Page 11 of Waifs And Strays
‘Boss—’
MacTire didn’t bother repeating himself. I felt the temperature in the room drop several degrees, then there was a rustle of fabric followed by a near-inaudible whisper. ‘Yes, boss. Sorry, boss.’
There were footsteps then MacTire and I were alone. ‘My apologies,’ he said, gently returning me to the chair and untying the rope around my hands. ‘My people can be somewhat over-zealous at times.’
Uh-huh.
‘But you have to admit that your question was very rude – more than rude, in fact. For a mere cat lady, you tread a dangerous line. I loved my sister and I liked her husband. Both their deaths were the result of a tragic accident.’ His voice hardened. ‘I am not in the habit of killing off my family members.’
I didn’t comment. MacTire watched me for a moment before taking another chair and sliding it opposite mine. He took off his jacket, placed it carefully on the chair back and sat down. ‘Who are you?’ he asked softly.
‘My name is Kit McCafferty.’
‘I know your name. I want to know who you are.’
He was a lot smarter than Quack and Ribbit. ‘I’m exactly what you see. A middle-aged cat lady looking for a quiet life.’
He didn’t miss a beat. ‘If that were true, you wouldn’t have slapped down my people this morning.’
I snorted. ‘It’s not my fault your werewolves are useless. They have far more confidence than skill.’
‘Notany more.’
I inclined my head. ‘Then I’m glad to have been of service. However, you don’t want to know who I am, Mr MacTire, you just want your nephew back.’
He leaned back in his chair. ‘Nicholas needs a firm guiding hand. He needs to be with me, withfamily.’
‘He doesn’t want to be in your pack.’
‘Right now he doesn’t know what he wants. He’s still grieving for his parents.’
‘Exactly,’ I shot back. ‘You need to give him space and time. Anything else and he’ll resent you. You don’t want that.’
MacTire linked his hands. ‘He only showed up at your door yesterday. What’s your angle? Did you lure him to you?’
I almost laughed. ‘I’m not that kind of person. He saw my advert and he answered it. Nothing more, nothing less.’
‘Then why do you care what happens to him?’
I shrugged. ‘I’m a sucker for lost souls.’
He continued to eye me, his dark eyes glittering. ‘Nah,’ he said eventually. ‘I’m not buying it. This is what is going to happen, Ms McCafferty. You are going to leave here unharmed, and in return you will tell my nephew that he is no longer welcome to stay with you. I will take care of him. He will be safe with me.’
‘Like his parents were?’
For the first time Alexander MacTire’s mask cracked. ‘As I’ve already told you, that was an accident,’ he bit out. ‘I want Nicholas where I can keep an eye on him to ensure there are nomoreaccidents.’ He was too smooth and too practiced for me to judge his sincerity.
My best move would have been to walk away. I didn’t know Nick, I certainly didn’t owe him anything and his uncle might be telling the truth about having his best interests at heart. But nobody should be forced into a situation against their will;nobody should be pushed into a life they hadn’t chosen for themselves.
‘Unfortunately accidents happen,’ I said after a few moments’ thought. ‘And they seem to happen regularly to the MacTire pack. You became pack alpha when your father met an unhappy,’ I paused before emphasising the word, ‘accident.’
‘My father died of a heart attack,’ he said stiffly.
‘Mmm.’
His eyes flashed with anger but I ploughed ahead regardless. ‘You asked who I am, Mr MacTire. I really am a middle-aged cat lady but I’ve not always been that person. I retired from my job three years ago.’
His brow furrowed. ‘Aren’t you a little young to retire?’
