Middlemarch Shifters Box Set 4--6, page 10
Finally, Leo shook his head, listening to the sound of the car as Emily left. “And she thinks we’re bossy.”
Saber grinned. “Great, isn’t she?”
In the past, Leo might have teased his brother, but today he didn’t have it in him. Saber’s grin faded and he morphed back into the head of the family—strong and powerful. Authoritative.
“You should be able to find Isabella easily enough now that you’ve marked her. I can sense Emily is nearby even if I can’t see her. She says she can do the same thing despite being human.”
The tension in Leo eased a fraction. He’d worried about finding Isabella. “What if she leaves Queenstown?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll find her.” Saber stood to grab the phone and the number for the Robertsons.
Leo topped up his coffee and filled Saber’s, handing it over to his brother. He slumped into his chair and moodily recalled the last two days. He didn’t think he’d do much different. Isabella was his mate. She might think she’d keep her secrets, but along with his impulsiveness, he had Mitchell stamina and determination plus the knowledge his family was on his side. He had the advantage even if it didn’t feel like it.
“She what?” Saber’s voice boomed through the kitchen, jerking Leo from his problems. “She hasn’t been there at all? Could I speak to your daughter?” Saber paused to listen then apologized. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout. We understood Gina was spending the weekend with you. I see. Does your daughter have any idea where she is? Okay. Yes, I’ll ring when I hear something.” Saber replaced the phone. “Gina isn’t there. They haven’t seen her this weekend, and the daughter isn’t talking.”
“When did you expect her home?” Gina’s crush might make him uncomfortable but he liked the kid. She was family. “Do you think someone’s snatched her, or is she sneaking around being a teenager?”
“Either way we have trouble.” Saber checked his watch and grabbed his car keys. “We can shift the cattle in the top paddock later this afternoon. I’m off to the café. You coming?”
* * * * *
Isabella hadn’t expected the weekend to end with so much left unsaid. When Leo had asked for a contact number, she’d panicked. Her. The calm and cool assassin who held control in her palm, forming it into whatever shape she desired. A snort escaped. Except for the last few days when calm had jumped out the window.
Isabella paced the tiled floor of her kitchen, knowing she’d have to stop stressing and do some solid planning. Besides, the kitchen lacked room for proper pacing.
Business. She yanked out a plain wooden chair and slumped into it. Concentrate. Sighing, she reached for the backpack where she’d crammed her handbag and a prepaid cell phone, her Gina cell, along with a change of clothes for window dressing. As usual, the phone had disappeared into the twilight zone at the bottom of her handbag.
With a grunt of displeasure, she upended the handbag, strewing the contents over the brown top of the breakfast bar that doubled as a table. Something small and silver bounced off the counter and hit the white tiled floor. Isabella froze, a slither of fear holding her in place for a dazed second. Then she scrambled to grab it. An instant later, she held the silver tracker between her finger and thumb.
“Fuck.”
Trouble. Of the Mika sort. If she discounted Leo, Mika was the sole person who’d come close enough to plant the tracking device. Isabella stood and crushed the bug beneath the heel of her black boot. She grabbed her phone and dialed the contact she’d organized to make sure Mika deplaned in Auckland.
With a troubled frown, she hung up minutes later. Bad news. Mika had left the flight during the brief stopover in Christchurch, which meant trouble. Something she’d done had set off his inner alarm. And instinct told her the trouble Saber had alluded to during the phone call with his brother concerned Mika.
This was her fault.
She’d practically drawn a map for Mika. He’d hang around and wait until everyone thought it was safe for Felix and Tomasine to return home. They wouldn’t know what hit them. Anxiety stabbed her chest. She rubbed her breastbone and struggled to force air past the band constricting her lungs.
She had to fix this. Now.
Her pink Gina cell picked that moment to trill out a latest hit. She’d allocated this song to her friend. Shit, only one reason for Suzie Robertson to ring at this time of the day.
Busted. This day just kept getting better and better.
Isabella morphed to her Gina form, plugged in her password, and answered the phone in persona. Although she didn’t need to do this, it helped her concentrate and keep the character traits constant.
