Misha: Lanning's Leap (6 page)

“I’m a shifter. A
leopard actually.” He handed her the picture of himself. “They wouldn’t let me bring in my camera, so this is all I could show you.”

She stared at the picture
, and then handed it back to him. “This is supposed to be a joke. You’re trying to what, make me feel good about myself before you tear the rug out from under me? This isn’t funny, Mr. Lanning. I’d like for you to—”

Carter put his hand on her arm and let his cat shift over him. When his claws moved from his fingertips, he moved his hand off her skin to her sheet and watched as his fur encased his arm.
She didn’t say anything, but did put her hand out as if to touch him. When she stopped just short of doing it, he pressed her hand over his fur.

“I’m not a full blood, none of us are. My mother was human when she met my dad and he converted her.” She stroked his arm
, and he purred. Her laughter made him smile. “He likes you. And so you know, I would never be able to hurt you. You’re a part of my family now, and it would be impossible for any of us to hurt you.”

“The man who…the wolf. He’s real as well?
I mean, he was real?” Carter nodded, and Han burst into tears. “I really saw him. I really saw him turn into a wolf and kill the other one.”

“You did.”
He pulled his cat back but held her hand. “I have more to tell you if you think you can handle it.”

“I’m not crazy.” She put her hand over her mouth and the tears continued to flow.
“I’m not crazy. I’m as sane as you. You are sane, right?”

He laughed. “I am, I think.
I’m so glad you didn’t take this badly. I thought…well, I’m not sure what I thought, but I didn’t think you’d do so well.”

She held his hand tightly and he let her. There would be hell to pay when Misha found out
, but Carter figured he needed this as much as she did. When she nodded again, he handed her a tissue and spoke softly.

“My brother
, Misha, is your mate. I know that you have no idea what that means, but you’re basically his wife.” She started shaking her head. “Let me finish, please? I need to explain to you what we can do for you.”

“I don’t want him around me. He hates me. And…and I don’t care all that much for him either.”
She shook her head and pulled her hand from his. “Tell me the rest, but I’m not going to be his wife. Please don’t make me.”

“
He’s your mate, honey. And he is going to get you out of here. When he does, he’s going to take you to his home and provide for you. Make sure you’re safe, as all of us will do. You’ll never have to go back to your mother again. He’ll make sure of it.” Carter watched her face and could see that she wasn’t going to do this. Not for any amount of money. “Misha said that if you do this, he’ll make sure you never have to work again, that you’ll have whatever you want within reason, as well as his money.”

“His money?” Carter nodded.
“He thinks…will he want to have sex with me, too? I mean as his wife, that’s pretty much a given, right?”

Carter didn’t know how to answer her so he said it was a given.
“He’ll keep you safe. And that should be enough until you love him, right? I mean, he’s a pain in the ass most of the time, but he’d never hurt you.”

“You think so, do you?”
Carter didn’t understand the pain that he heard in her voice and tried to think how to fix this. “I’d like for you to finish whatever it is you need to tell me.”

Carter nodded.
Maybe he’d been mistaken about the pain he’d heard and wondered what was wrong with her, and concluded that it had to be from sitting for so long. So he pulled out his list and started on the things she had to do and say. “You cannot mention the wolf or the cat. When the doctor comes to evaluate you, you’ll just answer his questions as truthfully as you can, but don’t mention the wolf or my cat.”

She nodded at each point
, but she never spoke again while he finished up. Carter felt as if he’d lost something in this. Her friendship was…it was important to him that she trusted him. When he asked her if she had any questions, she told him just one.

“If this works, what is your brother going to expect from me?
I don’t mean…I know he’s going to expect something. No one would go to all this trouble for me without something in return. What is it?” He told her that it was his responsibility to care for her and nothing more. “I see. Will you have him make a list of his expectations and have it sent to me?”

“I will.”
Carter watched her face as she settled back into the bed. He wanted to tell her to forget this. That she might be better off telling them that he’d shifted partially and that she’d seen the wolf. In here she’d be safe, and Misha would…Misha wouldn’t hurt her. Because as surely as he was sitting there, Carter knew that Misha was going to hurt her.

