by Vella Day
“Home sweet home,” she said.
Connor was surprised at the bit of sadness. “Miss your friends?”
“Yes, but it’s more than that. Billard represents my freedom. It’s been a long uphill battle to work full time in order to pay for school, attend classes, and study. It didn’t leave a lot of time for fun.”
He’d been lucky. His folks had paid for his education. “You are an ambitious woman.”
She looked over at him and smiled. “Thank you.”
As much as he wanted to ask about how Slater had fit into her life, he kept quiet. Why bring up a sore topic?
He cut the engine and EmmaLee pushed open the car door before he had the chance to open it for her.
“Let’s hope I didn’t leave some food in the fridge and the place stinks,” she said. “We did leave in a hurry.”
“You didn’t ask anyone to check on your place?”
“I saw no need. I don’t have any plants or animals that needed care, and I forwarded my mail to your office address like you asked.”
He opened the back of the car and dragged out their suitcases. “After you.”
Shoulders straight, she dug her hand into her purse for her key as she walked to the front. As soon as she unlocked the door and opened it, she froze. “Ohmigod.”
The fear in her voice sliced through him. Connor placed his hands on her shoulders. “Let me see.” He didn’t sense anyone, but he wanted to be sure no human was there. “Wait here.”
Connor stepped inside and was immediately stunned at the level of destruction. The pillows on the sofa were slashed, chairs were tipped over, and books and other knickknacks were strewn all over the place. He whipped out his cell.
EmmaLee placed a hand on his arm. “Who are you calling?”
“The cops. We have to report the break-in.”
“I want to check one thing first.”
He faced her. Her chin, as well as her hands, was trembling, but from the determined look on her face, she really needed to do this search. He had the sense it had something to do with her research. “I’m coming with you.”
“Fine.”
EmmaLee made a beeline to her bedroom. At the mess, a whimper escaped. Instead of crying or whining over the loss though, she raced over to the bed and dropped down on her knees to pull out a box. She then dumped the contents on the floor and pawed through her things. “It’s gone.”
The hurt in her voice twisted his insides. “What’s gone?”
“That photo of the dragon I showed you.”
That didn’t seem so bad. “If you found it on the Internet, maybe you can locate it again.”
She sniffled. “Maybe.”
The violation from the break-in probably caused her to overreact to this particular loss. He glanced around. The bed was the only thing undisturbed. “Can you tell if anything else was taken?”
She dropped down onto her butt. “I don’t know, but I bet whoever did this was looking for my dragon’s talon.”
“Who knew you had it?”
She looked back over her shoulder. “Only Slater.”
“He’s in New York. Ronan spotted him yesterday.”
“Who’s to say this happened recently?”
She had a point. “Let’s sit in the car and wait for the police. You can tell them what you suspect.”
He helped her up. “I’m not discussing a stolen picture of a dragon or an artifact I found fourteen years ago. The cops would dismiss the case in a heartbeat. The best thing is to say I don’t know what the thief was looking for. Other than the backup copy of my thesis, there’s nothing here.” Her shoulders sagged. “Oh shit.”
“You think he took that?”
“Maybe.” EmmaLee rushed over to a dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer. She pawed through the contents. “Son of a bitch.”
His heart broke for her. “So he took the copy?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll have the cops dust for prints. They’ll find whoever did this.”
She looked up at him with the saddest eyes. “They’ll find mine, yours, and Slater’s fingerprints. If he didn’t do it, I bet the intruder wore gloves.”
That almost made him smile. “I may ask you to work for me.”
She straightened and punched him lightly in the arm then pressed her face against his chest. Connor wrapped his arms around her, wanting and needing to protect her from all future hurt.
She leaned back. “Guess you better make that call.”
*
Fifteen minutes later, a police car arrived. EmmaLee told Connor she didn’t want to go into the house again.
“I don’t think they want you in there anyway,” Connor said as he pushed open the car door. “It’s a crime scene. We can speak with the cops outside.”
EmmaLee slipped out. She recognized the officer as he often came into the diner. “Hey, Rod,” she said without her usual enthusiasm.
“Hi, EmmaLee.” Rod checked out Connor then looked back at her. “How are you doing?”
He’d asked her out a couple of times, but she’d turned him down, saying she was dating Slater. With a new man by her side, he’d feel slighted, but that couldn’t be helped. “Before I came back here, I was doing well.”
Connor straightened his shoulders and moved next to her. “We arrived only a minute before we called. When we went inside, we found the place trashed.”
Rod pulled out a pad of paper. “What did they take?” he asked her.
Saying the thief stole a copy of her nearly completed master’s thesis wouldn’t make her look bad, but it would send Rod on a wild goose chase. Unfortunately, she couldn’t point a finger at Slater since she had no proof.
“I didn’t notice anything missing, but I didn’t spend a lot of time inside.”
“We’ll check it out. Where are you staying?”
“Not here.”
Connor wrapped an arm around her waist. “We’ll stay at a hotel in town.”
“Try the Billard Motel. It’s the nicest one we have.”
It was a nice motel, but EmmaLee wasn’t sure she could enjoy it. She was too upset.
