9781616503369 (10 page)

Julie. Will you let me share this champagne with you? We’ll find out soon. Until then, Jay.

Jay, the creepy guy from the wine store? He’d sent them to her, which meant he knew where she worked. She'd met him outside of town, had barely exchanged two sentences with him and only given him her first name. Yet before her was proof he'd followed her, or tracked her down, or God only knew what, to find her. The message in itself sent ice through her blood, leaving her cold and shaking.
We’ll find out soon
. What did had he meant by that?

Somehow she knew it was true. He intended to see her again. And since he’d gone to the trouble of finding out where she worked, she could only imagine what else he’d discovered. She was suddenly
very
happy Brendan had broken her lock, forcing her to stay with him.

A tingling prickled the back of her neck, making her scan the store. She knew it was her imagination. Knew the three of them were the only ones there, but the feeling of being watched didn’t abate.

“Julie, what's wrong?” She heard them from a distance as she tried to wrap her mind around the message. Had he followed her car? Ran her license plates? And to think she'd considered going out with him. She quelled the shiver of apprehension, imagining herself on the evening news, her body left lying in a ditch somewhere.

“Julie!” Laurie stood in front of her, gripping her shoulders and giving her a firm shake. “What's the matter?”

She looked into her sister’s eyes, but still couldn’t form a reply. Brendan would flip, she had no doubt. But she could control him–if he even had to know in the first place.

Her siblings, however, were another story. They’d overreact. Even more than she was at the moment. She thought of the past weekend. How the idea of her and Brendan together had caused her brothers to hunt him down.

Laurie gave another shake, dragging Julie back. She saw the worry and protectiveness inside Laurie’s eyes, and knew there was only one option. She had to lie.

“It’s nothing.” She strove for a smile, but found it harder to summon one than usual. For years, she’d perfected her shield, smiling through the pain, and no one had known her true feelings. But two weeks with Brendan, two weeks of smiles and laughter, and her mask no longer fit as well as it used to.

“It’s not ‘nothing.’ I saw panic on your face–” Her eyes dropped to the card clutched in Julie’s hand. “Give me that card.” Laurie reached for it, but Julie flung her hand behind her back. Growing up with four wolf siblings had taught her to be quick on her feet.

“It really is nothing. I’m just worried about what Brendan will think. They’re from an ex, that’s all. An ex I want nothing to do with. If either of you want the champagne it’s all yours.” Julie strolled behind the counter and chucked the flower into the garbage.

“Wow. Must’ve been some breakup,” Laurie murmured. Her eyes burned into Julie, telling her without words she didn’t believe her story.

Julie took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do. She’d wanted to keep her relationship with George a secret from her family. But if revealing some small details would help her keep her freedom, it was the lesser of two evils. Besides, she’d told Brendan the entire story a few nights ago. He’d helped her realize she hadn’t been the problem. George had cheated on her because
he
had issues, not the other way around.

“You could say that. It wasn’t a ‘breakup’ so much as an ‘Oh, I walked in on you having sex with the slut from your economics class’ realization.” She crumpled the card in her hand, tossing it in after the flowers, hoping her story would discourage more questions. She turned, ready to resume work, but swung back.

“Listen,” Julie began. “Do you think we could keep this between us? I don’t need Brendan getting all jealous or anything. I don’t know why George is contacting me again, but there’s no reason for Brendan to worry.”

“Lying to your mate isn’t a good way to start off.” Samantha’s voice was soft but strong. The word mate stood out. Brendan and she hadn’t discussed the subject since that night weeks ago. She’d gotten the impression he was trying to ease her into the idea before marking her, but she was more than ready. Still, she hadn’t uttered a word. How had her family figured it out?

“We’ve known for a while, Jules. The way he is with you. It’s obvious to any who care to look. He would’ve claimed you in high school if the boys hadn’t warned him off.”

“Can you read me that easily?” Julie blew out an exasperated breath. She used to be so good at shielding her emotions.

“You’ve been an open book lately.” Laurie laughed as Julie turned and stalked away in a huff.

