Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2 (24 page)

Ten minutes
later, Nate was letting himself into the main house. He hadn’t
lived there for over a hundred years, but it would always be his
home. If he sniffed hard enough, he could almost smell the scent of
his mother’s rose perfume. And if he closed his eyes and listened
long enough, he could hear the echoes of laughter of his sisters
Mary and Rose as they chased little William around the house.
Choking back a sob, he pushed open the double oak office doors.

“What is it,
Will? I want to head out and look for Charlotte.” His voice held
more irritation than he had intended, but it was hard to
concentrate with that woman running around town. He should be out
there looking for her, not doing work reports or talking about work
related issues. Sitting around his cottage all morning had given
him too much time to dwell on his troubles. He needed to take
action, and he would as soon as he was done here. He took a calming
breath and wandered inside the cozy room. It was filled with
shelves that held everything from books to trophies and pictures to
old coins. Air puffed out of the cushions as he fell into one of
the black leather arm chairs. Will glanced up from his computer.
Lionel was sitting in a chair on the side of the big wooden oak
desk. He was the son of Will’s cousin Richard and also the family’s
computer expert.

Lionel’s
shoulders jerked at the sound of Nate’s voice. He turned his
attention to his uncle and adjusted his glasses; his face took on a
gray hue. Lionel knew Nate’s secret, but although he took it well,
he always seemed a bit scared of Nate. As if he thought that his
uncle would wolf out at any moment. Nate was comforted by the fact
that Lionel was nervous of almost everything. So he didn’t take it
personally.

Will leaned
back in his chair, his fingers in a steeple over his stomach. The
frown on his face was a concern to Nate. “Lionel found something
that could be a problem.”

Nate rubbed his
hand over his face. He needed another problem like he needed a
silver bullet to the heart. “What is it?” he said with an
exasperated sigh.

Will lifted his
hand and gestured for his nervous cousin to take over.

Lionel cleared
his throat twice and shifted in his seat. His nerves were a living
breathing thing, and the office suddenly felt cramped with nervous
energy. “I was doing my daily check over the system this morning.”
He cleared his throat again, and Nate had to stop himself from
rolling his eyes. How could he get this young man not to fear him?
He had taken him out to dinner and taken him fishing with Will and
a few other relatives. He even tried to work with him, but nothing
seemed to make Lionel see that Nate would never hurt him or any
other person.

“I…um noticed a
few issues with the firewall.”

Nate leaned his
head on his hand. The words his nephew used meant nothing to him.
“What does that mean?”

Instead of
looking at Nate who had asked the question, Lionel turned to Will
to explain. “It means that someone has been trying to break into
our system.”

“Hasn’t that
happened before? It’s to be expected with the size of the company,”
Nate said, wishing he was out on the hunt instead of dealing with
tedious work issues that someone else could handle.

Lionel was
shaking his head, finally meeting Nate’s gaze. “This is different.
They used a password that was in the system. It was old, so they
couldn’t get through, but if they have that one, they might be able
to find the right one.”

Nate never
really got used to computers and preferred to leave the technical
stuff to his family members that were more qualified, but he didn’t
see the problem here. “Can’t you just change the password?”

Lionel gulped,
as he straightened his already perfect tie. “The problem is that
the password used was for family members only.”

Ah, now Nate
could see the issue. The person trying to access the system was a
Riley, and that meant he could get access to more passwords until
he found the right one. Or, it meant it was a Riley that was no
longer involved in the company and that narrowed it down to two
people, James being one of them.

“What was the
file they were trying to access?” Nate asked.

Lionel looked
to Will for the next answer.

Will sat
forward, leaning his arms on the desk, his navy blue suit wrinkled
with the move. “Your father’s wills.” When each head of the family
passed away, the will was updated, and the file contained all
versions since Nate’s father had died.

Nate winced. He
had known this day would come sooner or later. His father had set
up a clause in his will that whoever didn’t accept Nate’s secret
would be disinherited. There would be no more money from the Riley
estate. “I have his wills.”

Will nodded,
leaning back in his chair once more. “Yes, but there are copies in
the office computer.”

“Well, delete
the file. At least until we find out what James wants.”

Will pressed
his lips together, his bright blue eyes turned downward. “Do we
know it’s James?”

