Secrets (19 page)

His first thoughts were all Michelle.
What is she doing, where is she, is she safe, can I avoid hurting her with my next move?

The noises coming from other offices and the break room disrupted his thoughts of her. It grated on him that he didn't know much about Carter's plans. The Pretid device figured into them, clearly, but instinctively Casey saw that quite possibly the device testing was a way to gather personal information on participants and somehow use the device to administer a drug, one that was already in animal studies at the research facility near Michelle's home.

He walked to the windows and scanned the nature area that made a courtyard outside the Carter, Inc. building. The trees swayed, carefree, going with the direction of the fall breeze. Autumn leaves drifted to the ground, covering it in dark rust and deep purple.

He turned back to his desk and inside his gut, something shifted. He knew his next steps.

A quick call to Michelle came first. It rang once and he heard her voice on the other end. He melted.

“Hi, Casey. Miss me?”

“I do miss you. But I have a favor to ask you.” When she didn't say anything, he continued. “No matter what you see or hear in the next few days, don't give up on me.”

“Casey, you sound so serious. You're scaring me.”

“I know, I know. It sounds ominous. It's something I have to do and I wish I could tell you more but I can't. Just promise me you'll—”

“I'll be here.”

He heard her breath, her voice, and he believed her. “Thank you. I know you can take care of yourself, Michelle, but we can't underestimate William Carter. The colony will be watching over you. You won't be able to reach me, but if you need something, don't hesitate to call Lara.”

“Okay. I don't understand, but don't worry about me.”

“I'll be thinking of running my hands down your back, to your behind.” The thoughts of her naked skin raised pressure in his groin.

“Stop. You're making me miss you more.”

“I'll be in touch soon. Good bye, Michelle.”

He set down his phone, shifting gears. His inside growled with demands. Casey wanted to march to his dad's office and insist on an explanation.

But his brain knew better. If he did that he'd surely raise suspicions with Carter and his merry men and women. No, he had to be patient and smart. That meant making an appointment with the devil himself.

After a brief conversation with Carter's secretary, during which he'd poured on his charm, he had his appointment. Admittedly, suspicion gurgled in his stomach when he was able to schedule it for that evening.
Hell, I'm not one to question destiny. William Carter doesn't know it yet, but his destiny lies with me.

He flexed his fingers, feeling the gathering tension. He needed a run. He had a few hours before his meeting with William Carter. The more he thought about it the more he felt the stirring in his skin and body to shimmer. He gathered up the paperwork he'd been studying for days, shoved it in his briefcase, and shrugged on his jacket.

He eased his Prius around traffic, trying to remain calm and patient. He'd never experienced an information overload before. The things he knew about Carter—his research facility, his property takeover—spun in his head, trying to land in a coherent picture. Clearly, too much information wasn't the problem. It was a lack of important pieces. That's why he had no choice but to talk to Carter.

Casey nailed his car horn when another vehicle swerved in front of him, too close, and he had to slam on the brakes.

His impatience churned just under his skin. Finally, he took a left turn that led him out of the city and toward his home.

It took him no time at all to step inside, strip, then finally shimmer.

He shoved open his back door, a door specially made to open with a foot pedal, and strode out into the early evening. Grabbing big swigs of air, the spinning in his head calmed. His nose lifted to gather the musky, sweet scents of the forest around him. His ears perked as birds chittered while squirrels chattered and small animals scurried beneath brush and logs.

He shook out his muscles, beginning with his head and ending with his tail. He settled into a slow trot, feeling each foot connect with the ground beneath him. He sped up, sprinting through the trees and letting himself almost disappear in the sanctuary that was this forest. Swerving around one tree, then another, Casey reveled in the release of tension and the refilling of his soul.

He ran until his breath came fast and full and his heart pounded out a strong, rapid beat. He could run like this forever.

But it would be running away, and really, he didn't want any such thing. He knew that with all that he was.

