The Wolf’s Surprise Babies Read online

  But right now, she had a mission to accomplish. Besides, if she bit Grandfather, Dad would be upset with her. So, she had to play this right. First off, she needed to go to Lizzie. And she knew exactly where she would be.

  Bethany turned and trotted off, her clothes making her mouth feel dry. There were places all over the city that she was supposed to go if she found herself lost or if the bad guys were coming after her. One of those places was the Kirk mansion, and when Dad had walked with her there, she often saw Lizzie through the large bars on the fences that blocked people. Even Dad had a hard time slipping through those bars, but Bethany was a lot smaller, and she could get through without any problem.

  Nobody saw her come in, and she was pretty pleased with herself as she trotted up the sidewalk, her head held high and her tail wagging. Dad said that ninety-percent of getting into places is acting as if you belong, and so Bethany did. Besides, Lizzie would want to see her—so she did really belong.

  She reached the mansion shortly and crawled under the hedge that bordered the small yard, then went right into the house. The door was already open. She found a closet to get dressed in after she shifted back into her human's form. One of her socks was missing. Bethany frowned as she searched her clothes again, but it was definitely gone.

  With a sigh, she shook her head and went in search of Lizzie. First, she found Melodi, the lady cop who sometimes stopped by the house to talk sternly to Dad, but who always had a smile and a candy for Bethany. She was asleep on the couch while some show played on the TV. The people on the screen were kissing, and Bethany wrinkled her nose as she turned to look somewhere else.

  She finally found Lizzie in a big room with lots of books. It looked like a library. Lizzie sat at a small table, and another woman sat on the other side. That lady was turning over cards, peering intently at each one.

  “A child will be coming to you soon,” the woman said. “In the most unexpected way.”

  Lizzie sighed. Even though her back was to Bethany, Bethany could still tell she was bored. “Look, Rune. I appreciate the free reading, but I really don’t believe in all this stuff.”

  Bethany stopped beside Lizzie and tugged her sleeve. “Believe what?”

  Lizzie jumped ten thousand feet in the air and turned to her, her eyes wide and her mouth open. “Bethany!”

  “Yes. Don’t believe what?”

  Lizzie continued to stare at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. She dropped to her knees and pulled Bethany tight into her arms. Bethany hugged her back, though she started squirming quite quickly. After all, she didn’t come here to be squeezed to death.

  The other woman leaned back, looking at the cards again. “Usually I’m not this good.”

  “Oh, Bethany!” Lizzie kissed her cheek and pulled back. “I’ve been so worried about you. Is your father here?”

  “No, I came on my own.”

  Lizzie’s eyes widened further. “You came… you mean you walked all the way here by yourself?”

  “Yes.” Bethany frowned at her. “I’m not a baby. I’ve five years old, and I can walk by myself.”

  Lizzie’s mouth straightened into a line. It was the look that Bethany knew well, the one that meant she was about to get lectured. Bethany didn’t mind so much. As soon as Lizzie knew why she was here, everything would be okay. She would come back to live with her and Dad and then they could all be together all the time.

  Lizzie didn’t lecture her, though. Instead, she hugged Bethany again and sighed as she got to her feet. “Rune, I think this session is over.”

  Rune, which was a funny name, nodded. She started picking up her cards, looking at Lizzie with an interested expression on her face. “I’ll have to tell Mama about this one. I’ve never had a prediction come true so fast.”

  “What do you do?” Bethany walked closer and peered at the table. “Are those tarot cards?”

  “Yes.” Rune grinned at her. “You know about tarot readings, then?”

  “Mrs. Thompson tried to do it once when she was babysitting me. It’s all a lot of malarkey,” Bethany proclaimed, her eyes glinting with pleasure as she remembered the word Dad had used to describe it. And she pronounced it right, too!

  The smile on Rune’s face faded and Lizzie prodded Bethany in the back. She didn’t have a chance to ask what for, though, since Lizzie took her hand and pulled her out of the book room. They went to the kitchen, where Lizzie poured them both some orange juice and sat Bethany down at the table. She had a serious expression on her face again. Bethany sighed as she drank her juice.

