The Keeping (46 page)

Ryne sat down
beside her and brushed his fingers over her soft lips, tracing her
brow and marvelling at her long lashes.
Perfect. She’s just
perfect for us
, his wolf murmured. He ran the back of his hand
over her cheek. The skin was hot to the touch. Yes, she might be
perfect for his wolf, but what about the pack? He had to think of
them first. She was the source of their current predicament.

His earlier rage
surfaced. He’d told her there was to be no interview yet she’d
expressly gone against his orders. Defying an Alpha, betraying the
pack... Curling his fingers around her slender neck, he considered
his options. It wouldn’t take much to end all this, just a quick
twist and...

Ryne could feel
her pulse fluttering against his fingers. His own heart was beating
heavily, his pulse drumming in his ears, blocking out all other
sounds. He licked his lips and stared at her lovely face one more
time before bringing the image of Kane’s pack to mind. The good of
the pack took precedence; he knew the fact as well as he knew his
own name. One last time, he caressed her soft skin with his thumb
and then watched with detachment as his fingers started to
tighten...

No! He couldn’t do
it! Pulling back his hand, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Hell,
what kind of a weakling Alpha was he? The safety of his pack came
first.
But she was his female!
The argument bounced back and
forth.
There had to be another solution. The pack could run,
hide...
No. If the humans found nothing, they would keep
searching; rumours would grow, rewards offered... He and Kane had
discussed it in detail. Only by finding something, would the
searchers truly believe the supposed ‘lead’ was a hoax.

Kidnap her;
carry her off...
And hold her captive for the rest of her life?
Eventually she would come to accept her fate...
But what if
she ever escaped? She’d have to be under around the clock
supervision. And then there was Aldrich…

The door suddenly
opened and he was forced to abandon his conflicted thoughts.
Jumping to his feet, he turned to face an obviously surprised
Lucy.

“Ryne, what are
you doing here?”

“Hi, Lucy.
I...um...”

She walked up to
him and kissed his cheek, before moving to take her coat off.
“Never mind. I know the truth.”

“You do?” He
stiffened, assuming the worst.

“Of course. You’re
sorry for your fight with Mel and came here to make up.”

“Uh... Right.
That’s it.” He latched onto the lifeline she’d unknowingly handed
him. “I’m here to make things right.”

Lucy nodded,
glancing at Melody lying on the sofa, her face quickly changing
from a happy to grin to real concern. “Oh, is she sick again?”

“Yeah. She fainted
coming into the building and I carried her up here. She has a
fever. I was just going to give her an aspirin.”

“I’ll get some
from the medicine cabinet.” Lucy turned to go.

“No. I already
checked. There isn’t any. Um...why don’t you sit with her and I’ll
go to the store.” Ryne felt the need to get away for a few minutes
and think things through. Lucy’s arrival had just thrown another
curve into this mess.

“Sure. I’ll take
care of her while you’re gone. Don’t worry.”

Ryne nodded, gave
Melody a lingering look, and took his leave.

*****

Lucy bustled about
the small apartment, caring for her patient. She eased Mel’s jacket
off and hung it up, then got cold cloths to bathe her face, all the
while thinking about Ryne’s unexpected appearance. It was so sweet
that he’d come all this way to see Mel. Whatever argument they’d
had couldn’t have been all that important; they’d be able to work
out their differences. Grinning, Lucy tried to picture Ryne down on
his knees apologizing, but then shook her head—no, it wouldn’t
happen. The man was too arrogant for that, but his heart was in the
right place. He and Mel would work things out and make a fine
couple when all was said and done.

Noises were coming
from next door and Lucy grimaced, recognizing the sounds. Well,
someone was getting lucky. It made her think of Armand and how
she’d yet to share a bed with him. Was there a future for her in
Stump River with the bartender? She furrowed her brow and wandered
to the window considering her own future. Should she finally make
the move she’d always talked about and live in a big city like
this?

Staring down at
the street, she watched the traffic going past, people hurrying
along the sidewalks never even acknowledging the other pedestrians.
A train rattled by and the whole apartment shook. If she left Stump
River, would her new home be this impersonal? Yet wasn’t that what
she wanted? To make a new start where no one knew her or her
reputation? It might be exciting...

