Wolf’s Heart (9 page)

He still couldn’t figure out why he felt so strongly about taking care of her. He’d left her three years ago, broke off the relationship with a phone call, for God’s sake. Yes, he’d missed her, but he had his reasons, reasons that were there still, but somehow, those reasons didn’t seem important anymore.

Why did his chest hurt the night she was beaten and for days after? It was obvious now that he was feeling her pain. Was that only a week ago? So much had happened since then. So what had changed?

Even before this all happened, she’d been on his mind of late. Flashes of her heartwarming smile, a joke she’d told, her laughter as they had a few drinks and then a tumble in bed for hours after until they were both exhausted; he could imagine it all as if it had just happened.

Ryden leaned over and pinched the bridge of his nose then tried to relax in the chair. He wanted to get things sorted out. Instead, his wolf made his stance clear about looking out for this female. The wolf knew what he wanted. Ryden had no clue.

With the sun finally coming up, he figured he could at least sleep a little and they’d be okay. He curled up beside Carlee, facing the door with his 9 millimeter in his right hand, his left arm lying across her side gently and closed his eyes, willing his brain to shut down, and sleep a little while.

Carlee awoke in a drug-induced fog and wondered how she got the velour that had her all snug and warm. One eye opened slightly, then the other. Taking in the room, she saw it was much nicer than the last. Mahogany furniture graced the room and a flat screen television was mounted on the wall across from the bed. She moved slowly and touched an arm. Her hand slid up the forearm. It was a male arm, a strong, hairy male arm with a tattoo of musical notes on the inside above the wrist. It wasn’t an electric blanket that had her warm and toasty, it was a man—
Ryden
?

She felt the slow rise and fall of his chest against her back. The scent was pure male, musky and exotic spice. She knew that it wasn’t G, but that didn’t stop the panic that immediately set in. Her heart began to thunder in her chest, and breathing became a struggle as she tried to shake away the cobwebs and figure out how she got there.

Where am I?  More importantly, who is spooning against me? 

Tensing, she prepared to leap from the bed, but instead groaned at the first bit of movement. The arm tightened around her waist, holding her in place.

The voice from the past came back, husky with sleep. Yes, Ryden. “Carlee, it’s just me, Buttercup. Relax. I got you.”

She tried to relax and lay back down in bed, but that proved to be nearly impossible. Letting out a deep breath, yesterday’s events slowly began to fill in the blank spots in her memory. 

“Now I remember why I don’t do drugs.”

Her attempt at a fake laugh made the suture line in her belly hurt, but there was no way she was taking another shot. Not yet. She didn’t have her wits about her, and right now, she needed all of them to figure out what the hell was going on, who was after her besides G and what they wanted. Ryden’s hand moved, resting on her hip. Answers needed to come, and they needed to start here. 

“Ryden, how did you find me? I mean, like, it’s not that I’m not glad you got me off that balcony, but if this is a breeze through town, I think I’m gonna have to pass.”  

It was a funny thing about getting your ass kicked by someone you know and trust, the little voices in your head kick into overdrive for all the times you ignored them in the past. The tune of the day was trust no one. There is no such thing as coincidence. She lifted his hand from her hip and started to get up. Groaning in pain, she realized sitting up was definitely out of the question. Instead, she rolled off the side of the bed to her knees and then to stood up, which worked just fine, as long as her pillow came along.

Ryden was up in less than a heartbeat and at her side, his arm around her waist. He steadied her as the room spun. 

“Easy, Buttercup. I really don’t want to scrape you up off the floor. You might hurt that brilliant brain of yours.” He held her tightly until the room settled.

“Ryden, I need to pee, and I don’t think you can do that for me.” Her heart raced again as he gently picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. When he placed her feet on the cold linoleum, he stood there to make sure she didn’t face plant onto the floor before he let go. 

“Seriously, Ryden, I think I can handle this alone.” 

“I’m right outside the door. If you feel dizzy, call out.” Carlee rolled her eyes at him, and he scowled. “I mean it, Carlee, you fall because you’re being too stubborn to ask for help and you’ll be sorry.”

“Alright, alright, geez, keep your pants on.” He closed the door and she took care of business while she looked around the bathroom, and wondered if she could make it out the window.

