by T. Cobbin
A tiny sliver of a smile lifted his lips when he realized Rosie wouldn’t ever scream at him again. He curled up and drifted off to sleep thinking of Belle.
Chapter 7
Three days later, Shawn was walking through Stonesdale with Harris. He had spent the last few days healing and investigating the small community. It was quite a friendly place. People often stopped and spoke to him, welcoming him to the village. Now that he was fully healed and settled in, he was more than ready to work again.
Belle had come by every day, both of them giving their tigers full rein and letting them roam. It was coming to the end of April, and their beasts loved to sit and watch the new spring babies frolic with their mothers. Shawn drew on the calming emotions his tiger gained from doing that. He found it easier to be around Belle, and they began sharing stories from their past. The antics they managed to get up to as kids. He even caught himself opening up and telling her about his parents. He wished they had found this place or somewhere like it. If they had, they might still be alive.
Shawn followed Harris into the village doctor’s surgery. Shawn had just been here yesterday to have his stitches removed. It was the elderly lion shifter who greeted the Alpha.
“Ben.” Harris shook the man’s hand. “This is the gentleman I was telling you about.” He gestured toward Shawn.
“Aye.” Ben nodded with a genuine smile on his face. “We’ve met before.”
“Good hands, sir.” Shawn smiled at Ben.
“Not as sturdy as they used to be, but they still have life in them yet. It looks like you came along at the right time, young man. My last receptionist just had twins and she decided to become a full-time mother, which leaves an open space. You up for it?” Ben asked.
“What, just start?” Shawn asked, surprised. “No interview or anything?”
“You have the Alpha’s recommendation, boy. I trust him. He told me you were a receptionist before at a lawyer’s office. If you could deal with the paperwork that job entails, you can deal with it here.”
Shawn took the old man’s offered hand again and shook it. “Thank you, sir. I will make you proud, and the Alpha, of course.” He turned to Harris with a thankful smile.
“Leaving you two to it,” Harris said to the pair of them. “Shawn, come by to see me later, and we’ll talk about the rent, etcetera.” Without waiting for an answer, Harris walked out of the surgery, giving a wave of his hand as he left.
Turning back to the doc, Shawn began his first work day in the Stonesdale doctor’s surgery.
* * * *
“Hey there, handsome.”
Shawn lifted his head to look at the clock then Belle. He had been so engrossed in his work he hadn’t heard her come into the building. It was late afternoon, time to go home soon. Shawn was looking forward to a run with Belle.
“Hey.” He smiled.
His tiger purred deep inside him, and Shawn could feel the hope flowing from him. Time for an evening stroll, he told his beast and received a flow of love from him.
“Ready for our run?” he asked Belle, standing up from the small reception desk.
“Oh bugger, that’s why I came. Felix is leaving in a few days, so I have to go over to his place later for a few more ‘lessons’ to keep things straight.” The smile on her face didn’t reach her eyes.
Shawn’s heart stuttered a beat with the misery he felt. He had actually been looking forward to tonight. “Um, okay, no problem. Maybe tomorrow?”
“How about tomorrow morning before work?” she asked with a sparkle in her eyes. “I really am sorry about tonight, babe, but once Felix buggers off I’ll have more free time. Promise.”
His instant thought was a sarcastic yeah, okay, sure. Let me down slowly just like Rosie did. But he pushed it back into the ‘negative thoughts because of her’ box.
“Sure, tomorrow morning.” He nodded, plastering a fake smile on his face.
Belle had slowly but surely managed to creep her way into his heart. He’d been there nearly a week now and already his thoughts about Belle and her luscious curves were becoming more prominent than his thoughts about Rosie. He’d started sorting out his emotions bit by bit, putting the ones he had for Rosie into a box in his mind and sitting on it. He was still afraid they would jump back out at him and his Belle might not be able to climb over the wall they would create. His Belle.
