by Milly Taiden
12
“What do you mean there’s no body?” Chase growled through the phone. He paced the hallway outside Sophia’s recovery room at the clinic. If his phone hadn’t lost reception earlier, this would’ve been solved already.
“Just that,” River said, “there is no body or blood. But the air stinks of strong cleaning products freshly used.”
“You think someone else cleaned up for us?” Chase pondered out loud.
“Unless there are clean-freak zombies,” River replied, “then someone took care of the dead woman.”
What the hell was going on? Would this never end?
“And the tubes and papers aren’t on the table?” Chase asked.
“Nope,” River said, “didn’t see anything.”
Shit, shit, shit. “Did you see anybody or talk to anyone?”
River sighed. “Trebir let me and the guys in the back and gave us white lab coats. We didn’t have any problems getting in. Do you want us to ask employees? Few are here, though.”
Chase’s brows drew in. “What? You gonna ask if anyone’s seen a dead body lying around?”
“Does sound bad, when you put it that way,” River answered.
Fuck, sometimes he wondered if his brother came from the mailman.
“Oh,” River chimed in, “I did meet the facility director.”
“How did you know he was the director?” Chase asked.
“We ran into him coming out of his office as we were leaving.” His brother’s voice turned snarky. “And before you give me the third degree, the title on the door read Facility Director. That’s how I know who he was.”
“Did you talk with him?”
“Shortly. He didn’t give any hint to being aware of anything going on. Nice guy. He’s a shifter, but I’ve never smelled his animal before.”
“Did you ask what he was?” Chase asked.
“No, I didn’t want to get personal with the man and have him start asking me questions.”
“Good call,” Chase said. “What’s the man’s name? Why don’t I know him? I would’ve remembered meeting someone with an exotic side.”
“Name’s Jake Schnake.” River laughed. “Jake the Snake. He’s probably heard that a million fucking times in his life. Poor guy.”
Chase wondered if it was too simple to think Jake was a snake shifter. Chase still didn’t remember meeting the man. Usually, he eventually met every new shifter who came to town.
“Okay, anything else?” Chase asked.
“Nope. Unless you want us to do anything more, we’re done. It’s up to the facility or family to question police. Do you need me to talk to the chief?”
“No,” Chase said, “I’ve got to talk to him about the break-in to Sophia’s house.”
“You don’t think that’s taken care of now?” his brother asked. “Wasn’t the dead woman in charge of the hyenas trying to get your mate’s work?”
“She was, but…I don’t know.” Chase still had a feeling something wasn’t right. Maybe he was being paranoid since this was his mate he was trying to protect.
Shit. He felt like a first-day alpha with no experience. He hated being indecisive. Logic versus intuition.
The doctor entered the hall from her office, stethoscope around her neck.
“River, the doc’s out. I’ll talk to you later.” He pocketed his phone. “What’s the verdict, Doctor?” he queried.
“She looks good,” the doctor said. “Scans show the hole has healed in the middle of the muscles already. She shouldn’t have any problems making a full recovery. She’ll have a slight scar, though.”
“Eh, scars are sexy on a woman,” Chase said, thinking with one head more than the other now that they were talking about his mate.
The doctor laughed. “As long as you think so, Alpha.”
This having a mate thing was still a bit new for him. He had to watch who he was talking to. And with which part of the body he was talking with.
Chase followed the doctor into Sophia’s room.
“Hello, Miss Sophia.” Doc maneuvered around the nurse and placed the end of the stethoscope on Sophia’s chest.
Chase wondered at that. “Can’t you hear her heart without that thing if you got closer?”
Doc looked up at him. “Of course, but how would it look if I went around with the side of my face attached to everyone’s chest?”
Point proven. Though, he wouldn’t mind putting his ear to his mate’s chest. It’d put his mouth right at nipple height.
“Chase,” Doc said, “if you insist on thinking whatever it is causing that smell, I’m going to kick you out.”
It didn’t help his case when he watched his mate’s tongue swipe across her bottom lip. He groaned when the nurse grabbed his arm and dragged him out.
“Wait,” he said, “when can I take her home?”
“After I’m done examining her,” Doc answered. “Ten minutes.”
“Thank God,” he mumbled.
“Congrats on finding your mate, Alpha,” the nurse said.
“Thanks, Marcy,” he replied. “Finding my other half is better than I ever thought, if I can keep her out of trouble.”
13
Sophia lay in bed snuggled up to her mate. It was so nice being home and safe. And hot. This man was a freaking heater on high. Now that her body was working overtime growing babies, she generated her own warmth.
From the bedside, Chase’s phone rang. The distinctive ring informed them it was his brother calling. Anyone else she would’ve balked at, but River usually didn’t call unless something was up. He was always too busy taking care of his drama queen.
Chase rolled over with a growl and slapped a hand on the bedside table.
“This had better be good,” he said.
Sophia reached back and smacked his ass before rolling away.
“Quit being grouchy and talk to your brother. We’ll call him tomorrow morning to get back at him.”
