FOUR
Jake felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. He already knew one of the men he’d been running from for several years had finally caught up with him. How, he had no idea. But he intended to find out. He took a sip from his glass of champagne and used that moment to scan the rest of the room. His eyes darted around as he discounted each guest that he knew couldn’t be involved, for whatever reason.
His eyes rested on a mirror and the reflection of the man standing several yards behind him. He too was scanning the room, but for another reason. Jake recognized him immediately. It had been more than eight years since he’d last seen him, and he had dyed his hair darker and grown a beard, but that was Walter. Walter was one of Caster’s men. The last time they had seen each other, Jake was still with the SEALS. It was when he’d realized that Walter was working with Caster and he’d had to make the difficult decision to leave and start over.
Circling around the room, Jake walked the perimeter. He did so casually, greeting some guests who had been attempting to get a moment alone with him all night to push their own agendas. He smiled warmly and feigned interest. One man in particular beamed at him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders to walk with him, prattling away about his ideas about a new shopping center.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to excuse myself,” Jake said, ducking out from under his arm. “I have to use the men’s room, so I’ll give you a call next week about your plans, now that I have your business card.”
The man thankfully retreated at this. “Look forward to hearing from you!” he exclaimed.
Relieved, Jake walked quickly around a large pillar and saw Walter standing where he had been not moments earlier.
He ducked into the kitchen that was now only feet from where Jake was standing and waited. Walter looked around the room and then glanced at his watch. He pulled out a phone and stepped closer to the kitchen. The staff had dissipated for the most part, and the waiters were now busy cleaning up the buffet tables. Jake’s body went tense with anticipation. If Walter comes a few feet closer, I can put him to sleep and drag him back to my place to question him, he thought darkly.
No, he couldn’t do that. He had Josie with him. Where was she? Jake realized he hadn’t seen her since she said she was going to use the ladies’ room. Had someone taken her since she was with him? His fists curled at the thought. There was only one way to find out. Walter was on the phone with someone, and if he wanted to know anything, he had to get closer to find out what he was after. Cracking the door open ever so slightly, he could just barely hear Walter over the buzz of conversation in the main hall.
“...isn’t here. I thought I saw her, but she must have disappeared. Yes…well, no, dammit!”
Walter seemed to be getting irritated at whomever was on the other line. Jake’s mind raced. Why was he pursuing a woman? What a coincidence that they would come to the same event that he was attending. Too big of a coincidence. Who else could they be after, and for what purpose? Jake had gotten somewhat comfortable over the years, and he didn’t stay abreast of what Caster and his men were doing like he used to. He firmly believed in keeping his enemies closer to keep himself safe, but now it was clear he needed to go back to doing just that.
Walter was off the phone now, and Jake walked further into the kitchen to avoid being seen. But it was too late, Walter must have seen him moving away from the door.
“Hey!” he heard from behind him. He sighed and turned around.
“Hello, Walter.”
Walter drew in a breath and stared at him. “Edward.”
“What brings you here? Certainly not an invite.”
“I don’t have to explain why I’m here,” Walter snapped, quickly recovering from seeing Edward after all these years.
“Well, are you here to haul me in?”
“No, but I know you’re hiding her. Why else would she come here?”
“Come on, you don’t need to talk in riddles. Who are you chasing now? And don’t you ever get tired of being a pawn for Caster?”
Walter stepped toward him threateningly, “I could bring you both in, how about that? Only reason I’m only chasing her down is because of my orders. But now that I know where you are, I can always come back for you,” he sneered.
“Well, it only took you five years to find me. Let’s see how long it takes you to ‘bring me in,’” Jake taunted.
Walter stiffened. “We weren’t pursuing you the whole time. If I had been, I can guarantee that I’d have found you a lot sooner. I can call Caster now, and he’ll have you arrested in no time!”
“We both know Caster wants me to himself; he has nothing to gain from turning me in. Besides, who would he get to do his dirty work?” Jake had grown weary of Walter’s threats. The man had gotten lazy over the years, as evidenced by his large gut. He hoped Caster didn’t think that Walter was a match for him now. The very idea was insulting. Before Walter could make the first move, Jake grabbed a large pot hanging above them and swung it at Walter, who didn’t have time to duck. He crumpled to the floor, and Jake quickly exited out of the back before anyone saw him.
