“Damn it, Reece. This isn’t about you. It’s about Miss Burdette. Hannah.” Detective O’Malley turned his attention to her. “We’ll have an officer with you at all times.”
She gripped the arms of her chair. “No. I packed everything I needed before I left yesterday. I don’t care what’s gone or broken.” They couldn’t keep her here, could they? They couldn’t make her go back to her apartment.
She looked at Reece for confirmation but he was in a staring match with his partner, who finally glanced away. Then he turned his attention to her. “You don’t have to go back there,” Reece promised her.
She grabbed it like a lifeline and held on to it. “We need to leave.” The longer they were there, the more chance of her stalker finding her. He had to realize she’d have to go to the police station at some point. The longer she was here, the bigger the risk.
“Damn it, Reece.” Sean reached across the desk, scooped up her statement, and shoved it back into the file folder. “You know she has to do this.”
Reece shook his head. “No, she doesn’t. It compromises her safety.” Reece indicated the vending machine just in the hallway outside the door. “Hannah, why don’t you get something to drink and wait for me out there? I’ll only be a minute.”
She nodded, gathered her backpack, and prayed her knees wouldn’t buckle when she tried to stand. Of course, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for the detective to think her weak. After all, she’d been attacked yesterday morning.
He had no way of knowing that under the sweater she was wearing, her stitches were all gone. She’d cut the last few out this morning before she’d showered. There were several long, red scars on her stomach. She hoped they’d eventually fade. She didn’t think they’d totally disappear but she was okay with that when the alternative was her being dead.
She held her knapsack in her arms and made her way to the vending machine. The choice were unappetizing—soda, juice from concentrate, and cheap coffee—so she sat down on the wooden bench just to the right of it. Once she was settled, she used her superior hearing to concentrate on the conversation Reece was having with his partner.
“You’re just going to leave with her?” Sean demanded.
Reece’s patience was hanging by a thread, especially after that last phone call. The bastard who’d attacked Hannah had come for her last night. It was only because Reece was a demanding, obstinate bastard that she’d been with him instead.
“Yes.” He thought Sean’s head might explode at his one word answer. “What do you have on the arson case?” He kept his voice low so the others wouldn’t listen in on their conversation. He looked toward the hallway to find Hannah frowning at him. There was no help for it. No way could he keep her from overhearing. Not with her enhanced senses.
“Not your problem,” Sean shot back. “You don’t work here anymore. Remember?”
His partner could be stubborn when he wanted to be, but Reece had something even more potent. He had his wolf. He narrowed his gaze and let a little of his wolf’s power come to the fore. He usually kept his wolf in the background at work, but no more. Not with Hannah’s life in danger.
Sean fidgeted and finally swore. “Don’t let anyone know I told you anything. I don’t want my ass fried. Unlike you, I need this job.”
Reece felt guilty, for about two seconds. Hannah’s life was more important than anything. And Sean was too good a detective to get into trouble over this. Technically, Reece was on holiday for the next few weeks, but he was still part of the force.
“No forensic evidence at all.”
“Not surprising given the fire.” Reece hadn’t expected anything else.
“Yeah, we could have used a break.” Sean rested his elbows on the desk and leaned forward. “The fire marshal’s report is back. No known accelerant so far, but they’re still testing.”
The lack of evidence only confirmed Reece’s suspicions. Hannah’s attacker and the arson killer had to be the same man. He wasn’t willing to buy the idea of two separate werewolf attacks in the same week. It was just too close to be a coincidence.
“No ID on the vic yet either.” Sean’s frustration bled over. Reece didn’t have the heart to tell his partner that the victim would most likely never be identified. Half-breeds kept to themselves. Unless the victim had close friends who reported him or her missing, they might never get a lead. Maybe the victim was like Hannah and had made a friend or two.
“I’m sorry.” He was sorry to be leaving his friend and partner in the lurch, but it was past time for him to leave. He no longer belonged in this job or in this city. Already he felt the distance between him and the other men and women in the room. He was on the other side of the line now. And he was okay with that.
“Not sorry enough to stay.” There was no rancor in Sean’s words. Only resignation.
“No.” Reece stood. There was nothing else left to say or do. He kept nothing personal in his desk and his reports were all up-to-date. Whoever took his place would find everything in order.
Sean hesitated and then stuck his hand out. Reece took it and held on for a few seconds. His partner knew little more about him than the bare bones of who he was, but they’d shared a lot together over the past few years. “Good luck, man.”
Reece nodded. “Thank you.” He couldn’t say he’d be back or tell Sean to drop by if he was ever in North Carolina. This was a permanent break.
All eyes were on him as he walked toward the door. They would have all heard the rumor by now, would all know he was leaving. He paused at the doorway and looked back. They all dropped their gazes and went back to work. All except Sean, who raised his hand and waved.
Reece nodded and strode over to Hannah. “Let’s go.”
