by Leilani Love
“Keep an eye on them, try to get close and keep an eye out for whoever Dmitri sends.”
Chapter 3
Violca smiles politely as the lawyers come back from lunch. Her lunch is later in the day since she lets most the secretaries go before her. Usually one of the secretaries who’s been at the company long enough to know the ropes takes over her position for an hour or so. When Linda shows up Violca smiles happily. “Hey, how was lunch?”
Linda has been with the company for about four years with one of the senior partners. She’s older than Violca and sometimes treats her like a younger sister. “Too short as always.” Linda walks behind the desk, pushing her toward the door. “Your handsome friend is outside waiting for you. Can you tell me why exactly you haven’t slept with him yet?”
Violca rolls her eyes and laughs as she grabs her purse. “Because he’s like my brother and that’s just gross.”
Linda laughs too. “Okay but if you don’t want him, why don’t you see how he feels about sleeping with a woman a few years older than him?”
Shaking her head, she walks out the front sliding glass door. Stepping outside she instantly sees her friend Brandon. He’s leaning against one of the pillars wearing his policeman uniform, his sandy blond hair blowing in the breeze. Brandon and AnnaBelle are her two best friends. She met them both shortly after her family moved to their new home in the East Bay. The three of them were inseparable as kids, and both helped her when her parents died. Once a week Brandon meets with her for lunch at a small diner nearby. AnnaBelle’s schedule makes it harder to get together, but they still see each other as often as possible.
Brandon smiles when he sees her. His blue eyes sparkle with laughter. “It’s about time,” he says before bending down to kiss her cheek. His hand on her back leads her to his squad car.
“I still can’t believe you pick me up in a police car. You know these people are wondering why a girl who just left a law firm is getting into a police cruiser”
Chuckling, Brandon opens the passenger door for her before going over to the driver side. “I let you sit in the front so if they are paying attention they will notice you are not in the back, and I have never put handcuffs on you.”
Shaking her head she laughs, imagining Linda’s reaction if Brandon were to pull out handcuffs.
Brandon has been busily working on moving up from being a beat cop to a detective. He reads people better than most and his instincts are almost always spot on. He tries to make it to the house for dinner on the weekends to visit with her sisters, but he has missed the last few because of a case.
Waving at Rebekah as they walk in, they head to the booth toward the back. Rebekah comes to the table with two glasses of sweet tea. In her early sixties, Rebekah has soft laugh lines around her mouth and her dark hair is peppered grey. She is a fixture at the diner. “You two are here a little later than usual.”
Brandon smiles, winking up at Rebekah. “Sorry, but that one over there kept me waiting. I almost left her at the office.”
Rebekah grins. “Please, we both know you will always wait for her.”
Sticking her tongue out at Brandon, Violca laughs. “Thank you Rebekah. I think a grilled cheese with bacon and tomato soup sounds perfect.”
Brandon grins. “Two please.”
Rebekah winks over at him before she turns, heading back to the kitchen to put in their order.
“So how are your sisters?”
Violca leans back in her seat. “Pretty good I think. Eva is the exact opposite of Kati and me. She is a little social butterfly and always has some party or something to go to. Sari is, of course, top of her class, and there’s Angel who is, well, she is one of a kind.” Thinking for a minute, she adds, “Kati reminds me so much of me in high school, she has Samantha but…”
Brandon reaches across the table and squeezes her hand. “She will be okay, just like you. Besides she has you, and you being there for her, probably helps more than you think.”
Rebekah drops off their plates and they eat in silence, both enjoying their sandwiches. Violca thinks about the dream she had this morning. The few dreams she has had of her mother since the accident were past memories, this was the first time that it felt like her mother was trying to tell her something. She reaches up to rub her neck as she remembers the thing that was chasing her. What was it? She didn’t watch a lot of horror shows so it wasn’t like it was some monster coming out to get her.
“Earth to V. You all right over there?”
Hearing Brandon, Violca jumps in response. “Sorry, just got lost in thought.”
“Anything you want to share?” Brandon asks while watching her.
She shakes her head. “No, just had this weird dream about my mom and I don’t know, it sort of lingered in my mind.”
Brandon nods sympathetically. He had been close to her parents, they had treated him more like a son than his own parents had, and she knew their death hit him as hard as it did her.
Rebekah brings them the check when they finish eating and Brandon pays. “What? You got it last time, it’s my turn.”
With his hand on her back he leads her to his car, calling out to Rebekah that they will see her next week. The drive back to her office is mostly quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts. When they get to the office Brandon looks over at her. “So far I should be off this weekend, how about I stop by and visit.”
She leans over and kisses his cheek. “That would be great. I will tell the girls that if you aren’t working you will be over.”
Getting out she waves to him before heading back into the office.
Inside Linda looks up and smiles. “How was lunch?”
“Good. I forgot to ask if he liked to sleep with women slightly older than him, but I will next time I see him.”
Linda laughs as she steps out from behind the receptionist desk. “When you ask him, don’t forget to ask if he can wear that uniform.” She drops her voice to a whisper as she leans in close to Violca, “and bring those handcuffs.”
