Chapter 8

Trent - Chapter 8

Max was sitting at his desk when Jefferson came into his office and sat down in the chair across from him. He wanted to tell him that he was too busy to listen to him whine, but didn't. He needed the man more than he might have thought possible only a few days ago. Someone had gotten into his things, and he knew they had his password information on his accounts. All of his accounts. He was still trying to figure out a way to ask him about it when Jefferson finally spoke.

"I spoke to Trent and his brother Elijah this morning." Max glanced at the clock and saw that it was just after eight in the morning. Jefferson must have gotten up early to have done that. Max nodded, then wondered aloud how that had gone. "Fine. Trent really is leaving the company. I have heard different reasons for it, but I think it's the romantic one that I believe. He and his new wife are going to be working on another project that has just fallen into their laps."

When he didn't say more, Max wanted to reach into his top drawer and pull out his gun. There were times, and right now was one of them, that he wished to Christ that he'd never taken this man on as a partner. He was driving him over the edge.

"And what sort of romantic entanglements has he gotten himself into? And what new wife? I had no idea he was even dating anyone seriously. No doubt he thinks that this woman will be the one and only true love of his life and that she'll never cheat or lie to him." Max didn't like the smile that Jefferson wore and wanted to hit him. "Who on earth would want to marry into that family? I mean, they aren't nothing more than a bunch of wolves, if I remember correctly. There is not a woman alive that would want to fuck something like them."

"You'd be surprised." Before Max could ask Jefferson what he meant, the man continued. "He's found his mate. I'm sure you know what that means. Anyway, he's also going to be the leader of their group. Pack, I think they call it. But I'm sure you knew what he was, what his family was, when you went to them about the loan we needed."

"So? You investigate people, too, before you want to work with them. I want to know how this affects our business with him." He'd still not mentioned to Jefferson that Trent had backed out of the deal, and wondered if Trent had told him already. Could be the reason that Jefferson was here now…he was pissed off. Max had a few things to work out, and one of them was getting Noah to give him everything that he wanted. He had a plan in the works right now that might get him more money than the deal that had fallen through with Trent.

"His brother is taking over the business. Elijah Calhoun is the man that I've been dealing with on things, in the event that you wondered. He and I had a long talk, and I think we've reached a deal that will benefit the company." Max started to think things might be turning around for him when he realized what Jefferson said. "You, however, will not be working with me on this or any other project from now on."

"What do you mean? This is just as much my business as it is yours. And besides, I thought we agreed that I'd take care of the banking and you were going to be the one that gathered up the deals for us. I mean, it's been working for us for a while now." Jefferson just stared at him. "You're beginning to piss me off, Jefferson. What the hell has gotten into you? And what is this crap about me not being in on any of the projects?"

"For you it has been working out, hasn't it, Max?" Max glanced at the drawer that held his gun. "I just thought it would be a nice change for me to get to know both sides of the business. And Elijah made it very easy to learn what I needed. You should probably talk to him. After you leave here, that is. He might be able to help you out too."

"Oh, I plan on it. You just stick to what you know best and I'll work with Elijah." He realized how harsh that sounded and cleared his throat before continuing. "Just please let me deal with this part of the business. I feel so useless with the rest, and this is what I do best."

Jefferson said nothing but stared at him. Max had never felt as uncomfortable around this man as he did right now. Something about him was decidedly scary, and Max didn't like it one bit. Jefferson got up to make his way toward the door, and Max was about to call out to him to say he wasn't going anywhere. But Jefferson stopped and turned toward him.

"I'm going to look over some things on the books today. I'm telling you this so in the event that you come looking for me, I won't be in my office. I'm doing it at home. It'll be much easier and with fewer distractions." Max wanted to tell him he wasn't fucking going to touch the books, but Jefferson smiled at him. "I got them from your office last night. I had a whim to see them and knew that you'd not mind. I mean, we are equal partners, right?"

