by Rose Pressey
“This package was delivered--”
“Um, excuse me, Jack?”
Jack turned. “Yes?” He had a wide-eyed, excited look.
“Martin was Lily’s date. Lily, the one harassing me, she’s bothering him too.”
“Oh. Really? What kind of lunatic is she, anyway?”
A hairy one?
“Martin, won’t you have a seat?” I offered, albeit I’d rather he disappeared.
I was glad Jack didn’t know about Martin asking me out. Talk about awkward. Although, I felt a bit uncomfortable, anyway--having my matchmaking blunder on full display wasn’t fun.
“Jack received a package today…with bullets in it.” I left out the silver part. Jack would wonder why I felt the need to mention it. Heck, I doubt he even noticed the objects were shiny and silver. They probably looked like plain old bullets to him--bullets that killed.
“You’re kidding, so did I.” Martin leaned his lanky body forward in order to hear every juicy morsel.
“Oh, Martin. I’m so sorry.” So my suspicions appeared to be correct--it was Lily. “When did you get it?” I felt awful for involving him with a lunatic.
“Just this morning, actually. I came here right after.”
“Was there a note attached?” I asked.
“No, no note.” He shook his head, the dark hair touching his collar waving with the motion. “Why, did his have a note?”
That was odd. I guess Lily ran out of threats when she got to Martin’s. “Yes, it did.” I rubbed my temples.
“Probably she couldn’t think of anything clever enough to say to me.” He snorted.
He read my mind. “I’ve never known her to not have something to say. Even if it wasn’t clever. Heck, I’ve never know her to be witty.”
“That’s true,” Martin said.
Jack watched our discussion. His eyes were wide and his mouth was open. He rubbed his face. “The two of you seem to take this a bit lightly. Aren’t you worried? She’s a stalker. She could storm in here at any moment and kill all of us.”
Martin glanced over at him. “Aw, Lily’s all right.” He waved a hand.
That was not what Jack wanted to hear, I knew by the look on his face.
“If she were sane, she wouldn’t send threatening letters and bullets,” Jack huffed.
Time for a topic change.
“So, Martin. Is Lily the reason you stopped in today?” Maybe that was the wrong thing to say. What if he asked me out again in front of Jack? Too late, the words were out there.
Martin looked from Jack to me and said, “Um, yeah. That was it.”
I prayed he was too shy to make a move in front of Jack. The room fell silent for a moment. We gazed from one to the other.
Jack broke the silence. “Listen, Martin. I’ll be out of town for a couple of days, and I’m concerned for Miss Cruz’s safety in light of the recent activities.”
Why did he feel the need to share those details with Martin? If I had tape, I’d wrap his mouth with it.
“Would you be able to keep a close eye on her? Make sure nothing happens to her.”
Oh, that’s why Jack offered the info. What was he doing? What the hell made him ask Martin of all people? Martin’s face lit up like a neon wedding chapel sign in Vegas. A huge smile spread across his face, and I thought I detected hearts in his eyes. I knew what his answer would be.
“I’d love to. No problem whatsoever. You go on your trip and be secure in the knowledge she is safe with me.” Martin’s chest puffed out.
No friggin’ way this guy was hanging around with me, and if he thought he was, then he had another think coming.
“I’m fine on my own. I can take care of myself. I’m a big girl now,” I snapped, maybe more than I had intended to. It’s hard not to react that way when treated like a child.
“I’d feel much better if someone helped watch your back,” Jack said.
Yeah, Martin would watch my back, all right. By the giddy look on his face, it would be my ass though, and not the area above. Lily and Martin were perfect for each other, I knew that from the start, and his behavior now only confirmed my thoughts. Perhaps I needed to convince him the new lime beer was the best thing since buttered bread. Maybe he’d leave me alone and head back to his were-soul mate.
“I can take care of myself,” I repeated. Were they not listening to me or just ignoring me? Whichever one, it was annoying.
