“Sorry, but she’s gone on vacation. I’m filling in for her. Do you want to see a menu?”
Gone? Lucy was always here or at the bar. Ryne frowned and stared at the girl’s name tag. Tabitha. She probably wouldn’t know anything useful about Melody. Who would? Ruth? Maybe. “Um… is Ruth available?”
“Probably… I didn’t do anything wrong did I?” The girl looked nervous. “This is my first time waitressing and—”
“No. Everything’s fine.” He pasted one of his most charming smiles on his face to reassure her. “I just need to ask Ruth a question.”
“Oh. Okay.” Tabitha looked relieved. She grinned at him and scurried off into the kitchen.
A moment later Ruth appeared, wiping her hands on a towel. “Oh! It’s you, Ryne. I wondered who that girl was talking about. She was practically giddy about the ‘hunk’ who wanted to talk to me.” Ruth chuckled. “I should have known it was you or one of your friends. What can I do for you?”
Impatient over the time he’d already wasted, Ryne got right to the point. “I need to find Melody. Do you know where she is?”
“Well, you just missed her by a bit. She and Lucy left around four-thirty.”
“Left? For where?” He struggled to keep the sharp urgency from his voice. Apparently he was only partially successful as Ruth cast him a puzzled glance before answering.
“Chicago. Mel was heading back home for some reason—she never did say why she was going so sudden like.” Ruth frowned before continuing her train of thought. “Anyway, Lucy was going with her for an impromptu vacation. It’ll do Lucy good to get away for awhile, don’t you think? That girl works way too hard. And she’ll be a help for Mel, too, seeing as how the girl wasn’t feeling good when she left.”
“Melody was sick?” Ryne frowned, not sure why he was cared. Her health wasn’t his concern. He just needed to know how much she’d discovered about his people.
“No. She had a cut on her arm from that fight you were all in last night and I think it was infected. I had her put some salve on it but by the time they were ready to go, she was complaining of it aching and having a fever and chills. Al and I both tried to talk her into staying and going to the clinic. She could have left first thing tomorrow morning, but she was determined to go. I suppose it was hard enough to get that last minute seat for Lucy and then there was her boss to deal with too.”
“Her boss?” Ryne’s brain went on high alert. Melody had said she was here of her own accord because she was writing an article about him. There had never been any mention of a boss, only college professors. Damn! She’d been lying to him all along. Why hadn’t he caught on to the deception? Her aura had never screamed ‘lies’ to him… He tuned back in to what Ruth was saying, in case she had any further information that he needed to know.
“Yeah. Some guy named Aldrich, I think. I overheard her telling Lucy that the man was really hard to please and I don’t think she was exaggerating. You know, she reported into him every day that she was here? Just like clockwork, she’d come in, place a call—it was always short—and then she’d sit down for some coffee and a chat.” Ruth sighed. “We’re going to miss her. She was nice young thing, wasn’t she? Too bad she had to leave so suddenly.”
“Yeah. Too bad.” Ryne stood up and distractedly thanked the older woman before heading towards the door. ”Um… thanks for the information. I’ll, uh… talk to you later.”
*****
Kane gripped the phone more tightly and vaguely acknowledged the cracking sound as the plastic casing began to break under the strength of his grasp. He’d had a sense of foreboding the minute he’d heard Ryne’s voice. The longer they talked, the worse it became and he felt the need to confirm the dreaded message. “You’re sure she knows about werewolves?”
The sound of heavy sighing met his ear before Ryne spoke. “I’m almost certain. Everything points that way; the fact that she was checking out the books was bad enough, but if she’s actually trying to get into the website… Well, she must have strong suspicions. And then I messed up by letting her see me as a wolf and then trying to pawn it off as a dog. Damn! I knew better, I just… ”
Gritting his teeth, Kane knew social protocols would have him uttering platitudes, but right now he had none. His brother had effectively been playing Russian roulette with all their lives and if the man had been in the room with him right now, he’d probably be ripping his throat out. Instead, he had to be satisfied with firing accusing words at his brother. “Yeah. You should have known better. You were supposed to deal with her; make sure things never got this far. What the hell happened?”
