Chapter Six

   Kennedy had to gulp to wet her parched throat before speaking, “Kennedy.” She said, as though she were in a trance.

   He gave her a megawatt smile, exposing gleaming white teeth that she swore had to have been worked on; nobody had such perfectly white teeth without going through some form of procedure, “Pleasure to meet you Kennedy.”

   The carnal undertones she registered in his voice when he said the word ‘pleasure’ caused Kennedy to clench her thighs involuntarily as she questioned the sense in inviting someone whose entire aura screamed danger in all the delicious ways at her senses. Yes, she hadn’t been in a relationship of any sorts in almost four years, but she wasn’t so desperate for male attention that she was nearly panting like a dog in heat at this man’s slight show of interest- if she could even call it that. Hell, she barely registered the fact that her sex life had been in comatose for that long until tall, dark and sexy swaggered onto her porch.

   He walked into her house, leaving her to stew in the sexual sauce he had stirred up while Kennedy counted to ten repeatedly to reel in her straying thoughts. Once she had steadied her racing heart, she raised her head up to find the other two men standing by the door like they hadn’t just witnessed whatever had gone on between her and their boss, “Aren’t you coming in?” she asked them.

   One of them- a huge black man regarded her and shook his head, “No ma’am, we’re fine here.” He replied in an incredibly deep voice.

   The first thought that came to her mind at their refusal was that she was going to be alone with that man in her house, she had thought they would at least have these two men with them to stop her from doing something she would regret, but now…., “Are you sure?” she asked, desperately looking from one to the other. She didn’t even need both of them present, only one would do.

   “Yes ma’am.” They replied in unison.

   She looked toward the entrance of her house and back at the two men with a defeated resolve, better to get this over with then. She had to keep reminding herself that this wasn’t about her or her raging hormones, this was about Cassandra. Yes, Cassandra. With that in mind, she proceeded to enter the belly of the beast.

   When she walked into the living room, Rinaldi wasn’t seated like she had thought, rather he was standing by the fireplace, looking at some pictures of herself, Kylie and Cassandra with interest. His sheer size made the entire room look so much smaller than it actually was, what did these men eat wherever they came from that made them so large?

   “Your cousin is safe, you need not worry about her.” He spoke up without turning to face her.

   Kennedy felt relief pass through her at that information, but it wasn’t enough. Cassandra had been gone for more than half a year, surely she could get more information from this man as to her whereabouts. She wanted to see that Cassie was safe, not just hear it, “Where is she? And why hasn’t she contacted us if she’s safe like you say?” she asked. She knew Cassie, if she was alive, the first thing she would do was contact them. The fact that this man and his goons had come down here to drop this information meant something wasn’t right somewhere, she could have just called. How did she even know these people?

   “She’s in Connecticut, and she hasn’t contacted you because she’s recuperating.” He supplied.

   Connecticut? “How the hell did she get to Connecticut? And what do you mean she’s recuperating, from what?” Kennedy asked.

   “I can’t answer how she got there, but she’s a bit sick, so, she’s being taken care of.”

   “By who?”

   “My boss. You should sit down.” He suggested casually.

   Kennedy gave him an incredulous stare, sit down? No, she didn’t feel like having a seat, this man was telling her that her cousin was hundreds of miles away in a state she had never been to and being taken care of by some boss of his. Something sounded wrong to her, how did Cassandra get to Connecticut? “No, tell me how you found my cousin.”

   He faced her fully with a blanks stare, “I didn’t find her, I’m just here on an errand.”

   “Well, didn’t whoever sent you here give you more information?” she quizzed

   He cocked his head to the side, “What do you mean?”

   “I mean, why is my cousin in Connecticut and why are you here?” she asked pointedly.

   “I cannot answer your first question, but I’m here to take you and your sister to Connecticut with me.” He replied in a deadpan voice.

   Was he joking? Kennedy waited for him to laugh or crack a smile or at least give some indication that he didn’t mean what he had just said, but the man’s expression was as serious as it could get. Did he expect her to just up and leave with him with Kylie in tow? Based on unverifiable information? Yes, he had brought news that Cassie was alive, but what were the possibilities that he wasn’t just another member of the public who knew of her cousin’s disappearance and was just playing tricks on them?

   “Really? You have nothing to prove that you really know where Cassie is and you think I’ll just follow you to wherever just because you say you know where she is?” she asked.

   No, he didn’t expect that from her, Luna would never bless him with such a gullible and careless mate. Rinaldi wanted to smile at her outburst, but he kept his features schooled. She had done nothing but impress him so far and he was becoming increasingly convinced that she was being brought into his life at this time to help him with his cause. He didn’t imagine such a woman was used to sitting at home and waiting for the man to do all the work, she would most likely be right by his side through most of his talks. The more he thought of the vast possibilities that lay ahead for him with such a strong woman by his side, the more he blessed Luna for her thoughtfulness.

