by Kimber White
“Sounds reasonable,” he said. “And you need me to make sure nothing happens to that diamond before the sale goes through.”
“Exactly,” I said. At least, on paper that’s what I needed. What I hadn’t told him was that my seller made it abundantly clear she had no interest in dealing with anyone other than my grandfather either. She was old. Batshit crazy and misogynistic. I had no earthly clue how I was going to pull this off now.
Except I had zero choice. The money from this sale would be enough to set me up for life. If it fell through, I’d have nothing. Less than nothing. I’d have the debt my father racked up against the business. I would lose the building. The apartment above it where I lived. My livelihood.
“Sounds simple enough. My car’s just outside. But, before we go, I need to get the lay of the land here. Your front door was wide open. I walked right in. If I’m going to ensure nothing happens to your merchandise, I need to see how you intend to keep it pending the auction.”
“Of course,” I said. “We have a vault in back. I’ll show you.”
Kalenkov straightened his tie. It looked like it chafed him. I don’t know why I thought it, but I wondered if the man was more comfortable in a t-shirt over a business suit.
I turned on my heel and led him to the back of the shop. He stayed close, looming over me. He was so big. So tall. I swear it felt like he warmed the air around me just with his presence.
I led him through a hidden door to the vault. It was huge. Years ago, Grandpa had converted a closet to house the thing. It was state of the art, and I stepped aside as Kalenkov ran through his inspection.
My breath caught. Even as big as the vault was, it wasn’t designed for two adults to stand in it together.
My eyes went up and up. It wasn’t just that he was big. The man gave off raw power in just the way he stood. Every muscle on him seemed hard and coiled.
I knew what he was. A trained fighter. Special Ops or something. Everyone who worked for Wolfguard was. I’d heard a rumor or two that some of Payne Fallon’s men were also...extra.
Was he? I wasn’t sure that I’d ever been in close proximity to a shifter before. Having spent sixty-plus years in the antique and rare item business, I knew my grandfather had seen just about everything this world had to offer. But, he didn’t care for shifters or witches. He didn’t trust them.
I felt a wave of grief sock me in the chest. I wasn’t prepared for it. I couldn’t do this now. Later. There would be plenty of time to fall apart after this deal was done.
I needed to get that diamond. I needed to arrange for its sale. Then, I could dig out from under my grandfather’s misplaced trust and my father’s bad business decisions. I could be free.
“Ms. Crossley?” he said.
I blinked hard, feeling tears bubbling up.
I took a step back, moving out of the vault and back into the hall. Kalenkov squinted at me. This was bad. I had to be strong. Assured. All business. He finished his inspection of the vault and seemed satisfied with what he’d found. He closed it behind him and came to me.
“Is there someplace we can sit?” he asked. “It looks like you need it. We can go over the logistics of the next few days.”
“Sure,” I said. I led him back into the main shop. Just as we got there, an older couple walked in. They were just browsing. She went straight for a small, tulip-shaped Tiffany lamp. Everyone always did. It was a thing they knew.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “We’re actually closed for the day.”
The woman looked down her nose at me. “Emerson is a friend of mine,” she said. “We go way back. He’s holding a tea set for me. I just talked to him last week. My name is Agnes Booker.”
“Mrs. Booker,” I said, smiling. Her eyes went to Kalenkov. He stood tall and stoic against the wall. Mrs. Booker’s husband put a protective arm around her.
“Agnes, we can come back another time.” Mr. Booker apparently didn’t like what he saw in Kalenkov. He didn’t give Agnes a chance to even protest. He ushered her out of the store. I felt sure I’d never see either one of them again.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Kalenkov,” I said. “We tend to draw an odd clientele too. Everyone’s so used to dealing with my grandfather.”
“Leo,” he said. “Call me Leo.”
“Leo. Thank you. Meg is fine for me. Since we’re going to be stuck with each other for a couple of days at least.”
I went to the front door and locked it. I flipped the sign to closed.
