Primal Heat (16 page)

Kane’s shoulders dropped and he hung his head. She had a hand on his
chest. Kane nodded. “I swear, Pat. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”

She nodded and let Alec take her arm as they stepped off the porch and
headed toward the Jeep with us. Bas opened the door and helped me into the back
seat. I expected him to climb behind the wheel, but instead he stood there like
a stone wall, waiting for Alec to get to us.

“I need to travel with the pack,” he said. “I want Callum and Alec to
make sure you ladies get back to the farm safely. I’ll meet you there later
this evening.”

Callum climbed in back next to me after helping Pat into the passenger
seat. Alec took the keys from her. “You sure that’s necessary?” she asked,
looking from Bas to Alec then back to me.

Dread bubbled inside of me as the gravity of my situation took root.
Bas’s thundering heartbeat put an exclamation point on my conclusion. “When
Kane tells Dale he’s not welcome here anymore, he might not take it well. And
he’ll have nothing left to lose.”

Bas gave me a grim nod as Alec started the Jeep. Then he stepped back
and shifted, sending the torn denim flying.

“Son of a bitch,” Pat muttered. “Those were brand new.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Do you know how much I don’t want to ever leave this bed?” I leaned my
head against Bas’s chest. His arms enveloped me in warmth and safety as he
pulled the covers up to my chin. We’d spent the day here, tucked away in Pat’s
farmhouse, surfacing only for breakfast and lunch. Later, we planned to ride
out to the lake together.

Bas growled and nipped the air next to my ear, sending a spike of heat
straight to my heart.

“And are you sure you have to leave tomorrow?”

He reached up and made a small circle with his finger around my right
breast. “I’d like nothing more than staying right here with you. But, Kane was
just the first step. I need to have a little chat with Willie Gaither, Jr.”

“I’m feeling very afraid for Willie Gaither, Jr. Is it all right if I
ask what you’re planning?”

Bas stretched out, and with his legs fully extended, his toes poked out
from beneath the coverlet. I turned, sitting up to face him. He had drowsy eyes
and his hair stuck out in peaks and cones. I was more than a little tousled
myself. My thighs ached, and I had stiff muscles in places I never knew about
before.

“Willie might be an even bigger weasel than his father, but he’s not
stupid. People around here are never going to believe Lloyd Bonner would have
left anything to the Gaithers unless he’d been coerced. Willie Jr.’s whole
business relies on the goodwill of the people of Wild Lake. Now, he would have
just been a kid when all of this went down, but I’m banking on the fact he’s
not going to want his father’s name dragged through the mud.”

“Hmm. What if you’re wrong? If you’re right about what this land is
worth, he might not care if he loses clients over it.”

“True. But, I have other methods of persuasion if reason doesn’t work.”

For a millisecond, Bas’s eyes flashed with preternatural fury that both
thrilled and frightened me. “Yeah. I go back to my earlier statement. I think
I’m afraid for Willie Jr.”

“I’m not going to leave him with nothing, Abby. We’ll make him a fair
offer for signing over his interests to Pat and Harold.”

“Very reasonable of you, Mr. Lanier. I’m impressed.”

He leaned over and pinched my ass.

“Ow! I’m sore there too, you brute.”

“Good. Then my plan is falling into place.”

“What one is that?”

“The one where you stay put and rest up. I might be gone for a day or
two, so when I get back, I’m going to be in sore need of a little attention.”

As much as I could use the rest, I hated the thought of even that short
separation. Bas assured me this need would subside over time. For now, though,
it was almost as if he’d asked me to go without oxygen for a day or two.

“I don’t do the sitting around pining thing very well, Bas. I need to
head back home. I haven’t talked to my mother in over a week. Messed up as she
is, she’s my mom. I need to make sure she’s okay. Then there’s the matter of
the congressman. Technically, I still work for him.”

Bas sat up, his back stiffened. “Don’t even think about it. You’re not
going anywhere near Foster’s office until I have a bead on Dale. He’s
unpredictable. I’ve always suspected he didn’t leave the southern packs
voluntarily. When Kane tells him he’s lost his privileges up here, he might
literally have nowhere else to go. That’s going to make him dangerous, Abby.
And Kane knows you’re mine now.”

