“Thank you, uhh…” Alynna realized she didn’t know the girl’s name.
“Frankie. I’m Frankie.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Alynna.”
“I know who you are. Don’t you go by another name? A nickname?” Alynna shook her head. “A middle name?”
“Eww, no,” Alynna said. She knew now the meaning of her middle name, but she still remembered how she got teased for it.
“It can’t be worse than mine.”
“What is it?”
“I won’t tell if you won’t tell!” Frankie laughed.
“Is it Horace?”
“No!” Both girls went into a fit of giggles.
“Oh Alynna,” Frankie sobered. “What I wouldn’t do to see those girl’s faces when they realize you heard what they said. Because you know those catty bitches would never say that to your face.”
“Oh really? Would you now?”
***
“Who’s that with Alynna?” Grant asked Cady, as his eyes followed the two women exiting the bathroom. They were walking arm-in-arm, whispering to each other. His sister laughed and then quickly covered her mouth as they walked by two members of the High Council. Alynna blocked Grant’s view as he tried to make out the woman in green’s face.
Cady turned around. “Who?” She saw the twosome, but they walked so fast that they were a blur to her. “Hmm…I don’t know. Must be part of some delegation. Well, it’s nice that she found a friend.”
Grant’s brow wrinkled. “Make sure you find out who that is,” he said, his brow furrowing. “I want to know everyone who approaches her tonight when she’s alone.”
“She’s hardly alone, Grant,” Cady too a sip of her champagne. “You have eyes trained on her every move. I swear you would have bugged the bathrooms too, if laws didn’t prohibit it.”
“Looks like they’re making their way towards Liam Henney,” Nick quipped as he came up behind Grant and Cady.
“Liam Henney?” Cady asked, a delicate brow raising. “That’s the Alpha from San Francisco right? The new one? His father died…”
“Six months ago,” Grant finished. He had been at the funeral, of course, and he remembered the younger man, who seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Now, he stood in a circle, surrounded by gorgeous young woman, smiling and laughing. He was glad that Liam seemed to be having a good time. As another Alpha who had responsibility thrust at him unexpectedly, he could relate.
“And now our little bird is flying the nest,” Nick observed, as Alynna tapped Liam on the shoulder to catch his attention.
“What?” Cady looked confused. “Liam and Alynna?”
Nick stifled a laugh. “Did you actually miss something, Ms. Gray?”
Cady gave him a smirk. “Contrary to popular belief, I can’t be everywhere at the same time.” Nick laughed this time, a sound that made her sigh in relief inwardly. There had been a lot of tension between her and Nick since that night at Blood Moon, but like all their other disagreements, they both mutually, and non-verbally, decided to put all that aside, for Alynna’s sake. Despite what he may show on the outside, Cady could tell that Alynna was growing on Nick, with her constant smart ass remarks and attempts at making the normally stoic Lycan laugh. It wasn’t just that she was his Alpha’s family and thus was pledged to protect her, Cady could tell that he genuinely liked the young woman.
“Who is…ugh, Alynna, get out of the way…” Grant was muttering, weaving his head left and right as he tried to get a better view of Alynna’s mystery companion.
“Grant, are you alright?” Nick asked. Grant had been looking distracted for the last 30 minutes or so and the Beta could feel his Alpha’s unease. “Do you think that the man who tried to hurt Cady is here?”
“I haven’t scented him,” Grant’s shoulders tesnd, but it made him focus. “But with so many Lycans here, it would be easy to hide.”
“That’s why I have Alex and Heath roving around. They were able to catch the scent that night, so they know what to look for.” Grant seemed to tense at the mention of the younger Lycan’s name, as he had been each time Nick brought it up the last few weeks. But he trusted that if Grant had some reservations, he would tell Nick. He’d let it go, at least for now.
“What is going on there?” Cady’s brows knitted, her eyes glued to Alynna, her companion and Liam Henney.
“I should go check it out,” Grant said, handing his glass of champagne to a passing waiter and stalked towards the group across the ballroom.
