by Dana Archer
No matter. He’d fix things and make sure it didn’t happen again.
Saul grasped the edge of the table. His nostrils flared, and a tremor shook his body.
Weak. The word bounced in Josh’s head. Saul looked like a fool as he scrambled out of the booth and fell to his knees. He reminded Josh of…prey. Yeah, that was the word that suited Saul best. Prey. My prey.
Josh grinned. Excitement and a sense of satisfaction replaced the anger that had gripped him. He’d put Saul in his place years ago, the day he’d told Jazz she was fat and made her cry. Today, however, Josh would break him and make him understand that hurting his family would never be tolerated.
He hauled Saul up by his collar so they were eye to eye. “Going somewhere?”
“I-I…have to go to work. We’re…we’re short farm hands today. The…the animals need to be cared for.”
The stench oozing from Saul—a combination of piss and booze—disgusted Josh. He grabbed the back of Saul’s neck and used the tight grip to guide Saul toward the front door. “Of course those pig sties need tending, but I’m sure you can spare some time for your old buddy, right?”
“Yeah, sure. Umm, we can talk.” Saul motioned toward the table he’d occupied. “Let’s sit.”
Josh directed Saul forward without responding. At the cash register, Josh dropped a fifty on the scuffed counter. “For Saul’s breakfast. Keep the change.”
Once outside, Josh dragged Saul around the back of the diner.
“Let me go!” Saul shoved at Josh’s chest. “I’m not going anywhere with you, freak.”
Josh tightened his hold on Saul’s neck until he squeaked. “Didn’t I teach you not to call people names back in eighth grade? Do I need to give you another lesson?”
Saul shook his head. “No, no, but I know what you are! You ain’t normal!”
“Shut up, Saul.” Josh clamped his hand over Saul’s mouth and narrowed his eyes on him. “And if you even think of biting me, I’ll bite you back, and I promise you, I’ll make it hurt.”
Whimpers fell from Saul’s throat. The sound pleased Josh on some level he’d never known he had. He liked seeing the stark terror in Saul’s eyes and knowing Josh had put it there without trying. He shook off the chilling realization and stared at the trembling man.
“Do you understand me?” Josh waited until Saul nodded before uncovering his mouth. “Now you and I are going to take a little walk and discuss your unwise decision to spy on me and my girlfriend last night.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t—”
“Walk, Saul, or when I’m done with you, I’ll make sure you can’t.”
Saul shuffled with him, gaze on the ground as if he was going to his death. In the small alley between the diner and the empty store next to it, Josh slammed Saul against the wall and held him dangling a foot off the ground.
Josh leaned close and ignored the nauseating combination of whiskey, eggs, and coffee on Saul’s breath. “Who sent you to spy on me?”
“Nobody did, I—”
Josh growled, and panic slid into Saul’s green eyes. “No lies.”
“Abby. S-she’s got a new boyfriend, and he doesn’t like how you’ve treated her. He wants you to be hu-humiliated like…like she’s been.”
Every muscle in Josh’s body tensed. “Who’s the new guy?”
“I don’t know. He’s—”
Josh grabbed Saul’s biceps and bounced him off the wall. The crack of his skull against the brick echoed in the narrow corridor. “I said no lies.”
Saul blinked hard. Unfocused eyes met him. “I’m not. I ain’t never seen him.”
“Name.”
“I don’t—”
Josh raised him, readying Saul up for another whack against the building but paused. Something caught his attention. A glance over his shoulder answered his earlier question about who Kade had sent to protect Josh.
“What are you doing here, Rafe?”
“Kade asked me to help you with your little problem.”
“I don’t need help. Saul and I were just having a little chat.” Josh glanced at the man he held. “Weren’t we?”
A whiff of piss surrounded them. Josh glanced at the wet line spreading down Saul’s leg. Great. Josh eased back so the drips falling off Saul’s shoe didn’t land on him. “Why so afraid, buddy?”
“I…I told you why. I know what your new friends are.” Saul jerked his head in Rafe’s direction. “And I know they’re making you into a freak too.”