“I know. I know. But, I need to know where I stand. Asshat though he
is, I need Foster’s recommendation. Or at least, I need to know he’s not going
to do anything to sabotage me.”

Bas slid out of the bed, dragging half the covers with him. I shivered
at the sudden absence of my human space heater. He shoved his legs into his
jeans and did a little hop step to pull them over his trim hips.

“God, I’d like to shove my fist through Kane’s nose right about now.
I’ve said for years we’d regret letting Dale in.”

“But it wasn’t worth the risk of causing friction with Kane’s pack. Is
that about right?”

Bas nodded as he finger combed his hair. “We may not always agree with
each other, but the Wild Lake packs respect each other. It was Kane’s decision
to make.”

“I get that. And it’s incredible, really. I mean, I could
feel
the tension between you. It’s better if you’re not around other Wild Lake
Alphas very often, isn’t it?”

He nodded. “It’s a tough urge to suppress. That’s why the Bonner farm
is such a special place for us. It’s neutral turf. A place where we can come
together without feeling territorial. It should go to her son when Pat and
Harold aren’t around anymore.”

“Have I met him?”

Bas shook his head. “No. Her son is Luke. He’s a Wild Lake wolf, but he
doesn’t belong to any pack. Not anymore. When the day comes, he’ll move back
here and run things.”

“So, it’s possible for a human woman to, uh . . . give birth to a
wolf?”

Bas leaned against the door frame. “When she’s ready. Yes. If
you’re
ready. Someday maybe we can talk about that.”

Warmth flooded through me. I hadn’t thought about it before, but as Bas
stood in front of me looming large, looking at me with love in his eyes, I knew
my answer. Yes. Someday. I think I would like to talk about that. I didn’t have
to say anything. Bas knew. And that knowledge brought light into his eyes and
color to his cheeks. He came to me; leaning over the bed, he kissed me.

I would have given him more. Even though I was saddle sore and still
exhausted from last night, I was ready. But, the angry buzz of my phone on the
nightstand table interrupted the mood. I reached over and tapped the screen. A
chill ran through me that Bas caught. I put up a finger and answered.

“Miss Winslow?” The voice on the other end was stern and deep.

“Speaking.”

“This is Dean Stockard. Do you have a moment?”

“I do.” God. Dean Stockard. My mind ticked off the limited reasons why
he could be calling me personally. Had I flunked out of school? Did my tuition
check bounce? Why is it so much easier to think calls like this would bring bad
news?

“Miss Winslow, we have a problem. Several, actually. I’d like to make
an appointment for you to come to my office. Preferably tomorrow morning.”

My eyes flicked to Bas, and my throat had run dry. Sensing my distress,
the muscles bunched in his arms as he curled his fingers into fists. I was
afraid he wouldn’t be able to punch my way out of trouble for this one.

“I can make that work. But, Dean, I’d like to know what this is
regarding so I can better prepare for this meeting.”

He took a breath. “Miss Winslow, I’ll be frank. It’s not good news.
It’s come to my attention that you might be at the root of a security breach at
Congressman Foster’s office. You are interning there this summer, is that
correct?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’ve just gotten off the phone with the congressman and some of
what he had to stay was rather disturbing. I really don’t want to go into
details over the phone, but you should know that it’s serious. Our relationship
with that office is one I’m rather proud of. It’s been cultivated over decades.
Our interns have gone on to some prominent positions in the legal field. It
sickens me to think something could happen to taint that.”

“Of course not.” My heart shot straight to my feet. This was Dale. I
wasn’t surprised, except by the speed at which he’d put things in motion. Bas
hadn’t even met with Willie Jr. yet. It meant that Kane had already gotten the
message to Dale to clear out of Wild Lake. He hadn’t wasted time to try and
punish me for it. If he couldn’t get to me through Bas, he’d try to hurt me any
other way he could.

“Now, if the congressman’s accusations are even partially true, I can’t
expel you for that. You’re not a lawyer yet. You can’t be disbarred. But, I
must tell you, this is the kind of thing that would put your ability to ever
get a license in jeopardy. It’s a character and fitness issue of very large proportions.
Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

“I do. And, Dean, I . . .”