As soon as he got to the alley, he made sure it was clear before he shifted. His adrenaline was already pumping, and now he felt in his element. He had to find Josie. Was that who they were after? He tried to make sense of the conversation he’d had with Walter, but his mind was muddled. Something wasn’t adding up, and Josie’s sudden disappearance worried him.
What if someone had already gotten her and Walter had been sent to distract him? He knew she wasn’t in the ballroom anymore. His sense of smell was heightened, and he began using it to track her down. Staying hidden in the shadows, he began following the trail of her scent. She hadn’t been gone long. And she was alone; he wasn’t picking up anyone else.
Then he saw her, sitting on a park bench, her head in her hands, weeping. He shifted back and straightened his clothes before he began to walk closer toward her.
“Josie,” he called. She jumped at his voice and whipped around.
“Jake!” She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “What are you doing here?” she asked in shock.
Jake hadn’t thought that far ahead. He’d only set out to find her. “What are you doing out here?” he asked her in return. “I’ve been looking all over for you. One of the valets said he saw you running out in this direction, so I just kept walking and looking for you. Also, your perfume trail was pretty strong.” It was a half-truth, at least.
She frowned. “Valet...I...well, I didn’t think I put that much on.” She sniffed her wrist delicately. Then she looked at him, confused. “Why are you sweating so much?”
“What? Oh. It was a little warm in the ballroom, and when I came out looking for you, I went down a couple of wrong paths before coming here.” He sat down next to her. “Anyway, what happened to you? Why were you crying?”
“I was...I was just tired. That’s all. I’ve been a little overwhelmed since I moved, and it’s been a little bit of an adjustment.” It didn’t sound like the whole truth to Jake, but he didn’t want to press her just yet. She’d run out just when Walter came in looking for some random female. There had to be a connection there. His instincts were rarely off.
“Sure, I’m sorry. Look, we can walk back, and then I can drop you back off. If you want, you can work from home tomorrow. Or just come in half the day. Bill and I will both be in the office, so we can manage.”
“Sure.” She looked at him with a half-smile. Her hair drooped over her face, and her eyes were still misty. He itched to push her hair back behind her ears and draw her into an embrace.
Together, they walked back, her small hand tucked into the crook of his arm. They rode home silently, and he paid close attention to her. She didn’t look at her phone, so she wasn’t expecting anyone to call her. She did fidget a lot with her dress, tugging it down and smoothing it over her belly. He saw her hand linger there more than once and assumed her stomach was still bothering her. Perhaps she had a stomach bug that she didn’t want to tell him about. There was no other reason for all the bathroom trips she was taking.
“I have to tell you something.” Her voice sounded shaky. Her fingers toyed with the clasp on her clutch, and she bit her lip in worry.
“Yes, of course.” Jake tightened his grip on the wheel. Finally, she was going to tell him why she was being so evasive about her behavior tonight.
“I’m...I’m actually,” she cleared her throat and looked outside. “I’m not in the best of shape financially. I’m trying to get my life together.” Her words sounded forced, and she wasn’t looking at him while she talked.
He stopped at a light and stared at her. She was telling him some of her story, but he knew she was still keeping the rest to herself. She needed more time. But he was happy that she was starting to trust him enough to tell him part of it. He nodded. “Sure, I can see that. It’s hard to make that move across the country, and there’s student loans. But you know, I can give you more work if that’s what you need. But it’s going to be fine. You’ll see. You’ve already got a few people asking for your business cards.”
She looked at him in surprise. “Yeah,” he continued, “we got so busy today that I forgot to tell you. There are a few projects that I’m getting lined up, and three out of four asked for an in-house architect, so I gave them your name. I hope you don’t mind and that you’ll be able to make time for them. It’s up to you if you want to work on the projects, though. I did say you’re freelancing at the moment, so you’re under no obligation to answer to me for anything.”
She didn’t say anything for a moment, then she nodded. “That would be a big help.” She didn’t sound entirely convinced, but it was a start at least. “You can turn down here,” she said indicating a shortcut to her building. She slipped her keys out of her clutch. “Thank you for everything. I’m sorry to be such a bother...both before and after this evening. I promise, I’m really not usually this awful of a date.”
“I’ll tell you what, you can redeem yourself with a couple of projects,” he said jokingly. “But seriously, I wouldn’t have wanted to go with anyone else. You made a great date, and if you didn’t feel overwhelmed, I would have been busy looking for flaws in you,” he said lightly, parking the car in front of her apartment building.
Josie gave him a small smile, and his heart turned over. She was toying with the keys again and had her clutch under her arm. She lifted a shoulder and placed her hand on the door, “Thank you,” she said softly.
