Chapter 5 - Tolliver
Tolliver was on high alert as he and Laila sat in the small, dimly lit bar just outside of Cedar Ridge. The hum of music playing in the background mingled with the low murmur of conversations from the few patrons scattered around. He’d assessed everyone when they entered. They were surrounded by humans, so he relaxed slightly.
He picked a corner table, far from the windows and the door, where he could see anyone coming in or out. Every instinct in him screamed to keep moving, to get her far away from any potential danger, but Laila had made her stance clear. She wasn’t going anywhere until she got answers, and he had to respect that.
She took in their surroundings, not paying him any attention, so he was able to study her with admiration. Laila had grown into her own. She wasn’t the same innocent 20-year-old he’d claimed as his mate eight years ago. She seemed stronger, more decisive, and more confident. He was thoroughly attracted to her.
“Would you like something to drink?” he asked when she returned her attention to him.
“No, this isn’t a date, Tolliver. We’re here to talk.”
“At least get a beer or water so we don’t look too out of place.”
She sighed. “Fine. I’ll take water.”
Tolliver got up but paused, wondering if leaving her was a good idea.
Laila huffed and rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to run. I said I’d hear you out.”
That was no comfort to him. As he walked to the bar, he kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure she was still seated. When he ordered two bottles of water and made his way back to their table, he scanned the room again, taking note of the exits, the layout, and every face. His wolf stirred uneasily beneath his skin. Danger could be hiding anywhere. His job had made him hyper-paranoid.
As he sat across from Laila, she watched him with her arms crossed and an expression of skepticism mixed with frustration. She hadn’t softened, and he hadn’t expected her to. He placed the water bottle in front of her, and she opened it and took a sip.
“So…” she said, tapping her fingers impatiently on the table. “Start talking. What exactly is going on, and why should I trust a word you say after all these years?”
Tolliver rubbed his jaw, wondering where to begin. “Look, I didn’t want to come back into your life like this. But I had to get you away from the bakery and out of Cedar Ridge. You’re in danger.” He glanced around the bar. “You still are.”
“ How am I in danger?”
Tolliver sighed before he pulled out his phone, tapped on the screen, and handed it to her. Laila reluctantly took the device. She glanced at him warily before looking at the screen. Her eyebrows puckered. It was a grainy image, but she was easily identifiable.
“Play it,” he instructed.
Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly did as he said. Tolliver watched as her eyes widened to saucers and filled with horror as the scene played out before her. She swallowed hard. “This is CCTV footage from the town square,” she noted.
He nodded.
“It’s dated a few days ago,” she said, her voice ringing with confusion. She squinted at the screen. “That man, it’s hard to make him out.”
“I’m sure that was deliberate on his part. He must have known there were cameras everywhere.”
She inhaled sharply. “I didn’t know I was being followed…”
Tolliver lifted an eyebrow. He wanted to scold her for being so careless as not to have her guard up. However, he reminded himself that she lived in a town with peaceful humans. Of course, she wouldn’t suspect danger in a place like Cedar Ridge.
Handing Tolliver back his phone, she stared at him. “That one video doesn’t mean anything. That man could be a resident out for a late-night stroll.”
Tolliver’s gaze cut into her. “Do you really believe that?”
Her teeth punished her lower lip, and his attention went to her mouth. He knew how good her lips tasted and felt against his. What he would give to kiss her again.
Focus, he told himself and forced his gaze away from her lips. “Denial won’t help, Laila.
“No,” she whispered. “I don’t understand. Why would someone stalk me? Does he plan to rob the bakery?” She gasped. “Oh, my gosh. We have to go back. If there’s some lunatic watching the bakery, Cora is in danger. Why would you leave her there alone?” she shrieked.
“Laila, be quiet and listen to me,” he growled. The authoritative note that had an underlining of steel made her cooperate. “I can do my job better if you remain calm.”
“Your job…?”
He eyed her guiltily. When they dated, Tolliver told her he was interested in a job at the mayor’s office in Bellefleur. That had been a lie, of course. At the time, he didn’t want to mention the Black Ops, and after he learned about her father, he kept lying to her.
