Bright sunshine and a cold breeze welcomed Izzy as she pushed through the sheriff’s office doors. Her head ached and her stomach rumbled despite the huge breakfast and recent snack. The alarm in the federal investigator’s eyes as he’d taken in her scrawny appearance convinced her that one more Boston cream wouldn’t hurt.
When she’d looked in the mirror this morning, even she thought she looked skeletal. Bess had too before she died. Thanks for that, Grandmother, you heartless bitch.
“Thank God that’s over,” Freddie said, clomping behind her on his crutches. “After-accident interviews suck.”
No doubt. Especially when you had to lie to the FBI and NTSB. Good thing Izzy had the convenient excuse of a concussion and shock to explain her “wandering off.” The still nasty wound on her forearm didn’t hurt her believability factor either.
“Did you have any problems?” Lena Wyland asked in a low voice as she pulled her keys from a pocket.
“Not really,” Izzy said. “Thanks for bringing us.”
Lena beamed. “Not a problem.”
It was so strange being around weres like this, letting them take you places, maybe even watch your back. Not that she was leaving all their protection to a werewolf. Before they left the house, she’d made sure she and Freddie were both armed—with silver ammo this time.
An electric shiver raced over Izzy’s body, leaving goose bumps. She turned to see Luke’s truck pull into the lot.
Freddie glowered at him when Luke joined them. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Luke ignored him and took her hand. “All right, sugar? You smell like grief.”
Damned bloodhound. “Yeah? What’s that smell like?” she asked. “A funeral parlor? Half-dead flowers and mothballs? Teen Spirit?”
Luke’s mouth twitched. “Grumpy, too, huh? Sounds like you need to relax. Let’s go home.”
Super. She loved the Dodds, but how many more lies would she have to tell today?
As if guessing her thoughts, Luke said, “Not to Rissa and Freddie’s. My home.”
Oh, hell no. Not a good idea. She already was far too aware of this werewolf. She needed distance, not—
Planting a crutch dangerously near Luke’s foot, Freddie said, “Remember what we talked about.”
The scowl on Luke’s face could curdle milk, but he gave her brother a stiff nod.
“What?” she asked.
Neither man answered, since they were too busy trying to outdo one another in a death stare contest.
Lena rolled her eyes. “Don’t bother, sweetie. There’s no cure for testosterone poisoning.” She flicked her son’s arm. “How’d it go at the morgue?”
Izzy tugged her hand from his grasp. Luke sighed. “Someone took the cougar’s body and left a gallon jug of citronella oil as a souvenir.”
Freddie swore.
“Pretty much,” Luke said. “Also, the missing mechanic from the Spokane airport was found murdered last night. And before he and his car were dumped in a lake, someone doused the inside with citronella.”
More swearing from Freddie.
Izzy had barely spoken to the mechanic, but that didn’t stop the wave of anger rising in her. “Someone’s playing with you guys.”
“I’m damn tired of the game.” After Luke scrubbed a hand through his messy hair, he asked, “Where are your parents?”
“Are they in danger?” Izzy asked, heart in her throat and the beast inside buzzing.
“No. I’m just being cautious.”
“They’re fine, Iz,” Freddie said. “Mom’s with Rissa, Marianne, and Daphne. And a few of the guys are taking Dad around to see some of the sights. They’re supposed to bring him to meet me at the airfield for a tour in”—he checked his watch—“about half an hour.”
“Okay, good,” Luke said. A maroon truck and sheriff’s department SUV pulled into the lot. He waved to the new arrivals, beckoning them over. “Mom, can you take Freddie? I—”
Luke’s gaze shot over her shoulder, to the station door, and he stiffened. The Native American sheriff, Vaughn Ellis, stood framed in the door talking to someone in the station that Izzy couldn’t see.
Dean, Rick, and another were walked up to their suddenly tense quartet. She wanted to get the hell out of there. Despite the winter chill, sweat dripped down her back. Her skin tightened and tingled like she’d gotten too close to a campfire. She needed to move.
“Isabelle.” Luke’s firm tone snapped her head up. Gold pulsed around his pupils and the itchy feeling under her skin subsided. “One more minute,” he murmured to her.
In a normal voice, he said, “Isabelle, this is Dev Crandall. He’s a helicopter pilot, too. He was the one who flew Freddie and Jenny Erlington out.” The male nodded but didn’t try to shake her hand.
“Thank you,” she said. “The conditions were terrible.”
Dev smiled and his graying goatee glinted in the sun. “Nah, I had the easy job. My mate, Liz, and all the on-the-ground searchers had the real work of it.”
“You’ve already met Rick,” Luke said in a flat voice. “One of our trackers.”
“Daphne’s mate, right?” she said, hoping he wouldn’t try to shake hands either. Her joints hurt.
“Right,” Rick said, thankfully keeping his hands to himself. “Hope you’re feeling better. I helped search for you guys.”
“I am. Thanks for the assist.”
Luke’s jaw bunched as Sheriff Ellis joined them. With a quick, subtle step, Luke maneuvered Izzy between himself and Lena. Unease bubbled in her stomach and the wolf buzzed in her head.
Lip curled like the wolf he was, Luke wrapped his arm around her side. The gesture screamed possession, like he might throw her over his shoulder, caveman-style, at any moment.
