Thunder (Alpha Love - a Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance Book 3) (3 page)

“It was never supposed to be a permanent solution!” says Finn, as he crosses his arms. Sofie recognizes the defensive pose immediately.

“I’m not questioning your ability, Finn,” she placates him. “However, we need to make sure that Shale doesn’t figure out that we know they’ve been spying on us.” Sofie holds her fingers to her temple. She can feel a headache coming on, and it’s not even 9 a.m.

When it had become clear that Shale, and therefore Luke, had been monitoring the team’s emails and phones, Sofie and Finn knew that they had to tread carefully. Luke clearly believes in the old adage that knowledge is power, but they hadn’t expected that he would go so far. It turns out he was willing to go further than any of them could have imagined to get what he wants.

“I know that, Sofie. My IQ is like twice as high as yours, remember?” Finn throws his hands up in despair at Sofie’s shortcomings, and she bites her bottom lip to stop herself from saying something that she probably wouldn’t actually regret later. “But it’s not that simple. Unless you want to be the one to confront Big Boss Man Luke and tell him that he’s invading our privacy and violating a list of data laws about as long as my arm, then our options are pretty limited.”

Finn has gotten a little carried away and his raised voice has attracted the interest of some of the men nearby. Sofie takes a step closer to him and keeps her voice low. “We’ll figure it out, Finn. Just don’t crack on me. You’re the only thing that makes sense around here anymore. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She lays a hand on the tech genius’s shoulder and squeezes. It was true; Finn is her best friend and, right now, in the midst of all this craziness, she needs him more than ever.

“Alright, alright, just don’t get all dewy-eyed on me. I can’t take it!” Finn shrugs out of her reach, embarrassed by her outburst. They were both much better at flinging insults at each other than they were at saying how much they care. “Don’t you think it’s time we brought Darwin into the mix? Told him what’s going on?” Finn asks the questions as if they’re just offhand remarks, but it’s clear that they’ve been playing on his mind.

Sofie shakes her head. “Darwin’s got enough to deal with. The divorce is really taking it out of him. And now that he thinks I’m trying to muscle my way into taking his job, he’s not exactly in the best frame of mind to listen to what I have to say.” She tries to keep the sadness out of her voice, but it’s hard.

Darwin had been her mentor. She liked and respected him and knew that he had felt the same way about her. But as soon as Luke divided the responsibility of the drilling between the two of them, their whole relationship changed. Darwin is now convinced that Sofie stabbed him in the back, and he has barely spoken to her, avoiding her as much was humanly possible bearing in mind they now share an office.

“He’ll come around. You know what he’s like, all bark and no bite.” Finn tries to be comforting, but the uncertainty in his voice gives him away. The truth was that neither of them had ever seen Darwin like this. “He’s just finding it hard that Luke thinks he needs a babysitter. He’s one of the most senior geologists in the country!”

“I know that, Finn.” Sofie rounds on him, not bothering to lower her voice, stung at his remark. “I didn’t ask for this. I know that Darwin is about a hundred times more qualified than me to do this job, but I didn’t get a choice. Luke has his own agenda, and he’s not exactly big on sharing.”

Finn holds his hands up in surrender. “Woah there, Braun. I wasn’t accusing you of anything. Jeez, someone got up on the wrong side of bed this morning, or is that the wrong side of Ashton?” he says and winks at her, smiling like a naughty child and, just like that, the tension between them has disappeared.

Sofie ignores the question, giving Finn a look that tells him that all is forgiven. “Speaking of our illustrious leader. Any news on when the big boss man is arriving?” They both know that Sofie’s question has less to do with her obsession with schedules and more to do with her anxiety over seeing Luke again. The past few days without his presence in Beaumont had lulled her into a false sense of security and that was going to be broken as soon as Luke returned, as he had promised he would.

“Nothing yet, but I’m guessing that we’ll be the last to know, as per usual.” Finn pays more attention than necessary to the printout in front of him. “You feeling alright about him coming back?” Finn has never been accused of being subtle and that isn’t about to change anytime soon.

The truth was that Luke had proven himself to be more than your average, friendly neighborhood stalker. He had taken his obsession with Sofie to a whole new level, investigating her past and even breaking into her apartment. But the guy was untouchable. Someone who appears on the Forbes 400 list isn’t exactly the kind of person that understands the word
no
.
Take, have, keep
—those were words more familiar to his vocabulary.

