The Finding (7 page)

And it wasn’t
as if she didn’t have enough
real
trouble to deal with. Her
thoughts returned to Kellen, his gambling and the pile of unpaid
bills on the kitchen counter... again. What should she do about it?
If she asked for advice, people would likely say she should cut her
losses and move on. But move on to what?

Kellen was all
she had. And he’d been there for her, helping her when she had
nowhere else to turn. She couldn’t just walk away, could she? As
she tried to imagine such a scenario, her heart ached. Despite his
faults, Kellen had her loyalty; he was her pack...er...family.
Cassie grimaced at the animalistic term that had inadvertently
slipped out.

The creature
inside stirred again. It—she—both of them—had been restless lately.
It went beyond the approaching lunar event. The need for something
more was causing an emptiness inside her, a void that clamoured to
be filled through bonding with someone. She’d been hoping to ease
the feeling by reconnecting with Kellen, trying to deepen their
relationship, but after last night... Cassie shook her head at the
folly of that move.

The sound of
approaching footsteps caught her attention moments before the
lunchroom door swung open. Another cashier, Debra, entered. The
slightly plump redhead paused by the fridge to take out a can of
iced tea and then plopped down on the old brown sofa that stood
near the wall.

“Feet sore?”
Debra quirked her eyebrow and nodded at Cassie’s feet before taking
a long drink.

“Mmm. I was
standing all morning.” Cassie leaned forward and massaged her
arches before sliding her feet off the chair. Pasting a friendly
smile on her face, she attempted to make small talk. “So how was
your weekend?”

Debra shrugged.
“Okay. Bill called again, but I told him there was no way I was
getting back together with him.”

Cassie pulled a
container out of her lunch bag and made non-committal noises. Debra
loved to share the drama of her personal life and Cassie knew that
the next fifteen minutes would likely be filled with more details
about the other girl’s life than she really cared to know.

Surprisingly,
Debra didn’t elaborate on the incident as she usually would have.
“What about you? How’d your anniversary go?”

“Okay.”
Shrugging, Cassie took a bite of her sandwich, not wanting to
reveal the whole debacle and wondering how she could turn the
conversation away from herself.

“Just okay?”
Debra looked disappointed. “So it wasn’t all romantic and full of
hot, steamy sex with the oh-so-good-looking Kellen?” Her expression
shifted into a mischievous grin. “You know I’d switch to the night
shift just to work with him, if he wasn’t already spoken for.”

“Debra!” Cassie
rolled her eyes and threw a wadded up paper napkin at the other
girl, not really jealous, but knowing it was the proper response.
No one knew the true nature of her relationship with Kellen and she
planned to keep it that way. As much as possible, she kept her
conversations at work general. Mentioning the anniversary dinner
had happened by chance, when Debra questioned why she was buying
flowers and candles.

The celebration
had been part of a failed attempt to kindle a spark between her and
Kellen. With the creature becoming more and more restless by the
day, Cassie was starting to grasp at straws in an effort to placate
its needs. Of course, the dinner hadn’t worked; Kellen had seen to
that, but even if he had been receptive, the beast inside her would
probably have balked at the last minute.

The animal’s
attitude made no sense to Cassie. Throughout their relationship,
Kellen had been her protector, her teacher, a big brother figure...
Her face softened as she recalled their first year together.

When Kellen had
found her, he’d immediately taken her under his wing. They’d shared
a meal and, discovering she had nowhere to stay, he convinced her
to use his apartment as a temporary base. There’d been no pressure
on his part; Kellen gave her the bed and slept on the couch. When
she’d awoken that first night, screaming in terror, he’d comforted
her, gently encouraging her to tell her sorry tale.

It had been an
abridged version—no mention of werewolves, lest he think her
crazy—just that she’d seen her uncle shot, another man killed and
now the murderer was probably after her. He’d wanted to go to the
police, but she’d cried and begged him not to, until he relented.
Kellen, it turned out, had a tenuous relationship with the
authorities himself, so he wasn’t too hard to convince.

