by Rayne Reilly
"Is there something you are worried about?" his voice was warm and sincere.
Dayna placed her hands on the arms of the chair. Her fingers on one hand picked at a loose thread. She bit down on her lip. Jake put his chin out slightly and tilted his head to one side.
She responded in a steady voice, "No...I mean other than the fact that I hit someone with my car last night."
Jake moved slightly in his seat and sat up a little taller. "Where are you from, if you don't mind my asking?" his voice sounded casual but she got the feeling he knew she was deceiving him.
"Up-state, in the Rochester area... Why?" she was beginning to feel anxious about where this was going. Now she wished she hadn't have invited him in.
"You have shifters up there I take it?"
"Of course we do. What does that have to do with anything?" She snapped.
She rubbed her forehead and placed her hands back in her lap.
"We have a huge shifter population here and you seemed surprised when I asked you about them," he said matter-of-factly.
She tensed.
"Well...as I said...I am here because my parents died and I needed to get away. I didn't expect to be run off the road by those shifters."
She paused and quickly realized he hadn't answered her earlier question. "Has anyone turned up hurt?"
"No. Not yet. Though Shifters do heal rapidly so he may be lying low while he heals."
She bit the inside of her cheek and responded,"Oh. Right."
She gazed down at her knees, feeling his eyes on her.
"I didn't catch your surname last night?" he asked casually.
Dayna bristled. He was too nosy. She couldn't have him poking around. Her head shot up and her eyes narrowed.
"That's 'cause I didn't tell you."
She stood and wiped her brow with the palm of her hand.
"Now if there is nothing else, Officer, I have things to do today."
Jake's brow furrowed. He stood and put out his hand toward her. She ignored it and he dropped it again with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He walked to the door and opened it, gazing outside at the driveway and back toward her. Dayna moved toward him but kept a good distance between them.
"I see your car isn't here yet. Do you want me to call and find out where it is?" he asked. His face looked a little disappointed. She felt bad for being rude but she didn't have time to worry about hurt feelings. Even if he was the hottest thing she'd seen in a long while.
"Just tell me who has it. I'll call myself," she snapped.
Jake turned to face her directly and placed his hands in his pockets, his back to the edge of the open door.
"I don't mind. I'd like to help. They may respond more quickly to my call."
Dayna placed her hands on her hips and thrust out her chin defiantly. "Why, because you're a man?"
Jake let out a small laugh and pulled his hands from his pockets to put them at his side.
"No, because I have lived in town my whole life and I know pretty much, everyone...Have I said something to offend you?" His eyes revealed the confusion and hurt he was feeling. His face was calm and serene. She pretended not to notice his reaction.
Dayna shook her head and looked down at the floor feeling a little ashamed at her remark toward him.
In that instant it took everything inside her not to tell him what was going on with her. She knew that she couldn't bring him in on what was happening. It wasn't safe. Tim told her not to trust anyone. Especially the police.
"Sorry for snapping at you. I just don't feel well. As I said, I had a rough night. Thank you for all your help."
She moved towards him to urge him to leave.
"I'm sure my car will be here soon. If not, I will give you a call."
She just wanted him to go. Jake stepped outside and turned to look over his shoulder at her.
"I mean it... about calling me. If there is ever anything I can do...you can trust me. I assure you."
He walked towards his car and got inside without looking back again. She closed the door, turned and leaned against it with her back. Damn. He is such a nice guy. I hate having to be mean to him.
Chapter Four
Jake had driven out of his way to visit Dayna. Now he was kicking himself for having done so. She had left him more puzzled than the night before. Clearly, she knew more than she was saying. He had noticed her body tense when he asked her about the werewolves that she'd seen. It seemed like she was either frightened of them or knew them.
How could that be?
His first thought had been to find out where she was from and when she said Rochester, he felt sure that his instincts where correct. Her reluctance to share her surname or other information left him with only one impression. That she was somehow involved with this shifter, Axel Rhymes. The only question was...was she hiding from Axel or were they working together?
He began to wonder if she had intentionally hit the other werewolf with her car in an attempt to let the first shifter get away. Was the shifter she'd seen actually this Axel guy or was he reading way too much into the scenario that was unfolding?
The entire situation left him shaking his head. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. His inner cougar had its own ideas about who Dayna was and it wanted her. He couldn't help but wonder what she would have done if he hadn't have been going by last night and stopped to help her. The possibility of her never reporting the accident and him never meeting her angered him a little. She was not only irritating in her demeanor toward him, she was damn attractive and made him want to be near her. He would give anything to just be able to ask her out. He couldn't do that if there was a possibility that she was involved in a criminal case that he was now investigating.
Technically, it was his day off. He went into the station to see if any other news had come in regarding werewolf sightings or their injuries. He would not rest until Axel was caught and dealt with.
But instead of thinking about the case, he sat at his desk thinking about Dayna. Clearly, he had woken her when he stopped by this morning; that much was obvious. The smell of stale alcohol on her breath when she opened the door told him as much. He couldn't help but wonder, What kind of stress must she be under to drink herself to sleep? And why was she dressed in the same clothes as the night before?