Jack pulled his wallet from his pants pocket and handed a business card to Martin.
“Look, I have to go. Martin, it was nice meeting you. Take care of her. Here’s my number, call if you need me.”
Jack paused and gave me a puzzled look I couldn’t quite read. There was no goodbye kiss, which sucked.
“Rylie, please be careful.” He paused, then turned and walked out the door, taking the box of bullets with him. More than likely to hand over to the police. If they called, I would avoid them. I’d thought it over and decided there was no need to involve the law--they would only complicate matters in my life. I’d take care of this on my own. I was werewolf, hear me roar.
Martin nodded and smiled at me. Kind of a creepy smile, actually. But, whatever, he was apparently proud of his assignment. “So do you want me to, like, hang around your office? I’ll just chill out here on this comfy leather chair.” He patted the arm.
“Look, Martin, I’ve got everything under control. You can leave.” I gave him a stern look.
“You know, the package from Lily wasn’t the only reason I stopped by today.”
No kidding. I wasn’t stupid. I guessed as much by the devilish smile on his face when he arrived.
“No? You don’t say.” I arched a brow. How was I going to get rid of this guy?
“Nope. Rylie, it’s just the other day, you seemed stressed. I wanted to offer my help. Maybe a shoulder to lean on. I’m a great listener,” he said.
Oh dear heavens. Why me? Why was I being punished? I mean, his offer was nice and all, but I had a feeling he wanted to give me more than his shoulder.
“It’s nice of you to offer, but I’m fine, really.” I shuffled papers to make it appear I was swamped with work. I didn’t glance up to see if lust filled his eyes.
“Talk to me, Rylie. I’m here for you. Tell me your deepest, darkest problems. I want to help.”
The day from hell, that’s what this was.
“Martin, I really need to get work done. I have no deep problems to share.” Not with him at least. “I’m swamped here, plus I have clients coming in soon. Thanks for stopping by.” Why couldn’t my phone ring now that I needed it to?
“Were the bullets silver?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Um, yeah, they were silver. All three of them,” I blurted out.
“Three? I thought he said two?”
“I got one the other day before Jack did.” Why was I telling him this? It would only prolong his stay.
“I had no idea. No wonder he wants someone to watch after you. Anything else going on you’d like to share?”
Ugh. What the hell, maybe if I told him everything he’d go away. That, or for sure he’d stick around. I couldn’t win. Possibly he’d have some idea about whether or not Lily, in fact, would send minions to try to scare me.
“Lately, a couple of thug werewolves have followed me around, and last night they chased me. I outran them, though.”
“You’re kidding. How terrible. Do you know who it is? It’s Lily, isn’t it?” He scowled.
“That’s the thing. She came here as a werewolf the other day and attacked me, but the others, they are definitely not Lily. It’s probably someone she knows, though.” I rushed the words out.
“Probably. How do you know it’s not Lily and a friend of hers?” He shifted in the chair. It wasn’t easy with his over starched jeans.
“They’re male, both of them.”
“I’m so sorry you have to deal with this. You poor thing. How can I make it better?” He fluttered his lashes and displa
yed an aww-poor-baby look.
Martin Blake made me want to lose my breakfast. His presence alone made my stomach turn. There was no way in hell he could stay in my office all day. I needed to eighty-six his ass, pronto.
“Martin, you know, it will be hard for me to get any work done with you in my office all day, leering at me. You’ll be in the way too.”
He looked as if I’d just told him his mother died.
“How about I hang around out front? I can do some sort of undercover surveillance. You know, keep my eye out for anything strange. And I’m not leering, by the way.” He shifted in his chair again.
Great, he wanted to be my very own personal stalker and hang around the building all day. Probably all night too.
“Whatever. I need to work. Vamoose.” I was more than a little tired of talking to him. I shooed him off. I probably was being rude and he could very well sue me for the Lily mess, but I didn’t care at that moment. What was one more client suing me, right?
