with a smile.
As he shrugged his shoulders, she dropped down beside him and pulled the pad from his grip and flicked through the names for the one she wanted. When she found it, she tugged the pen from his fingers and wrote a note on the pro side.
Youngest member of council; has done little that D could hold over her.
“You’re thinking of going to Li?”
She glanced across at him, “Why not? Maybe in Malachi’s file it says it was my
father who sent the rogues to kill hers.”
Rhys’ brows rose in surprise. “You think so?”
“It’s possible,” she got up off the bed and headed to the door. “Let me go find out.”
Pulling the door open she hurried down the corridor and hooked and arm through Malachi’s to get his attention. He glanced around nervously, probably looking for Rhys, before giving her his full attention.
“You know that file off by heart?” He nodded his head, watching her warily. “Then do you know whether it was my father who sent the rogues to kill Li’s?”
Malachi slowly nodded his head. “My source told me.”
Kaitlin tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. “Who is your source? I know them, right?”
He glanced away, “I don’t think they’d want you to know.”
“Okay.” She nodded understandingly. “You have proof? I’m going to need it for what I have planned.”
“There’s a transcript in the file of the phone conversation between Paul Mahone and the rogue werewolf.”
How had he managed to get something like that? “I’ll need a copy.”
Malachi nodded and crossed the room to retrieve it from the file. She watched as he moved over to a small portable printer and pressed a few buttons. Moments later he was back with a copy of it, which he handed to her.
Her eyes scanned the sheet of paper, a queasiness taking over her as she read the instructions her father had given to the wolves on how he wanted Li’s dad to be killed. She took a steadying breath and looked away from the file. It was sickening.
“Thank you,” she said sincerely.
Taking the paper she headed back towards the bedroom where Rhys was waiting and waved the sheet in her hand. “Bingo.”
Chapter 16
Rhys took the paper from her and scanned the page. He paled at the details and she saw his jaw clench hard. She wasn’t surprised; it wasn’t pleasant reading. “Now what?”
“Now, we take this to Li. She’ll want revenge for her father and I’m sure if the rest of the council knew the truth they’d want him out too. Fear that they could be next may just shock them into doing the right thing.” He gave her an odd look. “What?”
A grin curved his lips, “I never realised you were so…business orientated.” Kaitlin raised a brow. “Wanting to bring your father down,” he explained. “You seem really determined to do it; there’s a fire about you.”
“He can't be in a position of power if he’s just going to abuse it.”
Rhys nodded emphatically. “I agree.” He bit his lip, “That fire is kind of hot.”
She laughed. “Do you ever not think about sex?”
“Not when I’m anywhere near you,” he confessed. Standing, he grasped her hips and pulled her against him, his breath warm on her face as his gaze locked on her lips. Obliging, she tipped her head back, her fingers threading into his hair as his mouth lowered to hers. Her fingers tightened in his hair as his tongue tangled with hers and his hands pulled her closer against him.
Kaitlin’s breathing was harsh as she pulled away from him. Placing her palms on his chest she gave a little push. With his legs being at the edge of the bed, he fell backwards until he was sat back on the mattress. “Rhys, we don’t have time!”
“I know. I couldn't resist,” he added with a wink.
Leaning forward, Kaitlin plucked the crumpled page from under his thigh and scanned it again. “I need to contact Li; set up a meeting with her.”
Rhys offered her his mobile and she took it with a smile. Opening the contacts she scanned through the names but couldn't find the one she was after. Then she realised that probably not everyone had the names and numbers of every council member programmed in, like she did—not out of choice but at her mother’s request—in case she found herself in trouble. She seriously doubted her mother had meant from her own father at the time.
“I need my phone. I have her number stored in there.” Kaitlin handed him his phone back and patted her pockets hunting for her own. Only she couldn't find it. Running through the places she’d been in her head, the only one where she could possibly have lost it was in the car when things had gotten a little…crazy, earlier. “Damn, it’s in the car.”
Pushing to his feet, Rhys offered her his hand. “Let’s go get it.”
“Sure,” grabbing his hand she let him escort her out of the suite and down the corridor to the lift. Oddly the doors opened as soon as the button was pressed, and they stepped into the steel compartment. He pushed the ground floor button and the doors swished shut and the elevator hummed softly as it descended. A ping signalled their arrival at their destination and Rhys took her hand, twining their fingers together, and led her through the ornate lobby and to the car parked outside.
The black SUV’s lights flashed once as he unlocked the car and she pulled open the passenger door and inspected the carpeted floor. Kaitlin couldn't see it so she reached blindly under the seat. Her fingers brushed something and she quickly grasped it and pulled it out. Sure enough it was her silver phone.
