Marked By The Wolf, page 7
She couldn’t say their greeting was warm, but each gave her a polite nod and Neil pulled a chair out from the table for her. She looked to Ross and he raised his eyebrows in obvious amusement that she’d turned to him for guidance.
“He’ll not bite,” Ross said, “not if he wants to keep his teeth.”
Lisa glanced at Neil to see if he was offended by Ross’s warning but judging by the grin on his face, this was normal banter between them. She took the seat offered and Anna put a plate down in front of her.
“Help yourself before this lot get stuck into it,” the other woman advised. “Once they start fighting over the bacon, you’ll have no chance.”
Lisa did as instructed and took a couple of pieces of bacon, some sausage, and a spoonful of scrambled eggs.
“Coffee?” Ross offered.
“Please.”
He gestured for Anna to pour her a cup of coffee rather than doing it himself. Lisa had to bite back a snarky comment about patriarchal bullshit, but Ross seemed to read her thoughts anyway.
“It’s what she’s paid to do,” he said in a low voice.
Lisa wasn’t sure that made it better. The poor woman probably had enough to do without jumping to obey his every command. She smiled warmly as Anna put a cup down in front of her. She stirred a spoonful of sugar into it more aggressively than she intended and drizzled in some milk.
“Did you enjoy your dinner last night?” Anna asked. Finally finished serving up the platters of food, she took a seat at the table.
“Aye, that dessert was something special,” Ross replied before Lisa could say anything, “wasn’t it, sweetheart?”
The color already tinting Lisa’s cheeks deepened.
“It was amazing, Anna, thank you.” She cleared her throat. “So, do you all live here?”
“No, it’s just Finn and Ross in the main house,” Anna replied as the men were all too busy eating to reply. “The boys came over for breakfast, but Finn’s not in the mood for company, so we thought we’d come down here.”
Lisa nodded and started to cut her sausage into bite-sized pieces. She had a good idea why Finn preferred to be alone and didn’t want to acknowledge her own part in causing Maddie to leave. An awkward silence fell, and she sensed everyone’s appraisal of her. She knew they didn’t trust her and was grateful for Anna’s presence. She had the feeling these men would be a lot less friendly without her there.
“So, you’re all related to each other,” she said eventually, unable to bear the intense quiet any longer.
“Aye, we’re all cousins of varying degrees,” Neil replied. “Ross, Finn, and I are first cousins and Duncan’s a first cousin once removed.”
“And Jamie?” Lisa asked.
“Jamie’s a second cousin to Finn or is it a third? Hard to work it out, isn’t it, runt?”
Lisa flicked an anxious glance at Jamie, but he just gave Neil the finger.
“We share a great-grandfather,” Jamie replied.
Lisa tried to figure it out in her head and quickly gave up. If she had a family tree laid out on paper, she’d be able to understand the family relationships better. It didn’t matter anyway. The men were obviously close, their tight bond clear for anyone to see. She thought about what Neil had said for a moment. None of them were brothers.
“You’re all only children?”
“Not Finn,” Ross said. “He’s got Sadie.”
“Our numbers are dwindling, Dr. Hunter.” Duncan spoke for the first time. “It’s why it was so important for Finn to find his mate. We need new blood in the family.”
Lisa shot a startled thought at Ross. Was that what he wanted from her? Did he plan to make her bear his offspring? Again, he seemed to know what she was thinking. He shook his head and Lisa went back to eating her breakfast.
“It’s a shame about Maddie,” Anna said sadly. “She was perfect for Finn.”
“Maybe she’ll come back.” Lisa wasn’t sure how likely that was, but it seemed like the right thing to say.
“Do you think she will?” The other woman’s face lit up in hope.
“I don’t know. I don’t really know her that well.”
“Yet you steamed in here and tried to snatch her from under Finn’s nose?” Such hostility emanated from Jamie that Lisa flinched. “You brought those assholes here to kill us?”
“Not now, Jamie,” Ross said.
“They could have hurt my wife.”
“Jamie.” The command in Ross’s tone was unmistakable. The younger man hung his head.
“So,” Anna said, reaching over to pat her husband’s hand soothingly, “do you have a big family, Lisa? Any brothers or sisters?”
“I have a sister. Well, a half-sister.”
A flash of surprise passed over Ross’s face and she realized he hadn’t known that about her. She wondered if it was a mistake to give away that detail about herself. Could he use Catie against her?
“Does she teach like you?” Anna asked.
Lisa suppressed a snort of amusement at the very thought. The idea of Catie working in a university was unthinkable. Her sister preferred a much livelier environment.
“No, she dances for a living.”
“Ballet or modern?”
Lisa thought about the one and only time she’d witnessed Catie shaking her ass for a baying crowd in that horrible club.
“It’s, er, definitely more modern.”
She couldn’t prevent a grimace forming on her face that gave away more than she’d intended.
“Your sister’s a stripper?” Neil grinned broadly. “When do we get to meet her?”
Never, Lisa hoped. If she had her way, she was going to leave here soon and never cross paths with any of these guys again.
“She’s only nineteen,” Lisa said.
“Old enough. What’s she like?”
“I got the brains, she got the curves.”
