DARKSIDE OF THE MOON (18 page)

That stupid drug in his system was making him crazy with these feelings and images. Fuck, what he wouldn’t give to get back to his normal self.

“Well, since all the cabinets are in, we need to get new measurements for the countertop. These new cabinets are bigger than the ones we ordered.” She glanced down at her phone. “They close in half an hour. We can’t get the order to them today, but if we get the measurements done and take it to them first thing in the morning, then hopefully they can have the granite cut in a day or so.”

“That fast?” Zane picked up a tape measure. She handed him the plans and a pen so he could write the measurements down.

“It helps that Jonesboro has its own granite and stone place in town. I know the owner, and he understands that I’m on deadline. So I’m hoping he will make my countertop the priority.” Skylar worried her lip with her teeth.

“I’m sure you can convince him. You seem to be quite the negotiator.” He stepped toward her, wanting to kiss her.

“Skylar, I’m thirsty.”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry.”

“Here, I’ll get her something to drink if you tell me where the drinks are.”

“By the tree out back in the cooler.” She sighed. “Thanks.”

He headed out the back door.

The heat blasted him in the face. At least in the house there were fans to stir up a slight breeze and disperse the humidity.

A plume of dust caught his eye as a car sped up the driveway. He didn’t know what kind of asshole was behind the wheel, but he was sure going to have a talk with them about driving way too fast with Sophia running around...

Snatching a drink out of the cooler, he stalked back to the house.

“Skylar, someone’s here. And they are driving way too fast.” He unscrewed the top of the chilled water bottle and handed the bottle to Sophia. The little girl smiled before taking a long drink. Her sweaty hair had matted to her face, but she didn’t look like she minded one bit. She looked like she was having the best time playing in the dirt. It reminded him of when Skylar was little and playing in their front yard.

“Oh, my gosh. It’s the owner. She’s here early.” Skylar wiped her hands nervously on her thighs and glanced around the room as if wondering how she could magically put the kitchen back together within seconds.

He chuckled. “Relax. The owner knows it’s a work in progress. She’s not expecting it to be move-in ready.” He tugged her into his chest.

She relaxed for a second before stepping back. “I know, but I was hoping to have much more done. I wanted it finished early.”

He cupped her cheek and forced her to look into his eyes. “Breathe.”

Nodding, she closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

The car pulled into the yard and stopped. She stepped out of his arms and dusted off her T-shirt.

“Can you help Bart unload the wood floor from the truck? I’d like for the owner to get a glimpse so I can show her how it’s going to look once it’s installed.”

“Sure.” He pressed a kiss to her lips before heading out the back door while she went out the front to greet her customer.

“Skylar said to put these in the living room for now, since she’s giving the tour to the owner in the kitchen.” Bart swiped his forehead with a black bandana and let down the tailgate of the truck. “I’ll be glad when we’re done. This has been one hell of a job.”

“How long have you guys been on this project?” Zane hefted a pile of boxes with ease while Bart grabbed only two. The man grunted as he followed Zane to the front of the house.

“A few months now. It’s undergone a dramatic change since we first started.”

“It seems like it.”

“Dude, you don’t understand.” Bart chuckled as he stepped up the front steps and into the house.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, the whole back of the house was blown out. Like a goddamn bomb.” He lowered his voice and leaned into Zane. “If you ask me, I think the owner is into something dirty. Like the mafia. How else would you explain a bombing in someone’s house?”

Unease skidded across his spine and up his neck. Why didn’t Skylar mention that to him? He didn’t really figure the mafia was interested in setting up territory in Arkansas.

He set the wood floor down as the voices of women drifted out from the kitchen. His senses immediately became alert as the familiarity of the female voice dawned on him.

He thought back to a few months ago when the Guardian compound had been bombed after a female had been kidnapped. Then they had gotten word that the female’s house had been bombed as well.

Holy shit.

This wasn’t just any client’s house. He was standing in Ava’s old house.

This meant one thing. Damon was not far behind.

***

Skylar smiled as she walked around the kitchen and pointed out the progress to Ava Trahan and her grandmother. “As you see, the cabinets are done, and once we get the countertops in, we can start on the hardwood floors.”