Nate shrugged,
lifting his foot onto his knee, creasing the edge of the denim with
his fingers. “Who else would want to get a hold of the will?
Everyone that works for us is well compensated. No one here would
object.” He glanced at each relative in front of him. They both
refused to meet his eyes. “Would they?”

Will’s face
softened. “Of course not. Everyone in the family is happy; even the
non-family members love working for us.” He paused. “What about
Emma?”

Nate’s face
went hard, his hands balled into fists. “It’s not her.”

Lionel shrunk
back into his chair looking down at his brown corduroy pants.

Will sat up,
his shoulders straight. “She said she would hurt you.” His tone of
voice was stern. He had always been protective of Nate, and
although it was sweet, it was also unnecessary.

Nate jumped up,
towering over Will, his eyes turning yellow. Will wasn’t fazed, but
Lionel gasped. Nate was so furious that he didn’t care that he had
scared the nervous man.

“I said it’s
not her. Now leave it alone.” Nate’s voice was a growl, his body
clenched for a fight.

Will simply
shrugged, not in the least afraid of his uncle. He knew he would
never hurt him. This was the reason Nate was sure he could handle
Lauren’s secret, but it wasn’t his place to tell him. But at this
moment he was tempted, just to get him to stop talking about
Emma.

“
All I’m
saying is we have to explore all possibilities. I’ll have someone
look for her—” Will’s voice was cut off as Nate slammed his fist
into the desk with a
thundering smack
. The wood cracked from the impact. Pencils and pens rolled
into the new fissure Nate had created.

Lionel jumped
from his chair so swiftly that it fell back onto the wooden floor
with a clang. He scurried over towards the door, but he didn’t dare
leave. His fear of upsetting his uncle further must have won out
over fleeing. Nate was always trying to prove to the family that he
wasn’t dangerous, but everyone had their limits, and Will was
pushing way past his.

Nate glared at
Will, secretly overjoyed that he was still unafraid. “I said leave
it alone.” Nate’s voice was now ice cold. The atmosphere in the
room had turned tense.

“It wasn’t your
fault, Nate.” Will’s voice was calm and soothing; trying comfort
his uncle, but it had the opposite effect. Nate gave up trying to
be intimidating. Instead, he turned around and walked out of the
room, passing his nervous nephew without a glance. If Will wouldn’t
let it go, he could handle the problem on his own. Right now, Nate
needed to let off some steam, and since turning into a wolf was out
of the question, he took off in a run on his human legs to the
cottage. He had wood to cut.

Joe found him
doing just that a few hours later. “I heard you were quite
aggressive with your nephews earlier.”

“I don’t want
to talk about it.”

“Will must have
done something to push your buttons. You never lose your
temper.”

Nate shrugged
and leaned over to grab another piece of wood to place it on the
ground. He lifted the axe over his head and swung. The blade sliced
through the oak, splinters flying and spreading over the wet grass.
The rain had trickled down to just a mist, but Nate barely noticed
it. His only motivation was to clear his mind. He didn’t want to
think of Megan, James, and least of all, Emma. Unfortunately, the
image of a little girl with braids and wheat colored hair that
smelled of dirt and plum pudding flashed in his mind. He bent down
to pick up the wood and tossed it onto the new pile he had
started.

“Oh, the silent
treatment. How fun.” Joe shoved his hands in the pocket of his
pants. He was dressed for the office. Since Nate refused to return,
Joe was asked to help with the extra work.

“What did Will
say to upset you?” Joe asked.

Nate
froze with the axe over his head just as he was about to swing.
“I’m not discussing this, so there’s no point in grilling me,” Nate
said as he swung the axe.
Thunk.
“Did you go out looking for the wolves again at lunch?” He
spared a quick, imploring glance at his friend.

Joe sighed and
rolled his eyes, obviously frustrated. “Yes, and there was nothing.
They must be sticking close to home now that they know they’ve been
spotted.” He took a few steps toward Nate. “How about you?”

“I haven’t gone
out yet. There was an issue I had to deal with, which was why I was
at Will’s.” He swung the axe again, striking the log in two.

A wood chip
flew from the piece of oak onto Joe’s jacket. He picked it up and
narrowed his eyes, as if examining it. “And you still won’t tell me
what he said?”

Nate turned to
glare at him, his gaze slicing into Joe. Fortunately, Joe had known
Nate for fifty years, and he was not intimidated.