“I’ll wait on the list then.
When you get it…when it gets here, I’ll make sure to let you know what I want to do.” Carter stood up, but before he could say anything more, his friend came in.

As he left,
Carter reached for Rider. He didn’t want to talk to Misha just yet and told Rider what she wanted. Rider said he’d ask Misha and make sure she got it.

Does she need anything else?
Carter wanted to tell him she needed everything, but told him she couldn’t have anything. Then he told him about the chair as well as the pain meds.
I’ll have Danny Hudson see that she has better care.

I’m not going to take her the list. Misha can try to make me
do it, but I won’t. I don’t think I can handle the hurt on her face when he spouts off about what he wants in this, and she gets shit.
Rider started defending Misha, but Carter cut him off.
No. She needs this list, and I really can’t blame her for wanting to know what’s right up front, but I won’t take it to her knowing that it’s going to hurt her.

All right. I’ll get it to her another way.
Other than the meds, did she mention anything else?

Yeah. She’s thrilled to death to know that
she’s not insane.

Carter found himself a hotel for the night. For whatever reason
, he simply didn’t want to go home just yet. As he lay there on the bed with the lights off, he thought of what he should do. It was time, he realized, past time for him to move into his own place. He was going to start looking as soon as he got up tomorrow. Maybe he’d take that job out west. It was time for some changes.

Chapter
6

Misha sat in the waiting room so that he could be close when things went wrong. He had no doubt that they would, either. His mom was pissed at him. Rider, too, but he had a good reason. And Carter was refusing to speak to him. He had too much on his plate right now to be fucking around with their emotions when his entire life hung in the balance.

“
The list,” as it had come to be called, was making him look like the bad guy. He wanted to blame Hannah for it, but it was his list. She’d only asked for it. Misha actually had thought it was a reasonable explanation of what he expected. Contrary to their beliefs, he did want the same list from her, and he would take each and every one of her expectations under consideration. To his way of thinking, he was the one who had to make the most changes in his life. But he had to admit, he was enjoying having his own home.

His mom was mad at him
because of her idea of what he should have said to Hannah. He’d listed things like keeping herself neat and bathing daily. How the hell was he supposed to know that a woman would take offense to that? If she didn’t want to know, she shouldn’t have asked. He crossed those two things off, but he did leave in that she was to keep out of his bedroom unless he wanted to have sex. To him, that was a good way to convey that this was a marriage only to benefit them both and nothing more. She’d get a house and a roof over her head, and he’d not have to worry about finding a bed partner when he wanted sex. He didn’t need it that often anyway.

The other things, like she’d have to ask him for
expenses over five hundred dollars, was just smart. He didn’t want to be broke within a few months of them getting married. And he was going to marry her.

“I should have beaten you more.”
He was shocked that his mom said that to him. “Maybe then you’d be a great deal nicer when things didn’t go your way.”

He
didn’t understand that and left her in the kitchen. But Rider he’d hit, several times before he finally felt like he’d made his point. He was not going to put her name on anything that he had no control over. There was just no point in having her name on the house, the cars that he worked hard to get, or the insurance policy. What if she had another episode and he had to have her committed? That had earned him a black eye, three cracked ribs, and a bloodied lip. Rider wasn’t in any better shape, but now he wouldn’t answer his calls when he needed him.

And Carter was leaving them.
Misha thought of the phone call he’d gotten before leaving his new house that morning. One of his buddies from college, who worked as a private investigator, had called to tell him he was glad there weren’t going to be any hard feelings about Carter coming to work for him. Misha was confused at first, then Scott had told him that Carter was starting to work for him the following Monday.

“I
t was my understanding that he had your blessing on this.” Misha looked at the envelope that he’d found on his kitchen table when he’d gotten downstairs that morning. Had he opened it, like it told him to do immediately, he might not have been blindsided. As it was, he had been clueless until he got off the phone. Not only was Carter leaving Lanning Search and Rescue, but he was moving to the other end of the United States. His mom was, of course, blaming Misha for that decision as well.

“Mr. Lanning?”
Misha looked up at the pretty nurse. “Miss Oliver would like a quick word with you before they begin. She said that it’s important or she wouldn’t bother you.”

