He snatched the folder back, unable to believe Jandro wouldn’t even have the chance to meet Qim because of this one bureaucratic obstacle.
“Are you doing this because of what happened Friday?”
She wheeled back as if he’d slapped her. “No! I am only looking out for Jandro’s welfare! If you truly knew me, you’d know I would never let my personal feelings get in the way of doing my job to the best of my ability.”
But he didn’t know her, did he? Not really.
“I get it. You’re just going to leave him in that home without even giving my cousin a chance.” He was furious and couldn’t believe she would pull this bullshit on him.
“No, Dr. Knight, of course I would not do that to Jandro,” she answered, rubbing one temple as if he was giving her headache. “I won’t sign off on you as the interpreter, but…” she took a deep breath, “I will agree to do the assessment myself if Ms. Olcan agrees to let me take her place.”
18
Kukunniwi Woods
No taking vacations together…
Another rule broken, he thought early Friday morning as they sped across the state to the camp where Qim would meet Jandro for the first time. Under L-heart’s supervision, of course.
He had no choice, Knight reminded himself. It wasn’t like he could send a human in alone to meet with two male wolves. Especially on a full moon night.
But it didn’t help that his wolf was singing, “The Way You Make Me Feel,” at full volume inside his chest as if they were back together again. Damn his mother for passing on her Michael Jackson addiction to the next generation.
And damn L-heart for smelling so good when she climbed into the front seat of his truck. For some reason she’d decided to forego the alchemized perfume she usually wore, and as it turned out, her natural scent was even better. Nothing short of intoxicating. And though she wore a totally respectable bright red vintage a-line dress under a short-sleeved blazer with her curls tied up in a tight bun, his wolf let loose a cartoonish howl every time he glanced over at her sitting beside him.
But apparently being near him wasn’t having the same effect on her. She smelled…cold. With no arousal scent coming off her whatsoever.
She’d smiled and given him a gracious hello when he pulled up to the children’s home that morning in his old gas-burning Ford F-150. She’d even agreed to sit next to him instead of in back with Jandro. But her scent of discomfort was so palpable as they made the drive west that Jandro confronted him right after she politely excused herself during a gas station pit stop.
“You make her angry and you break up?” Jandro signed as soon as she disappeared into the restroom.
Hell. For the first time since he bought it, Knud regretted driving an old-fashioned truck as opposed to one of the slick driverless cars that ruled the roads today. If he had a normal car he wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. But he’d always hated the thought of putting his destiny in the hands of someone else’s technology.
Plus, during his black ops days, he’d once hacked a car so it would drive his target to the grave he’d already dug for him. That had been one of the easiest kills of his career. So yeah, he had almost zero trust in technology after that.
Who are you kidding? his pissy wolf asked. Don’t blame the tech. You don’t trust at all, period. Nothing and no one. No matter how miserable and lonely it makes you.
“It’s a long story,” Knight signed to Jandro, hoping to hell that both him and his wolf would just drop it.
Jandro didn’t. “Not long story. What you do to her?”
“Something bad.” Something he didn’t deserve forgiveness for.
“Say sorry.”
“No.”
“Why not? You and L-heart smell good together.”
“I no like relationships.”
“Why not?”
Fucking kids and all their fucking questions.
“Because I DON’T LIKE them,” he answered, putting extra emphasis on DON’T and LIKE. “Plus she’s human.”
That should have ended the conversation right there but instead Jandro signed back, his own expression equally emphatic. “You and L-heart smell good together.”
Okay... “Must shut up now,” he signed. “She coming back.”
Knight was more than beginning to regret texting Grady and agreeing to escort Jandro to this meeting. But he’d made his uncle promise not to tell anyone in his family he was coming, so as not to compromise the solitary life he’d created for himself.
So at least there was that. Better than nothing, he thought to himself as he pulled the truck up next to the gravel driveway that led to the camp.
“We’ll have to get out here,” he spoke signed to L-heart and Jandro. “The road into the main part of camp isn’t wide enough for my truck.”
Another untruth. There was a back way in with a parking lot. But he’d opted to take them in via the “human entrance.” The one with the red-and-white NO TRESPASSING signs posted on every tree on either side of the lane, so stray campers would think twice before approaching the area.
“You all right in those shoes?” he asked L-heart as she delicately picked her way up the gravel path in yellow heels.
“I’m fine,” she answered over Jandro’s head, her voice falsely bright.
Then because she was obviously looking to change the subject, she pointed to the hand-painted wooden banner sign hanging above them: “Camp Nightwolf. That’s an interesting name. Have you been here before?” she spoke signed. For Jandro’s benefit, or maybe because she didn’t want Knight to mistake this for casual conversation. He didn’t know.
Nevertheless, he answered truthfully, “Yeah, I used to come here every summer for camp from the age of twelve until I left out for the Marines. I liked it.”
No personal details…
He could feel the broken rule lingering between them for a few beats before she raised her hands and spoke signed to Jandro, “He says he’s been here before, and he REALLY liked it.”
