by Roxy Wilson
He nodded. He picked up his cup and took a sip. “I owe you for giving me that sound advice. The steaks are amazing, and I’ve struck a good rapport with Lendl.”
“He’s a great guy. Lendl used to tailor all my dad’s clothes. He didn’t like picking things off the rack.”
“Yeah, well. Lendl is great. Of course, he’s an astute businessman.” Reece chuckled. “I’ve already placed orders for two jackets I didn’t know I needed.”
She laughed. The smile changed her face. It made her look more approachable, friendlier. “He knows how to win customers, that’s for sure. But don’t worry, whatever you ordered will be worth it. He’s good at what he does.”
“Yeah, that’s the impression I got.” They shared a smile, and once again, the old camaraderie they shared before was back, even for a moment. “I should go,” he said abruptly. If he stayed here, they might end up doing something which Nya would later regret.
“Yeah, take care.”
He stood and made his way to the door. Of course, he meant to stick around until she left for her office, but there was no need to tell her that. She might tell him to wait inside, but all he wanted to do right now, was to go outside and breathe again. When he was with her, every fiber of his body ached to touch her, taste her, make love to her, and he wanted to avoid the temptation at all costs.
“Reece, wait.”
He turned to face her.
“I don’t think I have said it as yet, but thank you. You’ve saved my life, not once, but twice and for that I’m grateful.”
“If it wasn’t for me, your life wouldn’t have been in danger,” he told her in a somber voice. “Let’s hope we can keep you safe until this mess is cleared. Be careful.”
Nya smiled that smile of hers again. “You too.”
He went outside. Rather than shift forms again, he simply melted into the forest and waited. Soon, he saw her get out of the house. She looked around and he could bet it was to see if she could spot him. His car was there, but he didn’t want to go to it as yet. If he did, they would talk again, and he just wanted to avoid that. He was well hidden.
She got into her car and sped off.
He heaved a sigh of relief. Reece was tempted to go to his office and immerse himself in his work, but he had other plans. He sent messages to his pack members, asking them to meet him at their usual place. He was going to set things straight. He went home, took a shower, changed, and then headed for the meeting.
When he arrived, Duncan and Smith were there. Rather than say anything, he waited. Soon, others padded into the clearing. Together, there were nine of them, but now Foster was missing, as was Faine. He was a little disappointed. His hope had been to confront Faine, so he could figure out what was going on inside her head. “Any word from Foster?” he asked Smith.
“We haven’t heard from him. I don’t think he’ll come back.”
He stared at them. “Were you involved in the attack yesterday?”
Their faces went blank. He wasn’t sure if they were acting, or they really didn’t know.
“What attack?” Duncan asked.
Reece filled in the pack about Faine’s attack on Nya. They all looked perturbed, and he was pretty sure none of them were behind it. “Any one know anything about it?”
“Not a thing. She never mentioned it,” Smith said.
“I had no clue,” someone else said.
They all denied their connection to Faine. Reece ran a hand over his face. “Okay. Let me hear everyone’s opinion on my involvement with Nya. Some of you have been vocal about it, but I think we need to resolve this matter once and for all. I don’t want anyone else to attack her or go near her. If anyone of you has an issue with our relationship, we’ll talk it out right now.”
“I’ve already told you I’ve nothing against her,” Duncan spoke up. “She knows about us and now, I don’t think she’ll tell anyone about our existence or secrets. I’m sorry about what happened, and I’ll defend her if anyone of the pack attacks her.”
“I think I can speak for everyone when I say none of us have any intention of targeting her for any reason,” Zane said. He was the oldest in the pack and had some influence over the younger members. “Most of us have known her for a long time and she’s a fair, caring woman. If you are in a relationship with her, I’ve no objections against it.”
Frankly, Reece was relieved to hear Zane’s endorsement. If he remained in his corner, the rest would all fall in line on their own. “Thank you, Zane.”
“Anyone else?”
“I don’t like having a human in our midst,” Laney growled. She was a middle-aged woman who was Zane’s companion. “But now that these idiots have already caused her to find out about our existence, I don’t see the harm in you continuing your relationship with her. What’s the guarantee, though, she won’t rat on us if you guys break up?”
He nearly laughed out loud. “Break up? Honestly, I’m just trying to get the relationship off the ground, but thanks to all these issues that keep creeping into my life, I doubt I’d ever be able to do it.”
Laney grinned. “Love isn’t ever easy, my dear. And now about Faine? What do you plan to do about her? Attacking a human without provocation isn’t acceptable.”
“No, it isn’t.” He hesitated. “I would like a chance to talk to her and see what her reasons are.”
Laney scratched her head. “I might have a theory on it. I think…maybe she has a thing for you.”
“Good God, I hope not.”
“Don’t be so modest. You know she’s always liked you,” Laney stated in a matter-of-fact voice. “But I don’t blame you for it. You’ve never encouraged her.”
“I’ve never even thought about her in that way,” he explained. “If…that is the reason, it’s not a good enough one to try and kill Nya.”
