Changing Times

by Marilu Mann

  When she was dressed and had run a brush through her hair, Carly picked up the pad by the bed where she had written his phone number. Carly dialed the number and couldn’t stop the small thrill that raced up her spine when he answered.

  “Pantera.”

  “Mr. Pantera? Carly Chambers returning your call.”

  “Carly, I’m glad you called. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “No, no, I usually take several short naps during the day. What can I do for you, Mr. Pantera?”

  “Call me Tony, please. I have a rather strange request to make of you. Do you have any time today to speak to me?”

  Carly was quiet for a long time, then she took a deep breath. “I’m free this morning for about an hour. What is this request?”

  “I have a friend who is in some trouble and I think she could use someone to talk to. She may also need some medical attention and I don’t think she’s going to receive what she needs where she is right now.”

  “What kind of trouble? Has she also been shot?”

  “No, no, nothing like that.” Tony’s soft chuckle reached across the phone line and stroked a shivery line down the middle of her back. “I’m afraid she’s been arrested.”

  “For what?”

  “Have you seen the paper this morning?”

  “Yes.” There was a short pause, then Carly sat up straight. “It’s that murder case, isn’t it? You want me to go visit her in jail?”

  Tony must have heard the disbelief in her voice because he rushed into an explanation before she could hang up on him. He told her what a gentle person Susan was and how it was impossible that she had murdered this man in cold blood. He spoke of Susan’s family, her friends, those who would be willing to stand by her.

  Tony spoke quietly and quickly, not giving Carly time to interject or interrupt him as he asked for her help in dealing with Susan’s mental health while she was in jail.

  Carly finally pulled the phone away from her ear and whistled sharply. When she put the phone back up to her ear, there was silence.

  “May I speak now?”

  “Please.”

  Carly could hear faint amusement in his voice and it only irritated her. “I’ll see your friend, though I have no idea what I can do for her short of prescribing her a sedative. I don’t want to get involved in her trial in any way, so you need to figure out some way to keep me out of that. I’m also not sure that I’m the right person for this. It sounds to me like she needs a psychiatrist, not a physician.”

  “Thank you, Carly. May I give you a ride or would you prefer to meet me there?”

  “I’ll meet you there in about fifteen minutes. Are you so sure you can get me in to see her?”

  “I’ll take care of that. Carly, thank you for agreeing to do this.”

  The two of them disconnected and Carly shook her head on a sigh. She couldn’t believe she had agreed to this.

  True to his word, Tony was leaning against his car when Carly pulled into the parking lot beside the parish jail. Tony walked over and opened her car door for her, then offered her his hand. Carly shot him a look, then shook her head as she took his hand, allowing him to help her from the car. His mannerisms were more suited to the last century than the present day, though she found them somewhat attractive.

  “Thank you for coming, Carly. Julia Summers has made arrangements for you to see Susan.”

  “Julia Summers? Boy, when you retain a lawyer, you go all out, don’t you?” Carly immediately recognized the name of the trial attorney. Julia Summers had been involved in several high-profile cases in the past few years, though none of them would be as sensational as this one seemed to be.

  “Julia is an old friend.” Tony paused and let his “other” peer through his eyes briefly. He caught the straightening of Carly’s spine as he spoke again. “In fact, you could say we’re related.”

  “Okay.” Carly drew the word out as she led the way toward the jail. Tony’s hand on her elbow wasn’t restrictive. It just felt strange. Tony reached out to open the door and this time Carly did stare at him. “What century are you living in?”

  “I was raised to be a gentleman. I never apologize for it.” Tony smiled slightly to take the sting out of his words, though that didn’t stop Carly from feeling rather small.

  She led the way into the jail where Julia had left passes for them. A police officer led them to a visitation room, then stood outside the door as Susan was brought in. She wasn’t a large woman, in fact, Carly was surprised at how petite she actually was.

  Susan’s hair was a soft shade of brown and her eyes had that same luminous quality that Tony’s did, though hers were a dark brown. She shuffled into the room due to the shackles on both her ankles and wrists. Carly felt more than saw Tony tense beside her. She glanced up to see his eyes turn an alarming shade of gold as he stared at the officers standing just outside the door.

  He took a small step forward, but Susan’s raised hand stopped his forward motion. Tony slowly turned his head toward Susan and Carly watched as his eyes tracked slowly from the officers to the tiny woman standing there in the large orange jumpsuit and shackles. Susan shook her head slightly and Tony took a deep breath before walking toward her.

  He spoke quietly to her in French and Carly struggled to catch what he was saying. Tony brushed his knuckles across Susan’s cheek, then turned to introduce her to Carly. Carly spent the next half-hour just listening to Susan describe what she had been through with her employer. Carly had heard tales of people being harassed and Susan’s story fit the profile very well.

  At the end of their allotted time, Carly and Tony left the jail, Tony promising to return the next day. Carly saw his eyes change again as the officer steadied Susan when her balance shifted due to the shackles on her ankles.

  Carly noted a fine tremor course through Tony. He practically vibrated with anger. She guessed he must have strong feelings for this young woman. Perhaps she was his lover. For the police to have shackled Susan, they must believe she was extremely dangerous. Carly watched Tony force his attention away from Susan and to Carly.

