Howling Moon (32 page)

* * *

The “couple of
stops” took a couple
of hours,
so that by the time they drove up Raphael’s driveway, it was nearing dark.

He turned off the Jeep and opened his door. Cat started to do the same when his voice eased into her mind.

Remember, you have to get out on my side. She stopped and released the handle, having nearly forgotten the plan they’d devised. Wait until I bend down to fix my boot.

She was still having a hard time grasping that for the past several hours, anyone watching the Jeep would believe that Raphael was alone. He’d used his illusion magic to make her disappear completely, so that even if reporters had followed them from place to place, they would have no idea she was with him. But it was harder to hide a car door opening of its own accord.

He looked so absolutely natural as he got out as though she didn’t exist. He glanced down at his foot and men twisted his leg as though he couldn’t quite see the problem with something at his heel. When he stepped forward, out of the way of the door opening and bent down to fiddle with the boot, she slid out and stood motionless back a few paces until he shut the driver’s door. She watched with unabashed admiration at the play of muscles under his white cotton shirt and jeans as he opened the rear door and removed the packages they’d purchased at several different stores. The wind toyed with his curls and brought color to his cheeks. But what made her eyes really light up was the file under his arm that he’d retrieved from a safe deposit box in town miles to the northeast of Boulder.

The file on Jack.

She was nearly salivating, wanting to look through it – and yet, was terrified to see his history of torture and murder of other women that looked like her. She remembered a television special about serial killer Ted Bundy, and when the photos of all of the dead girls had flashed on the screen, she was shocked that they all looked alike. Even the hairstyles and smiles were the same. No doubt the file in Raphael’s hand would be the same – dozens of women that looked just like her. All of them dead. But it had to be done.

She walked into the house after he turned the key and kicked open the door awkwardly, appearing to juggle his packages without dropping them. He pushed the door shut with his foot as well and then proceeded to set down the packages and draw the curtains. He motioned her into the kitchen where the blinds were already down and closed, glanced at a box on the wall with a blinking red light that was making a hig-pitched buzzing noise, and then let out a slow breath.

“Okay,” he said in a normal voice. “We should be fine here. The box on the wall over there is a radio frequency jammer. I asked Raven to install it the day we met, when I knew I might be going up against Jack again. Most likely, Raven included whatever new technology he could find at Wolven headquarters. I have no clue what all it does, but nobody should be able to hear a thing inside this house, regardless of what gadgets he uses. Even Sazi senses should be muddied by the buzzing.”

Cat shook her head as he spoke. “I see what you mean. It’s not quite an annoying sound, but I have to really focus on you to understand what you’re saying.”

Raphael smiled. “I can’t say that I mind you’ll have to focus on me all evening. Or vice-versa.”

The look in his eyes made her blush. It shouldn’t have. They’d already had sex, and she was hungry for his touch again. But this look was deeper, somehow different, and she couldn’t help her reaction.

They stared at each other for a long moment over the center island. Raphael started toward her, but then stopped, as though changing his mind. Instead, he asked in a light tone, “How about some dinner? You had lunch with Raven, but I haven’t eaten all day. We can go over the file afterward.”

Cat shrugged. “Sure. I could eat. What did you have in mind?”

Raphael walked to the refrigerator and glanced inside. “Let’s see. We have eggs, bread, some leftover baked potatoes, and some of my world-famous green chile.” He pointed at the counter over the top of the open fridge door and Cat’s gaze followed. She smiled when she noted the high-end coffeemaker. “How about you brew up some coffee and I make huevos rancheros?”

She nodded and started toward the counter, searching for where the coffee might be. He motioned to the cupboard above her with his chin, his arms loaded with supplies. She opened the cabinet door and let out a delighted squeal that nearly made him drop the egg carton.

“What’s the matter?” he asked with alarm, moving quickly toward her.

She removed a box with a distinctive brown and gold logo from the lower shelf almost reverently. “You drink Gevalia Kaffe – and even Breakfast Blend! Awesome! This is my absolute
favorite
coffee! Where in the world do you buy it around here? I’ve looked absolutely
everywhere!”

