Monday morning came too soon as Miranda was still fuming over the suit shopping fiasco. At least Braydon had told Carolina no to seeing them that weekend and the pair had been able to stay home, together. Now Braydon was on the train to meet up with Donald for work and Miranda took her time walking back into the business district of the city, trying to work out the best way to approach Jason.
It didn’t help she was still trying to work out if going with Gray was the best decision. The longer she stayed in the city, the more she realised she hated it. Her apartment was never completely quiet and even in the more suburban location where Abby lived, the traffic was forever echoing from nearby freeways. The air was always tainted with car fumes and she hated the travel out to her parents’ house. Not that she wanted to live with them again, but with Braydon working with her dad and the more frequent visits, it was tiring.
It would be nice living closer to home. Not just for the convenience, but she had missed spending time with her dad and family. Thinking it all over helped calm her down in regards to having to deal with Jason, but instead her stomach was in knots considering the change.
“Morning!” Rory greeted, a little too happily.
“Morning Rory.” Miranda sighed, opening her door. Going over to her desk she slipped off her flat shoes and replaced them with a pair of high heels while Rory stood in the doorway.
“Have a good weekend?”
“I did actually. Well except for having to watch the Spiderman trilogy and then the new one with that Emma chick in it. You know, I really don’t think I like her as a blonde.” She mused.
“Braydon really loves watching those movies doesn’t he? Is it because he remembers them or is he just a closet geek like me?” Rory laughed.
“Yeah, he really does like them. I think it’s something from his childhood and he can just identify with them now. He kind of thinks he is like them, living a double life because of the whole,” Miranda hesitated, stopping herself in time before she blurted out Braydon’s secret. “Amnesia thing. Whatever helps him get through it you know?”
“Yeah, I guess. Who knows, cut his hair and put on a mask and he could be Spiderman!” Rory joked.
Miranda laughed, imagining her own wolf related superhero for a second. “How about you? How was your weekend?”
“Met up with some friends Saturday night and slept off my hangover yesterday.”
“So why are you so happy this morning?” Miranda looked at him suspiciously.
“I may have met a lady and she ah, I got a text from her last night. I was already in bed, but I sent her one back this morning and now we’re meeting up for a drink after work tonight.” He gushed.
“Oh that’s great!” It then occurred to Miranda, she’d be leaving Rory behind. They’d only worked together for just over a year and despite all his gossiping skills, he was a good worker and she had him trained to suit her needs. Would Rory want to move with her and even if he did, would Gray let him?
“It’s too early to get excited, but she’s pretty awesome!”
“Well keep me posted. Is Jason in yet?” Since it would be another half hour before the office filled up, Miranda decided that if she was going to yell at him, the less ears around the better.
“No. I forgot to tell you, he called about ten minutes ago and was going to be working from home.”
The way Rory’s face went blank and his tone became so passive told Miranda exactly what Rory thought of their boss right now.
“Of course he is.” She sighed, rolling her eyes. Dealing with confrontation was never one of his strong points, especially when he was in the wrong.
“Miranda, I just want to say that despite the fact he is my boss, he-“
“Don’t Rory. I shouldn’t have let you be put in that situation. Forget it. He is your boss and while Braydon is your friend, we are adults and at work. “Miranda answered curtly.
“You’re not mad at Braydon are you?” Rory asked cautiously.
“No or you if you’re worried. Jason was out of line, but I will deal with it.”
“Oh and your old pal Wilfred says hi!” Now Rory was just stirring her up.
“Wilfred? Oh the suit man?” Miranda frowned before glaring at Rory. “I should really apologise to them for how I, well, I over reacted last year!”
“Understatement of the year and if you do that to them, you’re gonna be busy doing the same thing to everyone else in this city!”
“God I’m a terrible person!” She sighed, thinking back to all the various caterers, general staff and other contractors that had been at the receiving end of her wrath since she took the position.
“You’re like the Scrooge with Christmas. You had your ghosts visit you and now you’re feeding Tiny Tim’s family and singing carols with the rest of the villagers. It is what it is.” Rory shrugged.
“Scrooge? Really?” Groaning Miranda sat back in her chair, and saw the folder Gray had given her sticking out of her bag. “You’re right. It is what it is. Now go do some work before I get all Ba-Humbug on your ass!”
Rory left her alone, closing the door yet his laughter still made it into her office. Shaking her head, Miranda opened her emails and cringed at the thirty new little electronic envelopes that came in over the weekend. Months earlier Miranda would have been checking her emails from home, as well as carrying on working Saturday and Sunday, so the Monday morning catch ups were something she was still adjusting to.
