Torn (21 page)

The odds against me
had just noticeably improved, but James and Jess were still stalking,
moving forward in imperceptible increments in an effort to reach
attack range.

Dom had shown her
bravery on more occasions than I could count, but I was still
surprised when she carefully moved forward and placed a hand on
James' arm. She leaned in and whispered into his ear. It was too
quiet even for my ears to pick up at this range, but it cut the anger
that had been fueling him into something tamer, something that could
be reasoned with by the portion of him not completely consumed by his
mother's fears and goals.

His expression said he
wasn't done, that at some point he'd demand an accounting of me, but
he left the room trailed by Dom and then there was only Jess. It was
complete foolishness for her to continue unsupported, but Jess had
suffered at Brandon and Vincent's hands more than anyone else in the
pack. She wasn't entirely sane anymore where they were concerned.

Desperate to stop her
without being forced to hurt her, I found new levels of energy inside
me and threw them at her with all the force I could muster. Faced
with such an inarguable demonstration of just how out of her depth
she was, not even Jess could continue. She spun away and left the
room.

Isaac met my gaze for
several seconds. The look conveyed gratitude for not hurting Jess,
combined with a request to be released to follow her. I nodded, and
he left, no doubt hoping to catch her and calm her down before she
made it back to her father.

Adri's breathing
changed alarmingly, and I spun around as Rachel squeaked. I only
just managed to get my hands back to normal before I caught her.

"There isn't
anything to worry about now. Go ahead and catch your breath."

It seemed odd to be
talking of something so mundane after everything that'd just
happened. Even among the perennially violent moon born it wasn't
every day that half the pack nearly attempted a coup.

Adri understandably
had questions, but my full attention wasn't on her immediate needs.
Donovan and Mallory had spent nearly two decades molding my mind into
something that didn't lock up in an emergency. They'd succeeded and
I was already looking ahead to what was going to happen next.

Brandon wouldn't move
against us directly, not until after he'd felt out his contact on the
Coun'hij. The real danger was the indirect actions he might take.
He was as vindictive as they come, and the easiest person for him to
cause problems for was Adri.

I shook my head to
clear it and then met Adri's eyes.

"This isn't the
time; we need to get you back home to your mom. It would be most
unfortunate if she were to arrive and find you gone."

"No. She's not
going to be home until Sunday. There isn't any reason to go back
there yet."

"You mean she
wasn't planning on coming back until Sunday. Once Brandon gets
involved in things, they tend not to go as expected."

Rachel reappeared just
in time to bolster my case.

"He's right,
Adriana. You need to be home in case your mom returns sooner than
expected. Things are going to get plenty weird enough over the next
couple of weeks. You don't want to start out with your mom already
mad at you."

She nodded, but I
could taste her fear. She thought I was going to send her back by
herself.

"Don't worry;
I'm not going to send you back alone. We'll make sure nothing
happens to you."

The timing wasn't
optimal considering that I'd just pissed Jasmin off, but there wasn't
any choice. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed
Isaac's number, automatically lapsing back into the hushed whisper
the pack used over the phone.

"Isaac, I'm
sorry to pull you away from Jess, but I need you and your toys.
We're going to need to set up a call forwarding station. I know, but
it's necessary. Assume that they've got a standard land line and
grab one of the backup cell phones."

Jasmin almost let it
ring through to her voice mail.

"What do you
want?"

"I need your
help. We're going to provide security for Adri's house until I can
get her mom out of the country."

"And who's going
to supply overwatch for Donovan and the others while you take the
pack out to babysit?"

"This isn't open
to discussion, Jas. I'll see you in the garage in five."

Dom answered on the
second ring.

"Yes, Alec?"

"Dom, I'm sorry.
I know it isn't the best time to ask this of you, but I need you to
come play wheels for twenty minutes."

I heard her sigh in
unhappiness, but with Dom it was never a sign of defiance. She would
do whatever the pack required of her; she just wasn't looking forward
to the fight with James, and his mother later.

"Si, Alec. I'll
be there as soon as I'm able."

Either Dom was
becoming more assertive, or she had James even more tightly wrapped
around her finger than I'd realized. She was standing outside her
Toyota waiting for us when Adri and I finally made it out to the
garage.

Dom drove with a
shadow of James' normal aggressiveness behind the wheel, managing to
get us to Adri's almost a minute quicker than I'd expected. As we
came around the last corner to Adri's house Dom dropped down to
thirty miles per hour and Jasmin, Isaac and I piled out of the car.

It was a tricky
maneuver, but we'd practiced it several times over the last few
years. Donovan and Mallory disagreed in a few areas regarding what
had made my father an effective leader, but they were completely
united on one thing. My father's unyielding resolve to game out
every possible scenario he could think of with his most trusted
warriors had saved them on more than one occasion.

I'd attempted to
follow in his footsteps, and high speed dismounts and entrances into
vehicles seemed like something we might need at some point. Besides
once you got over the bruises and road rash of your first few tries
it was extremely fun.

As Dom turned down
Adri's gravel lane the other three of us fanned out around the car.
We stayed close enough to support each other, but tried to ensure we
were scattered enough to pick up any scent traces if Brandon's people
were hiding from us.

Adri exited the car
after a few quiet words with Dom, and then looked up at her house. I
joined her at the porch only to see her jump as she realized I was
there.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's ok. Where
were you?"

Watching you; wishing
there was some way I could spend more than just the next few hours
with you. Wishing I didn't have to send you away with your mother.
I settled for a half truth.

"Scouting. We
had to make sure Brandon's pack wasn't waiting for us."

"How can you be
sure? They could be hidden anywhere."

