Wolf Bite (Wolf Cove #2) (7 page)

“Where’d you learn how to do that?” Connor eyes me
curiously.

“Years of fires in the wood-burning stove at my family’s farmhouse.”

He stands taller, looming over me. “Damn, I sure do like a
woman who knows how to handle a fire.”

After an afternoon of overt flirting, I’m somewhat more
comfortable around Connor. Enough to joke with him, at least. “Well, I just put
your fire
out
for you.”

Deep dimples mark his cheeks as he laughs. “You heading back
to the staff lodge for dinner? I heard you were starving.”

“Actually, I think I’m more tired than I am hungry. I need a
good night’s sleep.” Something I haven’t done since the day I stepped foot in
Wolf Cove.

We hit all the lights and lock up—in case of who out here in
the wild, I don’t know—and head out the back door to find both trucks rumbling.

Ronan is waiting on the stoop. “Tillie’s waiting for you, C.
And you’re coming with me and Bell. We’ll have to come back in the morning to
drop some plywood down over the mud for people to get across.” I hold my breath
as Ronan scoops me up without warning, carrying me across the thick mud to the
flatbed truck in much the same way Connor did earlier. I’m forced to settle my
hands on his firm, broad shoulders to keep myself upright.

“See you back at home!” Tillie calls out in that sweet
drawl, already sitting in Connor’s truck.

As luck would have it, I’m in the middle again, only the interior
of the flatbed is much less comfortable and narrower. There’s a giant gearshift
jutting up from the floor that I can’t really avoid straddling.

“It’s
so
dark,” Bell whispers from the passenger side
as we move slowly along the laneway. “Do you think there’s bears and stuff out
here?”

Ronan reaches over to shift gears with his big, work-worn
hand. Even without touching me, the simple motion somehow feels sexual, the
gear sliding closer toward me. “Bears, wolves, cougars.” Bell slams her hand
over the pop-up lock, earning Ronan’s deep laughter. “Don’t worry. Nothing’s
going to get us in here.”

I bite my tongue against the urge to tell them about the
grizzly bear we saw. That would mean telling them that I was out with Henry
cutting firewood, and there’s enough gossip around here, clearly.

I breathe a sigh of relief as we turn onto the main dirt road,
a road built to truck wood to and from the clearing site. I can’t even fathom
how all this property is Henry’s. I’m sure part of the tension between him and
his brother has to do with his grandparents leaving this all to him. If I were
Scott, I can’t say I wouldn’t harbor at least a bit of resentment.

Then again, he was handed a gold mine to run. He’s not
exactly hard done by.

We turn right onto the main road, toward the hotel. I expect
to see the headlights that have been trailing us all this time come into view
in the rearview mirror appear again. When they don’t, I look over my shoulder to
find the truck sitting idly, the distance between us growing. I frown. “Something’s
wrong. You should turn around.”

“Nah. They’re fine. They’ll catch up with us in bit.”
There’s just enough light in the truck to allow me to catch the sly grin on Ronan’s
face as he peers down at me, his gaze flickering to my mouth.

And it clicks.

Tillie’s sleeping with Connor.

And he’s been blatantly flirting with me all afternoon. No
wonder she’s been so pissy. My head falls back against the rear window and I chuckle
at myself for not seeing it sooner. “Oh...”

“You’re quick, red.” Ronan changes gears again, his fingers
doing a split-second graze along the inside of my knee on his way past.

It could easily have been an accident, but something about
Ronan tells me it wasn’t.

Chapter Seven

It takes me a few moments to recognize the scent
of Katie’s spicy floral perfume.

And another few moments to realize that she’s lying in my
bed, next to me.

“Do you think I should talk to him about her?” she hisses,
and I’m hit with a wave of alcohol off her breath.

I groan, reaching for my phone to check the time. It’s 2:00
a.m. “What?”

“About Rachel. She’s still in Homer. She hasn’t been able to
get a flight out yet, so she’s just been touring around. When’s the next time
she’s going to be in Alaska, right? But what if she manages to get a flight
home tomorrow? So I was thinking, if I go to Mr. Wolf and ask him really
nicely, and promise that nothing like this will ever happen, would he change
his mind?”

