Wolf Bite (Wolf Cove #2) (15 page)

“But isn’t he, like, Wolf’s
guy
?”

Andy shrugs. “Wolf’s gone so why keep him up here?”

“Nah. That doesn’t make sense. He’s one of the favorites on
staff. He must have done something to piss Wolf off.”

“Like I said. Don’t know anything.” Andy’s gaze flickers to
mine for a moment before focusing on his dinner.

Andy does know something: that I slept with Michael the
night before he was shipped off.

I drop my focus to my plate.

“Wonder if it has anything to do with what happened with
Wolf’s brother. You guys heard about that, right?” Corbin asks.

“Right, I saw him storm through the lobby all bloodied. He
left on his helicopter right after,” Connor says, clearly unconcerned. “Sounds
like Wolf and him got into a fistfight. I would have loved to see that.” A
pause, and then he turns to me. “Hey, were you there to see that?”

“No. I came after.” I stuff another sprout into my mouth and
chew slowly.

“Damn... his own brother. That’s pretty cold. Wonder what
that was about?” I feel Ronan watching me as he takes a sip of his beer, and it
prickles the hairs on the back of my neck.

And here I was, thinking guys didn’t gossip.

Ronan thinks that fight was about me. But it wasn’t. It was
about his brother trying to have Henry framed for rape and pushed out of the
family business, I want to say.

Then again, why am I even defending Henry?

“Probably has something to do with finding out he got his
brother’s sloppy seconds,” Corbin says through mouthfuls.

“Which chick?” Connor asks.

“The one in Penthouse Two.”

“Damn.” Connor nods his approval, while my chest tightens. I’m
not going to sit here and hear details of what these guys may have caught on a
security camera. I quietly gather my dishes, hoping to duck out without notice.

No such luck.

“Hey. Where are you going? We’re just getting started. It’s
your inaugural night as part of the crew.” Connor scrapes the last forkful of
food off his plate, having inhaled his dinner. Ronan’s not far behind him.

“I have to call home and then shower,” I lie. I’m getting so
good at lying.

“You must be sore after
working so hard all day. Need any help in the shower?”

My cheeks flush. There are at
least ten guys within ear shot. “No.”

Connor’s rich blue eyes peer
up at me. “I’m serious.”

“So am I. Where’s Tillie, by
the way?” And why would she put up with a guy who so openly flirts with
everyone?

“Probably working. I don’t
know.” His gaze drops to my chest. “We have an understanding.”

An understanding. I roll my
eyes. What I’ll never understand is how these people treat sex so casually.

“We’ll be here if you change your mind!” he hollers after me
as I drop my tray on the counter.

“I won’t,” I mutter under my breath as I leave the lodge,
intent on a quick shower and then bed. But when I hear laughter as I approach my
cabin, I’m forced to continue on past it.
Great
. I can’t even hide out
in peace.

Chapter Eighteen

I spot the staff beach, a small sandy inlet with a
couple of canoes and kayaks and a paddleboat. It’s empty at this time of day,
which means I won’t have to talk to anyone.

I stroll down the dock, a single stretch of three four-foot
sections—tiny compared to the one that receives the ferries and other boats—and
perch myself on the end where I can wallow in my own misery.

Curious to see what Mama found so offensive about that
picture, I pull my phone out of my pocket and open up Twitter to check the Wolf
Hotel account. I’d never been on Twitter before coming to Alaska, but Autumn
got me on it, insisting that any good assistant should keep an eye out for
things posted online about her boss, when her boss is Henry Wolf.

Sure enough, several media outlets posted pictures from Saturday
night’s gala, including plenty of Henry in his tux, looking as dashing as he
does in real life.

If only people knew what a complete asshole he can be when
you piss him off.

It takes a bit of scrolling, but I find the picture that
must have Mama all up in arms. I’m standing behind Henry and to the right. I
could easily pass for mid-to-late twenties in this picture, my hair a glossy
deep red with auburn and gold highlights, my cheekbones high and defined so
nicely. Katie’s super-bra makes my breasts stand front and center and my waist
even tinier than it normally looks next to them. The skirt is a few inches
above my knee, which would irk Mama some, but it’s not like my butt is hanging
out. And my legs look incredible in the heels I borrowed from Rachel, my calf
muscles straining just like hers were the day I admired her.

I don’t think I’ve ever looked at a picture of myself and
truly loved the way I looked. And I’ve never looked sexy. Not until now.

No wonder Mama thinks I look like a jezebel.

I’m just sliding my phone back into my pocket when it rings,
startling me. I close my eyes and heave a sigh, dreading the number from home
showing up on the screen again. I swear, if Mama is calling to give me more
grief, I’m going to scream.

But it’s not Mama.

It’s Jed.

I don’t know if that’s worse or better.

“Abigail! Hey. I wasn’t sure you’d answer.”

I instantly pick up on that apologetic tone—low and soft,
and contrite. The one Jed always used on me when he had upset me.

“What’s up?” I’ll bet Mama just got off the phone with the
Enderbeys, recapping our entire conversation.

