On the Ragged Edge of the World

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

Barcello’s was Aden’s favorite place for lunch meetings. The food was exquisite, the tables private, and the service top-notch. When he scheduled appointments here, he lingered over the meal, often going through several bottles of wine before finally managing to leave.

Today, he wanted to leave as soon as he emerged from the bathroom. He needed to get Darren home, and not just because he was hard as a rock and the pretty young thing drove him insane. No, his gaze honed in on the baby-faced Argenti agent waiting for her ex-colleague, pretending not to watch him in turn. He needed to get Darren as far from her as possible, Darren’s assertions that he was safe notwithstanding. Just because his ex-boss had called a détente didn’t mean she was going to honor it. Any pack leader that could turn unprovoked once on a member could do it twice. Would probably do it until said member was taken down.

Aden would be ready for her when she came again. Because Darren was his now. Not hers. His.

He took his seat next to Domingo and smiled across the table at Oakes. “My apologies. I hope you don’t mind, but my colleague will be joining us momentarily.”

At his side, Domingo stiffened, though to his credit, he didn’t speak. Oakes frowned, the heavy lines in his forehead furrowing into thick folds. He was not a small man, but his corpulent façade hid one of the shrewdest minds Aden had ever encountered. More than one of Oakes’ opponents had mistaken the soft exterior and slow drawl for ineptitude and suffered the unfortunate consequences. Aden would never make that grievous error.

“I didn’t realize this was a party, Aden.”

“It’s not. I think you’ll be impressed by Darren’s unique insight.”

Domingo snorted. Aden made a mental note to have a word with him when they returned to the store.

The waiter dutifully added a fourth place setting to the table, though neither Oakes nor Domingo seemed pleased with that. Aden ignored them, his attention on Darren as he made his excuses. The agent didn’t look pleased with whatever Darren was saying, and she sent more than one pointed glare Aden’s direction. Everything inside of him screamed to march across the dining room and claim Darren, making it clear that August didn’t have a single right to Darren, or his time.

Darren wound through the tables with a pleasant smile on his face. He didn’t look uncomfortable, though Domingo was still frowning heavily, and Oakes wasn’t smiling. He nodded to Domingo politely, then extended his hand to Terence. “Mr. Oakes, I’m thrilled to have the chance to meet you.”

Terence half-rose, grunting as he shook Darren’s hand. “Who might you be, young man?”

“Darren Sumner, sir. I’m the manager at Rebound Books.”

“Darren’s a recent discovery,” Aden added. “He has this innate ability to ferret out the most amazing finds.”

“Not better than you, though.”

He smiled. “Is there anybody better than me?”

Terence relaxed slightly, though Aden still didn’t like the way he was so wary of Darren. He supposed it couldn’t be helped. Darren was still an unknown by most of Aden’s contacts. It would take time for them to trust him the same way they did Aden.

“Well, you’re learning from the best, Darren. You should be glad of the opportunity.”

“I’m thrilled, actually. I’ve always been pretty good at hunting…books. But Aden has really elevated it to a science.” He sipped from his fresh glass of water before adding, “It’s actually a pretty major career change. I never thought I would be paid to track down books.”

“Oh? What did you used to do?”

“I was an animal control officer.”

Aden nearly choked on his water, though Darren seemed unfazed. His long lashes, too damn long for a man even as pretty as he was, blinked solemnly as he regarded Terence.

“Interesting career change,” Oakes commented. “One might even think you’d be the type of person Aden would avoid.”

“It was a surprisingly stressful job,” Darren continued pleasantly. “I got more than a little burned out. People think animal control officers are like the old cartoons of dog catchers. You know, nothing to do all day but chase down mongrels. Most people I talk to are surprised to learn there’s actually a lot more to it.”

Terence chuckled. “I hope you’re not calling your boss a mongrel.”

“Oh, he’s got his own pet names for me,” Aden replied.

The chuckle turned into a real laugh. “Yes, I bet he does.”