Everything about her was suspicious, yet he was so drawn to her. The physical attraction was a no-brainer. She was gorgeous. But it was more than that. The small feminine lilt in her voice that got stronger when she was trying to act calm made him want to hold her. It was clear that she was worried about something and he wanted her to trust him and let him help her. He felt a connection with her from the moment he met her and hoped that she felt the same for him. He hoped that her abruptness with him was just because she hadn't ever felt like this about anyone before. If it was something more and she was tied up in all this shifter mess, he wasn't sure how he would handle it.
His thoughts were interrupted by another officer.
"I might have some interesting news for you...I heard you were looking for evidence of a wounded shifter in town? I just got a call from the owner of the Alexander Motel. He says a housekeeper went into a room today and found some blood on one of the towels...It might be nothing, but I thought you might want to check it out?"
Jake stood.
"Sure do. Thanks."
Relieved to have some information that might lead to a clue as to what was going on, he headed to the motel to question its owner. The motel owner was very forthcoming and helpful when he spoke with him. The room had been rented by a couple and they had paid cash for it. He told Jake the room number where the maid had found the bloody towel. The couple was still in the room.
Jake went and knocked on the door. Dressed in street clothes, he wasn't sure if the guy would believe he was a cop so he pulled out his wallet and grabbed a card to present to the person who answered.
After the second knock, a tall and very fit, dark haired man opened the doo
r. Jake could smell that he was a shifter.
"Hi. My name is Jake Braeden with the Pleasantville police. Can I talk to you?" Jake spoke before the man could say anything. He half expected the guy to refuse to let him in.
Instead, the man stood back and ushered Jake inside. He noticed the guy checking out the parking lot before closing the door behind him. A short slender woman with long blond hair stood at the end of to the bed. She averted her eyes when Jake looked at her. She seemed sad. Jake turned his attention to the shifter in front of him.
"I am trying to locate a werewolf shifter that might have been struck by a vehicle last night. He was seen chasing another shifter...I want to ask him a few questions. Would you know anything about that?" Jake queried.
The man looked at Jake and then turned to share a glance with the blond woman who stood watching the two men. She shrugged and gave the man a look of uncertainty. Jake sensed that this was indeed the man he was looking for.
"I don't want any trouble," the man said in a deep voice, standing with his arms at his sides. Jake sensed that the man wasn't afraid, but was feeling protective toward the woman. Probably his mate, Jake thought.
The stranger studied Jake, searching his face to see if Jake meant him any harm. Jake followed up with another question, "Were you around Old Bedford Road last night?"
"Yeah I was. I wasn't doing anything wrong," he stated.
"Were you injured?" Jake asked.
He watched as the man lifted his t-shirt. One side of him from under his armpit to his waist was covered in a massive painful looking bruise. Any traces of cuts had healed and the bruise was taking on a slightly greenish yellow hue indicative of healing.
"Hurt like hell at the time," the man said.
"I'll bet... What's your name?" Jake asked.
"Lincoln Duffy."
"Well, Lincoln. May I ask who you were pursuing last night?" Jake already knew the answer.
Eyes blazing, Lincoln looked directly at Jake. This was personal, he could see it in the light brown eyes that stared back at him.
"A werewolf shifter by the name of Axel Rhymes. The bastard killed my mate's sister and her husband."
Jake followed his gaze as Lincoln turned to look at the woman who was moving to sit on the side of the bed.
"How did you find him? He's from up-state isn't he?" Jake asked.
Lincoln sat down on the bed next to his mate and lovingly took one of her hands in both of his.
Jake felt a pang of emotion as he watched the two of them. Clearly, they loved one another and he wished in that moment that he had what they did. Minus the pain of loss that he could see in the female's face, of course.
"We're from up that way too. I followed him down here after the police released him. The guy is a murderer and is getting away with it... I'm a Bounty Hunter. I have contacts all over the state. They've been helping me track him down."
Jake was surprised by this news. Released?
Bounty Hunters were commonly sent out when shifters got away from law enforcement. The fact that he'd been released by them left Jake feeling concerned about what was really going on. The warrant for Axel made no mention of Hunters being sent out but he gathered that The SAC had sent him.
What the hell is going on?
"I was sent a warrant but it didn't mention any Hunters being sent out," Jake said.
"I think there is a reason for that....This guy is corrupt to the bone. The SAC haven't sent me. My contacts suspect that he is working with the Feds and that's why he was released. I’m not sure why the warrant was sent out, unless someone didn’t realize that he’d been released and was told he had escaped instead... I want to see that he pays for his crimes. I don't need The SAC to tell me to find him. If they knew what was really going on..."
Lincoln wiped a hand through his thick hair. He stared at Jake with a look of concern. "Let's just say, they would be out here rounding up the humans that dare to go against them."
Jake felt the contempt that Lincoln had for Axel and the humans that may be working with him. While he appreciated the fact that Lincoln might be trying to do the right thing in bringing the guy in, he worried that there was more to the case than he had first realized. He had to find out all he could.