  “What are you doing here?” Lizzie asked her sternly. “Did something happen to your father?”

  “No. He and Grandfather were talking, and I don’t like him.”

  “Grandfather?”

  Bethany didn’t want to talk about him. She came here for a reason, after all, and it didn’t include Grandfather. “Dad is in love with you. You two need to get married, and then you’ll be my mom. So why aren’t you getting married?”

  Lizzie’s jaw dropped again. Adults weren’t very good at hiding their thoughts, it was something Bethany had discovered when Uncle Kavan taught her how to play poker. Now she could see plainly that Lizzie didn’t know what to say or do. Bethany sighed. Perhaps she was going to have to be a little more clear about what she meant.

  “When two people love each other, they get married. You love Dad, don’t you?”

  “I…” Lizzie looked away. “Honey, it’s not that easy. Relationships between people, especially when it comes to marriage, are complicated. It’s not as easy as just getting married.”

  Bethany rested her elbows on the table. “And why is that? It’s because you adults make everything more complicated than it needs to be. If you’re hungry, you eat. If you’re thirsty, you drink. If you love someone, you marry them! That’s all there is to it. What else could possibly be necessary?”

  Lizzie stared at her for a moment, smiling, before she sighed. “It’s complicated. And you’re too young to understand, Bethany.”

  “Is it Grandfather?” Lizzie flinched, meaning Bethany was right. Her hands clenched. “I’m going to bite him!”

  “What? No!” Lizzie shook her head. “No, we don’t go around biting people. No. But I need to let your father know you’re here. He’s going to be worried sick!”

  Bethany frowned as Lizzie pulled out her phone. Adults! They never could stick with the important things, could they?

  Chapter Ten

  If Philip knew what she was doing, Lizzie was sure he’d drag her back to the mansion and lock her in the bathroom to stop her. It wasn’t exactly the most intelligent course of action, she had to admit, but at this point she had to do something. When Bethany mentioned “grandfather”, she knew it meant the Godfather. And hearing that he was angry with Philip? All her fears for his safety came rushing back. She couldn’t sit around and do nothing when he could be getting murdered.

  So, after settling Bethany with Melodi and making Bethany swear not to leave the mansion until Lizzie or Philip came back, Lizzie gathered up all the money that Varton kept hidden in his place, then went to her apartment and got her secret stash and headed for Philip’s house. Her throat was dry and that made swallowing a little painful, but she was also determined. She wasn’t going to just give up on this. Philip was a good man. He deserved better than this life he’d been forced into. And he’d get out of it if she had anything to say about it!

  After last time, she had learned her lesson about simply barging in and so knocked. She saw Philip’s truck in the driveway and so knew he was at home. Her heart beat harder as she considered all the things she might find if she entered the door. When the seconds ticked by in silence, she started to fear that the worst possibilities had come true. She gripped the handle, half convinced she needed to get in there to save him, when the door was yanked open.

  The sudden movement jerked her forward. She slammed abruptly into Philip’s hard chest with a short cry. He caught her, his
strong arms wrapping around her shoulders as he steadied her. His expression was somewhere between anger and worry.

  “What are you doing here?” he hissed.

  “Don’t make the young lady stand on the doorstep, Philip,” a voice drawled from inside. “Invite her in.”

  Philip cast an almost panicked look over his shoulder. Lizzie tightened her grip on the backpack that held all the cash and pushed past him. His hand closed around her wrist and he hissed again, but she shook him off as she strode inward. Her mouth tasted like old socks when she stopped in the living room. A man with salt-and-pepper hair stood there. He wore a fitted suit and looked completely out of place in the worn setting.

  “Lizzie Hendrix,” he greeted. “My name is Carl Lancaster.”

  “I know.” She had seen photos of him. This was the Godfather. The man that held Philip’s destiny in his hands. “I’m here to see you.”

