The Angel Fay Finds Her Wolf Read online

  The Angel Fay Finds Her Wolf

  The Angel Fay Series, Book 1 Kate

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright © 2020 D.J. Nickels

  v4.0

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Outskirts Press, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Control Number: 2020900174

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  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: Losing My Job

  Chapter 2: A Vision

  Chapter 3: Caught up by the Alphas Arms

  Chapter 4: White Hot Rage

  Chapter 5: Being Taken Care of

  Chapter 6: The Aftermath

  Chapter 7: Remembering Who You Really Are

  Chapter 8: Finding My Place in the Pack

  Chapter 9: Still Finding My Place

  Chapter 10: Jessica is Missing

  Chapter 11: Sam Wright’s Story and the Story of the Howlers’ MC

  Chapter 12: Going After Jessica

  Chapter 13: The Spirit of Momma

  Chapter 14: Making the Pack Stronger

  Chapter 15: Letting Our Wolves Out

  Chapter 16: Saving Jenna

  Chapter 17: Finding Kate

  Chapter 18: Reclaiming What Was Lost

  Epilogue

  Losing My Job

  CHAPTER 1

  When I left for work today, I did not expect it was going to be this bad of a day. My boss, Leo Maxwell, called me into a meeting—a meeting that was not supposed to happen for another two weeks. I work for an advertising agency, MAXWELL & STERN. I have done great work for this company for the last eight years. But in the last year I have had an account stolen from me by a real asshole, who seems to be out for my blood.

  I was completely caught off guard again. I thought I had put in safeguards this time, and for the most part I had. All except one. My assistant, Eve Daren.

  “Ms. Paulson, how unexpected to see you here.”

  “Is everything alright?” I asked, deeply concerned.

  “No, Ms. Nickels, everything is not alright.” my boss Leo said. “Have a seat.” He waved a hand to the chair on his left.

  Shit, he called me Ms. Nickels—not good, not good.

  “Ms. Paulson here tells me that she has not been able to reach you for weeks and that your assistant keeps giving her the runaround.”

  Wait, what? I thought.

  “She has also brought to my attention, Ms. Nickels, that you have missed meetings with her.” I looked completely shocked and puzzled. “Ms. Paulson says you have not been doing your job.”

  “Wait—whoa!” I said. “That is not true. I’ve been doing my job. It’s been my understanding that she has been out of town for a family illness, and we’ve been communicating through email,” I stated. “I have been in contact with Ms. Paulson, and I’ve replied to every email she sent me. My assistant, Ms. Darren, has sent you the hard copies of all the work I have done so far. I also have replies from you, Ms. Paulson, stating how great my work is, and how happy you are with my work,” I argued. “I have copies of every email Ms. Paulson has sent me.”

  “What kind of game are you playing, Ms. Nickels? I have not seen any of these emails or any of this so-called work you say you have done or sent me,” Ms. Paulson claimed.

  I pulled out my iPad. “I can show you that I have done my work and that she has responded to--”

  Leo cut in. “There is no need, Ms. Nickels. Mr. Rickman has already finished the work for this account.”

  “Wait, what? How?” I said.

  “Jake, can you come in here please?” Leo said, holding the intercom button. I turned to the door as he walked in, and the son of a bitch just smirked at me, as he sat down to the right of Leo and Ms. Paulson. I was seething inside, but I showed no outward expression of it.

  “My company has already started running Mr. Rickman’s project.”

  How in the fuck did this happen, again? I thought.

  “Ms. Paulson has also brought it to my attention that she came to your office about two weeks ago, and your assistant said you were in an important meeting and couldn’t be disturbed.”

  I gasped.

  “I for one would like to know what other account you are working on and was so important that you’re willing to lose your job over it,” said Leo.

  Jake spoke up just then. “That is when I ran into Ms. Paulson, coming out of your office, and she was practically in tears.” He shook his head. “I simply asked if there was anything I could do to help.”

  “Mr. Maxwell, I have no other meetings on my calendar; this is the only account I am working on right now. I am truly sorry for any misunderstanding, and miscommunication Ms. Paulson. I will be having a talk with my assistant.” Just then, I thought I saw Jake squirm in his chair.

  “I would be happy to call her in right now, to get this straightened out,” I said. Jake glared at me. “I for one would like to know why she told you I was in a meeting.” I looked at Jake, and I thought I saw a glimmer of fear. But it was gone just as fast as I saw it. “I can assure you that this is all a misunderstanding. I have only been working on this account, Ms. Paulson, and I was under the impression that you were out of town and could only be reached by email. I am truly sorry for any misunderstandings that have occurred.”

  I took my iPad and screenshot it up to the conference room screen. “Now, if you will look at the screen, you will see all the emails from Ms. Paulson to me, and that I have replied to them all. Here is the first email showing you the work and the progress I had done, with her replies to my work.”

  “I never sent those emails,” Ms. Paulson said. “Ms. Nickels, what kind of games are you playing here?”