She listened to her mate greet his sibling as she meandered into the bathroom. Nature always called her when waking. With two more tiny bladders being added, that need would soon become even more necessary.
After the morning ritual of teeth brushing and showering, she realized she needed more clothes or had to do laundry more often. She opted for more clothes. At least, more underwear. She could wear the same sweatpants a couple days before washing.
The scent of coffee dragged her out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. God, she was starving.
Chase was still on the phone, but had eggs, sausage, ham, and bread for toast on the counter for breakfast.
As she filled a cup with java, fingers snaked their way to her backside and grabbed a handful of ass. She playfully batted away his hand and smiled at him. That was something she definitely wasn’t expecting. But she could get used to it.
With a mug of hot coffee in hand, she plopped on the stool behind the island counter, waiting for Chase to finish his conversation.
Finally, he set his phone on the counter.
“What did River want so early?” she asked.
Chase seemed hesitant to answer. She knew he was keeping something from her to protect her. Again.
“Chase,” she said, “no holding back info to spare me.”
Her mate sighed deeply. “You’re right. We agreed to that. At least, you did.” He gave her a wink then poured scrambled eggs into the frying pan.
“River checked out the compound where we found you and Tryx. Looks abandoned in a hurry. But we need to make sure the threat to you is fully neutralized before you go about gallivanting around town,” he said.
“I don’t gallivant, for your information.” She rolled her eyes. “My sister does enough for both of us.”
His serious eyes met hers. “You know what I mean.”
She sighed. “Yes, I do, love. And thank you for watching out for me. But isn’t this over? Tori was doing all this.” She thought back to last night. “What happened to her after she shot me?”
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He stepped back from the stove, running a hand through his shaggy hair. She remembered how she snagged her fingers in it when she came not too long ago. Her insides heated.
With a deep breath, Chase’s eyes snapped to hers. Hot lust shone, sending a thrill through her. But her stomach growled, throwing cold water on them both.
“Babies first, I guess,” she said.
Chase spun her stool around and pushed her knees apart. After sliding between her thighs and pressing the head of his hard cock on her covered entrance, he pulled her head back and kissed her. Good and wet.
“From now on,” he said, pulling away an inch, “this is the first thing that happens. No talking until I get a deep, hot kiss. Got it, woman?”
She rubbed her pussy up and down his length, eliciting a groan from him.
“You got it, mister.” She teased as much as she could. She loved seeing him lose control. “But my eggs are burning.”
He jumped back. “Oh, shit.” With a couple steps, he was at the stove lifting the pan from the heat. “That was close.”
She laughed, watching his muscles ripple with the movement. All those yummy muscles.
“Now, no more distracting me,” she said. “Everything is back to normal for us, right?”
Chase raised a brow. “We’ve experienced normal?”
True. Nothing had been normal since she stuck herself with the two sharps in the lab. She waved a hand in the air. “You know what I mean.”
He dumped eggs into a bowl and laid meat in the pan. “I still have questions I want answered before I let all this go.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“Like what was that woman’s end game?”
“Her name was Victoria. Tori, to me,” Sophia said. A touch of sadness entered her heart, but didn’t stay too long considering the woman almost killed her.
Sophia recalled Tori’s story. “Her little sister was purposefully bitten. Her body didn’t take the change well and she didn’t survive it.”
“What was her sister’s name?”
“Nichola Winchester.”
Chase looked over his shoulder at her. “I remember people talking about it when I was young. It happened before I was born. She lived in a town over, but one of the wolves belonged to our pack.”
“Well, seems Tori wanted revenge. She wanted to create a serum that would destroy all the shifters or something like that.”
Chase remained quiet. She understood why. Genocide was nothing to take lightly. But it was over. She’d destroy her work and not think about it again.
She said, “Let’s go to the lab after this so I can get rid of everything. I hate the thought of it sitting around.”
He flipped meat onto a platter and dropped bread into toaster slots. “Uh, about that…”
That did not sound good to her. “What about it?”
Chase turned the burner off and moved the skillet back. “I called for a cleaning crew on our way to the clinic last night.” He paused.
“And,” she said.
“River called to say the things you set on the table…” He paused again.
Irritation started in. She prompted, “The vials and documents of my work, what about it?”
“Seems it’s missing,” he finished.
“Missing?” She sat straighter on the stool. “What do you mean missing? It was right there.”
“River said somebody took the body and your work before he got there.”
“The bod—Tori? Somebody stole her body? How can that happen?” She was ready to come out of her skin.
“Calm down, love,” he consoled. “We’re working on it. I’m calling the sheriff after we eat and we’ll make a plan to figure this out.”
What the hell? Why would somebody take a dead body and hide it?
“Are we sure it wasn’t one of our guys? Someone at the lab?” she asked. The only people she thought were at the lab were Tori and the man she had an appointment with who was running late.
She wondered who that was.
