Remembered by Moonlight (14 page)

“Mind if I borrow some heat?”

“As long as you don’t force me to turn it up until it gets uncomfortable.”

Giles’s gaze went from Cale’s to Brigit’s smeared lipstick and rumpled hair and back to demand an accounting. Cale looked between them, brows raised as he studied the big man and drew the rightful conclusion about who and what the other fellow was. He gave a bemused chuckle and muttered, “Who’d a thought.”

“So,” Giles drawled, “you’re the asshole cousin I’ve been hearing about 'til I’m thinking I should do something about him.”

“She’s got lots of cousins, but I’m pretty sure I’m the asshole in question. Are we gonna mix it up right here, or can I dry off first?”

Giles gestured to the fireplace, murmuring, “No need to be inhospitable. We can take this up later.” And his steely stare promised they would be.

Cale’s response was interrupted by the announcement of dinner.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

For such a large company assembled at the table, talk was surprisingly light. The focus of attention did most of it.

Max sat back to listen and learn as Cale set down his fork and sighed, “The only good thing about New Orleans has always been the food.”

Oscar leaned on his elbows at his place across the table only to have Tina brush them off. “Have you been here before, Mr. Terriot?”

“Not since I was younger than you. And drop the Mister Terriot. It’s just Cale.”

“What is it you don’t like about New Orleans?” Giles asked, a rumble of threat beneath his words, as if the newcomer was insulting his mama.

“Aside from the stink and the stickiness and the fact that everyone here wants to kill me and my family, nothing.”

“Can’t do anything about the smell or the humidity,” Giles agreed. “As for the other, we haven’t killed you yet.”

“How long are you planning to be here, Mr.—Cale?” Tina interrupted. “We’d like to change your mind about our city.”

“Oh, not so long as that,” he told her with a smile. “I don’t like being away from home.”

“And what do you do there?” she asked innocently.

“I’m kind of in charge.”

“Of what?”

He shrugged. “Umm, everything, I guess you’d say.”

So this was the new Terriot king, the one he’d have to deal with if they were to have peace and strength in numbers. Max regarded him carefully, seeing a quick, tough, wily customer who smiled even as his intense stare searched for an advantage. Who could reach out to shake your hand only to pull you up close enough to stab you. An ally or someone he’d have to worry about when his back was turned? Would he be able to trust this congenial guest who chatted so comfortably with his family and friends, or was a new threat trying to slip under his radar?

“That’s a nice piece of machinery you rode in on,” Max said abruptly, drawing Cale’s attention. “I’d enjoy a closer look if you’d have no objection.”

“Sure.” A flash of that cagy grin while steady gaze assessed with both caution and curiosity. “I’ll bring it by when the weather’s more cooperative. You ride, Savoie?”

“Yes.” The answer was automatic, catching him by surprise. Did he? After a brief consideration, he added, “Yes, I do.”

“Awesome. You can take it around the block and see what you think.” From there, Cale shifted gears into stories of off-roading in his forested backyard that had everyone finally relaxing except Cee Cee.

Who was wondering, just as Max was, what Cale Terriot, leader of his family’s clan, was doing at their table.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

With plates picked clean and guests drifting back into the parlor, Cee Cee sought out her partner to ask just that.

“Because I asked him to come,” was Silas’s too brief reply.

“All the way from Nevada to have dinner and share fond memories with cousins who up until a month or so ago wanted him dead? I think I need a little better explanation.”

For a moment, Silas said nothing then he admitted, “He’s the best I’ve ever seen.”

“At what?”

“Anything he puts his mind to. Don’t let his size fool you. He’s one hellacious little bastard.”

“Again, so what?” she pushed impatiently.

Silas’s stare followed his cousin as he walked amiably into the parlor at Brigit’s side. It was a hard, unflinching look that made Cee Cee all at once uncomfortable as she waited for his answer.

“We need a fighter, and he’s one hell of a fighter.”

