Strange Neighbors (34 page)

   "Oh…" The drawn window shade blocked some of the light, but clearly sunrise had already happened. Damn. Sly is gonna be pissed!

   Nathan leaped out of bed and realized he was naked. He whirled away from her and covered his privates with his hands. "Yikes. Sorry about the flash."

   Gwyneth sat up and the covers fell away, exposing her naked torso, red curls tumbling over her shoulders. "Don't apologize for what mother nature gave y'all. There ain't no need to be ashamed or embarrassed in front of little ol' me. I think you have a fine body."

   He took in the view over his shoulder. Hers was mighty fine too but he didn't have time to stand around and admire it. "Well, um—thanks. And thanks for saving my life, but I have to get downstairs. You don't happen to have any men's clothes I could borrow, do you?"

   "I'm afraid not, sugar. You can wear my robe, though." She pointed to a long floral printed dressing gown hung from a hook on the back of the door.

   Nathan shrugged. "Better than nuthin'."

   He struggled into the tight garment and pulled it around as far as he could. He'd have to hold it closed over his privates since only an inch overlapped. "I'll return it as soon as I can. And, uh…" One last look at her unabashed nakedness later, he mumbled, "Thanks again."

   "Stay warm, now." Gwyneth waved as he took off running.

   On his way to the basement, he bypassed his apartment, too worried to stop and throw on some jeans. If Sly hadn't thought to cover Dottie, she'd be half frozen by now too.

   At the bottom of the basement steps, he halted. A workman paused in his effort to wrap the water pipes with heat tapes and glanced over at him. No one besides this man occupied the basement, at least no one he could see. Sly had probably holed up in his wall, but… Where the hell is Dottie?

   What could he say? Uh, excuse me. Did you see a gagged woman tied to a chair down here?

   The workman and Nathan stared at each other for a few seconds. At last, Nathan cleared his throat. "Sorry to bother you. Has anyone been down here besides you?"

   The man shrugged. "Just the landlord, I guess. He's the one who called me."

   Shit. I'm toast.

   "Can I help you?"

   Nathan heaved a sigh. "Not unless you have a vacant apartment I can rent."

   The man gave him the once over as Nathan stood there in Gwyneth's bathrobe and said, "I don't think so."

"I WANT THEM OUT!" DOTTIE YELLED. "ALL OF THEM! This place is full of dangerous psychotics and nut bags with illegal pets."

   In as soothing a tone as he could manage Jason said, "Aunt Dottie, I know it may seem that way—"

   "Seem? Baloney! It is!"

   Shaking inwardly, he hoped his voice would help calm himself, even though he doubted it would change her tone. The last thing she needed right now was to watch her nephew shift into one of those feathered predators.

   Ralph returned from the kitchen with a glass of Scotch and handed it to her. "Dottie, try to remember who owns the building. If Jason doesn't want to evict anyone, we don't have the right to make demands like that."

   She took a giant gulp of the liquor. "Gaaah!" Then she rasped, "That burns all the way down."

   Good, maybe that will shut her up. Jason took a deep breath. "Try to hear me out, Aunt Dottie. I have something to tell you."

   "I knew it! It's your deep dark secret, isn't it?"

   Shocked silent, Jason froze with his mouth agape. Fortunately, Ralph jumped in front of him to block her line of sight and perhaps distract her from him.

   "Honey, he asked you to listen. Now I'm sure he wants to recommend we take that vacation he offered us before. That way he can deal with things on this end the way he thinks they should be handled. Isn't that right, Jason?" He twisted his torso to watch his face without Dottie seeing it.

   Jason nodded and inhaled a deep breath. Thanks, Uncle Ralph. That's a much better idea than trying to explain away everything she's seen. "I was thinking of buying a vacation getaway in the islands. Someplace where no one would recognize me and I could really relax with Merry in the off season. I'd like you to check out a few places for me."

   Ralph stepped aside. "There, you see, Dottie? The only secret is where he'll be spending his vacations so he can have complete peace. And I think it would do us a world of good too."