Laughing as Linda walks away, Violca steps behind her desk and picks up her headset to answer the call that’s coming in. “Wilson, Wilson, and Associates, this is Violca. How may I direct your call?”
Chapter 4
Chase looks over the pictures that Scott and Eryk have taken. The majority that Scott took shows Violca at work. One is of her smiling up at a guy who Scott said is her friend Brandon. He apparently takes her out to lunch once a week. There is also a girl who looks to be about the same age as Violca named AnnaBelle. The background check on them shows they have no past connection to Dmitri, although AnnaBelle’s job as a freelancer makes it a little harder to keep tabs on her.
Eryk took a few pictures at school. Eva, the second oldest, always seems to have a smile on her face and is usually surrounded by people. Kati, the middle child, seems to rarely smile. Chase has a funny feeling she is trying to hide a curvy figure under loose clothes, and her blue eyes show a wealth of wisdom that goes beyond her years.
Eryk comes into the room. Chase puts the pictures down and smiles at Eryk. “So how does it feel to go to a regular high school?”
Eryk chuckles. “Wasn’t quite what I was expecting.” Eryk is almost eighteen and just shy of six feet tall. Chase figures he will probably grow another couple of inches before he’s done. Eryk closely resembles his brother. He lets his dark brown hair grow out so it hangs just past his collar, and his warm smile shows off his dimples. He’s excited to be able to help out on a mission. Normally Chase wouldn’t let him, but since they need someone who is able to get close and hang out at the high school, Eryk is the right age. His only assignment is to help keep an eye on the girls and to find out what he can.
Chase looks down at a picture of Kati again. “Scott was saying he couldn’t smell any magic on Violca. What about her sisters?”
“Magic no, but there is something about them.” Eryk looks at the picture of Kati that Chase is looking at. “Something happened with her
last year, I can’t get anyone to talk about it. Whatever it is, her sister tries to protect her as best she can but her classes keep her on the other side of the school most the day.”
Chase smirks. “You can’t get the girls to tell you Eryk?”
Eryk grins, showing his dimples. “I know that whatever happened started from the cheerleaders. When I ask them they ask me why I want to know about that girl. I tried asking her best friend Samantha, but she glared at me and told me to go back to playing with the bitchy cheerleaders and leave her friend alone.”
Frowning over some of the pictures, Chase notices Kati hunched over. Scrolling through, he finds one where her face is relaxed, her attention fixed on something “What is she doing here?”
“She was drawing, and I managed to take that photo when she stopped to look at her picture.”
Chase closes that folder to look at those of Eva. Kati and Eva have a lot of the same features, but Eva carries herself differently than her sister. She stands up straight, in almost every picture she is smiling and laughing. The only ones where she isn’t are the ones where it looks like she’s defending her sister. Most of the pictures where she looks the angriest have two boys who look like jocks. “Who are these guys?”
Eryk glances at the picture. “Those are the two who seem to torture Kati the most. They are both on the football team, total pricks from the few encounters I’ve had with them.”
“Do me a favor and keep on her. Make sure these guys stay away from her.”
Eryk nods. “Not a problem.” The grin he gives Chase is a little mischievous. “I would love a reason to knock them both down a peg or two.”
Scott comes in from a shower. “Who we knocking a down a peg or two?”
Chase interrupts before Eryk can answer. “I want him to keep an eye on these guys and keep Kati safe.”
Scott nods. “Good idea, although try not to get in a fight at school, we don’t need to draw any attention to ourselves.”
Eryk grins. “Better head upstairs and finish the homework they gave me.”
Both guys nod before Chase goes back to looking at pictures. Opening Violca’s folder again he finds himself looking at some of the pictures with her and Brandon. He fights the urge to growl. For some reason the pictures bother him even though Scott has said they are just friends. Looking up from the computer he sees Scott watching him. “What?”
Scott raises an eyebrow. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
Scott chuckles before grabbing two beers from the fridge. Handing him one, Chase notices him trying not to smile. “You just have this look on your face like you are going to rip someone’s head off.”
“Whatever man.” Chase mumbles before grabbing the beer from Scott.
Taking a swig of his beer, Scott smiles. “You wanna come by the office man and check her out for yourself?”
Thinking about it for a second Chase nods. “Yeah. I messaged Viktor earlier, and he wants me to get to know her and see what I think. I told him you can’t smell magic on her, but by the picture you sent of Violca, he is pretty sure she’s the right one.”
Scott leans against the counter. “There are not that many girls with truly violet eyes, so that alone puts her and her sisters in the running. She is really sweet so a part of me hopes she is not the one, and we can leave her out of this mess, but I have a funny feeling she is.”
Chase looks over her picture. His dragon’s reaction to her makes him think she is the one. Most of the night he looks over what they have found out about Violca, debating on the best course of action to get close to her. Scott’s notes about her let him know she keeps most men at arm’s length. Chase admires how much research Scott did. There is even a note about a boyfriend who dumped her shortly after her parents passed away, and she started raising her sisters. “Idiot” he mumbles, thinking her decision to keep her family together and raise her sisters herself tells him more about her than anything else could.