“I hope you don’t mind my intrusion on your lunch,” Darren said. “Normally, I would decline somebody else’s lunch meeting, but I did want to have the chance to meet you. And Aden doesn’t like to hear no.”

“Much to our mutual benefit.”

The waiter arrived and took their orders, making a note that Darren’s had already been placed. Domingo still hadn’t relaxed, but Aden stretched slightly in his chair, pressing his knee to the side of Darren’s. He refrained from smiling when Darren slipped his hand into his lap to lightly squeeze Aden’s thigh.

“So why have you been flirting with my assistant for the past week to get this lunch, Aden?”

“Because just calling for those first three days didn’t get me anywhere.”

“I hope you didn’t take that personally. It’s been a very hectic month, and Julie is on strict orders not to overbook my schedule. Of course, I hadn’t expected somebody to charm her into creating a lunch meeting.”

Aden smiled. “I can be a little persuasive when I need to be.”

“A little?” Darren cut in. “Aden’s being modest. In all the time I’ve worked for him, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him walk away from a transaction unsatisfied.”

“What’s the point of pursuit if you don’t get what you want from it?” Though he leaned forward to better address Terence, Aden pressed harder against Darren’s thigh. “Which brings me to what I wanted to discuss. There have been some parties downtown recently that have come to my attention. Pack parties. Have you heard about them?”

Terence’s brow furrowed. “Funny. You’d think it would be me asking you that question.”

“So you have heard about them.”

“Indirectly. My office has received a few invitations for so-called fundraisers. A hundred dollars a plate, and everything looks completely normal. Except that the organizations and charities don’t exist.”

It was Aden’s turn to frown. “I hadn’t heard they were fundraisers.”

Terence waved his hand. “I doubt the goal is to actually raise any money. But in this town, who’s going to even look twice at one? There’s a fundraiser being held every night of the week.”

Maybe so, but to Aden’s knowledge, werewolves rarely bothered with such social functions. Most of the packs he knew were too focused on their own base needs to bother. It was one reason why his thrived as well as it did.

“Did you recognize any of the names attached to the fundraisers?”

“Not really. One, Oliver Moss, rang a bell. Turns out he interned in my office for about three months a few years back.”

Though Aden kept his features blank at the unexpected name, Domingo wasn’t nearly as stoic. It was nothing Terence was likely to catch on to, but the distinct scent of alarm emanated from Domingo’s skin, enough to make Aden’s nose itch.

“I didn’t realize Oliver was interested in politics,” he said smoothly. “Would you still have contact information for him or the people associated with the fundraiser he was involved in?”

Terence shrugged one massive shoulder. “Julie probably does. She’d still have his information on file because of the internship. I’ll make sure she calls you this afternoon.”

Domingo leaned in and murmured in Aden’s ear, “Do you want me to call Enzo?” And warn them was what he left unspoken, but he was smart enough to know not to say anything to alert Terence.

Aden nodded. While Domingo quietly excused himself, Aden tilted his head toward Darren. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything about fake fundraisers.”

“Fake fundraisers? No. I don’t think I’m wealthy enough to receive any invitations for fundraisers, fake or otherwise.” Darren leaned back in his chair, his hand still resting on Aden’s lap. “But if there’s some sort of mix-up at the post office, and I get one, how can I tell it’s fake? You’re right, there are fundraisers all over the place, and anybody can register a PAC. There must be a million special interest groups.”

Terence chuckled. “Not quite a million, though when I have to deal with lobbyists, it seems like there are twice that many. But in my position, I can’t have my name attached to just any special interest group that wants to hold a dinner. Everybody knows that. The guest lists for these things are put together carefully to maximize attendance and profits.”

“So, the fact that you received them was enough to raise a red flag?”

“That, and I have Julie double-check everything.”

Darren nodded. “Then the invitation wasn’t to trick you into attending. Whoever’s behind these parties wanted to be sure you had plausible deniability.”

