Taming the Wicked Wolf (A Date with a Demon #2)

Chapter 15

FIFTEEN

Emilia

My heart drops as Kyle’s patrol car pulls out of the parking lot, Silas twisting in the backseat to watch me as they leave. The words just slipped out of my mouth without thinking. I can’t believe I told him I love him.

I think saying it while he’s in the back of a police car is worse than saying it during sex, right? It has to be.

Carly Beth walks up beside me, holding her phone.

“Where did Chase go?” I ask, looking around the lot.

I find his pickup parked in a corner space with the lights on.

“Emilia.”

“Hold on.” I hold up my hand.

The spirit of a goddess must have possessed me because I’m no longer afraid of Chase Reynolds, not anymore. I’m too pissed off to muster any sympathy for him. My fire burning bright beneath the surface of my skin. Frustration throwing gasoline over the flame.

This town has been nothing but hell since I got here. The sheriff’s office ignored every single one of my calls for help. He can’t break in when he has a key. Being at the supermarket at the same time isn’t stalking, Emmy.

I squeeze the tiny device in my hand until the plastic creaks. He must have placed it there months ago when I gave him a ride after his truck broke down. If it ever did.

I charge across the lot and rap on his window. Chase straightens, his face is as pale as the time he has food poisoning on our honeymoon. He rolls it down, continuing to stare straight ahead.

“You have made my life a living hell for far too long. I have done nothing, but play by you rules. Bend to your whims. That stops now.” I say, pushing away the sting of tears in my eyes as I wave the little GPS device in my hand. “If you have ever had a decent bone in your Gods damned body, you are going to call your dad and have him release Silas.”

Chase glances over at me out of the corner of his eye, I notice his sharp inhale as he slides his keys into the ignition. Chase Reynolds is afraid of me. No, not just that, he is afraid of what I can do. I can’t deny that I feel a little giddy at the thought.

I hold my hand up, focusing my magic on holding the keys, to keep him from starting the car, “You’re not going anywhere. Look. At. Me.”

“What the hell, Emilia?” His hands shake as he wrestles against the invisible force, his shoulders slumping as he falls back in the seat.

“You know he doesn’t belong in that jail cell.”

“Something tells me he can take care of himself.” He spits out as he turns over the engine and peels out of the parking lot so fast that I have to jump back in order to keep my foot from being smashed.

I find Carly Beth leaning against my car, her thumbs tapping against her phone. I’m lucky that the parking lot is relatively empty or else Chase might have caused more of a scene.

“Hey, do you think you could?—”

“Already done. Mark called in someone to cover your shift and Alex owes me one, so she’s gonna work a double tonight.” She says, glancing up at me.

“I can do this on my own, Carly Beth, I don’t want to get you fired.”

“Family is more than blood, and you make this job bearable.” She hesitates, holding out her phone, “I also have this.”

Carly Beth presses play on the video.

She caught Chase’s admission of guilt, a lovely and surprisingly flattering shot of my ass as I lean over the console to fish out the tracking device and, more importantly, the feral way that Chase rushes over to haul me out of the car before Silas, in his human form, grabs him by the shirt and pulls him away.

The video glitches as the two of them stare each other down, and when it returns, Chase looks horrified. It finally ends after Kyle shoves Silas into the back of his police car.

“There’s at least three violations there, and Kyle put cuffs on him without reading him his rights or telling him why. Say the word and I’ll have it uploaded to three different social media websites and delivered to the sheriff’s email address.”

“Hold on to it. The sheriff is a reasonable man, hopefully he’ll at least listen to what I have to say.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then all bets are off.” I shrug and press my key fob, unlocking the car.

Carly Beth smiles.

The sheriff’s department is just a few blocks away from the bar and in true small town fashion, it still has its brick and mortar facade that looks plucked straight from a Hallmark movie.

I’ve only been here a few times outside of my former family obligations. Last time was when I tried to file a report over Chase illegally requesting a key to my apartment, the judge said I could only file for a restraining order with proof.

No one in a small town believes that your ex-husband is openly stalking you, especially when said ex has painted you out to be a liar. He did his best to spread rumors about me, especially how my infidelity lead him to file for divorce.

Carly Beth looks around, half nerves and half wonder, which leads me to believe she’s never set foot inside the building before.

“If you want, you can wait in the car,” I say, holding out my keys.

“I’m good, it just looks different from what I expected.” She wanders over to the small seating area in the lobby, picking through the magazines on the table.

I leave her, going to the front desk where Meredith is sitting with her glasses perched on her nose, eyeing the computer screen to her left.

She was always nice to me when I would visit, but something changed since then. Her blue eyes drift over as she pulls her glasses down, giving me a fake customer service smile.

“Emilia.”

“I’m here to see Sheriff Reynolds about the man Kyle brought in, it must have been close to ten minutes ago.”

“I’m sorry, Emilia, I’m not allowed to speak about an active investigation. I cannot confirm nor deny that Deputy Evers brought anyone in.”

I sigh, looking over at Carly Beth, who is ready and waiting for me to give her some sort of signal. Instead, I take a couple of steps to my right and lean over the counter, gaining a full view of the sheriff’s office window.

My former father-in-law is in there looming over Silas while Kyle stands beside him, a faithful watchdog. Of course, they’re going to make the most of it. There’s under 3000 people in Moonstone Ridge, and zero crime.

“For fuck’s sake.” I roll my eyes and adjust my purse on my shoulder, “Do it, Carly Beth.”

“Hey,” Meredith leaps into action as I push past the small waist high gate and make my way towards the office, “You can’t go back there. Sheriff Reynolds!”

The sheriff looks out the window, his brows furrowing as he rushes out of his office, blocking the door with his wide frame. He’s gone a bit more gray since I’ve seen him last, with a few more creases worn around his eyes, but he still looks just like an older version of Chase.

“Emilia.” He says.

“Has he been charged?” I ask, gesturing towards Silas who is trying his best not to watch me from the window.

“No, I’m waiting for a few statements from witnesses.” Sheriff Reynolds folds his arms over his chest.

“Like me? I was there, Bill. Silas was protecting me.”

“Protecting you from what?”

I grit my teeth and fish out the small tracking device from my purse, holding it between us, “From your son.”

“From Chase? I wouldn’t be throwing accusations around like that, especially since?—”

“Sir, I think you’re going to want to see this,” Meredith calls from behind me.

Sheriff Reynolds glares at me, then walks over to watch the video. Carly Beth’s video. The family resemblance is striking, it only takes a few seconds before he turns the exact shade that Chase did when Silas revealed his true self. He looks over, focusing on the small device in my hand, then grabs the phone from the desk, punching in a number.

“Let ‘em go.” He says, holding the headset to his ear, “and get Chase down here. I need to have a few words with my son.”

The door to his office opens, and I turn to see Silas sauntering towards me, a cocky grin stretching across his face as he rubs at the skin on his wrists.

“Why didn’t you leave? You could have teleported.”

“I would never abandon you.” Silas brushes his fingers through my hair, then leans down and kisses my forehead.

I breathe out a sigh, turn towards Sheriff Reynolds, “By the way, I would like to file a police report.”