The Wolf's Heart Page 14

  “Oh!” She threw up her hands and his smile widened. “My God! You’re overdosing on boobs! Stop it, look at my eyes!” She stalked the rest of the way down the stairs, and he wondered if getting out of the line of breasts would help.

  It didn’t. “I can see your navel!” he gasped.

  “You can’t!” She looked down and pulled out the dress to see if maybe he was telling the truth. Marcus leaned over to see, too. There was a choking sound in the sudden silence. Lainie clasped her bodice back to her breasts.

  Allen stepped from the shadows. “Mr. Bei, the car is ready.” He said nothing else, but his gaze spoke volumes. Marcus’s lips twitched and he grabbed her hand.

  They practically ran from the house and slid into the limo so fast they almost bowled Mick over. Once the car was underway, they looked at one another and broke out into peals of laughter.

  “He’s like a disapproving schoolteacher,” Lainie choked out when she finally subsided.

  Marcus snorted and shook his head. “Well, at least we know you won’t fall out of the dress.”

  “How’s that?” she asked.

  “You did the bounce test when you stumbled on the way out the door,” he pointed out.

  “You were dragging me. I don’t think my feet touched the ground at all.” Her eyes were shining and her face was flushed. She looked so beautiful that his heart ached. “What are you staring at me like that?”

  “Nothing, just looking at the belle of the ball.”

  She made sputtering noises and waved her hand, dismissing his comment.

  But he moved to take her hand in his. “I mean it. You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me. Inside and out.”

  “Marcus,” she whispered. “You are a dangerous man.”

  He jerked back in shock, wondering what she knew. “How so?”

  “I could fall, easy.” She squeezed his hand bringing his attention to their intertwined fingers. Hers seemed so small in comparison. He liked the contrasts between them, he was hard where she was soft.

  “I’ll catch you, Lainie.”

  “Really?”

  “Always.” He rubbed her knuckles and smiled when she shivered. “I love the way you respond to my touch.”

  “I love the way you touch me,” she admitted easily. “You are so sexy, Marcus.” She kissed him softly. “Handsome and kind and hmm.”

  He stroked the tops of her breasts. The tempting mounds of flesh trembled with each breath she took. He could smell her perfume was floral and soft but underlying all this was the sweet, musky scent of her sex, and it was torture. “‘Hmm’? What’s that one mean?” he teased, keeping his voice light.

  All he really wanted to do was toss her down on the seat of the limo, maybe on her belly on the opposite side. He’d throw that skirt up over her head. His cock hardened when he imagined her ass in the air, her pussy spread wide for him to fuck her until she screamed. If he tried it right now, she’d have a fit about her hair and makeup, but it gave him something to look forward to on the trip back home.

  “It’s how you make me feel, now stop it.” She moved away and straightened her dress.

  Lainie kept her hand in Marcus’s the whole time, drawing strength from him to calm her nerves. She had a feeling that tonight would change her in some way, forever.

  As a reporter, she went with her hunches, her gut instincts, whatever you called them. More often than not, she was right. This made her good at her job, that and the determined way she went after the truth. Marcus would call it stubborn. She preferred tenacious.

  Words were her weapons, after all. With them, she fought against injustice whenever she could. Sweatshops, price gouging, illegal imports, political corruption, none of them were safe from Elaine Westerbrook. She’d made sure that her name was one that struck if not fear, then at least irritation in the hearts of those who profited off the misery of others. And now, she had a personal stake in her story.

  Jade Marks was missing, maybe dead by now. Lainie shook her head even as she thought it. She wasn’t dead. She’d know it in her heart. She had the strangest feeling this story concerned her as well. She fought the fog that always permeated her brain when she tried to remember.

  “What are you thinking about that has you scowling?” Marcus’s deep voice cut into her thoughts.

  “Jade. She’s so smart, you know. She was going to change the world.”

  “Everybody wants to do that,” Marcus pointed out.

