Wolf's Ascension (19 page)

She wore the ring out of the store. His had to be sized and would be ready in a few days. He smiled when he noticed she kept looking at her own, watching the light play on the diamond. He’d have to thank his mother for the suggestion to let Kari choose her own ring.

As they were walking back to the garage where the truck was parked, she looked up at him. “So have Laurent and Phillip been with us all along?”

“What? How did you know?”

“I’m a werewolf, duh. I could smell Phillip. And then I saw Laurent when we came out of the restaurant. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to upset you.”

“I’m not upset that they’re here. I understand and I agree that it’s necessary. What I’m upset about is you not just telling me up-front. Oh my god, look at those boots...” She wandered off in midsentence and he stifled a smile. A strong, intelligent woman but still girly underneath. Intoxicating.

“Let them be my penance for not telling you about Laurent and Phillip,” he said indulgently. He wanted to shower her with presents to drown out a childhood that had had her picking locks for food.

“Twist my arm,” she said dreamily and went into the shop, coming out with not just a pair of boots but a pair of strappy stilettos that’d been Andreas’s idea.

By the time they’d gotten back to the car, he was weighted down with bags and packages. “It’s a good thing we brought the big truck,” he joked as they got back onto the freeway going east. Her cell phone rang then. It was Jack.

“Hey there. How are you?”

“I called you at home a few times. What’s with the new number you left?”

Taking a deep breath, knowing her brother was going to freak out, she blurted out, “Jack, I’ve met someone. We’re married.” Well, not according to human law but Andreas had promised to have some sort of ceremony to do that soon.

“You got
married
? How? Why didn’t you tell me? Who is this guy?”

“Oh, it’s such a long story. I met him when I got out of the hospital but it’s like I’ve known him forever. The new number is for his house. Or rather, our house. It’s at Star Lake, on the water. His name is Andreas Phinney. He’s a businessman. Comes from a large family. You’ll like him.”

“You married a guy you haven’t known for a week yet?” he yelled and she held the phone away from her ear. “Are you insane?”

She sighed. “I know it sounds completely crazy but all I can tell you is that it isn’t. It’s right. Come out to visit. Meet him yourself. You know I’m not a flake. I have good judgment.”

“Kari, you can’t be serious. This guy could be an ax murderer. He could be anyone. I’m gonna check into his background.”

“Jack Warner, you will do no such thing! Don’t you dare treat him like a criminal and investigate him!”

Andreas put his hand up to interrupt. “Kari, he wants to protect you. I’m sure it sounds very sudden to him. Let him investigate. It’ll make him feel better.”

“Did you hear that?” she asked Jack. “He says to go ahead.”

“Make no mistake, Kari, I will. Listen, are you okay? I mean, is there any trouble?”

“I’m better than okay, Jack. I’m in love. He’s a good man. Come out. I’ll send you a ticket—”

Andreas interrupted again. “Kari, we have a jet that can pick him up at Logan and bring him out here if he’d like.”

“He has a jet?” Jack asked, incredulous.

“Apparently,” she replied.

“Okay, I’m gonna check this dude out. When I do, I’m coming out there to meet him. No one’s gonna hurt my baby sister.”

She laughed. “I love you, Jack. I’ll see you soon. You’ll meet Andreas and his family and you’ll fall in love with them too.”

“I’ll be calling you tomorrow. I don’t like how fast this is moving. You had a head wound! This guy could be preying on you.”

She burst out laughing. “You think he’s taking advantage of me because of my head wound? Or my huge amounts of money? Oh perhaps my access to the halls of Congress!”

Andreas looked at her askance. “Would you like me to speak with him? Set his mind at ease?”

She shook her head. “He won’t feel better until he’s done whatever he thinks needs doing to be sure you’re on the level.”

“Look, smart-ass, joke all you want but this guy could be the big bad wolf.”

Kari laughed so hard she nearly choked. “Oh, Jack. Not the big bad wolf. He’s not bad at all.”

“Okay, baby sister, I’ll be calling you. Take care of yourself. Call nine-one-one if anything goes bad. Should I call the police station in Star Lake to give them a heads-up?”

“No, Jack, don’t interfere. Trust me, if he did anything bad, I’d take care of it. I’m not a doormat.”

