Isaiah's Haven l(-2

by N. J. Walters

  He sat and stared at his empty hands. It felt strange not to have to answer to anyone but himself. He was truly a loner. He shook his head and pushed to his feet. Lone wolf. That was him.

  Except it wasn’t funny. A wolf without a pack was vulnerable. He rubbed his chest, trying to ease the ache there as he thought about Meredith alone for years with children to protect. She was one hell of a female. She was worth giving up everything for.

  Grabbing his duffle, he headed out of the room. He hadn’t unpacked, so he knew he was leaving nothing behind. Check out was fast and easy as he’d paid cash in advance. In a dive like this they didn’t care how you paid as long as you did.

  Isaiah stood on the sidewalk and squinted up at the morning sunshine. He needed food and a place to stay. He turned and made his way toward Wicker Park, his gait sure and steady.

  His first plan of action was to get some food and a paper, preferably in a location where he could keep an eye on Meredith’s building. He’d check the rooms for rent in the classifieds and find somewhere to dump his stuff after he fueled up.

  The hunters would need time to regroup and wouldn’t strike in broad daylight. He had time to take care of business and catch a few hours sleep before he had to stand watch.

  Thankfully, money wasn’t an issue. Living for ninety years had some benefits, one being that he had investments in many major companies, primarily oil, gas, pharmaceuticals and technologies. He’d never spent a quarter of what he’d made over the years and had banked it all. He could easily spend the rest of his life watching over Meredith. His needs were simple—a place to sleep, food and keeping Meredith safe. Everything else was extra.

  By the time he hit Meredith’s familiar neighborhood, his stomach was very vocal in its complaints. He’d been here mostly at night and the area had a much different vibe in the day. It was alive with sights and sounds and smells. Instead of making him feel claustrophobic, as they usually would, they made him feel closer to Meredith. This is where she worked and lived. These were her people.

  A local café caught his eye—Bean There. Obviously, they specialized in coffee. But their outside menu board also boasted a soup and sandwich lunch special. The location was perfect, so he went in.

  It was a pleasant place, painted in vibrant shades of yellow, cinnamon and green. It wasn’t quite lunchtime so only three of the tables were occupied.

  A young woman wearing a tie-dyed skirt with a bulky knit sweater smiled as he went to the counter. “Hi. What can I get you?”

  “I’ll take two soup and sandwich specials and a coffee.” He studied the desserts in the glass case.

  “You expecting company?”

  Isaiah shook his head. “Just hungry.” She laughed as he pointed to the case. “I’ll have a blueberry turnover and one of those brownies as well.”

  “If I ate like that, I’d be as big as a house,” the dark-haired woman groused. “You must have great genes.”

  “Something like that.” He paid when she rang up his total.

  “You can have a seat and I’ll bring your food down to you.”

  “Thanks. By the way, do you sell the local paper?”

  She shook her head and pointed to a small stand. “We don’t sell them, but we have several copies. You’re free to read, we just ask that you don’t take it with you when you go.”

  “Fair enough.” He grabbed one and headed to a table near the window, dumping his duffle bag on the floor. Usually, he’d sit in a corner with his back against the wall. But then he wouldn’t be able to see Haven. He did manage to get a small table that allowed him a good view of the club.

  He opened the paper and went straight to the rental listings. He was perusing likely places when the waitress brought down his meal. She smiled at him as she set two bowls of soup and a small mound of sandwiches in front of him. Coffee and the sweet treats followed. “If you need anything else, just ask.”

  On impulse, he showed her the paper. “Know anywhere I can rent a room around here cheap?”

  She chewed on her bottom lip and studied him. “I saw a sign in the window of one of the boutiques just down the road. I can’t remember which one, but I think they were renting out an apartment or room above them.”

  “Thanks. I’ll check it out after lunch.”

  “No problem.” The girl stuck out her hand. “I’m Amy.”

  He shook it briefly. “Isaiah.”

  “So, you’re planning to stay around here.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  She smiled at him. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Meredith bent over Benjamin, checking him for about the hundredth time this morning. She stroked his fur gently, careful not to wake him. Sleep was the best thing for him right now.

  “He hasn’t stirred in hours.” Neema sat in the corner, an open magazine on her lap. “Not since I took over from Michael.”

  It was just past lunch and Meredith was exhausted. She hadn’t slept at all. Instead, she’d sent the rest of them to bed and gone downstairs to get everything ready for the club to open.

  Michael had turned in when Neema had relieved him. The rest of them had gotten a few hours sleep and were now downstairs taking care of business.

  “You should take a nap. You don’t look so hot.”

  Meredith shook her head. She didn’t want to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, images of Benjamin being shot, of Isaiah walking away beat at her. She couldn’t take it.

  “She’s right, Mom.”

  Meredith turned to see Michael walking across the room toward her. He put his arm around her and hugged her. She felt the weight of his arm, but no warmth. She was so cold. So numb.

  “I’m fine.”

  Her son stared down at her, his eyes older and wiser than they’d been a day ago. She wanted to howl and cry at the knowledge that now lingered in them. But what was done was done. And it had truly only been a matter of time. Their lives were precarious at best. It was a miracle they’d gone as long as they had without detection.

