The Finding (34 page)

Mrs. Teasdale
placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It won’t. And it wasn’t
just you. When we found out where she was, we weighed the options
together and both agreed on the course of action every step of the
way. From letting her live her own life, to sending the anonymous
personal ad to that little newspaper in Ontario—”

“We tried to
lure the pack to her, but were never sure if that worked or not,”
Franklin mused staring sightlessly at the floor. “Mr. Greyson’s
private files on that last project only indicated that the reporter
was working in the Stump River area, not that the pack was actually
there.”

“It was all we
had to go on at the time and there was no way of verifying their
existence without stirring up more trouble.”

“But it wasn’t
enough. Meredith watched her carefully for the next month and
nothing unusual happened.”

“Short of
posting her address or where she worked, I don’t know what else we
could have done. You’ve told me over and over that subtlety is
important in dealing with these wolves.”

He sighed
heavily and stared morosely across the room. “We did our best to
lure the Ontario pack to her and to the best of our knowledge it
didn’t work—”

“Or the fools
found her and rejected her.”

He nodded.
“That could also be the case. Either way, for two years we’ve sat
twiddling our thumbs—”

“Waiting and
praying for something to happen.” Mrs Teasdale finished the
thought. “And now when there’s finally some hope on the horizon, a
new glitch occurs.”

Franklin
grunted and rubbed his eyes. “So what do we do? Do I call in some
old favours and send in a team to rescue her? I’m sure I could
think up a plausible story without giving her true heritage
away.”

“Or do we trust
in fate? Meredith Mitchell didn’t know for sure who had been
struggling in the house. When she peeked in the window, no one was
about. Perhaps Miss Cassie wasn’t involved. Perhaps it was that
Kellen fellow who was in trouble.”

Franklin gave a
short, dry laugh. “Just a few hours ago, I was the one reassuring
you.”

She patted his
shoulder. “That’s what friends are for, Franklin. I say we wait a
bit, let Meredith do a bit more snooping around before we act. If
we jump in too soon, we may inadvertently ruin Miss Cassie’s
chances of bonding with a suitable young man.”

Reluctantly he
nodded. “All right. We’ll wait for Meredith’s next report. I just
hope nothing happens to her because we waited too long to act.”

Chapter
15

Cassie paced
her living room, though given its small size, she never had to go
very far. Regardless, she had to do something. Inaction was killing
her. She wrapped her arms around her body, her fingers digging into
her flesh. At least the slight pain took her mind off her mental
turmoil over this new twist.

After leaving
Dollar Niche, they’d driven back to the house. Bryan had been
quiet, seemingly lost in thought and Cassie wondered what he was
thinking about. The man didn’t know Kellen, so it seemed unlikely
he’d be that perturbed over the abduction. Something else was
bothering him and she was sure it had to do with the phone call
he’d made to the number on the poster.

But whatever it
was, he hadn’t been inclined to share. After a few unsuccessful
attempts at starting a conversation, she’d stayed silent and had
begun to plot her next move. Bryan’s friend Daniel might come up
with something, but just in case, she wanted to be ready.

She’d been in
the middle of listing of steps in her head—finish packing her bag,
withdraw the cost of the airfare from her savings account—when the
car pulled into the driveway. Bryan had jerked it to a stop and
started swearing, leaving the vehicle before she even had time to
register what was going on.

When she
finally got out and made her way to the front door, he had tried to
block her view of something, but it was her home and she wasn’t
about to let him tell her what to do. Pushing him aside, she’d
taken one look and gasped, stepping back in shock. A picture of
Kellen had been taped to the front door.

He was badly
beaten; his lip split, his eye swollen shut. She’d wanted to cry at
the very image. A note had accompanied the picture as well. Kellen
was being held for ransom and she had to go to Chicago if she
wanted him set free. There was a phone number to call for further
instructions, once she arrived.

Terrified,
she’d suggested they go to the authorities, but Bryan had been
adamant. Involving ‘humans’ would endanger werewolves. She’d argued
against him, but he’d been unyielding on the point, assuring her
they could take care of the matter on their own.