Yeah, that wouldn’t be weird or anything. Pretty much par for the creeptastic course she couldn’t seem to get off.
She poked Luke in the side and tried to act more confident than she was. Fake it ’til you make it seemed like a good motto right now. “Okay, buddy. Time to go.” She left the before the chest-thumping starts unsaid. They could argue about their destination in the truck.
The sheriff’s gaze swung to her, and damn it, there went her feigned nonchalance. A cold sweat broke out over her skin every time a were paid any attention to her. It was a weakness she couldn’t allow. And one the sheriff noticed. His smoke-gray eyes made her feel like a bug under a microscope.
“Shit,” Dean muttered, and presto, Luke was standing firmly between her and Ellis. She hadn’t even seen him move.
Freddie touched her back, light as a feather. “Easy,” he whispered.
There were faces in the station windows and doorway now. Like the werewolves in the parking lot, they were all frozen, their attention rapt. The air seemed to vibrate with aggression.
“You frightened her,” Luke said, glaring at Ellis. His words were quiet, and filled with censure. But even under the weight of the Alpha’s disapproval, the sheriff didn’t look away.
A subvocal growl from Luke scratched along her nerves, and Ellis took a slow step back. Though he gave ground, the move didn’t convey an ounce of submission. In fact, Izzy thought he was just looking for more room to maneuver.
“That wasn’t my intent,” Ellis said. His voice sounded rougher. Were his eyes starting to glow? Her brain offered up several scenes from her nightmarish memories of glowing gold eyes and she shivered.
“Luke,” she said, trying to speak past the lump of terror growing in her throat. “He didn’t do anything. My fault. Conditioned reaction. My fault.”
Ellis looked at her again, his nostrils flared.
Luke growled.
Sometime during the confrontation, Dean had slid to a position at Luke’s left flank. A move she recognized would allow him to protect his Alpha’s weak side. She gave him an imploring look, because so far he’d seemed like a reasonable man. She remembered him trying to defuse the tension when they’d met at the airfield, too.
His green eyes, very much like Luke’s, met her gaze. Dean shook his head once.
“Why are you afraid?” Ellis asked again, leaning to the side to see her around the shield of Luke’s body.
Luke obviously didn’t like that. His hands fisted and a wave of power flowed from him, sparking over her skin like static shocks. He moved to block her from Ellis’s view again. “She is not your concern.”
Ellis shook his head. “I have three dead humans, and suits crawling all over the place. If she—”
“Not. Your. Concern.” More menacing than a roar, Luke’s soft, quiet voice raised all the hair on Izzy’s body.
All eyes were on them, waiting. For what, she wasn’t sure. Some sort of violence certainly. Except for Freddie, everyone was a were, and their eyes gleamed with the power of their beasts.
Was this a dominance thing? Was Ellis challenging Luke for position?
A chill settled over her that had nothing to do with her own fear.
Her grandmother had told her weres did this all the time and the fights were usually to the death. “Bloodthirsty animals. Every disagreement ends with claws and gore.”
Not today. And not because she was acting like a useless coward. Izzy wasn’t some shrinking violet to cower behind the big, strong man. It was past time she started acting like it.
She pushed against Luke’s back. “Enough,” she said.
Luke didn’t budge.
“Enough,” she repeated.
Another low growl vibrated through Luke’s chest. Izzy felt it under her hand.
“Do you really want to do this, Vaughn?” he asked. Despite the coiled promise of bloodshed in his body, his words sounded bored. Condescending, even.
Anger flashed across the sheriff’s face. “I’m doing my job, Luke. People are dead. If she knows anything about it, I have to pursue that. The timing of Ms. Meyers’s arrival and recent events seem more than coincidental.”
“Screw you, Vaughn,” Freddie snarled.
“Are you implying I sabotaged my brother’s helicopter?” Izzy asked, incredulous. “The same one I was flying in?”
Luke didn’t give Ellis a chance to answer. “If we’re discussing telling coincidences, I think your return a year and a half ago might be the more pressing one.”
Ellis jerked like he’d been slapped. “My uncle died, too.”
“Yeah, he did,” Luke said silkily. “And you stepped right into his job.”
“If you really believed that, you’d never have let me stay, let alone become sheriff.”
“Maybe I haven’t decided yet.”
Izzy had no idea what they were talking about, but it had gone on long enough. She pinched Luke’s side and spun out from behind his back. “Luke. Stop it. I don’t know what the history is with you guys, and honestly, I don’t give a shit right now. There are three federal investigators inside that building. I really don’t want to explain whatever the hell this is to them. I think you boys need to go to your separate corners for a while.”
Finally, Dean stepped closer to the two bristling males. “Izzy’s right. We’re letting our frayed emotions get in the way of our reason. Let’s all just—”
“Shut up, Simmons,” Ellis said, setting off a wave of gasps.
Dean’s green eyes sparked with gold.
“Okay!” Izzy grabbed Luke’s arm. “That’s enough pissing on a tree for today. Let’s go. Freddie?”
Lena and Freddie headed for her SUV. Luke snorted. To Ellis he said, “This discussion is not over.”
“That’s the first thing you’ve said that I agree with.”
Shaking her head, Izzy hauled Luke away from the weres. Most seemed stunned, but a few looked positively thrilled with the show.