“If Oliver worked for you, he would know that,” Aden mused.

“Sure he would. My guess is anybody who ever sorted mail on the Hill knows that. He was probably responsible for tossing out any number of invitations as an intern.”

“You haven’t been curious enough to attend one?” Darren asked. “Or send somebody on your behalf?”

Darren’s query drew Aden’s brows together, but the other man seemed oblivious to his sharp regard. Though he’d wanted Darren’s insight, Aden wasn’t thrilled with this particular line of questioning. Darren’s specialty was undercover work. Of course, his brain would go automatically to a place where undercover work was necessary. But sending an ex-Argenti agent into a nest of wolves who were not part of Aden’s pack was as good as killing him.

“I never saw a reason to,” Terence replied. “Why? Do you think it merits further investigation?”

“No.” Aden’s brusque tone brought curious glances from both men. “This is just preliminary intel. I’m just trying to ascertain if there’s anything to be concerned about with all these unexpected pack parties.”

“You tell me,” Terence said. “Is there anything to be concerned about? The last thing I need right now is to get caught up in this sort of crap. The mid-terms are only a year away, and we’re going to be facing serious contention from the Democrats and Republicans.”

“At this point, it’s too early to tell. But now that I know some of the names involved, I’ll be able to focus my investigation a little better.”

“Keep me in the loop,” Terence instructed. “And I’ll forward any more invitations I receive.”

Conversation lapsed into casual discourse about happenings on the Hill and Aden’s latest acquisitions for several of Terence’s acquaintances. Domingo returned from his phone call before entrees were served, but he was characteristically silent for the rest of the meal. It was one of the reasons Aden valued his service to the pack so much. Domingo knew his place, and was willing to act without question. He’d even helped get Darren settled, though Aden knew Domingo didn’t trust him.

Darren kept his hand on Aden’s thigh all throughout the meal, sneaking upward the further it progressed. Aden let him, though truth be told, his thoughts weren’t completely on what Darren might do when he reached Aden’s c**k. He kept going back to the one name he hadn’t anticipated, the same name Domingo had felt the need to warn the pack. If Darren had known the importance of just who Oliver Moss was, Aden suspected even he would be distracted from thoughts of s*x. If only mildly.

When Terence stood to leave, Aden stood as well, shaking his hand and repeating his promise to keep him in the loop. Only when he was gone did he exhale, and he sat back down, his shoulders already heavy.

“If it helps, Enzo said nobody’s heard anything about Oliver in months,” Domingo offered.

It didn’t, but Aden nodded anyway.

“You going to fill me in?” Darren asked mildly.

Aden felt Domingo stiffen. By all rights, Aden knew he should refuse Darren’s request. Darren was too inquisitive for his own good, and the more he knew, the more he would push for even further details. And Aden couldn’t keep an eye on him every hour of the day, as much as he might like to. He needed to be able to trust Darren wouldn’t get himself into trouble.

Which was the exact reason he knew he had to tell him at least a little bit. He’d invited Darren into the pack, taken him as a lover, and given him no room to leave once he’d accepted. As a pack member, he deserved to know, and if Aden couldn’t show his trust for him, he knew he would never fully gain Darren’s trust in return.

“Oliver used to be a part of my pack.” He ignored Domingo’s angry exhalation. “He left on very hostile terms.”

Darren nodded. “And now he’s formed his own pack?”

“It would seem that way.”

Darren studied him for a moment, and Aden could almost see the wheels turning behind his eyes. Darren knew a great deal of werewolf culture and pack dynamics. He wouldn’t have lasted so long as an Argenti agent if he didn’t know his prey. He braced himself for the flurry of questions that must have been forthcoming, but Darren only inclined his head.

“If the pack parties are already on your radar, you can bet other people have been noticing.”

Aden’s eyes narrowed. “Were they on Argenti’s radar before you left?”

“They may have been on Jasmine’s. That may even be why she decided now was a good time for the blood rituals.”

