“Enzo didn’t know before?”
Thorn shook his head. “We don’t think so. Maybe he suspected something, but I think Mr. Goldman has confirmed his suspicions tonight.”
“Wow!”
Her brain was working at full speed. She felt like she was close. She couldn’t see the whole picture yet, but she would soon put two and two together and be able to come up with a plan to help the twins.
Juniper sighed. Her gentle eyes looked sad and lost.
“I thought Mr. Salvador was on our side.”
“Why would you think that? Didn’t you see how he treated you two earlier? Like you were… were… stock?”
“I felt something at the party. Thorn did, too. When he looked at us… I guess we let ourselves misled again.”
“He’s the worst!” Penny was boiling with anger now. “Just the thought of him… Ugh! He played me! He wanted to gain my favor just so he’d get to you. I can’t believe I didn’t see right through him. So many red flags, and I ignored them all…”
“Don’t blame yourself, Penny.” Thorn nudged her with his nose. “There’s nothing any of us can do. They’re stronger than us.”
“The people at the cocktail party,” Penny suddenly realized, “… they have to be part of the club Goldman was talking about. That’s why the event was so intimate, and my parents were not invited! Of course! My parents have no idea what Goldman and those other filthy bastards are doing.”
But… what were they doing? That was still unclear to her. She looked at the lambs’ innocent faces and decided it was not a good idea to ask them. They had seen and suffered enough. She had some idea about what Goldman had in plan for Juniper when she grew up, and the thought chilled her to the bone. And Thorn… a ring fighter. She didn’t even want to think about it. Not now, at least, when the kids were watching her so intently and she could easily betray herself.
“I’m going to get you out of here,” she said, determination and certainty in her voice. “I’ll figure out a way.” She cupped their faces and looked them straight in the eyes. “I promise you neither Goldman, nor any of his friends will ever lay a finger on you. Just hold on tight, okay? I’ll come up with a plan.”
Juniper’s eyes sparkled with hope, but Thorn shook his head gently.
“It’s too dangerous,” he said. “What if you get hurt?”
She ruffled the wool on his head and smiled reassuringly.
“I won’t. Don’t worry about me.”
There was a knock on the door, and all three jumped in shock, hearts hammering in their chests.
“Who is it?” asked Penny.
“Dinner for the children,” answered the maid.
“Oh… just a second. They’re… they’re changing.”
She picked up the torn clothes off the floor and the strips hanging off their wool, then stuffed them in her bag.
“Quickly, shift back and get dressed. I’ll take these with me and throw them away, so no one will know you showed me when you refused to show Goldman and Enzo.”
The lambs nodded and ran into the bathroom. Just as Penny was getting ready to open the door and let the maid in, Juniper turned to her.
“Will you come again tomorrow?”
“Of course I will! Right after you finish your classes, and we’ll spend the day together.”
It pained her that she had to leave them for the night, but there was no other way. If she didn’t catch her boss on the way out, then she needed to have a talk with him first thing in the morning. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance she could fix this the reasonable, sensible way.
CHAPTER NINE
Penny hadn’t slept all night. She hadn’t even tried. Instead of changing into her pajamas and going to bed, she had sat at her computer and researched shifters. At 8 AM, she was at Goldman Corp, in her office, waiting for her boss to arrive. She could see his office through the glass door, and she was watching it like a hawk. Usually, when Richard Goldman got to work, he was bombarded by various people. This time, she’d make sure she was the first one.
As she chewed on her lower lip in anxiety, Penny thought how odd it was that she hadn’t found much on sheep-shifters. They weren’t the most popular species, apparently. The world seemed to be fascinated with wolf-shifters, bear-shifters, lion-shifters, and other types of big, scary creatures. The smaller ones were mentioned here and there, and it was obvious that they were faster and stronger than humans, but they didn’t hold the same aura of mystery. So, no one bothered. Knowing this, Penny understood the logic behind Goldman’s little club. The members owned shifters no one cared about, so it was a breeze to get away with it.
