Chapter 16
“If we believe Samuel and he didn’t attack you, then who? I don’t buy the local kids. I can see them breaking into a house, the graffiti because some are wild, but I doubt any would’ve tortured this puppy,” Henry said, pulling into Maia’s driveway, his mind working in tandem with hers.
Maia hobbled from the vehicle, smiling when she heard Juno’s welcoming bark. “Will Juno tolerate the puppy? What are you going to call her?”
“I’ll see how her personality develops unless you have a suggestion.”
Henry stroked the tiny head, whispering to her, and Maia’s heart flipped. For a large man, he was gentle. Juno trusted him implicitly. His passion for the dogs and their confidence in him had attracted Maia’s attention as a child.
Maia pulled out her keys to unlock her front door, then stopped, her heart leaping with alarm. “Henry.”
“What?”
“I one hundred percent locked the door. It’s not locked now.” She opened it, and Juno bounded outside.
Henry tensed. “Stay here while I do a circuit of your house.”
“I’m coming with you. Besides, Juno seemed fine when we arrived. Wouldn’t she have acted anxious or barked more?”
“Yes,” Henry said grimly. “Let’s go.”
Maia followed Henry, her gaze darting back and forth, but nothing seemed out of place except her door. She recalled locking it.
“Does someone else have your key?” Henry asked when they’d done a circuit of her house and found nothing unusual.
“I have two house keys on my keyring. I’ve been meaning to separate them.” She pulled out her keys to show him, then stared in consternation. “My spare isn’t here.”
“Did you have them during the attack?”
“I grabbed them to unlock my door to get outside. Oh! You think whoever attacked me took my spare while I was unconscious?”
“That’s exactly what I think.” Henry sounded grim and pissed. “We’ll change your locks this afternoon.”
“Perhaps they were watching and saw us leave.”
“Yeah. The alarm didn’t go off, which means no one entered your house.”
Maia bit her lip. “It wasn’t Samuel. He was in the cafe.”
“Exactly, so either he organized this, or it’s someone else entirely.”
“I don’t think Samuel would do that. He prefers to control every situation, which is why my leaving him cut so deep.” She scowled. “Why is this person hassling me?”
“I don’t know, but they were lucky Juno didn’t crash through the door and take them out. She would’ve tried.”
“What should I do? I can’t keep looking over my shoulder.” The throbbing in her skull took on a deeper intensity, and she lifted her hand to massage the nagging pain. “I have no idea what this person wants or what imaginable crime I’ve committed to earn this attention.”
Henry reduced the space between them. He embraced her carefully, the puppy between them.
His silent comfort made her wilt, and her fight seeped away.
She had deadlines and needed to train. She’d worked hard to get this contract, determined to succeed because her aunt had told her she was useless and unworthy, that her parents would’ve been ashamed of her.
Part of her worried her little-girl memories of them weren’t accurate, her views from the lens of a child rather than the adult she’d become.
No! She refused to let her persecutor sway her for the same reason she’d forbidden herself to succumb to her aunt’s machinations.
Her parents had chosen a school for her and set up the trust, making some matters non-negotiable. They’d cared enough to do this should anything happen to them. They’d loved her as much as she’d loved them.
“Maia, I can’t be here with you all the time.
What would you say to staying with me? There’s always someone around.
We have excellent security. Give yourself time to recover from your concussion.
” He drew back a fraction when the puppy whimpered.
“This puppy will require patience and constant attention until she gets comfortable. It would help me if you could watch her.”
Maia wanted to argue, but he was right. She would constantly look for threats. “Just until I recover and can play again.” She didn’t verbalize her fears that this might set her back and that she’d remain on the bench.
“Good.” He grinned, and her breath caught. “I didn’t think you’d agree so easily. Just so you know, I’m inviting you to stay in my apartment. I have a spare room.”
Her brows rose, her spirits lifting. “And if I want to share your bed?”
His smile broadened. “I’d love that. We can set up a workspace once you’re healed.”
“Thank you.” She glanced at her front door and barely suppressed her shudder. “Do you think this person is following me around? Watching me? I didn’t notice anything.”
“Neither did I,” Henry said, his manner turning grim, “but that’s something we should consider. I’ll call Laura and she can question Samuel if he’s still at the station. You pack your bags. We’ll organize new locks for your front and rear doors. Your window locks require replacement.”