  “No, you’re not.” Michael caught her chin in his hand and lifted her face. Sadness filled his gaze as he stared at her. She didn’t know what he was searching for, but he didn’t seem to find it.

  “Come on. I’m taking you to your apartment. If you can’t sleep, you can at least rest.” He turned to Neema. “Call me if there’s any change.”

  “Will do.”

  Meredith allowed Michael to lead her from the room, mostly because she was too damn tired to care. They walked across the hall in silence. He shoved open the door to her apartment and waited for her to enter.

  Her gaze went straight to her window. She hadn’t changed the locks yet. She had Isaiah’s note tucked away in a drawer. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to toss it in the garbage.

  Where was he now? What was he doing? Had he already left Chicago?

  “Mom?” Michael stood next to her. Waiting.

  “What?” She didn’t know what he wanted and was too tired to figure it out.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She frowned and studied her son. There were dark shadows under his eyes, but there was resolve in them. “For what?”

  He gave a short bark of laughter. “For what? For questioning your leadership. For getting us into that mess last night. It was my fault. We wouldn’t have been at the park if it weren’t for me and my stupid resentment.”

  “Resentment?” Meredith was lost. Reaching out, she touched Michael’s arm. “What did you resent?”

  He shook his head and heaved out a sigh. “Not what. Who.”

  She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “Isaiah.” He shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “Anyone could see the way he looked at you.” He paused. “And the way you watched him. The way he was working his way in to our lives.”

  “But you’re my son.” She was bewildered. “Nothing can change how I feel about you. Or Benjamin or any of you.”

  �
�I know that.” He raked his free hand through his short hair, making the ends stand up straight. “It’s just that you’ve never looked at a male like that before. He wasn’t just some guy. He was a powerful male werewolf. An alpha. I struck out in anger, challenging you. Thinking I could do a better job at running the pack.”

  “You were afraid he’d take your place in the pack?” While she was alpha, Michael had always acted as her beta, her right hand, her second in command.

  “Stupid, huh? And look where it got us. Benjamin is shot and everyone else is scared.”

  Meredith grabbed his shoulders and shook him. He was larger than her, but she was still his mother. “It wasn’t your fault. You’re at the age where you want to assert yourself. That’s natural. No,” she stopped him before he could speak. “I’m not done yet.”

  He subsided and she continued.

  “You haven’t lived around adult males before, so you don’t know. That’s on me too.” She’d deprived her sons of so much by taking them and running from her pack.

  “No.” Michael shook his head adamantly. “I haven’t missed anything. I don’t want to be a part of a pack that would force you to mate whether you wanted to or not.”

  Meredith closed her eyes and gave thanks that she had such wonderful, understanding sons. She’d told them what had happened when they’d come of age and made their first change. She’d given them the option of returning to the pack, knowing their grandfather would welcome them with open arms, even as he sent assassins to kill her. Not that she’d told her sons that little detail.

  But they’d both refused. Even more so when she’d told them about her former pack’s stand on half-breeds, which was that the only good half-breed was a dead one. No way were they putting their brothers and sister in danger.

  “You’re a good son, Michael. A good man.” She pulled him into her arms, hugging him. His arms banded around her. “This wasn’t your fault. If it hadn’t happened this time, it would have been some other time. Bounty hunters are everywhere. We risk detection every time we go to a park and change.”

  He buried his face in her neck, holding her close. “I’m sorry I was jealous of Isaiah. Sorry you felt you had to send him away.”

  She pulled back. “That was my decision. Right or wrong, I made it.”

  “Can you call him?”

  “Why? What’s changed since last night?”

  Michael rubbed his hand over his stubbled jaw. “I had a lot of time to think while I watched over Benjamin. He was willing to protect you from me. He came back to the park last night and he didn’t have to. He removed the bullet from Benjamin. But beyond that, he looked at you the same way Teague watches Neema.”

  Meredith’s breath caught in her chest. She couldn’t think about that. Couldn’t think about what she’d destroyed in a moment’s anger and pain. She swayed and the edges of the room began to close around her.

  “Mom?” Michael caught her in his arms and picked her up, carrying her into her room. His gaze flicked over the tangled sheets, but said nothing. He could easily smell Isaiah’s scent on them and knew she hadn’t changed them.

  He laid her on the mattress, tugged off her shoes and pulled the comforter over her. “Rest. I’ll send someone up with something to eat in a few hours.”

  She closed her eyes and turned her head into the pillow, breathing in Isaiah’s scent. She didn’t acknowledge when Michael left. Meredith lay there, not sleeping, but remembering the hours she and Isaiah had spent in this room. Knowing it would never happen again.

  She clung to the pillow and pulled her legs toward her chest, curling up as tight as she could. But nothing could dispel the pain or fill the empty, aching hole in her heart.

  Michael was worried. Not only for his brother but for his mother. She’d always seemed so strong, so confident. She was the rock on which they all leaned. Now that foundation had been shaken.

  He realized just how much he depended on her. How much all of them did. It was habit, he supposed. Left over from childhood. But that didn’t make it right. It was time for him, for the other males, to step up and take more on their shoulders.

