Trouble in a Fur Coat (The Fur Coat Society Book 1) (5 page)

Jack breathed in deeply as he stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the hospital. After a long night of work, the fresh air felt like a soothing balm on his body and soul. He felt alive, and he breathed in again, taking a moment to be grateful for his life and his health.

The emergency c-section had been a success, and Jack had fought back tears of joy when he heard that little baby screaming for the first time in the operating room. Later, the mother had asked for him to come by so that she could thank him, but he had already been off working on another job by that time. It didn’t matter. He didn’t need thanks. Knowing that the work he was doing was making a difference was thanks enough.

Jack pulled out his phone to request a hovertaxi. Parking in the hospital’s garage was tough to find, so Jack usually took public transit to and from work. But he was too tired right now to deal with waiting for “the El”—Chicago’s high speed public hovertrain. Jack could feel the exhaustion in his bones. He’d spring for a taxi. But just as Jack was about to turn on the signaling beacon that would let nearby taxis know he wanted a ride, his phone announced he had an incoming message. He raised an eyebrow when he saw that it was from Silver.

“Open message,” he commanded, and the message flashed quickly onto his screen.

Hey! Maybe a long shot, but are you awake and available? I know you work crazy weird hours, so I thought I’d take a chance that I might catch you. I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I’m going to go grab some breakfast. I’d love some company, if you want to join. Let me know! I’m heading to Tweet. It’s near the intersection of Sheridan and Argyle.

Jack only hesitated for a moment. He could hardly keep his eyes open, and he knew the responsible option right now would be to go home and sleep. But he had to eat, right? He might as well have the chance to see Silver while he was at it. He knew he was being a glutton for punishment. Seeing her would only stir up his feelings for her even more, and make his dreams about her even more vivid. But that didn’t stop a big grin from spreading across his face as he spoke to his phone.

“Text Silver Rowe.”

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Jack’s hovertaxi came to a swift, smooth stop in front of Tweet, a cozy, fun brunch spot on Chicago’s north side. He pressed his fingerprint against the screen to confirm payment to the self-driven taxi, and then hopped out to head in to the restaurant. The morning had started out on the cool side, but the temperature was rising rapidly. This May had already broken records as Chicago’s warmest May ever, and it looked like things were only going to get hotter from here. There was even a couple eating on the outdoor patio of the restaurant as Jack walked up. Patio brunches weren’t always possible so early in the year here. Jack chuckled to himself as he reached for the restaurant door. It was always funny to him when Chicagoans complained about the cold. True, it could get chilly. But it was nothing compared to a long Alaskan winter. If anything, he wanted to complain about the heat. He wouldn’t have minded a few more days without sweat pouring down his back before noon.

Jack was surprised by how empty the restaurant was. He had been here before on the weekend, and the line had been out the door. But now, early on a weekday morning, there didn’t seem to be too many people at the place. As he walked in, a sleepy-eyed hostess greeted him. Before he could greet her in return, Silver called out to him from a table in the back of the room. She was holding a muffin in her hand while waving wildly, and Jack couldn’t keep himself from cracking a smile. She always had so much energy.

“I’m meeting my friend,” Jack said to the hostess, and gestured in Silver’s direction. The hostess nodded, and Jack made his way to Silver’s table. He was tempted to lean over and give her a hello kiss on the cheek, but chickened out at the last moment and gave her a hug instead. She smelled like a mixture of fresh laundry and flowers. Her dark hair was pulled up into a loose bun, with several rebellious tendrils falling down and out on either side. It didn’t look like she had any makeup on, but her skin was smooth and beautiful without it. She was wearing a pair of skin tight black leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, somehow managing to look comfortable and sexy at the same time.

“You look great,” Jack said as he took his seat.

“Thanks. You look tired,” Silver said around a mouthful of muffin. “You must have just gotten off a shift.”

“Yeah, it was a long one, too. But I got to help save a few lives during an emergency c-section, so it was a pretty good night.”

Silver’s eyes widened. “That’s so awesome. I’m still amazed at the work you do. I mean, I jump around on a stage for a living, doing a couple of fancy twirls. But
you
. You save people’s lives!”

Jack smiled. “You bring a lot of beauty into people’s lives. That’s important, too, so don’t discount it. There’s more than one way to save a life.”

Silver didn’t reply, but her pleased smile told Jack that she appreciated his words. Before he could say anything else, their waitress appeared.

