Chapter 14
Charlotte loaded up her plate with eggs and bacon.
After her very satisfying sexual encounter with Byron in the basement, she’d slept well and had awoken hungry.
She wasn’t sure what exactly Byron had planned for today, other than that she should tell Jude and Austin that she wanted to go sightseeing in San Francisco.
She’d come down to the dining room after hearing Ransom drive away in his flashy Maserati to make sure she would have breakfast at the same time as Jude.
She knew his habits. He’d never been one to sleep in, but it turned out that ever since he’d mated with Danielle, he got up later than usual.
She couldn’t really blame him, even though she was getting impatient, and she was already on her second plate of food, so it didn’t look suspicious that she was still in the dining room when several other members of the household had already come and gone.
She paced herself now, chewing on the bacon and drinking another cup of coffee.
She’d made small talk with Violet and Owen and exchanged a few words with Wendell.
Kitty had followed him into the dining room, but as usual, the cat wasn’t friendly, even though Charlotte tried to entice her with a little cream she poured on a saucer.
“Still doesn’t like women, does she?” she said with a shrug, looking up at Wendell.
“You’re making progress, Charlie,” Wendell replied. “At least she’s not hissing at you anymore.”
“Well, I take that as a compliment.”
Wendell loaded up his plate and dug in when she heard several sets of footsteps approaching the dining room. Jude entered with Danielle by his side. Austin was only a few steps behind them.
Charlotte greeted them with a cheerful “Good Morning” and they returned the greeting. She continued eating while her brothers served themselves at the buffet.
Danielle took a seat next to her and poured herself a cup of coffee.
“Jude, could you please get me a slice of toast?”
He turned to Danielle, concern infusing his expression. “Are you sure that’s all you want?”
“I’m just not hungry yet.”
“Just promise me you’ll eat something later, okay?”
She’d never seen her brother exhibiting such tenderness.
It appeared Jude’s rough exterior had at last been pierced by true love.
At that thought, she felt her heart clench.
She wanted what her brother had, which meant a mating with Steve Leon was totally out of the question.
Somebody else would fit that mold much better, though she knew it was too early to know whether her relationship with Byron had any chance of growing into something more serious.
After all, they’d both stated that they just wanted sex, no strings attached.
She had to assume that Byron still wanted the same—and why wouldn’t he want no-strings-attached sex?
He was a virile man, good-looking and strong, and he could take his pick from the most beautiful women in California and beyond.
She pushed away the thoughts and concentrated on her more imminent priority: to execute the plan of how to meet Byron in private, away from prying eyes, so that they could get down to having more of that no-strings-attached sex. Their encounter the night before had made her hungry for more.
“Hey, Jude, I was thinking of going sightseeing in San Francisco today…”
He raised an eyebrow. “Sightseeing?”
“Yeah, you know I’ve never been in San Francisco. Maybe I could borrow a car?”
“Hmm.” Jude looked at his mate. “Baby, do you wanna go sightseeing with Charlotte? You could do with a day out, enjoying yourself.”
Crap! She hadn’t expected that. How was she gonna say no now when Danielle wanted to join her? That wasn’t the plan!
Danielle smiled. “I wish I could, but the tattoo is really itching today. I don’t think I’d be much fun running around in San Francisco.” She looked directly at her. “Maybe another day, Charlotte?”
“Oh,” she said, trying to hide her relief. “That’s a shame.”
“Well, then maybe the two of you will go sightseeing tomorrow,” Jude suggested.
That didn’t work for her. She had to go today to have time alone with Byron.
“We can totally do that,” she quickly said, “but you know, there is so much to see in San Francisco that one day just isn’t enough. I might as well start the touring today, and then tomorrow Danielle and I can go together. Right?”
From the corner of her eye, she saw Byron enter the dining room. “Morning.”
“Morning,” everybody replied.
She noticed that he held a travel coffee mug and filled it with hot coffee.
“Gotta go to the Bryant Street office this morning,” Byron said with a nod at Wendell.
“Want me to come with you?”
“Nah, not necessary.”
“All I need is a car to get to San Francisco,” Charlotte said now, addressing Jude. “Can I borrow yours?”
“You need to go to San Francisco?” Byron asked casually. “I’m heading there right now.”
Jude exchanged a quick look with Byron, who now put the lid on his travel mug. “You okay with driving her there?”
“Sure, no problem,” Byron agreed.
“How long are you planning to be at the Bail Bonds office?” Jude asked.
“Pretty much all day. So, I can definitely bring her back at the end of my day.”
“Oh, that’s great!” Charlotte said and rose. “I just need to get my handbag.”
“Hold it, Charlotte,” Jude said. “I need to be able to get a hold of you while you’re in San Francisco. Make sure to keep your cell phone on.”
“I can’t do that. If it’s on, Dad will be able to track me.”
It looked like Jude wanted to protest, but then he relented. “Okay, in that case, I’ll have Francisco give you one of our spares.”