Watching Belle walk back out the door he felt her loss more severely than he had felt leaving Rosie. He knew he shouldn’t compare the two women, but it was so hard. All he had ever known was Rosie, she had been his woman for so long. At one point he had been ready to imprint on her rather than wait for his true mate—Belle. Shawn shook his head at the thought. He knew he had to concentrate on Belle now.
Gathering the papers he’d been sorting, he shuffled them until they were neat then turned to grab his light summer jacket and popped his head inside Ben’s office to say goodnight.
* * * *
Belle had seen the hurt in Shawn’s eyes and the fake smile on his face and knew she was getting to him. She felt some satisfaction because for the first time since they met she had smelled a tinge of lust coming off him mixed in with all his manly scent. But she didn’t like the hurt she had caused him at cancelling their plans. It was Felix’s fault, and she would make him suffer tonight.
“Belle, we have incoming. Large black SUV. North.” Felix’s voice filled her mind.
Immediately, she went on alert. “I was already heading to the Alpha’s house to meet you, but moving faster now,” she replied, and started running toward her destination.
She inwardly smiled, knowing she’d just told Felix she had been taking her time getting to their meeting. She knew too that she would have been one of the first to be told about any visitors being she was on the Alpha’s mate protection duty. Harris loved the village, but he loved his mate and child just a tiny bit more; in his eyes they always came first. Each of the enforcers on patrol would now be on the alert, either in their human or their cat form.
Even with the village being out in the sticks, they would often get visitors. But because of the community being shifters and some of their occupants running from other shifters, the visitors were watched very carefully. Harris kept a tight ship when it came to the people he protected.
Just as Belle reached the driveway of Harris’s house, she heard the vehicle. As it drove past her, toward the center of the village, she watched it, taking in every single detail she could.
“Black SUV heading toward the center of town. Tinted windows, but I made out two suited male occupants in the front and one unknown in the back. I’ll relay the number plate to Larry.”
“Aye aye,” Felix replied.
Felix’s yes was often aye aye. She’d told him once he sounded like a fucking pirate. She’d even called him ‘Captain Pussy Cat’ once. The bastard had repaid her for that comment by assigning her a few extra shifts.
With her senses on full alert, Belle ran up to the house and walked inside. She found both Melinda and Walker in the kitchen.
“Hey there, little man,” she cooed at Walker, ignoring Melinda’s questioning look. “Whatcha got there, mate?” she said, looking into a small bowl containing his food. “Mmm, looks like spaghetti. Yummy.” She moaned, making the boy smile.
She could feel Melinda’s eyes boring into her.
“Are you going to keep ignoring me?” Melinda asked.
Belle sighed, but turned to her friend with a small smile.
“Harris told me to stay in the house, then rushed out of it like a bat out of hell. What’s going on?” Melinda asked.
“We have a visitor, that’s all.” Belle shrugged.
“What kind?”
“Not sure yet, just a black SUV with three occupants. Not the normal visitor type if you get my meaning.”
“You mean the ones in the scruffy four-wheelers or the tourists that wear hiking boots and look like they’re ready for whatever weather is thrown at them.” Melinda chuc
kled. It was only last week that they’d had a small group of hikers come through the village wearing clothes from raincoats to shorts, topped off with huge clodhopper boots on their feet.
“Yep.”
“You think it could be anything serious?” Melinda’s face changed to one of worry. It hadn’t been that long ago since her own troubles brought her to Stonesdale.
“Not sure yet, just waiting for a top up of info,” Belle said, tapping her temple. “I’m about to take a wander.”
After planting a kiss on Walker’s head, Belle slowly wandered around the Alpha’s house, using all of her senses to make sure that all was well there. But instead of feeling calm as she usually did, she felt anxious. Ever since she’d been told of the vehicle she’d wanted to make sure Shawn was okay, but first she had to make sure Melinda and her son were safe.
“Shawn?” she asked, reaching out to his mind. Nothing. She waited a few seconds then tried again. “Shawn?”