As casually as possible, they excused themselves from the party—citing official business—to meet in Jimmy’s office: Cee Cee, Babineau, Nica, Silas and a very curious Cale.

And just as the doors were about to close, Max insinuated himself between them saying politely, “My house, my office, my business.” But his stance was one of immoveable object.

Cee Cee and Silas exchanged glances. When he shrugged, Cee Cee gestured for Max to come in with a neutral, “By all means.”

Dropping into Legere’s raggedy recliner, Cale regarded them one at a time and finally asked, “Okay, what gives?”

Cee Cee perched on the edge of Legere’s big desk while Silas guided Nica to the leather couch. Like Max, Babineau remained standing, his features impassive as he, too, waited to be brought into the loop. Cee Cee looked to Silas, spreading her hands wide. “It’s your party.”

So Silas gave him a quick rundown of the situation, of the Shifter fight ring they’d uncovered via the coroner’s table and their desire to tie it into the area’s organized crime by becoming players, themselves.

It was worse than Max had ever considered. Insanely dangerous. But he kept his fears to himself as Cale listened then responded with indifference.

“Okay, I get why you’d be upset about humans having an up close and personal look at us, but it sounds like no one’s taking it all that serious. I mean, it’s not like it’s on FOX News. As for the fighting, hell, I’ve been known to step into the ring a time or two to let my hair down. It’s a tribal thing and no big deal unless you make it one.”

“We’re making it one,” Silas intoned.

Cale shrugged. “Do whatever you need to do, brother, but I don’t see what this has to do with me or mine.”

“Like you said, you’ve been in the ring.”

Cale stared at him for a long beat then let out a rusty laugh. “Yeah, right.” Then, after studying the other’s somber face more carefully, he sobered. “You want
me
to be your champion? You’ve got to be fucking kidding.”

“No. I’m not. We need someone no one knows. Someone from outside who can get us inside.”

“Me?” A snort. “Oh, hell no.” Cale squared up his shoulders, all traces of levity gone. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a knuckle-duster anymore. I’ve got a restless clan to tame and a mate who wouldn’t look kindly on such things. Besides, it’s your business, not mine.”

Then Silas hit him hard. “The fighters are doing Kick. We think the ring is a means to get the drug into our city.”

Cale went very still. “You think Jamie’s involved.”

“I don’t know. What do you think? Your brother pushing a dangerously addictive Shifter drug to get a toe-hold in a new territory? I think that makes it your business.”

He considered it long and hard, jaw working, eyes heavy lidded. “You’re right. My clan’s business. But I can’t put myself at risk. Maybe Rico or Colin—“

Silas brushed off the offer of the younger Terriot princes. “I don’t know them or trust them.”

“Savoie, then. He’s a kickass legend.”

Before Max could reply, Cee Cee spoke up with a decisive, “He can’t be involved. They know him.”

“You,” Silas insisted. “You’re the only one who can get us where we need to be fast. The only one who’d be willing to do whatever it takes.”

Cale stared at him. “Whatever it takes? You’ve got the wrong man, my man. Why would I do that?”

“Because I’m calling you on what you owe my family.”

Terriot’s features stiffened. The light left his stare. For a moment, he didn’t breathe. Finally, softly, angrily, he said, “Seriously? You’re playing that card? I thought— You sonuvabitch.” He pushed up out of the chair to pace with explosive emotion.

Watching him through expressionless eyes, Silas vowed, “This squares matters between us. It’s that important, Cale.”

“No.” Nica’s objection surprised them both. She glared venom at Silas’s old nemesis as she gently stroked the brand burned into her husband’s wrist. “It will never be enough.”

Silas caught her hand for a calming squeeze. “Nica.”

But it was Cale who cut him off. “She’s right. It will never be enough.” He took a big, resigned breath. “I need to call Kendra first. I won’t commit to something like this without talking to her.” He smiled narrowly at Silas. “And then I’m sure she’ll have a few words for you.”

