Wolf Born (8 page)

“They’re not allowed inside the city limits, are they?” Audrey asked.

“No. Air quality’s at stake. It’s not their electric engines, but the onboard generators that do damage.” Because he wasn’t thinking, Max took her arm. A pleasure-laden shock traveled from his fingers directly to his groin. Thinking the relative dimness inside would be welcome, he tugged gently. “Come on. Let’s see if they have a table for us.”

She leaned into him so close it was hard to breathe. “Even if they don’t have one, I’ll bet they make one for you.”

Max bit down on a reply. He’d never been comfortable with having people fall all over themselves to serve him. That was one part he definitely wouldn’t miss when he left the governor’s office behind. He led her into the establishment and was greeted by an enthusiastic maître de. The rotund man with short, graying hair led them down a hallway and into a spacious dining room. There were only about ten other customers. “Would that be a table for two, sir?”

“Three.” Max kicked himself for not telling Johannes to wait with the car.

“Actually five.” The security guard hurried to their side.

“How about this?” Max pressed a twenty in black market cash into the maître de’s hand. “Put the lady and I at one table and the other three men at a table close enough they feel they can protect me but not so close they hear every word I say.”

“I understand.” The maître de’s gray eyes glittered mischievously.

Johannes and the other guard strode briskly into the restaurant. “Where are we sitting?” Johannes asked.

Loren’s man looked down his nose. “The boss and his lady are dining privately.”

“She’s my secretary, not my lady,” Max corrected sharply. “We’ll be discussing work. Don’t worry, you’ll be close enough to lay down your lives for me if anything happens.”

Johannes shot him a knowing look and took each of the other men by an arm. “Where are the three of us?”

“Right over here, sir.” The maître de bustled them to a table near the center of the room. When he returned, he ushered Max and Audrey to a window seat overlooking a small, gated garden. “Will this do?” he inquired archly.

“It’s lovely.” Audrey sat without waiting for either man to pull out a chair for her.

“Yes, it will be fine. Do we have menus today?”

“No, sir. We’re serving salmon. You can have it cold in a salad, or warm with turnips and new potatoes. The soup is bouillabaisse. It’s also available as an entree with fresh bread.”

“Could I get the salmon salad and bread?” Audrey asked.

“Of course. And for you, sir?”

“I’ll have the bouillabaisse. A bottle of something white like a Chardonnay would go well, I think.”

After the maître de left, Audrey frowned. “Booze in the middle of the day? I really will fall asleep at my desk.”

He shrugged. “I spent a lot of time in Europe. They have large lunches and take off part of the afternoon to sleep.”

“Yes, but don’t they work until nine or ten at night then?”

He smiled. “I’m surprised you know that.”

“It’s a small world, courtesy of the vid feed.” She glanced up, eyes alight with interest just like they’d been the night before. “Seems like we have the worst of both worlds. We don’t get the elaborate lunches, or the naps, and we end up working till all hours anyway.”

He laughed. She had such a bright, inquisitive mind, and her analysis was spot on.

“Don’t laugh at me.” She laid her purse in an adjacent chair.

“I’m not. I was thinking how astute you are, and it tickled me.”

She leaned toward him. “I know it’s not proper, since I work for you and all. But if you could lay that aside for a few minutes and tell me about yourself, I’d love to listen. Who’s Maximillian Sigayev?”

It wasn’t proper. Beyond that, it had been a very long time since he’d shared much about himself with anyone, but to his surprise, Max opened his mouth and started talking. He used the carefully constructed background he’d developed for himself, but still, her interest blasted through his defenses and touched him in a place he kept under lock and key.

*

Somewhere between her initial shock at being face to face with Max and struggling to manage her arousal, Audrey had decided to let the lunch play out as it would. There’d be plenty of time once they were back in the office for her to tell Max she was resigning. Her wolf had kept up a running tirade about mated something-or-others. Audrey hadn’t completely understood what her bond animal meant. Thank God the wolf had finally subsided once Audrey stopped fighting her attraction for Max. A little shocked at how quickly she’d rationalized away a few hours of indulgence, she was mildly ashamed of herself, but she pushed the discomfort aside.

