by Tl Reeve
She stiffened. Her gaze fell back to the desk calendar in front of her. “I'm fine. No need to worry about me.” Only she wasn't. Her scent was off. Tinged with recrimination, humiliation, and sadness. He caused some of it, too. Damn it.
“Loraine.” He whispered her name, so as not to upset her any more. “You can’t lie to me.”
She snorted. The divisive sound twisted his insides. “Who said I’m lying?” She cocked a brow, tilting her head to the side, as though she challenged him to make a bigger scene than he already was. “I’m fine, Sheriff. Peachy in fact.”
The door opened behind them and Jace strolled through it, coming to a stop next to Kalkin. The guy had not a care in the world. The heady scent of mating clinging to him only added to the smug grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Morning, Loraine. Kal.” Jace patted him on the shoulder as he continued toward the breakroom.
“As a matter of fact,” Loraine stated, raising her voice slightly, “I have a date tonight to the festival. Should be fun. Thanks for the offer, Kalkin, but I’m right as rain.”
Jace stopped mid-stride. His body tightened. His hands fisted at his sides. He held the position for a second, long enough for Kalkin to suspect what he’d understood all along, then his brother continued on his trek. The asshole needed to get his shit together before someone snatched Loraine off her feet.
“Well, have fun tonight.” He winked at her. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
Finally, she laughed. The spark returned to her eyes and she relaxed. “I plan on doing everything you wouldn’t do, too.”
Well. Shit.
Kalkin entered his office. Like Loraine stated, the reports waited for him in a neat little pile on his desk, which gave him a clear view of the front of the building. Should anything happen, he’d see it. As he sat, he grabbed one of the reports and sighed. Two of the younger wolves had gotten loose from the recreation center. The place needed a considerable amount of work, but the city council hemmed and hawed over the finances so much, no one asked for anything. He worried this would happen, especially since they were all out of school, and the summer festival was the beginning of the hardest wolf mating cycles.
What he'd been waiting for lay on his desk. The sticky note in Loraine's writing had a phone number for Blackhorn if Kalkin had any questions. He doubted he would. He opened the envelope and growled. A match. A perfect fucking match. The same guy who broke into Mrs. Martin's shop along with two men and a woman were spotted on camera. Blackhorn had cleaned up the grainy film then placed the photo from Simon English's driver's license beside it.
Now they were getting somewhere. He flipped through the file and picked out the information he could use later on, then closed it. He had to put the information into the safe to protect everyone. With only one bit of evidence, he couldn't let it get lost and blow what little leverage they might have over the asshole. He stood, grabbed the file off the table then carried it over to the safe at the back of his office. Only he and Caden knew the combination. Only they would know where the information was.
After returning to his desk, he gave the remaining reports his full attention. Kalkin groaned. Davie, one of the local boys, had gotten out of the rec center, met up with his girlfriend, and they were found knotted together, in her parents’ garage. The other boy, Jacob, smelled of mating and other things—things neither of his parents wanted to state or could probably accept in Kalkin’s estimation. All three sets of parents wanted to press charges against the city of Window Rock and the manager of the rec center. Everything from reckless endangerment to neglect.
He put it aside. He’d have to get with the mayor after the festival to figure out the next step. He didn’t believe any charges could be pressed, considering the kids had gone on a voluntary basis and weren’t being held against their will. Also, the pups knew about being responsible, along with the parents. Though the pull of a mating moon could be strong for those who were potentials, it didn’t mean they lost their senses.
He grabbed the next folder and sighed. A break-in at the gas station. A few boxes of condoms and alcohol were taken. At least someone was being responsible. Attached to it were the prints lifted from the scene and the names of the three men who’d broken in. He’d send out a couple of deputies to pick them up, then set up court dates with the judge.
The final report had a familiar name on it. Nico Lopez. He and a group of boys set off packs of fire crackers around the area where mates were trying to consummate their new relationships. He was a pain in Kalkin's ass. The kid had a good head on his shoulders. Actually, he'd make a fine deputy if he put his mind to it. With a high school diploma, he could join the academy and be somebody, not just a kid who got into mischief.
