Eli growled, “Back away from her, Louise. Get the fuck away. NOW.”
Diana’s eyes went wide with recognition, but Louise recovered from her shock quickly and snarled at him. “Who the fuck are you?” She looked at Diana. “Who’s your knight in shining armor? Have you been cheating on me, with a MAN?”
“NO! No, I haven’t cheated on you!” Diana pleaded. She looked at him. “Tell her! Tell her we don’t know each other.”
Eli moved so fast that both women flinched. He grabbed Louise and turned her upside down, lifting her off the ground as though she weighed as much as the empty envelope lying on the desk behind her. Her hair and arms hung down, not touching the floor.
His voice was an animalistic growl that gave both women goosebumps. “You are leaving. Tonight. And you’re never coming back. Do you understand?” He could feel Louise get clammy, could smell her fear. “Do. You. Under. Stand.”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
He shook her around and tossed her onto the floor like he was throwing away trash. “Get your things. Go.” He stood between Diana who was sobbing, and Louise who was not.
“I’m sorry, Louise!” she whispered.
Eli hated when he heard victims defending or apologizing to their abusers. But that was how it worked. There is no abuser if there is no victim. One cannot exist without the other.
Louise shot Diana a hateful look and he knew this wasn’t the last of it. He could make her leave, but she’d be back. It made his soul hurt and he gritted his teeth to growl, “That’s enough.”
Louise picked up some clothes and a jacket, ignoring him and moving slow.
She turned and faced him, cocking her chin with defiance. Unleashing his restraint, he used all of his supernatural speed, appearing inches in front of her terrified face with his eyes in full shift-glow. He growled at her, his chest rumbling so thoroughly it vibrated hers, too. Urine rushed down her leg and she ran out, clamoring down the stairs.
As soon as he gathered himself and knew his eyes were back to their normal human-like color, he turned and dipped to his knees to be at her level. “Diana, are you okay?”
Holding one of the desk legs, she had tears streaming down her old bruises, and her cheek was red from the slap. “I’m fine.”
“I heard her kick you. Is anything broken?” He couldn’t smell blood, but only she would know if something was internally damaged, like a rib.
She sniffled and shook her head. “No.”
“You want to come out?”
Climbing out and using the desk to steady herself, she was scared for so many reasons. He hated that he was probably one of them. But maybe witnessing the little bit of supernatural power would be enough to shock her into doing something different. It was all he could hope for knowing that Louise would be back once she’d cleaned her pants. And she’d be furious.
“You have some place you can go?”
She thought about it. “I have a friend from work.”
That day he’d copied the list of shelters out from his phone by hand, and he handed it to her now. “These are those places we talked about. They don’t judge. They only help.” He walked the paper to her. “I’m sorry I scared you. You can trust me. I know you might not believe that right now.”
“No, I do,” she whispered, taking the list. “Thank you.”
He sighed, looking at the red mark on her tear-drenched cheek. “I know you love her, I can see it. But this isn’t what love has to be like. There are no ‘shoulds.’ I’m not saying you should, understand?” She nodded. “I’m saying it’s a choice. You are making a choice. She is making a choice. And you can make another one if you want to badly enough.”
“Okay,” she nodded.
He felt deflated and impotent to help. He couldn’t force her to choose a better life. Then he remembered Rose’s number. “Listen, Diana, give me that paper a sec.?” She handed it to him. “You got a pen?” She nodded and reached for one on the desk. “Thanks.” He used his leg to write the already memorized number on. “This is a female lawyer. She’ll help you if you decide to prosecute. You can trust her, too.” He handed the paper back. “Just…hold onto it, okay?”
“I can’t afford a lawyer!” she said, her eyes hopeless.
He threw up his hands in a prayer position. “I’ll pay for it. You call that number?” He pointed at the paper in her hand. “I will cover the cost. I have the money. I want to.”
She stared at him. “Why are you doing this?”
He gave her a big smile. “It makes me feel good. But only if you use that number, you understand? I won’t feel good if you don’t.”
