Luna somehow made it home from the police station without breaking down. She immediately got on her computer and started looking for a good lawyer. They cost an arm and a leg, but what could she do? She didn’t have a choice.
Luna tossed and turned the entire night. Trying to retrace her steps and going over in her mind how she lost that access card. She last used it the day before the theft to enter the office and took it everywhere. Killian couldn’t have lunch that day. In fact, he was hardly coming by to see her during the day anymore, but she had dinner every night with him and then they stayed at her place. Hmmm,…she had never been to his apartment, even after a month but never thought anything of it. He mentioned having a place in the city but had omitted saying where.
She brushed those thoughts aside for now. The access card— that was what was important. She had to figure out what happened to it so she could clear her name. Clearing her mind of everything but that day, she thought back to that morning.
After waking up, she showered and dressed, kissed Killian goodbye, and went to work. She used the keycard to get into the office and then dropped it in her briefcase. Following a meeting at ten o’clock, she went to lunch and finished her work. At the end of the day, she met with Killian at a lovely, little French place by the waterfront. After dinner, they took a stroll around the river and walked back to the parking lot. Unfortunately, when they got back to her car, the rear passenger window had been smashed, and her briefcase had been stolen from the back.
Oh, she felt so stupid! Why did she leave her bag there? Killian consoled her, told her there was nothing she could do. Luna wanted to go to the police to file a report, but Killian said it could wait until Monday. There was no way she was going to get it back anyway and at least her car was still there. Being tired, all she wanted to do was go back home and snuggle with Killian under the covers, so she agreed.
Did someone take her briefcase to get her keycard to steal the tapestry? It couldn’t have been a crime of opportunity. The Gastalava Tapestry had some serious security around it, and whoever stole it was a pro. The access card allowed them to bypass the main museum security system and avoid setting off the alarms.
There was niggling feeling in her brain, one that wouldn’t leave her alone, preventing her from sleep. As the sun rose outside her window, she got up and went to her computer. She pulled up her web search engine and entered ‘Grover Real Estates Holdings’. Up popped the company website and a couple of pages, but nothing else. No news sites, trade publications or even prominent real estate blogs. She clicked on the company’s page and went to the contact form. Grabbing her phone from her bedside table, she dialed the number listed, but all she heard was a recorded message saying the number wasn’t in service. She tried again, but it was the same message.
Her heart drummed in her chest and that hole in her stomach came back. No. They must have had the wrong number listed on their website. She tried Killian’s number, but it was busy. He was in Europe on business and it was in the middle of the night there. How could his number be busy?
The pressure behind her eyes was building and she clutched at her stomach. Was he really in Europe? Was he really even Vice President of Grover Real Estates Holding? Or did he make that all up? She felt nauseous the whole day and it wasn’t just morning sickness. Her mouth felt like sand and everything she tried to eat had no taste. In the afternoon, her phone buzzed with a text from Killian greeting her good morning and telling her about the lovely breakfast he was having on his terrace in Madrid.
Luna wanted to scream and throw the phone against the wall. Or should she call him back and tell him he was a liar? Instead, she ignored him. When she didn’t answer back, more texts arrived. Unable to control herself, she glanced at the screen.
What’s wrong baby?
R u ok?
Text me back now.
Then the calls came, one right after the other and she let all of them go to voicemail. When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she tossed the phone out of the window and dove into bed, burying her face in the pillow and letting out a scream.
For two days and nights, Luna holed up in her apartment. She couldn’t sleep, her mind reeling from all that was happening. She was pregnant and jobless. She spoke with a lawyer and when he told her the final figure of what it might cost to defend her, she wanted to be sick. She would probably have to sell her apartment—her beautiful home that she’d worked so hard for. What would she tell her mom and the Van der Meers? Could she even get a job after this whole thing was over?
She was running out of food and she didn’t want to get delivery anymore, so Luna decided to go and get some groceries. As she left the lobby of her building, she bumped into something hard and solid. The scent of rain was unmistakable.