  He filled his lungs with a deep breath, then waved his hand toward the door. Carly nodded and got to her feet. She preceded him down the hall and they left the jail without speaking until they were in the parking lot again.

  Tony leaned against the hood of Carly’s car and crossed his arms. “What do you think?”

  “I think she needs a professional. I’d be happy to recommend someone for you, but honestly, this is out of my realm. I’m not a psychiatrist or a psychologist. I’m a physician. I believe she needs someone to talk to who can help her deal with the abuse she’s suffered.

  “Am I that person? No, unfortunately, I’m not. If she had a medical problem, I’d be able to help her, but this is not my field.” Carly leaned against the car door and watched him.

  Tony sighed as he nodded. He ran one hand through his hair, then met her eyes. “I was afraid you were going to say that. I just wish there was something else I could do for her.”

  Tony pushed himself off her car with a swift movement. He took a deep breath, then faced her fully. “Would you have coffee with me?”

  “Now?” Carly stammered slightly, then was angry with herself for doing so.

  “Why don’t you leave your car here? I’ll bring you back to it.” Tony stood in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest. As he spoke, he reached out and took her hands.

  Carly felt his thumbs rubbing across the backs of her hands, but she couldn’t take her eyes off his. Tony’s eyes shown with a warm green color today, though even as she watched a ring of gold appeared around the dark iris. Carly took a deep breath and pulled her hands out of his.

  “Fine. Where are we going?”

  Tony shrugged as he turned away from her slightly. “What about the Trianon? We could have an early lunch.”

  Chapter Four

  Tony waited for her answer with a faint grin on his face. He could feel the tension
in her even with the distance between them. And, even though she thought he was delusional, she was still attracted to him. As a man, that made him smile. As a shifter, it gave him pause.

  His last liaison with a human had turned out badly and he wasn’t willing to go through that type of pain again. He reached once again for the memory. A frail human with brown hair who had needed him. He had failed her by not protecting her from other shifters. Those who would, to this day, hurt or kill humans who got involved with shifters.

  Jenny hadn’t asked for any of the grief he’d brought into her life. She’d been human and hadn’t known about his shifting. She’d been caught up in a battle he hadn’t anticipated and had paid the ultimate price before he could reach her side to protect her. That was the price a human paid for loving a shifter. And he would never ask another human to risk that.

  He only wanted to have lunch with the doctor to talk about Susan. That was all. Clamping down on his physical reaction firmly, he opened the car door for her.

  Tony smiled as her almond scent mingled with fragrance of the leather seats in his car. She breathed in so deeply he wondered what she was expecting to smell. She let her head fall back against the headrest in an indulgent motion. Obviously she thought she might as well enjoy the ride. Her attention slid across the seat to rest on him.

  “‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.’”

  “Excuse me?” Tony looked at his passenger. Why on earth was she quoting Shakespeare? Then he shook his head. Micah. That was what that phrase reminded him of. Micah was always quoting that line or something similarly obscure when he did one of his disappearing acts.

  Her response snapped him back to the here and now. “Did I say that out loud? I apologize. I was just remembering something…”

  “Micah told you, right?” At her astonished gaze, he allowed himself a smug feeling. He’d surprised her. The fact that she didn’t say another word until they swung into the narrow lot that served as parking for Trianon was a drawback, but Tony guessed she was trying to figure him out. Too bad she would never be able to do that.

  He eased his car between another luxury car and someone’s old junker, marveling at the disparity that was so typical of New Orleans. She met him at the rear of the car. So, she wasn’t going to give him all the moves, was she? Smiling, he placed his hand on her elbow to lead her across the parking lot toward the restaurant.

  He could feel her tension in the stiffness of her arm. It seemed as though all her senses were engaged at that one joint of her body. She jerked slightly and he raised an eyebrow.

  “Sorry,” she muttered. Straightening her spine, she offered him her arm again. He could almost feel her thoughts, so plain were they on her face. She seemed to be reminding herself that this was the South and men still acted with chivalry here.

  Tony glanced at her as they reached the door. He reached out to open it for her with a slight smile. Carly merely lifted her chin and led the way into the restaurant. The maître d’ greeted Tony by name and assured them a table would be ready momentarily.

  Tony took the opportunity to study Carly again. She was extremely healthy. He could literally smell the good health surrounding her. Her blonde hair was shiny, her eyes a bright blue. His gaze skimmed over her figure and what he saw didn’t displease him at all. She was physically fit but not overly muscular.

  She had to be completely aware of his scrutiny. He didn’t linger on her breasts or her hips, but he knew she could feel his gaze. He imagined her reaching over to touch him to get his attention.

  He knew very well what she saw when she looked at him. He worked hard to maintain his image. In spite of the fact that he was obviously a well-known businessman, his general appearance didn’t scream “corporate magnate”. The plain white dress shirt he wore was silk but the gray slacks tailored to fit his unique form could have come from any one of several finer men’s stores.