He chuckled at the reason for her squeal and turned back toward the island. “It’s what Jake uses at the restaurant, so when he orders he makes sure he gets me a few pounds.”

Cat raised her eyebrows. Even though she’d worked there, she hadn’t known that. “Really? No
wonder
I like the coffee there! How can a restaurant afford such pricey ground?”

Raphael let out a little growl and his scent matched the frustrated tone. “Before the whole
credit
fiasco, the restaurant made pretty good money. Not enough to retire on, but my brother raised all five girls comfortably. I suppose Jake kept trying to convince himself that it would get better, so he never stopped his regular supply orders.”

She spooned out the coffee into the filter, and tried to keep her tone light. She was curious about so
many
things about Raphael, but didn’t want to seem nosy. “You say he’s your brother, but you have different last names. Are you steps?”

She heard the sound of eggs cracking and turned with coffee pot in hand to fill it at the sink. “No,” he replied, his scent not revealing any anger or concern. “We’re not actually related. But when I got kicked out of the house by my stepfather as a kid for being too aggressive, Jake’s parents took me in as a foster kid. I wasn’t easy for them* but they got me turned around. After they died… well, Jake and the girls are the closest thing I have to family.”

She finished filling the coffeemaker and turned it on, then took a seat at the table to watch him cook. “But you have kids, right? Holly said you have more than just Raven.”

He glanced at her a bit nervously. “Did Holly explain the breeding program? Do you understand how that works, and what I did as Second of this pack?”

She nodded and watched as he took a casual whiff of air from her direction. She didn’t mind that he was checking her reaction. It actually didn’t bother her. “Yeah. I still think it’s a little weird, but I guess no more than a surrogate mother is. You’re just a surrogate
father.
But do you treat them like
your
kids? Do they even know who you are?”

The pan he was tending started to sizzle and he added chopped onions and peppers to the egg and potato mixture. “Oh, sure. They all know me. Their parents explain it to them when they’re pretty young. I get school photos every year and Christmas cards from the parents. Sometimes I’ll get the odd wedding invitation, and a few even send me birthday cards. But I only really got to
raise
Raven. Star made sure that I was involved in all the major decisions, and we did the whole visitation rights thing when he was a kid. He moved in here with me in his sophomore year. He turned really late, and it was hard for him. He’s probably the one who understands most what
you’re
going through. He had a life, friends, plans for his future – until he turned. He lost it all.”

Cat felt her brow furrow. “Why did he lose it all just because he turned?”

Raphael glanced at her with a sad expression. “He was a football player, and a good one. All-state running back where he lived with his mom. He had his pick of colleges, even as a sophomore, and scouts for the pros were already knocking. But Sazis can’t compete with humans. It’s not allowed. One wrong scratch during a game – “

Cat’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, my God! I never even thought of that! What about Holly? She was going to school to be a vet. That’s still okay, isn’t it?”

Raphael wouldn’t meet her eyes, but his scent was worried and angry. “What’s been happening when you walk through a neighborhood of pet owners, sweetheart?”

She thought about it. “Well, the dogs start to bark, and the stray cats will run away…” Her voice trailed off as understanding sunk home. “They’ll be
afraid
of her. Dogs, cats…
rabbits.”
She felt tears come to her eyes. “Oh, Raphael! Do you mink she knows?”

“Probably. She and Raven spent a lot of time together when he was here. He confided in her a lot. If it hasn’t occurred to her yet, it will. I think that maybe she’s trying not to consider anything past the next full moon.”

An uncomfortable silence followed, where the only sounds were the dripping coffee and frying food. She really didn’t want this evening to wallow in anger and sadness, so perhaps a subject change was in order. “So… how ‘bout them Cubbies?”

He looked at her, startled, and then burst out laughing. “Better change it to
Rockies
if you don’t want to get lynched around here.”

She stood up as she noticed the food was nearly ready to eat and wandered over to the cupboards again to find some plates and flatware. “What can I say? It was all I could think of. How about, ‘So, what do you do for fun?’ instead?”

He poured a bowlful of green…
goo
over the top of the egg mixture and put a lid on the top as she brought the dishes back to the table and set them in place. She went back and opened a few more cupboards until she found the cups and poured them each a cup.

