Wolf Shield Investigations: Boxset

by Dee Bridgnorth

  Especially when she’d tensed up. He’d scented her confusion and fear, her apprehension. And he’d known that apprehension had been directed at him.

  “How did Kara react when you told her?” he asked Jace while dealing another hand of cards. If he never saw a deck of cards after this, he wouldn’t mind.

  Jace shrugged. “She didn’t, like, do a cartwheel or anything like that. She was confused. I’m sure she didn’t believe me at first—who would? But she reacted well. You know her. It takes a lot to shake her up, especially when she already had suspicions in the first place.”

  “I wouldn’t have told Serenity if it wasn’t for her suspicions. If it hadn’t been for the accident…”

  “You would’ve had to tell her at some point anyway,” Sledge reminded him. “I know she’s trustworthy. I feel it.”

  “Me, too,” Zane agreed. “Even if she freaks out when you tell her you think she’s your mate, she won’t tell anybody else.”

  He knew they could sense his discomfort at the very thought of her not accepting him as a mate. There was no use hiding it. Anybody would feel the same way, wouldn’t they? Any person, no matter who they were. Nobody wanted to be rejected.

  It was just that the wolf took rejection much worse than any human Braxton had ever met.

  Even now, playing cards and relaxing, there was a constant undercurrent of seething, barely suppressed anger, bitterness. The wolf paced, snarling, grunting. It was all he could do to keep track of the cards he held.

  “Give her time,” Jace muttered with a glance in his direction. “She just needs time. It can’t be rushed.”

  They didn’t have time. How much longer would they be in California? Granted, they hadn’t made much progress on the recording, and the cops were still clueless.

  But this couldn’t last forever. They’d have to leave, and he couldn’t imagine leaving without her or at least without knowing she was in his life.

  The phone call from Val was a welcome distraction. Maybe she’d have good news.

  Maybe she’d have something that would end up with them leaving sooner rather than later. His spirits sank even as he answered the call. “Yeah?” he asked, putting her on speaker.

  “Who’s a genius?” she asked with a smile in her voice. “Come on. Tell me.”

  “Not until I hear what you have to say,” he grinned. “I mean, I wouldn’t wanna give a compliment too soon.”

  “I think I’ve managed to manipulate the recording to where the caller’s real voice is discernible.”

  “That qualifies,” Jace decided, sitting up straighter. “Can we hear it?”

  “Of course. Just don’t expect miracles. It still needs work, but it’s clear the person talking is a man who tried to disguise his voice even with the use of the distorter he was using.”

  Braxton bristled, his wolf at the ready. Not that hearing the guy’s voice made that much of a difference, not really, but it brought them one step closer to knowing who they were dealing with. What a shame whoever he was didn’t know who he was dealing with now.

  He would soon enough.

  “Let’s hear it,” Sledge prompted with an edge in his voice. They were all tense now, their wolves close to the surface. Good thing Melody was so deeply invested in her work and Serenity in her workout.

  “Here goes.” Val’s end of the call went silent for a second before she started the recording. No matter how he braced himself, Braxton couldn’t get over the absolute hatred in the words the stalker had spewed.

  Even hearing it now, without the distortion, it still turned his stomach.

  The voice was definitely male and naturally deep. He’d raised the pitch a little, making it sound whiny and plaintive. Like he was making fun of Serenity, almost. Like this was all a game even though at least one life had been lost to obsession.

  “What a freak,” Zane muttered, shaking his head when it was over. “Can you play it again?”

  “Though I don’t much love hearing it, yeah,” Val replied. “It curdles my blood, and the guy’s not even talking about me.”

  “Serenity’s downstairs, working out,” Braxton assured her. “She won’t be able to hear it. I wouldn’t put her through that again unless I had to.”

  “You’ll have to soon enough,” Val pointed out. “We’ll want to know if she can identify the voice, right? I mean, it might not be easy, but she’s probably the only one who can.” She started the recording again, and Braxton’s fists tightened reflexively. He couldn’t wait to make whoever did the talking pay for what he’d done.

  How was he supposed to make her listen to this? How could he put her through it again?

  No. She was strong. She was tough. He couldn’t keep underestimating what she was capable of. He’d watched her walk away from a car accident, determined to keep living her life as she saw fit.

  He’d told her about himself, about all of them, and she hadn’t run screaming from the room. That meant something, too. When given the chance, she rose to the occasion. Hadn’t she supported herself when her grandparents died? The girl could do anything.

  “Can you send me a copy of the file?” he asked once it had played again.

  “Sure. It’s already on its way. I’ll accept your praise whenever you choose to express it—and roses are my favorite flower, but you boys already knew that.” How she managed to stay so upbeat in the face of the work they did was always a mystery to him. She was even chuckling as she ended the call.

  He opened his mail app—sure enough, there was the file. “She’s nothing if not efficient,” he snickered.

  “Now all that’s left is playing the recording for Serenity and seeing if she can identify the guy.” Jace gathered up the cards since it was clear the game was over for now. “Here’s hoping she can and we can move forward. I’m tired of all this inactivity.”