Maia hesitated before nodding. “Let me know the costs, and I’ll reimburse you.”
“You don’t need to pay. We have the materials in stock.”
“It’s important to reimburse you. For me, I mean.”
He stared for long seconds, measuring her determination. “Okay, but you get parts at cost. My labor is free.”
She lifted her chin. “In exchange for helping to look after the puppy and cooking and cleaning during my stay.”
He capitulated immediately. “Deal, but your headaches need to subside first. I can tell you’re in pain. You pack while I scout around and check on your car. I’m also curious to learn if the vehicle parked in the lane. I’ll take the puppy with me and leave Juno with you. Lock the door, okay?”
“I will.” It was an easy promise. The thought of someone creeping around her house was bad enough, but entering her property, presumably with malicious intent, left her shaky.
Henry kept his shit together until after he did a quick scan inside Maia’s house and left her packing a bag and Juno watching over her. She’d given him the key, and he locked the door after telling her he wouldn’t be long.
The puppy had gone to sleep, pressed close to his chest.
His wolf’s growl built inside his chest until his entire body vibrated.
He wanted to shift, to track. He wanted to pounce and bite and rip this imposter into pieces.
They were threatening his mate! The growl finally emerged in a low rumble that surged up his throat.
The puppy stirred, and Henry strode down the driveway, the rapid steps helping him tamp back his anger.
“Shush, little one,” he murmured.
When Henry reached the sideroad, he scanned the crushed grass.
If he and Laura hadn’t bagged every sweet wrapper, it would’ve been difficult to tell if a vehicle had parked here today.
He discovered a paper cup that had recently held coffee.
It was from a fast food chain, the nearest in Dunedin.
Of course, that didn’t mean much. It could’ve come from anywhere, but there was another sweet wrapper.
Henry plucked his phone from his pocket and called Laura.
“Henry, what’s up?” she said, brusque as if he was interrupting her in an important task.
“The front door of Maia’s house was open when we arrived and one of her keys is missing. She locked the door when we left. I watched her do it. Also, I’m at the site where we think the culprit parked. There is an empty coffee cup and another sweet wrapper.”
“It’s not Maia’s ex unless he has someone helping him. I’ll ask and watch his reaction. Did they do any damage inside?”
“We left Juno at the house because we weren’t expecting to be away for long. We think Juno scared the person off. Nothing else appears out of place apart from Maia’s flat tire. There’s no further damage that I can see.”
“Leave the cup and the sweet wrapper in situ, and I’ll collect them later after I finish processing Samuel. Charlie and I hadn’t had our morning tea break, and we get mean if we don’t refuel.”
Henry suppressed his chuckle. Good on them. He hadn’t taken to the arrogant man either. “Maia is staying with me while she recuperates.”
“Excellent idea. Text me if you find any damage, and I’ll take photos when I remove the cup and wrapper.”
“Thanks, Laura.” He shoved the phone back in his pocket and returned to the house.
He did a circuit and breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered nothing out of place.
It hadn’t escaped his notice that Maia was barely holding it together.
He suspected her head injury bothered her more than she let on, and he was pleased she’d agreed to stay with him.
He knocked on the door and called out when he unlocked it, not wanting to take her by surprise. She appeared in the kitchen with an overnight bag, three books, and Juno on her heels.
“Did you find anything?”
“Someone parked in the sideroad again, but other than that, everything is fine.”
Maia nodded. “I need my laptop and notes. These are the books I need to deliver to Samuel. If I’ve forgotten anything, I can pick it up later.”
With every door and window locked, they climbed into Henry’s vehicle.
Henry detoured back to town and gave Laura the books to give to Samuel before heading to his place. Everyone was home when Henry pulled into his regular parking spot. While he’d kept Gerard appraised of what was happening, his other family members were clueless, and he steeled himself for teasing.
After letting out Juno, he circled his vehicle and grabbed Maia’s bag and laptop. Maia exited, carefully holding the puppy. The main door opened, and his stepfather stood in the doorway, a welcoming, if quizzical expression on his face.
“Son, how are you?”
Henry grinned, especially when Jacey’s gaze zoomed to Maia and back to Henry. “Dad, meet Maia. She’s staying with me to recuperate after a head knock. Maia, this is my stepdad, Jacey Anderson.”