“Hope you like your food hot,” he said. “My green chile is four-alarm. Oh, and one spoon of sugar in my coffee, please.”

She grimaced at the thought of sugar in coffee, but did as he requested. “Sugar? Ick. I’ve never had green chile, so I don’t know how I like it. But back to
fun…
”

He smiled slightly and tipped the lid off the pan to check inside. The scent of the mixture was making her mouth water. He waggled his head and replaced it, being careful not to let the moisture drip onto the stove top. “Let’s see – for fun? Well, I paint, as you saw. I play a little keyboard, but I’m not really very good. I read novels and listen to music – mostly, rock and bluegrass – and I used to play a lot of computer games. Things have been pretty hectic lately, though, so I’ve fallen off on a lot of stuff. How about you?”

A small laugh escaped her. “Ditto on everything except the painting. I can’t draw a straight line. But I
design
computer games, in addition to playing them. Oh, and I spend hours online in hacker chat rooms and love RPGs.”

Raphael raised his brows as he turned again to the skillet. “You’re a computer hacker? I thought you wrote software. By the way, I have to tell you – I was pretty damned impressed at your credentials when I saw them in the file. But I didn’t picture you as a hacker, and I don’t even
know
what an RPG is.”

She laughed, and it was the right kind of laughter – bright and happy. It felt good. “What do you think hackers are, Raphael? They write code, the same as software designers. It just depends on who you write the code
for.
I’m not a hacker, but I know a lot of them. RPGs are role-playing games – you know, Dungeons and Dragons? But a lot of the new ones are way more intricate. I should show you some of them if you have a good connection.”

“I’ve got DSL. I figured you’d want to go online once you’ve looked at the file. So, tell me about college and your family. What went sour with…
Brad,
was it?”

Cat took a deep breath. “God, where to start? Actually, college wasn’t so bad. I got lots done because I wasn’t in any clubs or cliques. It was pretty much a cakewalk. My professors all said I was a savant in computers. And, like many savants, I didn’t deal well with people. Even now, it’s hard for me – all this politics and stuff. But I have to admit, it is great training to hopefully take over Dad’s company someday.”

“Ivan mentioned your father. Said he was a brilliant computer designer, very rich and very powerful. It seems strange I never heard of him before now. Is it a big company?” Cat noticed that while Raphael tried not to appear concerned, his scent gave him away. Big company meant big investment of time and energy. She instinctively knew all of the questions it would raise in his head. Would she have to move back to run the company, or make frequent trips? Would he forever be
Mr. Turner,
like Ned was probably going to accidentally wind up
Mr. Wildethorne
when he accompanied Violet to her book signings and conferences?

She didn’t want to lie to him. He could make a conscious choice, and now was a good time to discuss it “Yeah, it’s a pretty big company. I’m not surprised you haven’t heard of TI – that’s Turner Industries. We make the stuff you
don’t
see inside a computer – the motherboards and capacitors – and do R&D on new ways to make chips faster. There’s a board of directors and management who actually run the day-to-day business, but Dad was very involved in the direction of the company – the products to manufacture and marketing. Fortunately, he did most of it by e-mail, and only visited the plant about once a month. But, yeah, it is an issue in my future,
if
the board ever decides that I’ve grown beyond the airhead flake I was ten years ago so that I can run things.”

Raphael turned to her, his expression mixed between horror and amusement. “Is that an issue? Why would they think that you hadn’t? I mean, you have a
doctorate,
for God’s sake!”

She raised one finger in the air with raised brows. “Ah, but degrees can be bought… for me right price. There was some question whether I was savant in computers, or just
rich
to have finished so quickly. Dad was trying to convince them I was talented. He helped me with some investment capital to start my own software company so I could prove… as he called it, my
business acumen,
before he turned over the reins. But men everything sort of blew up when the news about Mom hit, and then the rather… sudden end to my engagement to Brad.” She couldn’t help it. Tears welled in her eyes before she wiped them angrily away. The pain and outrage didn’t just suddenly stop because she willed it to.