Hound: A Dark Romance Fox and the Hound Retelling (Ever After Book 4) Read online

  HOUND

  MEASHA STONE

  Copyright © Measha Stone 2020 All rights Reserved

  Cover Design by Spellbinding Design

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photography, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written consent from the publisher and author, except in the instance of quotes for reviews. No part of this book may be uploaded without the permission of the publisher, and author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is originally published.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, actual events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters and names are products of the author’s imagination and used factitiously.

  The publisher and author acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks, mentioned in this book.

  Contents

  HOUND

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  Daddy Ever After

  About the Author

  Also by MEASHA STONE

  HOUND

  by Measha Stone

  Chapter 1

  Keagan rubbed the knot in the back of her neck while the driver rounded the last turn and took her up the drive. The night had been successful, but every muscle in her body ached. Working high-profile jobs always put her on edge.

  Who knew gathering dirt on the rich and powerful could be so stressful? At least it was lucrative work. She sighed and pulled her phone out of her purse.

  Back in town.

  The text put a smile on her lips. What better way to unwind than spending a no-strings-attached night with someone who understood what she needed?

  Before she could type out a response, her car door was yanked open.

  “Keagan, come quickly!” Sam, one of Elliot Jansen’s personal guards reached into the back of the car and held out his hand.

  “What’s wrong?” She let him lead her up the steps to the house. The night had been a success; she had several files on the flash drive tucked away in her purse to hand over. And she wasn’t even late.

  Sam cast a compassionate glance down at her and opened the main doors. She stepped into the house, expecting a whirlwind of activity, but the house was quiet.

  “He’s in the back room.” Sam closed and bolted the front doors and went ahead of her down the long corridor to the back of the house.

  Elliot Jansen stood at the fireplace, staring into the roaring, orange flames. The summer night was warm enough to need the central air, not a fire.

  “Mr. Jansen? What’s wrong?” She stepped down the single step into the family room.

  Elliot Jansen turned toward her, not moving from the fireplace. His eyes were downcast, and a frown had settled on his lips. The thick-rimmed glasses he always wore had slipped down his nose.

  “Keagan.” He said her name as though it brought pain. He pulled his hand out of pocket and wiped it across his face. “Keagan, there’s been a terrible accident.”

  Her heart screeched to a halt.

  “What happened?” She hurried across the room toward him.

  “Keagan—” His face paled slightly. “There was a plane crash, no survivors.”

  She gripped her handbag, her nails digging into the leather. Her mind raced, and names of associates she’d come to consider friends over the past years flashed through her mind. Working for Jansen, one of the most powerful families in Kassel, meant she could be sent to any number of places. Danger lurked everywhere, even for her.

  “Katarina was on the plane.” His words fell from his lips as easily as bombs tossed from a military jet. The reaction was the same.

  An explosion of pain and confusion enveloped her. She stared at him, willing him to take it back. Say something else. Someone else’s name.

  Not her.

  Not the foster mother who had raised her since she’d been a small child.

  “No.” Keagan stepped back, as though she could avoid the reality he’d just thrust at her.

  “Keagan. I know…I know this is hard.” He waved to Sam, who made his way over to her and helped her to the couch. She sank into the comfort of the cushions, but her mind continued to reel. Katarina was on a plane.

  “I…I don’t understand. She just arrived in Fairfax, why would she be traveling again so soon?” She blinked. They must have the wrong person. Katarina was on vacation. She’d escaped Kassel for a month-long excursion overseas. She’d told Keagan she’d rented a house on the ocean for a month. She was looking to relax, not go anywhere.

  Katarina had retired from Jansen’s employment two years ago, making way for Keagan to step into her place. It was good money, and although Keagan had finished her degree in computer sciences, she had no plans to be tied down to a cubicle in the corporate world. Even while retired, Katarina had helped Keagan set up. But now that Keagan was fully emerged, Katarina could enjoy herself more.

  She’d earned it.

  “I’m not really sure.” Elliot shrugged. “I’m told she decided to go on a safari. The plane went down just as they were arriving.”

  Safari?

  Keagan blinked. Katarina didn’t even like animals—she’d forbidden Keagan from having so much as a hamster growing up. Why would she be going on a safari?

  “How do you know she was on the plane?” Keagan grabbed onto a slim thread of hope and pulled. “I mean, why didn’t the airline call me?”

  Jansen’s eyes hardened. Being questioned, even in a situation such as this one, wasn’t something he took kindly to.

  “I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I’m just…well…I don’t understand.”

