Heart of the Wolf (The Heart Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  He nodded. “Any clue why Clayton would send you here if he wants you for himself?”

  “Shouldn’t you be the one with that answer?” He had the letter in the first place.

  He held up his hands as if in defense. “I’m just a doctor.” Then he froze and looked over his shoulder. He stuffed the letter and envelope back into his coat and put it on.

  A moment later Justin came into view. Ryan had known way before I had.

  Ryan mouthed, “Play along.”

  As if I had any interest in doing anything different?

  “Beautiful day isn’t it?” Justin joined us on the beach, and the light of the afternoon seemed to fade.

  “Absolutely.” I would play nice. Letting Justin see any of my cards was out of the question.

  “Don’t you want to find your housing, Doc?” Justin turned to Ryan.

  “Absolutely. I’ll do that now.” Ryan sent me an apologetic look before heading up the beach.

  “Have a nice chat with the new doctor?” Justin tilted his head to the side.

  “I guess. It’s nice to have other people around.”

  “I figured.” Justin didn’t hide his annoyance.

  “It’s too quiet here.” I looked out at the water.

  “What do you want, someone to throw a party?” He scratched his chin which was now covered in the start of a beard. Justin always shaved, so the look was foreign on him.

  “We’d need more people for that.”

  “I could fly in some entertainment.”

  “So you can communicate with the outside world?” I suspected he could, but he’d been acting like he couldn’t. Plus Clayton hadn’t forewarned him he was sending in Ryan. Justin’s surprise had been real and genuine. After a few days alone with Justin I now knew his tells perfectly.

  “Marginally.”

  I couldn’t get Ryan out of my head. Was I being an idiot trusting him? If I hadn’t known for sure the letter was written in Clayton’s handwriting I would have doubted it’s veracity, but that was his writing. No question. Beyond that I knew Ryan wasn’t working with Clayton. Or Justin. Maybe it was desperation, but I happened to think it was something more. I’d been wrong about Mirabella, but I wasn’t wrong this time. I couldn’t be.

  I wished I had the letter to look at it again, but then again I’d have to worry about hiding it from Justin. I needed to be right about Ryan. Otherwise what would he do with the letter? Justin was annoying, but he wasn’t hurting me—would seeing that letter change things? There was anger behind Justin’s eyes, and I didn’t doubt he could be violent when pushed. The only thing I could do now was dig for information. “Can I ask you something?”

  “You can ask me anything if it doesn’t involve going home.”

  “This is something different.” Although I already knew it wasn’t going to be a conversation Justin liked.

  “Then ask away.”

  “Does Clayton joke a lot? Does he mess with people?”

  “You had to pick the other topic I didn’t want to discuss.” He sat down in the sand.

  “You said I could ask anything else.”

  “Not really. He has no sense of humor.” He patted the sand. “Come join me.”

  I didn’t particularly want to sit next to him, but I wanted him to talk. I reluctantly sat down in the sand, leaving plenty of space between us. “Okay.”

  “Why did you ask?”

  I shrugged.

  “I’m not an idiot, Hope. You have a reason.”

  And now I had to be careful. If he suspected the doctor, I’d lose the one ally I might have. I thought fast. “I didn’t think he did. But you have a great sense of humor. I was thinking about things I like better about you than him.”

  He liked my answer. His grin was like nothing I ever saw before. “See, this time away is working.”

  “Tell yourself whatever you want.” Playing along didn’t mean going as far as to pretend I was happy. That wouldn’t be believable.

  “There are a few things I need to take care of tonight.” He looked up at me.

  “Okay. Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because I don’t want you to worry if I’m gone awhile.”

  “Did you think I would worry?” I walked back down toward the water.

  “You seemed to be warming up.” His voice was close by. He’d followed me.

  “Saying there are things I like about you over Clayton does not mean I am warming up to you.”

  “It’s something.” He smiled.

  “What things do you have to do?”

  “Work stuff.”

  “We work at the same company. You can tell me.” I tried to keep the desperation out of my voice, but I was sure it was there.

  “Not this kind of stuff. Maybe once we mate.”

  “Good try. That’s not going to work.” I crossed my arms.

  “Suit yourself.”

  He looked deep into my eyes, and I knew what was coming. Kissing him was out of the question. “Another thing I like better about you is that you get me. Which is why you get I still need space.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Really? You’re going there?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where did all of this stuff come from?”

  “Talking to Dr. Ryan. He asked me some questions about how I felt, and it’s clearing things up.” I wanted to gag. All it did was confuse me and make me wonder exactly what else the Wellingtons were into.

  “Oh. Well, then maybe we should invite him around again. I like seeing you like this.”

  I shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

  “Want to go for a swim?”

  “A swim?”

  “Yeah. You know in the ocean.”

  “No thanks.”

  “Why not? You only like the water when you’re fully clothed and fleeing me?”

  “I don’t have a bathing suit.”

  “You think I don’t have a dozen in your size waiting? I’d suggest skinny dipping, but I know that’s not going to fly yet.”