Exactly how
this was going to happen, she didn’t know. Surely it would be
better to send the police after the perpetrators? It was a fact
that Eddie Perini and Hugh had taken Kellen and left what was
basically a ransom note. Wouldn’t that be enough information to
cause the police to act?

Bryan had
murmured that Leon Aldrich was involved, as if that mattered.
Whether the man was just paying out a finder’s fee to Eddie for
bringing her in, or whether he was somehow masterminding the whole
situation, Cassie didn’t know. Nor did she really care. So what if
the man was involved? The police could sort the whole mess out,
including whatever part Mr. Aldrich was playing.

Cassie hadn’t
thought much about Mr. Aldrich over the past few years, or rather
when she did think of him, it was to recall his horrific death.
Only, he wasn’t dead and that fact seemed to give her freedom to
recall other things about the man. She’d never formally met him
even though he was often at the house meeting with her uncle.
Sometimes, she’d sneak downstairs and spy on them, her back pressed
against the smooth panelling or crouched under a draped table.
While she’d never really understood what was being discussed, she’d
enjoyed the grand trick she was playing on the adults.

Looking back
now, she recalled how the man had always made her uncomfortable.
He’d been obsequious to her uncle; outwardly subservient and yet
she suspected it was all an act, that he secretly held her uncle in
contempt. And now the man was in charge of her uncle’s estate. In
fact, when she returned to her proper place as the Greyson heiress,
she’d have to work closely with him. The idea made her feel
slightly ill; she didn’t trust the man at all, but she pushed that
aside. Sure, she’d have to return to her life as Cassandra Greyson
and deal with the likes of Mr. Aldrich, but it was a small price to
pay for Kellen’s life.

Her arguments
had fallen on deaf ears; Bryan was in a foul mood, actually
snarling at her when she mentioned yet again that Kellen’s safety
was her only priority.

“You’ll not
risk yourself for him or for anyone.” His eyes had seemed to glow
with an inner power that had her quaking in her shoes and she’d
even seen a flash of his canines. Just the thought of what those
sharp teeth could do, had been enough to still her protests.

She’d clamped
her mouth tightly shut and he’d turned away, his displeasure
palpable. If she didn’t know better, she’d have said he was jealous
of Kellen, which was ridiculous. After all, they’d just met. Bryan
hardly knew her.

Finally she
settled in a chair, watching Bryan warily out of the corner of her
eye. That snarl had shocked her. For long periods of time she was
actually forgetting he was a werewolf, but the fact had been
brought abruptly home just moments earlier. He might appear
civilized, but underneath, he was still an animal with an animal’s
instincts. There was no doubt about it; Bryan could be dangerous.
She clasped her hands tightly together and wondered why that fact
was oddly thrilling.

He was on the
computer again, re-checking flights to Chicago, searching for
better seats. His friend, Daniel, had confirmed that a private
plane had been chartered by Mr. Aldrich and had flown out of
McCarran International Airport headed for Chicago. She was anxious
to follow, but the earliest flight they could get was tomorrow
morning.

It was nerve
wracking having to wait around. She wanted to distract herself, but
really there was nothing to do. The house was clean, her bag was
packed... Seeking to occupy her mind, she began studying Bryan.

At first
glance, he appeared normal enough, but there was something about
him; a certain aura that set her whole equilibrium off balance. It
wasn’t just the fact that he was good looking, though that couldn’t
be denied. It was the way he carried himself; the ease and
self-assurance seemed to shine through. Somehow, she just knew that
if he was in a room with well dressed, high-powered business men,
he’d be perfectly confident in his casual attire of jeans and
shirt.

His shirt—was
it only a few hours ago that she’d been forced to wear it?—clung to
his muscular body, highlighting his shoulders and back. She
remembered the feel of those muscles shifting beneath her hand as
she clung to him in the park, his body pressed to hers, his arousal
evident against her belly. The memory had her shifting
uncomfortably at the thought of how abandoned the beast inside her
had acted. It had revelled in his touch, rubbing against him,
whimpering in pleasure...

