In Deeper (12 page)

He cut her a sideways glance. “My family is loaded too. Relax about it.”

“At least I didn’t overreact to the previous e-mails.” The memory of the target painted on her picture made her nervous. Knowing someone had invaded her private space made the other threats seem meaningless. “I hate this.”

He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll find whoever is responsible.”

“Not unless I find them first.” But from the look in his eyes, Celeste doubted Micah would let that happen.

CHAPTER NINE

The Randolphs’ beach house was one of the most striking homes on the island. Celeste loved being in residence. The beachside mansion, though expensive and elegant, possessed the warmth her utilitarian home lacked. But this visit wouldn’t be like any other. Gilded surroundings, to be sure, but still a cage.

Micah wasted no time in ushering her to Drake’s study. The alpha sat behind his desk, a laptop and numerous papers before him, but he looked up when they entered. A frown settled on his face, and he motioned for them to sit.

“I saw the picture. This is no empty threat. The bastard was at your house, Celeste. We have to do something.”

She sat down and crossed her ankles, hoping her cheeks weren’t red. Drake had to realize Micah spent the night with her. She wished she was privy to what he thought about it. “What do you suggest?”

Drake closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair. He steepled his fingers and seemed to ponder her question. “You will stay here until this situation is settled. I have my guys researching the e-mail address that sent you the picture. We have no idea how tech savvy this guy is. Hopefully not very.”

“I don’t want to bring trouble to your home. Especially with Emma being…” She trailed off and shot a quick glance at Micah, who hadn’t been informed about Emma’s pregnancy yet. “Never mind.”

Drake focused on her. “Your problems are mine. Your true identity is at risk. We can’t chance having him find out about the Society.”

Surprise struck her. “You don’t think he’s another shifter?”

Drake shrugged. “It’s possible, but something tells me it’s a business matter. A shifter would be more direct. Not stick to threatening e-mails. It was my understanding you didn’t have any business dealings with other shifters, correct?”

Celeste nodded. “You’re correct. None that I know of. My father always said he never trusted doing business with a shifter. Said they were too cut-throat. No offense.”

Drake waved aside her statement. “Your father was a smart man.”

Micah held up a hand. “What about the guy in Atlanta? He was definitely a shifter.”

“My guess is he’s a hired thug.”

Celeste’s mind whirled with the implications. “But if he knows about shifters, what’s not to say he knows about me already?”

“Like I said, it’s a possibility. Let’s hope not.” Drake turned his attention to Micah. “You should get to the airport. I have arranged a flight for you. It’s leaving in a few hours.”

Disappointment swamped her. She’d hoped to have more time with Micah before he left. Drake’s younger brother didn’t look too happy either. “I can take care of it myself, Drake. I’m not a kid anymore.”

Drake didn’t seem surprised by Micah’s statement. “Of course not.”

Celeste squirmed in her chair. The antagonism between the two males was sometimes painful to watch. Drake loved his family. It was evident in every move he made. But she also recognized how hard it was for Micah to understand that Drake didn’t mean to make him less of a man.

Drake planted his elbows on the desk. “So now we need a plan. Celeste will stay here. Work from home.”

She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand and continued talking. “Don’t argue. Use your webcam if you absolutely must, but unless it can be done via e-mail or phone, you’re not doing it.”

She got to her feet and approached his desk. “That’s ridiculous, Drake. I have a business to run. I refuse to be a hostage.”

“You’re free to go at any time,” Drake responded with a casual nod toward the door.

“Good,” she snapped and headed for it.

“But…” His voice followed her. “You’ll be banished from the Society. You’ll lose your position as my beta. Is that what you want?”

She sucked in a surprised gasp and pivoted to face him. “You wouldn’t!”

“I would,” Drake confirmed. “I meant what I said. We can’t risk discovery. If you can’t understand the need to be careful, then you’re not quite the wolf I thought you to be.”

Celeste stomped forward and slapped her palms onto his desk. “That’s extortion.”

“Call it what you will, but I need you to be level-headed about this. Think, Celeste. Who would want to threaten you?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. Proctor Publications has always had a spotless reputation. My father did everything in his power to make sure he kept his nose clean. He had no enemies; no one who would want to threaten us.”

