Breaking Out (14 page)

Looking surprised, she took my hand, then
Jay’s. “Perhaps I won’t have to call your Uncle and complain that
he wasted my time.”

“I hope not. Uncle Aaron is a fine judge of
character, Ms. Turner, and he spoke very highly of you and your
pack.” Staci Turner was the female alpha of the Catalina Island
Pack.

She smiled. “Do we have a table
reserved?”

“Yes. By the window.” I’d checked that they
had our reservation before I made my call home.

The host escorted us to the table and I held
the chair for the alpha as she sat. My dad did this for Mom every
time we went to a restaurant, and I figured it couldn’t hurt.
Female werewolves usually weren’t feminists. Alpha males ruled
their pack with physical strength, intelligence and the ability to
inspire loyalty. Their mates played a vital
supporting
role.

“Thank you. It’s nice to see a young male
with manners, but do you have balls?”

Jay almost choked on his ice water. I patted
his back, giving me a moment to come up with an answer she’d buy
into. “Our company was established to assist supernaturals with
issues that can’t be solved in any of the usual ways. If our
magical skills weren’t strong, we wouldn’t be in business.”

“Do you have a card?”

“Sorry. Not on me.”

“What’s the name of your business?”

I swallowed. We hadn’t discussed a name. As
the server brought bread and olive oil for dipping, Jay kicked me
under the table. “
Triad sounds cool. It’s like some super secret
undercover…
” I kicked him back. He winced.

It wasn’t a bad name, although not for the
reason’s he’d chosen. “Triad. We keep the name unadvertised,
getting clients through word of mouth. We never divulge a client’s
name or the nature of the cases we’ve worked.”

“Just Triad?” she asked. I nodded. “You two
are equal partners?”

“Yes. We’ve been working together for quite
some time.” She knew Jay was a shifter, but probably not that he
was a grizzly, the rarest of the bear shifters. She probably
thought I was a sorcerer of some kind. “And there’s a third
partner, I imagine?” she asked.

I thought of Samson snoring at the foot of my
bed. “Yes. A silent partner, most of the time.”

When the server returned, she ordered a glass
of wine and a Caesar salad. Jay and I ordered prime rib with a side
salad. We stuck to water over soda, and at the last minute I
remembered to order food for Samson and Ivy, explaining that we
were meeting a couple of friends afterwards.

While we ate we chatted about Aaron and his
four packs, spread out over Northern California and Southern
Oregon. She’d been a college friend of his current mate, Kathy, and
had visited on several occasions.

When the dishes had been cleared away, I got
to the point of the meeting. “How can we help you, Ms. Turner?”

“Staci, please.”

“Staci, then.”

“Our pack has been experiencing some trouble
on the island. Most of us work on the mainland, but live on
Catalina, taking the ferry or private boats back and forth. On two
occasions, pack members have gone missing. They get on the boat and
then never get off. The police believe they committed suicide,
although according to their families, neither of them suffered from
depression or any kind of addiction. “

“What do you and the Alpha believe?” Jay
asked.

“Darryl and I think another species is
showing an interest in our territory, attempting to get us to
leave.”

“What kind of species?”

“We’re not sure, but we’ve found some unusual
tracks and a foreign substance that…um…smells odd.”

“Would you like us to take a look?” I asked,
my internal cheetah slashing his tail in excitement.

She scanned us again, finally making up her
mind. “Yes. Do you charge a flat rate or by the hour?”

Jay had spoken to Uncle Aaron’s lawyer about
what we should charge, as well as having him fax over a binding
contract if we were actually hired. Ms. Turner didn’t flinch when I
told her the amount of our retainer, mentioning the hourly fee we
charged when out in the field and the slightly lower in-house fee.
Researching in front of a computer was not the same as digging
through evidence, and being reasonable with our prices would only
ratchet up business. At least I hoped so.

I pulled out our fresh-off-the-printer
standard contract, filling in the blanks with the pertinent info
and signing, then sliding it to Staci for her signature. We gave a
business email address as the only way to contact us. “I’m afraid
we’ve just moved to this area, and we’re working with a real estate
firm on finding an appropriate office.”

We signed, arranging to meet with her in
three days on the island.

