Tarrin had stalled the elevator long enough to give Josey time to head out of the building before exiting it and making the woman leave. She was a nightmare from his past, and it only took the threat of embarrassment in the building’s lobby to get her to leave. Luckily, Olana, the nightmare and daughter of the powerful cosmetics corporation FaceIT, left right as Mara was coming in. Tarrin quickly met up with her. “Head to security and do me a favor, check the cameras and make sure Olana left.” Mara just looked at Tarrin a moment and headed for the exit with sheer determination to kill on her face. Tarrin reached and grabbed Mara’s arm, “Mara, stop!” There were very few people that late in the large lobby entrance, but Tarrin lowered his voice. “You’ll only provoke her. I can’t stop her from coming on the premises, or Rex will have my ass. If you go after her and cause a scene, he will have your ass. The CEO of FaceIT is her father, who is friends with our uncle, remember?”
Josey lay in the living room late into the night. Her sister had come home and needed to study for a test, so Josey gave her the bedroom, figuring she couldn’t fall asleep and Emily would end up passed out with her nose in a book. The coat thing was still bothering her, so she checked the time and decided it wasn’t too late to text Jared. “Thank you, but you don’t need to buy me something so expensive. The coat is beautiful, but I could never afford to pay you back, so please swing by and pick it up when you can.” Before she could set her phone down, it chimed with a response. “?? Sorry, what coat?” Josey sat up and decided to call him. When he answered, she quickly said, “The coat you left on my doorstep, Jared, it’s too much. You don’t need to buy something as an apology. There isn’t anything to apologize for.” Even though he had been weird lately, she didn’t think an apology gift was necessary. “Sorry, but I didn’t buy you a coat. I had stopped by to bring flowers as an apo
The older man stepped forward and shook Mara’s hand, “Nice to meet you, my, your tall! My daughter is also very tall. Good for you!” Josey smiled at the comment he gave Mara, and then the older man turned to her and shook her hand but didn’t let go. Instead, he put his other hand over Josey’s and said quietly, “I remember you. Your parents used to bring you here a lot as a child. I heard what happened. I’m so very sorry, dear.” Josey’s eyes almost filled up with tears. She glanced at Tarrin, who was watching, so she tried to play it professionally, “Thank you, I appreciate that.” He just smiled and nodded before turning back to head inside. Josey didn’t remember him, but she was very young when she would come here and run between the rows of flowers, laughing as her mom would chase her. They were sweet memories she kept on a special shelf in her heart. When they all went inside, Josey noticed the place was very warm, and cushions were on the floor around a large square wooden ta
Tarrin had full intention of explaining to Josey that she was foolish in assuming he was acting that way because of his personal life. However, after he followed her through the plastic flaps, and stopped in his tracks. The sight of Josey crouched down petting a little dog as the sunlight coming through the glass panes around them took his breath away. His vision was keener than usual, and while the sunshine hit her face just right when she smiled, Tarrin couldn’t take his eyes off her. She looked like an angel, with her hair dangling loosely and the smooth edges of her white teeth noticeable as she laughed playfully with the small dog. Tarrin noticed the shade difference in each eyelash as the light danced on her smooth porcelain skin. Josey cooed at the dog, “Oh my, you’re just so stinking cute. What are you doing out here alone?” “Dumb dog doesn’t know to find somewhere to get warm.” Tarrin watched as she rolled her eyes and stood up. “Dogs aren’t dumb. Sometimes they don’t kn
They arrived back at the Terrace Pharmaceutical building. Mara stopped the car at the entrance, “I’ll let you two out here and park the car.” Tarrin nodded from the back seat as the attendant in front of the building opened the door for him. Getting out, Tarrin was suddenly dizzy and sat back in the seat. His hearing was on a rampage, and he could even smell the scent of the greenhouse dog on Josey. Reaching in his pocket, he said to Mara, “I need a minute,” then to Josey, “Go ahead and head up to the office.” Josey looked at him with her hand on the door, “Are you okay, Mr. Stormway? You look very pale!” Suddenly, before he could get the pill out of the small plastic case, Tarrin passed out. Josey caught his body and laid his head on her lap. “Mr. Stormway?” She said, panicking, patting his cheeks. Then, looking toward Mara, she yelled, “What do we do!?” Mara quickly shifted the car into park and got out, walking around the car to the attendant. “Mr. Stormway is exhausted. He
“Sorry, he’s normally not as useless,” Mara said to Josey, smiling at her innocently. Linux huffed, picking back up the syringe and vial before extracting a tiny amount of clear liquid into the syringe. “Is it going to hurt him?” Josey asked. “No, he’ll barely even feel it. Now, the thing is, it has to be injected in his, um, bum. So can you reach down and try to loosen his belt for me?” Mara didn’t react, but Josey stared at him, unsure of what he had just asked. “Do what?” Linux cleared his throat, “I need his belt loosened so I can pull his pants down. The injection has to be done in his,” Linux pointed to a butt cheek, “I’m sorry.” Josey shook her head, “No, find another way! I’d rather stay like this than do, do THAT!” “Look, if I could do it, I would. I’m just asking you to loosen his belt. I’ll pull the pants down.” Josey shook her head, “No, even if you ARE pulling his pants, er, down, he will still be laying against me, but pant less!” Mara snickered and covered her
