Page 14

twelve

To test the length of my invisible leash, I loaned Sloane a set of my scrubs then I dressed for work like this was any other day. I expected to be met at the door with an escort, maybe by Rían himself, but no one was there. Not as far as I could tell, anyway.

Aside from the magnolia leaves tumbling down the sidewalk, there was no movement on the street.

Where had the kids gone? To school? Or had Rían sent them on their way to give me privacy?

“This is weird, right?” I might have backed into the house if I hadn’t bumped into Sloane. “It’s so…calm.”

For a town held hostage under shifter occupation, I would expect more sentinels and more…just… more .

Unless, and I was just spitballing here, the only people left in Brentwood were the shifters. Had that many humans taken the bribe to get out of town for a few days until the Walshes settled in? It would certainly explain how chill Rían had been about the line of kids itching to see a wolf shifter.

“Brentwood is always calm,” she countered, “but it’s not usually cut off from the outside world either.”

At the end of my walkway, when no one appeared, I hovered a leg above the sidewalk. “Here we go.”

Slowly, I stepped foot off the property, expecting an alarm to blare or sirens to wail.

“Huh.” I anchored my fists on my hips. “That was anticlimactic.”

“What did you expect to happen?” She crossed the invisible line without blinking. “That you would step on a pile of leaves, a cleverly hidden rope would haul you upside down, and you would dangle from the tree until someone came to cut you free?”

“How should I know?” I spread my hands in a helpless gesture. “This is my first time being kidnapped.”

“Rían isn’t a cartoon villain.” She nudged me ahead of her. “I think you’re safe from ACME props.”

“Safe isn’t a word I would use lightly at the moment.”

Though, oddly enough, I was coping well with being cut off from my dad and my pack.

Had I been a wolf, able to manifest a pack bond, I might have struggled when that link winked out. But I wasn’t, and I hadn’t, and I was fine. Even Sloane had only popped a few ibuprofen to take the edge off her headache.

“Looks like we’re open for business.” Sloane tipped her head to one side. “The lights are already on.”

“The window has been fixed.” I rushed to inspect it. “I haven’t even filed a claim yet.”

“You can thank Rían for that,” a soft voice drifted from the side yard. “He replaced it himself.”

“Any idea who broke it?” Sloane scanned the landscaping for the rock, which had been returned to its spot, as one of the women from last night came into view. “Our side or yours?”

The dividing line her words had drawn caused the woman to clam up tighter than a dog after hearing drop it .

“Oh. Hey.” I crossed to the chain link fence. “We met last night.” I trawled my memory. “Jessica?”

“Close.” A hesitant smile spread across her face. “Jess.”

The name clicked the rest into place. “You’re the vet tech.”

“I am.” Pink stained her cheeks. “I hope it’s okay I’m here.” Her chin drooped to bump her chest. “I know you said for one night, last night, but it’s not like I’ve got anywhere to be.”

“You’re trapped too,” I realized, kicking myself for not considering how this impacted everyone else.

“No.” Her head jerked up, and her eyes sprang wide. “I’m not—” She tugged on her collar. “I mean that I don’t have a job lined up in Brentwood yet, and my stuff hasn’t arrived for my new apartment. I still had the keys to GSG, so I thought I would make myself useful.”

“You’re moving here?”

“Yeah.” A hint of pride warmed her voice. “Rían requested me specifically.”

“He uprooted you from your life…” I mentally swatted the buzzing in my head, “…for me ?”

“Yes?” She shrank back. “I thought you knew?”

The urge to touch her hand, just a brief reassurance, the way shifters soothed one another, floored me.

I hadn’t experienced that tug in my gut in…

I wasn’t sure I ever had. I learned to avoid my peers so young, I hadn’t adopted those animalistic bonding habits.

Without a wolf craving reaffirmation from packmates, I hadn’t sought that comfort for myself either.

Except for the occasional baking spree to force proximity, I had learned to do without it.

For it to sneak up was unsettling, and I curled my fingers into my palm to keep my hands to myself.

