Chapter Eight
Oskar toweled off before he stepped from the small hotel shower, unable to turn off the thoughts bouncing through his brain. All he really wanted to do right now was collapse in bed and sleep, but he had work to do, and so he wrapped a fresh, dry towel around his waist.
The door to the hallway opened just as he stepped from the bathroom.
He jumped towards the nightstand where his gun was, but before he got there he got a look at who it was breaking into his hotel room.
Melody. She jumped when she saw him and put her hand on her heart, closing her eyes briefly. "You scared me to death!"
Oskar frowned as she shut the door behind herself. "Really? You just broke into my hotel room–which is illegal, by the way–and you're telling me I scared you do death? I could have shot you. What are you even doing here?"
Silence answered him. Melody's eyes were wide and fixed on his torso. They moved down over his abs to trace the top of the towel. He glanced down to make sure he was fully covered and her eyes snapped back up to his. Her face went cherry-red and she quickly looked up at the ceiling.
"Sorry," she blurted.
Oskar strode to the closet and pulled out a complimentary robe, pulling it on. Not that he minded her ogling him like that, but his lack of dress was clearly uncomfortable for her. "Why are you here, Melody?"
"I was looking for evidence. I didn't think that you would have been released from FBI custody yet. Uncle Todd seems pretty convinced that there isn't any evidence to prove that you didn't kill Fezioni."
"That's a roundabout way of saying all the evidence points to me being the killer." Oskar sighed as Melody winced. "Look, I'm ridiculously wealthy, I'm the Alpha of the wealthiest Shifter community in the country and I'm an agent. All have their perks when you're being investigated for murder. For what it's worth, though, Barton doesn't think I killed Fezioni. He is following the evidence like he should."
Melody finally looked back at him and nodded briefly. She was wearing a summer dress covered in roses, and the cut emphasized her hourglass figure. It fell to just above her knee, and she wasn't wearing any leggings. She had fantastic legs. Creamy, toned calves.
"Cindy should have told me you were in your room. But I haven’t seen her for a while. I guess she wasn't keeping a lookout like I thought." A smile flashed at him, but it seemed nervous. "Ghosts. Can't rely on any of them."
"So what sort of evidence—"
"Can I ask you a personal question?"
Oskar's brows rose. "Sure. Can I get you something to drink?"
"I'm fine, thanks. So, you're rich. Like really, really rich. Why do you work for the FBI? You don't need to work, and really from what I've gotten to know about you, you're more of an alpha-male kind of guy, not somebody who takes orders from others. Which makes sense. Since you are an Alpha."
Oskar poured himself a small brandy and shrugged. "It's simple, really. I was born rich, and when I was seven I was kidnapped."
Melody gasped.
"The kidnappers wanted a substantial amount of money for my return. If it wasn't for the FBI agents who were assigned to the case, I would probably be dead. When I grew up, I realized that I wanted to help people the way they helped me, so I joined. Not that I seem to be actually helping people lately."
"Cindy's death wasn't your fault."
"Even if there wasn't anything I could have done to save her, I still didn't save her. It's my responsibility to ensure the safety of my Shifters. I failed her the moment she was kidnapped."
Melody took his brandy away. "Speaking of Cindy, I found out what she was too scared to tell you."
"Hey." Oskar tried to take his glass back, but Melody held it out of reach. Her eyes narrowed until he nodded in defeat and backed up to the bed. "What is it?"
"Well…" Her determined expression faded a little and Melody sucked her lip between her teeth, looking nervous. "Okay, this is a little more difficult than I thought it would be... You know what, I'm just going to come right out and say it. Your son is here."
Oskar's eyes widened. Her words rattled around in his brain, but he couldn't make sense of them. "Here? As in, in this town?"
Melody nodded. "His adoptive parents were killed last year in a car crash, and he's in a foster home here in Blackcliff. I saw him today. I don't know what Cindy wants you to do now, she won't tell me that, but I do know she wanted you to know about your son. I think maybe he's the reason Fezioni came here, too. Maybe he was looking to try to get more money from you. I don't know. But—"
"He couldn't have known that my son was here."
