“I’ll take the couch. Someone has to keep an ear out. Chad can cover the back,” Bull immediately stated in all seriousness.
“That’s what I thought,” NeeCee said with a smug grin.
“NeeCee, you’re being a brat. Stop it,” Meka stated firmly.
“Me?! What about him?”
Tameka threw up her hands. “I’m going into the kitchen to fix me a sandwich.”
A few seconds later, she bellowed, “WHO ATE ALL OF
MY FOOD?”
The next day, the guys focused on beefing up security in the house. Alex sent men to patrol the grounds, both in wolf and human form. NeeCee sat on the back porch with charcoals and a pad, concentrating on her art. Meka did as she promised Rome and called Franklin Carstens’ therapist.
“Dr. Richard Higginbotham’s office.”
“I’d like to speak to Dr. Higginbotham concerning one of his patients.”
“Your name.”
“Dr. Tameka Jones, a former family and marriage counselor.”
“The doctor is with a client right now. May I take a message?”
Tameka left her name, number, and the reason for her call.
“I’ll have him call at his earliest convenience.” Chad appeared in the room’s doorway. “You find out anything?”
“He’s with a client. I left my information for a callback.” He nodded and went back to whatever mysterious thing he and Bull were doing at the back of the house. She heard Chad mutter something about an early warning system. Whatever that meant. Frankly, she didn’t want to know.
An hour later, the phone rang.
“Dr. Jones, this is Richard Higginbotham. I understand you have questions about one of my patients?”
“Yes. A Franklin Carstens.” She explained the purpose of her call.
“I Googled you, so I know you’re familiar with patient confidentiality. Though I can’t betray any confidences, I will tell you this. Mr. Carstens is no longer a client. He ended his therapy, too soon in my opinion. To find the answers that you seek, research his family history. That’s all I can offer you.”
“I understand completely and thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome.”
She hung up and called the number Rome had given her.
“Rome.”
“This is Tameka. I just got off of the phone with Franklin’s therapist.”
“What did he say?”
“As I expected, not much, but he did say that if you wanted answers, you need to research Franklin’s family history. Dr.
Higginbotham also stated that Franklin ended his therapy too soon.”
“Thanks, Meka. I appreciate your help. Put Chad on the phone, will you?”
“Chad, phone.” He was there before the last syllable left her mouth. She handed him her cell. “Rome.”
“Yeah, boss?”
“You have access to the internet?”
He looked at Meka questioning. “We do,” she answered Rome for him. This supersensitive hearing had its benefits. She didn’t have to wonder what Rome wanted with Chad. She could hear both sides of the conversation clearly.
“I want you to research Emily and her son. Find out where they lived, where she worked, where he went to school…I want to know everything. His therapist said the answers we need are in his past. I’ll have someone here working on it as well.”
“Will do.”
She heard the connection end.
“Do you have a password on your computer?”
“No.” She followed him into the study. He cut on the computer and logged onto the Internet.
“It’s a bit slow, but it will do what I need. Thanks, babe. If you need me, I’ll be in here working. Don’t leave the house without Bull or me with you.”
“I know the drill.” He’d been spouting variations of the same thing since yesterday.
He gave her another steady look before he finally seemed satisfied of her complicity.
One week passed, and then another. NeeCee left and went home. She got a call about a show one of her art dealer friends wanted to set up and went to make sure she had enough paintings. With NeeCee gone, Bull went back on patrol and it was once again just her and Chad, and the pack members patrolling the grounds.
Both Franklin and Frances had gone to ground. Their bank accounts hadn’t been touched, nor credit cards used. It was like they disappeared. Rome had been in contact with the Raleigh police, gathering more information on Emily Carstens’ death.
Tameka blocked it all out. She was a virtual prisoner in her own home. By the third week, she was tired and listless, appetite gone. When she couldn’t even drum up interest for sex, Chad got concerned and called Alex, who made her come in early for a check-up.
“What seems to be the problem?” Alex sat behind his desk in his office while she and Chad were seated on the other side.
She shrugged and looked away.
Chad jumped in. “She’s barely eating, and then only when I make her. She sleeps all the time and when she’s not sleeping, she’s staring out the window, lost in her own little world. I don’t know what to do anymore. Nothing I’ve tried has worked.”
“Is this true, Meka?”
She lifted one shoulder and stared at her nails. Hmm, my polish is peeling. Maybe I’ll redo them…later.
“What about exercise, fresh air? Has she shifted into her wolf form since she’s been home?”
“No, she hasn’t. She mostly just sits around the house.” Meka felt her first flicker of emotion—anger. “I can’t go anywhere without you or Bull with me, and you spend all of your time on the computer. Bull went back to work so I can’t call him.” That little bit of dialogue tired her and she slumped back in her seat, drained.
“What about work?” Alex asked.
“I haven’t been back since I got out the clinic. He won’t let me,” she said tiredly.
“Go back to work, Meka,” Alex ordered.
“She can’t. She has to be protected at all times and the best way to do that is to keep her under lock and key,” Chad vehemently protested.
“Can’t you see this enforced confinement is killing her?
She’s a wolf. She needs the social interaction of others of her kind,” Alex explained.
“She has me,” Chad insisted stubbornly.
Alex took a deep breath. “Chad, she’s a new shifter. She’s not a loner like you. She needs to be around the pack. Not only that, her wolf needs to come out and play before it sickens. If safety is your concern, I’ll arrange for someone to watch her while she’s working. They can even transport her back and forth to work.”
“No,” he gave in with a sigh. “I can take her and pick her up. Rome’s not going to be happy about this.”
“I’ll clear it with him. None of us expected this to drag out like it has. For Meka’s sake, life has to return to normal, or as much as possible under the circumstances. Meka, next week to celebrate my wedding, the pack has a series of events planned.
One of them is a run. Kiesha won’t be able to participate, but the rest of the pack is getting together in our wolf form and spending the night running as a pack. I think you would enjoy it. I expect to see both of you there. No excuses,” the last was directed at Chad.
The alpha has spoken, she thought with an internal grin.
Just the thought of returning to work—and getting free of the house—had her feeling better.
The next day, Chad began escorting her to and from work.
Various members of the pack kept watch while she was at the shop. Now that he had a couple of hours of freedom a day, Chad was able to go into the station a few hours each day. Rome wouldn’t let him back on patrol. Chad told her he’d simply traded one computer for another, still piecing together the life of one Emily Carstens and child.