Circle of Lies (Red Ridge Pack) (6 page)

Of course, now that Kendall had mysteriously disappeared, things did seem a bit different. Alli didn’t elaborate on where Kendall had gone, but I didn’t care as long as she wasn’t here. It had only been one day, but already it seemed the climate of the school had changed. The “common” people seemed more relaxed; happier even. I could be imagining it, but maybe, just maybe, things would be better now for good. Maybe she’d been the driving force behind the awfulness at this school. Or maybe I was just making excuses for having Aiden still on my mind.

I couldn’t fall for a guy like Aiden. Not again. I’d made that mistake once before and I wouldn’t be stupid enough to do it again. Alex Foster, AKA Asshole of the Universe, walked these halls like he could have any girl he wanted, and the fact was that he could. He was hot, a senior, and for some reason he set his sights on me when I first moved here. I fell right under his spell, like an idiot. He’d made all sorts of promises and talked sweet, and my mom had just run off…and as soon as he got what he wanted, he dumped me like yesterday’s garbage. To make matters worse, he let the whole school know how he managed to get the new girl into bed and then broke up with me in the cafeteria the next day. No, I wouldn’t fall for a guy like that again. Aiden Wright would have to find someone else to bat his eyes at.

*****

I rushed home after school to grab a quick bite before work. I walked in the door to find Dad holding pasta.

“Hey, hon. I’m making dinner so you can eat something good before work,” he said, as if this were a completely normal occurrence.

Not that he’d never before attempted to play father of the year. Unfortunately, it usually ended with a drunken brawl at the local tavern or a drunken rage at home where he’d once again blame me for everything wrong in his life, especially Mom’s disappearance. James, the good Dad, never lasted longer than a few days tops. Still, this felt different. Something was up.

Part of me wanted to tell him never to bother trying to make up for being a shitty father, but it was easier just to play along and ride it out. I put my purse and school bag down and went over to check out dinner. There wasn’t much to say about it.

“Looks pretty good, huh?” Dad asked.

“Sure, it looks great. Thanks,” I replied then pasted a fake smile on my face as I took a seat at the kitchen table. “I only have about twenty minutes before I need to leave, though.”

Dad started making up our plates. “Well, about that. I had to put the Subaru in the shop, so I need to borrow your car. Before you say anything, I can drive you to work and then pick you up when you get off.”

I’d known there was a catch. “Seriously, Dad? Where do you need to go?”

“Actually, to an AA meeting. I know I’ve been horrible lately, and I just want to make things better. Really, Teagan.”

Asshole! Now I couldn’t even be mad or say no, even though I knew his AA ventures never lasted. If I told him he couldn’t borrow my car, I would look like the jerk. I’d look like I didn’t want him to get sober.

I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice. “Fine, but make sure you pick me up at nine o’clock. I have homework to do when I get home.”

He put our plates on the table, and the little-boy-lost look on his face immediately made me feel guilty. How could he still manage to do that after all these years? But I knew exactly what he wanted to hear, so like a good little daughter I said, “And Dad, I’m really glad you are going to AA. I hope it helps.”

“I’m really going to try this time. You’ll see, Teagan. Things will be different from now on.”

I wish I’d kept count of how many times I’d heard that.

I didn’t reply. I was pretty sure that anything that came out of my mouth would be sarcasm-filled, which would only fuel the fire. Better to just let it go and eat. So, that’s what we did. With only a few minutes to spare, Dad and I made our way out to the car and headed to the mall. Not much was said on the way besides small-talk and the usual parent-child pleasantries. Dad needed me to be nice, so I was, even though I knew how this brand-new-man thing would soon end. Been there, done that.

Dad pulled up to the entrance nearest Sephora and promised once more, “I’ll be here at nine p.m. sharp.”

I got out and said, “Okay, Dad. Be careful.” Then I watched him drive away. I prayed his sobriety would at least last through the night.

12.

Peter

Peter grabbed a map from the lobby of the Red Ridge Motel. He’d been hoping for nicer accommodations, but his choices were limited in this cozy little town and he now knew he needed to be here. He was determined to learn every inch of the place before he left. Maybe he’d never hit Albuquerque after all. Something about this town was calling him. Uncle Raymond seemed to agree.

