Fault Lines Read online

“So?” she prompted.

  “What? Oh, the offer. Just finding her a place to stay while she is in town.” He didn’t think she was leaving just as soon as she thought she was. Then again, he didn’t know her either, but just from looking at her, he knew she wasn’t going to give up so easily. Sadie had something to answer for and Miranda seemed to be of the sort to not stop until she got what she wanted.

  “You were a bit harsh on her, don’t you think?”

  “What? Geez, that’s none of your business. I was just surprised is all.” Sadie’s back went straight and her chin held high and steady. He, however, was her Alpha and could see right through the facade. Sadie was embarrassed at her reaction. As she should be. She all but told her sister to leave after not answering her calls.

  “Why didn’t you want to see her?”

  Tyson frowned at him and asked, “What’s gotten into you Owen?” But he could tell Tyson was wondering the same thing. It wasn’t like Sadie to be so dismissing of someone.

  He rubbed his neck. “I’m not really sure. Sorry Sadie. You’re right, it’s not my place.” A small hand pushed his out of the way and began to knead his neck. He was surprised to find Lee sitting on the arm of the chair. She gave him a small, almost shy smile.

  It had been a year since their break up. A year of pure misery. He loved her and wanted her for his own, but she couldn’t give him that in return. Too scared of what the pack thought of their relationship, she cowered under their comments and sidelong looks until it broke her. Broke them. Tyson coming back had helped ease his pain. Instead of losing the three people he loved most in this world, he had only lost two. Owen had pulled himself together and had focused on what really mattered, the pack.

  He looked up at Lee with curiosity. They were still friends. They couldn’t be anything less. It had taken time but they were now comfortable around each other with none of the tension. But this was more than a friendly gesture. She looked at him now with a shimmer of something more.

  Owen cocked his head. “What are you doing?”

  “You looked stiff,” Lee answered honestly. A piece of her short cider colored hair fell into her eyes as she smiled down at him. At one point he would have taken the opportunity to touch her and tuck it aside. Now he…well he didn’t have time to decide what to do. Sadie’s foot had begun to bounce rapidly. He saw it from the corner of his eye.

  “Sadie?”

  “I don’t know why I did that.” She sighed and pulled her legs up onto the couch. “I’ve been a horrible sister lately. I haven’t told her about you at all,” she said to Tyson who only pulled her closer and kissed the side of her head.

  “Why not? I said they could come to visit anytime.”

  “I know but I didn’t want to share you. Share any of you. I’m not the Sadie I was back in Buffalo and I was just not ready to make the reveal to my family.” She bit her lip and looked around the room. “I wasn’t that bad, was I?”

  She hadn’t been but even just the small blow had seemed to hit Miranda. There was more to the story but it was not his place to unearth it.

  “I’d be happy to go track her down for you. She couldn’t have gotten far,” he offered.

  Sadie rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you would, Casanova. You know she’s bisexual right? And she is living with a woman.”

  Well that sure did dampen his mood. But still… “Time is running out if you want me to be able to catch up to her…”

  Sadie thought about it. She looked to Tyson who tilted his head giving her a look that said this was all her decision. Lee had moved back to her seat but wasn’t looking too happy about anything. “Yeah. Fine. Go get her.”

  Owen jumped to his feet. “I’ll be back. Lee, do you want to come?”

  The woman looked at him as if he was seriously asking her that, which he was. It would give them a chance to talk so he could figure out whatever was going on with her. Lee was his best friend and he wanted to know what had gotten into her today.

  “I have to go to work.”

  “I’ll call you later then.”

  “Yeah, sure.” She didn’t sound sure as she grabbed her keys and left without any kind of goodbye.

  Owen looked to Tyson who shrugged. Well, that mystery would have to wait till later. Owen had a rabbit to catch. He was just starting down the road when his cell rang. Half tempted to ignore it, he let it ring until his better judgment won out.

  “Owen,” he stated.

  “We’ve got a situation at the house,” Lylia, his personal assistant and all around godsend told him.