Oskar raced to his brandy bottle but stopped himself before he drank. His hands trembled. Being a father had never been on his list of priorities. When Cindy got pregnant, there was never a doubt in his mind that adoption was the best course.
But knowing that the son he had never seen was in this town, parentless, in foster care, hit him hard. Shifters were hard to adopt once they hit puberty. His son would be five already. His chances for finding a family were getting lower every year.
He sucked in a deep breath. "Thank you for telling me."
Melody put a hand on his arm to comfort him. "What are you going to do?"
"It depends on this investigation. I… I'm not sure I'm father material. But maybe…" He had failed Cindy, but maybe he would have a chance with their son.
He turned to Melody, smiling at her. "Thank you. And when you see Cindy again, thank her. I want to help people. Maybe it's time that I… I helped my own son."
Melody hugged him. "Whatever you decide, it's going to be okay, you know. You'll make a great father. If that's what you want."
Oskar held her tightly, closing his eyes. She used strawberry shampoo. He turned his face into her hair, inhaling. His arms tightened while the rest of his muscles relaxed. It had been a long time since he had felt like this, uncertain about his future and yet comfortable in sharing his uncertainty with another person. He let out a shaky breath.
When Melody pulled herself away, he was reluctant to release her. But she didn't withdraw very far. She looked up into his eyes and pressed herself to her toes, brushing her lips against his mouth. Oskar moaned, flicking his tongue over her lips. Cherry chapstick.
"I should go," she whispered.
Oskar's arms tightened around her. "No. Please. Stay."
A lip went between her teeth. "I just don't… I mean, you have a lot to take in, and if I stay, who knows what my uncle will think."
She grimaced and Oskar laughed. There was nothing he wanted more than to kiss her again and lose himself in her comfort and warmth, but she was right. Now was not the time for engaging in such activities. Reluctantly he released her and took a step back. He had the sense that the two of them had a real chance at making a relationship work. He didn't want to ruin it by moving too quickly.
Besides, between the investigation and learning that his son was in Blackcliff, this situation was complicated enough. It was time to just take a step back and think.
"I'll get dressed and we can go to dinner," he said. "That sound good?"
Melody nodded. "Yeah. That should be fine. I don't think Uncle Todd will be happy with me doing even that. He'll just have to deal. He thinks I should just abandon the whole thing, but I can't do that. I couldn't do it at the start, and I certainly can't do it now that I am more invested. It's not like I'm in any danger, right?"
Oskar retrieved a suit from his closet and frowned as he stepped into the bathroom to change.
Did Barton want Melody to stay away from the case because he was afraid that Oskar was a killer and was just using her? Or was there something else, something that could be putting her in danger? He shuddered–the thought of anything happening to Melody was far worse than the thought of being found guilty of a crime he didn't commit.
"You've told me what Cindy wanted me to know," he said, buttoning his pants. "Is there anything else she can do to help with the case? I mean, she says she was with me when the murder happened, so she doesn't know who the killer is. So she can't help with that."
He pulled on his shirt and stepped back into the main room as he buttoned it. Melody frowned at him.
"No, I guess not."
"Then I think Barton's right. You should try to stay away from the case. He's good at what he does, he'll find out what really happened."
"Yeah, but he doesn't have a ghost that can eavesdrop on conversations."
"Just stay away from the case, Melody. Please." Oskar stared into her eyes, trying to convey how serious he was.
She sighed, made a face, and nodded. "Yeah. I can do that."
Relief washed over him. "Thank you. Now let's go to dinner. Old Gossip?"
"Ugh, no! I mean, let's go to the hotel restaurant. Less gossip there."
Oskar laughed and nodded. As they left the room he put his hand on the small of her back. Being near her felt so right. It was better than anything he had ever felt before.