“Of course you aren’t. I’m sorry. I hope this is all what you think it is. I want you to be happy. I just don’t want some loser taking advantage.”

“A loser with a jet.” She snickered.

“Yeah, okay, so he’s probably—and I say ‘probably’ because who knows if that’s true?—not a loser where it comes to money.”

“Yeah. So anyway. Check and call me back. I want you to come out soon. Bring Alyssa and her son. There’s plenty of room here. A lake to play in, woods to explore.”

Andreas nodded at that, he wanted very much for Jack to come and visit to make Kari happy.

“We’ll see. I’ll talk to you soon. I love you.”

“Me too, monkeybutt.” She disconnected.

“So I’m the big bad wolf?” He leered at her.

“I corrected him. I said you weren’t bad.”

Back home, Gregory and Sean helped unload all of the goodies from the truck and put them away.

She was talking with Drew about having him design some clothing for her when Andreas bellowed at her from inside.

“Jeez! What?” she asked, walking into the house.

Andreas sat in the living room with his mother on one of the couches near the fireplace, wearing a cocky smile.

Jade shook her head at her son and came to Kari. “I told him to use his manners and go and get you. Lazybones. However, he tells me that he bought you a ring. Let’s see it!”

Kari flashed her hand, being sure to catch the light.

“Oh it’s gorgeous and very you!” Jade said and Anna hurried over to look, as well. Perri, attracted by the excited sounds, came in.

“What?”

“Come and see Kari’s ring,” Anna said. Perri joined them as everyone oohed and aahed.

“It’s beautiful. I love it!” Perri looked at Andreas. “Nice job. You’re aware that you have to do the human ceremony too, right? And not just for Kari’s sake, ’cause every girl needs a wedding, but to deal in the human world as her husband too. You can’t just tell them you’re mated, they won’t accept that. You have no idea how lucky you were that Elaine and Sean were there at the hospital. Technically, you had no right to see her or make medical decisions for her because you weren’t legally her spouse.”

He sighed, the panic at nearly losing her and the thought of being powerless to help her passing slowly through him. “I know. I’ve arranged for a judge to come over next Saturday. If that’s okay with you, Kari?”

“Really? I can plan it?”

“Yes, if you’d like. We should invite the Pack, of course, and the leaders of the neighboring Packs. If you want to invite anyone else, any human friends, do so. We can mix with humans without biting them, you know,” he said and she smirked.

“Oh my goodness! I have a lot to do and not much time!”

“Well, I’ve taken time off—helpful when one is the boss.” Perri laughed. “So I can help with anything you need.”

Anna said she’d plan the menu and Jade offered her help with the guest list and any other details.

Sean came and sat on the arm of the couch next to Andreas. “All of this is going to be noisy, I can tell.” He chuckled as they watched the women plan out the details.

“I would be honored if you would help design a dress for me. Do you think there’s enough time?” Kari asked Drew shyly.

“I was hoping you’d ask!” Drew said. “Let me think about it for a few hours. I’ll run some ideas by you tonight and we can start on it tomorrow. We’ll need to so we can finish in time.”

“Cool!”

Skye wandered in and sat down across from Andreas. “What’s all this?” He gestured toward the women.

“They’re planning a wedding,” Sean said. “Maybe I’ll ask the woman I’ve started seeing to come.”

Kari looked around and made her way over to them. “You’re seeing someone? What’s she like?” She settled in Andreas’s lap, snuggling back against his chest.

“I work with her. She’s a doctor at the hospital.”

“Okay, but I asked for details and that’s not it.” She arched a brow at him.

He laughed. “Her name is Emma, she’s a GP. Tall, redheaded, blue eyes. She grew up in Spokane. She’s very nice. We’ve only gone out two or three times. I like her. She’s smart and funny.” He shrugged.

Kari arched an eyebrow his way. “Invite her. She sounds very nice and you need to settle down.”

“Oh no, another woman who wants me to settle down! Heaven help me.”

Skye laughed. “Better you than me.”

“Think again, buster. I tell you, you have no idea how many women would fall over dead at the sight of the studmuffin factory you’ve got going here. All of these gorgeous single men. It’s a crime that you’re all up here away from the city.”

Andreas pulled her tight against him. “That’s enough noticing how many single men are or aren’t handsome. You’re married now.”