“Fine.” Sofie smiles brightly at Finn, hoping that she looks at least as confident as she sounds. “It’ll be fine.” She realizes that this last phrase is more for her benefit than for Finn’s, but she needs the encouragement. Luke had tried to have his way with her once, and he’d made it very clear that he held all the cards when it came to Sofie.

He knew all about her parents, the debts they’d left behind, and the very scary people who they owed money to or, more accurately, who Sofie owed money to. That put him in a very unique position, and he’d made it perfectly clear that he didn’t consider blackmail to be beneath him. Sofie shakes her head, trying to get the image of him cornering her in his limo out of her mind, as she thinks back over his words,
You just make me so crazy, Sofie. Don’t you have any idea what you do to me? I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you, and I know, deep down, you feel the same way.

She can still smell the whisky on his breath, making her want to gag.
How many times have I replayed that scene over and over again in my head? The answer is too many times.

Soon, Luke will be back in town, in full surround sound and Technicolor. She knows that there are only so many times she can fob him off. There will come a day when he won’t accept any more excuses or
playing hard to get
, as he liked to call it. Soon, he will make her choose—her career or her dignity. However, it isn’t even that simple. If she lost her job then, short of robbing a bank, she wouldn’t be able to keep up on the repayments of the debts her father had saddled her with.

The people that she had to pay off every month were not the kind of people that you wanted to disappoint. She knows that Ashton would love nothing better than to teach Luke a lesson, but that wouldn’t solve anything, and while it might make her feel a little better to see her boss get his just desserts, it wasn’t her style. Sofie may hate the guy, but she wouldn’t want him to
disappear
, something that the pack specializes in. She doesn’t know if she’d be able to live with herself if that happened, even if it did mean that it would solve a lot of her problems.

“Earth to Braun. Come in Braun.” Finn has turned his schedule into a makeshift megaphone. He drops the funnel from his lips and looks at her quizzically. “You cracking on me there, Lara Croft?” Finn has taken to calling her this since her outfits under the Wyoming sun have taken a definite leaning towards shorts and desert boots.
There are worse things to be called than a hot British archaeologist
, she reasons silently.

Sofie rolls her eyes and gives him a friendly nudge. “Not a chance, Finnbarr. You’re stuck with me for a while. And you’re just jealous you can’t work these shorts like I can.” Sofie cocks her hip for emphasis, giving Finn a pointed look.

She gets her game head back on, reminding herself that she has work to do. She knows that there will be plenty of time to worry about her life, but right now she can use a distraction. Working on a project that will potentially involve the destruction of the werewolves’ homeland may not be a distraction in the most judicious sense of the word, but it was helpful to focus on something else, something outside of herself, something that she might actually be able to change.

“So how much longer are you going to keep on hanging out here, killing time with me because you’re trying to avoid Darwin?” Finn gives her a sly look, as his fingers start flying over the iPad he carries around with him like a baby.

“Thanks for your support, Finn. Always good to chat,” Sofie replies dryly. She takes a look at her cell, still no message from Ashton. He's either still mad over their fight, or he wants to apologize for some of the things he said but doesn’t want to be the one to make first contact after she was the one that walked out.
The guy invites you to move in with him and you tear him a new one
, Sofie’s brain reminds her.

She thinks back to when the same situation had arisen with Tyler. Although it feels like a lifetime ago, but it was only about a year and a half. He hadn’t so much asked her to move in with him as suggested they pool their resources.

“It would make a lot more sense,” he’d said in the tone of voice he would use when he was arguing a case in court. “We’d be able to get a bigger place instead of living in two shoebox-sized apartments. Besides, whenever I stay at your place, I have to cross town to get to work in rush hour. The commute is killing me!”

And that had been that. Sofie had moved in with a man whose main reason for wanting to live with her was to beat traffic. At the time, she had weighed his arguments and ultimately saw the rationale behind them. It wasn’t an emotional reaction. It was, she had decided, the sensible thing to do.

So, they had found a place together, moved in, and life had continued much as it always had. They continued living lives that were more or less separate; they just shared a space. It took a while for her to reach the realization that they weren’t in a relationship; they were fuck buddies who happened to live together. But that was what she had liked about Tyler, wasn’t it? That he didn’t want anything more from her than she was willing to give.

That’s what she’d thought that she wanted, but something had changed. Something had shifted. All the negatives in Tyler’s personality that she’d been so good at ignoring came running to the foreground, and it became harder and harder to live with his arrogance, his constant need for adoration, and his meanness.

