Page 8

8

J ack

Susan and Reynolds did their thing, and the crime scene folks did theirs and left. Then Reynolds and Lizzie went for a walk around the house, so he could talk to her about wolf stuff. I figured I should wait until Susan and the other two left before shifting to tiger shape to patrol, so I crossed the lawn to talk to our sheriff while we waited.

“I’ll text you the name of a crime scene cleanup crew,” she said. “Tess doesn’t need to see the mess.”

“Didn’t look like a knife did that,” I said, not happy about it. “That was claws.”

“Funny how shifter violence ends up so close to home when NACOS is on the rise,” she said dryly.

“Yeah. Funny.”

“I left my brother a voicemail message telling him we need to talk ASAP. I can’t believe that jerk was trying to blame Carlos for this.”

“Let him know I’ll be glad to fill him in on what I know, too, not that it’s that much.”

“Jack—”

“Goes without saying. I’ll tell you everything I learn as soon as I learn it,” I said mildly, wondering when she’d fully trust me.

But she laughed. “I know that. I was going to warn you about something else and also offer my help.”

“Warn me? Do you know somebody else who’s after me? Or Tess?” I could feel my tiger side clawing to get out at the idea of Tess in danger.

“No! Relax. This is an entirely personal kind of danger. The cat is out of the bag, so to speak.” She chuckled. “I didn’t mean to make a cat pun. That should tell you how tired I am.”

“What cat? What bag?” I showed her my teeth. “I’d like to see someone try to put me in a bag.”

“I’d kind of like to see that, too, for the entertainment value, but then there’d be mess and ambulances, and nobody needs that. No. The personal kind. Granny told me you’re going to propose to Tess.”

I groaned.

“Normally, I’d ask you if it’s true, because Granny doesn’t always have a firm grasp on reality. But when I picked her up from bingo club today, Mrs. Frost was holding court, and I heard some of what she was saying. A priceless Atlantean sapphire? Maybe don’t let Tess know that, or she’ll be afraid to wear it.”

I leaned on the car next to her and groaned again. “Mrs. Frost promised she’d keep my secret until I had a chance to surprise Tess with the proposal. I haven’t even gotten the ring made yet.”

“That’s where my offer of help comes in,” she said.

“You know a jeweler, too?”

“No, I?—”

“You have a better idea for a proposal than shooting an arrow off Tess’s head with your crossbow? Or renting out town hall and inviting all of Dead End?”

“Really?”

“Shelley said I could attach the ring to her puppy’s collar, and she’d make the dog float into the room wearing it. Can you imagine? What if Pickles suddenly needs to water the bushes? All over Tess’s floor?”

Susan was laughing so hard by then she held up a hand for me to stop. “No. Please. I can’t. Anyway, no proposal ideas. But if you didn’t already buy the ring or have one made with your sapphire, I have thoughts about that.”

She pulled her phone out and scrolled through her photos before handing the phone to me. “When we went shopping a couple of years ago, looking for Christmas presents for Ruby and my granny, we stopped in a jewelry store at the mall. Tess fell completely in love with this ring—she said she didn’t much care for diamonds, but she loved the setting. I don’t know why I snapped a photo, but I just had a feeling she might want to see it again one day.” She shrugged. “Anyway, if you know a jeweler or can find one, you can ask her to do something like this.”

It was a beautiful ring. Simple, but elegant, with clean lines. Exactly Tess’s style. As soon as I looked at it, I could tell why she loved it.

And I was glad to hear about the diamonds, because I’d gone back and forth about sapphire or diamond until I was tired of myself.

“Susan, this is perfect! Thank you so much. I know a jeweler. I … do you think it’s too soon?” I heard the uncertainty in my voice, but this was Susan, who’d become one of Tess’s closest friends. “If you think it is, I can postpone, maybe.”

“Jack. It’s not too soon. You two are great together.” She sighed, and even in the dark, I could see the wistful sadness in her eyes. “If I find someone one day who’s as perfect for me as you two are for each other, I’ll snap him up in a heartbeat. Even if I have to handcuff him to do it.”

“Susan. I say this with great sincerity and respect, even knowing that you carry a gun. If you offer to pull out your handcuffs, he’ll be a very lucky man.”

She grinned at me. She might have been blushing, too, but it was too dark to tell. Then she gave me a quick hug, surprising both of us, just before we heard Lizzie and Reynolds coming back from their walk.

“We’re all set,” the deputy said, trying but not succeeding too well at hiding her nerves. “I’m going on my first full moon run tomorrow. If that’s okay with you, Sheriff! I mean, my sheriff.”

“I understood,” Susan drawled. “Yes, of course. And it would be a good idea for you to put the full moon days in the calendar for the year, too, so we’re sure not to schedule you to work those days.”

“Wouldn’t hurt to make it a three-day period,” Reynolds said. “When we first shift, the moon holds more sway than it does later. Lizzie will be tired, at the least, on the day after, and too revved up to work efficiently on the day before.”

“Got it.” Susan shook Reynolds’ hand. “Let’s keep the lines of communication open. On this case, and on any shifter stuff I need to know.”

“Sounds good.”

I watched them leave in the Dead End and Riverton sheriff’s cars, and my phone pinged. When I looked, I found Susan’s text with the photo of the ring.

While I had my phone out, I forwarded the picture to a guy who owed me a pretty big favor.

Then, I called my granddad.

“Jed? Tess is in danger. I know you’re leaving tomorrow, but I could use some backup.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Millie?”

“She drove back to Orlando to deal with some things and finish packing.”

“This won’t mess with your flight?”

“Jack. You and Tess are my family. Los Angeles can wait. I’m on my way.”

I put my phone on the seat of my truck and the sapphire inside a small, velvet-lined wooden box in my glove compartment. Then I shifted to tiger and prowled the borders of my territory.

The territory that an enemy had breached today.

Never again.