I brushed my teeth with the new toothbrush that waited for me on the counter then dressed in my freshly laundered clothes.  Emmitt must have been awake for a while to have everything ready for me.

My stomach rumbled, and as I opened the door, I wondered if we’d have time to eat the leftovers.  It wasn’t meant to be.  The empty containers filled the small trashcan in the kitchenette, and Emmitt stood waiting for me.

I studied Emmitt.  The blood on his shirt was gone too, but he still sported the rips I had noticed last night.  Going out in public like that would cause stares.

“We’re going to need to get our things,” he said, noting the direction of my glance.

I wrinkled my nose but knew he was right.  Our plane tickets were still there.

“They dropped these off this morning,” he said, showing me a pair of black, slipper flats.  He didn’t let me take them, but went to a knee to help put them on so I wouldn’t need to bend.  The flats fit me well enough.

He stood again.  “Ready?”

“Just a second.”

I walked back into the bedroom to make sure we weren’t forgetting anything.  Not much to forget since we’d arrived with just the clothes on our backs, but I still felt the need to check.  Maybe I simply needed to look at the room one more time.

It was hard not to stare at the bed for a moment as the reality of what I’d done settled over me.  Engaged.  I didn’t really feel engaged.  Of all the different ways I’d imagined last night playing out after the bite, it had been completely different than I expected.

I wondered when I’d feel something from Emmitt like Nana Wini had mentioned.  All I felt at the moment was my complete contentment.  I paused.  Was I really content?  A little.  But I felt nervous about meeting the lawyer, tired, and sore, too.  I missed my brothers and wanted to get back home.

Emmitt stood in the doorway behind me, watching, and gave me a questioning look.  Understanding dawned, and I smiled at him in wonder.  It wasn’t my contentment I was feeling, but his.

I moved to twine my fingers through his.  “I’m ready.”

He kissed the back of my hand, and we left the room.

The person at the front desk called a cab for us, and within minutes, we were making our way back to the old hotel.  I still worried Blake had lied on the phone and would be waiting either at the hotel or at the lawyer’s office.  I didn’t trust him after everything he’d done to me.

The cab pulled up to the hotel’s drop off, and I eyed the building.  Everything looked normal from the outside, but I really didn’t want to go back in there.  Emmitt seemed to sense my concern and told me to wait in the cab while he ran in.  It was a nerve-racking wait.  I scanned the parking lot around us the whole time.  I caught the cabbie looking at me several times and figured I wasn’t being as casual about it as I’d hoped.  If I’d seen anything, I would have been yelling at the cabby to “go, go, go!” like in the movies.

Thankfully, Emmitt returned before I had to do anything so drastic.  Grey and Carlos trailed behind him with their bags.  I couldn’t believe they had stayed in their old room.  What if Blake had come back?  I couldn’t say anything as they piled in.  The cabbie already looked ready to tell me to get out.

Emmitt gave the driver the lawyer’s address as he handed me my slack bag.  He caught my look at the bag and shrugged.

“There was nothing else worth taking.”

I wondered what they’d done to our things and dejectedly faced forward.  I wanted to go back home.  I wanted Blake to leave me alone for good.  I wanted to see my brothers.  Above all, I wanted some time with Emmitt where we could just be normal.  Well, as normal as an engaged werewolf and human could be.

With Emmitt beside me, I calmed slightly, and we rode in silence to our next stop.

The news crew waited outside the lawyer’s office.  Carlos and Grey hung back, looking like personal bodyguards.  In a way, I guessed that they were.

After the reporter introduced herself, we started talking about my sudden fortune and the cause of it.  I had to look appropriately upset since Richard had passed away scarcely a month ago.  Thankfully, that topic was short-lived.  They recorded most of our conversation, but I knew they’d edit the heck out of it to make it news worthy.

I answered as many questions as I could; and by the time we needed to go in, I’d committed to a charity and an amount.  Though I invited the reporter to come inside with us, she declined.  She already had the information she needed from the copy of the will she’d acquired and our talk.

Trepidation filled me as I watched her walked away.  If the news crew left, were we still safe?  Emmitt gently put a hand at the small of my back, a touch of reassurance.  So, I smiled and waved as they departed.

When we walked inside, the posh reception area reminded me of Richard’s home office.  The woman behind a glossy counter looked up at us with a friendly expression.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m here to see Mr. Nolan.”

“Michelle?”

“Yes.”

She glanced at the four of us as if not sure what to do with such a large group.  “Please have a seat.”

She picked up the phone and dialed.  As she spoke softly, Grey winked at her, a slow lowering of an eyelid accompanied by a slight teasing smile.  She paused mid-sentence, obviously having lost her train of thought.  I hid a smile behind my hand as she struggled to maintain her end of the conversation.

A moment later, she moved to lead us into Mr. Nolan’s office.  Grey and Carlos stayed behind in the sitting area.  I shot Grey a quick look, hoping he would behave.

When Emmitt and I walked in, Mr. Nolan stood and greeted each of us with a firm handshake.  The decor in his office was more down to earth than the reception area.  Pictures of his family, including grandkids, perched all over the shelves and desk.

I didn’t see Blake and glanced at Emmitt.  He seemed completely relaxed.  Could Blake have been telling the truth?  Was I getting a reprieve?  At what cost, though?  His comment about parting ways for now, and Frank’s comment about getting my sisters worried me.  If they were shifting their focus from me to some other poor unsuspecting girls, I’d rather they just stayed chasing me.  After all, I had Emmitt.  Who knows what the other girls would have for protection.

“Thank you for coming, Ms. Daniels.  I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but the reading is just an unnecessary formality.  Everything is already in order.”  He indicated we should have a seat and moved to take his own seat.  “I have to admit the only reason I asked to meet was because Mr. Torrin wanted this meeting.  I’ve worked with him in the past in conjunction with some of Mr. Daniels’ interests and know Mr. Torrin can be a bit insistent.  So I’m surprised he’s not here.”

“He’s not coming?” I asked.

“No, he called yesterday afternoon to say he wouldn’t be able to make it.  He wanted to reschedule, but I said we were already committed to this time.”

The lawyer didn’t read the will but did go over some of the details and some additional information Richard had shared with him before his death.  He took his time explaining everything to me and provided some referrals to investors I might want to try.  I smiled politely and accepted the information though I had no plans to use it.  I wasn’t concerned about investing because of my premonitions.

As it stood, my net value was ridiculous.  He helped me setup two trusts, one for the werewolves and one for my brothers.  If anything happened to me, the money wouldn’t be easy for someone else to obtain.

Several hours later, he walked us to the lobby and shook our hands again.

“If you have any questions, big or small, and call me.  I’ll be happy to help.”

“Thank you, Mr. Nolan.”

He nodded and went back to his office as the receptionist called us another cab.