He felt the hair start to bristle on the back of his neck even as a chill went through him. The wolf whined. Something wasn’t right.
He hoped he could find the damn restaurant.
****
“You’re a fascinating woman,” Caldwell said smoothly as he finished a Dos Equis and set the bottle back on the table. “But I’m sure you get told that a lot.”
Sara squirmed. She had long since finished her burger and gone to the restroom and now sipped sparingly on the margarita he had waiting for her when she got back. The beer was Alan’s third and she was getting a headache listening to him talk.
He motioned the waitress over. “Another round,” he said.
“No, really. I’ve got to get back. There’s work to do,” Sara started to get up and then sat back down quickly, feeling a bit woozy. Wow. The bartender must have put in a double shot of tequila. She’d only had half the drink, and she was the one driving. Better let the effects wear off. “No more for me, thanks.”
“As I was saying,” Alan continued, “I think it’s great you’re running your own employment agencyandworking for Smith. How do you do it?”
She wasn’t sure why she had told him about the temp agency. She guessed it was because it would keep her from talking about work and the manuscript.
“The agency pays the bills. The historical stuff is my hobby.”
“When do you have time for a social life?”
She giggled. Picking three losers had been enough. Who needed a social life? But why was she giggling? It wasn’t even a funny question. Some tequila.
“Well, there’s Michael…” Now why had she said that?
Caldwell tilted his head. “You have a boyfriend?”
She giggled again. At her age, she wouldn’t call any man she went to bed with a boy. “Uh, he’s a friend. We…work together.” She blinked to bring Alan back into focus and felt her stomach lurch. “I don’t think I feel very well.”
He was instantly sympathetic. “There’s a flu bug going around. Why don’t I drive you home?”
Her head started swimming and she grabbed the edge of the table to balance herself. “I hardly ever get sick.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Alan said as he reached for her purse. “May I get your car keys out?”
She nodded dumbly. There wasn’t any way she could drive. The room was spinning. She didn’t feel sick. She felt drunk, but she didn’t know how that could be.
Alan took her keys and placed them in his side pocket and then pressed down to make sure they were safe before he came around the table and helped Sara up from her chair. “Just put your arm over my shoulder,” he said as he led her toward the exit.
The door nearly hit them in the face as it flew open and Lucas stomped in.
“Sara! Are you all right?” He lifted a hand and tilted her chin.
She peered at him owlishly. “Lucas? Wh…whath are youth doing heere?”
He gazed at her steadily. “Are ye drunk, lass?”
“I dun know.”
Lucas shifted his look to Caldwell. “You got her drunk?” His voice was low and flat and only a fool would not have alerted to the danger.
“No!” Caldwell said quickly and undraped her arm. She stumbled into Lucas, who caught her securely by the waist.
“Where were you going with her?”
“She got sick, man. I was taking her to her place and then I was going to call a cab from there.”
“Right.” Lucas dug into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys and handed them to Caldwell. “My rental. Take it back to Smith’s. Give me her keys.”
