Chapter Twenty

Joe was alone in the temporary sheriff’s office when the call came in. The chat with Maggie had been helpful to a point. Apparently, a group of young ladies used a house just outside of town limits on the main road to Jackson. A house Harold used to finance with city funds. There was a good chance the house could be empty, especially if it’d been months since someone paid the bills. But a quick chat with Darwin who was working over at Cam’s suggested the girls were more likely to have found another sugar daddy than leave a perfectly good house. Liam had gone with Rocky and Mal to scope it out. It sounded like a perfect hideout for Myron and as Rocky was on the verge of killing Al and Wall, Mal thought an outing would do him good. In the meantime, Joe was going over house records for all the residents in the area, trying to think of other people Al and Wall used to knock about with when they were younger. He could have gone with them, but Doc would be expecting him home for dinner and he didn’t want to be late.

“Sheriff’s office, Deputy Joe speaking,” he said as he put the phone to his ear.

“Deputy Joe, thank goodness you’re there.” Joe recognized the voice. It was Andy, his closest neighbor. “I went over to your house today to see if you had a chainsaw I could borrow. There’s no easy way to say this. Your house looks trashed. I think you need to get over there.”

“Did you see anyone? Touch anything? You didn’t go inside, did you?” Joe grabbed his keys.

“I’ve watched enough cop shows to know I shouldn’t do any of that,” Andy said firmly. “I’m only sorry I didn’t hear the assholes who did this.”

Refusing to start worrying about what “this” was until he could see for himself, Joe thanked Andy and told him he’d be out there as quick as he could. Hanging up the phone, he debated for all of two seconds. Liam and the others could be gone for hours yet, depending on what they found. Doc was expecting him home any minute. I’ll just stop in for a quick minute and warn him I might be late, then head out there.

Hurrying out of the mayor’s office, he barely stopped to smile or nod at people saying hello, his mind wondering just how bad the damage to his little house was. Fortunately, no one was in Doc’s waiting room and the treatment room door was open.

“Joe, you’re a wee bit early, but I’m happy to lock the door if you’re home for the evening.” Doc’s smile settled something deep inside Joe’s heart and made his cock perk up, but he had to stay focused on getting out to his house.

“I’m really sorry but I have to go out and I don’t know how long I will be,” he said quickly. “Andy, my neighbor called. It could be a break-in, vandalism, I don’t know, but it’s my house. Someone’s trashed my house.”

“I’m coming with you,” Doc said, standing and pulling off his white coat. “Come on, we can talk on the way.”

“But….” Joe bit his lip just in time. Doc was his mate. Pregnant or not, the house was now theirs under shifter law and his mate was more than capable of looking after himself. He let out a long breath. “Thank you.”

“Thank you, babe. I know that wasn’t easy for you,” Doc whispered as he stepped into Joe’s personal space. “Remember, whatever it is, we can fix it.”

Joe nodded mutely, following his mate out and around to the carpark. It seemed they were taking Doc’s car and Joe really didn’t mind because he wasn’t sure he could drive safely. I’m a professional. This is my job. But the words brought him cold comfort. He couldn’t dismiss the fact that someone, most likely a member of his family, was trying to kill him and it was most likely them who’d targeted where he lived.

The trip was silent, but Joe couldn’t hold in his gasp of dismay as Doc pulled the car up in front of the place he’d called home for so long. The wooden exterior he’d lovingly sanded down and stained were covered in bright red painted words including “Die Traitor” and a number of graphic slurs used against gay men. None of the windows appeared broken, but the front door was hanging limply from one hinge.

“I’m going to shift and check around the outside,” Doc said grimly, pulling his shirt over his head. “I can pick up scents better that way.”

Joe nodded and got out of the car, his feeling of dread increasing as he climbed up the porch and peered through the smashed door. Scenting anything was impossible. The floor and walls were smeared with excrement. The stuffing from his couch spilled from jagged slashes in the covering and his television had a huge boot print in the middle of the shattered screen. Covering his nose with his arm, Joe stepped inside, quickly registering the smashed crockery on the kitchen floor and the mass of food that had been trampled into the hardwood.

