“Johann thinks he knows who it was that he spotted in the woods.” The detective clasped his phone to his belt.
“And he didn’t tell you?” Rock knew the answer before the detective responded, by the scowl on the wolf’s face.
“Actually he did tell me.” The detective surprised him with his response. “But I’m going to need a hell of a lot of proof to believe him.”
Two werewolves helping the pack doctor, carried the corpse to the van parked in the meadow.
“Since no humans were involved in this murder, and it hasn’t been reported to their police station, I can keep this one as pack business.” Beuerlein squinted and watched the men load the bitch into the back of the van, then slam the doors closed. “Jordeaux will examine the corpse further after she is taken back to her den.”
“Who did Johann say he spotted on my land?” Rock watched the detective study him, not liking the determined look on his face.
“I can’t tell you that yet.”
Rock wouldn’t waste time arguing with the wolf. He would head back to the house, make sure Simone was okay, and then he planned on paying his pack leader a visit. One way or another, the killing would stop.
Chapter Nineteen
Simone kicked her shoes off, and stretched out on the couch. It had taken some effort, but finally the three cubs seemed to be playing nicely together. Nate and Hunter, Rock’s cubs, were loaded with spirit and orneriness. There wasn’t a bit of doubt in her mind that Rock had sired those two. But they were good boys. Once she told them that Jere would be their new sister, the two had transformed, each one trying to outdo the other impressing her.
The older of the two cubs, and for the life of her she couldn’t remember if he were Nate or Hunter, crawled across the living room on all fours, with Jere riding his back.
Now if only Rock would get his adorable ass back home. The kids seemed happy. Quinnie buzzed from room to room cleaning, or doing some chore. Everyone had something to do but her. Although all she wanted to do was Rock. If the werewolf thought she would be a happy mate, staying in his home, and being domestic all day, he would be grossly disappointed.
Being outside appealed to her much better. Maybe she could learn to help him around the ranch. He had Quinnie to help with the cubs, and make the meals. And she seemed to enjoy it. Her place would be with Rock. Now all she had to do was convince him of that.
She left the cubs to their playing, and wandered into the kitchen, staring out the back door, wanting more than anything to explore the outbuildings, see the horses, and explore the land. How long could it take to track down Johann?
She reached for the phone, needing to know what was going on before she went nuts.
“Samantha?” Her friend didn’t sound like she was very happy. “Have you talked to Johann recently?”
“I just got off the phone with him. He’s on his way home now, and something has him really pissed off.”
Simone didn’t know what details to offer, but told Samantha what little she knew.
“I’ll call you back when I know what’s got him pissed.” Samantha said her goodbyes. “Oh, wait. Gertrude called too. She’s worried about you.”
“She doesn’t need to worry about me.”
“That’s what friends do, Simone.”
And Simone guessed Gertrude could use a friend. She stared at the phone for a second after hanging up before picking it up again and dialing.
“Yes. Hello.” Johann definitely sounded pissed.
“This is Simone.” Brief silence followed. She sucked in her breath. “Johann, I hear you found a body on Rock’s land.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at Rock’s house.”
She pulled the phone back when he yelled, “What in the hell are you doing there?”
“We mated, Johann.” She couldn’t let him take the upper hand with her anymore. “This is where I belong now.”
“We’ll talk about this later.” The background noise silenced, and she guessed he had just turned his car off. “I have other matters to deal with at the moment, as you obviously know.”
“We don’t need to talk about it later.” She reminded herself of Rock’s strength, his confidence. She would make her new mate proud, and show the same strength. “Have you seen Rock?”
“No. You don’t know where he is?” Samantha spoke in the background now, letting Simone know he was home.
“He left me here to go find you.” And if she didn’t find out something soon, she would scream.
“Simone.” Johann’s tone changed, alerting her. “Do you remember Derek Rousseau?”
The question threw her off guard. She came up blank for a moment, not remembering, and not knowing why Johann would ask about him.
The back door opened, startling her. Rock’s gaze looked more dangerous than a thunderhead. Concern, frustration, relief all mingled around him, filling the air around her with a mixture of emotions.
“I remember that he was the oldest in his den—Grandmother Rousseau’s first-born. He was a prick. Why?”
“Do you remember who he ran with?” Johann’s line of questioning made no sense. She didn’t remember, and she didn’t care.
“No,” she managed to say, Rock distracting more than her thoughts. Her pussy seemed to throb on command in his presence.
“Who are you talking to?” Rock didn’t stop when he reached her, but pressed her into the counter.
The smell of his emotions mingled with his all-werewolf aroma, making her insides tingle to life. She flattened her hand against his rock-hard chest, feeling his body heat.
“Is that Toubec?” Johann’s voice grew louder, and more stern. “Put him on the phone.”
Apparently Rock heard Johann because he grabbed the phone from her.
“Whom did you chase across my property?” he yelled into the phone.
He startled her, the spiciness of anger filling the air around them. Her heart skipped a beat from his sudden outburst, and she fought the sensation to sneeze when she breathed in his emotion.
Rock slammed the phone down on the cradle, growling under his breath.
“What is going on?” She’d had about enough of being left in the dark.
