Chapter 21
Rose
“Eli, Mav, and I came up with a plan,” Cade starts. I briefly wonder when they came up with the plan because it’s only been a few hours since we last met. They must have stayed up late. I glance briefly at Mav, but he doesn’t look pleased. He sits against his seat with his arms crossed over his chest. “Rose, if you’re still okay with it, you’re our best option,” Cade says. I nod, unsurprised. I figured it would probably come to this. I’m the only non-wolf they’ve got, well, besides Ava; and that’s not going to happen. “Our plan is to send you in as a potential customer. We’ll give you a fake business name and account. Stu is already on that.” I look across the table at the one guy I’ve never met and figure he’s Stu. Well, and the fact that he’s hunched over a laptop. “We’ll give you a list of questions to ask and how to direct the conversation. Obviously, none of us can go in with you, but we will be set up near the restaurant. If at any time you feel threatened, you just walk; and we’ll figure out another plan. We created a list of questions.” He slides a paper across the table to me. “We’d like to do this tonight.” His words surprise me, and yet they don’t. If these are the people trying to poison his pack, they need to be dealt with. The door to the room opens, and Amber slips inside.
“Sorry I’m late.” She walks over to Cade, and he stands and kisses her on the lips before giving her his seat.
“Amber’s in charge of getting you ready for tonight,” Cade says. “She’ll work all that out with you. We have an reservation at a local restaurant for five. Now, we obviously don’t want you going into the meeting by yourself. There’s a police officer we’ve worked with a few times over the years that’s familiar with our pack. He’s agreed to accompany you under the guise of being your husband.” My eyebrows rise at this, and I force myself not to look at Maverick.
“They won’t recognize a police officer?” I ask.
“No, he mostly does undercover work; so, he’s not super familiar. And he obviously won’t be wearing a uniform.”
I nod, trying to take it all in. “Everything’s legit online, just working on a few other things,” Stu says. He doesn’t look up as he speaks but continues working. Cade goes over a few more things, but my head is spinning. I study the questions in front of me, trying to memorize them. “Okay, we need to leave here at four to get in place. Rose, be back in this room at three, so we can get you mic'd up.
Amber stands. “Rose, let’s go get you an outfit for tonight; the guys will continue working here.”
I stand and pick up the sheet of paper. I glance down at Mav on my way past him, but he doesn’t acknowledge me. Out in the hall, Amber faces me. “Are you sure you’re willing to do this? You don’t have to.”
“I want to. If this is really who’s trying to kill this pack, they need to be stopped. And I’m the only one who’s not a wolf; so...” I take a deep breath and grin. “I choose to accept my mission.” Amber shakes her head and grins. “I will tell you—I didn’t bring anything even close to a professional business outfit with me.”
“That’s why we’re going shopping,” she says, flashing a wallet at me. We start down the hallway. “I’m actually excited. I haven’t been shopping in forever. I have a babysitter for Paige, so we are free!”
“Do you mind if I check with Ava and see if she wants to come?”
“Please do.”
After a quick text, though, Ava declines. It doesn’t surprise me, but I’m still sort of disappointed. We head outside to where the cars are parked and two enforcers are waiting. “Van and Carl are going with for security,” Amber explains. That doesn’t surprise me at all. Amber’s the alpha’s mate; her safety is a priority. “I’m kind of surprised Mav isn’t coming; I figured he wouldn’t let you out of his sight, you being an unmated female and all that.”
I shrug, even as her words tug at my heart. “We’re not really like that.” She hums but doesn’t say anything. A little while later, we pull into the parking lot of a cute boutique.
“This looks so cute,” I tell her as we walk inside.
“It’s a great place; you’re going to love it.”
We spend the next hour trying on clothes. I convince her to join in on the fun, and I help her find a few outfits. “You’re really good at this,” she tells me as she shows me another outfit. “I would have never put this together.”
I shrug. “I like what I like.”
“Do you feel good about your outfit for tonight?” she asks as we finish up.
“I do; that’s what I used to wear when I worked before...” my words trail off, and she looks over at me.
“What did you used to do?”
“I interned at a tech company right out of high school. I did secretarial and receptionist work for them.”
“Did you like it?”
I think back on the few years I spent there; it seems like a lifetime ago. “I really did. It’s almost like it was part of another life, and I guess it was.”
We check out and head out to the car, and Amber waves at Carl and Van as we put our bags in the trunk. “Are you nervous for tonight?”
“I am, but I also feel like I can help in this way. I know it’s been a minute, but this is kind of what I used to do. If I can just not let my fear rule me, I’m hoping it will all come back to me, and I’ll be able to get the information the pack needs.”
“For what it’s worth, we’re really thankful you’re doing this. We know you don’t have to. Cade really doesn’t want you to have to do it, but he knows we need this.”
“Why doesn’t Cade want me to do it?” I ask.
“Because he doesn’t want to ruin his friendship with Mav.”
I glance over at her and frown. “What do you mean?”
