Two Days Later
After having only barely escaped death, she sat in her car and used her laptop. That idiot was a fool. You don’t use a rented car if you’re going to try and kill someone. Too easy to trace. Granted, he hadn’t thought it was a someone, but only a something. But he would find out. The idea of his knowing what he’d just fucked and that it was going to kill him sent arousal and excitement rushing through her veins.
Angelica might be cold-blooded in her altered state, but her human self was all about heat and passion. The only time the two really converged was when she was on the hunt for her next kill. She enjoyed her business; it was intellectually stimulating and often physically difficult, but always satisfying in the end, kind of like sex when she thought about it.
It didn’t take her long to figure out which rental agency the vehicle had belonged to and took her no time at all to bypass the rental car company’s pathetic firewall to reveal that the vehicle had not been rented recently. Not to be thwarted, Angelica began searching the databases of nearby hotels until she found a match that revealed various pertinent information including the man’s name: Joseph Merrick.
She looked at his picture online and considered how much this complicated her current job. The man who’d hired her was also Joseph Merrick, but a much younger version. So, the father was here while the son manipulated things back in Louisiana. She’d have to be careful about how she managed this. She wouldn’t want her employer to figure out she’d murdered his father. She checked her bank account. The money for the hit on Cyrus Waverly had been released. At this point, it really didn’t matter what Junior or Senior thought because both the target and Senior were definitely dead.
She traced Senior’s credit card purchases and found his hotel, a nice, mid-price national chain that almost always had an attached bar where middle-aged guys on the road could pick up company for the evening, be they professional or not.
Two days had gone by since Cyrus Waverly had been killed, not by her, but her employer didn’t need to know that. She’d vacillated between killing Senior or not. He’d tried to kill her first, but she was certain he’d thought he was only killing a snake. If only he’d realized that snakes were people too. Some of her best friends were snakes. She’d almost decided to let him live when a most auspicious phone call came in.
“Angelica? It’s Joseph Merrick. Good job on the Looking Glass Falls assignment. Your fee has already been paid.”
“Yes, I saw that. Thank you for your business.”
“You are most welcome. I was actually hoping you might be close by still. I have another matter I’d like you to handle.” His tone was always so smug.
“I’ve been enjoying the area. I’m not normally in this part of Idaho. What can I do for you?”
“My father has become—how shall I say this—less than enthusiastic about our plans in that area. He and my younger sister and brother are trying to broker a different deal. I was hoping you could persuade my father to bow out… permanently.”
“And your brother and sister?” she asked.
Junior chuckled, an unpleasant sound. “Once the old man is gone, they’ll fall back into line.”
Angelica smiled. “I can handle that for you. I would have to have a slightly larger fee as it’s a small town and two incidents might seem suspicious.”
“That’s not a problem. Say twenty-five percent more?”
If he was willing to barter about the cost of his own father’s life, so was she. “Fifty percent and you have a deal. Would tonight be too soon? I ask because then I wouldn’t have to cancel my flight out of Boise.”
“Tonight, would be fine and I’ll agree to the fifty percent increase if you ensure he knows I hired you.”
She smiled. “That won’t be a problem. I’ll let you know when the matter is concluded. Same terms as before. Half up front, half when I confirm completion.”
“That will be fine. Thank you, Angelica. It’s been nice doing business with a professional.”
That decided it. An enormous fee for doing something she already wanted to do was too good an opportunity to pass up. She often thought it was fate or destiny when things just seemed to fall into place. That evening she drove back from Boise to the bar at Senior’s hotel.
She’d taken extreme care with how she looked. This was not the kind of place that attracted or tolerated the dregs from the streets. To compete with the professionals—both sexual and other—she’d need to look her best. She wanted Senior to feel as though he’d really scored.
If he had a decent cock, she’d take him for the ride of his life right before she killed him. She might have to forego biting his balls and his jugular, but there were plenty of places she could inject him with her venom and watch him die after she’d shifted and coiled herself around his hard dick. And she needed to remember to tell him that his death was courtesy of his son.
Later that night, she sat on top of him, riding him for all she was worth. For a man of his age, he had a strong cock and good willpower. She’d sucked him to a fully engorged state before climbing on top and working her pussy down his staff. He let her be in control and reached up to tug and pinch her nipples as she moved up and down his rigid pole.
He wasn’t bad in the sack and a part of her was glad he was enjoying himself. He grunted and groaned, and as her own orgasm washed over her, she could feel the telltale swelling of his dick.