“Alright,” she agreed. Then she looked at Byron. “I’ll get my things. Give me five minutes?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll wait outside.”
Five minutes was all she needed to get her jacket and her handbag from her room. By the time she was back in the foyer, Jude had gotten a cell phone, which he handed to her.
“The phone numbers of everybody in the pack are programmed in. Call Byron when you’re ready to come back.”
“Thanks, Jude, see you tonight.”
He leaned in and whispered to her, “Austin and I will be working on finding out more about this Steve Leon.”
She hugged him briefly. “Thank you. I really appreciate you helping me. You’re a good brother.”
Byron slunk into the driver’s seat of his Mercedes and waited for Charlotte.
The timing had been perfect. He’d waited in the foyer and listened to the conversation between Jude and Charlotte so he could enter the dining room at the precise moment when Charlotte asked to borrow a car to drive to San Francisco.
He’d managed to look casual and unconcerned when he’d offered to give her a lift to the city, when in reality he was eager to get Jude to agree to his plan.
It had worked, and he was confident that nobody suspected the true reason behind Charlotte’s wish to go sightseeing.
When Charlotte finally opened the passenger door and got in the car, his heart beat excitedly. He cast her a quick glance, but refrained from kissing or touching her for fear that somebody could see them or that one of the exterior cameras recorded them.
“It almost didn’t work,” Charlotte said, while he switched on the engine and drove toward the gate. “Jude tried to have Danielle come with me.”
“I heard him,” he replied. “But I figured after Danielle got her tattoo yesterday, she might not feel up to leaving the house. Besides, she’s been looking a little pale the last couple of weeks.”
“Lucky for us, though I’m sorry that she doesn’t feel well. I like her. I got to spend a little time with her when she and Jude visited Montana a while ago. I think she’s perfect for Jude.”
He couldn’t deny that. He’d never had anything against Danielle in particular. It was more her position in the pack that upset him for obvious reasons.
“I’m still getting used to the fact that she’s my half-sister.”
“You don’t like my brothers, do you?”
He merged onto the freeway, heading south, before he could answer.
“It’s not that I don’t like them…” He glanced at her. “It’s just that with the Werewolf Alliance having taken over the pack, it doesn’t feel like my pack and my home anymore.”
Charlotte slid her hand onto his thigh. The heat from her palm felt soothing.
“I’m sorry. I know a situation like yours can’t be easy. But I know all the men who are on Jude’s team. They’re good people. They have no intention of taking your home away from you. That’s not what the Werewolf Alliance does.”
He sighed and laid his hand over hers so she wouldn’t remove it from his thigh.
“I wish I had your confidence. But to my family and me, they’re strangers. And to live by their rules now is a hard pill to swallow.”
“I get that.” Her voice was soft, and an odd sadness had seeped into it. “We don’t always like all of the Alliance’s decisions.”
Her words reminded him of what she’d told him during their night at Cameron’s old flat.
“You mentioned that first night that your parents arranged a match for you. Or did the Alliance do that?”
She met his eyes before he turned his gaze back to the road.
“It makes no difference. My father is an elder in the Alliance. They want to bring another pack under the Alliance’s umbrella, and they’re using me as the sacrificial lamb.”
“You can’t let them do that,” he protested. Not just because by her own admission she didn’t like the guy, but also because he didn’t want to imagine her with another man. The very thought made him feel nauseated.
She shrugged. “Why do you think I’m here seeking protection from my brothers? They are the only ones who can help me make my parents and the Alliance change their minds.”
“How? I thought the Alliance wasn’t too happy that Jude didn’t mate with Eve but chose Danielle instead.”
He’d heard it from several sources, but in the end, the Alliance had to agree to Jude’s union because a DNA test had confirmed that she was indeed William Gallagher’s illegitimate daughter. The Alliance’s edict had been for Jude to mate with a daughter or niece of the deposed Alpha.
“If I’m right about the man they promised me to, then my parents and the Alliance will have to withdraw their offer.”
Byron furrowed his forehead. “Right about what?”
“He’s evil and violent.”
“How do you know?”
“I can feel it. Now all I need is proof. And my brothers will find proof. They have to.”
A determination lay in her voice that gave him hope. But he couldn’t leave it up to her brothers to find proof. What if they struck out? What if their resources weren’t as extensive as they thought?
“I think I can help.”
“How?”
“I run the Bail Bonds offices that our family owns. We have a lot of good bounty hunters on the payroll. They know things. They can dig up skeletons. Let me help. Give me the guy’s name and where his pack lives, and I’ll put one of my guys on it.”
“Are you sure?”
He met her intense gaze and locked eyes with her.
“I’m sure.”
Because he wasn’t going to let Charlotte mate with somebody she didn’t love. And not just for her own sake, but also for his, because the thought of her touching another man felt like a thousand daggers piercing his heart.