Cole and His Dog Read online

  Ky winked. “As long as the sexy men are me.”

  “I have a feeling they, well he, will be. Then I really won’t sleep.”

  “In that case, stick to cute kittens—cute, fluffy ones. That should calm your nerves. Okay, I’ll see you in the morning. Sleep well—and sleep.”

  “I’ll try.”

  Chapter 9

  “Where did you come from?” Mike asked when he turned and saw Cole standing there.

  “Home?”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  Cole smiled. “I know. I came in the back door.”

  “It should have been locked.”

  “That’s probably my fault,” Gino said, apparently having overheard them. “I was out back having a smoke. The latch must not have caught when I came back in.”

  Cole resisted a sigh of relief, having forgotten about the fact the back door was supposed to be kept locked at all times, when he told Mike how he’d gotten into the restaurant. He and Ky had teleported there, landing in the storage room. Once he knew Cole could do it in one hop, Ky had left.

  “Next time, be sure,” Mike grumbled, giving Gino a disgusted look. When Gino walked away, Mike said, “That guy showed up again. He was outside when I got here. I made it a point to tell him that you hadn’t changed your mind and come back. I think he got the message because the last time I checked, he was gone.”

  “Thanks. He’s persistent, if nothing else. If my real father did send him…” Cole shook his head. He knew that was the case—or at least that the guy had to be one of Marsham’s people, even if Marsham wasn’t his father.

  “If he tries again, I’ll call the cops. That should make him think twice.”

  As if. He’ll be gone before they get out of their car. Still, I suppose it can’t hurt. Cole didn’t say it aloud. Instead, he thanked Mike, telling him that he hoped it didn’t come down to that, before getting to work. For the first hour, he tensed every time the door opened. Finally, when nothing happened, he began to relax.

  Still, by the end of the day, he was glad to get out of there.

  “Where’s your bike?” Mike asked as Cole got ready to leave.

  “I got a ride in, from a friend,” Cole quickly alibied. “He works on the block behind us, and offered, so I took him up on it.”

  “Great.” Mike smiled. “Now I don’t have to worry about you getting home safe.”

  “Nope. I’m good.” Cole headed out, via the back door, and after checking to make certain no one was in the alley at the moment, he teleported to Ky’s house.

  * * * *

  “That’s twice now,” Ky said when Cole told him about Marsham’s man showing up at the restaurant that morning. “I don’t like it.”

  “I’m not wild about it, either,” Cole replied. “Before you say I have to quit, I’m not going to. I like the job, I like the people. As long as I teleport in and out, the way I did today, I’ll be fine. You said it yourself. There’s no way they’d grab me while I’m inside. They know dropping in, snatching me, and vanishing would reveal there are paranormals around. They wouldn’t want that any more than we do.”

  Ky sighed, nodding to acknowledge Cole was right on all counts. “I think I’m going to be there…What time does Mike open in the morning?”

  “He gets there at nine-thirty, along with the cooks, so that we’re ready to open at ten.”

  “All right. I’ll be there, too, watching for your stalker, for lack of a better word.”

  “Potential kidnapper? Attacker?”

  Ky smiled dryly. “Those work. I want to see if he’s one of the men who showed up at the vacant building, and tried to grab you in the cave.”

  “I hope he is. I don’t like the idea there’s more than those two looking for me.”

  “You and me, both.” Ky headed to the kitchen with Cole right behind him. “For now, though, I’m going to show you I really do know how to cook.”

  Cole laughed. “Like I doubted it?”

  Ky was a good cook, at least in Cole’s opinion. By the time they’d finished dinner he was happily stuffed. “I think this is the first time in forever that I can honestly say I can’t eat another bite.”

  “Good. I aim to fatten you up. You’re as skinny as a rail.”

  “Hey. I’m not that bad,” Cole protested. “I’m not in your class by any means but, damn.”

  “I was born big, at least according to my mother. You on the other hand…” Ky paused, looking thoughtfully at Cole.

  “What?”