I groan, finally clueing in. “I doubt it.”

Her body tenses next to me.

“I’m sorry, Katie. But he can be a real asshole, you know
that.” He can also be very, very generous and giving, but in ways I never want
anyone to experience. Anyone except me.

“I know. I was just thinking...” She burrows into my side.
“What if you asked?”

“
Me
?”

“Yeah. I should have been fired too, but he didn’t fire me
because of you. So maybe he’ll listen to you if you ask.”

I sigh. “I don’t know, Katie.”

“Please? Can you just try?” Her voice has taken on that
really whiny tone. She must be really drunk. “I can’t imagine the entire summer
here without Rachel.”

Just like I couldn’t imagine the summer here without Henry. But...
I drop my voice to a whisper in case someone isn’t wearing their earplugs. “She
slept with someone else, Katie. She cheated on you. Don’t you care?” I’m not
sure how many people know about Rachel and Katie, besides me. And Henry,
because I told him. And I only know because I saw them firsthand and, well,
they’re definitely
together.

“What? No.” Katie laughs. “Oh, you’re so adorable and
innocent. I know it doesn’t make much sense to you. We’re best friends first,
and Rachel likes guys as much as girls, so I’m not going to tell her she can’t
be with them. That’ll never work. She’ll end up miserable and I don’t want
that. So we’re open about things.”

Open?
“So you mean you’re okay with her messing
around on you?” People actually make those kinds of arrangements?

“We don’t look at it like that. We’re just enjoying life and
our bodies while we’re young and we can, you know?”

Not really, but I’m learning quickly.

“So, can you please just try?”

I sigh. Firing Rachel was definitely a big mar on Henry’s
reputation with his staff. “I’ll ask him tomorrow.”

She gasps. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You’re the
best!” Before I know what’s happening, her mouth is planted on mine in a hard kiss,
the taste of alcohol lingering on her lips.

Pushing her off with an embarrassed chuckle, I warn her, “I
can’t promise anything, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“Too late! They’re up!”

She’s about to roll away when I grab her. “Hey, did you tell
anyone about the other day? About giving me a
you-know-what
?”

“No? I don’t think so?” A pause, and though it’s dark, I
picture her pretty face scrunched up in thought. “Well, I
may
have
mentioned it when I was trying to convince Darian from over in cabin eight to
do hers, because have you seen her in the shower? It’s nowhere as wild as yours
was but it definitely could use some tidying. Why?”

I sigh. No, I didn’t notice Darian from over in cabin eight,
but I don’t have the obsession with ripping hair from bodies that Katie does.
“No reason. Just something Tillie said.”

She snorts out loud. “Tillie’s got lots to say. So... how does
it look?”

I hesitate, but then remind myself that there’s no point in
being modest around Katie. “Good. I guess?”

“Ha! Told you so. We’ll have to buy a kit in Homer and do it
here next time, so we don’t get into trouble with the boss again.”

“Yay. Can’t wait,” I mutter, though I have to admit I am
happy that we went through with it, given how acquainted Henry has gotten with
that part of me.

She rolls away and stumbles from my bed—the bottom bunk in a
cabin of three sets—and into hers.

And now I’m wide awake, with the taste of liquor coating my
lips, staring at the bottom of the bunk on top of me where Autumn snores
softly. I learned her secret to undisturbed sleeping: a face mask and earplugs.
Apparently everyone around here sleeps with plugs and face masks. Everyone
except me.

Not that either of those would help with my spinning
thoughts.

What is Henry doing right now?

Sleeping, I’m sure. I wish I were lying next to him in bed.
But that will never happen, not as long as I’m working for him here.

I sigh. How am I even going to broach this subject with him?
And tomorrow, when he’s already got so much on his plate. I could lie and tell
Katie that I asked about Rachel and he said no, but I’d rather know that I
genuinely tried.

If I can just get him alone for fifteen minutes, I could
make sure he’s in a
really
good mood before asking.

Turning onto my side, I close my eyes and let myself drift
off with a smile of anticipation.