She'd apparently
shared my dreams and some of my enhanced senses, but hadn't really
grasped the implications for those of us who really possessed them.

"No, if they
were hanging around outside we'd be able to smell them."

"So not only are
you faster and stronger than normal people, you've also got noses
like real wolves?"

"Of a sort.
That's not really important though. Let's get you inside."

She nodded and started
towards her door. I was once again struck by the sheer bravery
wrapped inside that fragile, human package. I moved up to her side
and placed my hand on the doorknob before she could open it.

"May I have
permission to enter and make sure it's safe inside?"

"I thought you
said you'd be able to smell them if they were here."

"If they were
outside, yes. Under normal circumstances we'd be able to determine
whether or not they'd been here in the last few days, but the
rainstorm last night was strong enough to wash away all of that."

She marshaled her
courage and then nodded. I slipped inside and quickly went through
the entire house. There wasn't any real need. The rain storm
wouldn't have impacted the scent trail indoors. Still, I followed
Adri's rich scent upstairs, stuck my head inside her room and
breathed it in.

This was a piece of
normality, a part of her life I'd never share. Sure that nobody had
intruded on their home since Brandon had picked her up for the party,
I headed back downstairs. If I somehow survived what was coming,
maybe I should buy this house. It smacked of insanity, but if I
wasn't going to be allowed to have her, it would at least allow me to
be surrounded by her scent.

She looked up at me
with such trust that I felt my heart skip. It was a good thing both
Jasmin and Isaac were so far away. I couldn't afford to appear weak
right now.

"It's safe;
there's no trace of them."

I held the door for
her and then crossed back outside.

"You need to
erase any evidence you weren't here all night. Take a shower, change
into some of your own clothes, and then go to sleep. We'll keep
watch outside until your mom gets back."

I pulled the door
closed behind me and took up my station at one end of the triangle
we'd created around her house. I pulled out my phone, checked the
clock and then mentally advanced it eight hours to Italian time. It
was about time for Isabel to be taking her mid-morning coffee, but
she probably wouldn't resent me too much for interrupting her daily
ritual. She'd been an aging model when my father had first met her,
but her love of fashion and the amount she'd saved over the years in
the hopes of starting her own business had impressed him so much he'd
helped her get started.

She'd long ago bought
out the family interest in her business, but she and Donovan remained
on cordial terms and we were careful to steer relevant business her
direction.

"Buongiorno."

"Isabel, it's
Alec Graves."

"Oh, Alec. How
are you this morning?"

"I'm doing well,
thanks. How's business?"

"You know how
things go. Sometimes the rich they spend, sometimes they get nervous
and don't spend. The lean times, they come and go. We've got the
show in Paris this week and then another in Milan after that."

It was exactly the
opportunity I needed.

"I've got
someone I need to move out of the country for a few weeks, preferably
without them realizing they've been managed. Do you think you could
find a spot for another photographer?"

She paused as if
considering the question and then sighed. "That is difficult,
Alec. Francisco he is very good, and very touchy. He will not like
it if he feels as though I'm grooming his replacement and I cannot
afford to lose him right now."

"I'll cover your
costs to bring her on board and throw in a fifty percent markup. If
you think it would help, you can offer Francisco a healthy bonus to
train this friend of a friend, and I'll cover any losses that result
if things do blow up in your face."

"Oh, Alec.
You're just like your father. Money truly doesn't mean anything to
you. Very well. Francisco he loves intrigue as much as any artist;
I think I can present it to him in such a way as to win his support."

"Thanks, Isabel.
I owe you one for this. I'll have Donovan wire the money over first
thing this morning."

"There is no
rush. I know that you are good for it."

I almost didn't tell
her, but she was the closest thing to a family friend we had outside
the moon born.

"It would be
best if I had him take care of it sooner rather than later. Things
have deteriorated somewhat over the last few weeks and I wouldn't
want to leave you with no recourse in the event that Donovan and I
aren't around to satisfy the debt. In fact, maybe you should put
together a generous estimate of what your losses may run if Francisco
doesn't cooperate and I'll send that over as well. I'll call later
with the phone number so you can extend the offer."

There were several
seconds of silence and then Isabel sighed in sorrow.

"I won't press
you for details, Alec, but I'm very aware that Donovan was more than
usually vague when it came to the details surrounding your father's
death. My daughter thinks you're all drug runners or some such, but
I do not believe it. You've all been nothing but honorable to me,
and I mourn whatever business it is that brought an early death to
him and now threatens the young man that is the closest thing to a
son I've ever had."

"Thanks, Isabel.
That means a lot. Both the sentiment and your not asking questions
I can't answer."

We made our goodbyes
and then I called and discussed the arrangements with Donovan. He
promised to see to the details and then there was nothing left but to
wait for Adri's mother to return or for us to be overrun by Brandon's
people. We were all praying for the former but Jasmin at least was
convinced Brandon would arrive first.

I listened to her
grumbles for nearly an hour as the price of her cooperation so soon
after being forced to back down over the whole Adri issue.

I was just close
enough to the house to hear Adri as she came downstairs and
hesitantly opened the front door. I was so excited to see her that I
moved towards her too quickly. She emitted a startled gasp at my
sudden appearance.

"I'm sorry, I
didn't mean to frighten you."

I was usually much
better than this at maintaining appearances. Something about her
made me forget myself, or maybe it was that she brushed aside the
illusions and somehow brought out the real me.

"It's ok, it
must be really limiting to always have to pretend you're slow and
normal."

Once again she'd all
but read my thoughts. It was uncanny how easily she did that. I
managed a casual shrug and hoped the ability was intermittent.