The letter that had come to him three days before the will had been read was direct and to the point. Addison, it appeared, had known all the things he’d been doing to his company and to the will. Duncan knew the letter word by word and thought of it now.
Duncan,
I cannot believe that I must write this to you after all the money you made from my company. But I can no longer trust you or the way you do business. As of the moment that you receive this, you are fired as our attorney and will no longer represent any of my holdings, company, or personal life.
He laughed a little, thinking how easy it had been to get back into the company. Addie had been in the hospital then, drugged up beyond anything that he’d ever seen. But she’d been coherent enough to have papers drawn up when he’d told her that he’d only worked for her dad and would need for her to reinstate him to work for her. It had been a piece of pure genius on his part. Then one day, before he’d even gotten to go and see her again, Addie had gotten out of the special hospital he’d had her taken to and disappeared. Not that he cared. So long as she wasn’t breathing down his neck, he could get a lot of things done. Then he’d told her to get away. The road trip had been her idea.
At first she’d driven from one state to the next, staying in hotels. He’d liked that. It was easy to keep track of her and how much money she was spending. Then she’d told him to send her money. It hadn’t been a great deal when you considered how much she was worth, so he sent it. Then she’d called and asked for more. Sending it made him a little nervous because he’d been afraid she’d be back if he didn’t. And Duncan loved the way things were now. But the camper thing…well, he’d been unhappy about that, and she’d told him to either do it her way or he’d be out. So the camper was used and barely working according to his sources, but she’d told him she was working on it. That had been about a year and a half into her running to find herself. He doubted that she was looking all that hard.
She’d been depressed all her life. Duncan could never understand that. She had all the things she’d ever wanted and if she didn’t, her daddy would simply go and get them for her. Hell, she even had things in her home that he was sure she never once used. To his way of thinking, she should have gotten over that shit long before now.
It was not that Duncan didn’t have bouts of depression himself. Shit, he thought, everyone got a little blue now and then. But he had found that skimming a few thousand here, a million or so there, would always cheer him up again. And Addie never had to do a damned thing to get into trouble over it.
At first, he’d been honest with Addison. The man was a saint and treated everyone who worked for him like they really were his family. Big Christmas parties were held and gifts were given out to everyone that came. Even his management staff tried to model themselves after him, and Duncan knew that generations of families still worked for them. But then he’d run into a little problem.
Duncan laughed a little. It wasn’t a problem so much as a greed. He wanted more. And more. And more. It had gotten to the point that his six-figure salary, nearly seven with bonuses and other perks, just wasn’t enough. And after taking more, that soon wasn’t enough. Duncan was never sure if it was the thrill of stealing from Addison that gave him such a high, or the fact that he’d been able to stash away so much in so very little time.
And now it was all gone.
Not that he wasn’t still in a good position to get more. There was always some rich bastard out there that needed a good lawyer that would keep them out of jail. Of course, with Addison he’d never had to do anything like that, but Duncan considered himself a man who could do whatever he set his mind to. Maybe he’d find him some old broad that needed him. Or a young one. Someone he could fuck around with a little before he robbed her blind.
Yawning for the third time, Duncan closed his eyes. He wasn’t used to all this activity, and dragging around the Emerson men had been heavy work. Yawning again, he settled into the tree he was leaning against and decided that a little nap might help him out.
Duncan woke with a start. He sat there, still as he could, for several seconds to try and figure out what had woke him. When he thought it was a dream, he closed his eyes, trying his best not to think of the number of bugs that might be making their homes in his pockets. Then he heard a twig break close by.
The wolf looked at him, but it didn’t move. The moon reflected on his eyes and gave them a very scary glow that made Duncan’s mind go into overdrive. Just as he thought perhaps the thing hadn’t seen him, he threw back his head and howled.
All the hair on his body stood up and danced along his skin. Duncan was sure that if he did that again, made that long eerie call again, he’d piss himself. The wolf only stared at him for several seconds before he moved on, but not before lifting his leg against one of the trees near him. Duncan decided that he’d had enough. Standing up, he knew that it was too dark to try and find his way out of the woods, but he’d just decided that a broken leg was much better than a chewed off one.
Chapter 12
Jarrett opened his eyes but lay still. He knew that he was in a cave, that he’d been hurt, but nothing much more than that. He started to sit up when he was pushed back down.
Don’t move or you’ll wake her.
He looked at Hunter.
She’s been there all night and only just fell asleep. Christ, she’s stubborn.
Tell me about it.
He wanted to pull her body tighter to his, but he knew that she would wake so he did what Hunter had told him to do. For now.
Dad and Ellis, they’re okay, too?
Yes. Dad has a bump on his head that he’s nursing like a kid. Ellis took off on a run about ten minutes after we got you guys back here and hasn’t been back. He’s fine, but he said he has some things to look into, and he seemed…I don’t know, restless. I think not being busy is driving him nuts.
Jarrett could see that. His brother owned and operated Emerson Construction and had about fifty people working for him. And then there was Dan Rogers, his foreman, who pretty much was his right-hand man. Ellis was also working on building his own home on property he’d bought from Slone.
I wanted to talk to you before she wakes anyway.