“Coffee?” she asked Jack. He nodded, knowing that in a few hours when he tried to get to sleep, he was going to regret the caffeine. But right now, he didn’t care. He had the chance to spend an hour with Silver, and he wanted to feel awake for that.

Jack and Silver fell silent for a few moments after the waitress left, both perusing the menu. Jack quickly settled on the huevos rancheros dish, and leaned back in his chair to look around while Silver decided what she wanted. The restaurant was decorated with an eclectic mix of paintings and sculptures, and Jack was eyeing a piece of art that looked like a strange mix of a bird and human when Silver broke back into his thoughts.

“It’s by a famous artist from right here in Chicago,” she said, following his gaze to the painting. “It’s supposed to represent that all humans have the ability within themselves to fly, if they really believe. I heard the artist give a talk at the art museum downtown. He said that we’re all destined to be great, and his art is supposed to be a reminder of that.”

“Kind of funny, don’t you think?” Jack asked, not taking his gaze away from the painting. “The power and spirit of animals is celebrated in art. But often when people find out that some humans really do have an animal side, they freak out. Like it’s some weird voodoo shit or something.”

When Jack looked back at Silver, her eyes had darkened. “It’s so unfair,” she said. “I wish I could find the courage to just shout from every rooftop in Chicago. ‘I’m a BEAR! Hear me roar.’”

Jack chuckled and shrugged. “I don’t think I’ll ever tell anyone here about my shifter side. I came to Chicago to escape clan life. I just want to live like a normal human.”

Silver eyes widened again. “But you’re not a normal human. You’re a shifter. You can’t change who you are.”

Jack shrugged again. “I can’t change my DNA, but I don’t have to live in a clan, constantly in fear of being hunted by superstitious humans, or attacked by a rival clan. Here, I can just blend in and live a normal life.”

Silver laughed. “You’re a funny one, Jack Tanner. You freak out and tell me to get away from Joe’s family because they don’t like shifters. But you want to deny anything having to do with shifting at all.”

“I’m not denying anything. I’m just not advertising it. Like I said, I want to blend in. And it sounds like that family is a difficult place to blend in.”

Silver frowned and bit her lower lip, then looked down at her plate, which was covered in muffin crumbs. Jack could see the pain in her eyes, and he decided not to push the subject of Joe’s family. If there was one thing he’d learned about strong, independent women like Silver, it was that you could never force them to make a decision they didn’t want to make. If Silver did leave Joe, it would have to be on her own terms and in her own timing. Pushing her was only going to make her dig her heels in more.

The waitress came up at that moment, breaking the tension in the air. The pair placed their orders, and then Jack decided to change the subject.

“How’s the knee doing?”

Silver shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess. I have an appointment with my doctor later today that is probably going to determine whether I get to dance the grand finale of the Cinderella show this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed for me.”

“I will,” Jack said, then held up both his hands to show he had crossed his fingers on both sides. Silver grinned, and Jack felt his heart melting. She was absolutely lovely, and it was getting harder and harder for him to pretend that he was okay with her calling someone else her man. Especially when that someone belonged to a family that hated their kind. Even though Jack didn’t want to parade around the fact that he was a shifter, he would expect anyone who found out about it to still treat him with respect. Especially if the person who found out happened to be someone he was dating, or their family. He couldn’t believe that Silver would put up with nonsense like that. Jack let out an almost imperceptible sigh. Love was a funny thing. Not that he knew much about love. He’d been too busy with school and then with his residency to spend too much time dating over the last few years.

“You’re frowning again,” Silver said.

Jack quickly schooled his features into a neutral expression. “No, I’m not.”

“You were,” Silver insisted. “You were thinking about him, weren’t you?”

“Who?” Jack asked, playing dumb.

“You know who. Joe.”

Jack didn’t answer, which was answer enough for Silver.

“Look, I know you don’t like him. And I will admit that his family has some issues.”

“A lot of issues,” Jack said, unable to help himself. This earned him a glare from Silver, but after a moment she continued talking.

“Just go easy on me, okay? This is a difficult situation for me. I’ve spent a lot of time with Joe and I do care about him deeply. And I think he cares about me the same way. I just have to figure out whether he and I can make things work despite his parents.”

