by Victoria Sue
Riley nodded and grinned at Mac. “Remember Nate and Ellie?” He turned back to Lisa. “Panther twins. Nate had a hell of a temper. Mom practically needed to get the whole house painted.”
Mac chuckled and put a hand over Lisa’s. “Jamie? He’s an ocelot—very rare.”
“No one knew what he was at first. Found him wondering around the res.” Riley frowned slightly.
Lisa thought how hard it must have been to the guys when they were growing up to deal with this sort of thing on a regular basis. Kids coming and going. She glanced at Riley and smiled. He nodded.
Mac smiled at Riley. “We only found out when he fell on some ice and broke his arm. Little tyke was so shocked he shifted.”
“Didn’t he know?” Lisa was astonished. But, I didn’t know.
Riley sighed. “We only know his first name. He was found about a year ago. We don’t know whether he doesn’t remember where he came from or refuses to tell us. He’s closest to my dad. My dad found him while he was hunting, and it took a long time for him to even talk to him. He wouldn’t leave his side for the first month. Dr. Michaels has spent a lot of time with him, but didn’t get anywhere.”
“Daniel set up a special department of children and family services. The cover story is that sometimes families have originally been in say, witness protection, or something like that. New papers are issued etc. and no one questions why the kids come to us.”
“Wow.” Lisa leaned back.
“It’s not infallible.” Riley glanced at Lisa apologetically.
Lisa smiled as they got out of the car.
After having their IDs approved, they were shown into a small office, and a gray-haired, diminutive lady rose to great them. “Mrs. Kelly?” Mac stuck out his hand and performed introductions, identifying Lisa as a support worker from Raleigh Point.
“Well, goodness, it is nice to meet you. Raleigh Point has such a good reputation. I met Mrs. Knight some years ago.”
“Our mother.” Riley looked interested.
Lisa watched Mac study Mrs. Kelly carefully. She knew she was human. She thought both guys were trying to size up how much she knew.
Mrs. Kelly smiled, and Lisa warmed to her immediately. “Coffee, Tea?”
“No, thank you, we’d like to meet the girls as soon as possible,” Mac put in smoothly.
Mrs. Kelly nodded. “I’m so pleased you’re taking them. They need more help than we are able to give, that is if they are to stay together. I don’t know what it would do to Erin to have Molly taken away. Molly is very, very sensitive to emotions. Least little argument, she hears with the other kids sets her off. Erin is just trying to protect her.”
Lisa cocked her head to one side. “You think they should stay together?”
Mrs. Kelly nodded vigorously. “Absolutely. I know, unfortunately, we haven’t placed them very well with prospective parents, but she’s her younger sister. She’s bound to be protective, losing their parents like that. We really should have taken more care. Did you know Erin was adopted originally?”
Mac glanced down at the paperwork. “There’s no mention of that here.”
“No? It err... must have got left off. I can’t imagine how.”
Mac grinned, as he and Riley shot each other a look. “Could that be because some people might have used that as a further excuse to separate them?” Mac looked carefully at her.
Mrs. Kelly chuckled softly. Lisa decided she really liked her.
“Happens more frequently than you’d think. A couple adopts thinking they can’t have kids, then, bam. Instant family. It was tragic. They were both very much wanted from what I understand.” She smiled again. “Come on. The rest of the children are outside. The girls are in the playroom. They know you are here.”
They all trooped into the playroom, Lisa immediately hanging back and going to sit in the corner. Mac shook his head and nodded for her to follow Riley. Taking one look at the older girl, she immediately understood why Riley was heading over there.
The girl shook. At first, she thought it was in fear, but then seeing her hot angry green eyes blaze at them while she pulled her sister into her defiantly, Lisa knew she was mad and grinned in delighted. Temper, yeah temper she could handle. Tears not so much.
Riley ignored the little girl and put his hand out to Erin. “Pleased to meet you, I’m Riley.”
Lisa understood Riley was trying to touch her to calm her down, and at Erin’s pointed ignoring of Riley’s hand, Lisa just let out a huge guffaw. Not much chance of that. She grinned and flopped down on the sofa next to the girls. There was a huge TV in the room.
