by Cara Adams
The Alpha spoke very slowly, as if he was dredging the information up from the bottom of his memory. “Someone at your club lost their travel chess set.”
“That’s right. Your company returned it to him.”
“That was several months ago.”
“Yes, about three months ago. I had to leave the club just after that.”
“Why?”
“I wasn’t able to pay my membership fees. They gave me an extra six months free because—Well, they did, but I still couldn’t pay.” Because her mother had died, and she hadn’t had a paying job for twelve months as her mother had needed her. But the neighborhood they lived in now didn’t look good on a resume. Especially one that had only intermittent work for the past five years because she’d always put her care for her mother higher than her need to keep her job.
And I don’t regret that at all. I will cherish the memories of Mom and me spending time together on her better days.
“Getting back to this dagger. Your brother stole it.”
“No, he didn’t.” Her response was instant and heartfelt, although possibly not one hundred percent accurate.
“He might have been the look-out person or something, but not the actual thief. He doesn’t want to join the gang and end up in jail. It’s just that in our neighborhood, well…” Elsie ran out of words.
How would these people have any concept at all of the grinding poverty in the neighborhood where they lived now? Before her mom had gotten sick, they hadn’t been rich, but they had been surrounded by good, hard-working people and kids who went to school. But her mom’s illness had drained every cent of the family’s savings, and then gradually they’d sold everything they could, even the car. Finally they’d moved into the cheapest apartment they could find. Her brother, so much younger than her, had suffered the most.
Even on the days when he went to school, she didn’t think he learned much. Some of the teachers didn’t care what the students did or even if they went to class. Others cared, but spent most of their time trying to maintain discipline. Elsie didn’t think very many of the teachers managed to instill much learning in the students. After a while, her brother had simply avoided school.
She really couldn’t blame him.
The Alpha gave a hand signal to the other man, who left the room, closing the door behind him. The Alpha poured them both a second cup of coffee, leaned back in his chair, and said, “Why don’t you begin at the beginning and tell me why a young woman would arrive at a shape-shifter enclave on foot, with spare clothing hidden inside a coat.”
Elsie sighed. “It’s a very long story. Five years long.”
For the first time, the man smiled. “Do you think you could cut it down and tell me in five hours?”
Elsie’s breath caught in her throat. When he smiled, he was amazing. His eyes sparkled, the creases on his forehead smoothed out, and he looked like what he was, an exceptionally handsome man.
“I’ll aim for five minutes. My mother had cancer. It was much too late to operate when it was discovered. It was already in her spine. She quit her job and had chemotherapy and took pills, but like I said, it was much too late. She got a lot sicker quite quickly, so I left my job and took on part-time work so I could be with her and help her.”
“You said your brother is much younger. Was he working?”
“He was twelve. He’s seventeen now and still in school. When he goes. We had to move into a cheaper apartment, and the schools in the district aren’t…aren’t…well, I’m sure you can guess.”
He nodded, and she took a mouthful of coffee, bracing herself to continue.
“He said he has to be seen with one of the gangs to be safe. I expect it’s the truth. Like I said, it’s not a nice neighborhood. He’s resisted joining, but he has to cooperate with them. The gang has started working with a man called The Fixer. He tells them what to steal and which houses to go to and steal it. He’s even given one of the older boys a car so they can travel anywhere around town.”
“How did you learn about the dagger?”
“The person who’d ordered it changed their mind, and The Fixer hasn’t paid for it yet. The gang left it with JJ, and he’s supposed to hand it over when the time comes. I begged him not to. He’ll end up in jail for sure. The Fixer doesn’t care. He laughs at the boys when they go into danger. I’ve told JJ to leave town, to go away, and he wants to, yet he won’t.”
“So you’re going to run away instead? Will JJ follow you?”
“I don’t know. I’m planning to go to another state and get a job and then send for him. I have to do it fast though. The rent on the apartment is only paid for another month. That was all the money I could get. No one wants to hire a woman with no reference.”
Elsie realized she sounded bitter. She wasn’t. Her mother couldn’t help getting sick, and JJ couldn’t help only being a boy still. She was the adult. It was up to her to find a job and make a new start for herself and JJ. And she’d do it, too.
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
“There’s a diner where the trucks stop about five miles from here. I’m going to walk there and find a truck driver who wants a passenger. I’ll go wherever he’s going.”
The Alpha jumped to his feet, gray eyes blazing. “No you will not.”
Chapter Two
Brayden Willard was standing outside his brother’s door watching and waiting. It was still early, too damn early really, but his brother was a fucking workaholic, and he and Favian were determined to take some of the load off him. At least there were two of them so they could take it in turns. Right now, likely Favian was still tucked up in his bed asleep, although, to be fair, Favian had stayed up late last night, so now it was his shift.
The sound of his brother’s voice roaring, “no,” galvanized Brayden into action. He shouldered the door open, coming through it low and fast, ready to disarm the woman or take the bullet meant for the Alpha. Every panther swore to protect his Alpha with his life, if necessary, and Brayden had meant that vow when he made it. He just hadn’t expected the danger to come out of nowhere from an itty-bitty human female.