Jack felt his insides twisting up. Hearing Silver talk about Joe with such affection was hard for him. What did he expect, though? The dude
was
her boyfriend after all. Jack wanted to jump in and tell Silver that no one would ever care for her the way he could, and that no one would ever understand her the way he could. But he bit his tongue. There was no point throwing his feelings into the mix. He had made his choice to let Silver go years ago, when he’d decided that he didn’t want to date another shifter. He regretted that choice now, but it was too late. She was with someone else, and she seemed completely oblivious to the growing attraction he felt for her.

“Just be careful, okay?” Jack said, giving Silver what he hoped was a sincere smile. “And give me a call if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need help.”

Silver nodded, seeming to accept Jack’s words as a truce of sorts. Their food arrived, and their conversation turned to lighter topics. Silver seemed starved for conversation, and Jack let her talk for most of the meal. By the time they left the restaurant, three hours had passed. Jack wasn’t sure if he’d be able to make it home without falling asleep, but as he watched Silver hop into her hovercar and zoom away, he couldn’t keep a huge grin off of his face.

Spending the morning with her had been worth it. Even if all they ever were was friends, she was a special woman and he was lucky to have her in his life. Besides, he had the next two days off. He had plenty of time to go home and catch up on sleep without any more interruptions.

Or so he thought.

Silver had lived through a lot of uncomfortable situations with Joe’s family, but tonight was by far the worst. She had dared to wear flats tonight instead of heels, and Mrs. Astor was making it obvious to their whole table at the charity ball that she was displeased with Silver. She never mentioned the shoes, so no one else knew what the problem was. If they had known, Silver was willing to guess that they would have agreed that asking an injured ballerina to wear heels bordered on insane. In fact, Silver toyed with the idea of just confronting Mrs. Astor in the middle of the dinner, right in front of everyone. But she decided against it at the last moment. Silver was trying not to be a drama queen, and she figured that just making it quietly through this awkward evening was the best course of action. As the dinner plates were cleared away to make room for dessert, and the master of ceremonies announced that the keynote speaker would be taking the stage in ten minutes, Silver excused herself to the restroom. She didn’t really need to pee, but she did need a minute away from Joe’s parents.

Silver slipped into the women’s restroom and closed the stall door behind her, then turned around and leaned her back against it. She let out a sigh of relief, happy to enjoy some solitude, if only for a moment. She glanced down at her knee and smiled, pleased to see that there was no visible swelling anymore. At her doctor’s appointment today, Dr. Hartman had been pleased with how quickly the knee had healed up. As long as Silver was careful and didn’t overdo it, she should be able to dance again this weekend.

Silver felt a small pang of jealousy that she wasn’t one of those shifters that quickly self-healed. Some of her friends, like Grant and Jack, had shifter mutations that allowed their bodies to heal with lightning speed. If they had any sort of injury, all they needed to do was get a good night’s sleep and it was better the next day. Most polar bear shifters were like that.

“Damn grizzly genes,” Silver muttered to herself as she bent over a little more to inspect her knee. Silver came from the largest grizzly shifter clan in Alaska, the Frost Peak Grizzlies. She had grown up with borderline celebrity status, since her dad was one of the biggest leaders in one of the biggest clans. It was strange to be in a big city now, where no one except her closest friends had any clue about her past. Joe knew she had moved from Alaska, but she hadn’t offered any information beyond that, and he hadn’t seemed that interested in finding out more.

These days, Silver was something of a Chicago celebrity, thanks to her status as a star ballerina and Joe’s girlfriend. Thankfully, Chicago wasn’t a particularly celebrity-obsessed town, so Silver could usually blend into the crowd. Occasionally, someone would stop her on the street and ask if she was Silver Rowe, but she’d never been chased down by paparazzi or anything like that.

Silver took another deep breath and then stood up straight. She was already feeling better, after just a few minutes away from Mrs. Astor. Silver glanced at her watch. She was probably going to be stuck at this event for another two hours, but then she could go home and know she didn’t have to see Joe’s parents again until after this weekend. Silver could hardly wait to be able to put her complete focus on dancing. She had missed being up on stage, even though she had only missed a few performances.

Silver stepped out of the bathroom stall and checked her reflection in the mirror, pushing a stray strand of her hair back behind her ear. Her emerald green sheath dress brought out the flecks of green in her otherwise dark brown eyes, and she smiled at herself. She felt pretty tonight, really pretty, which didn’t often happen. Usually, she felt like she was wearing a costume when she dressed up, but this dress was simple and elegant enough that Silver felt comfortable in it. Silver pulled a soft beige lipstick out of her simple black clutch and reapplied it. Then she pulled out her phone to check for messages. She had one, a text from Jack.

