Seduction's Shift (13 page)

Walking down the steps of the brownstone he’d had renovated, Sabar let his manicured fingers run over the silky soft wallpaper that lined every room on the first floor. It was blood red with silver swirls and matched the thick cranberry-colored carpet perfectly. Most of the furniture still needed to be delivered, but this was a good start.

Sabar moved through the rooms surveying the progress, noting everything the cocksucking designer—who liked looking at Sabar a whole lot more than looking at females—hadn’t done. His name was Freid and Darel had found him, so Sabar had agreed to give the guy a shot. But the first time he made an out-of-line comment about Sabar or his sexuality, the bastard was fired!

Darel had been with Sabar the longest and was his most loyal Rogue. Sabar relied heavily on him, which was big since Sabar didn’t trust anyone. That’s why he’d left Darel in charge while he’d traveled to the forest. Now Darel was on his way to New Mexico to take possession of the shipment that had been sent. Sabar figured it worked best if he and his product were in different places. That’s why he’d also bought that run-down old warehouse near the Virginia border. While he and Darel had sleeping quarters there as well, he didn’t want them to be taken down if his drugs were ever traced.

Speaking of which, his cell phone rang. Sabar slid it from the holder at his waist.

“Talk,” he commanded, and the voice on the other end obeyed.

“Pickup successful. On my way back now.”

That was precisely what Sabar wanted to hear. “Good. What about the females?”

“They’re at the warehouse.”

See, that’s why he’d known he could leave Darel in charge. The Rogue knew automatically Sabar would not want any dirty-ass strippers in his new house, so he’d left them in the warehouse. Fucking fantastic.

“They’ll bring the
curandero
here. But I don’t want to wait. Is Hanson ready to get started?”

“He’s a bit jittery. Maybe you should talk to him again,” Darel said drily. “He’s a punk with a big ego and an even bigger mouth. I’ve got Gabriel sitting on him now.”

Gabriel was a new shifter. He’d come to Sabar after escaping Boden’s clutches. The sonofabitch that had taken Sabar from the Gungi liked young boys. He just never counted on those young boys eventually growing into strong shape-shifting men.

Sabar nodded, rubbing his fingers through his thick locks. He did that when he was thinking, usually when he was thinking about his money. And Hanson, the chemistry student they’d plucked from Georgetown a couple of weeks ago, might be messing with his profits. The kid thought he was the shit. He thought all his scholarships and the pharmaceutical companies and research labs dogging his heels for him to work for them once he graduated made him a step away from God. Then he’d met Sabar. Funny how, as smart as the kid appeared, he didn’t seem to get how huge a mistake he was making if he didn’t do what Sabar wanted.

“Yeah, I’ll check on him. Make sure he knows the plan and his place in it.” Either alongside Sabar as an employee or in a body bag in bits and pieces. “You just get the product here safely and we’ll go from there.”

“No problem,” Darel said.

Disconnecting, Sabar smiled. That’s the shit he liked to hear—immediate agreement. Darel was his second for a reason. He wasn’t his partner. Sabar would never have any equal on any level. But Darel was a good second Rogue. He’d have to repay the shifter, maybe give him one of the strippers they were using when they finished. That was the least he could do.

Law office of Reynolds & Delgado
Washington, DC

Working was futile.

Nick dropped his pen and let his head fall in his hands. Then he thought about tomorrow’s nine
AM
deposition and figured he’d better move on. He reopened the manila folder he’d previously closed and started reading.

The case was of a female who had been forced to abort her twenty-eight-week-old fetus because of an erroneous amniocentesis that misdiagnosed multiple sclerosis. Nick represented the doctor’s firm and felt sick to his stomach each time he read the deposition testimony of the female who had been orphaned at birth herself, then in an abusive marriage, and lastly losing the one thing she’d wanted most in this world—a child—because of a doctor’s mistake.

Normally, this was open and shut for Nick. Defend his client’s actions and obtain a favorable verdict, or at the very least minimal payment to the plaintiff. But on this morning, with the beautiful woman lying in a bed in the guest room of his apartment, he couldn’t focus.

