Allyn and Ransom – 13

 

 

"He left because I decided my cover for stopping those men would also be good for what I wanted to do to protect the wolves. No one would think anything of it if I disappeared for a few hours or a few days. Rich kid, no job, traveling when and where I wanted to, just as I do now."

 

"How did you explain that to Ransom?"

 

"I told him I liked not having to work, since I didn't need to. It didn't sit too well with him, especially the disappearing part." Allyn smiled ruefully. "I think he thought I was going off with someone else, though he never accused me of it. Instead he told me things weren't working between us and never would until I grew up and became a…I think he said 'a responsible member of society' or some such. Then he walked away. End of story."

 

"Except that you came home, gathered me up, and brought me here so we could both be the idle rich. Have you ever regretted it?"

 

"Never. You're my friend, my partner—the little sister who became a wonderful woman who keeps me grounded."

 

She snorted. "I'm not so sure attending fancy parties with you and living the easy life in this mansion we call home, is keeping you grounded. More like it's feeding into your need to flaunt our wealth." She held up her hand. "And before you protest, I know as well as you why you do that."

 

"I know." He chuckled softly. "Who's going to keep me…sane, Mandi, when John finally proposes and you move away?"

 

"John and propose are not words that belong in the same sentence."

 

"I wouldn't count on it. He's in love with you."

 

Miranda nodded. "I know, and I think I love him. He understands me and sees me as more than a flighty female with too much time on her hands. But marriage? I'm not so sure that will happen."

 

"You'd like it to, though."

 

"Perhaps." She smiled. "Yeah, I would."

 

"Have you told him?"

 

"What I am? Yes. He was shocked, of course. But once he got past that, he liked the idea. He said it makes me even more unique."

 

Allyn laughed. "No kidding. And speak of the devil…"

 

Miranda swung around, leaping to her feet when she saw John approaching across the patio. John hugged her when he joined them, saying, "Time for your workouts—both of you."

 

"I'll pass today," Allyn replied. "I have something I need to do and I've already wasted enough time this morning."

 

Miranda lifted an eyebrow in disbelief, before linking her arm with John's as they headed to the workout room.

 

Well I do. I have to…to go shopping. Yeah. I need a new outfit for the ballet's fundraiser party.

 

As he went upstairs to change clothes, he wondered if the man in black would be at the party—and what he would do if he did appear.

Allyn and Ransom – 12

 

"You told Ransom?" Allyn spat out angrily. It was the morning after Ransom had come by, and the first time Allyn had talked to Miranda since then. As soon as he'd left the room, to get away from Ransom's accusations, he had taken off for Montana. If he was to be honest with himself—and he was—he did it as much to work off his anger as to help a small pack of wolves relocate to a safer area, away from the men hunting them.

 

"I had to do something to change his opinion of you," Miranda replied.

 

"I don't care what he thinks of me. I haven't in years. Hell, I haven't even thought about him since soon after we went our separate ways—not until he showed up on our doorstep yesterday." His expression tightened as he tried to keep Miranda from sensing his lie.

 

He had thought of Ransom—far too often. Had he loved Ransom? Perhaps. Had he been devastated when Ransom walked out of his life? I'm not certain devastated is the word, but it hurt like hell. Of course, it was my fault. I had a plan I was certain he wouldn't approve of. He was—he is—the big bad gray wolf shifter, protective to the nth degree, especially of those he considers weaker than him. Allyn smiled slightly. Not that a red wolf is, when it comes down to it, but Ransom didn't see it that way.

* * * *

Obviously misinterpreting the smile, Miranda asked with some asperity, "Do you find it amusing? My sticking up for you?"

 

"Not at all," Allyn protested. "I think it was very noble."

 

"Noble, schnoble. I did it because you're my brother and he needed to know you aren't the waste he thinks you are." She studied him thoughtfully. "You're still in love with him."

 

"Not. I never loved him," Allyn protested. "Liked him? Yeah. Admired him? Definitely. But that was it. Sure, for a while I might have hoped something more would come of our relationship—other than good sex—while it lasted." He paced the patio. "We worked well together to stop that pair targeting shifters. But Ransom wasn't willing to accept that I could hold my own against the bastards when it came down to the final fight. I was the bait for our trap. The effete young shifter, with nothing more on my mind than when and where the next party would be or what club I should go to. That was my cover story—"

 

"It still is," Miranda broke in.

 

"Because it works. Anyway, they thought it would be no problem to eliminate the weak, unwary shifter. I left a fancy club that night, knowing they were there and watching. I was supposed to lead them to the location where Ransom would be waiting then disappear while he dealt with them. There was no fucking way I was going to do that." Allyn pounded his fist into his other hand. "We won, and I did my fair share of the fighting."

 

"He should have been proud of you," Miranda said softly.

 

"Oh, he was, once he got past the hit to his pride that my being there really had been necessary. Things were tense between us for a while before they eased up. Then he decided he wanted to do more than just working as a bodyguard, which was what he was doing at the time. We were in Charlotte then." He smiled at her. "You probably didn't know that, since you were still a kid, living with Mom and Dad."