"Yes. We are." His mind was in a whirl from trying to figure out what else Jefferson had taken from his office. "I don't like that you've been in my things, Jefferson. I'd never do that sort of thing to you, like rummage around in your personal things."

"Wouldn't you?" Again a cryptic message that Max didn't understand. "Anyway, I've got them now, so if you go to look for them or me, you know where they are."

As soon as the door closed behind Jefferson, Max reached into his lower drawer and saw that it was empty. Not just of the things that he'd been keeping there, but he just knew that if he pulled the drawer all the way out, he'd find that his notes were gone as well. All of them. Taking out the drawer, as he'd done a million times, he nearly sobbed when he saw that not only were his notes gone, but there was now a sticky note there. Pulling it off the wooden under-drawer, he read the little note with shaky fingers.

"Safe inspected on today's date." The date of yesterday along with the time was printed in Jefferson's neat handwriting. "An inventory of what was taken is now inside, along with a notarized sheet of what was found."

Max wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. Not only had Jefferson taken all of the cash that was in the safe, but it looked like he'd taken out Max's passports—all of them—as well as some jewelry that he'd had since he'd taken it from a woman long ago. Max was trying to think of a way to fix this when his phone rang, nearly causing him to cry out. Max had it on the tip of his tongue to tell the person on the other end of the line he was too busy to speak now, but the person started talking first.

"Hello, Benson." His blood seemed to stop moving through his veins at the sound of his name being spoken. "I was wondering if you are able to sleep at nights knowing that the death of a child is on your list of horrible acts. Do you sleep well at night?"

"Who is this? And what are you talking about?" He knew in the back of his mind that engaging with someone on the phone was about as helpful as talking to his walls, but he was upset. "What child?"

"Sydney's baby, of course." Max was glad that he was sitting down, because even sitting he was having a hard time remaining upright. "She was just under three months when you raped her, causing her to not just lose her child but her life as well. Did you know that you are going to regret your actions that night for the rest of your life? Short as it's going to be?"

The line had been dead for some time before he put the handle back in the cradle. Max wasn't sure whether the person on the other end of the line was telling him the truth or not, but he had a feeling that he was. Sydney had been sick a great deal when he'd been trying to pursue her, but she'd never mentioned a child. Leaning back in his chair, the note in his hand forgotten, he wondered if he'd left anything behind when he'd left her chilling body on the floor.

There had been blood, of course. But even now he thought it was from the way he'd taken her. And he had, hard and without any thought to what it did to her. Max had thought a few times over the years that someone would come for him, that the DNA he'd left behind would have been enough. But nothing had occurred over the years, not even a call to ask him where he'd been that night.

Or even what he had done to the brat next door. That had been something Max had thought would come back on him, but it too had supposedly been ignored, as if it had never happened. He'd been pissed…impulsive and pissed off. Something he rarely was nowadays.

He had no idea how long he sat there thinking over what he'd done, how it was coming back for him. For some time after the call, all he could remember thinking about was…well, everything. The money, the safe, the books, Sydney, and the child. The kid next door. Max had to get out of town. Right now. Picking up his phone again, he decided to have some of his other money wired directly to his bank, then he'd leave. Nothing here was worth him going to prison over.

Within minutes the lady at the other end was telling him to hold on, that she needed to contact his bank to make sure that the accounts were ready to receive the funds. When she came back on, he was almost afraid to hear what she had to say.

"Sir, your bank is closed. Until further notice. If you have another account that I can send it to, in another bank, I can certainly send it out today." He asked her why the bank was closed. "I'm not sure, sir. All the person at the other end said was that there were some problems at the bank and that until they got them fixed, the bank was closed for business. I can send the money to that account, but I don't think you'll be able to take it out. Even the local level ATMs are closed, he told me."