“We need to let him get to work,” Connor said. He then handed Rod a card. “Call if you learn anything.”
“Will do.”
She slipped back into her car. As soon as Connor was seated, he reached out and took her hand. “Don’t worry. We can replace the furniture.”
That was the least of her problems. “The place came furnished, but I don’t need others reading my thesis. What if Slater reveals to the world that shifters exist?”
He brought her hand to his lips. “I don’t think he will.”
“Why’s that?”
“I didn’t want to mention it before because it didn’t seem relevant, but Slater is a shifter.”
She jerked her hand back. “No way! How do you know? You’ve never met him.”
“Vinea told me.”
Vinea? “That little traitor. I need to have a talk with her.”
“I imagine she was only trying to protect you. If you’d known Slater was a shifter, you might never have left him.”
Technically, she hadn’t left him. After the assault, he had a price on his head and had scrammed. “You might be right.”
Connor started the engine. “Where’s this hotel?”
“Turn right and I’ll show you.”
*
EmmaLee didn’t really have the energy to sit through a two-hour lecture, but she had to go. It was a once in a lifetime event to hear the renowned archaeologist, Dr. Crenely. Plus, she needed to make an appointment to see if he could identify her talon.
“Ready?” Connor asked.
He’d been so kind with this whole robbery thing, never even suggesting they head back to Silver Lake. The fact Connor was willing to hear a talk on dinosaurs when he had no interest in the topic proved he was an amazing man, though she’d figured that out a while ago.
And then there was the motel. While the Billard Motel was real
ly nice, she worried about paying for it. It didn’t matter that Connor insisted his company pick up the tab. She believed in pulling her weight.
“EmmaLee?”
She adjusted her seatbelt and looked at him. Twice, Connor had apparently asked her a question, and twice EmmaLee had been so distracted she hadn’t answered. “Yes?”
“You sure you want to go to this talk?” he asked.
“I admit, I can’t help but see those slashed pillows and everything on my shelves carelessly strewn on the floor, but I truly believe this man is my last chance at resolving the issue of whether dragons exist.”
“Do you think he’ll say that they’re around today?”
That caused her to smile. “Not at all. I doubt the man has any idea shifters even exist. No, if a dragon ever existed, it was millions of years ago. A shifter is a different story.”
“Good to know.”
When they arrived at the college auditorium, the parking lot was packed. “Wow. It seems I’m not the only one interested in this topic,” EmmaLee said.
“I’m glad,” he said.
Just as Connor cut the engine, his cell rang, and he looked at the screen. “I’m sorry. I need to take this. It’s Ronan.” He placed the phone to his ear. “Did you get him? Hold on and slow down. I’m going to put you on speaker so EmmaLee can hear.”
Her heart dropped to her stomach.
“Your informant had his facts right,” Ronan said. “Coghill was at the Excelsior Hotel.”
The Excelsior? “I’ve stayed there once,” EmmaLee blurted. “It’s right next to the Natural History Museum in New York.”
“Yes,” Ronan said. “I thought I had the perfect plan to draw him out and find out if he had any intention of harming you, but I failed.”
“You didn’t arrest him?” she asked. Her heart fluttered awaiting the answer.
“Not yet, but I will when I locate him. Remember that even if he’s in jail, he’ll be out in a few years. I wanted to learn more about him to know what we’re up against.”
“What happened?” Connor said with a sharp tone.
“I didn’t want Coghill to know I was after him, so I came up with an idea. I took the photo of EmmaLee you gave me and showed it to random people in the lobby. I mentioned, rather loudly, that I was researching dinosaurs that might have become dragons.”
“Coghill was in the lobby I take it?” Connor asked.
“Yes. In fact, he edged closer to me, so I walked over to him and gave him the same spiel. I told him that a few days ago, my new girlfriend, EmmaLee Donovan, stole my research.”
She almost hyperventilated. “Did he believe you?”
“Hard to say. I waved your picture at him, asking if he’d seen you. I said that you were staying in this hotel and that you planned to leak my research to someone from the Natural History museum.”
“That’s quite inventive,” Connor said.
“Thanks. Unfortunately, he said he’d never seen her before, but he was clearly lying. I could almost smell his fear.”
“Then what happened?” Connor asked.
“He walked out of the lobby. I swear I was only a few steps behind him when he disappeared.”
“Disappeared?” she asked.
Connor pounded a fist against the steering wheel. “You told me you could track him by his scent.”
“That’s the thing. His scent is very different than any other shifter. It was the strangest thing I’d ever experienced.”
EmmaLee didn’t really understand what had happened, but Connor seemed to.
“How is that possible? Are you saying he’s not a shifter?” Connor asked.
“He’s a shifter all right, just different somehow.”
“So now what?” Connor asked.
“I just got off the phone with Jackson to see if he could follow Coghill’s whereabouts. I suggested he locate some footage at all the local airports and bus stations. If he’s anywhere close to New York City, I’ll find him.”
As much as EmmaLee wanted to believe him, she had a feeling Slater was gone. She could only hope he hadn’t gotten wind of where she was staying and decided to head to Silver Lake.
