Kate Allenton (5 page)

    
The apartment door opened, and Edward walked
in
carrying her bag. He shook his head, and
Cathy would have missed it if she hadn’t been looking. “That story isn’t for you to tell, Tessa.”

    
Tessa stood and picked up her doctor bag.
“She has
a right to know. She isn’t like us. She has a
choice.”

    
Cathy rose too quickly and held back her wince
at
the pull from the bandage. “Hello…
She…is
in the room. What aren’t you two telling me?”

    
Tessa stomped out of the room.

    
“You’ll have to excuse Tessa. It isn’t her place
to
explain things that are of no concern to her.”

    
Cathy plopped her fist on her hip. “If it isn’t
her
place, then whose is it?”

Edward dropped Cathy’s bag by the couch
and
walked back to the door. “Ethan’s.” Edward
opened the door and glanced
back over his shoulder. “You can take the
elevator or the stairs down
to the main lobby. You’ll find that the bottom layer of the building is set up much like a house, a
bigger version of the apartment you woke up in. It’s a large comfortable living room along with a
kitchen and dining area. Dinner is at seven sharp.” He glanced down at his watch. “You’ve got two
hours to get cleaned up and rest. The effects of the tranquilizer should be wearing out of Jonah’s
system within the next fifteen minutes. I’m expecting Jonah and you to dine tonight as my guests.”

    
“What if we don’t want to?”

    
Edward gave a slight bow. His jet black hair dipped, covering his eyes before he stood tall again.
His brown eyes sparkled as the lines around his eyes deepened. “It would be considered a great
insult if you deny your presence on the first night here.” The corner of his lips tilted up. “I’ll also
give you the grand tour, which includes pointing out all of the exits. I’m sure you’d hate to miss
that.”

    
Giving her a devastatingly handsome grin, Edward pulled the door closed behind him. The man
was good-looking, if not a bit arrogant, and how could she forget the dumb blonde bimbo

comment? Not to mention what he’d said about her future. The asshole knew a lot more than he
was telling her. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to play nice and see what she could get out of him.

    
Cathy locked the apartment door and picked up her bag to take it into the bedroom.

    
Jonah moaned. “Where are we?”

    
Cathy left her bag in the hallway, moved to his side, and dropped to her knees. “I was hoping
you might know.”

    
He lifted his arm and glanced down at
the IV. “No, they
knocked me out right after they got
the best of you.”

    
“They didn’t get the best of me.”

    
Jonah pulled at the tape holding the needle
in his
arm and rubbed his temples. “You put up a
pretty good fight for a girl, but let’s face it, Cathy,
they
bested you…or we wouldn’t be here.” Jonah
eased to a seated position and glanced around. “Where are we?”

    
“In the lion’s den.”

    
Jonah lifted a brow. “I would have guessed
a wolf’s
den.”

    
Cathy stood and walked back into the hallway
and
picked up her bag. “Tit for tat. I don’t care if
it’s the Taj Mahal of puppy pounds. We’re staying
long
enough to see Ethan in the morning, and
then we’re out of here.”

                                                    
****

    
She’d had time to shower
and change, but poor Jonah didn’t have anything
to change into. He
hadn’t packed for their impromptu trip. Hell, if it had been up to her, he wouldn’t be there with her
at all. Cathy and Jonah discussed strategy as they rode the elevator down to the bottom floor. They
needed an exit strategy. If Eddie was to be believed, they weren’t being held prisoners. She had no
desire to stay under Edward’s hospitality. Find the exits, yell at Ethan, and keep Jonah alive. That
was her plan. Now all she had to do was wait and be patient. Not something she was very good at.
The gun and the tranquilizer were the extent of their defenses. Hopefully, fed wolves were happy
wolves and she wouldn’t have to worry about watching her back. The elevator dinged their arrival,
and Cathy threaded her arm through Jonah’s and steered him into the pound. Cathy followed her
nose to find the dining area. The delicious smells from a nearby grill drifted to her nose and made
her stomach growl. It wasn’t until just then that she realized how hungry she was.

    
Turning the corner into the dining room, they paused. The dining room was set up like a
restaurant. Tables were spread throughout the room. Glasses clanked as people talked and ate. She
could imagine the setting in any restaurant she’d seen in New York. She wasn’t sure what she’d been
expecting, maybe hungry wolves fighting over food. After her recent attack, she hadn’t been

expecting these people to be so…so civilized.

Edward pushed away from the table and walked over to them. “I’m glad you decided to join
me.”

     
“Well, you did promise to show me the exits.”

     
“Ah, yes, the exits.” Edward chuckled and
gestured
to the table where he’d been sitting. “I’m
sure you’re starving by now. The kitchen can
cook anything
you chose.” Edward glanced behind
him. “The steak seems to be popular tonight.”

     
Edward stopped in front of the table and pulled
out
Cathy’s chair and waited for her to sit
before retaking his seat.

     
“Steak would be fine.” Cathy glanced at Jonah. “Does that work for you?”