Was Ryden one of the bad guys? How did he just show up? Why did he get her off the balcony if he intended to kill her? How did he get her off the balcony to begin with? Why take her to see a doc?
 

Leaning against the counter while washing her hands, she looked at herself in the mirror. She argued with herself about whether or not to trust Ryden; she was still pissed at him. The door opened. Ryden’s eyes meeting hers in the mirror were intense at first, and then softened as he seemed to read the thoughts that were running through her head.

Ryden’s voice was calm when he finally spoke. “Carlee, I’m not the bad guy here. Don’t run from me. I’m trying to help.” 

Damned if the hormones and the drug hangover didn’t decide to kick in as she looked back at him. Tears filled her eyes, clouding her vision before they began spilling slowly down her cheeks. Carlee was pushing at his chest as he stepped forward, his strong arms reaching out for her. He seemed to be bigger than she remembered, stronger. With no effort at all he gently scooped her into his arms, walked back out to the main room, and sat in a chair cradling her on his lap.

She could only look at him in wonder. He was beautiful, over six feet tall and his years in the service did his body more good than milk ever could. She felt the sculpted muscles underneath his shirt. Strong arms not only held her in place but held her together, somehow transferring his strength through just his touch. He had a close-cut beard now that gave him a more rugged look.

Then there were his eyes that seemed to change from a gun metal grey to a crystal blue depending on his mood, and she wanted to drown in their warmth.  When Ryden looked at her it felt as if he could see clear through to her soul. At one point, she was sure the drugs had gotten to her as she saw his eyes flash a golden hue. She looked away, and when she looked back, they were a warm, crystal blue again.

“Now that we’re alone, you’re going to tell me the rest of the story. No more of the bullshit, no holding things back like you did at Cal’s last night.”

Carlee knew Ryden well enough that he wouldn’t stop until he got the answers. There was no sense in delaying it. “How stupid was I? I thought he genuinely liked me. Not that it was a live-happily-ever-after kinda thing. It was just, well, I thought that someone finally gave a shit if I came home,” she said on a sob. She cried as Ryden silently stroked her hair, his fingers threading through the tangled mop while she soaked his shirt with her tears. There was a slight tensing of his arms around her. “Just take a deep breath and tell me what you’re talking about Carlee.”

“I wasn’t mugged. I was beaten up by the guy I was seeing and some friend of his. He…he said if I told anyone, he would hurt you or Kyle. I couldn’t tell anyone what happened. He works for the Bureau, Ryden. He has connections. If something happened to either of you I don’t think I could live with that.”

She cried for what seemed like hours before the tears finally dried up. When they finally did, she resolved she would bury the hurt and lock it away. Ryden shifted her in his arms, forcing her to look up into his eyes as he spoke. “Listen to me Carlee, there will be no secrets between us. You
will
tell me everything. Nothing is going to happen to me. Your father will keep your brother hidden as he always has. I swear that bastard will never touch you again.”  

She needed answers. Snuggling her head against his chest, she hated to admit how good it felt just to be held in his arms, how much she needed it, how much she missed him since he’d left her. But, she couldn’t let herself to go there. Allowing herself to be comfortable in Ryden’s arms would be a mistake.

“You have some explaining to do yourself. You can start with how you found me, then how you managed to jump onto a second floor balcony. I mean, I hear of people doing some pretty crazy shit on an adrenaline rush, but if you’re doing steroids, dude, the last thing I need now is ‘roid rage kicking in. The last week has seriously sucked.”

She could feel Ryden tense as he held her and let her talk, brushing the tears away with the pads of his thumb. She couldn’t explain why, but she felt safe and protected in his arms.

He met her eyes, and she knew he saw the fear there. She hated the sound of fear and uncertainty she heard in her own voice. It was a weak, soft, contrast to her normal bubbling way. She could feel the strong, steady beat of his heart and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She searched his face for answers, hoping he would tell her the truth, come clean with whatever was going on. The changes in him were there, things she’d seen and couldn’t explain. Something was very different about him.

“Hmm, how did I jump to a second floor balcony? Would you believe there were steps, and I just walked right up?” She just looked at him like he had to be joking. “Oh, right, no steps. Okay, a rope...yeah, that’s it, I climbed a rope.” She wasn’t buying any of it; she was too smart for the bullshit Ryden was slinging her way.