They’d arrived at the shifters’ private airstrip just outside DC close to three o’clock this morning. Eli and Ezra, the top guards for the East Coast Faction, were there with vehicles to pick them up. Rome and Kalina were driven to their house by Eli. Nick had instantly ushered Ary to Ezra’s SUV, with X climbing in with them as well since his condo wasn’t that far from Nick’s in the city.

“I will get my own residence soon,” Ary remarked as she settled in the backseat.

Nick had been either too tired to argue, or too distracted. Probably a little of both. But he’d remained quiet for the duration of the ride home.

When they’d arrived at his place, Ary had taken her duffel bag and entered the guest room without speaking another word to him. Waking only hours later to come into the office, Nick decided it was better not to disturb her.

In actuality, he was keeping his distance. Every time he was around her, he either said or did the wrong thing. Or what she considered the wrong thing. And damn if he knew what the right thing was. He’d saved her life. She should be a little more grateful instead of so spiteful. And he’d admitted to the part he’d had in whatever pain she’d harbored in her life. Wasn’t that enough?

On his now cluttered desk Nick’s phone buzzed.

“Yes?” he answered with about as much irritation as he was feeling. Or possibly more.

“Mr. Scher’s office called to cancel tomorrow morning’s deposition. They’ll be sending more dates shortly.”

Nick sighed. That meant he didn’t have to sit here and review all the medical records in this case right at this very moment. “Fine, Kerry. Thank you.”

“Ah, and there’s someone here to see you, sir,” his assistant added just as Nick was about to push the button that would disconnect their call.

“I didn’t have anything scheduled” was his reply.

He never had anyone come in the day before a deposition unless it was the client; there was no need for him to talk to the doctor who was facing multiple medical malpractice charges about this specific case. Nick knew all he needed to know and was just trying to figure out how he was going to defend the idiot.

“It’s, um”—Kerry cleared her throat and continued in a whisper. “She says she’s your sister, sir.”

Nick frowned. He only had one sister and she’d been gone for about five years now, traipsing along the globe—doing what, Nick had no idea.

“Send her in,” he said wondering if it wasn’t Ary visiting and afraid to use her real identity.

Of course that made no sense to him. Still, Nick stood from his chair and adjusted his tie. He was walking around his desk when the door to his corner office opened. In that instant it seemed as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

Another blast from the not-so-distant past hit him and Nick had to catch his breath. Her hair was straight and dark as sin, hanging down her back in layered sheets. Even her eyes were dark, or smoky he figured would be a better description of the long lashes and thick arched eyebrows. She was his sister, so looking at her body was weird, but he’d be blind if he didn’t recognize how she’d matured since the last time he’d seen her. Dressed in a short black skirt, netted stockings, and a white shirt that looked as if breathing wasn’t a priority for her, she came closer and put her hands on her hips.

“Dominick.” She spoke his name with just a hint of an accent, and Nick couldn’t figure out where she would have picked it up. Her lips twisted into a smile and her eyes lit up as he opened his arms to her.

“It’s about damn time,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and holding tightly. “Damn, Caprise, it’s been a really long time.”

She hugged him back, laughing as he swayed her from side to side the way he remembered their father used to do when she was younger.

“You’re choking me,” she said, smiling.

Nick released his hold only slightly. “You’ve been killing me staying away all this time. Where the hell have you been?”

She pulled out of his arms and waved a hand at him dismissively. “Doesn’t matter. I’m back now.”

“So I see. What are you doing? You working? Going to school?”

Caprise was four years younger than Nick; she’d just celebrated her thirty-first birthday a month ago. Nick grimaced at the fact that she may have been alone on that special day.

Dropping her lithe body into one of his guest chairs, she crossed her legs and let her arms fall in her lap. Bangles dangled at her wrists, and he noted a large sterling silver ring in some weird shape that encompassed almost three of her fingers.

“I’m looking for a place to stay. And no, not with you. There are a few apartment buildings I’m going to check out this afternoon. So I figured now was better than any other time to stop by.”