She’d left him without ceremony or much of an explanation, and still, she can’t quite figure out what it was that woke her up out of the stupor that she’d been living in for years with him. It was like she’d suddenly realized that life was too short to spend it with someone that you didn’t like and who didn’t seem to care very much about you. If she were a romantic person who believed in Fate and Destiny, then she might have thought that her sudden decision to leave Tyler was a way of life getting her ready to meet Ashton, to meet the person she was supposed to be with.

However, Sofie would never describe herself as a Romantic. She had never believed that there was only one person out there for her. It seemed like too much of a dangerous concept. After all, what happened if you never met him? Did that mean you were destined to live your life sad and alone? No, it was better to think that there were any number of men that she could be happy with. She had never needed anybody, at least not since her parents’ deaths. She had no intention of starting now. Leaning on someone was too frightening, too risky. Using a crutch made you vulnerable because what happens when it’s taken out from under you? You fall.

But she doesn’t want to think that’s what is going to happen with Ashton. There’s a deep feeling in the pit of her stomach that makes her desperately want to believe in the kinds of classic love stories that Hollywood is built on. However, in those stories the leading man wasn’t generally a werewolf, and the leading lady wasn’t generally an emotional island. The blank screen of her cell looks back at her with reproach. She knows that she can’t expect Ashton to make the first move, and she’s as much to blame as he is for how their morning together had ended
. Stop looking at your cell then, genius,
she tells herself, as she sets off in the direction of the mobile office unit.
It’s time to bite the bullet.

Darwin’s silence in response to Sofie’s cheery hello as soon as she walks into the office has become standard. That doesn’t mean that she doesn’t keep trying anyway, just for good measure.

“Morning, Darwin! How are you doing today?” Sofie’s forced cheerfulness feels jarring, even to her, but it’s either that or a confrontation. She knows what she’s voting for right now.

Darwin keeps looking down at the papers in front of him, as if he’s studying something intensely interesting and hasn’t even heard her come in.

Sofie stifles a sigh, instead trying a different tack. She heads over to the empty coffee pot and puts a fresh pot on. “Coffee, boss?”

“I’m not your boss anymore, Dr. Braun.” Darwin’s response is short and sharp; there’s no mistaking his annoyance.

Dr. Braun, he had never called her that before. He had been her mentor, her friend, and she’d thought of him as kind of a father figure, but it was clear from his sarcasm that he didn’t return the feeling, not anymore anyway.

Sofie doesn’t respond, not wanting to rile him any further. Instead, she pours herself a coffee as strong as she can stand and loads up her laptop at her desk, which is—thankfully—on the other side of the unit to Darwin’s. She starts looking over some initial site reports and quickly gets lost in the reading. Sofie loves her job; she really was one of those irritating people who liked going to work in the morning. However, things had changed since coming to Beaumont. Geology is still her passion, and sad as it may seem, she can still talk about rock formations for hours.

However, she’d seen the dark side of working for Shale and that had changed things for her. She tried to separate the science from the ethics, but it’s getting harder and harder to do that, especially now that it is becoming clear that Ashton has no intention of leading the pack out of the canyon.

“Are these readings right?” Sofie asks, her attention drawn to the figures showing the predicted depth of the oil under the rocks. It was off the charts.

“I think I’ve run enough drilling sites to be able to calculate a simple equation,” Darwin blusters, looking and finding another reason to be offended by his younger counterpart.

“That’s not what I meant, Darwin.” Sofie massages her pulsing headache, as she focuses on the numbers in front of her and not the ire in Darwin’s tone. “It’s just that these numbers are…incredible. I knew this was an impressive site; but, if these calculations are right, then we could be sitting on top of the biggest oil deposit in the country.”

“
If
they’re right!
If
they’re right! Why the hell wouldn’t they be right? What are you trying to infer?” Darwin throws his hands up and slams his reading glasses down on the table so hard, it wasn’t surprising when one of the lenses came bouncing out.

Sofie takes a deep breath, reminding herself to be calm and collected. She knows that she’s going to have to be the one to behave like the grown-up now. “We always double and triple check these figures, and then we check them again. You taught me that.” She ignores the elaborate sigh that he lets out as she starts going over the numbers again. It takes the best part of the afternoon for her to check the math, and it all works out; but, they had to be sure. “Finn, can you run a solution to this on the computer overnight?” She emails him the file as soon as he nods a
yes
.