“Oh my God, Pony Tales? Haven’t seen that in years.” Lisa looked at both girls. Molly had a thumb firmly glued in her mouth, cute. “You’ve seen the one with the rainbow games? My all-time fave.” Lisa shrugged her jacket off and put her feet up on the table in front of the couch.
Mac bent down so no one could see his lips twitching.
Molly turned her attention straight to the TV, checking the episode, and Erin opened her mouth, only to close it as if she couldn’t think of anything to say.
Mrs. Kelly smiled wryly at Lisa’s feet and turned. “I’ll just leave you to get to know each other a bit.”
Cool green eyes dared Lisa in challenge. “Why?”
“Why what?” Lisa responded casually.
“Why do we need to get to know you? We’re getting shipped off with you anyway. Not like we have a choice, is it?”
Riley opened his mouth, clearly to say something reassuring, but Lisa jumped in.
“No. No, you don’t. So do you want to do the whole how are you speech or shall you just get your stuff?”
Shocked eyes stared back. Lisa smiled to herself. Clearly, Erin wasn’t used to anyone doing anything other than trying to appease her. Yeah, so that obviously worked, not.
Mac stood up as Mrs. Kelly entered the room. “Ma’am, we have quite a drive, so if everything’s ready, we’d really like to get going.”
Mrs. Kelly nodded and went to hug both of the girls. Molly returned the hug fiercely, but Erin held back, and ducked her head.
Tough girl then, thought Lisa, smiling.
Lisa deliberately sat herself next to the girls in the car, and Mac sat up front with Riley, talking quietly.
Molly instantly went to sleep, and Lisa stared bemused at the innocent freckled face and the red curls. She looked a bit like Cassie. Erin’s gaze was firmly fixed out of the window, shoulders hunched and body tilted away from everyone, screaming, don’t touch me. The only movement she made was cautious looks at her little sister every so often.
Lisa decided to bite the bullet. “So how long has it been since Molly spoke?”
Erin looked up shocked, and her mouth tightened to a hard line. “It doesn’t matter. I know what she wants.”
Lisa smiled. Interesting and defensive. She wondered if Erin ever felt inferior, either because she was adopted, or because she wasn’t a shifter, and she wished she had the skills to ask. Maybe that was something she could do? Cassie was in college, maybe she could go.
“She’s lucky to have you. I would have killed for a sister growing up.” Lisa sobered slightly. “Still would.”
Erin eased herself away from the window slightly and gazed at Molly. “She had it hard. She saw things. Heard things. I couldn’t.” Erin added softly, “She was like my dad.”
Understanding flooded Lisa. Erin was checking on how much they knew without giving away any of her sister’s secrets. The fire would have been terrible for any child, but add enhanced smell, sight, and hearing to the mix, it would be mind-numbing. She glanced up at the guys. It also explained why a shifter parent would adopt a human child. Mom had to be human. Riley flicked her a glance in the mirror, and Mac just looked with troubled eyes.
Lisa thought furiously. “Sometimes that extra stuff must have gotten a bit hard for you.”
Erin shrugged and turned to the window again. So done sharing then.
“Why don’
t you try and get some rest?” Lisa grinned at the stiffened shake of Erin’s head. Clearly not going to let her guard down easy. So Lisa eased herself back to give the girls more room and waited patiently. It wasn’t long before Erin’s head was nodding. Lisa smiled at Mac, leaned back, and closed her eyes.
A soft hand touched her face, and she breathed in honey. Mac.
“We’re here. Can you help Cassie settle the girls?” Cassie stood on the steps holding Codie, beaming. Jamie and Alex were hanging around, trying not to look interested. Erin came awake, suddenly alarmed and stiffened.
“Hey, we’re here. Do you want to get Molly? I think she’ll appreciate her big sis taking her in.” Lisa nodded casually to the little girl who was starting to wake up.
Erin smiled in agreement, and then wiped her face quickly.
Lisa grinned. Baby steps.
They got out of the minivan, and the guys tugged at the girls’ cases. Erin held Molly’s hand tightly as she defiantly grabbed her case from Riley.
“Here, I can get that.” Alex stepped forward and calmly took the case off Erin. Erin just let him. “I’m Alex.” He nodded over to Jamie. “That’s Jamie. When you’re settled tomorrow, I can show you around.” He calmly walked and held the door open for Erin, Molly, and Lisa.