“Gina, I’m sorry. My mother told Mr. Mitchell you haven’t been with me all weekend.”
And she could just imagine Saber’s reaction to that confidence. No doubt about it. Gina was hip deep in trouble and grounded. “It’s okay.”
“Mum said Mr. Mitchell went quiet and polite after his initial shouting.”
Isabella wrinkled her nose. Great. Just great. “Was it Saber?” It sure sounded like Saber. Suzie knew about her crush on Leo, and since they referred to him by his Christian name, she figured the mister related to Saber.
“I think so. Will they punish you?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry. I’ll ring you once I get home.” Isabella ended the call and morphed back to her previous form. She’d have to return to Middlemarch and front up to face Saber’s wrath.
Oh, joy.
Immediate problems first. Mika. Isabella wandered the interior of the cottage. She did a circle past the drop cloths covering the furniture in the lounge, hurtled along the hall and turned into her bedroom before repeating the travel path in reverse. What to do? What to do?
One alternative. Mika was on his way to Middlemarch. She might as well confirm her presence here and tell him she’d found a lead. The trick would be taking him out without alerting the Mitchells or endangering any of the residents or herself.
Isabella sucked in a deep breath, her fists clenching. She’d do it. She’d managed so far without hurting any innocents. Hopefully, this would be the last time, since once the hit went down on Joseph in Africa, the one on Tomasine ended.
An hour later, after leaving a voice mail for Mika and formulating her plan, Isabella locked her cottage and left for Middlemarch. Aware Leo was there, she shifted into a skinny dark-skinned male with long, greasy hair and lots of dark stubble. Leo wouldn’t recognize her in this guise.
Isabella straddled the bike and started up, riding the bike to her usual storage place in Middlemarch. Without drawing attention to herself, she morphed her leathers to T-shirt and faded and ripped black jeans before swaggering along the road to Storm in a Teacup. Best she scope out the café first.
When she saw Emily, she’d get a sense of how worried they were and how much trouble she was in. She pushed through the door, the doorbell ringing chirpily and announcing her arrival.
Emily appeared from the kitchen out the back and gave her a practiced smile. “Good afternoon.”
“Hello,” Isabella drawled in her masculine voice. “Quiche, salad and flat white.” She wanted to snicker because real men didn’t eat quiche according to a magazine article she’d read, but remained true to her disguise and handed over a twenty-dollar note. Emily never blinked but handed over change and told her she’d bring the meal in a few minutes. She didn’t seem worried or upset.
Interesting. Saber hadn’t told her yet.
An elderly couple occupied one table while out in the garden a noisy family held court, their dog running about with two small boys. The joyous barking and laughter of the children brought a smile to Isabella. A pang of envy followed. She’d never had a childhood like that, not with two assassin parents. Her juvenile years had comprised careful training for the future so she could work alongside her parents.
No options. No alternatives. Not a trace of affection or love.
Was it any wonder she’d shifted allegiance? Tomasine had saved a stranger at the risk of her own life. The woman had sheltered and shielded Isabella ever since. As far as Isabella was concerned, Tomasine was an angel and she’d exchange her life in repayment for the affection she’d showered on her.
Second to Tomasine came the rest of the Mitchell clan. They’d accepted her without hesitation, and Isabella would never forget the debt she owed them. Unknowingly, they’d saved her from a life of death and darkness.
She took a seat by the window in order to watch the comings and goings. Her contact hadn’t been able to trace Mika’s whereabouts, but she had to assume he’d either caught a flight back to Queenstown or had hired a car in Christchurch. If he’d taken the car option, he’d take a day or two to drive to Middlemarch, which gave her time to prepare.
Emily arrived with her meal and set it on the table. “Traveling through?” she asked.
“On my way to Queenstown,” Isabella said.
“Looks as if the weather will be good for you.” Emily nodded, offered another friendly smile, and headed for the counter where she started making Isabella’s coffee.
