The Finding (30 page)

Chapter
13

Eddie Perini
stared at the man that Hugh had dragged into the office, and his
stomach did a flip-flop. Kellen Anderson had been much better
looking last time he’d been at Dollar Niche. Right now, his eye was
swollen shut, his cheek scuffed red and marks from Hugh’s fingers
stood out on his neck. His arms were tied behind his back and he
sat awkwardly in the chair Hugh had pushed him into. Swallowing
hard, Eddie wondered once again why he’d ever become involved in
this line of work; serious re-evaluation of his career goals was
needed. The idea of some sort of career in the theatre had always
appealed to him. He gave a half smile at the idea.

He shifted his
gaze to where Hugh was leaning against the wall, looking incredibly
pleased with himself. Hugh fit this line of work like a glove;
following clients, digging up dirt, dragging them in; no doubt
feeling he was living out a fantasy from one of the gangster movies
he claimed to love watching. Eddie hated to burst his bubble,
but...

“Hugh, untie
Mr. Anderson’s arms. We can hardly have a decent conversation when
the man can’t even sit properly in a chair.”

Scowling, Hugh
did as he was told, but then stood with his muscles tensed as if
expecting a sudden attack. Strange, Hugh wasn’t the nervous sort.
Come to think of it, Hugh didn’t usually arrive back covered in
blood. His neck sported blood encrusted scratches.

“What happened
to your neck, Hugh?”

The blond giant
kicked the chair Anderson sat in. “His damned dog attacked me; came
out of nowhere and bit my neck, then ran off.”

Anderson shook
his head. “I told you before. I don’t have a dog.”

“The dog was in
your house. Your house. Your dog.” Hugh growled and kicked the
chair again, causing it to tip precariously.

Quickly,
Anderson shifted his weight and righted the chair preventing
himself from landing on the floor. Anger flashed in his eyes and he
stood as if to confront the other man. Hugh stepped forward, a
pugnacious look on his face that seemed to cause Anderson to
reconsider whatever he had planned. Slowly, he sank down in his
seat and answered tightly. “It must have been a stray or maybe one
the neighbours just bought it.”

It was quite
apparent that Hugh didn’t believe the statement. “That damned dog
had better have had its shots. I don’t want to get rabies.”
Gingerly, Hugh touched his neck, his jaw working with suppressed
anger.

Eddie rolled
his eyes. Hugh’s injuries weren’t his main concern at the moment
and he wished he’d never broached the subject. “If you’re concerned
Hugh, go to the doctor.”

“No way.” The
man shuddered and stepped away to lean against the wall. “They give
you needles in your belly if you’ve been bitten by a rabid dog. I
saw it in a movie once. I hate needles.” With that, the muscular
man clamped his mouth shut and folded his arms across his
chest.

“Fine. Just
stand there and be quiet then.” Eddie frowned at his supposed
‘help.’ Hugh puzzled him; a tough guy in some respects, the man was
whimpering over a dog bite. When he had more time, he’d have to try
to figure the man out. In the meantime... Giving his head a slight
shake, Eddie cleared his throat, mentally got into his role and
focussed on Anderson. “Mr. Anderson...Kellen...I hear that you’ve
made an interesting find.”

Kellen
shrugged, but said nothing, so Eddie continued on in a pleasant
conversational tone. Hopefully the young man was going to be
cooperative; this situation could prove to be extremely beneficial
to both of them.

“Hugh tells me
you’ve found the missing Greyson heiress. She’s worth a tidy sum,
more than you actually owe us in fact.”

“I’ve changed
my mind. She doesn’t want to be found, so I’ll pay you another
way.”

Eddie steepled
his fingers and nodded slowly. “I see. She’s a friend of
yours?”

“Yeah, we know
each other pretty well.” Kellen stared at him, a look of wariness
in his eyes. He was probably wondering where the question was
leading.

“But as a
friend, wouldn’t you want her to have all the benefits of that
money? I’ve done some quick research since learning of her presence
in your life. She’s worth millions and has houses all over the
world. Surely, once she reconsiders, she’ll see the benefits of
claiming what’s truly hers.”

“Like I said,
she doesn’t want to be found.” There was a determination in the
man’s voice and the set of his jaw. Eddie frowned slightly;
apparently the man was going to be difficult.