“I need help!” The glass door of the sheriff’s department slammed shut as a frantic man entered the station. “Please.”
Kalkin shot to his feet as the man nervously ran his fingers through his light brown hair. “What can I do for you?” He strode down the hall, closing the distance between them. “I’m the sheriff.”
The man turned to him, and it took all of his willpower to push back at his wolf, yearning to rip out the man's throat. Simon English. The weaselly features he'd memorized after viewing the video from Mrs. Martin's store stared back at him. His wide-eyed, panic-stricken features seemed genuine; however, he stunk of misdeeds and lies. It wrinkled Kalkin's nose and set him on edge.
“She…she didn’t come home—the hotel.” He shifted from foot to foot. His hand trembled, and his smell wavered.
Loraine glanced at Kalkin, then back to the man. “Do you have a picture of her, sir?” Her prim tone had the man taking his focus off Kalkin.
“Yes. I do.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and showed her. “We’ve been married five years. She said she was going to the liquor store to grab a bottle of wine to go with our dinner and would be back. You see, we bought dinner at one of the stands.” He gave a shaky laugh before handing the phone to Kalkin.
Mule-kicked, he stared at a picture of Dani, not Keeley. She appeared a few years younger than she was now, in a rural place. Not far behind her, Keeley. She wore a weary expression on her face, along with a bruise on her cheek. Whatever happened before the picture had been taken soured Kalkin's stomach.
“What’s her name?” He handed the man the phone back, leashing his threadbare control.
“Danielle English,” he replied. “Her parents are worried as well. I found out this morning she's pregnant. She hadn't told me yet. But, you know women…have to stick together.” He smiled while continuing his deceitful ramblings.
“How about you come with me to my office.” Kalkin motioned for him to follow. He walked down the corridor while trying to gain control of himself. Though the man played the game well, Kalkin knew better.
“I’m going to need to see your license, please. It’s procedure.”
Simon hesitated. “Procedures.” He frowned as he dug his wallet out of his back pocket.
Kalkin didn’t take his eyes off the man. “It’s one of those things.” He took the license from him. “Where did you say you were from?”
“I didn’t,” Simon answered. “We’re from South Dakota.”
“License says Illinois,” he replied.
Simon sighed, then laughed. “Just moved. Our hearts are still in South Dakota.”
“I’ll be right back. Sit tight.”
He stepped out of his office and went back to the front of the station. Loraine sat at her desk, head down, doodling on her pad. He knew she listened in on the conversation. “I need a favor.”
“Anything,” she said, putting her pen down.
“Check out the address on this license.” He handed her the card. “I have a feeling it’s not going to be right.”
“On it. Caden called in, he and Dani are on the way back to town. He said he’ll be at the station in ten.”
“Excellent. Have Logan and Sage check out the hotel and the liquor store near it,” he sa
id a bit louder, so Simon could hear him. “Have them check for video and receipts.”
“On it.”
He stepped over to the copy machine and made a copy of the identification. Everything Kalkin did had to be by the book and calculated. He strolled back into the office and handed the man back his information. “I want you to write on this notepad what happened last night. I also need a number I can reach you at.” He laid the pen in front of Simon along with the paper. “Usually, I’d tell you we have to wait forty-eight hours; however, since it is a festival weekend, I believe this takes priority.”
“Thank you,” the man replied.
He stepped out, closing the door behind him. No reason for Caden to see the bastard. They needed to plan. If the Psychic Bounty Hunters were there, that meant the government knew Simon had only found Danielle—which meant they also knew Keeley would be there, too. “What did you find?”
