Page 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

I quickly ran my fingers through my tangled hair. I knew I probably looked like I’d been hit by a truck — so much for avoiding those dark circles under my eyes.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, trying my best to appear like a normal person.

“Good afternoon, officers,” I said, hoping my voice sounded steadier than I felt. “Can I help you with something?”

The female officer at the door looked down at her notepad and then back up at me. “Are you Everly Montana?”

“Yes,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “That’s me.”

“I’m Officer Rankin, and this is Officer Moore. We’d like to ask you a few questions,” she said, her expression unreadable.

My stomach tightened. “Regarding what, exactly?”

The officer’s gaze shifted over her shoulder, looking at her partner, before she gestured toward the house next door. “Didn’t you notice a raging fire last night?”

“Oh, well, sure,” I said, gripping the door. “But the firefighters came and handled it.”

“You didn’t see anything?” she asked, squinting at me.

I shook my head. “No, I was sleeping. Of course, eventually the fire woke me up, and I smelled the smoke, but that’s about it.”

“I see,” Officer Rankin said, scribbling something down on the notepad.

I frowned. “I wish I could be of more help. I guess I figured it was just a regular old house fire.”

“Could be,” Officer Rankin said with a sharp nod. “Unfortunately, the man who lived there was still inside.”

“That’s awful,” I said, my brows squishing together.

“Indeed,” she said. “Did you know the man?”

I hugged myself. “No, I only just moved in.”

Officer Rankin’s pen hovered over her notepad. “And you’re certain you didn’t hear or see anything unusual before the fire started? No arguments, strange vehicles, anything like that?”

“No, do I need to be worried?” I asked, swallowing hard. Lying so much was making me feel generally ill, which seemed to be working in my favor. “Am I safe here?”

The officers exchanged another glance that made the back of my neck prickle.

“Oh, no, miss,” Officer Moore said, looking toward the trees. “I’m sure you’re plenty safe here. This is all standard procedure.”

I nodded slowly, trying to keep my expression appropriately concerned without looking guilty. Their standard procedure felt anything but standard to me.

“Well, that’s... that’s a relief,” I managed, still hugging myself. The morning air felt suddenly colder than it had moments ago.

Officer Rankin flipped her notepad closed and handed me a card. “If you do happen to remember anything, no matter how insignificant it might seem, please give us a call.”

I took it with fingers I hoped weren’t visibly trembling. “Of course. I will.”

“Well,” Officer Rankin said, finally offering me a smile, “we won’t take up any more of your time, Miss Montana. We’ll be speaking with other neighbors down the road as well, but yeah, probably just a regular old house fire that the poor, old guy couldn’t escape.”

“Okay,” I said, the words feeling heavy on my tongue. “Good luck.”

The second they turned away, I closed the door, immediately leaning back against it. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. It wasn’t like I could have told them a vampire killed the owner and that werewolves killed her before setting the house on fire. They’d have locked me up and lost the key.

I made my way to the kitchen on wobbly legs and poured myself a glass of water, gulping it down before going back to the front window. The police cars were gone, and yellow tape fluttered in the breeze around what was left of the neighbor’s house.

It wasn’t like I’d done anything wrong. All I’d done was go over there when I heard someone calling for help.

I needed to clear my head. The police visit had left me rattled, and sitting around my house overthinking everything would only make it worse. Not to mention, it would be nice to have something new to wear for my date with Ryder tonight. Something other than my robe or pajamas.

Grabbing my phone, I dialed Courtney’s number. She answered on the third ring.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Courtney, it’s Everly,” I said, trying to sound more cheerful than I felt. “I was thinking about heading into town to do some shopping. Any chance you’d want to join me? Maybe point me toward the best spots?”

There was a short pause. “Um, yeah. I could do that.”

“Great,” I said, noticing Courtney didn’t seem to be her usual bubbly, overtalkative self. “I’ll swing by to pick you up in, say, fifteen minutes?”

“I’ll be ready,” she said and ended the call.

I threw on some jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed my keys, and headed out to my SUV. It didn’t take long before I was pulling into Courtney’s driveway.

She walked out of the house as if she’d been waiting for me. Courtney looked beyond radiant in her flowing yellow sundress and round shades. The wind blew a few tendrils of her hair along with the fabric as she walked toward me, wearing a smile.

I smiled back, but it quickly faded when Kellan stepped out of the house, holding Mason’s hand. They both waved from the door.

My fingers tightened around the steering wheel. I hadn’t expected to see Kellan — hadn’t prepared myself for it. Even though he’d saved my life, a chill of something creepy and crawling moved through my body just at the sight of him.