Jarrett didn’t like the sound of that, but he nodded to his brother to go on. This time when the urge hit him, he put his hand on her back and felt better for it. When Hunter got up to pace, Jarrett was nervous.
Shawn got back to Slone this morning. He’d been trying to get in touch with the company that Addie owns. They were on a vacation.
Jarrett wondered why his brother had said it like he was shocked, but he continued before he could ask.
The entire company takes a vacation for two weeks with pay. Mother fuck, that’s just brilliant.
Okay. So they were on vacation. Nice, but I don’t know what that has you all in a twist about.
Hunter growled, and Jarrett felt a little better.
Come on, Hunter. I’m shit nervous here, and you won’t let me wake my mate to tell her how much I love her.
Duncan had been fired from the company when her dad died. Like the same day.
Jarrett started to shake his head.
Her dad sent him a letter telling him that he was to have nothing to do with the company or his personal stuff ever again. And when he came in about a month later, acting like nothing had happened, he showed them how Addie had reinstated him as her personal lawyer. It was a major fuck up. And no one could contact her because they all assumed she was still in the hospital until about a year ago.
He caught him stealing.
Hunter nodded and sat down again.
Do you think she knew this? I mean, she seems to know a shitload of other things about people.
I think he got to her when she’d been drugged up. One of the staff was in the room with them. They have to be, and we’re still trying to find them. It’s kind of hard to find out anything about her stay there other than she was there and she left.
Hunter leaned back in his chair.
There’s more. Do you want to hear it?
No, but I think I need to.
Hunter nodded
. This is going to be something about her that you feel I need to know, isn’t it?
Addie talked to Slone the other night. She knew her dad was going to kill himself. Addie even provided him with the drugs to do it. Then she left.
Jarrett wasn’t really surprised by that. He had no idea why, but he had already figured out that there was more to her father dying than Addie was telling.
When she returned, I guess it must have hit her what she’d done. Addie thinks she murdered her father.
And that’s why she tried to kill herself.
Hunter nodded.
What did Slone tell her? She told her that she’d done the right thing, didn’t she?
Hunter stood up and smiled. Jarrett had no idea what he thought was worth smiling over until he got to the door and turned back to look at him.
I’m really glad to hear you say that, little brother. Because after I heard the story from Slone, all I could think about was Mom and her suffering. And what I might have done had I been able to. Or for that matter, Dad. Would I have done the same thing? And you want to know what I figured out?
Jarrett nodded.
I would have done the same damned thing. Your mate? She is one hell of a woman. And I’m proud to have her in my family and my pack.
Jarrett lay there for the next hour. He wanted to get up. His legs were stiff, and he really needed to use the bathroom, but he didn’t want to wake Addie just yet. There was so much he wanted to say to her. So many things that he wanted to ask her.
“You should know that when you and your brother talk, I can hear you.” He flushed, thinking about what they’d been talking about. She sat up and looked at him. “If anyone would have asked me, I would have told them.”
“I think Slone feels she has to investigate everyone. I know that she had all of us before we got to meet her.” Addie didn’t say anything, and he pushed her hair out of her eyes. “I love you.”
“Do you think that’s going to negate the fact that you were talking about me?” He nodded. “Okay, it does, but I do want to tell you that I had no idea that Duncan had been fired. Dad never shared that with me. And I’d had so little contact with Duncan that I never thought of him as anything but my dad’s lawyer.”
“He took advantage of you when you were not at your full capacity.” Addie nodded and rolled off him and then the bed. “Where are you going?”
“I have to talk to Slone and Shawn. He’s in the kitchen with my cook, driving her insane. Not in a bad way, but enough that she’s thinking of asking for a raise.” She stood up and stretched, and he felt his cock do the same. When she turned to him, he felt as if he’d been caught at something very naughty. “Jarrett, do you really want to be my husband?”
“Are you proposing to me?” She smiled and nodded. “But you do know that I asked you first. Right?”
“I do, but there are some things that you and I have to talk about first.” She sat down on the chair and reached for a file that he’d just noticed. “I’m not going to have you sign a pre-nup. I talked to Slone and she said that they’re a safe bet for humans, but not wolves. You mate for life.”
Jarrett sat up, not liking where this conversation was going at all. “I’m not going to take anything from you that you’re not willing to share, Addie. I have my own money. My own business.”
“I know that, and that’s not what I meant.” She sighed heavily. “I’m not doing this right. Let me start over. I’ve made some changes to my will. It wasn’t my will in the first place, but one that my father put together for me. Shawn helped me fix it and to get it filed. I’ve given you everything. Well, most everything. There are two companies that I can’t share with you. My great-grandmother said that a woman should never be without her own pin money. What does that mean anyway?”
“Women used to safety pin money to the inside of their clothing, sort of like some women do with their bra. It was in the event they found themselves in a bad way, they’d always have enough money to eat a few meals.” Jarrett got up off the bed and took the file when she handed it to him. “What companies are yours to keep? I’m just curious to know so that I can count on a nice Christmas gift from you.”
He opened the file and there they were. Jarrett looked at her and she smiled at him. Sitting down hard, he felt his heart pound and his fingers shake just a little.