  “She studied anthropology. She’d laugh and say she was studying the earth’s most virulent parasite but she loved people, children especially. The children took most of her money when she went off on her trips. She’s been to Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, everywhere. I envied her, somewhat.” Lainie shivered, instinctively seeking his warmth. “Now, I feel guilty. The first thing I thought when she called and that thing—” Her eyes fluttered when she tried to talk about it.

  Marcus noticed it and knew it was her fighting against the hypnosis or whatever Joanna and David did to her.

  She continued, with a dogged expression on her face. “The first thing I thought was that I was so glad that it wasn’t me. I would be so scared.”

  “You don’t have to be scared. I’ll protect you.” Marcus’s words sounded formal, because they were. It was a vow that he intended to keep. “I—”

  Mick opened the door, cutting off whatever he’d been about to say. It was probably for the best, he’d been about to make a declaration, one of possession and devotion. This wasn’t the time or place. The enemy was within, and he had to be ready for anything.

  He helped Lainie out of the car. The ball was being held in the city’s largest hotel, to raise money for hunger in some obscure Third-World country. While his company contributed to charities, he didn’t do it for the publicity like Caulder did. A stray thought occurred to him that proved Lainie’s wild theory correct. Caulder used his pet cause to travel to out-of-the-way spots and check out prospective humans for his experiments. Who would miss them? Disgust washed through him at the very idea of using people. To cover it up with a false charity made it even worse.

  The fountain was lit up and the water splashing soothed him, if only slightly. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, telling him that someone was watching them. He searched the facade of the building and at the topmost window, a shadow moved, confirming his suspicions.

  Marcus squinted in the growing gloom then snarled as the shadow tilted his head at a familiarly arrogant angle. His father was here! That son of a bitch Caulder had the audacity to parade the deposed leader of the pack in front of the new leader. He refused to take this insult lying down—

  He stopped his thoughts of vengeance and looked at Lainie. Tonight, he’d do nothing but watch her. However, he’d make sure Jacob Caulder knew of his displeasure at the soonest opportunity available.

  He gave Lainie a mischievous smile and looped her arm through his. “Come on, darlin’.” His emphasis on the endearment made her eyes sparkle. “Let’s go and show these people what they’re missing.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked when they reached the top of the stairs.

  His grin got even wider. “We’ll be the envy of everybody here.”

  “Um, why?” She frowned, still puzzled. But she was no longer as nervous and that was his aim.

  “We’re both here with the hottest people in the room,” he whispered right before they reached the entrance. He put his hand on her lower back and left it there, showing everyone, including his father just who she belonged to.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Samuel watched as his son moved through the room with Elaine on his arm as if he had every right to touch her. He gripped the banister so hard the wood creaked beneath his hands. Splinters bit into his palms, but he ignored the sting.

  Instead, he stayed in the shadows. High above the ballroom, he had a vantage point so that he could watch those he wished without being seen. Marcus had seen him. Samuel knew it but he couldn’t bring h
imself to care. The boy, the usurper, cast him out of his own kingdom, never to return. And now, he flaunted Samuel’s own Breeder beneath his nose. “Damn you.”

  Marcus smiled down at her and she returned the gesture. The whole display was sickening, unworthy of a Bei, not to mention a Lupin. Never show affection while in public. When they got out on the dance floor and his son took her into his arms. Though he wanted to turn away, he found himself glued to the sight of her.

  She belonged to Marcus; it was obvious in every line of her body. The way she tilted her head toward his, looked into his eyes and leaned into his touch. Samuel vowed to make Elaine his again, if only temporarily.

  Samuel wasn’t above forcing himself on her to get her with his child. She’d be afraid to tell Marcus who the father really was. Women hid those things, instinctively. Hadn’t Diana done this as well? The bitch had lied. Those puling pups were some by-blows she had attempted to foist off on him, but he knew the truth. None of his seed could have been such abominations. He refused to believe it.