Lisa winced at the sound of her own bitterness. It was born of jealousy of her sister’s unforced vivaciousness. People instantly liked Catie. Her enthusiasm for life was infectious. She wasn’t lacking when it came to brains either. Catie was bright but completely unmotivated to do anything with her intellect.
“Sorry,” Lisa said, regretting that she’d voiced her envy. “That was mean of me.”
“Don’t worry, I understand sibling rivalry,” Anna said kindly. “I’d give anything to have my sister’s bum.”
“So would I,” Neil said with a wink.
Lisa couldn’t help laughing. There was something about Neil she couldn’t help liking even if his muscular frame and dark eyes did scare her. She glanced at Ross to see if he was amused but, if anything, he looked pissed off.
“I think we should send someone to watch over your sister.”
“What?” Lisa looked at Ross in dismay. The last thing she wanted was for Catie to get mixed up in the mess she’d found herself in. “Why?”
“She might be a target.”
“Who would want to harm my sister?” Lisa asked the question, but she already knew the answer. If any members of the Knights of St. Francis were still out there, they might not be too happy about her failing to bring Maddie to them. If they found out she’d been sleeping with the enemy as well, she dreaded to think what they might do to punish her.
“You know who.” Ross didn’t wait for her to speak before continuing, “We’ve identified the men who attacked the house, but we need to know if they’re the same ones you’ve been involved with.”
“I already told you I came here alone.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t know them, Dr. Hunter. I want you to look at some photos and tell us if you recognize them.”
Ross calling her Dr. Hunter didn’t fill Lisa with confidence. It put a distance between them where she’d hoped to build on the intimacy they’d shared last night. She’d thought she could use it to gain Ross’s trust, but it seemed he wanted to push her farther away.
As he held her gaze, Lisa was aware of the others discreetly leaving the table and heading for the stairs. Clearly, they’d noticed the sudden chilling in the atmosphere as well. She licked her lips nervously as Ross rose from the table and went into one of the rooms off to the side of the main living room. He returned a moment later, carrying a brown folder.
“Will you help me out here?” he asked.
“Will you let me leave if I do?”
If she didn’t know better, Lisa would swear he looked hurt by that. Whatever the expression on his face was, it was quickly replaced by anger.
“You’re going nowhere,” he snarled. “I thought I made that clear already.”
“You can’t keep me here indefinitely.”
“Watch me.” Ross completely dismissed her protest. “Now, are you going to look at these photos or not?”
There seemed little point refusing. Even if Ross didn’t intend to let her go, she should try to keep him onside. Perhaps she’d win some concessions from him that would give her a chance to escape.
“I’ll look at them.”
“Good girl.” Ross handed the folder to her and she set it down on the table in front of her. “I have to warn you, the pictures aren’t pleasant.”
Warily, Lisa opened the folder. She knew she wasn’t going to like what she saw but when she looked at the first image, it was worse than she’d expected. The cold grip of horror wrapped itself around her throat, cutting off her breath as she looked at a man whose face was battered and bloodied. She was no expert, but it seemed to her his neck was broken. Her hands began to shake.
Exhaling loudly, she shuffled through the rest of the photos. Bile rose in her throat. She closed over the front flap of the folder and pushed it away.
“Do you know them?” Ross hovered over her.
Lisa stared up at him. She did know them, but one was missing. Her voice failed her though, and she couldn’t speak. Pushing back from the table, she staggered to her feet. She’d known what Ross was, what all these men she’d just eaten breakfast with were capable of but seeing it with her own eyes made it all the more real. She struggled to reconcile it in her mind. How could the man who’d shown her such pleasure have done this?
“Why did you show me these?” she managed to get out.
“You needed to see.”
She wondered what he meant. Had he wanted her to glimpse the monster within? It made no sense that the man who’d laid claim to her, who’d said she was his to protect, would show her this side of himself. It must be a punishment for her complacency. He was warning her what could happen. If she didn’t bow down to his every command, would she end up like these men?
Her heart battered against her chest as though trying to get out. Beads of sweat formed on her brow. Instinct overrode common sense and a voice in her head yelled run. Whirling around, she headed for the stairs.
She made it as far as the third step before Ross yanked her back into his arms. She let out a bloodcurdling shriek. As she struggled against him, Ross adjusted his hold and hauled her up over his shoulder. She kicked and fought to get free, but his grip was inescapable. He carried her through to the bedroom and set her down, so she was sitting on the edge of the bed. He crouched on the floor, taking her hands in his. She quickly pulled them away.
“Don’t touch me!” she snarled.
Ross narrowed his eyes at her but when he spoke, his tone was soothing. “I know you’ve had a shock, but I need to know if those were the men you agreed to work for.”
Lisa pursed her lips and looked away, signaling her intention to remain silent. Ross took hold of her chin and guided her face back around until her eyes met his.
“Lisa, are those the men who approached you? Is there anyone still out there? I need to know.”
She glared at him and said nothing.
“You know, I could make you talk if I wanted to.” His fingers dug into her chin until she grimaced in pain. “I don’t like to hurt a woman that way, but if you force my hand...”