~ ~ ~

I don’t know why I’m so nervous. Maybe it’s
because my relationship—both work and otherwise—with Henry has been pretty
clear-cut so far: Henry says “jump” and I say “how high?” It’s not the other
way around: me, asking him for things. Me, telling him what I want. Outside of
the bedroom, that is. Though, even in the bedroom, he’s pretty demanding.

After an hour of staring at my phone, contemplating my best
strategy, I remind myself that while, yes, he’s intimidating and we’ve barely
scratched the surface of knowing each other, in some respects I probably know
him better than anyone else here. With a deep breath, I open up a text thread
to him.

I have a very important but quick question. Can I come by?

I close my eyes and set my phone on my chest, my heart rate
speeding up as I wait.

I jump at the vibration a minute later.

Not a good time.

My stomach sinks. He must be wrapped up with work. Or maybe he
thinks “I have a question” is code for sex? Swallowing my unease, I try again.

Seriously. Just a question. It’s important, and brief. I promise.

A moment later:

You’ve got me here, now. What’s your question?

I roll my eyes. Over text is not how I wanted to do this.

I think you should give Rachel back her job.

I bite my bottom lip as I watch the three dots dance on the
screen.

That’s not a question.

No, I guess it’s not.

Can you give Rachel back her job?

She went against company policy.

Okay... so not a flat-out “no.”

I purse my lips together, wondering if questioning him is smart.
He’s never given me reason to believe I hold any sway in suggesting anything
business related.

So have others, and they weren’t fired. I think you should give
her a break.

My phone starts vibrating with a phone call. My heart swells
when I see Henry’s name pop up. “Hello?”

“Why?” The single word as greeting, delivered in his deep
stern voice, throws me off, and it takes a moment to gather my thoughts.

I drop my voice to a whisper, though Katie’s the only one
here and she’s dead to the world, her mass of bleach-blonde hair splayed around
her pillow. “With everything going on right now, the last thing you need is
people questioning why you fired her and you didn’t fire me. Katie and I broke
policy, too. Plus, people around here don’t like you very much right now.
Everyone’s afraid to make a mistake and be shipped off. They spent a lot of
money on plane tickets to get here.”

Several long moments of silence hang between us.

In a last-ditch effort, I add, “You once said you wanted
people to be happy working here.”

“So?”

“So, if you really care about your staff, which I think you
do, then you’ll make choices to win their respect back.”

There’s a slight pause. “They don’t
respect
me?” He
says this like he’s surprised by it. Maybe he is. It’s one thing not to like
the CEO of the hotel chain you work for because he’s hard-nosed. It’s entirely
different not to respect him.

“Not exactly...”

“Why? What are they saying?”

“Right now? That you’re a spineless dickhead.” I hold my
breath, waiting for his response, hoping he doesn’t ask me who said that. I
don’t want to get Ronan in trouble or worse, fired.

“Fine.”

I frown, not sure that I heard correctly. “Fine, yes?”

“Where is Rachel right now? Can you get hold of her?”

“She’s still in Homer, trying to get a flight home. Katie
has her number.”

“Get her on the next ferry back. But she’s on a short leash
and I won’t give her another chance. Make sure you tell Belinda when you see
her so she can get her set up again.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

There’s a pause, and when he speaks again, his voice has
dropped to that gravelly, intimate tone. “Thank me later.”

My blood starts pumping through my veins. I don’t want to
hang up with him yet. “How are things? Were you with your father for long last
night?”

He groans. “All night, and this morning.  Him, telling me
how to run things like I don’t know anything, and then my brother throwing his
useless two cents in any chance he can, to try and prove he knows better than
me. I’ll be so happy when they’re both gone.”

He’s more candid than he has been in the past. I can
definitely feel a shift in our relationship since yesterday. It’s nice. “Hang
in there. It’ll be over soon.”

“Gotta go. See you later.” He hangs up, leaving me smiling.

“Katie!” I yell, no longer concerned about her obvious
hangover or the fact that she’s still sleeping. “Guess what!”