Rock noticeably relaxed, releasing a long, slow breath. The brewing storm remained in his eyes, but his expression softened.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” He pulled her to him, his hands gripping her waist, and kissed her. It was a quick kiss however, and not with half the feeling of the one he’d given her earlier. “How are you and the cubs doing?”
“They are fine, but I’m not.” She tried to push away from him, but his grip tightened. “What did you find out?”
“Nothing.” He lifted strands of her hair, then buried his nose in it. “Have Quinnie make all of you a nice meal. I will be home as soon as possible.”
“Now where are you going?” Exasperation crept through her. “I don’t want to stay here if you’re leaving.”
“This is your home.” His words were hard, obviously misunderstanding her.
“I don’t have a problem with that. But I hate being cooped up. I’m going with you.” Again she tried to push away from him.
“If you try to leave this house, I swear I will hogtie you, and chain you to the bed.”
Any other time she would have come from him saying such a thing, but not now. If she knew one thing about werewolves, it was that they needed to be shown their boundaries. She would not be bullied.
“Look here, Rock Toubec. If you are going after this murderer, then I want to help.” She wouldn’t be intimidated by the narrowing of his eyebrows, or his lips tightening into an angry, thin line. “Whoever killed those women has disrupted my life as much as yours. And I’m as much a part of this pack as you are. I’m not going to sit back and enjoy a nice supper, while you are out there risking your life.”
He pushed her into the kitchen table, but she jumped back to her feet. Tremors threatened her body, but she had t
o keep her head clear. If this wolf had wanted a docile mate, he shouldn’t have chosen her.
Rock straightened, looking down at her. “And what will you do if that murderer captures you, before you capture the murderer?”
Simone sighed, hating it when size and strength were pointed out as necessary traits to get something done.
“Rock. I’m not an idiot.” She walked around him, needing her shoes if she were leaving with him. “I wouldn’t go chasing after some killer all by myself. But if you are going to go talk to Johann, I’m going too. End of conversation.”
Rock didn’t say a word, but passed her and walked out the front door. Quinnie had obviously heard their entire conversation, because she assured her the cubs would be fine. As she closed the door behind her, Simone heard Quinnie tell Jere there were some old clothes upstairs, and wouldn’t she like to play dress-up?
*
Rock didn’t say a word on the drive into town. It was hard not to sit and fidget, but Simone worried if she started talking, it would be to apologize for standing up to him. And she wasn’t in the least bit sorry.
Several other cars were parked outside Johann’s house when they arrived.
Rock’s fingers wrapped around her wrist when she would have slid out her side of the truck. “When we go in there, I do not want you to be as defiant as you were at the house.”
Anger still clouded his eyes, but she couldn’t tell if he was angry with her, or the events of the day.
“If you wanted a submissive mate, you chose the wrong bitch.” She had no intentions of changing who she was for him.
Rock sighed, and then ran his fingers up her arm. His touch fueled her desire for him, which had never quite ebbed.
“I did not make a mistake in choosing my mate.” His tingling touch ran over her shoulder, then his fingers wrapped into her hair. “My instructions are clear. Inside our pack leader’s house, you will remain at my side…and quiet.”
“But what if…”
“Enough.” He didn’t let go of her when he opened his door, but pulled her out his side.
You are going to learn some manners, wolf-man.
Simone’s stomach twisted in frustrated irritation. When he would have knocked at the door, she reached for the doorknob. She hadn’t moved her things out of here yet, and she still had a key. If she hesitated, Rock would see weakness in her. She couldn’t deny the bit of relief when Rock said nothing, but followed her into the living room.
Everyone was talking at once.
“I could accept that he killed her, and couldn’t get out of sight before you detected him. By the time I got there, I would say she’d been dead for over an hour maybe.” The man speaking placed his hand on Gertrude’s shoulder. She sat on the arm of the couch, concentrating on her hands in her lap.
She looked up when Simone walked in, her smile not meeting her eyes.
“Speculation.” Toby Beuerlein, she recognized him from years past, shook his head. “That doesn’t prove he killed her.”
“I’m still going to question him.” Johann looked more determined than Simone had ever seen him.
He turned when the two of them entered the house, as did the others. Samantha pushed around Johann and grabbed her arm.
“I’m glad you are here,” she whispered, and Simone noticed she looked a bit pale.
“Who are you going to question?” Rock moved until he stood in the middle of the living room, the other men giving him room.
Nervous excitement already filled the air in the room. Samantha gripped her arm a bit harder when Johann didn’t answer right away, but studied Rock. The two men stared at each other, not blinking, but determining the other’s motives, sizing each other up. Tension clogged breathing space as well, making Simone want to jump in the middle of the two wolves, and get to the root of the matter.
Quit playing the tough guy, Johann. Rock isn’t the bad guy. She fought to keep her thoughts to herself.
“I’m going to talk to Derek Rousseau.” Johann turned his attention to Toby, but Simone could see the tightness of his body, how straight his back was, with his shoulders thrown back. “This is pack business, detective. You may join me if you like, but your badge stays behind. It has no jurisdiction in this matter.”
