Chapter~18~Friend or foe?

Nicholas~done

It’s a short drive to downtown Parkerville. Café Rosa is a quaint, mom-and-pop establishment that has been here as long as I can remember. It’s kind of like stepping into a time portal back to old Italy. After a quick search, I find Kyle, who wasn’t hard to spot given that he is the spitting image of Ian, sitting in a booth, and I slide onto the opposite side, joining him. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he is sizing me up a bit.

“What’s up, Kyle?” I didn’t even bother to ask how he knew I was meeting with his father.

“Were you followed?” He asked.

We both feel slightly offended. “No.”

Kyle collects the folders on the seat next to him and passes them to me. “This is everything I have been able to get out of my father’s office without causing suspicion.”

The waitress came over; I ordered a black coffee; she walked away, and I looked at Kyle, still trying to read his vibes as well. Kyle’s poker face is on point, but my instincts tell me he is being honest. I raised an eyebrow at him, then focused on the files, opening the top one.

Kyle points to a photo paper-clipped to the inside of the folder. “This is Lenorad Luccese. He’s big time, and I believe he is the one calling the hits in LA.”

Unfortunately, I know many of the names in the file, including Lenorad Luccese, who is a boss in the Italian-American mafia. He wouldn’t be killing anyone; however, he would hire a hit man or two to do his dirty work. That makes the field way uneven for my mate, and I need to make tracks back to Harley soon.

My wolf or my gut has never led me wrong; I locked eyes with Kyle. “Do you think Ian is involved with the mafia, too?”

“Yes, I do, and I also believe he intends to use Harley to take over the Coachmen.”

This is not good; the Coachmen are an elite group of mob bosses. For obvious reasons, no one knows who the head is, but whoever controls the collective controls the entire West Coast crime syndicate. With Harley as his weapon, Ian could easily take over; I felt my jaw muscles tighten in frustration.

“We can’t allow that to happen, Kyle. Ian has to be stopped.”

“Agreed, and you have my full support. Though you have little reason to believe me, my only concern here is my sister.”

I scrubbed my hand over my face as my nerves got the best of me. “I have already been to LA because I wanted to see for myself. You are right; Harley does not know who she is.” I paused, then thought, in for a penny, in for a pound; Kyle might as well know. “Harley is my mate, if she will have me, that is.”

Kyle stared blankly at me for a long moment. “Does she know?”

You mean, did we make the most passionate love I have ever experienced? YES! “I am sure she does. My wolf introduced himself.”

Zeek growled at me. Kyle heard him and nodded. “I remember when Knox introduced himself to Becky. You two will always have a home in my pack if that’s what you want.”

If only it were that simple. “I can’t say where our future will lead, only that I will do whatever it takes to protect her. Even if it means losing her to a mystical lake that isn’t supposed to exist. As long as we come out with Harley safe, nothing else matters much.”

“You’re in love with my sister.” He stated it as a fact, not as something said or asked.

There was no way I was about to explore that powder keg with anyone! I’ve not yet had sufficient time to analyze the shit out of what she was doing to me, let alone verbalize it. Instead, I stand up, close the folder, and pick it up from the table.

“Do me a favor, Kyle.”

His grin says it all, and he may prove to be a reliable source in the future. It wasn’t like I knew the first damn thing about wooing a woman.

“What’s that?” He asked.

“Give me a day or two to get back and call your sister; she won’t be on the run anymore.”

I tossed a twenty onto the table and walked out. It’s about a 30-minute drive to my cabin in the woods. That is way too much time for me to devote to my thoughts. Kyle had me a little concerned about what we were about to step into.

It wasn’t as simple as Zeek making chop soy of anyone who came for us, not in the human world. On my own, I will be, and I know if push came to shove, Harley would become just as much of a wolf as I. Neither of us needed to wind up on the next episode of Werewolves Exposed.

Who knew how Harley would react to the Wolfman’s sudden reappearance, especially as an FBI agent. My hand is itching to dial her number because I’m desperate to hear her voice, but I know a face-to-face reunion would be best, and if she outed me, I would deserve no less. As my secluded driveway off the main road comes into view, I pull in, put the car in park, and kill the engine.

‘Harley will accept you, Nick. I’m not saying it will be easy, but you will figure it out.’

Rest is not even an option for me at this point; my head finds the headrest, and I close my eyes.

‘Do you think I am in love with her, Zeek?’

‘I can’t say Nick because I don’t believe anyone can define love itself; it is different for each of us. More than anything, I want to be close to my mate, and I would give my life for her to never know fear again. Is that love?’

I’m still not sure, but if it was, I was ate up with the same disease my wolf got! ‘At least we agree.’

The night air has a crisp, clean scent as it fills my lungs, and I strip off my clothes. We need to run; running wild always helps clear our heads.

Zeek pulled the shift, and we took off into the mountains. ‘Just what I was thinking.’