He swore under his breath. That made perfect sense. With new and increasingly dangerous packs forming right under their own noses, Argenti could’ve been getting desperate. Stronger, faster, deadlier agents had probably seemed like a godsend, and Aden had taken those means away from her.

“This might call for a meeting with some of the other pack leaders. Domingo, compile a list of every leader within a sixty-mile radius, where they are, what leanings they’ve taken lately, if any of them have seen any extra trouble in the past couple months.”

“When do you want it?”

“Yesterday would have been preferable. I’ll settle for tomorrow morning.”

“What do you want me to do?” Darren asked.

“Nothing for now.”

Darren’s eyes darkened. “You’re going to need all the help you can get with this, Aden.”

“And what would you suggest I let you do?”

“I could find out what’s going on at those parties, for one.”

“You could. You won’t.”

“You don’t think that would be pretty damned good information to have?”

“I think it would be excellent information to have. I’m not going to let you crash one just because you’re a little bored hanging around the store.”

“Right. Because that’s the only possible reason I could have to want to help you.”

His lips pressed together. He counted to ten and then said, “Domingo, start on that list for me. I’ll be back at the store in an hour for an update.”

“Are you—”

“Go.” He didn’t look away from Darren as Domingo’s chair scraped back and he rounded the table to leave. Aden caught the glimpse of disgust Domingo shot Darren and sighed. He did not need this crap right now. “Don’t turn this into something it’s not, gorgeous. Now is not the time.”

“Fine. But you don’t make the mistake of underestimating me. If there’s something building on the horizon, you’re not going to want me sitting on the bench.”

His mouth twitched. He couldn’t resist. “No, I much prefer you taking a different kind of seat.”

Darren snorted. “You’re like a modern day Prince Charming.”

“I meant at my side.” He reached for his water. “I can’t imagine what you’re thinking about.”

“I bet you can’t. Not with a mind as pure and innocent as yours.”

“Well, this mind is going to make sure it doesn’t get to a point where anybody is put into danger. I’m not underestimating you, gorgeous. I wouldn’t be happy about anyone in my pack crashing one of Oliver’s parties.”

“I know that’s what your instincts are telling you. I get that. All I’m asking is that you don’t listen to them to the point that you can’t hear me.”

From the look in Darren’s warm, dark eyes, Aden knew he was serious. He had known from the beginning that he had to be careful about finding a place for Darren within the pack, and not just one that included Aden’s bed. Darren would never be satisfied with that. Or fully satisfied, anyway.

“I think I can do that, as long as you promise to understand I do know what I’m doing. My pack hasn’t survived this long because I’m an idiot.”

“I would never call you an i***t, sunshine. Bullheaded, yes. Arrogant, sure. But an i***t?” Darren grinned. “Never. And I do trust you.”

“Good.” He picked up the check and scribbled his signature across the bottom of the receipt. “Do you have another ex-colleague to meet up with, or do you have time to pick up where we left off in the bathroom?”

“Even if I did have another meeting, I’d blow it off. You know you drive me crazy when you talk to me like that, all romance and flowers.”

“Romance and flowers are for when we don’t have an audience. Like back at the loft.”

Darren tossed his napkin on the table and stood. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get out of here.”

Aden smiled and rose as well. He had to refrain from taking Darren’s hand in public, but he made sure to stand as close as possible as they walked out of the restaurant. At Darren’s car, he pressed into his back and pinned him to the door before Darren could open it.

“I want you naked and in your collar when I get there,” he murmured in Darren’s ear. He smoothed his hand over Darren’s stomach and teased the tip of his erection through his pants. “I have some new rope you’re going to look absolutely gorgeous in.”

There was no missing the way Darren shivered. Or the sudden heady scent of his arousal. Submitting, sexually or otherwise, was still new to Darren, and Aden wouldn’t have been surprised by the occasional protest—or outright struggle—but Darren never voiced any opposition.

“I’ll be ready.”