"What do you think of her?"
"Who?” He hoped he wasn't talking about Mary Elizabeth. He hadn't made up his mind on the subject yet.
"Mary Elizabeth. What's your impression of her?"
Damn, he is. Hugh couldn't lie. Alex would be able to smell it. The best he could do was stall. He really didn't want to talk about his suspicions right now. “I haven't really been around her much. She's helped out in the diner a few times and what she did to that apartment was nothing short of amazing.” He hoped Alex would let it go at that. He wasn't ready to tell anyone yet that she might be his mate. He was still having a hard time believing it.
"So she hasn't said anything about herself?"
"No. Why?” What did Alex know that he wasn't saying?
Alex looked as though he were debating on whether or not to continue. Hugh held his breath, mentally pushing Alex to tell him. Finally, Alex nodded as though coming to a decision. He motioned for Hugh to come a little closer to the wall, away from any ears that might overhear what he was going to say. “One of the reasons I wanted her to rent your place was so that you could keep an eye on her. You know that. What you don't know is that Mary Elizabeth just buried her twin. From what Kiesha's told me, the relationship between them wasn't a good one. But still, it was her sister. I was at the funeral with Kiesha when the mother threw herself over the casket and cried out that she wished it had been Mary Elizabeth that had died, not the other one."
Hugh whistled under his breath. “Man, that's messed up."
"There's more. Apparently she's the one the family relies on to do everything. The one that died was the beautiful, spoiled one. Mary Elizabeth is the caretaker who never gets acknowledged. Kiesha wanted her here to get her away from her messed up family."
Hugh digested that in silence before asking, “Do you know who Charles is?"
"If I'm not mistaken, that was the name of the sister's husband. Why?"
"Just something she said. So, she came here to get away and start over?” That might explain some things.
"Yes. I'm hoping that she'll be a match for one of my wolves. Kiesha would be happy to have her here permanently."
Hugh felt his beast stir, rejecting the idea of Mary Elizabeth with anyone but him. Then what Alex said sank in. “I thought she moved here for good. Are you saying this is temporary?"
"No, it's not supposed to be. Kiesha's concerned that once her family realizes just how dependent upon her they are, they'll put pressure on her to come back. They just lost one daughter. They can't be happy about losing Mary Elizabeth, too."
"You think she'll go back if they apply enough pressure?” Over his dead body. She wouldn't be going anywhere without him.
"It's possible. She has no family here and she's very family-oriented. The only person she knows here is Kiesha. There's the job but Kiesha wouldn't fire her if she wanted to return. If they play the guilt factor just right, she just may cave and head back. We'll have to see. They'll have to get to her before she has the chance to put down any roots. That's when she'll be the most vulnerable to their persuasion."
"If you hadn't told me she had just lost a sister, I wouldn't have known. She isn't acting grief stricken. Well, she seemed kind of sad when she first arrived, but nothing since."
"From what I observed at the funeral, Mary Elizabeth's not the type to let her feelings show. When her mother made that comment, there was this brief flicker of pain, then nothing. It's like she sucked it all deep inside. Kiesha doesn't believe it's hit her yet. She thinks Mary Elizabeth has been so busy taking care of everyone and everything else that she hasn't allowed herself time to grieve. We're both worried about what will happen when the grief does hit. She shouldn't be alone when it happens. That's where you come in. We need you to keep an eye on her without making her suspicious."
Hugh thought about it for a moment. “I think I know how to do it without her knowledge. She already spends a lot of time in the diner with Anne, though that may change when she starts work. She makes these amazing desserts. I can ask her if she'd be willing to make some for the diner. That would give me a reason other than being her landlord to keep in contact with her."
"You think it will work?"
"I don't know. Anne suggested it and she turned her down flat. All I can do is try. If it doesn't, I'll think of something else.” It would give him the excuse he needed to get close to her without her suspecting a thing. He stopped talking when Kiesha walked up, looking around expectantly for Mary Elizabeth.
Alex reached out and pulled Kiesha close to his side. “How are you holding up?"
With a sigh, Kiesha looked at Hugh and rolled her eyes. “Alex, I'm still in my first trimester. I'm fine. Are you going to be like this the whole pregnancy?"
"Yes.” Hugh and Alex answered simultaneously, both of them grinning at her.
"Are you hungry? Thirsty? Can I get you anything? Do you need to sit down and rest?"
"No, I grabbed a plate while I was in the kitchen talking to Shannon and Mary Elizabeth. Mary Elizabeth told me about this drink she tried and how good it was. She said it was real fruity and you could barely taste the alcohol. I wish I could drink. I want to try one."
Hugh and Alex looked at each other in concern.
Alex asked, “Did she happen to mention the name of this drink?"
"Shifter something. I thought it was kind of cool that ya'll had a drink named after you."
"Us, baby. You're one of us now,” he reminded her. “Was it Shifter Surprise?"
Kiesha snapped her finger. “Yes, that's it."
"Where is she now?” This time the question came from Hugh. He was looking around, trying to spot her.
"She went home.” Kiesha was grinning like she knew something he didn't.
"What!” Again Hugh and Alex spoke in concert, this time in stereo.
The grin slid from Kiesha's face to be replaced by a frown. “I said she left. She was getting tired. Is that a problem?"
Hugh turned to Alex. “I'll go after her and make sure she's okay. You explain to your mate.” And when I find mine, I'm going to turn her over my knee. Hugh turned and left.
"What's going on? Why is he going after Mary Elizabeth? If she's in trouble, you'd better start talking ... Now. This is my friend you're talking about."
"Shifter Surprise is a drink made especially for shifters. Because of our high metabolism and lean body mass, it's difficult for us to become intoxicated, no matter how much we drink. The alcohol doesn't stay in our system long enough to even get a buzz. To get around this, some of the guys created a special drink—the Shifter Surprise. It's made with several different liquors and fruit juice, plus one extra ingredient that forces the alcohol to hit the bloodstream fast and hard, before our metabolism can burn it off. It's like having five shots hit your system at one time."
"So this drink is really strong, I get that. Why did Hugh run after her? She seemed fine to me."
"Is Mary Elizabeth a hard core drinker?” He was allowing her brain time to come to the correct conclusion.
"No, she's not. She gets drunk off wine coolers."
"What's going to happen when all of that liquor hits her system, especially if she happens to be driving down a dark mountain road at the time?"
Kiesha's mouth formed a silent “O” as she finally understood what he was getting at. Before she could comment, Shannon joined them. “What's wrong Kiesha? I can smell your fear."
Alex answered Shannon, knowing she would understand his concern. “Mary Elizabeth drank a Shifter Surprise."
"I know. I watched her drink it."
"You saw her with it and you didn't stop her?” Alex couldn't believe it.