  Hank had been trying to do it since he arrived. Maybe it was because he’d been older when he’d found them. An adult male who’d spent time in the human military. Only Hank had pushed to make Meredith let him take on some of her duties. And she’d let him.

  That should have been a sign. But Michael, like the rest of them, had ignored it. Each comfortable in their roles. Well, no more.

  He found the rest of the guys sitting at one end of the bar. They had to open on time even though none of them wanted to. Their mother was adamant about that. They could do nothing to draw suspicion to them. Not until the commotion over the killings in the park blew over.

  There were two dead men, three if you counted the one in the alleyway not far from the park. Isaiah hadn’t been lying when he’d said he’d been attacked too. Hank had gone out early to get a paper and he’d also checked out the news on the local television station.

  Hank’s eyes practically bored a hole in him as he sauntered over and took a seat. “How is she?”

  Michael thought about how much to tell them and decided to go with total honestly. They’d never kept secrets from one another in this pack and this was no time to start. “I don’t know.”

  “Fuck.” Teague tapped his fingertips on top of the bar, his entire body practically vibrating.

  “That says it all.” Kevin raised his coffee mug and saluted all of them.

  “We made a mistake last night.” Hank’s pale blue eyes glittered like diamonds, hard and sharp. Deadly. “We were so caught up in the challenge we forgot to be cautious. Those hunters were on us before we knew it.”

  “That’s on me.” Michael sat on one of the tall stools and rested his elbows on the edge of the bar. Kevin placed a mug of coffee in front of him and absently wiped a stain off the counter with the edge of his hand.

  “Shit, man, there’s enough blame to go around.” Teague swung around on his stool. “None of us were paying attention last night. Too worried about the challenge and Isaiah.”

  “Yeah.” Michael dug the heels of his hands against his eyes and sighed. That was another mess he’d helped create.

  “Does Meredith know where to find Isaiah?” Kevin leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “’Cause I really think we need to talk to him.”

  Michael picked up his mug and sipped his coffee. It was hot and strong, exactly what he needed. “Nope.”

  “Shit.” Teague echoed his earlier sentiment.

  “That about sums it up,” Hank added. “Everything is a mess.” He faced Michael. “So what are we going to do about it?”

  They all looked to him. Michael straightened on the stool and shoved his coffee mug aside. He wouldn’t let his mother down. Not this time. “We watch and we wait. We don’t do anything to bring attention our way.”

  “What about Isaiah?” Kevin asked.

  Michael shrugged. Wasn’t much any of them could do. They’d been so busy trying to get rid of him they’d never taken the time to learn much of anything about him. “Don’t know. Maybe he’ll come back. Maybe he won’t. Either way, it’s not our call.”

  Hank frowned, not looking pleased, but he nodded his agreement.

  Teague nodded and slid off his stool. “I’m gonna go up and sit with Neema for a bit, help her watch Benjamin.”

  They all watched him leave, not blaming him for not wanting his mate out of his sight.

  Kevin picked up his half-full mug and headed toward the office. “I have some suppliers I need to deal with. You guys can open the club. I already called in the rest of the staff to cover the kitchen and waitressing duties for the day shift. It will be just family for the evening shift. Everyone should catch an extra few hours of sleep this afternoon.” He didn’t wait for a reply, but hurried off to take care of business.

  Michael and Hank shared a look when they were alone in the ba
r. They would protect the rest of the family from whatever threat came their way.

  A knock came on the front door. Hank stood and managed a friendly gesture as Tammy waved enthusiastically at him through the glass. “I’ll get the staff started and take the first watch. I’ll send someone up to wake you in a few hours. Get some rest.”

  Michael nodded and Hank went to unlock the door. It was time to start their day.

  Macmillan was watching Riley’s Garage when his phone rang. He welcomed the distraction. This was one hell of a boring job. After the depletion of his men last night, there was no one else to put on the job until reinforcements arrived. Mitch and his guys were working on a more important job for him.

  “You’re not going to believe this,” Mitch began.

  “Tell me something to make me happy.” Macmillan shifted in the front seat of his truck, ignoring the cramp in his leg.

  “Bob got up on the roof of the building next door and managed to get a look in one of the windows. He saw an injured wolf lying on a bed. There was a female sitting next to him, keeping watch. And that’s not all.”

  “Go on,” Macmillan prompted.

  “He saw another guy carrying trash out to the dumpster behind the building. Said he was a redhead with tats and piercings. Moved real smooth. Like a werewolf.”

  “I’ve never heard of a redheaded werewolf.”

  “Could be a half-breed,” Mitch speculated. “Bob’s convinced he could be one of them. Said he prowled around the alley and sniffed the air before going back inside.”

  “Damn.” This was gold. He hated the half-breeds even more then the pure werewolves. After all, some human man or woman had mated with one of those mutants. The products of such unnatural unions needed to be killed on principle alone. Macmillan thought for a moment and then smiled. He couldn’t afford to waste any more men. Maybe there was a way to get rid of the werewolves who’d taken out his men and a few more besides.

  “You gotta pen?” he asked Mitch.

  There was the sound of rustling and then Mitch was back. “Go.”