I'm Not Afraid of Wolves (The Cotton Candy Quintet Book 4) (11 page)

Colton radioed some back-up to come to Old Plow Company to arrest Chad for domestic abuse, kidnapping, and assaulting an officer. All true allegations, although we bent the meanings slightly.

Andrea was also taken for accessory to kidnapping. I can’t say that I didn’t take a little bit of pleasure in that. She deserved whatever punishment was coming her way.

The cops drove both of them away in a cop car a short while ago. Chad glared daggers at me, but I knew from experience that it was all hot air.

He was going to jail, that was all that mattered.

Colton had also called an ambulance for Emily, who had woken up from Sara’s bite. She was going to have to go into emergency surgery for the wound in her neck. In order to protect the identities of the werewolves and the shifter world in general, he had told the paramedics and the police that she’d been attacked by Chad’s dog. Emily begrudgingly agreed with that story.

Nothing like lying to the authorities. Although, I guess Colton was a part of the law enforcement, so I’m not sure if it still counts.

Unfortunately, the paramedics asked if the dog that had bit her was rabid. I denied it, but since they didn’t have a dog to test, I feared she’d be getting some shots in the near future for that.

At least she’d live. I don’t think that she and Sara were going to be on speaking terms after this.

We sat out in the parking lot as the police cordoned off the crime scene. We had nowhere else to go, and I was glad for the respite, even though the flashing lights were giving me a headache. Now that everything was wearing off, I felt like I’d aged a hundred years. All I wanted was to curl up and fall asleep.

I was wearing another strange ensemble of clothing from Siouxsie, but it was my last change of clothes for the night, so they’d have to do. Sara leaned against a cop car, wearing Colton’s spare shirt as a dress (there was no hope of the pants fitting, but the shirt reached her knees). She looked shell-shocked from the entire ordeal, and I didn’t blame her.

After all, she was a werewolf now.

“Hey, you okay?” I asked her.

I watched as her jaw clenched and unclenched, but she said nothing. I sighed and combed a hand through my filthy hair.

I couldn’t wait to get back to work. That would seem nice and relaxing compared to this. I wasn’t sure what the kids would think of a mermaid that had a shiner and a bunch of cuts, but I knew a few tricks with makeup. I’d hidden bruises a long time ago, too.

“She was my neighbor…” Sara’s voice trailed off as I looked at her, trying to follow her thoughts. “Andrea. She’d been my neighbor for the past five months, and we really hit it off. I can’t help but think she was a plant. That Chad put her there to keep an eye on me.”

I put my hand over hers and gave a quick squeeze. I’d been wondering that too, and I had come to the same conclusion. That Chad, in his megalomania, had become so obsessed with Sara, he had lined up his chess pieces to make a move a long time ago.

He just hadn’t expected Sara to leave town during the full moon. Or her sister being a mountain lion shifter.

I still couldn’t believe that Andrea was his sister. Or that Sara didn’t see it.

“Even if she was,” I said, “you’re safe now.” I made a mental note to be sure that Andrea was never going to bother her again.

Her eyes widened as she looked at me. “Am I?”

“Yes.”

“You’re the pack Alpha now.”

I snorted in derision. Like hell I was.

I’d made one order as their pack alpha and that was for everyone who wasn’t Chad to go home and get as far away from here as possible

My home was back in Jacksonville with the mermaids. I wasn’t going to spend the rest of my life in Atlanta tied up with some wolves that I didn’t even know. I’d had a lot of responsibility in my time, but I wasn’t about to give up who I was because they were looking for someone else to lead them.

That, they’d have to do on their own.

“Hey. Are you okay?”

I looked up to see Colton looking down at me, concern in his eyes. Concern just for me. Sara slunk off, giving us our space. Even though she was most likely traumatized by what happened, she was still trying to play matchmaker.

My little sister had a one-track mind.

I crossed my arms and sighed. “Yeah. I’m just confused by everything that happened.”

“You were…impressive back there,” he said. “I can see why they want you to be their pack alpha.”

“I’m not even a werewolf, Colton. I belong in Jacksonville.”