Yet amazingly the world hadn’t ended from her lack of dedication these days or even when she was missing and as she went through them all, Miranda knew it wouldn’t end if she left completely too. With everything caught up and the end of month billing sent to the finance department, Miranda decided to take Rory out for lunch.
Leaving her office she found him missing from his desk and looking around, she spied the small crowd by the passage that led to their reception. As two of the women saw her coming, they retreated back to their own desks and it was then Miranda realised what was causing the interruption.
“Call security, I don’t care! I will be seeing him today!” The deep male voice roared.
Miranda hesitated by the other two women who looked at each other fearfully, not keen on going out there either.
“Sir, I am telling you the truth. Mr Carpe is not in today.” Rory snapped back, yet his voice was shaky and Miranda couldn’t leave him out there to face this man on his own. Technically speaking she was the most senior person present with Jason out, and she wasn’t one to leave certain issues to those on lower pay grades.
She took a deep breath and walked confidently out the front while the others dispersed with fake interest. Melissa stood holding her hand over her desk phone, ready to call security while Rory stood tall beside her. His face was flushed and the second he caught sight of movement beside him, he turned and looked at Miranda with relief all over his face.
The man causing the commotion was rather tall and definitely intimidating. His own anger was as obvious as Rory’s; the pair had been butting heads. Apart from his stature, the first thing Miranda noticed was the way his hands had been balled in fists to rest on the counter.
“Is there a problem Rory?” Miranda asked calmly, acting oblivious to the frightened receptionist and over all tension of the situation.
“This-“
“Jason Carpe. Where is he?” The man interrupted forcefully.
“I’m sure you’ve been told he is not in today Sir. Could I help you at all?” Keeping her stance neutral, Miranda didn’t want to do anything to trigger another explosion.
There was something almost familiar about him that she couldn’t place, and meeting his gaze, she didn’t back down as he glared at her. It was then she noted how his nostrils flared, the way his pupils dilated and his posture tensed; different to the defensive stance she had walked out to. Miranda’s problem was she had been around a shifter too long now to be able to miss the signs of one.
Whatever this one decided about her, it seemed to help smooth out the wrinkles on his brow as he looked her over curiously. Crossing his arms defensively, his tone still held venom. “And who, are you?”
“Miranda Wright, I am Mr. Carpe’s office manager.” Extending her hand, she tried not to flinch as pressure of his grip was nearly bone crushing and she knew he was testing her. “All of his appointments are organised through me. Perhaps if you’d like to discuss this in my office, we can-“
Miranda stopped talking as he moved around the counter to stand in front of her. Again his nostrils flared and she could almost see his brain working in overtime as he assessed her. She was positive she heard him mutter human, under his breath and then the undeniable rumble of a growl had her heart stopping.
“Is something wrong, Mr…?” she trailed off, having some dark suspicions on who exactly he was, but needed the confirmation. Even if it was in front of Rory.
Smirking slightly, it was obvious he caught her hesitation. “Your office Miss Wright?”
Miranda regretted that offer now, but refused to show him any further weakness. She wasn’t going to be bullied and what would he do in an office full of ‘humans’?
“Of course. Melissa, please show,” Looking at him, she needed some kind of name.
“Nicholas.”
“Melissa, please show Nicholas to my office. I just want to speak to Rory for a moment.” Miranda smiled at the receptionist who fumbled taking off her headset and hesitantly lead the way down the corridor.
As soon as they were alone, Miranda ignored the look from Rory and using Melissa’s phone, dialed Braydon. He didn’t answer. Trying her dad’s number, neither did he.
“What’s going on?” Rory demanded, still tense from dealing with Nicholas.
“Um, not sure.”
Feeling like a lamb going to the slaughter, Miranda went back to office and said nothing as Melissa rushed past her. She had faced Carolina and she was positive that she-wolf wouldn’t hesitate in getting her out the picture. Plus she had been around Chad, those other shifters at the hospital, actual wolves and even bears in the wild. Sure none of them were as scary as this Nicholas guy, but Miranda was positive she could hold her own against him or at least fake it enough to get by.
Walking in, Miranda moved to her seat, positioning herself in front of him. There was no hesitation as she met his gaze, folding her arms in front of her chest Miranda leaned forward slightly and smiled like a tiger. “So you want to see Mr. Carpe, Nicholas?”
“I do.” He mumbled, not appreciating the more dominant position she was taking. He sat up in his chair, his presence now taking control of the room.
“May I ask what it is regarding? He is a very busy man and perhaps it is a matter I can assist with on his behalf?” Keeping calm, Miranda waited to see what his next move would be.
