(Mis)fortune

I slowly became aware of Emmitt’s arm on my stomach. Although it wasn’t extremely heavy, it did rest right on top of the bruised area. I kept my eyes closed, wanting to go back to sleep. If I could just move out from under him and then roll over, I’d probably sleep another hour.

Carefully, I tried rolling away, hoping he’d feel it in his sleep and remove his arm. My stomach cramped. I cringed and gingerly settled onto my back again.

“Might as well open them.”

My eyes popped open at the sound of Emmitt’s voice. Reclined on his side with his head propped in his right hand, he studied me. He lifted his offending arm and ran his fingers over the skin of my stomach. The skin of my stomach? I let out a squeak. I was supposed to be wearing a robe.

I lifted my head to look, but doing so caused more pain in my already tender stomach. I flopped back down, frowning at the ceiling. Damn, that hurt.

He’d used a bath towel over the robe to cover the important bits, exposing the rest of me. I wanted to be offended, but I knew he’d only been checking me over for injuries.

It wasn’t how I’d expected to wake up, but I didn’t mind. I remembered what he’d said before I fell asleep. He loved me.

Turning on my pillow, I gave him a shy, sleepy smile. I’d been so busy making sure I was covered, I hadn’t noticed his serious expression. Was he still upset about my injuries? I thought he’d gotten over it last night, after I bit him. I blushed thinking of it. My heart stuttered a beat. Had I really Claimed Emmitt?

“You lied to me. You’re not fine.” His fingers stroked my stomach again, just over the most tender part. “How much pain are you in?”

Ah, so that was it. I looked down again, surprised to see an actual surface bruise. I’d thought it more of a muscle pull. I looked at my wrists. They were tender but not as bad. Given what I’d been through, I thought I was lucky. When Frank had strapped me to the chair, I’d expected far worse.

“Emmitt, I’ll live. Don’t make a big deal out of this.”

He said nothing as I modestly gathered the robe around myself, tied it, then tugged the towel out of the way. Though I wanted to sit up, I knew better than to try. Instead, I rolled to my side, facing him so he could see me, held my stomach with one arm, and used the other to boost myself up. It wasn’t a pain free effort. My stomach protested, and boosting hurt my wrist; but I withheld every twinge from my expression.

Emmitt watched me closely from his reclined position, his expression growing more guarded by the moment.

Maneuvering carefully, I turned away from him and eased my legs off the bed. As I sat there, taking a small break, I noticed the time on the alarm clock beside the bed.

“We need to get to the lawyer’s office. How long will it take from here?” I paused, looking around the room, remembering the long run. “I don’t even know where we are.”

“About thirty minutes,” he said getting up from the bed and moving to stand near me. His continued guarded expression puzzled me.

“Really, Emmitt, I’m fine,” I said to reassure him. He didn’t look convinced so I leaned forward, ready to stand and prove it to him.

He quickly offered his hand. I clasped it and was glad for his help. I hadn’t been aware of the number of stomach muscles used when standing. If my stomach had felt tender lying there, it now felt like it’d been punched…repeatedly.

He wrapped his arms around me and held me close as I waited for the pain to fade. To distract him, I nipped his neck again. He twitched then pulled back, shaking his head with a small, amused curl to his lips.

With a tender look, he helped me to the bathroom. He left me at the threshold without a word. I closed the door and turned toward the mirror to assess what the reporter would see. The girl in the mirror actually looked better than I felt.

The light bruises on my wrists were easy to overlook, but the scattered bruising on my stomach wasn’t. A shirt would cover it, though. Even the injury on my head would be invisible thanks to my hair. I ran my fingers through the tangles on the uninjured side but just smoothed the strands down on the injured side. It was good enough for now.

I brushed my teeth with the new toothbrush that waited for me on the counter then dressed in my freshly laundered clothes. Emmitt must have been awake for a while to have everything ready for me.

My stomach rumbled, and as I opened the door, I wondered if we’d have time to eat the leftovers. It wasn’t meant to be. The empty containers filled the small trashcan in the kitchenette, and Emmitt stood waiting for me.

I studied Emmitt. The blood on his shirt was gone too, but he still sported the rips I had noticed last night. Going out in public like that would cause stares.

“We’re going to need to get our things,” he said, noting the direction of my glance.

I wrinkled my nose but knew he was right. Our plane tickets were still there.

“They dropped these off this morning,” he said, showing me a pair of black, slipper flats. He didn’t let me take them, but went to a knee to help put them on so I wouldn’t need to bend. The flats fit me well enough.

He stood again. “Ready?”

“Just a second.”

I walked back into the bedroom to make sure we weren’t forgetting anything. Not much to forget since we’d arrived with just the clothes on our backs, but I still felt the need to check. Maybe I simply needed to look at the room one more time.

