Chapter 1

Trent - Chapter 1

Present Day

Trent entered his office and turned to leave again. Seeing his dad there was enough to send him running in the other direction. Today especially. It was hot and humid, and all Trent wanted to do was go home, curl up on his new couch, and enjoy his air-conditioning. His new everything, including his house, was calling to him.

"Oh, don't be like that. I brought you a peace offering. And how many times must I tell you that I'm sorry before you forgive me?" Trent pretended to think on that. "Damn it, boy, I didn't know she was gonna do that. I only wanted you to have a nice date."

"You set me up with a hooker, Dad. How the hell did you expect the night to end? With me getting married to her?" His dad mumbled something about how his mom was still mad too, but Trent ignored it. "You should be ashamed of yourself. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking she was a hooker, that's for sure. I just wanted to make you less tense." If his dad thought that was helping; he was sadly mistaken. "I got you something. I know you're gonna forgive me when you see it."

Trent was still standing in the doorway and lifted his nose to the air to see if he could— "Biscuits? You got me…where did you get them?"

He was moving into the room when his dad pulled the towel off the still steaming treat. It was his biggest downfall, biscuits. He could eat them with every meal…hell, even eat them for his entire meal, but he also knew that they were bad for him. Especially the way that he ate them.

Drowning in butter and marmalade, with just a hint of honey over them, was the only way, as far as he was concerned, that biscuits should ever pass over one's lips. He sat down at his desk when he saw the dozen round treats with a jar of marmalade and a squeeze bottle of pure honey. He looked at his dad when he laughed. He wasn't ready to forgive him just yet, but it was getting close. Trent asked him again where he'd gotten them.

"We have a visitor while Meggie is laid up with her sore back. Her niece or something is filling in for her. I came into the kitchen yesterday to these babies, and I thought of you. Had her make me up a batch just for you." Trent no more believed that than he did his dad was sorry about two nights ago. "I really did think of you."

"How many did you have her bake up so that these were left over, Dad? And why is Mom letting you eat like this?" His dad snorted but didn't answer. Trent picked up the first biscuit and held it to his nose. "Holy shit, Dad. These even smell sinful."

"They are. And your mother, she can eat a dozen of them, so you know. And this girl's scones. Never had them before, but I'm betting that there isn't a shop around that can do them up better. Go ahead and eat it. See if I'm not right." Trent took a healthy bite of the one in his hand. His taste buds exploded in his mouth, and he moaned. "Didn't I tell you? I swear to you, those could be considered lethal if you ate enough of them. Damned if I can't eat me one more."

Trent pulled the plate back when his dad reached for them. "Mine. Get your own. These are my peace offering, remember?"

His dad sat down while Trent ate two more before he opened the jar of marmalade and honey. He almost hated to taint the taste of the perfection that the biscuits were, but knew that he had to try one with his favorite things on them. He heard his brother Elijah talking to his secretary in the hall and actually considered hiding his treat. But he knew that if he did, in about ten minutes he'd be full and sick to his belly, and the thought of not having these again made him leave them on his desk. But he did slip two into his top drawer with the towel.

"There are ninety-seven thousand ways I can kill that man right now, and one of them is simply shifting to my wolf and tearing his throat out. What a…what are you eating?" Elijah looked at the plate in front of him with only two biscuits left on it then at his dad. "You bribed him? You actually went out and paid someone to bake him biscuits to get him to talk to you again. And you think this will work? He's really pissed off at you."

"Eat this and shut up." Trent shoved the plate at his brother and nearly snatched it back when he took both of the biscuits left on the plate. He was never going to do that again, that was for sure.

When he sat down and ate the first one in a single bite, Elijah looked at his dad. "Okay, this will work. Holy hell, Dad, where did you get these?" Elijah enjoyed a good biscuit too, but not like Trent did. He'd write a bad review for a breakfast place if their biscuits were not up to his standards. And he had high ones too. As he ate the second one, Trent pulled one of his stash from his drawer and ate it while their dad explained.

"Meggie hurt her back a few days ago, and her relative was in town or something so she said she could help her out. And damn, this girl can cook. Your mom said that if she could do it without hurting Meggie's feelings, we'd just keep this girl. Of course, we'd be as big as a house then, but it'd be well worth it." Trent thought so, too, but was too busy trying to stuff the last of his stash in his mouth before Elijah took it. "I can bring you in some more tomorrow if you like. The girl loves to help this old man out."

