Chapter Four
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Connor was in a foul mood this morning. Not only had sleeping on a too-short sofa at the guesthouse put him in a foul mood, his wolf was panting, wanting to be near EmmaLee. Hell, he wanted to be near her too, but he had work to do. Knowing she would be safe should have helped him get back into the flow of things, but so far it hadn’t. Nothing short of mating with her would, and neither of them was ready for that.
Although his wolf and his cock would argue that fact, Connor had to control those emotions. Everything about her drew him in. She was smart, caring, honest, and that damn body of hers called to him. Cripes, if he didn’t get a grip, he would probably jump her at the first available opportunity. EmmaLee was torture on his libido.
He adjusted the hard-on in his jeans. Fabulous. By the end of the day my dick will look like I had a zipper tattooed onto it.
Before he’d even booted up his computer to begin work, a knock sounded on his office door, and Sam Pompley strolled in. “Hey, I heard you were back. How did things go?”
Connor looked up from his laptop. “We came back into town yesterday, and EmmaLee is settled in at my parents’ guesthouse. Of course, she balked at first about leaving Billard, but eventually she saw things my way.”
Sam laughed. “I’m anxious to meet her. She sounds a lot like Lexi—stubborn to a fault.”
“EmmaLee’s definitely an interesting woman, I’ll hand you that. I think she and Lexi will get along quite well.”
Sam nodded and then frowned. “Any leads on this Slater asshole?”
“Not yet. To be honest, I really don’t have the time or desire to chase all over the country looking for him. I’d say good riddance, but I couldn’t live with myself if I let my guard down and he came after EmmaLee. I have to make sure she stays safe.”
“Makes sense. What do you think of using Ronan?”
“Ronan?” Even though he was Sam’s mate’s brother, he lived in Vermont, not Tennessee.
“Why not? He’s a shifter bounty hunter. Being an independent contractor, he chooses his own clients and works where and when he wants.”
That made sense. “With Devon running the office in Pittsburg and not wanting to be away from Vinea for long stretches, Ronan would be a welcome addition. I’ll speak with Lexi to see whether she thinks he might help. Hopefully, he has the time and desire to lend a hand.”
Sam slipped down onto the chair across from him. “Do we know if Slater is a shifter? It might help us decide how to approach him.”
“Devon told me Vinea recognized a shifter scent from Slater when he was with EmmaLee.”
“EmmaLee doesn’t know?”
“No, and I didn’t let on. Strangely, Vinea didn’t say whether he was a bear, wolf, or tiger.”
“Didn’t say or wouldn’t say?”
Sam would always be leery of her. “I don’t know.” He stretched out his legs, looking like he had a lot to discuss. “I find it odd that Slater never revealed his shifter status to EmmaLee given she researches the paranormal.”
“He might have known what she researched, but maybe he didn’t trust her enough to let on he had an animal side. EmmaLee told me that she never told Slater that Vinea was a goddess either. Apparently, they both were good at keeping a secret.”
“Listen, if you want me to look into this guy I will.”
“I’ll let you know how you can help once I figure it out myself,” Connor said.
Sam nodded as he got up. “Sounds good. You know where to find me.”
As soon as Sam left, Connor’s dad’s words came back to him about needing to know EmmaLee better. Not that she was close-mouthed, but the few times he’d asked about her parents, all she’d said was that they were dead.
While Jackson was the best researcher of the bunch and could probably learn everything about her youth in a few hours, Connor needed to do the digging himself. If he could keep her past just between the two of them, all the better.
He had two main questions he wanted answers to. One was why would a beautiful, smart, charming woman end up in an abusive relationship? From experience, he’d learned that it often occurred as a result of previous abuse or a troubled childhood, and the mere thought had acid burning in his gut. If her father or some authority figure beat her self-confidence down, she would be headed for heartache.
The second question, and perhaps the more important of the two was, why was she so intent on researching dragon shifters? This was more than just hanging on to some childhood fascination, and he didn’t think it stemmed from her reading a lot of romance novels that glorified the mythical creatures. No, this came from something deeper. But what?
She had revealed that she’d grown up in a small rural town south of Athens, Georgia called Dunlap Gorge. There might be something in that town or in their newspaper archives that would give him a clue.
Starting with something easy, he pulled up the property appraiser’s site and found the location of the Donovan’s home on River Bend Road. It had been purchased in the eighties for fifty thousand dollars. After checking whether the taxes had been paid, he found out they had been in arrears. The property then went into foreclosure, and the land sold, implying the house was no longer standing. With her roots gone, it was no wonder EmmaLee had moved away.