I’m still full from breakfast. I ate so much that I can’t even move. It’s like I’ve anesthetized myself. The anesthesiologist did himself in. Lol.

Silver chuckled and rolled her eyes. Jack tried so hard, but he told the corniest jokes. She quickly typed back a smiley face emoticon, not even bothering to use voice commands for such a short message. Then she turned her attention back to the mirror, which contained a built in computer screen. Across the top of the mirror, a running banner displayed headlines from local and world news. Silver saw a blip about the heat wave that was currently sweeping Chicago, and sighed when she saw that temperatures were expected to continue to rise over the next few days. She usually took the El to work so she didn’t have to find a parking spot for her hovercar, but she hated public transportation when it was hot out. Being stuffed into a commuter hovertrain with all those sweaty people definitely did not put her in the right mindset for dancing well. The El was supposed to be climate controlled, but even with today’s advanced technology, it seemed to always be too hot whenever the temperature rose above eighty degrees Fahrenheit.

Silver glanced at the delicate gold watch on her wrist. She should get back to the event. The keynote speaker would be taking the stage at any moment, and Silver didn’t want to be late. That would only add more fuel to the anger Mrs. Astor felt toward her. Silver quickly left the bathroom and started walking down the long hallway back toward the ballroom. She was surprised at how empty the hallway was. She must really be running late, if everyone else had already made it back to their seats. Silver quickened her step, and then nearly ran into a large man as she approached the corner where the narrow hallway turned back to the larger, main hallway.

“Oh! Sorry,” Silver said, then looked up to see, to her surprise, that the man was Mr. Astor.

To her greater surprise, he quickly pushed her up against the wall of the narrow hallway and pinned her arms up above her head.

“Listen to me carefully,” he hissed. “And don’t even think about screaming or crying for help. I’ll make your life a living hell if you do.”

Silver’s eyes widened in horror. Mr. Astor’s pupils were dilated, and his breath smelled like whiskey. “Let me go!” Silver said, squirming to try to get her hands out of his grip. “What are you doing?”

“Hold still, you little skank,” Mr. Astor said. “I’m not going to hurt you. At least, not right now. But I want to know what you overheard at the dinner party last week. Joe told me that something I said seemed to have upset you, but he said he doesn’t know what it was. So, I’m asking you, and you better be honest with me. What did you hear?”

Silver’s heart dropped. Why had Joe even said anything to his dad? And how much had he said? Joe should have warned her. It sounded like Mr. Astor didn’t know that Silver had heard the part about shifters, so Silver decided to just play dumb. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Silver said. “I was upset that night because I was sick. It didn’t have anything to do with you.”

“That’s not what Joe said,” Mr. Astor said, leaning in closer so that his angry eyes were only inches away from Silver’s own wide, frightened eyes. Silver could have changed into a grizzly at that moment and ripped Mr. Astor to shreds. But, as much as she wanted to, she knew she had to remain calm. Shifting in the middle of a fancy hotel in Chicago was only going to give ammunition to the people who wanted all shifters dead.

“I’m not sure what Joe said to you, but he must have misunderstood me. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Mr. Astor peered deep into Silver’s eyes, and she did her best to hold his gaze and look convincing. She had always been a terrible liar, and she knew that Mr. Astor could probably tell that she was holding something back.

“Listen to me, Silver,” Mr. Astor said, squeezing Silver’s wrists so tightly that she had to bite her lower lip to keep from yelping out in pain. “If you’re lying to me, and I find out, it’s not going to be pretty for you. You’re a nice enough girl, I guess. But there are things in this world you know nothing about. There are threats to society that need to be taken care of, and I intend to take care of them. If you get in my way, I will kill you. Do you hear me? I. Will. Kill. You.”

Silver tried to look shocked and hurt. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. And you’re hurting me. You’re going to leave bruises on my wrists.”

Mr. Astor let go of Silver’s wrists and Silvers arms dropped to her sides, shaking as the blood started circulating through them again.

“You’ve got a lot worse than bruises coming to you if you get in my way,” Mr. Astor said. “I’ve never liked you. I tolerate you, because Joe seems rather fond of you, for whatever reason. You must be really good in bed or something. But I can see you for what you are. A little gold digger, just trying to claw your way to wealth and high society. You don’t belong here in our world, you little backwoods Alaskan trash. If you cross me, you’ll be sorry. So keep yourself in line.”

