by E A Price
Erin nodded her acquiescence and, satisfied, he drove up to the house.
*
Erin stood hands on her hips, unsure where to start.
Gunner had exchanged a few words with their victim, Hilda’s employers. The Alpha’s mate seemed to care for the loss of her housekeeper, but the Alpha just seemed to find her whole death inconvenient. She could tell that the polar bear shifter barely managed to contain his temper around them, but he did. She was less thrilled at the fact that both wolves were looking at her like she was their next meal.
But, after a few inquiries, they headed to the crime scene. Gunner went off in search of the people Hilda worked closely with, like the maids and gardeners. Erin was left to her own devices in Hilda’s home.
The more time Erin spent there, the worse she felt. Hilda’s house was small but cozy. It was filled with knick-knacks, pictures of family and friends – it was everything a home should be. And knowing that someone had violated it, and what they had done… it was sickening.
She had to help find this sicko. She had to make sure they never did this to another woman. Erin didn’t like doing it; it made her feel ghoulish, but she started touching Hilda’s possessions in the hope that they might trigger something.
Hmmm, no such luck.
Erin made her way into the bedroom where the attack had taken place. She shuddered at the blood stain on the carpet. Thank god she wasn’t squeamish, or she’d be freaking out right now.
Gingerly, Erin knelt on the floor. She pressed her fingers to the stain and breathed in and out.
“I wouldn’t bother; it’s already been scrubbed.”
Erin squealed in surprise and scooted backwards across the floor until she banged her head against the closet door. She pressed the heel of her hand into her heart and glared at the apparition stood by the window.
“You scared me,” whispered Erin blandly as soon as she got a hold on her breathing.
Hilda smiled slightly. “I guess it’s something I should get used to, scaring people.”
“Most people won’t be able to see you,” admitted Erin sadly. “I’m sorry for what happened to you.”
Hilda shimmered as she walked directly through the bed. “It’s so strange; I should be angry or regretful, but I’m not. I don’t feel anything, in fact, everything, my memories, my thoughts, feelings they’re all really fuzzy. I’m just… umm, what’s the word?”
“Numb?” offered Erin.
The ghost shook her head. “No, I feel serene. Like now that I’m dead, nothing matters. Like I said – strange. What happens to me now?”
“Sorry, I don’t know. As far as I’m aware, ah, ghosts only hang around for a day or so after they die or longer when they have something they want to impart to the living. Otherwise, they pass over – but that’s the part I have no idea about.”
Hilda cocked her head on one side. “How can you see me?”
“I just can. Is there anything you’d like me to pass on for you? Are there any messages you want me to give to anyone?”
Erin was dying to ask her about who killed her, but she had her priorities. Hilda was a well-loved woman, and if Erin could provide any kind of help to her loved ones, she wanted to.
Hilda mulled it over. “Could you tell my parents that I love them and that I’ll be with Danny now?”
“Of course.”
“Oh, and I want Alice Cooper’s Poison to be played at my funeral. That’s an absolute must.”
Erin nodded and chewed on her cheek, pondering how to phrase her delicate question. “Hilda, do you know who killed you?”
The ghost knit her brows together. “I’m not sure. They came at me from behind. I never saw their face. But, it was a man, I was sure of that. And they were shorter than me; they had skinny arms, but they were very strong. Plus, I saw their watch. It was this fancy diver’s watch with a red dial, and it was really familiar, I know I’d seen it before, but I couldn’t be sure where. Does that help?”
“Yes, it does, thank you.”
Hilda smiled at her. “I guess I should get going then.”
Erin looked down as she pushed up off the ground, and in that second, Hilda disappeared. She stowed everything Hilda had said in her memory, in particular the promises she had made, and went off in search of Gunner.
*
Erin had traipsed around the grounds for more than half an hour before she gave up the search for her BBB. Instead, she made her way into the kitchen of the main house.
She was startled to find a teenage boy rummaging in the refrigerator. He looked up and sniffed before whirling round to fix her with amber eyes.