“Nothing much. I just realized how long it’s been since I
heard your voice. It’s been forever.”

“Yeah, it has been.”
That’s because you cheated on me.

“So what have you been up to in Alaska? Making friends and
stuff?”

I haven’t really made much of an effort, to be honest, so
wrapped up with Henry. Kind of sad, really. Not that I’m going to tell Jed
that. “Yeah. I’ve made some decent friends.”

“And you changed your hair?”

Great. First Mama, now Jed.
“I saw the pics and I
think I looked great. So if you’re calling to tell me I look like a jezebel,
I’m going to hang up on you, Jed.”

“Whoa! Whoa, relax.” He chuckles. “You didn’t look like a
jezebel. You looked good. Like,
really
good. Just... not like the
Abigail I remember.”

“I’m not her anymore.” I’m not sure who I am.

“Yeah, I’m getting that feeling.” There’s a hint of
something in his voice. “So... are you, like...”

“Just spit it out, Jed.”

“Are you seeing someone?”

I hesitate, so tempted to lie. But then I’d no doubt be
dealing with another phone call from Mama tonight. “No.”

He heaves what sounds like a sigh of relief. “That’s what I
told your Mama, but she’s all worried.”

Why? Why is Jed so sure I’m not with anyone?

And why the hell is he calling me?

Suddenly I want to make him uncomfortable. “So, how’s
Cammie?” We’ve never talked openly about her. I’ve never so much as uttered her
name to him. It’s been like a curse word.

He stumbles over his words. “Fine. Uh... we take turns
driving back and forth on weekends to see each other. It’s a long way. A lot of
gas. And she doesn’t really love Greenbank or spending so much time around the
church, which is kind of a problem, seeing how involved our family is.” He
pauses. “She’s not you, Abigail. I miss you.”

A month ago, I was dying to hear him say that. To give me
hope that this was all a terrible nightmare that I’d wake up from eventually.
But now I hear it and it just reminds me how pathetic I was for not whipping
that promise ring at his head the day I caught him cheating on me.

I still have that stupid thing sitting in a box on my little
ledge by my bed. I’m going to chuck it into the water the first chance I get.

I don’t know if this call is his first step in trying to
gain a reconciliation, or keep me on the leash he thinks he still has me on,
but either way, I won’t let him worm his way in, not when I’m so vulnerable.
“No, she won’t ever be me, but that was your choice and now you’re stuck with
her. Or you can find someone else. It doesn’t matter, because we’re over.”

I imagined saying something like that in my head more than
once, but it always ended in what-if questions.
What if I regret it? What if
I say it and I can’t ever take it back?

But now I’ve said it out loud and I haven’t crumpled with
instant remorse. In fact, it felt oddly liberating. Jed has all but vanished
from my thoughts since I’ve come to Alaska.

All because of Henry.

The man who has left me brimming with a full range of
emotions. Who I began to care for deeply. Who has lied to me, hurt me,
threatened me.

Who I have blackmailed.

Who maybe, just maybe, I may have hurt. Because why else
would he so swiftly fire Michael? Why else would he so quickly turn so cruel?

It will never excuse the fact that he slept with Roshana and
her friend on Saturday night, and that’s the only reason I was even in
Michael’s bed that night. He probably thought I wouldn’t find out. He, of all
people, should know how word spreads around here. Cameras, everywhere. Eyes,
everywhere.

Or maybe he just plain didn’t care if I ever found out,
because he also assumed I’d accept it, the same way that I basically accepted
how badly Jed treated me.

If there is one positive outcome to this entire mess with
Henry, it’s that my small-town farm-girl naivety has been effectively squashed.

“Come on, Abigail.”

So lost in my thoughts, I forgot that I have Jed in my ear.
“Come on, what?” I wipe away the tear that trickles down my cheek. Not for Jed.
For the cruel disappointment that is Henry.

“You know we’re meant to be together.”

I watch a family of ducks float along the edge of the water,
weaving in and out of the rocky shoreline, three of the four little ducklings
following their mama in a row while the fourth veers off course, earning a loud
squawk of annoyance until it gets back in line. Only to veer away again, like
it wants to go on its own path.  “We
were
meant to be together, and then
you broke us. And honestly? I think I’m glad you did. Otherwise I’d still be
floating along in the line like that duck, going exactly where Mama wants me to
go.” I’m in a world of hurt and anger right now, and yet for some reason I
still don’t regret coming to Alaska, or falling for Henry. I probably should.

Maybe I’ve gone from being pathetic to just plain screwed
up.

“Duck? What duck?”

“The family of ducks on the water! The ones—” I roll my eyes
at myself. Why am I explaining anything to Jed? “Nothing.”

“Don’t tell me you don’t still love me. We’ll be more than
friends again one day. You’ll see. You’re just being stubborn but, whether you
realize it or not, you’re waiting for me.”

Jed always was a bit too confident for his own good. I’d
grown so used to it that I never really noticed it anymore. But now I do, and
it sparks the fit of rage that should have hit me when he told me to wait for him—to
save myself for him—all those months ago.

