Using the arm of the couch to help her stand, Anna got up and screamed over the chaos in the other room. “Hey!” she yelled. “Hey Bruce. Mr. Boss man. Your friend here is out and I thought I should let you know I called for backup already. They are on the way. So you can either—”
A big, pure white wolf appeared in the doorway of the dining room. He had red eyes and there was blood dripping down off his barred teeth. Anna heard soft whimpers coming from the dining room.
Hang in there Noah.
“Hello there,” she said, grinning down at Bruce. “Aren’t you a pretty little pup.”
Bruce growled and took a few steps towards her.
“Testy though,” she added. “Listen, don’t be stupid. You’ve got an empire to run, don’t you? You’ve got illegal markets and gangs situated all over the state, hell you’ve reached Canada. You’ve got international. Don’t throw all that away for some petty revenge story.”
He barked at her and padded back and forth on his front paws. He was getting ready to strike.
“It’s a mistake, Bruce,” she said. “I’m trying to help you. I’m giving you a chance to get away while there’s still time. We’ll take Pauly in, use his confession to bust the rest of the gang members in the area. We’ll be so busy, you could be long gone before we even get the time to think about coming after you.”
His lips fell back over his teeth and the wolf started to pant. He looked around, and Anna could see in the way his eyes softened, that her words were starting to get through to him. That the human buried deep inside was beginning to see the logic behind what she was saying.
A car door slammed shut outside and voices could be heard through the broken window. Somebody was coming to help. Both Anna and Bruce’s eyes widened as they simultaneously realized what was happening. Bruce must’ve figured he was going down either way, so he might as well take Anna down with him, because a split second later he lunged at her. She tucked herself into a ball and waited for the impact that never came.
Noah, wounded and bleeding, his brown fur stained dark red all around his belly and hind leg, had jumped onto Bruce’s back and was sinking his teeth into his fleshy, white neck. Blood poured out in geyser like spirts as Noah took the poor creature in his jaws and ripped the flesh of his scruff clean off the bone. Bruce howled, a loud and sorrowful sound, and just then the front door of Noah’s apartment burst open.
Sheriff Wells entered, a gun in one hand, flashlight in the other. Just behind him was Sue, Stella, and to Anna’s great surprise, Sam Cottons.
Anna smiled and put her hands up jokingly. “Don’t shoot.”
Wells lowered his weapon, slowly. “Is everything okay in here?”
“Define okay…” said Anna. “We’re not dead, so that’s a start.” She pointed to the passed out Pauly. “We need to get him in handcuffs before he wakes up. And this guy,” she brought her gaze down to the bloody mess that was once Bruce. “I think Noah has got that covered.”
Noah looked up at her, panted a few times, then his eyes started to roll into the back of his head and he crumpled to the ground.
Anna knelt at his side. “Quick!” she yelled. “We need to call and ambulance, or a vet maybe, I don’t know!”
Sue was standing next to her in a flash. “I think I can help. Please, step aside. I need some space to work.” She opened the small black box she’d brought with her and pulled out some medical gauze and a glass bottle of clear liquid. “Call 911 in the meantime, he’s going to transform back into a human soon.”
Anna got out of her way and Stella immediately got her cell phone out and called. After she hung up with the 911 operator, she reached out to Anna and pulled the shaking detective into her arms.
“It’s okay,” she said. “He’s going to be fine.”
Anna was flooded by a tidal wave of emotions. Combined with the pain in her leg, it was too much. She collapsed into Stella’s grasp and began to sob.
Letting Go
Noah healed quickly, thanks to his amazing team of doctors, and thanks to Anna who visited him every day and stayed for hours, updating him on all that was happening with the case.
It turns out the betrayal Anna sensed from Pauly was something Sam Cottons had done. Sam had apparently been trying to get out of the gang for months. When he kidnapped Anna her first night in town, he thought bringing her to Bruce would put the boss in a good mood and Sam could safely ask for his leave. Of course, that plan had been foiled, and Bruce cracked down on his crew once he realized Noah was working on solving the murder cases. Sam started to break down after Valerie died, and that’s when he and Vee cooked up a plan to try and take Bruce down from the inside.
They got Pauly to help them, and the idea was that they would start talking to Bruce all about the new detective in town and how she and Noah were working together. They would get Bruce all riled up and convince him that he had to kill them both, or he would lose everything. The night he went over there, he was supposed to have most of his crew with him, at least five or six guys, but Sam had taken them all out earlier that night and bought them all shot after shot, until they were too drunk to be of any help to Bruce.
Bruce, being the prideful man he is, couldn’t admit he was scared to go with just himself, Sam, and Pauly, so instead went a few men short. At the apartment building, Sam opted to be the getaway driver and stayed behind in the car. While Pauly and Bruce went inside, Sam called up Sheriff Wells and told him what was going on.
“So we owe our lives to Sam Cottons?” Noah asked on day after Anna got finished reading off Sam’s official statement for the night of the attack. His doctor told him he only needed to spend one more night in the hospital and he could check out early the following morning.
“Guess so.”
“That little punk?” Noah shook his head. “What’s going to happen to him?”
“Luckily, he didn’t have anything to do with any of the murders,” said Anna. “The first job Bruce ever sent him on was Valerie, which of course we know he didn’t follow through with. He will probably serve some time for withholding evidence, but thanks to his cooperation with the Sheriff’s department, it shouldn’t be more than a few months.”