Mr. Astor stepped back from Silver with a sneer, then disappeared around the corner. Silver tried to take a few deep breaths to compose herself, but she felt like she was going into shock over what she had just experienced. She felt confused, angry, and, most of all, betrayed. How could Joe have gone and talked to his dad without at least warning her? Silver felt herself trembling against the wall, with hot tears welling up in her eyes. She widened her eyes and kept herself from blinking to try to keep the tears from spilling over, but it was no use. A few traitorous, salty drops fell from her eyes, leaving a hot, wet trail down her cheek. Once those first tears escaped, it was like a dam opened. Silver turned back toward the bathroom, praying that she could make it into the safety of the stall before anyone saw her. The last thing she needed right now, on top of everything else, was some headline speculating why the local ballet star was in tears at a charity dinner.

Silver nearly broke into a run, wiping at her eyes and trying to ignore the deep purple and blue bruises that were already forming on her wrists. When she was only a few steps away from the bathroom door, and the safety that the enclosed room would offer her, she heard her name called out.

“Silver! Silver, wait!”

It was Joe. Silver paused right in front of the bathroom door, and turned around slowly. He was running down the hallway toward her, a look of confusion and concern on his face, which only grew more concerned when he saw her face, which at this point probably had a few mascara rivers running down it.

“What’s wrong, Baby?” he asked, breathless as he finally caught up with her.

“What’s
wrong
?” Silver asked. “Where should I start? Maybe with asking you why you told your dad I was upset after overhearing him talk at the dinner party last week? Thanks for the warning. Or maybe with
this
?”

Silver held up her wrists, and Joe gasped when he saw the bruises.

“What the hell? What happened? Who did this to you?” he asked.

His voice trembled with anger, and, for a moment, Silver’s own anger toward Joe softened. It felt good to know that seeing her hurt made him angry. Maybe he could talk to his dad, and tell him off for Silver. She shouldn’t have to deal with attacks like this from her own boyfriend’s parents.

“Your dad did this. He pushed me up against the wall in the hallway and threatened me. He asked me what I’d overheard, and I told him I didn’t hear anything. Then he threatened to kill me if I got in his way. He also said I was a gold digger and that you were only with me because I was good in bed, which is all kinds of creepy for your dad to say,” Silver felt a fresh wave of tears coming on. Saying all of that out loud made her realize how ridiculous Mr. Astor’s actions were.

Joe’s eyes widened again, but then he shook his head. “Come on, Silver. My dad wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t say those things. And I may have mentioned that you were upset, but I didn’t say anything beyond that. I didn’t give him any details on what you’d heard.”

Silver felt her heart dropping. She should have known that Joe wouldn’t be able to think ill of his dad. No matter how much Joe made fun of his parents, he was still loyal to them when it came down to the wire.

“Are you saying I’m making this up, Joe?” Silver asked, struggling to keep her voice even. She held up her wrists again. “These bruises didn’t just magically appear. Your dad put them there. And he threatened me. I know you love your parents, but come on! You have to let go of this image you have of them as these harmless eccentrics. They’re not just eccentric. They’re harmful. Your dad wants to kill off an entire race of people. He has money and power, Joe. He’s not just making empty threats. Do you think he would have been so upset to know that I overheard him if it was all just empty threats?”

“Sil, come on. He’s just easily excitable. And so are you. Just calm down and come back in to listen to the speaker. You and my dad will both have forgotten all about this by tomorrow morning.”

Silver felt her blood boiling at Joe’s patronizing tone. “No, Joe. I’m not going to just forget about this in the morning. And if you aren’t willing to take my side over your father’s, then I think it’s time we parted ways.”

This time, it was Joe’s turn to look angry. “You’re threatening to break up with me over this? I didn’t do anything!”

“You’re right, Joe. You didn’t do anything. And that’s the problem. You sit around and do nothing while your parents treat me like crap. I don’t want to be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t put me first.”

Joe didn’t speak for a long time. He just looked at Silver with an incredulous, hurt expression on his face. Silver could feel her body shaking and her heart breaking, but she refused to back down. If Joe wanted to stay with her, he had to admit that he wasn’t putting her first. But even before Joe spoke, Silver knew they were done. Joe would never truly be able to cut ties with his parents.