Lure of Oblivion
Page 55
“We didn’t get to that part.” Ally sure was handy to have around.
Zander clasped her nape, vowing, “I’ll kill him. When they bring him to me, I’ll kill him.” Slowly. Mercilessly.
Gwen saw the Mercury wolves returning. “Not sure you’re gonna get the chance.” Because Rory wasn’t with them.
As Zander turned to them, Derren said, “The asshole sped off in his car before we could get to him. No point trying to chase him—he has too much of a head start, so he’d easily lose us.”
“Trying to snatch me was a half-assed plan,” said Gwen as Ally came to her and laid a healing hand over the punctures on her side.
“It was a test,” Bracken corrected. He looked at Zander. “It was a test to see if you’d be upset if something happened to her. You remember the threat he made.”
Derren frowned. “What threat?”
“Yeah, what threat?” asked Gwen.
Bracken explained, “When Zander refused to give Rory any of his inheritance, Rory said, ‘If you don’t give me what’s mine, I’ll take from you what’s yours.’”
And Gwen was definitely his, thought Zander. He doubted that Rory had any clue that Gwen was his mate, but he was clearly aware that she was someone to him. “Do you think he followed us to Oregon? He could have been lingering around our territory, saw us leave, and then followed.”
“It’s possible,” said Bracken. “Or maybe he’s here to see the attorney—Rory wanted to contest the will, right? I doubt he could. He’s probably just hoping that if he bothers you with legal shit, you’ll give in just to get him off your back. But he could have come to see the attorney, spotted us somewhere around town, seen you with Gwen, and then waited for a chance to test you.”
Zander wasn’t sure. Right then, while the scent of Gwen’s blood tainted the air, he couldn’t think straight. He only knew one thing . . . “Rory won’t get to you again,” he promised her. “I’ll find him.”
Shaking her head, Gwen fisted his shirt. “If you go hunting him, it will divide your resources.”
“You think I should let this go?” he asked, voice soft and filled with disbelief.
“Yeah, I do. Bracken said it was a test. If you don’t go after him, he’ll think this didn’t affect you that much. It isn’t all that different from me pretending to cower over the Brandt thing—which is something I’ll have to do tomorrow when I meet with Kenny. If I can do that, you can do this.”
The problem was . . . Zander wasn’t sure if he really could. “Maybe I should take you to my pack’s territory. You could stay there.” Where she’d be safe and he wouldn’t have to smell her fucking blood every five minutes.
“And that isn’t all that different from me going to a safe house.” Gwen lifted her chin. “I’m not leaving here.”
Zander planted his hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me. You matter to me, Gwen. You don’t see that, I know, but it’s true. I have to know you’re safe and protected.”
“Yeah? Then pretend you don’t give a shit what Rory did. That’s what will protect me from him.”
Derren sighed. “I hate that she’s right, but she is. He’ll get what’s coming to him, Zander. He won’t get away with this. Not in the long run. We just have to be choosy about when we strike. Besides, one thing we can be sure he’ll do is come back—he’s intent on fucking with you. But now we know to keep an eye out for him. He won’t touch her again.”
Sensing that Zander wasn’t even close to calming, Gwen leaned into him and slid her arms around his waist. Resting her cheek on his chest, she said, “I really want to go home. Can we make that happen?”
Fighting to keep his touch gentle, Zander brushed her bangs away from her face. “Yeah. We can make that happen.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Kenny dabbed his mouth with a napkin and then wiped his fingers. Smiling, he leaned back in his chair and gestured from him to her. “This is nice, isn’t it?”
No, it wasn’t. Gwen just looked at him. It was the first time that he’d spoken since they’d chosen a table. They’d eaten in silence as customers chattered, oven timers beeped, cutlery clattered, and frothing machines whirred.
The bell repeatedly chimed as more and more people filed in. It was a busy place. Despite the long line to the register, the stainless-steel counter and bistro tables were always clean and clear of crumbs. Kenny had wanted them to meet at a local, upscale restaurant, but Gwen had declined. Instead, she’d chosen this bakery-slash-coffeehouse.
She loved the scents here—bitter coffee, donuts, fresh bread, and the various baked goods kept within the glass case. Any other time, she would have dived on her Danish and enjoyed it with relish, but she’d only managed to eat half—and it sat like lead in her stomach.
It was harder than she’d thought it would be to sit opposite the man in front of her and pretend she had no idea that he was an absolute monster who sponsored extremists. How Geena managed to be around him each and every day, Gwen didn’t know. But then, Geena saw something different when she looked at Kenny. She saw a father, her father. Gwen just saw a twisted asshole.
As he’d carefully eaten his apple pie like it was a rare delicacy, she’d studied him. She’d seen Kenny several times before, of course, though mostly from afar. There’d even been times when he’d come to the trailer to speak with Hanna. The first time he’d come, Hanna had afterward said dispassionately, “That was your dad, by the way.”
Gwen didn’t like that she had his eyes, but she was thankful they didn’t otherwise look alike. Tall and muscular, he seemed in pretty good shape for his age. His narrow face was shaven and carried scars that said he’d led a rough life. His stylishly cropped short dark hair was thin and dusted with gray; it kind of worked for him. Add in the tailored suit, and he looked more like an average businessman than a seedy, conscienceless drug dealer.
Two of his friends sat at the table adjacent to theirs. Zander and the other Mercury wolves were sitting at a corner table, subtly keeping an eye on her. She didn’t think Kenny was aware that they were there, or that he’d recognize them if they earned his attention. Despite the large distance between the wolves and Gwen, she was quite sure that the shifters would overhear her conversation with Kenny easily enough.