“My family has been wealthy for a long time, Jarrett. My great-great-great-grandmother started it all when she invested in a small company that made blue jeans, of all things. And when they got big enough that she got a return on her investment, she got into more and more things. By the time she died, she was worth over a million dollars, and she’d taught her daughter, who taught hers down the line, how to invest and do it well.” Jarrett asked her if they had the same gift she did. “I don’t know. Dad never said if they did, but he wasn’t privy to my mom’s side of the family. And I never asked. My great-grandmother died when she was eighty-one when her shoot didn’t open when she was sky-diving. Her mother died in a car crash during a race around the world. She was nearly a hundred too. My mom is the only one who didn’t live long enough to be adventurous.”
“They’re all gone?” She shook her head. “I thought you were the sole heir to your father’s fortune.”
“My grandmother has her own money, and would have had a stroke if he’d left her a dime. No, she’s still alive. And I have talked to her a lot of times over the years.” Addie stood up and went to the door. “She’s wanting to meet you too. Grandmother is looking forward to talking to you.”
“Today?” Addie nodded and smiled. “Christ, and my family is here. Dad. Dad is going to make her hate me. I have to get—why the hell are you laughing?”
“She’s going to love you. And she’s in the living room now.” Addie left him there. He wanted to chase her down and ask her why she was doing this to him and decided that he’d better get dressed first. But when he entered the bathroom, he looked at himself and decided he needed a shave and a shower. As he turned on the water to do just that, Addie touched his mind.
She said to tell you that you don’t have to wear a suit, but clothing would be good. Oh, and I asked; apparently it’s something of a family trait to be able to read minds.
Jarrett stood there with one leg in the stall and one out, his body bloodied from when he’d been hit, his belly growling because he couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten, and his soon-to-be wife was laughing at him. Smiling, he stepped into the warm spray. Jarrett didn’t think he’d ever been so happy.
~~~
Clementine Elizabeth Mantle watched the young man come into the room. She could tell that he was nervous, but he was working hard at trying to hide it. She wanted to see him with her granddaughter, her pride and joy. And the moment he saw her, Clemmie decided that Addie would be all right now. Oh, to be loved that much again.
“Come here.” Clemmie watched him walk toward her as if he were going to a firing squad. Hunter, the man who had come to her aid with her luggage, had told her that there had been an uproar in the last few days. Well, he’d not
told her
told her, but she’d gotten it. When Jarrett was standing in front of her, she decided to put her worst foot forward. “What do you do for a living? And so you know, I do not believe one should be idle just because he can.”
“I own a computer company, where I live and I work for Anderson Technologies as their IT go-to man.” She nodded. That she knew. “And I’m branching out as well. My brother owns a construction company that I’ve invested in, as well as a few other companies that Slone owns.”
“Don’t put all your eggs in a single basket is what I say.” He nodded and she offered him the chair next to where she’d been sitting when he’d entered. “Addie tells me that you’re a wolf.”
“I am. All my brothers are. Dad too.” Clemmie looked at their sire and decided that she really liked him. He was a flirt, but she was pretty sure that the man did it harmlessly. “My mother wasn’t, but she passed on some years ago.”
“You know what she can do? Addie, I mean. She told you what kinds of things she can do?” He looked at Addie, then smiled. “You love her?”
“With my very dying breath I will love her forever.” It was the best answer she could have hoped for. “And yes, she told me, told all of us. Not all at first, but we know.”
“You don’t know it all and you might not ever know. I’m still finding out things myself.” He didn’t say anything but watched Addie as she was called away. “I didn’t tell anyone what I was, what I could do. My mother thought it best that no one know. Back in my day, people would have not taken it well.”
“They wouldn’t now either, but I can understand what you mean. She could be exploited as well as hurt. And I think she’s been hurt enough for several lifetimes.” The more this boy spoke to her, the more she liked him. “I don’t want her money.”
That shocked her. “And why not? Not good enough for you? Or are you just telling me that so you think I’ll like you more?”
She knew better. The touch to his hand had given her all she needed to know about the young man and how much he sincerely loved her Addie. But when he wrapped both his hands around hers and looked her in the eye, she got more than she’d bargained for.
The pain of losing his mother. The hurt of finding Addie and not being able to help her. She found that not only did he love Addie, but he worshiped her. His childhood was there as well. The fights with his brothers and the way that they protected one another. His love for his father, the respect that he gave him that was never asked for. And most of all, she saw that while he was happy to meet her, Jarrett Emerson did not need her approval for anything.
“You think you’re very smart, don’t you?” He gave her a cheeky grin and she nearly joined him. “I don’t think I like you one bit.”
He stood then and kissed her on the cheek. “Yes you do. And you’re going to love me when you get to know me better.”
Clemmie was still mulling over the young man, liking him even more, when Slone sat down on her right and Jack on her left. She liked them as well, but Slone was a little harder to get anything on.
“So?” Jack asked her, and Clemmie asked her what she meant. “Do you like him? Not that it matters in the long run, but you should know that fucking with our family is like fucking with your bank account. It’ll get your fingers burned.”