The Keeping(47)

He’d planned on being as rude and sarcastic as possible this evening, goading her into getting mad and stomping out or at least rethinking wanting to interview him. But then Lucy had come over and he’d heard the name ‘Mel’ and... Well... His great intentions had somehow been sidetracked. She was proving to be pleasant company, and seemed genuine in all that she said. There was no hint of deception about her tonight. Maybe he’d been wrong this afternoon when he thought she was hiding something—he hoped he was. Melody was sort of growing on him. His wolf rumbled in agreement.

Right now, Lucy was talking to her. He strained his ears, trying to make out what they were saying over the blare of the TV and the laughter of the crowd at the bar. Unfortunately, there was too much background noise for that to be possible. Narrowing his eyes, he considered his next move. He was still concerned about the possible implications of her being in Stump River, but a voice inside his head hinted that sending her away so quickly wasn’t in his best interests. Getting to know your enemy was always a good strategy and if she wasn’t here, who knew what she’d be up to? No, keeping her in Stump River, where he could keep an eye on her, was a better plan.

He’d managed to find out a bit about her, interviewing her without her being aware. She was working her way through school, her car was on its last legs, she lived by herself, and her only relative was a mother in Florida. There was nothing apparently threatening in what he’d discovered so far, but he tucked the information in the back of his mind for future examination.

Lucy was leaving the table now. Ryne knew he’d have to return soon or Mel would think he’d run out on her. Running out wasn’t what he planned on doing. No, he was going to stick extremely close and find out what she was really up to. He’d decided to grant her an interview—an edited version of course. In that way he’d be nearby in case—he didn’t want to think too deeply about that right now, but as Alpha he needed to face reality and so forced himself to continue the thought—in case something needed to be done. The idea of carrying out the Keeping was no more palatable now, than it had been earlier on.

Pushing off from the wall, he sauntered across the room to where Mel was waiting and sat down. “I see Lucy was keeping you company.”

“Uh-huh. She was telling me all your dirty little secrets.”

Ryne stiffened in his chair, suddenly wary. “Such as...?”

Mel looked at him strangely. “Nothing bad—it’s just a figure of speech, you know.”

Mentally kicking himself, he relaxed and tried to cover his mistake. “Well, with Lucy you never know.”

“Relax. She was actually quite complimentary to you. Apparently, you and your friend Bryan saved her and another girl from the clutches of some big, bad bikers.”

Casually slouching back in his chair, Ryne felt a wave of relief wash over him. Of course, Lucy didn’t know any of his secrets; she wasn’t even aware that he had secrets. It was just that this whole damned situation had him on edge. He cast an easy smile at Mel, keeping his lids lowered so she’d have no glimpse of his inner turmoil, and raised his hand towards the bar. Armand nodded, catching his request for more beer. Ryne was always amazed at how the man could catch the smallest flick of a finger when it involved the ordering of liquid refreshments, but could turn a completely blind eye to some of the other, more dubious goings on that occurred at the establishment.

“So,” Mel prodded. “Are you going to tell me about the bikers?”

“There’s really nothing to tell. They were a bunch of losers. We took care of them. End of story.”

“Ah, you’re modest.” She tilted her head and there was a mocking edge to her voice.

“But of course.” He smirked and picked up the beer that had silently arrived in front of him.

Mel leaned back and appeared to be studying him. Ryne remained calm under her scrutiny, watching her, noting the expressions flitting across her face. He could see that he puzzled her. She didn’t know what to make of him. Staring at her pupils, he tuned into her breathing, and inhaled her scent. Suppressing a smile, he acknowledged the fact that she was attracted to him. Was she aware of the fact? Possibly, on some level. What would she do, if he pushed the limits? Weighing the benefits and consequences, he decided that if the opportunity presented itself, he’d conduct a little test.

Finally, Mel seemed to have come to a decision about him. “You know, Ryne. I think you’re bipolar.”

“Oh really? And how did you reach that stunning conclusion?”

“Well, first of all you live behind this fortified gate in the middle of nowhere, with a private phone number and, quite frankly, it was almost impossible to verify your existence. So on one hand, you’re an obsessive recluse.”