Reed: Bowen Boys (5 page)

“What the hell was that?” He watched her nearly leap from his arms, and backed up when she took a few steps toward him.

“Did we just have sex? Out here? In the fucking parking lot?”

“Technically we didn’t have sex. You came. And quite beautifully too.” He took another step back when she advanced on him again. “Now Kerry, there’s no reason to get upset. I’m still hard as a rock and you’re supposed to be relaxed. Didn’t you enjoy that?”

She opened her mouth to say something, and then put her hand over the small scar at her throat. He felt his cock harden more when he thought of biting her again. But the look on her face made him think that if he tried she really would kill him.

“You monster.” He looked behind him, knowing she couldn’t be talking about him. “You’re a sick son of a bitch, and…and I want you to stay away from me. From now on.”

“You work for me, and as of now you and I are…we’re a couple. I can’t let you go and you won’t want me to. I need you to—” He took another step back when she doubled up her fist again. “Do you always react so violently when you’re pissed off?”

“As a matter of fact no, you just bring out the worst in me.” She started toward the building then turned. He thought she was coming to him, but she went to her car, pulled out a large tote, and went to the building again. He decided when she went inside without a backward glance that he might have handled this better. He followed her inside but at a great distance. He thought to give her time to cool off.

He was standing in the call center, the large area where the phones were being answered, when he heard a shout. He turned to the door in time to see Kerry coming out, followed closely by his father. He looked as mad as he’d ever seen him. What had she done now?

“I didn’t mean to make you upset, Kerry, but it’s as plain as the nose on your face that he’s done something else to you.” His dad looked at him when he saw him. “Tell her. Tell her that she’s better off coming with us to stay than going home where she’s not safe.”

“Where is it?” He looked at his dad then at her when she put out her hand and repeated herself. “I want it right now. You had no right to look on that in the first place. It wasn’t…it’s mine and you’ll give it back to me.”

It took him several seconds to realize what she was talking about. The thumb drive. He started to nod to her when Marc came out of the office and shook his head. Reed looked at Kerry.

“Do you know what’s on there?” She flushed and he knew that she did. “Did you give him permission to take those pictures or did he do this all on his own?”

“I’m not going to justify that with an answer. You acting like you’re any better than him after what happened out there is ludicrous. Give me the drive.” He glanced at his brother then looked at her.

“Is he blackmailing you?” She simply stared at him but he could feel her fear. “If so then I can take care of him for you. You’re my mate and it’s my duty to make sure that—“

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but it’s really a moot point since we’re nothing to each other.” She looked over her shoulder at the others, and he could see her embarrassment when she looked at him. “They’ve seen them too, haven’t they?”

“Only Marc and I have, but the others know.” He watched her face pale and stepped forward to hold her, but she stopped him by taking a step back. “Is he blackmailing you?”

Her eyes filled with tears and his heart hurt. Reed wanted to take her home and hold her; he wanted to keep her from hurting as much he was sure she was right now. When she handed the bag that she’d taken out of her car to Khan, he thought she’d talk to them about all of this, but she nodded once and wiped at the tears.

“I quit.”

She was out the door before his family could react. He was right behind her when she got to her car and jerked her around to tell her she was being stupid. But a noise to his right had him turning and pushing her away at the same time she jerked his arm. He was suddenly in front of her car when something, a large flash of fur, leapt at them. He didn’t know what the hell happened, but his head exploded in pain. The last thing he saw was her being knocked to the ground by a large panther. Khan had saved her.

Chapter 5

Khan watched his brother rest. He wasn’t happy with Kerry any more than he was his brother right now, but she wasn’t here and Reed was. He wanted to reach out and shake the shit out of him, but knew that he’d hit his head and Walker said he had to rest. His mom walked in just as he was contemplating doing what he wanted.

“What have you done about the people who saw you?” He looked at her, then back at his brother. “It’s already on the news that a large panther is on the loose. They have a manhunt out for him.”

“Well, they can look all they want, but I doubt very much they’ll come here asking us about it.”

“Do not be a smart ass, young man. I’m still your mother and I will be respected. I’ve asked you a simple question and a simple answer is what you’ll give me.” She tapped her foot as she waited, a sure sign that she was not happy. “Well?”

“I’m sorry. I’m just…Christ. That wolf was going for her throat, and had I waited to make sure that there was no one around, then she’d be dead and we both know it.”

“I know but…will he be all right?” He told her what Walker had told him about a nasty bump on his head and the wound that had already sealed up. “She tossed him behind her to save him. I never…she threw him over the car, Khan. What do you suppose that means for her, for them?”

“I’m not sure.” He thought of the things she’d said to his dad when he’d taken her into his arms. “She said that she could smell him. That his name was Death or something like that; she was hysterical. Do you think it’s the same wolf that took those pictures?”

The pictures. He’d finally gotten to see some of them when he’d tracked down Sebastian. Someone had taken a great many pictures of Kerry while she’d been in her home. All of them of her nude, and some of those very close up. He glanced at his mom when she cleared her throat.

