AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She was trembling, and I wanted to hold her, but my two-legged form made the gore that had covered my face and chest even more obvious, and now we had a bigger problem. Because while I hadn’t been thinking about it in the heat of the moment, I could now see she was right. He had been in the group of oldsters at the diner, with those councilmen. I just hadn’t recognized him at the time.
But now, I had to decide how to handle what had happened. It would be awfully hard to explain to humans that two cat shifters had torn at each other until one was dead. The fact he’d been a hitman was an easier thing to spell out, but I didn’t really have any proof.
I took her arm with my cleaner hand. “I’m going to have to make a couple of calls, but I think it would be best if I had something on. Do you have anything I can borrow? My clothes are not wearable.”
“No, I guess they aren’t.” She allowed me to lead her to the open window, the only thing not locked in her house. “I have some sweats that are too big for me, but I think they’ll still be a little tight on you.”
Considering I was much taller than her and bulked out, I suspected that was an understatement, but I couldn’t greet Sheriff Bob naked. He’d laugh at me for the next ten years. “Thanks, let’s try that.”
She never looked behind her, just accepting my boost through the window and going right to her dresser where she dug out a pair of brilliant-blue sweat pants and an oversized—for her—matching T-shirt with the wordsI don’t run, don’t ask meembossed on the front. She held them out to me. “My anti-exercise sweats. Sorry about the color.”
“You’re not going to say it matches my eyes?”
Her laugh was brief and held only a little humor. “Well, they kind of do, but only when you look like a man. Your cat’s eyes are kind of golden.”
“My cougar’s. You haven’t seen my cat’s.” I stepped into the pants and pulled them up to my waist.
“Excuse me?” She sat on the edge of the bed. “Also, maybe you should wash up a little before you put on the shirt? You’re kind of…messy.”
“Good idea.” I went out into the hallway and found the bathroom easily. I looked worse than messy. Ordinarily, the law would have preferred that the evidence remain undisturbed, but in this case, my actions would be appreciated. I didn’t want to take any extra time, but a quick shower was going to make my mate much less uncomfortable around me. Exiting the bathroom, I went outside again to find my phone on the ground and called Dario to fill him in before calling Sheriff Bob.
“Dang it, Tom, why didn’t you tell me you had this going on?” The sheriff’s voice held more irritation than I’d heard since the last time he hooked nothing on fishing opening weekend. “You can’t be chasing hitmen around my county and endangering citizens while keeping me in the dark. The local alpha is going to have a hissy fit.”
I tried to picture the alpha wolf having any kind of a fit, much less a hissy, but it was beyond me. “Well, I’m telling you now. There are a lot of details, but the agency who hired me just now gave me permission to bring you into the picture. Can you get over here soon? There’s a dead mayor cluttering up my mate’s yard.”
“Tom…did it have to be the mayor?”
“I’m also concerned about a couple council members and some other old guys who have been ogling my mate in the diner. If the mayor is doing this, are they?”
“I’ll be right there, and bring a couple of deputies. People are going to start saying this is the town where everyone disappears.”
“I hardly think a disappearance ten years ago and a missing mayor are the floodgates opening, but I promise it was self-defense and defense of my mate.”
“Were you planning to tell me who your mate is?”
I told him.
Cursing ensued. “You know she’s not one of us? And she’s been through enough. How much of the whole thing did she see?”
“All of it. Some while clinging onto the mayor’s furry back. Trying to save me.”
“I’ll be there in five.”
Chapter Fifteen
Emmalise
I stayed where I was, sitting on the bed and waiting while Tom cleaned up and then moved to the window after he went out to find his phone. He made two calls, and I strained to hear his murmured comments to first someone named Dario and then the sheriff. It was hard to understand everything, but I would speak to him when he came back inside.
Which turned out to be much later than I expected because moments after he hung up, a black SUV pulled into the driveway and three men in dark clothing climbed out. They met Tom near the body and had a low-voiced conversation. Then two of the men returned to the SUV and took out a large duffle bag. Tom pointed at where I stood and he and the other man came toward me.
“Emmalise, would you please open the door so the sheriff and I can come in?” Tom asked. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“Sheriff?” I squeaked. “I thought there would be lights and sirens because…well, because.”
“The door?”
I turned and flew to the living room where I flicked on the overhead light, untwisted the lock, and pulled the door open. Stepping back, I waited while the two men came in. “Maybe I should make coffee?” Because I could not see how this would not be a long night.