Now they were so close, and uninterrupted, Miranda only saw familiar blue eyes staring back at her. What rage had been present was no longer there, and while they lacked the fondness she was used to, they were clearly a family trait. Just like how Nicholas clenched his jaw in determination; it was something she was so used to seeing on Braydon when she helped him with his school work.
The silence in which he thought over the situation with was also similar to his nephew, and while he had walls up to keep her out, Miranda saw through them. The resemblance was uncanny, just like their mannerisms and it soon occurred to her, this man had killed Braydon’s father. Her pulse raced as she tried to keep those thoughts out of her mind. After all, it wasn’t like she could tell him she knew of his kind.
“I am a very private man Miranda. Do you mind if I call you that?” He looked at her expectantly and Miranda shook her head.
“Not at all.” She almost blurted out Mr. Winters, but kept quiet.
“I don’t take kindly to having that privacy invaded.” Nicholas warned.
“And you believe Mr.Carpe has done this?”
“I know he has.”
“I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. What-“ Miranda went quiet as a photograph was placed in front of her. The beaten man was on a hospital bed and nearly unrecognisable due to how swollen and purple his face had become, which was a great contrast to Miranda’s who only paled at the image. “What is this?”
“That is a warning for your boss to fuck off. I don’t know what he was looking for chasing after information on me and my family, but it stops now!” Nicholas slammed his fist down on the desk, making Miranda jump.
She was speechless. Opening and closing her mouth, she had no idea what to say so when the phone rang she quickly picked it up. “Yes?”
“Braydon is on the line. I said you were busy, but he was very insistent.” Rory told her quickly, the beep of the call being transferred soon following.
“Hey? What’s wrong?” Just hearing Braydon made Miranda feel better.
“Um, I, well-“ Daring to look up, Nicholas simply raised an eyebrow. His hair was salt and pepper, and all Miranda could think of was seeing him as a wolf. “Nothing. Why would you think that?”
“Miranda!” He pressed.
“I’ll talk to you tonight. Sorry. I’m in the middle of something now.” Miranda hung up, looking at the photo again before passing it back to Nicholas. “Nicholas, your intimidation will not work here. If anything I should be reporting you to the police.”
It became clear to Miranda that it wasn’t just Jason who could be in trouble now, but Braydon too. His Uncle’s appearance couldn’t be a good thing.
“Intimidation? Sweetheart, you don’t know the first thing about what I am capable of!” He stood and Miranda bravely, or perhaps stupidly mimicked his actions.
“Mr. Carpe will not be pursuing any interest he may or may not have had in you or your family, I assure you.” Miranda promised. “Now I suggest you leave.”
Nicholas laughed and catching the look Miranda served him with, he slowly stopped. “So I have your word and that’s it?”
“That’s it.” She confirmed.
“No deal.”
“I wasn’t looking to make a deal Nicholas.” Walking around her desk, Miranda moved to stand in front of him. “We’re done.”
“Oh no Miranda. I think we’re just getting started.” He smirked and before she could stop him, he was out of her office and going down the corridor.
“You okay?” Rory was up the second Miranda appeared out of her office.
“Fine. Call security and make sure he doesn’t step foot in this building again.”
“Is he really that bad?”
“I don’t know, but I’m not going to take any chances. Can you get Jason on the phone please?”
Rory went back to his desk and Miranda slumped down into her chair. The light of her phone screen flashing had her looking over to see Braydon calling and she hesitated in answering. Seconds later a text followed and opening it up, he kept it simple. Call me!
Instead Miranda answered her desk phone and sure enough Rory had Jason had on the line.
“Everything okay?” Jason greeted casually.
“No. It’s really not. Heard from your P.I lately?” Miranda snapped.
“No, you said to stop so I did.”
“Sure about that? Whoever he was looking into just turned up very pissed off. I’d check your security Jason. He showed me what happened to the investigator and he was after you.”
“What?” Jason mumbled, hearing the panic in Miranda’s voice. “Did he hurt you? Threaten you?”
“That doesn’t matter.” Miranda was tempted to still give him a serve about what happened between him and Braydon, but now didn’t feel like the time. “Just be careful.”
“I’m coming in. What if he comes back?”
“Then you being here won’t help anything. It’s under control, for now I guess.” She sighed.
“Thanks Andy, I’ll sort something out. Maybe take the rest of the day off, I’d hate for anything to happen to you.” Jason sounded more than sincere and again Miranda only felt her anxiety building.
“I’m fine, I’m just worried. He isn’t someone you want to mess with.”
“I’ll talk to you later, if anything else happens, call me!”