  “Larry and I discovered a bit more about Marsham, today, including a photo of him from the opening of one of his hotels. At first we didn’t think he knew someone had caught him on camera. He’s careful to make certain he’s only photographed in semi-profile, if that, from the news stories we found dealing with his businesses. The photo was on the personal website of a man who was at the opening, with the caption, ‘The elusive Mr. Hammar.’

  “Hammar?”

  “Ah. I didn’t tell you. All of Marsham’s businesses and other interests are called Hammar’s whatever. It’s an anagram of Marsham.”

  “I’m surprised Marsham didn’t make him take it down.”

  “We called the man who owns the website. He said Marsham, well Hammar, tried to bully him into getting rid of the photo. His attitude riled the man, so he refused. There was a cyber attack on the website the next day, which the man’s security managed to repel. Since then, there were two more attempts and then, he figured, Marsham decided it wasn’t worth it, since those attacks weren’t successful, either.”

  “That’ll teach him,” Cole said. “Can I see the picture?”

  “Sure.”

  They went into Ky’s office. He turned on his computer, went to a cloud program, and downloaded the photo.

  Cole whistled. “He’s a big man, and from what I can see of his face, I don’t look at all like him.” He studied it again, closely, then said, “Well, maybe a little, around the mouth.” He shivered. “His eyes are evil.”

  “I agree. And other than the mouth, you’re not at all like him. Unless your mother was tiny, I don’t get why Marsham thinks you could be his son.”

  “We have to find her,” Cole said.

  “How? You were left at the sanctuary.”

  “What is this sanctuary?”

  “It’s a place set up for shifters who need help or, as the name suggests, sanctuary. I work for them on an on-again-off-again basis, when a child is left there who will need guidance when they reach eighteen—if they aren’t placed with a shifter family.”

  “Why didn’t that happen to me?” Cole asked.

  Ky shook his head. “Unfortunately, most shifters aren’t willing to adopt someone who isn’t their breed. There are very few Bullmastiff shifters, compared to say wolves or certain felines.” He smiled, patting Cole’s shoulder. “We are a rare and special sort of shifter.”

  “Us, and Marsham and his punks,” Cole muttered.

  “His whole pack, I’m afraid. As I told you, it’s on the other side of the Divide.”

  “Do you have a pack?”

  “I belong to a small one, back east.”

  “Then why are you in Denver?”

  “Because I’m connected to the sanctuary here. There are six of them, scattered across the country. I decided I wanted to help out and was assigned to this one. It’s usually not a full-time job.”

  “Until I came into the picture.”

  “True. Normally, it would only have been a few days spent teaching you—if it weren’t for Marsham.”

  “Lucky me,” Cole replied morosely. “Hell, lucky you, being stuck here until who knows when.”

  “I’m not complaining,” Ky told him softly. “I met you.”

  “That makes it worth it?” Cole asked dubiously.

  “It does.” Ky came close enough to touch Cole’s jaw. “Look. I know maybe I’m pushing things, and you might have changed your mind since we talked last night. That doesn’t negate the fact I’m
interested in you on a personal level.”

  Cole took Ky’s hand. “You’re not pushing. You’re being honest. So I will be, too. I haven’t changed my mind. Not one bit. I wish the hell all this was over—I mean the whole Marsham mess—because you made it pretty clear you’re not going to do anything about us until it is.”

  “You know why.”

  Cole nodded. “It would complicate things.”

  “Yes. I’ll have a hard enough time as it is, worrying about keeping you out of his clutches. If we took things farther than they are already, I might make stupid mistakes in an effort to keep you safe.”

  “In case you don’t realize it, the same holds true for me. If his goons show up and it looks like you can’t handle them…”

  Ky’s eyebrows shot up. “You think that could happen?”

  “You’re only human.” Cole chortled. “Okay, not quite correct, I guess. Anyway, if they bring reinforcements, or somehow get the drop on us, I’d be just as worried about you as you are about me. More so if we were in a real relationship, not inching toward one. So I get where you’re coming from, and why.”

