by Tasha Black
As her mate, it was his job to help her feel confident.
And deeper than that, it was his job to help her be her best self.
The trouble was, when Spenser looked at Natalie, he didn’t see that she needed fixing.
She was brave and smart and always ready to lend a hand. If there was some better version of her, he could not imagine it.
He didn’t think she’d made a mistake. In fact, her compassion toward Vi had only made him love her more.
Natalie was an excellent detective. Even if Myra was truly guilty, and if allowing extra time gave her more time to weave her web, he was still very sure that Natalie would prevail.
And she would do it with a clear conscience, knowing she had not betrayed a friend.
That was what Vi was to her now, a friend. Though they had seen each other as rivals from the beginning, Spenser could see the friendship between them growing, a palpable thing, born of their shared need to find the truth at all costs.
Natalie might not see it now, but Spenser suspected she would be sleeping even less soundly if she had gone after Myra without allowing Vi a shot at cracking the case.
Unfortunately, it was not his privilege to point these things out to Natalie. She was not yet his mate and she had not asked for his opinion.
But he felt as if he were watching his whole existence collapse, knowing she was in pain and unable to help her.
Surely there was something he could do.
He closed his eyes and called up an image of her. Natalie always stood tall and proud. Unlike himself and his brothers, she didn’t glance at anyone else for confirmation before taking action.
Natalie was independent.
No.
Natalie was alone. She had always been alone. She had told him so.
I don’t have any siblings. We moved a lot when I was a kid, so I didn’t have a lot of friends. I’ve always been self-reliant.
But she didn’t have to be.
She had friends now. She had Spenser. She had Vi and the others. She had Barker Posey.
If Natalie wanted, she could be the un-loneliest woman in Stargazer.
All he had to do was tell her.
No.
He had to show her.
Spenser was used to being part of a team, giving help but also taking it when he needed it.
Natalie didn’t know what it was like to have someone who would always have her back one hundred percent of the time.
It was his job to find a way to show her.
He placed his palm against the wall that separated him from her and tried to feel beyond the cool drywall to the warm woman on the other side.
I’m coming, Natalie. I’m going to have your back tomorrow. No matter what.
19
Natalie
The next morning Natalie stood by her car in front of 221B with Barker Posey on the end of her leash, waiting patiently while she talked on the phone.
“You know you could both be risking your badges over this, right?” Natalie asked.
“You’ve got good intel,” Lance said. “If the chief is involved in this, we don’t have a choice. It’s the right thing to do.”
“Besides, he can’t fire all three of us,” Lila pointed out. “The force isn’t that big. And isn’t that what we have a union for?”
They were both being brave.
Natalie’s evidence was shaky at best, and not even the union could save them if her hunch was wrong.
The truth was, these two colleagues on the phone trusted her.
Please God, let me be right about this. They’re good people and I can’t let them down.
“Thank you both,” she said, her voice a little husky.
“Don’t get sappy on us, West,” Lance teased. “At least, not yet. Let’s go get your perp first.”
She hung up and turned to look up at Spenser’s window.
Instead, she got a fantastic view of the man himself as he stepped out the front door.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” he said, looking a little embarrassed. “But I couldn’t risk you leaving without me.”
“What are you talking about?” Natalie asked.
“I’m here to help you,” he told her. “I have your back, always.”
“Even when my intention is to arrest your new sister-in-law’s sister?” she asked.
“Especially then,” he said solemnly. “Anyone can do the right thing on their own when it’s easy.”
“Thank you,” she told him, feeling a sense of relief that went further than just having someone to ride shotgun on a big day. “Let’s go, then.”
Barker Posey hopped into her regular spot in the back as Natalie and Spenser got in the front.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she warned him.
“You’ve got this,” he told her contentedly. “And you’ve got me, just in case things get ugly.”
They drove on in silence for a few minutes. It was almost calming, but they arrived at the law firm far too quickly.
She took a steadying breath and got out with Barker Posey.
Spenser followed them to the door, where Lance and Lila were already waiting.
“Ready?” Natalie asked.
“You know it,” Lance said, looking less confident than he sounded.
“Absolutely,” Lila added, nodding.
“No matter what,” Spenser told her.
Something about his deep voice sent her heart into a double backflip. She wasn’t used to relying on anyone else, but it was nice to know someone had her back.
It was a feeling she could see herself getting used to.
She pushed the door open before she could overthink it.
“Not you again,” the assistant said in an exasperated way. “Myra.”
Spenser and the two officers filed in behind her as Myra stepped out of her office, and Barker Posey suddenly began to bark with the force of an explosion.
Natalie almost dropped the leash she was so shocked. She had never heard the big dog bark at anyone before.
Myra moved to Kendall’s desk as if to shield herself. To his credit, her assistant stood his ground, putting himself between her and the potential danger.
“Stop that thing at once,” she insisted.
Barker Posey’s hackles rose, and she went to the end of her leash, barking like crazy, as if she wanted to attack.