Instead, he
helped her start a new life. The next day, she’d emptied her bank
accounts and withdrawn the maximum amount on all her credit cards.
Using some of Kellen’s dubious connections, she’d acquired fake ID
and established a new identity as Sandy Grant.

In gratitude,
she’d paid off his gambling debts and they’d moved to the suburbs.
She’d suggested a new city, away from the temptation of gambling,
but Kellen had connections in the area and, if the man chasing her
ever found her, there were people here he could turn to for help.
It made sense at the time, so they’d stayed and Kellen had spent
the next year teaching her how to function in the ‘real’ world.

Cassie had been
amazed at how sheltered her upbringing had actually been. Cleaning,
doing laundry, cooking, even buying groceries, or using city
transit... Kellen had laughed himself silly over some of her
mistakes and she had joined him in it. She smiled thinking of the
laundry incident with suds pouring from the washing machine, and
the time she’d nearly asphyxiated herself by mixing cleaners. The
ruined dinners Kellen had bravely tried to eat...

Kellen said it
was like the story Pygmalion only in reverse; bringing her down to
the common level, rather than elevating her to the status of
refined lady. His Professor Higgins accent had been
hilarious...

“Earth to
Sandy! Where’d you go, girl?” Debra’s voice interrupted her reverie
and Cassie jerked herself back to the present.

“Sorry, what
did you say?” She blinked at the other girl, wondering what she’d
missed.

“I said that
from the look on your face, your anniversary was more than ‘okay.’
Your eyes got all dreamy and—”

The door swung
open and the manager walked in. “Isn’t break-time over, girls?”

Cassie looked
at the clock, gasped, and shoved her shoes back on. Jumping to her
feet, she started to apologize. “Sorry, Mr. Bartlett. We were
talking...”

“Don’t worry.
You’re a hard worker. I can cut you some slack. Unlike other people
who work here.” He looked meaningfully at Debra who just laughed.
Shaking his head, he put out a hand to stop Cassie from leaving the
room. “Before you go back to work, I wanted to talk to you about
something.” Mr. Bartlett paused and stared meaningfully at Debra
who sighed and got up.

“I know. I
know. I’ll leave the room. Geez, you’d think I was a big gossip or
something.” Debra grumbled. Gulping down the rest of her iced tea,
she dropped the can in the recycling bin then left the room. As the
door shut behind her, Mr. Bartlett turned to Cassie and stroked his
greying beard.

“I hate to ask
you this, but... Is Kellen gambling again?”

A flash of fear
shot down her spine and around into her gut as she wondered what
kind of a mess her partner was in now. Mr. Bartlett was aware that
Kellen gambled, but had been willing to give him a chance. Cassie
clenched her fingers and forced the tightness from her throat
before speaking. “Umm... Why do you ask?

The manager
avoided looking at her for a moment. It appeared he was regretting
starting the conversation, but then drew a deep breath and
continued. “Kellen’s been missing work, not showing up for his
shift or arriving late. It isn’t fair to the other employees that
have to do his share of the work. If he keeps it up—”

“I’ll talk to
him tonight.” Cassie interrupted, anxious to prevent the man from
speaking the dreaded words. Her mind was already racing; if Kellen
lost this job, they’d be in big trouble financially. Yes, she had a
large amount tucked away, but that was her emergency fund, in case
the werewolves ever found them and they needed to run...

Mr. Bartlett
was still speaking and she forced herself to focus on his words. “A
man’s also been around, asking about you.”

“Me?” She
squeaked in surprise.

“Uh-huh. The
fellow wanted to know your name and where you lived, but of course
we didn’t say anything. He showed up about a week ago and the other
employees have noticed him hanging around the store. He tries to
act like he’s shopping, but mostly he watches for you. MaryAnn
asked him his name, but he wouldn’t say. Just paid for his things
and left.”

Cassie shivered
and wrapped her arms around herself at the thought of someone
actually stalking her; watching her as she worked. Who was this man
and why was he interested in her? A horrid thought popped into her
mind. What if it was the werewolf? The memory of the huge black
beast with its snarling bloody teeth, made her feel faint and she
grasped the back of a nearby chair to steady herself. Surely it
couldn’t be. Not, after all these years...