"You told her what you did?" His dad blushed bright red. "You mean you didn't tell your now favorite cook that you hired a hooker to entertain me for the night and then were surprised when you had to explain to Mom why I was so pissed off? And nearly had to bail me out of jail when she started screaming that I'd tried to stiff her? Christ, Dad, she was naked in my bed before I even got my jacket on to go out to dinner with her. Not to mention, I think she stole my cuff links. And I'm not even going to try and guess where she might have hidden them to get them out of my apartment. All I can say to you is you're lucky that I don't live there anymore. I'm pretty sure that she's cased the place, and I would have been robbed blind by now."

"I'm telling you, I didn't know nothing about her other job." Trent snorted. "Well, I didn't. I knew that she was working for some guy and that she went on dates and stuff, but I didn't know that's what she did. You have to believe me, and tell your mom that you do."

"Mom is mad at you?" His dad nodded and looked pretty sad about it. "Good. My God, Dad, do you have any idea what she wanted me to...? What she suggest...? Never mind. I think you should be in trouble with Mom a little bit longer. This might teach you to stop meddling in the lives of your sons."

"I doubt that." Trent had to agree with his brother. Their dad was forever trying to set them up with women. As if any of them had any trouble in that department. Trent didn't date much, but when he wanted to go out, there were countless women that would go with him. And if he wanted to get laid, as his father had arranged unknowingly for him, he didn't have to worry about what sort of things she was bringing with her. Such as handcuffs and cock locks, whatever the fuck those were.

"You do know that I'm not getting any younger." Elijah told him if he tried that trick on him, he'd not get any older either. "I won't. You got my promise on that one. I'll be careful. I learned my lesson. I don't get my sons dates with women of the street. Yeah, but you have to admit, she sure was a pretty little thing."

"There was very little about her that was little."

Trent looked at the door when someone cleared their throat and saw his mom there. Feeling his face heat up, he told her he was sorry and invited her into to have a seat.

"I'm guessing that you've forgiven your father now?" Trent told him he wasn't sure. "I should hope that you'd make him dangle on that particular hook for a while yet. The nerve of him thinking you needed that sort of help when it came to women. I've not been speaking to him since I heard about this. TJ, I swear to you that if you do this again, I will not just leave you, I will make you regret it for a very long time."

"I already said that I wouldn't. And I did try to make it up to him." They all turned to see the now empty plate on his desk. "He surely did like those biscuits, just like I said he would. And if he dated more, I'd not have to go to extreme measures to get him a mate."

"I don't need help at all with women. I know how to treat them." His mom glared at him, but all Trent did was wink at her. "Tell me about this woman who can bake for you like she did my biscuits. Is she looking for work?"

"No. I don't think so. Meggie told me that she was here helping her out and that she'd taken time from her job to do so. You should talk to her, Trent. Very nice and polite. And I'm fairly certain she doesn't make her living taking on the male clientele she finds on the street." Trent burst out laughing, but stopped quickly when his mother looked at him. "Be that as it may, she is a very nice girl. Pretty too. But I do think she's been in the area more than we thought. She knows the town as well as we do. I've no details, but Meggie said that she was her only true friend and that she loved her like her own daughter. I do think that Meggie has three of her own, so that's not saying much. Meggie doesn't care at all for her children on most days."

"They're close then." His mom said that they seemed to be. That when Meggie had called, she'd dropped everything to come help her. "What's her name? I can see what our realtor has on the list if she doesn't have a home here. We mostly only deal with business zoned property, but we might be able to find something for her. What's her name?"

"Joe Samuels. I'm not sure of too much more about her. There is a vampire in her life, but I have no idea if he's just another friend or not. She's certainly not sleeping with him." To Trent that meant the girl was a virgin. He wondered how much she resembled her male name, or if she was still a virgin because she took after her aunt. Meggie was a wonderful person, but she looked like she could beat a bear with a switch and come out on top.

"I know. Come out for dinner tomorrow night." His mom nodded at Dad's suggestion. "All of you. I'll make some calls and we'll have a big family gathering. It'll be good for us too, what with Tanner home for good now and Sterling finally getting out of his funk."

"Trent James Calhoun, what a thing to say." His dad looked like he was going to ask what he'd said, but one look at Mom had him dropping his head. "In the event you don't remember, Sterling has been down in the dumps for a while because he was in an accident. And it's not dumps, you idiot, but pain. I cannot believe you at times."

As they left them, his mom still fussing at his dad as they walked out of the door, Trent decided to get to work. Elijah sat in the chair across from him and seemed content not to speak. As the computer finished up the reboot that had started as he was leaving last night, he thought of his family.