“It’s a waste of time, you don’t need to do all that. It’s just going to tell us the same thing that we know already. You’re wasting time, and on a drilling site, time is money; but, you wouldn’t know about that as you’ve never run a site before!” Darwin grumbles, and this time, Sofie doesn’t turn the other cheek.

“No, I haven’t, and I’m not pretending that I’m an expert here. I’m just trying to do my best!” Sofie seems as surprised by her outburst as Darwin does, but he recovers quickly.

“So, if you’re not the right person for the job, then why the hell are you here? Why did Calambor give you my position? Was it a payment in kind?” As soon as the words are out of his mouth, Darwin seems to regret them, but he’s angry—which means he’s going to stand his ground, even if he knows he has gone too far.

Darwin’s words strike a little too close to home for Sofie’s liking. Luke’s desire for her had no doubt played a part in his giving her this position. She would like to think that it was more to do with her ability as a geologist, but she wasn’t stupid. “I don’t know why Luke promoted me. Maybe it’s because he thought you could use the support on such a big project, maybe because he thought I was up to the job! There was a time not very long ago, Darwin, when you would have thought the same. You’ve said yourself that I’m the best geologist you’ve ever worked with. So, what’s changed?”

“What’s changed is that this should be my role. Not yours. I’ve been so focused on my career that I let my marriage fall by the wayside, and now you’re taking this away from me, too.” Darwin passes a shaking hand over his eyes, his emotions getting the better of him.

Sofie feels a pang of sympathy as she watches the older man, obviously in pain. “Darwin, no one’s trying to take anything away from you. I’m just trying to help. That’s all.” She walks over to him, laying her hand on his shoulder, trying to offer him some comfort.

But after a few moments he shrugs her off, and Sofie lets her hand fall. “Well, what if I don’t need any help? What then?” Darwin sounds like a spoiled child; they both know that, but he’s on a roll.

Finn looks between them, his head moving like he’s watching the final of the US Open as they trade barbs.

“Well, then I guess you’d need to take that up with Luke. He’s the only one who can get rid of me—if that’s what you want to do.” Sofie shrugs her shoulders like she couldn’t give a damn if that’s what happens to her, but, she’s only half-bluffing.

Finn leans back in his chair, stretching theatrically. “I hate it when Mom and Dad fight.”

“Shut up, Finn.” Sofie and Darwin respond at once. They look at each other. It’s the first time they’ve managed to agree on anything since Sofie’s new position had been announced.

“Well, at least there are some things you two still see eye-to-eye on,” Finn mumbles under his breath as he types at lightning speed.

Darwin shuffles his feet, like he’s embarrassed at the exchange he’s had with Sofie, but there’s no going back from some of the things he’s said. “If it’s true that this was all Luke’s idea, then why didn’t you just say no? Why didn’t you tell him what you should have—that you’re not experienced enough for this?” Darwin looks at her, challenging her.

Sofie takes a breath. She knows that she can’t tell him the truth; she can’t tell him the real reasons that she couldn’t say no to Luke. She can’t tell him that Luke has threatened to end her career if she doesn’t do what he says and give him what he wants. She can’t tell him that she won’t quit because she wants to be on the inside of the project. As long as she’s with Shale, she knows what’s going on in the canyon. This job puts her in the best position to help Ashton and the pack. That’s if there is any way left to help them. Besides, she needs the money, for more than just the rent on her apartment. She remains silent, trying to figure out what to say; but, she’s quiet for too long.

“That’s what I thought—no loyalty. I heard what you did to Jennie, but I didn’t want to believe it. Turns out you’re just like the rest of them. I’m disappointed in you, Dr. Braun.” Darwin shakes his head at her with an expression that looks like he’s swallowing a bitter pill and, without another word, he walks out of the office.

Sofie stands stock still, getting to grips with what she’s just heard.

“Why is
disappointed
so much worse than
mad
?” Finn exhales like he can’t hold the tension inside his body any longer.

“Because it’s something your dad would say to you. Because it means you’ve hurt him.” Sofie sits down heavily on the chair that Darwin has vacated and puts her head in her hands, wondering if the ache that seems to have taken up permanent residence in her head is ever going to go away.

“What he said about Jennie, don’t take it to heart. He doesn’t know what happened; he’s just putting a bunch of rumors together and coming up with a theory.” Finn brushes away Darwin’s hurtful comment like it was nothing, but his words have made her ears prick up.

