A Werewolf in Manhattan (7 page)

From the lobby Aidan moved through the open double doors leading to the receptionist’s office.

Gabrielle, a thirty-five-year-old Were who’d moved to New York from the San Francisco pack, looked up from her computer as he arrived. A redhead in human form, she transformed into a russet she-wolf. She was stunning either way, and had caught the eye of several members of the Wallace pack. But she’d recently ended a relationship in San Francisco and wasn’t interested.

“He’s expecting you, Aidan. Go on in.”

“Thanks.” In a detached sort of way, he noticed that he wasn’t interested in flirting with her, either. When she’d taken the job, he’d thought they might enjoy a no-strings-attached affair, but she hadn’t been ready for that. He’d continued to be friendly in hopes that she’d change her mind. But after an evening with Emma, he realized he didn’t care whether Gabrielle changed her mind. At some point, he’d have to rid himself of what was becoming an obsession with the lovely Ms. Gavin, but he couldn’t expect to do it until he’d finished the business at hand.

Opening the hand-carved door into his father’s office, he allowed his eyes to adjust to the dim light. Howard Wallace didn’t appreciate the floor-to-ceiling windows that graced nearly every Manhattan office of any size and importance, including this one. He didn’t give a damn about the skyline, but he liked being up here, away from the traffic noise.

The office was scented with evergreens and peat moss because they were here in abundance in various planters around the room. Foliage covered the windows so that only a few rays of sunlight penetrated through the dense array of greenery. Aidan loved the feel of his dad’s office and had used many of the design elements in his own apartment.

His own office was on the floor below this one, but his team used it more than he did. His job kept him on the move, which he happened to like.

Howard rose from his massive, yet rustic-looking, desk and came around it to embrace his son. A barrelchested man in his late fifties, Howard still had all his hair, although it was snow-white. The pack alpha was a sight to behold when he transformed into a magnificent creature with snow-white fur. His striking appearance was legendary in the Were community.

Howard stood back to look at his son with obvious fondness. “What do you have for me, Aidan?”

Aidan knew that benevolence could change to stern censure under certain conditions. He hoped that wouldn’t happen today. “A delicate situation, I’m afraid.”

“Let’s sit.” Howard gestured toward a group of black leather chairs circling a low table in the corner of his office. “Do you want something to drink? Anything to eat?”

Aidan tried to remember when he’d done either. The few sips of a coffee martini might be the extent of it since an early dinner the night before. But he knew that his father’s two-floor suite of offices included a kitchen and a world-class chef. And at the mention of food, Aidan discovered he was starving. “A roast beef sandwich would hit the spot.”

“Say no more.” Howard crossed to his desk and picked up the phone. Moments later he returned to the circle of chairs and took a seat next to Aidan. “Gabrielle will see to it.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Now that Aidan had admitted to his hunger, he felt the contractions of his very empty stomach.

Howard shook his head. “I notice you’re still in the habit of working straight through without eating. I admire the single-mindedness, but it’s not good for your health. Your mother would raise a bigger ruckus than I, so be glad it’s me who’s telling you this.”

“I’ll try to do better.”

“Good. If you pass out in the middle of an assignment, you won’t be doing anyone any favors.” Howard settled back in his chair. “Now tell me about Emma Gavin.”

For one unsettling moment, Aidan thought his father had guessed Aidan’s secret yearning for the talented Ms. Gavin. He took a deep breath and told himself that was crazy. Roarke wouldn’t have said anything, and nobody else knew besides Sylvester. Sylvester wasn’t a snitch, either.

“Our initial suspicions were wrong,” Aidan said. “She not only has no inside source—she doesn’t believe that werewolves exist.”

Howard’s gray eyes narrowed. “Are you absolutely sure of this?”

“Yes.” He’d thought about it some more. If Emma had any idea that werewolves were real, she would have sensed the changes happening to him last night in the backseat of the town car. When humans believed that werewolves were a reality, it was as if they’d broken a secret code. If she’d known that code, she could have identified him easily.