Chapter Eight

I’m smiling as I push through the staff entrance
at the back of the hotel, on my way to meet Belinda. I have no idea what to
expect today, but I’m sure I can get through it. I can get through anything.
Connor was right. I do have some power, after all.

I’m still smiling when I round the corner and plow right
into someone, earning his grunt.

“I’m so sorry, I—” My words fall short when I see Scott
Wolf’s face. His eyes are more gray than blue, but just as steely as Henry’s. “Excuse
me.” I take a step back to give him a wide perimeter, focusing on the long hall
and not breaking out in a run to get away.

“Abbi, right?” he calls out.

My feet falter. “Yes. Again, I’m so sorry.”

“No big deal. Are you heading to the lobby?”

“Uh...”
Say no! Say no!
“Yeah?”

He falls into step beside me. “It’s a maze down here, isn’t
it?”

I smile politely. “It’s easy once you figure it out.”

“My people tell me that every time I go into the mine, and
every time, I swear,” he chuckles to himself, “I say a small prayer when I make
it out alive.”

He’s making small talk. I can handle small talk. “That’d be
scary, being so deep underground like that.”

“It is. You never really get used to it. At least, I
haven’t, and I’ve been going down in there for over ten years now.”

Silence hangs between us as we make our way along the hall
at the clipped pace that I have set. He doesn’t seem to be struggling to keep
up.

“So, how do you like Alaska so far?”  

“I love it, truly. It’s beautiful.”

“It is, isn’t it? The resort is nice. I’ve been wandering
around all morning, scoping everything out.”

Is that the truth? I can’t tell. If it’s not, he’s very
convincing. “There’s a lot to see.”

“Way more than there was when I was young, that’s for sure. We
used to spend our summers up here.”

“Yes. Mr. Wolf mentioned that. At your grandparents’ cabin.”

“Have you seen it yet?”

“Yes. Actually, I was just there yesterday, making sure it
was staged appropriately for the media.”

“Good, good. I’ll be heading over there later. It’s been a
few years since I’ve seen it.”

“I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s been well-kept
and they worked hard to clean it up.”

“My grandfather would love to know that.” Scott seems
charming enough, and genuinely friendly. But after Henry’s warning, the last
thing I want is to be alone with him, which is why I speed up when I see the
elevator ahead.

“So, where are you from?”

“Pennsylvania.”

“Ah, the great state of virtue, liberty, and independence. My
ex-wife went to Penn State.”

Ex-wife.
The one that became an ex because of Henry,
as rumor has it? I clear my throat. “I’ve heard that’s a nice school.”

“Great school. One of the best. So, how’d you end up here?”

“A career fair in Chicago, where I go to school.”

“Oh yeah? Which one?”

Talk about twenty questions, but they seem harmless enough,
and nothing I shouldn’t answer. “North Gate.” When he frowns, I add, “It’s a
small Christian college. I’ll be starting my last year there this fall.” We
reach the staff elevator and I hit the Up button. The doors open and he holds
his hand out, letting me enter first before stepping in. A very gentlemanly
thing to do.

Maybe Henry’s just being paranoid.

Maybe he isn’t so bad.

“So, has Henry fucked you yet, Abbi?”

I choke on my gasp. “What?” I manage to get out.

“You heard me,” he says in a calm, cool tone, all semblance
of charm gone.

“I did. I’m just...” My heart is hammering inside my chest,
the walls of this elevator suddenly closing in on me as the doors shut. He
lulled me and then, wham! Completely blindsided me. “I’m his assistant.”

Scott hits the Stop button and the elevator comes to a
jarring halt.

And now I’m trapped in an elevator with him. “So was the
last assistant that he fucked. The one who’s now suing our company and pressing
charges for sexual assault against him.”

I back away from him, genuinely terrified. “I don’t... know
anything about—”

“In case you haven’t learned yet, my brother can’t keep his
dick in his pants, and he’ll tell you anything you need to hear to let him under
that skirt. So tell me, Abbi from Greenbank, Pennsylvania, population five
thousand, daughter of Roger and Bernadette Mitchell, previously engaged to the reverend’s
son before he found a girl who
wasn’t
saving herself for marriage,” he
turns to level me with a severe stare, his gaze flickering down to my chest for
a long, uncomfortable second, “what lies did he tell for you to lie down on your
back for him? I’ll bet they were good.”