“Wait!” Jake got out and ran around to her door, “I’m supposed to get that,” he said, offering her a hand.
“Well, this is definitely making me feel more and more like Cinderella,” she said.
“You never even let me pay for the dress,” he complained, placing his hand on the small of her back. He felt her hips move sensually under his palm and itched to cup her even lower. Dammit. He moved his hand away quickly up to her shoulder. It felt warm and soft, and now he wanted to kiss it to see if it tasted good as well. He groaned inwardly.
“I don’t know if this is inappropriate to say,” she said hesitatingly. “But, you looked really handsome tonight. Maybe more than you did the first night.”
He stood frozen in front of her door as she worked the keys into the lock. He’d thought that topic so taboo, he hadn’t considered the fact that she might bring it up. He coughed. “I...um, thank you. I have to say, I’m a little surprised….”
“That I brought it up?” She turned her face up to him now. Her eyes shimmered in the moonlight, and she shivered slightly from the cool breeze. Her lips looked soft and alluring. They parted in invitation when she saw him staring at them.
He leaned in slightly, and she closed the gap until they were just barely touching. “Is this okay to do?” she whispered on his lips.
“Your call,” he said in a strained voice.
“I thought you always got your way?” she challenged.
He couldn’t wait anymore after that subtle challenge. He felt the other part of him clawing to get out. He suppressed it as much as he could, but then he finally claimed her lips, and she met him with a passion that matched his own. He backed her up inside, kicked the door closed with his foot, and pressed her up against the wall. She opened her mouth to let out a sigh, and he took advantage, invading her with his tongue. She explored his lips and mouth with her tongue, taking liberties by biting and sucking his lips.
His hand touched her shoulders again, and he moved down to her throat now, alternating between kissing and sucking her, paying homage to the hollows of her neck. Her knees bent at this, and she gripped his shoulders for support. He suppressed a grin. That was more like it. Why should he be the only one suffering?
He nibbled on her earlobe while his hand found the soft swells of her breasts. He cupped one and squeezed it gently, eliciting a low moan from her throat. She pulled back, her eyes hazy. Then she pulled his head back down to cover her mouth. They stayed locked like that for another minute, his hands still roaming.
He pulled away suddenly. He couldn’t do this. Not now. He had to know more about her. He couldn’t let his mind cloud his judgement, not like before. Jake drew in a ragged breath and thought of what he could possibly say next that wouldn’t offend her.
“We should wait,” she said putting a hand on his chest.
He nodded, surprised and relieved. “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to think that I’m taking advantage here.”
“No, I don’t think that at all,” she said hurriedly. Her lips were red from his, and he wanted to cover them again and forget about everything. She brushed her hand across her mouth and looked at him again. She wiped the corner of his mouth and moved away from him with an apologetic look. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.
He nodded reluctantly. “Yes, tomorrow. At the office.” Where they could go back to pretending that they didn’t have feelings for one another.
“Bye,” she called to him and shut the door softly behind him.
He thought about the night on the way home. There was no way that she was going to pretend like nothing had happened now. Obviously, in front of other people, they would have to keep up the facade. Bill would be on to them in a heartbeat, though. He’d already insinuated that the two of them were seeing each other behind his back, even though Jake had done his best to deny it. He had no idea how the old man could still be so sharp in his old years.
Part of him had wanted to stay parked outside of Josie’s apartment complex to see if anyone showed up from the ball, namely Walter. But he knew Caster’s tactics well. Once one of his men went down, he would retreat and reassess. He didn’t like to make mistakes, and he knew Walter would be put on the sidelines while he found a replacement for him. It had been too long, so Jake couldn’t think of who else would be capable enough to take on Walter’s role. Perhaps someone younger was being groomed for the position, he thought idly.
He was going to give her a week to come clean, he decided as he pulled into his garage. A week to tell him exactly what she was hiding. Of course, he had his own secrets, he thought guiltily. But none that were his own doing.
He couldn’t control the fact that he was part werewolf. He’d long ago come to terms with it and embraced it. He wasn’t ashamed of his skills or his abilities. But he did hide it out of fear of what repercussions he could face. He hated the feeling that he was constantly being hunted.
He didn’t like the idea of his skills being used for someone else’s gain, either, which was what Caster had wanted from him. When he’d refused, he had become Caster’s number one target. No more, thought Jake grimly. He was going to finish this game once and for all.