* * * *

Laurie’s laughter died as she watched Julie walk away. So that’s what had happened to the boy her sister had gushed over last Christmas. There was no doubt she told the truth about the breakup. Laurie didn’t, however, think his contacting her would bring such panic. She’d called Julie’s name three times and shook her twice to break the spell.

As her sister disappeared between two bookshelves, Laurie walked behind the counter and looked at the trash. The crumpled card stood on top.

“Maybe we shouldn’t.” Samantha glanced in the direction Julie had disappeared.

“If all that’s there is an apology from this George fellow, then I’ll drop it and won’t tell Brendan. But if it’s something more serious, we need to be prepared. She still doesn’t know someone broke the lock on her door, and I’m worried she’d hide it if something were wrong.”

Flattening the card on the table, Laurie read the short inscription.

Well, shit.
She hoped Julie had told the truth, but this card wasn’t from a George. This was signed Jay. Laurie wracked her brain, but couldn’t recall anyone by that name.

The message itself seemed harmless, if a little creepy, but the way Julie had lied brought a new element into the equation. She’d kept the secret of her last boyfriend for months. Divulging that information now proved this note, whatever it meant, was worse.

Picking up the phone, she placed it between her shoulder and ear as she dialed. This situation required reinforcements. She handed Samantha the card as she listened to the ringing on the other end.

“Hello,” Ethan answered.

“We’ve got a problem. How soon can you all get here?”

“Problem? Is Samantha okay?” The panic in his voice was unsettling.

“Samantha?” Why was Ethan worried about Samantha? “She’s fine. She’s standing right next to me.”

“Good. We’re on our way. We’ve got more trouble than you know.”

“What is that noise?” In the background, Laurie heard snarls and growling. It sounded as if her brother stood smack dab in the middle of a dog fight.

“That would be Jason. We’ll be there soon, just watch the girls until we arrive. Both of them.” The line went dead.

Jason? She’d never heard him so worked up. As the Premier, he usually kept a cool head. Picking up the phone, she dialed Brendan, then Gwen, relaying the message. Something told her everyone should be present.

Chapter 9

Julie watched her three brothers stalk into the bookstore, her eyes widening as she saw the way Ethan struggled to restrain Jason. What the hell was the matter with him? His glare searched the room, and she sensed the feral rage inside him as it passed over her.

Without warning, Jason snapped his teeth at Ethan, who jumped back in surprise. The moment he was free, he ran for the coffee counter where Samantha stood.

Julie watched the scene play out, mesmerized by the depth of emotion. Jason grabbed Samantha, his hands running over her as if checking for injuries before cradling her in his arms. She looked bewildered, but clutched his back, whispering in his ear. Whatever she said seemed to work as his body slowly drained of tension.

Longing filled her as she took in the scene. But even as she wished for the comfort of her lover’s arms, they surrounded her. She knew it was Brendan without having to look. His familiar embrace and scent eased her tension. As his lips brushed against her neck, she leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Gwen? What are you doing here?” She looked up in time to see Gwen cross to Ethan.

“Laurie called, said there was a family meeting. Did you not want me here?” she asked, a thread of unease entering her voice.

“Of course I do, pet. I just couldn’t call while trying to wrestle one-hundred and ninety pounds of enraged wolf.”

Oh no.
Realization struck as she looked at the clock above the counter. Not even eleven o’clock. There was only one reason why her whole family would have ditched work and flocked to the bookstore. The stupid surprise gift. She looked at Laurie who met her gaze with no apology.

Julie sighed, resigned, and Laurie took it as her cue to move to the front door and turn the Open sign to Closed.

Trapped.

* * * *

Brendan watched his mate as they gathered around some tables. She wouldn’t meet his gaze, which worried him more than he’d like to admit. Why wouldn’t she look at him?

“Julie got flowers and a bottle of champagne delivered this morning.” His head shot up. Flowers and champagne? He pushed down a growl. Julie was
his
. “She said it was from an ex, but the note in the trash was addressed from someone different. It wasn’t particularly worrisome, except for the fact that Julie panicked while reading it.” Laurie passed the note around, and Julie glared at her sister.

