Lee: Emerson Wolves—Paranormal Erotic Wolf Shifter Romance (3 page)

“You see it?” He told her that he was reading it now and that he’d not written it. “It happened again after Kimber was fired, him being too drunk to make any kind of sense of what he was saying to us. I thought that if he was sober enough to stand up and yell at the staff then he could surely cook. But I guess I was wrong. And with this review, business dropped off to nearly nothing. Last night we had open tables all night long. And we always had a waiting list.”

“So this Chef Hayes made dinner for this other critic and it wasn’t up to par. Invite him back. Have him tell the man he was having a bad night, that he’d just fired someone and the kitchen was getting their feet under them. This other person, Kimber…how does he fit into this?”

The article had not mentioned the name, so he assumed that either the man was a lower cook or was off. Mrs. Stanton sobbed harder as she told him who Kimber was.

“Kimber Gray was the woman who cooked your dinner that night you were there. We all knew it was her, and that was who we lied about for her to be fired. I told her that I’d make sure that everyone knew she’d done it because of Hayes being in his cups, but I didn’t. I…he threatened me and now…now we’re out of work too.” Lee looked up when Sloan came into the room with him. He wanted to tell her to stay put. Her body looked ready to explode, but as she had every time someone asked her, she told them she had never felt better.

“I’m still sort of confused why you’re calling me. I mean, it was a fantastic meal, one of the best I’d had in a while. I tried to tell the owner that he should keep him…her on staff, but he seemed to think that I had lost my mind. Other than that, I’m not sure what you think I can do about your plight.”

“Can you find her for us? If you can’t retract the review, then can you find her so we can try and stay open?” He asked how he was supposed to do that. “She’s there in the United States. I don’t know when she left here, but her apartment is empty of her things and there is no forwarding address that I can find. I want to…I need to tell her how sorry I am for what I did and see if she’ll come back.”

Lee scrubbed his hand over his face. “Do you have any idea how big the United States is? Do you at least know what state she’s in? I don’t know if I can help you, but that would narrow it down.” She told him she had no idea. His wolf stirred along his skin then, and he wondered what had him so upset. Then he looked at the woman standing in the doorway and stood up. “I have to call you back.

Lee was always nervous around Lady Clementine Mantle, less so when her granddaughter was around to act as a buffer. But Addie was working on a project, he’d been told, and hadn’t been able to get away. Lady Mantle came into the room and sat on the couch next to Sloan.

“Hello, my dear. How are you and that lovely baby doing? I should think you are ready to have it.” Sloan laughed and told her not just yet. “Well, I’m here now so that I can be here for the event. And to see my estates. Did you know that Addie has hired two more people to work for her? Her business is growing well.”

“It is. But I’m pretty sure you didn’t come here to talk to me about Addie. I’m assuming you need Lee.” Lady Mantle nodded and pinned him with her gaze. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. I have some things to set out for Cash to plant next week.”

Lee wanted to beg her not to leave him, but when the door shut behind Sloan, he knew this was going to be bad. He looked at Lady Mantle and tried to think what to say to her.

It wasn’t as if she had ever been mean to him. Or for that matter, he’d never done anything to piss her off. But she intimidated him to no end. And his wolf too. When she leaned back in her seat, Lee sat up straighter in his.

“I need something from you.” He told her anything. “Don’t be too hasty. It’s not a small thing that I ask you. It involves a woman that I loathe and her grandniece.”

“I’m not going to date her.” Lady Mantle laughed. “I’m sorry. That came out very wrong. But I don’t enjoy being set up, because it usually turns out badly for both of us.”

“I’m not that devious; and besides, you’re much too handsome to need someone like me to set you up. No, this is about the grandniece, as I was saying. She’s coming here soon to live with her aunt, and I don’t want her to feel…I should explain something first. Kimberly Schroeder, have you heard of her? She lives on the other side of town from here.”

“The older lady that walks around thinking that her money is too good to part with?” Lady Mantle laughed and Lee flushed. “You bring out the worst in me. I’m not sure why, but I feel like a babbling idiot whenever you’re around me.”

“Why is that?” He told her he had no idea and she smiled at him. “I like you, Lee. Very much. Your father did a good job raising you, as did your mother, but I think you’ve learned a great deal on your own. And I’m betting that there is a great deal that your family does not know about.”

He said nothing, thinking it was the best way to deal with this. Lee also knew that, like her granddaughter, she could read his mind and his thoughts without much effort. Sometimes it was creepy the way that Addie could tell what was going to happen long before it did. He looked at Lady Mantel when something occurred to him.