I held the door and she nodded in amusement,
but this time around she was the one to extend her hand. Before she
left, she moved a little closer. “I’m putting my trust in you and
your company, and in that spirit I’m going to offer up some advice.
The next time you meet with a client, wear something more
businesslike.” She winked. “See you in three days.” I paid the
check and we headed for the door, anxious to see if Ivy had gotten
along all right with Samson.

IVY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I’d changed
back into my bathing suit, wandering to a spot along the pier’s
railing that had the best view of the coming sunset. Even though it
was getting toward the late afternoon, the sun was still warm, and
there was a breeze that ruffled my hair, cooling my neck. Samson
was on his rear legs, his front paws on the railing next to me,
checking out the pelicans diving for fish in the distance. Wiggly
Butt and I had come to an understanding. He wouldn’t growl or drool
on my feet and I’d continue to pet his hippo-sized head.

“What are you doing?” Jay asked.

“Enjoying the day. What’s your prob?” I took
another few steps, balancing perfectly.

“You can’t stand on the railing. You might
fall in.”

“Please get down.” Charlie looked pissed. Too
bad. They’d left me out here to babysit their mutt without even
getting me a bottle of water.

“I can swim.”

Jay leaned over the edge. “That’s a long
jump.”

“Ever hear of diving?”

“That far? I don’t think so, squirt.”

“Jay, don’t…” Charlie said, ‘cause he knew.
He knew I was gonna dive in and there was nothing he could do about
it.

”Don’t tell me what to do.” Before either of
them could stop me I was in the air, flying toward the surface in a
perfect swan dive.

“Where have you been? I sensed you earlier
but the tides were wrong.”

“Lord Tellek.” I bowed, hoping he wasn’t
angry.

“Well?”

“We’re together. He thinks I know more than
I’m saying and he’s keeping me near him. He’s given me twenty-four
and then I have to spill.”

“Speak properly.”

“Yes, Lord. In twenty-four human hours I have
to tell him the truth.”

“Good. Is he waiting for you as we
speak?”

“Yes.” At least I hoped so.

“Go back. Report again with his reaction to
your tale. Your life and your family’s future depend on how
convincing you are. Do not anger him for any reason. He will strike
you down without mercy.”

“Yes, Lord.” Too late for that not angering
bit. I hesitated. “Is my family okay?”

“They work. They live.”

“Thank you.”

“Go.”

I swam to shore. Charley was already there
with Wiggly Butt. “Where’s Jay?”

“He jumped in after you. You didn’t see
him?”

“No. I’ll go back.”

“Stay here. I’ll go.”

“No, I’m stronger in the sea than you are.” I
dove under the waves, sending out feelers and locating Bozo the
Bear swimming around about halfway between the pier and the shore.
He saw me and growled. “Why are you playing around out here?
Charley’s waiting on the shore.” I said.

“I dove in to rescue you, dimwit.”

“I’m a mermaid. Can’t you tell? Shall I break
into song to prove it?”

“You’re a somethin’ all right.” He grinned at
me, a dimple popping out near the corner of his mouth. “Will your
singing attract crabs? I could cook up a couple Sebastians.”

“I thought you grizzly guys liked trout or
salmon.”

“Yeah, well, do you see a stream anywhere
around here?”

“There are actually stores where you can get
buy fish.” He snorted when he laughed. It made me laugh too. “Come
on, betcha can’t beat me to shore.”

“Huh. We’ll see, Ariel.”

It was pretty close, ‘cause he was stronger
than I thought, but I still beat him.

“If I didn’t have these jeans on I would’ve
won.” He looked down. “Shit. I loved these jeans. Now they’re
ruined. At least I got the shirt and sneakers off.”

“They aren’t ruined. Haven’t you heard of a
saltwater wash? Rub them with sand then throw them back in the
ocean. After you take them to the laundromat they’ll be the
softest, coolest jeans you ever wore.” They looked at me like I was
a nut case. “It’s true.”

Charlie was still fuming, pacing back and
forth. “You’ll never do that again.”

“Sorry I scared you, but I’m training to be
an Olympic swimmer and diver.”

“Nobody’s both.”

“I’m unique.”

Samson trotted over, looking all happy to see
me. I reached out to pet him but he used his head to knock me on my
butt, then started digging, spraying sand all over me.

“Hey, Monster, I thought we were
friends.”

“Friends don’t do stupid things.” Charlie
said.