His room was small and dark, but at least it looked clean and Peter wasted no time. He unpacked and set up his bulletin board with all of the newspaper articles that he’d collected over the last few months. Once he was finished, he grabbed his coat, the town map and his laptop bag, and he headed to the diner down the street. He’d seen a sign bragging that they provided free Wi-Fi.

Within minutes, he was connected to the Internet and searching for anything new on werewolves: facts, sightings, fictions. He had done this so many times that finding new material was almost impossible, but he wasn’t about to give up. His uncle wouldn’t let him even if he wanted. Ray was always in Peter’s head, encouraging him to continue the search, pushing him to avenge his death.

The diner turned out to be a great place to people-watch, too. It seemed a hotspot for the locals, and before long Peter had a good understanding of the Red Ridge population. Still, no one came in that fit the werewolf profile that he and his uncle had put together. Not perfectly at least.

Given their research, they’d decided werewolves in human form would all be well-built and athletic-looking. They’d imagined the bastards all stood on the taller side, too, even the women. Uncle Raymond was sure the wolves would have dark features, dark skin and hair, though Peter wasn’t quite sure why. However, the most important part of the werewolf “profile” wouldn’t be a guess for Peter. It was the eyes. Peter couldn’t describe verbally what he was looking for, but he knew with absolute certainty that he’d know when he found it. He remembered that inhuman look as well as he remembered any other moment of his life. He remembered his uncle’s killer, and he remembered those eyes.

Peter had a good feeling about this town. All he had to do was keep his wits about him and be ready to find what he was looking for. And he was always ready for that.

13.

Aiden

I tried to pry more information about Teagan out of Alli on the way home from school, but it turned out she didn’t know that much. Not really. So much for them being really good friends. When I mentioned this, that she must be a pretty shitty friend if she didn’t even know where Teagan lived, Alli stopped speaking to me completely. Of course, with the way I felt right then, that was probably a good thing. My shoulder was throbbing, and I needed sleep in the worst way.

I suddenly realized that I was being an ass and that I should probably apologize.

“Listen, Alli, I’m sorry,” I said as we walked into the house. “You’re not a shitty friend. I’m just tired and achy and taking it out on you. Forgive me?” I asked, giving her my best puppy dog eyes.

She turned and said, “I forgive you, Aiden. Actually, I think you’re right. I must be a pretty crappy friend. I don’t even know if she has a boyfriend or not. That’s going change starting with this text.” She started for the stairs with her phone in her hand. Glancing back she asked, “Hey, anything else you want to know about her?”

“Plenty. But I plan on finding it all out on my own,” I said with a wink.

“Eww…you’re a pig.” But Alli laughed as she went upstairs.

“Who do you plan on getting to know?” my mom asked, appearing from the kitchen and scaring the hell out of me.

“Oh, hey, Mom. Just a girl,” I answered.

She smiled encouragingly. I knew she wanted me to elaborate, but things were still weird between us. I didn’t know what to say or how to act around her. I just needed space and time. Time away from her and Dad. And from Marcus. Definitely from Marcus.

“I’m going to go lie down before dinner, all right?” I asked.

The smile faded from her face. She just nodded and went back into the kitchen.

*****

I must have been really tired, because I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I hadn’t been sleeping well because of the nightmares. I was still dreaming of the night Alli was kidnapped and Dylan nearly killed me. What bothered me most about it was how defenseless I’d been. If I wasn’t such a weretard and could shift like any other teenage wolf, at least I could have tried to fight, but I’d just stood there stunned. That dream, that whole night, made me feel like such a loser. Like I wasn’t the man I thought I was—which led to the second part of the nightmare, with me waking up not knowing who I am. This part was almost worse than nearly dying. I think that’s why I was so angry with my parents. That they’d kept from me the secret of my biological father’s identity made me feel the same way: like I don’t know who I am anymore.