In his mind, Kane could see Ryne running his hand through his hair in frustration. “I don’t know. When I’m around Melody, my wolf starts to take over and I find myself doing things I know I shouldn’t.”
“Your wolf? Is it looking on her as a mate?” Kane frowned at this possible complication.
“Damned if I know. I’m not into this life-long mate thing. That’s your area of expertise. And right now, quite frankly, it doesn’t even matter. The Keeping outlines my course of action.”
“One I seriously doubt you’ll be able to uphold if your wolf is intent on claiming her. I’d better take over.”
The snarl that echoed down the phone lines left Kane in no doubt as to Ryne’s feelings on the matter. “You’ll stay the hell away from her. This is my problem right now. Besides, it isn’t safe. So far, she doesn’t know who you are. She doesn’t know it’s you in that damned picture. All she has is the knowledge that werewolves exist.”
“And does she suspect that you’re one?”
There was a pause. “Possibly… She might be suspicious.”
“So what do you propose to do, if she’s already on her way back to Chicago?”
“I’m following her there. I’ll find out what she knows and take the necessary steps.”
“If your wolf lets you.”
“It will. I’m in control.”
“If that were the case, things wouldn’t have gotten this far.” Kane knew he was pushing, but he had to be sure Ryne was capable of carrying out his duty.
“That’s a low blow.”
“But the truth.”
Silence followed, then quiet words. “Yeah. I fucked up.”
“And?”
“It’s not an issue anymore. The needs of the pack are more important.”
Kane detected a certain steel-like tone in his brother’s voice, but this was too important to leave to chance. A blunt warning never hurt. “Just remember that or I will take care of it myself.”
A low growl was his response. “I need some information from you.”
“Such as?”
“Can Elise check the books at the Grey Goose and see how Melody signed in? I want her address in Chicago, her phone number, her credit card… anything Elise can find. You never know what might prove helpful if Melody turns into a runner.”
“I’ll call you with the information as soon as we have it.”
“Make sure you call me on my cell phone. I’m leaving for the airport in less than an hour. If I’m lucky I’ll be able to get a stand-by seat to Chicago.”
“All right.” He hung up, not bothering to say goodbye, his anger, and frustration roiling about in his gut. The decision to let Ryne deal with this on his own, was debatable, yet Kane knew the more wolves that were involved, the greater the danger of discovery. Inaction ate away at him as he played out various scenarios out in his head, none of them pretty. If Ryne’s wolf was looking for a mate, his judgement could be impaired. Yet, Ryne was an Alpha, biologically programmed to protect his pack. The question was, which instinct would win out? Narrowing his eyes, Kane considered the situation before pulling a heavy book from the shelves.
Flipping through the yellowing pages of the Book of the Law, he found the passage he wanted.
The keeping of our secret is a wolf’s primary duty. Threats of exposure must be swiftly eradicated. Should more than two outsiders
learn of our existence, dispersal of the young will begin immediately. Remaining members will obliterate all evidence of the pack’s existence. Humanity is a disease covering the earth, a force that cannot be fought. Better that a few should die to stop the scourge, than to risk the perishment of all.
Chapter 30
The young woman hummed to herself as she sat feeding documents into the paper shredder in an upscale law office. She was just a temp, and as usual, no one left her any real or important work to do. Filing, shredding, a bit of typing and answering the phone; it was pretty easy and that’s the way she liked it. Working full time wasn’t on her agenda. Nope. She planned on finding a rich lawyer and settling down as soon as possible. Too bad this particular job didn’t hold any matrimonial prospects. The lawyer she was temping for was a grumpy old man—fifty if he was a day. Still age and looks wouldn’t matter if he was rich enough… She gave the office an assessing perusal, adding up the cost of the decor and factoring in the location. He might be a possibility. Unfortunately, he was in court and not scheduled back for several hours. Oh well, that left her plenty of time to do her work as well as wander the halls looking for eligible professionals. It was always a good policy to keep her options open.
