by Crissy Smith
“I think so.”
Pounding on the front door had her jumping. Trent cursed under his breath. He was fucking tired and this was going to be a long morning.
“Why don’t the two of you go into the kitchen? I’ll let the sheriff in and take care of this,” Mac suggested.
Trent nodded as the front door burst open.
“Sheriff’s department!” Carl shouted.
Melissa sighed. “Great, never going to get my deposit back after this.”
Mac grinned. “It adds character to the house.”
Trent patted her back. While he was glad for Mac’s presence, he knew, as the events of the evening caught up with the two of them, they needed to be alone. He didn’t like to show anyone weakness and he expected Melissa would feel the same way. “Help me?” he asked Melissa.
“Yeah sure, sorry.” She wrapped her arm around his waist.
“Calm down, Sheriff,” Mac called as Magnus and Carl stomped through the front of the house with their weapons drawn.
“What the hell is going on?” Magnus demanded.
They’d just reached the kitchen doorway when Melissa stopped.
Trent nudged her forward. “Mac will take care of it,” he told her.
“He’s my boss,” she said.
“I know, but let Mac take control. He knows what he’s doing and will keep Magnus calm.”
They shuffled forward.
“Keep Magnus calm?” she asked.
“One of his deputies was targeted for the second time in twenty-four hours. Magnus is going to be more than just a little pissed off,” Trent said. “He can be a little overbearing when he’s worried about his people.”
“Oh.”
Trent didn’t know what she was feeling by her expression. She appeared confused. “Here, sit,” she said. Melissa pulled out a chair for him and helped him down.
He groaned. It felt good to get off his feet.
“Jeez.” She peered around and Trent followed her gaze. There was glass all over the tiled floor and the back door was hanging off its hinges.
“We’ll get it cleaned up and fixed,” he told her.
She’d moved away and he didn’t have the energy to try to catch her. Melissa was biting her lip as she surveyed the damage.
“Get those fucking masks off. I want to see who tried to kill my deputy,” Magnus yelled.
Melissa jumped again.
Trent growled. If Magnus didn’t get himself under control, Trent was going to force himself up to confront the sheriff. Even if he wasn’t at his best at the moment.
“Why don’t you make some coffee?” he suggested. Melissa appeared to need something to do and maybe the task would help her settle.
“Coffee,” she repeated. “Good idea.” Melissa walked over to the counter and, even though her hands were shaking, started to fill the carafe with water. She worked quietly until the coffee began to brew. Immediately the scent filled the small kitchen and Trent started to feel calm, the familiar smell helping to ground him.
“Melissa.” Magnus entered the kitchen with Mac and Carl behind him. “Are you okay? Trent?”
“We’re okay,” Trent assured him.
Magnus strolled over to Melissa. She had her back to them all. He placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Sure, fine,” she managed.
Magnus turned her around to face him. From where he sat at the table, Trent had a perfect view of her.
“It’s okay,” Magnus said. “It’s over.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. “I killed someone,” she whispered. “He…that man…ordered the first guy to kill Trent and said he was coming for me.” Melissa looked from Magnus to Mac to Carl then back to Trent. “I killed him.”
“You saved us,” Trent stated. He tried to stand, but Mac motioned for him to stay.
Magnus glanced between Melissa and Trent then straightened his shoulders, facing her again. “You did your job, Deputy,” Magnus said. “I would have been pissed if you’d gotten killed.”
“Me, too.” Melissa wiped at her cheeks. She took a deep breath. “I think I need to sit down, though.”
“Of course.” Magnus led her over to the table.
Trent pulled out the chair next to him and brought it close for her to drop into it. He slung his arm over the back.
“I’m calling in reinforcements,” Mac stated. He pulled out his cell phone.
“This is a crime scene,” Magnus said.
Mac narrowed his eyes. “Yes, it is.”
“This is officially the jurisdiction of the sheriff’s department,” Magnus told him.
“I’m not trying to step on your toes. But we don’t know for sure that there are only these two men. My people can secure this house while you take in the suspect and the body,” Mac told him.
Magnus huffed. “Fine.” He pulled out his own phone. “I’m calling Logan and getting the Coalition here.”
Trent stopped listening as the two men made plans and divided what needed to be done. He didn’t care at this point. He turned toward Melissa. She remained sitting, but stared at her hands lying on the table top.
“Hey!” He grasped her chin, making her look at him.
She blinked.
Trent pressed his thumbs against her neck and stroked. It was how his grandmother had calmed him when he was a kid. Trent had suffered terrible nightmares even as a child, but his grandma had come up with ways to comfort him.
Melissa made a quiet sound before leaning into his touch.
“Hey, Carl,” Trent whispered. He knew the shifter would be able to hear him.
“Hey,” Carl dropped down next to his chair. “Whatcha need?”
“I think she’s going into shock. Can you get her a sweater and blanket or something?” Trent asked.
“Right away.” Carl patted his shoulder before racing off.
“I’m cold,” Melissa whimpered.
“I know, baby,” he told her. Trent lifted her out of her chair and placed her on his lap. He’d share his body heat with her. Whatever she needed.
She buried her face into his chest.