A long black
vehicle pulling up at the curb caught her attention. It screamed
wealth and power from its shiny chrome to its tinted black windows.
It reminded her of something a crime boss might drive, and she
wondered who the occupants were here to visit.

The phone rang
beside her and she answered, still idly watching the vehicle
below.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Greene?”

“No, this is her
friend, Lucy Chalmers. Can I help you? ”

“Kindly put Ms.
Greene on the phone.”

“I’m sorry; she’s
not well right now. Can I take a message?” Lucy glanced over at her
friend who was moving about restlessly and muttering in her
sleep.

“Tell her to quit
playing games with me, Ms. Chalmers, if that’s really your
name.”

“What do you mean,
if that’s really my name? Why would I make up a name just to answer
the phone?” Geez but this town was filled with weirdos.

“Never mind. I
know what Greene is up to. If she thinks holding out will get her
even more money, she’s sadly mistaken. Either she hands over
whatever information she has in the next two minutes, or I’m coming
up to get it.”

“Coming up? Where
are you?” Lucy had a sinking feeling that she already knew the
answer.

“I’m parked right
in front of the building. As a matter of fact, I can even see you
standing at the window.”

Lucy gave a squeak
of surprise and jumped towards the middle of the room. How dare
this person act like a Peeping Tom! She prepared to give the man a
piece of her mind, but then thought better of it, having heard all
about gangsters and crime lords on her tour that morning.

“Listen, Mel’s
really sick. And I don’t know anything about a report. Why don’t
you come back tomorrow? She’ll likely be feeling better by then,
and you can talk all about it.” She used her sweetest, most
cajoling voice.

“Nice try, but it
won’t work. You have two minutes.” The phone went dead.

Lucy dropped the
phone and spun around not knowing what to do. Oh dear Lord, she was
in the middle of some sort of crime spree! She’d wanted some
excitement, but this was taking things a bit too far. She dared a
peek out the window, looking up and down the street for Ryne,
thinking he might know what to do, but of course there was no sign
of him. Typical man, never there when you needed him! Of course,
what did she expect, when he hadn’t even fixed her faucet like he’d
promised! Well, she firmed her jaw, she’d just have to defend
herself and Mel as best as she could.

Glancing about the
small apartment for some form of weapon, Lucy finally found a large
carving knife and a heavy frying pan. She was pretty sure she’d
never have the guts to use the knife so left it and took the pan
instead. Testing the weight of the frying pan in her hand, she took
a defensive position by the door.

After what seemed
like ages, Lucy heard footsteps approaching down the hall. Flexing
her fingers, she checked her grip on the frying pan and braced
herself for what might come. The steps paused outside; Lucy took a
deep breath and held it as she watched the handle slowly turn.
Letting out the breath and taking another to steady her nerves, she
waited for the door to open slowly, Instead, it swung inward with
enough force to make her jump. Taking no time to think, she swung
the frying pan with all her might towards the newcomer.
Unfortunately her aim was off and she missed her target, hitting
the wall with a resounding clunk.

Before she could
comprehend what was happening, something hard hit her across the
head and she fell to the ground stunned.

After that,
everything was a kaleidoscope of pain, sounds, and blurred images,
as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She had the impression
of something warm and sticky running down her face and pooling
about her cheek where it pressed against the floor. Some instinct
for self-preservation kept her from moving or making any noise
during those times she was awake. Vaguely she heard a man’s voice
talking as if on the phone.

“Aldrich here.
I’ll be at the Greyson estate in an hour ... That’s right. I’m
inspecting the state of the property and I don’t want to be
disturbed ... Greyson’s incommunicado, but if you insist that I
contact him, well, let’s just say that the fallout will be on your
head ... I knew you’d see it my way. Have the gates open. Remember,
no one is to be outside.”

A clicking sound
seemed to indicate the phone being hung up, and through her lashes,
she watched feet walking towards the sofa. Someone grunted, the
sofa squeaked. An arm dangled near the ground... Mel? Was someone
moving her? But why? And where to? The man’s voice, hadn’t he said
the Greyson estate? The feet shuffled by her. The door shut and the
apartment was quiet now.