“Luna,” Killian cried, wrapping his arms around her. “Thank God you’re okay. I thought something had happened to you when you didn’t answer my texts. Please don’t do that again.”
The anger she’d repressed had been slowly bubbling up like a geyser. And now, faced with the subject of her rage, she let it explode like Old Faithful.
“You fucking asshole.” She pushed against him and must have caught him by surprise because he stumbled back. “You did it, didn’t you?”
“Sweetheart, I don’t know—”
“Shut up! Stop lying to me.” She stood there looking up at him, her eyes blazing. “You stole my access card and tried to hide it by staging a break-in. And then you used my card to get into the museum to steal the tapestry.”
Killian’s face was blank, his firm lips drawn into a tight line. As the silence drew out, the tension between them grew thicker.
His shoulders sagged. “Yes,” he finally confessed. “I did. I’m so sorry, Luna.”
Hate, rage, disgust, and revulsion swirled inside her and her vision clouded. “You bastard. Not only are you a liar, but you’re a thief, too. Tell me—was seducing me part of your plan? Did you have to think of someone else while you were fucking me? Or was it all worth it? Just how many millions did you get for the tapestry anyway?”
“Luna, stop. Please listen to me.” He tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged him off. “It’s not like that!”
“No! Don’t you dare touch me. I can’t stand being around you. I hate you.” She turned around and began to walk back into her apartment building.
“Luna, let me explain. I didn’t mean to hurt you, please.” He grabbed her wrist. “Please listen to me. I want to be with you. And our baby.”
The thought of Killian touching her again and her child made her insides turn. Growing up, Luna had never known her father, but one day her mother told her the truth—he was serving a life sentence in prison for killing a police officer. No—her child would never have a criminal for a father. Not like she had growing up, leaving her mother to raise her alone. She could do it, too. For the sake of her child, she had to do it. Pivoting back, she looked at him so that she could say it to his face.
“There is no baby,” she said, the lie sliding smoothly from her mouth.
“What do you mean? Are you hurt? Did you have a miscarriage?”
“No.”
His hand released her wrist and dropped to his side. The concern on his face melted away, replaced by a cold mask. “Why?” he rasped.
“Because I hate you,” she whispered. “I hate you and I couldn’t stand the thought of having your baby inside me. You ruined my life, Killian, and I never want to see you again.”
Chapter Five
Luna was still pregnant.
The baby he thought was long gone was still inside her. The memory of that day played on replay constantly in his mind and kept him up most nights. It pushed his wolf to the breaking point, and he had feared the animal would go insane and break free from his skin. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t think about the loss. And now that she was here and the baby was still there, he could hardly believe it. It felt like waking from a nightmare that never ended.
<
br /> He couldn't even bring himself to be mad at Luna, not when it felt like a vice that had been wrapped around his heart was now loosening. He had to find her before she left again.
Even though New York was a city of millions of people, it wasn’t hard for Killian to track Luna down. He had her scent memorized, etched so permanently into his brain that it was easy enough to follow the trail once he caught it. The inner wolf inside him was eager to find her too, sniffing for the lingering smell of sugar and cinnamon in the air.
Being on foot, she hadn’t gone far. Killian and Meredith caught up with her a mere couple of streets from the office. They followed her block after block until they reached the edge of the East Village. She stopped in front of an old building, fumbled for her keys and went inside.
“What the hell is she doing here?”
“She obviously lives here, duh,” Meredith said.
“Why would she live in a place like this?” His mind raced with questions. Luna had a gorgeous apartment in Portland. She loved that place and judging from the way she’d decorated it, it was obviously her pride and joy. So why then was she staying in a dump like this? Even if she’d sold her place, she could have afforded something much better with the profits. And it wasn’t like her parents were hard up for cash either if she’d needed any. One weekend, when she said she couldn’t stay over because she was going home to see family, curiosity had gotten the better of him. He followed her all the way to a beautiful mansion on the lake. There was no way parents who lived like that would let their daughter stay here.