“Maybe she was only trying to scare her,” Laney reasoned.
“I think it was more serious than that.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But we have to find her first, to figure out how best to deal with it.”
“Do you want us to look for her?”
“If some of you could try and track her, I would appreciate it.”
“We’ll check it out,” Zane said.
After some chitchat, they all scattered. He got a call from the man he’d hired to investigate the theft in his company. “Yes? Any update?”
“I do, actually. I’ve been going to your factory for two days now, and the note you found in Miles’s desk that shows four dates. I’ve figured out what they are.”
“What? Anything important?”
“They’re dates when consultants visited your factory.”
Reece frowned. He wasn’t sure what the guy was talking about. “Why would Miles write that down?”
“I believe he may have suspected that one of those consultants was behind the theft. So, I’d like a list of all the consultants who have visited your factory in the past year and the dates they came in. I’ll match those with these dates and then look at all of them to see which one of them could be our potential thief.”
“I’ll get out those lists for you,” Reece replied.
“Send them as soon as you can.”
Reece slipped the phone back into his pocket. At least, he had some hope now. Maybe he would get the answers he wanted. Finally, some good news. He strode down the path towards the car he’d parked. After talking to his pack, he felt good. At least, he could expect that none of them would attack Nya. All he had to worry about was Faine. He got into his car and drove towards his office. Now, things would finally reach the resolution he so desperately needed.
Soon, he would have the name of the person who dared to steal his money and kill Miles, and then he would go to the police and give them the proof.
But what if the investigator was wrong?
What if it wasn’t one of the consultants who stole the money but rather Faine who did the unthinkable? She could have easily done it. Although she never acted as a consultant, she’d been in
and out of his office many times on one pretext or another. At that time, he didn’t understand why she insisted on coming there as he wanted to keep the existence of the pack a secret, but maybe the real reason was that she was preparing to steal from his company.
Too many thoughts collided and swirled in his mind. He found it difficult to grab and examine any of them in detail. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. Whenever he thought he got the angle on what was going on, something else happened that made him question the credibility of his thoughts. Hopefully, soon enough, he would figure things out.
As he reached his office and parked his car, Reece was startled to see Nya who stood there. What was she doing here? Did something go wrong?
He got out of the car and strode towards her. “Hi.” A brisk wind blew his hair and he ran a hand to push it back. She looked beautiful, of course. He wanted to grab her with both hands and plant his lips on her. His nerves were taut with desire, but there was no way he could act on it. She was safe as long as he stayed away from her, and that was what he intended to do. “What are you doing here?”
She frowned. “What do you mean? You’re the one who called me here.”
“Excuse me?” He stood opposite her. Nothing made sense. Why would she say something like that? “I didn’t.”
Nya plucked her phone out of her handbag and showed him an email she’d received from his email address. “See? You told me to meet you here at this time.” She glanced up at him, confusion coloring her features. “What’s going on, Reece? Are you saying you didn’t send me an email?”
Reece opened his mouth and then closed it. It didn’t make sense, and yet there were vibrations deep within his body. His shoulders tensed and he clenched his hands into fists. Shit. Trouble was headed their way. He didn’t know which direction it would come from, or where it would lead them, but he was quite sure there was something seriously amiss here. “I—”
Before he could say anything, there were soft, sharp sounds that made him jump. All hell broke loose—and suddenly, he was grappling with death, keeping it at bay, so it wouldn’t touch Nya.
Chapter Nineteen
She didn’t immediately connect the soft sounds with any danger. It didn’t click in her mind, but when Reece grabbed her hand and pulled her behind his car, she realized someone was shooting at them.
What the hell?
Could things get any more bizarre?
Too much was happening and with too little warning. “What’s going on?”
“I have no fucking idea,” he growled.
It was the first time she heard him use that word, and it told her that he was far more worried than he let on. She glanced around but when a bullet whizzed past her ear, Nya hunkered down next to him. “I can’t believe this. I mean—is there anything else that can go wrong?”
“You were lured here. Someone hacked into my email and called you here, so he or she could finish us off.”
“Who is it this time? Another pack member?”
He glared at her. “It can’t be. Wait. Maybe it’s Faine. From what I recall, she’s an excellent shot. Damn that woman. What the hell has she got against you?”
“How the hell do I know?”
He ducked to avoid another hail of bullets. “Shit.”
“Did you go out with her?” she asked.
“No.”
Nya wanted to ask him some more questions but this wasn’t the time or the place. Reece put a hand on her head and forced her to bend even lower. Her nose nearly touched the ground. The move was made just in time because a moment later, a bullet broke through one of the windows and glass shattered over them. A sliver of it pierced through her shirt and she felt the pinch of it. She wouldn’t complain though; it was nothing compared to the pain she would experience if she was shot. “What the hell are we doing?”
“We wouldn’t remain safe for long,” he said. “If the shooter moves under the cover of the trees and switches his place, they will have a good shot at us. We’ve got to get inside the building.”
“Let’s make a run for it,” she suggested.