Tarrin was about to leave the bedroom, but thoughts on how he acted fighting off the wolf mutation in front of Josey made him think twice. It also helped that Linux spoke up, giving Tarrin a good excuse not to go down yet. “Before you go down to secure your pride, you need blood drawn. The mutation it’s getting stronger, Tarrin, and even though I may crack a joke here and there, it is dire. In the last five days, several things have happened I noticed that aren’t its normal pattern. The full moon is this weekend, now is the best time to get it under control. Besides, if you want to keep it from messing with your future love life, it’s best to teach it who the boss is.” Hearing the halfhearted seriousness in Linux’s voice, Tarrin nodded in agreement. “I shouldn’t see her right now anyway, so I’ll wait for you in the lab.” “Sounds good. Mara will be taking her back to the office anyway. When she leaves, I’ll be down,” Linux responded. Downstairs in the kitchen, Mara had whipped up
Looking at the number he didn’t recognize, Tarrin answered cautiously, “Hello?” “Ah, Mr. Stormway? This is Detective Ranier from the homicide division. I was asked to call you if I had any development in the case regarding Robert and May Hathens. Detective Ombre gave me your number. Are you available to meet today?” Tarrin shot Linux a questioning look, and his friend nodded. “Yeah, today will be fine.” “Good, I’m down at the precinct. Let’s do 2:30?” Tarrin nodded and answered into the phone, “That works.” Hanging up, Tarrin looked at the time. He had an hour to meet the detective. “Do me a favor, head over to my office, and keep an eye on Josey. I’ll have Mara take me.” “Awe, you never let me join in on the exciting stuff, and WHY do I have to keep an eye on your secretary? She can keep an eye on herself!” Tarrin finished pulling off the medical tape from the IV and replied, “Just do it. This is serious, if that homicide detective has anything useful in finding Bob and Ma
Unfortunately, I got very sick in early 2023, and in October of 2023, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma type cancer. I have finished chemo, and it is officially in remission (yay! thank the Lord). I will be updating soon, hopefully, as my energy returns. I want to finish my stories and continue others soooo badly, it is driving me crazy! I am soo sorry for the lack of updating, and keeping in touch. I hope everyone is well and I look forward to writing for you again soon. Please be patient and thank you for waiting on me, I promise to hurry!
Linux dropped Josey off, and she felt a bit of relief being home. Tarrin was his usual arrogant self in the end, and she felt stupid for feeling maybe he had warmed up to her. Turning her phone off, she decided it was officially the weekend and wouldn’t answer it for anything unless it was Emily or Cece. “See how you like that. Answer your own emails!” Yelling it out as she set her phone down, Josey plopped on the couch and stared at the TV. The apartment was quiet, and the sudden lack of noise made her uncomfortable, so she decided to head over to Cibus street and check out the food markets near the water. “Three for a dollar or two pounds for three dollars!” The vendors called out, enticing passersby with their catches of the day or homemade goods. The smell of cooked fish and bread filled the air as Josey casually strolled by each colorful stall. She even ran into Mr. Huen, who gave her a tough front but treated her to free fish bites in the end. Seeing one of her favorite
Josey shrugged, “I think I already mentioned it once. He used to show up in the warehouse when my parents were working. His Father’s office was nearby at the time, so Jared would hang out with me as I waited for dad to finish for the day,” she replied finally and then said softly, “He was there the day it happened.” Tarrin knew what she was talking about but asked, “The day the fire happened?” Josey nodded and responded, “Yes, he showed up right as I was about to run in there. Damn, he hasn’t changed one bit now that I think about it.” “There is something oddly familiar about that guy, I’m telling you. It isn’t safe for him to be around her, Tarrin.” Tarrin nodded silently at both Josey's comment and the wolf’s warning. Once Mara returns, he will know more about this Mr. Hunter from Rapture investments. When they finally reached the house, Linux spoke up, “Hey, I, uh, think I’m gonna crash at home today.” Tarrin faked a cough again and said, “I’d rather you be at the house