Loraine smirked. “Everything. You were right.” She opened the small tablet she used only when necessary. “It's an empty lot near the warehouse district in Chicago. However, his true home address is a loft in Washington D.C.” She gave him a devious smile. “There's more. The agency suspended him six months ago.” She pulled up the report. “He roughed up the wrong psychic kid. A senator's son. A well-liked, heck, you could easily say beloved man from New York. His son suffered a concussion and a broken arm.”
He scrubbed the scruff on his chin with the back of his fingers. “Well, if the bruises are any indication, the girls have only had a few weeks’ head start. I have to talk to Keeley, make sure she doesn’t have anything with a tracker on. No way he stumbled on them.”
“Or, he’s been having them tailed.”
Fuck. Leave it to his dispatcher to throw another piece into the shit pot they were dealing with. “Okay, we have several places we can check around here.”
Loraine nodded. “We’ll keep them safe.”
“Thank you.”
Kalkin waited another few moments, then headed for his office; when he stepped inside, Simon sat there, hands folded in his lap. The anxious energy he exuded earlier had been replaced with a sense of calm. The subtle tics he'd wanted to see from a husband missing his wife weren't there. No twitching of the foot. No impatience. Sure, some people didn't get riled up, but this was the guy's wife.
“Sorry. I needed to coordinate a team so we can help you. I also need to have the picture you showed me. We’ll need it for flyers and to show the other deputies.” He grabbed the statement off his desk and glanced over it. “Also, I’m going to ask you to not go anywhere. Not that you would. However, you’d be surprised.”
“Sure. I understand.” Simon chuckled. “Thank you. I’m sure she’ll turn up.”
Oh, she would. With her sister, at her home. “You said she’s pregnant?”
“Yes, why?”
Kalkin shrugged. “There’s a small clinic in town. I’ll check there as well. Make sure nothing happened.”
“Oh, good thinking. I didn’t realize.” He shook Kalkin’s hand and the sick slide of dread slithered down his spine. The guy was dangerous. Calculating. He had to be careful with him, and never believe he had the upper hand.
“Thanks. I’ll be waiting.”
Caden arrived shortly after Simon left, and thankfully he was alone. He had several things to tell his brother, including the fact Dani could be pregnant. Kalkin didn't believe it, and he did scent the bitter stench of the lie; however, he didn't want to take any chances. If Danielle was pregnant, they had to figure out their next moves.
As it stood, Keeley had been Kalkin’s mate from the moment he met her. Yet, Caden played everything close. He didn’t talk about emotions or mates or if he even liked the girl. They’d grown close, sure, but it didn’t make a relationship. When his brother sat down in the chair across from him, he appeared surly and if anything, pissed the fuck off.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he stated. “Long night.”
“Doesn’t sound good,” Kalkin grunted.
“Don’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, this is going to suck then.” He sat forward, folding his hands on the desk. “Simon is in town.”
Caden sat up. His eyes narrowed and a low growl rumbled from his chest. “What? You’re just telling me this now? I dropped Dani and Aiden off at the house. Where’s Keeley?”
“Calm down. Simon is at the hotel. He doesn’t know for sure where the girls are,” he stated. “Kee is at our house. She was still sleeping when I left. It’s not her I’m worried about.”
“Okay,” Caden replied.
“He came in claiming his 'wife' is missing and she’s pregnant.” He waited a beat when Caden continued to stare at him. “Dani is supposedly his wife.”
“What the fuck?!” Caden snarled. His hands gripped the chair tightly.
The wild glare he turned on Kalkin chilled him to the bone. “Dial it back, Caden. We don’t need this here. You and I both know we didn’t smell it on her. You’d have sensed it, and I have a feeling she can’t hide shit from you.”
“This is bullshit. I thought he was Keeley’s boyfriend or whatever the fuck they had going on,” his brother spat. “How does Dani fit into this?”
“Use your damn brain, bro. She’s got abilities. Strong ones. She healed Aiden. Who knows what else she can do? That’s a hot thing for the PBH. The government is always looking for new recruits. He saw her as easy money.”
Caden shook his head. “How, man? How?”