   "Humph. I doubt that's his only secret."

   "Please, honey. Don't insult our nephew by calling him a liar. He's been more than kind and understanding."

   "I think I'm the one who's been more than understanding. I've put up with wolves at my door, birds in the hallway, and a vampire somewhere in the basement where I do our laundry."

   "Aunt Dottie, there's no such thing as vampires, and I saw no one in our basement when I found you. Neither did you. Doesn't that tell you something?"

   "Well, how did I get gagged and all trussed up like a holiday turkey? Did I imagine that too? Or maybe I tied myself to that chair and knotted the rope behind my back where I couldn't reach it."

   "I'm going to talk to Nathan. I promised you that and I will, as soon as I know you're all right."

   She took another swig of the Scotch. "I'll feel better when I've had about three of these, but you're not going to convince me I'm hallucinating—and I'm not going anywhere. You need me here to protect your interests."

   Jason sucked in a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but I've avoided inviting my buddies over due to your frequent—um, how do I say this? Alarming reports?"

   "What in heaven's name do you mean?"

   Jason looked to Ralph.

   "Please don't deny it, honey. You're an alarmist. You jump to conclusions and the first thing you do is look for Jason. I don't blame him for worrying about having friends over. If they were here when you… Well, let's just say I don't blame him."

   "But you do blame me. Yet you're the one who doesn't want me to call the cops!"

   "No, Aunt Dottie. Nobody's blaming you. I know you think you're helping, but…" What else could he say without calling her a pain in the ass? "Look, I really would like you and Ralph to take a little vacation in the islands. It's on me." Maybe he could get her to go if he gave her a mission she'd enjoy more than looking for real estate. "Um, I wasn't going to say anything yet, but while you're down there, can you look for a private honeymoon hideaway?"

   Dottie's jaw dropped. "You're getting married? Why didn't you tell us?"

   Jason shrugged one shoulder. "She hasn't put on the ring yet. She's still thinking it over."

   "Oh." Her posture slumped.

   "I'm pretty sure she'll accept, though. I know her. She has a kind heart, and I don't think she'll let me down." He sent a pointed look to Ralph.

   Ralph smiled and clapped him on the back. "I don't think she will, either. Congratulations. Now doesn't that sound like fun, Dottie? We have a honeymoon to plan and we can take a second honeymoon in the process."

   At last Dottie let a weak smile cross her lips. "I suppose. It's been a long time since we've gone anywhere."

   Thank God, now if I can just get her out of here soon. "I'll make the plane reservations. Do you two have passports?"

   Dottie nodded. "Yes. We applied for them when they changed the laws and we needed them to visit my sister in Canada."

   "Great. I'll see what kind of island tour I can get at the last minute." He leaned toward Ralph and said in a low voice, "Can I count on you to keep an eye on her while I do that?"

   He nodded. "I'll look after her. She needs a good nap."

   "Okay. I'll go talk to Nathan now." And I hope he has a good explanation. I don't want to evict the guy who saved my life.

Nathan heard a knock on his door. He stopped packing his bags long enough to answer it and found his landlord standing there.

   "We need to talk."

   "Come in," Nathan said morosely. "Have a seat."

   Jason sat in the chair Nathan pointed to and waited quietly for him to get settled.

   Nathan was pretty sure he knew what Jason came to say, though. "I'm sorry, Jason." Nathan perched on the edge of the sofa and clasped his hands between his knees. "I swear I thought she was a burglar. What was she doing walking into my apartment at midnight?"

   "I don't know. I barely reassured her enough to stay put and now Ralph is plying her with Scotch. I'm sending them off on a vacation tomorrow. So, tell me what happened."

   To anyone else, it would sound bizarre, but a falcon might understand. "I had caught a mouse in the alley earlier in the evening and had just shifted back into my raven form to enjoy my meal when the door opened. The light behind her obscured anything but a silhouette. You know what it's like when you're in bird form, right? You think like a bird first and a man second. Instinctively, I sensed a threat and flew at her head and beat her with my wings to drive her off."

