Chapter Six

“Time to spill, Bethany, and you can begin with that scrumptious Davis.” Kate curled her long legs beneath her, leaned back on the sofa, and took a deep sip from her glass of red wine.

“Oh yes, tell us about him! Is he single?” Celeste leaned forward in eager anticipation.

Bethany tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned back against the white wingback chair across from the matching sofa her friends were sitting on. Where Bethany tended to decorate with comfort in mind, Kate preferred a more stylish approach. The chair was attractive to look at, but the texture abraded the back of her legs, and she felt like she was sitting on a hard floor. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to go back to her apartment, climb into bed, and bury her head under the covers for a day or two. She loved her friends dearly but wasn’t in the mood to answer any more questions.

“I really don’t know much about him.” Including whether he was single or not. Did he have a mate waiting at home for him? She squirmed in the chair. It was none of her business or concern if he had someone.

“How long is he staying?”

“I’m not sure about that either. Sorry, I really don’t know much.”

Celeste pouted and fiddled with her dangly earrings. “Well, poo. I guess I’ll have to find out the answers myself. I’ll go over and get acquainted. It would be the neighborly thing to do anyway. He’s all alone here.”

Kate chuckled. “Yes, of course. We must make him feel welcomed. I believe I’ll pay him a visit as well.”

Bethany frowned and looked away from her friends’ gazes. She held her tongue. There was no point. He was a new, attractive man. Nothing would keep them away from him. Besides, Davis was a grown man. He could decide whether he was interested in what they would be offering him or not.

The dull ache behind her eyes started throbbing. She’d watched her friends pursue or be pursued by numerous men over the years of their friendship. Why was it suddenly bothering her when they showed an interest in Davis?

“You’ve had a time of it, haven’t you?” Kate walked over and perched on the arm of Bethany’s chair. “Here we are questioning you about the man candy you arrived home with, instead of comforting you after the ordeal you’ve been through. We’re horrible friends.”

Bethany smiled wanly up at her friend. “No, you’re not. You’re the best friends a girl could ever want.”

Celeste scooted forward and rested her hand on Bethany’s knee. “Did your brother really kill that guy you met at the meet and greet?”

“Celeste!” Kate tossed her empty hand up in the air, jostling her entire body and almost spilling her wine. She swallowed the remainder and rose to place it on a glass side table and sat back down on the arm of the chair.

Celeste gave Kate a wide-eyed stare. “What? You said yourself there are so many rumors flying around, it’s hard to know what’s true. You said not to believe anything until we talked to Bethany. So that’s what I’m doing.”

Kate held her hand to her forehead. “That doesn’t mean you just hit her with a question like that.”

“It’s fine, really.” Bethany patted Celeste’s hand. “Yes, Bryant killed Donald, and he tried to kill me and have me take the blame for Donald’s death. He almost succeeded, but thankfully Malcolm Donovan, the leader of the North American clan, made sure to gather all the facts before making a judgement.”

She told them all the events which had happened to her while they listened with widened eyes and the occasional horrified gasp. She skimmed over the more graphic details to spare them the images burned into her brain forever.

Kate wrapped her arms around Bethany's shoulders and hugged her. Celeste knelt on the rug, laid her head in Bethany’s lap, and sniffled.

Tears filled her eyes. She blinked rapidly and swallowed hard to will them back. If she started crying now, she wasn’t sure she would be able to stop.

“To think I thought your brother was cute.”

Kate and Bethany shared an exasperated glance and stared down at Celeste’s head. Kate shook her head. “You have abysmal taste in men, my dear.”

“I know,” Celeste whined.

Bethany chuckled. “I am glad to be home. I missed both of you so much. Tell me what’s been happening with the two of you while I was gone.”

Kate refilled her wine glass, strolled back to the couch, and sat down. She took a drink of her wine and toyed with the stem of her glass while Celeste jumped up and went in search of a tissue.

“Rumors and suspicion ran rampant throughout the clan. Some said Bryant killed Elsof. Others say it was a plot from the other clans. Another speculation is that Aaron did it.” Kate shrugged. “You know how it goes. Everyone has a theory and starts spreading tales like actual facts. The story takes on a life of its own.” Kate, a lawyer in the company’s legal department, always knew the latest scandal or news.

Celeste sauntered out of the bathroom. “Eddie says that’s why we need a new ruler, someone not tainted.”

Kate gazed at her over the rim of her glass. “Who is Eddie?”

Celeste frowned and sat down on the couch. “You know who Eddie is. Eddie Heyes.”

“Advisor Heyes’ son?”

Celeste nodded at Bethany.

“Edward Heyes? Since when do you associate with him? And you call him Eddie?” Kate crossed her legs and rolled her eyes. “What am I saying? Of course, you do.”

Celeste wrinkled her nose at Kate. “What’s wrong with calling him Eddie? He likes it. We started chatting at the office. He’s taken me to lunch a few times. He’s worried about his father challenging for rule over the clan. He tried to talk him out of it, but he said his father is adamant about his duty to the clan.”