“So we don’t have a problem, after all.”

“Not quite true.”

Gabrielle knocked on the office door, and Howard invited her in. She brought a tray containing a fragrant sandwich and a bottle of Aidan’s favorite mineral water. He was touched that she’d noticed such a small thing.

As she set the tray on the circular coffee table, she leaned down far enough to provide a glimpse of cleavage while glancing at Aidan from under her lashes. Damn,
now
she was ready to flirt with him, when his hormonal urges were all focused on a certain author of werewolf fiction.

“Thanks so much, Gabrielle.” He smiled at her.

“Anytime.” Her voice held that low, throaty quality that telegraphed sexual interest. “Anything else, Mr. Wallace?”

Howard looked at Aidan. “Anything missing, son?”

“Nope.” Aidan unfolded the cloth napkin and laid it over his lap. “This is great.”

“Then I guess we’re good, Gabrielle. Hold my calls until Aidan leaves, okay?”

“Of course.” With one last sultry glance in Aidan’s direction, she left the office.

Howard blew out a breath. “I think she’s coming out of hibernation. Just for the record, I don’t care what happens between you two so long as it doesn’t disrupt her work. And it goes without saying that she’s not an acceptable mate for you, so it would have to be a temporary thing.”

“I know that.”

“Still, I can’t expect you to be celibate, for God’s sake, so go ahead, but don’t mess up my office routine, please. Gabrielle’s been reliable so far, and I’d hate for that to change.”

“Dad, I’m not interested in Gabrielle.” Aidan picked up half of the sandwich. “Right now I have work to do. My team pulled an all-nighter, and we found out a lot. Someone from the Chicago pack has contacted Emma and wants to show her what a real werewolf is like.”

Howard nearly came out of his chair. “The hell you say! Leland’s bunch? I’ll call him right now.”

“I wouldn’t do that, Dad. It’s Leland’s son, Theo.”

“Oh, dear God.” Howard scrubbed a hand over his face. “That changes everything.”

“I figured it would.”

“Theo Henderson has delivered trouble to Leland’s doorstep for all his nineteen years. Everyone sees it but Leland. He insists Theo’s high-strung and he’ll grow out of it. Leland never did believe that Theo was the one who broke into the zoo, drugged a couple of wolves, and dressed them in Armani.”

“I didn’t hear about that.” Aidan put down his sandwich, no longer hungry. Once every hundred years or so a Were came along who chafed against the rule of concealment. These militant Weres advocated full disclosure followed by complete domination of all humans. “Do you think Theo has visions of a werewolf revolution of some kind?”

“I hope for all our sakes he’s just a mixed-up kid. How Leland could have raised two such different Weres is beyond me. Nadia’s a credit to the community, but Theo seems determined to make problems.”

“Has he done anything else I should know about?”

“At Halloween he always insisted on dressing as a werewolf, and he’s mouthed off a few times about how he resents not being able to shift whenever he feels like it. He’s risked getting caught more than once.”

Aidan couldn’t fault Theo on that score, after his own inappropriate shift last night. But if Theo was doing it intentionally, that put him in a different category. “This isn’t sounding good.”

“No, but Leland wouldn’t believe Theo’s headed down revolutionary road, and I don’t want to be the one to suggest it to him, considering that I have high hopes that Nadia will become your mate someday. You’d make a stunning pair.”

Aidan ignored the weight of responsibility that settled over him with that statement. He recognized that Nadia was attractive. In her human form, she was tall with long dark hair that reached halfway down her back. In wolf form, she was glossy black with gray eyes. At the moment, the only eyes he cared to gaze into were blue.

“So I’m hoping you have some ideas for dealing with this Henderson pup,” Howard said. “Ideas that don’t involve confronting Leland. I see that as a last resort.”

Aidan took a deep breath. “All right. I need you to contact Roger Claymore and have me assigned to travel with Emma as far as Chicago.”