“How about I buy you a drink after work? I won’t take no for an answer.”
He hadn’t listened to a word I said, and it was really irritating. Whatever he wanted to hear, I’d tell him in order to get rid of him. Well, almost whatever. At least if I said yes I would get rid of him for now, then I could cancel later. I needed to be alone to think about the mess with Jack. Alone to my own thoughts and without his creepy sneering.
“Sure, a drink.” He had to notice by the tone of my voice I was less than excited. How could he not?
“All right. Tonight. Drinks. Seven? It’s a date.” He almost did a little dance as he stood.
“Let’s get something straight. It’s not a date,” I snapped. If he didn’t leave soon, I felt I might explode for sure.
“Sure, okay. Right. Right, not a date. Got it.”
I seriously doubted he did.
“So, seven then?”
“Yeah. Yeah. Sure, seven.” Again with my less-than-exuberant tone, which didn’t seem to deter him.
Martin backed out of the office, smiling at me like a schoolboy with a crush. Honestly, I had no idea how I got myself into such messes.
“Bye, Martin.” I shooed him out yet again. I didn’t want to personally escort him off the premises, but I would if I had to.
“Bye, Rylie,” he said.
His tone equaled little hearts in his eyes. He left and I almost expected him to do a cartwheel on his way out.
If Lily saw me having drinks with Martin, it would be sudden death for one of us. There was no way I could meet with him. I’d think of some excuse later.
Chapter 15
How to Date a Werewolf Rule # 15:
Be nice to your date and there’ll be no need to worry about your personal safety.
After Martin tucked his tail and ran--he didn’t literally have a tail, yet--I had an uneventful morning. At lunchtime, I decided to grab a bite from the café down the street, maybe a beignet. As I headed down the sidewalk, allowing the scent of coffee to lead the way, I passed by the voodoo shop. Through the open door, I saw the priestess. She waved, giving me a knowing smile. I still didn’t understand how she recognized my condition, but she did. She didn’t ask if I’d followed the directions she’d provided for the gris-gris bag, and I was thankful. Honestly, it was on my list of things to do. I needed to give it a shot. I’d ask Jennifer to help later. After all, it was her idea in the first place. The priestess stepped out from the shop.
“You’re not wearing the amulet.”
Busted.
“Have you used the gris-gris bag?”
The expression on my face probably gave her the answer without me saying a word. “Not yet,” I managed.
“I know you didn’t want to come into my shop, but you should try the items I gave you.”
“I will. Nothing against you or your store, but I accepted the curse years ago.”
“No, not really.” She moved her hands when she talked. The bangles on her wrists rattled. “You believe the curse can be broken and that’s half of your battle. Now you use the gris-gris bag and amulet, you hear?”
I nodded. “You said to beware of those who lurked in the shadows. Do you know who is following me? The werewolves?” I whispered.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know. This person you shouldn’t trust watches you. Use the gris-gris and it will help.” She nodded, then turned and entered the shop, leaving me standing on the sidewalk. I watched her walk away for a second then hurried on past.
Martin sat across the street in his car. I glared at him, warning him not to come near me. He opened his car door and climbed out, but then stopped in his tracks halfway across the street. The death stare apparently worked in letting him know he wasn’t welcome on the trip. I took my time strolling down the street, studying the buildings and contemplating the priestess’s words. I saw them every day, but I never grew tired of their beauty. Overhanging balconies spilled pools of mysterious shadows along the old street. I weaved through the crowd, soaking in the details and the magical feeling around me. It was nice to have time to reflect on the madness in my life. Okay, perhaps nice wasn’t the right word. I wished the madness wasn’t there, but it did allow me time to ponder the situation, nonetheless.
As I continued down the sidewalk, I glanced over my shoulder. Martin followed a few steps behind. Apparently my evil glare wasn’t so intimidating after all.
