Chapter 15 #2
Sebbie was bent over in laughter, and Thea was trying her hardest not to laugh, but she wasn’t very successful.
“You said, ‘Oh my god, Sebbie’s been over there for hours? Do you think they had sex?’” Dexter quoted.
Thea lost it at that point, giggling along with Sebbie, and Toby tried to look mad, but he was soon giggling along with them.
“You guys are about as subtle as bricks,” Thea said between gasping laughs.
Dexter and I just looked at each other, both of us shrugging. I had no problem if Sebbie wanted to tell his friend we’d had sex, but I certainly wasn’t going to volunteer the information. Silence seemed the only course of action.
Dexter must have agreed after he’d taken two of Toby’s elbows to the ribs, because he didn’t say anything else either.
I’m not sure how I would have corralled the giggling trio, but Crow sent me a warning from outside. It looked like we were about to have company.
I headed towards the front door. Dexter followed, and like a bunch of little ducklings, Thea, Sebbie, and Toby followed after us, still giving the occasional giggle.
I opened the door and stepped outside, everyone following behind, and not a minute later the sheriff’s car was in sight, pulling in front of the house.
The sheriff looked pissed as hell, and my guess was that it had something to do with the fact that Jude was in the back of the car.
He was grinning like a maniac, leaning forward and pressing his head to the cage that separated the front and back seat.
From the position of his shoulders, I would guess that he was handcuffed.
I sighed.
“Looks like Jude finally got himself arrested,” Dexter said. “Not sure why the sheriff is bringing him here, though. Shouldn’t he take him to jail?”
Dexter’s lack of concern and bewilderment at the sheriff bringing him home set the trio off giggling again, and even I could admit the humor in the situation.
Jude probably would have enjoyed a night in a jail cell, but if I was going to have to make the sheriff forget about whatever idiotic thing Jude had done, I was glad I’d only have to deal with a few hours of memories.
Jude had, after all, only left the house when Sebbie arrived.
Surely he couldn’t have gotten into that much trouble.
The sheriff parked the car and got out, pulled open the back door, and grabbed Jude’s arm, pulling him out of the car. Jude made a kissy face at him.
Okay, I took that back. Jude could definitely have gotten into that much trouble in a few hours.
“I hope he didn’t leave a body out for people to find or something,” Dexter murmured, obviously thinking the same thing I was.
We walked off the front porch and toward the car, and the sheriff seemed to really notice us all for the first time. He let Jude’s arm go, but Jude made no move to leave his side. In fact, he leaned his side against the car next to Sheriff Paul, obviously happy to stay put.
And yes, he was handcuffed.
“You’re gonna be in so much trouble with Josh!” Toby yelled to Jude from behind me.
“Sheriff,” I said in greeting.
The sheriff sighed. “Why is it that every time I see the Smith family, you seem to have acquired more people. You aren’t building some sort of doomsday compound, are you?”
“Nope!” Toby answered helpfully. “That was that lady who kidnapped Sebbie, but she’s dead.”
I looked at Jude, who was still grinning and leaning against the car. “Do I need to take care of this?” I asked him.
His mood changed immediately, and he stepped in front of the sheriff, blocking him from view. His eyes went a little flamy, and he growled for a moment. I tilted my head and Crow cawed from above.
“Jude, what the hell—” the sheriff started, but Jude backed him against the car, still standing in front of him to protect him.
The sheriff was probably confused as hell, and I was a little offended. I was only offering to help. I wouldn’t do anything without Jude’s permission. I knew the sheriff was his.
Luckily, our standoff was interrupted by Josh’s voice. “Jude! I swear to god! That’s it! I’m gonna take away your damn car if you can’t stop speeding!”
We all looked over; Josh and Wilder were heading our way, and Josh looked mad.
“What idiotic thing did he do this time?” Josh asked the sheriff as they came up to our group, “because I say throw him in jail. Wait, no, nevermind—he’d probably enjoy that too much.
Just ignore him for a week. I’m sure he was being an asshole, and I’m sorry he took up your time.
And for goodness sake, Jude, stop crowding the sheriff and move over! ”
Jude did indeed move over, still giving me a look. I raised my eyebrows at him. He knew me better than that.
Finally, Jude muttered. “I didn’t do anything.”
Wilder chimed in on that. “I doubt the sheriff put you in cuffs for no reason.”
Oddly enough, the sheriff got red in the face at that, and he grabbed his keys, reaching for Jude’s hands to take the cuffs off.
Jude smirked, and he was about to say something (probably snarky or suggestive) when Josh interrupted him. “Do NOT say a word.”
Jude wisely shut up, and the sheriff rolled his eyes. He’d probably been dealing with Jude’s awkward flirtations and innuendos for the entire ride here. I was rather surprised he hadn’t gagged him along with using the handcuffs.
“He isn’t under arrest,” the sheriff admitted. His attention then shifted to my side, and I realized he was looking at Sebbie. I had to suppress my own growl at that.
“Although since Sebbie is here, I would like to have a word with him, if that’s okay. I was actually over at his house earlier to check in.” the sheriff finished.
Sebbie must have felt me tense up, because he put a hand reassuringly on my arm. “That’s fine,” he answered.
Well, I supposed the sheriff was going to be pack at some point. Might as well get better acquainted with him.
“Why don’t we all head inside for coffee,” I finally said, turning and tugging Sebbie along with me. He could talk to the sheriff, but I would be there to make sure there was no trouble.
Jude might hate the idea, but wiping the sheriff’s memory was always a possibility. If it protected Sebbie and the pack, I’d do what I needed to.