  Marcus was his son. He was strong and cunning, a son to be proud of, in other circumstances, but then he’d turned on his father, hadn’t he? Samuel turned to watch for a few more minutes. His mind whirled with thoughts of revenge. He smiled down at them. “Soon, you will pay, both of you.” He turned on his heel and left the balcony.

  Below in the main ballroom, Lainie remained oblivious to anyone but Marcus. She moved within the circle of his arms, content to enjoy the moment for now. Soon, she’d have to go and find Mr. Caulder or one of his many subordinates and question them. But for right now, she was attempting to look like any other partygoer.

  She forced herself to mingle, aware that her escort watched her closely. She danced with a few of the more influential people of Tucson. All she got for her trouble were a few indecent proposals and a grope or two. Through it all, she kept looking, hoping to find something that screamed conspiracy to her. Yeah, right, like there was going to be a big old honkin’ neon sign pointing the way to her story. She sighed and looked down at her glass of punch, wishing it were something stronger.

  “Aw, come on. You don’t have to give up yet.” Marcus pulled her into his arms as the band started to play a waltz. She let him lead, the feel of his arms around her made her breathing quicken and her heart thunder in her ears.

  He must have noticed because he leered down the front of her dress. “When can we go home?” he asked with a little boy expression on his face that didn’t fool her for an instant. Little boys had much different toys to play with than a grown woman. She readily admitted, at least in the privacy of her mind, that he could mold her with his hands. She cast about for an innocuous topic of conversation to distract herself from her lustful thoughts. “Marcus, you dance wonderfully.”

  “It’s all in the hips.” He winked at her.

  She noticed him scanning the room and leaned closer to him. “Who are you looking for? Is there an old flame that’s going to come up and scratch my eyes out?” She looked around suspiciously.

  “None would dare.” He laughed.

  “Am I that much of a badass?” She felt smug until his next words burst her bubble.

  “No, but I am.” He still seemed distracted.

  “Is there someone here you don’t want to see? If they come up, give me a signal. I’ll get the cramps or something,” she told him, willing to take one for the team.

  “How would they know?”

  “I’d tell them, in full and vivid detail.”

  He threw back his head and laughed and every eye in the room turned in their direction. So much for her keeping a low profile. She glared at a few of the more interested looking women, just to make sure they knew that he was hers. Lainie stumbled as that thought struck her right between the eyes.

  “Are you alright?” Marcus’s embrace tightened, solicitously.

  “Y-yes. I just remembered something is all.” As if she’d ever been able to forget it.

  “What’s that?” His hand inched up her side, getting infinitesimally closer to the bottom of her breast. For one thing, he was dangerous to her equilibrium, not to mention her sanity, and for another he was an octopus.

  She decided to keep that to herself. “Just a file I have to transfer when I get home. Hey, by the way, where is my backpack from the other night?”

  “The one you had when you were trying to make a break for it?” He arched his brow at her.

  “Um, yes.”

  “I think it’s in your room, why?”

  “Just wondering.” She put her arms around his shoulders and fiddled with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Pretty man, you know, you have the longest eyelashes.” She made a jealous moue` with her mouth. “I think you use mascara.”

  “I’m all natural.” He twirled her in a circle. “No artificial additives or preservatives.” Marcus moved them toward one of the curtained alcoves that contained seats for the people to rest and discuss their business privately. He seated her then started to sit in the chair beside her.

  A sardonic laugh halted him in mid-motion. “Now, Marcus. You know better than that. There are always additives. For people like us, especially.”

  Marcus snarled as Jacob Caulder stepped from the shadows with a sinister smile on his face. “Caulder, I didn’t think you’d show up tonight. I wanted to applaud you on your choice of seconds.”

  “Small world and all that.” Jacob leaned over the back of her chair.

  She sat motionless, the tension in the room alerting her to the fact that everything wasn’t as it should be. Her instincts screamed at her to run, but she refused to back down. His handsome exterior did nothing to hide the rotten core she could sense beneath.