“You made him do this.”

He had the freakin’ nerve to laugh at me. He
shrugged. “I can’t even make him stop stealing my food. He does
what he wants.”

“I thought you could make anyone do anything,
Charles Liam William Cuvier.” I dove back into the water to rinse
off, furious at Samson and Charlie, but mostly at myself. Now he
definitely knew that I knew who he was. This sucked big time.

When I got back to shore, Jay was in his
boxers rubbing sand on his jeans and Charlie was using The Monster
as a pillow. He’d laid a towel out for me—right next to him. Looks
like we were having a chat.

CHARLIE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

She strolled
out of the Pacific Ocean like it was a hot tub. The Pacific is
cold, even in Southern Cal. “The water doesn’t chill you?”

“Not the ocean.”

“Are you an unseelie species?”

She turned away, pretending to dry off her
feet, which had already dried off in the sun. “An unseelie species.
That sounds like a laboratory rat.”

“I don’t mean any disrespect.”

“I told you. I can’t say. When we reach
around five human years we pledge ourselves to secrecy. If I speak
to a stranger about what I am, I’ll suffer.”

A truth. “I’ve met quite a few unseelie, did
you know? I spent time in the Demon Realm with my Uncle
Isaiah.”

“I know of Isaiah. He’s Naberia’s son.” Her
tone was venomous.

“Isaiah isn’t like his mother. He’s
cool.”

“Naberia decimated my people. Her son is the
offspring of a poisonous snake. So, not cool.”

Brushing her shields with my magic, I waited,
wanting so much to learn more about this female’s past. “Why would
Naberia attack your race?”

“To force us into submission. The quest for
more territory, more power. The usual shit.” She pulled her knees
up, resting her head on her folded arms. “I’m tired. Where are we
sleeping tonight?”

Good question. “We’ll get a hotel room.”

She lifted her head, scowling. “I’m not
sharing a bed.”

“Jay and I can bunk together, although I
can’t guarantee that Samson won’t make himself at home on your
bed.”

“The Monster can find his own bed.”

“Can’t we hit a laundromat tonight?” Jay
asked. “I’m out of everything.” Ivy and I glanced at his brightly
colored plaid shorts; the ones that made him look like a prep
school wannabe on acid. “Hey, I had to pack for this trip in record
time.”

“I was packed for months,” I said.

“Yeah, right.”

I lifted my hands, palms out. “I was, I
swear.”

“There’s a laundromat two blocks from here,”
Ivy offered up.

I shrugged. “Looks like we’re doing laundry.
Woo hoo.”

“You aren’t one of those guys who still makes
Mommy do his laundry, are you?” Ivy asked.

“Liam does the laundry, even Mom’s.”

“Who’s Liam? Your poor cousin who’s trying to
get back on his feet and you’re giving him room and board as long
as he does the chores?”

Jay was laughing so hard I thought he was
gonna collapse in a heap. “Char, really? Liam washes your undies?”
He explained to Ivy, “Liam is one of the king of Faerie’s
grandchildren, one of Garrett’s closest friends. He’s half fae-half
human.”

“He uses magic. Jeez. Who does yours?” I
asked.

“Um…” Jay pulled at his collar, looking
uncomfortable.

“I’ll know if you lie.” I grinned.

“My dads switch off.”

“Your step dad and your real dad?” Ivy
asked.

“They’re both my real dads. They’re a couple.
Been together for 25 years. Peter’s a lawyer and Kyle owns a
martial arts school. I’m adopted.”

“They sound awesome.”

She’d meant it. “What do your parents do?” I
asked.

“I have a Father and two sisters, but when I
was ten I was given to my guardian to raise. He died a few months
ago, so I have a new guardian now.”

“Sorry.” Jay sat down next to us, spreading
out a napkin and giving Ivy her take-out meal from the restaurant.
She pushed it back to him and shook her head.

“It’s cool having a guardian. He’s been good
to me.” And according to her aura, that was a lie.

Jay pushed the food back, encouraging her to
eat. She picked at it and Jay helped.

The laundromat was where she’d said, so while
our clothes were in the washer, Jay bought some ice cream,
complaining about how we’d never had a chance to order desert. Ivy
only ate a couple of spoonfuls, her mood having plunged downhill
since we started talking about parents.