  Philip stepped up close beside Lizzie and wrapped his arm around her again. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I’m here for a reason,” Lizzie replied sharply, trying to get it across to him that even though she knew the potential consequences, it was worth the risk.

  “What reason is that?” Lancaster asked, an amused look on his face.

  Lizzie faced him, ignoring the continued warning looks Philip was giving her. “I have a few things to say to you and a deal to make.”

  Lancaster looked highly amused at that. He gestured for her to sit, which she did gingerly. Just because she was here voluntarily didn’t mean she wasn’t going to be ready to run if she needed to. Lancaster looked like such a kindly old grandfather that it was surprising to her just how terrifying he actually was. There was something about him, some hidden menace that she couldn’t shake.

  “You are very brave to come here,” he said in that kindly old grandfather voice of his. “You must know that things have been very tense as far as you are concerned. That unfortunate scene you witnessed in this very house…”

  He trailed off. Lizzie had to repress a shudder. The image of that man, Craig, lying on the floor pressed at her mind. The glassiness of his eyes. The pallor of his skin. The surprise and pain etched into his face even in death. It made her stomach churn, and she fought the urge to vomit. Instead, she breathed through her nose, drawing in Philip’s scent. He was still so close to her she could feel the warmth of his skin. It gave her strength.

  “As far as the police know,” she said, keeping her back straight, “I saw nothing here. I wasn’t even here before I went missing. I went to the vampires to get them to sign up for my paranormal dating agency. And that’s all they’ll ever know.”

  Lancaster studied her for a moment, as though trying to decide if she spoke the truth.

  “I won’t do anything that puts Philip and Bethany at risk.”

  Philip shifted beside her, but she didn’t turn to see his expression. She could only trust her instincts that this was the right path to take. The bag of money sat at her feet. Though Lancaster hadn’t so much as glanced at it, she hoped that he was curious as to what was inside of it.

  “There is no reason that I have to be a threat to you,” she said, then flinched as she heard how that could be taken as a threat. “I mean, I’m not a threat to you. But you’re a danger to me and just so you know, I have Dane Hemmerick in the car outside. I’ve hired him to…”

  Philip actually groaned and she turned to him, frowning. Was that the wrong thing to say? But Lancaster didn’t speak. His expression was still politely interested bordering on amusement. Was Dane Hemmerick actually part of the Mafia? It didn’t seem likely, not with his reputation, but then again, she supposed that would be the point if he was.

  Lizzie clenched her hands on her knees. If she could crush a man between her thighs, like Philip said, she’d like to crush Lancaster’s head. Although she was certain that wasn’t the sort of ‘crushing’ Philip had in mind when he’d said that.

  In any case, she was getting off topic. “I don’t intend to speak to the police about anything,” she repeated. “And I don’t think you want to open yourself up to the investigations my cousin would do if I was to mysteriously disappear again, so I don’t think you’re going to do anything, either.”

  The Godfather laughed. “Oh, Miss Hendrix. You’re the sort of girl that a man could get arrested by talking to. I haven’t even checked you for a wire.”

  Lizzie had thought about wearing one but had decided it was too much of a risk. “Do you want to check me now?”

  “No.” Lancaster shook his head. “No, I believe that you’re too smart to try something like that. Now. Was that what you wanted to say, or was there more? And what about this deal you say you want to make?”

  Here, Philip shifted on his spot again. He wrapped an arm around her waist, a low growl rumbling in his throat. Lancaster sent him a hard glance that didn’t look at all gentle or grandfatherly. Philip dropped his gaze, but Lizzie still felt him trembling, as though he longed to leap out of his seat and pummel the Godfather. While that image did have a certain amount of appeal to it, Lizzie didn’t want him getting into more trouble for her sake, and so grasped his hand in hers.

  It wasn’t missed by Lancaster, whose grin widened.

  Lizzie ignored the look as she nudged the bag with her foot. “I am smart. And I’m also rich. I’ve looked into your accounts—”

  His smile disappeared.