“All right,” he said. “So tell me about this seller. What will we be walking into?”
I took a seat on a stool at the counter. I gestured to another on the opposite side. Leo waved me off, preferring to stand.
“Dorothea Davies,” I said. “She’s easily ninety years old and mostly blind. She lives in a huge house with honest to goodness turrets. It’s high on a hill overlooking Devil’s Lake. You can’t even get there from the main roads. She’s got a private drive.”
“Who lives with her?” he asked.
“No one,” I answered. “My grandfather has been courting her for years. A good part of this business is word of mouth. Long ago, he handled some estate sales on the lake. Neighbors get to talking and they all think Mrs. Davies is the crazy old rich lady on the hill. I mean, she is. Grandpa had a hunch she might have some things to sell. He earned her trust over the years. It paid off. A few months ago, she showed him her jewelry. There’s this one stone she wants to get rid of.”
“Your rare red diamond,” he said. “Why that one in particular?”
I bit my lip. I knew how crazy this was going to sound. I could only imagine what Leo thought of all of this.
I took a breath before I answered. “Mrs. Davies is convinced her diamond is cursed. She thinks it’s the reason she lost her husband.”
“Geez,” he said. “She sounds terribly lonely.”
I nodded. “She’s superstitious.”
“Well, that’s helpful anyway. I’ll tread lightly. Are you ready to go?”
I slid off the stool. Leo’s eyes were so kind. He was strong, solid, capable. I couldn’t imagine what he had to think of me. But, I supposed in his line of work he’d seen even worse. Maybe.
I got my purse from beneath the counter. Leo rose and ushered me toward the front of the store.
I just prayed I could get through the rest of the day without spooking him. One word, one rumor reaching Wolfguard and this whole deal would crumble. And the worst of it was, I was fairly sure Dorothea Davies was dead right.
The diamond we were about to take possession of was as cursed as they come.
Chapter Three
Leo
I wrote it off as her not being used to guys like me. Her grandfather had to know we were shifters. Payne never contracted with people out of the know. It didn’t mean Meg knew.
I knew what I should do. I could hear the rest of my cousins in my ear as if they were standing beside me. We all worked for Wolfguard now. We’d all taken dozens of jobs just like this one.
If something feels off, it is. Walk away. Call it in.
Except, I didn’t. I couldn’t. The girl drew me in and there was no denying it. She seemed scared and strong at the same time and sent my inner wolf racing to the surface. She triggered every protective instinct in me, and I supposed that was a good thing. It’s what I was here for, after all. Still, it wasn’t protocol to take her to the seller’s home. She wasn’t my contact.
Meg hesitated as I held the passenger door open for her. I swear I could feel her pulse pounding through her. She looked at the open door and her eyes darted to the back seat.
“Look,” I said. “I’m not a chauffeur. You ride in front. Up with me.”
She smiled. “Got it. Right. I’m sorry.”
She brushed past me on her way to the front seat. I got another, deeper whiff of her scent. She smelled clean and sweet. I found myself wanting to nuzzle her neck. No good. I had to keep this professional. It was bad enough the game
plan changed.
As Meg secured her seatbelt, I slipped behind the wheel. I kept a pair of aviator sunglasses in the visor. I put them on and started the car.
“You can go 94,” she said.
“I know how to get to Devil’s Lake,” I said.
“Right. Sorry.”
“No problem,” I said, pulling away from the curve.
Main rush hour was over, so traffic stayed light. Meg declined my offer to let her pick one of the satellite channels. Instead, she stayed pensive, staring out the side windows as the exits rolled by.
In no time, I made the turn off toward the lake. Devil’s was big as Michigan inland lakes went. And like just about every other lake in the state, the houses around it followed no pattern. Some were nearly mansions. Others were nothing more than shacks.
Meg directed me to a private drive, hidden by overgrown shrubbery. I would have easily missed it.