He felt both stupid and pissed at the same time
, and could figure out neither feeling as he moved down the hall to a small room. Hannah was sitting in a wheelchair with a blanket over her arm and leg when he walked in. The door closed behind him as soon as he went inside.

“I’ve signed your papers.”
He nodded and took the offered envelope. “I just have one question for you.”

“Of course.
But if you want to have more, then you’re going to have to postpone this meeting. I’m not agreeing to anything without my lawyer writing it up.” She nodded. “You want more?”

“No. I just…may I have a job?” He was confused by the question
, and she seemed to know it. “I’d like to have a job when I can get around. I would like something of my own. Something I can do without causing you embarrassment.”

“Of course.
If you have the time that is.” She nodded. “What else? Surely you have other demands of me. I’m a very wealthy man, Miss Oliver. But I won’t be taken advantage of.”

“There’s nothing else.” He waited for the “But I want
,” but there was nothing more. When she told him she was ready and asked him to step into the hall so she could finish getting dressed, he walked out. The nurse who had come for him told him to go back to the lobby and wait. Misha was sitting on the couch before he could think to ask her why she really wanted a job. He told himself it was so she could be pitiful, but doubted she’d own up to that.

He was able to get some work done or he might have been in a worse mood when five hours later, Rider and his mother came down the hall. Stuffing everything in his briefcase
, he stood up and watched as his mom moved by him to the door. He looked at Rider.

“I think she did well. I was very proud of her for thinking about each question before she answered. She was clear and explained everything to them when they asked
, and she even told them why going back to her mother was going to be bad for her. I think she’ll be out soon.” Misha nodded and when Rider stepped around him, he stopped him.

“When?” Rider looked confused. “When will she be moving into my house?
I mean, I need to make arrangements for her.”

“They said it would be a week before they had a final determination.
If you’re interested, she’s being moved to a regular hospital within the hour. Apparently someone said something about having someone as injured as her in a long-term facility that provides special care.” Misha started to ask who, but Rider answered him first. “I don’t know who did it, but I would say it was Carter if I had to guess. He’s been visiting her every day, apparently.”

Misha
didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing. Rider left the building a few minutes later, and Misha did as well. He thought about going to see Hannah again but wasn’t sure what he’d say to her that hadn’t already been said. Instead, he went home and called around for furniture. If she came to his home in the next few weeks, he should have something for her to sleep in. After he was finished, he sat at his computer and tried to get some work done.

It was nearly midnight when
Misha stood up. He’d gotten very little done in the hours since he’d been sitting there. More than that, all he’d been able to think about was Carter going to see his mate. He wondered if she was pumping him for information about his account, and doubted that almost as soon as he thought about it. Carter might be mad at him, but he’d never betray him. Misha went up to bed and tried to get some sleep. The call came just after two in the morning.

He rolled out of bed taking notes on the murders even as he reached for Rider and the others.
Dressed and packed, he was waiting in his kitchen when the rest of them showed up. Within minutes they were on the road.

“Two women dead and three more missing. They think that whoever this is, he works alone. The bodies of the woman are ours to inspect and they haven’t
been moved.” Misha told them everything he knew as Rider drove. By the time they got to the airport, his brothers knew as much as he did.

Misha tried to engage Carter in some banter as they flew to Wyoming
, but he only nodded at him. He felt his heart twist in his chest when he saw him talking and laughing with Phillip and Andrew. By the time they landed, Misha was hurting and he didn’t know how to fix it. He finally asked Carter about Hannah.

“We play chess and we talk about books.
Believe it or not, you’re never mentioned and she never asks about anything you might be doing.” Misha doubted that was the case and said that to him. “Then you’ll believe or not believe me when I tell you that she’s too good for you, and that I really wish you’d leave her alone. Right now it all sounds like it’s going to be good for her, but I don’t think you’ve thought this through. She’s going to be hurt by this, much like Mom was with Dad.”

“
I’m not our dad.” Carter didn’t say anything. “I’m not. He was a bastard that wanted his freedom more than he wanted a family. I’ve made it perfectly clear that I want no children and that she can be safe with me.”