Jake took a seat in a chair by the window. Putting his hands on his thighs, he let out a breath.
"Tell me everything you know about Axel and the Feds."
Lincoln's mate put an arm around his waist and moved closer to him. He reciprocated by placing an arm around her and holding her tightly.
His face was grim as he spoke. "What I know is that Axel is – was – part of a gang around the Rochester area. He is also a hired gun...or...should I say, shifter. He takes care of things for human clientele. It's believed that my mate's sister and her brother stumbled upon something they shouldn't have and they were killed...wrong place...wrong time sorta thing. My own pack knows firsthand what he and his crew can do. His reputation precedes him. I don't know why, but when he was arrested for the murders, he was released within twelve hours."
"Who arrested him?"
"As far as I know he was caught almost right after the murders. Some FBI agents caught him. He was found breaking into another Federal Agent's house. Next thing I knew, he was on the street again. A couple of my pack members told me he was released and I followed him here. His gang were all arrested and are still locked up. I have no idea if they've been turned over to The SAC or not. He can't get away with this... Sheila and Jeff never hurt anyone. They were human. They didn't deserve to die."
His mate began to sob quietly at the mention of her sister and her husband's names. Lincoln leaned over to kiss the top of her forehead. He turned to look at Jake again. His face was softer this time.
"I'm not a vengeful guy but I can't stand to see my mate hurting like this. Axel needs to pay for what he's done...I followed him here mostly by talking to other shifters that I know down this way. Wherever this guy goes, he causes pain and destruction. He's a goddamn psychopath. He needs to be put down."
There it was again... Lincoln's eyes flashed with rage. He turned to his mate. She held him tightly with both arms wrapped around him. Her head rested against his chest as her tears fell. Jake felt bad for both of them. It was clear that Lincoln was doing what any man would want to do for his mate. Dayna's face flashed in his mind and he felt a wave of sadness wash over him. His cougar knew it already, but he wasn't quite ready to accept it yet. Right now he had a murderer to find and incarcerate; he didn't have time to think about wooing his mate.
"I'd like your help to bring this guy down. I can't have people in my town falling prey to him... Here's my card,” Jake said, offering one to Lincoln.
He took it and glanced at it before laying it on the bed beside him.
Jake continued, "Call me if you see him. I know other shifters along with myself who can help apprehend this guy."
Lincoln nodded and smiled thinly. Jake stood and headed for the door. Grabbing the door handle, he turned to the couple.
"Where was the last place you saw him?"
"The forest off Old Bedford Road. He got away because the damn car that hit me slowed me down."
Jake felt a rush of worry course through his body. That wasn't far from Dayna's cabin. He couldn't allow Axel to get near her.
"Will you be going out tonight to look for him?"
Lincoln nodded once. "Every night. Until I get the son of a bitch," he said through clenched teeth.
"Call me. I'll go with you."
***
It had been three days since Jake last saw Dayna. He had spend most of his time with Lincoln and several of his men out looking for Axel. He enlisted the help of the officers that were also shifters so that they could use their keen senses to track down the murderer. Jake and Lincoln agreed that Axel was hiding in the forest in the Old Bedford Road area.
Since Dayna hadn't called him he wanted to check up on her to see not only if she was okay but to make sure her car had arrived
back at her home. Being trapped there without a car was the last thing she needed. She was a good twenty-five minutes from the edge of town.
Jake decided to pay another visit to Dayna. He also intended to find out what she was withholding. Arriving at her cozy cottage, he was pleased to see her car in the driveway. As he walked around it, he could see that it didn't look too damaged. Other than a couple of scrapes it was unscathed. Much like Lincoln was now.
This time when Dayna answered her door, she was wearing different clothes and smelled as if she had only just showered. He inhaled her deeply as she stepped outside her tiny cabin onto the front step.
The area surrounding the cottage was a bit overwhelming with the different smells. Not in a bad way, just distracting. Aside from her friendly cat, Max, the cabin and outside area was home to a couple of mice, some bats and a raccoon or two. His keen sense of smell didn't reveal any other shifters nearby. He felt relieved.
He smiled back at the lovely woman in front of him and was glad he stopped by. She was dressed in a tank top and jeans. Her ample bosom moved up and down with her breath. Her voluptuous figure was even more sexy in the outfit she was wearing. In the sunlight, he could see a few freckles across her cute button nose. Her full lips were slightly parted as she looked back at him. He felt himself getting aroused and moved his eyes back to hers. Her smile faded quickly.
"I wasn't expecting you back so soon," she quipped and leaned against the door frame with her arms folded. The action made her breasts stand out even more. Jake pretended not to notice.
"But you were expecting me?" he teased. He placed his hands in his pockets.
Her mouth formed a slight grin.
"I just figured I'd see you again, that's all... Don't get too excited."
She rolled her eyes for effect. After a brief pause, she added, "So what can I do for you this time?"
Clearly, she liked him, he could see it in her face when she looked at him. But did she feel the unique connection to him that he did to her?