 

"Yeah. In the backside of nowhere, until you rescued me."

 

He nodded. "That was after Ransom left. I was lonely and… But that's neither here nor there. He decided to become a cop and ended up on the Charlotte police force. It was around then that I decided wolves needed protecting."

 

"And he didn't like the idea you were going to do something about it?"

 

"I never told him. I knew what his reaction would be. Despite what happened when we took down those men, he still saw me as the smaller, weaker, red wolf who needed him to keep me safe." Allyn smiled wryly. "Even in his human form he was—is—bigger than me."

 

"Much bigger," Miranda agreed, looking at her lean but still well-built brother.

 

"Yeah, rub it in."

 

"Me? Never." She grinned at him before asking seriously, "Is that what finally made him leave?"

 

Allyn and Ransom – 11

 

 

Grigore's sexual frustration had become so intense he had to find someone to relieve it. Male, female, he didn't care which, as long as he could screw them until they begged for release, thwart their needs, and reach his own peak of pleasure—a euphoria second only to that found with a successful hunt.

 

He had once considered combining the two, but after trying it, he had found that instead of doubling the intensity, it muted both the joy of the kill and the ultimate sexual satisfaction.

 

He wouldn't go into New Orleans to find somebody. He kept that for selecting prey for the hunt. To the west, however, were small towns with bars. And where there were bars, there were people looking for a hookup—a term that disgusted him, even if it was apt.

 

An hour after making his decision, he was strolling into an establishment where the music was loud and the odor of whisky, sweaty bodies, and cheap perfume permeated the air. He found a spot at the end of the bar, ordered a beer—which he wouldn't drink—and surveyed the scene. Several women, and a few men, seemed to be likely candidates. One, however, caught his eye. She was obviously on the prowl but didn't look as cheap as most of the other women. He did have his standards, no matter how needy he was.

 

He waited until she looked at him, smiled, and he beckoned for her to join him.

 

"Aren't you the handsome one," she said, settling on the barstool next to his.

 

He bowed slightly in acknowledgement. "I could say the same to you."

 

"I'm handsome?" She laughed.

 

"No, my dear, you are quite pretty."

 

She blushed, and for the next few minutes they chatted, telling lies about themselves as most people will when they're not looking for anything more than casual sex. Then, without much subtleness, he suggested they might find a place that was more private. She instantly agreed, telling him she had an apartment not too far from the bar.

 

Once they were there, with the door locked and bolted, he enthralled her. Then, he forced her do what most would consider unspeakable acts, making certain that she knew exactly what was happening but not allowing her to resist or to make a sound, despite her obvious horror at what he was doing to her and her to him.

 

Finally sated, he wiped her mind of any memories of him, but not of what had happened. As one final, despicable act, he left her unfulfilled.

 

"You will not come until morning, no matter what you do to attempt to make it happen." He suggested a few items in the apartment she could use to try to gain relief and watched with great amusement as she did just that. He finally departed, but not until he had used her body one more time.

Allyn and Ransom – 10

 

"That wasn't nice or fair," Miranda said tightly.

 

"Nice? No it wasn't, but damn it, Miranda, I…" Ransom swallowed hard. "I should get out of here."

 

"Not until you listen to what I have to say, so sit your ass down and pay attention."

 

Ransom looked at her in surprise, but did as she ordered.

 

"All most people see of Allyn is the exterior. The bored playboy, partying hard, living in this fancy mansion, a waste to society. That's what you think of him too, and don't you dare deny it."

 

Ransom nodded, remaining silent.

 

"That's what he wants people to think. It covers what he really does. Something he can't be obvious about because it involves us—you, me, all of our kind."

 

"Meaning?"

 

"He goes after hunters, ranchers, anyone who want to eliminate us—us, the wolves," she amended. "Not us, the shifters, but all wolves—although we're just as much in the bastards' sights as any normal wolf when we're in our shifted form."

 

"Are you serious? Allyn?"

 

"Yeah, Allyn. Why do you think he asked if whoever abducted—and probably murdered—those three kids might have been after shifters? Because he knows that's a possibility. I didn't know until today that you and he had a history that involved—I'm presuming—someone who wanted to eliminate wolf shifters. He's never told me what got him started on this." Miranda smiled wryly. "I suspect he'll always see me as his little sister, even though as a wolf I'm almost as powerful as him—and you, I gather."

 

"That wouldn't surprise me in the least. Both his wanting to protect you and you being a big bad wolf. You've got the guts that entails, if what I'm seeing right now is the real you."

 

"You damned well better believe it is, Ransom."

 

He chuckled at her tough attitude before asking, "How does he manage to stop them and still pull off the, as you put it, playboy image?"