He partially agreed with what she’d just said. “Now
is
a good time since I just got back in town earlier this morning.”

“Really? Where were you this time? In Hawaii with the flavor of the month? Or was it Turks and Caicos? You still love it down there?”

Nick smiled and went back to sit in his chair. “You know it. The best tropical getaway ever. But that’s not where I was. I went to the Gungi.”

Nick knew the minute he said it that she’d grow quiet, possibly irritated. He was surprised to see her shrug.

“So we should get together for dinner or something. I don’t really know what siblings do anymore.”

“You don’t know what siblings like us do anymore,” Nick corrected her and was rewarded with her frown.

“Don’t start, Nick. I’m trying to make some progress here. To move forward with my life.”

“I’m still trying to figure out what caused the progress to stop five years ago. You just left and you never called or tried to contact me.”

“You didn’t try to contact me, either,” she rebutted as if she were the litigator.

Nick drummed his fingers on his desk. “You can thank Rome for that. I wanted to tear up the nation trying to find you but he suggested I give you some space. I obliged, but I didn’t like it.”

Caprise smiled, and Nick’s heart melted instantly. He couldn’t be mad at her, not when he was so damn happy to see her.

“That sounds like something Rome would say. Is he still fine as ever?”

Nick shrugged. “I’m not answering that. But I will tell you he’s mated.”

“What? Get out! Roman Reynolds settled down with one woman?”

Nick chuckled because it was still a little hard for him to believe. “Kalina’s cool. She’s a shadow like us.”

Again with the blasé look. Caprise had never embraced her heritage, even after her time in the Gungi. And it seemed she wasn’t about to start now.

“Hooray,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “How’s work?”

And that was all his little sister planned to say about being a Shadow Shifter or being in the Gungi. After the trip Nick had just taken, he wasn’t so sure he could blame her.

“The firm’s doing well. How about you? What are you doing with yourself?” Sitting back in his chair, Nick really looked at his sister.

On the outside she was a lovely young woman, with stunning features that any man would look at twice. On the inside, however, Nick suspected there was something totally different going on. At one time he and Caprise were as close as twins, but that was before her
acrodado
and before the death of their parents.

“I’m trying to get my life together,” she said simply and cocked her head as if she didn’t expect any further questions.

She should have known better.

“And how do you plan to do that? What have you been doing for these past five years?”

Her head was shaking before he could finish the question.

“I don’t want to talk about that. I just want to come home and get myself together. Is that all right with you?”

Nick contemplated his answer. Saying too much, holding too tight, would certainly send her running again. He definitely did not want that. With the same definitiveness he wanted to know where she’d been and what she’d been doing. The litigator in him decided to proceed with caution, giving her just enough space to let her circle for a bit before he clamped down and got the facts he wanted.

“Cool. Where are you going to live?”

She smiled again. “You know, I was wondering why you didn’t immediately demand I stay at your place. But now, sitting here, I’m getting the sense—” She stopped and inhaled deeply. “Yeah, I’m getting the sense that you don’t have room for me.”

Deny being a shifter in one breath, but fall back on her innate feline senses the next. Nick had to smile: She was still the girl he’d known.

“I told you we just returned from the Gungi. Rome, X, and myself. We were there rescuing a
curandero
. We brought her back with us.”
We,
he repeated to himself. Not
I
brought Aryiola back with
me
. Strange.

“Big time,” she said. “You’re rescuing people and all that. Mom and Dad would be proud of how you’re interacting with them.”

“With the shifters in the Gungi,” he corrected. “You know Rome’s the East Coast Faction Leader and I’m his commanding officer. We’re working for
all
the shifters. Including you.”

She shook her head again. “I take care of me.”

Nick’s cell phone rang, and he peeped at the screen to see who it was. “I have to take this.”

“That’s fine. I just wanted to stop by and let you know I’m back. I’ll get in touch and let you know where I’m staying.”

Nick held a finger up to keep her standing there and pressed the button to answer his phone. “Delgado.”

“FLs are conferencing tonight at Rome’s,” X said in his usual gruff voice.