Circle of Lies (Red Ridge Pack) (17 page)

Begrudgingly, I tore myself from the safety of my bed and made way to the restroom. There I stood, staring at my mascara-stained face and examining my puffy eyes. After splashing some water on my cheeks, I rubbed away the evidence of last night’s nightmarish encounter and brushed my teeth.

I needed food. Badly. I grabbed a bowl from the dishwasher, filled it with Frosted Flakes and milk and headed back to my room. The last thing I wanted was a run-in with my father. A murder in our sleepy little town would not be good for the ski and tourism business.

I finished my cereal and stuck the bowl on my nightstand, knowing I’d have to leave my room again at some point but that it wasn’t going to be anytime soon. After checking my phone one last time, I curled back up in bed and closed my eyes. Maybe I could fall back asleep.

I did.

*****

When I woke again, there was still no word from Aiden. Weird, especially after how we’d connected. Maybe I should call him. Or text him. Or send an email. But, no. I needed to know if he was still interested in me after his encounter with my bat-shit crazy father. I needed to wait and see. That was the only way I’d get an honest answer.

Moving to my bedroom door, I stood there and strained my ears, listening for any sign of my dad. I needed my history book so I could study for an upcoming test but I wasn’t ready to face the inevitable just yet. Silence filled the air.

With no sign of my father’s presence, I tip-toed into the living room to grab my book. Dad wasn’t home. I breathed a sigh of relief and felt my body relax.

Quickly I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sat down at the table to eat. I opened my history book and scanned the chapters that would be covered on the upcoming test, but my mind continued to drift back to Aiden. His eyes, his lips, his …everything. I couldn’t help but remember he could have any girl he wanted. Why on God’s green earth had he chosen me? Obviously I was damaged goods. My dad had proven that twice now; I was a screwed-up chick with daddy issues. When I glanced over at my phone once more, my subconscious huffed,
Fat chance
.

If I had any chance of acing this test, I had a lot more work to do. Pushing all thought of Aiden aside, I dived into my study guide.

After about an hour or so, I’d gotten up to stretch my legs and grab a soda when the front door swung open. With the refrigerator wide and my stuff spread all over the kitchen table, there was no escape.

I turned around to find my dad standing a few feet away. He was flanked by a man I’d never seen before, a tall and thin, gangly-looking soul whose limbs were almost too long for his body. His hair was long and unwashed, and his clothes hung on his body as if they didn’t belong to him. But he was young, surely only a few years older than me.

Something about him weirded me out, and his creep factor skyrocketed as he flashed me a wicked grin.

“Teagan, this is Peter,” my father announced. “He’s new to town.”

The stranger reached out his hand. “Teagan? It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Finally? My gut screamed to get the hell out of there, but my southern hospitality forced my hand out. I smiled weakly and shook. “Nice to meet you, Peter, but I was just leaving.”

When I turned to gather my things, Dad leaned over and whispered, “No, hon. Don’t leave on our account. We’re just going to sit and chat on the back porch. Stay. Finish your studying.”

Hon?
Seriously? One minute he was a drunken maniac throwing me around the room and the next he was calling me hon and hanging out with a creepy guy half his age? Would I ever stop being shocked by this man?

I glanced up to find Peter eyeing me like a piece of candy. Eww. I gave him my best in-your-dreams glare and started toward my bedroom, needing desperately to get away from both of them. Immediately.

One foot outside of the kitchen, Peter called, “Hey, Teagan, what are you studying? Maybe I can help.”

I stopped mid-step, turned and replied, “Ummm, that’s okay. Really, I got it covered.” There was no point in being impolite.

As I continued through the living room, however, Peter followed. My dad had grabbed a beer and made his way back out onto the porch. He didn’t seem to notice. It was unseasonably warm today, and apparently he’d decided to enjoy some time outside.

“I don’t mean to pry,” Peter said, “but your dad’s really trying. I went with him to AA the other night. He spoke of you.”

What?
Really?
This stranger was actually standing in my living room telling me that my dad was trying? Trying to what, completely ruin my life? And where did this dude get off, commenting on my family’s personal affairs?