“What about Pauly?”
“Who knows,” said Anna. “We are still trying to figure out what’s true about everyone’s stories. Each gang member is claiming his innocence, but obviously some of them had to have been involved in the murders. Luckily, we now have Vee working for us.”
“He can get them to tell the truth?”
“No,” said Anna. “But he can usually tell when they are lying. He can see their memories, thought they aren’t crystal clear, so it’s a process. He has to do a lot of guessing, and then we are using those guesses to put pressure on the guys and so far we’ve managed to push two of them into full on confessions.”
“Wow, that’s great news!” Noah sat up in his bed, wincing a little. He had four big slashes through his side which is where he’d lost most of his blood. The other wound was on his calf, but that one wasn’t nearly as deep. “I can’t wait to get back to work and help you guys tie up all the loose ends. It’ll be great to finally give the victim’s families some closure.”
Anna nodded. “Just remember to take it easy your first days back.”
“You mean like you did after you broke your ankle.”
Anna smiled and Noah opened his arms. She got into the hospital bed with him and laid her head on his chest.
“You still think we’d make a terrible couple?”
Anna laughed. “Yes.” She pushed herself up onto her forearm and kissed Noah lightly on the lips. “But I also think we make a fantastic team.”
He pulled her tight against him and stroked her hair. “Does that mean you’re finally going to come work for me?”
“Sorry,” she said. “But I can’t leave Wells like that. Besides, I enjoy being a deputy.”
“What about doing a little freelance work for us.”
“Why can�
��t you just do freelance work for us?” Anna asked.
“You just have to be the one in charge, don’t you?” Noah sighed and kissed the top of her head. “My little control freak.”
Anna ran her fingertips across Noah’s exposed chest. “How’s this for letting go of control.” She paused and bit her lip, savoring this moment in time when she could still swallow the words she was about to say and forget about ever having feelings for another person. “I love you.”
There was a terrifying moment of silence before Noah answered in which Anna was seriously considering running out of the room, out of the hospital, getting into her jeep and driving out of town, never to return to the place of such humiliation. Then, her gut told her to be patient, to wait just a second longer.
“I love you too,” Noah said.
See? Her intuition teaseled. I told you so.
More By Hollie
More By Hollie
Bring your ♥ to my newest BadBoys!
Sold To The Master
Get It Here
I've been a slave for fifteen years.
They took everything I had.
My magic, my family, and my dignity.
Believe it or not, I was once fierce.
But disobeying Master's orders generally results in some pretty brutal punishment.
So I do everything I can to avoid that.
Before the contract, I didn't have to pretend.
But I've lost that somewhere along the way.
Too many years as a slave, passed from one master to the next.
It has all stripped that fierce strength I once had, and exhausted me.
Today, I'll be auctioned to a new Master.
I'm wearing the most uncomfortable clothing.
So tight around my waist.
And If I stand up straight, the material molds around my breasts to give them a large, voluptuous look.
I know Master hopes to get a good price for my skills.
But being a witch doesn't have the perks it used to.
He's displaying my other assets in the hope someone will pay a reasonable price for that, if not for my magic.
As anxiety builds up in my body, I can't help but wonder...
Who is it going to own me next?
Sold To The Prince Of The Meldanians
Get It Here
I WAS JUST WALKING HOME WHEN THIS PSYCHO GRABBED ME, STRIPPED ME, AND THREW ME IN A CAGE...
Great. Now I'm ready to become a dragon's next meal.
Along with my clothes, he also took my wallet and my ID.
Once I'm sold, they will do whatever they want with me.
They will own me.
"Don't worry, girly," -- I hear a voice.
He goes and grabs something from the dresser and walks over to my cage.
"This will only hurt for a second."
"Back off!" -- I scream.
"Come on, it is just a tag."
"The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get you sold."
"You'll bring in a pretty penny, I think."
"With this boyish body, you could please a wide range of clients, even the ones with the greatest appetite."
"You ain't gonna sell me to some nasty beast!" -- I keep screaming.
"I can do whatever I want, sweetheart."
"Whatever I damn. Well. Please."
"You are certainly a little feisty, but that can be a selling point -- for the right buyer, of course,"
"Now, who do you think will be most likely to purchase you?"
Two Fathers One Secret
Get It Here
It was supposed to be a fling.
Now I'm pregnant with a stranger's child.
And what is a girl to do?
Go find the father. Of course.
A fake name and the memory of his face are all I have.
But with some help, I am able to find him.
Prince Axelten Tresidder, first in line to the throne.
Even the dragon he shifts into is registered in Wikipedia.
My heart stops.
What if he thinks I'm a gold digger?!
Still, I find the courage and manage to get to him.
His reaction is rather strange.
It's almost like he doesn't remember me.
Or us.
He asks me to stay -- at least throughout my pregnancy.
If the DNA test proves him to be the father, my child will be his only heir.
So I agree.
It isn't long before I start to feel something's off.
He seems like a completely different man from before.
The way he behaves.
The things he can't remember.
Something doesn't add up.
I'm not sure I want to stay anymore.
I want to leave.
What happened to him?
Or... is he really him?
Let’s Be Friends!
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Copyright
© Copyright 2019 by Hollie Hutchins - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
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