His words suck the air from my lungs. “How do you know so
much about me?”

“It wasn’t hard. People love to talk, especially about their
sweet Abigail Mitchell.”

Oh my God.
Henry’s brother had me investigated?

“He’s just using you. That’s what Henry is: a user, a
manipulator. So what did he say? That you’re special? That you’re different?
That he’s never felt this way about any woman before?”

My blood is rushing through my ears.

“Oh, come on. Smarten up, Abbi. He said the same thing to
that journalist last night while he was over there, fucking her to make sure he
gets a stellar review of this giant waste of money that we’re all standing in.”

I use the elevator wall to support myself, my knees suddenly
weak.

“You may as well admit to it all now because Henry’s days with
Wolf Hotels are numbered. He’s already confessed to everything, and after his
last fuck-up, my father’s done giving him chances. I’ll be taking over
everything, including Wolf Cove, within the next few weeks. It’s already done. So
if you want to keep your job, you better start showing your loyalty to me.
Don’t protect him. He doesn’t give a shit about you.”

Roshana Mafi?

I can’t keep the shock from my face, his words like a swift
punch to my gut. Is this true? Is this why Henry wasn’t willing to let me come
by last night, and this morning? Because he was with another woman?

No. It can’t be. I just talked to him today. He agreed to
let Rachel come back. He made it sound like he was looking forward to seeing me
later.

“Use your head. I know you’re a smart girl, with that 4.0
GPA. You have real potential. I’d hate to see it ruined when my brother’s legal
issues hit the media. It would be so easy for you to get dragged down with him.
He’s got a real appetite and I’m guessing a lot of women will come out of the
woodwork to share details.” Scott smiles, but it’s not at all kind. “Imagine
what that’d be like, sitting in the front pew of church while the good reverend
and everyone in there picture all the dirty, depraved things you must have been
doing with him.”

I close my eyes against the threatening burn in my chest and
try to calm my breathing. Henry warned me that his brother was a manipulative
weasel who wants the hotel chain badly. Likely badly enough to corner his
brother’s assistant in an elevator and try to manipulate her into admitting to
sleeping with him, which would guarantee William Wolf pulls the hotels away
from him.

And if Henry already admitted to it, I wouldn’t have to.

This is all bullshit.

It has to be.

Scott begins to laugh. “What did he do? Promise you a real
relationship? Ask you to stick by his side? Of course he would. He needs to
keep you happy and quiet while he tries to buy his way out of this mess.”

Scott is hitting too close to home now. Steeling my nerve, I
reach past him and hit the release button for the elevator, all while
swallowing against the bile threatening to rise. “I don’t care what Mr. Wolf
does in his private life, and I don’t know what he could possibly have admitted
to because I can assure you, I have a strictly professional relationship with
him. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” I bolt out of the elevator the second the doors
open. I can’t get away from Scott fast enough.

A wave of relief hits me at the sight of Belinda standing in
the lobby, tapping her toe and glancing at her watch.

She frowns as I hurry toward her, but a quick glance behind me
seems to give her the answer. “So I see you’ve met Scott,” she mutters, venom
lacing her tone. “What did he say to you?”

“Nothing.” Only when I try to adjust my blazer do I realize
that my hand is trembling.

Belinda grabs my forearm and pulls me into a corner. “Abbi?
Tell me, now,” she demands in a stern voice, her eyes all the more severe
behind those heavy-rimmed glasses.

And suddenly more kind.

But what can I trust her with?

She seems to read my unspoken question. “Henry hired me and
has given me every opportunity to succeed in this company where his father and
brother would not. I’m loyal to him, not them. So you can tell me what that
piece of shit said to you,” she says in a calm, slow voice.

I swallow. “He had me investigated.”

Her pretty face twists up, displaying the shock that I feel.
“What?”

“He knows where I’m from, my parents’ names. He knows... other
things!”