“That’s really none of your business,” I snapped. “But since we’re being so open and all, he was drunk off his ass last night—and in case you haven’t noticed, he’s already drinking today. So, I guess all that trying isn’t really working out.”

I’d planned on heading to my room, but with Peter following me the last place I wanted to be was there, so I stopped in the living room and sat down in the recliner, worried he might join me on the couch if I had sat there. Thankfully, he didn’t sit. Unfortunately, he didn’t stop talking.

“Well, I hate to hear that. We’re going to another meeting soon. It’s a tough addiction, Teagan, one that others can’t easily understand. But I know he’s working at it, and he really wants to find your mother.”

Oh, hell no. He did
not
just bring my mother into this.

Trying my best to wipe the shock off of my face, I smiled as politely as I could. “You know what, Peter? Maybe you should just go out there with my dad. I’m sure he’s wondering where you wandered off to, and he may be a drunk and all but I’m quite sure he doesn’t want you in here alone with his daughter. We wouldn’t want him to get the wrong idea about you.”

That must have been the trick. Without another word, Peter grinned and turned to leave. With him out of sight, I gathered up my things, grabbed my phone, and hurried to my room.

I made sure to lock the door behind me.

37.

Aiden

I didn’t know where I was going, but I had to get out of there. I bolted from the lodge, and by the time I got to the car I could feel that eerie twitching all along the surface of my skin. I needed to get a hold of myself and calm down. If I didn’t, today would surely be a repeat performance of yesterday. That didn’t seem ideal.

I turned the radio up and put the air conditioning on max. Then I focused solely on Teagan. As I drove off the estate, I tried to remember how tempting she’d smelled in my arms last night, and that’s when I suddenly knew where I was going. There was only one place I wanted to be.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and with shaky fingers typed out a short message:

Aiden: T, can U come outside?

Within seconds she’d responded:

Teagan: Be right there.
:)

I no longer felt nervous. I only felt desperate to see her. To make sure she was okay. To feel the warmth of her body against mine. To hear the racing of her heart. That was what I needed. It was all I needed.

“Aiden, is everything okay?” she asked as I pulled up in her driveway and jumped out of my car. “Good timing. My dad and his weird friend just went ins—”

She headed toward me, but before she even made it all the way down the porch steps I grabbed her and wrapped her in my arms. I buried my face in her hair and took long, deep breaths. She smelled like heaven. Her intoxicating scent mixed with the violet fragrance of her shampoo, and it sent my desire into overdrive.

I could have stood there all day, but I needed to see her face. I needed to make sure that she was okay.

“How were things after I left last night?” I asked, pulling back and staring into her eyes.

Her cheeks reddened and she broke eye contact. I didn’t like that. I didn’t want her feeling embarrassed or ashamed of anything, certainly not anything her father did. It wasn’t right. We were almost the same height with her standing above me on the porch steps, so I lifted her chin with my finger and made her look right at me.

“It was fine. I went to my room. He passed out,” she confessed.

“I’m sorry if I made it worse,” I said.

She gave me a sad little smile, and my heart broke. I reached for her hands and laced our fingers together. We were so close that I felt her entire body outlined against mine. Being this close to her was therapeutic, too. The anger, the tension, the stress of the day…all of it drained from my body.

“Are
you
okay?” she asked, pulling away from me.

“I am now,” I said, and I trailed little kisses from her cheek down her neck. She giggled and the sound nearly drove me crazy.

“Want to talk about it?” she asked.

Reluctantly, I stopped kissing her. “It’s just a little family drama.”

“Well, you came to the right place. I’m the expert on that.”

We sat outside on her porch. After a moment I began, “My biological father—”

“Mr. Walker?” Teagan interrupted.

“Yeah, him.” I’d forgotten she’d caught him staring at her after the musical. She’d definitely remember him. “Well, today he kind of blindsided me. He announced that I would be taking over the…uh, family business. From the reaction of the…company and the look on Cade’s face, no one knew about it,” I added, trying to be honest without revealing too much. I wasn’t sure how much she could handle.