A stranger would be even more put off than my own pack if I touched her.

“I didn’t know,” I said, gentling my tone, “but thanks for telling me.”

“You’re welcome?”

Sloane elbowed me in the ribs, her eyebrows winging higher, but her facial gymnastics confused me.

“I appreciate you coming in, Jess.” I looked at Sloane to see if I guessed right.

“Yesterday was chaotic. I’m glad someone with your background was here in case the animals reacted badly to the scents of new predators in their midst. They’re used to wolves, well, me , but you can’t predict how even small changes in their environment will affect them when they’re already in a foreign place. ”

“Yes,” she gusted out, relief sagging her frame.

“I’m going to do my morning walk-through.” I backed up a step. “See you in there.”

“Um, Ana?” She worried the edge of her thumbnail. “I think I maybe heard a Sartori sentinel threw the rock and broke the window. Her blood was on it when Rían returned it to the yard. She must have cut herself on its edge.”

As soon as she resumed her duties, whatever task she had assigned herself, I exhaled through my teeth.

“Do you think Zoe did it?” I would have laughed at the notion yesterday, but today I was feeling more open-minded, and Sloane had scented her blood on the projectile. “Threw the rock and cut herself in the process?”

“Or cut herself on purpose to cover her tracks.”

“And give her a reason to call Dad, who sent Mercer, yanking me out of town in the nick of time.” Under the cover of three strikes, you’re out , I was safely hustled onto Sartori territory and away from the danger the pack helped manufacture. “This is all so messed up, and now Jess…”

“What’s wrong?” Sloane cocked her head, wolflike, studying me. “You don’t want her here?”

“Rían uprooted these people for my benefit. Like I’m a sure thing.”

A snort ripped out of her, and she slapped a hand over her face. “Pollen allergy.”

“Liar.” I pivoted toward the front door. “But seriously.”

“Are we to the point in our friendship where I can tease you about sex?”

“You’re the only friend I’ve got,” I said baldly, “so I would say yes.”

“Just checking.” She bounded next to me. “I’m your friend .”

“We just established that, yes.” Wariness prickled my nape. “What am I missing?”

“I’m your best friend.”

“You’re my only friend.” I relaxed as a silly grin swept over her face. “So, yes?”

“Cool. Cool.” She quit bouncing like an excited puppy. “It’s just that I’ve never had a best friend.”

“Me neither.” That same stupid urge struck me, and I flung myself at her. “Thank you.”

“Oof.”

Mortification stung my cheeks, and I leapt back, hands in the air. “I am so sorry.”

“Never apologize for hugs.” She slung her arms around me, locking me against her. “Bestie.”

Tears pricked my eyes, blurring everything, and I wanted to believe this was real so badly.

But the wounded parts of me whispered Sloane was only being nice because it was her job. That she had followed me out of a sense of duty to my father. That she didn’t care one way or another about me.

Fear that she would exploit this weakness of mine, this miserable loneliness, left me tasting bile.

But even if this was pretend, Sloane was putting more effort in than anyone else ever had.

She would deserve a promotion, and maybe an Oscar.

Before my glum outlook spoiled our moment, Sloane started jumping and whooping and spinning us.

I let it happen to me, unsure if I wanted to join in, but the impact must have shaken those grim thoughts out of my head. The next thing I knew, we were crashing into the side of the house. We bounced off, not letting go, giggling like children.

From the sidewalk, a woman called, “Is this a team building exercise?”

The woman beside her grinned at us. “Or a best friend mosh pit?”

Sloane and I broke apart, my brain still bouncing in my skull, and I almost face-planted in front of the newcomers.

“The second one,” Sloane told them, giddy from the fun. “Rochele and Mindy, right?”

“The dog trainers,” I supplied, impressed I remembered them too. “What brings you by this morning?”

“We’re in a group chat with Jess. She mentioned volunteering here today, and we thought we would ask if we could pitch in too.

” Mindy linked her hands behind her back.

“We’re all waiting on furniture, so our apartments are white walls and blow-up mattresses.