“What are we going to do about this person, Khan? You know that he’s not going to stop now. He proved that today.” He knew. The man had tried to kill her. And Khan had a feeling that he wasn’t blackmailing her like they’d thought. At least not for money, but for something bigger, and more than likely more than the girl could afford to give up.

“Has Monica looked to see what she is?” He looked at Reed, who was struggling to sit up when he spoke. He went to the bed to help him, suddenly feeling horrible about his thoughts from earlier. He didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to his family. He loved them more than he could ever tell anyone.

“No. The girl hasn’t touched a great many of us. I think she has some sort of clue what could happen if she does.” He sat back down and their mom left the room to get Reed something to eat. “You’re her mate now. Do you have any idea what she is?”

“No.” Reed sat on the edge of the bed with his head down. “I’ve really fucked this up. And I was going to have the best mating ever. I’ve been taking notes on things not to do to mine, and here I fucked it up anyway. I guess she’s gone.”

“Yes. Right after Walker said you were going to make it, she took off. I didn’t think to have her stay with us, but….” He looked around the room, thinking again of Reed going over that car. “She’s not wholly human. And she saved your ass.”

“And you saved her. I thank you for that.” Reed stood up and went to the bathroom. Khan waited, knowing that Reed would need to find out some things about her, about his mate and the wolf that Khan had tangled with. Not to mention what Marc and Sebastian had uncovered about Kerry.

When he came out he looked better and sat in the chair across from him. “Tell me. I can see on your face that you know something. Just tell me.”

“The wolf from today is probably the same one that had the thumb drive. I’m not sure that he took the pictures, but she…she was babbling after I took off after the wolf, and Dad said she’d tried to make him understand things were fine. But she said that Death—and I’m not sure yet if that’s a name or something like a reference to a man—but someone had sicced a wild animal on her before. She told Dad that there was no such thing as shifters. Dad said she brought up the word shifters, not him.”

“You think she’s had an encounter with one before and can’t wrap her mind around it?” Khan nodded. “What happened today? Do you…I think she saved me from being attacked. Did she?”

“Yes. She threw you over the car and out of the way of the wolf that attacked her. A few seconds, and I mean just a few seconds, more and you would have been torn apart before you could have shifted. When he went for her throat after you were out, I…I’ve had this need to protect her even before I knew she was your mate. I’m not sure what it is about her but….” Khan looked at the window before he could continue. “I’ve seen the pictures and saw the marks on her. Do you suppose she’s protecting someone, and whoever took the pictures wanted them?”

“I honestly don’t know. But I’ve been…we’ve found she has a sister and a father still that live around here. I don’t have a great deal of information about them, but I’m digging. Her mother, for some reason, isn’t coming up anywhere on anything. Not even her birth certificate. It simply says unknown. The man listed as her father is the one that she has down as next of kin in the event of an emergency, but….” Khan looked at Reed as he seemed to think about what else he wanted to say. “I’d be dead before I called him in to help me. He’s not a good man and seems to be somewhat of a drunk. And that’s just the stuff I pulled off the police record that I had run.”

“Somewhat of a drunk? What does that mean?”

Reed shrugged and looked at the door when little George came in and stared at them both. “Hey buddy.”

It was all the invitation he needed to come in and leap at his uncle. Reed held him close to him as he stood up and they all walked into the hall together. George was talking a mile a minute about anything and nothing. Reed seemed to know just what he was talking about too. Khan couldn’t wait for his children to do more than string words together without it making a great deal of sense.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do about it. But she’s kind of mad at me right now and I have to think of ways to tell her I’m sorry.” Khan watched George stare at him. The kid was pretty smart and cocked his brow at him.

“Can’t you make her come here, Uncle Khan? Mommy says that you think you’re the boss. Make Kerry come back and play with me.”

He decided to ignore the part where his mom thought he was in charge and answer the little guy. He’d take care of Caitlynne later…maybe. She was one scary assed woman. “I can’t make her, George. Kerry has to want to come here and be with us.” Khan looked up at his brother. “I think she might come back if Uncle Reed here tells her how sorry he is for making her pi…mad at him.”

“You go call her now and tell her,” George told Reed. “She’s a nice lady and I want her to come back and play with me.”

Khan watched as Reed tried not to laugh. “I want to play with her too, but I think she’s really mad at me. I might have to grovel and get down on my hands and knees a great deal before she’ll believe me.” The double meaning was lost on their nephew, but Khan nearly burst out laughing when Reed winked at him. “I’ll see what I can do though, how about that?”

George took off running when they were on the last step. He and his brother walked into the living room just as someone’s cell phone went off. Dylan answered it and left the room. Jack, his mate and very pregnant wife, went with him.

When he returned, Dylan was smiling. “I found her. She’s got an apartment near downtown. I’m sending some of the pack that helps me over to keep an eye on her and to see if any other wolf has been snooping around.”