Left alone with Nick, Cady wasn’t sure if she should make a hasty retreat or stand her ground.
Finally, he said the first words. “You look…lovely, Ms. Gray,” Nick noted.
“Uhm, thanks,” she said. She picked out a simple, floor-length pale blue gown - nothing flashy or fancy, after all, she wasn’t the center of attention at this party. “You too. Look nice. I mean, you…”
“Clean up nice?” he asked wryly, with an almost bitter tone.
“That’s not…I mean, your tuxedo fits well,” she slapped her palm to her head mentally. “Uhm, I have to go…and check on the canapes…or something.” And with that, she left Nick standing there, staring after her.
***
“Uhm, excuse me,” Alynna tapped Liam Henney on his very broad shoulders.
The taller man turned around, and smiled when he realized who it was. “Ms. Chase,” he said warmly.
“Alynna, please,” she said, giving him her best smile.
“Then please, call me Liam,” his eyes twinkled.
“Liam,” a voice behind him said. “Who’s your little friend?”
“Oh yes, sorry about that,” Liam took Alynna by the arm and guided her around to their group. “If you haven’t met her yet, ladies, this is our guest of honor, Ms. Alynna Chase.”
“Hello,” she greeted.
The women - all three of them - gasped and then started fawning over her.
“Oh my! It’s nice to meet you!” Their ringleader, a tall, slim brunette extended her hand. “I’m Lorraine Johnson. From Texas. My uncle Gus is Alpha! Oh, I love your dress! And that necklace!”
This must be beanpole, Alynna thought. Jeeze, she thought. Lorraine must have had at least 6 inches over Frankie, she couldn’t believe the petite brunette wanted to take her on. “Nice to meet you, Lorraine. Have you met my friend, Frankie?”
Alynna drew Frankie forward. “Hello, ladies,” she smirked.
Lorraine visibly paled, “N-n-nice to meet you, Frankie,” she said nervously.
“Likewise,” Frankie answered. Alynna could almost hear her follow it with “bitch” in her head.
Lorraine introduced the rest of her friends, whose names, Alynna had to confess later, she couldn’t recall because she kept calling them Twiddledum and Twiddledumber in her head.
“Liam was just telling us about growing up in San Francisco,” Lorraine cooed.
“It’s beautiful,” Liam said. “If you love nature, that is. Lots of places to go hiking, swimming, running, biking. And the food is phenomenal!”
“I don’t know,” Lorraine’s red lips curved into a flirtatious smile. “He’s never tried Texas barbecue, so I said he had to come visit some time.”
“Where did you grow up, Alynna?” Frankie asked sweetly.
“In Brooklyn,” Alynna said, her eyes darting towards Lorraine. She didn’t think the Texan could get any paler, but more blood seemed to drain out of her face. “My mother was a waitress. And I have to tell you, there’s some really good restaurants down there. I used to come with her to work sometimes and they’d give me staff meals.”
“My mother made me work in a restaurant kitchen when I was 16!” Liam interjected.
“Really?!” Frankie said. “But you were the heir to the San Francisco clan!”
He shook his head. “She didn’t care. She said, ‘If you’re going to be Alpha some day, you’re going to learn what it’s like to put in a hard day’s work.’ She sent me to work at one
of her friends’ restaurants in the Mission district. After the first week, I would come home and collapse on the couch, but I stuck it out for three years, every summer. Learned how to make a mean arroz con pollo.”
Alynna looked at Frankie, who seemed to be reveling in all that was happening. She sipped her champagne and kept glancing over at Lorraine, Twiddledum and Twiddledumber as they struggled to keep their composure. She smirked at them, but that only made Lorraine’s face turn red in anger.
“What are you looking at, you little…” Lorraine began, but Twiddledum (or was it Twiddledumber?) put her hand on her shoulder.
“Well now! I think Lorraine’s had a little to much to drink!” her friend took the glass. “I think we’ll go and…powder our nose and get some fresh air! It was nice to meet you, Alynna, Frankie, bye Liam!” The girls quickly made their exit.
Alynna and Frankie looked at each other and then let out peals of laughter.