“Ask him
yourself,” Nate said coolly, tossing the axe, not caring where it
landed. It stuck into the ground, and the wood handle wobbled back
and forth. “I’m going to go to the park and see if I can catch a
scent.” It was where they had found the bodies of the five hikers.
He wanted to find the killers before they struck again.

As Nate started
toward the front of his cottage, Joe fell into step with him. “Are
you going as a wolf, or as you are?”

“As I am. I
can’t stop the wolf from running to Megan.”

Joe winced
visibly. “It’s best to stay as you are then.”

Nate stopped
walking and peered at his friend. He was keeping something from
him, he knew it. “What was that look?”

Joe’s face was
expressionless. “Nothing. I don’t know what you mean.”

Nate eyed him
suspiciously. “When I usually say I have to keep my distance from
Megan, you try to convince me otherwise. What’s changed?”

Joe looked
uncomfortable, peering down at the ground. “Lauren is with Megan
today, and when I called her earlier she told me that Meg’s still
not ready to forgive you.”

This was not
news to Nate. If she was, she’d be here with him.

“And she said
that she hated Charlotte when she thought she had turned her. And
now that she knows differently, she doesn’t know how…” Joe trailed
off not able to continue.

Nate finished
for him. “She doesn’t know how not to hate me.” His shoulders
slumped, suddenly feeling tired of everything.

Joe just
frowned, unwilling to confirm Nate’s words.

Despite the
pain that pierced his heart, Nate understood. “It’s fine. It’s not
like I didn’t expect it. I hate the person who made me what I
am.”

Joe’s eyes were
filled with sympathy as they began to walk again. The wind picked
up, blowing the mist into their faces. The water from the lake
beside the house was choppy and almost the color of coal.

“I’m glad she’s
allowing Lauren to spend time with her though,” Nate whispered,
unable to say her name.

Joe nodded.
“Yes, I think they need each other. I’m seeing Lauren tonight; do
you think we’ll be long?”

“You don’t need
to babysit me,” Nate replied. He would actually prefer to be alone
to process all that had happened in the last few hours.

“I know, but I
want the killing to stop, and we have to find them to do that.” He
paused, the edge of his lips turning up slightly. “Besides, we’re
friends, and we help each other out.”

Nate needed a
friend right now, whether he was willing to admit it or not. He
didn’t know what he’d do without Joe. He had helped him so much
since they met fifty years ago. It was ironic that Joe’s own sister
had changed his life forever, but her brother had become one of the
people he trusted most in the world.

This
time, it was a whisper that woke me. My heavy lids opened to see a
man standing in front of me watching me sleep. The impulse to
scream and run was quickly stifled as his familiar scent drifted in
the air. I was beginning to crave that smell. The scent was like a
drug to me, and the two weeks without it was making me
crazy.

“Did I wake
you?” he whispered softly, his voice filled me with warmth. I had
felt cold without him.

I nodded,
rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “But that’s okay, I’m just glad
you’re here, I missed you.”

He smiled as he
stepped forward, a dimple poking out of his left cheek. His vivid
blue eyes were the color of dark seas without the light to make
them sparkle. “I missed you too.”

He leaned down
to brush the hair from my face with a finger, staring into my eyes.
His gaze was so intense that I would have felt it with my eyes
closed. There were no words between us as he sat on the edge of the
bed leaning above me. His hand moved up my face, caressing my skin
until he reached my hair. He wrapped a lock around his hand and
tugged gently, pulling me toward him. Our faces hovered inches
apart, but we didn’t touch. I felt a hum of electricity, like a
live wire. Our breaths mingled together. I gasped as he closed the
gap, his lips finally connecting with mine. A hunger erupted inside
us, and suddenly we could not get close enough. Our kiss was
desperate. It had been so long; the need to be close overtook all
of my thoughts. He pushed me back down onto the bed and lay on top
of me, only lifting his mouth to kiss my jaw, my chin, my collar
bone. I didn’t want him to stop. I craved what he was giving me,
and I yearned for more. He brushed kisses against my neck, and I
all but melted, all the nerves in my body were waking up now that
he was back. He was making me feel again, making me crave more than
just a few kisses. “I want you,” I whispered. He made a rumbling
sound in his chest as his tongue glided along my collar bone.
Goosebumps formed along my skin.