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Without dwelling on it any further, I grabbed my cell phone. I could do something practical at least.
“Brody.” I started talking as soon as he answered. “I need the SUVs and guards down at the hospital. Jo, Wesley, and Charmaine need rides home, and I’ll bring Girard back to Lycan Heights with me.”
“All okay?”
“Yeah.” I sighed again. “Girard has a broken arm.” I couldn’t even think about Jo’s head. I was trying not to attract the protective attention of my wolf.
“I’m arranging the SUVs now,” Brody said.
“Perfect.” I ended the call and slipped the phone back into my pocket.
“Patrick.” I turned around at the male voice calling my name, and watched as Wesley came out of the hospital first, followed by Charmaine, Jo, and Girard cradling his arm in its new plaster cast.
“Hey, boss.” Girard nodded to me, but didn’t come any closer.
“I am so sorry, guys,” I said. I didn’t even know why I was apologizing, except somehow, this all felt like my fault. Like the road to hell was truly paved with good intentions. Maybe I should have been prepared for more aggression from whoever was after Jo. But I also didn’t have enough information about them to start making guesses about their next moves.
“No.” Charmaine flapped an arm. “None of this was your fault. But that car’s amazing!” She stopped and bit her lip. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…”
I smiled, although my lips did little more than tighten. The car was collateral damage. Everything could have been so much worse. “It will be okay. That’s why they invented insurance.”
“Are you going to find out who did it?” Wesley stepped forward, and he glanced at Jo. “Are you going to find out if someone really is after Jo?”
I nodded, but the movement was tight. “I plan to.” I couldn’t discuss it — my wolf was too unpredictable. Instead I changed the subject. “I have cars coming to get all of you. They’re more secure and they’ll get each of you home safely.”
“Oh.” Jo spoke for the first time since they’d all come outside and I looked at her, my heart beating rapidly all over again. “We were actually all going to the same place. It’s why we were in the car together. We’re headed to Mom’s house. There’s some work we want to do there.”
I nodded. “I’ll let Brody know we only need one car for you then.” I wanted to protect her all over again and it was like I didn’t know what to do. I was all over the place, trying to keep my wolf calm and trying to do what I needed to ensure Jo was safe.
“And…” She continued to talk, almost like she needed some sort of connection with me. Or at least I hoped she did. “Mom’s going on an around-the-world trip tomorrow. We’re going to see her off in the morning.”
The morning seemed like a very long time away. Jo would be unprotected for a whole night after my car dropped her and her friends off. She’d be in danger all over again.
“Jo.” I said her name urgently, and everyone looked at me. “Would your mother allow some of my pack soldiers to patrol her residence?”
Jo’s mouth twitched. Doubt. It was definitely doubt. “I don’t know…” she started.
I held my hands up. “Not inside the house. Just patrolling the outside. No one in the place will even notice they’re there.”
Perhaps this was more about ensuring that I was at ease, but either way, Jo’s safety would be ensured.
“I just think that any more cars chasing you down, or people waiting to accost you, will have a much harder time if you have an actual security detail.” I shrugged as I tried to be casual about it. I didn’t want to worry or alarm any of them, and I didn’t want to seem too overbearing. “And I can provide that security. I offered to protect you, remember?”
“I…” She lifted her shoulders in something that looked like resignation.
I’d won this one. I sighed in relief again. Honestly, it felt like sighing was all I did around her sometimes. Frustration, relief…most of my emotions were ending in a sigh.
As if he’d caught my sighing disease, Girard sighed and glanced at his cast.
“Hold that thought,” I murmured to Jo as I brushed my fingers across the back of her hand.
I approached Girard, following him as he wandered farther from the group. Finally, he turned around to face me.
“Everything okay?” I asked the question even though it was clear that everything wasn’t. “I’m sorry about your arm.” I sighed again, then wished I could suck that sound back into my body.
“Yeah.” He looked at his cast again and chewed his lip.
“There’s a problem, Girard, so what is it?” I didn’t have time to fuck around.