  “I’ll need a little more than that,” but he was already turning around and heading home. His house was also the pack’s house. He occupied the third floor but the rest of it was for his wolves to use as they needed. Currently he had three wolves and two full families staying there for various reasons.

  “Cobie can’t change back.”

  “Why did he change in the first place? I told him to only try it when I was around.”

  “He’s fourteen, Owen. He thinks he’s the end all, be all of wolves and found out differently today,” Lylia said with a remarkable amount of restrain in her voice. She was not a fan of the new wolves and their attitudes. All of them went through the phase so most only chuckled and let them be knowing that they would eventually grow out of it when something like this happened. But it pissed Lylia off each and every time a new wolf changed.

  “I’ll be there in a few. Keep him calm till I get there.”

  “You got it.”

  He’d have to go rabbit hunting later. Worst case, she went back home, which was easy enough to find out. Sadie had the address in Buffalo after all. He was sure that when she told him to go get her she didn’t mean to chase her across the state but Owen took his commitments seriously.

  Especially when they had juicy red lips.

  Chapter Two

  Mitch Riley sat at the bar waiting for his salad to arrive. He was all but out of strategy and desire to continue. Weeks ago he had come to this sad excuse of a town to get answers out of the woman who killed his brother, Peter. The woman who got off without a mark, while his brother had his name trampled on, with Peter unable to do anything about it. The woman who claimed self-defense. The bitch that now was living with another man.

  He hadn’t been able to get within a half mile of Sadie because of her man, Tyson. On his very first day out, Tyson had broken his camera and reported him to the local police. Mitch had been mad but the guy probably had no idea he was living with a murderer. He actually felt bad for the poor guy.

  That’s why he was there. He needed to bring the truth out. These people needed to know who served their food and they called a friend. He needed to clears Peter’s name and put Sadie in jail where she belonged. But he was having a hell of a time at it.

  Tyson had somehow road blocked him at every turn. Mitch knew how to grease palms to get what he wanted but no one in the town would give him the time of day. It was infuriating. But what’s more, was that his time was coming to an end if he didn’t get some kind of evidence against her in the next few days. He had run out of time and money. The law firm he was working at back in Buffalo had given him a two month sabbatical and that time was up. He had to go back or risk losing his job. And he couldn’t help Peter if he wasn’t practicing law.

  “Can I get you another soda?”

  Mitch looked up to see Lee, a waitress and Sadie’s friend, looking board. She probably was, considering he was the only one at the bar and the lunch rush had long since passed.

  “Yes, please.”

  She didn’t bother taking his glass, just held the dispenser above his cup and hit the coke icon.

  A minute later, Chuck, the owner, came out with his salad. They stood in front of him and decided to chat it up because there was absolutely no other space in the entire building to stand and chat about their boring lives as workers in the service industry.

  “What’s crawled up your ass today?”

  Lee picke
d up a cloth and wiped the bar down in front of him. “Sadie’s sister showed up this morning out of freakin’ nowhere.”

  Mitch paused to listen in.

  “So then what’s the problem? Is she some kind of super bitch or something?”

  “No. She seemed nice enough. Have you ever seen a picture of her?” Chuck shook his head. “She’s beautiful.” Lee fidgeted with the rag. He wasn’t even part of their conversation but even he could plainly see the upset in her features. “Owen noticed her,” she said trying not to make a big deal out of it but failing.

  Chuck smiled. “Uh oh.”

  “Shut up,” she tossed the cloth under the bar and leaned back. “I’ve never seen him act this way before. He was entranced.”

  “You have a little competition, so what? He still loves you.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” But she didn’t sound so sure.

  Mitch continued to eat and kept his eyes downcast. This was something he could possibly work with. Sadie’s sister-- her name started with an M or something, he couldn’t remember at the moment--she might stir things up enough for him to get his evidence. He sort of remembered her from the hearings; at least he thought he was thinking of the right woman. Short thing, if he remembered correctly, with a big personality and a hard glare.

