The Finding (44 page)

Seconds ticked
by. A minute passed and then another. His muscles were clenched as
he kept himself tightly in check. Finally the air shimmered again
and in the blink of an eye she stood before him.

“Cassie! You
did it!” He jumped off the bed and pulled her into his arms and
swung her around in a circle before setting her down. Leaning back,
he looked at her face and frowned. She seemed to be in shock. For a
moment she stood stiffly in the circle of his arms and then her
whole body slumped, sobs wracking her frame. “Shh! It’s okay.
You’re fine.” He rocked her back and forth, stroking her hair, her
back, whispering assurances as she wept.

When her crying
seemed to ease, he released his tight grip and eased her back in
his arms. Keeping one arm around her, he brought his other hand up
and cupped her face, wiping the tears from her cheek with his
thumb. “Hey, you should be happy. You teleported at will! Why all
the tears?”

She sniffled
and clenched her hand against his shirt, the material bunching in
her fingers. “Because I did it. It worked and that means...” She
looked away biting her lip and blinking rapidly.

“It means
what?” He queried, studying her face intently, trying to interpret
the range of emotions that passed over it. Emotional pain radiated
from her and he winced, feeling the hurt himself.

“It means I
really am a werewolf.” She buried her face against his chest as she
whispered her answer.

“So?” Bryan
frowned, puzzled at what she was trying to convey. “You knew that
already.”

“I know.” She
flicked a glance up at him, before averting her eyes. “It’s crazy,
but even though I knew it, I didn’t really believe it. I kept
thinking—hoping—that my uncle was wrong. Even when I was a wolf in
the park yesterday, I kept praying that it was just some weird
hallucination, but now...” She sighed heavily. “I can’t deny it any
longer. I’m not human.”

“No...” He
responded slowly, not really able to grasp why it mattered, but
trying his best to understand. “You’re not. You’re a werewolf just
like me and all my friends and family. Is that really so bad?”

She shrugged
yet again. “I guess not. It’s just that...well... Suppose after
years of believing you’re a werewolf, someone told you that you
weren’t. That you were human. Even though you know they’re right
and there’s evidence to prove it, a part of you doesn’t want to
give up your original belief. Sort of like learning there’s no
Santa Claus.”

“Okay.” Bryan
supposed he sort of understood what she meant. “So being able to
teleport made it ‘real’ to you.”

“Uh-huh. Even
though I suggested the idea, I think a part of me was hoping it
wouldn’t work because then it might mean some big mistake had been
made. I was still just a normal human girl living a boringly normal
life with a poorly paying job, a messed up boyfriend and too many
bills.” She laughed lightly through her tears. “Why I’d want to
hang on to that I don’t know. Lots of girls would think being a
werewolf was more exciting.”

“Well, I must
admit that I think it is. Pack life is nothing like what you’re
used to. There’s always someone around. You don’t have to worry
about bills. We all help each other out.” He ducked his head to
look her in the eye. “I think you’ll like it, once you give it a
chance.”

“Maybe.” She
gave him a faint smile then stepped away, wiping her face. Inhaling
deeply, she squared her shoulders. “So I managed to teleport once.
I guess I should try it again, right?”

He reached out
and ran a finger down her cheek. “Sure. And I’ll be right here
waiting for you.”

*****

By time evening
arrived, Cassie had a better grip on her emotions, deciding to deal
with them at a later date. Right now, she had to concentrate on
mastering teleporting so she could rescue Kellen. Once she got the
hang of it, it wasn’t too difficult to do. In fact she was feeling
rather pleased with herself. She’d managed to teleport from one
suite to another several times and had even gone from the lobby to
the fifth floor where their rooms were located by strategically
hiding behind a potted plant while Bryan watched to ensure no one
noticed her disappearing act. She’d wanted to try going from the
parking garage to the rooftop restaurant, but Bryan had overridden
her saying she was too tired and needed to rest for tomorrow.

He was right,
but she hadn’t liked to admit her weakness, especially not in front
of the other werewolves. The teleporting—converting her molecules
into energy and then sending them through space—was exhausting. Her
head pounded, her legs felt like cooked noodles and her entire body
ached.