“No, we can’t.” He pointed towards the broad expanse of open ground that led to the main door of his office. “We’ll be an easy target if we head for the door. Let me think. I could shift into my wolf form and make a run for it.” He smiled grimly. “I might even scare the shit out of the shooter…”
“Faine isn’t going to get startled just because you change forms.”
“What if it isn’t Faine? A human wouldn’t expect a wolf to run out from behind the car.”
She grabbed his arms and held on. It was a foolhardy scheme at best. Even if he managed to startle the shooter, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t get shot. Sure, being a werewolf, he might heal fast, but the bullet could just as easily pierce his heart.
No, she wouldn’t let him risk his life.
“We’ve got to figure out something else,” she told him. “The shooter would have to reload the gun at some point. We can make a break for it, then.”
“That’s also risky,” he debated.
“It’s better than running directly at the shooter,” she snapped. Nya didn’t release his arm. She was scared he might run for it without telling her. Knowing him, he would willingly risk his life to save hers, and she couldn’t allow him to do so. While she fought hard against the feelings for so long, at this moment, when death came to visit them, she had to admit that what she felt for Reece was more than physical attraction.
Love?
Yes, damn it.
She loved the guy. He was everything she always wanted in her soul mate. Strong, smart, calm, decisive, funny at times and of course, unbearably attractive. So what if he was a werewolf? She couldn’t hold that against him, and she didn’t even want to. It was a strength, not a weakness.
He looked at her as if he sensed the direction of her thoughts. “What?”
Her feelings for him must have been reflected on her face, but this wasn’t the time to disclose them. Nya bit her bottom lip. She would have to tell him eventually, but today wasn’t that day. “My phone is in the car, otherwise I could have called the police.”
“I have mine, but someone must have called the police by now. We have security cameras and my security team must have seen this and started the emergency procedures we have in place.” Reece shook his head. “But I just wonder if the police would turn up because I’m the one who’s in need of some help.”
“They’ll do their job, but it will take them at least half an hour to get here.”
“So, all we have to do is keep our asses alive for those thirty minutes,” he replied in a grim voice.
A howl suddenly rang out. “It’s Laney,” he said.
“The wolves are here?”
He nodded. “Oh yes, they are, and I bet they’re going after the shooter.”
The shooting suddenly stopped. They both looked at each other. Reece stood, grabbed her hand and pulled. She rose from her crouched position and followed his lead without hesitation. When they were on open ground, her heart thundered. This was the time when someone could have shot them. More howls rang out. There wasn’t one wolf, but more of them. Good. The shooter wouldn’t expect an attack from werewolves. It was the only thing that could have saved them. They dashed towards the building. The door swung open. The security team must have monitored their progress. Finally, they were inside, safe and sound.
Nya leaned against the wall and took deep, steadying breaths.
They made it.
Against all odds, they succeeded.
If the wolves didn’t come on time, this might have been their end, but thanks to them, they lived to tell this tale. “I could—kiss every one of the wolves—who gave us a chance to escape,” she breathed out the words.
Men in uniforms ran down the stairs. “Sir, are you all right? We’ve called the police. They’re on their way.”
“I’m fine. Thanks. Good job.” He gave them further instructions and they ran off t
o do his bidding. “The shooting has stopped. I think they managed to make the shooter run,” he said. “I’ll go out and check things out.”
Nya grabbed onto his arm again. “No, you can’t just walk out. What if the shooter is just biding his time?”
He pursed his lips in a thin line. “Good point.” Reece took out his phone and dialed a number. “Hey, Laney. Where are you guys? What’s going on?” He listened for some time, smiled, and then nodded. “I’m coming.” He put the phone back in his pocket.
“What’s going on?”
“The wolves were out today looking for Faine. They heard the sound and caught the scent of the shooter, but he was gone before they reached him. Laney called everyone else, and they’re trailing his scent. She’s waiting by the tree he was hiding on.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I need to talk to her, to see if she has any idea who the person was. She says she’s fairly certain it wasn’t Faine.”
Nya wasn’t happy to hear that. If it wasn’t Faine, that meant there was someone else out there who wanted them to die. One more problem or perhaps it was just the same, old problem that had gotten bigger. “It could be Miles’ murderer.”
“Yeah.” He scratched his head. “But if Faine was the one who killed Miles, do you think this person is working with her?”
“Why would Faine kill Miles?”
“I’m as confused as you are. We have no straight leads, but only a lot of shadows, and these damned shadows don’t give any answers.” He ran a hand over his face. “Shit. I had to do something important today, but I better deal with this mess now.”
“I’m coming with you.” When he hesitated, she jammed her hands on her hips. “The werewolves know that I know. I don’t think they’re going to be shocked if they see me with you.”
“Come on.” They strode out.
Even though she wasn’t expecting trouble, Nya was still relieved when no one shot at them.
“I want to send Laney on her way before the police comes. There’s no need for her to get involved in this nest of trouble.”
They reached the forest. “Where is she?” Nya asked.