Crud. He was probably related to the Alpha, and to him, she was trespassing.
“I’m sorry,” Erin blurted. No, stop apologizing for yourself you have every right to be there. “I’m with the SEA, we’re here about Hilda.”
He nodded at her with wary eyes, one hand still paused inside the refrigerator.
She stood up straight and noticed that with heels, she was actually taller than the boy before her. He was unusual for a wolf shifter, shorter and more gangly. Males at his age tended to be already topping at least five-feet-ten inches, and they tended towards thick muscles.
Still, perhaps he could be helpful.
Erin took a couple of steps toward him. “Did you live here?”
His lips curled upwards, and he directed his gaze back to the food. “Yeah, I’m Billy, the Alpha’s son,” he said coldly.
“So, you knew Hilda well?”
He tensed but tried to shrug nonchalantly. “She worked for my parents. I saw her around the house.”
Erin bit her lip. Something was wrong. She didn’t have to be a shifter to know that something was off with him. But a hunch wasn’t enough.
“I’d like to talk to Hilda’s boyfriend…”
Billy slammed the refrigerator door closed and bared his fangs. “Hilda didn’t have a boyfriend.”
His eyes and his sharp teeth were terrifying, but what scared Erin the most was just what was on his wrist. A diver’s watch with a red dial. A coincidence, perhaps. But every screaming instinct inside her told her it wasn’t.
Belatedly, she recalled that she had left her purse containing her gun in Gunner’s car. Fat lot of good it was doing in there.
Billy narrowed his eyes as he saw her staring at his watch. He couldn’t possibly have known what she did about the watch, but his suspicion was evident.
She needed to get out of there and find Gunner, she would tell him what she knew and then they could work out what to do next together. She mumbled an excuse and headed for the door, but the suspicious wolf was already upon her.
With a strangled yelp, she was dragged to the floor, and the young wolf shifter was upon her, his strong hands wrapped around her neck. She tried clawing and scratching at his arms; she tried kicking her legs, but it was all to no avail. He was too strong. This was it; she was going to die at the hands of an adolescent wolf on her first day of work. Vaguely, she wondered whether Gunner would come to her funeral.
But, no, wait, she was saved!
A huge roar shook the entire frame of the McMansion. The boy trying to squeeze the life out of her howled and leaped away from her. She coughed and spluttered as she tried to suck air into her deprived lungs.
Her vision swam as an angel appeared before her. He had pale blonde hair, startling pale blue eyes and the most ruggedly handsome face she ever saw. Why was the angel yelling at her?
“Erin! For fucks sake!”
Oh, her angel was Gunner. And boy did he look pissed.
Carefully, he pulled her body up and propped her against a muscled arm. She coughed and buried her face in his shoulder. Yes, this was nice, this felt right. Oh, she could just fall asleep right here in the arms of this gorgeous man.
No, her conscience screamed, what about Hilda?
Erin snapped her eyes open to see the fury and concern marring Gunner’s handsome features. “That boy,” she croaked, �
�he killed Hilda.”
Gunner stiffened and flicked his eyes in the direction that the wolf had disappeared. He was torn between staying with her and going after him. She made the choice easy when she rasped at him to go.
“Stay here,” he ordered and stormed through the house, raising his gun.
Like she had a choice. Ooh, look, Gunner remembered to bring his gun.
Erin dozed with her head lolling against a kitchen cabinet. Ugh, so tired. Her eyes lifted as she heard the startling crunch of metal followed by screams and shouts. At that point, she gave up and fainted.
Chapter Four
Beep… beep… Paging Doctor Smyth to the obstetrics ward… beep… beep…
Erin blinked awake and then immediately regretted it. Her head hurt like a bitch. What the heck?
Sterile white walls, crisp, itchy linen, disgusting bleach smell – oh she was in a hospital. She had to get out of there, pronto.