It was hard not to stare at the bed for a moment as the reality of what I’d done settled over me. Engaged. I didn’t really feel engaged. Of all the different ways I’d imagined last night playing out after the bite, it had been completely different than I’d expected.

I wondered when I’d feel something from Emmitt like Nana Wini had mentioned. All I felt at the moment was my complete contentment. I paused. Was I really content? A little. But I felt nervous about meeting the lawyer, tired, and sore, too. I missed my brothers and wanted to get back home.

Emmitt stood in the doorway behind me, watching, and gave me a questioning look. Understanding dawned, and I smiled at him in wonder. It wasn’t my contentment I was feeling, but his.

I moved to twine my fingers through his. “I’m ready.”

He kissed the back of my hand, and we left the room.

The person at the front desk called a cab for us, and within minutes, we were making our way back to the old hotel. I still worried Blake had lied on the phone and would be waiting either at the hotel or at the lawyer’s office. I didn’t trust him after everything he’d done to me.

The cab pulled up to the hotel’s drop off, and I eyed the building. Everything looked normal from the outside, but I really didn’t want to go back in there. Emmitt seemed to sense my concern and told me to wait in the cab while he ran in. It was a nerve-racking wait. I scanned the parking lot around us the whole time. I caught the cabbie looking at me several times and figured I wasn’t being as casual about it as I’d hoped. If I’d seen anything, I would have been yelling at the cabby to “go, go, go!” like in the movies.

Thankfully, Emmitt returned before I had to do anything so drastic. Grey and Carlos trailed behind him with their bags. I couldn’t believe they had stayed in their old room. What if Blake had come back? I couldn’t say anything as they piled in. The cabbie already looked ready to tell me to get out.

Emmitt gave the driver the lawyer’s address as he handed me my slack bag. He caught my look at the bag and shrugged.

“There was nothing else worth taking.”

I wondered what they’d done to our things and dejectedly faced forward. I wanted to go back home. I wanted Blake to leave me alone for good. I wanted to see my brothers. Above all, I wanted some time with Emmitt where we could just be normal. Well, as normal as an engaged werewolf and human could be.

With Emmitt beside me, I calmed slightly, and we rode in silence to our next stop.

The news crew waited outside the lawyer’s office. Carlos and Grey hung back, looking like personal bodyguards. In a way, I guessed that they were.

After the reporter introduced herself, we started talking about my sudden fortune and the cause of it. I had to look appropriately upset since Richard had passed away scarcely a month ago. Thankfully, that topic was short-lived. They recorded most of our conversation, but I knew they’d edit the heck out of it to make it news worthy.

I answered as many questions as I could; and by the time we needed to go in, I’d committed to a charity and an amount. Though I invited the reporter to come inside with us, she declined. She already had the information she needed from the copy of the will she’d acquired and our talk.

Trepidation filled me as I watched her walk away. If the news crew left, were we still safe? Emmitt gently put a hand at the small of my back, a touch of reassurance. So, I smiled and waved as they departed.

When we walked inside, the posh reception area reminded me of Richard’s home office. The woman behind a glossy counter looked up at us with a friendly expression.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m here to see Mr. Nolan.”

“Michelle?”

“Yes.”

She glanced at the four of us as if not sure what to do with such a large group. “Please have a seat.”

She picked up the phone and dialed. As she spoke softly, Grey winked at her, a slow lowering of an eyelid accompanied by a slight teasing smile. She paused mid-sentence, obviously having lost her train of thought. I hid a smile behind my hand as she struggled to maintain her end of the conversation.

A moment later, she moved to lead us into Mr. Nolan’s office. Grey and Carlos stayed behind in the sitting area. I shot Grey a quick look, hoping he would behave.

When Emmitt and I walked in, Mr. Nolan stood and greeted each of us with a firm handshake. The decor in his office was more down to earth than the reception area. Pictures of his family, including grandkids, perched all over the shelves and desk.

I didn’t see Blake and glanced at Emmitt. He seemed completely relaxed. Could Blake have been telling the truth? Was I getting a reprieve? At what cost, though? His comment about parting ways for now, and Frank’s comment about getting my sisters worried me. If they were shifting their focus from me to some other poor unsuspecting girls, I’d rather they just stayed chasing me. After all, I had Emmitt. Who knows what the other girls would have for protection.

“Thank you for coming, Ms. Daniels. I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but the reading is just an unnecessary formality. Everything is already in order.” He indicated we should have a seat and moved to take his own seat. “I have to admit the only reason I asked to meet was because Mr. Torrin wanted this meeting. I’ve worked with him in the past in conjunction with some of Mr. Daniels’ interests and know Mr. Torrin can be a bit insistent. So I’m surprised he’s not here.”

“He’s not coming?” I asked.