  Jacob’s brows rose as he admired the view down the front of her dress. Marcus’s teeth ground together, audible in the small, closed space.

  Jacob just smirked. “Speaking of seconds, nice of you to bring a snack to the party. Did you bring enough for everybody?”

  Lainie stiffened and opened her mouth to give him what for when she met Marcus’s eyes. She subsided, and glared down at her hands instead. Marcus looked relaxed, bored even, but she knew he was angry.

  “Ms. Westerbrook, as your date is being impolite, allow me to introduce myself. “ Jacob came around to the side of her chair and took her hand in his. “My name is Jacob Caulder, and I am very much at your service.” He kissed her knuckles and gazed into her eyes with his own cold blue ones.

  She noticed that Jacob put her between himself and Marcus and thought how telling that was. The chicken. She straightened her shoulders and blinked at him innocently. “How sweet. And here I thought I was setting myself up for an insurmountable task.” She leaned forward as if to speak to him in confidence. “I know it’s really a man’s job, but you see, I have this need to know.”

  “To know what?” Jacob started to draw back; perhaps he had some inkling as to what she had in mind.

  “Who do you think you’re fooling?” She narrowed her eyes. “You’ve reached the end of your rope, Mr. Caulder. I feel it’s only fair to warn you that I am onto you. I will find out what you’ve done with them and when I do, you will be sorry you were ever born.”

  “Really?” His smile was slow and sharp. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ll yell it from the rooftops.”

  “What exactly will you yell?” He looked innocently puzzled, but Lainie didn’t buy that for a second.

  “You have my friend, I want her back. If I have to go through you to get her, I will. And in the meantime, I’ll take your little empire apart, brick by brick.”

  “You have no proof behind these allegations, Ms. Westerbrook. I suggest you use your pretty little mouth to please your man and keep it shut. Otherwise I’ll sue you and your paper, am I making myself quite clear?” He glared down at her.

  “Yes, very. I’ll get proof, and if you think I don’t know about Sam, you’ve got another think coming. I know what he’s doing. The public will know about
it too, when I’m done.” Venom dripped from her words.

  “She’s cute, Marcus. I hope she’s a good fuck to make up for this tendency to run her mouth though, otherwise, I pity you.” He laughed when his words hit their mark.

  Marcus stood and moved to stand beside Lainie’s chair. “Pity me all you want, Jacob. Just do it from the other side of the room, preferably the other side of the fucking planet.”

  “Be seeing you.” Jacob stood to go then stopped and gave Lainie a thorough once over. “You know, she’s almost worth the trouble. But, I’d suggest buying an industrial-strength gag for that smart mouth though.” He laughed and shook his head, before slipping through the curtain.

  She snarled and started to go after him but Marcus stopped her by standing in front of the chair and hemming her in.

  “You will sit down and be still. Don’t.” He put up his hand when she opened her mouth to protest. “Listen to me. I won’t have you chasing after that man.”

  “I wouldn’t piss on him if his guts were on fire.” Her teeth were clenched so tightly a muscle in her jaw ticked.

  “Yeah, I hear you, and I do sympathize, but you can’t do this in the open. Caulder is an important man, powerful, untouchable. Until you prove otherwise, he’s a shining example of the perfect businessman. And David has a lot to answer for about your potty mouth.”

  “He’s a thief and a marauder of innocents.” She drew herself up in the chair.

  “Marauder of what? Lainie, you sound like a damn spinster who’s spent the night with a thesaurus. Calm down, keep your cool and come back to fight again. He has people in this room who will kill you without a qualm. I can protect you, but I’m not invulnerable.”

  “He’s here.” Her voice quivered for the first time.

  “Who?”

  She took a deep breath and let it out. “I know it’s your father. I felt him looking at me earlier.”

  “How do you know it was him?”

  “It makes me feel sick when he looks at me. It gives me the willies. I’m sorry, I know he’s your father and all, but I can’t stand him.” She shivered and rubbed her arms.