“I’m with Harris and three policemen. I’ll talk to you in a bit,” he answered, his voice strained.
Worry flooded her. Why were the police with him? They must have been the ones in the car. For the first time since being an enforcer, she felt torn. She wanted to be with her mate, to be at his side.
“Felix?” She quickly tuned into the beta’s mind.
“Is it important?”
“It’s about the three coppers.”
“How do you know about the visitors?” Felix asked.
“Shawn told me.”
“Let us deal with this, Belle.”
“But—”
“Not now.” A growled warning was thrown back.
“But that’s my mate,”
“Belle, not now!” Felix answered with a growl that resonated around in her head.
What was she to do? Abandon her post, give up everything she had worked so hard to obtain? She wanted to howl. She also knew she had to trust her Alpha and beta to be there for her mate.
A growl slipped from between her lips as she walked inside the Alpha’s house. She received a surprised then worried look from Melinda. She couldn’t help but frown back at the woman. “It’s nothing, just me being pissed off,” she groaned.
Melinda chuckled. “I bet that has to do with a man.”
“Of course.” Belle sighed. It was going to be a long evening.
* * * *
Shawn had just walked out of the surgery when a black SUV pulled up outside the small police station next to it. Three well-groomed, suited men climbed out of the vehicle. The way they carried themselves automatically shouted law enforcement.
A shiver went through Shawn. Something deep inside him said these men were there because of him. Should he go home and wait, or simply enter the police station and say…say what? Hi? Are you here for me?
Shawn realized his mind-set had yet again slipped into the past. He felt guilty, unsure. He wondered what he’d done wrong. Shawn couldn’t make his feet move to walk anywhere. He kept trying to tell himself that these men weren’t there for him, he hadn’t done anything wrong. He stood frozen in place, his mind in turmoil, both negative and positive thoughts trading blows.
It was Harris and Felix who brought him out of his mental unrest. Felix placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a worried look, while Harris walked straight into the police station. Shawn breathed in a large lungful of air and released it. His skin was clammy and having Felix look at him with worried eyes wasn’t helping him stand tall and proud like he thought he should be.
“Panic moment?” Felix asked.
“They are here for me, right?” Shawn asked Felix, already knowing the answer. He received a small nod in acknowledgement.
“Harris just informed me,” Felix said, tapping his temple.
“Okay, let’s get this over with.” Shawn sighed and walked into the police station with Felix beside him.
Chapter 8
“Ah, just the man we wanted to see.” The village copper, a portly lion shifter known as Garrett greeted him as he walked into the building’s reception area.
With the three suited coppers along with Harris and Garrett standing in the small room, it felt claustrophobic. The feeling was intensified by the fact that every single pair of eyes in the room was staring at him.
“This is Detective Johnathon Canker, Detective Harry Small, and Detective Louis Frank.” Garrett pointed to each man as he introduced them. “They’re here to question you about Miss Rosie O’Hare.”
All three men were tall, clean-shaven, and their suit jackets didn’t have a single crease in them. It briefly crossed Shawn’s mind that for them to still be perfect after sitting in a car for an hour or more they must have taken them off. It was plain to see Garrett was trying to control the situation in his office. By making the introductions he was making sure the visiting detectives knew this was his police station no matter what their rank.
Johnathon Canker stared over Shawn’s shoulder to look at Felix. “You are?” he questioned, short and sharp.
Shawn looked behind him to see Felix’s lips lift in a smirk, his eyes filling with defiant mirth. “Leaving,” he simply stated before striding out of the building.
Ballzee, Shawn’s tiger said.
He is off on some kind of travels soon. I get the impression he doesn’t like this kind of authority.
After a brief moment of silence one of the detectives spoke. “Interrogation room?”
Shawn felt dread seep through him. Interrogation room? When had being stabbed suddenly turn into a crime?
“I’m sure we can do this in Garrett’s office.” Harris’s deep voice, tinged with a growl, resonated through the room.