  “That’s all I ask. That you understand.” Ky hugged him tightly for a brief moment before stepping away. “It’s just after nine. Are you up for making a visit to the sanctuary or would you rather get some sleep?”

  Cole snorted. “You have to ask?”

  “I figured you’d feel that way. Let’s go.” Ky took Cole’s hand.

  * * * *

  “Kyland, this is a surprise,” a gray-haired man said when Ky and Cole landed in what was obviously the man’s office.

  “I’m sure,” Ky replied with a slight grin. “Stefan, this is Cole Williams. Cole, meet Stefan.”

  Cole held out his hand, saying when Stefan shook it, “It’s a pleasure, sir.”

  Ky whispered, “Call him Stefan. He gets real testy when people call him sir.”

  “Now, Kyland, don’t scare the young man.” Stefan took a seat behind his large, oak desk, gesturing for them to be seated as well. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

  “Eighteen years ago, Cole was left here by person or persons unknown.”

  Stefan shook his head in amusement. “Been watching cops shows again?”

  “Okay. I’ll grant you that was a bit much,” Ky replied. “What we need to know is, was there anything left with him other than, I guess, his clothes, and blanket he was wrapped in?”

  “Like something that might say who his mother was? It’s been a long time since that happened. Let me check my files.” With that said, Stefan vanished.

  “Panther shifter, and quite old,” Ky explained when Cole’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “Okay. But where’d he go?” Cole nodded toward the bank of file cabinets along one wall.

  “Those are just for show. The real information is kept…Well, only he and two other men know. This is called a sanctuary for a reason.”

  Stefan returned several minutes later, holding a file and a large padded envelope. He set them both on the desk and sat.

  “This is what you were wearing, Cole, when we found you.”

  “Found me?”

  “You were left in the lobby. Before you ask, the front door is always left unlocked so that those who need our help can come inside. The lobby is as far as anyone can get, however, without an escort.”

  “So my mother left me there.”

  “Presumably, your mother.” Stefan opened the folder. “Although the door isn’t locked, opening it notifies one of our people that someone’s come in. According to this, by the time Roberta got there, whoever came in was gone. She found you lying on one of the benches.”

  “Was there anything…any note?”

  “No. However…” Stefan opened the envelope, taking out a sleeper, and a blanket that looked as if it had been hand-knitted. On the front of the sleeper someone had embroidered a name—Cole.

  “So Cole’s my real name.”

  “Yes.”

  “My…The Williamses said it was a family name, when I asked.”

  “A logical answer, if not quite the truth,” Stefan replied. “Well, for all we know, it could be the truth, just not their family.” He spread out the blanket. “This is more interesting.” On one corner, Cole saw his name again, and two others below it—Rilla and Hallam. “My supposition,” Stefan said, “is, this was a family blanket, and when a child was born, their name was added to it.”

  “If that’s true, then Rilla and Hallam…Umm, are those male or female names?” Cole asked.

  “Rilla’s female. Hallam is male,” Stefan said.

  “So they could be my sister and brother?”

  “Perhaps. Or your mother and grandfather. It’s hard to tell.”

  Cole looked at Ky. “Is there any way you can find out if either of them were part of Marsham’s pack?”

  “I can try.”

  “Marsham?” Stefan frowned. “What does he have to do with all this?”

  Ky explained. When he finished, Stefan was shaking his head. “For your sake, Cole, I hope the bastard’s not your father. We’ve had one too many of his pack members come here seeking sanctuary from him. Females, not males.”

  “From what little we’ve learned about him, I’m not surprised,” Ky said, his mouth tightening with anger.

  “Be very careful,” Stefan replied. “He wields a great deal of power, in his human form.”

  “We know,” Ky said. “Enough power or influence that he can remain under the radar and no one seems to care, as long as his businesses make money for them.”

  “Precisely.”

  Cole had a sudden thought, and voiced it. “He wouldn’t go after my boss, would he? Or The Haven, or Domicile, because I stayed at both of them?”