"That's not possible. I have money in that bank. You have to tell them that I need my money." She didn't answer him, and he wasn't even sure what she might have said to him anyway. "I need the funds that you're sending to me. Can't you just send them to one of those money places? Or have someone just bring it to me from one of your branches?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but we can only put the money in a bank account. We don't trust those sort of institutions. As for branches, we don't have those in the States either. It's why we are able to collect and keep your money safe without being affected by the laws governing your country." He'd collected his money by simply stealing it, and she was afraid to put his ill-gotten gains in another place for fear of it being stolen? If that wasn't irony, he had no idea what was. "If you have another account at a different bank, we can wire it there."

He hung up on her. Max was in deep shit. He knew that and was pretty sure that if he didn't get out of town soon—like today—he was going to pay dearly for his mistakes. All of them would come back to bite him in the ass now that Jefferson had taken his books. But he had no money, no jewels to cash in, and all his passports were now in the hands of the man he'd been cheating for a very long time. Max didn't like this one bit.

As he headed for his bedroom to start the process of closing down his house, he thought of all the shit that had happened since Noah had made his presence known. What the hell had Max been thinking, keeping things like that in his safe? He wasn't. And now the one person that he had taken on as a partner to make him look good was going to destroy him.

His butler was coming out of his bedroom when he came up the stairs. "Sir." Max nodded at him but said nothing as he just stood there. "There has been a small issue, sir. I'm not sure that you've been made aware of it as yet, but all of your accounts have been closed. The checks that you wrote to us for our weekly wages have been denied. And the grocer and the other services are demanding money that the accounts cannot cover."

"I'm not sure what's going on. I was just informed that the banks are closed. I don't suppose you know what's going on, do you?" Bennington told him about the robbery. "Well, that explains it then."

"No, sir, it does not. The missus and I went to the bank before the robbery and we were told that your accounts, all of them, have been closed by the government. That there are some problems that will not be resolved in the near future. She told us that we were to go and speak to you to have this resolved. Mr. Marshall informed us that you are penniless and that we should leave with whatever goods we can lay our hands on."

"I don't think you have that right. And since when do you steal from me at the word of someone like Jefferson?" Max was pretty sure he had it correct, but he was trying to buy time. Then he realized that Bennington had a small case in his hands. "Are you actually stealing from me?"

"I am taking compensation for wages. As I was told we should do. Unless, of course, you have cash. It is the only form of payment that I'll trust from you from now on." As Bennington started by him, Max reached out to grab him and found himself on the floor. The man had moved so quickly and had him tossed over his shoulder and down that he'd not even had time to react. "Do not presume to touch me again. I do not work for thugs or men that steal from me. Good day, sir."

Max was still laying there when he heard the front door open and close. He did wonder briefly what else they might have taken, but was too upset to care at the moment. If he was in trouble with the government, then it mattered little what was stolen from him now.

~*~

Trent found himself walking around the house just looking at things that he had absolutely no idea what he was looking at. Not that he didn't know the items, but he couldn't have told someone had they asked what he'd looked at to save his life. Things were just going too quickly for him to think beyond the second. He looked behind him when he heard his name called softly.

"Do you like this room?" He looked around the room when Joe asked him. "I do. It's well-lit, and coming in here makes me feel safe. Which is silly, I suppose, since there are more windows than walls really."

"I wouldn't think that Noah could spend a great deal of time in this one. Unless it's dark out." She told him he rarely came in here even if she was here. "Why is that?"

"This is my domain, as he calls it. Somewhere that is all mine." She came more into the room and sat on the fainting couch. He'd seen them before, of course, but only in pictures or movies. "What's bothering you? You're acting like a caged animal, when I know for a fact that you are as free as I am."

"Everything and nothing at the same time. I've talked to the council for this region, and they're very happy with the turn of events concerning Casey and myself. I guess he's been fucking up big time, and they were hoping for someone to come and kill him. Their words, not mine." She nodded, and he moved toward her. Joe was beautiful laying there watching him, and he had a feeling that she was humoring him for some reason. Or she was trying to help him work things out. "My dad is happy that I'm in this position. I thought for sure he'd tell me he'd take it for me, but when I told him what had happened, he said he was happy for me. And you as well."