“No, he called yesterday afternoon to say he wouldn’t be able to make it. He wanted to reschedule, but I said we were already committed to this time.”

The lawyer didn’t read the will but did go over some of the details and some additional information Richard had shared with him before his death. He took his time explaining everything to me and provided some referrals to investors I might want to try. I smiled politely and accepted the information though I had no plans to use it. I wasn’t concerned about investing because of my premonitions.

As it stood, my net value was ridiculous. He helped me set up two trusts, one for the werewolves and one for my brothers. If anything happened to me, the money wouldn’t be easy for someone else to obtain.

Several hours later, he walked us to the lobby and shook our hands again.

“If you have any questions, big or small, call me. I’ll be happy to help.”

“Thank you, Mr. Nolan.”

He nodded and went back to his office as the receptionist called us another cab.

While we waited outside, my tender stomach grumbled.

“Hungry?” Emmitt asked.

“More homesick than hungry. Can we just go straight to the airport and see if we can get an earlier flight?”

“Of course.”

The cab pulled up, and he opened the door for me. I carefully slid in, trying not to strain my bruised stomach.

Emmitt waited until I was settled before climbing in next to me. Both he and Carlos tried not to crowd me.

The complete contentment I’d felt this morning was still there, but something else was creeping in. It wasn’t quite worry but close. That, on top of Emmitt’s continued reserved behavior, worried me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as we drove toward the airport.

For the most part, the cab driver ignored us. Grey, however, swiveled in his seat to look back at us, a mischievous glint in his eyes. I ignored him and focused on Emmitt, pretending we were alone.

Emmitt glanced at me and shrugged.

I slipped my hand into his and leaned against him. “Is this something I have to figure out for myself? Because, if it is, I have to say it will be awhile. I’m fried. I just want to get home and be with you, my brothers, and…well, my family.”

I felt him smile as he leaned down to kiss the top of my head.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

I looked up at him. “Are you feeling neglected? Like it was a bite and run?”

Grey howled with laughter in the front seat. Carlos calmly told him to turn around or else. It was the most I’d heard Carlos say the whole trip. Carlos acted more like I thought an Elder should act than Grey.

Meanwhile, Emmitt rolled his eyes and gave a slightly pained grin.

“No.” He ran his thumb over the back of my hand. “I’m just worried about you.”

I gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m here. I’m fine.”

I pulled his head down and gave him a long kiss to show him. When I pulled back, I noticed his teeth were starting to extend.

“Enough of that, I think,” I said.

He nodded reluctantly, flicking a glance at the driver and the quietly grinning Grey.

The airport hadn’t yet fully come to life. Inquiring at the desk, we found a flight leaving in an hour that had four open seats. We booked the flight and checked in so we could look for somewhere to eat within the terminal.

We found a restaurant by following our noses. Both Emmitt and Grey were practically drooling as we crowded into a booth. Grey slid in first and patted the seat next to him while looking at Carlos.

“Come here, honey,” he said with a laugh.

Carlos sighed tolerantly and sat down.

I wondered about their story. Though Grey teased about being a couple, I didn’t think they were. It seemed like he enjoyed tormenting Carlos, and Carlos put up with it.

I sat across from Grey and shook my head as he and Emmitt both reached for a menu. This was probably the longest I’d seen Emmitt go without eating.

Looking over the menu, I debated what to try. With the ache in my middle, I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to eat. I settled for a BLT with fries. Emmitt, as usual, went big and ordered two half-pound burgers. The server thought he was kidding until Grey and Carlos asked for the same.

I waited until the server walked away then asked something I had been wondering since Emmitt had burst into Frank’s hotel room.

“So how did you find me?”

“Your blood,” Emmitt said softly. His gaze turned troubled again, and I squeezed his hand.

Grey took up the story. “It was on your room’s door. We followed the scent trail out the side door. From there, we picked up the scent of the car. They had eyes watching the route, and we ran into a bit of trouble that slowed us down.”

“How many?” If Blake had taken men to the Compound, how many had he left here?

“Enough,” Grey answered vaguely. “Not too much for Carlos here to handle.” Grey nudged the other man with a grin. Carlos didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to look at the baseball game on the television.

“Thank you,” I said to both of them. Carlos surprised me by meeting my eyes and nodding.

The server brought us our bill just in time for us to pay and walk back for boarding. I sat between Carlos and Emmitt again. In addition to feeling squished, I felt safe.

The flight was short, but the layover at the connecting airport made up for it. Needing to kill three hours, Emmitt suggested we find somewhere to eat, again. Grey agreed and Carlos gave a shrug.

“That’s fine with me, but I want to check in with Liam and Aden first.”

They waited in a quiet area with me while I made the call. My brothers were having a blast with Henry and Paul and didn’t sound like they’d been aware of any attempts.

Content they were safe, I told my brothers I would see them soon.