  “Of course. It’s a lot to take in,” he said, but his tone still suggested he wasn’t as understanding. With him being the head of the family, she should just take the information he gave her and leave with it. But still, she sat there on his couch, staring at him as though he were something out of a horror movie.

  Katarina had raised her to be respectful of Elliot Jansen. He was a powerful man, and he could help them a great deal, but he could also squash them if he wanted to. Not being his blood relation anyway, Katarina counted them lucky to have been given the opportunity to work for him without having to find a job in one of his night clubs or his underground businesses.

  Keagan’s phone vibrated in her purse, but she ignored it.

  “What…uh…” She rose, brushed her hands over her skirt, then drew a deep breath. “What do I do now? I mean, who do I call to get her…to bring her home so I can arrange things?”

  “I’m putting someone on that. You don’t need to do anything. I’ll let you know once it’s been arranged.” He gestured toward her. “Take some time. I know this was a bit of a shock.”

  She blinked. A tear slipped down her cheek, and she dashed it away with her fingertips.

  “Before you go, did you get the drive?” he asked.

  She paused a moment, having to force her brain back on the right track. His news had completely derailed her.

  “Uh, oh, yes!” She reached into her purse and grabbed the slim drive. “I think you’ll get what you need from what I was able to download.”

  He took the device and pocketed it. “Good. Once I have a look at it, a deposit will be made for you.” He glanced at Sam. “Now isn’t the time, but soon we should discuss your contract.”

  Keagan willed her mind to focus. The pain in her chest would have to wait. She would get through this without crumbling. She just needed that focus. Elliot Jansen’s family room wasn’t the place to break into a million pieces.

  “Contract?” she asked.

  He pushed his glasses further up his nose. “Well, like I said, we can talk another time, but…well…I never put you on a contract because you were Katarina’s daughter. But now…with what’s happened…I really will need something from you that tells me you won’t run off on me if trouble happens.”

  He was questioning her loyalty?

  “But we can talk another time.” He waved a hand at her, his lips puckered with faux concern.

  “Sure. Okay.” She nodded numbly. Was saying no an option? Did she want the ability to walk away? Katarina hadn’t talked about living outside the Jansen network, so she’d never considered it something she could do.

  “Keagan, the car’s still outside,” Sam said softly from the doorway.

  She looked over at him. His brow wrinkled, and his hands were firmly gripped in fro
nt of him.

  “Oh, right.” She drew a long breath. “Thank you, Mr. Jansen for letting me know.”

  “Of course. And my deepest condolences.” He pressed a hand to his chest and gave her a sympathetic glance. “Go on home now, and I’ll be in touch soon.”

  She gave a nod because it seemed the right thing to do, then followed Sam back out of the house. Every step felt as though she were dragging her feet through quicksand. By the time she made her way back into the car, she could barely breathe, so heavy was the weight of the pain.

  “I really am sorry, Keagan,” Sam said then closed the door. The driver pulled away instantly, whisking her off the Jansen estate toward her townhouse in the middle of downtown—the only place she’d called home in her life. But without Katarina it wasn’t a home at all.

  Her phone buzzed again, and out of habit, she pulled it out.

  Meet up at ten, usual place?

  She put her phone back in her purse and leaned her head into the window.

  Jansen wanted to put her on contract. That was good, right? Being linked to him instead of just grabbing whatever crumbs he threw at her? Katarina would want that, right?

  Her mind clouded with questions while her heart broke.

  Katarina was gone.

  Now what?

  Chapter 2

  Jackson Titon rolled over in the king-sized bed fitted with the softest sheets his bare skin had ever touched. He wasn’t one for extreme luxury, but when it came to his sleep—he took it seriously.

  “Hey, handsome.” The soft voice of last night’s pick reminded him he wasn’t alone. And, this wasn’t his bed.

  Blinking his eyes open, he grinned into the emerald green eyes pinned on him. Her box-colored red hair was already brushed and swept into a high ponytail, and last night’s makeup had been washed off and perfectly reapplied.

  “Morning all ready?” He stretched his arms over his head. He hadn’t meant to spend the night, but a few brandies after dinner, plus the few drinks he’d enjoyed at the Annex party had made the call of the siren’s sweet bed all the more tempting. Plus, those sheets.

  “Almost afternoon, actually.” She laughed. “I’d let you keep sleeping, but Ash is looking for you.” She scooted off the other side of the bed, fully dressed. When she turned, he caught sight of her ass. It had been a fun and very successful and satisfying night, but the sun had come up and with it, his responsibilities.

