Dereck pulled his phone from his pants, his gaze following the prints in the snow grimly. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Jill, but this wasn’t normal behavior for a shifter.
He pressed the phone icon next to his dad's name and held it to his ear. After the second ring, he answered.
"Hey, son. Seems like we just left you. How are you feeling?"
"Great, dad, but I've got a problem."
Clyde’s tone deepened, heavy with concern. "What kind of problem?"
"You know how I told you I smelled bear the day I was shot?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I think the shifter connected to my shooting stayed in town and has been following Jill."
His dad paused for a beat of two. "What makes you think that?"
"Because he left her a dead rabbit on her back porch."
"Son of a bitch. Did he try to hurt her?"
"No, he hasn’t made any contact with her. She’s shaken up, but otherwise okay. Did Doc tell you anything about the other shifters that were killed? Any of them get little presents before they were shot and skinned."
"No. Plus, Jill doesn't fit with the killer's type."
"What do you mean?"
"All the shifters who disappeared were male."
Dereck realized once again how close he’d come to being a trophy rug for some sicko.
"So, this is something else."
"If I had to hazard a guess, yeah. Seems like this guy’s got his sights set on your girl."
Dereck didn't correct his dad that Jill wasn't his because, at that moment, she felt like his.
And he didn't like to share.
"That's what I was thinking, but I didn't want to tell her anything before I was sure."
"The fact this guy is hanging in the shadows watching her is creepy enough. Now he's leaving her kills. Sounds like he's got a twisted view of courtship."
Dereck agreed. "I'm going to have to find him. On top of his infatuation with Jill, he knows something about the shooter."
"You should call Ace Hannigan, and ask him to come up."
"I did, for Xander."
"Why for Xander?"
"Because it turns out Pax and his crew were hired by someone else to kill the Thorsons."
"Jesus, how did Xander find out?"
"Pax told Greer."
"Xander alright?"
"He's holding it together surprisingly well. Greer was afraid to tell him and have him take off looking for more vengeance."
"Can't say I blame her. Glad to hear he's willing to bring in Ace for help."
"Me too."
"You need me and your brothers to come back up there?"
"No, I'll handle this."
"If you need us, we'll be there. I can also call down to Blue Creek--"
"We can't call on the Wolfes every time we have trouble, dad. I've got this. Just wanted to rap it out."
"I'm here anytime. Take care of her. Keep her safe."
"Have you met Jill? She's capable of taking care of herself."
"That doesn't mean she doesn't need you." His father paused, and Dereck knew he was about to impart some words of wisdom. "I know you think your life will be better if you find a meek, low maintenance woman to settle down with. Hell, I thought the same thing. Then I met your mother and she was something. She'd challenge the biggest and baddest in the pack and even if she lost, she'd laugh it off. And she wanted me. Damn near hunted me down until I realized she was the one. Thirty years and five kids later, I'm still the luckiest man in the world because I listened to my heart instead of my head."
Dereck didn't want to argue with his father, so he simply said, "Thanks, dad. And I'm glad you're happy."
"You could be too, son. You need to stop being such a tight ass and take a leap of faith."
"I'll remember that."
"Take care."
"You too."
Dereck hung up the phone and headed back inside. He locked the glass door behind him and found Jill sitting on the couch with her mug of coffee in her hands.
"I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
"I'll take the good."
"Fine." He sat down next to her. "I am almost positive our bear friend likes you."
Jill blinked those big eyes. "That's a happy thing?"
"Yeah, because he probably doesn't mean to hurt you. Plus, all of the shifters killed have been male, so if he was the hunter, you wouldn't be his type."
"Okay, what is the bad news?"
"The fact he's not contacting you directly and is following you around, means he might not be playing with a full deck."
"In other words, I have an incredibly strong, possibly disturbed admirer who thinks dead rabbits are comparable to roses?"
"That's the gist of it."
"I would like to state for the record that I prefer flowers or even chocolate."
"Noted."
Jill tucked her hair back behind her ears with both hands. "So, what do I do? Try to draw him out?"
"What? No, you're going to stay with me so I can keep you safe."
"You already told me that I could take care of myself."
"I was just trying to make you feel better."
"God, you are an ass." She tried to stand up, but he took a hold of her wrist and pulled her back down.
"Jill, I was kidding. I do think you are capable." He cupped her face in his hand so she couldn't look away. "But that doesn't mean you can't use back up, right?"
"Are you trying to use my very reasonable argument from last night against me?"
"Yes. Is it working?"
"A little bit."
"Great." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Now, go pack a bag."