  “Yet? You honestly think I’d skinny dip? And I thought you knew me.”

  “You would. You have a thrill-seeking side under there. I know you do.” He grinned.

  “This thrill seeker needs to get off this island.”

  He groaned. “This again.”

  I shrugged. “You can’t expect me to change completely.”

  “No. I can’t.” He nodded before disappearing down the beach.

  Eleven

  Carter

  And then things got a whole lot more complicated. Complicated and messy. I knew from the beginning I’d get the girl off the island—but that was when I only knew her in the abstract. Now that I’d met Hope, I knew getting her off the island was only the beginning. I also knew that keeping her away from either of the Wellingtons was a priority. I hated leaving her on the beach with Justin, but we were short on time, and as much as I wanted to focus all of my attention on her, there was more to the mission. Besides, getting her off the island required learning more about the situation. So far my only possibility of escape required going along with Clayton. That wasn’t going to happen.

  I had no interest in discovering the staff housing, but I did have interest in meeting the other staff. If the island really was a central point for arms dealing, there had to be way more people on the island than just Theo, the porter. There had to be a staff dedicated to taking care of and building, or adding magic to, the weapons. Hopefully those staff members weren’t too hard to find.

  At least this part didn’t involve lying to Hope. That had proved even harder to do than I imagined. I tried to convince myself it wasn’t lying, but it was. Even if I was doing it for the right reasons.

  Every part of me rebelled against walking further away from Hope. It felt wrong on all levels, but I needed to do it. I’d always been protective of human women, but this was different. This wasn’t so much about protection, it was about want. Need. Neither of those feelings would help me with my mission.
I tried to push her from my mind, but her bright blue eyes kept coming back to me. She was terrified and angry. She had every right to be, but all I wanted to do was erase those emotions and replace them with ones that were entirely different. Happiness and pleasure.

  I spent the walk down the beach fighting down those thoughts and forcing myself to stay alert about my surroundings. Nothing made much sense about this mission, Clayton’s requests, or the island. I couldn’t let my guard down at all.

  I left the beach and returned to the dirt road Theo had driven me in on. The sun beat down, making me immediately miss the breeze from the water.

  I glanced over my shoulder a few times until I could no longer see a hint of the beach I’d left Hope on. In some ways that made it easier for me to continue forward.

  I continued down the road and saw nothing until a hint of bright color beckoned from down on the beach. I left the path and headed to the sand where I found what I assumed had to be the staff housing. This housing consisted of half-a dozen primary colored tents, pitched on the beach. Not particularly luxurious, but I preferred sleeping outdoors when I could. Maybe it was my wolf side, but I liked being as close to nature as possible.

  All of the tents had flaps covering them except for the one on the end. I slowly made my way toward it.

  “Are you the doc?" A raspy voice called from inside one of the tents.

  "Yes." I answered as naturally as possible, stopping just outside the blue tent on the end where I was pretty sure the voice had come from.

  "Come in. We need to talk."

  Ok, not how I saw things unfolding. "Why don't you come out?"

  "Because I'm old. I don't have to."

  I said nothing at first, half expecting the man to laugh or say he was joking. When he remained silent, I knew I couldn’t just stand there waiting. "Ok." Walking into the tent didn't sound like a good idea, but then again nothing about this mission sounded wise. I strained my senses to make sure no one else was around. I didn't need an ambush. After assuring myself all was clear, I ducked inside the tent.

  "Ah, you are as young as you sound." An old man sat cross-legged on the floor. He was wearing black shorts and a short-sleeve Hawaiian shirt with bright red and blue flowers. His gray hair was long, almost to his shoulders.

  The walls of the tent were covered in diagrams of guns and bombs. I shuddered momentarily, thinking about how much damage those weapons could do, but I quickly composed myself. "As do you," I joked.

  He laughed. "I like you, orphan."

  Orphan. I never thought of myself that way. My adoptive parents had cared for me and given me everything I needed. But this man didn't know my story. He knew the story spun by the Rangers. He probably knew more of that story than I did, which meant I had to be careful.

  "What was it you wanted to talk about?" I carefully studied a few of the diagrams. Most were of weapons I was unfamiliar with. Once again I wished the Rangers had given me more training.

  “Come sit.” He patted the ground beside him.

  “I am fine standing.” It was always safer that way. I still had no idea who this guy was.

  “I’m not.” He frowned and once again patted the space next to him. “But close the flap first.”

  “Fine.” I zipped the flap and sat down beside him.

  “Isn’t that better?” He quirked a smile.

  “No.” I glanced around the now darkened tent. It was made of an opaque material that let very little sunlight in, but still made it possible to see outside. “I’d prefer to be standing.”

  “I don't actually care what you prefer. The nice thing about getting old is that you stop caring.”

  "True enough. Now that I'm sitting are you ready to talk?”

  He seemed to consider my words. "I don't like Clayton's plan. It's dangerous. Normally I don't mind danger, but he's being stupid putting a girl in danger. And I don’t take calling Clayton Wellington stupid lightly.” His words spilled out as if all part of one long train of thought.