She nodded, but regardless of his trying to coax one out of her, she couldn’t return the smile. He waited until she got her things together and called her friend. It was in the neighborhood and he insisted on walking her there, happy when she was relieved.
She put on her coat and grabbed her black suitcase. Glancing at the broken door, she walked out with him behind her. “Let me get that.” He picked up the suitcase and she studied his ability to lift such a heavy thing without signs of strain.
They walked the chilly streets into the night together, Eli keeping an ear out for Louise to ensure she wasn’t following them. He kept Diana’s mind occupied with light and friendly conversation about his run through the park that day, how he’d gotten a hot dog, and then another one. He even shared with her that he’d recently moved, too, and was enjoying the change. Diana listened, but she was still in shock about what was happening.
When they arrived at her co-workers brownstone apartment, she was waiting on the steps in her pajamas. With kind eyes and a warm hug, she greeted her friend and thanked Eli with a silent smile, guiding Diana upstairs. Before they went into the building, Diana waved to him. He waved back and waited until they were both safely inside.
For two hours he remained there, keeping watch in case Louise showed up. She might know about this place, might have come here for a dinner one night, he couldn’t be sure. It wasn’t up to him after all. He could only do so much. But for tonight at least, he could make sure Diana was protected.
After one in the morning when the lights were long out upstairs, he headed home, feeling he’d done the best he could do, knowing it wasn’t enough.
Chapter Nineteen
Just after eleven on Saturday morning, Rose rolled over and stared at the ceiling, feeling like she'd caught up on three adrenaline-filled years of sleep. She stretched her body under the covers and snuggled with them, bunching them around her and smiling toward the window. The pale blue curtains were halfway open and the sky outside looked overcast but bright.
Having spent a good part of yesterday with Michelle, drinking and then ditching the booze to shop for new sweaters, she felt loved. The kind of loved you feel when you spend time with a friend who gets you. They’d separated in time for Rose to come home and send the company laptop and all her files by courier back to Hewlett, Leonard and Clarkson as promised. Then she happily binge-watched her favorite T.V. shows, The Walking Dead and Jane The Virgin, sticking her head in the sand so she didn’t obsess over what Eli and Michelle were hiding.
Staring out the bedroom window, she gave some thought to what she should do today. With no job, there was no schedule of pressing problems. No witnesses to set up with interviews. No cases. No money coming in.
She sat up and stared as images of poverty and destitution flashed before her way-too-ambitious eyes. "Oh my God. I've got no clients. Am I even a lawyer anymore?"
Throwing off the comforter, she paced around her apartment making a plan. First she’d need her own laptop and maybe a tablet. Then a website. Or maybe website first and then…wait, no she needed a laptop to set up the website. Also, what would her company name be? And...
"How am I going to get clients?” Anxiety drove her into her kitchen where she searched for coffee. If she were going to build a whole online profile in one day, she'd need brain juice.
The canister was empty.
She shook it. “Great.”
* * *
At Bluestone Lane Coffee, the line was manageable, but it wasn’t moving fast enough for her. She tapped her foot while her mind made big plans, spinning in circles about how to make a website. She could hire someone but would they work fast enough? She wanted the damn thing up today! Digging in her bag for her purse, she heard a male voice say, "Why the frown on a Saturday? Don't tell me you're working on the weekend."
She glanced up and saw a nice looking man with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. He had no accent but with those features and that smile, she'd bet money his family descended from Ireland. He had a nice face. "I’m starting my own business. Today. So, I guess I am working."
He gave a playful frown. "I don't like the idea of anyone working today when winter is just around the corner. Plenty of time to stay indoors then, dontcha think?"
She laughed with an agreeing shrug. "Yes. True. But I'm going to do it anyway."
He smiled and turned back around.
Giving his trim shape a once over, she pulled out her phone to call Michelle about internet stuff when he turned back around and asked, "Well, how about tonight? Let me take you out to dinner after you're done building your empire." His eyebrows rose in expectation of a positive reply.