Miranda hoped he was taking it seriously and hanging up, took the image from her desk and went into Jason’s office. Not wanting to leave it in plain view, but still wanting him to have it, Miranda opened one of the cupboards in his desk and the orange envelope that stuck out one of the folders got her attention. In neat, black print Case 2.4 had been put onto one of the corners and glancing towards the door, she made sure no one was coming before pulling it out.
Before she could open it, Rory appeared with Grant, the head of security. “Miranda, got a minute?”
“Of course.” She mumbled, putting the folder away. Leaving the new image with it, she followed the duo back into her office and gave a brief explanation on what happened with Nicholas. Problem was all she could think about was Case 2.4.
-x-
Braydon headed out of the office and towards the training grounds where he knew Donald was. Something was happening and the urge to get back home was making focusing on anything else impossible. The dogs all barked with wagging tails as he past their kennels, and as he passed a couple of the men that were there from the police force, he didn’t answer their hello.
The small group of six stood beside their dogs in the middle of the grassed pen, while Donald talked them through the next activity. Seeing Braydon, the older man only nodded in recognition as he finished his instructions and set them out on the agility course.
“You okay son?” Donald greeted as he met Braydon at the gate.
“Um, I think Miranda is in trouble.” He admitted, looking down at his phone as yet another call went unanswered. “I just have this, feeling.”
Braydon couldn’t stand still, fidgeting with a nervous energy as he hit redial again and Donald could see how stressed he was becoming. It wasn’t like Braydon, and without even hearing from Miranda he was starting to feel the flicker of doubt about his daughter’s well being too.
“Let me try calling her.” He suggested, pulling out his phone he called Miranda and while the phone rang, his eyes watched each of the officers work their dogs over the numerous obstacles he had set up earlier.
“Dad?” Miranda greeted, yet her voice was strained.
“Hey honey, how are you?” Winking at Braydon, Donald didn’t want to tell him he sensed something was wrong too.
“Um, good. Busy. What’s up? Is Braydon okay?”
“How about you talk to him Andy?” Donald passed the phone over and Braydon nearly dropped it as he eagerly put it to his ear.
“Miranda?”
“Hey, sorry. I was busy, and going to call you back.” She mumbled down the phone.
“What happened?” Braydon demanded.
“Nothing.”
“Miranda.”
“It’s fine, I told you I’d tell you tonight.”
“No, now. I need to know what is going on!” Turning from Donald, Braydon started to pace.
“I don’t think-“
Braydon groaned down the phone, slapping his hand over his forehead at her unwillingness to tell him.
“Braydon, calm down. I will tell you tonight. Everything is going to be okay!” Somehow she managed to sound so calm and in control, Braydon felt himself relaxing as he believed her.
“Tonight then.”
“Tonight.” Miranda confirmed.
Passing the phone back, Donald saw the instant change in Braydon and wondered what exactly goes on between his daughter and her friend from the wild. “All good?”
“Yeah, but I think she is hiding something from me.” Braydon admitted.
“Women always do. Especially with shoes. Just when I think I know them all, out come a new pair that apparently she’s had for ever and then I’m in trouble for not noticing.” Donald joked, trying to lighten the mood. It took Braydon a second to understand and as he smiled, Donald returned it. “Come on, Deb needs some extra help working with Coral. She doesn’t trust her dog, so how can the dog trust her?”
Braydon only nodded and followed Donald into the pen where one of the older recruits was struggling to get the German shepherd to go through the tunnel. It only took a little coaxing for Braydon to have it doing as he wanted and it didn’t take him long to work out why the pair weren’t working out. Deb was scared of dogs, well more importantly, she was scared of her dog.
“Why?” Braydon asked, bending down the give the dog a belly rub.
“She just doesn’t listen to me! She growled at me the other day and I thought she was going to attack!” Deb admitted.
Coral was a very dominant dog and if her handler wasn’t up to the task of keeping her in her place, then it could turn into a dangerous situation not just for the pair of them, but the public too. Luckily they were the kind of distraction Braydon needed and since he was kept busy all afternoon, he didn’t have time to worry about Miranda or whatever was going on.
The time back on the train was another story though and the entire ride seemed to take hours. Pushing through the crowds to get out of the station, Braydon saw everything clearer as his wolf took over. He searched through the men in suits and checked every blonde haired woman as he stood at the top of the stairs waiting to go down. Groups of school kids had him flinching with their high pitched laughter as they passed by and trying to pinpoint Miranda’s scent was impossible as cigarette smoke lingered on the couple in front of him.