“
And that’s enough for you?” Misha nodded. “Well, I wish you the best of luck then. I’m certainly glad that I won’t be here when the shit hits the fan. Because I’ve no doubt, big brother, that you’re going to regret this more than you can imagine.”

~~~

“I don’t know what you mean. I can’t see my own daughter? Why are you doing this to me?” Bella tried to use her considerable charms on the man at the desk, but he was probably queer or something. He was sneering at her like she was something dirty. “I demand that you let me see her right now.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Oliver
, but the doctor has it stated that she is to have no visitors until he finishes with his write-up. I believe you were notified of the hearing by mail.” She more than likely was, but she couldn’t get her mail because she had no idea how to get it. Her daughter had done that for them. “There will be a findings hearing on Monday. And if you call in the afternoon, I can have someone give—”

“I don’t want her having no evaluati
ng hearing. I want her to get her ass home. I’m better equipped at handling her insane self now, and I can take care of her like she needs.” The man started shaking his head. “You’re going to let me go back and see her or so help me, I’ll call the police.”

He turned
the phone her way and told her to press nine to get an outside line. Bella was so pissed off she actually picked up the phone to call them, but put it down. If the police came here looking for trouble, they’d only have to look at her to find it. She was slightly stoned as well, as she’d been having a little too much fun since she’d been on her own. But the rent was due again and there wasn’t enough left of the money her daughter had left in her room to do more than rent a movie. Which reminded her, she was going to pick up that new one on the way home. She looked up at the man she’d had bring her here. She had no idea what his name was, but he’d told her he’d bring her here for a quick blow job. She’d have to do that too, and more if she wanted him to take her to the video rental store, too.

“You go and
get her then if you won’t let me go and see her. That’s not breaking the rules now, is it?” She batted her eyes at him, and he shook his head. “Fuck this shit, I’m going back there.”

Before
she could get around the desk, there were two security guards standing in front of the big door. She might have been able to take one of them, but two? Not really. Giving the guy at the desk her best glare, she went out to the car with her driver.

“I have to go someplace else.”
He told her she had to pay up first. “Here in the car? You don’t want to go somewheres that we can have fun, too?”

“No. I don’t want anything more than
for you to suck my cock. Do it now and I might take you back to your house.” She watched him as he unbuttoned his pants. “And no biting. I want a simple blow job and nothing else. If you want to get off, you’re on your own.”

Fucking bastard.
But he did have a nice cock. As soon as he fisted himself a couple of times, she felt her pussy heat up. Man, what it would be like to have that thing in her. Pulling her skirt up over her bare pussy, she played with herself, hoping he’d want a piece of her. But all he did was push her head to his cock, and she took him in her mouth.

Bella didn’t care for sucking a cock
unless she was being eaten, too. Sex in general, as far as she was concerned, was only good for one thing, and that was getting something for nothing. She knew that men watched her walk and knew they wanted her, but she never gave it up without getting something in return. She supposed all women felt the same way.

His cock was thick but not really that impressive
now that it was up close and personal. She swallowed him down once or twice, and he held her still while he fucked her. Bella slid her fingers into her pussy, this time needing the relief that only she could give herself. As soon as he came, filling her mouth and throat with his hot cum, she did as well. But it was less than satisfactory.

“Fuck me.” He shook his head as he did his pants up.
“Come on. I’m wet and I bet I could make you hard again.”

He just finished dressing
, then slid under the steering wheel. Bella felt her temper get the better of her. As soon as he had the car moving, she hit him with her fist. As she hit him a second, then a third time, he tried to control her and the car. But she had finally reached into her purse and pulled out her tire iron, and hit him several times while he tried to shield his face. Bella didn’t care so long as he knew that the next time she wanted something he gave it to her. The bumpity-bump of the car hitting something had her turn to look out the front window.

She
couldn’t see for all the blood. Wiping the window enough so that she could see, Bella saw that they’d hit a tree. Getting out, she realized that the idiot had also hit a parked car that was making all kinds of racket. Moving away from the man and the car, she reached into her purse and pulled out her jacket to pull over her. It, too, had blood on it, but she doubted anyone would notice the blood for her good looks. Bella moved along the streets to her house, smiling that she was getting the notice she deserved.