Deceived By the Others by Jess Haines Page A

taking some time about it after the first few hurried bites. After all, I didn’t have anywhere to be today, and I wasn’t going to go traipsing around in the woods by myself. If I was going to go hiking later, it would be with Nick and Sean, but I had the feeling they were most likely busy helping Chaz deal with Ethan if the new werewolf was having a rough time with the change.
    I downed the last of my coffee and rose, stretching languorously as I considered what to do. Maybe the geek didn’t have such a bad idea with that paperback. I thought I might have stuffed some cheesy romance novel in my remaining duffel before I left, just in case of emergencies—like now. Still, I didn’t feel like reading; I wanted to do something. Hanging around the garden, or maybe catching some sun by the creek should be safe enough.
    The man with the newspaper folded the pages down, revealing his features. His sharp hazel eyes were locked on me, watching my every move, and I inwardly cursed my lack of attentiveness.
    Jim Pradiz was getting up to join me. I thought about making a run for it, but there wasn’t anywhere for me to go unless I wanted to stay locked in my cabin for the rest of the trip.
    He gave me a blindingly white smile, extending his hand as he approached. “Ms. Waynest, good to see you again.”
    I ignored the offered hand. He let it drop without comment, and without losing that ingratiating grin. “J.P. I assume you’re the one who was following us the night before last?”
    “Why, yes. I hope I didn’t alarm you. Want to tell me what made you choose this establishment for your little outing?”
    “That’s none of your damn business,” I snarled, though I toned it down and forced the tension out of my shoulders as everyone, including the kid with the paperback, dropped what he or she was doing to stare curiously at us. “I’m on vacation, okay? Aren’t there rules about leaving people on vacation alone? Go crawl back to the city and find someone else to harass.”
    “I’m hardly harassing you, Ms. Waynest. Just looking for a story. Funny that I always find one when I spend enough time following you.”
    “Jim, please don’t do this to me. I’m trying to have a relaxing getaway—this isn’t helping.”
    That smile of his never wavered. It bugged the hell out of me. “I’ll be watching, but you won’t see much of me. I’m not staying here, just swinging by to see what the Sunstriker pack is up to so far from the city. You’re not the only story I followed up here. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it discreet. If you change your mind about giving a statement later, you know how to reach me.”
    He afforded me a nod, waving the paper at me in what might have been mockery or threat as he breezed by. No doubt he’d find someplace to hole up and watch us, taking photos of whatever he thought might sell to the tabloids. I wasn’t happy about it, but it had become depressingly commonplace lately. Anything that connected me with Others was newsworthy these days; it was part of why I was on this vacation in the first place. Sara had been taking on more of the footwork that I normally did since too many people now recognized me on the street.
    My good mood gone, I stalked out of the dining hall and headed outside, pausing on the trail to enjoy the cool breeze that rustled the grasses and herbs, letting the sensations wash over me and ease the edge off of my agitation. The heady scent of lemongrass was drowning out the more subtle smells. Someone had cut a swath through it recently, maybe for something Mrs. Cassidy was whipping up in the kitchen tonight.
    Breathing in the sour-sweet smell, I turned off the main path and walked into the garden, following the less-packed dirt trail that led through the herbs and vegetables. There wasn’t much still growing this late in the year, and much of what was left had been harvested already, but a few of the hardier plants were still going strong. I brushed my fingers through