  “Don’t look so surprised, they’re out for anybody to see as long as you’ve got the connections. I take a look at my cousin’s competitors all the time. Knowing their financial situations is part of how we stay on top.”

  “Now, now. Isn’t that illegal?” Lancaster’s voice had a razor edge that made Lizzie swallow hard.

  “Depends how you look at it,” she rasped back. “But that’s hardly the point. The point is that you don’t have nearly as much money as I do. And so, I want to know how much it will cost to buy Philip and Bethany’s freedom from your… organization.”

  Lancaster didn’t look surprised at all.

  Beside her, Philip snarled. He pulled away from her, the glare on his face fully directed at her now. She didn’t flinch back from it, glaring right back at him. She didn’t care how macho he was or if he thought that this was going to be putting him into her debt or that it wasn’t manly for a woman to support a man—because this was her supporting him, in a way at least—this was happening. It didn’t matter how much she ended up having to shell out. He was going to be free, and that was final.

  “I never said I wanted to leave the family,” he growled at her.

  He had but bringing that up in front of the Godfather probably wasn’t a good idea. She lifted her chin and glared coldly back at him. “You are going to leave because it’s what is best for Bethany. You said yourself that the man who was killed here was after her to get to you. How many more times does she have to go through that threat?”

  “It’s none of your business what I do with my daughter.”

  This time, Lizzie didn’t care if Lancaster was sitting there, watching them. She also didn’t care if Philip was just spinning a line. She wasn’t going to just sit around here and let him say stuff like that, as though there was nothing between them. As though she meant nothing, either in his life or in Bethany’s.

  “It is too my business,” she insisted. “It’s the business of all adults to make sure children are given a proper, decent life.”

  Lancaster cleared his throat. “And since you were going to have the young lady adopt your daughter, don’t you think it is her concern after all?”

  He knew about that? Lizzie worked hard not to flinch, although she wasn’t entirely successful at it.

  Philip stared at her. His gaze flickered to the Godfather, then his eyes narrowed. “I never said that I was going to leave. The family is all I have. There isn’t a lot of call for men of my… skills… out in the ‘real world’, at least not the world that you want to see it as.”

  There was a simple
solution to that. Her stomach was in butterflies as she replied, trying to sound calm, indifferent and cool about the whole situation. “Then you can go back to school.”

  “And how am I supposed to do that, princess? School costs money.”

  “I’ll pay for it,” she replied without missing a beat. “And before you start to say that I can’t or that you won’t accept it, believe me when I say that I can and you will. You are going to go back to school, you’re going to get a profession that you are happy with and proud of, and I’m going to pay for your education. There’s no use arguing with me, I’ve already decided,” she added, her pulse quickening again. “And it’s not going to be unusual for anybody, because you and I are going to be married.”

  Philip’s jaw dropped. Lancaster gave a visible start.

  Lizzie ignored both of them, the heat creeping into her face as she plowed forward. “I love you, Philip King. Even if I don’t know how I fell in love in only a matter of weeks. You are kind, and compassionate, and strong, and you care more about that little girl of yours than anything else. You risked your life for me, so I can certainly spend a few million buying your freedom. I love you, and that’s that.”

  He continued to stare at her, as though he didn’t understand the words coming out of her mouth.

  “So.” She turned back to Lancaster. “How much will it be?”

  ***

  “Furthermore,” she continued, “I think it will best for Bethany as well. After all, now she can go into whatever other things she would like to do. Like ballet, or rugby or become the world's youngest poker champion. It will give her opportunities that… well, you know.”

  She bit her lip, the confidence draining from her voice. Warmth spread in his chest as he smiled at her, touched and lightened from her confession. He couldn't help himself. He didn't care if the Godfather was right there, watching them, or that she had given away all of her bargaining power by making her declaration of being willing to pay millions for his freedom. He didn't care about any of it. All he wanted at that moment was to hold Lizzie in his arms. He wanted her so badly that he couldn't hold himself back from a kiss.