Page 26 of Anger

“I prefer Mac, actually. Those close to me call me Mac.”

“Not Joe?”

“Nope. Joe was my dad, and he was an asshole. Mac suits me a lot better,” McIntyre explained. Or Mac, as Lanie decided to call him.

“What do I call you?” she asked, checking.

“Mac, or lover in time,” he said confidently, and Lanie choked.

“Too pushy,” she warned. “And I’m your boss.”

“Yup, but I ain’t screaming sexual harassment,” Mac replied with a wink.

“You are incorrigible!”

“At risk of repeating myself, you like it.” Mac finished what he was doing with the steaks and turned to her. “You are in control, rigidly so. You do not let yourself relax, and you’re always on guard. Ranson has told me you’re incredibly private, kind, and will help anyone out who works for you. But you don’t tolerate fools and are uptight. Lanie, you don’t party, drink, smoke, do drugs, or let your hair down. Ranson says you are one of the most controlled people he’s ever met.”

“Oh,” Lanie said, feeling a little hurt.

“I get all that, but I also sense a great passion and a big heartbreak. Somebody, somewhere in your past, betrayed you so badly it soured you from love and living. You hide from life because you’re unsure how to live it. I think you want to dance on tables and drink yourself silly but can’t because someone might once again hurt you. I’m not physic, Lanie. And I don’t claim to see the future.

“But I like you and want to get to know you. The first step is having dinner with you here right now. The second will be me bringing you lunch and sharing it with you. One small step at a time until you realise I am rock steady and you can take a risk on me,” Mac said, and Lanie’s eyes went wide.

“Whatever you’re looking for, it’s impossible!” Lanie exclaimed.

“You are so confident about that,” Mac challenged.

“I’ve good reason to be,” Lanie retorted bitterly. If Alainen had been her soulmate, there’d not be another one for her. So, getting involved with a human whose short life span would be over in the blink of an eye wasn’t happening.

“And yet there’s always the possibility you might be wrong,” Mac retorted and turned back to his meal prep.

“I’m afraid that’s unlikely,” Lanie murmured as bitterness grew inside. She wanted what she couldn’t have. Someone to love her and worship her and vice versa. Lanie wanted what Vladimir and Jase had found. And Jase had been a dick about it and fought it, but love won out in the end. Lanie wasn’t even fighting love. She desperately desired it, but if Alainen had been her soulmate, if Jase was right, then her chance at happiness was gone.

Her mobile rang, and she glanced down and lit up in delight.

“Hello, sweetness!” Lanie exclaimed as she took her phone and headed to the patio. She felt Mac glance at her, but he didn’t say a word.

“Hey, Mum, how’s things?” Callidora asked.

“Everything is fine,” Lanie replied.

“The news is wrong, then?” Callidora demanded. “There wasn’t a fire at your headquarters?”

“Reporters are scavengers. Lowest of the low,” Lanie complained, and Callidora laughed.

“What’s happening?”

“A certain person has raised his ugly head again,” Lanie stated. There was no point lying to her. If there was danger, then Lanie needed Callidora to be on guard, too. She glanced over her shoulder and checked the patio door was shut. Lanie did not want Mac hearing this conversation.

Callidora let loose a string of cuss words, and Lanie grinned. Callidora didn’t believe in holding back and, therefore, didn’t. Alainen had missed out on a beautiful daughter, and that was his loss. His hate and bitterness had stolen Callidora from him.

“Do you need to hide?” Callidora asked.

“No, sweet girl. He can’t know for certain who I am, and I think he is looking for a reaction,” Lanie soothed.

“In other words, you’re reacting like a scared human,” Callidora said shrewdly.

“Exactly. Let him chase ghosts. He is beyond paranoid now.”

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