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“Really, Tanner? We’ve had this discussion. He’s a cop. We can’t just murder him.”
“Nobody would find him,” I huffed defensively. “I have a spot I use. It’s never been discovered.”
“By the fucking moon, shut up. I don’t want to know where you stash your dead bodies.”
We postured at each other for a moment, then reason sank in. Arguing over how to dispose of an abusive cop was pointless; we needed to catch the fucker first. I, for one, couldn’t wait.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out. Another camera had sent an alert.
“Looks like we have a visitor on their way,” I commented.
“Who?”
“Tom.”
“Who’s Tom?” Eva had reappeared, damp hair hanging loosely down her back, dressed in some loose sweatpants and a thick plaid shirt. The pink tinge to her cheeks told me she’d turned the water up as hot as it could get, probably to soak the chill out of her bones after sitting outside for an hour.
Be still my beating heart. She was adorable, and I wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in my arms and snuggle in bed. OK, so I wanted a lot more than that, but snuggles were good. With her, at least.
I wasn’t down for snuggling anyone else, least of all these irritating fuckers. From the way Cole smirked at me, he’d read my mind.
“Tom’s the head beta of the Lone Pine Pack.”
“Wonder what he wants,” Silas mused.
“Guess we’re about to find out.”
Eva
Asharp rap on the door made me jump. I’d got used to it being just the four of us, and the thought of meeting someone new sent my anxiety levels through the roof. All three guys turned to look at me, registering my panic. Silas pulled me into his arms.
“You’re safe, sugar. Tom is a friend.”
I wanted to believe him, but everything here was so perfect that I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. What if it was cops searching for me? What if Brent had tracked me down and sent his buddies to pick me up?
Rational me knew it was unlikely - the roads were still closed for one thing - but it didn’t stop me from spiraling.
Silas’s fingers brushed the back of my neck and he spoke in my head as Tanner reached the door. Nothing is going to happen, sugar. I promise.
His soft words calmed my racing heart. Cole stepped closer and grabbed my hand, rubbing his thumb across the palm. Being sandwiched between the two of them was comforting, and knowing Tanner was our first line of defense defused my panic entirely.
I took a deep breath, held it to a count of 10, and then exhaled slowly.
Good girl, Cole murmured in my head while rubbing my palm.
“Tom, what brings you here?” Tanner was saying when I tuned back in. I looked up to see an enormous mountain of a man with gray hair and a thick beard. He looked more like a bear than a man. Despite the biting cold, he was dressed only in jeans and a shirt, bare feet, with a small backpack slung over his shoulder.
“Been tasked with issuing y’all with an invite to the Full Moon Party.” His gaze lingered on me for a moment, then his grizzled face lit up with a genuine smile. “Looks like you won’t be looking for a mate anymore. I know a few ladies who’ll be mighty upset about that.”
Tanner shrugged dismissively. “They’ll get over it. What’s the real reason you’re here? It’s a long way to come when an email or text message would have sufficed.”
Tom’s eyes flicked back over me again, and Silas tensed. He walked me back into the kitchen while Cole sat down on the sofa with Tanner and Tom. Sprinkles of snow from Tom’s backpack melted and dripped over the floor, leaving a small puddle.
“Coffee?”
“Please. It’s bitching cold out today.”
The guys carried on chatting while Silas messed with the coffee machine. I tried to listen, but once the machine started hissing, it drowned out their voices. I didn’t miss Tanner’s frown, though, or the way Cole kept glancing back at me.