I forced a smile and waved back… for Mason’s sake. Courtney opened the door and sat down on the leather passenger seat.

“Wow, fancy,” she said, her eyes wide.

“It’s not real leather,” I said, shifting the car into reverse as she put on her seatbelt.

“Still, it’s like a new car,” she said, looking around. “And so clean.”

I followed her gaze. “I think Trevor detailed it when they fixed it. I don’t remember it looking this nice.”

We rode down the country road for several minutes in complete silence. She didn’t even look as we drove past the shell of my neighbor’s house. It seemed as though Courtney was distracted.

I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel for several seconds before I just couldn’t hold my question in any longer. “So, um, Kellan was at your house?”

“Yes, all night,” she said flatly. She didn’t know I knew she was lying. “He stops by to see Mason from time to time.”

“Oh,” I said, keeping my eyes fixed on the road. I didn’t want to pry, but curiosity was eating at me. Why would Kellan want to see Mason? Given what I knew about Kellan, the idea of him being anywhere close to a kid made me uncomfortable.

But I bit my tongue. I’d pissed Courtney off once before, and I didn’t intend to do it again. For all I knew, Kellan was just a family friend. Everyone in the area knew everyone. Maybe they’d gone to high school together or something.

“Are there a lot of shops in Birchwood Hollow?” I asked, glancing at her.

“Not a lot,” Courtney said, chewing a nail. “What are you looking for? Something casual or comfortable? Or maybe something?—”

“Ryder asked me out on a date,” I said, feeling the heat in my cheeks. “I accepted but told him I’m moving back to Chicago.”

Courtney’s mouth dropped open. “What? You’re leaving? Why? Oh, no! It’s been so nice having you down the road. Don’t you like it here?”

“I do, but I guess?—”

“You’re just homesick. This place will eventually feel like home.”

I shook my head. “It’s just not what I was looking for.”

“Well, that’s a real bummer,” she said, turning to the window. “I’m going to miss having you around, but why even bother going out with Ryder if you’re not going to stick around? Is he going to leave with you?”

I shook my head. “Oh, no. We don’t really know each other well enough for that kind of thing. We just sort of get along. I feel comfortable around him. We’re just going to enjoy the little time we have left together.”

“Well, that’s nice,” Courtney said, rubbing her palms together. “That means you’re looking for something sexy, right?”

“Courtney!”

“Well? Am I right?”

I winced. “Maybe.”

She held up her hands. “I get it. I really do. Those big, tall, muscular men just really have something that draws you to them, don’t they?”

“Is that what it is? I hadn’t noticed,” I said, pressing my lips together.

Courtney laughed. “Yeah, right!”

I steered us into the town, passing May’s diner and heading down the main street. There were tons of little shops — old brick buildings with matching awnings and hand-painted signs.

“You can park anywhere along here,” Courtney instructed, pointing to a row of angled parking spots in front of the shops. “Mona’s Boutique is right there on the corner, and if we can’t find something there, we could try the Dress Store or one of the others. I think Mona’s is the best place to start.”

I pulled into an empty spot and turned off the engine. The boutique had a pale blue storefront with a display window featuring mannequins in sleek dresses and what looked to be prom gowns.

As we walked down the sidewalk, Courtney’s phone dinged with a text notification. “One sec.” She pulled out her phone and smiled, her face immediately lighting up. “Awe!”

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s from Kellan,” she said, smiling as she tapped her screen. “Look. He sent a video of Mason.”

She turned the phone so I could see too. On the screen, Mason was standing in the yard with a tiny plastic bat in his small hands. He swung wildly at a ball on a tee, connecting with a solid thwack on his first swing.

The ball flew through the air, and Mason dropped the bat. He took off, running, his little legs moving furiously past what looked like paper plates set out for bases.

In the background, I could hear Kellan’s voice cheering enthusiastically. “Go, go, go! That’s it, buddy! Round third base!”

Mason circled back toward what must have been home plate, giggling the whole way. As he jumped on the final base, Kellan laughed and clapped his hands.

“That’s my boy! Way to go, son!” he said, zooming the camera on Mason’s big smile.

“I did it, Mommy!” Mason said, looking up at Kellan. “Should I do it again?”

“Go for it,” Kellan said, and the video ended.

My stomach swirled violently at the realization that Kellan was Mason’s father. I didn’t know what to say.

“Adorable, right?” Courtney said, hugging her phone to her chest before typing a quick message back to Kellan.

Did Courtney know what Kellan was? Did she know he was working against Ryder, trying to take over his pack and territory?

Everything started to spin. “I need to sit down.”