“Rumors? What rumors?” She levels a laser-like gaze on Finn, who squirms uncomfortably in his seat like he’s sitting on a pin.

“Oh, you know, office chit-chat, water-cooler stuff,” he replies evasively.

“Finn, you’re so bad at lying. Why do you even bother?” Sofie gives him a weary look. “Tell me. What are people saying?”

Finn takes a look at her and resolves that she’s clearly not going to let up on him until she hears what he has to say. “Nothing. Just that you seem to be climbing the ranks pretty quickly, and that Jennie was working on something for you before she got fired.”

“So? She was working on stuff for a lot of people, not just me.” Sofie tries not to take it personally, she knows that it’s probably just idle office gossip, but the fact that people would think she’d had something to do with ending the career of a friend still smarts.

“Exactly. So, it’s just that you’re an easy target. You’re out here in the middle of friggin’ Wyoming, not able to defend yourself. You’ve been promoted faster than anyone else in the company. You know, it makes good scandal. These people don’t have anything better to talk about.” Finn waves his hand dismissively.

“Yeah, so how do you know about it? You and I don’t exactly have people lining up to sign our year books,” Sofie notes drily, wondering if keeping to herself at Shale had really been the best idea.

“They figure we’re friends, so I must have the inside scoop. You wouldn’t believe how many of our esteemed co-workers have friend-requested me on Facebook since this all kicked off.” Finn talks excitedly, and then has the good grace to look abashed when Sofie gives him a look that tells him just how unimpressed she is with his jump in social networking stature.

“You hate those people. You laugh at them and criticize their work and their bad jokes and their hairstyles.” Sofie knows she sounds like a whiny adolescent, but she doesn’t care. She feels like the fat girl that’s just been dumped for the popular kids.

“I know, but they like me now.” Finn’s reply is so simple, and his voice is so small that it makes Sofie think twice about how hard she’s being on him. She had assumed that he was content being an outsider, that he enjoyed it, that he sought it out; but, perhaps that wasn’t the case after all, perhaps he wanted to be part of the cool gang as much as everyone else, he just hadn’t had a way in before. It looks like his friendship with Sofie is his golden ticket to the chocolate factory.

“Well, I’m glad to be of service, Finn.” Sofie gets up suddenly too exhausted to continue this conversation.

“Hey, Braun, are we okay?” Finn looks at her uncertainly, as if his sudden popularity would prejudice their friendship.

“Yeah, we’re good Finnbarr, just as long as you’re not fueling the fire of that little rumor mill,” Sofie waggles her finger at him like a grandma giving him a telling off.

“No chance. You know I wouldn’t throw you to that pack of hyenas. They have less sense than you do in your pinky finger. Besides, my silence keeps them interested!” Finn smiles cheekily at her and then goes back to his laptop. “You headed back?”

Sofie checks her phone for the hundredth time. She finally has a message from Ashton.
How about you come over and we do something other than fight? A
. She smiles to herself as she reads it. He can’t apologize—that would be an admission of guilt—but she’s learning to read between the lines. He is saying that he hates fighting with her, that he wants to see her, that he missed her.

She wonders why she has to look for his meaning between the words, like it’s a code to be deciphered.
Well, you’re not exactly Sharer of the Year,
Sofie points out to herself.

“Actually I think I’m going to stay at Ashton’s tonight. You alright to lock up?” Sofie grabs her denim jacket and is halfway towards the door before Finn stops her.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He’s staring at his computer screen at an email that’s just popped up.

“Honestly, Finn, it wasn’t a big fight. It was just one of those things…” Sofie trails off when she realizes that his concern over her choice in bed partner isn’t the reason for his warning. “What?”

“I’ve just had an alert from Luke’s PA. He’s on his way back from DC.” Finn keeps his eyes on the screen, giving Sofie a few moments to collect herself at the inevitable news.

“What, is Luke’s secretary one of your new Facebook buddies?” Sofie knows that this isn’t the main point she’s supposed to latch onto, but it’s the first thought that occurs to her.

“No, Karen doesn’t ‘agree with the internet.’” He uses air quotes to emphasize how ridiculous this is. “Anyway, I hacked her email account so we’d have a heads up when the big boss man was back in town. I know how you hate surprises.”

“Thanks, Finn.” Sofie leans against the doorframe, as it hits her that the honeymoon is officially over. She can’t go on pretending that she’s not in the middle of a war between Shale and the wolves.