“Because he’ll explain itbetter.”
“Do they wantsomething—”
Everest slapped his steering wheel. “God, Ness, have a little patience,okay?”
I bristled from his snappishness. He was delivering me to a den of wolves—literally. The least he could do was hint at what was expected ofme.
“Are you coming in withme?”
“No. It wouldn’t look good if I werethere.”
“But my presence won’t set off warningbells?”
“You are not a Boulder wolf. You have every right to be here. And if anyone gives you grief, tell them Julian paid you for your company. He’ll corroborate thestory.”
I wanted to scream that I wasn’t an escort but reined in myirritation.
He came to a stop in the looping driveway of the Pines’ headquarters—an all glass and wood structure that resembled a luxurious country club. A cut above the simple gray stone building the Boulder Pack convened in. Then again, the Boulder Pack made good use of the inn, which was perhaps the reason they’d never invested heavily in expanding theirheadquarters.
A white-gloved waiter opened mydoor.
“Are you picking me up?” Iasked.
“Julian will have someone drive youhome.”
“Can’t you pick me up?” I sounded like a whiny child, but I didn’t like being in unknownterritory.
He sighed. “Fine. Call me when you’re ready togo.”
“Thank you.” I shot him a weak smile. “Thank you for everything, Everest.” My throat was closing upagain.
He didn’t look at me as he answered, “What’s familyfor?”
Clutching my bag against me, I turned and ascended the wide, peony petal-dusted stone steps like a prisoner walking toward theirexecution.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I’d researchedJulian on the internet to find out what he looked like and what he enjoyed doing. He wasn’t a particularly private person, so I’d unearthed plenty of shots of him surrounded by his “family.” I even got to see my favorite Pine Pack member, Justin Summix, in a couple shots. I’d had the urge to print one out of Justin so I could stick pins into his face and crotch. Misogyny brought out the worst inme.
As luck would have it, Justin was the first person I laid eyes on. Perhaps I noticed him first because he was the only person I knew. Others were vaguely familiar, but grief and distance had blurred my memories of them. Justin elbowed the boy he was standing next to and pointed me out.Subtle.
A girl, not much older than me, with a mass of long kinky blonde curls and lips colored a bright pink, placed a hand on myforearm.
Her nostrils flared. “Excuse me, sweetie, but I believe you have the wrong pack gathering. I smell Boulder wolves all over you.” She pressed on my arm to turn me around. “We don’t take their leftovers here,” she explainedsweetly.
I pasted on a pert smile and brushed her hand off my bare arm. “Good thing I’m not a Boulder leftover then. I’m looking for…” His name withered in my throat when I spotted him at the center of the room. Like a pebble tossed into a pond, everyone rippled aroundJulian.
As though he sensed me looking at him, Julian turned his clear-blue eyes up toward me. A frown gusted over his face, followed almost immediately by a slow, slowsmile.
I walked down the steps, my heels clicking on the stone. Nostrils flared, and more than one set of eyebrows hitched as I approached mydate.
“Mr. Matz,” Isaid.
“My, you are striking, Miss Clark.” He picked up one of my hands and held it to his lips as though he were about to kiss it. His lips never met their mark, but his gesture did. The weres I’d felt closing in around me began to back up. He twirled me around so that I had my back pressed against his bordeaux-colored dinner jacket. A tiny gasp escaped my lips, and he loosened the arm he’d wound around mywaist.
“Everyone, Ness Clark is our special guest tonight. I expect you all to be on your absolute bestbehavior.”
My gaze crossed paths with many sets of wide, startled gazes. Everyone seemed to wait for an explanation as to why I was their special guest, but instead of adding anything, Julian released me and then offered me his arm. I supposed not taking it would be in bad form, so I looped my arm throughhis.