Josh wished. It’d make his life easier. “I’ll tell you the truth about what my new friends are. Want to hear it?” He waited until Saul nodded. “They’re a powerful, honorable family who live, love, and put their pants on one leg at a time just like you do. They’re also going to be mine as soon as Mira and I tie the knot.”
“You’re going to marry that thing?”
Josh grabbed Saul’s shoulder with one hand and delivered three short, hard jabs to his nose. Bone cracked. Saul shrieked. Josh covered Saul’s mouth to muffle the cry and berated himself for giving in to his rage.
Blood dripped over Josh’s knuckles. Instead of it bringing him back to reality, he wanted more of Saul’s blood, preferably in his mouth as he tore his throat out. Josh shook his head to get the violent images out.
With his raging instincts held at bay, he bent closer. “That beautiful woman is the love of my life. She’s mine. You understand what that means for me and what I’ll do to protect those I love, don’t you?”
Saul nodded quickly and another weak whimper escaped him, the sound garbled by Josh’s palm.
“Are you sure? I know how sometimes you forget things.” Josh pulled his hand away from Saul’s mouth and lifted him so his shoes skimmed the ground. “But I bet your buddy Vince remembers.” Josh had made sure he’d left enough scars on Vince to ensure he’d never forget. “How many years does he have left for taking Zoe’s family away from her?”
He didn’t need to see Rafe to know that statement shocked him. Josh felt the tension radiating off the shifter who stood behind him, blocking them from curious eyes. He’d meant to clue Rafe in on why Kade had no chance with Zoe. He hadn’t had time. The mess with Mira had taken all of his.
“Vince is sorry, man. You know that.”
“Vince is a sick coward who wanted what never belonged to him.”
“It was the drugs. He’s…he’s all cleaned up now.” Saul licked the blood away from his lips. “The judge believed him. That’s why he went easy on him.”
More likely the judge had been paid off. Vince’s family owned the biggest meat packing plant in the state. They also supplied the local dealers, including Zeb, not that the police could tie Vince’s family to it. Bree had tried for years and kept running into dead ends.
As much as Josh wanted to find out what Saul meant by the judge going easy on him—last Josh had heard Vince was doing twenty to thirty in the state penitentiary—he had to deal with the images of Mira that Saul should never have taken.
Josh tightened his grip on Saul’s shoulder. “So about last night…who did you tell?”
“No-nobody. I didn’t tell—”
Josh smacked him against the wall. Saul’s eyes rolled back in his head. Josh shook him so he wouldn’t pass out. “What did I tell you about lying to me? I don’t like when people lie.”
“S…Sam.”
The slurred word dropped between them and worry ignited within Josh. Sam, Saul’s twin brother, gossiped worse than some of the elderly women in town. “Where is he?”
The sound of a police siren reached Josh’s ears. He cursed. “Tell me, Saul. Where is he?”
“Went to…tell”—Saul licked his lips—“Abby’s boyfriend…he was right.”
“Where.” Josh shook Saul hard. “Tell me where.”
“Ca-cabin.” Saul’s eyes rolled back in his head, unconsciousness claiming him.
“Dammit, Josh. Again?”
Josh dropped Saul’s limp bod
y and turned to meet Bree’s hazel eyes. He grinned. “Morning, Officer Rodrick.”
“What’s going on?”
“Umm, nothing?” Josh widened his smile. “Saul and I were just talking.”
Bree dropped her arms to hang loosely at her sides and widened her legs, her usual ‘don’t-mess-with-me’ stance. “No lines.”
“I’m not giving any.” They had been talking. Sort of.
She snorted, then turned her head and leveled a hard glare on Rafe. “And you. I got a very interesting call this morning from an arm of the government I never knew existed, and I’m not happy, not happy at all that stuff has been kept from me involving the people in my town.”
Rafe flashed a grin. “Ma’am, let me introduce myself. I’m—”
“Rafe Alexander.” Bree scrunched her nose. “And don’t even try to charm me. It won’t work. I know your wife.”
