AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I got it,” his friend said. “It stands to reason there are plenty of paranormal studies we don’t know about, considering how many different groups there are. Either way, we’ll keep an eye on Scott. Want us to watch him?”
“For the time being. If he’s up to something, we’ll find out sooner or later.”
“Do we know where he’s staying?” Hammer asked.
“His contact info lists a motel in Cody, supposedly while he looks for a place to rent. Also, call Tom and see if he’ll shed more light on his departure.”
“Will do, right after we’re done at Sanctuary.”
The others dispersed to tackle other tasks. Hammer stayed with Nick as he walked to the Sanctuary building, and Nick resigned himself to his friend’s presence. Truthfully, he found the man’s dogged persistence comforting. He wasn’t half as annoyed as he tried to be.
They entered the lobby of the facility, and he stopped for a moment to admire the completed project. The place was like a high-end long-term-
care home for shifters and other injured, sick, or displaced paranormals—except instead of coming there to receive comfort and care at the end of their lives, they were there to begin to live.
It was certainly a lofty goal, and though it hadn’t been his brainchild, he’d been in full support of the project since its inception. Kira, Jax’s mate, had founded Sanctuary. When she’d first come to live at the compound, she’d been horrified at the treatment received by the residents of Block R—the rehabilitation wing. In particular, she’d bonded with their Fae prince, Sariel, or “Blue” as some called him, who’d been depressed and uncommunicative. No wonder, as he’d been exiled from his realm, captured by the Pack, and was wasting away in the equivalent of a jail cell.
Kira had been passionate about having a real facility to treat paranormals, one that would use staff trained in delivering love and understanding rather than a punitive system that inspired fear. With Blue’s and Noah’s help, she’d put together quite the haven. That wasn’t to say they didn’t have their hard-core, sometimes dangerous cases that required extra measures, such as restraints or drugs, for everyone’s safety. But they received better care than ever before.
The lobby was empty except for the receptionist and a lone shifter sitting in one of the oversized chairs, curled up with a blanket around her shoulders, staring out the window. A nurse hovered near her, tidying the area and keeping an eye on her charge.
“Been wondering about her story,” Hammer commented quietly, eyeing the small tiger shifter. “She always looks so sad.”
Nick kept his voice down. “Her name’s Leila. She and her brother, Leonidis, were attacked while in Cody on some sort of assignment.”
“What kind of assignment?”
“Not sure. She and her brothers are a pride of big-cat shifters, and they run some sort of detective agency. The one upstairs on the hospital floor was injured pretty badly and might not make it.
“Damn.” The man cast a glance toward her filled with something like longing. “I’ll ask her later if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.”
Interesting. Nick pondered his friend’s reaction to Leila as they got into the elevator. In fact, Hammer had been much more animated lately. Talkative. Very unlike the typically quiet guy Nick had known for so long. But he didn’t want to point that out and cause the man to clam up.
On one of the residence floors, they exited the elevator and Nick asked around for Kira. Since he’d given Hammer the excuse of coming here to check on things, he might as well make good. He learned she was tied up on the phone in her office, and instead found Noah coming down the hallway toward them. The head nurse gave them a sunny smile, tired blue eyes at odds with his happy expression.
“Hey, guys. What’s up?”
Nick stopped and studied the younger man carefully. He looked more than tired—vibes of sadness were coming off Noah in waves, though he probably didn’t realize it. “Just checking to see how things are going over here. Any problems?”
“Ha! Is it a day that ends in D-A-Y?” he quipped, making a face.
Nick chuckled in spite of himself. “That bad, huh?”
“No—okay, yeah. But nothing we haven’t been able to handle.”
“Leo?” Hammer guessed.
Noah blew out a breath. “He’s one issue in a string of them. He crashed two hours ago and we almost lost him. Between fighting to save him and fighting with his unruly family, I’m about ready to put in my notice. Go park my ass on a beach somewhere and sip fruity drinks.”
“Except you won’t,” Nick told him with a half smile. “You care too
much.”
“Total personality fault,” Noah assured him. “I’m working on it.”
Nick clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t change a thing. You’re doing great, a real asset to everyone here.”