“How can you say that?” he asked, looking down at me. “You’re the leader of these wolves now.”

“You take control of them. You’re closer to Atlanta than I am. You’re a werewolf!”

“You’re not…?” His voice trailed off, and I saw the hurt in his eyes. “You’re not even considering it?”

I shook my head. “They don’t need a pack. They’re adults. They can make their own decisions.”

His mouth opened. “You’re not even going to give it try? You’re letting all of these people down.”

“I’m not letting anyone down.” I crossed my arms and looked away. “I don’t want anything to do with them. I hereby give you authority to command them.”

He swallowed, his throat clicking audibly. “It doesn’t work that way, Christine.”

“Tough.”

He sighed. “Just…think on it.”

I’d been living a different life because of the choices I made in the past. I wasn’t about to change everything up again because these werewolves suddenly decided I was Mother Goose. I was only here to save my sister and friend. Nothing else.

“I’m not going to change my mind,” I said, determined.

Colton’s expression was hurt, but he turned away from me in a huff to talk to some other officers.

I guess that ruined any sort of thing that was developing between us. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. Not that it would have worked anyway with him in northern Georgia and me in Jacksonville. But I still felt a tightening in my chest at the thought of what might have been.

Sara was watching me silently. “Hey, Christine?”

I glanced at her. “Mmm?”

“Is Jacksonville really that great?”

“I honestly thought I’d never see you back here,” Neptune said, his weather-beaten face crinkling into a wide grin until I couldn’t even see his eyes. “As I said, all of the other mermaids resigned after they left me.”

I stepped into his office, shutting the door behind me. “Well,” I said, “they hadn’t been in it for ten years like me. This is my home.” That I knew for certain now.

Neptune’s expression fell. “You really are a good friend, Christine.”

I felt my cheeks blush. “No, I’m not,” I said guiltily.

I thought about all of the werewolves I left behind in Atlanta. We’d had a meeting at a bar the night after the debacle at Old Plow Company. Not only did I tell them that I couldn’t be their pack leader, but I also told them that they didn’t have to follow pack conventions. They didn’t need an alpha to run their lives. They were in control of their own destinies now.

The concept seemed foreign to them. They didn’t like the idea of striking out on their own and making their own paths in life. For most of their adult lives (and for some of them, most of their lives, period), they’d worked and lived as a unit, always deferring to their leader’s choices. Chad had been the leader for only three years now, but he’d been just like the others before him.

They were resistant at first. They fought and begged me to stay. Colton was the biggest voice in trying to make me stay.

In the end, I had to do what was right for me. I had my own promises to keep at Neptune’s World. I could never erase the memory of the looks of betrayal as I told them gently but firmly that I had my own life to live.

They were going to have to accept that.

“Yes, you are,” Neptune said. “You wouldn’t do anything you thought would harm others.”

The werewolves certainly thought differently. “That’s not true either.”

He chuckled and got up from his chair. “Do you want a drink?” he asked, opening up the wet bar.

Neptune was an ex-sailor; a “drink” meant straight-up rum, like a pirate.

“I’m good, thanks.”

He poured himself a glass of—I guessed correctly—rum. He took out another glass and poured a second. I guess I was going to get a glass too. I steeled myself for it.

“What happened to your eye, by the way?” he asked suddenly.

I blinked. I’d gotten so used to my swollen eye, I almost forgot about it. “Allergies,” I said. “They got really bad up at the cabin.”

That was code word for, “You don’t want to know.” And Neptune knew me well enough not to press the issue.

He cracked another smile at me before dissolving in a fit of coughing. I debated briefly on asking if I could help or grabbing a chair, but he waved me away before I could even act. “I’m fine,” he said. “I’m fine.”

“Did you get that looked at?” I said, remembering that the coughing was getting more and more prevalent.

“I have,” he said gruffly.

“Oh.” I shivered, hoping that there wasn’t more to it.

“Do you want to know how your mermaids did while you were gone?” he asked, changing the subject again.

“I…hope they did all right?” I asked, feeling dread take hold of my stomach.