  “He is leaving it to the last minute.” I tested the man, determined to make sure he was talking about what I thought he was.

  "He's as cocky as it comes. Everything has to be his way, and you know when you're that high up in that kind of family it usually can be, but another nice thing about getting old is you stop kissing asses.” The man smiled.

  “What are you suggesting exactly?” I was glad the guy wasn’t a fan of Clayton, but I needed more than that.

  "We make our own plan." His smile widened.

  "Our own plan?" And here I thought things were finally going to get simpler. Instead I was in a dangerous position. I had no clue whether I could trust this guy, but I also knew he might be my best chance to getting the information I needed.

  “Yes, I assume you have the brain capacity to plan.”

  “Of course I do. I am a doctor.”

  The older man laughed. “Spin your story to someone else, boy. Old Matheson here can see right through it.”

  See right through it. He knew? I thought fast. “Does it matter?”

  “Not to me. I get paid if the weapons make it off this island. I’d rather the girl not die. That’s about all I care.”

  “Why do you care about the girl?” I cared too, but I already knew it was in a different way.

  “She’s an innocent. Innocents must be protected at all costs.” Matheson’s eyes hazed over, and I knew he was lost in thought or memories.

  I gave him a moment before pulling him back to the present. “We agree on that.”

  “Then why work for the Wellingtons? They are as bad as they come.”

  “I am new to the fold.” That was an understatement. He knew I wasn’t really a doctor, so what else did he know?

  “I know. And I’ll ask again, why the Wellingtons?”

  Since I couldn’t exactly tell the truth, I made an excuse up. “I took the job I could get.”

  “You’re young. You have a chance to make something of yourself.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Your future is too important to make stupid mistakes.”

  “I don’t plan on making too many.”

  “Get through this and run as far from the Wellingtons as you can.” His expression darkened. “I’d hate to see them turn another. The Kenai wolves were never this blood thirsty. We cannot blame the losses to our animal ancestors on all humans.”

  Blame the loss on all humans? Is that what this was all about? I wanted to ask so many more questions about it, but it wouldn’t pay to sound uninformed. “Why are you aligned with them if they are so bad?”

  “Aligned with them?” He laughed dryly. “Hardly. This is a temporary arrangement so I can buy my grandchildren the future I never had.”

  “Grandchildren?”

  “Why are you surprised? You don’t think I took a mate?” He cocked his head to the side.

  “No. Not surprised.”

  “You are… but that’s ok. Like I said, I no longer care about most things. I do care about my grandkids though. The only way they can live apart from the major families is to have the money to protect themselves. Once these weapons leave the island, I’ll have enough to keep them safe for years.”

  “Where are these weapons going once they are off the island?” That was the key. Stopping them from leaving would be good, but figuring out who was getting them would be better.

  “I get paid when the ship leaves. That’s all I need to know.” He picked up a set of tools from the floor and a large stone. There were symbols etched into the stone, but I didn’t recognize them.

  “You don’t care where the weapons go? I thought you cared about innocents?” I threw his own words back at him.

  He leaned in. “Once the ship leaves, I don’t care. That’s all I need to know.” He winked.

  And his wink said it all. He knew. He’d said he didn’t believe my story, but it was more than that. He knew I wasn’t really working for the Wellingtons.

  “Where are they supposed to go?” I had no idea how M
atheson knew, but I wasn’t going to take the chance of burning him until I got the information I needed.

  “They are being shipped to the big island.”

  “Hawaii?” I processed the surprising news.

  “Yes.”

  “The King of The Society controls the supernatural world there. Why would the Wellingtons send the weapons onto U.S. soil? It makes no sense”

  “It’s the king’s territory, but you can bet my ass he knows nothing of this.”

  “About the weapons? The Wellington’s business?” There were so many things he should know if things were happening on his turf.

  “Get the girl and get off the island with the weapons. That’s as far as I’m going to help you. The rest is up to you.”

  “You’re not going to help past that?”

  “I can’t do it all, kid. I’ll make sure you get her off this island, but that’s as far as I can help. The rest is up to you.”

  And his help was a whole lot more than what I had before. As in, it was at least something. “Got it.”

  “You don’t have much time.”

  “I’m well aware. Clayton didn’t give me much warning.”

  “Are you still going to pretend you’re taking your orders from Clayton?”

  “Yes.” I figured that was the best noncommittal response I could give.

  Matheson chuckled. “I guess it’s good you stick to your cover.”

  “Any hint as to the best way to get her?”

  “Justin has a conference call tonight.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I set it up. I knew you’d be ready.”

  “How?” I was starting to realize Matheson knew a whole lot more about my mission than I did.

  “That isn’t of concern right now.”

  “How can you say that isn’t of concern?”

  “Because we are running out of time. Tonight is your only chance.”

  “I’m supposed to march into the bungalow and make her come with me?”

  “Do you really think getting her to leave with you will be difficult?” He carefully moved to his feet.