She took a moment to check her appearance as it reflected in the window. Her blonde hair was up in a respectable knot at her nape with a few tendrils falling about her face and her makeup appeared flawless. Giving a satisfied smile, she stood, thinking maybe she’d go for a little walk and see who might be in the halls or gathered near the elevator…
The phone rang and she answered it, automatically falling into a smooth, professional mode. “Good morning. You’ve reached the law office of Leon Aldrich. Ms. Matthews speaking. How may I help you?”
“Put me through to Aldrich.” A male voice barked the order at her.
“Mr. Aldrich is out at the moment. May I take a message?”
“No. You may not. Where’s Ms. Sandercock?”
“She’s away at a funeral. I’m filling in for her for a few days.”
“Humph! When will Aldrich be back?”
Ms. Matthews opened her mouth to respond. “I—”
The caller cut her off. “And don’t give me any of those annoying answers they teach you at business college. I hate it when people tell me ‘they can’t really say.’ Of course you can say! You know damned well when he’s coming back. It’s written in his day-planner on his damned desk. Now get up, walk into his office and check.”
“I’m sorry, sir… ” Ms. Matthews quivered at the vitriol in the man’s voice, but did her best to withstand it.
“No, you’re not sorry. But you will be once I tell Aldrich that you didn’t follow my orders. Do you know who I am, girl? My name is Greyson. Anthony Greyson. I own the building you’re sitting in. Hell, I probably own the apartment you live in, too. And I know I own Leon Aldrich. Now if you expect to ever work in this city again, you’ll do as you’re told… now!”
Ms. Matthews jumped as if the man was actually in the room barking orders at her. Some instinct told her that every word he had spoken was true. She scurried into Mr. Aldrich’s office and checked the planner on his desk, then relayed the information to Mr. Greyson.
The man’s tone of voice changed, becoming calmer, almost pleasant. “Good. I like the way you follow orders, girl. Now is there anything else written in his book from yesterday or for the next four days?”
“Mr. Greyson, I’m not sure I should tell you—”
“Are you defying me, girl?”
Gripping the phone tighter, Ms. Matthews swallowed hard. That mean, dangerous edge was back in the man’s voice. She looked around nervously, sure he was nearby which of course he wasn’t. It just seemed that way. “No, sir. Of course not. Just let me look… Okay, he has only one message on yesterday’s date. It says ‘Greene called. Returning. Next few days. Report.”
“Ahh… That is good news. Unexpected, but good. All right. Now you may take a message for me. Tell Aldrich that I will want Ms. Greene’s complete report delivered to me in four days time. Got that?”
Ms. Matthews scribbled the message down. “Yes, sir. You want Mr. Aldrich to deliver Ms. Greene’s report.”
“Excellent. Now what else does he have written down?”
She flipped through the next few pages of the planner. It was blank. “There’s nothing there, sir. I believe I heard him mention something about going away for the weekend.”
“While the cat’s away… Thanks you, Ms… Er… What was your name?”
“Matthews, sir. Mary Matthews.”
“Right. Thank you, Ms. Matthews. You’ve been most helpful. I like to keep close tabs on my employees. Tell me, which agency did Aldrich get you from?”
“Richardsons.” She answered hesitantly, not sure where the conversation was going.
“I’ll keep that in mind and recommend you to some of my other employees when they need a temp. I think, Ms. Matthews, you and I might work well together.”
“Together, sir?”
“Uh-huh. I’ll be in touch. Make sure Aldrich gets that message.”
The man hung up without even saying goodbye and Ms. Matthews slowly put the phone down, frowning. She wasn’t sure, but something was telling her that Mr. Greyson might want her to do a bit of snooping for him. It didn’t sound exactly on the up and up, but Greyson probably had lots of wealthy people working for him. Lots of wealthy, young, eligible people… A smile curved her lips as she considered the possibilities.