“I thought I told you not to follow me,” I said over my shoulder.
“Just doing my job.”
“Can’t you do your job from a distance?”
“I thought this was a distance.”
“You’re practically riding piggyback on my shoulders. Back off. I don’t want to see you on my walk back to the office. If you must follow me, hide.”
He stopped on the sidewalk and held his hands up in surrender.
“Thank you,” I said and kept walking.
People sat at the little wrought-iron tables in front of the café. I maneuvered around them and entered. My stomach rumbled as I perused the menu. I picked up a roast beef on rye sandwich with a Diet Coke and headed out the door back toward the office. With my little bag of food in hand, I made my way down the street.
A strange sensation washed over me. You know the feeling you have when someone is watching you? I felt as if eyes scrutinized me. I continued on my way without panicking. Martin was probably staring. My muscles tightened--the feeling wouldn’t go away. I became aware of footsteps behind me. That alone wouldn’t be strange, but when I turned around to see who had the squeaky shoes, the two men following me gave me the heebie-jeebies. They seemed to be trailing dangerously close. Too close.
With my senses on full alert, I couldn’t help but pick up my pace. The sooner I got back to my building the better off I’d be. Their black suits matched. Both with crisp white shirts and dark ties. Their tinted sunglasses concealed their eyes so I couldn’t read their emotions. I couldn’t discern if they meant me harm--but I was guessing yes. They picked up their pace when I did. Moving with purpose, they fell into synchronized step behind me. I sure as hell didn’t want them following me back to my place. But did they already know where I lived? The clickety-clack of my heels, mixed with the sound of men’s dress shoes on the pavement, only served to increase my apprehension. In a panic, I began to sprint--or attempt to sprint--in my twist-my-ankle pumps. I put all of my effort into it. What possessed me to wear heels that high, I had no idea. I trudged on, in spite of the searing pain the shoes inflicted. I glanced back several times. By the looks of the two, I swear they could have passed for the men in black. Holy mackerel. Were the feds following me?
The government knew all about us werewolves, but they tried to hide it from the public, just like the UFO business. Why in the world would g-men follow me? I had nothing to offer them. No. No. I needed to calm down. The men were of average height, one with salt-and-pepper hair and the other with strawberry blond. The redhead looked familiar. They walked in unison--a steady rhythm to their footfalls.
I panted. I ran. Then I panted and ran some more.
Glancing over my shoulder, I watched the men hurry to keep up. The suits restricted their stride. They were having a tough time sustaining my pace.
Schmucks.
Then I remembered where I recognized the redhead from: the voodoo shop. What the hell?
People stared as I zigzagged through the street, trying to lose the strange men. An elderly man stepped out in front of them. His cane swooped out just as they passed by, nearly knocking the heavier one down. He scrambled to his feet, and the other suit pushed the old guy down in retaliation. The bastards. My arms flailed about as I sprinted along. I might run fast, but I never said I looked good while doing it. I managed to keep my bag of food clutched securely in my hand, which made me happy. I needed beef, quickly. Much more at my current pace and I might as well head straight to the hospital. My energy was drained.
In the distance, I recognized the alleyway that led directly to my office. One thing I knew for certain before turning onto the street, I had to gain distance and hide from the suits. If only real life were like the movies, I’d have had a few trash cans to throw into their path, stopping them from laying their dirty hands on me. What the hell could they want, anyway? Just my luck, I probably had been tagged for some sort of crazy government experiment. They’d have to kill me first.
A group had gathered on the street just ahead. The small crowd was my only chance to lose the suits and I had to go for it. I ran toward the group. Moving as fast as I could. I reached into my purse and grabbed the first thing my hand found--a tube of lipstick. Looking over my shoulder, I tossed it toward the redhead. Missed. What can I say? I didn’t have any other weapons--it was lipstick or nothing. My breath came in quick pants.
“Hey, slow down,” I heard as I whizzed by.