     
He nodded. He chewed his bottom lip as he
scanned
the room. Maybe it was because they were
in an unfamiliar place or maybe he was considering
the
possibility of attack or, hell, maybe he was
checking out the surveillance cameras strategically
placed
throughout the room. She had.

     
Jonah turned back to Edward. “I’d be interested
in
seeing your security room.” Jonah gestured
to the ceiling. “I’m assuming it’s state of the art.”

     
Edward grinned. “Certainly.”

     
A man appeared at their table and took their
order.
Cathy’s shoulders eased the longer she sat in
the room, even knowing she
was surrounded by wolves that could tear out her
throat. The fact that
they hadn’t yet let her relax just a bit. The talking in the room resumed after they sat down. It was a
bit quieter, but the atmosphere in the room was slowly returning to how it had been when they’d
arrived.

     
Within fifteen minutes, their food was delivered, and it hadn’t taken her long to eat enough to
fill her belly. Jonah was still in the process of devouring his when the talking in the room ceased.
Cathy’s brows dipped; as she scanned the room, a shiver went down her spine. Edward nodded
once to the men at the next table who started ushering all of the women out through various exits,
all except for Tessa. Tessa and the men in the room moved to stand by the outside walls. Each wore
a scowl and stood with their legs parted and their arms crossed over their chest.

     
An internal alarm rang loud and clear in Cathy’s head. This wasn’t any type of dining protocol
she’d ever seen before. “What’s happening?”

     
Edward dropped his head and took a deep breath before meeting her gaze. “You have a
visitor.”

     
The door to the dining room flew open. An older man stood in the doorway. He was dressed in
a black pinstriped suit semi-covered by a dark trench coat. He looked like a spy or a bad guy, only an
older, retired version.

     
Edward leaned into her and whispered, “I
believe
you know him as Mr. Black.”

     
Black removed his coat and folded it across
his arm
before he sat down at their table. He
nodded once to Edward. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

     
Cathy’s gaze flew to Edward’s, and she narrowed
her
eyes. “I’ll kill you.”

He held up his hands. “He asked to meet you,
Ms.
Fleming.” Edward motioned to the men
around the room. “There will be no bloodshed
in my
home.”

“That’s what you think.” Cathy shoved out
of her
chair but was stopped from strangling the
asshole when Jonah put his hand on her arm. He
was
being her voice of reason. If she attacked
either one of these assholes, then everyone in the
room
would be on them in less than a minute.

     
Cathy lowered back into her chair and crossed
her
arms over her chest. “What do you want?”

     
Mr. Black picked up the pitcher of water and
poured
a glass. “If you gentleman will excuse us
for a few minutes, Ms. Fleming and I have much
to
discuss.”

     
Edward stood and waited as a hesitant Jonah
rose to
his feet. He turned to her. “Are you sure
about this?”

She nodded and waited until they walked away before meeting Mr. Black’s dark gaze. Cathy
placed her folded arms on the table. “How about we discuss why you keep sending people to attack
the Phantoms? Or, if that’s not worth discussing, how about we discuss the drug-induced serum you
have to steal powers?” Cathy inhaled a deep breath and, with it, the bitter taste of Black’s powers.
“You’re using it, aren’t you?”

     
Mr. Black chuckled and planted his own arms on the table. “I always knew the fates would pick
well for Ethan, but you…you’re a breath of fresh air. I won’t have to worry about you kissing my
ass, will I?”

     
“Kicking it is more likely. I’m sure you didn’t come all this way to talk in riddles. ” Cathy
glanced down at her watch. “You’ve got five minutes before I walk out.”

     
Mr. Black tisked. “Seems my son has been keeping secrets from his intended.”

     
“Your son?” Cathy shook her head. “You’re lying.”

     
Mr. Black shrugged. “That wolf was a defiant child, but he’s returned to his roots. That is why
you’re here, Ms. Fleming.”

     
“You mean you... you’re his roots?”

    
Mr. Black nodded. “I’m his roots, and you, my dear, are his mate. The one true person he will
spend the rest of his life loving…” Black quirked his lips. “…or mourning. The decision is

completely yours.”

    
“I don’t believe you.”

“He’ll be here soon enough, and you can
ask him. But
I’m not here to cause a fight between
you love birds. No, that’s not why I’m here at all.
I have a
proposition for you.”

    
“Let me guess, does your proposition include sending your goons to attack the Phantoms,
again? Thanks, but no thanks.”

    
Black leaned back in his chair and tilted his
head as
he gave her an arrogant smile.

    
“You think all of this was a coincidence? It
wasn’t. It
was a well-orchestrated plan.” Black
rubbed his knuckles against his shirt and then blew
on
them. “A brilliant plan if I do say so myself.”

    
Stomach rolling, Cathy kept her posture relaxed.
She
wouldn’t show this man weakness. If
anything, she’d pump his butt full of bullets and
then
tranq him just to show the bastard what she
thought of him. Cathy glanced around the room
until she
found Edward’s gaze. She narrowed her
eyes and returned her attention back to Black. “You
think
that sending assholes to kill me and my
friends constituted a brilliant plan?”