*****
Aldrich walked into his office and flicked on the lights. It was six-thirty and he was tired. The damned judge hadn’t wanted to call a recess for the weekend; making them stay until all evidence was presented and arguments given. Well, the man could spend his weekend deliberating legal points if it made him happy. All Aldrich wanted was a quiet weekend away at his cottage by the lake.
Walking to his desk, he scanned the messages the temp had taken. Nothing important there, thank goodness, except… He paused over the very bottom slip of paper. Greyson had called and wanted the complete Greene report in four days. What… ?
He frowned. Why would Greyson think there was a complete report? As far as the man knew, Greene was still in Stump River attempting to get information out of Taylor. His gaze fell on his day-planner. It showed yesterday’s date and he knew it had been turned to today’s date when he’d left that morning. That could only mean that someone had been in here checking it.
Aldrich tightened his jaw. Either Greyson had stopped in for a visit—which was highly unlikely since the man was leaving today—or he’d phoned and bullied the temp into going through the planner. It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened. Pacing the room, he wondered what to do. Greene had said she was returning, but there was no mention of a completed report. Hell, he’d be surprised if she had ten words down, but he couldn’t tell Greyson that.
Greyson had hinted that he would hold Aldrich responsible for the success of Greene’s assignment. It might have been a joke, but with that crafty old coot, you never knew. Aldrich stared around his well appointed office noting the leather furniture, and expensive art on the wall. Then he considered his European sports car and the penthouse suite he’d inherited when Greyson’s last lawyer no longer needed it. He shuddered slightly, recalling how the former lawyer suddenly closed his practice and left town, leaving no forwarding address; at least that was the official story Greyson Inc. told anyone who asked. Aldrich had helped construct the tale, ensuring everything was nice and tidy.
Everyone involved in the little ‘misunderstanding’ had an alibi and there were no inquiries from the former lawyer’s family or friends—Greyson preferred to hire employees with no outside ties; it smoothed over complications if things ‘didn’t work out.’
Yes, Aldrich knew only too well the fate of his predecessor, especially since he’d been in charge of the cover up. The gardener had been only too happy that Mr. Greyson had re-landscaped the backyard of the estate??
?supposedly in preparation for the yearly charity dinner hosted by Greyson Inc.—and never questioned the extra large hole that was purportedly dug for the new evergreen. Nor had the man wondered why said evergreen was planted overnight rather than during the day; like most of Greyson’s employees, he had known when to turn a blind eye to strange happenings.
He had received a tidy bonus for the way he’d handled the situation; there was no body, no evidence and no questions were ever asked. He hadn’t dared inquire why the lawyer’s services had been… terminated. Now he wondered if perhaps he should have.
Damn! He crumpled the message in his fist. There was too much at stake and he wasn’t about to let a slip of a girl mess it up. He narrowed his eyes as he considered his next step.
*****
The journey from Stump River was… interesting. Mel took the first shift driving, getting them as far as Timmins before the throbbing in her arm forced her to abandon her role as chauffeur. Lucy however, was only too happy to take over. It turned out she was a bit of a speed demon behind the wheel, weaving in and out of lanes, passing transports and viewing speed limits as helpful suggestions rather than rules. While not usually a nervous passenger, Mel was only too thankful that the pain killer she’d taken made her a bit sleepy, causing her to sleep on and off for most of the journey.
It was well past midnight when they arrived in Toronto. Realizing she was soon going to be short on funds, Mel had tentatively suggested they rest in the car at the airport rather than getting a room. Lucy agreed, viewing it as all part of the adventure. Tipping back the seats, they dozed until dawn then used the airport facilities to tidy up and prepare for their flight.
Mel tried not to draw attention to the fact that she was feeling progressively worse. She wasn’t even sure if the airline would let her on the plane if they suspected she was really ill, in case whatever was wrong with her turned out to be contagious. Of course, the problem was just the cut on her arm—what else could it be—but would the airline listen to her explanation? No, it was best to keep things quiet.