Still she’d
tried to project a strong image when they’d reported to Ryne. Bryan
had said she’d impressed him earlier with her rant against Kane.
She didn’t want to change his opinion. If things progressed the way
Bryan planned, Ryne would be the equivalent of her ‘boss’ in the
near future. Cassie wasn’t too keen on the idea and still hoped to
find a way out, but just in case, felt the need to hedge her
bets.

“So Cassie, how
do you feel about moving to Canada?” Mel sat beside her at the
table in the restaurant and had kept up a stream of idle chatter
throughout the meal. Ryne and Bryan had indulged in conversation
related to pack business as near as Cassie could determine;
something to do with renovations to one of the wings of the main
house. She hadn’t really paid too much attention; it had taken all
of her concentration to keep her eyes open and her head from
falling forward in her plate.

“Um... I’ve
never been to Canada.” She gave a vague answer and looked at Elise
who sat across the table from her. “Have you?”

“No. Kane keeps
talking about flying north to visit Ryne, but there always seems to
be some mini-crisis occurring that keeps him tied to Smythston. I’m
surprised he managed to tear himself away long enough to come
here.” Elise smiled, but there was certain bitterness in her voice
and Cassie wondered what was going on. Kane and Elise had seemed a
bit on edge with each other earlier on and now Kane wasn’t eating
dinner with them. Apparently another call from his Beta had come
in. In fact, except for a brief conversation when Bryan announced
the success of her teleporting, she hadn’t seen the since her
outburst about his over-zealous ‘help.’

“I’m glad our
pack is still small.” Mel said. “Ryne is busy, but he still has
time for himself too.”

Elise sighed
looking a bit repentant about her earlier words. “Kane tries, he
really does, but the pack is so big.”

“Would it ever
subdivide and become two smaller packs?” Cassie asked, pleased the
conversation no longer focussed on her.

“Kane’s talked
about it, but we’d need to find another territory and then see
which families would be willing to move.” Elise picked up her wine
glass and took a sip. “Whether it will ever happen remains to be
seen.”

“Are you ladies
finished?” Ryne interrupted the conversation, pushing his chair
back from the table. “We’re done eating and Kane hasn’t made an
appearance yet so there’s no point in waiting any longer.”

“I’ll just have
room service bring him up a plate.” Elise said as they walked to
the elevator. “You know Mel, you haven’t even seen Kane face to
face, yet.”

“I know. Maybe
tomorrow after all the excitement.” Mel sighed and rubbed her
rounded belly. “It should be...interesting to finally meet him.” A
faint worried frown appeared on her brow.

Ryne chuckled
and put his arm around her shoulder. “Once we get this mess cleared
up, there’ll be plenty of time for visiting.”

“I wish you’d
let me go along, Ryne.” Mel looked at her mate and ran her hand
over his chest.

“Nice try
Melody, but you’re carrying my pup and I’m not risking either of
you being near Marla or Aldrich.”

“I could wait
in the car. Please?” She batted her eyelashes at him, but he just
laughed.

“Tell you what,
you spend the night trying to convince me.” He grinned down at her.
“But in the morning, don’t be surprised if I haven’t changed my
mind.”

Mel made a
face, but seemed resigned to her fate.

They all parted
ways in the hallway and headed to their respective rooms. Cassie
approached the door to her...their...room with trepidation. She’d
temporarily forgotten that she and Bryan were sleeping in the same
room. True, there were two double beds, but it still seemed
rather...intimate. Behind her, she could feel the warmth generating
from his body as he waited for her to open the door. Her wolf
murmured happily over the situation, but Cassie’s stomach clenched
nervously.

She stared at
the door knob, not wanting to touch it, trying to put off the
inevitable as long as possible. Her breathing grew rapid, and she
felt almost lightheaded as she contemplated the night ahead...

“Come on,
Cassie. I’m tired.”

Obviously
growing impatient, Bryan reached around her, plucking the key card
from her hand and opening the door himself. His arm brushed against
her breast and her whole body flushed with awareness. Oh God, how
was she going to get through this?