I wasn’t in the best mood when I woke up for dinner, so the fact that my parents and I got into it wasn’t a surprise. It was my fault, I know it was, but I just couldn’t seem to control my temper. The situation was new to my parents. They’d always known what to say and do when Alli lost it, but not me. Before this week, I don’t think I’d ever even raised my voice at the dinner table. It was a silly argument, too. They’d wanted to talk about our feelings, about how I was handling things, about what I really thought of my new father and brother, and…well, I didn’t want to talk about it. Hell, I didn’t even want to think about it. I just wanted to let it all go.

I walked out on dinner and went to my room, but I couldn’t stay in the house so instead I changed and quickly headed back downstairs. Grabbing the keys to our car, I put them in my pocket.

“Where are you going?” my mom asked, and I could tell that she was worried.

I didn’t want to make her any more upset, so I walked over and kissed her cheek. “Mom, I’m sorry. I just can’t, okay?”

She nodded.

“I need some retail therapy,” I said, using one of her favorite phrases. “I’m going shopping. I could use some new jeans anyway.” Then I smiled, which clearly made her a little happier.

“Be careful and don’t drive too fast,” she said.

“I won’t.”

“I love you. You know that, don’t you?”

“Of course I do,” I said. And I did. “I won’t be long, Mom,” I promised.

Shopping had always been my thing. It calmed me down and helped me think. The guys back home used to make fun of me for it. They said I was a metrosexual, but my response was always the same. “I’ve got to look good for the ladies.” And they couldn’t argue because, well…I
had
done pretty well with the ladies because of it.

The local mall was nice and had some good stores, probably because Red Ridge was a ski town that got a lot of visitors during the season, but it wasn’t all
that
big. Back in Houston I might have wandered around longer, but here I was able to get all my shopping done by eight forty-five, fifteen minutes to spare before closing—and that included stopping to chat with Luke, who was there buying his father a birthday present. I liked Luke, though he rarely hung out with anyone from the pack besides Gage, who’d apparently taken a leave of absence after the incident with Dylan and Kendall. I guessed Luke was kind of a loner. Lately, I could relate.

I was almost to the exit when I saw her. She was sitting on a bench by the exit, obviously waiting for her ride.

“Hey, Teagan,” I said, walking up. She smelled so good, it was hard to keep my distance, but I didn’t want to come off as a creeper.

“Oh. Hey, Aiden. How are you?” she asked.

She looked surprised to see me. A little unsettled, even. I cursed Kendall again and sat down on the bench next to her. “Did you just get off work?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m just waiting for my dad. His car is in the shop, so he borrowed mine.”

I became acutely aware of how close her leg was to mine. So close that if I moved even one little inch, we would be touching. “I can give you a lift if you want.”

She was quiet for a while, and I hoped that she was considering. Finally she looked down at her watch and sighed, and I made up my mind.

“It’s getting late. Let me give you a ride.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I don’t know where he is. He isn’t answering his phone. Maybe he just forgot.”

Well, the reason didn’t matter. All I knew was that I’d been extremely lucky.

“Come on,” I said, “it will give us a chance to get to know each other a little better. My sister and you are good friends, so I guess I’ve got some catching up to do.”

14.

Teagan

Most people would be worried if their dad didn’t show up when he was supposed to, would be worried that something bad had happened, like a car accident or something. I just knew he’d fallen off the wagon. Already. His break hadn’t even lasted a day this time. It hadn’t even lasted beyond the meeting! I guess he’d decided to stop off at the local bar afterward—that was, if he’d even made it to AA in the first place. So typical. I wasn’t even sure why I was surprised, let alone disappointed. I might tell myself over and over again how nothing would ever change, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that a tiny part of me always hoped I was wrong. I suppose I’m kind of stupid that way.

I tried to hide my disappointment as I got into Aiden’s car. I didn’t want him thinking that my sour mood had anything to do with him, but I also couldn’t help but wonder what the hell I was doing letting him take me home. I’d told myself to stay far, far away from him. He might be Alli’s brother, but that didn’t mean he was any better than the rest of the group he ran with.

He was being nice, though. Quite the opposite of the other beautiful people with whom I’d had dealings. Maybe he was more like Alli than the others.