Smiling triumphantly she wiggled it at Rhys and then unlocked it. The message icon blinked furiously on the screen and she tapped it with her finger. It opened to reveal three messages; two from Misha and one from her mum. Apparently things were happening in the cat compound. Big things.
“Something’s happening back at the cat compound. How much do you reckon it’s to do with us?”
Rhys didn’t seem bothered in the least. “Almost definitely.”
“I need to phone Li, tell her what I know and see what she wants to do.” Scrolling through her contacts she found who she wanted and hesitated for the briefest second before pressing the call button. The phone started ringing and she pressed the phone to her ear.
“Li.”
Kaitlin licked her suddenly dry lips. “It’s Kaitlin Mahone. I…I know who killed your father and I have evidence to prove it.”
There was a long silence following her words and she began to wonder if the connection had cut when Li spoke, “Where are you? We should meet.”
“I’m with Rhys…” she trailed off as she realised she didn’t know his last name.
He grinned before supplying, “Hemsworth.”
“Rhys Hemsworth, a wolf shifter—my mate—at the Crescent Bay hotel; he’s got the penthouse suite.”
“A wolf shifter is your mate?” She asked, her voice turning light and teasing. “I bet your father isn’t happy about that?”
Kaitlin smiled and let out a snort of laughter, “Not in the slightest.”
Li’s voice grew serious again, “I’m already in the country—your city actually—on business. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” The line went dead.
“Cat?”
She glanced up at Rhys to find his gaze locked on something across the car park. Following the direction of his gaze she found a group of people, both men and women, staring at them. Her eyes locked on one man as he cracked his knuckles with a smile. This couldn't be good.
“What should we do?” She asked.
“The most sensible thing would be to run, but I don’t think that would be a good idea with Li coming here.”
Shooting him a quick glance, she said, “We don’t know how long she’ll be. Two versus nine are not good odds. Can't you phone Brent or something?”
“Not a bad idea,” he conceded and swiftly plucked his phone from his jeans pocket and speed dialled Brent. “We’ve got trouble in the car park. Fetch some guys downstairs with you.” He didn’t wait for an answer just disconnected the call and slipped it back in his pocket. “They’re on their way.”
“Good because they’re heading our way.”
Kaitlin tried to remain calm as the newcomers grew ever nearer but it was hard. Not knowing whether they posed a threat to them or not was driving her crazy.
One of the men in the group drew a knife and took a second to stroke the blade before tossing it end over end at Kaitlin. She ducked the flying weapon
and heard a crack behind her as it embedded itself in the bullet-proof glass of the SUV.
Definitely a threat, she decided.
Rhys swore to her right as one of the male attackers drew a blade and sliced at his stomach. Baring his teeth in a snarl, he drew his fist back and punched the man in the face.
Kaitlin didn’t get the opportunity to watch as a shrieking woman ran at her. Feinting left, she quickly moved right, kicking out with her foot and connecting with the woman’s side. The woman let out a pained grunt but quickly rallied with a low punch to the kidneys that had Kaitlin crying out in pain. Her anger and adrenaline rising she pushed the pain away and bared her teeth in a snarl.
The other woman went to punch her again but Kaitlin blocked it and grabbed the woman’s arm to pull her off balance. Lifting her knee she drove it into her attacker’s stomach and heard a satisfying “oomph”. Quickly she tripped the woman and, following her down, punched her in the face several times until she was unconscious.
One down, several more to go.
Jumping to her feet, she saw Rhys grappling with one guy on the floor. A woman was closing in on them from behind and Kaitlin saw red.
Stalking forward, she launched herself at the woman, catching her in the side. They tumbled to the ground and rolled as they each fought for dominance. Surprisingly the other woman ended up on top and punched Kaitlin hard in the jaw. Her head snapped to the side with the force and she had to struggle to keep conscious. She blinked slowly and turned her head back to face the woman, who was grinning at her.
In the next second she was yanked backward, her face showing surprise. Kaitlin heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh and then a thud.
Brent was suddenly leaning over her. “You okay?” She nodded, shaking the punch off, and took the hand he offered and was hauled to her feet. “Duck!”
She didn’t question the shout and quickly crouched. A loud crunch sounded above her and she quickly glanced up to see a guy go flying backwards from the force of the hit. He didn’t get back up or twitch and she hoped he was only unconscious and not dead.
Cat's Wolf (A Shifter Romance Novella) Page 8