  “It’s nice that you consider what’s been going on inactivity,” Braxton laughed. “Last time I checked, I was in a car accident yesterday.”

  “You know what I mean. I almost feel bad, not being able to do anything real except roam the hills as my wolf.”

  Sledge nodded. “And it’s not like we ever pick up on anything while we’re out there.”

  “All these threats, you’d think they’d finally add up to something,” Zane mused. “I mean, it seems like the natural escalation would be to come here. Right?”

  “He might sense she’s not alone here, you know?” Jace suggested. “She’s better protected now. He’ll want to get to her when she’s vulnerable.”

  “Wait a second.” Braxton held his hands up to signal for silence. He had to think. Something was tugging at the back of his mind, something that needed a little help coming together. “What if this is still someone she knows personally? Someone who’d know she was better protected like Jace said.”

  “Yeah, but then again, everybody’s wondering who we are, right? This guy can’t be a complete idiot. He’s gotta be following along with the stories about her, too,” Jace added. “He’s a stalker. He’s obsessed with her. And he’ll want to know she’s falling apart over this.”

  “You’re right,” Braxton grumbled, though he wasn’t completely convinced. A stalker, especially one willing to murder in Serenity’s name, wouldn’t be able to stay away this long unless he knew damn well there was a reason to. He’d be itching to get close to her, to at least get a look at her while she was in her natural element.

  To see how he ruined her life and her sense of well-being.

  He opened the file and played it, closing his eyes while listening this time. Focusing on that voice. It had to be somebody she knew well—nobody could convince him otherwise.

  “Hey, Melody,” Sledge called out when she came inside. “Do you recognize this voice?”

  Braxton opened his eyes and looked toward the door in time to see her reaction.

  Which meant he watched as she swooned and fell to the floor.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  A good workout alway
s cleared her head.

  An added benefit was how it loosened her tight muscles. The first few minutes had been brutal—she’d wanted to give up, still stiff from the accident—but once she’d crossed the threshold, it was all good.

  If only she felt a little better about the Braxton situation. Even a long session in the steam room didn’t help. She stepped into the shower no closer to an answer than she’d been before.

  The thing was, it didn’t bother her that he was a shifter. No matter how many times she asked herself if that was the problem, the answer was no. How weird was that? Shouldn’t she be afraid? Or at least freaked out?

  What did that mean? Who did that make her? Did it even matter?

  It wasn’t like he hadn’t been a shifter the whole time she’d known him, and it hadn’t kept her from being ridiculously attracted to everything about him. Even his attitude, which had rubbed her the wrong way at first, drew her to him. He was the flame; she was the moth.

  She wondered if him being a shifter was part of why she wanted him so badly. Did it have to do with that? Something about him being part animal, something that reached out to her subconscious? Was animal magnetism a real thing?

  It didn’t matter. She wanted him, and it was complicated in ways she never could’ve predicted. Why couldn’t just one thing about her life go the way it was supposed to? Bad enough fame wasn’t half of what she’d imagined it would be. Now this.

  She’d have to go upstairs at some point, which meant she’d probably run into Braxton. He’d want to know what she was thinking. It was only fair. She couldn’t keep him hanging on forever.

  He didn’t have to ask out loud for her to know what he really wanted. It wasn’t enough to know he could trust her. He wanted to know if she could accept him, if she could love him.

  That wasn’t the sort of question that could be left unanswered.

  She was toweling off when her phone buzzed. At first, she didn’t want to pick it up—what if it was a message from the stalker? He’d been quiet for a couple of days, but seeing her all over the news—rather, reports of her being in the hospital after the accident and speculation over her brawny guards—must’ve kept her at the front of his mind.

  She hadn’t realized until just then that she’d been waiting for him to call. It was inevitable; he wouldn’t stay away forever.

  She looked at the device like it was a snake, poised to strike. Did she even want to pick it up? Should she maybe go upstairs and have one of the guys check it out for her?

  No, that was ridiculous. For one thing, she’d never get up there in time. She shook off her nerves and picked up the phone with a hand that only trembled a little bit.

  Relief seeped into her muscles when she found a message from Luke. She knew he’d come back eventually—granted, she hadn’t imagined it would take quite this long. She wanted to make it right with him, the way she wanted to make it right with everyone she’d upset or wronged.

  Hey, long time no talk. I shouldn’t have walked out like I did. I hope it’s okay for me to reach out.

  She smiled softly. He was one of the only constants in her life, and she hadn’t realized until just then what it meant to be without him. Once this whole thing was over, she would need him back—at least, if she didn’t pursue a career change. But that was something she’d have to think about later. There was already enough going on.

  I’m glad you did reach out since this place is a lot quieter and more boring without you around. You should come over. We can talk if you want to.

  It didn’t take long for him to get back to her—she was halfway through getting dressed when his next message came through. No offense, but I don’t really want to be there with the rest of them. She knew what that meant, and she winced. So he still had a problem with the guys. She never imagined he would take personally the fact of them being around. Male pride was a strange thing that she never really had figured out all the way. There she was, thinking women were the ones who were supposed to be so sensitive.