Chapter 5
Violca jumps when the phone rings. “Wilson, Wilson, and Associates, this is Violca. How may I direct your call?” She hears someone rattle a name and knows the lawyer’s assistant should be at her desk. “Hold one moment so I can transfer you to his assistant.” Transferring the call she sighs, leaning back in her seat.
The smell of coffee reaches her and she inhales deeply. Turning her head she smiles when she sees Scott next to her with a cup.
“You look like you were in need,” he says.
Scott does not look like their typical security officers. He looks more like a model, and Violca can’t fault the girls around the office for trying to get his attention. “You are such a life saver.” She takes a sip and smiles. “It’s like heaven.”
“Let me know if you need anything.” He chuckles and heads back to his desk.
“Thank you so much.” A few of the younger assistants come in and give her a look that lets her know they don’t think she is worthy of his attention. Violca rolls her eyes, almost laughing out loud when both girls try to get Scott’s attention. Since he started working there, their skirts had gotten a lot shorter.
The rest of the morning goes pretty well. When Linda comes to relieve her for lunch Violca thanks her and heads out. The outside is calling to her today. The sun is shining and she has an urge to sit and enjoy it.
Taking a few steps she bumps into what feels like a solid wall. Hearing a bunch of papers hit the ground she realizes she must have bumped into someone. “Oh crap, I’m so sorry,” Violca says as she bends down to help pick up the papers. A pair of masculine hands help her pick up the papers. She looks up at a warm pair of golden brown eyes, and her breath catches.
“No, it’s my fault. I should have been paying more attention.”
His voice is deep and sends a chill up her spine. With all the papers gathered she feels his hand take hers in order to help her up. Standing, she bites her lower lip. “Here, these are yours.”
“Thank you.” He says, taking them from her.
Smiling, she continues walking until she hears him say, “I hate to bother you but I was wondering if you could help me.” Stopping, she turns and he smiles. “I was actually looking for a decent place to eat. Could you recommend something?”
“There are a few places within walking distance that are pretty good, depending on what you are in the mood for.”
The man grins. He has spiky blond hair, his eyes are a golden brown. He is wearing a pair of slacks that hug his muscular thighs nicely and the way his shirt clings to his chest she is willing to bet the rest of his body is just as hard. “I’m sorry to bother you if you are in a hurry.”
Thinking he is way too sexy for his own good, she finds her breath catching. “No actually, I was just on my lunch break.”
He runs his hands through his spiky blond hair. “Would it be forward if I asked to join you? I’m new to town and eating alone again doesn’t really appeal to me.”
Violca tilts her head thinking about it. “I was actually just going to grab a sandwich at this little sandwich shop around the corner and eat in the courtyard.”
Chase watches her and has a funny feeling he is being more forward than she is used to and is surprised that she has not walked away. “Do you mind if I join you?”
He sees her thinking about it before she says, “Umm okay.”
He smiles, feeling she is a little nervous. “Great, my name is Chase, Chase Reed.” He offers his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Violca Grey.”
When she walks past him he inhales. Violca’s scent is a mixture of lavender and a meadow after a rain. It’s clean and earthy. His dragon is having a weird reaction to her, and he finds himself fighting for control over it. His skin is getting itchy as his dragon lets him know he wants to get out. I can’t shift in public, and if I suddenly turn into a dragon, most likely the girl will be afraid. Relax. He can actually hear his dragon huff before settling down but staying close to the surface.
�
�Thank you again for letting me join you,” he says, pulling open the door to the little bistro and holding it for her.
She smiles. “This place has some great sandwiches. They make their bread fresh every morning. I can sometimes smell it when people open the office door.”
He watches her as she smiles at the young guy behind the counter.
“Hey Violca, how’s work today?”
“Good so far, but happy tomorrow is Saturday.” She glances at the menu. “Can I get a chicken cordon blue sandwich, beer battered fries with a coke.”
Ordering a Philly Cheesesteak sub Chase also orders the beer battered fries and a coke. Walking over to where she is waiting for her order, he smiles. “The food here smells wonderful.”
Violca bites her bottom lip and he fights the sudden urge to kiss where she bit. “It’s one of my favorite places.”
Leaning against the wall they wait in silence for their orders to be called. He watches her out of the corner of his eye. She smiles politely to a few of the employees and asks them questions about their lives. When their orders are finally ready she leads them back out to the courtyard.
Chapter 6
Chase can see Violca occasionally glancing at him. After taking a few bites of his sandwich he clears his throat. “I am going to assume you work around here?”
“Yeah, I work in those offices over there.” She points to the law office building. “Right about where I bumped into you.”
Chase raises an eyebrow. “You seem both too nice and too young to be a lawyer.”
“That’s because I’m the receptionist. As much as I love to argue I don’t think I could ever be a lawyer.”
“You like to argue huh?” When she blushes he has a funny feeling she does not realize how attractive she is. Her clothes are fashionable and fit her well, but he does not think she dresses to get other people’s attention.
