The Werewolf Meets His Match (Nocturne Falls Book 2) (32 page)

She slipped out and headed for the parking lot. Hank would have more to say when he saw she’d brought his GTO, but it wasn’t like she could take him home on the Harley. She pulled the sweet machine under the hospital’s covered entry just as the nurse was wheeling him out.

Leaving the car running, she hopped out and went to open the passenger door.

Hank’s face was screwed up into a mix of incredulous irritation and begrudging admiration. “Nice ride,” he said dryly.

“You have no idea,” she said. “Well, I guess you do.”

The nurse moved the foot rests out of the way. “You’re all set, Sheriff Merrow.”

“Thanks.” As the nurse held the wheelchair, he eyed Ivy and slowly stood, his smirk telling her he wasn’t really upset. “You were probably just waiting for a moment like this.”

She put her arm around him and helped him into the passenger’s seat. “Yes, I was hoping you’d get stabbed so I could drive your car. You figured me out.”

She gave the nurse a wave, then shut his door, went around and got back behind the wheel. “Buckle up. This thing is fast.”

Smiling, he shook his head. “I have a feeling I know why you married me.”

She threw the shift into first and winked at him. “The car’s one reason. I’ll remind you about the other when those stitches come out.”

He laughed, wincing. “That can’t be soon enough.” He looked over at her. “Charlie at home?”

Ivy pulled out carefully and got them on the highway. “Yep. Birdie’s babysitting. She’s madly in love with that kid, but she still feels guilty for letting him out of the car. She blames herself for you getting hurt.”

Hank shrugged. “Could have happened to anyone. I’ll talk to her.” He put his head back on the seat.

“Tired?”

“Only of being away from you and Charlie.”

She reached over to pat his leg.

“Hey, two hands on the wheel. Unless you want to park somewhere for a while.”

Laughing, she managed to get them home without crashing. She pulled the car into the garage, parked it, then helped him out and up the steps with her shoulder under his arm on his uninjured side. “I hate to tell you this, but you’re supposed to be on bed rest for another twenty-four hours.”

He grunted.

“I’m serious.”

“The doctor knows I’m a shifter so he should also know I don’t need twenty-four hours. And I hate bed rest. Unless you want to join me in the bed.”

“That wouldn’t really qualify as rest then, would it?” She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she opened the door to the house. “Where do you want to set up?”

Birdie’s and Charlie’s voices carried in from the living room. Hank hesitated. “What are they doing in there?”

“Sounds like a video game. I didn’t know you had a system.”

“I don’t.” He changed direction toward the living room. “Birdie must have bought one for Charlie.”

Ivy helped him to the couch. Birdie and Charlie were too enthralled by the game on the screen to notice until Charlie finally won.

He turned around and saw Hank, and his face lit up. “You’re home! Did you see me win Mario Kart?”

Hank nodded. “You drive like your mother.”

Ivy laughed as Charlie ran toward Hank, but she caught him and blew a raspberry into his hair. “No jumping on Hank until he’s better, okay?”

He sighed with seven-year-old exasperation. “I know.”

Shaking her head, she set him down.

“I’m glad you’re home.” He approached Hank slowly. “Are you gonna be better soon?”

As Hank answered him, Ivy turned to Birdie. “Everything good?”

She nodded, the soft edge of guilt lingering like sadness in her eyes. “I hope you don’t mind that I bought Charlie a Wii. I figured it might help distract him from…anyway, I think he likes it.”

“Looks like he loves it. That was very nice of you.”

Birdie looked at Charlie, who was now sitting next to Hank on the couch and having a serious conversation about something. “I feel so bad.”

“Don’t. You didn’t do anything wrong. And everything worked out, so there’s nothing to feel bad about.”

Her smile wasn’t quite convincing, but she nodded as she put the game controller down. “I should get home. Let you all have some peace and quiet.”

Ivy hugged her. “Thank you for watching him. I wouldn’t have been able to stay with Hank at the hospital if not for you. I really appreciate that.”

This time her smile was genuine. “Anytime you need me, just call.” She picked up her purse from the coffee table. “Oh, I almost forgot. Charlie, where’s that jump drive you found?”

Charlie put his thinking face on. “I think I left it on the kitchen table.”

Birdie nodded. “I’ll get it.” She headed into the kitchen, coming back moments later with the small black rectangle in her hand. She held it toward Ivy. “I made Charlie take a bath this morning, and he found this in his room when he was getting dressed. I assume it belongs to one of you?”

Ivy took it. “I don’t recognize it. Hank?” She tossed it to him.

He looked it over. “Me either.” He glanced at Charlie. “This was in your room?”

He nodded. “On the floor.”

“Where did it come from?”

Charlie shrugged. “I dunno.”

“Did you plug it in?” Ivy asked Birdie. “See what’s on it?”

“No.” Birdie clutched her purse. “I thought it might be personal information.”

“Okay, we’ll figure it out later. Right now I think we need to order some pizza and enjoy being home.”

Hank smiled at his aunt. “What do you like on your pie?”

Her brows rose. “You want me to stay?”

“Unless you’re tired of being here.”

“No, I’d love to stay. Thank you.” She put her purse down, all smiles. “I can order the pizza. You two visit with your son. Extra cheese okay?”

“Yes. Meat lovers. Get two,” Hank called after her. He grinned at Ivy. “Hospital food sucks, and I’m starving.”