He hadn’t said REALLY. But L-heart seemed to like to add emphasis even when there wasn’t any.
God, this shit was awkward bordering on excruciating. But at least he wouldn’t have to stay too long. He’d purposefully arranged this meeting on a full moon night so he’d have a solid reason to get them the hell out of here as soon as possible.
“I not know how camp,” Jandro signed to both of them. “Think Q-wolf no like me?”
“I don’t know how to camp either and most people like me just fine,” L-heart spoke signed back.
“Yes, but you beautiful. I—”
“You are way more beautiful than I am,” L-heart assured him, signing even more emphatically than she spoke.
She’ll make such an excellent mother, his wolf all but whined in his chest.
Not gonna happen, dude, his human answered.
Now it was Knight’s turn to change the subject. “Here we are,” he spoke signed while coming to a stop. “Founder’s Cabin.”
L-heart stopped beside him, her eyes widening nearly as big as Jandro’s. “When you said it was a cabin, I wasn’t expecting…”
“An enormous log mansion? Yeah, my Uncle Grady loves to camp. But Aunt Tu doesn’t like to do without her amenities. I guess this was supposed to be a compromise.”
She nodded. “I understand. I’m not a fan of camping myself.”
She took a minute or so to look around her. The camp was arranged a bit like a traditional kingdom town with a huge kingdom house in the front, and rows of two-room cabins behind it. Traditionally, a kingdom house always served as the first line of defense against outsiders. And though the Kansas kingdom town was on the other side of the small mountain that housed this state’s time gate, this camp could have easily been mistaken for a much swankier version of it.
L-heart made a considering sound. “I’d assumed the Nightwolf on the camp sign meant this camp was underwritten by the Nightwolf Foundation. But I wasn’t aware they funded luxury ca
mps along with educational grants and political lobbies.”
“You know a lot about charitable organizations,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
Her expression didn’t change, but his nose registered a small adrenaline spike. Which meant she felt nervous as she answered, “We occasionally have clients who apply for scholarships to supplement the grants we provide so they can attend colleges in other states. Any good social worker worth his or her salt knows about the Nightwolf Foundation.”
She suddenly glanced down at her retro analog watch, as if just now realizing the hour. “I believe it’s time for our appointment with Mr. Wulfkonig.” Like a person on trial given a sudden reprieve, she spoke signed to Jandro, “Let’s go meet him, shall we?”
However, as she rushed forward to escape any further questions from Knight, one of her ridiculous shoes gave way, and she started to fall.
She never really had a chance of hitting the ground. Because he was there to catch her with his supernatural speed, gathering her up in his arms before she could even register what had almost happened.
“Thank you…very much for catching me,” she said with her usual, but somewhat breathless, poise.
However, her thank you was followed almost immediately by the scent of her arousal.
And that was how he discovered that maybe she wasn’t nearly as unaffected by him as she’d appeared.
Her scent hit him hard, and his stupid, sentimental wolf nearly took over again like it had that first night. Kiss her! Claim her! Make her yours! it begged.
But his human knew better. And he forced himself to set her aside before lashing out with, “Do good social workers worth their salt always wear designer heels to meetings in the woods?”
“I honestly didn’t think it would be this rural,” she admitted in a somewhat sheepish voice.
“I specifically told you we’d meet Grady and Qim at their summer camp in the Kukunniwi Woods,” he shot back.
She stared at him, the scent of her emotions running amok before she seemed to make a decision. Folding her hands tightly in front of her she said, “This meeting is about Jandro. Let’s focus on that, shall we?”
Then she turned so Jandro could see her hands as she spoke signed with a freshly plastered on smile. “Dr. Knight, could you lead the way?”
Yes, he could…but he didn’t.
“Dr. Knight,” she repeated.
He didn’t answer. And he definitely didn’t lead them toward the Founder’s Cabin. Not only because the main door had already opened, but because of what he smelled when it did.
Not just Grady and Qim, but a few more familiar scents…ones he recognized all too well.
“Shit,” he said out loud.
Jandro couldn’t hear him, of course.
But L-heart asked him, “What’s wrong?”
19
This doesn’t make any sense.
I’m seated at a desk. In a cubicle that used to belong to me. It’s maybe an eighth of the size of the office I had when I was the primary social worker for Drummond—a job my mother and grandmother held before me.
But if the live-action picture frame perched next to what appears to be an honest-to-god landline is any indication, I work here. The image flashes a three-second photo of me wiping a tear from my cheek as I watch my big brother Aaron marry his best friend. Next comes a selfie of Grace, Spidey, and me. The sound is turned off, but we appear to be at some club, shouting “COUSINS’ WEEKEND!!!”—this might even be where I met my infamous one-night stand gone really, really wrong. Grace, I notice again, looks completely different from the super serious business student featured in the wedding photo on our apartment wall. She’s wearing a grin as big as Spidey’s and mine, and we both look so happy. Happy and…I search for the word…
Free.
I was free here in Kansas, at my tiny desk in this little office. Free to do what I wanted, when I wanted, with no bodyguards or overprotective parents watching my every move.