“Fuck.” She shakes her head. “But, I’m not surprised. Look,
there’s a huge power thing going on between those two, and their father isn’t
helping any. Scott wants Wolf Hotels and he’s looking for ammunition.” She
hesitates. “He accused you of sleeping with Henry, didn’t he?”

“Yes. And I told him I’m not but—”

“He doesn’t care. Henry’s in such deep shit with... this
problem that I can’t talk about, but needless to say, if Henry were screwing around
with you, William Wolf would flip his lid. He’d see it as the last straw, a
final sign that he can’t trust Henry with Wolf Hotels.”

So, Belinda knows about Kiera, too. I remember her
mentioning something about it to Henry last week. I wonder how much she knows. “Scott
said he’s already made that decision.”

“No.” Belinda’s head shakes vehemently. “That’s bullshit or
I would have heard about it already. Don’t believe a word Scott says. Not a
word! He’s like a snake in long grass in a children’s playground. And he’s
smart; he knows just what to say to get under your skin. He’s done it to me
before, too.”

I exhale deeply, the first real breath I’ve managed since
running into Scott. He’s lying about everything.

About Roshana and Henry, last night.

She pats my shoulder. A strange, comforting gesture, and
something I’d never expect from her. Maybe it’s her preoccupation with all the
media, but she’s being civil with me today, seemingly unconcerned with whether
I may be sleeping with the boss and trying to get me fired for it. Or maybe
we’ve just done a good enough job at covering it up that she actually doesn’t
suspect anything anymore.

“Come on, we can’t let him derail everything. That’s what he
wants, to make Henry look bad. We’re here to make him look good, and we have a
lot of work to do before we can make sure that happens.” She glances at her watch
with a groan. “And forty-five minutes to do it before you need to be with him.”

That’s forty-five minutes too long.

I need to see Henry right now.

I need to know that
everything
Scott said was a lie.

~ ~ ~

“God, I can’t wait until this weekend is over. I
need a day off,” Belinda grumbles under her breath as we speed through the
hall, her heels clicking noisily on the tile. We’re back in the underground
part of the hotel, far away from the guests. I’ve been watching over my shoulder
for Scott, but thankfully he’s not lurking down here.

“What will you do on your day off?”

She snorts. “What
is
there to do around here?”

“I don’t know. Go for a hike? Take the ferry into Homer?
Borrow one of the staff kayaks?” What would
I
do on a day off? Get Henry
to take me out for a drive, somewhere remote and beautiful, where we can take
our clothes off and be as loud as we want without concern of observers. Ideally
where there
aren’t
grizzly bears to interrupt us this time.

Or maybe I’d just lock the doors, draw the blinds, and strip
down and distract him from his work.

I bite the insides of my cheeks to quash the goofy grin from
taking form on my face.

Luckily, Belinda doesn’t notice. “Bugs and wilderness. My
two favorite things.” She jabs at the elevator button. “More like order room
service and watch Netflix, and tell the world to fuck right off. I can’t wait
to get back to New York.”

“You don’t like it up here?”

“I’m a city girl. The quiet drives me crazy. You have the
schedule, right?”

I tap the screen of my iPad, where the media and interview
schedule that Belinda laid out is ready. Henry is booked solid from noon until
four, where he gets a quick break to change for the ceremony and dinner event.
Four hours of talking and charming people in one setting or another, and
answering questions. Not exactly glamorous.

“There will be a lot of people floating around, trying to
grab his attention for as long as he’ll give it. He needs to be courteous and
charming, but keep things flowing. He can’t be looking at his watch and
worrying about time, because it makes people feel like they’re unimportant. He
needs to give each person his undivided attention. Your job is to manage him.
Keep him moving and on time. How good are you at interrupting people?”

Terrible. Absolutely awful
. “I’ll do what needs to be
done.”

“Good. I’ll be floating around, making sure everything else
is going off without a hitch. Flawless operation is everything today.” She smoothes
her hands over her business suit—yet another black jacket and skirt combo
that’s probably too provocative for a hotel manager, but Henry’s not saying
anything to her about it. She’s immaculate as usual, her blonde hair down in
smooth waves today. I wonder how long it takes her to do that.