“No.” Cee Cee shook her head. “You can’t tell her. This goes no farther than this room. Your brother might still have supporters within your family. We can’t afford to warn him. It would be dangerous for all of us. Even Kendra.”

“Oh, this just gets better and better,” Cale muttered, turning in a tight, agitated circle. “Now I’m lying to my queen as well as jeopardizing my family’s future.”

“Saving it,” Cee Cee corrected. “Maybe saving us all if this thing is the start of what I’m afraid it might be. It’s your duty as leader.”

Cale laughed at that and sneered, “You don’t know me, mama.” He stabbed a finger at Silas. “He’s the hero, the fool who makes the world’s problems his own. Why would I give a damn about what happens to you? To any of you?”

“You’re still here,” she concluded. Her quiet reasoning had him blowing out his breath along with most of his fierceness as she declared, “Help us or leave. No one’s stopping you.”

He glanced longingly past Max to the door then cursed before offering a stoic, “How are we going to do this?”

“You have an audition two days from now,” Silas began. “We’d need to change your look, make you unrecognizable, create a persona for you, get you ready for the ring.”

Cale gave his cousin a rebuking glance. “I’m a Terriot. We’re always ready to rumble.”

“You’ll stay here,” Max offered suddenly. If they were intent upon this dangerous game, an enemy close by was better than one out of sight. “We’ll provide whatever you need.”

A cynical smile. “Are you volunteering to spar with me?”

“I will,” Nica offered with deadly eagerness.

“Yes,” Max interrupted. This time Cee Cee was the one surprised. Good. Now she was aware that he was a part of her reckless plan. Let her try pushing him back out of the way. He smiled and said, “I could use the exercise.”

Cale’s brow lifted. “Yeah? Okay. Now that’s an incentive.”

“We need to package him,” Babineau put in. “What are we going to call him? Something flashy that they’ll remember.”

Cale thought for a minute. “One of my brothers called me a gunslinger. How 'bout that? Kind of a Wild West badass with guns for hire thing.” He did a slight flex of his arms to bring their impressive definition into play.

They eyed him critically. Oh, yeah. They all could see that in his bold overconfident stance, in his rough and rugged look and compact build. Gunslinger.

“Go dark with the hair,” Cee Cee mused. “Scruff up the chin, lose the earring.” His hand went protectively to the big rock. “Now we just need to see if you can move.”

Coming at her in a blur of motion, Cale’s knuckles froze so close to her face she felt the heat of his skin before she could inhale. Beside her, Max coiled tight, barely able to contain his need for a fatal intervention as Cale drawled, “Yeah. I can move.”

Cee Cee clasped her hand over the ridge of knuckles. “Looks like we’ve got a fighter.”

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Once they regrouped in the parlor, the second Oscar heard Max was staying at the house for the next few days with Cale as a guest, he petitioned his parents to let him remain as well.

“Just for the weekend. I’m all caught up on my homework. Pleeeease. I never get to see Giles and Max or meet family.”

Babineau spread his hands wide in a deferring gesture to his wife who finally nodded and said, “Just promise you won’t be a bother.”

Giles slung an arm about the boy’s shoulders and declared, “Like that could happen.” He beamed down at the boy. “Be glad for the company, Sport.”

And Cee Cee saw it again, that almost imperceptible tenderness coming over Cale Terriot’s expression. A look of longing for something out of reach.

What had Silas told her about dealings with his family in the West? Not much. Never a fount of personal information, Silas was hugely bitter about the situation, and she knew he and his sister had once considered Cale to be behind the attempts on Brigit’s life. Apparently a misunderstanding, since the new Terriot king—in the presence of both Silas and Giles—still had a pulse.