Hannah didn’t know what to make of what she’d overheard. Reece had quit his job. Was it because of her? She had to know, but this wasn’t the time or place to talk. There were too many people around.
He kept one arm around her as he ushered her toward the entrance. “I’m going to go get the truck. Wait for me. You’ll be safe in here.”
She didn’t want him to leave her. That made her frown. She didn’t like how dependent she was becoming on him. It wasn’t up to him to protect her. She was just a little off balance from the attack yesterday and learning her apartment had been broken into last night.
She needed to call her landlord.
“Hannah?”
“I’ll wait,” she told him.
She put her back to a corner and pulled out her phone as soon as he went out the door. She placed a call to her landlord, explained about the break-in, and told him about the moving company that would be by to get her things. He wasn’t happy, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Before he hung up on her, he told her he was keeping her security deposit to help pay for the damage to the door. He could keep it as far as she was concerned.
Her next call was harder.
“Coffee Expressions.” The voice was young and perky.
“Hey, Lori. It’s Hannah. Is David around?”
“Hannah, are you okay? I heard what happened.”
“I’m fine, but I really need to talk to David.”
“Yeah, sure. When will you be back?”
“I’m in a hurry, Lori,” she prodded. She liked the other woman, but she’d talk forever if she wasn’t prompted.
“Sure. Sure.” Hannah had to hold her phone away from her ear as Lori yelled for David. She shook her head and smiled at the other woman’s actions. Lori was all about impulse, never thinking things through before she did them.
Seconds later, a familiar male voice came on the line. “Hannah? Where are you?”
“I’m okay. Listen, David.” She didn’t want to hurt him and didn’t quite know how to tell him she was leaving the city.
“You’re not coming back, are you?” Sadness and understanding tinged his voice.
“No, I’m not.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and kept an eye out for Reece’s truck. “I can’t.”
“I understand. Shit, Hannah, I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“I know.” Her boss was a good man and would blame himself for what happened. “Thank you. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead. The fact that you were watching for me and called the police saved my life.” It was nothing less than the truth.
“I could have done more.”
If he’d tried to, if he’d confronted her attacker, he’d be dead. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. “No, you did everything you could.”
“What will I do with your last paycheck?”
“Deposit it into my account as usual. I’ll transfer my account when I settle somewhere else.” She’d get her money and close the account as soon as possible.
“I’m going to miss you.” The sincerity in his voice brought tears to her eyes. “We all will.”
“I’m going to miss you too.” This was the part of her life that she hated. The urge to be a part of a group, to belong somewhere, was an integral piece of her. Yet she always had to leave the people she befriended behind. It was hard. “Bye, David.” She ended the call before she started crying.
A horn sounded and she glanced out the window. Reece was parked just outside the door. Keeping the engine running, he climbed out of the vehicle and walked around the front.
Hannah popped the back off her phone and pulled out the battery. She dumped both pieces into the nearby garbage can and pulled the door open.
“Everything okay?” Reece asked her.
She nodded, too afraid to speak. It wouldn’t take much for her to dissolve into tears right about now. Clutching the strap of her knapsack, she put her head down and headed for the truck.
Reece had the door open before she could reach for the handle. She climbed inside and breathed a sigh of relief when he shut the door. He hurried around the front, his gaze constantly moving. She knew he was watching for her stalker. She should be too, but just didn’t have the energy to do so. She was tired, not just physically but emotionally.
Neither of them spoke as he maneuvered through traffic. He took a twisting, turning path to the highway. She knew he was making certain they weren’t being followed. They hadn’t really discussed where they were going and she didn’t care, as long as they left the city. She’d figure out her next step from there.
A half hour later, she finally turned her head and stared at him. His hair hung down to his shoulders and the line of his jaw was firm and unforgiving. He wasn’t wearing dress pants or a shirt this morning, but had donned well-worn jeans and a fitted black T-shirt after his shower. He’d topped it with a leather jacket, giving him an even more dangerous edge.
He glanced her way and then turned his attention back to the road. “Go ahead and ask.”
Hannah took him at his word and asked the question that had been burning inside her ever since she’d eavesdropped on his conversation with his partner. “When did you quit your job?”
Reece had known this was coming. Hannah might have been about thirty feet away at the time, but he’d known she’d overheard his conversation with Sean. “I put in my notice before I met you.”
She was frowning and rubbing her forehead. “I thought you told me you had to be here because of a dream you’d had. Was that the truth?”
“Yes,” he emphatically stated. “I’ll never lie to you, Hannah. I might not always tell you everything, but what I do tell you will be the truth. Besides,” he added, “you can probably smell a lie.”
She shook her head. “Sometimes. Not always. It’s hard to distinguish if a person if just nervous or upset about something else.”
“I’d spent ten years in Chicago because of a dream. I’d decided it was time to give up and go home.” And he’d come so close to missing her. “Then I went to the hospital on a case and found you.”