“I just thought
I should warn you, in case Kellen’s in debt and someone is thinking
of using you as leverage.”

That statement
grabbed her attention and swung her thoughts in an entirely
different direction. Maybe it wasn’t the werewolf like she feared,
but something to do with Kellen’s gambling. Cassie gulped. Talk
about out of the frying pan and into the fire!

Fear continued
to writhe in her belly as she contemplated this new scenario.
Pressing her hands to her stomach she swallowed hoping to keep her
lunch in its current resting place. She’d heard about loan sharks
and what they would do if you didn’t pay up. Her skin prickled at
the very idea. Oh God, who did Kellen owe money to and what would
they do to her or him, if he didn’t pay?

This had never
happened before, at least not since the first time she’d paid off
his debts, but that had been when they’d initially got together.
Since then, Kellen kept his gambling associates away from her, only
taking her with him a few times in the early days and it had never
been to anything high stake. He’d assured her he was done with
gambling except for occasional small games at a friend’s home and
that he never mentioned her around the gaming tables, knowing she
wasn’t comfortable with it. Apparently that was no longer the case
or someone had followed him and made the connection...

“Listen Sandy,
I’m sorry to have upset you. Would you like to go home? I can get
someone to cover the rest of your shift...?” The older man looked
at her kindly, his bushy grey brows lowered in concern. A wave of
gratitude washed over her. Mr. Bartlett was so nice to her, hiring
her when she’d had no skills and then with only her recommendation,
taking on Kellen.

She forced a
faint smile. “No, I’ll stay.” Sitting at home, she’d just worry all
the more. It was better to keep busy. Besides, if she saw Kellen
right now, she might be tempted to kill him! Squaring her
shoulders, she tried to look unconcerned. “It might be nothing, but
I’ll talk to Kellen tonight about missing work and see what’s going
on.”

The manager
gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze before opening the door. As
she stepped back into the store, Cassie mentally berated Kellen.
What the hell had he done now?

*****

Chicago,
Illinois, USA...

“Anything else
to report, Swanson?” Leon Aldrich rasped out the words to the
security guard that stood before him.

“I’ve changed
the access codes for the elevator and notified authorized
personnel. The surveillance cameras have also been repositioned
near the parking garage, and I’ve completed the weekly report.”
Swanson set the folder on Aldrich’s desk and then folded his hands
behind his back.

Picking up the
report, Aldrich quickly flipped through it before setting it aside
for closer scrutiny later on. He nodded in approval at Swanson’s
stance; shoulders back, eyes straight ahead, quietly awaiting
instructions. The man was built like a tank—sturdy, all muscle, no
neck—and with his military buzz cut and blank expression, he was
intimidating as hell. Perfect for the job.

Swanson was
former military. His record while in the service was less than
pristine, but the man was effective. He also wasn’t above turning a
blind eye to certain activities if the price was right. Aldrich
could appreciate that in a man; it was a quality he himself
possessed and had used to his advantage throughout his life.

As a matter of
fact, it’d got him where he was today. As executor of the Greyson
estate and the respected lawyer of the late Anthony Greyson, he had
power and wealth; those two combined to open doors that led to the
exalted realms of the socially elite. He’d learned that from
Anthony Greyson. True, society’s blue bloods might not approve
totally, but they didn’t want him as an enemy so they fawned and
simpered while turning a deaf ear to any of his less ‘socially
acceptable’ dealings.

Swanson was
still waiting patiently and Aldrich smiled inwardly while keeping
his face blank. It wouldn’t do to let Swanson know of his approval.
Employees functioned most effectively when they weren’t completely
sure of the employer’s opinion of their work. An edge of
uncertainty kept them on their toes. Greyson had taught him that as
well.

Quirking an
eyebrow, he questioned Swanson, keeping his tone neutral. “And the
issue with the neighbouring buildings?”

“We tested your
theory about the surrounding rooftops and the chance of a
telescopic rifle being used. The correct angle would be difficult,
but it is possible. I recommend heavy blinds be installed and kept
drawn on all the windows facing to the north and east. Those on the
south and west sides are safe since none of the buildings are tall
enough to give a good shot.”