By the time he reached the bottom platform and moved with the swarm of bodies to the exit, Braydon knew Miranda wasn’t there waiting for him. Moving to the side, he stood by a bus stop and tried calling her. The sound of her pre-recorded voice mail message had him nearly crushing his phone in frustration until her name appeared due to her calling him back.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I got stuck at work. I’m like two minutes away!” She blurted out quickly.
Relief filled him as slowly his muscles relaxed. No longer tense, coiled and ready to spring into action he started in the direction he knew Miranda would be coming from only a few minutes later, she was calling out his name from behind him.
Her face was flushed as clearly she had been running, and Miranda was a little breathless when she stopped in front of him to get her breath back. “Hey!”
“Hey.” He answered cautiously, confused as to where she had come from.
“I need to start back at the gym. Those stairs nearly killed me!” Miranda sighed, holding her stomach as her brow was damp with sweat.
“Stairs?”
“Yeah, those things.” She pointed to the left at the small staircase beside them.
Braydon rolled his eyes, not appreciating her attempt at humour. “Why were there stairs?”
The road before them was all concrete and rather flat.
“I took a slight detour. Come on, let’s go home.” Now Braydon was surprised as she flagged down a taxi instead of walking like they normally do. He enjoyed their walks, but said nothing as he climbed in behind her.
The trip took longer than normal due to the after work traffic, and neither said anything until they were in the lobby of the apartment block, waiting for the elevator.
“So, have a good day?” Miranda asked a little too happily.
“Yeah. What-“
“Great! How’s Dad?” She rambled.
“Good.” Braydon watched as Miranda went into the elevator, pausing for a second until she held the door open and pulled him in.
He knew she was tense; the way she was picking at her fingernail was with too much interest on the ride up to their level. What happened today? Was it Jason? He waited until they got inside her apartment before pouncing.
“What happened to-“ Again she cut him off.
“Are you hungry? I’m starving. Could we have an early dinner?” Miranda deflected, swiftly going into the kitchen. “Actually, I might shower first.”
She practically ran down the corridor to her room and shut the door on Braydon.
“Miranda!” Braydon growled, opening the door to go after her yet she’d already locked herself in the bathroom.
She didn’t answer, the sound of the shower blocking out any other noise. He growled again, impatient and agitated; it was the animal in him that was fighting for control now. Braydon knew today and whatever had him feeling uneasy was thanks to the wolf side of his being. Somehow it had been able to sense Miranda’s distress, and now it was only feeding off her anxiety.
Braydon started pacing.
He took off his shoes.
Then his shirt and socks.
The plush carpet underfoot did nothing to stop him from feeling trapped. He wanted to run, he wanted to hunt, and he wanted to know what the hell was going on! His pants were gone in the second before he shifted and now it was claws that dug into the carpet as he kept on pacing.
Miranda saw her mistake the second she stepped out of the bathroom and the pair just stared at each other, seeing who would move first. Knowing her avoidance of the topic was what caused this, Miranda submitted. She lowered her gaze, which only made the wolf stand taller, more dominant as its tail curled proudly towards his back.
“Let me get dressed and I’ll tell you.” Miranda offered, moving towards her wardrobe.
The wolf snorted and the rumble from within its chest that followed had Miranda halting her movements.
“I’m not talking to you in a towel.” She argued, not willing to back down completely. “Now let me get dressed!”
Going to the entry of her walk in wardrobe, the wolf carried on growling as it paced. The second she emerged he was at her side, nearly knocking her over as he tugged on the hem of her baggy t-shirt. He only grew more frustrated with her lack of co-operation and so he pushed and pulled so she was being herded towards the bed. The second Miranda sat down he jumped up to tower over her and surprising the animal, Miranda leaned against its chest while putting an arm around its neck.
She didn’t move, except for her fingers, which she threaded through his fur. Since he stopped growling and sat his rump down on the bed rather than stand over her, Miranda shifted slightly so she was able to hug him easier.
The wolf sighed, a low whine being released as its wet nose was buried into her hair until it found the skin of her neck. Her scent was so natural, clean; not tainted by perfume or activities from the day and with a groan the animal moved so Miranda was between his paws with his head on her lap.
Peace settled between the pair and finally Braydon found himself able to enjoy the moment as control was returned. The wolf found a similiar kind of contentment having her so close - safe. A day of worrying wearing away the longer she stroked the soft fur between his ears, while telling him gently what a handsome wolf he was.
She kissed the top of his nose and he was quick to lick just under her chin before he found her gaze once more. The question there was obvious and Miranda nodded, she'd pit if off long enough. There was no easy way to say it either, so taking a deep breath, Miranda prepared herself for his reaction.
“I met your Uncle Nicholas today.”