Softly, he ran his fingers through the silky strands of her hair, much like he’d done when they’d been in bed together. God, that was what? An hour or two ago? He had no idea how long it’d been since he’d first heard the intruder slide open the window.
Trent wished they were back on the mattress under the blankets and the real world wasn’t so damn fucked up.
Brookside was supposed to be a safe place.
This was where they brought people who needed to be hidden away before relocating them. How could some humans be responsible for turning everything he knew on its head? It wasn’t fair.
“Here.” Carl was back at his side. He handed Trent a large gray hoodie. “I got a blanket for her, too.”
“Sit back,” he urged Melissa. She straightened.
Trent helped her pull on the hoodie then wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. “Thanks,” he told Carl.
“I’ll pour the coffee. We’ll get something warm into her.”
Trent nodded.
“Trent! Melissa!” Annabelle shouted from the front of the house.
Melissa turned her head and peered up at him. “Uh-oh. I think we’re in trouble.”
Trent chuckled but nodded. “She’s probably going to yell at us for a little while.”
Melissa smiled. “At least we’ll be able to hear it, since we’re alive.”
And there she was coming back. If she could start joking, she was going to be all right. He hadn’t noticed she’d stopped trembling.
“There you are!” Annabelle cried as she ran into the room with Logan at her heels.
“Here we are,” Trent agreed.
Annabelle dropped into the chair Melissa had just been in. She was grabbing for Melissa’s hand and squeezing before he could warn her to be careful. “I can’t believe someone broke into your house!”
“Yeah,” Melissa said. “It hasn’t be
en my best day.”
Annabelle snorted. “Are you kidding me? If it was me, I’d be hiding out in my tree vowing never to come down. But you…you fought back. Saved both you and Trent.”
“I didn’t—”
Annabelle threw her arms around the both of them. “You saved my brother! Thank you, thank you.”
Trent cleared his throat. “I did manage to get some punches in as well.” Okay, yes, Melissa does deserve the most credit, but come on, I took the first guy down.
“Really?” Annabelle pulled back, although she did keep rubbing Melissa’s back. “I heard that you got taken down by an itsy-bitsy stun gun.”
He growled. “Those things fucking hurt!”
“I’m sure they do,” she agreed. She fucking patted his cheek like he was a whiny child.
Trent glared, but Annabelle winked at him over Melissa’s head. He huffed back. If it helped make Melissa feel better, he could deal with some teasing.
“I wouldn’t have even heard them if it wasn’t for Trent,” Melissa said.
“So, what happened?” Annabelle asked.
“Hold off,” Logan called over. “Wait until everyone gets in here so we can make an official report.”
Annabelle waved her hand at Logan. “He’s always so serious,” she mumbled.
“This is serious,” Logan responded.
“I know it’s serious,” Annabelle said. “That’s why I made you bring me when you tried to leave me back at the bar.”
“It’s safer for you there,” Logan told her.
“But I need to be here,” she argued.
Logan was turning red in the face. From his expression, Trent guessed this was an ongoing fight. “You need to be home safe, where these lunatics can’t get to you.”
Annabelle rose. “If everyone is here, then it would be safer for me to be here!”
“Which is the only reason I allowed you to come!”
“Allowed?” Annabelle screeched.
“Uh, guys—” Carl tried to interrupt.
“I could have locked you in that underground basement of yours!” Logan threatened.
Oh, shit, this is getting out of hand. Melissa was stiff as she watched Logan and Annabelle argue.
“What?” Annabelle started around the table, but Melissa grabbed her wrist.
“Maybe we should all sit and drink some coffee. Everyone is really emotional right now.”
Annabelle huffed.
Logan was already headed to her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” He embraced Annabelle, pulling her up against his body. “It scares me these fucking guys are getting so brave. First, they shot at a deputy then broke into her house.”
“I know.” Annabelle sniffed at Logan’s neck.
Melissa relaxed into Logan’s lap again.
“Here.” Carl set the steaming mugs of coffee in front of them. “Magnus and Mac are on the way back in here. They’re getting Fredrick and Fabian started on hauling off the guy who’s still alive.”
“What about…the body?” Melissa asked.
“Already have the doctor on his way,” Carl told her.
“Doctor?” she asked.
“We don’t have a medical examiner here. We’ve never needed one,” Carl explained. “I’ll escort Doc Phillips as he takes the body to the hospital. The Coalition is sending their ME to handle the case.”
Melissa swallowed hard. “The Coalition?”
“It’s going to be fine,” Logan said. He and Annabelle joined them at the table. “We know you were defending yourself. You’re a respected deputy in town. You won’t get into any trouble.”
She nodded.
“I was with you the whole time,” Trent said.
“And what were you doing here?”
“Excuse me?” Trent glared at Magnus. “How is that any of your business?”
Magnus stared at him. “Everything part of a crime scene is my business. Now, start from the beginning and tell me what happened.”
Trent wanted to growl at the sheriff, but Melissa squeezed the back of his neck. He shook off the urge to fight and nodded instead. “Sorry.”
Magnus blew out a breath. “Me, too.”