"Why for me?"

He told her he didn't know and sat on the chair that was across from her. Leaning back, Trent let his mind drift while she said nothing. Then he remembered what he'd been thinking about. "The pack is not without funds, just so you know. I mean, not a great deal, but enough to sustain them for a little while. We've also found out that not only was Casey in on this robbery, but the police were able to attach his name, and those of the other robbers, to a string of other robberies in the area." He closed his eyes as he continued, his body finally feeling slightly relaxed. "His mate told the council and myself that he did it because he could and he was good at it. She seemed to think it was all right for him to do whatever he wanted…he was the pack leader, after all. And the money that he took in the previous robberies had gone to buying some property in another country, as well as several houses. The council is trying to figure out what to do with that."

His mind began the pleasant task of closing down. He'd not been sleeping well, mostly due to the fact that he was worried about everything, but he was staying up later and later just to make love to Joe. Grinning, he wondered if she'd let him shift and chase after her before dinner.

When he woke, the room was dark. Not completely blacked out, but just bright enough from the moon shining into the room for him to see that Joe was no longer on the couch. Stretching as he stood up, he nearly cried out when he realized that he wasn't alone in the room. He sat back down when Noah began speaking.

"I need a favor from you." He told him he'd do anything for him. "Not so hasty, my good man. But this won't cost you overly much. I should like to have a small sampling of your blood. Just to be able to communicate with you and find you should I need to."

"Joe said that when she was in the bank, you couldn't contact her until she reached out to you. Why, do you know?" When Noah didn't answer him, Trent continued. "Casey has been named as one of the robbers yesterday. There is some question as to why he was found naked at the scene, but no one is overly concerned with that. The cameras, as you know, have been replaced and the bank will open in a few more days. No one even mentioned us being there other than the manager, and he's been carted off to jail as well."

"She is your mate." Trent nodded, not sure where the man was headed. "When she became your mate—and I'm only guessing here—my contact with her was severed. Not entirely, because she was able to contact me, but I think that with you there, being her mate, you became a priority to her. I think. It's the reason that I think I was unable to contact her when you told me she was in trouble. I should like to have a small taste of your blood so that in the event that I can't find her, I can talk to you."

"Sounds like…I have no idea. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this house and all the money." They both laughed. "But really, I'm working through this. The money is the most important thing. Not that I'm not thrilled to have it, but it is more than I've ever had. Being the pack alpha was something that I had hoped for someday, so now that I have it, I have some things to work out with actually dealing with it. Having Joe at my side, I think we'll do a great job at it. And as for you wanting my blood? Let's just say as weird shit goes, that doesn't even register as much of a concern."

"You'll do a great job at it. You were born to lead, as was Joe." Trent thought about his first request and told him he was fine with it. "You will never be able to take it back, Trent. I will have your scent as well as be in your mind for the rest of my days."

"As will I with you. I'd like to do a fair exchange. My blood for yours." Trent wasn't sure Noah was going to agree with it, but he smiled and nodded. "Taking your blood into me, will that do anything to me later?"

"To be honest, I hope so." The smile made him a little nervous. "What I have, Joe has; in return, you too have it. Taking my blood might enhance what you have. But for sure? I don't know."

Fair enough, he supposed. As he put out his wrist for the man, several things popped into his head at once. He'd be basically in bed with a vampire. A very old and very powerful one. As Noah's teeth sank into his wrist, Trent thought of something else. Noah was now and would be forever his friend.

"I thank you for that. I think of you as my family as well." Trent nodded and took the wrist of Noah. "I will cut it for you. Someday you might develop fangs, but for now, we'll do it this way."