“Well, someone is. I need access to your files. Are they stored digitally?”

She went back to the chair and sat. “I have most of my documents stored in a protected cloud. A few copies are on my thumb drive.”

“Did you bring it?”

She patted her purse. “I have it.”

“Good.” Drake glanced at his brother. “What’s your suggestion? What should we do first?”

Micah’s dark gaze swept over her before moving to his brother. “Let her go to work.”

“What?” Drake frowned. “No.”

“Let me finish.” Micah crossed his arms and leaned back in the upholstered chair. “Have someone tail her. It’s obvious someone has been following her. If we get a couple trustworthy wolves on his trail, he won’t be able to hide.”

Celeste studied the man beside her. For once, he wasn’t being flippant or sarcastic with his oldest brother. He truly thought it was the best idea. “So you want me out in public?”

“No.” He shot her a hard look. “I want you here, protected. But I don’t want you always looking over your shoulder, wondering who is watching you.” His attention traveled back to Drake. “This ends now.”

Drake stood and circled the desk. He moved to stand in front of it and propped his backside against the edge. With his arms crossed on his wide chest and his thoughtful expression, he looked every inch the successful businessman. “So we use her as bait? Are you sure about this?”

Celeste narrowed her eyes. Being described as bait didn’t sit well with her. Micah spared her a quick glance. “I want her protected at all times. If she’s not here, I want wolves tailing her every move. Wolves we can trust.”

“I have a couple of guys perfect for the job. I’ll call them.” Drake looked back at Celeste. “Are you OK with it?”

She crossed her legs and did her utmost to appear composed. “Yes. It would be suspicious if I didn’t go to work. I can’t afford to show weakness. Not now.”

Drake nodded. “It’s settled then. I’ll call my guys up and give you a chance to settle in before Micah has to leave.”

She recognized his words for the dismissal they were. Standing, she waited for Micah to follow her out of the room. Once the door shut behind them, he took her arm and led her away from Drake’s study. He stopped in the archway leading to the dining room and turned to face her. “If you’re scared to do this, just let me know. You don’t have to.”

“I’m not scared.” She sniffed and lifted her chin. “Do you forget who I am?”

He sighed. “Don’t pretend with me, Celeste. Your tough act may fool Drake, but it doesn’t trick me.”

“You think you know me so well.”

He leaned in close, near enough for his breath to caress her cheek. “I know you better than anyone.”

“Really?” Her teasing smile slipped. Damn it. He was too much to resist. “Why is that?”

His grin widened. “I know what you like in bed.”

Heat singed her cheeks. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

“It means everything,” he added. He traced the seam of her neckline, his fingers dipping low to caress the line of flesh between her cleavage. “Be careful, OK?”

She bit her lip, hesitant to say good-bye. “You’ll still be here for the party, right?”

“Of course.” His eyes darkened. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“OK then.” She drew a deep breath and said the words she’d been dreading. “Good-bye, Micah.”

He bent down and brushed her lips with his. “I’ll call you.”

Her eyes fluttered shut as the kiss’s enjoyment set her body aflame. As quickly as it began, the kiss ended.

When she opened her eyes, Micah was gone.

* * *

Monday morning, Celeste arrived at the office thirty minutes earlier than usual. A few reports needed to be printed, and she needed time to prep for her meeting with the editors. Her assistant was already at his desk. A steaming cup of coffee rested by his elbow, and the curls of steam carried the delightful scent of vanilla.

“Is that for me?” she asked as she headed for her office.

Karl jumped to his feet, approaching her with the cup of a coffee and a handful of pink message slips. “Good morning, Ms. Proctor. How was your trip to Atlanta?”

For a moment, she faltered. How did he know she’d gone to Atlanta? Then she recalled he’d booked the hotel room for her. “Fine. Thanks for asking, Karl. You can put the messages on my desk.”

Karl had been an intern she’d hired right out of college. He’d come with glowing recommendations from all of his professors. He’d done such a good job during his stint as a temp that she’d hired him full-time about two years earlier.