“Is he, like, wanting you to take over the business now? You’re only eighteen,” Teagan pointed out. “Isn’t that a little young to be running a company?” She laughed.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I don’t know what he’s thinking. But he expects me to start working with him as soon as I graduate. I’m not even sure if he expects me to go to college.”

“And he didn’t mention any of this beforehand?” Teagan asked.

“Well, kinda. But I thought he was crazy. I thought it would pass. I didn’t know he was going to announce it to everyone! I can’t imagine why he would want me to take over and not Cade. I don’t even know him well enough to guess at his motives,” I said, realizing that was true.

“Maybe you should get to know him better. You know, before you decide anything. Just a suggestion,” she said.

“Yeah, maybe,” I agreed. The problem was, I didn’t know if I wanted to get to know him. From what I already knew, he was an ass. Anyone who’d put me on the spot like that didn’t really care about
me
; that much was clear.

“Hey,” Teagan said, scooting close. “You’re a smart guy. You’ll figure it out.” Then she leaned over and kissed me.

As her lips covered mine, all other thoughts disappeared. All I could think was,
God, she tastes good
.

I wasted no time kissing her back. There was no hesitation, no doubt from either of us. Whatever this was, it was definitely right. It was the only thing that I was absolutely sure of anymore—which scared the hell out me. One day soon I’d have to tell her the truth about me.

But not now. What if she freaked out? I couldn’t risk exposing the pack if she didn’t understand, and I couldn’t count on her being as accepting as my father Paul had been. We needed more time. When I was sure about her feelings, I’d tell her the truth. When I was sure she trusted and wanted me.

Was it truly possible she didn’t feel the same way about me that I did for her? Given that kiss, I’d say no. Given the reactions of our bodies… She moved me in a way no other girl ever had. I might even lo—

No.
I wasn’t ready to think about that just yet.

38.

Peter

Peter watched through the window as Teagan Rhodes met her gentleman caller on the porch, more than a little curious to see if it was the same bloodthirsty animal he’d seen her with at the diner. Unfortunately, the blinds obscured an absolute identification.

“Soda, Peter?” her father asked, getting up from the sofa.

“Yes, please. That sounds great,” Peter replied.

This was his opportunity. As soon as James was in the kitchen, Peter walked over and pulled the blinds aside. He pulled out his phone and discreetly took a picture to add to his research. In the picture were the two lovebirds, and what else he saw caused a grin he couldn’t stop from spreading across his face. It was indeed the wolf-boy. And he recognized the Jetta.

Teagan laughed at something the demon wolf said. She, Peter realized, would be the key to getting to the rest of this pack. She was his plant, his “in.” He desperately needed to recruit some believers.

He hurried from the window as he saw Teagan head back inside.

“Dad, I’m taking off for a bit,” she called, poking her head in the door. Grabbing her coat, she left without waiting for a reply.

Peter wanted to stop her. He wanted to yell, “Don’t go! He’s a killer.” But he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he had what he needed. What happened to the girl would remain to be seen. It couldn’t really matter to him. She was just a pawn in the game, and he needed her.

“I don’t like that guy Teagan is hanging out with,” James confided as he returned with a couple of Cokes.

Peter smiled. It was time.

“Can I talk to you about something, James?”

“Sure, what’s on your mind?” the older man replied.

“It’s the reason I’m here in Red Ridge….” Peter took a deep breath and prepared to unveil his deepest secrets. It was now or never. “When I was young, I witnessed something unspeakable. In the years that followed, I was locked away, labeled insane, but now I have proof. I finally have all the evidence that I need. I can, finally, after all this time, avenge my uncle’s death. You can avenge the disappearance of your wife. You can save your daughter from a similar fate!”

Confusion and concern filled James Rhodes’s voice. “What the hell are you talking about? What about my wife and Teagan? Avenge them?”

“The guy your daughter is hanging out with, the man your wife left with, and the wolf that killed my uncle…well, they are all the same. The same breed of evil. They are
werewolves,”
Peter whispered. He’d argued with himself for some time before deciding on the lie about James’s wife—he had no idea what happened to her after she split town—but he figured it was the best way to motivate him.