Meredith shrugged. “The rent in Manhattan is too damn high, that’s why. Well—at least we know where she lives now. Should we stake her place out and make sure she doesn’t go telling anyone?”
“I’m going in after her,” he declared. “I need to get to the bottom of this.”
“You can’t. What are you going to do, break into her apartment? Killian, wait—Killian.”
He was already halfway across the street when he heard Meredith grumbling behind him. Jogging up the stoop, he bent and examined the door. Jesus Christ, what kind of security was this? The door knob was older than him. He took his lock picking tool from his pocket and slipped it into the keyhole. It opened in three seconds, and the ancient wood heaved and creaked when he pushed it.
“What a dump,” Meredith declared.
Killian agreed. There were newspapers piled in one corner, dirty bottles strewn about, and the damp smell of mold in the air was unmistakable. He checked the mailboxes but didn’t see Luna’s name. The mixed cooking smells in the confined space were blocking his senses so he couldn’t follow her scent. Shit. Maybe they could knock on every door until they found her.
“Let me help you, ma’am.”
He turned at Meredith’s voice to find her holding the door of the building open for an elderly woman.
“Oh, thank you, dear,” the woman said when she made it all the way in. “It’s nice that young people know how to respect their elders.”
“It’s what my grandma taught me,” Meredith replied cheerfully. “Say, ma’am, I was wondering if you could help me. I’m here to surprise my sister, Luna. Luna Rhoades. But I seem to have forgotten her apartment number. I can’t remember if it’s 1B or 2B—and I can’t call her or I’ll ruin the surprise.”
“Oh. Luna, yes,” she replied, her cloudy eyes brightening in recognition. “Pretty young thing with blonde hair? That girl, she’s always exhausted from working at that restaurant in Chinatown, you know? But she always has time to check on me every other morning. Asks me if I need anything. Maybe to check if I’m still alive,” she chuckled. “I don’t have any family and my dear Marlow passed away fifteen years ago. My children don’t even call—”
“Uh, ma’am?” Meredith interrupted gently. “Her apartment?”
“Oh! Yes, I’m sorry dear, I do tend to ramble on. It’s….” She trailed off, her eyes looking into the distance. “It’s 2C, I believe.”
“Thank you!”
Killian strode to the stairs, taking them two at a time to the second floor.
“What exactly are you going to do?” Meredith asked when she caught up. “Look, I bought us some time, we know where she lives, and Quinn can probably find out where she works. Let’s go back and talk to the Alpha. He’ll know what to do.”
He ignored her and kept walking towards the apartment. He stopped when he reached the door, contemplating whether he should just pick the lock or knock.
“Killian, for fuck’s sake,” Meredith said in an exasperated voice. “Don’t you do it.”
“I have to,” he replied, before knocking on the door. His knuckles rapped sharply on the wood. No answer. He knocked again. “Luna!” he called. “I know you’re in there.”
“That woman was older than this building. She might have given us the wrong apartment number,” Meredith pointed out.
Before he could answer her, the door opened, and Luna’s face appeared. “What are you doing here?” she asked her eyes wide as saucers. “Don’t you—what do you think you’re doing?”
Killian barged into her apartment, ignoring her protests. “Hey, you can’t just come in here!” she exclaimed, her cheeks puffing out in anger.
“What the hell are you doing here, Luna?” he asked, looking around. While the apartment was clean, it was also cramped. The three of them could barely fit inside. A shabby futon was pushed up against a wall and next to it was a side table with a laptop. On the opposite end was the small kitchen, though really, that was being generous. The room consisted of a counter with a hot plate and a sink, plus a few dishes stacked neatly on the side. There was a single door next to the mini fridge that was either a closet or a bathroom.
“I live here,” she retorted. “Now get out or I’ll call the cops.”