Rafe chuckled. “Jazz says, welcome to the club. She wants you to stop by, and she’ll fill you in.” He motioned toward the slumped body on the ground. “But first, we could use your help containing a little slip that happened last night.”
Josh strode forward and gave her arm a small squeeze. “Are we good, Bree?”
“I’m a little hurt that I had to find out this way but yeah, we’re good.”
Josh sighed. “Great because I’ve got to stop Sam from messing this up worse than it already is.”
He didn’t bother waiting to listen to her argument. He jogged toward his car and ignored her bellowed order to stop.
The Ernests’ hunting cabin sat at the top of a mountain. Josh’s SUV lurched over the divots and potholes in the road leading to it. He cursed each time the underbelly scraped, more because of the wasted time than the damage to his new vehicle. His only consolation stemmed from knowing this impassable path was the only way to reach the cabin.
Rafe sat next to him, but thankfully, had stopped asking questions. It took all of Josh’s control not to turn his head and snap at the shifter. Mira’s anxiety radiated along their invisible tether. Experiencing it added to the regret choking Josh over not checking out the thumping sound last night.
If that wasn’t enough, the unexplainable pain in his body had grown since leaving Bree. Shallow breaths and focusing on the mess he had to fix stopped him from obsessing over the cause.
He breathed a sigh when the dilapidated building came into view. The only vehicle parked in front belonged to Sam. Josh blocked it in with his.
A whiff of blood hit him as soon as he got out. He had a moment to wonder how he could smell it or know what it meant before concern for the man who had never been his friend kicked in. He rushed to the door and flung it open.
The stench of death swept out. He grabbed the doorframe to stop himself from entering and messing up the crime scene. The single red dot between Sam’s open eyes and the trail of blood down his crooked nose told Josh everything he needed to know. They were too late.
“There’s no scent from the murderer,” Rafe announced.
“Not good.” Josh met Rafe’s eyes.
“No, not good at all,” Rafe echoed.
Josh pulled out his phone and dialed. “Bree, get up here and bring a body bag. We’ve got trouble. A lot of trouble.”
And it would only get worse. Josh knew it with the newfound instinct gripping him.
Chapter 30
Josh followed Jazz and Rafe’s retreating car with his gaze. Molly poked her furry head over the backseat. He waved and waited until the vehicle disappeared before giving in to his rage.
He grabbed the nearest thing, an Adirondack chair, and flung it off the porch. It hit a nearby tree with a satisfying crunch. The second and third brand-new wooden chairs met the same fate.
He reached for the fourth but paused with his fingers wrapped around the arms. The few times Mira had been over she’d sat in this seat. He dropped his weary ass on it and held his head. The pressure between his ears made the world around him take on that weird haze where colors dimmed and grays sharpened.
Deep, controlled breaths eased the pain. He conjured Mira’s image. Instead of soothing him, it made the whirling emotions worse. He needed her, but she’d refused to answer his calls. Instead, she’d texted him and told him she wanted a few hours to think things through, and she’d talk to him after her fake date with Micah.
He only let her go because he knew Lena was with her, not one of her other suitors. He also knew Mira had to go through with the charade. If there was a chance Micah had any involvement in Sam’s murder, they needed to know. Hopefully, he’d make a slip they could call him on.
The door behind him banged shut. A moment later, something cold pressed against his arm. He grabbed the water bottle without opening his eyes, untwisted the cap, and chugged.
The porch swing groaned, and the rhythmic creak as it swung on its rusty hooks filled the silence. With Megan staying at Rafe’s house and Molly gone, he’d better get used to the lack of noise. No chance of that happening. The quiet irritated him.
Josh waited for Devin to say something. He’d come over with Rafe and Jazz, pleading their case. No need. As soon as Josh learned of Micah’s threat against Molly, Josh had agreed wholeheartedly with their suggestion to get the little girl somewhere safer, away from the Alexander pride’s lands. He didn’t like the idea of Molly staying with one of Kade’s relatives, but Josh’s wants came last.