“This woman, this grandniece, is she my mate? Are you setting this up so that I meet her and we live happily ever after? Because if you think that’s what is going to happen, then you should know that I’ve no desire to meet a woman this way. Fate might be showing you her hand, but I don’t need to know it.” Lady Mantle only smiled. “I’m not sure I like that anymore than when Addie does it.”

“I have never met the girl, to be honest with you. I just know that she’s on her way here, and when she does arrive, it’s going to go badly for her for a time.” He nodded and asked her what she needed for him to do. “I would like for you to make sure that if she needs someone, I can depend on you to…to help her. As you may have noticed, Kimberly is not the nicest person in the world.”

“No, she’s not. But what sort of help do you think I can offer her? And let’s stop beating around the bush, please? I have enough on my plate at the moment.” When she nodded at him, he felt like a butterfly pinned to the wall. He nearly told her he’d changed his mind about helping her, but she spoke first.

“Her name is Kimber Gray. And she’s a chef that is out of work.”

Lee felt himself nodding, and he might have even said something, but the next thing he knew, his brother was yelling at him to breathe and Sloan was crying. When he stood up, it was all he could do not to run and never come back.

Chapter 3

The limo driver just stared at her. She had a feeling that her aunt had told him not to help her in any way. She was fine with that. Kimber decided that she was home now, and that if her aunt was going to play games, she could as well. Hannah pulled on her sleeve and she looked down at her.

“I’m hungry and I have to go to the bathroom.” Nodding, Kimber asked the lady at the outside desk if there was a ladies’ room close. Nodding as the lady pointed her in the right direction, Kimber lifted up her two bags and her daughter’s one and headed in that direction. The driver opened the door to the long sleek machine but didn’t bother helping her. Going by him, Kimber felt like she had won this battle, small as it was.

Kimber used the bathroom as well, and waited for Hannah to finish while she looked in the mirror. Traveling had never been something she enjoyed. She supposed it had to do with how broke she’d been, which would sour anyone on it. But the coach seating and the three plane changes had taken their toll on her, and her daughter too. When she came out of the stall, Kimber went to Hannah to help her with her clothing.

“I’m hungry now.” She told her that she was as well. “Do you think we can have something before we go to that woman’s house? I’ll pay this time.”

“Oh, darling.” Kimber tried to stop the tears, but she was exhausted and humiliated. Her aunt had promised her money to be delivered.
How far did she think seventy-five dollars would go
, Kimber wondered, not for the first time. “I think I can swing a burger for us and a drink. We’ll have to share.”

“Okay.” Oh, to be eight and able to bounce back from everything so quickly. “That man out there, with the big car, is that for us? I’ve never ridden in one of those before. Do you think he’ll let me stick my head out the window on the top?”

“No, and don’t ask him. I have a feeling that he will report us for an infraction.”

Hannah giggled. As they bypassed the man with the open door, she wondered if she’d ever be this carefree again. Hannah sat on one of the tall chairs that were in front of the pretty little cart, and asked if she could have a burger with nothing on it.

“Not even cheese?” The lady behind the little counter just smiled at her. Kimber thought that she had the kindest smile for some reason. “I might even have some pickles around here too, if you want those.”

“No thank you, we’re on a tight budget.” Kimber felt her face heat up and nearly told Hannah to hush, but the woman laughed.

“Yeah, me too. I can never stick to it when it comes to pickles, however. But the pickles, like the cheese, are free today.” Kimber frowned at the woman when she looked at her before continuing. “We’re having a buy a burger with cheese and get one for free special.”

“You don’t have to do that.” The woman only laughed and turned her back to them to put four burgers on the grill. The man that had been at the car came to the stand and cleared his throat.

“Miss, you and the young miss are to come with me. Mrs. Schroeder is waiting for you.” The woman at the grill turned to them and looked at the man. “You are to stay out of this. You have been warned before.”

“Don’t you dare threaten her.” Kimber felt her anger hit an all new level. “You tell her you’re sorry right this minute, or I’ll tell my aunt what kind of people she has working for her.”

He only laughed at her and walked away. When he got into the car and drove away, Kimber thought for sure that she and Hannah were going to be out on the streets in very short order.

In no time they each had a double cheeseburger with fries, and bottles of water as well. Kimber was no longer hungry, fear of what she might have just done to them weighing heavy on her mind.

