Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Who was Mark Sibly? That was what Toby intended to find out. He sat on his couch with his computer in his lap and typed in his name.
Maybe if he could stop Head Dickwad and his wolf crony, then he might have a chance with Riley’s brother, Griffin.
But he needed to do it fast because his desire for Griffin increased by the minute.
He’d spent the better part of a shower thinking about his smile and his arm muscles bulging when he lifted that countertop.
Also, the level of craftsmanship it took to create something so gorgeous was very impressive and really sexy.
Toby imagined Griffin in his workshop or wherever he crafted the countertops, sanding and working on another similar project.
Shirtless. A sheen of sweat covered his naked chest. Yeah, Toby definitely had a thing for Riley’s brother.
The shower was one of his better ones. A naked Griffin would have made it the best he’d ever had, but he had a good imagination. And he’d clearly needed the release. His tension had been off the charts ever since the attack in the park.
That had been another thing. He couldn’t bring himself to go for a run since the attack, and certainly not since Head Dickwad had his wolf shifter friend threaten Toby with exposure.
Toby couldn’t let his secret get out. If it did, he wouldn’t be safe anywhere. And all he really wanted was to feel safe somewhere.
When was the last time?
Not while he’d been in Fortune Falls. Maybe it was when he and Dad finished the cabin.
He’d felt safe there, in the middle of the forest with no one around for miles.
But even in the middle of nowhere, people had found him.
Whenever his secret got out, someone died.
His mother. His grandpa. And finally, his dad.
He typed Mark Sibly into the search bar and hit enter.
Mark Sibly was everywhere. There was a lawyer from Sibly, Allen, & Strong. And a CPA. And then a guy who was a suspect in a murder investigation.
Toby clicked on the article. It was from the Herald Cryor, which was from the Somerfelt area, where Toby and his father had lived for the better part of fifteen years. Until the men came and killed his dad.
Toby shivered and grabbed the blanket even though he wasn’t cold. He lifted his computer and laid the blanket over his legs.
The article talked about a woman who lived on the outskirts of town, much like Toby and his dad had.
A hunter found the cabin and her lying dead on her kitchen floor.
Someone shot her. She must not have been dead for long before being discovered.
The article writer might have pulled their information from a police report because they’d worded it as a gunshot wound to her right temple.
At first, the investigators thought it might have been a suicide because of where the entrance wound was and the fact that they found a gun near her right hand.
But then they found out she was left-handed.
The article stated that there were rumors about the woman being a witch. The article called it a hate crime.
Toby’s blanket fell onto his computer’s finger pad when he sat forward, wanting to get closer to the screen. He moved the blanket and reread the article.
So Mark Sibly had been a witch hunter, killing people whom he deemed different. According to Dickwad’s crony, Toby had a hand in his demise.
Toby scrolled down to read the rest of the article, but all it said was that the woman was a loner and outside society. Was this yet another reason those murdering bastards had terrorized her?
That poor lady didn’t deserve any of it.
Toby fished around on the internet for another article on the murder, but everything he found was just more of the same information. Instead, he typed in Mark Sibly and desert death. There was only one article of any substance.
The article covered more about how Sibly was a murder suspect and about how he somehow evaded the law by hiding in the desert in a Middle Eastern country.
A group of historians and archeologists working on a site found his body.
The article stated that investigators were still trying to find out how he got to the desert in the first place, but the consensus was that he’d gotten there via plane ticket under a different name.
Since the authorities wanted to arrest him for capital murder, evading capture seemed plausible to them.
Toby set the computer on his coffee table and pulled the blanket up.
There had been three men who had attacked them that night.
Sibly had to be the guy Toby had wished away.
Toby remembered thinking about the desert and wanting the man threatening them to disappear, but he didn’t remember the other two men’s faces.
He wouldn’t have recognized them if he’d passed them on the street.
Everything had happened so fast and so long ago.
He remembered their guns. They’d had assault rifles, although Toby hadn’t known what they were at the time.
He’d learned about them years later from a television program he’d been watching.
He’d recognized the gun. But if he could go back and memorize the other two men’s faces, he would.
It was clear to Toby that one of them had told Dickwad’s cronies about what had really happened to Sibly and how he got to be in that desert at an archaeological site.
His father’s murder was never solved. There were articles about it. The dickwads had done their research, which had been hard to find. And Toby had exposed himself even more by magicking away the dickwads. He’d confirmed the truth.
Toby sighed and shut his computer lid. He pushed back the blanket and stood.
He was still no closer to knowing what to do about Dickwad and his threats, but he’d learned a bit. He would save that woman again and again, exposure or not. Dickwad and his friend traumatized that poor woman. What they did to that woman was terrible.
Toby refilled his coffee mug and grabbed a box of crackers that were supposed to be good for the body and packed with protein. They tasted terrible. A little like what Toby imagined cardboard would taste like.