  “Chuck, the worst part is she isn’t even one of us,” her eyes cut to Mitch. “I mean, she’s an outsider.”

  “I know,” he said also glancing at Mitch, which was interesting. Secrets were exactly what he was here for.

  “If he couldn’t be with me, what makes him think that everyone would accept her?”

  “No one said you couldn’t be with him. That was all you, Honey,” Chuck pointed out. Mitch wasn’t “one of them” as Lee put it but that didn’t stop him from hearing the gossip. Lee left Owen a year prior because she couldn’t have kids and thought that his family wouldn’t accept her because of it. That was apparently not the case and there were many bets around town guessing when she would figure that out and get back together with him. Mitch didn’t know the whole story but even he was tempted to place a bet.

  “Are you freaking kidding me?” Lee sneered when the bell over the door jingled. “I can’t even right now. It’s her.”

  Mitch had to look. Chuck must have felt the same way because they both turned their heads to look at the woman…damn, what was her name? She really was gorgeous and the retro thing she had worked for her at every angle and curve. Her face brightened when she spotted Lee, happy to see a friendly face, or at least a familiar one.

  “Hey! I didn’t get your name earlier at Sadie’s house. I’m Miranda, well, Mira actually.”

  “Lee,” she said in way of introduction. “What can I get you?” Her bland tone matched the equally bland and unimpressed expression she wore.

  “A less bitchy attitude would be great,” Mira said as if ordering a piece of pie. “Can I also have whatever salad that guy has and a glass of water with lemon?” She smiled politely then took out her phone and completely ignored Lee. Mitch had to hide his smile or risk having his coke thrown in his face as Lee walked past growling. He enjoyed a good cat fight.

  He had gone back to eating but caught Mira watching him when he looked up. She had the “you look familiar” face on. And that was his cue to get out of there. He needed to do more research before he got friendly with Miss Mira James. With a small nod, he pulled out a twenty and left it on the bar. He had a room upstairs that he rented by the week. Since there were limited options on dinner in the town he knew he would find her again when he needed her.

  *****

  Mira James could out bitch most women. It was a trait learned from many weeks of sharing a cycle with whatever girl she was shacked up with at the time. It was a life skill that she prided herself on. Lee "McStickUpHerAss" had hated her from the start and with no reason as far as she could see. The way Mira saw it, Lee was one of the people who stole Sadie away. So if anyone should be mad, it was her.

  After her initial order, Mira didn’t have to deal with Lee again. Instead a very friendly, middle aged man came out of the kitchen to help her. His smile was bright and his laugh just made her want to pinch his cheeks. He was adorable and had a twinkle in his eye that told her he knew it. Chuck, as he introduced himself, was owner of The Wick and had graciously kept her company while she ate. Whether she wanted it or not.

  Mira was happy for the companionship but she had some thinking to do that didn’t involve cute business owners. She had nowhere to go, nowhere to be. It was unsettling not having a direction to head in. She was lost and had no one to help lead her back, or even just point the way. Sadie, her sister, best friend and confidant, had abandoned her and pushed her away. All her life she had been able to go to her sister whenever she needed, for absolutely anything, and know that she may laugh or be angry but she would always help. The last few years had been tough on all of them. Sadie didn’t take her stalker seriously which left her open to the night he attacked her. When she found out what had happened, Mira had broken down. She cried for a solid hour on her bathroom floor. No one had told her the extent of Sadie’s injuries, just that she was in surgery. No one had thought to tell her what exactly had happened; just that she was attacked in her home. Like any stressed out woman, she had assumed the worst.

  Kent, Police Officer extraordinaire and possibly Batman, had shown up for her and had taken her to the hospital to be with her family. The man was a miracle to her little family. He had taken Sadie under his wing after she got out of the hospital and when Sadie upped and left, he pseudo-adopted Mira. He was the father she never had and Mira loved him and his wife Helen. So much so, that she had dinner over at their house every Tuesday.

  You always have Mom and Kent.

