The Finding (48 page)

They all nodded
in agreement.

Bryan stepped
away to begin changing forms, then paused and turned to face
Cassie. He took her in his arms and stared into her eyes. “You be
careful, okay?”

“I will.” She
smiled up at him, her eyes searching his. Then she stood on tiptoe
and kissed him gently. “You be careful, too.”

“I will.” He
cupped the back of her head and pulled her back in so he could kiss
her slowly, tracing her lips with the tip of his tongue. She
moaned, opening to him and he slid his tongue inside to take one
last taste of her. Memories of the previous night filled him, of
her sleeping in his arms, her dark lashes fanned over her cheeks,
her lips slightly parted. His heart thumped heavily and he pulled
her even closer, crushing her mouth to his. She responded,
clutching his back, rubbing herself against him. It just felt so
right to be with her...

Bryan wrenched
his mouth away, breathing hard. He rested his forehead against
hers, their breath intermixing. “Don’t take any risks. If you run
into Marla or Aldrich, be very, very careful. I don’t want to lose
you. Understand?” He stared deeply into her eyes, searching for
some sign that she felt as he did. There was a stirring in the
depths; was it her or her wolf?

“Yeah.”

He gave her one
final look and then a quick kiss before stepping away. Inhaling
deeply, he focussed his energy and concentrated on the change. The
air shimmered, a burst of pleasure, so intense it was almost
painful, filled him, and suddenly he was on all fours. Giving the
people gathered around him a final glance, he stepped out of the
alley and trotted across the road.

*****

Marla exited
the private elevator that led to Aldrich’s penthouse thinking
fondly of how it would soon relieve her of an unwanted source of
stress, namely Sylvia Robinson. Her wolf protested the plan,
whining inside her, the sound making her wince. She rubbed her
forehead, her head was throbbing and she wished the creature would
be silent for a change.

She left her
purse in her office, and walked down the hallway to Aldrich’s
office for their usual morning meeting. A brief knock on the door
let him know she was there and he summoned her in. Functioning on
autopilot, she made note of the jobs he wanted her to deal with.
The words washed over her, but had little meaning. Her wolf was
pacing, restless. It sensed the approaching full moon, but this
month it wasn’t responding well to being suppressed. Giving her
head a little shake, she struggled to focus on what Aldrich was
saying.

“Before
anything else, I need to you to contact Dr. Mason.” Aldrich flipped
through a file in front of him, not even looking at her. “The lead
on the Greyson girl means we need to be ready to act—”

“Lead?” Marla
snapped her head up from the device on which she’d been making
notes.

“Yes, lead.”
Aldrich looked at her, annoyance written on his face. “Weren’t you
listening to what I said?”

“Of course, I
was. I just...er...” She stumbled to think of an excuse, but he
brushed her words aside.

“Never mind.
Just contact Mason and tell him to be ready with the papers. As
soon as Cassandra Greyson is secured, he can sign them and I’ll
file them with the courts.”

“What are you
planning on doing?” Her curiosity got the better of her.

Aldrich stared
at her and she was sure he’d tell her it was none of her business,
but then he sat back and tapped his finger thoughtfully against his
lips. “I’m torn between two options, though I’m strongly leaning
towards one in particular. Cassandra has certain ‘qualifications’
that will serve me well.”

Marla puzzled
over his words, but wasn’t sure what he was alluding to. What
‘qualifications’ besides wealth could the girl possibly possess? As
she debated asking for further clarification, the phone rang.

Aldrich picked
up the phone and listened with a deepening frown. “I’ll be right
there.” He stood up and rounded the desk. “I have a situation to
deal with in the back rooms. Tell Sylvia I’ll meet her in an hour
for our walk.”

Marla grimaced
as she watched the man leave. Damn. Just when he seemed to be on
the verge of confiding in her, there was an interruption. And when
he was finished doing whatever he was doing, he’d be off with
Sylvia.

She drummed her
fingers on the arm of her chair as she thought of the plump little
nurse. Well, at least Sylvia was one problem she’d be rid of by the
end of the day.

Standing up,
Marla intended to head back to her office and check with Jeffries
on his progress when she noted that Aldrich had
uncharacteristically left his computer on. She glanced at the
security cameras and noted they hadn’t been moved yet. If she did
some snooping, no one would be any the wiser.