He headed back his house, slowing his pace for a cool down. At the border between wild forest and field and his backyard, he plopped down into the brown and drying grasses.
Breathe, in and out, in and out.
Emptied of tension and frantic thoughts, Casey felt ready to go face-to-face with William Carter.

Michelle lifted the phone off the receiver for what felt like the hundredth time that day. New clients, return clients, regular clients, all clamoring for help … right now, of course.

Between dealing with phone calls and finishing up monthly reports, Michelle hadn't had time to think much, not even about Casey's strange phone call.

This second time around with him had brought him to her at the moment she really needed him. The transparency and intimacy gave her strength and, most of all, hope. She wished that his strange request wouldn't trigger old stuff in her. She could promise to believe in him but if the situation brought up her defenses, she didn't know if she would let them have the car keys—trust him enough to relinquish control.

Michelle tossed a stray lock of hair out of her face.
Damn it! The rape changed me, but I'm not going to let it define me anymore.

Her queasy insides told her it wasn't as simple as making a declaration. There would be challenges, but she had enough determination to fill a fountain.

Simultaneous thoughts of Madeline and Lara popped into her head. The sisters were gone for the day, and it was past five o'clock, time to switch gears.

She punched in Lara's cell phone number and waited. “Hi, Lara. Busy?”

“Actually, just finishing up.”

“Could you come over for pizza at my house, my infamous house?”

Lara laughed. The sound tinkled in Michelle's ears, urging her to grab on to it and believe the best. “Infamous house?”

“Yeah, the one stalked by lynxes and William Carter, not that there are any similarities in the two.”

“I'll do you one better. I'll bring the pizza and Madeline.”

Michelle gasped. “I would love to see her.”

“It's a deal then. I'm just leaving the office in a few.”

“I'm on my way out the door. Thank you, Lara.”

• • •

The garage door at Michelle's house glided open at an annoyingly slow pace. “C'mon, slow poke.” She parked, closed the door, and pulled her things from the passenger seat. Unlocking the back door, she sensed movement behind her. Her heart in her throat, she slowly reached inside her purse and wrapped her hand around her pepper spray. From the corner of her eye she saw the passage door to the backyard was slanted open.
That's supposed to be locked.

She pivoted, pointing her pepper spray at whatever she found. A masked figure, dressed all in dark clothing, reached out toward her face, muttering, “Get out of this house.”

She screamed and pressed the pepper spray button, aiming the burning spray at his face. He ripped at his mask and turned toward the back door.

Outside in the backyard a fearsome yowl erupted. The man stumbled out into the dusk, just in time to be slammed by a fury of golden fur and claws—Conrad.

Michelle's hands drew to her mouth. Conrad shouldn't expose himself to this man. She stood there, watching, and realized Conrad was doing very little actual damage to the man's body. He sat on his haunches, chuffing, after scaring the man into racing through the yard and out toward the street. As the man disappeared, Conrad nodded at Michelle. She wasn't sure what to do, go to him or leave him to his business. When she heard a car pull into her driveway, her heartbeat picked up its pace. Conrad nodded her to go inside, where she peered through the closed blinds in the living room windows and saw Lara coming toward the door, juggling pizza and a cat carrier.

“Come in. Here, let me take the pizza.” A crisp breeze flew in the door, bringing chills to her skin. Michelle's anxiety still raced through her veins, pumping her heartbeat higher. “You just missed the excitement.”

Jojo, Munchie, Tiger, and Izabelle all ran toward Michelle. “Hungry? Let's feed you guys, too.”

Lara stopped mid-step and pierced Michelle with a long look. “What excitement?”

“Here, let me take Madeline to the back room where she can chill. How is she doing? I want to know all about it.” Michelle's words tumbled out at high speed, but she couldn't help it. Fear mixed with relief and happiness to create unstoppable chatter. She hurried to the back bedroom and placed Madeline, already covered by a cloth over the carrier, on the floor. She lifted up a corner of the cloth and took a tiny peek. As expected, Madeline let loose a low growl. Her face said back off, but her cuteness pulled at Michelle's heart. How terrible that she'd undergone an ordeal at Carter's research facility.