”Well, shit, Buttercup. Just be glad I got up there and got you back down again. No steroids involved, possibly was some adrenalin. As for how I found you, well, did you honestly think that ugly green car would go unnoticed?”

Her jaw dropped in disbelief. “Hey, that’s my baby you’re referring to, and it’s not ugly.”

“For once I’m glad you have that car. It made it easy for me to find you. Your bus ticket told the rest of the story, and showing your ID at that hotel was the last piece of the puzzle.”  Carlee glared at him as he laughed and wiped the rest of her tears from her cheeks. 

Her quick movement was blocked by his arms around her as realization registered on her face. “Oh, shit, my car! They’ll tow it and I’ll never get it back! I need my car Ryden.”

“Easy, Buttercup, it’s all taken care of. I had a friend tow it to my storage unit. It’s safe and sound. You won’t be needing it for a while.”

Carlee let out a relieved sigh. “Thanks for taking care of Ernie for me. I would've
been d
evastated if he got towed.” She smiled at Ryden’s confused look. “It has a hemi…Hemingway? Ernie? Get it?  I can send for him in a few days. I’m sure I’ll be up and ready by then to be on the move and out of your hair.” She settled back down against him, sighing with contentment for the moment and just let him hold her.

“Now, about the rest…there’s time for more answers later. Right now, I need to know if you’re in pain. I have more of the pain meds Cal gave you at the clinic. And I’m sure you must be hungry. I’ll see if we can find some place that will deliver. You just tell me what you want, and I’ll get it.”

Just as he mentioned eating, her stomach growled, and Ryden chuckled. “Don’t say you’re not hungry. Your stomach has proven you wrong.”

“I doubt there is any place in wherever we are, that makes decent veggie food. Not to mention it would probably not stay down. How about a milkshake?”

“Buttercup, you need protein. You need to get your strength back.”

“I’m a vegetarian. I don’t eat meat. Have you ever seen what animal fat does to your insides?  Well, no of course you haven’t, let me tell ya, it isn’t very pretty. Yellow, gunky stuff floating through your veins, clogging up your arteries? No thanks. I eat omelets and pizza, you know, veggie of course. Oh, and there is tofu, veggies, salads, and I eat cheese.”

She shifted in his arms and groaned, and Ryden’s eyes went to meds sitting on the night stand. “Ryden, don’t even think about it. Yes, I hurt, but I can’t keep taking that, please. It has to be only when I can’t stand the pain. I need to be able to think about something other than rainbows and butterflies. I need to figure out who doesn’t want me to solve my case and why.”

Ryden gave an exasperated sigh when she refused the pain meds, but she wasn’t gonna budge. She moaned out in pain as she sat up, and tried to get moving, but he held her in his arms, not wanting to let her go.

“Carlee, I’m not going to sit and watch you suffer,” he said firmly. ”I get it, you’re scared, Buttercup, but I’m here. You have my word, no one is going to hurt you.” 

She averted her eyes and took a deep breath. “You don’t get it. I need to be able to run. G came for me again. I haven’t told anyone what happened. I don’t know what his plan was, but I didn’t want to find out.”

Rising gently, he stood and moved back to the bed and laid her down. “Don’t move. I’m gonna see if that restaurant across the street has milkshakes. You may be a vegetarian, but I’m not. I’ll be bringing back something rare so you might as well get used to that now.”

She made a face, and he laughed softly. “Now, while I’m gone, you keep this by your side.” He handed her his 9 millimeter. “I assume you know how to use this?” She stuck her tongue out at him. At least her sense of humor was returning. “When I get back, we need to figure out our next move. Running to nowhere and not knowing why doesn’t cut it. Start thinking about what you’ve been working on, anything that might give us some clues.”

“Geez, when did you become all bossy, Peaches? I don’t remember you being like this that last time I saw you.” Carlee rolled her eyes, and she could tell that he was annoyed a bit, but the smile told her he liked it too.

He chuckled and tweaked her nose before standing up. “The last time, I wasn’t saving your ass from some unknown bad guys. We had other business to take care of. So just give me a break, will you? Now, I’ll be right back.”