Her eyes widened as the threat sank in. With his superhuman strength, it wouldn’t take much for him to break her jaw. All he had to do was squeeze. Still, she shook her head.
“You’re stubborn.”
Was that admiration in his tone? He let go of her chin, sighed, and got to his feet.
“But you can’t outlast me, Lisa. Eventually, you’ll tell me what I want to know. The sooner you do, the better it will be for you.”
He turned and left the room without so much as a backward glance. As she heard the lock engage, Lisa fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. This morning, she’d been confident she could win Ross over, that they’d made some headway last night. Now they were back where they started. Okay, so she wasn’t chained up in that horrible cell, but she might as well be. She was a prisoner here and until Ross was satisfied with her conduct, he would continue to treat her as one. The question now was whether she could find a balance between giving him what he wanted and retaining her independence. It seemed an impossible task.
Chapter Eight
Knocking back a twenty-one-year-old Balvenie Portwood whisky without pausing to savor the taste was sacrilege but Ross didn’t care. They had a whole case of the stuff stashed away in the cellar and he could enjoy it the way it was meant to be drunk some other time. Right now, he just needed to take the edge off. He’d been shut away in his study for hours, brooding over the mistakes he’d made with Lisa. He hadn’t expected her to defy him for two hours, never mind two days, yet she remained determined not to tell him anything. He had no idea how to handle her. From the moment he brought her into the house on Sunday night, he’d struggled to assert his dominance. Being near her made him act like a lovesick puppy and he had to regain control.
Showing her the photographs of the men he and his cousins had killed was a bad move. He’d been looking for a reaction, to see if she was saddened by their deaths. He needed to know whether she was more closely involved with these men than she admitted. She was supposed to have been shocked into revealing all she knew about them and the organization they belonged to. Instead, she’d lapsed into angry silence and seemed determined to shut him out completely. Under different circumstances, her resolve in ignoring his questioning might have impressed him, but he needed answers. If a threat still existed, it had to be dealt with.
Over the last couple of days, he’d repeatedly tried to engage her in conversation. He’d tried to coax the truth out of her without resorting to the sort of violent tactics he might use against a different adversary. She’d just responded with a disapproving glare. Not a word passed her lips and she sat stock still, radiating displeasure. He’d have been worried she was having some sort of breakdown if she didn’t carry on as normal when he wasn’t in the room. She slept when she needed to, showered and dressed in fresh clothing, and ate the meals Anna brought to her. In fact, whenever Anna entered the room, Lisa became more animated. Even on the security feed he watched, Ross could see how warmly she greeted the other woman. She didn’t have any problem breaking her apparent vow of silence to talk to Anna. Clearly, he was the one she wanted to freeze out. Well, he wasn’t going to allow that to continue. He’d let this situation drag on too long already.
He got up from the desk and headed out into the hallway, determined to break the stalemate between him and Lisa. As he walked downstairs to the basement, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and looked at the screen. Sadie. Her timing was impeccable as always. He’d been trying to get hold of his little cousin for days now and she’d not responded to his calls or texts. If he hadn’t had confirmation from her assistant that she was alive and kicking, he’d have gone to Italy himself to make sure she was okay.
“Sadie,” he growled as he answered the phone.
“Did you send some asshole werewolf after me?” Her voice was hushed, and Ross suspected she was trying not to be overheard.
He ignored the pointedly hostile way she used the word werewolf. Despite her deep love for her family, Sadie had long tried to distance herself from the pack, dismissing it as outdated and patriarchal. She didn’t seem to realize how far they’d come into the modern world under Finn’s leadership.
“I asked an acquaintance to look out for you.”
“Why? What’s going on?” she demanded. “Why now?”
“If you ever answered your bloody phone, you’d know what’s happening.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t spoken to you before. I’ve been busy,” she said, her apologetic tone clearly a response to the reprimand in his. “We’ve had a lot of new customers lately.”
Ross rolled his eyes. That was a damned lie. Sadie’s gallery was struggling. Few patrons walked through her doors and those who did spent too little for her to keep it afloat much longer. She was a bright young woman but had no head for business. She paid the artists whose work she displayed too much commission and kept staff on even though it meant she could barely afford her rent. Finn could easily help her out with a cash injection to pay the bills and get some decent advertising for the place, but she refused to take money from him. He never pushed the point because he wanted her to fail so she’d have to come home.
“That’s good.” Ross decided against calling her on her bullshit. “But you need to answer when I call.”
“Okay, I get it. So, what’s up?”
“Finn met his mate.”
The squeal of delight from the other end of the call just about pierced his eardrum.
“What’s she like? When can I meet her?”
“You can’t. She left him.”
“What? But if she’s his mate, they’re bound together, aren’t they?”
“He didn’t claim her.” Ross rubbed his forehead wearily. He wasn’t so sure now that it would make a difference if he had claimed her. He’d believed leaving his mark on a woman would magically bring them closer together, but things weren’t exactly running smoothly between him and Lisa. “And now she’s gone.”
“How’s he taking it?”
“Badly.”
“So you called me to come home?” Sadie asked.
Where she’d sounded concerned for her brother a moment ago, Ross now detected a degree of challenge in her voice.