“Yeah, baby, just a little bit more,” he snarled.
“Don’t you snarl at me, asshole. This is from your son and for almost killing me,” she said as she shimmered and her form became something different altogether, a snake coiled tightly around his cock.
Senior threw his hands up to cover his neck, exposing his armpit. While sweaty, the armpit was the location of one of the main veins in the human body. He might have done better had he shifted, but he didn’t. Shaking her rattles, she struck and sank her fangs deep into the vein to pump her deadly venom into his system. She watched as his body convulsed in a death spasm and he expired.
Angelica shifted back and dragged him onto the tarp she’d concealed in her large purse. Once she’d folded him inside, she dressed and checked to make sure the coast was clear. She moved him out to the rented SUV and placed him in the passenger seat. After a quick drive to the diner right off the interstate, she parked and moved him behind the wheel. Shifting to her snake self, she made her way back to the hotel, changed into her clothes, and drove back to Boise where she upgraded her seat from economy to first-class.
Once they were airborne, she accepted the mimosa from the flight attendant and sat back to enjoy her flight to Puerto Vallarta. She raised her glass. Serendipity at its finest.
The Next Day
“We can’t simply toss her out...” Cade Waverly said to his younger brother Cole as they walked up toward the family’s heritage farmhouse.
“Sure, we can,” said Cole. “She’s done nothing but cause problems since she got here. Cyrus brought her in, then he married her, but now he’s dead.”
Cade had been speaking of their father’s trophy wife, Lorna. Cole didn’t consider her to be much of a problem, but then Cade had always been far more chivalrous than Cole. He’d been all chivalrous and noble once and it had cost him the one thing he’d wanted more than anything else: his bonded spirit.
His mother, Hannah, had long ago made her sons promise never to marry unless the woman involved was their bonded spirit, the one female destined to be with them through all of their nine lives. If he held to that vow, and he meant to, he would be alone through this lifetime at least.
Two vehicles had been parked in front of the house that no one had recognized. They assumed one was the hotshot Seattle attorney they’d hired to represent Clay and ostensibly the family against what was beginning to look like an exceptional frame-up. Cole was convinced that neither Clay nor his other brothers had anything to do with Cyrus’s murder.
It wasn’t that they didn’t all despise the old bastard or have their own personal motives—no, it was the manner in which it was done. Cole was certain that, like him, each of his brothers would have wanted Cyrus to know that it was one of his sons who’d finally sought to end him and make him pay for what he’d done to their mother long ago. Cole chuckled to himself. He was also certain that none of them would have chosen as easy a death for Cyrus as being shot in the back.
Entering the house via the kitchen door, they both stopped to grab a mug of coffee. Well, Cade actually grabbed two, pouring the second one after downing the first. When they went into the foyer, a bespectacled man in a shabby, gray three-piece suit was waiting.
“I’m Cade Waverly. This is my brother, Cole. May I help you?”
“I’m Cecil Morton, Mrs. Waverly’s lawyer.” He nodded in greeting.
Leave it to Lorna to hire an attorney in a thread-bare suit.
“Mrs.? Lorna hired a lawyer?”
“Mrs. Waverly felt it was in her best interest to retain legal counsel.”
“Yes, I did. Thank you for coming, Cecil. Can I call you Cecil?” said Lorna as she flounced down the stairs in full hair and make-up.
He almost felt sorry for Lorna… almost. Time and her marriage to Cyrus had not been kind to her. She was still chasing a youthful appearance and demeanor that had long ago deserted her.
Cade turned back to the attorney. “You might want to get your money up front. My father kept Lorna on a strict allowance and that won’t be increasing. In fact, we were hoping Lorna would leave without much of a fuss. I’m willing to pay her a nice settlement and your fee for counseling her to accept if she’ll leave quickly and quietly.”
“You can’t do that to me, Cade. Not after what we’ve meant to each other,” said Lorna, melodramatically. That wasn’t unusual. Lorna’s default setting was melodramatic.
Cade snorted. “I fucked you once in the barn when I was drunk. All I felt afterwards was disgust, mostly for myself with a little left over for you. I’ve seen the will. Cyrus left you nothing but six months’ allowance. Anything that wasn’t already distributed by my mother at her death, goes to my brothers and myself.” He again turned back to the attorney. “As I said, talk to your client, but the only way I pay her one dime more than Cyrus left her or your fee is if she’s out of here by week’s end. If she chooses not to go, we’ll pay her what the old man left her and drop kick her ass out.”