  “He’d probably avoid the two shelters,” Stefan replied. “They’re run by shifters who are as powerful as him, and have the backing of their own kind. He wouldn’t want to start a war.” Stefan’s smile was wicked as he added, “I don’t think even the largest Bullmastiff could come out on top in a fight with a wolf or leopard, and he knows that.”

  “But if he threatened to close down or destroy Mike’s restaurant, if Mike didn’t cooperate and tell him where to find me.”

  “Does your boss know where you’re living?” Stefan asked.

  “He thinks I’m at Domicile. But as of last night, I’m at Ky’s place. I haven’t told Mike.”

  “Don’t,” Stefan replied. “And for the love of God, don’t go to and from work on foot or whatever. They could follow you back to Kyland’s home—”

  “I’m not,” Cole broke in. “I teleport there and back.”

  “Very good. Kyland, do you want me to have a couple of my people watching the restaurant, just in case?”

  “No. I’m going to do that. Marsham’s had someone out front for the last two days, obviously looking for Cole. The same undoubtedly holds true for the evenings. If I can get my hands on one of them I might be able to find out where Marsham is, since they’ll report back to him.”

  “Not to burst your bubble,” Stefan said, “but I suspect they do that via mind-speak, not in person. If I were him, it’s how I’d have set it up, since he has to know you’re involved.”

  “Good point—and he does.”

  “What are the chances he knows where you live?”

  “Slim to none. My house isn’t in my name, and as I told Cole, I teleport to and from it.”

  “Excellent. One less thing to worry about.” Stefan put the sleeper and blanket back in the envelope.

  “Can I have those?” Cole asked.

  Stefan hesitated before nodding. “As a rule, we like to keep anything that came with a child here, as evidence if needed. In your case, however, since Kyland’s involved, I think it’s safe enough for you to take them.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Is there anything else I can do to help?”

  Ky shook his head. “At this point we know everything you do. I’ll keep you
apprised of what’s going on.”

  “I’d appreciate that. It was nice to meet you, Cole. Be careful and take care of Kyland.” Stefan winked. “There are times when he needs a keeper.”

  “Umm. Yeah. Sure. Nice meeting you, too, Stefan.”

  “Let’s go home,” Ky said—and he and Cole did.

  Chapter 10

  After they ate breakfast Saturday morning, Ky took off. He wanted to be at the restaurant by nine-thirty, to see if one of Marsham’s men was watching it again. He stationed himself on the roof of a building two doors down, on the same side of the street as the restaurant, lying on his stomach to keep the lowest profile possible. He saw Mike arrive, and a few minutes later two men he presumed were the restaurant’s cooks since Mike let them inside. No one approached Mike. In fact, as far as Ky could tell, no one seemed the least bit interested in him or the place.

  Maybe they got the message that Mike doesn’t know where Cole is, now. On the other hand, they have to know he lied about Cole’s quitting, if they stuck around long enough. All they’d have to do is look through the window and they’d see Cole working.

  His best guess was, they did know and had probably switched to staking out Domicile—and maybe The Haven, as well.

  ::Anything?:: Cole asked, a few minutes after ten, when he arrived at work.

  ::Nothing,:: Ky replied. ::Which is good, I guess. I’m heading to The Haven to fill Adam in, and then to Domicile.::

  ::To get Larry’s help to find out if Rilla and Hallam are part of Marsham’s pack?::

  ::Yep. I’ll see you when you get home.::

  Ky broke their connection and teleported to Adam’s office. Adam wasn’t there, but Paula was, looking a bit green around the gills. Ky gave her a hug, told she would survive the morning sickness, and then went in search of Adam.

  He found him in the kitchen with a couple of the kids, preparing lunch.

  “When you have a minute, we need to talk,” Ky said.

  “Give me ten and I’m all yours.”

  Ky nodded, and then helped cut up meat and vegetables to put in two large pots for stew. When they finished, Adam told the kids to keep an eye on the stew then he and Ky went to the office.

  “Go lie down,” Adam told Paula.