Before he let his emotions get the best of him, he located the local newspaper and searched information from fourteen years ago. It took him nearly three hours before he found what he was looking for. The headlines showed the Donovan’s home engulfed in flames. The article said the burn appeared to be arson. The parents, both of whom worked at the nearby university, were survived by their twelve-year old daughter EmmaLee, Mr. Donovan’s brother Robert, and his wife Kathy. Had she gone into foster care or had her aunt and uncle taken her in? He definitely needed to find that out.
Closing the lid to his computer, Connor leaned back and closed his eyes, almost feeling the heat of the fire and the pain it had caused. Before the fire, he wondered if she’d had a happy childhood or had it been bleak?
He sighed. There would be records from the Department of Children and Family Services placing her in someone’s care. While Connor had some talent when it came to research, he didn’t like to break any laws since he was a by-the-book type of guy. Jackson, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have a problem with it. That meant it was time to ask for his help.
Connor knocked then entered Jackson’s office. “Got a minute?”
“Sure. Welcome back, by the way.” Jackson dragged a gaze down Connor’s face. “What happened to you? You look like shit. Didn’t you sleep in the last couple of weeks?” He smiled. “It’s EmmaLee, isn’t it? She kept you up all night.” Jackson wiggled his eyebrows at him.
Damn him. “No jackass. Get your mind out of the gutter. We drove here yesterday, and the traffic made it stressful.” A total lie, but he wasn’t going to explain that EmmaLee was his mate. It didn’t matter that Jackson was his best friend.
“Uh, huh. What can I do for you?”
“I’m trying to find Slater Coghill, the man who attacked EmmaLee. I thought that if I learned a bit more about her, it might lead me to him.”
Jackson grinned. “You do realize that you suck at lying.”
His pulse sped up. Was nothing sacred in this world? He refused to give in. “Hey, I am merely curious about EmmaLee, that’s all. I need to figure out what questions to ask her in regards to Slater.”
“What do you need?’
“Can you find out who took care of her after her parents died?” Connor told him what little he knew.
“Sure, but why not just ask EmmaLee?”
“She clammed up when I tried to discuss her past. It makes sense since they died when she was twelve. I don’t think anyone can get over something like that.”
Jackson sobered. “That’s tough. I’ll dig deep and see what I come up with. You want to know the good and the bad?”
There would be no bad. “Yes. As long as you’re investigating her, maybe you can see where Slater Coghill fits into her life.”
“Tell me about him.”
Connor filled him on what EmmaLee had said.
“I’ll try. Could you ask her if she has one of Coghill’s credit card receipts? If she does, I might be able to figure out where he’s been recently.”
“I can ask, but I’m not expecting she will. Why would she bring something like that from Georgia?” A few days ago, he’d thought about asking her to search Slater’s apartment, but he didn’t want to put her in that kind of danger or bring up bad memories.
“She could have shoved it into her purse and forgotten about it.”
“It’s possible,” Connor said.
“If you need help with this case, why not ask Ronan to lend a hand? I heard he can track anyone. With Devon staying put in Pittsburgh, we could use another investigator.” In the past, his brother dropped in at a moment’s notice. Now that Vinea was pregnant, he’d requested that he stay put, and Connor couldn’t deny him. His mate had to come first.
“Sam suggested that too.”
“Let me know what he says.”
Connor returned to his office. Wanting to be prepared if Ronan hesitated, he pulled up a fresh word document and then listed the reasons why Ronan should come down and help.
Next, he jotted down a few questions he had for Ronan. Connor was interested in knowing how Ronan believed he could help him capture Slater Coghill. Lexi always bragged a lot about her brother, but it would be nice to hear from the man himself about his accomplishments.
Lastly, Connor listed everything he knew about EmmaLee’s attacker. The bounty hunter would need something to go on.
With that chore done, it was time to check in with the Billard police. He usually called every few days and spoke to Officer Terrance Waters, the man in charge of the case. He wanted to stay on top of any progress they might be making on their end in locating Coghill.
“Officer Waters, how may I help you?”
“This is Connor McKinnon.”
“Oh, yes, Mr. McKinnon. Before you ask, we’re doing everything we can to find this man Slater Coghill. Unfortunately, we’ve had no more leads than the last time we spoke.”
As much as Connor wanted to rant and rave, it wouldn’t do any good. “I appreciate your effort. You have my number if you do learn something.”
“Rest assured, you’ll be the first person we call.”
Connor hung up, disgusted by the lack of progress. Clearly, he had to find EmmaLee’s attacker on his own. Her face appeared in his mind’s eye—not the beautiful one it was now, but the one with the split lip and black eye. He squeezed his eyes tight, willing away the horrible image. In its place, a picture of Caroline Andrews appeared. A tic formed around his eye. If only he hadn’t left her that day, she might still be alive.