He blinked at me before laughing. He sat down at his desk, set my glass in front of me, and propped his feet up as he took a big swig of his rum. “They did wonderfully,” he said. “They didn’t miss a step, the crowd loved them, and they were flawless.”

“That’s wonderful,” I said, relieved. I didn’t pick up the rum.

“Seems like they don’t need ol’ Neptune around anymore,” he said. “Which is a good thing.”

His words caught me off guard. “What do you mean?” I asked, fearing what he was going to say before he said it.

He paused, every fiber of his being going stock-still for a moment before answering. “I’m dying, Christine.” And he took another swig of his rum.

I blinked as the news hit me. “What?” I was numb. Nothing could penetrate the ice that covered my body. I didn’t hear correctly—
surely I didn’t hear correctly.

Neptune coughed again. “That’s what this cough is. I went to the doctor; I keep my promises.” He gave me a pointed look. “Seems all those years of smoking have caught up with me.” He coughed, more violently this time. It was enough to bring me to my feet.

He waved me down. “Gotta get used to that, Christine,” he said. “I have four months left to live.”

“They can’t do anything about it?” I demanded. “When did this happen?”

“It’s been off and on for several years now,” he said. “I had lung cancer before you ever joined the mermaids. Had a lung removed. The whole nine yards. I beat it. At least, I
thought
I did. It’s probably payback for the horrible things I’ve done in life.” He took another drink. “It’s back, and this time, there’s nothing to do except get my affairs in order.”

My eyes filled with tears. This couldn’t be happening. He was my boss. He was one of my dearest friends. He couldn’t die on me.

“Part of me getting my affairs in order,” he said, “is deciding who will take over Neptune’s World when I’m gone.” He looked at me, his eyes sparkling. “I’m leaving it to you, Christine.”

I didn’t think I heard him right. “What?”

“Over the next few months, I’ll introduce you to all of the business side of things. Consider it a promotion for now, but when I’m gone, you’ll be in charge of the aquarium.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “Actually, you could change it to ‘Christine’s World’, but you gotta admit, it doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?”

“I don’t know if I can do that.” My hands were shaking.

“Stop feeling like the world is ending around you,” Neptune grumped. “You’re a fine leader, Christine. Under your instruction, you’ve taught so many mermaids to perform. You know the ins and outs of this aquarium better than I do.” He waggled his finger at me. “And you’ve been like a daughter to me over the past ten years.”

“I can’t…Neptune, I—”

He turned away from me, towards the window so he could look out the window. “It’s already done. I talked to my lawyer while you were in Georgia. I figured if you came back, it meant that you were serious about this little world I created. I always knew I could count on you.”

My bottom lip trembled.

“Cheer up, Christine,” he said. “You’ll be fine. I’ll teach you everything you need to know. The company itself isn’t in 100% perfect shape, but I think you’ll bring a sensibility to it that I never did.”

“I don’t know if I can do that.” I’d just shirked one responsibility for this. I didn’t know if I could handle it. I was a professional mermaid, not an aquarium owner.

I thought about Mr. Stevens, the president of the Houston Aquarium who I met back in November. He’d been so consumed by money and greed that he had stopped looking at the aquarium as a place of fun and only looked at it as a money-making machine. Even to the point where he wrongfully sourced his dolphins.

Neptune only laughed. “You can. Now, let’s toast to this new development, shall we?”

I picked up the glass, even though it felt wrong to toast something when my heart was breaking inside. Our glasses clinked, and I took a swig. The rum burned all the way down, which matched the way I felt about this whole thing.

And then I remembered the original reason why I came in here. “I have a question for you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“My sister Sara is looking for a job. She wanted to get out of Atlanta and have a change of scenery.”
Not to mention get away from the Atlanta pack of wolves.
“I was wondering if she could get a job as a mermaid.”

He laughed. “Well, what do you think?”

“I think she’d make a great fit.” Sara had studied dance and was on the swim team when she was in high school, all the way through college. Her life choices had steered her away from that, but I truly felt that she could make a difference with the mermaids.

“Well,” Neptune said, a big grin spreading across his face. “You’re the boss, Boss.”