“Married, not dead.” She stood up and kissed Sean and Skye. “I’ll be thinking about a plan.” She winked and went back over to the dining room table to plan the wedding.

* * *

Jack Warner sat back in his chair and sighed. He’d called a friend at the FBI and the friend had run a check on Andreas Phinney and the Phinney family. The guy had no criminal record. In fact, he had a history of working with multiple charities and raising millions of dollars for them. He owned a printing company, a construction company, three travel agencies, an import-export business and a golf course. He had also just purchased a small software company. One of his brothers was a psychiatrist who ran his own private practice and also took patients at the public hospital. The youngest brother owned an architecture firm with his wife in Portland. The parents were wealthy, as well, the mother worked in the state capital and the father was retired from the construction business that the family still owned.

They had a lodge on the lake that had cabins and apparently quite a large extended family. Andreas owned several properties all over the United States. Some that he leased, including two office towers in San Diego and Los Angeles and a condo complex in Seattle, as well as apartments in Portland, Vancouver, New York City and Paris. He did, indeed, have a jet.

The pictures he’d pulled showed a very handsome, extremely large man. The guy wasn’t like the men Jack had seen Kari with before.

He was forty-two years old and didn’t look a day over thirty. Why he’d waited all these years to marry a twenty-four-year-old whom he’d known for less than a week was beyond him. Not that Jack didn’t love his sister—he did, she was a beautiful, intelligent woman—but these kinds of guys didn’t just marry twenty-four-year-old nobodies from Atlanta.

Jack felt better now armed with more details. At least the guy was on the up-and-up. Still, Jack was suspicious of Phinney’s motives. He’d take Kari up on that offer to visit but he’d leave Alyssa in Boston this time. He didn’t want to bring her out with Max until he was sure it was safe. And they’d been having some problems of late anyway.

He dialed the number Kari had given him, the one for the lodge.

“Hello?” a deep male voice answered.

“Yes, may I speak with Kari, please?”

“May I tell her who is calling?”

“I’ll tell if you will,” Jack said.

“This is Phillip. I work for Kari and Andreas.”

“Oh, this is Jack. I’m Kari’s brother.”

“Nice to hear from you. She talks about you all of the time. You’re a cop, right? In Boston?”

The guy sounded nice. “Yeah. So you work for them, huh?”

“Yes, I’m Kari’s bodyguard and I also help with the day-to-day stuff. Andreas has several businesses and that takes a lot of his time.”

“My sister needs a bodyguard?” He didn’t like the sound of that at all.

“Well, she’s married to a very rich man, which makes her a very rich woman. Andreas would never take chances with her safety. It’s not that necessary out here at the lodge but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“Well, on one hand that makes me feel better and on the other it makes me worry more.”

“Let me get her for you. Hold on a second.” Phillip set the phone down and Jack could hear talking in the background. Moments later the phone was picked up.

“Jack! Hey, monkeybutt, what’s happening? I was going to call you tonight.”

She sounded really good, he had to admit that. “Really? What about?”

“I’d like you to come out this Saturday. We’re having a wedding here at the lodge.”

“Wedding?”

“Yes, mine. We had a small private ceremony before but Andreas knew that I wanted something you could come to. Something his family could attend too. Say yes, please.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it. I was just calling to tell you that Andreas checks out. He appears to be a good guy. On paper, at least. Although why does a forty-two-year-old guy avoid marriage for that long and then marry so suddenly?”

“He met me,” Kari said simply, and made him smile.

“You have a point there.”

“Listen, shall I make the arrangements for you and let you know? You’ll stay here, of course. We’ll have the jet pick you up at Logan and then have a small connector grab you at SeaTac. There’s a small airfield here that will get you about ten miles from the lodge. I’ll pick you up there.”

“Jeezus, Kari, you have quite the life all of a sudden.”

“Yeah, don’t I know it. Will Alyssa be coming?”

“Not this time. Maybe soon, though. Right now things are complicated with us.”

“Oh. Is everything okay?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you mine and you can tell me yours when I get there. Are you sure you’ll have room?”

Kari laughed. “The lodge has eight bedrooms and fifteen cabins. I was going to put you in the lodge but you can have a cabin if you want.”