“There,” she said. “Mrs. Davies’s land is the whole peninsula here. She’s got a trail camera…”
“I see it,” I said. The hair on the back of my neck bristled. I didn’t like the sensation of being watched like this. I made the turn. Gravel crunched beneath my tires.
It was a bright, sunny day, but it was as if the clouds rolled in just as I started up that winding drive. I didn’t like it one bit.
I put the car in park and turned to Meg. Her face had gone white.
“Is there a problem?” she asked.
“You tell me,” I said. “I’ve broken about ten rules just getting to this point. This feels wrong. You’re cagey. I’m driving up into God knows where and whoever is on the end of this driveway knows I’m coming. I’m turning around.”
“Please!” she shouted. Meg reached for me. She put a hand on my forearm, curling her fingers around me in a vice grip.
Heat shot straight up my arm and settled in my gut. I let out an involuntary growl. Meg’s jaw dropped and she pulled her hand away as if I’d burned her.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “For all of this. I can’t imagine what you must think of me. I know how unusual this is. My grandfather...I swear he’d be here if he were able. He’s very old. Very ill. But, this commission is important. Desperate, if I’m being honest. Without it, there won’t be a Crossley Antiquities anymore.”
I was still growling. “No good,” I said. “Desperate people make mistakes. Your grandfather hired me for a specific purpose. I think you need to call your seller and either arrange to meet somewhere more neutral or reschedule altogether.”
“She won’t,” Meg said. “I know her. Mrs. Davies is eccentric. It’s taken us years to get this far with her. It really is now or never. Please. Whatever my grandfather usually pays your company, I’m willing to double it. But, I can’t do that if this sale doesn’t go through.”
“Like I said, desperate people…”
“Mr. Kalenkov. Leo. My grandfather is one of the first clients your firm ever landed. He helped put Payne Fallon on the map. I think you know that’s true.”
My nostrils flared. She was right about that. It was a point of honor that Payne picked me for this job. I didn’t want to screw it up. And this woman...she was short-circuiting my damn brain.
“Listen,” I said. “If we go up there, if there’s even an inkling of trouble, I’m not going to hold back. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
I locked my eyes with Meg’s. She was breathing hard. I willed myself not to let my gaze fall to her chest where her breasts heaved. She was just so damned gorgeous to me. But I was on the job. I could not let lust rule my judgment.
“I understand,” she said.
“Do you?” I got closer to her. I let her feel my hot breath on her skin. “Do you know what I am? What I’m capable of?”
I let my wolf out, just a little. I had to test her. If things did go south up there, I’d let him out all the way. It’s one of the things our clients expected when they put Wolfguard on the job.
Her eyes flickered. Dammit all to hell, I did let my gaze drop an inch or two. Her skin was flushed. The top two buttons of her blouse were undone and I could see the swell of her breasts as they filled out a white, lace bra.
Mercy.
“Wolfguard,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She put the emphasis on the first syllable.
“Yes,” I said.
She slowly blinked. Then, she locked a cold stare on me. She thought she knew what I was. My heart told me she had no idea.
God help me, desire poured through me. At that moment, I wanted so badly to show her who I really was.
“I know what I’m paying for,” she said. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way. I need you to help me go get my diamond.”
I made my slow way up the driveway. It got hard to see straight. My wolf was tripped. No question. There were eyes on me.
I put the SUV in park. Meg put her hand on the door.
“Stay here,” I said, my voice low, guttural. Two Great Danes came tearing out of the woods. They bared their teeth and squared off.
I turned to them, letting my own fangs drop. I put up a single finger. Both dogs whined and side-stepped. The bigger of the two fell to the ground in a submissive posture.
Windchimes dangled on the massive porch. The house was dark and gray. The bushes were overgrown. It was huge though. Old. Just like Meg described, the thing had spires rising high above the tree line.
Meg got out of the car. I gestured to her. I wanted to put her behind me. Hell, I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and get her far away from here.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I told you. Mrs. Davies knows we’re coming.”