   "Okay. So couldn't you have let her think you were a pet bird? You know I allow pets, so you'd be well within your rights to own one."

   "I was under duress and not thinking as clearly as I could have. I shifted into human form, hoping to scare the shit out of the burglar, and I didn't know it was your aunt until she had seen too much."

   "She said you had a gun."

   "I do. I never would have used it. I may joke about death, but I'm not a killer."

   Jason nodded. "Do you have a permit for that gun?"

   "Why?"

   "In case she calls the cops on you no matter what Ralph and I do to calm her down?"

   "Shit."

   "I know my aunt, and she'll want to. I hope we can talk her out of it."

   Nathan gulped. "Double shit."

   "So you gagged and tied her to a chair and left her in the basement with a guy she thought was a vampire?"

   "Shit. Shit. Shit."

   "What were you planning to do with her after that?"

   "I admit I didn't think it through well at all," he said sheepishly.

   Jason shook his head. "Fan-fucking-tastic. Now what do we do?"

   "We?" Nathan lifted his head and stared at his landlord, wide-eyed. "I'd planned to pack my bags and leave before the eviction notice was delivered. I figured I wasn't fast enough and you were here to tell me to get out."

   Jason tilted his head. "I know how hard it is to find affordable apartments in this town, especially on short notice. You didn't think I'd turn my back on you after you saved my life, did you?"

   "Well, uh—yeah. I…" Damn. I can't believe he wants to stick up for me. "I don't know what to say."

   "Say you'll apologize profusely if that's what it takes."

   "Me apologize to her? She's the one who walked—"

   The look on Jason's face was all he needed to see. "Yeah, of course. I'll try anything. I just doubt it will be enough."

   "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Merry met Roz at a local fast food restaurant. She needed a heart-to-heart with someone she could trust to be honest with her.

   "You know how Jason wants to marry me before spring training, right?"

   "Yes, have you accepted?"

"I'm pretty close."

   "What was that thing you couldn't tell me about before? Can you tell me now?"

   Merry dropped her head in her hands. "Jeez! I want to, but I'm not sure I can." She reached across the table, grabbed Roz's wrist, and searched her face. "Will you believe whatever I tell you without accusing me of losing my marbles?"

   "Uh, probably. I've never known you to lose your marbles—or your mind for that matter. We are talking about your sanity, right?"

   "Yes."

   "Well, then yes, you can tell me anything without my questioning the amount of your marbles."

   Merry took a deep breath. "Here goes nuthin'. Jason is a shapeshifter."

   Roz's eyes widened and she fell silent.

   "I knew you wouldn't believe me," Merry wailed.

   Other people in the restaurant glanced over at them. Both women waited until everyone returned to minding their own business, then continued their conversation in hushed tones.

   "I'm familiar with the term," Roz said, "but only in fiction. Are you telling me he's a werewolf or something?"

   Merry suppressed a laugh. "No. He's a peregrine falcon. There are some nice benefits to his being that particular bird."

   "Oh? Like what?"

   "Well, first and foremost, they're monogamous."

   "That's terrific. You'll never need to worry about his fooling around on you, even when he's on the road or if you see stupid, damaging headlines in gossip columns."

   "I know. That part's really great, but there's a down side."

   "To monogamy?"

   "Well, yeah. I mean, now that he's made his choice, apparently he's begun some kind of process that can't be stopped. In other words, it's me or no one."

   "Well, that sucks—for him. You can take your time about it though, right? I mean, I can understand his wanting to make it happen sooner rather than later, but he isn't still pressuring you to marry him right away, is he?"

   "Kind of. There's more."

   "Uh-oh. What else?"

   "The reason he wants to marry me before spring training is so I'll be in Florida with him when the urge to mate hits in March. Apparently it's a falcon instinct at that time of year. If I'm not there, the human in him may be so stressed out, he could lose his marbles. Even if he doesn't, he could shift without warning in order to fly to me wherever I am. That would end his career."