 

"Like any of us, he can teleport. It doesn't take but a minute or five to get where he's needed. Then he shifts, does what he can to warn the wolves in the area that they had better move on, and if they don't…? Well, he can play the big bad wolf too, even though he's smaller that the grays, and he's sneaky. He draws the hunters away from their prey, runs them in circles, then—" she grinned, "—lets them take potshots at him before feigning that they succeeded in killing him. Of course, they can't find his body, but as long as they think they've been successful, it gives whatever pack is in danger time, and a reason, to move to safer ground."

 

"I'll admit, I'm surprised. He never gave any indication he had that in him when I knew him."

 

"I find that difficult to believe, considering what the two of you implied happened when you first met," Miranda said dubiously.

 

"Saving some shifters who were in danger, even though it did involve a fight at the end, is very different from trying to protect the wolf population."

 

"True, I suppose." Miranda looked directly at him. "Now do you understand why I got so pissed at your attitude?"

 

"I do." Ransom smiled, reaching across to pat her shoulder. "He's a lucky man to have you as his defender."

 

"He's my brother. How else should I react when someone tries to cut him down?"

 

"You should do exactly what you did. But only—" he wagged a cautioning finger at her, "—with those of us who know…what's what, I guess."

 

"I'm not stupid, Ransom. I'm aware of that."

 

He chuckled as he got up. "Believe me, right now I think you're far from stupid."

 

Miranda grinned. "And a week from now?"

 

He grinned back. "We'll see. At the moment, I have to get out of here. Tell Allyn I said goodbye, and that I'll be in touch?"

 

"Sure."

 

"Thanks," he replied before leaving the room.

 

"Not sure how Allyn will react to the fact you'll be in touch," she murmured. "I guess we'll see."

 

Allyn and Ransom – 9

 

 

Ransom nodded. "What we have—and that's presuming these disappearances are even related—is three young people who vanished after being at a social function for the city's elite. Young people who should have been able to fend off an attacker—"

 

"Except you said Ellis was seen leaving the masked ball with someone," Allyn interjected. "So no attack there."

 

"Presumption, Allyn," Ransom replied. "He might have thought he was safe—especially if they were supposedly going home together—then been attacked later by the man."

 

"True. Why them? Why them?" Allyn murmured questioningly, drumming his fingers on the table.

 

"That is what I've been asking myself since I made the party connection," Ransom said.

 

"Are there any other disappearances that match, as far as the type of people missing?" Miranda asked.

 

"Meaning kids in their twenties, in good shape, and…? Well, that's about it."

 

"And late at night," she said. "Because that's when they disappeared. Right?"

 

"Right."

 

"No one's gone missing after going to a bar?"

 

"Not that I've been told about. Oh there's the occasional 'My son or daughter went out with friends last night and hasn't come home yet' from worried parents or the same thing from a roommate. But they've all shown up eventually, usually after going home with someone and forgetting—or being unwilling—to let their family know what's going on. Since they're all of age…" Ransom shrugged.

 

Miranda snapped her fingers. "How far apart are the kidnappings, if that's what they are?"

 

"Every weekend for the last three," Ransom replied. "But I suspect that's because parties and charity events only happen on a weekend."

 

She nodded. "I suppose."

 

"Obviously, since you haven't mentioned it," Allyn said, "there aren't any bodies or any ransom demands."

 

"No. It's as if they walked out the door and vanished into thin air."

 

Miranda grinned. "Alien abductions."

 

"Get real," Allyn said, trying not to laugh.

 

"Hey, we exist. What's to say aliens don't as well? They want to study prime examples of humankind and who better than young, healthy men and women?"

 

"If that's the case," Allyn told her, "why not go for athletes or some such?"

 

"They'd be missed, silly."

 

"Like these three aren't?"

 

"I meant like…like written up in the newspapers. Star athlete vanished without a trace." She looked questioningly at Ransom. "Have these guys hit the papers or the TV news?"

 

"Yeah, Patterson has, thanks to daddy dearest. There was a brief mention of Dawson in the local news section of the paper. Ms Stevens? Nothing. I guess I should be thankful about that." Ransom shook his head. "At least the reporters haven't connected the dots, so I don't have them breathing down my neck, making this into some sort of federal case."

 

"I bet the bigwigs would just love that," Allyn commented. "Headlines about young people vanishing from galas or charity events would put a hell of a crimp in their social calendars."

 

"No kidding," Ransom muttered. "Including yours. What would you do if you couldn't spend your sizable inheritance on fancy clothes or costumes to go to these shindigs?"

 

Allyn hissed in a breath, saying angrily, "That was unwarranted and you know it. First off, we're not rich because we inherited our money. We've been around long enough that investments we made years ago have paid off."

 

"Making you one of the idle rich," Ransom retorted. He looked as if he regretted his words as soon as he said them, but he didn't back down. "At least I work for a living, rather than squandering my time at clubs or living the high life."

 

"Well la-di-dah, aren't you the sanctimonious one." Allyn came to his feet, telling Miranda, "Now you know why the two of us broke up. Mr. High-and-Mighty here doesn't approve of my—"he made finger quotes, "—life style." With that said, he stormed out of the room.