He skidded to a stop in front of Amory’s desk. There were no weapons anywhere. Amory was standing, glaring at the woman, but she was still seated in her chair, hunched against the back of it, putting as much space between her and the Alpha as she could.
“What’s wrong?” Brayden asked.
“Nothing’s wrong. Why didn’t you open the door instead of smashing it?”
“I didn’t smash it.” Brayden turned and looked at the door to Amory’s office. It was hanging drunkenly off the top hinge.
“Okay, maybe I did. Don’t worry. I’ll fix it. Why did you yell out if nothing’s wrong?”
Brayden looked from his brother to the woman. Her blue eyes were huge and round, and she was staring at them both as if they were crazy. Frankly, he couldn’t blame her.
The Alpha dropped back into his chair and rubbed his hands through his hair. Brayden noticed the few strands of gray in it seemed to have multiplied. His brother wasn’t old—he wouldn’t be forty until next year—but the occasional, rare gray thread in his dark brown hair had become a noticeable sprinkling of salt among the pepper. That had happened in this past twelve months and was just another sign that it was time Amory handed more of the everyday tasks over to him and Favian.
“I’m sorry for startling you, Brayden. Close the door and sit down.”
Brayden lifted the door back into place. It wasn’t precisely closed, but it would block out most of the sound of their conversation, so that was good enough until he could get Favian to help him glue it back together. Likely it’d need new hinges as well. Too bad. It was better than risking the Alpha’s life.
“LC Parker, this is my brother, Brayden Willard. Brayden, LC.”
Brayden shook her hand and sat down beside her, moving the chair another inch or two away from hers so she didn’t feel crowded. He ho
ped she wasn’t going to be embarrassed, but it had sounded like his brother had used the initials LC, rather than the name Elsie. Were women even called Elsie anymore? That was a very old name. But she fascinated him. Why the hell was she here anyway? So he risked annoying his brother and embarrassing the woman and said, “Pleased to meet you, ma’am. Is that Elsie or the letters, L and C?”
“Both. My legal name is LC, named for my father Lewis Clyde, but I’m always called by the feminine name Elsie.”
“Gotcha.” Although why some man would give his daughter a male name boggled his mind. Why not call her Louise instead of Lewis? Some people were strange.
“LC—Elsie is planning to grab a ride with any truck driver heading out of town. I don’t consider this a good idea.”
Brayden blinked. He didn’t consider it very smart either. Seventy percent of them would expect sex in exchange for the ride. Although she was an adult. What she did was none of his business. Carefully, he replied, “Perhaps there are other options we might explore.”
Brayden was relieved when his Alpha gave him a tiny nod.
“I don’t have any money, and I really need to leave town. Therefore, I have no other options,” Elsie said softly.
“Did you steal that dagger?” he asked.
She could have demanded a reward for returning it if she hadn’t wanted to sell it.
The hurt and enraged look she gave him answered his question. Brayden was suddenly embarrassed at having asked it. Usually it was Favian who acted the clown. Right now he must have been channeling his brother.
“No, I didn’t. It was given into the keeping of my brother. Once the gang finds out I’ve taken it, my ass will be grass. I plan to be as far away from here as possible when that happens.”
“I agree that placing yourself out of the gang’s reach is essential. However, we need to remove your brother from their area of influence as well. If he is managing precariously now, once the dagger is gone, his position will be even more precarious,” said Amory.
“I know. But right now I have nowhere to take him. I have to find a job first, and that’ll be easier when I can put a better address on my resume.”
Brayden looked at Amory and raised an eyebrow. Once again Amory nodded the merest inch.
“The reason we’re known as the Yooper pack is because we used to live on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We moved down here to Ohio to be closer to the bulk of our work. The traveling was becoming onerous. However, we still have strong connections in the UP. It’s possible a family might agree to help JJ if he went there.”
“That would be wonderful.” Elsie gave him a lovely smile and then deflated and sank back in her chair.
Now what’s the problem?
“I can e-mail some people today,” said Amory.
Elsie shook her head. “I can’t afford the bus fare to send him there or the accommodation fees, or school books, or—It’ll have to wait until I get a job. Besides, the rent on our apartment is paid for another month, so he’s safe there at the moment. The Fixer is unlikely to look for the dagger for a little while. He has to find a new buyer first.”
“The Fixer?” asked Brayden.
“The man who hires the gang to steal items he has a buyer for. The deal for the dagger fell through.”
So The Fixer is Lewis Lutterworth. Lewis. Lewis!
“You said you father’s name was Lewis Clyde. What was his last name?”
“Parker. The same as mine. He and my mother were married then. They separated when I was about nine or ten, and then he came back again for a while when JJ was conceived, but he left well before JJ was born. I always thought that was sad. He might have been happy once he realized he’d gotten a son.”
Brayden thought a decent man would have been happy with a healthy daughter, but he didn’t comment. He’d never had any kids, so it wasn’t his place to say rude things about her father. Although it was interesting Lutterworth’s name was Lewis and so was her father’s. He shrugged. Likely a million men had that name. Brayden tried to work out if Lutterworth was old enough to be her dad. She was in her early thirties. Lutterworth was mid fifties. Yes, he was the right age.