“Did I do something wrong?” Liam asked, a confused look on his face.
“Oh no, sweetie,” Frankie laughed. “You did everything right!”
Alynna giggled some more. “I’m sorry Liam, private joke. I’ll explain more if you want.”
A ringing interrupted them. “Oh crap!” Frankie cursed, digging her phone from her purse. She looked at the screen. “Sorry, I gotta take this, hon. Family business. But if I have to go, I’ll come find you first, ok?”
Alynna nodded and watched her new friend’s retreating back.
“Interesting friend you got there,” Liam commented.
“Yeah,” Alynna said fondly. “She’s nice.”
“Unlike the brainless brigade?”
“Liam!” Alynna sounded rather shocked. She could see the glint of intelligence in the Alpha’s eyes. Alynna realized that Liam was being polite, and humoring the ditzy Lycans, but was in no way interested in Lorraine or her friends.
“Too bad,” Alynna gave a fake sigh. “Lorraine and Liam. I was already picturing the monogrammed pillows, towels, maybe the gate to your mansion!”
Liam laughed, making his boyish face even more handsome. “L and L, it would save a lot on printing costs.”
“Alynna, Liam,” Grant said as he approached the laughing duo. “Glad to see you’re both having a good time!”
“I am now,” Liam glanced down at Alynna.
“Good. Now, I wanted to ask, who’s your…” he looked around, his brows knitting. “Friend?”
“Oh Lorraine and her cohorts?” Alynna said. “Don’t worry, they’ve…decided to call it a night.”
“No, not them, I mean—”
“Grant!” someone from behind called, and then slapped him on the shoulder. “You are a difficult man to find! And your lovely sister is here too! Please, I’ve been dying to be introduced to her!” An older man and his companion stood beside Grant, looking at him expectantly.
Here we go again, Alynna though. She put on her best smile as Grant introduced her to the couple. “Nice to meet you too…”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
After about three more introductions, Alynna was able to get away from the crowd, thanks to Liam. He discretely guided her away as Grant was making small talk, placing his hand on the small of her back. A little while later, she found herself with him on one of the balconies off the side of ballroom, a view of the Manhattan skyline behind them.
“So you’re really a private investigator?” Liam asked.
“Yes, I am!” Alynna laughed. She leaned against the stone balustrade, and breathed in the fresh air.
“So tell me…”
“You want sordid stories?”
“Not about your clients! I mean…not about you…or er…” he smiled sheepishly and ran rubbed the back of his head with his palm sheepishly. Alynna thought it was adorable.
“Ok, well, it’s not a sordid story…” she began. “But I should tell you about this time I was trapped in a client’s pantry! For almost 20 hours!”
“Really?” his eyes lit up and Alynna felt her stomach doing flip flops again.
“Really! He had me come over and try to catch his wife cheating on him. He said I should come during the day and install the cameras. So I go in, around 2pm or so and start doing my thing,” she paused. “Then, I hear the door open. It’s the wife and her lover, who decided to have a little afternoon delight!”
“No!”
“Yes!” she shrieked. “So I run to the closest door I could find - the kitchen pantry. I thought, hey, it can’t be that bad! They’ll have a quickie in the bedroom, then head back to work and I could finish my job.”
“But?”
“Well, afternoon delight turned into evening delight. At 6pm, lover boy says good bye, and the wife goes about her business, cleaning up and whatnot. Husband comes home 30 minutes later and so they decide to stay in and order dinner.”
“What? But why didn’t you call the husband?”
“That’s the thing! Just my luck, my phone battery was running out. Believe me, to this day I carry around two extra batteries!”
“So what happened? Why didn’t you just sneak away while they were watching TV or eating dinner?” Liam looked genuinely interested and looked at her with those beautiful eyes, hanging on her every word.
“Well the problem was…their apartment was actually one of those fancy loft places that had an open room plan. Everything was out in the open. I couldn’t get away unless I was Spiderman and could crawl outside the building.”
“So you stayed there all night?” She nodded. “At least you were in the pantry and there was food!”