“Derek Rousseau murdered that bitch?” Rock’s biceps bulged against his shirt sleeve. Muscles rippled through his chest, stretching his shirt.
Even though his anger mounted, Simone couldn’t deny how damned sexy he looked.
“No.” Johann waved his hand through the air in front of Rock, a gesture to remain quiet.
Simone sucked in her breath. Johann would be making a grave mistake if he took Rock’s presence lightly.
“Then why would you question him?” Rock ignored the gesture. “Who did you chase off of my land, Johann?”
“Armand Gaston.”
“You chased Armand?” She couldn’t remain quiet. This was all way too confusing. “You chased him, and you couldn’t catch him?”
Johann turned to face her, annoyance masking his expression. “I didn’t catch him on purpose.”
“Why the hell not?” Rock looked ready to pounce.
Johann’s expression didn’t change when he glanced Rock’s way. “Because. Gaston is too much of a wimp to commit a crime like that. He doesn’t have the balls to kill a bitch in cold blood. And he is too weak to lift her into a tree and hang her. I wanted to find out whose grudge work the werewolf was doing.”
“And he led you to Derek Rousseau?” Rock looked like he was growing angrier by the minute.
“No. But it was Derek’s car parked on the highway just beyond the property line. Apparently Gaston used it to take the bitch out there.”
“We could see where he dragged her through the woods,” Beuerlein added. He turned to the man standing next to Gertrude. “Jordeaux, you are sure she died from hanging?”
“I am sure her neck was broken.” Jordeaux adjusted the wire-framed glasses on his nose. “She had some scrapes on her body. I guessed they were from her fighting her attacker. But they could have been made by dragging her through the trees.”
“Why did you ask me about Derek Rousseau on the phone?” Simone sensed Rock’s disapproving gaze that she hadn’t remained silent. But this was making her nuts. She still didn’t understand everything. “What does he have to do with all of this?”
“Gaston was driving Rousseau’s car. The werewolf has his own car, so there has got to be a reason why he would be in Rousseau’s.” Johann sighed, running his fingers through his hair, while looking at each of them. “I sent a couple of werewolves over to detain him. I doubt he caused trouble. I suggest you all go home. I’ll contact you after I visit with Rousseau.”
Rock focused on Johann. Even in his irritation, he made the other werewolves pale in comparison. His sapphire eyes burned deep with emotion, his jaw bone a strong line, pursed with control.
“I’m going with you.” He took her arm, guiding them both toward the door.
“Toubec.” Johann’s tone startled Simone. She turned to see more determination on the wolf’s face than she had ever seen before. “I will handle this.”
The room silenced. She wanted to reach for Rock when his grasp slid away from her arm. Her mate wasn’t a werewolf to be told what to do, or how to handle a matter. He wanted to end the trauma brought on his home, she understood that, but their pack leader had just told him to stand down.
Please don’t break into your fur in the middle of the living room.
“Do what you want.” Again Rock reached for her, heading for the door.
“Toubec.” Johann almost yelled. She could feel the tension ripple through Rock. This time he opened the door, not looking back at Johann. “Toubec. Take your mate home. I will contact you when I know something.”
Chapter Twenty
Take your mate home.
In the middle of all the excitement, Simone didn’t miss Johann referring to her as Rock’s mate. That meant he approved of her
choice in a werewolf, and wouldn’t challenge it. Rock was hers. Hopefully Johann would dissolve that ridiculous pack law at the next meeting.
“Rock. I’m serious about this.” Johann walked up to the truck before Rock could start it. “I don’t want you interfering in this.”
“I take care of my own. That is not interference.” Rock gripped the steering wheel like he would rip it from the dash at any moment.
“If we find the guilty party today.” Johann leaned against the open window of the door, dangerously close to Rock. He showed no fear however. And Simone had to admit he might actually turn out to be a decent pack leader. “I know you would kill him the second his confession left his lips.”
Rock didn’t answer.
“You don’t have the right to take pack law into your own hands. If you interfere, I will implement disciplinary action.” Johann slapped the truck, straightened, then walked toward his own truck.
Simone sucked in a breath. Reassuring words would not help at the moment.
Rock didn’t say a word all the way back to the ranch. He parked out front, then left her, walking around the side of the house, instead of going inside.
Quinnie had the household running smoothly. After checking on Jere, Simone found herself looking out the back door, searching for Rock.
She hadn’t really explored the property, other than the large barn she had been held captive in the night she met Rock. So much had happened since that night. And now this was her home, a place to raise Jere. Who would have guessed she would ever have gotten so damned lucky?
“If you’re looking for him, he’s across the meadow at the cabins.” Martin Hanson hobbled passed her, carrying a large saddle. “Not sure he’s the best of company though.”
He disappeared into the shadows of the barn, leaving her staring in the direction he’d indicated. Tall meadow grass swayed against the breeze. A variety of smells filtered through the air while she walked along the fence. There were no cabins visible, but she could walk that way and see what she found.
By the time she reached the pines bordering the meadow, a row of cabins appeared. They were run down, dilapidated, obviously having seen better days. They would be quite cute if fixed up, and she wondered why Rock hadn’t taken the time to do it.
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