Wolf's Desire (6 page)

Never let emotions override
duty.

***

As Keira
walked down the hall toward the home office with Aiden not far behind, the phone on the desk rang. She was a little surprised. It was Saturday, not a work day. After breakfast with Aiden, she’d expressed to him that she wanted to visit the museum to do some research. Of course, he’d replied in the same manner he’d been doing since he arrived, reminding her of his job duties—accompany her anywhere necessary in order to protect her.

The phone kept ringing, getting louder as she approached.

“One moment,” she said to Aiden, as he paused next to the door. She rushed toward the phone and caught it just before voicemail picked up. “Keira Ellis.”

“Miss Ellis. It’s Alan Wright. I have news.”

Alan was the listing agent she and Jamison had been working with for years. He’d helped Keira sell and rent several vacation rental properties after Jamison’s death which produced a steady stream of income. She hoped he was calling to tell her that he had another renter.

“Is it good news or bad news?”

“Good news, of course.”

She could almost visualize him smiling from ear to ear on the other end.
Of course, his idea of good news was something involving a commission check. That was fine by her, after all, she wanted to prove that she could still hold down these properties on her own while the lawyer and accountant she hired worked out a deal for forming the company that would acquire them. It was what had been keeping her busy day in and day out. That and constant research. When she’d learned that she’d inherited the majority of the properties linked to Jamison’s estate, she had no idea how much work would be involved.

“I’m listening.
What’s the good news?”

“
The estate has sold.”

“
The estate? Sold?” She pressed the receiver to her ear, listening for more information. Did he leave some details out? Maybe she missed something.

“Looks like you’ll be moving out in no time. It’
s been on the market only a couple days and someone’s already made an offer. Well above the appraised value.”

“Alan,” she said, grabbing the edge of the desk. “This home is not for sale.”

“Yes, it is. We listed it a few days ago.”

Keira’s heart beat rapidly. “Who is
we
?”

“Jonathan brought the papers to me
. He said you relinquished your rights. And that you were ready to move.”

“What!”
That liar!

“
You mean you didn’t agree to this?”

“No.” She shook her head. “There must be some mistake.”

“I can fax over the documents, but it has your signature right here.”

Her face grew heated, and she tried to remember what exactly she could have signed. “Fax it now. This home is not for sale. Tell your buyer that I do not accept.”

“I’m afraid it’s too late.” Alan cleared his throat. “Jonathan has already accepted the offer.”

Fingers gripped the receiver
tightly, and her teeth ground into her bottom lip. She heard Alan repeating her name over and over again, but she hung up. As soon as her bottom hit the chair, a huge sigh rushed out of her.

What had she signed? This was ridiculous. There had been court proceedings and the estate
among other properties had been declared hers. Her head spun as she dropped her face in her palms.

She wanted to move. One day.
But not today.

W
ho gave Jonathan the right to sell the home right up from under her feet without even telling her? He refused to leave her alone, and wanted her out of the picture immediately. There had been a reason Jamison had a will outlining what went to her and what went back his family. If she had any say in any of it, she’d have preferred not to inherit at all. But the will of Jamison Ellis had been clear. The words he spoke on his last dying breath had been even clearer.

Keira lifted her gaze and focused on the row of bookcases on the adjacent wall. The night the intruder broke inside came roaring back to her. Ever since then, no matter how hard she tried, she could not open the secret door again. She’d even pulled every book from t
he shelf in an effort to get that damned thing open.

She was so confused, it wasn’t even funny.

Something killed her husband in cold blood for reasons unbeknownst to her. The investigators weren’t doing their jobs. Jonathan wanted her gone, and he’d made that clear by offering her serious cash with a warning to take it or else. Someone broke into her home with what appeared like intentions to snoop or steal—or both. Now she would be thrown out on her ass, according to Alan.

And she…well, no one was on her side.

“Are you okay?”

Keira’s had snapped in the direction of the door where Aiden stood.

“Something came up,” she said. “I won’t be going to that museum after all.”

“You look a little riled up.” He came inside, leaving the door ajar. “
Is something wrong?”

“I…” How could she begin to tell him how cruel Jamison’s family were? She couldn’t. He wouldn’t understand. “I just have a headache, is all?” She jostled open the desk drawer, relieved to find the bottle of migraine pills she kept handy. She unsealed the lid, popped one in her mouth, and swallowed.

Aiden surprised her when he took the bottle from her hand, and turned it over to read the label. The expression on his face was not pleasant. “I need to know what you’re afraid of, and what’s bothering you. I will take care of it.”

“I can’t pull you into this. I barely know you, and you wouldn’t really understand.”  Sh
e shook her head. “Now I wonder if I’m just wasting your time. Do I need a bodyguard or do I just need to walk away from all of this?”

“Walk away from what?
”

“Jamison’s family wants me gone. His brother, Jonathan, has been the main instigator. He
just sold this estate without my knowledge.” She clenched her fists under the desk. “What gave him the right to do this?”

“Have they been threatening you? Is
that why you sought protection?”

“I don’t know where the threats are coming from exactly? After the break-ins,
I’ve received several warnings…letters under the front door and in the mailbox…to vacate the premises or else. After hearing about the sale of the estate, I’m convinced that Jonathan may have something to do with it.”

He sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk. “Is there a chanc
e that this Jonathan might have sold the estate to prevent those who are threatening you from acting on it?”

“No. He
hates me. Always has. Jamison and I married for unconventional reasons. Jonathan lost a lot from our union. It’s quite complicated. He wants me out, but it’s not to save my life.”

“You said there was a break-in?”

She nodded. “The intruder came right through that window.”

Aiden turned around in his chair, and peered toward the set of windows to the right of them. “I can’t imagine why you would want to stay here after your life has
been threatened and your home broken into.”

“I’m not sure I should be telling you…”

“Do you trust me to protect you?”

“Yes.”

“Then there is trust to some degree.” He leaned forward in his chair. “Tell me why you’re still here.”

“Jonathan wants
something and it’s hidden somewhere within this house.”

“Why not let hi
m have it?” Aiden’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Are you not afraid for your life?”

“
Yes, I’m afraid for my life. Isn’t that why you are here?”

He frowned. “Why suffer through this if there’s a better way to be at peace and move on?”

“I saw my husband murdered, Aiden.” Her voice trembled, but she dared not let her fury loose. “A wild wolf ripped out his throat leaving him bloody in the garage. I watched him die and I did nothing.”

Aiden diverted his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“We’d just arrived home after meeting a business colleague and his wife for dinner. All the way home, he kept looking in the rearview mirror, as though he knew something was wrong or that someone was following us. Right after he parked the car, he said:
Whatever happens here tonight…do not let them take it.
I asked him what he meant. He threw me in the trunk and told me not to get out until it was over. I heard another car pull up next to the garage and footsteps. I thought I was going to die. They were coming…”

There was
dead silence in the room and Aiden regarded her with a desolate expression on his face. “How many came?”

“There were two. The man and the wolf.”

“But only one of his killers has been found.”

She took a deep breath, and released it to ease some of her tension.
“Exactly.”

“Didn’t the killers know you were there?”

She shook her head. “There was a slit in the trunk wide enough for me to see most everything. The man ordered the wolf to
go look for it
. The wolf broke inside the home, and the man pillaged through the garage, but did not think to check the trunk. He was either too stupid or concerned with other things—like whatever they were looking for in this house. By that time, the housekeepers had woken up and heard the mess and called the police. They got away, escaping through the woods behind the shed. The car they used to get here was stolen.”

“You told the cops the same story?” he asked.

“Of course. They think I’m crazy when I tell them it was a wolf. Given the circumstances under which Jamison and I married, they even believed that I had him killed.”

Aiden raised an eyebrow. “Under what circumstances?”

“Jamison and I were in a marriage of convenience. He needed to be the first to marry out of his three brothers to inherit the Ellis conglomerate after his father announced retirement, and I needed to save my family’s home and lands from falling into foreclosure,” she said, leaning her back against the chair. “It was never meant to last as long as it did. Three months was what we’d agreed until either of us could file for divorce, but then we both got comfortable. Jamison promised me things that I had only dreamed about. And I promised him loyalty and companionship. He’d probably approached other women before me with this proposition, but to no avail. His age wasn’t an issue to me, and he knew that from the beginning.”

Aiden was sitting straight up in his chair, listening contently.

She continued. “My dad began to despise Jamison, saying that he stole an only daughter and reneged on the terms of the agreement. Jamison and I became good friends, a fact that others failed to realize. You can grow to love someone, even if you’re not romantically involved. I loved Jamison, but he was not my lover. That was something Jamison and I had in common. I didn’t want to go back to my old ways. I wanted to move forward. I wanted to learn how to run a business. I had dreams of becoming more than the town seamstress that I once was when Jamison and I first met. Contrary to popular belief, I would never betray him. Although, I don’t know exactly what I promised him the night of his murder, I pledged never to break it.”

“I’m beginning to understand you now, although, I wish I had known this s
ooner,” Aiden said. “I wish I had known everything sooner.”

“I need to find out what Jamison wanted to keep away from them.
Is it too late now? I wish he’d said what it was.” Her shoulders slumped. “Was it this estate? Was it something else? Something tangible? His business?”

“
I don’t have those answers. How long do you have until you move out?”

“I don’t kn—”

Before Keira could finish her sentence, she was stopped short when a commotion broke out down the hall. They both rose from their chairs.

Aiden pulled his gun from the holster tucked inside his jacket and urged Keira to remain behind him. She was equally as eager to see what had caused such an uproar at the front door. His duty, as her mate and bodyguard, was to protect her.

All of his senses were on high alert. An air of danger brushed against the back of his neck like a
forceful wind, causing hairs to stand on end.

As they turned the corner, they nearly ran head-on into the guest and the two maids behind him.

Aiden froze in his tracks accessing the situation before him.

“Miss Ellis! We’ve been fired. How could
you not tell us?” One maid exclaimed, holding up an envelope in his hand.

“Jonathan!” Keira’s voice came out in a rush.
Her anger literally sparked the air around them.

Aiden’s wolf reared up under his skin
and he swallowed hard to keep the animal at bay. The wolf immediately sensed the threat that this man standing before him posed.