Hell if he had an answer. “Simon gave up some information. I have a feeling the girls come from South Dakota. They’ve been on the run for a while. Long enough for him to set up a home in Illinois.”
“What else did you find out?” Some of the rage slacked from his brother’s body.
“He’s been suspended following an incident with a well-loved senator’s son.”
His brother grunted. “No shit?”
“No shit.”
“So, is this personal then?” Caden rubbed the back of his neck, a habit he’d picked up when he got uncomfortable.
“I think so. I think there is more going on than the girls are telling us.” Keeley showed him why they were important, but the rest of it, he had to find out. If they were going to be able to protect them, they needed the whole story, beginning with how they showed up across the creek from them.
“Yeah, I agree. Danielle is too…” He didn’t finish his sentence.
“Are you her mate?”
Caden nodded.
“Did you?”
Caden snorted. “The pup kind of put a kibosh on the ability to mate, and honestly, I don’t think I could do it. I want her something fucking fierce, but she’s skittish as shit. You?”
“I did.”
Caden whistled. “Damn.”
“It is what it is. I don’t want to talk about it right now. I need to figure out what the hell Simon is trying to get at. Besides the obvious.” A knock came at his door. “Yeah.”
Logan stuck his head in the door, showing him a folder. “I got information for you.”
“Bring it here.” He pointed to the chair next to his brother. “Tell me what you got.”
“You’re not going to believe this, but a blonde was spotted in the liquor store.” Logan showed him the black and white photo of a willowy blonde who’d been the spitting image of Danielle.
“Son of a bitch,” Kalkin muttered. He grabbed the photo. The differences were subtle at best. Had he not told them to get out of there for the night, shit…
“Well we know for sure Caden took her to the cabin in the woods, eighty miles from here. She returned a little less than an hour ago.”
“Does he honestly think you’d hand her over to him?” Logan glanced between them. “The story is a little light on details to me, chief.”
“I think he believes we’d fall for his story. Come into a small town, enjoy the festivities. Next morning, oh no, my wife is gone.” Simon didn’t realize they’d seen
the bruises or the broken bones. He had no clue they helped the girls move in after everything he’d put them through.
Logan ran his index finger across his bottom lip. “Don't you think it's a little extravagant? To plot this whole ruse?”
“Money,” Caden said. “If Simon is a bounty hunter, she’s got a bounty. I bet it’s huge.”
If it affected his brother, he didn't show it. The cold, detached, almost unemotional way he could discuss a case always bothered Kalkin. Knowing he talked about his mate as though she were chattel unnerved him. Danielle, by his brother's admission, was his mate, and yet he acted as though he didn't care either way.
Hell, if anything he seemed more pissed off she might be pregnant with another man’s kid than at the money placed on her head. When this shit got straightened out, he was going to take his brother aside and force him to deal with the shit from his past.
Deep down, Kalkin realized Caden also had issues from their childhood. Being dropped off like a dog to, “survive” for lack of better words, bothered all of them. It’s why he didn’t get close to people and why Jace thought he had to hide his true nature. However, Kalkin’s mate needed him and he couldn’t sit there and disengage.
“Caden, you good?”
His brother’s gaze met him and there, if he hadn’t been paying attention, he’d have missed it. The spark of fire burning in his blue gaze satisfied him. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
Yeah, he was.
Kalkin glanced at Logan. “Simon is saying Danielle is pregnant.”
“I thought Keeley had the relationship with Simon?” He gave him a befuddled look.
“She did. Danielle isn’t pregnant either.”
“No shit. We’d have scented it on her,” he stated. “I’ve been on some fucked up cases in my short career, but this takes the cake. I’m sorry, boss.”
He chuckled at the absurd nature of it all. “It’s a game Simon has played long enough to get away with it.”
“I bet you the woman is the one following them,” Caden stated. “It would make sense. Why they never suspected her. They’re looking for a man the whole time and this woman, looking like Dani, floats in and around them without worry, telling Simon everywhere they are.”