The door to the study opened and Clay stepped to the entrance, motioning for the others to join him.
“Clay?” she cried. “Cade’s threatened to make me leave without any money.”
Clay shrugged. “You know the old saying, Lorna. You reap what you sow,” he said, stepping back to allow Cade and Cole to enter before closing the door firmly in Lorna and her lawyer’s faces.
Cash was seated in one of the leather wingbacks, but Cole had gone absolutely still. Cole was quite certain all three of his brothers noticed. After all, Cole was the one noted for his gift of gab and sardonic wit, but at the moment, both had failed him. His eyes were riveted to the beautiful woman sitting in the wingback opposite Cash.
“Hello, Cole,” she said in a steely, polite tone.
“Quinn? But that’s not your real name, is it?”
She shook her head and said, “No.”
But then he’d known that for a while. Her name was Kennedy Greyson, and she was a high-powered attorney with Dempsey, Gallagher, and Greyson, one of the Pacific Northwest’s most prestigious law firms. The line from Casa Blanca about gin joints leaped to mind. He wondered if somehow, some way, Cash had known of his past association with her when he retained her.
Association? Now that was a tame descriptive name for what they’d once had. Relationship? Affair? Inferno? None of those words captured the fire and passion they’d shared, but all were far more appropriate than association.
Kennedy looked gorgeous, but then she’d always been beautiful. Her artsy, bohemian skirt and overblouse hid a figure that he knew first-hand was lush and responded to discipline as easily as it did to passion. While he would have preferred if Cash had found different counsel, Cole had to admit that he couldn’t have found better.
“For what we shelled out yesterday, I’d expected to see Mr. Greyson himself, not his paralegal,” growled Cade.
Cole hid his smile. This was about to get good. Big Brother was about to get dressed down in a very professional manner that would put him in his place and establish that Kennedy would be running the show. Kennedy liked to run the show… until she didn’t. Then she craved dominance and discipline.
She stood and he inhaled her perfume and just the slightest uptick in her pheromones. “I agree, Mr. Waverly. For the retainer you paid, you’re entitled to have your attorney at this meeting, but let me assure you of three things. First, the retainer is just that, and your fees, especially if Clay is charged and goes to trial, will exceed that amount, albeit exorbitant. Second, acceptance of the retainer yesterday guarantees you nothing more than an in-person meeting before the firm decides to take on your case. And last, the firm would never send one of our paralegals to represent us at an initial client meeting. Only a senior partner can determine whether or not the firm will undertake representation.” Extending her hand, she approached Cade. “I’m Kennedy Greyson.” She shook Cade’s hand, then turned to Cole. “If you’d prefer a different attorney from our firm, I can have someone out here this afternoon, or I can refer you to a different firm altogether.”
“No need,” said Cole evenly. “No one knows better than I do about your ability to convince a reasonable man of whatever it is you want him to believe.”
Cole thought he saw her wince but couldn’t be sure. Kennedy had an excellent poker face and rarely gave anything away, but he imagined few people knew her as well as he did. He’d made sure of that. He’d run off any guy who’d thought to make a future with her. If anyone was going to claim Kennedy Greyson as their mate, it was going to be him.
Cade excused himself and went out the French doors to call his bonded spirit, Trey, who also happened to be the deputy sheriff investigating Cyrus’s murder. This had clusterfuck written all over it. After a few minutes, Cade returned, apologizing for having to step out. Cole had no way of knowing for sure, but he suspected Trey would be spending some time over his big brother’s knee. He envied Cade having finally gotten his head out of his ass and committing himself to Trey. He liked Trey and imagined she’d give Cade a run for his money.
“That’s not a problem,” Kennedy said. “I was just explaining how these things work. Two rules: No interviews with the press or anyone else. Not now, not ever. And all communications go through me. An old nickname for one’s attorney used to be a mouthpiece, which I consider an accurate moniker.”
“This is a small town,” said Cash.
“I don’t care if it’s a postage stamp,” Kennedy said, trying to mask her irritation. She wasn’t used to anyone questioning her decisions. “It’s imperative that I control the information flow incoming and outgoing. Cade, I’m not going to mince words. I understand there is something going on with the chief investigator. That needs to stop.”
“Not happening,” growled Cade.
“Not an option. It’s completely inappropriate and could force her into a conflict of interest,” Kennedy said, ignoring Cade’s glower.
Well, she’d never been one to beat around the bush or back down.
