But Hersh?—
Hersh looked terrifyingly calm.
More dangerous than yelling.
More dangerous than rage.
Because his eyes never left Shepherd.
Not blinking.
Not moving.
Like something ancient and violent had just woken up inside him.
“Shepherd!” Hersh’s voice thundered across the ranch.
The storm swallowed part of it.
But Shepherd heard him.
I knew he did because he smiled.
That smile.
It wasn’t normal.
It wasn’t human.
It was obsession.
The kind that rotted people from the inside out.
The sheriff moved beside the window carefully.
“I can call state tactical in twenty minutes.”
“No,” Hersh said quietly.
The single word froze the room.
Wolf looked toward him slowly.
“You sure about that?”
“Yes.”
Still calm.
Still deadly.
Hersh stepped toward the front door.
Every instinct inside me screamed instantly.
“No.”
He stopped.