“Hey, that’s not funny! I get your point. Let’s focus now, please... geesh,” the wolf whined. Tarrin smiled with satisfaction that it worked. Josey was waiting anxiously for Emily to come up on stage, and Tarrin’s mind went to something else. Before the interlude ended, Tarrin leaned over and peeked through a small opening in the heavy red curtain. He could see directly where Jared and Olana sat in the reserved booth. Olana was smiling and then leaned over and whispered something to Jared, and he nodded and whispered back. Did they really know each other? Were they responsible for Josey getting stuck on the roof if that’s the case? Both of them had been at the building that day, and Jared’s coat looked identical to the one in the CCTV footage. He made a note to mention it to Mara when the recital was over. If those two were friends, then they may be working together. But for what purpose? Was Jared one of the hunters or related to the ones that killed his father? “You’re ful
Tarrin and Josey were ushered to the VIP seating, where they could see the concert hall’s stage. It was a perk of Tarrin’s company funding the upgrades of the hall and supporting the students. “I’m impressed. Who knew I would end up inside someone with such pull,” the wolf commented in Tarrin’s head. Grinning in a cocky manner, Tarrin sat next to Josey, secretly glancing at her. “Wow, I can’t believe the number of people here for the recitals. I bet Emily’s nervous,” Josey said, looking over the seated crowd below. Tarrin nodded, “The recital is a good start for many students planning their musical future. Scouts and certain company exec’s come looking for a promising start to represent.” “Speaking of company executives, do you smell that? I think it’s, damn, we have company,” the wolf whispered in Tarrin’s mind. Tarrin rolled his eyes and looked around. He didn’t know what he was smelling, but then the familiar cologne of Jared Hunter hit his nose before he spotted the CEO
Tarrin watched as Josey hesitated, looking at the many dishes in front of her. “Look, if you want to apologize for yesterday, apology accepted. You don’t have to go through all this for me. I’m just your employee,” she said, looking at him confused and glancing at the tulip bouquet on the table’s edge. Tarrin cleared his throat, “I... I know. This isn’t an apology. I’m in the public eye, so having you dressed properly is strictly for my benefit. Eating is just a necessity, and I was craving the food here, which you also benefit from. I didn’t want you, I mean us, going and sitting through the recital with our stomachs growling.” Tarrin glanced at her, trying to read her response, but she simply nodded and gently grabbed a bite of food. In the background, the sound of the violin played in tune with the waterfall while they ate in peace. Now and then, Tarrin caught himself stealing glances at Josey. He was still enamored by how beautiful she looked. “Say something. You’re blowing
They stood outside in the cold midmorning air after Mara dropped them off in front of HighFlowers. “I’m not sure what you’re up to, but I don’t want to go in there,” Josey said finally, turning to leave. Tarrin turned her back around and gently pushed her forward, “You will go in there, like it or not.” Finally walking through the silver and etched glass door, Josey stopped fighting against his insisting and looked around. The brand store was huge, and being high-end, Tarrin and Josey were immediately greeted. “Hello! Welcome to HighFlowers, right this way, Mr. Stormway,” a female attendant said, ignoring Josey and gesturing Tarrin to a lavish seating area. “I won’t be staying. Ms. Parks here is to be cared for in every aspect. We will attend a recital tonight, so please see that she is well-dressed. I will need a driver to bring her to Hydelos in an hour.” The woman nodded and looked at Josey a minute before saying, “An hour? No problem!” She then clapped her hands as sever
“Yes, reservation for two, private. Thank you,’ hanging up the call with the restaurant he booked for after the recital. Tarrin felt a bit sure of himself now. “Yeah, throwing money around is great, but that’s not how you’re going to win her heart. She isn’t like the rest of them, Tarrin Stormway. I hope you come to realize her worth,” the wolf said, getting nervous Tarrin was making a mistake, that he may make Josey distance herself further. “Hush, what do you know? You lived before there was indoor plumbing!” The wolf scoffed, “That is a lie, and you know it!” Tarrin shook his head, “Doesn’t matter. I am not doing this to impress her.” “Lie.” “I mean, she should be impressed naturally, but I’m doing this as an apology for getting her involved in my problems,” Tarrin said out loud in response. “Lie again.” “Uhg, just shut up and leave me alone.” He yelled, turning to stomp down the rest of the stairs. Linux was standing there at the bottom, staring at him. “Lab, now!” Tarri
“Okay, hold on, so you’re saying my father must have taken your blood and used it in a serum on me, and that’s why you are here, in my head?” The wolf turned and nodded, “Yes, to put it simply.” Tarrin stood and started pacing. “I mean, if this was some fairytale, sure, I could believe it. But the science says you are a disease, a mutation constantly fighting to take over.” If wolves could shrug, this one would have. “Maybe that is what I am, a mutation, but it’s straightforward. Who do you think would win if you and I were stuck in a box, fighting to get out?” Tarrin eyed him before stomping and heading back the way they came. “We are done here. You won’t be getting out of anything or taking it over. That’s a fact,” he snapped and then stopped, looking back at the wolf, “and another thing, don’t you ever, EVER, lay my hands on Josey again. She’s scared of me now because of you!” The wolf suddenly fell back, rolling with laughter. “Ha, you think you can stop me? Good luck. The