Idly she walked
to the window as if intent on the checking the view, then once out
of camera range, turned so she faced the computer screen. It was
the Greene file! Excitement almost had her leaning forward, but she
caught herself just in time. Keeping one eye on the security
camera, she reached her hand towards the mouse and began to scroll
down.

As she read,
she felt the colour begin to drain from her face. The file outlined
how Anthony Greyson had put Aldrich in charge of overseeing a
search for werewolves. He’d hired a young woman named Melody Greene
to contact a photographer named...Ryne Taylor!

Marla’s throat
constricted. Her heart began to pound and her hand trembled as she
forced herself to continue reading. Greyson had purchased a wolf
picture taken by Taylor and had concluded the wolf was a werewolf.
Greene had found Taylor, made contact and then—

“What do you
think you are doing, Miss Matthews?”

Aldrich’s voice
sounded cold as he spoke behind her. She whirled around in
surprise, so caught up in what she was reading that she hadn’t
heard him approach. “Mr. Aldrich!”

He strode
around the desk and turned the monitor, scanned the information
displayed there and then turned to her. His face was a mixture of
anger and apprehension. “Miss Matthews—”

Marla
interrupted him. “I quit. I know it’s short notice, but I quit.”
She knew her voice was trembling, but at this moment appearances
didn’t really matter. If Ryne was in some way connected with
Aldrich, she knew she had to leave.

Her words
apparently stunned Aldrich. “You’re what? Quitting? Ridiculous. You
can’t quit today of all days! I have too much work for you. All my
plans are finally coming together!”

She shook her
head and started to back away, but he reached out and grabbed her
arm. She stared at his hand in surprise. His grip was surprisingly
strong.

“It’s because
of them, isn’t it?” Aldrich pulled her closer, searching her face.
When he spoke again, it was in an insistent whisper. “You’re a
believer, aren’t you?” He gave her arm a slight shake.

“A...a what?”
She pulled against his grip, trying to free herself.

“A
believer...in werewolves.” His voice became louder, more assured.
“I can see it in your face.”

“Werewolves?”
She licked her lips and stared at him. His eyes seemed overly
bright.

“Yes! I can
tell you know they’re real, but you’ve been afraid to mention it,
haven’t you? Like me, you know the dangers; that people would scoff
and think you crazy. But not anymore. I have proof!”

“Proof! What
proof?” Her voice squeaked in surprise. Surely he didn’t mean her?
There was no way he could know, was there? She glanced at the
computer screen wondering what else the file contained. Had she
slipped up in some manner?

“Cassandra
Greyson! She’s one of them.”

“Cassandra
Greyson? But...” Marla realized she sounded like a parrot, but
didn’t really care. What was Aldrich babbling about?

“Yes! Just
before he died, Anthony Greyson revealed the truth. He’d been
searching for a pack so the girl would have a home and hired a
journalist, Melody Greene, to help. Greene tracked down a
photographer who had taken pictures of one of the beasts. Then it
turned out that Greene was a werewolf herself. She almost
transformed in front of me. I knew then that I could make a fortune
if I captured a real live werewolf, but the plan went awry. A male
of the species, a big black brute, ended up attacking me.”

“The wild dog.”
Marla stared at his throat and almost laughed as all the pieces
finally fell into place. Once she’d speculated that the damage
could have been done by a werewolf, but had dismissed the idea as
preposterous. And the werewolf had been black. It was Ryne; it had
to have been! “Oh God!”

“Exactly. Since
then I’ve lived like a prisoner, knowing they were out there. They
know I’m here and they’re just waiting for me to make a mistake.
But now I’ll have the Greyson girl. She’s one of them. I can prove
werewolves exist and then they will become the hunted instead of
me!”

By now
Aldrich’s grip on her arm had become painful. Marla tried once
again to pull away, wishing she’d inherited the superior strength
werewolves were noted for. She hadn’t though; it was yet another of
her failings.