There didn’t appear to be anyone left inside but Joe kept a wary ear out for strange noises as he walked silently through the mess. Pushing open the door to his bedroom, Joe’s heart almost stopped when he saw a man-sized lump on the ruined bed. Forgetting the stench, he hurried over, rolling the body so he could see the face. His Uncle Harold’s blank eyes stared back at him. Joe didn’t have to check his uncle’s pulse to know he was too late. The huge hole in his uncle’s forehead let him know it wasn’t an accident.

“A funny thing happens to people when they betray their family, Joe. Did you know that?” A huge figure stepped out from the adjoining bathroom, pointing a rifle straight at him. The resemblance to the man on the bed was unmistakable.

“Uncle Myron, I didn’t know you were in town.” Joe backed away from the bed, his hands raised. Stay outside, Doc, please stay outside. “What are you doing here?”

“I think it’s obvious, don’t you?” Myron came closer, his frame back lit by the setting sun in the window beyond. “I’m here to restore honor to our family name.”

Joe glanced at the dead body on the bed. “By killing them all?”

“Harold was a weak link – always had been.” Myron sneered at the body. “Far too busy getting his dick shined to make a difference in this town and now I hear he was going to go blabbing to the council, telling family secrets. Robert had more of the right idea, but then you killed him, didn’t you?”

“Only because he tried to kill me first.” Joe tried to edge closer to the door, but a wave of Myron’s rifle stopped him. “I still don’t understand. You don’t live in this town. You haven’t done for years. Why do you care what happens here?”

“You’ve definitely got the smarts, boy, I’ll give you that. Shame Al and Wall weren’t similarly blessed, but then they took after their mother’s side of the family.”

Joe pressed his lips firmly shut, his eyes looking for a means to escape. He could shift, but a rifle of that size was going to do damage no matter what form he was in. He really didn’t want Doc to have to pull bullets out of him again.

“Cat got your tongue?” Myron sneered. “Oh, I forgot, you didn’t mate a cat, did you? No, word around town is you hooked up with the local doctor. Now, why would you want to go and do something like that? There’s some nice ladies in this town. I’ve seen them.”

When? Where? But Joe didn’t ask those questions. Instead, he said, “I thought shifter towns were beneath you. You’ve always preferred living and running your business in human towns like Jackson. Wall and Al used to boast you’ve got contacts as far away as New York.”

“You’re right, boy, you’re so right. Humans are so much more fun to play with. They can’t scent a lie, they quake when anyone shows a flash of fur. It’s ludicrous how quickly they bow to my commands.”

“That wouldn’t happen here.” Joe thought fast. He needed to catch Myron off guard if he was going to get the gun away from him. “Why are you so hell bent on having the Quincy’s rule this town again? Harold and Robert never did anything for you. They were too selfish, looking out for themselves.”

“True. True. You make a lot of sense.” Joe tensed as Myron reached inside his leather jacket and pulled out a cigar and a lighter. Holding the rifle loosely in one hand, he stuck the end of the cigar in his mouth and lit it before returning the lighter to his pocket.

“The thing you never understood, boy, is there’s honor among the criminal element, even in thugs like me. Harold and Robert might have been weak, but they were useful contacts to have. Harold had access to unlimited funds and resources in his position as mayor and was never capable of saying no to me. Robert was useful in wiping clean any little issues me and my friends might have had with the law. He always demanded payment, but then he never knew I was getting the money from Harold in the first place. The only question you have to answer, is are you going to be as useful, or do I have to dispose of you too?”

“What happened to Hargraves?” Joe was playing for time. Hopefully Doc realized they weren’t alone and had called for help. Myron seemed perfectly relaxed, puffing on his hand rolled cigar, but Joe wasn’t stupid. That situation could change in the length of time it took to pull the trigger.