She quietly walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Back in the kitchen she pulled plates and glasses from the cupboards and set them on the table, ready to enjoy pizza with Lara. At least pretend to enjoy. Circumstances unsettled her nerves. Adrenaline trembled her fingers.

“Hey, Lara. I didn't know you'd be here.” It was a fully-clothed and human-looking Conrad, walking in from the garage passage door.

Lara sat emphatically at the table. “What. Is. Going. On? Aren't you supposed to be outside, discreetly watching the property, Conrad? And Michelle, why so jittery?” She grabbed a slice of pizza and took a bite, waiting.

Michelle exchanged a glance with Conrad. He nodded to her. She turned to Lara, her heart rate finally slowing. “I came home a few minutes ago and was surprised by an intruder. Conrad scared him off.”

“Did you get a good look at him, either of you?” Lara studied them both, pinning them with her eyes.

“He wore a mask. He told me to get out of the house. I shot him with pepper spray and he ran outside.” Michelle took a slice of pizza and set it on her plate. Veggie. Her favorite. She couldn't gather enough saliva in her mouth to think about taking a bite.

“What about you, Conrad?”

“I attempted to remove his mask, but he was so frightened by my appearance and vocalizations that he was a scrambling ball of arms and fists. Do you mind?” he asked, reaching toward the pizza.

“No, help yourself.” Lara handed him a slice. “So we have no description.” She frowned. “But we probably know he was dispatched by William Carter and we know he was trying to scare you, Michelle. Sure he wants you out of the house, but this was most likely a fun prank for him. Make you afraid to be in your own home.”

Izabelle purred appreciatively as Conrad bent down to rub her head. He threw another slice down his throat, then shoved back his chair to leave. “Back on duty. Thank you for the pizza.” He placed a hand on Michelle's shoulder. “Carter can try to scare you but as long as we were-cats are around, which is every moment of every day, you'll be safe.”

Michelle thanked him and watched him saunter outside, where she expected he would shimmer. The danger surrounding her and her home was getting to her. “It's not right that you and Conrad and the other members of your colony should be inconvenienced and put in danger because of me.” She dropped her head to her arms resting on the table.

Lara shoved at her head. “Don't be silly. You don't understand how our colony works yet. We willingly take care of our own. Now you're one of us, simply because you know about us and you haven't freaked out.”

Michelle lifted her head, her eyes growing heavy. “That sounds heroic of you.” She tilted her head, thinking. “Casey has been heroic for me. He's helped me reclaim my life. That's a big deal.”

Lara ducked her head sheepishly. “I don't know if it's heroic to watch over my best friend.” She placed her hand on Michelle's and Michelle took comfort from it. “Especially a friend who is caught in William Carter's crosshairs. It's nothing we can't handle.”

“Have you taken on similar projects in the past?” The wind outside blew through the trees, releasing more leaves in the darkness to dance in front of the kitchen window. It made her long for simplicity in her life.

“We have helped rescue injured animals, helped children enjoy nature, things like that.” She rolled her eyes. “We keep to ourselves. It's safer for everyone that way. But there are times when it's right to step up and help others in need. That's what the colony has done since Casey took leadership.”

The wind blustered outside, sending shivers up and down Michelle's spine. “Would you like to spend the night?” Her voice sounded faint to her ears. “I guess I'm still unsettled from the intruder. But if you can't, I—”

“It sounds like a good plan,” Lara interrupted. “Life minus my former roommate is lonely. Plus, that way we both can keep an eye on Madeline.”

“She's all right?” Michelle cleared the table and led Lara into the living room. Lara flounced into the upholstered chair and Michelle took the couch. The cats followed, settling in around them both.

“Well, she's still very feral. But there's been no attempt to tame her. When Casey brought her to me he was pretty shaken up. She'd been drugged, but it wasn't anything harmful, just a sedative. Probably to keep her manageable.”