“But what about your notice? You don’t exactly work at a coffee shop,” she pointed out. “You have ongoing investigations.”
He nodded. “I do. And all my notes and files are ready for someone else to step into the job.” He hesitated and mulled over how much to tell her and decided she needed the entire truth. “Yesterday, while you were resting, I called my boss and told him I was taking my vacation time.”
“You can do that?”
“Yeah. What are they going to do? Fire me?” He gave her a half-hearted smile.
“That’s not funny.”
“No, it’s not, but I couldn’t do it anymore, Hannah. I’ve spent years wallowing in the worst of humanity. We go in after people have been hurt or injured. You can’t always give them justice or even peace of mind.”
“I’m sorry,” she told him. He swallowed hard when she reached out and rested her hand on his leg. “I know it had to be hard,” she continued. “Especially having to keep your wolf inside.”
“I was living only half a life. No, not even half.” It was like he’d put on another skin, a costume he’d worn almost daily for a decade. “I’d already decided to pack it in. When I found you, I knew I couldn’t stay another day. You need me to protect you.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
Reece stilled and his wolf went quiet. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what she was going to say next.
“I need to disappear. Find a new place to live.”
“I can help you with that,” he told her.
“You already have. You got me out of Chicago. All you have to do now is drop me at a bus or train station.”
His wolf howled inside him. Reece shook his head and forced himself to relax his grip on the steering wheel. “I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can.” The calm finality of her voice chilled him.
“How can you say that after yesterday? After I told you we’re mates.”
“Yesterday was beautiful. But Reece, I don’t believe in that whole mate thing. That’s for werewolves. I’m just a half-breed.”
Anger and fear boiled up inside him like a volcano, threatening to explode. He clamped down hard on the roiling mass of emotions, knowing if he released them he’d only make her more determined to leave him.
“You don’t think you can have that kind of physical connection with anyone else, do you?” The mere idea of her with another man made him shake with fury. Hannah was his.
“No, I’m not stupid enough to believe what we shared yesterday was anything less than extraordinary.”
That made him relax a little, but not much. “Then what’s the problem? I’m offering you a safe place to stay.”
“You’re putting your family, your pack, at risk,” she reminded him. “After the break-in at my apartment, I don’t think my stalker is going to give up.”
“All the more reason to be around people who can protect you.” He shoved down the fear eating at his gut and went for logic. “Maybe you don’t buy the whole mate thing. Hell, for all I know you don’t believe me about my dreams either. That’s okay. But what you need to know and understand is that I can protect you from the threat stalking you. If you go to another city and he finds you, you’re dead.” His words were blunt but true. He couldn’t pussyfoot around the true threat.
Hannah sat back, leaned against the truck door, and studied him for a long time. Reece kept the truck pointed toward North Carolina. They were hour and hours away yet, but each mile brought him closer to home.
“I believe you about your dreams.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “It’s too crazy to be anything but real.” She shook her head and opened her eyes. “I can’t believe the whole mate thing. It’s too much too soon. Yes, we’re sexually drawn to one another. That’s the truth.”
“Then come home with me and see where it goes.”
“You know this is crazy, don
’t you? We just met. We don’t know each other at all.”
“I know you’re brave and resilient,” he told her. “I know you’re kind and well-liked by the people you work with. You told me that your passion is photography, and I hope you’ll share your work with me. I know you’re courageous as hell to have made it on your own and to have fought off your attacker. I know you’re hot and sexy and I want you.”
She shivered and her eyes widened. He was having his own reaction and his jeans were suddenly way too tight. “I want to know everything about you,” he continued. “I know you like steak, but I don’t know your favorite junk food or your favorite color. I want to know all these things and more.”
Hannah was silent for so long, he was afraid his passionate outburst had only freaked her out. He expected her to demand he pull into the next gas station they passed and let her out.
The silenced stretched thin.
Finally, Hannah cleared her throat. “Chocolate. And green. I like green.”
Chapter Twelve
Hannah didn’t know what made her blurt out her favorite junk food and color. Reece’s sincerity touched her heart. No one since her father had wanted to know these things about her. Yes, she had friends at work, but that wasn’t the same.
His fingers opened and closed on the steering wheel. Every muscle in his body was taut. “Apple pie.” His voice was rough. “I like homemade apple pie and blue.”
Her lips curved up into a smile. She couldn’t help herself. Something about Reece made her want to spend more time with him. He’d say it was because they were mates. She figured it was because he was sexy as hell, knew who and what she was, and he wanted her.
For a woman who’d spent her entire life hiding her basic nature, there was such freedom in being around him. She didn’t have to watch everything she said or did for fear she might give something away that might alert him to the fact she was different. He already knew she was different, and that was okay, because so was he.
No one else understood how hard it was to always be on your guard, but Reece did. He’d spent ten years working and living among humans who had no idea exactly who and what he was. She understood just what a sacrifice that must have been.
Wolf in her Soul: Salvation Pack, Book 8 Page 13