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Once I was freed from Margo and Diana’s hold, Ridge’s strong arms enveloped me. The sense of comfort and safety overwhelmed me. He was quickly becoming my happy place, and I sensed he wasn’t keen on parting with me, either. The way we’d been torn apart from each other had made us more than a little clingy.
My wolf and I felt a twinge of sadness at his imminent departure. She’d just gotten him back and was dying for us to shift and go for a run in the woods, just him and me. Nobody was more surprised than me when I found myself agreeing with her. Romping around in the woods sounded like a great way for us and our wolves to reconnect. I’d never thought I’d want to shift after fighting against it for so many years.
Recognizing that I was being a little selfish, I turned in Ridge’s arms and gave him a shy, chaste kiss before pushing him to the car.
Ridge and Clawson needed to square away some necessities before moving on. Clawson needed to head to the jail to get Kyle locked away before he came to. We’d decided not to administer another dose of the tranquilizer when it was due since we planned to question him. If we’d drugged him again, it would have taken longer for him to regain consciousness and for us to get the information we needed.
More importantly, Zander needed to get to the hospital and have one of the shifter doctors look at him. He was still unconscious, and none of us could figure out what had happened to him. The sooner we could get answers, the better chance we had of him waking and healing properly.
Before Ridge left, he said, “I need to call a town meeting.” He looked over at Clawson. “What do you think, Clawson? Two hours from now?”
Clawson nodded.
“Can you meet us then?” Ridge asked me and the other women. “It looks like most of the town is already there, so getting an alert out won’t be difficult. But they need some answers, and I can’t put it off much longer. I need to find out what the town has pieced together and what rumors are floating around.”
Ridge looked beat. The pill may have done him wonders, but he still looked like he desperately needed to rest and decompress for a while. We both did, but his responsibilities couldn’t wait.
“Yeah, that works for us,” I answered. “I’ll stay here at the B&B, and we’ll meet up with you at the town hall.”
Giving me one last kiss, Ridge got in the car and headed toward the jail at the rear of the sheriff’s office.
As we made our way toward the B&B’s door, Diana held us both tightly, one arm around Margo’s waist and the other around mine. Audrey trailed nervously behind as if unsure of her welcome, her usual entitled attitude noticeably absent.
I sensed she was getting ready to make her excuses and leave, but once again, the Bogford ladies blew me away with their kindness. Diana turned to Audrey, giving her a gentle smile. “Don’t think you’re walking away, young lady. We’re in this together. I’m sure Margo has questions. I know I do.”
Margo’s expression was not quite as welcoming as her mom’s, but she nodded in agreement. It was still more than Audrey might have expected, considering their history. Her jaw dropped and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head, disbelief etched all over her face.
I wasn’t surprised, however. I already knew these ladies were special, and if Audrey truly wanted to be my friend, she’d have to play nice with those close to me.
The B&B’s red door loomed ominously in front of me. How would Margo react when her questions were answered? Dread sat like a heavy boulder in my gut. They’d been the first people, outside of Ridge, to make me feel welcome in Blackwood Creek. Margo had persuaded the Magpies to hire me, even though she hadn’t known me. Diana had welcomed me into her home before Ridge had insisted I live at the manor to convince people of our fake relationship.
Ridge looked to Diana as a mother figure, and she’d extended her motherly role to include me. I’d seen firsthand the depth of his feelings for Diana after I’d helped rescue them from the compound where Diana had been comatose. We’d both been so relieved when she’d regained consciousness with no adverse side effects. She was an exceptional woman—she and Margo both were—and I truly dreaded the fallout of the conversation we were about to undertake,
When we entered the building, the pungent odor of bleach nearly stole my breath. The hardwood floors had been shined to a high gloss, and the little standing reception desk opposite the front door had been tidied. There was not a speck of dust to be seen. In the kitchen, every surface sparkled.
Margo blushed. “I tidied up a little.”
Diana looked around in amazement. “A little? Margo, I don’t think the place has been this clean in, well, forever.”
Margo’s face was now as red as the front door. “I may have gotten carried away, but when I got back after Clawson refused to let me go with him and Tori, I didn’t know what to do. There was no way I was going to just sit and wait it out. Not knowing where you were or if you were hurt, I kept thinking about what I’d do if I lost…” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I just needed to stop thinking. I needed to keep busy, so I cleaned the guest rooms and kept going until I got the call that you were on your way home.”
She stopped, pulled the cuffs of her jumper over her hands, and furiously wiped away the tears. Margo glanced briefly at Audrey, probably to see if she had a smart remark about being above something as menial as cleaning. Instead, she gave Margo a look of pure compassion.
Margo faced the three of us again, but she was still far from the feisty Margo I knew and adored. “What the fuck happened? I know it was hunters, so don’t bullshit me, but how are you free? How did Clawson know where to find you? Why did you go, Tori?”
I didn’t want to lie to her, but I had to judge how much to tell her to keep her safe. Before I opened my mouth to tell my upset friend what I knew, Diana reassured her distressed daughter. “Oh, honey, I’m fine, I promise. I was on my way home from the Moonlight Café. I’d picked up dinner for you and me since I’d been at the hospital waiting to hear about Tori.”
More guilt pooled in my gut. She’d been visiting me—proof again that I was a danger to people in my orbit.
Diana continued, “I heard nothing, no voices or commotion. Just felt a sharp thing in my neck, then darkness. I woke in the hunters’ silver jail cell with Ridge, Audrey, and Zander. Ridge was in the cell next to me, unconscious, and I didn’t know if you or Tori had been picked up. I couldn’t smell either of you, but I needed to be sure you were safe.”
Hearing Ridge had been unconscious had my wolf pacing. She wanted to hunt Kyle down and hurt him the way Ridge had been hurt.
I begged her to listen to me.Ridge is safe. We just saw him. He’s with Clawson, and he’s fine. She settled somewhat, so I focused on Diana, who kept speaking.
“I started shouting, demanding to know where you were and for Ridge to wake. I was so worried about Ridge and you. All I wanted was some answers, but then the hunters came in and demanded I shut up.” She snorted. “Well, that wasn’t happening till I knew you were safe, so they used a blowpipe to re-inject me. Next thing I knew, I woke in the hotel with Audrey looking after me.”
Margo turned to Audrey. “Thank you.”