I peep over my shoulder at Jared and Santiago who’ve posted themselves at the front and back doors despite the fact that DWCS already has a security guard. I was free then, but not so much now…
Find him, the strange new voice inside me urges. You must find him. You can’t let them get in your way.
I know, I know, I silently answer it. But after a full cycle of the dozens of images in the frame, I don’t see anyone who I don’t already know.
With a somewhat aggrieved sigh, I finally turn to face the computer.
Yes, this place is still running on desktops instead of interconnected touch pads like we have in Drummond. It feels a lot like my first visit to the Smithsonian all over again when I reach out to clasp an object I only vaguely recognize as a mouse, and click it on the file folder icon marked “Layla St. James: Cases.”
Well, at least they used to be mine. All my cases were divvied up between other caseworkers after my accident. But based on the state of affairs since I walked in the door, this office was seriously inundated with service needs. Not only was this virtual folder waiting on my desktop when I arrived, but, forget my bad case of amnesia, more than one social worker has already offered to give me back all my cases as soon as I’m “ready to return to work.”
Catching up won’t be easy. I’ll have to cycle through a couple hundred pages of old PDF files to figure out where I left off. Not to mention I’ll need to figure out the whole cast of characters here at the office and in my case files.
First trimester tiredness is riding me hard, and part of me just wants to throw an upgrade grant at this place and not come back until they have up-to-date systems I’m familiar with. But I can’t do that. That would violate about eight different High Media-rules on how to avoid appearing entitled.
Also, these cases feel like my last option. I’ve already checked my bank and credit balances. Seems I picked up a lot of take-out on my way to Buddy’s, but never had anything delivered there. And though I put in a call to Spidey to confirm everything Grace told me, a tall pretty guy with light-brown skin and cornrows doesn’t mean much in the era of skin color treatments and ever-changing hairstyles.
It’s a long shot for sure. But with the strange voice still whispering inside me, I wake the computer and begin going through my old cases. Hoping I’ll find something, anything, that will provide me with a clue about the father of this baby and how I ended up unconscious on the other side of Kansas.
20
Kukunniwi Woods
Like a memory extracted and brought to life before Knight’s eyes, an older man—thin and refined with bronze skin—stepped across the threshold and out onto the large front porch of Founder’s Cabin. The protector—usually the male in a mated pair—is always the first to present himself. So, it came as no surprise when the dignified older man was followed by his mate, a curvy black woman, nearly as tall as him. She, in turn, was closely followed by a younger man in a suit.
Jandro tugged on his sleeve, pulling his attention away from the people coming out of the house to sign, “That guy look same you but in business suit. They Q-wolf and his parents?”
“No…” Knight signed back in a daze. “That’s my brother…and my parents.”
“Your family?” Jandro asked, his brows raising high with surprise.
“Yes,” he confirmed wearily knocking his hand with the sign.
From the corner of his eyes he could see L-heart watching their conversation carefully.
No meeting each other’s family or friends…
The rule hung in the air between them, even though they were no longer together.
And from the other corner of his eye, Knight could see the family who wasn’t supposed to be here. They’d stopped on the front porch, but they watched him hard. Like an incoming storm on pause.
“Why your family here?” Jandro asked. Because apparently there just wasn’t enough dramatic tension in the air for the kid.
Real answer? Because his Uncle Grady had apparently fucked him. He glanced at L-h
eart who was now looking from him to his parents with a curious squint. Yeah, the former king of Oklahoma had fucked him royally.
Knight struggled to come up with a fake answer for Jandro, and then decided to distract him instead by pointing out Qim and Grady who had also emerged from the cabin along with Aunt Tu.
But before he could do anything else, the storm unpaused and rushed down the steps toward him. In the form of his mother.
“Alisha, don’t…!” his father called out while his brother Rafes said, “Mom, wait…”
The tall black woman with almond shaped eyes ignored them both. And she kept coming forward like a runaway train until she stood toe-to-toe with her son.
She stared at him, her eyes bright and sharp as knives.
“Mom…” he began.
“Don’t you dare ‘Mom’ me, young man.” She took a step back and gave him the once over before finally saying, “My mother did this to me when I came back from the Viking Era.”
That was all the warning he got before she slapped him so hard, his face cracked to the side…and then she fell into his arms crying.
And just like that, he was Knud again. Not a doctor with a terrible past, but a son whose deliberate absence had broken his mother’s heart.
“Mom…” Knud murmured, holding her tight. “Mom, don’t cry…”
But his voice only seemed to make it worse. His mother wept even harder, her tears smearing all over the front of his shirt. Like she was the baby and he the parent. “Mom…” he tried again.
Knud could feel L-heart’s eyes on him, and it made his stomach curdle. Not that he’d ever bring a human home to meet his family, but if he had, this was definitely NOT how he’d want things to unfold. And though he didn’t want to care, he could imagine exactly what was going through her head considering how their own arrangement had imploded: he must be the kind of asshole who gets off on making women, including his own mother, cry.
KNUD, Her Big Bad Wolf: 50 Loving States, Kansas Page 12