“Why the fuck are you living in this hellhole?” Killian couldn’t help himself. His brain couldn’t reconcile what he was seeing. His inner wolf, on the other hand, was starting to get antsy.
“It’s all I can afford,” she answered, her face growing red with embarrassment. “Now that you’re done insulting my home, you can go.”
“What about your apartment in Portland? Or the mansion on Lake Oswego? Why aren’t your parents supporting you?”
“The mansion? How—Did you follow me to the Van der Meer’s mansion?” Her face twisted in anger.
“You mean your family’s home? That’s what you said, right? You were going home to see some family?”
“Not that it’s any of your business,” she stated, putting her hands on her hips. “I did grow up in that house, but it wasn’t my family’s. My mother was the housekeeper, and we lived there with the wealthy couple who owned it.”
The blood pounding in Killian’s ears was making him dizzy and his body was as stiff as a board. All this time he’d thought she was some rich, spoiled princess. “And your apartment?”
Luna’s face fell and he wished he hadn’t asked. She took a deep breath. “I had to sell it. Lawyers aren’t cheap, you know.”
“But they didn’t charge you,” he said in a daze. “I checked. The Portland PD never charged anyone.”
“Yeah, well that didn’t stop Larry Bakersfield from suing me in civil court,” Luna huffed. “Oh, that case got thrown out, but not before I spent every cent I had defending myself. By the end of it, I was flat broke and no one would hire me. The bastard blackballed me from every gallery on the West Coast. The only place that would hire me was a small artist community here in New York, and even that’s part time and has no benefits.”
“Luna…” He couldn’t say anything, not with the battle raging inside him. His inner wolf was angry. No, it was furious. Furious at him for not protecting Luna, for not taking care of her. He looked at her; at the hollows of her cheeks and the dark smudges under her eyes. Her arms were thin—much thinner than he’d remembered. In fact her entire body was skinnier, save for the protruding bump of her belly. She had been miserable, all right. Miserable and star
ving—because of him.
Luna let out a sharp cry and clutched at her stomach through the thin, white t-shirt she wore. Killian stepped towards her, but she raised a hand. “Don’t touch me!” she yelled as she sank down on the futon.
He stilled, rooted to where he stood like a tree. “Why did you tell me you got rid of it? I’m the father. I have a right to know my child.”
“Did you really think I could have an abortion?” she accused, tears pooling in her eyes. “Yes, I lied to you about that. But there was something I wasn’t lying about. I hate you, Killian. Or whoever the hell you are. I hate you, and I will burn the world before I let you into this child’s life. Now,” she stood up, her eyes full of fury. “Get out.”
Killian was silent, her words sinking slowly into him.
“Killian,” Meredith called softly,. “Let’s go.”
What could he do? Meekly, he followed his sister out of the apartment.
“I didn’t know,” Killian said as they walked down the stoop. “I swear, she wasn’t supposed to get hurt. I made sure.”
“You couldn’t have planned this,” Meredith assured him. “You couldn’t have known.”
“But I should have!” he roared. The wolf was screaming to get out—to take over his skin and bleed something.
“Jesus, calm down Killian!” Meredith’s eyes began to glow, a sign that her wolf was sensing just how close he was to losing control.
“I gotta go,” he shouted as he began to walk away from Meredith. He needed to be alone.
***
Killian wasn’t sure how he got home. Did he run over twenty blocks to his condo? Get in a cab, a bus, or subway? He didn’t know. As soon as he slammed the door shut behind him, the wolf shredded its way to the surface, tearing his clothes to ribbons. It proceeded to rip apart everything it could get its claws and teeth on—the couch, his coffee table, the lamp—even the carpets. He thought the wolf was done with the living room, but it stalked to his bedroom and tore at his bedsheets, slashing its massive claws across the wooden headboard.
Killian's Secret: The Lone Wolf Defenders Book 1 Page 5