“You have to eat. You can’t take her on if you’re weak from hunger.” Kimber nodded at the woman. “I’m Mabel Carlyle. You are related to the dragon, I’m guessing.”

When Hannah laughed, the woman turned to her and pinched her cheek, warning her that she shouldn’t call her great aunt that to her face. Kimber had a feeling that she should have held her tongue about her aunt a few times over the last couple of days too.

“She’s my great aunt. Hannah and I are going to be staying with her for a few months.” Kimber looked to where the limo had been. “At least I thought so. I’m not sure now. I don’t think…she’s not happy with us being here. And to be honest, I’m not so thrilled about being here either.”

“No, I don’t think that woman has been happy a day in her life. But perhaps this little one could bring a smile to her face.” Kimber thought that her aunt’s face would break should she ever smile, but said nothing to Mabel. “You looking for work?”

“I am. I don’t know if there is much around here, but I can cook.” Mabel nodded and handed Hannah another order of fries. Kimber looked down at her plate and wondered when she’d eaten her food.

“You’re a little stressed out, I can see that. But if you can cook, I might have you some work. I own the local diner. My cook has just got it in his head that he wants to go to California.” She made that sound like he’d said he was moving to another planet. “You come on by once you get the two of you settled and we’ll talk.”

Kimber felt better until she pulled out her phone to call a cab. If there even was one in this little town. She’d forgotten to turn the phone back on after the plane had landed, and now she was sure she was in deep shit. There were five messages on it, and she knew who they were from. Her aunt was the only one with this number, and she’d made good use, no doubt, of the voice mail on it.

They got progressively meaner as she listened. By the time the car pulled up in front of her and Hannah, Kimber was so upset that when the man stood there not helping them again, she walked up to him and slapped him across the face. Enough was enough.

His low growl only made her more pissed. “You told her that I was fucking some man on the couch? You actually told her that I had offered myself to you in exchange for money? What kind of person are you?”

“Employed.” When she drew back to hit him again, he grabbed her arm and pulled it up behind her back. “You ever touch me again and I will make not just your stay here a nightmare, but that of your child too. Who do you think she’d believe if you told her that I’d taken your daughter to my bed?”

Kimber was suddenly free and the man that held her was gone. In his place was a large snarling wolf that looked like he would have her for dinner. But he was nothing compared to the one that stood in front of him. Mabel grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her out of the way. Hannah was in the little food cart behind the counter when Mabel shoved her inside. Kimber watched the two wolves circle one another, knowing that when one attacked, the limo driver was going to be dead.

“Who is he?” Mabel just looked at her. “The bigger wolf? I’m assuming that he’s the alpha around here.”

“He is. I called Hunter when I realized what was going on and what that man had done to you the first time he rolled off without you. I didn’t know you were related to the dragon, but after he left you, I figured you were no more welcome there than I would be.” Kimber only nodded. “You know a wolf somewhere?”

“I did…we did. He’s…he was killed.” She glanced down at Hannah, who had pulled her headphones out of her pack and was watching something on her reader. She knew that the little girl was trying to drown out the violence. It was something she had done when the neighbors in their apartment building fought. They were the wolves. “Hannah saw them fighting and they changed. When they would fight they’d…it would spill over into the hall. One night the woman shot the man while Hannah was there. I’m not sure how much she saw, but when the woman turned the gun on herself too, the police never knew she’d seen anything. Hannah said he’d been the wolf before she shot him, and when he lay there, he’d changed. The woman told Hannah to go inside, and that was when she killed herself.”

“The pack would have torn her up.” The loud crash had her looking at the two wolves. The bigger wolf—Hunter, she supposed his name was—had the driver down on the ground and his teeth at his throat. “You should know that Hunter is a good man. He’d never do anything to hurt you.”

“Everyone hurts you in the end.” Mabel said nothing, and Kimber sat on the floor and held her daughter. “I have no idea why I trust you so much. I feel as if I have known you for my whole life.”

“I’m a wolf. Did you know that?” Kimber shook her head. “More than ever now, the dragon is going to make it hell on you, won’t she?”

“I’m betting that we’re homeless again.” Kimber looked up at her when she heard the scream of pain from one of the men. “I have to pay her back for bringing us here. I don’t have it, and I don’t know how long it will take me to get it. But she was going to charge me rent for living with her. And she’s not at all happy about my daughter being here too.”