There were six of them, the sons of his parents. Trent was the oldest, of course. Then there was Sterling, Scott, Randal, Elijah, and Tanner bringing up the rear. He loved them all dearly and would do anything for them, as he was sure they would for him. As a wolf family, purebloods that had been wolves for generations, they were all very close. Trent looked at his brother when he cleared his throat.

"I need to tell you something about Max Ford. The guy we're trying to deal with on the loan." Trent noticed that he had seven emails from the man and told Elijah that. "Yeah, he's a little upset with us. You mostly. I hope you don't mind, but I had to use you as a heavy yesterday. We can't do business with a man like him. Not only that, but—"

"You know that's all right. What happened?"

Elijah got up to pace. Not a good sign. His brother and he had been in business for the last ten years…since the year that Elijah had turned twenty-one and come into his inheritance from their grandmother.

"He's been robbing from the company. We knew that he was having problems, and he told us it was the economy, but what we didn't know was that he's stealing the money and sending it overseas so that no one can get to it. I think he's playing us to fund his trip over there to live in the lap of luxury and stiff us with the bill. Also, I've only just found out he's not been paying into the retirement funds of any of the people that work for him. His partner has no idea, I don't think, but that's not all of it. He's stealing from his own accounts as well, from what I can see, and funneling that to his accounts. I mean, it's bad enough that he's skipped out on taxes on both his person and businesses, but to hurt the very people that have worked for you for years is pretty shitty." Trent asked him where his heavy hand came in. "I told him that we decided not to lend him any money at this time. I never gave him a reason. You and I discussed that before, and I remembered you telling me that we didn't have to have a reason, that we're just not going to do it. I'm thinking it'll be like forever before we lend him money, but we'll cross that bridge later. Oh, and I think he might come in today. I had everyone tell him we had no appointments, but I don't think that's going to stop him from coming and begging."

Trent didn't say anything. He'd missed that when he'd been going over the paperwork for Ford's firm. And that was a huge deal. They would have lost a great deal of money on that deal had they gone through with it. Not that they couldn't take the hit. They had insurance for that, but he'd missed it. Trent thought he'd been doing that a lot lately.

And while he was thinking about what his brother said to him, two more emails came in from the very man they were talking about. They could just walk away from this deal, of course, but the problem was how much they had invested in this venture to get to the point where they were right now. Just about to the point where they were signing off on it. Hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"All right. Then it's done."

Trent felt his belly tense up and his heart pound in his chest as soon as the words left his mouth. He knew that Elijah could hear it and hoped that he thought it was just a simple case of nerves. But Trent knew better. As he tried to slow his heart and breathing, he began to see pinpoints of light in his vision.

This had happened to him several times over the last few weeks. He'd be out of breath for a few minutes just walking from the couch to the kitchen. His head would spin and he'd feel sick. But the way his heart was pounding right now he was a little afraid, and he knew it was making his heart beat all the faster. Soon he couldn't see anything but what looked like blood rushing behind his eyelids.

He heard his name being called, screamed really, and Trent felt his body sliding to the floor as his heart started to ache. His chest felt as if it were going to explode, and he knew that he was dying. Right there, right then, he was dying. Closing his eyes against the unrelenting pain, Trent tried to think, about anything other than how badly his chest was hurting, how his arms were going numb, and how his head felt as if someone had shot a cannon off in it. But all he could think about was that he hurt and he was too young to die. Looking at the face that seemed to fade in and out in front of him, he told his mom that he loved her and simply passed out.

~*~

Joe counted as she did the compressions on the big man's chest. Each time she thought she couldn't go any further, she'd glance at the face of the man's mother and double her efforts to bring him around. He would not die while she was there to help, not if she could help it.

She'd only come by to get a ride back to the estate with the Calhoun's. They'd said they were coming into town to see their sons, and she knew that one of them worked in the big building. Having gained access to the upper floors, she was nearly bowled over by Mr. Calhoun when he was rushing by her to this office. When she entered too, it took her breath away to see the younger man on the floor and no one doing a damned thing to help him.

"The ambulance just pulled up." Joe nodded at Elijah, the man she'd been introduced to when she'd told him to get the fuck out of her way. No one, it seemed, had ever taken a first responder class and they were too stunned to even call out for help. "I'm really sorry."