  His one nod to vanity hung from his head in a loose ponytail today but it still fell almost to the middle of his back. Like a silky black tail. Tony studied her as they sat at the table with their menus. Carly met his eyes over the menu then dropped her gaze. Tony leaned forward as he clasped his hands on the table in front of him.

  “What made you decide to go into medicine?”

  “I always wanted to do something interesting. Medicine just fit the bill. I love being able to fix things, you know? What about you? Why antiques?”

  Tony shrugged. “My Spanish ancestors settled in New Orleans a long time ago and intermarried with the French and other people living here. I had always been fascinated as a child by the clothes and furniture in the pictures at my family’s home. Then when I realized there was a whole world out there of people who had ancestors from different countries, with different furniture and different things, I decided I wanted to know more about them.

  “I started out studying architecture then discovered I was more interested in the things that people actually put in their homes rather than the homes themselves. My paternal grandmother had an astonishing collection of early Spanish art. She was really the one who got me started collecting art pieces. After that it was only natural for me to open an antiques shop. I simply wanted to share my love of history with others.”

  Carly beamed at him, a genuine smile. “I think that’s great. I’ve never really been into antiques myself, though I know a lot of people are. I guess it’s growing up in California where it’s always ‘the newest’ or ‘the latest’ that everybody was crazy about. Even my parents wanted the most modern, the latest in furniture and fashions. I do have one antique. It’s a piece of jewelry that belonged to my great-great-grandmother. Would you like to see it?”

  Tony’s smile was brief but he nodded in the affirmative. His eyebrows went up slightly as Carly reached under the neckline of her shirt to pull a thin gold chain out into the open. She held the necklace out toward him. Tony shifted his chair so that he was closer to her then reached out and cupped the pendant at the end of the chain in his right hand.

  It was warm from the heat of her body. He knew from the length of the chain that the pendant nestled between her breasts. Tony resisted the urge to drop his eyes to her breasts again and instead concentrated on the pendant.

  It was egg-shaped and not as heavy as he had expected it to be. Tony turned it over in his hand and looked for a jeweler’s mark on the back. The mark was there but was very faint from years of wear. He leaned slightly closer to Carly and heard as well as felt her draw in a breath. His smile was fleeting and he tilted his head slightly so that he could look up at her face. Carly’s eyes were locked on his head as her breathing became slightly shallower.

  This time the urge that came over him was to draw her nearer to him. Instead, he lifted his head slowly. His hand was still clasped around the pendant but his eyes were locked on Carly’s. Her breathing was still somewhat shallow and he could see her pulse beating rapidly in her throat.

  Tony released a soft rumble from his throat and watched her pulse increase even more. He sat up slowly so that their faces were very close together. He could feel her breath on his face as she exhaled sharply.

  When Tony let the pendant drop it he watched Carly struggle not to lean back in her chair away from him. He could smell her arousal. It made him want to sweep the table clean and lay her out on it for dessert. He wondered if she knew he’d been fighting not to pull her head up to his and kiss her as he had studied the pendant. Not for the first time, Tony wished he could read minds. What had she been thinking?

  Tony watched Carly, keeping his expression purposefully blank. There was an almost magnetic pull between them. He knew she felt it. She started to lean toward him. Tony’s eyes were locked on hers as she closed the distance between them. Her heart pounded loud enough for him to hear and her lips parted as if in anticipation of contact.

  “Well, well, what have we here?” The voice was unfamiliar and deep. Tony went ice cold but slowly leaned b
ack in his chair. Carly turned her head to see the tall man standing beside their table.

  Tension rolled off Tony. He felt sure Carly could see it. She slowly leaned back in her chair as the stranger moved around the table so that he was standing just to her side. She would have had to turn her head to see him comfortably. Tony on the other hand could now see him more clearly.

  Tony kept his eyes on the other man as he reached out to touch Carly’s hand. His touch was fleeting, meant only to reassure her and he felt her take a deep breath. Satisfied that she was in no immediate danger, Tony concentrated on the man in front of him. It was the same man who had appeared outside his shop.

  “Hello, Tony. Just thought I’d drop by for a minute when I saw you with this lovely lady.” Tony watched the other man touch the ends of her hair. He felt the slight shiver snake its way down her spine. Good. She knew instinctively that this man was dangerous.

  Tony was proud. No fear pheromones came from this human. He knew in her line of work she’d probably dealt with his type before. However, Tony hoped she could tell that there was something about the man behind her. He nodded his approval as Carly stood her ground, obviously resisting the urge to move away from him. She stared at Tony. He gave her a lazy wink before he turned his full attention back to the other man.

  “What do you want, Slade?”

  “So you do know who I am. That’s gratifying, really.”

  The man’s voice was not nearly as seductive as Tony’s but Carly could still feel the power in his voice. He moved slightly and she caught a whiff of sandalwood. “I thought I’d have to introduce myself but I guess you got my earlier message.”

  “I’ll ask again, what do you want, Slade?” Tony’s voice had deepened, his words were almost but not quite growled at the other man.

  “An accounting, Tony.” The way the other man said Tony’s name made it sound like an insult. “I hear one of your kitties has had a little trouble with the human police. I’d like to offer my help.”