The whir of the grinder blasted through the quiet café. Comfortable, familiar sounds. Gina spent happy hours in the café helping Emily. At first, it had been to keep a close eye on the visitors coming through Middlemarch, but soon she enjoyed cooking and Emily’s irrepressible humor.
The doorbell jingled, indicating another arrival. Isabella’s spine snapped upright until it hit the back of her chrome chair. He prowled from the door to the counter, his face an impenetrable mask. Isabella caught Emily’s welcoming smile, saw it fade to distinct worry. Saber disappeared into the kitchen while Emily made Isabella’s coffee. She delivered it to Isabella, the faint tremor of her hand making the cup rattle once in the saucer.
“Can I get you anything else?”
“I’m good,” Isabella answered, her heart knocking against her ribs. Guilt at worrying Saber made her bite her bottom lip. The small pain jerked her back to reality. Lip biting didn’t fit the current character. Abruptly she smoothed out her face and jumped back into the male psyche. “Thanks.”
Emily hurried away to join Saber in the kitchen. Isabella eavesdropped on the conversation, glad for once that extra-good hearing was part of the chameleon package.
“Gina is missing. She didn’t spend the weekend with the Robertsons,” Saber said.
“But… I didn’t check with Suzie’s mother because the girls spend so many weekends together. Do you think something has happened?”
“I’m hoping Gina has snuck off to meet a boy,” Saber gritted out. “But that’s bad enough.”
“What if she gets pregnant or catches a disease?” Emily asked, horror tingeing her voice. “Tomasine and Felix won’t speak to me.” She sounded close to tears.
“What did she say to you?”
“She offered to help me and mentioned she wanted to spend time with her friends before school starts. I told her to go ahead because she helps so much already. She mentioned Suzie, and I assumed she’d be with them.” Emily inhaled with a harsh sound. “The wretch. She won’t fool me again.”
“When is she due back?”
“This afternoon. Where could she be, Saber?”
“Sweetheart, don’t cry. It sounds as if she’s stretching her wings.”
“But what if she doesn’t return?”
“We’ll find her, and when we do, she’d better have a good explanation,” he finished in an implacable voice.
“Damn straight,” Emily added. “She’s going to be doing so many dishes her hands will never be the same.”
Despite the sense of her past and future running on a collision course, Isabella couldn’t prevent the quirk of her lips. During her years as a mercenary, she’d had lots of threats leveled at her. Emily’s death by dishpan hands was a new one.
Chapter Nine
Once Saber left to meet with Emily, Leo drove out to the old woolshed paddock. He parked his vehicle and climbed out. It wasn’t where he wanted to be. Queenstown and Isabella beckoned. Sighing, Leo leapt over the fence and strode up the long slope to the top paddock. Angst burrowed deep, curling through his mind and body. Normally he would have shifted and gone for a long run. Not today.
He reached the gate in record time and opened it to let the cattle drift into the lower paddock at their leisure. Half an hour later, he was back at the homestead.
“Gina!” he shouted.
Silence mocked him. Damn, as much as she irritated and made him uncomfortable, he wanted her safe. He jogged to the phone to call the café, hanging up again after a few terse words with Saber.
No one had asked more questions about Tomasine and no sign of Gina. Yet. They were hoping she’d be back this afternoon as stated. Leo wouldn’t like to be in her shoes, and meanwhile, he had to hang around waiting for her.
Leo grabbed a copy of the Otago Daily Times and dropped into a scruffy armchair. Emily wanted to replace the furniture, but so far the Mitchell brothers had stood unified. They liked the comfortable chairs they’d had for years and didn’t want to break in new ones. He knew they’d lose. Eventually Emily would have her way because as she said, change was good.
His days of being single had ended the minute he’d marked Isabella. Change. His snort echoed in the silent room. For once, his pretty face hadn’t brought him what he wanted. Isabella had let him leave.
The sports section dropped to the floor while he let his thoughts drift. His eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep with his mind on Isabella and morning sex…
Their bodies brushed together in the shower while warm water pummeled them from several different angles. He cupped her face and stole a kiss, laughing when she grabbed his arse and squeezed. A thick slice of pleasure speared straight to his groin and when she let her hands slide around to tease his balls, he had to have her. Again.
