Thomas (10 page)

After they made arrangements for
Hannah to come and get her, they hung up. As she sat there eating
the last cookie, she looked at Mike. He just smiled at her when she
told him she needed help.

“
Anything, mistress. You
are but to ask and I will do my best to help you.” She wondered
what he’d say if she asked him to help her be less sloppy, but
mentally shook her head. Maybe next time.

“
I have clothes.” He
nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’d know that. Thanks, by the way, for
cleaning up after me. I don’t usually have someone that is willing
to pick up my gun and put it away.”

“
You have an assortment of
them, if you don’t mind me saying so.” He turned then and handed
her the small switchblade she’d been looking for. “I retrieved this
from the washer this morning. If I do find such items, where would
you like them stashed so you can find them again?”

She had no idea and said that to him.
“Maybe I can have a gun safe brought here. I have more than you’ve
seen and sometimes…especially when I’m hurt…I forget to take them
out of my suit before I toss them on the floor.”

“
I shall have Master
Thomas send for one. There are a number of things he is still
looking to update and purchase for your home, and this will be
something to add to the list.” She nodded but made a note to
herself to get one for herself. There was no reason for him to pay
for it.

“
I’m having lunch with
Hannah. I’m sure you know her.” He nodded again. “Good. She wants
my help with her aunt. I don’t think I like her, the aunt I mean.
She’s being underhanded and I can’t stand dishonest people. But
Hannah I do like. This aunt, do you know her?”

“
Not really. I have seen
her around the main house and with Mr. Daniel. You will like him.
But I’m to gather that you are to help her make an impression.”
Linyah nodded and took the plate of cookies he handed her. She was
going to be buzzing in about an hour and wondered if that was such
a good idea. “I have a daughter that might be able to help you. She
is a fashion designer for a big magazine. I can give her a call.
She’s in town for a few weeks. And I’m sure that she will be able
to help you both out.”

He said he’d set it up, and Linyah
called Hannah back. Within twenty minutes they were setting up a
meeting with Michelle, Mike’s daughter, and Hannah sounded excited.
Linyah was excited too. She’d never been shopping with another
woman before and had never been in a mall. She avoided them as much
as she did dresses. It was the same as a death sentence as far as
she was concerned.

As they met up at the food court,
Hannah hugged her tightly to her. Linyah wasn’t sure about all the
touchy stuff, but the other woman seemed to enjoy it. As they
waited on Michelle, they talked about the aunt.

“
She’s not mean or
anything, just…pushy. You know what I mean? A couple of times when
they were over to the house, Daniel, my uncle, asked her to back
off. I’m not sure, but…. Okay, I am sure that my grandparents,
particularly my grandfather, is making her do this. I wasn’t sure
how to find out what he might have over her, but she isn’t doing
this because she’s nosy.”

“
I could check if you
want.” Hannah nodded, then looked stressed. “I don’t mind. I can do
it so that she won’t know I was in there. And if you don’t want to
know, I don’t have to tell you what it is, just that he does it if
you want.”

“
It’s not that. Well, it
sort of is, but I’m worried that he’ll come here. My grandfather, I
mean. So is she. She thinks that if he doesn’t get something soon
about me, he’s going to simply come here and get me.” Linyah knew
that wasn’t going to happen. “I’m terrified that he’ll take me. I
don’t have any idea why that gives me nightmares, but it does. I’m
more afraid of him than I ever was of Bella.”

“
I can understand that,
really. It’s the fear of the unknown. And he’s someone that you
don’t know. But are you serious about being afraid he’ll take you?”
Hannah nodded. “You are a leopard, you know? And from what I know,
he’s just a human. You could kick his ass all the way back to
wherever he was hatched. And you want to know something else?
Leopard or not, you’re a good deal stronger than you think you are.
Just tell him to back the fuck off and be done with
him.”

“
He has a lot of money.”
Linyah asked her if she wanted to be in his will. “No. I mean,
sheesh, Misha has more than I can spend, he tells me. I don’t need
anything. I can make due with little to nothing when it comes to
clothing and other things. Not that it stops him from buying me
anything I look at twice. Misha tells me to spend more on myself,
but having more than a couple of pair of pants and a few shirts is
just stupid.”

“
I have nine uniforms and
four pair of boots. This pair of jeans and five shirts that I wear
around the house.” She looked at her shoes that she’d had longer
than she could remember. “I would fall off heels if made to wear
them, I don’t do dresses, and I hate having my hair touched. I
understand you completely, but that makes me no less secure than
you when it comes to spending money on myself.”

“
But you’re beautiful.”
Linyah was shocked by her words and shook her head. “But you are.
You have the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen. The greenest eyes
that…they remind me of emeralds. You’re rail thin and well-toned. I
bet you work out every day to have a nice, strong body like
yours.”

“
I do run.” Hannah nodded.
“And speaking of beautiful women, have you looked in the mirror?
Christ, woman, you could be on the cover of those girly rags; you
know, the magazines that tell you how to improve your sex life?
You’d be the most popular cover they’d ever had. If that was
something you wanted to do.”

Hannah laughed and told her she was
nuts. “I see what I look like. I love me as a cat. She’s so sleek
and beautiful. And her strength amazes me. She can also do things
that I can only dream about.”

Before she could tell her they were
the same person, Michelle came to their table. Mike had provided a
picture of her and when she smiled, Linyah could see a bit of her
dad in her. She gushed over helping them and took them to a store
that looked like something that her sister Kendra would love. As
Michelle and Hannah looked at dresses, Linyah wandered around the
store. Thomas, who had been called away again, spoke to
her.