“Like I said before, you have any trouble, come find me. I’ll help you best I can.” Kimber nodded and held Hannah. When Mabel told her it was over, whatever that meant, Kimber gathered up her things and got into the truck with a man named Dan. He said he’d take her to her aunt’s. There was blood on the ground near where the two wolves had been, but nothing more. Both of them, the two wolves, were gone.

~~~

Lee listened to his brothers go on about this and that. His head was pounding and he just wanted them to go home. He didn’t want to be rude, not yet at any rate, but he was tired and they weren’t helping him. When Hunter’s truck pulled into the drive, Lee stood up. Something had happened and Hunter was not happy about it. When he only stood by his truck, Lee went to him.

“You okay?” Hunter only stretched his neck muscles, and Lee grinned when he heard it pop a few times. “I’m taking that as a no.”

“You remember that little fuck that works for Mrs. Schroeder?” There was that name again and Lee nodded, asking him if he meant the limo driver. “Yeah, that’s him. I had to kill him today. I didn’t want to, but he attacked a human for no apparent reason. I have a feeling that it’s going to come back and bite me in the ass. I talked to Mabel too. She said that he’d been threatening her too. Fucking prick.”

“No doubt.” Lee tried to think of how to begin to tell Hunter of the conversation that he’d had yesterday with Lady Mantle. “I’m supposed to try and protect her. Not the dragon, but her grandniece. Lady Mantle, she came by yesterday and asked me to see to her. Help her out when she has issues. I don’t know what’s going on, do you?”

“No. Why you?” Lee could have taken offense, but he only shrugged. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. What I meant was, what does she think you can do for her that we as a pack can’t do for her?”

“I’m not sure. I did ask her if this woman was my mate, and all she said was that she’d never met her. Did you?” Hunter told him what had happened today, and that the woman had been there when he’d arrived. “So he was hurting her. Great. It starts already. I don’t suppose you know what she looks like, in the event that I see her in town and she’s being hurt again.”

“To be honest, I didn’t see much of her. I knocked her back so she could be freed, because I was more concerned with the teeth snapping at my throat. I guess she might be pretty, but I’m sorry, I have no idea. Mabel saw her. She was having lunch at her counter out there at the airport when she called me. I guess she witnessed him being rude to this woman and called me in. And because he told Mabel that she was to stay out of things, I guess this woman stood up to him and slapped him in the face. I’m not sure she needs all that much help from a guy who makes quiche for a living.”

“Ha, ha.” Lee leaned against the truck as he looked out over the trees behind his brother’s home. “I’m going to move into my house today and tomorrow. The stuff I ordered has been in storage, and I have some of the pack coming in to help me get it in the house. If you have time to come and help, I’m buying dinner.”

“Steaks or pizza?” Lee told him steaks, and Hunter grinned. “I’ll be there. Care if I bring Dad and the rest of them? I guess that Sloan is having a meeting of the minds with Addie, Jack, and Dawn over some of the things that had come up at her last board meeting. I guess Shawn is coming in too. Clemmie is using him to look into some things.”

“Great. The more I have to help, the quicker I can get moved in.” Lee really was looking forward to being in his own home. Sloan had sent him some paperwork on the building that she’d purchased and asked him to look it over. He’d yet to crack open the file. “I’m so tired, Hunter. I mean, bone weary tired.”

“You look it too. Even Dad noticed that you don’t seem to be all here. What is it?” He told him he had no idea. “Maybe you just need to stop jet-setting for a while and simply be an Emerson. I’m sure that if you got bored Dan could find you some work. Ellis is busy, too, with his new pack. I bet either one of them could find you something to work on.”

“Sloan too. She wants to open a higher scale restaurant here in town, and she wants me to run it. I’m not sure in what capacity, but she gave me the specs on it today.” Hunter nodded and looked away. “What is it? You know something.”

“No. Not really. I know that she’s spoken to Shawn about finding a staff and cook to work it. You know how she is when she’s got something in her head.” Lee did know. “She wants this, and if you don’t run it for her, I think she’ll just find someone else to do it. Do you want to?”

“I’m not sure.” Which was true. “When I got out of school, I wanted nothing more than to come back and make a name for myself in the best restaurant in Ohio. Hell, even the country. But I started doing this for Sloan and you, and all I could think about was that I was making a difference in someone’s business. Not always a good impact, but a few of them we’ve been able to turn around. And all because of something that I did. Then when my blog thing took off and started being picked up by papers on what I thought of the restaurants that I visited, I found that I really liked that. It’s like my opinion mattered to some.”