Skylar hadn’t expected the owner to be so beautiful and or to be around her own age. When they had Skyped, Ava never could get her camera to work, so Skylar had never seen her until today.

“Are you sure you want to sell this place, Ava?” Her granny peeked out the window over where the sink would soon be. “It’s so quiet and peaceful. You and Damon could make this a second home or just keep it for when you want a girl’s retreat.” Granny smiled.

“I don’t need a girl’s retreat. I don’t want to be away from Damon as it is. The only reason he’s in Jonesboro with me is because he’s working some top-secret drug case for Barrett.” Ava clamped her mouth shut and winced as she looked at Skylar. “Probably shouldn’t have said that.”

“Yeah, and now we’re going to have to kill the pretty contractor to keep her quiet.” Granny shoved her hand in her white purse and dug around.

Skylar laughed a little at the offhanded comment. Surely the old woman was joking. She’d never had cause to be nervous around a client before. She’d not been worried when Ava told her the house had been bombed. Hell, she had bought the story Ava gave her about some crazy kids throwing a pipe bomb in the house. She said it was a horrible Halloween prank.

“Just kidding, hon.” Granny pulled out a peppermint, stuck it between her wrinkled lips, and smiled.

“Want one?” Granny held out a second piece of candy.

“Sure.” She relaxed and reached for the candy.

Granny’s smile faltered and she leaned in closer. Her nostrils flared. Narrowing her eyes, the old woman spoke. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you, my dear, are a wolf.”

“What did you say?” Skylar felt the blood drain from her face as her gaze darted between the two women. She inhaled deep, and for the first time since they had entered the house, she caught their scent.

They were wolves. Gray wolves.

“How’d did I miss that?” Ava was now staring at her with interest.

“Probably because Skylar smells different. She’s not a gray. She’s a red wolf.” Granny frowned.

“A what?” Fear flashed through Ava’s widened eyes. She took a step back, bumping into the corner of a cabinet. She flinched at the pain but didn’t for one second take her eyes off Skylar.

Dread, cold and suffocating, wound itself around Skylar’s body. She knew what other Weres thought of red wolves and how they were looked down upon. The only time she’d forgotten that she was different from other werewolves was when she was with Zane’s family. They knew what she was from the beginning and had been accepting of her. It was because of them that she wanted to show others that not all red wolves were bad.

But now, looking at these two women, she realized that she’d been wrong to hope for such a thing.

They would always see her as the enemy.

“Skylar, I’m hungry.” Sophia came running into the room with her wooden car.

Skylar scooped her up in her arms and held her close. She glared at the women. If they so much as tried to touch her Sophia, Skylar wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate. “Okay, sweetie. Just a few more minutes. I think these two ladies were just leaving.”

“Well, hello, sweetie.” Ava’s nostrils flared, scenting the little girl. Frowning, she looked over at Granny before addressing Sophia. “What’s your name?”

Sophia buried her face into the crook of Skylar’s neck and said nothing.

“She’s a little shy around new people,” Skylar said. Except with Zane. Sophia hadn’t been the least bit shy around him. “Her name is Sophia.”

“I didn’t know you had a little girl.” Ava glanced at Skylar’s bare ring finger. And while Weres mated for life, they didn’t always have a wedding or wear wedding rings. Rings were a personal preference, not the rule.

“She’s not mine. I’m watching her for a friend. His wife had a baby and he’s staying at the hospital with her,” Skylar blurted out in her defense.

“How nice of you. That’s good he has a friend to help him out.” Ava reached out and touched a dark curl on Sophia’s head.

“I have a snack in my purse that she can have.” Ava met Skylar’s gaze. “This is, if it’s okay with you.”

“I don’t know…” She glanced down at the little girl in her arms. She sensed the women didn’t trust her, but somehow, her gut told her they meant no harm to the little girl.

Her unease lessened. Granny might be a bit . . . odd. But Ava seemed to be a straight shooter. She liked to know where she stood with people.

“As long as it’s not candy.” The last time Sophia had been at her house, Skylar had given the little girl a mini candy bar before dinner. It had amped her up and she hadn’t gone to sleep until after midnight. Lesson learned.