Nodding, she kept at her work. The small mask that had been placed over the man's mouth had come from the kit that was brought to her when she had to give him mouth to mouth. The secretary had said that she could help, but she wasn't sure if she could do that to her boss. Joe thought she'd fire the dumbass if it were her decision. What kind of person didn't want to help their boss?

By the time the medical team showed up, Mr. and Mrs. Calhoun had stopped sobbing about their little boy, and Elijah had called the others. Joe wasn't sure who that might be, but she was pretty sure that they might be family. Mr. Calhoun had told her that he had a big family, and Mrs. Calhoun had told her that they had six sons. If this was one of them, he had to take better care of himself if he wanted to be around for a while.

Joe moved back out of the way to let the men who were paid to do this step in. She watched the man that she'd worked so hard to save. He was still breathing, which was good, and his color had improved a great deal since she'd come in. All good signs for someone who more than likely had suffered a heart attack.

He was handsome…a big guy with a short military type hair cut that made him look younger than the thirty-three she'd been told he was. He wasn't heavy by any means. In fact, his body was toned and well-muscled. When she'd pulled his shirt open to keep his heart pumping, Joe had been surprised to find his chest smooth, free of the fur that she had always associated with wolves. Knowing what he was, Joe had figured he'd be hairy.

"Joe?" She looked over at Mr. Calhoun and nodded. "They want us to go with them. Can you come along? I'd really like for you to be with us being that he's only here on account of your quick thinking."

She doubted that. Joe was sure that someone would have stepped up had she not knocked them out of the way when he'd first fallen. Shaking her head, she started to tell them that she needed to get home to her aunt, but Mrs. Calhoun insisted.

"My aunt will worry." Mrs. Calhoun told her she'd call. "I really don't want to intrude, Mrs. Calhoun. I know that you need to be together as a family."

"Had you not been here, we'd not be much of a family." Joe tried to tell her that she'd only been the first to try. "No. That's not true. We were standing there like fish out of water, not sure how to save him. I would really like for you to go too. Just in the event that the doctor has any questions for us."

In the end, she went with them. It seemed that for every excuse that she had, they countered her with a good reason. Besides, they were her only ride home. Going with them seemed easier than trying to walk home. Not that she couldn't do it. She was in good shape, but it was about eight miles in the heat.

They were all there by the time she and his parents arrived. Four men the size of the Calhoun's filled the waiting room, and adding the other one and the dad and mom, the room felt positively packed. Standing in the hall, trying to not be overwhelmed by them all, brought her face to face with a man she'd just as soon not ever see again.

"Well, well, well." Joe started to back away from Max Ford, but found herself hitting a wall of a chest behind her. When hands held her arms, it was everything she could do not to try and run. "Look what the cat dragged in. It's the little bitch that thinks she can tell me what to do. What do you think, David? Should we teach her a lesson right now? She sure did think herself pretty grand the other week when I only wanted to talk to her roommate. What's old Noah doing with himself nowadays? Still letting you run things for him?"

"Let her go, Ford." No one moved at the sound of the voice next to her. Joe didn't turn to look. She knew Mr. Calhoun's voice when she heard it. One thing about the man, he could talk your arm off when he thought he had something to say. Or even not. The man could jabber on and on. "You heard me. I said to let her go. She's here with my family."

"Your family?" Joe said nothing, but she knew that the rest of them, all the Calhoun's, had joined their patriarch. "I had no idea that she walked in those circles, TJ. I was just going to tell her that we're ready for her to come and work for us now that we've gotten some things straightened out. With your son there helping us with the loan he said we could have, we'll be able to afford her."

"You've yet to unhand her. And we've been about as polite as I think we need to be on this." This was from the man that she'd knocked down, Elijah. "Let her go, or the only thing saving your life will be the fact that we're this close to the emergency room."

She was let go, but shoved just hard enough to nearly fall when she staggered. Elijah put his hands out to stop her descent to the floor. As he held her to him, three of the others, their names escaping her memory right now, stood between her and Max, and his sometimes bodyguard, David.

"For some reason, and this could just be me, I'm thinking that she doesn't want to work for you. Is that right, Joe?" She nodded at Elijah. "See? She doesn't want to work with you either. And I'm pretty sure my brother and I have made it perfectly clear that we have no desire to help you out. Not now and not ever. Now, I think you should move on your way and leave us on our own."