“Mr. Aldrich,
sir, I—”

Aldrich must
have finally noticed he still had a hold of her, for he let go of
her abruptly. She stumbled backwards slightly before regaining her
balance. “My apologies, Miss Matthews, but as you are well aware,
this is an exciting day for those of us who know about werewolves.
Please contact Dr. Mason immediately. I expect to have possession
of the Greyson girl by the end of the day. We need to immediately
sedate her and keep her locked up.”

Marla nodded
while backing towards the door. She didn’t give a damn about
Aldrich’s plans. Escape was more important. His revelations
explained why she constantly sensed the presence of werewolves.
They were watching him not her. But that would soon change. Once
Cassandra Greyson arrived, Ryne would; surely he must have the
place under surveillance. He’d follow the Finding clause and try to
claim the girl. And if Ryne came for Cassandra... Well, it was only
a matter of time before he figured out another werewolf was present
in the building.

How her own
presence hadn’t been discovered yet was a bit of a mystery, but
then again no one was expecting her to be here. Everyone was
watching for Cassandra, thank heaven. It was undoubtedly the only
thing that had saved her all these years.

Thankfully
Aldrich didn’t seem to notice that his personal assistant was
acting strangely. He was staring at the computer screen actually
looking gleeful. “Don’t forget to tell Sylvia I’ll be with her
shortly.”

As fast as she
could, Marla walked to her office. She couldn’t run down the halls;
it would draw unwanted questions from the other staff, but she
needed to get away as quickly as possible. If Cassandra Greyson was
arriving sometime today, then Ryne wouldn’t be far behind, she was
sure of it.

Just as she
reached her office the sound of humming reached her ears. Sylvia.
Damn! Marla suddenly remembered that Jeffries was rigging the
elevator and it would be out of commission for some time
afterwards.

Realizing she’d
be trapped, Marla grabbed the phone and called downstairs, her toe
tapping impatiently on the floor as she listened to the unanswered
ringing. Finally the chauffeur picked up the phone.

“Jeffries?
Don’t touch the elevator, I’ve changed my mind ... What do you mean
it’s too late?” She ran her fingers through her hair agitatedly.
This couldn’t be happening. “Reverse it! Fix it! Do whatever you
have to do! ... Fine.” She slammed the phone down and began to pace
the room. What was she going to do? The stairs? It was possible,
though the thought of running down forty storeys was daunting. And
then there was the matter of the security alarms set to go off when
the stairs were used.

She pressed the
heels of her hands to her temples. Her head was pounding; her wolf
was fighting to get out. Its voice was echoing through her head.
She couldn’t think clearly, her legs were trembling... Reaching
backwards, she felt for a chair and lowered herself down.

*****

Kellen blinked
and tried to force his eyes to focus, but they wouldn’t cooperate.
Hugh had hit him quite hard and then injected him with something.
His brain felt sluggish, his whole body heavy. A faint moan escaped
his lips. His chest and arm muscles ached from being pulled behind
his back for so long. Initially he’d kept tugging and twisting,
trying to free himself, but eventually he’d given up. The duct tape
that bound him resisted all his attempts.

The knowledge
that he wasn’t going to escape filled him with despair. He had no
illusions that he’d be let go. Once they had their hands on Sandy,
he’d become superfluous, a loose end to be eliminated. Regret
filled him as he realized his life was likely coming to an end.
Twenty-five years of life, all wasted. Helping Sandy was about the
only decent thing he’d done in his life and now even that was going
to be for nothing.

He’d overheard
Hugh and Aldrich talking. They planned on having Sandy declared
mentally unfit and were going to lock her up. Once she was out of
the way, Aldrich said he’d be in charge of her fortune and then
eventually he’d reveal her to the whole world for what she was.

That part
hadn’t made sense to him, but he was drifting in and out, so
probably he’d missed something. Poor Sandy. She had been the one
who’d been content with their simple life while he’d always wanted
more. Now, she was going to end up paying for his greed. If only he
hadn’t gambled, none of this would have happened. Kellen sniffed,
feeling sorry for her, for himself...

There was
nothing he could do. He’d tried that just a while ago, kicking Hugh
when he’d been given one of his twice a day breaks to use the
washroom. Hugh hadn’t liked that and had shoved him into the wall.
Kellen winced, still recalling the burst of pain when he’d slid
down the wall, his skull hitting the edge of the marble bathroom
counter. After that, he’d passed out.