Roderick’s jaw worked. “You’re saying there was a drug deal happening in that backyard?”
Bayne rolled his eyes skyward. “Welcome to the conversation. They played you, man. Even left by the alley, while you were circling the front. Maybe next time, check all the exits? You want to search us for drugs, go right ahead, but we never even went inside the house.”
Liam stood behind him, arms folded impressively even while still cuffed. “We were cutting through. Didn’t realize trespassing was a felony now.”
Now Griffin looked interested. “Explain how you ended up in the backyard again?”
Liam did his best innocent lamb routine, which, on a wolf his size, was a little like putting lipstick on a crocodile. “We were taking a shortcut to our truck. House is empty. Nobody there. Then the storm hit, and next thing we know, deputies are screaming about B&E.”
Zeppelin took a step forward, voice smooth. “I’ll make sure my pack answers all your follow-up questions, Deputy Roderick. But right now, I’m getting them home before Wade’s mate faints again.”
Roderick studied them, weighing options, maybe mentally tabulating how many forms he’d have to fill out if he tried to detain them any longer. “We’ll have questions. Don’t leave town. And if any evidence comes up connecting you to what happened at that house, you’ll be the first ones we talk to.”
Bayne managed something like a salute. “If your next question is how to spell my last name, just ask. Happy to help.”
Bayne turned toward Wade and Alex. “Ready to get outta here?”
“Yeah,” Wade said, his hand automatically resettling around Alex’s waist as if someone might run up and try to take his mate. “We’re done here.”
Zeppelin didn’t even look back at the deputies. He gave Griffin a slow nod, like they’d had an actual conversation, then gestured for his men to get moving.
Wade carried Alex out of the cruiser, ignoring the cold rain that immediately started soaking through his jacket. Not that it mattered. He’d been wet before, and he’d be wet again. Alex shivered against him, smaller, softer, and still not all the way back from the edge.
They didn’t talk as they cut through the cluster of houses, just kept moving. Wade’s truck was parked a block down, hidden under a wet blanket of darkness. The rain hit harder here, bouncing off the metal roof and running down the sides in thick sheets. By the time Wade opened the passenger door for his mate, Alex was shivering so badly he nearly couldn’t buckle the seatbelt.
Wade shrugged out of his jacket, wrapped it around his mate’s shoulders, and then jumped in, starting the truck. “Heat’s coming up. Hang tight.”
Alex’s lips barely moved, but he nodded, eyes fixed on the empty dash like he couldn’t look anywhere but straight ahead.
Wade didn’t blame him. After the night Alex just had, staring at nothing probably felt safer than risking what the future might bring.
Inside the truck, warmth kicked in quick, the vents blasting air that slowly replaced the chill that had set in. Wade watched as color returned to his mate’s face, little by little. “Want water?” He held out Griffin’s bottle, which Alex took with hands that trembled.
He watched Alex drink, each swallow a little steadier. Still, the guy was so quiet Wade wanted to check for a pulse. But he recognized the signs: freeze mode, survival, keep your head down until the predators look away.
“Good job back there,” Wade finally said. “You did great.”
Alex blinked. “I passed out.”
“That’s a strategy, not a failure.” Wade shrugged, eyeing the road as he put the truck in gear. “Kind of wish I’d thought of it myself. Cops probably would’ve left us alone if I’d started drooling on myself.”
A snort in the darkness. Wade counted it as a win.
He drove slowly, no need to risk hydroplaning into a mailbox now that the adrenaline had tapered off. The drive home was nothing but whispers of rain and the hum of wheels, a silence that felt heavy without being oppressive.
They reached the house, headlights tossing shadows across the garage. Wade killed the engine and glanced over. Alex still hadn’t moved, but his breathing was even now, the panic faded.
Rain hammered the roof, a relentless pounding. Wade took a beat, figuring the best way to get his mate inside without adding hypothermia to their growing list of problems.
“Can you walk?” he asked.
Alex nodded but didn’t argue when Wade lifted him out of the passenger seat and into his arms. Wade ducked his head down, using his own body to shield Alex from the monsoon currently trying to drown both of them.
Inside, the house was quiet, the aftermath behind them for now. Wade toed the door closed behind them, half carrying, half dragging Alex up the stairs.
“Let’s get you dry,” he muttered, more to himself than his mate. In the bathroom, he grabbed a stack of clean towels and started working on Alex, peeling off the soaked jacket and shirt. Water beaded along Alex’s collarbone, cold to the touch. Wade’s hands moved quickly but gently, running the towel through Alex’s hair and down his arms.
“Sit,” Wade said, pointing at the edge of the mattress. “I’ll get you something not sopping wet.”
