Page 25 of Secret Wolf Baby

“Yeah, well, when you work with someone for a decade, you’ll do stupid things sometimes,” Will said, folding his arms. “I stuck up for you because I saw what she looked like and could see the way those two treated her from a mile off. But what I don’t get is what makes her so special.”

I blinked, my brow furrowing. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that any number of women could have walked into that room, looking the way Audrey did, and you wouldn’t have backed down. You wouldn’t have deviated from the mission. But you did for her. I want to know why.”

“You know why,” I said. “It’s because I knew her when we were kids.”

But Will was already shaking his head. “I didn’t believe that bullshit for a second, even when you were trying to sell it before the ceremony. It’s more than that, and we both know it. There’s something about her that makes her special. After sticking up for you back there, I deserve some sort of explanation. So tell me.”

I took a deep breath. Will was right. He deserved the truth, or at least part of it. I wasn’t going to tell him everything, but after everything, I could at least explain part of it. Besides, if I didn’t, he would keep hounding me until I gave him some sort of answer.

“I have to right an old wrong,” I finally said. “And that was the first step.”

He studied me for a long time, his face expressionless as he contemplated the words. “I just hope you know what you’re doing, Jackson,” he said. “Because if you don’t, we’re all going to be in a world of trouble.”

“Yeah,” I said, meeting his gaze. “I know.”

***

Delicious smells wafted toward me the second I opened the door to my house. It was such an unfamiliar experience that my entire body went on alert for a brief moment, preparing to confront an intruder dumb enough to cook in my house. Then my body relaxed as my wolf noticed Audrey’s scent mixed in with the mouthwatering aromas. My stomach growled.

I kicked off my shoes, about to drape my jacket over the stair banister like I always did. Then I noticed the usual spot for my jacket had a small kid’s coat occupying it instead. My gaze flickered to the nearby wall, and I saw that new shoes had appeared along it.

Multiple feminine pairs of shoes lined neatly next to the front door felt strange. I’d been a bachelor for so long that the little reminders that I no longer lived alone kept surprising me over and over again. Seeing them made me smile, though. The house was great, but it had always seemed too big, like I was a lone pea rattling around in a can. Having others live here made it feel right. Homey, even.

I followed the smells to the kitchen. Audrey had her back to me, and I noticed her phone was blaring music from its speaker. She hadn’t noticed me yet. Her hips swayed back and forth to the music, and I couldn’t help myself from admiring her figure.

“We have a sound system through the house that you can connect to Bluetooth if you’d rather not blow out the speakers on your phone,” I said over the din of sizzling oil and what sounded like jazz.

Audrey gasped, jumping backward and rounding on me. Her eyes were wide and frightened.

“Sorry, sorry,” I said, putting my hands up. “It’s just me. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

She shot me a glare that was half-annoyed, half-chagrined. “I didn’t think you’d be home yet, that’s all,” she muttered. “I’m still in the middle of cooking. I’m sorry it wasn’t ready when you got here.”

I frowned. “Why would you be sorry? Just knowing that I’m about to have a hot meal I didn’t cook myself is fantastic. It’s a nice surprise.”

Her brow furrowed. “Surprise? I figured you would…” She trailed off before she finished the sentence, but I got the gist without her finishing the statement.

“Do you think I expect you to cook for me now that you’re here?” I asked.

She raised her head and met my gaze. “Honestly, Jackson, I don’t know what you expect,” she said. “I don’t know why you brought me here in the first place.”

Running my fingers through my hair, still trying to sort out my thoughts, I scrambled to figure out what to say. “I saw you needed to get out of there, so I did what I thought was best,” I finally said.

Her jaw set, and she folded her arms. “You could have just asked me if I wanted to get out of there, you know,” she pointed out.

I let out a short exhale. “Maybe you’re right,” I allowed. “But I didn’t exactly have a private moment to chat with you, and if Reacher had known that I knew who you were, he would have made getting you out of there a hell of a lot more difficult. He’sthe kind of guy who likes leverage. So I had to act quickly and in a way that didn’t give away that I knew who you were.”

Her lips pursed, and I could sense that she wanted to say more. Then she seemed to lose her nerve, and her arms flopped back by her sides. “It doesn’t matter,” she murmured. “I’m here now.”

“You are, and you’re safe. Though I’m not going to lie, being in the same house as someone who is clearly afraid of me is a little unsettling,” I joked.

Her eyes widened, and she took several steps back until her back was against the counter. “I’m not afraid of you,” she stammered in what was clearly a lie. “You just startled me. That’s all.”

“You’ve never been a very good liar,” I teased, then sobered when her expression remained unchanged. “If you tell me why you’re so afraid, I can help. I want you to be happy here, not petrified.”

“I’m not—I mean, I am happy,” she said, her eyes darting all over the place as if looking for an excuse to end the conversation.

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