“I’ll do that. Good plan.”

“If you give the okay, I’ll let her publisher know that the possible stalker is from there. I’ll monitor the Chicago gig and intercept Theo if he should show up. I’ll gently remind him that he’s putting the entire werewolf community at risk and send him back home. I think I’ll be very convincing.”

Howard nodded. “I’m sure you will be.” He stood. “Let me call Roger right now. When does Emma leave on tour?”

“Friday morning. She’ll spend Friday night, all day Saturday, and Saturday night in Chicago. When she leaves there, I’ll have neutralized the threat. I’ll come home, and she can continue on to Denver for the rest of her tour.”

“Excellent. I know you’ll keep this on the down-low, as they say these days. It goes without saying that the less Emma knows about the Henderson-Wallace connection, the better.”

“Right.”

“I feel good knowing you’ll be handling this, son.”

Aidan squashed any feelings of uneasiness. He was the logical person for the assignment, because as the firstborn of the alpha, he carried the authority of the entire Wallace pack. He would be the most effective in shutting down Theo Henderson. Roarke might not approve of this trip, but Aidan could control himself. It was only two days.
And two nights.

Chapter 5

“Jenny, it’s ludicrous and unnecessary.” Wearing gray sweats and a black wool sweater, Emma paced the hardwood floor of her loft as she clutched her BlackBerry to her ear. “You’re telling me he’s only nineteen, which means this is probably just a kid with a crush. I don’t need a high-powered security expert like Aidan Wallace to fix this.”

“I’ve lost control of the situation,” Jenny said. “Howard Wallace has convinced Roger that Aidan needs to go. Because of Howard and Roger’s long friendship, Wallace Enterprises is cutting Aidan’s usual fee in half, and you know Roger can’t pass up a bargain.”

“Jenny”—Emma sighed in frustration—“how am I supposed to explain him to the bookstore folks? Won’t they freak out if they think I’m in enough danger to need a bodyguard? Which I’m not, but having Mr. Muscles there will make it seem as if I could be kidnapped at any moment.”

“Mr. Muscles.” Jenny laughed. “That’s good. Anyway, no worries about the explanation. I’ve canceled your media escort for Chicago. Aidan has your itinerary, and he’ll become your escort for the Chicago gig. It’s only two days, Em. You’ll make my life a lot easier if you’ll go along with this.”

But what about my life?
Emma couldn’t imagine how she’d make it through two solid days with Aidan in tow. Last night had been embarrassing enough. She’d
kissed
him, for Christ’s sake. She’d based that impulse on her firm belief that she wouldn’t see him until the next book signing, and by then she’d have a sexy boyfriend to call her own, somebody who would stack up very well against Aidan Wallace, poster boy for Bowflex.

“Please, Em,” Jenny said. “Howard’s put the fear of God into Roger, and he’s acting like a mother hen over here. Next thing you know, he’ll decide to go along and monitor your Chicago appearances.”

Emma closed her eyes in resignation. “Okay.” So she’d have to be humiliated. She could only imagine what Aidan thought about this, being told to keep a grown woman safe from a love-struck teenager.

Damn, she’d made such a fool of herself last night, too. She’d practically begged him to come upstairs with her, and he’d turned her down. Twice. But had she attempted to retain her dignity in the face of his double rejection?
Nope.
She’d planted one on him, just so he’d know for sure that she craved his body.

Ayiyiyi. How could she face him at JFK on Friday morning? She had only one option—to play the cool professional who considered this whole exercise ridiculous. She did think it was ridiculous, but playing the cool professional in the presence of his hot body would take some doing.

Aidan arrived at the gate early on Friday morning. He hadn’t seen Emma in the line going through security, and she wasn’t in the gate area, either. He hoped to hell she wouldn’t show up at the last minute, or worse yet, miss the plane. She had a tendency to run late, something he knew from those months of watching her.