Frankly, it’s depressing. Very mental institution. ”

“Mindy.” Rochele kicked her in the ankle. “What she means is, we could use the fresh air.”

The word volunteering stuck between my teeth like a bite of tough steak.

It smacked of charity, and having been called a charity case one too many times, usually when a boy was involved, it was triggering.

“That would be great.” Sloane pinched the back of my arm. “Go on in.”

As soon as they entered GSG, she tugged me back around to the side fence. She whistled loud enough to wake the dead then waved Jess over when she popped her head out of the run she had been cleaning.

“Follow my lead,” she whispered to me. “Hey, Jess, can you hold down the fort for a little bit?”

“Oh.” Her shoulders bowed inward until I worried they would meet in the middle. “Sure.”

“Mindy and Rochele are here.” I noticed the skin tightening around her eyes. “Can you manage them?”

That same urge to comfort her itched the skin of my palm, but I balled my hands into fists at my sides.

“Me?” She whipped her head toward the door. “I can try?”

The way her sentences all tipped up at the end toward a question reminded me so much of Sloane when she worked in the kennel and lost the self-confidence she wore as a sentinel. And, it seemed, as a friend.

“Here.” I thumbed one of the business cards I was never without, wrote my number on it, then groaned. “I was going to say you could call if you run into any problems, but I forgot phones aren’t working.”

“Can I still have it?” Had it been dipped in gold, she couldn’t have coveted it more. “For later?”

“Yeah.” I handed it over. “Of course.”

“We’re going to visit Fayne,” Sloane told her, which was news to me. “We’ll be back soon.”

With a dip of her chin, Jess returned to cleaning the runs, and I let Sloane haul me onto the sidewalk.

Curious what had lit a fire under her, I stumbled after her. “Are you going to let me in on the plan?”

“You want answers, and Fayne’s got them.”

“I’m not sure I’m comfortable leaving three strangers unsupervised with my animals.”

“They’re qualified, and we won’t be gone long. Besides, Rían has gone through too much trouble to get this chance with you to let anyone in his clan ruin it for him.”

“You just had to mention the R word.” I exhaled slowly. “We don’t even know where to find Fayne.”

“I can help with that.”

A low groan poured out of me, and I glanced over my shoulder to find Rían jogging to catch up to us.

“Are you stalking me?” I linked arms with Sloane like he might snatch me off the street and toss me into an idling black van. “And who said you could listen in on our conversation?”

“Stalking implies malicious intent,” he said, which wasn’t an answer.

“What are your intentions?”

“To get to know you.” He fell in step with me. “To let you get to know me.”

“And you think following her,” Sloane said, “eavesdropping on private conversations is the way to go?”

“I just left the clinic.” He lifted a clear plastic bag holding three orange prescription bottles.

“I was on my way to see Fayne when I spotted Ana and came to say hello.” He flicked his ear.

“I can’t help my hearing, but I shouldn’t have invited myself into your conversation. I’m sorry if you’re feeling…”

Unable to resist the opening, I supplied, “Stalked?”

“Fine. Yes. I’m an evil stalker who stalks beautiful women. Happy?”

“Not really, no.” I stared up and up at him. “No one feels good about learning their kidnapper is evil.”

“Or that he’ll go after any beautiful woman,” Sloane added, a smile threatening to overtake her.

“I knew I was rusty with the whole flirting thing, but I’m embarrassing myself here.” He pointed to a blue cottage on the corner, one with a carpet of wildflowers instead of the usual manicured lawn. “You’ll find Fayne there.” He offered me the bag. “Would you mind bringing this to her?”

Our fingers brushed, and a tingle I blamed on static electricity shot down my arm. “You’re not coming?”

“I’ve intruded on your morning enough.” He stared where our skin touched. “See you later, maybe?”

“Yeah.” I broke contact first, almost dropping the pills in the process. “Maybe.”

Walking backward, he grinned at me, his peculiar eyes almost glowing.

A tug on my arm got me moving again, and Sloane and I went to visit Fayne.

And hopefully get answers.