Alynna burst out laughing, and she could hardly continue as tears streaked down her cheeks. “They…never…cooked…there…was…nothing…but Campbells’ Chunky Chicken soup in the pantry!”
Liam laughed, throwing his head back. “And you ate it?”
Alynna nodded. “Five cans total. I didn’t get out until 8am when they left.”
“Oh my god,” Liam guffawed. “Holy sh…you must hate that soup now!”
“No!” Alynna laughed again. “I actually crave it sometimes! Especially when I need a laugh!”
Both of them howled with laughter, until Alynna just couldn’t breathe. She let out a sigh. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I told you that story!” she turned around and covered her burning cheeks.
“No, no,” Liam protested, spinning it around. “I…uh, to tell you the truth I haven’t laughed like that in a long time.”
“Your dad?” Ashely covered her cheeks again. “Sorry! I don’t mean…”
“Don’t worry about it…really, it’s ok, I…” he touched her cheek with his fingertip, tracing a line down her jaw.
Alynna’s heart slammed into her chest. Oh lord, he was going to kiss her. She moved a fraction of an inch closer, until…
“Shit!” Liam cursed softly as a ringing sound pierced the quiet night. He sighed and then stepped back, taking his phone from his pocket. “I have to take this, sorry.”
Trying to hide her disappointment, Alynna nodded, shooing him away so he could step away and conduct his phone call.
He spoke on the phone for a minute and Alynna could make out some English words mixed in with Japanese. Finally, he slipped the phone in his pocket and turned back to her, his face a mask of disappointment.
“I’m sorry Alynna…I have to go…back to San Francisco, I mean.”
“You’re leaving?” she said, trying not to sound too whiney. “Now?”
He nodded. “It’s a family matter. I’m sorry. I had, I mean I was having a good time. Thank you, for sharing your story.”
“I’m glad you had a good time,” she said softly. Now came the awkward part. “Thanks for coming and all that. I guess…I’ll see you around.”
He smiled at her. “Definitely.” He gave her a curt nod and then walked towards the double doors leading to the balcony.
“Oh crap!” she said loudly to no one in particular. Oh god, what happened? It was a…strange feeling. Liam was funny
and nice and handsome, plus he was an Alpha. Grant would approve if they started dating . She couldn’t think of that. Not right now. Not when she was still so broken up over Alex. “Oh crap,” she said again. She vowed she wouldn’t think of him, even say his name tonight. And for the most part, all the hubbub over the ball made it easy to not think of Alex. But now…she knew he was watching her the whole night, could feel his eyes on her and once in a while, his scent that seemed to call to her like a siren song. Of course he was watching her, that was his job.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the balcony door clicking open, and then closed.
“Liam?” she called out. It was dark, and she could just make out the tall shadow standing by the doors.
“Sorry to disappoint you, it’s not Liam.”
Alynna froze at the sound of the familiar voice, as the masculine scent filled her nose. “Alex,” she said softly. “What are you doing here?”
“My job,” he walked towards her. “I’m working tonight.” He looked dangerously handsome in his formal attire, with his hair slicked back.
“Oh, have a glass of champagne, on me, at the end of your shift then,” she said in a bitter tone. She grabbed her skirts and tried to pass by him, but stopped when she felt his warm hand grasp her upper arm. Shivers went down her spine and his touch sent light tingles across her bare skin. “Alex, I have to get back, please let go of me.”
“Did he leave you too soon?” he sneered. “Off to party somewhere else?”
Anger began to rise out of her. “Don’t say anything you might regret later,” she warned.
“I’ll say what I want to say.”
“Not to me!” she tried to wrestle away from his grasp. “You gave up that right weeks ago.” When you decided I wasn’t what you wanted, she wanted to add. “So, where’s Jenna?”
“At home,” he shrugged. “People like her don’t get invited to things like this, you know.”
“Is that your way of saying she knows her place?” she asked, venom dripping from her words. God, she hated the tall, lithe blonde.
Fated Mates: Book 1 of the True Mates Series Page 17