The animal
stirred and she forced it back down, shifting her gaze from his
body. She wasn’t letting the creature get the upper hand again. Who
knew what might happen next time?

A ray of
sunlight fell across the room and she concentrated on it instead.
Tiny motes of dust floated in the air, creating an elaborate dance
that led across the room. Her eyes traced the path they took, the
beam of light eventually shining on the back of Bryan’s head,
highlighting the strands of his hair. It was a sandy brown with
just the slightest wave and had felt thick and silky against her
fingers...She gave a silent gasp when she realized what was
happening; she was back to thinking about him again.

Resignedly, she
admitted that the man did interest her, but it was nothing more
than an appreciation of male beauty, she assured herself. Any woman
would react to his physical charms, she hastened to add. Thus
reassured, she allowed her eyes to wander over his profile,
drinking in each feature. Light brown hair hung over his forehead
and he occasionally frowned and brushed it back as he stared at the
screen. His brows and lashes were slightly darker than his hair and
accented his hazel eyes perfectly. A straight nose and strong chin.
His lips were firm, the lower one slightly full. She recalled how
he had an almost boyish look about him when he grinned, though
right now his mouth was anything but grinning. It was firmly closed
as something on the screen obviously annoyed him.

Mmm... His lips
had felt wonderful when they had moved against her own. Would she
ever have cause to kiss him again? Not likely she decided with a
small pout then forced herself to assume an air of indifference.
Once Kellen was free, she’d find a way to send Bryan packing; he
meant nothing to her, after all. So what if there was some law that
said she had to go with him? Being a rich heiress would surely
afford her some immunity from werewolf laws, wouldn’t it? He’d head
back to Canada and she’d never have to set eyes on him again.

The thought of
never seeing him again had her frowning, which was ridiculous. She
gave herself a mental scolding. He was a werewolf, for heaven sake;
nothing more than a filthy animal.

And yet,
isn’t that exactly what we are?
A voice inside queried. Part of
her wanted to immediately reject the idea, but she forced herself
to look at it.

Yes, she was a
werewolf. She couldn’t deny the fact, but that didn’t mean she had
to act like it. Attacking people, giving in to an animal wildness
once a month wasn’t for her. No, she was stronger than that. It
wasn’t easy, but she’d managed thus far and she would continue to
do so.

But it’s
getting harder each month
, the voice reminded her.

The pills were
losing their effectiveness, she acknowledged reluctantly and
increasing the dosage might prove dangerous...

Wouldn’t it be
better to learn from other werewolves how to handle our existence,
rather than fighting to subdue it?

Her stomach
quivered at the very idea yet it was intriguing too. Hadn’t she
spent hours on the internet researching, wishing she understood,
wishing she knew what was fact and what was fiction?

Being a
werewolf might be exciting and freeing in a way we could never
imagine; there could
be
joys and wonders in the
lifestyle too fantastic to be denied.

She licked her
lip nervously and eyed Bryan. There was one thing that might be
interesting to explore... But, what if once she started to learn
about her inner beast, to learn more about werewolves, she became
too caught up in them and lost herself? She could end up like
Kellen, constantly fighting the inner demons that made him
gamble.

But,
the
voice pressed its case,
what if instead of losing ourself, we
find ourself
?
What if the lost
,
lonely feeling
that’s plagued us all our life, is finally replaced with a sense of
peace, of belonging. Are we willing to turn our back on the chance,
now that the opportunity had finally arisen?

“What are you
doing?”

Cassie
startled, realizing that while she’d been lost in thought, Bryan
had moved and now was standing in front of her.

“Um... just
thinking.”

“From your
expression I’d say they were pretty deep thoughts.”

She pulled her
legs up to her chest and clasped her arms around her knees. “They
were.”

Bryan sank down
on the sofa beside her, seeming to be in a better mood now. The
cushions sank under his weight causing her to slide sideways until
their hips were touching. With assumed casualness, she eased
herself away and placed a hand on the arm of the chair, hanging on
to prevent herself from sliding back against him.