She sat up and tried to will her sluggish limbs to move. Why was everything so hard? She needed to get out of there; she didn’t want to spend another second in a hospital. She swung her legs off the bed, and they immediately crumpled beneath her. Instead of hitting the ground, she found herself gripped by two, warm, comforting arms. Oh, no…
“Just take it easy,” murmured Gunner.
“You take it easy,” she grumbled.
She looked up to see surprise on his face; he wasn’t expecting that – admittedly lame – sass. She couldn’t tell whether it was amusement or annoyance twitching at his lips.
“For my sake, take it easy.”
He lifted her back on the bed as if she weighed nothing more than a bag of potato chips. And she knew she weighed substantially more than that.
Erin patted her hands over her clothes. At least she’d been allowed to keep them. No embarrassing opportunities to flash her sizable rear in an unflattering, backless hospital gown.
Gingerly she rubbed her raw neck. Darn wolf shifter. Gunner’s eyes were hooded, and he folded his huge arms over his chest. Damn, sexy polar bear.
“What happened?” she asked uncertainly, trying to distract the more libidinous portion of her brain. Fat chance…
“Where was your gun, Erin?”
She frowned as he avoided her question. “It was in my purse, which I left in the car…”
She leaped a foot in the air as he smashed a fist into the wall. “Fuck!”
A nurse burst through the door; her face was ablaze with fury, which dimmed the moment she saw him. “Agent Christiansen, please refrain from destroying our walls, I don’t think they’ll stand up to an assault by you.”
“Sorry.”
The nurse nodded and giggled before backing out of the room again. Erin scowled as she felt a wave of jealousy. The woman was old enough to be his mother for hell’s sake.
His contrite attitude vanished the moment he looked at Erin again. He strode over to her and leaned down, his seething face inches from hers. “You could have been hurt.” He pushed away from her and scrubbed his hands down his face. “Why do you even want to be a field agent?”
“To help people…” she said lamely. Okay, so she didn’t exactly follow procedure…
“Is what you did today helpful? That wolf shifter, Billy Samuelson, said you accused him of murdering Hilda and when he tried to leave you attacked him.”
“What? I… well… I… that’s not true at all! He murdered Hilda.”
Gunner glared at her. “You know that for a fact?”
“Well, a ghost told me,” she admitted lamely. “Or, at least, she told me about his watch…”
The polar bear shifter looked like he was about to explode; his eyes shimmered to the dark brown of his beast. “A watch? A fucking watch?”
Erin crossed her arms, thoroughly annoyed at where this conversation was going. “I know it’s him. Hilda told me that her attacker had a diver’s watch just like the one Billy wears. When I was talking to Billy, I thought that something was wrong, so I tried to leave and that’s when he attacked me. I didn’t accuse him of anything and I certainly didn’t try to jump him. I’m a puny human, remember? One not good enough to be on your team. I certainly wouldn’t have done something crazy like try to take on a wolf shifter. In spite of what you may think of me, I’m not actually suicidal.”
His nostrils flared, and his lips were set in a grim line. Had she gone too far?
Moving on… “What happened after you left the kitchen?”
Gunner exhaled deeply. “I ran after the boy; he jumped in his father’s Porsche and was about to get away, except he backed into his mother’s car. Guess he didn’t realize it was in reverse. He’s in hospital here, too.”
Erin gulped and fingered her neck. “Not near me though, right?”
Gunner looked affronted. “No, other side of the hospital, and he’s being watched by Cutter and Avery.”
Phew, no way did she want to repeat their earlier meeting.
“His parents are threatening to sue us. The Director’s going mental.”
Erin felt tears welling in her eyes. Embarrassing, unprofessional tears. “I’m sorry, but I’m sure it’s him. I bet if we searched his room we’d find…”
“We won’t be doing anything. Once the doctor clears you, you’ll be going home to get some rest.”
“But…”
“No buts, Erin,” he snapped. “What happened today was a mess. Forget the fact that we’re about to get sued by one of the most powerful Alphas in Los Lobos, you could have been seriously hurt, and all because you forgot your fucking gun. How could you have been so reckless?”