Because it seemed like the only opportunity she was likely to get, she’d asked Max to tell her about himself, never expecting he would.
Guess today is one for miracles.
She listened as the man who haunted her dreams with nearly as much frequency as her wolf, talked about growing up in Maine.

“I was an only child. My parents were older, and I think I was a bit of a surprise. We lived in the hinterlands north of Bangor, maybe fifty miles from Mount Katahdin. I spent my boyhood and adolescence hunting and fishing. Never liked school much, but I did all right. Went to Boston College and graduated in Economics. Dad and one of my uncles ran an international import business, so I went into the family business. I lived in Russia, Spain, and Italy for a few years each, but I missed the U.S. Came back here about three and a half years before I decided to run for governor.”

Audrey listened carefully. She was pretty sure she was in love with Max, so she wanted to know everything about him. Something didn’t quite add up, though. His story was almost too practiced, as if he’d memorized a script.

“I tell you, he’s our mated one.”
Her wolf was back with bells on.
“That means he’s a shifter. He’s much older than that cock-and-bull story he just spewed.”

“Be quiet. I can’t think when you’re in my head.”

“I’m afraid you’ll let him get away. You don’t understand how critical this is. Our mates don’t grow on trees. We’re damned lucky if they show up at
all.
”

“Audrey?” He raised an inquisitive brow. “Earth to Audrey. Goodness, I’m telling you what you wanted to know, and it feels like you’re a million miles away.”

“Here we go.” A black-coated waiter sashayed to their table carrying a tray stacked with food. He arranged the dishes in front of them with skill and flair. “I’ll be back in a moment with the wine.”

“I’m sorry.” She met Max’s gaze and felt like she was drowning in the miracle of his eyes. “I was listening. Really.” She glanced at the food and unfolded her napkin in her lap. Everything looked expertly prepared and smelled delectable.

She took a bite of her salmon salad. “How do the restaurants manage? This has to be,” she lowered her voice, “black market food.”

He buttered some bread, dunked it in the fish chowder, and ate it. When he was done swallowing, he said, “Much of it is.”

“Why don’t the authorities do something?”

Max snorted. “Because then they wouldn’t have anywhere to eat.”

She felt naïve. Despite working at the state Capitol, the universe of privilege and special deals that benefited the wealthy, but no one else, was a world she knew very little about. The wine arrived. They ate in a companionable silence for a few moments.

Johannes walked to their table and pulled out one of the extra chairs. He smiled but looked tense. “There is a back way out of here,” he said very softly. “Exit the dining room, turn right and go to the end of the hall. The car will be waiting for you.”

Audrey opened her mouth to ask what had gone wrong. Her heart thudded heavily in her chest. Fear made it difficult to take even another mouthful. Max met her gaze and shook his head very slightly. “Thanks for stopping by,” he said brightly.

“No problem, sir. Always a pleasure to see you.” Johannes rose and walked out of the restaurant with a deliberate pace. Not too fast, not too slow.

“You needed to visit the ladies room?” Max kneed her beneath the table. “It’s just down the hall. Think I’ll take advantage of the men’s at the same time.” He rose in a fluid motion, picked up his jacket and got her purse, which he handed to her.

“Yes, of course,” she murmured. Her legs shook. Balancing on her high heels as she walked across the room took almost more finesse than she could manage. The other security guards still sat at their table, but they weren’t eating. Their eyes were everywhere as they chatted with one another.

Finally, she and Max reached the doorway. She’d been expecting a laser to rip through her any second. Not that the hall was any safer, but at least it was a more manageable space. Once they were heading down it, Max took her arm and picked up the pace. He didn’t say a word, but he was so close his breath was hot against the side of her neck as he shielded her body with his.

“Governor, what a surprise.” A masculine voice boomed from the far end of the hall, back toward the dining room.

Max bent close and spoke right into her ear. “Keep going. Do not stop until you’re in the car with Johannes. He’ll take good care of you.” He gave her a pat on the ass and turned. “Senator. Thought I recognized your voice.”

Audrey kept moving. She was too keyed-up to listen in on Max’s conversation with one of the legislators. It had actually sounded like Senator Bellotti. Then the door was there and she pushed through it, ignoring the alarm that blared when it opened. The car was, indeed, waiting. She yanked the passenger door open and jumped inside.

