Page 39 of His to Claim

“Oh. Excellent company.”

I narrowed my eyes as I studied her. “They are… interesting to work for.” Why the hell was she lying to me? I wanted nothing more than to turn the tables, grilling the fuck out of her. My instinct told me she had nothing to do with the case, merely garnering information. For what source?

“Yes.” The detective remained quiet for a full minute as she glanced down the hallway. “Do you have any idea what happened to the assailants after you were hit?”

“No. None. I understand they were hurt, but I have no idea by whom.” Like I was going to offer a damn thing to anyone at this point.

“That was going to be my next question. Do you have a guard in your building?”

“They are more like gatekeepers at the front entrance, nothing more.” I’d worked with detectives for far too long not to realize she was fishing.

“Understood. And you have no idea who came to your rescue?” She snapped her head in my direction, locking eyes with mine. Her stare was just as intense as mine.

“None whatsoever.”

After lifting her eyebrows, she nodded several times before walking closer. “Just one more question, Ms. Bridges. Do you remember you mentioned to the officers that you saw two massive wolves fighting in the garage?”

I coughed, pressing my hand against my mouth for effect, finally laughing nervously. “Not at all. I guess the blow to my head was more significant than I thought.”

“I guess it was. You’re very lucky, Ms. Bridges. Whoever came to your defense likely saved your life.”

“I’m well aware of that and grateful.”

The tension was awkward even as she continued to glean information from everything in my condo.

“Well, that should do it for now. There is a chance I’ll be pulled off the case given a recent string of murders. You may have another detective visiting you.”

“Understood.” She hadn’t been assigned the case. I’d been correct and her visit had been nothing more than a fishing expedition.

The detective took direct steps toward the door, stopping short and tipping her head in my direction. “Oh, one last question. What did you do before you came here?”

“I’m sorry?” The detective had already looked into my background.

“Well, as you can imagine, I’ve done my homework. I’m aware that you’ve only been in town for a few months. What kind of work did you do?”

I made certain there was no surprise on my expression. “I was a prosecutor in Baltimore.” If I had to guess, I’d say she’d already found out everything about my former life.

“Interesting switch in careers, but I can understand how difficult prosecuting monsters can be. Denver is a wonderful place to live. Thank you for your time today. You were very helpful.”

“Yes, moving here was a personal choice, one I don’t regret.” I kept the edge in my voice.

“Be careful, Ms. Bridges. There are monsters out there, even more dangerous than the ones you experienced in Baltimore.”

I took her words as a caution instead of a threat. Interesting.

As I closed and locked the door behind her, a cold rush swept over me. Was it possible the police were hiding something? My nerves rattled, I moved into the kitchen, glancing at the computer. The swirling colors of the screensaver allowed me to take a deep breath.

The mystery deepened, the players growing. Why did I have the distinct feeling that Stone was embroiled somewhere in the middle of it? Even thinking about him brought another round of desire to the surface. I couldn’t react this way and yet all I wanted to do was take comfort in his arms. There was no doubt he’d been my savior the night before. I knew what I’d seen, even if it didn’t make any sense.

There were secrets in this town, ones that I imagined everyone from law enforcement to the top politicians wanted swept under the rug. If Chris knew someone had searched his files, then he could be afraid the can of worms from years ago might be ripped wide open. If that was the case, then he’d make certain that every loose end was buried.

And I was quite possibly one of them.

The sound of my phone ringing made me jump. While the number wasn’t one I recognized, I was hopeful the editor was returning my call. “Hello?”

I’d been threatened on more than a dozen occasions, criminals who believed they could coerce me into dropping their cases. I’d never succumbed once, even taking steps to protect myself. As the dead air continued for several seconds, I finally laughed. “If you think you’re scaring me, you have another think coming, buster. I don’t scare easily.”

Another ten seconds passed by.

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