Zander clasped her nape, vowing, “I’ll kill him. When they bring him to me, I’ll kill him.” Slowly. Mercilessly.
Gwen saw the Mercury wolves returning. “Not sure you’re gonna get the chance.” Because Rory wasn’t with them.
As Zander turned to them, Derren said, “The asshole sped off in his car before we could get to him. No point trying to chase him—he has too much of a head start, so he’d easily lose us.”
“Trying to snatch me was a half-assed plan,” said Gwen as Ally came to her and laid a healing hand over the punctures on her side.
“It was a test,” Bracken corrected. He looked at Zander. “It was a test to see if you’d be upset if something happened to her. You remember the threat he made.”
Derren frowned. “What threat?”
“Yeah, what threat?” asked Gwen.
Bracken explained, “When Zander refused to give Rory any of his inheritance, Rory said, ‘If you don’t give me what’s mine, I’ll take from you what’s yours.’”
And Gwen was definitely his, thought Zander. He doubted that Rory had any clue that Gwen was his mate, but he was clearly aware that she was someone to him. “Do you think he followed us to Oregon? He could have been lingering around our territory, saw us leave, and then followed.”
“It’s possible,” said Bracken. “Or maybe he’s here to see the attorney—Rory wanted to contest the will, right? I doubt he could. He’s probably just hoping that if he bothers you with legal shit, you’ll give in just to get him off your back. But he could have come to see the attorney, spotted us somewhere around town, seen you with Gwen, and then waited for a chance to test you.”
Zander wasn’t sure. Right then, while the scent of Gwen’s blood tainted the air, he couldn’t think straight. He only knew one thing . . . “Rory won’t get to you again,” he promised her. “I’ll find him.”
Shaking her head, Gwen fisted his shirt. “If you go hunting him, it will divide your resources.”
“You think I should let this go?” he asked, voice soft and filled with disbelief.
“Yeah, I do. Bracken said it was a test. If you don’t go after him, he’ll think this didn’t affect you that much. It isn’t all that different from me pretending to cower over the Brandt thing—which is something I’ll have to do tomorrow when I meet with Kenny. If I can do that, you can do this.”
The problem was . . . Zander wasn’t sure if he really could. “Maybe I should take you to my pack’s territory. You could stay there.” Where she’d be safe and he wouldn’t have to smell her fucking blood every five minutes.
“And that isn’t all that different from me going to a safe house.” Gwen lifted her chin. “I’m not leaving here.”
Zander planted his hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me. You matter to me, Gwen. You don’t see that, I know, but it’s true. I have to know you’re safe and protected.”
“Yeah? Then pretend you don’t give a shit what Rory did. That’s what will protect me from him.”
Derren sighed. “I hate that she’s right, but she is. He’ll get what’s coming to him, Zander. He won’t get away with this. Not in the long run. We just have to be choosy about when we strike. Besides, one thing we can be sure he’ll do is come back—he’s intent on fucking with you. But now we know to keep an eye out for him. He won’t touch her again.”
Sensing that Zander wasn’t even close to calming, Gwen leaned into him and slid her arms around his waist. Resting her cheek on his chest, she said, “I really want to go home. Can we make that happen?”
Fighting to keep his touch gentle, Zander brushed her bangs away from her face. “Yeah. We can make that happen.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Kenny dabbed his mouth with a napkin and then wiped his fingers. Smiling, he leaned back in his chair and gestured from him to her. “This is nice, isn’t it?”
No, it wasn’t. Gwen just looked at him. It was the first time that he’d spoken since they’d chosen a table. They’d eaten in silence as customers chattered, oven timers beeped, cutlery clattered, and frothing machines whirred.
The bell repeatedly chimed as more and more people filed in. It was a busy place. Despite the long line to the register, the stainless-steel counter and bistro tables were always clean and clear of crumbs. Kenny had wanted them to meet at a local, upscale restaurant, but Gwen had declined. Instead, she’d chosen this bakery-slash-coffeehouse.
She loved the scents here—bitter coffee, donuts, fresh bread, and the various baked goods kept within the glass case. Any other time, she would have dived on her Danish and enjoyed it with relish, but she’d only managed to eat half—and it sat like lead in her stomach.
It was harder than she’d thought it would be to sit opposite the man in front of her and pretend she had no idea that he was an absolute monster who sponsored extremists. How Geena managed to be around him each and every day, Gwen didn’t know. But then, Geena saw something different when she looked at Kenny. She saw a father, her father. Gwen just saw a twisted asshole.
As he’d carefully eaten his apple pie like it was a rare delicacy, she’d studied him. She’d seen Kenny several times before, of course, though mostly from afar. There’d even been times when he’d come to the trailer to speak with Hanna. The first time he’d come, Hanna had afterward said dispassionately, “That was your dad, by the way.”
Gwen didn’t like that she had his eyes, but she was thankful they didn’t otherwise look alike. Tall and muscular, he seemed in pretty good shape for his age. His narrow face was shaven and carried scars that said he’d led a rough life. His stylishly cropped short dark hair was thin and dusted with gray; it kind of worked for him. Add in the tailored suit, and he looked more like an average businessman than a seedy, conscienceless drug dealer.
Two of his friends sat at the table adjacent to theirs. Zander and the other Mercury wolves were sitting at a corner table, subtly keeping an eye on her. She didn’t think Kenny was aware that they were there, or that he’d recognize them if they earned his attention. Despite the large distance between the wolves and Gwen, she was quite sure that the shifters would overhear her conversation with Kenny easily enough.