*****

“Are you sure
Meredith?” Franklin gripped the phone tightly, nodding as his old
partner repeated her message. “All right.” He rubbed his forehead
thinking quickly. “Okay, I’ll need you here. Get the first flight
you can, let me know your arrival time and I’ll pick you up at the
airport. By then, everything should be in place. See you then.”

He hung up the
phone and stared thoughtfully across the kitchen, not really seeing
the old plaster walls and aged wooden beams. His eyes stopped at
the large fireplace that usually had a cheery fire burning within,
giving the Estate kitchen a warm, homey feel. The hearth was cold
and empty now, just as the Estate was. It needed a family to fill
it, children running up and down the halls, being shoed away from
the fire and scolded for sneaking bits of cookie batter just like
Miss Cassie used to do. At one time he’d thought Cassie’s children
might help fill the rooms and bring life back to the rambling old
building but now...

Rubbing his
hands over his face, he turned to face Mrs. Teasdale, knowing she
was anxious to hear the latest information.

“It’s bad news,
isn’t it Franklin?” She tried to keep her voice calm, but Franklin
could see the trembling of her chin.

“I’m afraid so.
Meredith just saw a report on the news. A dead body was found in a
dumpster in Las Vegas.”

“Not Miss
Cassie’s friend, Kellen?” Mrs. Teasdale grabbed the back of a
nearby chair.

“No.” Franklin
sighed heavily. “It’s Eddie Perini. He was shot last night and left
to bleed to death.”

“Perini? Who’s
that?”

“He managed
Dollar Niche, the company that lent Kellen Anderson money. And
Dollar Niche is owned by Aldrich which was how Miss Cassie was
blackmailed into returning to Chicago.” He shook his head. “I don’t
know if this is related or not, but the Dollar Niche office was
trashed. Police report that it appears someone was going through
the files and they’re speculating that Perini walked in on the
individual. A fight ensued. Perini was shot, thrown in the dumpster
and left to die.

“Do you think
it was made to look like a break-in gone wrong to throw off
suspicion? Perhaps Aldrich ordered Eddie Perini killed to keep him
quiet about his plan?” She quirked a brow, obviously trying to make
sense of the situation. While Mrs. Teasdale had never been a part
of the Service, her late husband had, and she’d picked up quite a
bit over the years.

“Perhaps. Maybe
Perini was going to turn the tables on Aldrich and try to blackmail
him.” Franklin frowned and rubbed his chin. “Though usually any
death associated with Aldrich isn’t ever called a ‘death’ at all.
Aldrich makes people ‘disappear’ without a trace. This doesn’t have
Aldrich’s touch to it.”

“Could someone
have a grudge against Perini or possibly be trying to make points
with Aldrich by getting rid of someone they thought was a threat to
him?”

“From what
Meredith has been able to find out, Perini didn’t operate in the
most exulted of circles but he was mostly bluster with very little
action. Killing him was probably unnecessary.”

“Interesting,
but what does this mean for us?”

Franklin paced
the room and rubbed the back of his neck. He hated to give in when
they were so close to Cassie finding a real home, but he’d promised
Anthony Greyson that if anything ever happened, he’d keep the girl
safe. “If someone is starting to kill people over this, it’s
getting more dangerous than I ever expected. I think it’s time we
pulled Miss Cassie out.”

Mrs. Teasdale
looked troubled. “You’re probably right, but it will interfere with
her chances of becoming part of the pack the young man
represents.”

“Possibly.” He
shook his head, regretful at this turn of events. “But at least
she’ll be alive to try again.”

Squaring her
shoulders, Mrs. Teasdale straightened to her full height, or at
least what there was of it. “What do you want me to do?”

“First of all,
we need to find where Cassie is staying. Call around to all the
motels within the city and see what you can find out.”

“She might not
be registered under her own name.”

“Right.
Meredith found out the name of the young fellow she’s met up with
by tracing his rental car. It’s Cooper. Bryan Cooper. Try his name
as well.”

“Done. Anything
else?” The woman’s cheeks flushed slightly at the excitement and
Franklin smiled lightly. Life had been dull around the Estate with
just the two of them and a few occasional maintenance workers. It
was good to have something happening though different circumstances
would have been preferable.