“Hargraves, Hargraves.” Myron took another drag on his cigar. “Oh, you mean that human lawyer? Yes, well, I couldn’t allow him to spill his guts to the shifter council, could I? That boy would do anything for a roll of quarters, but he had no luck at all when it came to picking winning horses. He’s another useful contact to have when it comes to getting charges squashed with human law enforcement.”

“He owes you, in other words. Why didn’t you just kill him and leave him with the dead council guard, if he knew too much? Why bother going to the trouble of springing him out of jail before your men blew it up?”

Myron laughed, causing a plume of cigar smoke to erupt from his mouth. “Always loyal to your position, boy. Trying to get a confession out of me?”

“I don’t need you to confess,” Joe said with more confidence than he felt. His animal was angry and wanted out and he was worried sick about where Doc had gone. Every second the standoff continued, Doc was in danger. “Wall and Al spilled their guts to the sheriff and the council guard, blaming you for everything. Maybe you should have taken them out instead.”

“Those ungrateful shits!” Myron threw his cigar on Joe’s gleaming floor and stamped on it. “And people wonder why I have to go around killing my fucking family members. Doesn’t anyone understand the rules about keeping their fat traps shut anymore?”

“They were saving their own useless hides,” Joe spat back. “That’s all anyone seems to care about in the Quincy herd. They want to do what they like, when they like, ruin lives for other people, cause havoc wherever they go and then they start crying for their momma the moment the law catches them. If you’d all had an ounce of decency and worked hard and kept on the right side of the law, none of this shit would have happened.”

“Well, well, well. Look who’s developed a backbone at last.” Myron laughed. “Maybe mating the Doc was just what you needed to remove that stick from out of your ass.”

“Don’t you mention my mate’s name.” Joe’s fingers curled into fists and his shoulder’s shook. “My mate has got more decency in his whole body than you have in your trigger finger. That gun you’re pointing at me just about sizes you up, doesn’t it? You never want to get your hands messy, always sending in someone else to do your dirty work for you. You couldn’t take me in a fair fight in either form. No. You stand there behind your gun and think it makes you a big man. That is not the shifter way.” Joe laughed harshly. “But then when was the last time you let your animal run free. You think being a buffalo is beneath you, too.”

“Now look here, boy.” The finger on the rifle trigger tightened as Myron snarled. “I admire spunk the same as the next man, but you don’t know anything about me so keep your big mouth shut.”

“Or what? You’re already planning to shoot me.” Joe didn’t know where his recklessness was coming from, but from the moment Myron mentioned Doc he realized he had to keep his mate safe, even if that meant his death. “I can imagine the crime scene now. Harold dead on my bed. Me dead on the floor, the rifle you’re holding, left in my hand to implicate me. You’ve been hanging around humans too long. You must think shifters are stupid. Your scent is in this room. Your damn scent is probably on Harold’s body. The new sheriff isn’t a buffalo, he’s an alpha wolf shifter. You think he’s not going to know you were here?”

A flicker of uncertainty crossed Myron’s face. Unfortunately, it didn’t last. “I’ll be long gone before they get here.”

“And how do you propose to get out of here, Myron? Fly? You or your men might have smeared my house with someone else’s shit, but your scent still lingers, and you will be found.” Joe let his anger and worry fuel his strength. “You’ve not lived in this town for decades. I’ve been here my whole life. My neighbor, who called me out here because he saw the damage to my house, will have already told a dozen other people what’s been going on. People care about me in this town – the one thing you’ve never thought to cultivate. Relationships, Myron. Decent, caring, loving relationships. And because those people care about me, they will track your ass down, no matter how long it takes.”

As if to punctuate Joe’s statement, they both heard the sounds of footsteps on the porch. “How many people are you going to kill to save your worthless ass, Myron?” Please don’t be Doc, Please. “Are you going to kill the whole town just so you can get away?”

Joe took a step closer to Myron as they both heard a loud thump and the scrabble of claws on the outside wall. “Have you got people who care about you? Because I have. My mate will be first in line, hunting you down, but there are so many more of us – more than your mind could comprehend. Do you remember Mrs. Hooper from the store – the Texas Longhorn? Have you seen the size of her sons lately? They grew up into fine strong lads. Did you know two of Trent’s brothers work for the council guards now and they’re in town?”