I might be late getting
home tonight.
He had left her this morning
for the office and said he’d be home by five. It wasn’t even ten
now, so she asked him if it was a call
.
No. We have some paperwork that we have to do and then there is
this scheduling thing that Misha is working on. It was my idea, so
I’m going to stay and explain it to him so that he can help me with
it. It’s a chart we’re making for our services. I think it might be
better if people knew up front how much things were going to
cost.

Okay then.
Now she didn’t have a clue what to do with the
rest of her day.
I’m at the mall with
Hannah. She needed some help with a dress. I’m not helping her, but
Mike has a daughter that is helping her. Hannah is going to meet
with her aunt and needed a boost.

Are you going to get you a
few things?
She wanted to be pissy about
the question, but his voice had taken on a slight purr
sound.
I think there’s a shop in the mall
that specializes in sexy things. Maybe if you got something to
model for me, we might actually make it to the bed this
time.

They had yet to make it anywhere close
to the bed when they’d had sex. A few times they’d ended up there
afterwards or had used it as a starting point, but they rarely
stayed there. Linyah felt her face heat up when she thought about
the dining room table that they’d christened just last
night.

I don’t need anything, but
I might take a look. You keep ripping my things from me and I might
have to buy in bulk.
He laughed.
I have some things at home. Maybe I should just
go and bring a few more things here. Just until you figure out what
you want me to do.

What do you mean? I want
you to live with me.
She nodded and
realized he wasn’t able to see her and answered him
verbally
. You do like living there, don’t
you?

I guess. I’m bored out of
my mind, but you have a really nice place.
She wandered over to the changing room when she saw Hannah go
inside with the woman.
I could go back and
forth, I suppose, but what if I get caught up in something and
can’t come back nightly? You wanted me here every night.

I’m sorry. I guess I
figured you…I don’t know. I guess I figured you’d work here at
something. But…I have to go. Misha is yelling for me. We’ll talk
later about this, okay?
She told him
sure.
Have fun. Spend some money and get
yourself something. I’ll see you tonight.

She closed the connection and sat down
on the little sofa. As she sat there, she reached out and found a
few crimes going on but stayed where she was. Linyah was trying her
best not to get hurt again.

But when something made Maribel tense
up, she focused her energy on her and waited. Maribel had told her
to not read her every thought, and she would do as she had asked.
To a point. This woman meant the world to her, and she didn’t want
anything to happen to her.

Chapter 6

Maribel was just finishing up her
shopping when she felt him nearby. It was all she could do not to
abandon her things and simply run. But running would cause a scene
and she wasn’t going to do that. Instead she rounded the next aisle
and turned to look at her ex-husband.

“
What do you want?” He
stepped closer to her, but she held her ground. “You don’t scare me
anymore, and you’re not supposed to be around me. I think you
were—”

“
Shut the fuck up.” Her
mouth snapped closed, but she didn’t back away. “I want you to tell
them damned boys that you’re taking me back. I don’t want to have
to show you what could happen to you again if you disobey me. I’m
your mate. You’d be better off just—”

“
No.” He lunged for her,
but she shoved the cart in his belly. Before she could think about
it, she reached for Linyah just as Andy shoved her back. Maribel
slammed against a wall of canned goods and the full cart was
tipping onto her when she was suddenly set on her feet. She looked
into the furious face of Linyah and felt relieved that she was
there.

“
What the fuck do you
think you’re doing?”

Maribel nearly sobbed with relief when
Linyah turned on Andy. If she’d looked at Maribel the way she was
Andy, Maribel was sure she’d be running in the opposite direction.
Andy, however, was too stupid to do more than fight, his natural
way of doing things.

Linyah turned toward Andy and slapped
him in the face. “I asked you a fucking question. What the fuck do
you think you’re doing? And you’d better have a better answer than
you were just looking around. I’ll fucking knock you on your ass if
you don’t.”

“
You can’t talk to me that
way. I’m leader here to this leap, and you’ll obey me or so help
me—”

Maribel almost burst out laughing when
Linyah cut him off with another slap to the face. He looked
murderous, and Maribel loved it.

“
You are nothing, you
overgrown piece of shit. Especially to me. Being here frightening
Maribel is going to get your ass killed, and I’m just the person to
do it. Besides, I thought you were warned not to come here again.
And now here you stand pissing me off and hurting this lovely
woman.” Linyah glanced at her and winked before turning back to her
mate. “Next time I won’t come here and save your ass but let her
rip you a new one. She’s going to do it, too, if you keep fucking
around.”

“
Her? You think she has it
in her to kick my ass?” He threw back his head and laughed, and
Maribel felt her cat stir. But they were in a crowded store and she
calmed her with the promise of doing something to the man the next
time she saw him. Andy continued as if the thought of her standing
up for herself was going to be funny. “She can barely stand up to
the postman, much less me. And she’s my mate. Don’t you know she
can’t harm me at all?”

“
I can.” It was Misha who
spoke this time, and Thomas was standing next to him. They both
looked as if they were going to kill their father, and Maribel
started to step between them. But Linyah held her back and told her
to stand still. Misha took a step to his dad, and smartly, Andy
took one back. “You’d better back off, old man. I’m not in the mood
to fuck with you.”

“
You should know that I’m
coming back to this leap and I’m taking over. You’ve done nothing
but let things slide to the shithole that you’ve lived in all your
life. And when I get back, things will be different. And you’ll pay
me a part of your money too. I’m not doing this without
compensation this time.”

No one moved, but Misha crossed his
arms over his chest. Maribel watched Andy while he stood there. She
wondered what he was up to when he turned and walked away. As soon
as the automatic door closed behind him, Maribel felt herself sag
with relief. Then she looked around.