Had she allowed Silas to bring trouble under her roof that she didn’t need? Cale Terriot may have just promised to lay his life on the line for their cause, but that didn’t mean she had to trust him around those she loved.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

The big house grew quiet after Silas, Nica, Alain and Tina braved the harsh weather to return to the city. Cale was shown to one of the upstairs rooms so he could shower and change into the overnight wear he’d packed in his bike’s saddlebag, and Oscar set to cleaning Porky and Baco’s habitat while the fat little things devoured a plate of greens. Cee Cee observed them, smiling wistfully, until she felt Max come up behind her. The nervous creatures edged closer together where they could keep a wary eye on him while finishing their meal.

“I wish I could remember him,” Max murmured, his voice low and sad. He studied the boy as she turned to smile up at him.

“He’s a good kid. He worships you.”

There on Max’s face she recognized the same poignant hunger she’d seen on Cale’s. For closeness and connection.

“Spend time with him this weekend,” she suggested. “Make some new memories.”

He nodded then gave her a closer look. “Is your business finished for the night?”

“All done now that we’re pointed in the right direction.” She’d been reluctant to include him, but now that he’d so smoothly muscled his way in, she accepted his support gladly. He might not remember, but they’d always made one helluva team. “What do you think of MacCreedy’s cousin?”

“I haven’t decided if he’s dangerous or just complicated. There’s a lot going on under the surface. If Silas felt safe leaving him under our roof, I’ll have to trust his judgment. But I’ll keep an eye on him just the same.”

Her thoughts exactly.

Cleaning finished, Oscar stuffed the pets back inside their cage where they fell lustily upon their pellets as if they hadn’t eaten for days. Brushing off his hands, Ozzy caught sight of Max and his features lit up.

“Heya,” Max called to him. “I was just going out to put our guest’s bike in the garage. Want to go along? You can impress me with what Giles has taught you about the difference between sport and long haul bikes. And you can tell me a thing or two about the one Terriot’s riding, so I can pretend I know something and impress him.”

Oscar grinned. “Sure thing.”

When the boy came up to him, Max hesitated, just for an instant, then slipped his arm across those youthful shoulders, letting it settle in an easy drape.

Cee Cee turned off the lights in the parlor, watching them grab up jackets to ward off the rain and head outside. Again, she felt that twist about her heart, imagining her powerful Shifter mate spending quality moments with his own child. Their child.

The sound of a soft tread on the stairs turned her attention toward Cale as he jogged down, his steps light, his moves full of the sleek grace of his kind. He’d put on gray sweats with a loose hooded jacket over a snug white A-shirt. With his damp, rumpled hair and bare feet he looked young, small and alarmingly delicate. Were they making a mistake pitting him against vicious Kicked-up brawlers?

Giles and Brigit appeared in the hall. One glimpse of her large friend’s face told Cee Cee volumes about his displeasure at seeing the other man. Sensing a confrontation at hand, she slid back into the shadows of the room to give them their moment to come to terms while remaining close enough to prevent potential bloodshed.

Cale paused on the bottom step to elevate him slightly in the presence of the towering human. Expression smug, he beckoned with his fingers, his tone goading. “You want to do this now so I can sleep without keeping one eye open?”

“Do what?” Giles posed mildly, but Brigit clung to his arm, hoping to prevent what she feared was coming.

“You want to tear off my head and spit down my neck.”

“You don’t know anything about me or what I’d like to do.” With that growling claim, politeness disappeared. “I know that your people terrified folks in this house that were under my protection and would have done worse if they’d been able. They killed friends of mine and threatened my family. One of them would have taken off my head if this fierce little lady here hadn’t killed him.”

Cale’s brows rose a degree as he glanced at Brigit. “I didn’t send them. I’m not that stupid.”

“How stupid are you?”

Cale went very still, the chill factor in his stare dipping dangerously low. Then, that slow, vee’d smile that showed his teeth and narrowed his eyes into a menacing squint. “I’d be careful how you choose to talk to me, brother. I’ve already told you I had nothing to do with what happened here.”

“I don’t know you, either,
brother
, so how do I know you’re not a liar?”