“Could be someone who was there. We’re not sure yet.” Chase set a plate piled with food in front of her. Breakfast went into her mouth while her brain processed the new facts.
Two scenarios existed: One was a coworker witnessed what happened and hid her work for her until she came back. Took the body, too? Eh, her workers were lab techs not morticians. They’d get blisters if using shovels to bury a body.
Two, nobody knew what was in the vials, so why take them? To analyze and sell? To whom? No scientist would know what the material was, much less what to do with it. That option seemed very unlikely.
“Chase, I think one of the guys at the lab must’ve hid my stuff, waiting for me to get back. That’s the most logical,” she said.
“You think?” He looked skeptical, but she was learning that was his job.
“I do. I bet when I go in next, one of my coworkers will search me out to hand it over. We watch out for each other.” She hoped, anyway.
He nodded. “That could likely be the solution. I want you to rest at least one day before going in.” He set his fork on his plate. “Your body is under a lot of stress. I don’t want the babies to suffer for it.”
She snorted. “Way to play the baby card, butthead. Now there’s no way I’m doing anything.”
He smiled at her. He knew what he was doing, butthead indeed.
She did tell him, “I will go to Julia’s, though. Tryx is staying there for a while and I want to be there for her.”
“That’s a good idea. See, you’re owning the female alpha role already.” He kissed her on the forehead while she chewed. “I knew you’d be awesome.”
His phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and frowned.
“What’s up, Sheriff?” Chase asked, pointedly looking at her. His silent message that he was concerned.
She stopped eating to listen to both sides of the conversation.
“Hey, Chase. I’ve gotten a couple reports about hyenas around the car plant. Could these be the same as those who broke into your mate’s home?”
“Could be, Sheriff. Though, I thought they would’ve left town. Guess not. You want to meet me there? See what can be sniffed out?”
“That would be great. When can you be there?” the sheriff asked.
“Fifteen minutes. Need to get dressed then I’ll leave.”
Sophia was putting breakfast dishes in the washer when her mate came up behind her. He put his arms around her.
“I need to go,” he said, kissing her neck. She snuggled back into him, wiggling her ass along the front of his pants. She loved the growl that came from him. “Wait till I get back, Miss Tease.”
She laughed. “I’ll be at Julia’s. Can’t do anything at their place.”
“Didn’t stop us the first time.” He swatted her ass and headed out the kitchen door to his truck.
She couldn’t believe how happy she was. After all these years of being shy and staying in the background, her life ended up in a place where she needed to shine to protect her pack.
Her pack.
Those words were new. And felt good, felt like home.
She glanced at her watch. It was too early to visit Julia and Tryx. Knowing her sister, she wouldn’t be out of bed for another hour. And then it’d take another hour for her to wake up.
Now would be a good time to stop by her home and pack up some things to bring back. Clothes for sure. Maybe some books and definitely all her bathing accoutrements. Men know nothing about taking a real bath.
She plucked her purse from the table by the front door and pulled out her keys. When she placed her hand on the door, the floor shook. The new windows that had been installed a short time ago popped and cracked as the walls rattled.
What the hell was going on?
She opened the front door to a man with his hand raised, ready to knock, and his head turned, looking over his shoulder. Over the forest of trees that separated the house from town, a mushroom of fire and smoke
soared into the air.
The man turned back to her, a smile on his face. She gasped.
“Hello, my love.” Holding an aerosol spray, his hand lifted in front of her face. “Good to see you again.” A mist from the canister covered her face, going down her nose and throat, choking her air.
His name hit her memory before blacking out: Jake Asshole Schnake.
14
Chase chuckled to himself on the way out of the house. He felt sure he was going to enjoy the rest of his life with his mate. After watching River turn to goo when around Julia, he worried he would look weak with his mate.
But he felt just the opposite. He could take on the world with her beside him. Damn he fell hard and fast. Almost a disgrace if they weren’t shifters and that being the norm.
As he traveled the paved road away from the pack community, a queasy feeling took over his stomach. He was being paranoid again. Had to be.
Sophia would be fine. The hyenas were gone, the mastermind behind Tryx’s kidnapping and the break-ins had been taken care of (even if her body was currently missing), and a coworker was keeping the DNA samples safe for Sophia.
What else was there?
Turning onto the main road leading in, a vibration from his truck snapped him from his thoughts. On the far side town, above the buildings and shop roofs, a fireball of flames and smoke lifted into the air, followed by another smaller explosion.
If he didn’t know better, he’d think the car plant had blown up. That was where he was headed to meet the sheriff. Where hyenas had been spotted.
Chase floored the accelerator and zipped through the downtown streets, running a yellow stoplight, and coming to a stop outside the burning plant’s fence line.
He had to sit a second to take in what his eyes were seeing. Thick black ash floated over the upper portions of the plant, resembling a thundercloud filled with black ink. More smoke continued to pour from broken office windows.
Doors on the first floor were open, people exiting on feet, knees, or over someone’s shoulder—any way they could. Many were covered in ash, keeping their identities hidden.