“Good. So, when we meet tomorrow, you have to know I expect thorough
answers. You’ll need to account for your time and your actions. I expect you in
my office by nine o’clock.”

“Yes, sir.” My eyes locked with Bas’s. I put a hand on his forearm to
steady him. I could tell he wanted to rip the phone from my ear. “I’ll be
there.” Before I could say anything else, Dean Stockard hung up on me.

“Abby, what is it?” Bas gripped my forearms and pulled me to my feet.

“It’s starting,” I said. “Dale’s sent the first volley. I was worried
he’d try to hurt me physically. But, it seems he’s trying something much worse.
He’s trying to ruin me, Bas.”

Bas let me go and paced the room, reminding me of the caged wolves I’d
seen in the zoo when I was a kid. “Fucking Kane. He couldn’t just tell Dale he
was banished. He had to give him details as to why. I’ll kill Dale, Abby. I’ll
rip his fucking throat out.”

“And I’d pay to watch. But I’m afraid that’s not going to help me. I
think the dean has pretty much made up his mind.”

I tried to keep it together, but when Bas turned and faced me, I fell
apart. Tears streamed down my face as I realized the truth of my words. I’d
been so stupid to think Bas and the pack could protect me. They could, but not
from this. Everything I’d worked for may have just slipped through my fingers
like grains of sand.

Chapter Twenty-Five

It was settled. Whatever happened with Dean Stockard, I had to face it
on my own. If Foster were accusing me of breaching confidentiality, my showing
up with Bas or any of the other Wild Lake wolves would only prove my guilt. And
I
was
guilty. I’d made my choice. Telling Bas the congressman’s plans
for Wild Lake was always going to come back to haunt me. It didn’t make the
reality of it any less awful.

“You sure everything’s okay, honey?” Iris met my eyes in the bus’s
rearview mirror. I sat as I always did in the seat directly behind her. Bas had
thrown a fit when I refused his offer to use one of his cars. But, it mattered
to me that I did this completely on my own. I started my legal career with no
help from anyone else, I needed to end it the same way if that’s what would
happen. He looked gutted when he dropped me back off at Kendra’s apartment.
He’d wanted to stay, but I wouldn’t hear of that either. The longer he waited
to deal with Willie Jr., the more risk to Pat and Harold. I would
not
let
them be another casualty in this. Bas had finally relented, but not until I
agreed to let Connor and Eli follow me from a respectable distance. Since Dale
wasn’t part of his pack, Bas couldn’t predict his movements so easily.

“I’m okay, Iris. It’s just been a bad day. I’ve got a few things to tie
up at school, then you might not see me for a while.”

“Hmm. Well, I don’t like the sound of that. You keep your chin up,
honey. Whatever it is, trust me, things don’t always stay that bad.”

I laughed and finished her sentence with her. “Yep. Sometimes they get
worse.”

She’d been telling me that for as long as I could remember. We smiled
over it, but I knew this time, she was absolutely right.

“You taking the number 45 home? Louann’s driving tonight. I’ll tell her
to look out for you.”

“Thanks. I don’t think I’ll be on campus all that long. Something tells
me this is going to be a short meeting.”

“Well, I’ll be back this way about eleven o’clock. You know how to find
me if you need some cheering up.”

“Thanks, Iris. I just might.” I leaned over and gave her a peck on the
cheek as she opened the double doors to let me out. Her eyes shone as I turned
and waved. Then, I headed into the building and whatever hell Dean Stockard
planned to put me through.

It ended up being just about as bad as I thought. The dean had a
scathing letter from Congressman Foster. He’d laid everything out. His suspicions
about my relationship with Bas and the credible proof that I’d revealed
confidential information that might put his conservation bill in jeopardy. That
last part was a bit of a stretch, but it didn’t matter. Stockard bought it.
But, the part that shocked me the most was the stack of affidavits Foster had
attached to his statement. Grace had supplied one. Now, I could imagine she did
it only to protect herself, but it still hurt.