Clay intervened before either could become entrenched in their position. “If that’s a deal breaker for you, Ms. Greyson, have your firm refund whatever is left of the retainer after this meeting. Cade and Trey deserve to be happy. It’s taken them a number of years to get to where they are, and I’ll be damned if I see Cyrus fuck up one more good thing in this family.”
Good for you little brother.
Kennedy looked surprised. Cole wondered when the last time was she’d actually been caught off guard. He knew for a fact that it took a lot to rattle or shock her.
“Do you trust her?” Kennedy asked to no one in particular.
“Let me field this one,” said Clay. “Yes. In fact, I think we have a stronger position if Trey is the investigator.”
Cade nodded. “I agree. Trey doesn’t believe Clay is guilty, but she says that’s where the evidence is pointing. After our mother died, none of us, except for Lorna, lived in this house while Cyrus was alive. Trey and I live at her grandmother’s old homestead cabin currently. I’ll let her know that we won’t discuss the case unless I believe she may be in danger.”
“That’s a curious thing to say,” said Kennedy, glancing at him.
Oh, no. He was going to shut that shit down. If Kennedy thought she’d play him against his brothers, she’d best think again.
“Clay didn’t do it,” said Cade. “It’s obvious that someone is framing him. If it looks like they aren’t fooling Trey, then they might want to harm her. Some guy in a fancy SUV came by her place this morning after she left. I sent him on his way, but I won’t have Trey out there by herself.”
Kennedy smiled, a genuine one this time, not the polite smiles she’d been sharing up to this point. “It would appear chivalry isn’t dead, but alive and well in Idaho. I’ll need to find a place to set up an office to work.”
“You’re welcome to the study,” offered Cash. “Or you might want to consider the guest house. You could have a place to stay and an office. It’s nicer than any of the hotels in the area and you’d have immediate access to all of us.”
He could see the wheels spinning in her head as she nodded. “If you’ll quit treating me like some idiot city girl, call me Kennedy, and agree to let me borrow a horse to ride, I think Cash’s idea makes a lot of sense.”
“You ride?” asked Clay.
Cole’s cock hardened at the memory of the last time Kennedy had ridden it. He closed his eyes and repressed the thoughts swirling in his head.
Kennedy nodded. “I do. I lost my horse last year and just haven’t had the heart or the time to find a new one. I miss riding. It’s my Zen place. I do some of my best thinking on the back of a horse. I grew up close to the Bear Paw Mountains.” She smiled and shifted the conversation. “If possible, I’d like to get set up and call my firm. I’ll let them know we have a new client and that I’ll be here for the duration of the case.” She turned to Cole. “Unless that’s a problem for you.”
“No. I don’t live here, and it was a long time ago,” Cole said in a neutral tone. If she could ignore their past, he would have to do so as well. She was one of the best legal defense attorneys in the world. If anyone could sort out this mess, it was Kennedy.
“Come on, Ms. Gre—Kennedy,” said Cash. “I’ll take your bags out to the guest house and open it up for you.”
“That would be great. At some point soon, I’d like to talk to each of you individually. You all need to know that a trial like this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. Clay, can I have some time with you later today?”
He nodded. “I need to ride up to check on one of the herds, but I’ll be back in the early afternoon.”
“Good. How about two o’clock?”
“Sure.”
“Clay, this is going to be hardest on you. If possible, I’d prefer you didn’t go off on your own. If you could take a ranch hand or one of your brothers, that would be helpful.”
“Okay, if you think it’s necessary,” hedged Clay.
“I do. Part of our issue right now is that you have no alibi. That’s an easy fix for the future.”
“Kennedy?” said Cash. “Why don’t we slip out the back? I haven’t heard Lorna and her lawyer leave.”
“Lorna is your father’s widow?” asked Kennedy. “Can I ask why she’s retained counsel?”
“Money,” the brothers said in unison.
Kennedy nodded. “Cash, why don’t you fill me in on that situation. I’ll see if we can’t deal with that as well. I need all of you focused on keeping Clay from being charged, and if he is, then we pivot to clearing his name.”
Cash led Kennedy out a side door, and Cade turned toward the foyer.
“Cade? I can handle Lorna. I’m sure you have things you’d rather be doing,” said Cole.
Cade turned to his brother. “You’re all right with her handling Clay’s case?”
“Yes. As I said, I know first-hand how good she is at making people believe what she wants them to.”
“Come on, Clay. I’ll ride out with you,” said Cade.