It was so unlike her, that Natalie didn’t quite know how to react. But it occurred to her that the big dog had probably been pretty traumatized by watching her master die. It was no wonder she wasn’t acting like herself.
And if Myra had been there, had been responsible…
Was Barker Posey trying to tell her something?
The door behind Natalie flew open.
She turned to see Vi, followed by the others.
“I gave you your shot,” Natalie warned.
“Yes, you did, and I’m grateful for that,” Vi said. “Will you trust me one more time?”
“What do you want?” Natalie asked, trying to restrain the dog, who was struggling so hard she was threatening to break the leash.
“Let the dog off the leash,” Vi said simply.
“Seriously?” Natalie asked, glancing at the furious dog.
“Yes,” Vi said. “Let her off the leash.”
Natalie glanced over at Spenser.
He nodded, looking gratified.
For a moment Natalie wavered. If the dog hurt Myra, she could be held responsible. Or it might cause enough of a commotion for her to get away.
But…
She looked around the room at all the people who had shown up for her, trusting her, with or without proof.
And Spenser was here. Showing up for her, backing her up even after she made it clear that she had no intention of accepting him as her mate.
She tried to bring up a picture of the mayor in her mind, to remind herself why she had to do this on her own.
Instead, she saw him as he was during one of the las
t times she’d seen him, feeding logs into the fire in his shadowy study, smiling up at her with those crinkly eyes.
Open your heart, Nat, he had told her that night. I can’t be the most important guy in your life forever.
Natalie West opened her eyes and decided to trust her friends.
She unclipped Barker Posey’s leash.
Everything else seemed to happen in slow motion.
The dog rushed the desk, completely ignoring Myra, but nearly knocking the assistant over.
Myra screamed and Barker Posey appeared on the other side of the desk again, carrying something in her mouth.
“My bag,” the assistant yelled.
Barker Posey dropped the leather satchel in front of Natalie and nosed at it frantically.
“What is it, girl?” Natalie asked her.
The big dog whined and looked up at her with tragic eyes.
“Y-you don’t have a warrant,” the assistant said. “You can’t search that.”
“No, but she can,” Natalie said, allowing the big dog to keep trying. “She’s a private citizen. Unless you’d like to try to stop her?”
The assistant’s face turned very pale.
Out of the corner of her eye, Natalie could see that Vi had out her phone and was recording the whole scene.
The dog somehow managed to overturn the satchel at last. She pounced on a particular item and held it out to Natalie gingerly in her teeth.
The air went out of Natalie’s lungs.
“Natalie, what is it?” Spenser’s voice was low and calm.
“It’s his EpiPen,” Natalie said, her voice sounded like paper, dry and thin. “It’s the mayor’s.”
“No, it’s mine,” Kendall said quickly. “I’m allergic to bees.”
“It’s not yours,” Natalie said quietly.
The pen had a label on it with the mayor’s prescription info. The words Study- desk drawer were jotted on the label too, in the mayor’s wobbly cursive.
Natalie felt her legs go out from under her and she sat down on the floor.
Barker Posey began nosing her.
“Good girl,” Natalie told her. “You did just right. You knew just what he needed, and who had it. I’m sorry we’re too late. I’m so sorry.”
The big dog didn’t seem to mind Natalie’s tears wetting her silky fur.
“Kendall, what the hell is going on?” Myra demanded.
“You were in so much trouble,” Kendall said quietly, in a defeated voice. “You were in over your head.”
“I’m never in over my head,” Myra retorted automatically.
“You invested all your money. You invested some of the clients’ escrows,” Kendall said. “You even put your sister’s trust fund money into that project.”
There was a hush in the room.
This time Myra didn’t interrupt.
“And he was going to ruin it,” Kendall went on. “He was going to ruin you.”
“So you killed him?” Myra demanded.
“No, I would never do that,” Kendall said, looking defeated. “I just went there to talk to him. I hoped I could convince him to do the right thing. With you and the Chief Baker involved, I thought maybe I could get through to him.”
Natalie pictured it, Kendall taking the company car out to see the mayor that night. No wonder the car spotted leaving the scene was licensed to Myra.
“He was really nice,” Kendall said. “He let me in without an appointment. He even offered me a lemon bar.”
That tracked. The mayor liked to see young people take initiative.
“But I couldn’t convince him to let the housing idea go,” Kendall went on. “He listened, but he told me he disagreed. And that he thought Myra was bright and hardworking and that she would find another way to make a fortune. I didn’t want to tell him about the things you were doing,” he said, turning to Myra. “You know, the stuff with other people’s money.”
Myra glared at him like she wanted to set him on fire.
“Anyway, I was desperate. I was about to start crying,” Kendall said. “Then he took a lemon square for himself. I think he was trying to give me a minute to pull myself together. He didn’t want me to know that he’d seen I was about to cry.”
That was the mayor all over. Natalie had seen him do almost anything to let another person save face. It was one of the reasons so many people loved him, and why he was so good at what he did.