Karl followed her into the office, chattering away as she savored her first few sips of the flavorful coffee. “Macy from HR asked that you call her back as soon as you can. A mix-up with a new hire. Also, Rebecca has a couple of shots she’d like to show you for the cover of the anniversary edition. I booked a meeting with her for one o’clock today.”

Celeste booted up her desktop computer and pulled out the thumb drive Drake had used the night before to study her files. “That’s fine. I’ll also need to schedule a sit-down with marketing this week. Can you handle that for me? Pencil in at least two hours.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Karl made a note on the Blackberry he always carried with him. “Anything else?”

She logged her password into the computer and accessed the files she needed for the meeting first thing that morning. “I won’t be taking lunch today. Please order in a turkey sandwich on wheat. No mayo.”

“Turkey on wheat. No mayo. Gotcha.” Karl, ever eager to please, smiled and typed on his phone. “Is that it?”

“That’s it for now. Thanks, Karl.” She waited for him to shut the door before turning back to the computer. She pulled up the files and printed them. The printer on the credenza across the room hummed as it came to life and shot out the pages she needed.

Exactly one minute before the meeting’s time, she strolled into the glass-enclosed conference area in the middle of the sixth floor of the Proctor Building. Five editors sat at the semicircular conference desk. She took her place in the middle of the U-shaped area and spread out the papers she’d printed.

Laurel Calton, the fashion editor, immediately latched onto the picture of a ball gown. “Ooh, are we doing a masquerade theme for the anniversary celebration? I’ve always wanted to attend one.”

Celeste chuckled and eased the sheet away from Laurel’s fingers. “Settle down. It’s just an idea I have for an upcoming issue. We’ll get to it.”

Laurel pouted and settled back into her chair. “Spoilsport.”

As the youngest editor for
Savannah Living
, Laurel lived up to her reputation as a carefree party girl and daughter of one of the city’s richest politicians. But she had a definite eye for fashion, and her recent article on bathing suits had been one of their best received yet.

Walter Anderson, the architectural guru and oldest member of the magazine’s staff, straightened his wire-rimmed bifocals and cleared his throat. “I’ve finished the special on antebellum homes. I delivered it to your assistant this morning.”

“Thanks, Walter.” Celeste gave him a gracious smile, while simultaneously gritting her back teeth. Walter was old school, preferring typewritten articles instead of e-mailing a Word document. “I’ll have Karl prep it for production.”

Sydney and Sarah McMiller, the food and lifestyle editors respectively, sat huddled over Sarah’s phone. Celeste sent them a questioning look, and the twins gave her identical looks of apology. “Sorry, Celeste,” Sydney offered. “Our brother’s wife just gave birth to our niece, and they posted pics online. Isn’t she adorable?”

Everyone oohed and aahed over the newborn. Celeste admired the baby before steering the conversation back to work. “Emilio, how is the sports section coming?”

Emilio Lopez was a baseball fanatic who’d once played for the Braves. After throwing out his arm pitching, he’d taken a couple college courses on broadcasting until eventually landing up on her father’s payroll. He’d come on strong to her when she’d first taken over the company, but she’d managed to convince him they were better as friends.

He ruffled his black hair and gave her a crooked grin. “It’s almost finished. I have to grab a couple shots and a few more quotes from the high school football coach I’m interviewing, and I can get you a draft.”

She nodded. “I need something by Wednesday.”

He touched his fingertips to his brow. “Yes, ma’am.”

Celeste stacked the papers she’d brought and selected the one with plans for the anniversary gala. “I made copies of the program for all of you. Please review it. If there is anything you would like to contribute, let me know as soon as possible. Catering and flowers have been arranged, thanks to the twins.” She gave Sydney and Sarah a quick smile. “The event planner will handle the remainder of the details, but she needs to know what we want immediately. E-mail me by five tonight for your ideas to be considered.”

The meeting continued, each editor bringing up ideas for the next issue and finalizing the details of the September edition. The deadline was coming up fast, with the issue due to hit shelves August twenty-fourth, just in time for the celebration. She looked up from jotting notes and saw two men prowling the area outside the conference room. She almost mentioned them until one of them caught her studying him, and he gave her a quick look.