I explained what I could, but my defense was thin. Yes, the documents
I’d copied were all on file at the county courthouse. Anyone could have gone up
and viewed them. But not anyone did. Only I had. Foster had another affidavit
from Kathy the clerk in case there was any doubt. Stockard wouldn’t let me read
Foster’s written statement, and that was what got my blood boiling more than
anything.

“Dean Stockard, if I’m being accused of something, don’t I have the
right to at least face my accuser?”

“You’re not in court, Miss Winslow; this is a matter of your integrity.
And so far, you haven’t denied anything. Did you or did you not discuss
sensitive information that you gained during the course of your work for
Congressman Foster with someone outside his office? And without his express
permission?”

“With all due respect, there’s more to it than that.”

“Again, you’re not denying the core accusation, Miss Winslow. Your
actions have put this program in serious jeopardy. And you’ve actually put a
very important bill in jeopardy. I wish I
could
expel you. But, as I
said, that’s not within my power.”

“Well, I appreciate that. At least.”

“At the
ver
y least, I’m afraid. As you’re aware, your ability to
get licensed to practice law in this state upon graduation requires you to pass
a character and fitness examination. That’s
if
you pass the bar examination.
Frankly, I see no way you’ll be able to do that. The congressman has asked for
a letter of reprimand be included in your file. I’m going to grant that
request. Now, I have no power over them, but you need to understand that the
odds of the Board of Law Examiners ever approving you for a license are slim to
none.”

Nothing he said surprised me. From the moment I answered the phone back
at the Bonner farmhouse, I knew I would end up right where I was. Still, hearing
someone tell you your hard work and dreams were probably gone for good was
sobering. Devastating. I wanted to be anywhere but where I was.

“Do I have any right to appeal that decision?”

“With the Board? Of course.”

“No. Before that. I mean with you. Congressman Foster has caused a
written statement to be placed in my file. Again, I’d like to be allowed to
read it. And I also feel I should be granted permission to put a
counter-statement in that file. If I’m going to be judged, I should at least be
heard.”

Stockard sat back in his chair. The fluorescent lights in his office
gleamed off his bald head. He idled at dour. Today his expression was morose,
with a downturned mouth and deep lines cutting across his reddened forehead.

“I really don’t see the point.”

He took a breath, preparing, I think, to launch into another speech
about his disappointment in me. But, the landline rang in his office, making
both of us jump. He held up a finger and took the call. He listened more than
spoke. I heard only “thank you” and “I understand.” He put the phone down and
steepled his fingers over the desk.

“Miss Winslow, can I ask you to be patient for just a few more minutes?
It appears that another letter has arrived concerning your case. There’s a
courier downstairs. If you’ll wait right here, I’ll see what it’s about, and we
can continue our discussion.”

It was in me to tell him not to bother. He’d already made up his mind.
But, I nodded and crossed my legs, hoping against hope that the new letter
might be of help. Plus, rudeness wouldn’t improve my situation.

The dean excused himself and stepped around his desk. He closed the
door to his outer office, leaving me staring out the window to the quad. I
pressed my fingers to my forehead and concentrated on slowing my breathing. I
wanted to wail and rage. I wanted to throw all of his papers across the desk
and kick the windows out. Everything I’d done I’d do again. For Bas. For Pat.
For me. I just wished the consequences didn’t have to hurt so much.

If Stockard and Foster got their way, I could get a law degree, but I’d
never be able to practice anywhere. The walls seemed to close in around me. I’d
lost my way out. At least, the one I’d built completely by myself. I loved Bas.
I could spend the rest of my life with him, but without a career of my own,
without
something
of my own, I would wither on the vine.

I walked to the window and pressed my head against the glass. With
spring classes over for more than a month, the grassy knoll was empty. Cars
slowed at the stop sign. Connor and Eli’s black SUV rounded the corner. They’d
been told to circle the building until they saw me come out. Their presence
comforted me, but I couldn’t help also feeling trapped by it. They knew their
purpose; I felt mine slipping away.

The door to the outer office opened and closed behind me. I took a
breath, steadying myself on the window ledge. I turned to face Dean Stockard
one last time.

My blood ran cold. My spine seemed to turn to liquid as I turned
around. Instead of Stockard, Dale stood in the doorway, and his wolf eyes
gleamed yellow and filled with bloodlust.