Myron gulped and a faint sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.

“But that’s not all we’ve got in town. You won’t have met the newcomers. Someone might have told you our new Mayor is a tiger, but did they tell you how big he is in his shifted form? And he brought some wonderful friends with him when they moved into town. Simon the lawyer who shares his animal spirit with a big-assed snake, Brutus the bear. Oh, did you know the other Sheriff deputy is an alpha lion shifter? He and his twin brother both care about what happens to me. Are you seeing a trend here?”

Myron started backing up and he carefully rested the rifle against the bed. “Look, I’ve done nothing to any of these people,” he said as he straightened up. “They’ve got no cause to come after me. Harold was banished from here. The town should be thanking me for killing him.”

“But it wasn’t him you were after, was it?” Joe caught a flicker of something moving in the bathroom and held his position. “You wanted to kill me. You trashed my house, you were the reason the sheriff’s office is sharing the mayor’s building. And why? Because of family loyalty? The Quincy’s never had any loyalty to each other. You just got pissed off because I made something of myself and the rest of you didn’t.”

“Look, Joe,” Myron spread his hands wide as he backed up a bit more. “I’m sure we can come to some agreement. I was a bit pissed off when the Quincy’s were kicked out of town, I’ll admit it. But I’ll pay for your house. Damn it, I’ll build you a whole brand new one, big enough for you and your mate to share. I’ll even pay to have the sheriff’s offices rebuilt – more modern and bigger than they ever were before. Just get me safe passage out of here. I’ll do anything you want.”

“I want you to stop moving.”

“Stop moving? Why?”

“Because you’re about to stand on my mate’s tail.”

“Your mate?” Myron turned. “Holy fuck, NO!”

Joe wasn’t ashamed to say he looked away. Buffaloes were herbivores as a rule. And Doc had every reason to be upset.  Leaving a dead guy on his bed was cock-block material. Besides, his mate was pregnant. He was probably hormonal. Joe leaned on the door frame, eyeing the ceiling while he waited for the screams and sounds of teeth crunching bones to die down.

“Everything okay in here?” Rocky stuck his head around the door. “Someone’s made one hell of a mess of your house.”

“Yeah. It’s worse in here.” Joe waved at Harold’s body, trying not to look at the blood smeared on the door into the bathroom.

“That freaking mate of yours is amazing, man.” Rocky surveyed the carnage with a bright smile on his face. “I do wish he’d let me deputize him.”

“He’ll be busy for a few months. He’s pregnant.”

“Wow, congratulations, dude.” Rocky slapped Joe on the back hard enough to hurt. “Nice to know that monster between your legs actually works properly.”

Joe’s cheeks immediately heated. “It’s not the sort of thing you’re supposed to notice.”

“Not notice?” Rocky rolled over with laughter. “Man, you can see what you’ve got hanging between your legs from space.”

A low growl sounded from the corner of the room and all eyes moved in that direction. The Komodo dragon had a piece of gristle hanging from his bloodied jaws and his teeth were bared.

“Yeah, I saw nothing,” Rocky said, shaking his head. “Nothing at all. Never seen your mate naked ever, Doc, and never will. Will avert my eyes if he ever shifts in front of me again and….”

“Shut up, Rocky,” Mal said fondly coming into the room. “I do have one question, changing the subject completely. How did Doc get in through the bathroom window in his shifted form? I know that’s how he got in because there’re huge claw marks gouging the exterior wood paneling. But I thought Komodo’s couldn’t climb.”

“I guess my mate didn’t want to see me wearing bullets again.” Rolling his shoulders, Joe relaxed and cricked his neck before opening his arms in the Komodo’s direction. “Come here, babe. You’ve got stuff caught in your teeth and I doubt I’ve got enough dental floss to cope.”

Joe didn’t understand why Rocky and Mal thought that was funny. It was true. He was fresh out of dental floss.