“I understand that you are the mayor here, sir, but this is police business. We’re here to question Mr. Burr.”
“Every single person in this community is under my care. His welfare has everything to do with me. If Mr. Burr wishes for me to leave, I will, but a solicitor will be taking my place. Otherwise, I will stay.”
All eyes again turned toward Shawn. He was sure he looked nervous as hell, he certainly felt it. It wasn’t because of Harris though. Having his Alpha there was quietly comforting.
Lifting his head in a defiant way, he said, “I wish for Mr. Rockwell to stay, please.”
Each one of the detectives’ faces seemed to pinch into annoyance, as if having a civilian in the room was going to hinder them.
“Shall we take this to my office then?” Garrett asked, breaking the suddenly intense atmosphere.
The detective who seemed to be in charge, Johnathon Canker, motioned for Garrett to lead the way.
“I’m here, Shawn, just listen to what they have to say, but if I tell you not to answer, please follow my instructions.” Harris walked behind Shawn down the tight hallway. The urge to turn just to see the man’s face, to look into his Alpha’s eyes for both reassurance and comfort, was overwhelming. “Head up, mate, you haven’t done anything wrong.”
With just a few words Shawn heard what he needed to hear—someone believed him. His Alpha was right behind him, and he wasn’t going to desert him.
Once everyone was settled in Garrett’s office, which was slightly bigger than the reception room, silence crept in. Harris was standing, leaning against the wall near the door, with his arms crossed over his chest. The two detectives who had yet to speak sat in chairs beside Shawn, while the other stood stiff as a post at the side of Garrett’s desk, his eyes staring firmly at Shawn. Garrett sat behind his desk, looking like the lord of the jungle.
“For three of you, and being detectives, to come this far out to question Mr. Burr, I would guess that Miss O’Hare has been found,” Garrett said, leaning forward on his desk.
Detective Johnathon Canker looked toward Shawn with disgust on his face. “Miss O’Hare walked into an accident-and-emergency last night. Her condition was serious. She had several broken bones and numerous week-old bruises. She informed the medical staff her fiancé had beaten her up a week previously bu
t she’d refused to seek medical attention because she was frightened she would be found by him. By you. But she couldn’t withstand the pain any longer so she had to seek help. She was even worried about contacting her brothers. She was afraid they would go after you and break you in half… Her words.” The detective placed his hands on Garrett’s desk, leaning toward Shawn in a menacing manner. “After she allowed the medical staff to call us, she reluctantly gave a statement. She said on the night you were stabbed, she injured you in self-defense.”
Shawn felt like he was going to pass out. His whole body seemed to shake in shock. Rosie was accusing him of beating her up? Claiming that she’d stabbed him because he’d hit her? Oh God! He would never raise a hand to a woman. His mother would be turning in her grave right now at the accusation. She had drummed it into him as a boy that a female should never have to cower under a man’s hand. That men were stronger and should never ever raise a finger to a woman no matter what she did.
In shock, he watched as one of the detectives pulled a few sheets of paper with handwritten writing on it out of a briefcase and handed them to Johnathon.
He sat in a seat beside his fellow officers, glancing over the papers in his hand. “This is her statement, and I have read yours. I can tell you they certainly do not match. I also have a statement from your boss, Paul Hardy, as well as Rosie O’Hare’s five brothers, and medical staff reports too. The evidence is pretty damming for you, Mr. Burr.”
Shawn’s world suddenly felt so much smaller. Damming? He wished he could talk to someone; to get reassurance this wasn’t a dream. The evidence was against him? For four years he had put up with Rosie shouting and screaming at him, hitting him. She had been the one who had abused him.
Shawn sighed with reservation. So this was how it was going to go? He—the male, the supposed strong one—was automatically being put in the abuser role. Shawn wondered who the hell had battered Rosie for her to have the injuries she did. Had her brothers beaten on her? Were they trying to push the blame on him to keep her from prison? At the moment they were sure winning that race.