“As Melissa stated earlier, everyone is emotional. This is hitting close to home. And a lot has happened in a short amount of time,” Mac said as he walked into the kitchen. “Duffy and Calvin are keeping an eye on the outside of the house. Carter is waiting for the identities of the two intruders as soon as we have them. Fabian is running their prints now.”
Trent pressed his lips together. It helped knowing everyone was doing their jobs, but he wanted to get away from the others at the moment. He needed some time alone with Melissa. But he wouldn’t get that until he got his statement over with.
“I called Brian Brooks from the hardware store. He’s coming over to board up the doors, as well,” Magnus said.
Shit, he hadn’t even thought about that. “Thank you,” Trent said.
“Trent, why don’t you start?” Magnus suggested.
“Okay,” he agreed. He tightened his arm around Melissa as she shifted to face the others at the table. There were six of them sitting around and one chair was available, but he wasn’t letting her go. Not yet, anyway.
He cleared his throat. “I heard about what happened earlier and I came over to check on her. We had a quiet night, ate dinner, watched a movie then went to bed.”
“Together?” Magnus asked.
“Yes,” he snapped.
“Just trying to get a picture. If you were on the couch or something that is an important detail.”
“Okay,” Trent said. “I walked over here so my bike’s not out front. I think the intruders expected her to be alone.”
Magnus nodded. “Go on.”
“I heard the sound of the living room window being opened. I’d already checked the doors and windows earlier and noticed how easy it would be to break in. I even called Carter and told him to order better locks,” Trent said.
“You did?” Melissa asked.
“Security is part of my job. After you were shot earlier, I thought it would be best, so I called him while you were asleep,” he explained.
“I thought you went to bed together?” Magnus asked.
“No, I mean earlier,” Trent said. “After she ate and we watched a movie, she fell asleep. I carried her into her room. While she was asleep, I checked the security for the house before I unpacked some boxes for her.”
“I knew that would drive you crazy,” Annabelle said. She appeared pretty proud of herself.
Trent snorted. Okay, he might be a little obsessed with organization, but he wasn’t that bad. “While I was going through one of the boxes, Melissa woke up and came into the living room. We…talked then went back to bed. Together.”
“Talked,” Annabelle teased.
Logan nudged her.
“What?” she asked. “We all know what they were talking about. I just said it.”
Melissa laughed.
Trent appreciated Annabelle lightening up the atmosphere. He’d need it as he continued with his story. He winked at Annabelle and she smiled smugly at Logan. Logan rolled his eyes in response.
“Okay, so now you’re in bed together,” Magnus tried to get them back on track.
“So, we were asleep then I woke up. I wasn’t sure what had woken me at first, but as I got up to go to the bathroom, I heard the window in the living room opening.”
“How long between you going to bed and waking up?” Magnus questioned.
“Several hours,” Trent replied.
“And you left the living room light on?”
“Yes.”
Magnus was taking notes and writing something down.
“Why?”
“I don’t think they were watching the house when you arrived. Did you come from the front or back?” Magnus asked.
“Front,” Trent answered.
“So, they weren’t keeping an eye out when you got here or when you wer
e poking around at security. They would have seen you when you were messing with the window locks,” Magnus suggested.
Trent shrugged. “Guess not. Does that help?”
“It’s good to know. We’ll try to get something out of the man who’s still alive, but he might not talk. We couldn’t get the hunter after Annabelle to. He lawyered up and refused to give us any other names.”
“You think it’s connected,” Trent stated.
“I think everything that’s happened in the past year plus the attack on Melissa is all connected. And I think I know who’s going to be behind all of it,” Magnus said.
“Garth Stevenson,” Melissa said.
Magnus nodded. “Finish your statement please, Trent.”
“After I heard the window, I crept out into the hall,” Trent said.
“Without waking Melissa?” Annabelle asked. She scowled at him. “That’s such a man thing to do.”
Melissa was nodding.
“She’d just been shot!” he defended.
“Right.” Annabelle leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Anyway,” Trent said. Maybe he didn’t appreciate Annabelle like he’d thought. “In the hallway, I heard the intruder and waited. He had a gun in his hand and I grabbed his wrist. We struggled and that’s when Melissa came out. The second guy broke in the back door. The first intruder used a stun gun on me and when Melissa tried to come to my help, the second man took a shot at her.”
“Bedroom doorframe,” Melissa said. “The bullet should still be in the wood.”
Magnus made another note.
“I was down, but the second guy ordered the first intruder—”
“Mark,” Melissa said. “The first guy called the second Mark.”
Trent had forgotten that. “Yeah, he did.” He rubbed Melissa’s back. “So, Mark ordered the first intruder to kill me and said he’d take care of Melissa.”
“Did he say her name?” Mac asked. It was the first time he’d spoken since Trent had started his story. Trent hadn’t noticed Mac’s hands were clenched on the table. He’d been concerned with Magnus’ reaction to Melissa being in danger, but Mac would be as angry as Magnus with Trent being involved. He’d have to talk to him later.
“No, he said the woman,” Trent shared.
Mac glanced at Magnus. Magnus was writing in his notebook.
“What’s that mean?” Melissa asked.