Lucy forced her
eyes open and stared at the tile floor in front of her. How long
ago did she see those feet? Had she passed out again? The pool of
blood spreading out around her head was much bigger than she
remembered. She needed to tell Ryne. He’d save Mel. A hint of
laughter escaped her lips as she slowly moved her hand, dipping her
finger in the blood. How cliché. This was just like in the gangster
movies; she was leaving a message written in blood. G – R – E –Y –
S...

She tried to
focus, but her eyes were drifting shut despite her desperate
attempts to stay awake. Darkness was creeping in again. Tired...so
tired. It felt good to quit struggling, to drift away where there
was no pain, where no one knew about her past. Hmm... There was a
pinprick of light ahead, flickering warmly, beckoning to her.
Should she go? It might be nice for a change...

Chapter
33

Ryne trudged up
the stairs to Melody’s apartment, his thoughts dark and heavy with
indecision, regret, foreboding... It was more than the usual unease
caused by a full moon. Young Lycans, in their first year of
transformation found the effects impossible to resist, but mature
wolves, such as himself, were much more controlled. If
circumstances allowed, a wild and raucous celebration of the
celestial event was an entertaining way to let off pent up energy.
But not this month; at least not for him nor the members of his
pack or Kane’s. Circumstances could hardly be less conducive for a
celebration.

His head throbbed
dully and he was thankful for the bottle of aspirin clutched in his
hand; he’d almost forgotten to get it, having spent the last half
hour aimlessly walking around the neighbourhood, lost in thought.
He’d almost done it; carried out the Keeping. It was the right
thing to do, yet he doubted he’d be able to live with himself
afterwards. What he needed was real proof that she was turning on
them. Possibly she hadn’t told this Aldrich person. Ryne hung onto
that faint bit of hope with two hands. If she hadn’t told anyone
and she was now a werewolf herself, well then...

The initial steps
he’d have to take were easily determined. First he’d send Lucy off
on some complicated errand to ensure she didn’t return too soon.
Once she was out of the way, he’d wake up Melody, using whatever
means necessary, so he could grill her about what she knew and who
she’d told.

Tracking down her
boss, Aldrich, would likely be next on his list. He’d have to cross
check what Melody had told him to ensure she’d been truthful; at
this point Ryne knew he couldn’t afford to trust her word
completely, too much as at stake. So he’d find Aldrich but...
Therein lay his stumbling block. How was he supposed to track down
Aldrich while at the same time keeping Melody under
observation?

The cold, logical
part of him said to just drag her along, regardless of her
condition, but not only did his wolf howl in protest at the idea,
it wasn’t easily accomplished. Even in a neighbourhood as seedy as
this, a cabbie would question someone carrying an unconscious woman
about. If it wasn’t for Lucy, he could leave Melody by herself and
hope that her condition didn’t worsen while he was gone, but Lucy
was a factor. He couldn’t keep her occupied forever and leaving
Lucy in charge of Melody was tricky. What if Melody transformed in
the other woman’s presence? Or took a turn for the worse and Lucy
called 911? The complications that would involve brought another
knot of pain to his already throbbing head.

There seemed to be
no easy answer and he didn’t have the luxury of time. Not only was
Kane waiting for his call, but the longer he took figuring out this
mess, the farther the information could be spreading.

Still pondering
the problem, he approached Melody’s apartment, only to come to a
sudden halt. All his senses went on high alert as the hair on the
back of his neck stood on end. Something was wrong. The smell of
fresh blood filled the air, overpowering everything else. Around
him the sounds of daily life continued; the human inhabitants
apparently oblivious to the danger around them, but to him the evil
oozed down the hallway, as palpable as a living thing.

Cautiously, he
traversed the remaining distance to Melody’s door, then cocked his
head and listened. His keen hearing caught the barely perceptible
sound of breathing inside. Slowly he reached out and nudged open
the door while testing the air for subtle clues that existed under
the scent of blood. The acridness of fear lingered as did the
unmistakeable odour of another male. Possessiveness flared inside
him and he fought to keep it from clouding his judgement.