“Where’s Max?”

“Someone he knows from the Capitol stopped him.”

“Goddammit.” Johannes slammed a fist into the steering wheel. He tapped furiously into his wrist computer and then spoke into it, “Keep a sharp eye. Do not let anything happen to him. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

The car lurched away from the restaurant’s back door and down a narrow alleyway. “Where are you taking me?” she asked.

“Good question. Where would you like to be taken?”

“I think Max expects me to be at work.”

“I suppose it’s as safe as anywhere else. Certainly a better choice than your house.” He blew out a terse-sounding breath.

“What happened back there? Why’d you tell us we had to leave?”

“I can’t give you particulars, mademoiselle, but you were in danger.”

Her heart seized. It was a full time job to keep her wolf at bay. “Is the bad guy still in there?”

“I’m afraid so.”

She clutched Johannes’ arm. “Turn the car around. We have to go back for Max.”

“He’s our mated one. We cannot leave him. Jump out of the car. Run back. Now.”

Audrey’s fingers curved into claws. One emerged, dark and shining, and snagged on Johannes’ jacket sleeve. She yanked her hands into her lap and fought the transformation with every shred of her being.
“Stop that. If people find out, we’re screwed.”

Johannes glanced at her partially transformed hands with an odd expression on his face. “Get hold of yourself. Take a few deep breaths. Max has two guards to watch over him. Besides, he’s a big boy. He’s pretty competent at taking care of himself.”

The claw retracted, and she inhaled shakily. Why hadn’t Johannes said anything about seeing it? Desperate to change the subject, she asked, “How long have you known him?”

“Long enough.”

“I think it’s more than that. There’s something easy between you that makes me think you grew up together or something.”

“We didn’t.”

“Man of few words, eh?”

“Not always. I would lay down my life to protect Max, though. You’d be wise not to forget that.”

“I’m fond of him myself.” Her eyes widened. “Ah crap, I can’t believe I just said that. Forget you heard it, okay? Must be the wine.”

Johannes chuckled. “No worries, mademoiselle. I suspect Max is
fond
of you as well. There’s no easy way to say this, but you must learn to keep your, ah, other side under better wraps. This is your building. I will drop you within sight of the uniformed guard next to the front door. When you get out, run directly up the steps and go inside.”

“Where are you going?”

“Back to help Max.”

“I thought you said he didn’t need any help.”

“He doesn’t, but I feel better when I’m close enough to do some good. Out, mademoiselle.”

She opened her door. “Don’t let anything happen to him.” The pleading in her tone stunned her.

“I don’t plan to. Close the fucking door, so I can get out of here.”

Max walked slowly until he heard the back door open and shut. Christ! Everyone in the place probably heard it. The alarm went off like a klaxon. He quickened his pace. “Senator Bellotti. What a nice surprise.” Max extended a hand. The plump, middle-aged Italian grasped it with a sweaty palm.

With a knowing smirk on his face, the senator glanced down the hall. “What did you do to that poor girl? She was so anxious to get away, she went through a fire exit.”

“She’s just racing home to warm the bed for me. You know how they are.”

“Well, I used to. Not quite as, ahem, active as I was when I was just a young blade like you. Say, I wanted to bend your ear about that mess in Berkeley yesterday.”

Max nodded. It made sense. That was Bellotti’s district. “I think everything’s more-or-less under control—” he began.

The senator rolled his eyes. “Not judging by the volume of messages bombarding my office. What can we do to reassure the people they aren’t going to be ripped to shreds in the streets by shifters who’ve run amok?”

Max sat on anger that flared, pushing it deep so nothing would show on his face. He tried for a placating diversion. “Normally, I’d say time would cure things, but we’re close to the end of our resources. Water’s a huge problem in the southern part of the state. We’re going to have to tighten the ration coupon system and people always react badly to that.”

“What does that have to do with my people’s immediate safety?” Senator Bellotti asked indignantly. His dark eyes were nearly lost in folds of fat. Greasy dark hair was plastered against his scalp. Expensive aftershave nearly choked Max’s hypersensitive nose.