Chapter Five
~ Radalf ~
I kept my arms crossed and buried my clenched fists in them to keep the sheriff and his deputies from seeing them. I wanted to plant them in their smug little faces.
I wanted to kill the men that had attacked Ajag even more, but they had been taken away by the sheriff's men. Sometimes skating the fine line between the shifter world and the human world sucked. If they hadn't been human they would already be dead.
It galled me to no end that I couldn't serve them the justice they so richly deserved, but Ze'ev had been against it. There was a logical part of me that understood his reasons, but an even bigger part—most likely the shifter part—simply wanted revenge for the wrongs they had done to Ajag.
"Are you sure they didn't take anything?"
I rolled my eyes. That was like the tenth time the sheriff had asked that. I don't know how many times Ze'ev and Jackson had to explain that the men had broken into the house with the intent to steal, but had been caught before they could take anything for the man to accept it.
"As sure as I can be," Jackson replied. "Once we heard them throwing things around, we all came running. That's when we caught them. It felt more like they were just trying to destroy stuff than steal it."
It kind of did. If I hadn't known they had attacked Ajag, calling him Jackson, that's what I'd assume. Pictures had been ripped off the walls, dishes lay shattered on the floor. Even the couch cushions had been tossed around. The place was a wreck.
"I can charge them with breaking and entering," the sheriff stated, "but that might not get them a lot of time. If they had actually stolen something, they'd be looking at a few years behind bars."
Okay, that was somewhat reasonable.
Jackson shook his head. "My cousins took most everything after Aunt Clara passed away. I don't know why they would break in here to steal. There isn't anything left."
"We're going to get it all back, Jackson," Ze'ev said. "The lawyer said we had a very good case."
The sheriff's eyebrows drew together as he squinted. "Lawyer?"
Jackson huffed as if he was greatly put upon. "When Aunt Clara died, she left a will and in that will she gave me the ranch and everything on it except for items she specifically wanted to go to other people. My cousins decided that they weren't satisfied with what she left them and cleaned me out."
"They left him with less than three hundred dollars, some chickens, a horse, and a duck," Ze'ev stated. "They took everything else that wasn't nailed down."
"Ze'ev helped me get a lawyer so I could sue them." Jackson suddenly gasped and turned to Ze'ev. "You don't think Emma and William could be behind this, do you?"
Bravo!
I felt like clapping. Jackson's acting deserved a Golden Globe nomination. I knew they wanted to get the sheriff interested in investigating Emma and William. I just didn't know this was the way they planned to do it.
"You think this is a scare tactic?" Ze'ev asked.
Even I stared at him.
His acting wasn't as good as Jackson's.
"You think your cousins could have hired these idiots to scare you and make you drop the lawsuit?" the sheriff asked.
"Well, I didn't before, but I do now." Jackson frowned. "I knew they were upset that Aunt Clara left me the ranch, but I never thought they'd harm me. Of course, I didn't think they'd steal from me either and look at this place. They took almost everything."
"I'll need to see a copy of that will so I can add it to the case file."
"I can call the lawyer and have him fax you a copy."
The sheriff nodded. "Have him send it over first thing in the morning. If Ms. Clara really left you the ranch, she must have wanted you to have it for some reason. That woman did a lot for this community. I won't let her legacy be destroyed by a bunch of money hungry morons."
A decent sheriff? Not sure I'd ever run into one of those.
I glanced toward the staircase when I heard footsteps. Lu was coming down with one of the deputies. When I glanced behind them, I didn't see anyone else. I couldn't exactly ask, but I was pretty sure Lu had hidden Ajag and Sy somehow.
The sheriff turned in their direction when they reached the bottom of the stairs and started toward us. "This is everyone from upstairs?"
The deputy nodded. "I searched every room, Sheriff. This guy was the only one upstairs."
"What is your name?" the sheriff asked.
Lu made a couple of hand gestures.
"My apologies, Sheriff," Gunny stated. "My brother is mute. He can hear, but he can't speak."
"I still need to know his name and I can't understand whatever he just did with his hands."
"His name is Ludulf Volkov."
The sheriff glanced at Gunny, me, and then Ze'ev. "You guys related?"
"Cousins," Ze'ev supplied quickly.
We weren't, but the sheriff didn't need to know that. As we were part of Ze'ev's pack now, and his last name was Volkov, that made our last name Volkov. It was a weird system, but it worked.
Besides, Volkov meant wolf.
The sheriff wrote something down in his notepad and then slid it and his pen into his pocket. "Okay, I'll file a police report first thing in the morning. You'll need to come down and sign it. If anything changes in the case, I'll give you a call."