Her smile turned into a grin and she slipped her phone back in her purse. "That would be nice."
"Yeah?" he asked, grinning now, too. He didn’t have a dimple, but his laugh-lines were contagious. He seemed kind.
"I'm Rose."
"Danny.” He held out his hand.
She shook it and quickly let it go. "What do you do, Danny?"
They both moved up as the line got shorter. "I'm a contractor. Foreman of a team of really good men. We build things," he smiled with comical pride.
She gave him the smile he wanted. "That's really cool." And here I was going to drink coffee at home.
A text came through on her phone and she reacted to the familiar beep, telling him, "Excuse me a sec."
"No prob."
Her smile vanished as she saw an unfamiliar number and read the text: Rose. It's Eli. There's a woman who's being abused by her partner. I gave her your number, just in case she decides to prosecute and needs the help of a great lawyer. I am hoping she'll call. If she does, please bill me. I'm taking care of it. And I'm sorry about the other night. - E.J.
She stared at the text.
"Bad news?" Danny asked.
She saw him glancing at the phone, and shoved it into her purse. "A referral possibly. Good news."
"You don't look like it's good news."
She made a small noise that shrugged off any more questions and they both stepped forward as he became the next person in line. "Can I get your coffee for you?"
She smiled and thanked him, but she was no longer in the room, her mind on Eli's text and what it meant. He was going to pay fees for a woman in a bad situation? That was so noble she had a hard time believing it true. It was another reminder that she didn't really know him. But it made her want to, which sucked, and his timing was uncanny. Right after she'd been asked out by an attractive guy, he texts her?
After giving Danny her number, settling on when they would meet and where, she thanked him again for the double Americano and declined his offer to walk with her. She had too much on her mind, she told him. She really wanted to call Eli. Instead, she settled on Michelle. Glancing around, she made sure Danny was out of sight and earshot before she dug out her phone and dialed.
"Hey Rosey, hungover?"
Rose answered on a wry smile, "We didn't have enough to get hungover. Wait, are you?"
"No. I was just joking."
"What are you guys up to?" Rose looked up at the cloud-cover, wondering what she was going to ask and how to phrase it. Eli had her number. How’d he get it? What did he say? Anything about her? Did Michelle still think…she shut off her mind and listened.
"We're discussing a honeymoon. Your vacation talk got me wanting to get away to a beach, too." Rose heard Nathaniel's voice in the background, "Thank her for me." Michelle laughed. "Nathaniel's happy. I think he wants to see me in a bikini."
Rose was dying with questions so her laugh sounded fake. "That’s great. Well, my vacation is put on hold. I need some help, Chelle. I want to build a website today for my practice."
Without missing a beat, Michelle said, "Wix. They're drag and drop, and their templates are fantastic. You could have it up by tonight, easy."
Rose blew through the tiny hole in her coffee lid to cool it down, her red sneakers stopping. "Awesome. And do you know anything about this woman Eli is helping? I got a text from him that he's referred me to her. A battered woman? Do you know who she is? He said her partner, so I'm not sure if that means she's gay or just not exactly married."
Michelle was quiet and Rose thought she heard her cover the phone, but wasn't sure. She waited until she heard, "I don't know anything about it. But Nathaniel says the guys, his friends you met at the wedding? They like to help people in need. So it must be that."
Rose heard it again, just like yesterday, Michelle way too careful with her words.
"I see. Is he…does he know this woman? How did–"
Interrupting, Michelle said quickly, "I don't know, Rosey. Why don't you ask him?"
With a single snort, Rose shot that down immediately. "He's probably just telling me this to make up for the other night." As soon as the words fell out of her mouth, she regretted it.
"What happened the other night?" Michelle asked with surprise. "Did something happen and you didn't tell me? How long did we spend together yesterday and you didn’t tell me something happened with you and Eli?"
Oh, puhhhleeeease. Like you’re so forthcoming!