She opened her mouth to retort but thought better of it. “I’m sorry, what do you want me to do?”
Gunner stared at her, hard for a few beats. “If you’re well enough, I just want you to go home. Wayne will drive you.”
Yes, he wanted her home, out of the way, where she can’t do any damage.
“Okay,” she said quietly.
“Good.”
He stalked to the door but stopped when he got there. He turned back and gave her a pained look. She held her breath, her silly, twittering heart, hoping that he’d give her something, any sweet word, but he said nothing. He shook his head and left.
Crud.
*
Erin stared at her apartment dejectedly. It wasn’t a great place, but it was decent enough, and it came furnished.
The hospital had wanted her to stay overnight, but after a lot of cajoling, whining and outright complaining, the irritated doctor gave in and allowed her to sign a release form. If she died at home, it was completely her fault. She was fine with that. At her lowest ebb, she wondered about how many people actually would care if she died. Her sister, maybe, but would anyone else? Would Gunner?
She had to stop thinking about him. Clearly, she was just an inconvenience to him. An embarrassing one at that.
Wayne had diligently driven her home. He didn’t talk much, thank heavens, but at least she hadn’t noted the abject anger and disapproval evident in Gunner’s demeanor. When they arrived, he actually asked her if she needed anything. No, she just wanted to curl up and cry. She didn’t need anything to do that.
She replayed the events of the day over and over, and surely Gunner was overreacting. Okay, she’d forgotten her gun, and that was a big no-no, but it wasn’t her fault that the wolf shifter attacked her. She really hadn’t tried to incite him. Gunner was acting like she’d committed a grievous offense in getting attacked – like she had a choice in the matter!
Erin walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a piece of cheese to nibble on. Unbidden, she had a vision of the refrigerator being installed. The landlord was shouting at the deliverymen about how they were trying to rip him off.
Great, it was going to be one of those nights. Sometimes, she had the most random and pointless visions. Just little pockets of memories that served no other purpose than to drive her absolutely bananas.
She really didn’t want this, not tha
t night. She was tired, and she wanted a shower, so she resorted to the only way she knew how to dull the visions. She grabbed a beer and tripped off to the shower. Yep, a soothing shower and a beer, worked every time.
*
The banging wouldn’t stop.
Reluctantly, Erin dragged herself to her feet and shuffled over to the door. She’d downed two beers and was thankfully starting to feel a little numb but also a little braver than usual.
Ugh, it was probably her pervy landlord come to get the rent. She’d met him twice and both times he’d openly leered at her. She imagined he did the same to all his female tenants, and she’d bet her head that he came by late to catch her in her pajamas.
Well, he was in for a treat, because she was currently decked out in a pair of baby blue pajamas with polar bears all over them. A birthday present from her parents who had no idea about her likes and dislikes. Although, she couldn’t deny the fact that polar bears were suddenly more appealing.
She flung the door open, ready to bawl out her landlord for coming by so late. Instead, she almost fainted at the sight before her. Gunner.
Erin opened her mouth to say something witty, something charming, hell, something at all, but no sound came out.
“Can I come in?” he asked quietly, since it was obvious she wasn’t capable of more than a fish impression at that moment.
She nodded and instead of sidling past her, he walked straight toward her, forcing her to back up. He shut the door behind him and made a show of locking and bolting the door.
His eyes were immediately drawn to her neck, and a hard look flitted over his features. That tiny change was chilling. Thankfully, he relaxed a little as he looked her up and down before raising an eyebrow at her pajamas. She felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. Oh, kill me now.
“You don’t have a peephole,” he said thoughtfully running a hand up and down her door. Lucky door she thought facetiously.
“Umm, no.”
“You should always ask who’s at the door before answering,” he rebuked her lightly.
“To be fair, flimsy doors like that wouldn’t keep out most shifters.” She said it jokingly but he just nodded in agreement.