"Thank you, Sheriff." Ze'ev reached out to shake the man's hand. "If you have any questions, please do the same."
The sheriff gave a curt nod and then gestured to his deputies. The idiots that had broken into the house and attacked Ajag had already been taken away, which was probably a good thing.
It was all I could do to stay rooted to the spot as Ze'ev walked the sheriff and his deputies out. The moment I heard vehicles headed down the driveway, I started for the stairs.
I needed to check and Ajag.
I didn't understand this need that was building inside of me. The need to protect him. The need to make sure he was healthy and happy. The need to just sit and watch him breath. I just knew it was there and it was growing by the second.
I raced up the stairs to the second floor and then down to the hallway closet. I didn't realize Lu was behind me until I tried to close the door and he grabbed it. When I glanced back at him, he gestured for me to go up the stairs. I quickly did as he instructed. When I reached the attic, I paused and looked around. There wasn't a single sign of Ajag or Sy.
"Where are they?"
Lu walked over to a coat rack on the wall and turned it.
My jaw dropped when a portion of the wall slid open. "When did you find that?"
"A couple of weeks ago," Lu signed with his hands. "I tripped and grabbed onto it when I fell. That's when the panel slid open."
I hurried over to the opening and looked inside. The breath I hadn't realized I was holding blew out of my mouth when I spotted Ajag and Sy curled up in the corner.
"Are you guys okay?"
"I okay," Sy answered. "Ajag not okay."
I glanced at Ajag. He was looking a little frayed around the edges. His face was pale white and there were tears flooding his eyes, even though they didn't spill down his cheeks.
"Why don't we get you two out of here," I said as I held out my hand. "I imagine you're pretty hungry right about now."
Sy grabbed my hand. "I hungry."
He would be. The pup was a bottomless pit.
I carefully helped Sy out of the small space before handing him off to Lu, and then I reached back in for Ajag. He stared at my hand as if I might lash out and strike him at any moment.
It was a telling gesture.
I slowly lowered my hand and then moved out of the way so he could easily pass by me. Considering all he had gone through tonight, I could understand his fear, but it also felt like there was something more to it, something he refused to discuss with me or anyone else.
Ajag clearly had secrets, but we all did so I didn't press him, no matter how much I wanted to. After he came out of the hidden room, I closed it once again and then turned to watch him.
He had hurried across the room to where Sy was sitting on the edge of the bed eating a cookie. As soon as he reached the little tyke, he dropped down to his knees and began checking him over as if he thought Sy might be injured.
Again, this was a telling gesture.
I knew they were running from something or someone. I wished Ajag would trust us—me—with whatever he was so scared of. I'd protect him and Sy and I knew the others would, too.
We just needed to know what or who he was running from.
"Lu, why don't you take Sy downstairs to get some real food," I signed silently, glad that we had all learned sign language so we could understand Lu. "I need to treat Ajag's wounds and I don't want Sy to see them."
Lu didn't reply, but he did pick the kid up and start taking him out of the room.
"Wait!" Ajag cried out. "Where are you taking him?"
"Lu is just taking him downstairs to get something to eat," I quickly explained. "He'll be back soon. I want to make sure you don't have any injuries."
"I'm fine," Ajag replied, but I felt as if it was an automatic response.
Or he was evading.
He was still deathly pale and there were bruises forming along his cheek and on his wrists. I didn't want to think about the bruises he might have hidden under his clothes.
"Are you able to shift?" I asked.
That would cure most of it.
"I'll shift when Sy comes back."
I sighed. I suppose I had to accept that. I didn't like Ajag sitting there in pain, but I didn't think arguing with him was going to help anything. It still didn't sit well with me.
"I know you're planning on leaving."
Ajag stiffened, but didn't look at me. He had his head bent, staring down at his hands as he clutched them together so hard they were turning white.
"You don't have to go," I hurried to say. "I'll keep you safe. I promise. Everyone here will."
Ajag shook his head. "Nowhere is safe."
Technically, that was true, but we could make the ranch as safe as possible. It was better than being out there on the run day after day.
"Ajag—"
"I can't stay, Rad. It's too dangerous, for me and for you."
I closed my eyes for a moment, the pain in my chest so bad that I felt as if I might explode at any moment. I drew in a deep breath before opening my eyes once again.
"Give me one week," I stated. "One week and I won't fight you on leaving."
Ajag's brow furrowed. "Why do you care? I'm a stranger to you."
I couldn't exactly answer that because I wasn't sure myself. I just knew that I did care and I cared a lot. The thought of Ajag out there on the run made me sick to my stomach.
"One week," I repeated.
In one week, I could do a lot.