She gives me a surprised look. “Mav has made no bones about the fact that he doesn’t want you doing this. I thought he was going to go at it last night with Cade.” She shakes her head. “They don’t fight often, if ever. I mean, Mav is Mav; but it doesn’t usually bother Cade. He knows why he is the way he is. But this...I don’t know.”
Her words are a surprise to me. “He doesn’t even pay any attention to me, so it kind of surprises me that you’re saying this.”
She sighs. “Mav is Mav, but don’t give up on him.” I don’t say anything, and she changes the subject as we drive back to the house. “Why don’t you come to my apartment at two, and I can help you get ready for tonight.”
“Sounds good. Thanks.”
I make my way up to my room and knock on Ava’s door. “Hey, you got a minute?”
“Come in.” I fill her in on everything that’s going down tonight. “Are you sure you’re the right person for the job?”
“Did you want to do it?” I ask.
She scoffs. “No.”
“Then I’m the only other option; I’m the only non-shifter. I’ll be fine. I’ve had experience with business meetings like this.”
She lifts surprised eyes to mine. “Really?”
“I used to work for a tech start-up. I would do business meetings like this in board meetings and at lunches and dinners. So, at least I have a little experience.”
She gives me an assessing look. We don’t talk about our pasts. Ever. “All right. Well, just be careful.”
I smile. That’s as close to an I love you from Ava as it’s going to get. “Thanks. I will. Did you eat yet? Want to grab lunch with me?”
She agrees and we make our way downstairs. Sabrina and Sara end up joining us, and so do Jacob and Daniel. Our table is loud and crazy, but I don’t mind it. It reminds me of being back in the Northwoods Pack. Ava escapes as soon as she can, but I spend a few more minutes with my new friends, listening to Jacob tell yet another crazy story. I don’t know if any of his stories are actually true, but they’re fun to listen to. When it gets close to one, I excuse myself. I need to be at Amber’s room by two, and I have two shifters to check on that Cade told me were starting to have symptoms. “Thanks everybody,” I say, standing up from the table.
“Are you leaving?” Sabrina asks in a sad voice.
“Yes. I have two shifters I need to check on.”
Jacob stands up. “I’ll walk you there.”
I pause. “You don’t have to.”
“I know; I want to.” His eyes are sincere.
“Okay.”
He picks up both our plates and puts them away. “Who do you need to check on?”
I check my text messages. “William and Joyce.”
He nods. “Follow me.”
When he knocks and nobody opens the door, I turn the handle and enter the room. “I’m coming in. My name is Rose; I’m a healer.” I say the words quietly in case they’re sleeping. When my eyes adjust to the dim light, I see a man sitting in a chair dozing and a woman on the bed doing the same thing. I take in the gray hair and know that they’re definitely old. Shifters age slowly, so for them to have graying hair, they have to be old. When I get close, I put my hand on the man’s knee, and his eyes flash open. “I’m a healer,” I say putting my hands up. “Cade sent me to check on you.”
He relaxes, and I see a tremor run through his body. He stands to his feet and wakes the woman. “Joyce, the healer is here.” The woman turns over, blinking sleepy eyes at me.
“Hi, I’m Rose,” I tell her. “Cade sent me to check on both of you. I’d like to send some healing power into you both if you’re okay with that.” I explain what it entails, and they both agree. A little while later, I head out the door, feeling good. Both of them needed healing, but it wasn’t too strenuous.
“That was amazing,” Jacob says, startling me. I’d forgotten about him.
“Thanks. I forgot you were here.”
“Wow, thanks. I'm glad I’m so forgettable.”
I grimace. “I didn’t mean it like that; I—”
He grins. “It’s fine. Where are you off to next?”
“I have to get to Amber’s to get ready for tonight.”
“I’ll walk you there.” I don’t really know how to turn him down without being mean, so I simply nod. We stop at my room to get everything I need and then head to Amber’s.
“Hey, come on in. Thanks for bringing her, Jacob,” she says, effectively dismissing him when she shuts the door. “All right.” She rubs her hands together. “Let’s get you ready. You go get changed, and I’ll help you with hair and makeup.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know, but I haven’t gotten to do anything like this in a while. It will be fun!”
Not wanting to take away her joy, I head to the bathroom. A few minutes later, I emerge in the black pencil skirt and white blouse we bought for tonight’s meeting. I slip the black heels on and the gold hoops. “You look great,” she says with a smile. “You were hiding some curves under those baggy clothes you wear.”
I blush. “That’s because I’m short. All my weight goes to my backside, thighs, and my chest.”
Amber rolls her eyes. “All that weight,” she says dramatically. “And I sure don’t hear Mav complaining.”
I shake my head. “I’m pretty sure Mav has never even noticed that I have curves.”
“Well, if he hasn’t noticed yet, he will tonight,” she says with a big smile. She helps me straighten my long dark hair and then does my makeup. Honestly, it’s kind of fun. I haven’t spent time on myself like this in a long time, since before I came to the Northwoods Pack. Staring at myself in the mirror, I see a little bit of the person I used to be—confident, ready to take on the world, a person who refused to let her past rule her. I wonder what happened to that girl? Sadly, I know exactly what happened to her.