  “Ms. Paulson, this is no game,” I said. “Is this your email address that you gave to my assistant because you were out of town for a family illness?”

  “I never gave your assistant an email address and never saw any work from you.”

  What the fuck is going on here? I thought. “Ms. Paulson, I can guarantee that I have been working on your account. I have been right on schedule with the plans we discussed from the beginning,” I said.

  Ms. Paulson yelled, “WHAT PLANS? I have had no contact with you since I came here for our first meeting.”

  “But clearly, Ms. Paulson, I have been in contact with someone and getting feedback from someone pretending to be you,” I said. I looked straight at Jake and glared at him.

  “Ms. Nickels, this is not my work email, nor is it a personal email address of mine,” Ms. Paulson said.

  “Alright, let’s stay calm and sit back down,’’ Leo said.

  Ms. Paulson continued, “I am just lucky that Jake was there for me. He came to my office and to my house. He kept me in the loop every day.”

  I didn’t miss how she used his first name, like she was in awe of him. “Mr. Rickman here has been a saving grace,” she
continued.

  “Mr. Maxwell.” She looked at Leo. “You have Jake here to thank for making this project work.” She then looked straight at me. “And you, Ms. Nickels, are no longer needed for this project. Now, if you will excuse us?” Ms. Paulson said and stood up, grabbing Jake’s arm. “We have a meeting with the producers now. We’ve wasted enough time on this, I think.” She left the room. Jake glared at me as he walked by.

  “Leo, what the hell just happened here?” I said.

  “What just happened, is you just lost your biggest client, and your job. Kate, I can’t have someone on my team that is not on top of everything going on with our clients. This was your client and your responsibility to know everything going on with them. This is your second client that you have lost in the last two years.” He stood up, shaking his head. “Now I expect you to be cleared out of your office by the end of the day.” And then he just walked out.

  “Fuck,” I whispered. I sat there in the conference room for a few minutes, taking in everything that just happened. I glanced at my watch. “Fuck!” I put my head in my hands and rubbed my forehead. “It’s only 9:00 on Friday morning.” I sighed.

  I went back to my office, walking past my assistant, and slammed my door shut. I sat at my desk and looked around my office. I grabbed my stress putty glob out of my desk and started squeezing it, thinking.

  How the fuck did that just happen? I thought. I heard a knock on my office door and said “Enter.” My assistant Eve carried in some boxes.

  “Kate, these were just dropped off for you from Human Resources.”

  “Well, shit. He didn’t waste any time, did he?”

  “What’s going on?”

  I turned to look at her. “Yes, that is an excellent question. What is going on? That’s what I would like to know,” I said. “Someone has been fucking with my client email, and I was just fired because Jake stole my account out from under my nose.” I looked at her, thinking, She is the only other one who has access to my clients and their email accounts. She is the one who told Ms. Paulson I was in a meeting when she came in to see me. Could she be working with Jake, against me? Huh, I have seen her around the office with Jake several times, here at lunch and at the bar about a month ago on my girls’ night out.

  “Eve,” I said. “Ms. Paulson came in to see me about two weeks ago. She said you told her I was in a meeting, and I couldn’t be interrupted.”

  “Yeah,” she said, typing away on her phone.

  “Who was I in a meeting with?” I asked.

  I thought I saw fear in her face; then it was gone just as fast as I thought I saw it. “What?” she answered. I asked again.

  “What meeting was so important that you told Ms. Paulson I could not be interrupted?”

  “Oh. You were in a lunch meeting with Jessica,” she said confidently.

  “WHAT? WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DO THAT?” She jumped when I slammed my hand down. “Never mind. I know exactly why you would do that,” I said. “You’re fucking Jake! I have seen you and him together a lot lately here and at the bar, all cozied up together, and it just so happens that he is the one who stole my other account from me.” I picked up the phone and called Human Resources.

  “Jill, this is Kate Nickels from advertising. Eve Daren has just been fired for conspiring against the company and her boss. Please see to it that she is escorted from the building immediately.” I hung up the phone. I grabbed a box and put all my stuff in it.

  “You can’t do that. I did nothing wrong,’’ said Eve.

  “I can, and just did.” I walked to her and took her phone that I supplied her. Then I walked to her desk and grabbed the laptop I provided her after I lost my first account.

  “I will be running these to my IT people, and we will see who exactly I was in contact with.” I put everything in a box, and grabbed my purse and keys, and walked out of that office for the last time.

  I was putting my stuff in the car when Eve was being escorted out to her car. She was yelling like a banshee. I laughed at the sweet revenge as I drove off.

  A Vision

  CHAPTER 2

  I wasn’t sure where to go after losing my job. I just drove around. I realized that I had ended up at my parents’ cabin. I just sat there for the longest time, debating whether I should get out of the car.

