She’d have to tell Kane what she’d discovered. It might prove to be a lead that helped them locate the rogue wolf. Carefully, she slipped the binder back where it belonged and sat down again to wait for her car, all the while thinking how pleased Kane would be with her news.
*****
It was almost five o’clock by the time Elise finally got home. The problem with the car had been a malfunctioning sensor light, rather than an actual fault with the engine or brakes. A new sensor was on order and the mechanic said he’d call when the part came in.
Elise kicked off her shoes and padded towards the stairs, thinking longingly of putting on some comfortable sweats and having a cup of tea. She’d just started her ascent when Marla popped out of Kane’s office.
“Hey, Elise! You’re late getting back. How was your day?” Marla was grinning as if she knew something Elise didn’t.
“Fine, just long and tiring.” She paused at the bottom of the stairs.
Marla’s face fell. “Nothing ‘exciting’ happened?”
“No, not really. Oh! I met my friend for lunch.” Elise smiled at the memory.
“That’s right. I remember now. His name was Bryan, wasn’t it? Your meeting went well?”
Elise nodded and began to climb the stairs, thinking that Marla almost seemed disappointed.
“You didn’t see anyone else? Just this fellow?”
“Just Bryan,” Elise reiterated wondering why she cared.
The other woman followed her up the stairs. “I thought you might have bumped into Kane. He was supposed to pick up a package at the Gallery for me this afternoon.”
“No, I haven’t seen him since early this morning... Oh, wait!” She snapped her fingers as the memory popped into her head. “Kane told me about that this morning, but he was still in a financial meeting when I left for work. Maybe he forgot, or he had someone else do it. I’m sorry, I was right there. I should have offered to get it for you. Was it important?”
“No, no—it wasn’t that crucial, I guess.” Marla frowned. “So... Are you going to see this Bryan guy again?”
“Well, maybe. He might be coming back this way in a few days, but I don’t know for sure.”
“Hmm...” Marla was silent for a moment, her brow furrowed, as if deep in thought.
When they reached the top of the stairs, she leaned close and gave a sniff. “Don’t take offence, girl, but you smell funny. Sort of like oil and gas.”
Groaning, Elise explained how she’d spent the later part of her afternoon. “I think it’s mostly on my coat.”
“Here, give me the coat.” Marla took the garment from her and first sniffed it, then Elise. “Well, the coat smells like a garage, but you...” She paused as if trying to decide whether or not to say something, then a smile appeared on her face. “You, my dear Elise, smell like a male werewolf.” Marla smirked and winked. “So tell me again, just how friendly was this meeting?”
Elise felt herself flushing. “It was nothing like that, Marla. Bryan’s an old friend. We grew up together.”
“Uh-huh ... That’s your story, but will Kane believe it? He has some jealousy issues, you know. It’s because of his parents.” Marla leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially. “His father ran around all the time and now Kane really has this thing about honesty and fidelity.” Marla straightened and looked Elise square in the eye. “Did you tell him who you were meeting?”
“Well, no.” Elise bit her lip. Why hadn’t she told Kane about seeing Bryan? Probably because the only time the two men had met, it hadn’t gone well. “I’ll just explain to him—”
“Elise, let me give you some advice. I know this is sort of personal but hey, it can’t totally be hidden. I can tell that you’re almost in heat, and the smell of your pheromones will be upping Kane’s sense of possessiveness. You know how territorial male-weres get about their mates at a time like this. He’s not going to be overly receptive to hearing about you meeting this Bryan guy.”
“Oh, I don’t think—”
“Listen. I’ve known Kane longer than you have. We were even an item for a while, so you have to trust me on this one. I know how he’ll react and it won’t be pretty. When I realized that I loved Ryne rather than him, Kane almost went berserk; it was totally out of character for him, but that’s what he did.”
Elise blanched at the idea of Kane getting really angry at her. For the most part, he was so calm and level-headed, but she’d seen flashes of his temper. Helen had commented on how Kane had been confused and lost when Marla broke up with him, but there’d been no mention of violence. Then again, maybe Helen didn’t know everything. What would he do? Probably he’d start by growling or yelling, which was pretty frightening. Then he’d do that cold staring thing that made the recipient want to sink into the ground. If he truly thought she’d been with another male, she wasn’t sure what he might be capable of doing. As Marla said, male werewolves were very territorial, but she hadn’t been thinking of that when she’d agreed to meet Bryan.