“Well, that is
unfortunate, but we don’t always get what we want in life.” Eddie
leaned back in his chair. “You see Kellen, I’m in a bit of a bind
myself. My employer, Leon Aldrich, isn’t pleased with Dollar
Niche’s profit margins, In fact, I strongly suspect that if things
don’t improve, my head could be on the chopping block—a situation,
I truly want to avoid.”

Kellen
shrugged. “So...?”

“So, by some
amazing twist of fate the person who is looking for Cassandra
Greyson is none other than Leon Aldrich.” He smiled slightly as the
news had Anderson widening his eyes. “As I said, I’ve done a bit of
research since Hugh called me with the news. Mr. Aldrich is the
lawyer and executor of the Greyson estate. He’s spent considerable
time and money looking for this young lady. If we present her to
him, I’m sure he’ll be suitably grateful, forgiving the money you
owe and looking on me in a much more favourable light than he has
as of late.”

There was a
minute hesitation as if Anderson was tempted, but then he shook his
head in the negative. “No.”

“No?” Eddie
raised his eye brows in surprise. “It’s a win-win situation for all
of us, Mr. Anderson.”

“Not for Sandy.
She doesn’t want to go. When I asked about her past, she
looked...sad. If she wanted to go back, she would have. Besides,”
He smirked, looking overly pleased with himself. “I’ve no idea
where she is. Just before Bozo broke into the house, she was
packing to go on a trip. I’d imagine that he scared her enough that
she’s running away as fast as she possibly can.”

“Oh dear.”
Eddie shook his head regretfully. “That does make your situation
precarious.”

“How so?” The
smirk disappeared from Kellen’s face.

Eddie noted a
nervousness in the man before him. The fellow was putting on a fine
show of bravado, but his breathing had quickened and a bit of sweat
was appearing on his upper lip. Good. A few threats should be
sufficient to change the man’s mind.

“If you don’t
help us find Cassandra, I’ll let Hugh play with you.” Eddie
chuckled inwardly at his own performance. If Anderson only knew how
squeamish he really was. Keeping his face passive, Eddie reminded
himself to stay focussed on his role.

Anderson
glanced over his shoulder and Hugh stood straighter, a look of
excited expectation about him.

Eddie felt a
twinge of concern. Hugh seemed a bit too enthusiastic...

*****

Aldrich set
aside the file he was reading and pinched the bridge of his nose.
His mind refused to focus on the documents before him, the legal
phrases nothing but a sea of words floating on the pages. He was
seldom restless, but for some reasons, the confines of the office
seemed stuffy.

Standing, he
wandered over to the window and carefully pushed the curtains
aside, allowing himself the barest glimpse of the cityscape. Some
would say it was a million dollar view, but he seldom dared to
appreciate it. A sniper could easily shoot him from the rooftops of
the surrounding buildings. He wasn’t sure if a werewolf would ever
resort to high powered weaponry, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
He valued his skin too much for that.

Letting the
curtain slide back into place, he folded his hands behind his back
and paced the room. For three years now he’d lived in constant fear
of an attack, basically a prisoner in his own home and now he was
tiring of the fact. Unfortunately, there was no doubt in his mind
that the wolves were still looking for him.

Three years
ago, exposing the existence of werewolves had been a spur of the
moment plan on his part. His excitement over the discovery had
temporarily clouded his good judgement. If he’d been thinking
clearly, he would have gathered a team of experts to help him
control the she-wolf rather than trying to deal with her on his
own. And then the appearance of the other one had completely thrown
his plan off kilter.

Wistfully, he
recalled his conversation with Sylvia. Over afternoon tea, she’d
mentioned working in her small garden and taking walks in the park.
She’d even suggested they go for a stroll together one day. The
idea intrigued Aldrich. He’d never noticed the world around him,
being too busy clawing his way to the top. But Sylvia had made the
awakening of spring seem wondrous rather than mundane.

Aldrich sighed.
He’d be too exposed walking in a park; werewolves could be lurking
there. And he was sure they were like elephants, never forgetting,
never forgiving. Not that he needed their forgiveness; there was
nothing to forgive. Animals, that’s all they were; freaks of
nature. Real humans, such as himself, would one day prove to be
their lords and masters, if only proof of the beasts’ existence
could be attained.