"Can't blame a man for trying, now can you? I've heard nothing but good things about how Miss Samuels can turn a dime into a buck. Besides, I thought you were gonna talk to that brother of yours about our business. I went by the offices and saw them wheeling him out, and came here to see if I could offer up some assistance. I had no idea that you knew Joe here. I've been after her to work for me for years now." No one said a word, and Joe moved back a little more, freeing herself from Elijah, only to be pulled closer to Mrs. Calhoun. "I'm still a little in the dark as to why we've all decided this won't work. All we had left to do was sign off on some papers and it was a merger made in heaven."

"I've already told you that we've decided against it. That should be enough for you to move on. It was for us." Max looked at her, and she could see the hatred in his eyes. There had been no time when she'd been going to work for him. And Joe had no idea why he'd said that to them. "Unless you have business elsewhere on this floor, Ford, I'd really like it if you left us on our own. We're here for our brother and not to explain to you about why no means no."

As soon as Elijah turned his back on the man, it was as if the rest of them had some sort of inner connection, and they all turned as well. Max tried to talk to her again when they moved back into the small room.

"You talk to that boss of yours before—"

That was as far as he got before she was pulled into the room with the rest of the Calhoun's. Simon stood near enough that should Max have tried anything, he would have been thwarted in his efforts.

Max watched her as he made his way to the elevator, glancing back over his shoulder every few minutes. She wasn't afraid of him, but she was afraid of what he might try to do to the Calhoun's and to Noah.

Max had changed a great deal, but she knew who he was. Not only that, Noah did as well. A man could change himself whenever and however he wanted, but his scent would forever be the same. She knew who he was because Noah had smelled him on her when Max had accosted her the other day when she'd been in town for groceries. She thought about Noah now, and decided he needed to have a heads up on the fact that Max was trying his crap again. Not to mention, he was trying to insert himself into the Calhouns' lives as well.

The man Ford is threatening me and you. Again. Noah asked her where she was. Mercy General Hospital. One of the people that I have been helping had a heart problem, and I was there with them. The Calhouns. You heard Meggie talking about them. Max knows them as well, but they do not know him as we do. He is expecting them to finance something for him. That can only mean trouble for the pack. They are a good family, and I hate to think of what Ford can do to them.

Meggie wasn't her aunt, not really. Joe had no living relatives. And had she any when she'd been younger, they had all long since died. Meggie was the descendant of the sister of Michael, the man that had worked for Noah as his keeper longer than Joe had. They all had been watching over the family for generations, and when Meggie had started working for the Calhouns, they knew the family inside and out before she ever made their first meal for them. She had always been a firm believer, as had Noah, that they cared for their own.

I will be there soon. The wolves, are they as good as we have thought? A pack that might be open to me coming to see them? She told them that they were. You will please warn them that I will come by soon. I know that I need no permission to visit there, but I should ask that you tell them. I don't wish for any hard feelings even before we begin.

I will. They saved me, I think. Noah asked her how, and she told him what happened. They had no reason to do that, Noah. They owe me nothing.

You think no one owes you anything when I know for a fact that I owe you my life several times over. She told him she loved him, and to her that was reason enough to risk her life for him over and over. Yes, child, and I you, but there is the added fact that you have saved me a great many times.

After telling him where they were in the big hospital, he told her that he'd come soon. She turned to the family and tried to think how to tell them he was coming. The best way, she'd always found, was usually the simplest. Just straight out.

"Have you heard of Noah Stark?" Most of them had and Joe nodded. "He is the man that I watch over when he needs me to. I have been his for a great many years. We have been...friends. He should like to come here and talk with you. All of you." She explained that they both knew Max Ford, and they might want to listen to him. "Noah is a good man."

"He's a vampire, isn't he?" Joe nodded again at Mrs. Calhoun's question. "I thought so. I'm also assuming that you've never applied for a job with Max Ford. Nor have you any intentions of doing so. At least I hope not. That man stinks of being a cheater and a liar."

"No. I have never wanted to work for anyone but Noah. I'm his day walker. And have been for many decades." She watched their faces. "We have spoken of.... He will be moving along soon anyway, and when he does, I shall be going with him. But he comes here now to speak to you. He does want me to tell you that he will be here soon and that he wishes for you not to be upset with him."

"If he's an enemy of Fords, then he's a friend of ours." Joe said nothing. Noah didn't make friends easily, and he seldom had enemies. If he did, they didn't last long on this earth. He dealt with men who tried to harm him and his just as he did most things…swiftly and without any regret. And Max had made himself an enemy of her boss. "When will he arrive?"

"I have." They all turned to the doorway and Noah smiled at them, not even bothering to hide his fangs as he usually did. "The Calhouns. I have heard a great many things about your pack. It is my pleasure to finally meet you."