“My job is to keep you safe,” he said. “I don’t want you to freak out, but there have been rumblings about missing women.”
Laila’s heart jolted. She immediately wanted to freak out. However, she kept it together. “What does that have to do with me?”
“The women are shifters with your… aesthetic.”
Her gaze snapped to him. “What?”
“Curvey female shifters, Laila. There are rumors about an organization kidnapping women like you for… breeding purposes.”
Her jaw dropped.
“It’s sick.” It turned his stomach to know there were such depraved shifters in existence. “So far, we don’t have much proof, but the fact that women are going missing is a cause for alarm and investigation. I’m convinced it isn’t just rumors because I spent the past two months on the trail of a suspected member of the organization, and things are looking more suspicious by the day. We got a break in the case when one of my trainees found the footage you just watched.”
His eyes bore into hers as if silently begging her to trust him. “Don’t worry about Cora. These guys aren’t interested in robbing bakeries, nor are they interested in witches. They want female wolf shifters. Still, I wouldn’t risk an innocent young woman like that.” He glanced at his watch. “There’s someone from my team in Cedar Ridge right now, ensuring that Cora locks up and gets home safe.”
“Like you’ve been ensuring my safety for days?” she asked in a low voice. “I knew I felt someone watching me, but I thought I was being paranoid. When I scented you, I thought…” She shrugged. “I thought I was going crazy because I hadn’t seen you in…”
“Five years.” He sighed. “I know. I didn’t want to show myself and scare you for nothing. I only came out of the shadows when I realized the same shifter you saw on the security footage was getting ready to grab you.”
Laila buried her face in her hands and took several deep breaths. She then met his gaze. “All right. Kidnaping . Breeding . Depraved shifters… say I believe you? How are you mixed up in all this? What do you mean by your team and trainees? I thought you’d have a desk job in the mayor’s office by now.”
Tolliver sat back and blew out his breath. After years of lying to her, it was the moment of truth. “I work for the Black Ops.”
Laila’s eyes widened. Her shock morphed into something darker. Tolliver could see the look of betrayal flitting across her face. She scoffed. “The Black Ops? So, when we started dating, and you said you were looking to go into politics like your late father and grandfather, you lied?”
His gaze skated away from hers. “I wanted to tell you, but—”
“But nothing. Our entire relationship was a sham, wasn’t it? I don’t even know you.”
Tolliver’s chest tightened as Laila’s words sliced through him. “It wasn’t a sham.” How could she think that? Hadn’t he shown her how much he loved her when they were together? She was his world back then—hell, she still was because he couldn’t move on even if his life depended on it.
Laila shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her. “Right, because that’s why you were able to walk away so easily.” Her eyes clouded with sadness, and it broke his heart. “I feel like you just played a role back then, and nothing was real.”
“It was real,” he insisted.
“It doesn’t matter now,” she said. “Whatever we had… It feels like it was a lifetime ago. It’s time we moved past it. Honestly, I’m terrified after everything you just told me. If you can help me, then…” She heaved a sigh that resonated with wariness. “I guess I have no choice but to follow your lead.”
Tolliver held her gaze, and silence hung between them. His fists were clenched so tightly under the table that his hands began to ache. He wanted to tell her he’d never move on and didn’t want her to either. What was between them mattered . It still did. Hearing the defeat that underlined her words made him feel like the scum of the earth. He did this. He hurt her.
In the end, his need to do his job and protect her overpowered the part of him that wanted to get back what they once had. He couldn’t afford to get distracted by matters of the heart when Laila and other shifters were in danger. Jumping into professional mode, he said, “First, I need to get you somewhere safe. The more secluded, the better. Once you’re out of immediate danger, I can focus on finding the shifters responsible.”
“Incredible,” she murmured.
He lifted an eyebrow. “What is?”
“The way you transform into this cold, detached person.” Laila’s voice was barely above a whisper. She tilted her head as she regarded him with curiosity. “I’ve never seen this version of you. It’s like you flipped a switch. One moment, you’re talking about us and your feelings; the next, it’s all about the job. I’m just another objective.”