“I am
not
waiting for you! And it’s Abbi,
not
Abigail!” My voice echoes across the cove, sending the ducks speeding away and
likely disturbing guests at the hotel. I hang up and stick my phone into my
pocket before I do what I really want to do right now—pitch it as far as I can
into the water so I never have to talk to anyone from Greenbank, Pennsylvania, again.

“So she
can
get angry.”

I gasp and jump at the deep male voice before heaving a
sigh. “What do you want, Ronan?”

His boots scrape across the dock. “You’re in my spot.”

“
Your
spot?”

“I come down here every night after dinner. So, yeah, it’s
my spot.” He eases down beside me, crossing his legs beneath him. In one hand
he has a beer, and the other a cigarette, which surprises me because I never
saw him smoke at work.

“Fine.” I make to stand.

“I’m kidding. Stay for a bit.” He sticks the cigarette between
his lips and flicks the lighter to it. When he peers over to see me glaring at
him and it, he merely shrugs.

We sit in silence, me staring out at the water and trying to
memorize the beauty of this peaceful night, the sun still high in the sky, the water
calm and blue, while Ronan quietly puffs away, the stench of the smoke wafting
through the air.

“You’re polluting Alaska.”

“Yeah, I know, but it goes hand in hand with the beer.” He
adjusts himself and his leg bumps against mine.

I instinctively pull back, tucking my knees up under my
arms, to rest my chin on and bring some warmth to my body. The evening chill is
already in the air, and I’m wishing I brought a warmer sweater.

“Who was the guy on the phone?”

“Nobody.”

“Nobody that you’re not waiting for?”

“Exactly.”

He takes another long drag. “So, he cheated on you?”

I frown and replay my conversation.

“Cammie,” he offers.

Great. Ronan was standing there and listening for awhile.

I don’t answer.

“How long were you two together?”

“Why?”

He chuckles. “You don’t trust me, do you?”

“Why would I trust you?” I turn to take in those haunting
green eyes of his, amusement sparkling in them. “I know what
you
want.
I’ve seen firsthand what you want, so don’t sit here and pretend to care while
you look for my weak spots.”

“I never said I cared, and don’t worry—” A wry smile touches
his lips. “—I can already peg you inside and out, including all your weak
spots.”

I’m pretty sure I don’t want to hear what Ronan thinks of
me, and yet I can’t stop myself from provoking him. “I doubt that.”

He smirks as if hearing the challenge. Pausing to take a long
sip of his beer, he unleashes his thoughts on me. “You’ve been a nice girl and
a good daughter all your life. You use your manners, you look for ways to help
people, you’re constantly looking for approval from everyone around you, always
listening to what your parents and teachers and church ask you to do, never
wanting to piss people off. The thought of being away from your family for an
entire summer was never something you would have imagined.

“But then something happened—something to do with that guy
on the phone, I’m guessing—and you decided to run as far away as you could to
get away from it. That’s why you’re in Alaska. Am I right so far?” He breaks to
take a puff of his cigarette.

And I struggle to keep my mouth from hanging open.

“What I can’t figure out is if you were a virgin before you
let Aspen in you, or not. I’m guessing whatever you had with the guy back home
was PG-13 or straight lights-off, missionary style.”

I keep my gaze on the ducks, unwilling to give him any
answers with my eyes, even as my cheeks burn. How does he know about Michael?

“Oh yeah. What’d you think was going to come up a second
after you left the dining table? You thought the Aussie was going to keep your
little secret?” Ronan chuckles and it makes me want to punch him. “Then again,
it wouldn’t make sense if you gave it up to Aspen after holding out on someone special
back home. I mean, I know Aspen was hung up on you; he wouldn’t stop talking
about you since he met you at Wolf’s. But you’re not the type to just run into
a guy, go back to his place and fuck him, no matter how upset you are over
walking in on me with your roommates. How’d you like watching that, by the
way?”

“I.... You’re depraved.” I wonder what kind of home life he
has. It can’t be good. His parents are probably criminals and drug addicts.

He smirks. “You think that now. But when you stop being
ashamed of what you want, you’ll see that there’s more than one kind of
friendship.”

“
That
won’t be happening.” I move to get up.

“I saw the look in your eyes, Abbi. You can keep lying to
yourself but don’t bother lying to me. You were more than just curious. There’s
no way seeing that is what made you so upset. Something else—or someone—did
something to you. To hurt you bad.”

I don’t like the edge in Ronan’s voice. Like there’s a
secret lingering on the tip of his tongue.

He takes another long puff of his cigarette. “Must have been
something, working with a guy like Wolf day in, day out.”

And there it is.

My stomach drops instantly.

Ronan’s not fishing for information. He actually knows. Or
strongly suspects.

I squeeze my eyes shut against the panic, biting my tongue
to keep me from begging him not to voice his suspicions. Waiting for him to add
on his price for silence. Something sick and corrupt, no doubt.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to say a word about it. To
anyone.”

Liar.
This is horrible. Will Ronan be my undoing?

“Look at me, red.”