Chapter Fifteen
‡
Dr. Crenely had yet to make an appearance, and the crowd was becoming restless. Connor leaned over to EmmaLee. “Had you heard that the man has a tendency to be late?”
“No, but if you look at my thesis advisor, he’s checking his phone every few minutes. I don’t think he knows where Dr. Crenely is either. Crenely should have called if he couldn’t make it on time.”
“What do you want to do?” Connor asked. “Stay or leave?”
He was being so nice. The Connor of old would have demanded they get out of there. This man seemed to understand how important this talk was to her. “I say we wait until we learn something.”
As if she were psychic, the side doors to the auditorium opened and two police officers walked in. The room buzzed louder than a disturbed beehive. Her thesis advisor rushed down the steps. The cops said something to him, but EmmaLee was too far back to read their lips. Damn.
Connor clutched her hand. When she looked up, his jaw was clenched, and his brow had furrowed. “What is it?” she asked.
“Let’s go.”
She leaned closer. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what happened.”
Connor squeezed her hand and then let go. “Your professor isn’t coming.”
That made no sense. This talk had been planned for month. “What did they say?”
“Someone murdered him.”
A band tightened about her chest, threatening to cut off her air. “What?”
Connor stood and edged his way toward the aisle, and EmmaLee was forced to follow on wobbly legs. Her mind whirred. Dead? Connor had to be wrong. Before they made it to the door, her thesis advisor stepped up to the podium and tapped the microphone. She stopped, and the audience quieted.
“I’m afraid Dr. Crenely’s talk must be postponed.”
Postponed? Hope surged through her. Maybe he’d only been injured and would recover. Connor glanced back at her and slightly shook his head, sending her down that dark tunnel once more.
“I can’t give you the details now, but I will as soon as I’m able. I’m very sorry. Please check the message boards for further information,” her advisor said.
The crowd erupted into chatter once more and then began the mass exodus. Because she and Connor were close to the door, they slipped out without being crushed. As soon as they made it outside, EmmaLee grabbed his arm. “What did you hear exactly?”
“The cops didn’t give your advisor many details, other than to say his body was found in the woods near here.” Connor grabbed her hand and led her to the car.
“That’s horrible. I can’t believe he’s dead. So what are we going to do?” she asked.
“We pack and go back to Silver Lake.”
She stopped. “Go back?”
His lips pressed together. “Your expert can’t help you now. I also think staying here will put you in danger.”
“You think Slater’s behind this, don’t you?”
“I can’t say, but someone murdered your expert. I wish I knew how long Dr. Crenely has been dead.”
“He arrived two days ago. Hasn’t Slater been in New York the whole time?”
“We can’t know for sure. He somehow seems to have the ability to travel between cities unnoticed.” Connor opened the car door, and she slipped in. “We’ll find answers. It just might take time.”
“Can you speak with the cops to find out what happened?” He’d say no, but the whole situation was too unreal.
“I’ll see if Jackson can find out more.”
“Before we leave, can we go back to my place?”
“Why?” Connor asked.
This was decision time. If she packed up her belongings, she would be saying goodbye to a town that had been good to her. She enjoyed the women she worked with and those who lived
in the town—at least most of them—but her classes were complete, and that had been what had kept her here. Once she polished her thesis, all she had to do was email it in and then defend it. While it might have been nice to work in Billard, most likely she’d receive offers from a school out of state.
“I think it’s time I say goodbye to this town. It has some good memories, but some bad ones too. That means I’ll have to pack what hasn’t been torn up.”
Connor smiled then quickly sobered. “Are you sure?”
She loved that he really seemed to want her to move to Silver Lake. “Yes, but I’ll have to get a place of my own. I can’t stay at your parents’ guesthouse forever.”
His mouth opened as if he was about to say something, but he then quickly shut it. She didn’t want to get her hopes up in thinking he’d suggest they move in together. Connor wasn’t the impulsive type.
“Let me call the cops to see if the scene has been cleared,” he said. “If it has been, you can pack. We’ll figure out the rest later.”
*
As thrilled as Connor was that EmmaLee wanted to move to Silver Lake, he hoped it wasn’t the bad memories that were driving her decision. He wanted her to be in his town because she wanted to be with him.
For most of the drive back to Tennessee, she remained quiet. As much as he wanted to console her, she probably just needed time to figure things out for herself. Her hopes of learning that dragons might exist had been dashed, and he bet her heart ached at the loss of the great man.
Around eight p.m., he pulled in front of the guesthouse. Connor was still worried she’d breakdown. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She shrugged. “Kind of. I feel…violated. And the worst part was that I trusted Slater.” She shook her head. “I was such a fool.”
“We all have done foolish things. What matters now is that you don’t make the same mistake twice.”
She looked over at him and attempted to smile. “I don’t think I will.”
His wolf rejoiced. “Glad to hear it.” He picked up her hand. “I know no one wants to think they need help, but maybe seeing a therapist would do you some good.”
She shook her head. “I’m okay.”
Connor figured she’d say that. “It’s your call, but from what I can tell, your childhood was traumatic. No one can come out of that unscathed, especially since your aunt and uncle weren’t the supportive type.”