“She already knows we’re here,” I said. The curtain in the front window snapped shut.
“Stay behind me,” I told Meg. “I really don’t like this.”
“I don’t either,” she said, surprising me. I felt sure she’d try to blow more smoke up my ass about how this would all be okay.
We walked up to the porch. Meg lifted her fist to knock on the door. It swung open before she could and I couldn’t stop the growl. Instinct drove me and I put a hand on Meg’s arm, pulling her behind me.
“Where’s Emerson?” The old lady snapped. She looked to be about a hundred and thirty years old with crepe paper skin that hung from her. She wore a shapeless, black dress. Her bare legs poked out and she was barefoot with shiny red toenail polish.
“My grandfather is under the weather today,” Meg said.
Mrs. Davies started to shut the door. Meg started to move. I was faster. I stuck my foot in the door.
“The lady has an appointment,” I said.
Dorothea Davies stared at me. She had cold, gray eyes, the left one nearly opaque from a cataract.
“My appointment is with Emerson Crossley.”
“And I’m his granddaughter and agent,” Meg said. “Mrs. Davies, you know you want this taken care of. You trusted Crossley to handle your sale. We will. We’ll give it the most detailed, personal attention.”
“Not you,” she said. “Him.”
Meg stopped mid-sentence. Mrs. Davies jabbed a finger into my chest. I snarled. I’d moved enough to let her slam the door.
“Great,” Meg said. She moved around me and knocked.
“She hates women,” I said.
“Yep,” Meg answered.
“This is nuts,” I said. “How much is this rock worth again?”
Meg chewed her lip.
I put my hands on her upper arms and pulled her away from the door. “Listen,” I said. “You said you’re desperate. That old lady knows it. She’s jerking our chain. I say you call her bluff and we get the hell out of here. I told you. I don’t like this. It’s not safe. I’ve got a feeling. I’m never wrong.”
Meg took a step back. “You’re right. I’m desperate. Things are...well, they’re complicated with the family business right now. But I am not leaving here without that stone. That woman signed a contract with my grandfather. I’m going to ma
ke her honor it. You can leave if you want. I’ll call for an uber or something.”
“Hell no,” I said. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Her breath came hot and hard. Damn, there was heat between us. She was bold, defiant, definitely desperate. But, she stirred my basest instincts in ways I’d never felt before. I knew in my gut I was not about to let anything bad happen to this woman as long as I was with her.
“You’re not here for me,” she said as if she could read my damn mind. “Your job is that stone. Read your contract. If I don’t walk out of here with it, Wolfguard doesn’t get fully paid.”
“Great,” I said. “So what’s your plan, boss? The lady’s not in a selling mood today.”
“She said she won’t deal with me. She said she wants you. So, go talk to her.”
“What? Me? That’s not what I get paid to do.”
“And I told you, you’re here to look after that stone. So go do it. All you have to do is go in there and get it from her. Then you don’t let it out of your sight until I find a buyer and the check clears. That’s it. Should be like falling off a log for you.”
Meg crossed her arms in front of her. Her eyes flashed with fire. God, she had just about the sexiest pout. My heart thundered with the urge to kiss her.
Not good. Not good at all.
Before I could argue the point any further, the front door opened a crack.
“You coming or not, big man?” the old lady hollered.
“Christ,” I muttered. I was stuck between a literal rock and a hard place. Meg didn’t drop her withering gaze. She motioned toward the front door.
“You,” I said, pointing a finger at Meg. I tapped her nose. She went cross-eyed for an instant.
“You go back to that car and lock the door. Don’t come out until I say so.”
“But you’re…”
“Go,” I said. “Or I swear to God I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and drag you down that hill.”
Her cheeks flushed. I could see her pulse race from the tiny tremor at her throat.
She gave me a quiet nod and I followed the crazy old lady through the front door. She slammed it shut behind me and shuffled across the foyer.