  “No, not really.” He replied simply.

   Kennedy was a bit surprised by his honest reply, she had expected a rebuttal of some sorts, not an outright admittance of the folly of such an idea.  She waited for him to speak further, but it seemed that was all he was willing to say until she sought more information, “So?” she asked

  He smiled at her impatience, “I thought of facetiming my boss, so you could see her.”

   She stared at him, waiting for him to say more on the outcome of such an idea, but once again, he spoke no further.  She was becoming increasingly irritated with his unwillingness to release the needed information, was he messing with her intentionally? It would do him some good to know that she still had her gun with her and even if she wouldn’t like the sight of his brain splattered all over her newly painted walls, she was still a good enough marksman to ruin his nice suit with some of his blood with minimal damage to most of his cherished parts.

   “And?” she spat, her irritation seeping into her words.

   “He isn’t quite tech-savvy, so he wouldn’t know how to use face-time.”

   “What is he? Some ancient 19^th Century grump?”

   He shrugged, “You could say that.”

   Kennedy had heard enough, “Get out” she couldn’t believe this man thought it would be fun to come pull her legs for nothing. To think she had been so eager thinking he had information on Cassandra, it was becoming increasingly clear that he knew nothing of her cousin’s whereabouts. She didn’t know which annoyed her the most; the fact that he had given her such false hope, or the fact that a small side of her didn’t want him to leave.

   “Miss Howard, I know what it must look like, but I assure you, your cousin truly is in Connecticut as we speak. She was found over a week ago in a bad shape and has been recuperating. I wish I could furnish you with more information, but she hasn’t given us a lot to work with. She wouldn’t even divulge your names or location. I need to bring you and your sister along with me to Connecticut for the safety of both of you.”

  That was the longest speech Kennedy had heard from the man since he appeared at her doorstep, it wasn’t just long, it was filled with a sense of urgency that unnerved her. What was going on? He wasn’t telling her something, she could feel it. Even worse, now, she was conflicted; on one hand, she believed him and on the other, she needed something to convince her. Her logical side simply wouldn’t let it be.

   “Our safety? How?”

   “I can’t elaborate right now, but if you’d just get your sister….”

   “No. I’m not leaving here and I damn sure am not getting my sister involved in this if you don’t tell me what the hell this is.” Kennedy said with finality.

   Rinaldi had forgotten one of the most annoying traits of women like Kennedy- their strong-headed nature. One would sooner get a mule to move than get women like her to change their minds. It could be a blessing and a curse depending on the situation, and it was certainly proving to be a curse for him right now.

   He approached her slowly, “If there was more time, I would leave you be to think on it, but my instructions leave no space for such….” She stepped away from him the closer he got to her as if fearing that he would hurt her. He was a bit offended by her reaction, but he ignored it knowing she hadn’t quite acknowledged who he was and it was natural to be just a little fearful of someone you barely knew….especially if said person was taller and outweighed you, “…Kennedy, work with me here.” He softly implored.

   She stopped moving and just stared at him, he could see the battle going on within her. She wanted to believe him, but her need to overanalyze things and pick out loopholes warred with that want. He waited with bated breath for her reply even though he was starting to think it wouldn’t matter. His wolf sensed some form of danger around and had been alerting him for some minutes now, leaving her behind was not an option, he feared if he did that, he wouldn’t meet her here the next time he came by. Beyond anything else, she was his mate and it was his duty to protect her with or without her permission. If his wolf was right, time was limited.

   “Kylie is just down…..” she was interrupted by the sound of a loud scream- Kylie!

   In a split second, she and Rinaldi took off toward the entrance, Kennedy was out the door first, but she didn’t move past the porch as a strong hand pulled her back against a hard chest. She just barely caught sight of a now mute Kylie staring at….wolves? Kennedy’s attention was captured by what looked like seven giant-sized wolves battling each other. She couldn’t tell which was on their side, but it looked a gruesome fight. Where the hell had those things come from?

   She stopped struggling in Rinaldi’s arms as something occurred to her- the two bodyguards that were supposed to be at her door were nowhere around. What the….she turned sharply to Rinaldi, her face pale from shock. She found him looking down at her with an expression that answered her question.

   No, no, no….this had to be some sort of dream. They were…he was….her fragile mind, unable to fathom the occurrence she was witnessing, shut down as she lost consciousness and crumbled in Rinaldi’s arms.