Khan nodded and looked at Reed as he began pulling his coat on. When he reached for his keys, no one said a word. This was something the two of them had to straighten out, and no matter how much he wanted to go with him to help him, Khan knew that even if they took the next ten years to work out their differences, they’d get there eventually.

~~~

Kerry was just scooping up her second bowl of raspberry sherbet when someone knocked on the door. She put the frozen treat away before making her way to the front of her apartment, knowing that whoever was there now didn’t know her. Few people, her family included, knew where she was living now and she wanted to keep it that way. She’d moved out of her old apartment a few weeks ago, just after getting the message in her mail box. She looked out the peep hole and nearly groaned when she saw Marvin there.

She opened the door for him and he started to come in. Kerry watched his face as he looked at her. There was always something very strange about this man. Instead of asking him what it was, she told him to either come in or not, she had ice cream melting. Then she left him there as she made her way back to the kitchen. He showed up just as she was sitting at the table.

“You’ve been to see one of the Bowens, I see.” She had no idea why she had an overwhelming urge to touch the place on her neck, but she resisted, just barely. “Which one was it? The younger one I bet.”

He leaned back against her refrigerator while she ate. When she offered him some of her treat he declined.
Just as well
, she thought,
there isn’t but a little bit left
. When she finished she put her bowl in the sink and went to the living room.

To call this an apartment was grossly overstating its worth. The area that she used as a bedroom had the tiniest closet she’d ever seen. The bathroom had a single tiny sink plus a stand up shower—which at best one medium sized person would be able to use—and a commode. The shower, when in use, needed to be a quick one because the water chilled rather quickly. The living room, bedroom, and kitchen all shared the same space, and that was barely large enough for a loveseat and a television, no table, and the appliances. One large open room with all the comforts of home. She could lie in her bed and watch the television while cooking her dinner. Life was good.

She sat on her loveseat and waited for Marvin to speak to her.

“You do know that what happened yesterday is not going to go away. Neither you nor I will be able to turn the Bowens away after all of this, nor is you being hurt in the process going to set well with them.”

Kerry tried her best not to see that he was right. What had happened still embarrassed her. Kerry didn’t think he’d ever seen the pictures of her but wasn’t sure. She looked at him when he paused in his praising of the Bowens.

“You seriously don’t think I’m going back there, do you? Not that it matters, because they won’t want me anyway. I’m pretty sure that I burned that bridge.” Marvin leaned back in his chair and stared at her. Kerry picked up the remote. She’d lose her free cable, too, when she lost her job, but she’d figure something out. She wasn’t going back.

“They offered you a fat bonus if you came back.” She snorted. “I’m telling you the truth, love. That man, Khan, he said he’d make it well worth your while. They lost three more today after that young Dylan took them in his office. One of them was your good friend Agnes. She didn’t take it well.” Kerry would bet not. “She threatened that young man of yours.”

“I don’t have a man, young or otherwise.” She felt the scar burn and had an overwhelming feeling that she should run. Not away, like she thought she should, but in the direction of the door and the man who’d bitten her. When someone knocked she looked at Marvin, who shrugged at her.

She looked in the peep hole again and groaned. Reed laughed. Stupid man must be able to hear a pin drop. She didn’t open the door but stood there while she tried to think what to do. He laughed again.

“You might as well let me in. And the man that’s in there with you will need to leave. I don’t want to have to hurt him because he’s there.” She looked at Marvin, who was pulling on his coat.

“You are not leaving.” He simply continued to pull on his coat then his gloves. “This is just stupid. Why on earth do you think you have to leave because he said so? It’s my home.”

He kissed her cheek and they both heard Reed growl. Marvin reached for the door and opened it just as she was ready to protest again. Reed had a large bouquet of the deepest colored red roses she’d ever seen. Her eyes widened when he also handed her a large box of chocolates. The little thumb drive was attached to the bow.

“Little George sent the candy. He said to buy you a bag of suckers, but I liked these better.” She took them as he shoved them at her. “The flowers are from me. I nearly didn’t get the red ones, but I saw these and couldn’t resist. They’re beautiful, like you are.”

He laid the roses on what she could now see was a ten pound box of chocolates. She looked up at him as he bid Marvin a good night, then stared at him as he stood in the hall.

“What did you do?” He frowned at her. “No man spends his entire check on flowers and candy unless he’s done something wrong.”

“I hurt you.”

She was pretty sure he didn’t mean just today when he’d grabbed her. Her arm still hurt, but she thought it was because she’d hurt herself pushing him out of the way. The bruising was still coming on, but she could see his finger prints.

“Can I come in?”

She stepped back and felt the room shrink in size the moment he stepped over the threshold. It hadn’t felt this tiny when Marvin had been there with her. Both men were built the same but…. She looked at the roses when she realized she was staring at him.

“Don’t take off your coat. You’re not staying that long.” He did it anyway and laid it over the back of her couch. She went to the kitchen area and put her flowers in the only thing she could find, a large pitcher. She looked up when she heard her bed creak, and started forward to kick him out.