Lisa and Cassie very quickly got the girls in and upstairs. Alex appeared shortly with a mountain of sandwiches, grinned at Erin, and then quickly left them to it.
Cassie calmly got them unpacked, giving them a brief rundown of everyone who lived here and quite successfully managed to get Erin involved in where their stuff would go. Soon, Erin was darting in and out of the bathroom, smiling as Cassie had brought Codie with them, and he was happily bouncing and laughing in the baby seat with them.
Lisa leaned back on one of the easy chairs in the room and looked around. She hadn’t been down this side of the house where all the kids’ bedrooms were before. The upstairs was like a big V shape. Cassie’s room was at the middle point, next to her mom’s, and the corridor to the left had all the kids’ rooms and a couple of large bathrooms. Erin and Molly’s room had its own bathroom though, and Lisa was glad the girls had that privacy.
She knew bathroom privileges were a strictly controlled area in every group home she’d lived in, and this would be luxury for them.
Lisa stared at the high ceilings. The room was pink. Very pink. Obviously, it had housed girls before, and she noticed the shelf next to the older TV and DVD recorder had Pony Tales. Very good.
Feeling a bit wrung out from the journey, she was happy to leave Cassie and Erin to the unpacking. Lost in her musings, she was surprised when a little, soft hand touched her arm.
Blinking Molly had properly woken up and was staring at Lisa, big green eyes taking everything in and her thumb firmly in her mouth.
“Hi, Molly. Do you want to look out the window?” Lisa put her hand out in encouragement, and her breath caught as a little hand slipped into hers. Gently, Lisa helped her stand on the bench seat that wound the length of the large window so she could see out. Jamie, Alex, and Zack were running around the makeshift court below. Jamie got the ball off Alex, with a bit of help. Zack picked him up under his arms and sat him on his shoulders. At that height, Jamie merely had to push the ball into the basket, and then Zack roared and did a victory lap as Jamie clapped and cheered.
A giggle broke from Molly, and the room suddenly went still. Erin shot over to her, and open-mouthed, stared at Lisa.
Lisa shook her head softly at Erin to try and warn her not to make a fuss. Erin nodded and stood gazing at the guys’ antics. Lisa held on tight to the little hand still in hers. It was all good. For the first time in twenty years, she felt like she was doing something good.
Chapter Eleven
Lisa woke the next morning quite late. She’d been too tired to speak to Mac much last night, before falling into bed herself. By the time the girls were asleep, she was so wrung out, and she’d barely had the energy to brush him a chaste kiss.
By the time she’d taken a quick shower, she was descending the stairs as Alex and Jamie were leaving for school. There were a lot of voices in the kitchen, and she could hear Mac laugh. Her pulse skipped in response and a wave of heat washed over her. Lisa pushed the kitchen door open and came to a forced stop.
What looked like a supermodel was currently trying to drape herself all over Mac, and he didn’t look like he was trying to stop it.
Everyone went a little quiet when she walked in, and Mac jumped up to come to Lisa, to be beaten by the woman. Casual long legs in skinny jeans brought the blonde toward her. Lisa stared at flawless skin and green almond eyes. Red pouty lips were framed by silky blonde hair, and she strutted toward her like she was doing the runway in Milan. Lisa hated her on sight.
The pouty lips broke on a half-smile. “So you’re Mac’s latest rescue. I’m Agent LeClare, Miranda.” She held her hand out and immediately dropped it as if Lisa was contagious. Without waiting for Lisa’s reply, she turned and sat back next to Mac, shaking her head slightly and placing her hand on his arm. “Softy,” she murmured.
Lisa wanted to rip her arm off.
Mac stood up again, when Riley came in with the phone and handed it to Mac. “Possible placement.”
Mac nodded and shooting Lisa an apologetic look, walked out of the kitchen with the phone to his ear. Cassie shooed Erin and Molly out, saying she wanted to go through their wardrobes. Zack laughed and hugged Codie saying he had a diaper to see to. Riley’s phone rang then, and he took himself to the corner of the kitchen to answer it.