“It’s only temporary.”
Devin’s gravelly voice made the thump in Josh’s head worse. He pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded, best he could do.
The swing squeaked, and the pressure between his ears increased with each shrill whine. Josh ground his teeth and ignored the sound as best he could, but the bright afternoon sun blinded him. He closed his eyes, and blessed darkness cocooned him. He wanted to wrap it around him like an inky blanket that would take away all his pain.
“Sam’s murder worries me,” Josh said to break the silence. “Abby’s new boyfriend obviously didn’t like what Sam had to say.”
“Or that he didn’t have any evidence.” Devin cursed. “Any word on where Abby is?”
Josh shook his head and regretted the motion a second later. His stomach rolled. He swallowed the bile down. “No, both Abby and Zeb are missing and nobody knows anything about the mysterious boyfriend. Bree’s on top of it. She’ll find them.”
“The wolves are prowling the woods behind the cabin hoping to pick up some tracks, but without a scent, we don’t have much to go on besides the tire tracks in the road.”
Josh worked his jaw back and forth. He wanted to be out there with them, but he hurt too much to tramp around the forest. He peered at Devin through cracked eyelids. “Do you think the Council’s involved?”
A shrug accompanied Devin’s grunt. “Maybe, but it doesn’t make sense that they’d send a human to watch you and Mira have sex, not unless they wanted the humans to learn about us.” He shook his head. “But that’d be suicide. They don’t want humans to find out about us any more than we do.”
Or a brilliant plan. Gather evidence to use as blackmail so they could force Mira’s compliance and secure Molly.
Josh sighed. No use thinking about the whys.
Silence descended again. It irritated him as much as the shrill squeaking of the swing. “What? Aren’t you going to tell me I made a mistake by spending the night with Mira?”
“Does it matter? The deed is done, and both of you will have to deal with the consequences.”
Yeah, they would. Josh closed his eyes instead of commenting.
A long moment passed before the creaking resumed. He waited for Devin to say something else. He didn’t, and Josh’s patience snapped. “Just say whatever it is you want and get out of here.”
“I’m worried about you.”
Yeah, Devin wasn’t the only one. Josh shrugged. “Don’t be. I’m fine.”
“My cats don’t think so.”
Josh snorted. “Really? So what do they think is wrong with me?”
“Do you remember anything about the night you got into the fight with Zeb?”
The question shocked him enough to force his eyes open. He squinted against the glare and brought Devin’s concerned face into focus. “What does that have to do with anything? I healed up just fine.”
The lie soured his gut. The alternative, however, made the churning worse. That night had started all the bizarre things going on with him.
“My cats never really paid much attention to you before the night Zeb fought with you.” A sheepish look passed over Devin’s face. “I mean, they acknowledged their responsibility to you because of what Mira did, but that’s it. Now…now you’ve captured their attention.”
Hoping to lighten the mood, Josh closed his eyes and grinned. “I thought Lena was the only one who could do that.”
He heard the whoosh of air and snatched the water bottle Devin hurled at his head before it made contact. The realization of what he’d just done struck him. He pried one eyelid open.
“You see? You’re not quite…normal anymore. Human normal, that is.” Devin leaned forward. “You lied about only getting a little cut, didn’t you?”
Josh nodded. No use denying it, not anymore. The mess he’d hoped to avoid by keeping it quiet had found them anyway.
“What really happened that night?”
“Zeb didn’t just nick me. He gutted me and left me there bleeding. After he left…” Josh pulled the memory out, letting the details wrap around him. He recalled the talk with Zeb and the pathetic fight that ended up with Josh bleeding on his bar’s parking lot and…pain, not just from the knife that had cut him.
“Burning. I remember burning from the inside out. I thought I was going to explode.” A shiver ran down his spine. He grabbed at his neck and coughed, the sensation of something slithering down his throat as real as it had been that night. “I couldn’t breathe. I was choking.”
“On what?”
He shrugged. Oil? Slime? “Saliva, I guess. Maybe blood. I don’t know.”