  Jackson rolled off the bed and grabbed his clothes that had been randomly tossed about the room.

  “You can shower if you want,” Aubry said as she sat at the vanity. “There’s a shower room attached to the suite.” He’d contracted not only her, but an overnight suite in the Annex. The girls weren’t allowed to take the clients up to their private apartments, so if a client wanted overnight accommodation, they needed to rent out the suite.

  An excellent business model.

  “Thanks, but I’ll grab one in my room,” he said, buttoning his jeans.

  She paused and looked at him through the mirror. “Your room?”

  “Yeah.” He yanked his T-shirt over his head and tucked it into his jeans. Where was his belt? Glancing around the room, he found it dangling off the end of the bed.

  That’s right. It had been put to good use last night.

  “In the main house. I’m staying with Ash for a few days until my shit is moved into my place.”

  She continued to stare at him.

  “He’s my cousin,” Jackson offered.

  She lowered her gaze. “You’re Jackson Titon?” She turned in the chair with a surprised expression.

  “I told you last night.”

  “You just said your name was Jackson, and you definitely didn’t mention you were my boss’ cousin.” Her smile waned.

  “Would you have taken my contract if you’d known?” He slid the thick leather belt through the loops of his jeans.

  Her eyes wandered down to his movements. Clearly the memory of last night played in her mind.

  “Probably not.” She recovered her brilliant smile. “But I’m glad I did.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, me too, babe.”

  “If you’re going to go up to the main house and shower before you see Ash, you better hurry.” She sauntered over to him and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “I’m meeting some friends for lunch, so I have to get changed out of this and into something more…well, brunch acceptable.” She swept her hand over the light blue satin nightgown and sheer robe.

  “I’d say you’re pretty acceptable right now.” He winked.

  She shook her head with a laugh. “Don’t start getting cheesy on me. Now hurry, or Ash is going to start pounding down the door for you,” she warned before taking her leave.

  Jackson checked his phone for messages one last time before leaving his room to meet with Ashland and Peter. The movers were going to arrive in a few hours, and he would have to get over to the house to make sure everything was taken care of. But first, his meeting with his cousins.

  “There you are. He’s been waiting.” Peter met Jackson on the stairs as he was on his way down to the first floor of the house.

  “I needed a shower.” Jackson slapped his hand on Peter’s shoulder. “It was for your benefit as much as mine.”

  Peter laughed. “Rough night?”

  “Nothing I couldn’t handle.” Jackson followed Peter down the long hallway toward Ashland’s office. He admired the artwork on his way. Many of the pieces were new to him, having been changed out from what his Uncle Samuel had used in his decor.

  “These are all new,” Jackson commented as they reached Ash’s office.

  “Yeah, most of them are Ellie’s, but there’re a few pieces that belonged to Aunt Janet. Ellie found them up in the attic and had them brought out here.” Peter opened the office door.

  “Ellie’s really talented.” He leaned in to inspect the signature on the last painting. A gargoyle poised proudly on the highest tower of a castle overlooking a village. “Maybe she wouldn’t mind letting me buy a few pieces for my place?”

  “If you’re done admiring my wife’s work, can we get on with this?” Ashland’s voice traveled from within his office.

  “Get on with this?” Jackson repeated, passing Peter and entering the office. No matter Ash’s wife’s talent, the office had Ashland written all over it. It still held an ominous appeal, with the dark paintings, the deep purple draperies and the electrical sconces on the wall.

  “I have a meeting this afternoon.” Ash made a show of checking his watch.

  Peter closed the office door. “What he means is, he’s glad you’re here, and we’ve missed you.” Peter slapped Jackson’s shoulder.

  “I’m sure that’s what he meant.” Jackson laughed and took a seat in the armchair. “It’s good to be back in Kassel, though. I will admit that.”

  Ash sank into his chair behind his desk and steepled his hands. “I am glad you’re home, cousin, but, I do have a meeting to get to, so what’s your business proposition?”

  Jackson rolled back his shoulders. “Not so much a proposition as well, I don’t want to go doing shit behind your back.”

  Ash’s eyebrows rose.

  “Elliot Jansen wants to do business with me. The liquor distribution I had set up in Hammelin is still working, I have men watching over it, and I’m overseeing it from here. But I want to expand into Kassel. Jansen’s restaurants and dance club give me that opportunity, but I know you pulled the Titon family out of all dealings with the big families, so I wanted to bring this to you before I went ahead with anything.”

  “Jansen?” Peter sat in the second armchair and hooked his foot over his knee. “He came to you?”