“Then all of a sudden his face was swelling up, and he was gagging and choking,” Kendall said. “He reached into his desk and he pulled out the EpiPen. But it slipped out of his hands and rolled under the desk.”
Natalie waited, knowing what was coming next, but not wanting to hear it.
“I don’t know what came over me,” Kendall said. “But it landed right at my feet. So… I just… grabbed it. And I shoved it in my bag, and then I ran out and drove away.”
“You killed him,” Myra screamed.
“I didn’t think he would actually die,” Kendall said. “I just wanted to hurt him for what he was doing to you.”
“Why would you do that?” Myra yelled. “Why would you ever do something so stupid? It was only money. I could have paid it back. I could have earned more.”
Natalie stared at Myra, wondering how she could see something so clearly that Myra obviously couldn’t see at all.
“Because he loves you, Myra,” Vi said suddenly.
Myra stared at him, speechless.
“She’s right,” Kendall whispered miserably.
Myra looked back at her sister, eyes like fiery daggers.
“You don’t know the first thing about love,” Myra spat. “You’re like a robot. All you care about is solving puzzles.”
“You’re wrong,” Vi said calmly. “I know all about love. And I hope one day you’ll get to know about it too.”
“But first she’s going to spend some time behind bars,” Lila said. “And so is Romeo here. Lance, read them their rights.”
“Come on, guys,” Jana said, waving them to the door. “Let’s get some fresh air.”
“Don’t go anywhere,” Lance warned them. “We’ll need to take statements.”
“Of course not,” Jana said. “We just want to give you space.”
Spenser reached down to where Natalie still sat on the floor with the dog, offering her his hands, pulling her up and into his arms for a hug that warmed her body and soul.
This had been a horrible, ugly morning.
But it was better to know the truth.
Natalie West was going to be okay.
She was going to be better than okay. She was going to be part of a team.
20
Spenser
A few hours later, Spenser sat on the sofa in Vi and Jana’s apartment on the top floor of 221B.
His arm was around Natalie, and she was leaning against him, relaxed.
After all the questioning, the reports, and the paperwork, they had finally been sent home.
Jana had ordered a massive delivery of Thai food on the drive back and the six friends had just finished gorging themselves.
Even Barker Posey was gnawing half-heartedly on the bone from a T-bone steak Vi had pulled out of the freezer for her.
“So do you think you’ll be up for the chief’s job?” Vi asked Natalie. “I’m assuming his involvement in this mess will be the end of his career.”
“You’re probably right about that,” Natalie said, shaking her head. “But I don’t think that’s a job for me.”
“Why not?” Vi asked. “You’ve been with the Stargazer force for a while, and you blew this case wide open, in spite of the odds being stacked against you.”
“I think I’ve spent enough time on the force,” Natalie said. “I’m going to apply for a job in the private sector.”
“I thought being a police officer was your dream,” Spenser said worriedly. He didn’t want her to stop doing what she had always wanted to do.
“I’ve had a chance to really thi
nk today,” Natalie said slowly. “What I’ve always wanted was to seek out the truth. Being a cop was one means to that end. But it’s not the only way.”
Suddenly, Vi had a knowing smile on her face. She gave Natalie an imperceptible nod.
“What’s going on?” Spenser asked. He didn’t always follow the subtle cues of human conversations in real life. In the movies, everyone always said exactly what they were thinking. It was much easier that way.
“What’s going on is that I’m asking Vi for a job,” Natalie said. “I know it’s a new organization. I’m willing to work for a cut of the cases I solve. You don’t have to answer me now, Vi, but—”
“You’re hired,” Vi said.
Natalie grinned at her and Vi grinned back.
“Holy cow,” Jana said.
“You can’t actually be surprised, Jana,” Vi said. “Natalie and I work really well together. We have complementary strengths. Plus there’s the family connection.”
“What family connection?” Jana asked.
“She’s Spenser’s bonded mate,” Vi said. “Which means sooner or later the six of us will be related. You too, Barker Posey. I guess you’ll be my niece.”
Barker Posey looked up from her bone for a minute, panted in a friendly way, and then went back to work.
“You’re Spenser’s bonded mate?” Jana asked Natalie.
“I’m about to be,” Natalie said. “If he still wants me.”
She glanced up at him.
He could tell from the playful twinkle in her eyes that she was teasing. She knew how desperately he wanted her. She could never doubt it.
“We have to go now,” Spenser announced, lifting her up and heading for the door.
“What?” Vi asked. “Where are you going?”
“I’m claiming my mate,” Spenser announced as Natalie melted into giggles in his arms. “We’ll be downstairs. Don’t join us unless you want to watch.”
“Is that an option?” Fletcher asked.
Hannibal smacked his head.
Fletcher let his head drop back and howled like a hyena.
But Spenser missed whatever happened next. He was carrying Natalie onto the landing and down the stairs to his apartment.