This is why you need to be near EmmaLee. Go see her, his wolf urged.
He understood what that horny animal wanted—sex with EmmaLee.
Connor couldn’t let his wolf distract him. Right now, Connor needed to tend to business. His two-week departure had put a strain on his short-handed team.
Before he could return to the task at hand, Jackson’s dad, Daniel, stepped into his office. “Heard you were back and might need help with a case.” Either Jackson had spoken with him, or Connor’s father had filled him in.
At his age, Daniel didn’t need to be out chasing down a bad shifter. Coghill was a dangerous man. “Thanks. Maybe you can give Jackson a hand. He’s doing some research on EmmaLee’s case.”
“I’ll ask my son what he needs help with then. Glad to have you back.”
“Glad to be back.” Daniel would be discrete if he found information on EmmaLee. Even though his dad and Jackson’s father had turned over the running of the firm to him, they still owned the company. “Before you leave, let me ask you something.” Connor explained his plan to ask Lexi’s brother to help with the Slater Coghill case. “If he works out, what do you think of asking him to join the firm? Having a talented bounty hunter would be an asset.”
Daniel asked a few questions, and Connor had to dig deep into his memory to recall what Lexi had said about Ronan.
If you mate with EmmaLee, the release will help you focus better, his wolf said.
No, it won’t. Christ, his wolf needed to quit panting about mating and go lay down. Horny bastard.
“Sounds like a plan. Let me know what you think of him,” Daniel said.
As soon as Daniel left, Connor went in search of Lexi. Head down, she was working away on her computer, filling in data in one of her color-coded spreadsheets.
She looked up and smiled. “Hey there. What can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if Ronan might be free to give us a hand on the case that involves EmmaLee, the woman I was protecting in Georgia.”
“He’s a bounty hunter, not a bodyguard.”
Connor would never ask an unmated male to watch EmmaLee, mostly because she had no idea they were fated mates. He couldn’t afford for her to fall for another man now. “I need him to look for the man who wants to harm her. There’s a bounty on his head.”
Her eyes brightened. “Oh. That’s right up his alley, but my brother lives in Vermont. It might be hard to convince him to take a case down here.”
“I’d like to give him a call anyway. I figure he might like the change in scenery. After all, it’s warmer here than in Vermont this time of year.”
“Don’t I know it?” Lexi wrote down her brother’s number. “Try to convince him to at least visit. I’d love to see him. It’s been too long.”
“I’ll do my best.” Once back in his office, Connor made the call.
“Yeah?” Ronan said with a hard edge to his voice.
Given the road noise in the background, he was in his vehicle. “Ronan Laramie?”
“Yup.”
While Ronan didn’t seem to be much for formalities, Connor liked him. “This is Connor McKinnon. Your sister works for my firm.”
“Oh, sorry, man. I didn’t look at the screen when I answered. I thought it was someone else.”
“No problem.” He told him about Slater Coghill and the woman this man might come after. “There’s a bounty on his head.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’m not sure where he is right now, but I was wondering if you could lend us a hand. You can have the whole bounty. I just want the creep caught.”
His horn blasted in the background. “Fuck you, man!” Ronan shouted a split second after someone’s tires squealed. “Sorry about that,” he said. “Some asshole just pulled onto the road without looking.”
“Nice to have those quick wolf reflexes, right?”
He chuckled. “Totally. Listen, I’m interested, but I’m in the middle of another case. As a matter of fact, I’m heading south now to locate this scum.”
Connor wasn’t sure what more to say since begging wasn’t his style. However, if Connor could lend support at his end, Ronan might find him faster and then be able to help him out. “Can I help you in any way? I realize you work alone, but McKinnon and Associates has a lot of resources.”
“You might be able to.”
“Tell me about this guy,” Connor said.
“Timothy Delahart is a real sleazebag. He’s into drugs, prostitution, you name it. I’ll send you all the info on this guy as soon as I stop. I really want to catch him. Once I do, I’m free to help. I’d love to catch up with Lexi too. I haven’t seen her since all that shit went down with our father trying to sell her.”
Connor still remembered that nightmare. The image of Lexi in her wolf form dumpster diving would forever be burned into his brain. “When do you think you could get here?”
“I’m halfway to Tennessee now. No promises, but if Delahart continues heading south, I’m thinking tomorrow afternoon at the latest. I should know more tonight.”
He gave Ronan directions. “Looking forward to meeting you.”
Once they disconnected, Connor leaned back in his seat, pleased he’d found help. A few seconds later, he realized that once they put Slater in jail, EmmaLee would want to go back to Georgia, and there was no way he could agree to that.