Gritting her teeth she moved closer to the building she stood by, and started kicking it. "We kind of exploded. I have to stay away from that man. He is bad for my sanity and that's all I'm going to say."
"You're going to say more than that!"
"No, I'm really not." She sipped her coffee and burned her tongue. "Ow! Fuck! And besides, I have a date tonight. A very attractive man named Danny is taking me to Gotham tonight which I hear is incredible…so Eli can kiss my ass."
She heard Michelle ask her husband, "Did you know something happened between Eli and Rose?" A pause, then, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"What'd he say?" Her eagerness was embarrassing. She cleared her throat. “I mean, whatever. It’s fine.”
On an exasperated sigh, Michelle answered, "He says there's a guy code."
"Well, get it out of him!"
"If you knew him better, you'd know that's not possible. Those four are thick." Directing her next words to both Nathaniel and Rose, she added, "Thick as thieves AND thick-headed. Argh! Don't!" She burst out laughing, obviously being playfully attacked.
Rose called over her friend’s laugher, "Okay, I'll let you go! Wix. I'll try it. And about Eli, let's just drop it. I don't need to know what he said about me. I already know what I have to do."
"Which is?"
A bird landed on a trashcan in front of Rose. They watched each other as she said, "Go out with someone who is available, and that ain't Eli. Guys like him are dangerous."
Michelle told Nathaniel, “Hang on!” and asked Rose in an urgent voice, "So, you're going out with this guy Danny?"
"Yep. But first, my empire." The bird lifted his wings and flew away. She smiled, "I'll talk to you later, Chelle."
"Bye, Rosey."
Chapter Twenty
Eli stared at the phone waiting for Rose to reply. The T.V. was on TNT and a repeat of Supernatural had been amusing him to no end. Until now.
"You’re not going to even answer my text?" he muttered, his hand on the soft cotton of his t-shirt. He meant to sleep in that day since it was the weekend and their firm was closed. A wolf's hours are in the night, and day-sleeping was natural. He and his packmates indulged themselves at least twice a week, and today was supposed to be
one of those days, but he'd dreamed of Rose all night and woke with a hard-on that wouldn't quit. He wouldn't let himself fantasize about her because it would only feed the beast.
He’d stupidly thought texting was a good idea since he had to tell her about Diana in case she called. But he realized with each passing second he waited for a reply that it was the worst thing he could have done. The obsession he’d abated was now in full swing. Jumping off the couch, he paced around Michelle's old apartment, grabbed the remote and powered off the show. For the billionth time, he snatched up Rose’s panties and breathed them in. Throwing them to the couch, he grabbed onto a wall and cracked his neck. “Stop it!”
Anxious and irritated, he blinked at the furniture. "That's what I'll do. I'll throw out all this stuff and go buy my own things." He dialed Darik and as soon as he picked up, demanded, "You want to help me get furniture for my new place?"
Darik didn't hesitate. "Fuck yeah! Nathaniel and Dontae coming?"
"You want to give Dontae a call while I phone my ex-roomie?"
"Sure. Then text me where we should meet."
"You got it." They hung up and Eli's mood improved. "You've gotta have friends," he mumbled as he dialed. His best friend answered on the first ring. "Hey. We're going shopping for couches and tables and stuff. Wanna come?"
Just like with Darik, the answer was immediate. "Count me in." To Michelle who must have been right beside him, he said, "The guys are going to get new stuff for your old place. Do you want to keep any of it? What shouldn't we throw away."
Eli loved how quickly Nathaniel took care of business, and waited while they discussed. She asked if she could come by while they were out shopping and grab some things, but the major furniture items she didn't need.
Nathaniel came back to say, "You heard that, right?" knowing with their hearing abilities, Eli had.
"Yup. Tell her to have at it. Whatever she needs. Oh man, this is gonna be good. I can't wait. Don’t tell her this but I’m crawling out of my skin over here. It’s about that thing we talked about. I don’t even want to say her name."
Werewolves of New York: Eli (Werewolves of... Book 2) Page 9