Lisa nibbled on some toast that tasted like cardboard and wished to be anywhere but where she was at that moment in time.
“So this must be quite a shock to you.” Miranda waved her hand around the kitchen. Lisa just nodded, not entirely sure whether she meant getting released from the hospital and joining the real world or finding out she was half-animal. She also wasn’t sure how much Miranda knew. Mac hadn’t mentioned her yesterday. “So, what are your long-term plans?” Miranda laughed and it grated. “I mean Raleigh Point is for children.”
Well, yeah, why not make it a bit more obvious, why don’t you?
“Dieting?” Miranda nodded sympathetically to the toast, seemed unconcerned that Lisa hadn’t answered her, and raked pitying eyes over Lisa’s ample curves. “It’ll get easier if you get more disciplined. I do Pilates and have an amazing personal trainer. In fact, Mac introduced us.” She laughed and smoothed one hand down her hip suggestively. “He has very exacting fitness standards.”
Lisa managed to not launch herself at the skinny cow, just. Not only because she had no idea how much this woman knew about Mac’s family, but because she thought attacking an F.B.I. agent might not be a good move.
“So,” she carried on, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “you’re one of Mac’s latest waifs and strays?”
Lisa saw red.
Mac appeared at her side just in time to forcibly grab Lisa’s hands and push her down next to him. Which was just as well. Lisa was ready to go for Miranda’s throat.
Miranda’s eyes opened wide along with her mouth. Mac interrupted forcibly.
“So, are you thinking a new kid’s been taken?”
Miranda looked surprised and zeroed in on Lisa. “I don’t suppose Mac has told you about the work he does for the agency?” She laughed as if the very idea was ridiculous.
Lisa eyed her coolly. Mac released his death grip on her hands. “Finding missing kids?”
Miranda’s eyebrows rose as if Lisa had scored a point. Then she regrouped.
“Yes, Mac is one of our most trusted assets. We’re very lucky to have him.” The unspoken, I’m very lucky to have him, was apparent.
Lisa wasn’t sure she cared at that point. Mac was drawing lazy circles on her hip with his finger. She knew he was trying to distract her from wanting to rip Miranda’s throat out. She smiled and snuggled into him. Distaste registered on Miranda’s face. Lisa tipped her head back on Mac�
��s chest. Were they sure she was a wolf? At that moment, she felt like a cat. Lazily, she sheathed her claws. She heard the answering rumble in Mac’s chest. He knew what she was doing.
Miranda took it in and turned her gaze to Mac “We really need to get going.”
Mac gazed at Lisa intently. “Miranda works on the team that handles suspected child trafficking. We’ve got information about a recent runaway. We need to go see the foster mom.”
Lisa nodded. “How old?”
“Nine. The bus driver swears he dropped him off at the regular spot yesterday, but he’s not made it home.”
“It’s important. You go do what you need to do.”
“Zack and Riley have to go see a new client for a security contract.” He still hesitated.
Miranda trilled. “I’m sure you don’t need to worry, Mac. Cassie’s going to be baby-sitting your new arrivals.”
Lisa tore her eyes from Mac’s intent gaze. He seemed to be quite oblivious to the hidden insult. It had sounded like Miranda had meant the girls, but Lisa had heard herself being included in Miranda’s derisive tone. She fixed a look back on Mac and inched even closer. “It’s okay.”
Mac still gazed at her. “I know the problem’s been taken care of,” he added, “but I’d be happier if you stayed in the house today.”
She nodded. So Miranda clearly didn’t know that much then. Good.
Lisa felt buzzed she had so much energy, and she looked at Mac longingly. Riley was laughing down the phone, but he paused and glanced at Lisa. Zack came back in and shouted at him to get his ass moving, and he chuckled back and followed Zack out.
Both guys left in a flurry of goodbyes. They’d be gone most of the day.
Mac stood and let go of Lisa’s hands. He grabbed the file he needed and headed to the door.
Miranda was all over him again. Every time he moved to get nearer Lisa, she dropped a comment about the child that had Mac turning to her, or she placed a hand on his arm to get his attention. The familiar gesture tugged at Lisa’s insides and hurt. By the time Mac had his papers and was ready to go, Lisa wanted to scream. She was ready to crawl out of her skin and into his.
