Chapter 127
Panic coursed through me when I heard Victor’s words. Everyone had been so friendly to us at the barbecue. Why would they be following us now?
Maybe it was a trap. I could hear and smell the wolves running behind us too.
With my body quivering, I looked around for a place to shift in private.
“Over here, Miss,” Jennifer called. “Come behind this pine tree with me to shift.”
I hurried behind the low-hanging boughs and kicked off my sneakers. But before I could remove anything else, I heard a girl calling my name.
“Daisy, where are you?” It was Lexi. “Wait for me.”
“Who’s with you, Lexi?” I asked. “Just my cousin, Cara. My brothers were following you, but I told them to go home, or I would tell Dad.”
I came out from behind the pine tree and found Lexi and another petite young girl with auburn hair.
“But we smelled wolves behind us,” I said. It didn’t make sense.
“Yeah. Lucas and Liam shifted before they followed you,” Lexi explained. “They can be buttheads, but they wouldn’t hurt you. They’re just crushing, like, majorly hard on you.” Both girls giggled.
Victor walked up to us. His expression was skeptical. “Why are you girls here?”
“I forgot to give Daisy my cell number.” Lexi handed me a small piece of paper. “Call me when you get back to the city. Maybe I could come and visit you sometime.”
I gave her a hug. “I’d like that.” I meant it. Lexi was great. She didn’t look down on Betas and was kind to everyone.
“Have a safe trip home tomorrow,” Lexi said.
We said goodnight to Lexi and Cara before making our way to the James’s cabin.
It’s been a long tiring day, and we were all exhausted. It was a relief to see Victor and William go upstairs to their bedrooms after locking the cabin doors.
I collapsed into bed and was instantly asleep.
“What time are we leaving today?” I asked as the four of us were enjoying pancakes the next morning.
“Leaving in the late afternoon will get us home in time for dinner,” Victor replied.
“After breakfast is cleared, I’ll pack our things, Miss,” Jennifer said. “You go have some more fun before we leave.”
“Thank you,” I said, looking hopefully at the guys. “What should I do until it’s time to leave, study, or take another boat ride?”
“You haven’t tried kayaking yet,” William reminded me.
Yay, I didn’t feel like studying this morning!
I put a bite of syrupy pancake into my mouth and waved my fork in the air. “Kayaking it is.”
Kayaking always looked easy to me. You climb into the kayak and paddle around in the water. But I managed to capsize mine three times. Soaking wet and giggling, I returned to the shore in defeat.
“What do you want to do next?” William asked.
“I think I’d like to sit on the dock and stare at the lake while my clothes stop dripping.” I sat down cross-legged on the end of the dock. “I wish we didn’t have to leave yet.”
William joined me. “We can come back again sometime.”
I stretched out my legs. “I’d love that.”
As we sat side-by-side, William reached over and took my hand. It was warm, strong, and much larger than mine. And his skin felt good against mine.
Being with William was comfortable and relaxing. I found the courage to reach out with my other hand and brush a lock of his blond hair away from his forehead like I used to dream of doing.
It was as soft as I imagined it would be.
Still holding hands, we watched the lake until my clothes were dry, and I heard Jennifer calling us for lunch.
On our way to the cabin, we ran into Victor coming out of the trees. He was buttoning his shirt, and he held his shoes in one hand.
“Did you go for a run without us?” William asked.
“Yeah, I needed a little exercise after eating all those pancakes this morning,” he replied.
There was something off about him. Despite his friendly words, he was stiff and distant. His eyes didn’t meet mine at all before he hurried into the cabin ahead of us.
Was he upset about something? He seemed fine before William and I left to go kayaking.
Victor was still quiet at lunch as we feasted on the rest of the hamburger, so we wouldn’t need to transport it home.
It was getting closer to time to leave. As much as I was looking forward to going home, I was sorry to leave.
I went to my bedroom in the cabin and changed into clean clothes for the drive home. Jennifer and I dragged our suitcases downstairs and piled them on the porch.
But before we went outside, my cell rang. I hurried to answer it when I saw Benson’s name on the caller ID.
“Yes, Benson,” I said into the phone. It had to be bad news. My voice shook when I asked, “Is my father okay?”
“He’s better than when you left,” Benson replied. “I’m not calling you about him, Miss Wilson. Something is happening with the company that you need to be aware of.”
“With the company?” What could’ve happened there? Did the building burn down?
“I intercepted a tip from one of the board members to your father,” Benson said. “Another one of the members, Mr. Chambers, is trying to install his son as CEO before your return.”
“How can they do that?” I didn’t understand it. I needed to talk to Victor.
“He and Mr. Cameron are gathering the board members, and they are holding a vote this evening at six o’clock.”
My stomach felt ice cold, and I clenched my firsts. They wouldn’t have tried this if I was at home.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Benson inquired. “Should I tell Mr. Wilson? He’s doing much better today.”
“Not until I get there,” I replied. “We’re leaving the lake soon. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
“Victor!” I yelled up the steps as soon as I disconnected the call. “We have to leave right away. Please hurry. William, you too. I must get home.”
The guys came running down the stairs, and I told them about my conversation with Benson.
“This is Cameron‘s doing,” Victor said. “Chambers wouldn’t have the nerve to do something like this on his own.”
We piled into the pickup and hurried home. But with each mile, I felt an urgency as frustration and anger snaked its way through my body.
I wouldn’t let anybody take the company away from me!
We made it to the mansion a little after five that afternoon. I had less than one hour to stop them from stealing my family’s company.
Victor parked, and we climbed out of the truck.
“I’ll take care of the luggage, Miss,” Jennifer said.
I nodded, and we ran inside. My anxiety was in overdrive. Was this situation my fault?
“You need to tell Alex what’s going on,” William said.
“What if it upsets him too much? There must be a better way.”
Victor took my hand. “Daisy, I believe William is right. There’s no time for anything else.”
“What can Alex do about it from his bedroom?” I asked. I hated disturbing my father with this mess.
“You’ll see what he can do,” Victor replied. “It’ll be a good lesson for you to watch.”
“It will be a master class in manipulating a board of directors.” William grinned.
Victor laughed. “You’ve got that right.”
I was still leery of upsetting my father. If he had a relapse, I would never forgive myself. But I didn’t have time to think of another plan.
William in Victor followed me to Alex’s bedroom, and I knocked on the open door.
“Come on in, sweetheart,” Alex said. “Did you have a good time at the lake?”
I was speechless for a moment. “Yes, but I don’t have time to tell you about it right now.”
Alex studied my face. “What’s the matter?”
“John Cameron is trying to take over the company and install Dan Chambers in my place,” I said. “They’re holding a vote at six o’clock.”
Alex’s expression tightened for a moment before he called for Benson.
“Give me fifteen minutes with Benson. Then meet me in my office,” he said. “Don’t worry, Daisy. I will take care of this tonight.”