With just a few judicious touches, his dick strained up toward his stomach and he rocked his pelvis forward. But guilt nudged at him. She had to be sore after the afternoon and night. He didn’t want to force himself on her and cause pain.
“I won’t break,” she scoffed, reading his mind with ease.
Leo wondered if he should worry, but she grasped his shoulders and levered herself up, her legs curling around his waist and focusing his attention elsewhere. The heat of her pussy seared his thick cock, her glistening folds telling him she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. They slid together with exquisite friction, such perfect synchronicity.
“Fill me,” she whispered, guiding his cock to her entrance as she uttered the words. Isabella sank downward and nibbled along his collarbone toward his neck. Her teeth sank into the fleshy part at the base of shoulder and neck, the exact place he’d bitten her.
Leo froze for an instant, willing her to bite harder, willing it to happen, for them to become mates in all ways. His shaft swelled, fire and chills warring within his body and he bit back a cry of disappointment when she released his skin to brush a kiss across his lips. He rocked his pelvis forward, lifted her and let her sink back down, taking him into her tight pussy. Moving faster and faster, she snapped her hips, internal muscles flexing and rippling around his shaft. The electric feel of orgasm raced through him.
“Isabella.” He gripped and with a hoarsely voiced curse, he came in explosive contractions. For a moment, he luxuriated in the aftershocks before he kissed her and slipped a finger between their bodies. It didn’t take much, just a light massage of her slippery clit and she gave a cry of surrender, slumping against his chest while the water still poured over them.
The trill of the phone broke into his dream and he jerked awake, swore, wiped his palm across his face. Somehow, he had to convince Isabella they were meant for each other and tell her about the mark.
He wanted to wear it with pride.
He craved Isabella’s mark.
* * * * *
Isabella left the café after she’d eaten her meal. Uneasy at the worry she was causing, she decided to return, although she still didn’t know what story she’d tell. Better think of something quick.
After a glance each way, she ducked behind a pine tree and transformed into Gina. With distaste, she glanced at her tight jeans and brief T-shirt. The outfit did nothing for her figure, highlighting every teenage roll of fat. Sure, her plain looks kept away the boys. Who wanted the aggravation of hormone-crazy teen boys chasing after her? But she didn’t feel sexy or feminine, and for once, that stuff mattered. She snorted, a frustrated sound.
What the heck did it matter? Once Leo and the rest of the Mitchell family learned the truth, they’d send her packing, if they didn’t kill her first. Saber in particular was one tough dude, and she wouldn’t put it past him to make the hard call, get rid of the assassin. Freedom and peace of mind for all of them.
Except Leo.
Isabella fingered the tender spot where Leo had marked her. Although it had disappeared during her transformation to the male then to Gina and wasn’t visible to the naked eye, it tingled beneath the surface in a stark reminder of Leo.
She knew what it meant—for her and for him. If something happened to her, Leo would be in limbo. No other mate for him. She pushed on the mark, the tiny jolt of pain bringing home the truth. By not speaking up, she’d trapped him. The back of her eyes stung as she wandered back down the footpath to Storm in a Teacup, a film of moisture obscuring her vision. Muttering a curse, she swiped away the tears and blinked for good measure. A quick deep breath to help settle her nerves and she pushed through the customer entrance of the café.
“Gina.” Emily shot from behind the counter and grabbed Isabella. She clasped her in a fierce hug, arms clinging so tight Isabella could scarcely breathe. Abruptly Emily thrust her away. “Where have you been?”
Isabella took one look at Saber, who had prowled from the kitchen, and quailed. She was in big, big trouble.
“Um, I guess I’m busted,” Isabella said.
The door opened and a family group entered the café, interrupting the potential scene.
Without taking his eyes off her, Saber pulled out a cell phone and hit speed dial. “Leo, Gina has arrived. Could you come and pick her up? I need to take care of a couple of things here.” He disconnected and shoved the cell into his jeans pocket. “Sit and don’t move until Leo comes for you.”