“You went digging through the trash,” she accused. Brendan put a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her while inside his gut burned with jealousy and worry.

He looked at the note as Jason passed it to him. The Premier hadn’t let go of his mate since entering the bookstore and held her on his lap, refusing to let her have her own seat.

Brendan read the words, and the growl he’d tried to contain burst out.

“Who the hell is Jay?” he asked, holding back his snarl. Julie flung a glare at him, but he couldn’t help himself. His emotions were too close to the surface. Instinct screamed at him to bundle her onto his lap and hold her the same way Jason held Samantha.

She glanced around the room, searching the faces of her siblings. It bothered him that she sought support from others. Everyone must have shown her the same determination he did, because she clenched her fist and whispered a curse toward the ceiling before looking at him, an apology in her eyes.

“Do you remember the guy I told you about when you–” She paused, sparing a quick glance at her brothers before clearing her throat, “uh, brought pizza to my place?”

He nodded, remembering the moment of fear she’d tried to conceal. At the time, she’d said it was over.

“The flowers were from him. But I met him a few towns over and never gave him any information. Just my name. My first name.”

“Who is this guy?” Danny asked, looking down at the card.

“He hit on her. She said no.” He explained what he knew. Whoever he was, he was stalking the wrong girl. Brendan would rip him limb from limb just for scaring Julie.

His mind flashed to her broken apartment door. Whoever this man was, he’d signed his own death warrant.

“We’ve got bigger problems,” Jason announced, clasping his arms around Samantha’s waist. “We got a letter at the office this morning,” Danny took over, “threatening Samantha if we didn’t agree to back some policy being passed through the shifter council. It’s a ridiculous proposal and would undoubtedly set all canine and felines against each other. I don’t know why the cheetah prides are trying to get it passed to begin with.”

“Why is that a bigger problem than Julie’s letter?” Brendan asked, looking around the room. Both issues were concerning.

“This is my mate,” Jason said, as if that explained everything. Brendan felt his face flush with anger.

“And this is
my
mate and your sister! You’re just going to abandon her whenever something more important comes up? She needs your protection too.” How dare they think of Julie as an acceptable loss. He’d always thought of the Callahans as nurturing, but this was a side of the family he’d never expected. Throw the youngest and weakest to the wolves, so the rest of them stayed safe. Was this typical behavior for her family? If so, he’d take her away so quickly their heads would spin.

“Brendan, calm down. None of us are abandoning or ignoring Julie’s problems. We just need to figure out how to keep both of them safe,” Danny said from across the room.

“No. This thing with Samantha is more important,” Julie contradicted.

Brendan swung toward her as she spoke. He opened his mouth to ask what the fuck she meant by “no,” furious she would deny her own safety, but Julie cut him off. “The letter is a real threat. This Jay guy is just kind of creepy. We need to look at this logically and not let emotions get in the way. Samantha is in real danger. We need to keep her safe.”

“We need to keep you safe!” What the hell was wrong with everyone? Couldn’t they see the same danger he saw? “It’s not solely the note, Julie. I didn’t tell you before, because I didn’t want to worry you, but I didn’t break your front door. Someone else did. My blood runs cold imagining what might have happened had I not been there.”

There was no disguising her shock. Her mouth hung open, and she stared back at him, stunned. He had wanted to keep this from her. To eliminate the threat before she knew the danger. As her mate, his job was to protect her and keep her happy. He didn’t want her to doubt his ability to do both.

* * * *

Well, that added a new level of fright to the whole situation. What if Brendan hadn’t been at her apartment? She shook her head, not wanting to imagine the possibilities. Thank God he hadn’t listened to her rejection.

The broken door flashed through her mind and she paused, recalling the damage. Something wasn’t adding up. The more she thought about it, the less sense the whole situation made.

“Who would have the strength to break the lock like that?” she asked. There’d been claw marks around the handle, and she’d thought Brendan’s wolf, eager to see her, had done it in his haste.