A vague impression of a shorter man with dark hair, a goatee, and glasses formed in Bethany’s mind. “He’s in human resources, isn’t he?”

Celeste tilted her head to the side and frowned. “Think so, but I’m not really sure.”

“If he’s in human resources, what’s he doing talking to you in accounting?” Kate demanded.

Celeste simply tilted her head and batted her eyelashes at Kate.

Kate rolled her eyes and laughed. “Right, stupid question.”

Bethany smiled. Celeste was a personal assistant to the head of the accounting department. Many of the male employees found their way by her desk for one reason or another.

“What’s happening in the legal department, Kate? I imagine you have your hands full there, and for that matter the accounting department must be going crazy over the embezzlement allegations.”

“Oh, I know. Poor Mr. Deveraux has been having everyone combing over all the files.” Bethany grimaced slightly. Mr. Deveraux wasn’t known for his tact. She could imagine he had the entire department in a panic. If someone was going to take the fall for not catching Bryant’s embezzling, they would all be scrambling to make sure the blame didn’t rest with them. How her brother had managed to steal the funds remained a mystery to her as well. He had never been particularly good at math. Had someone in the accounting department helped him, or had it been one more devious misdirect from her brother?

Kate tilted her glass toward Celeste and Bethany. “It’s quite the mess. I haven’t been assigned the embezzlement case, but between that and the vote Advisor Heyes is calling for, it’s all anyone in the office is talking about.”

“For the sake of us all it needs to be resolved soon. We all need a sense of normalcy I think.” Bethany pushed to her feet. “Ladies, I really must call it a night. I think I must be a bit jetlagged.”

Celeste and Kate both stood and gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

Kate escorted her to the door. “How about we plan a get together for later in the week once you’ve recovered a bit?”

Bethany nodded her assent and walked to the elevator. Kate’s door shut behind her with a soft click. She rubbed at the painful drumming between her eyes. The elevator pinged its arrival, and the doors slid open to a thankfully empty compartment. Leaning her head against the cold steel wall, she sighed.

An alarm startled her. She stared at the instrument panel and realized she hadn’t pushed a button for the floor.

Her finger hesitated over the larger lobby button before lifting and pressing the smooth round one to go up to the top floor—her brother’s floor.

This building, one of the newest residential buildings on the compound, offered more spacious and luxurious accommodations to those who could afford the expense. It had been built at the same time as the office building it stood beside. Everyone in the clan who resided on the compound had been on high alert while the construction crews had been on sight. She had been just a child at the time, but she had heard many tales. One in particular had always amused her and stuck in her mind. One of the construction crew members had spotted a lion and started shouting about a loose zoo animal. Of course, it had been a Risharden shifting, completely unaware she was in full view from the tall building. The clan had been able to hush it up, but allowing any non-Risharden on the compound was a rare occurrence. They put ample effort to ensure clan members were trained in any skills which might be needed on the compound, so they wouldn’t accidently expose the clan’s secrets to outsiders.

The doors opened, but she hesitated. She should push the button for the lobby and leave, but instead she stepped out and looked right and left. No one was about. She padded down the carpeted hallway to her brother’s door. Half expecting to see signs declaring a murderous traitor once lived here or at the very least caution tape spread across the opening, she stared at the bare door. It looked completely normal.

She had no key, no way to get inside. What could she possibly hope to find anyway? It’s not like she had been invited over often. She’d only been there perhaps a half a dozen times over the years. There were probably no mementos waiting for her to collect. And why would she want anything of his anyway? He’d tried to kill her. He’d felt no brotherly love for her at all, obviously. She had been simply a tool for him to use.

A tear spilled over, and she swiped the back of her hand across her cheek. Why was she standing here crying like a little fool? She sniffed and blinked back the tears.

She was here. She might as well try the door. She almost jumped when the handle rotated easily in her hand.

Peeking inside, she sucked in a breath. It looked the same. His modern furniture was still there. Why did she think it would be empty? Who would have taken care of the details? It probably fell to her to deal with. She was his closest relative after all.

Hesitantly stepping over the threshold, she gazed around the shadowed interior trying to recall where a light switch was located. A sound to her right, from the direction of her brother’s bedroom, almost made her call out to see if someone was there, but she froze.

Who would be here? At this time of day? With no lights on?

Bethany spun around and grasped the door handle. She was leaving. She would return with a guard. Perhaps she was letting paranoia get the best of her, but it was better to look stupid than actually be stupid.

A feeling of dread washed over her.

She truly wasn’t alone.

The ominous sound of rapid footfalls and the brush of fabric sent panic racing through her system. She grappled with the handle, but it slipped through her sweaty palms.

A rush of movement disturbed the air behind her. Before she could turn to face the intruder, she was shoved into the door.

Her head bounced against the solid metal door.

The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth.

She threw out her hands to find purchase.

Pain exploded in the back of her head.

Weakness dragged her down. Darkness crept across her vision and painted it black.