Ryne looked over at her and gave a sad smile. “She’s a real piece of work, isn’t she?”
Nodding, Elise gave a quick smile back. “And now she wants to kill me.”
“Right. Not that I want you dead or anything, but why didn’t she kill you when you first fell down here? What did she have to go and get?”
She hadn’t really wanted to tell Ryne that Marla had basically been assassinating his character, but couldn’t think of an alternative and she refused to lie any more. “She went to get some of your clothes that you’d left behind. She’s been using them so that your scent was at the scene of some of the bad stuff that’s been going on around here.”
Ryne stiffened. “What kind of bad stuff?”
“Well, oil purposely dumped in the water, traps have been set, Thomas was shot... And now she wants you blamed for my death and probably Rose’s too.”
“Damn!” Ryne surged up from the spot he’d been sitting and began to angrily pace back and forth in front of her. “She is such a bitch! I imagine my name is mud within the pack and they’re trying to hunt me down now, aren’t they? Why the fuck is she doing this to me? What kind of twisted revenge does she want? Just because I lost the challenge, she dumps me and screws up my whole life! Wait until I get my hands on her...”
“Ryne, calm down!” Elise snapped the order at him, hoping to keep him from flying off the handle. “If it’s any help, she’s not getting revenge on you personally. She’s trying to convince Kane it’s too dangerous to stay here and that he needs to sell out. After that, she’s planning on stealing the money from his bank account. You’re being used as a scapegoat to keep suspicion away from her.”
Ryne growled and looked around, angry emotion blazing from his eyes. Elise was worried that he’d charge off and leave her. “Please, Ryne! I know you’re mad at Marla, but I need you to help me right now. I can’t get back to the Alpha house on my own and I’d prefer not to be here when Marla returns. I’ll explain everything to Kane and then the two of you can go after her together.” She wasn’t exactly sure Kane would believe her, but she’d cross that bridge when she got there.
Finally, Ryne stopped his pacing and took a deep breath, visibly trying to calm himself. He clenched and loosened his fists several times before finally turning to face her. The rage he was feeling was evident in the stormy blue of his eyes, and she forced herself to swallow the fear that rose up inside her. Ryne wasn’t mad at her, she reminded herself.
“All right. I’ll take you to the Alpha house, but then I’m coming back here to find her, regardless of what Kane says.” Carefully, Ryne eased his arms under her and picked her up trying not to jostle her leg more than necessary. Each step he took made her wince however and she sought a way to keep her mind off the pain. Picking a question that had been floating around in her mind, she began a conversation.
“So, if you weren’t planning on ever coming back, why are you here today?”
“I was trying to track down Marla one last time in an attempt to get my money back. If she wouldn’t give it to me, I was going to tell her that I’d approach the gallery and complain. They wouldn’t likely give me any money either, but I was hoping the threat of losing her job would make her cough up some of the cash she owes me. She hasn’t been back to her apartment in days, so I figured she was staying here. I caught her scent by the road and was following it when I found you.”
As she listened, Elise placed an arm around his shoulder to help steady herself. She could feel the muscles rippling underneath his shirt and his breath came in soft puffs, dancing across her face. Slowly the warmth of his body was seeping into hers, blocking out the chill of the gently falling snow and she relaxed in his arms. The male scent of him was so like Kane’s. It wrapped itself around her and she laid her head against his body, the faint sound of his heart beating barely distinguishable, yet still comforting.
She wished Kane were here. He and Ryne were so alike except for their eyes; she could almost imagine it was Kane carrying her. A wave of warmth washed over her and she felt an aching need building inside of her. She brushed her nose against Ryne’s neck and rubbed his back before allowing her fingers to wander up to his neck, playing with the strands of hair that tumbled over his collar. Mmm... Kane...
Ryne’s pace faltered and then he came to a stop. He sniffed at her and his whole body stiffened. Looking down, he quirked a brow. “Elise? Are you...?”
Suddenly, Elise snapped out of the desire induced haze she’d fallen into. Ryne was her brother-in-law, for heaven’s sake! Mortified, she pushed herself away from him, totally forgetting that he was holding her some five feet off the ground.