He sat on the couch again and put the blanket over his legs.
He grabbed his computer, intending to do some homework, but he found himself on social media. He typed in Griffin Palmer as if his fingers had a mind of their own.
It wasn’t difficult to get the right Griffin Palmer. Toby had memorized Griffin’s smile. Between that and the fact that he had one mutual friend in common with Griffin, who was obviously Riley, he was pretty easy to find.
He clicked on his profile and did some not-so-low-key snooping. Nothing stood out as odd. In fact, Griffin was relationship material. It was clear he loved his family, what with the number of pictures he’d posted, and he wasn’t so full of himself as to post a multitude of selfies.
There was one picture of him that Toby wanted.
It wasn’t a selfie. Someone besides him had taken it for him.
He was crouched next to what appeared to be a big log.
Toby was positive it was a black walnut.
He had his back to the camera, but he’d turned partway and grinned at the person who took it.
His mop of dark curls fell partially onto his forehead.
Griffin was beautiful.
Before Toby could think, he pressed the message button.
Hi, this is Riley’s friend, Toby. Do you mind if we talk?
Toby didn’t think Griffin would answer right away, especially since they weren’t friends on social media. But the bubbles popped up next to his profile picture.
I’d love to.
Toby bit his lip and ignored the churning in his gut that told him it was a terrible idea to engage in conversation with his mate because Toby wasn’t safe. Not with Dickwad’s threat following him around. Griffin could get hurt.
He typed his number in and almost took it back, but then his phone rang.
He closed his computer lid and picked up his phone, answering it.
“Hello.”
“Hey there. I’m glad you want to talk.” Was it him, or did Griffin sound a little relieved?
“I’m sorry about the way I acted in the bakery. I—”
“Just don’t want Riley to know. Yeah, I think it’s a good idea if we keep it from him for now, too.”
“Oh.” That wasn’t at all what Toby was going to say, but he would roll with it. “Yeah. Right. Okay.”
“He’s got a thing about losing friends. Has a lot to do with his past and nothing to do with you directly.” Griffin sighed. Toby imagined him sitting back on his couch, much like Toby was doing.
“I think I understand. I grew up in an isolated area. I didn’t have friends back then.
So I cling to the ones I have now.” Toby hadn’t had any friends growing up unless he counted his dad, which he did, and the salamander who lived under the porch that one summer.
He’d lived inside the cover of books, becoming someone else, and in those moments when he lost himself in the pages, he felt less isolated. “Riley is my closest friend.”
“I’d like to be your friend. At least for now, while we get to know each other.” Griffin’s deep voice wrapped around him as though it were a warm hug.
“I’d like that, too.” Toby bit his lip, unsure how vulnerable he should be with Griffin.
He couldn’t tell Griffin everything about himself.
Doing so would open up a Pandora’s box that needed to remain closed.
It would put Toby on alert. People vanished when he was scared.
Toby wasn’t sure he could keep Griffin at a distance.
He hadn’t been very successful so far, and they barely knew each other.
He had a feeling it would become even more difficult once he got to know Griffin.
Toby plunged ahead as though he had nothing at stake.
He’d worry about the consequences later.
Right after he ended the call. He’d tell himself how stupid he was for letting Griffin in.
But really, as long as he didn’t draw Dickwad’s attention to Griffin, he would be fine.
He didn’t trust Dickwad and his wolf crony as far as he could throw them.
“Would you maybe like to come over? Or I could come to you.” Toby heard rustling around.
“What’s your address?” Griffin sounded a bit surprised.
Toby heard keys clink together and then a door closed.
He rattled off his address. “Apartment 302. Just buzz my apartment and I’ll let you inside.”
“That’s near the park.” A car engine roared to life.
“I’m across the street.”
“There was an assault in the park a few days ago.” Of course, Griffin would know about the assault. His dad was the sheriff. He probably knew a lot of the stuff that happened in Fortune Falls.
“I’m the one who called it in.” Maybe he shouldn’t have told Griffin that, but he didn’t see the harm in it.
Griffin sucked in a breath. “You’re the guy who saved Julia?”
Toby hadn’t known the woman’s name, but he supposed that was who Griffin meant. “I just stopped the worst of the attack. They still hurt her.”
“That’s not how she tells it. She said you put yourself between her and the attacker. You fought them off.”
“Yeah, well, the park should be safe for everyone. Dickwad and his friend made it scary, and for that, they will pay.” Toby just had to figure out how to keep Dickwad from spilling Toby’s secret first.
“You’re right. And if it makes you feel better, my dad increased the patrols around the park.”
It wasn’t enough to keep Dickwad and his friends from harassing Toby, but maybe, eventually, Julia would feel safe during her runs again.