“Then he just... pulled out the gun and shot him. Point blank. No hesitation.” Her voice cracked.
Detective Reynolds wrote steadily, occasionally asking clarifying questions. What kind of vehicles? Did she see license plates? Could she identify the warehouse?
“I know approximately where it was,” Brie said. “But I was so lost, and then I was so scared… I just drove. I took turns without thinking.”
“That’s understandable. You did the right thing in getting out of there and coming straight here. We’ll investigate this immediately,” Detective Reynolds assured her, handing her his business card. “If you remember anything else, any detail no matter how small, call me. Day or night.”
“You believe me?” The question slipped out before she could stop it.
“I believe you saw something that scared you badly, Brianna. He studied her with those kind eyes. “Do you have someone who can stay with you? You’ve had a serious shock.”
“I... I’ll be fine.” She stood on unsteady legs. “Thank you for taking this seriously.”
“It’s my job. And Brianna? You might want to avoid that part of town for a while. Just to be safe.”
The drive home felt surreal. She passed normal people doing normal things. Walking dogs, carrying coffee, living their lives without having just witnessed an execution. Brie parked haphazardly and climbed the stairs to her apartment, locking the door behind her.
She collapsed on her couch, still in her flour-dusted work clothes from the morning that now felt like a lifetime ago. The bakery. She should call the Lodge, explain about the ruined delivery. But she couldn’t form the words, couldn’t figure out how to explain any of this.
Her phone buzzed. Right, she should plug it in before the battery died completely. As she reached for it, a notification caught her eye. The Mate.com app had a bright red badge.
She almost ignored it. After everything that had happened, checking a dating app seemed absurd. But her thumb moved on its own, opening the notification.
“Congratulations! We’ve found your fated mate!”
Brie stared at the screen. The timing felt ironic, like fate was playing a cruel joke. She’d just witnessed death, and now…
The profile loaded. “Hunter Wolf, 100% Match.”
His photo filled her screen, and her bear sat up with immediate interest. Dark hair with silver at the temples. Serious, dark blue eyes that looked like they’d seen things, understood danger. A face that promised strength, protection, safety… everything she desperately needed right now.
Hunter Wolf.Even his username felt like fate. After what she’d witnessed, after feeling so helpless and terrified, her mate was a hunter. A wolf. Someone who pursued danger instead of stumbling into it by accident.
She studied his profile. Forty-five. Wolf shifter. The brief description read: “Bounty hunter. Former military. Looking for someone who can handle the life.”
A nervous laugh escaped her. Handle the life? After this morning, she wondered if she could handle anything. But something about his face, the steady way he looked at the camera, made her feel less alone.
She started typing a message. How did you tell your fated mate that you’d just witnessed a murder? That you were scared and shaken and desperately needed not to be alone?
Finally, she wrote: “Hi. I’m Brie. I can’t believe we matched. Today has been overwhelming, and finding you feels like fate. Where are you located?”
She hit send before she could second-guess herself, then sat staring at the phone, waiting for those three dots that would mean he was typing back.
Her apartment felt too quiet. Every sound from the hallway made her jump. The morning’s events kept replaying. The gunshot, the blood, the way the body fell on the concrete.
Detective Reynolds’ card sat on her coffee table. He’d said they’d investigate, but what if those men found out she’d witnessed their crime? What if they’d spotted her van with the Sweet Summit Bakery logo on the side?
Her phone buzzed, and she nearly dropped it in her scramble to check.
But it wasn’t Hunter Wolf. It was Maggie asking if everything was okay with the Lodge delivery.
Brie set the phone aside. She’d deal with the bakery later. Right now, she just needed her mate to respond.
Chapter
Four
Hunter stoodin his apartment doorway, duffel bag cutting into his shoulder. He wondered why the place felt more like a tomb than a home.