The blood that was there was dark. And when he pulled it into his body, licking the beads of blood with his tongue, Trent tasted not just the richness but also the strength in it. The power of it raced over his body in a long shuddering race to fill his cells, and Trent felt slightly dizzy. Leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes, he felt the connection immediately.

"I must take my leave." Trent nodded, nearly drunk on the blood. When Noah laughed, Trent looked at him with one eye slightly opened. "You will do very well, my friend. Very well indeed."

The next thing he knew, Trent was waking again. This time it was to Joe sitting on his lap. She smiled at him when he sat up and pulled her into his arms more securely for a long and much needed kiss.

"I missed you too," she told him when he let her up. "I was thinking you were never coming to bed, and I find you here sleeping it off in a chair and not our bed."

"I had a short talk with Noah. And we exchanged blood." She told him she knew that and had felt it. "I figured as much. He is very powerful, isn't he?"

"He is. And now, so are you." As much as he wanted her to explain that, he wanted her naked more. "I think we'd have more fun in the bed."

"Maybe. But for now, I'd like to have you ride me." He helped her to stand and watched her hungrily as she stripped down for him. "Christ, you are so beautiful. And all mine."

When she was naked, he pulled her to him. He had thought to taste her, to eat at her pussy until she was as needy as him. But as soon as he touched her, he felt her need spike, and his wolf moved along his skin. He wanted his mate as well.

"I'm going to shift and let my wolf have you first. If I don't, he's going to distract me when I take you."

As she sat down and spread her thighs by putting them up and over the arms of the chair, Trent nearly took his dick off with his zipper. He didn't move as Joe's fingers slowly slid down her belly to her pussy. His pants were open, his cock freed, and he'd stopped breathing. Watching her pleasure herself, hearing her moan and say his name, Trent knew that if he were to die now, he'd be one happy wolf.

"Hurry. Or do you expect me to do this all on my own?" Her fingers disappeared inside of her. "I want to feel your cock here, Trent. Tell your wolf to hurry or there will be nothing left for him."

Pulling off his pants the rest of the way, he licked her while bent at his waist. Letting his wolf take him, the beast inside of him moved along his skin until Trent the man was no more. His wolf moved closer to her, whining quietly as she spread her nether lips for him.

"Taste me." His wolf moved his head to her and licked her. The taste, Trent knew, was spectacular. And when his wolf licked her again, Trent knew that she was enjoying it. As soon as she came, holding his wolf's head to her, his wolf fucked her with quick, hard strokes with his tongue until she was screaming again.

He took him then, his wolf giving him up so calmly that Trent knew that he'd had his fill. For now anyway. Trent took over where his wolf had stopped. Joe held his head too, holding him there as he ate ravenously at her. Sliding his finger into her, fucking her as his tongue was, cream slid down his hand to his elbow. Still he ate her, drinking as deeply of her as he could. When she jerked his head up, holding him away from his prize, Trent growled low, his need too powerful to be denied.

"Fuck me." He shook his head, tugging on her hand to go back to his feast. "Fuck me now. I need to feel you fill me, Trent. Fuck me."

Standing up, he growled at her to do the same. As soon as she was standing up, her legs wobbly, he turned her to the chair and bent her nearly in half. Pulling her ass to him, Trent plowed her as hard as he could, fucking her like his wolf would have had he been able.

"Come. Let go and come for me." He wasn't sure she understood him, his voice was still so thick with his wolf. When she cried out she was coming, Trent bent over her, pushing her face into the chair cushion, and bit deeply into her shoulder. As soon as she tightened around him, coming again, he let his own climax take him as he sucked on the wound he'd just created.

Tearing into her flesh made his cock fill again. And when she took his arm to her mouth, his wrist exposed for her fangs, Trent fucked her until he was sure that he was going to pass out. The moment her mouth moved over his pounding pulse, he came, screaming out her name as she bit into him. Trent felt his entire world shift and center in a matter of seconds.