  The reminder was a good one but they were not who she needed at the moment. She needed someone who would listen, give just enough sympathy while offering bodily harm to her Ex and then push her to greater things. Kent would baby her, which she loved any other time, the man was a big fluffy marshmallow inside. Her mom would only push her before she was ready.

  “Dammit Sadie,” she cursed under her breath.

  “What was that?” Chuck asked.

  She stirred her coke with the straw. “Nothing. Hey, you know of any motel around here I could crash for a night.”

  “Sure,” he said with a smile. “But I like you too much to subject you to the horrors of Benny’s Roadside Bungalow. I have rooms upstairs for rent. They are nothing special but they have their own bathroom and a bed.”

  “Sold.”

  “They are by the week though. That ok?”

  Not really. She didn’t want to be here any longer than necessary but then again, what was the rush? As long as she avoided Sadie and bitch face Lee, she could use the week to figure out what was next for her. She’d call it a vacation of self-discovery so her mom wouldn’t worry. And a tally in the plus column was that she would get to see that lovely sneer on Lee’s face every time she came around.

  “I guess.”

  Chuck dug around under the counter and pulled out a key. “You have room C. There are four of them; C is on the third floor to the right. And because you’re cute, I’ll even add in a free daily meal.”

  “I betcha say that to all the tenants,” she winked.

  “Maybe,” he laughed and handed her the key.

  Mira paid for her lunch before running out to her car for her bag. She hadn’t packed much and would have to find a place to do her laundry or risk running out of clean panties in three days. The stairway to the second and third floors was right beside the bathrooms. She headed up the steep steps and was grateful for her light packing by the time she made it to her floor. Lugging a suitcase up them would not have been her definition of fun.

  Her room was just as Chuck described it and nothing more. Mira didn’t really care what it looked like as long as it was clean, and clean it was. It had a full sized bed, a dresser, a mirror and a small bathroom. She didn’t bother unpacking but in
stead just left her duffle bag unzipped on the dresser.

  A cursed yell came from the room across the hall. It startled her for two reasons. First she wasn’t expecting someone to be yelling so loudly. And second because of what was yelled. Mira looked at her door with a frown waiting for the cursing to come again because what she heard couldn’t have been right.

  “That’s right eat my zipper hoagie! You know you want to.”

  Mira’s mouth hung open. Nope, she had heard right.

  “Zipper hoagie?” she asked the empty room.

  “That’s a mighty fine banana but it won’t save you, Peaches. I’m on your tail and about to give you a spanking.”

  This was entirely too intriguing to for Mira to ignore. She walked across the hall to the only other door on the floor and knocked. She didn’t know what she’d find when she entered. She could be interrupting a very energetic and inventive sexual excursion but she needed to know.

  “What?” the man yelled from inside. “Oh no you don’t you little Toadwad. Get that ass back here.”

  “Umm…” Mira hesitated but thought “fuck it.” If this man was yelling about zipper hoagies, bananas and spankings he probably wouldn’t mind someone walking in on it all. Mira opened the door and pushed it with a single finger until she saw the man. He was sitting cross legged on the floor backed by every pillow he had. Beside him was an open box of pop tarts--the Costco sized box--and a bottle of cheap tequila. In his hands he held the iconic three handle Nintendo 64 controller.

  “GO GO GO GO! HA HA! EAT SHIT LUIGI!”

  Yoshi crossed the finish line and the man did a pathetic little wiggle that she assumed was his way of celebrating his win. He put down his controller and picked up the tequila. No glass was needed as he took a nice long pull from the bottle.

  “Do you have a death wish?” she asked because that was some bad bottom shelf tequila he was drinking.

  “Huh?” he turned, just now noticing the woman standing in his room and put down the bottle. “Who are you?”

  “Your new neighbor. Are…are those strawberry pop tarts?” Mira had purposefully tried to ignore the iconic blue box but there was no getting around it. Her eyes had cut to the box and she was done for. Mira knew they were filled with enough preservatives to survive an apocalypse and that if the filling was truly strawberries, she would eat her right foot but that didn’t deter her from buying them in bulk.