“It’s a doughnut.” Ava gave her a sheepish grin. “From this morning.”

Sophia’s head snapped up.

“It’s just a glazed one. Maybe the glazed ones don’t have a whole lot of sugar.” Granny shrugged. “Or she can have some chocolates that I keep in my purse.” The old woman patted her white bag.

“No,” Ava and Skylar answered in unison.

“I want a doughnut.” Sophia looked expectantly at Skylar. Her eyes were wide as she smiled.

“I guess I don’t have much of a choice now, do I?” She touched her forehead to the child’s.

Ava pried open her purse and fished out the treat. She unwrapped it from the decorative paper and held it to Sophia. “Here you go, sweetie.”

Sophia grabbed the doughnut in both hands and took a big bite.

“Looks like you were hungry.” Ava brushed a strand of hair out of her way.

“What do you say, Sophia?” Skylar whispered.

“Thank you,” she mumbled with her mouth full of the sweet treat.

“Aw, you’re welcome. I love doughnuts.” Ava smiled.

“Ava loves anything sweet. Good thing you have a metabolism like a cheetah on crack. Otherwise, you’d be big as a house,” Granny said

Skylar let Sophia slide out of her arms. The little girl ran outside to her tree and sat down in the shade. Skylar turned her attention back to the women.

“Look, I wasn’t trying to be deceitful by not telling you I was a red wolf when you hired me. If I had known you were a Were, I would have been up-front with you.” Skylar swallowed the lump in her throat and lifted her chin. “I know how it is between our races.”

“Skylar, do you have any family here in Arkansas?” Granny cocked her head. The scowl was bad on the old woman’s face.

“The only family I had was my father. And he’s dead.” She shrugged. “After I was old enough to leave home, I moved out of state. By that time, the majority of the red wolves had eliminated themselves. I was hoping to move back and live a quiet life. Without any drama.” Her throat ached, but she forced herself to continue.

“I will understand if you don’t want me working on your house anymore. If you would agree to just pay me what I’m owed for the work done, then I’ll be out of your way.”

“Did you know that it was red wolves who bombed this house in the first place?”

“What?” Skylar blinked and shook her head. “There’s not that many left. Why would they do such a thing?”

“Because they got upset when Ava was rescued from them. They were holding her captive. They wanted to use her to increase their population.” Granny kept her steady gaze on her.

“Oh, god.” Her hand clutched her stomach and she reached out to the nearest cabinet to keep herself from falling. Nausea swelled in her stomach. She knew what red wolves were capable of. She just never thought they’d be so ballsy to take a gray female.

“I’m so sorry. That’s horrific.”

Ava sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. “What’s done is done. It’s in the past. I’m here to talk about the future. Skylar, I am thrilled with the progress. I think you’ve done the impossible and turned this house back into a livable place.” Ava shook her head. “After it was bombed, I didn’t think it could ever be fixed. But you have proved me wrong.” Ava smiled. “Good job.”

“Thank you.” Skylar was humbled by Ava’s generosity and praise. After all the woman had gone through, she was still willing not to judge Skylar based on someone else’s actions.

“Does this mean you want me to finish the house?”

“Absolutely.” Ava nodded.

Skylar felt the weight lift off her shoulders. She’d needed this job, and now she had gotten validation from Ava that she was pleased. She knew she was going to be able to make her dream a reality. She was one step closer to getting her paycheck and being able to buy the apartments.

***

Zane hurried out the front door and headed for his Harley. He needed to make himself scarce before Ava saw him.

Tony, one of the younger construction workers, stood off to the side, talking animatedly into his cell phone.

“Don’t let him go out tonight! You know he’s going to go to that drug party and get high. He’s going to get himself killed.” The young guy couldn’t be older than twenty, but he was obviously worried about someone getting drugs.

Zane stopped in his tracks and waited until the guy hung up. The Hispanic worker scowled when he spotted Zane.

“Look, tell Skylar I’ve got to go. I know she’s up to her ass in work here, but tell her it’s important.” He ran his fingers through his hair and dug his keys out of his pocket.

“Wait.” Zane grabbed his elbow. “What’s going on?”