Page 31 of Patrick’s Seduction

“What are you looking for?”

Fallon whirled around and saw Lydia standing in the doorframe. She hadn’t even heard any footsteps. She took a steadying breath.

“Do I need to bring food?”

Lydia shook her blonde locks and approached, putting a calming hand on her forearm. “No matter which safe house he’s taking you to, everything you need will be there. You won’t have to worry about those details. Just make sure you have your personal items with you.”

She nodded quickly, wishing her nervousness would subside with Lydia’s reassuring words, but it didn’t. “I wish I knew what’s going on.”

“Patrick will be here any moment now.”

Lydia walked to the window and peered outside. Fallon followed her to see what she was looking at. Even though it was night—with the streetlights and the headlights of passing cars illuminating the night—it was brighter than usual. She looked up. The moon was almost full and appeared to hang lower in the sky than normal. It seemed bigger and closer, so close that she felt she could reach for it and touch it.

“He’s here,” Lydia finally announced and pointed to an SUV that was double-parked in front of the apartment building’s entrance door. “Let’s go.”

Lydia ushered her outside. Fallon locked the door before walking downstairs. By the time she reached the entrance door to the building, Patrick had already gotten out of the car and was waiting at the door. She opened it and walked outside, Lydia on her heels.

Fallon was glad to see Patrick, but he too, looked more worried than earlier in the day.

“Patrick, what’s going on?” she asked, while he reached for her travel bag.

“I’ll explain everything in a minute, but right now we have to get off the street and get you to safety.” He looked past her at Lydia. “Follow and make sure nobody is tailing us.”

Patrick opened the trunk of the SUV and lifted her bag inside, then closed it.

“No problem,” Lydia said, and headed to a dark blue BMW.

“You think Cameron is going to follow us?” Fallon glanced around nervously.

“I don’t think so. At least not if we leave right away.”

A few seconds later, they were sitting in Patrick’s SUV, and drove off.

Fallon fidgeted. “Did you see him?”

Patrick nodded, turning his face to her for just a second. “Yes.”

The monosyllabic answer didn’t sit well with her. What was he not telling her? “Did you confront him?”

“No. Don’t worry, he never saw me.”

“So why a safe house? Something must have happened.”

“I discovered more things about him. Had I known earlier, I would have brought you to a safe house yesterday.”

His words made her shiver. “What did you find?”

Patrick hated lying to Fallon, but he had no choice. He couldn’t very well tell her that her ex was a werewolf, one of the most dangerous, most uncivilized of supernatural creatures.

“He comes from a crime family, and from what I could find out, he’s in his family’s employ. When they don’t get what they want, they’ll just take it, no matter the law. They don’t care about collateral damage.”

“Cameron’s in the Mafia?”

He looked at her from the side, placing one hand on hers, and noticed that she trembled. He wished he could be entirely truthful with her, but it was better that she thought they were a crime family rather than having to reveal that the Gallaghers were werewolves. She wouldn’t believe him anyway, think he was crazy, and stop cooperating. He couldn’t risk that.

“In a way, though they don’t call themselves Mafiosos. But don’t underestimate them: they will do whatever it takes to get what they want. Including killing someone who’s in their way.”

Tears shot to her eyes, and he felt the urge to wipe them away, but he held back.