Well, should he
ever find the Greyson girl he’d be able to finally proclaim the
truth without being seen as a madman. The girl was a werewolf;
Greyson had said as much just before he died and it made sense.
She’d been kept hidden away from the world; the nurse who’d tended
her that last night, said the girl was under confinement once a
month. Greyson’s ‘trips’ had always been at the time of a full
moon; no doubt trying to keep the young wolf under control.

Yes, if he ever
got his hands on Cassandra Greyson, he’d expose her for what she
was and then, once the truth was known, he’d finally be free. The
werewolves would be hunted down and caged like the animals they are
and he’d no longer need to hide from them or their Keeping law.

The clock on
the wall chimed softly. Five o’clock. Quitting time for most of the
world, but not him. He had nothing to live for except his work. An
image of Sylvia flashed before his eyes. She was so calming, so
ordinary... Pushing the idea aside, he moved to his desk. Work to
do; always more work to do.

A note on his
planner caught his attention. Eddie Perini. Ah, yes. He wanted to
check on the man today. Aldrich suspected Eddie might need extra
prodding to carry out his orders; perhaps tormenting the fellow
would help lift his morose mood.

After dialling,
he settled in his chair, quite surprised when Eddie answered the
phone on only the second ring, Aldrich raised his eyebrows. Eddie
wasn’t known for doing anything quickly.

“Dollar Niche,
Eddie Perini speaking. How can I help you?”

“Edward, how
efficient you sound today.”

“Leon...I mean,
Mr. Aldrich. I was just about to call you.”

“Really? With
good news, I hope.”

The man
chuckled on the other end of the line. “Oh yeah. I think you’re
going to like this news. You know that girl you’ve been looking
for? Cassandra Greyson?”

Aldrich
frowned. Eddie had never spoken of her before. He tightened his
grip on the phone and answered slowly. “Yes. What about her?’

“I’ve found
her!” Eddie fairly crowed as he delivered the news. “Or at least
the next best thing to finding her. She’s been calling herself
Sandy Grant and I’ve got a guy here who has actually been living
with her for the past three years.”

“And where is
Miss Greyson now?” Aldrich struggled to keep the excitement from
his voice. It was never a good idea to let others know you were too
interested in what they were saying.

“Well...that’s
the problem.” The exuberance in Eddie’s voice faded slightly. “We
had her, but then she slipped away. Her boyfriend—Kellen
Anderson—is here though.”

Aldrich slumped
in his chair. Damn! “Does he know where she is?”

“He says he
doesn’t, but Hugh—my muscle—will be roughing him up if he doesn’t
start talking soon.”

Same old Eddie,
Aldrich thought. All threats, but no action. Well, he’d take over
from here. Anything that had to do with Cassandra Greyson was too
important to leave to the likes of Eddie Perini and his ‘muscle.’
Aldrich rolled his eyes at the ridiculous term then began using his
free hand to access the computer. Flights. He needed to arrange a
flight. Distractedly, he talked to Eddie. “I want the man flown to
Chicago as soon as possible.”

“To Chicago?
But why? The girl is here in Vegas.”

“You say Miss
Greyson has lived with the fellow for three years, correct? Then
there will be a strong bond between them. If he’s in Chicago,
she’ll follow.”

“But...” Eddie
sputtered on the line.

“We’ll even
provide a little incentive. Allow Hugh to rough him up a bit, take
a picture, and send it to Miss Greyson. I assume you have the
address where she lives?”

“Yes,
but...”

“Leave a note
as well. Something to the effect that if she wants to spare her
boyfriend further damage, she needs to head back to Chicago.”

“But what if
she goes to the police?” Eddie’s voice reflected his discomfort
with the plan. Really, the man was definitely in the wrong line of
business. Aldrich made a mental note to remove Eddie from the
organization once this was over, then focussed on the possibility
of Cassandra going to the authorities.

He considered
the point carefully. Would she tell someone? No. Not likely. She
was living under an assumed name and she was a werewolf. Attracting
attention to herself would be the last thing she’d want. And even
if she did tell someone, they wouldn’t believe her because he
already had papers drawn up, declaring her mentally incompetent.
There was even a doctor waiting in the wings to sign them. No one
could imagine a sane person running away from millions of
dollars.