“Speaking of things to eat…” Ivy joined them on the couch, sitting on Charlie’s other side so he was between her and Hank. She ruffled his hair. “How much candy did Aunt Birdie give you?”

Charlie shrugged. “I’m not supposed to say.”

Hank smiled. “That sounds like her. Maybe after dinner you can teach me how to play Mario Kart.”

“How about tomorrow?” Ivy said. “Tonight you just need to rest.”

Hank made a face at Charlie. “Your mother is no fun.”

He let out a big exhale. “I know.”

Sated with pizza, beer and the two pain pills that Ivy had insisted he take, Hank was firmly ensconced on the couch watching Charlie play video games while Ivy and Birdie cleaned up in the kitchen.

He dug the flash drive out of his pocket and turned it over in his fingers. It looked like any other flash drive, but not one he recognized. Curiosity ate at him.

Ivy and his aunt came in, chatting about dessert. Birdie said there was leftover wedding cake, and she happened to have bought ice cream.

Hank held the flash drive up. “Birdie, why don’t you use my laptop and open this thing up, see what’s on it? Ivy, my laptop’s on the counter in the kitchen.”

Birdie put a hand to her throat. “You want me to open it?”

“Why not?” He shrugged. “After how you dug into Prescott’s bank records, you’re clearly the most qualified.”

“I’ll grab the laptop,” Ivy said.

Birdie took the drive from him as Ivy left. “I guess I can try. What if there’s a virus on here?”

“I might be on pain meds, but even I don’t think someone broke into the house and left a flash drive on the floor in Charlie’s room in the hopes of giving me a computer virus.”

She sat in the recliner, holding the flash drive in her hand like it was a fragile thing. “I suppose you’re right.”

Ivy returned with the laptop, set it on the coffee table then fired it up. “Hank, you’ll have to log on. I don’t know your password.”

“Alphawolf.” He shrugged, a lazy smile curving his mouth. “You know, ’cuz I am one.”

Ivy grinned. “Maybe next time you shouldn’t take your pain meds with beer. For a shifter, you have a low tolerance.”

She typed the password in, then took the machine to Birdie and set it on her lap. “Here you go. See what you can find.”

Birdie put her glasses on, then plugged the drive in. The laptop whirred to life and beeped softly. She hit a few keys, her gaze studying the screen. Light reflected off her glasses as whatever was on the drive popped up.

“What is it?” Ivy asked.

“Files. Not sure what they contain yet.” Birdie tapped a few more keys. “This is interesting. Although I’m not entirely sure what it means.”

Hank waved a hand sleepily. “Probably nothing.”

Birdie looked over the rims of her glasses at Ivy. “Could KI stand for Kincaid Industries?”

She shrugged. “I guess so.”

Birdie nodded like she was thinking. “Then KI One and KI Two would make sense.” Birdie focused on the screen again, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses. “That would make this years of information.”

Hank pushed upright, his interest temporarily sanding off the edges of his drug-induced weariness. “What did you find?”

Birdie lifted her head. “I’m not a forensic accountant, but I’d say this file contains two sets of books for Clemens Kincaid’s business dealings. The real one that contains his actual numbers and the fake one he uses for official business. And if that’s the case, he could be going away for a long, long time.”

A surge of adrenaline zipped through Hank’s system, temporarily overriding the effects of the meds. He looked at Ivy, who was sitting very still, then spoke to Charlie. “Hey, kiddo.”

Charlie paused his game and turned around.

Hank pointed at the flash drive sticking out of the computer. “Where did you find that flash drive?”

“On the floor in my room.”

“And what were you doing when you found it?”

“I was putting clean clothes on.”

“Out of the bag your grandmother gave you?”

He nodded.

“Thanks.” Hank gave him a smile. “You can play your game.”

Charlie went back to crashing his car into those of his opponents and racking up points.

Even over the sound of the game, Ivy’s whisper was audible. “My mother.”

Hank turned to see her. “You think so?”

Ivy nodded. “How else would it have gotten into the house if not in the bag? She’s the only one who could have put it in there. She’d certainly have had access. And when she gave me the bag, she said something like I hope this helps.”

“Does she do the books for the company?”

“No, my second-oldest brother, Daryl, does. But my mother works in the office. Filing, answering phones, getting coffee. Stuff like that.”

Hank tried to read her face, but all he could really sense from her was shock and concern. “So she’d have access to the records.”

“I don’t know. I guess.” She glanced at Birdie. “Can you tell by looking at the drive who created those files? Or who they would implicate?”

Birdie’s mouth bunched to one side. “Let me look closer.” She pecked away at the keyboard, finally shaking her head. “There are no names that I can find. Hank, what do you think?”

“If there are no names, then the Justice Department would most likely go after the company and its officers.”

Ivy let out a breath. “That would be my father and my two oldest brothers. Which means my mom and Sam would be in the clear.” She turned toward him. “Would they, Hank? I’d hate to think of either of them going to prison for my father’s crimes.”

“What about your older brothers?”

She snorted. “They’re his henchmen. If he’s guilty, so are they.”

Hank thought for a moment, a tough task with the meds in his system. “Do you think Sam and your mother would be willing to testify?”

Ivy made a face. “That’s asking a lot. My mother might be too scared. As for Sam…I don’t know. I’d have to ask them both.”

“Don’t say anything yet. Let me work on this in the morning and see what I can figure out to protect them.” His lids grew heavy as the drugs started winning. He yawned.