“We need to decide what happens next for Elsie. I suggest you stay here with us for the time being unless you’d like us to organize your transfer to the UP. Staying here might be better though. You can talk to Naftali Meyer. He runs the office side of the business and can tell you what jobs are available here if you wish to work. But there is no expectation that you will work. The choice is yours.”
Elsie stood up. “I don’t think you understand. I have nothing. No assets, no money, nothing. Your security guard saw my wallet. After I paid the rent on the apartment, I had twenty-five dollars left. That has to feed me until I find a job. Paying for accommodations is not an option for me. Now, I’d like to leave please. It’s five miles to the diner, and then I have to find a ride. Thank you for your help.”
Brayden stared as she marched toward the door. He hoped she opened it gently. He hadn’t fixed it yet.
“No, Ms. Parker, it’s you who doesn’t understand. I will not permit you to risk your life out of some ridiculous desire to be independent. You will stay here in safety and work for Naftali in a job of your choosing, or we will send you to the rest of our pack in Michigan and you can work there and save up enough money for JJ to join you. But you will not endanger your life going off with some truck driver who you’ve never met.”
Brayden folded his lips together. Yep. That was his brother in full Alpha Dom mode. Little Miss Human was staying here. Conversation closed. Brayden looked at her carefully. She was an attractive little thing. Thin, but a few good meals would round her out nicely. She was clearly smart and a woman to match Amory needed to be smart. He wasn’t just the Alpha because of his big physique. He was also damn clever and needed a woman who could think as fast as him, which it seemed Elsie might be able to do. She was also tough. She’d been brave enough to come here and brave enough to stand up to Amory. There were a lot of adult men who would never have dreamed of doing that.
Well, well, well. Maybe his big brother had caught himself a mate. Or at least a potential mate. In that case, it was up to him and Favian to keep her here long enough for her to get to know Amory and learn what a good man he truly was.
“I’ll move my things in with Favian, and Elsie can have my room.”
“Thank you, Brayden. Take her to Naftali first, and they can talk about work. Unless you’re determined to go north? You’ll be perfectly safe here with us, I assure you of that.”
Brayden heard the pressure in Amory’s voice to get her to stay here with them. That proved his brother wanted her. Their Alpha needed a mate. The pack included three sets of triplets, and all of them had recently found mates.
Brayden wished there was a woman for him and Favian. There was only thirteen months age difference between his brother and him, and they’d always done everything together. But a mate for the pack’s Alpha was even more important. He worked far too damn hard. A mate would encourage him to look after his health better, and sex was damn good exercise.
Brayden wouldn’t have minded fucking her himself. She was such a little thing, but he had to admire the strength and courage and sheer moral goodness that had brought her here. Hmm. If he helped her stay here, maybe he and Favian could share her with Amory. If triplets could share a woman, why not the three of them?
Brayden shrugged off his thoughts. She was still standing near the door and hadn’t answered the Alpha yet. He stood as well and forced his shoulder muscles to relax.
She appeared worried and unsettled. He longed to tell her the panthers would care for her, would accept her, and welcome her. But the decision had to be hers and made freely. Panther rules were strict. Coercion was not acceptable. Besides, if she went to the UP, they’d keep in contact with her and eventually entice her back here.
“Very well. I’ll stay. I can keep watch on JJ better from here and maybe help guide him.” She pu
lled in a deep breath, and her chin lifted. “Thank you for your kind offer. I’ll work hard for the business.”
* * * *
Favian hadn’t gotten to bed until well after two that morning, which was happening way too often in his opinion. No matter how hard Amory worked—and he worked damn hard—the piles of paperwork just grew higher and higher around him.
He and Brayden were already spending hours each day taking minor jobs off Amory’s hands—running errands, filing paperwork, solving minor problems, even feeding their damn Alpha—but it wasn’t enough. He and Brayden needed to sit down with Amory and make the Alpha divide up the work, slicing off stuff he didn’t have to deal with himself so he had time and energy to devote to the important stuff.
The problem was that the Alpha wasn’t just responsible for the people in the pack and the smooth running of their daily lives. He was also responsible for managing the business that gave them all an income. He was like a company CEO, plus the patriarch of the family, with a side job of den mother when things went wrong in the pack’s lives.
It was unsustainable for one man to carry the load, and it was Favian’s job as the second oldest brother, to get Amory to see the need for change and to set some delegation of duties into place. That was complicated by the fact that, at times through history, shape-shifters had been persecuted by humans, so when shape-shifters were robbed, they tended to come to Amory for help because they trusted him, whereas they didn’t necessarily trust the human legal system.
Favian rolled over in bed and squinted one half-open eye at the clock beside his bed. Nine. Waaay too early. He pulled the bedding over his head and relaxed again, only to hear bumps and thuds coming from next door. What the fuck? Amory would have been in his office for hours already, and Brayden was supposed to be helping him this morning.
The door to his bedroom opened wide, and Favian lifted the sheet off his face to see Brayden coming in, carrying a towering pile of clothing.
“What the fuck?”
“I’m moving in with you.” Brayden disappeared.
