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Horowitz shrugged and threw up his hands. “Your funeral, man.”
The two detectives left, and he sat on a nearby chair to calm himself. He needed to talk to Jaycee. He would protect her with everything he had, but he needed to talk to her. No phone calls and no record of him visiting her. He’d have to do this the wolf way.
Stripping off his clothes, he shifted and let himself out, running through the darkness until he arrived at her apartment complex. There was a fire escape on one side of her building, which was, thankfully, dark. He shifted and climbed it, using the surrounding trees and limited light from security posts to hide his presence. This side was unfinished, so there was no one to see him.
The other side was a bit livelier with late night star-gazers hanging about. He didn’t intend to go quite that far. Instead, he went to the edge of where the roof dropped off down the back of the building and looked down toward her windows. There was a gap between where he stood and the rows of glass. He wasn’t sure if he could access her apartment from this little recess above it, but it might get him onto her balcony.
Slipping off the edge of the roof, his heart raced as he catapulted himself sideways from his freefall off the building, onto the small roof area, landing with a thud against the concrete. He looked at the door on one side and hoped it wasn’t locked. A gentle tug brought it to him, and he crept inside, quietly making his way down the stairs. At the bottom, he pushed the door handle and eased the door open. Success. He was at her balcony.
He closed the door and stood there for a moment, trying to decide what to do from here. It might freak her out even more if she found him knocking on her window, naked, especially given their history. He’d have to talk fast to explain himself. Then again, if she were a killer, he wasn’t sure why he was here to save her. He supposed he just couldn’t believe her capable of such a thing and even if she was, she was still his natural mate. He knew he’d do anything to protect her.
Slipping out the door, he edged toward the window, surprised to find Aaron Golding standing in her living room. Neither of them was looking his way and he was still fairly well hidden to one side of the large bank of windows, but she had a few of the small panes open to let in air, so their voices were clear as they floated out to him.
“Why did you give the police my name?”
“What do you mean? They asked if I had anyone that could verify that I was home when Mr. Nasteau was murdered, and you were the only one I could think of. Well, you and the delivery guy, but I didn’t know where he worked. I figured they could get that from you.”
“I don’t appreciate it one bit.”
“Okay. Well, I’m sorry. Listen, thanks for calling and telling me you would come over and keep me company. I’ve been really upset about this since the cops told me about it, but I think that maybe you should go.”
“Do you? You think I should just go?”
“Yes,” she replied, but her voice sounded shaky.
“After everything I’ve done for you?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I’ve taken you out. I’ve spent time with you. I’ve played Mr. Nice Guy, just hoping you’d give me a shot, but no. I even bought you a fucking television and gave you an alibi to protect you from the police.”
“I appreciate that, but it’s not like you could have known I’d need one.”
Golding’s mouth curled up into a sickening smile, and Thad saw the realization shine as she glanced toward the window. She couldn’t possibly see him. She was looking for an escape.
“That’s right. I took care of your horrible boss for you. You’re welcome. Alphas aren’t the only ones who can protect their mates, you know.”
“Mates? We aren’t mates.”
“The fuck we aren’t. I killed for you, bitch. Now, you’re about to show me a little gratitude.”
“No, Aaron. You don’t have to do this. Of course, I’m grateful. You’ve really gone the extra mile to make me happy. How can I not be thrilled with that?”
“Don’t fucking patronize me!” he said, raising his hand to hit her, but he never got the chance.
Thad shifted, crashing through the window in full attack mode and pouncing on Aaron. Aaron tried to shift, but it was too late. Thad was already on him, his powerful jaws snapping his neck like a twig and slinging him sideways. He raised a paw to attack and Jaycee stopped him.
“No!”
Just as she was calling him down a loud crash filled their ears from the other side. The door flew off its hinges and Barron emerged, in full wolf form, from the hallway. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted Thad’s wolf on top of Aaron’s motionless body. Blood trailed across the floor.