His jaw tightened because her words cut deep. However, he didn’t flinch. His face remained in the stoic mask he’d perfected over the years. He forced himself to hold her gaze. “You said nothing matters between us now. What do you want from me?”
Laila didn’t look away. The old shy, less assured Laila would have. This stronger woman in front of him had steel in her spine. She met him head-on in their silent battle of wills, which he admired. “My grandmother left me her house in Bellefleur,” she said calmly. “Is that secluded enough?”
He nodded. “It will do.”
“We’d best get going then.”
She stood up and aimed for the door without a second glance his way. Tolliver jumped up to follow her. Although he observed the surroundings, he was still aware of the way her hips swayed provocatively. The sight of her from behind was just as incredible as the front. Her confident, sexy stride attracted attention, but she didn’t notice. Quite a few men in the bar had paused to check her out, just as Tolliver was. When he noticed, he practically snarled at them.
His irrationally jealous beast rose, making him forget that he was supposed to be cold and focused on the job. He hurried to catch up with her and placed a hand possessively on her lower back. To his satisfaction, some of the men looked away.
When they stepped outside, Laila stopped to glower at him.
“What?” he asked.
“You keep touching me.”
Tolliver’s eyebrows dipped into a frown.
Laila jabbed him in the chest with her index finger. “Less touching and more protecting Mr. Black Ops. You kidnapped me from my life, so you’d better make damn sure no one else kidnaps me from you .” She harrumphed and marched to the SUV, her hips and hair swinging to the beat of her anger.
Tolliver stayed rooted to the spot because he was too stunned to move. He watched her, slack-jawed, as she hopped into the car and slammed the door. No one ever dared to speak to speak to him like that. This sassy Laila, who seemed to hate him, was going to drive him crazy, and admittedly, he was a little turned right now. It was going to take great self-control—maybe way more than he had—to keep his hands off her.
Blowing out a long breath, he walked to the car and got it. He started the vehicle and hit the road. There would be no more stopping until they got to Bellefleur. When he glanced at Laila, she had her arms folded and stared straight ahead. Tolliver took that to mean she wasn’t in the talking mood, so he stayed quiet.
When they reached their destination, and he switched off the engine, the silence was almost deafening. They stared at the quaint cottage nestled deep in the woods. The place wasn’t unknown to Tolliver. He’d visited the house with Laila a few times when she came to check on it after her grandmother died.
Although it was only one story, it was sprawling. The house was inviting, with a rustic charm that blended into the natural surroundings. It was a hidden sanctuary out there in the woods, far removed from the bustling town.
Laila sighed, and Tolliver glanced at her. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Being here just reminds me of my grandmother, that’s all.”
Her wistful note gave him pause. “Will you be okay staying here? If not, my place is—”
“I’ll be fine. I haven’t been here in a long time, and I need to check on the place anyway.”
“Why did you stay away for so long?” he asked. Bellefleur was close enough to Cedar Ridge for her to make the journey once in a while.
Laila turned to look at him, and the sadness in her eyes made him think she had stayed away from their hometown because of him. His jaw was set in a rigid line as he got out of the car and walked around to her side to open the door.
When she got out, she frowned. “Tolliver, I’m not prepared to spend the night here. I have no clothes…”
“It’s fine.” He opened the back door and retrieved a bag. “I guessed we’d have to spend the night somewhere, so I came prepared.”
Laila’s eyes squinted. “We? So, you’re staying here too?”
“Of course. I intend to keep a close eye on you.”
Her teeth sank into her lower lip. “Well, I assumed you’d just leave me here. I mean, we’re in Bellefleur, and I’m all the way up here in the woods. Whoever was stalking me wouldn’t know I’m here…”
Closing the car doors, he said, “That’s not how this works, Laila. Let’s get inside.”
Her soft sigh fluttered around them, and he practically heard her reluctance as she followed him to the cabin. His lips twisted wryly. She hated the idea of sharing a space with him. He wasn’t all that thrilled, either. Having temptation within reach and having to keep his hands to himself would be sheer torture.