  I hadn’t been here since I was a child. Momma used to bring me out here every weekend and sometimes for weeks at a time. I had fond feelings about this place, but I couldn’t remember much about any of my time I spent here. I was told by the doctors that I had been lucky to have survived the car crash coming home from the cabin, because my brain swelled up from hitting the pavement, when I was thrown from the car that stole Momma away from me that day.

  I used to love to come here with Momma, but since that day, I hadn’t been able to make myself come back here. See, Momma died that fateful day, and it had just been too hard for me to come back here.

  I decided to get out of the car and walk around the back to the lake. Everything had been kept up very nicely, thanks to my brother, Bradley. I noticed the area that Momma used to love so much. It was her bench swing hanging from one of the tree branches not far from the lake. Tears filled my eyes. I decided to go sit down on Momma’s swing. It felt so peaceful here, and I felt that she was here with me.

  I lost myself in my thoughts and my mixed emotions about this place. It hurt that I couldn’t remember my time here. All I had were these feelings that my parents loved camping with us kids and one day they decided to buy the lodge down the road.

  There were about fifty cabins on the land, with the idea that they would hand it over to us kids someday, and that we would keep it going. My oldest brother, Bradley, dealt with it all.

  When I was a young girl, Bradley would tell me about Momma and how she used to bring us up to the cabin all the time. “Sometimes Momma would just bring you here for weeks, with just her. For girl time,” he told me. “But we all would spend the summer months here every year.”

  One weekend would change my world forever.

  Tears began to fall from my eyes. Momma and I were on our way home from the cabin when we were in a very bad car accident. I had been told I was thrown from the car, as she went over the bridge, and the car landed upside down in a tree, just under the bridge next to a river.

  I still don’t remember anything about the accident that day. I only remember leaving the cabin in the car with Momma that day. The last thing I remember is Momma smiling at me through the mirror of the car, and then white-hot pain hits my brain. “Ah,” I grabbed my head. When I tried to remember more or push past that, I got a bad headache that made me nauseous and pass out. So, I tried not to think of it—ever.

  But now, I felt this need to be here. I began to shake; I felt the emptiness of the cabin. Tears fell from my eyes again. I had been feeling the loss of Momma lately. I was only six years old when Momma died. My brother Daniel was ten, Cooper was twelve, and Bradley was fourteen. My father really took Momma’s death hard also. I thought that he was going to die from the loss.

  Daddy became very ill after losing Momma, and Bradley had to step up and take care of us kids for a while. It was a really hard time for us all. In that time something about Bradley, changed. He became a leader and more protective of us. Bradley’s features began to change more and more every day.

  Bradley took Daddy and spent some time at the cabin every evening after school. My middle brother, Cooper, said it was because Daddy had become so sick and unrecognizable for months after Momma’s death. He had lost so much weight, I remember Cooper saying. I was so young, and I truly felt that our family was breaking apart. Finally, one day Daddy came back to us, and he had a zest for life. That was when he made us a promise that he would never stop fighting for us kids, and to live.

  Suddenly, I was startled from my thoughts. I heard a stick break behind me somewhere, and I stood up immediately and turned to see Bradley. I grabbed my heart when I saw my oldest brother.

&nb
sp; “What the hell, Bradley? You scared me.”

  “Sorry,” he said. “I got a call from the lodge saying someone drove up here, so I came to check things out.” He looked at me a bit worried, because he knew I never came here.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked.

  I sighed. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  He looked at his watch. “Really?” he asked. “It’s 11:00 on a Friday morning. Shouldn’t you be at work?”

  I sat back down on the swing. I laughed and shook my head; he knew I never missed work. I sighed again. “I lost my job today.”

  His eyes rose up to his hairline. “Wait—you who works her ass off, and never misses a day, lost your job.” I rolled my eyes at him. “So, what happened?” he asked.

  “My assistant, Eve, happened. She helped a slime ball steal one of my accounts and I got fired for it,” I said. “So, here I am.” He looked around. “I just started driving, and I guess I just found my way here. I miss Momma so much.” Bradley put his arm around me. “I’ve been having dreams lately of this place that I am having trouble remembering … you know, of that day. It’s so strange, but lately my dreams and what I have been told of that day are not adding up,” I said.

  “Do you think Momma is trying to tell you something?” Bradley said.

  I looked at him like he grew a second head. “I didn’t know you believed in that kind of stuff,” I said.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve seen a lot of weird things in my life, in the military, and so yes, I guess I do believe.” We sat there for a few minutes, quietly. I wondered what he meant by that.

  “So, what are you going to do next?” he asked.

  I just kind of laughed and shook my head. “I have no idea,” I said. “But I think it would be good to take some time off for a while. Maybe I will spend some time and effort on this place,” I said. “It’s not like we’re hurting for money or anything.” He laughed and agreed.

  After my father died some years after Momma, I found out that I had received an estate from Momma’s side of the family. I was only six when I received just over fifty million dollars. My father thought I was too young, so he kept it from me.