  The old Serenity would’ve given him a hard time about that. She would’ve told him to suck it up, to get over it if he wanted to see her. Now, she was too tired and too heartsore to even consider it. I get it. We can meet up someplace if you want. Granted, she’d have to bring somebody with her—wouldn’t she?

  Then again, if she was meeting with Luke, she’d have a bodyguard with her. It would only be a matter of getting to him safely, which she guessed she could manage.

  Great. What about the deli where we first met? I haven’t had one of their sandwiches in forever. Unless you want, like, lettuce and water or something like that.

  She giggled. It was a relief, hearing—or rather, reading—him being himself. He always did like to tease her about her restrictive diets, even if she never found it particularly funny.

  Sounds great, she replied. I can be there in 30.

  It would be better if she didn’t tell any of the guys what she was planning. They would never let her go on her own, and Luke would never be okay with seeing them, especially Braxton. He didn’t have to say it out loud, but she knew Luke had a special problem with him. Why? Maybe because he sensed what was going on between them way before she even had.

  Maybe it was the sort of thing guys sensed more easily. It wasn’t like she never imagined Luke having feelings for her, and it was probably wrong of her to imagine it would all blow over and be okay, that any personal feelings he had wouldn’t get in the way of his work.

  Just another example of how clueless she’d been for so long.

  Just to be on the safe side, she waited until she was already in the car before sending Braxton a text. Going to meet Luke for lunch. Everything’s fine. I’ll see you when I get back—I think we have to talk. That way he knew she wasn’t pushing him off or pretending their conversation didn’t mean anything. He’d also know she wasn’t afraid.

  She was even whistling to herself as she drove down the freeway wearing a ball cap and sunglasses in hopes of disguising herself. The fact that she was in a car at all after that accident was probably a miracle. The last thing she needed was to attract more attention.

  Even if the situation with Braxton was messy and confusing, she could at least make things right with Luke. He was a good guy. He’d always been there for her. If she had to let him down easy, she would—it wouldn’t be the first time. All women probably had to let a guy down easy at least once in their life.

  Only when she saw him waiting for her outside the café did she wonder if maybe she should’ve warned him about being seen in public with her. Melody had really done a good job of upping her visibility—maybe too good of a job.

  What was the point of being famous when she was afraid to show her face in public?

  She slid into the first available space, then sent him a message. Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe we should’ve met someplace a little more private. Unless you feel like being mobbed today. She looked around before sliding low in her seat, trying to hide.

  It took two minutes for him to get back to her, but when he did, his message made her smile. Have you forgotten what you pay me for? I’m not worried about it. Unless you would rather avoid the crowds. We can always go someplace else in my car. Nobody would think to look for you in a beat-up SUV.

  Yes, that was a good idea. The more anonymity, the better. Okay. I’m in the parking lot behind the deli.

  So was he, so she waited for him to reach her before getting out of the car to meet him. He was smiling as she approached, looking her up and down with an appraising glance. “I like this look on you,” he laughed. “You look like a real person.”

  “How do I look otherwise?” She gave him a hug, laughing. “Come on. Let’s go someplace where I won’t run the risk of getting chased by the paps.”

  “I don’t know where that could be since you’re all I’ve been seeing on TV for two days.” He opened the passenger side door for her and let her climb in before closing it. She noticed in the mirror that he looked b
ack and forth a few times as he rounded his car. Always watching, always on the lookout.

  “What if we just go to drive-through?” she asked as he climbed behind the wheel. She turned to him with a grin. “I haven’t had a good burger in a long time. Though I’ll probably feel like crap for it later.”

  She expected him to smile, to tease her again about her diet.

  He wasn’t smiling. Instead, when he looked at her, the expression on his face was one she could only describe as disgust. “Okay, no burgers. Jeez, I didn’t know you don’t feel that strongly about it.” Still, she was trying to joke. What happened between him letting her into the car and getting into the car himself to change his attitude so drastically?

  “Excuse me for a second.” He leaned over to reach into the glove box.

  Suddenly, a rag was over her mouth and nose, clamped in place by his big hand.

  And all of a sudden, it all made sense even though it didn’t, even though this had to be something out of a nightmare. Even though she never, ever would have guessed a million years that he was capable of this.

  Even so, it all made sense. The last piece fell into place as darkness closed over her.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “I’m sorry,” Melody muttered, running a hand over her forehead as she tried to sit up. “I don’t think I’ve ever fainted in my whole life.”

  “Well, now you have.” Jace handed her a glass of water, perching on the edge of the sofa where she was stretched out. “You feeling okay?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” Still, that didn’t mean her hands were steady as she raised the water glass to her lips. Something had gotten to her, had gotten to her very badly. She was normally so collected, in charge. Only when she was caught in a lie had he ever seen her shaken up.

  Which meant she was probably caught in a lie right now.

  “What made you faint?” Braxton asked, standing behind the sofa looking down at her. It would be important not to get too close, to not make her feel threatened. She had to feel like she was around friends.