Chapter Nine
Griffin didn’t mean to stay so late at the bakery. What he thought would take him an hour really took him three times that long. Before he knew it, it was nearly ten o’clock at night, and he hadn’t eaten anything since lunch.
His stomach protested, threatening to eat itself.
As much as he would have rather gotten a burger to go from the diner or something just as quick, Fortune Falls shuts down after nine o’clock in the evening. His best hope was to go home and make himself a quick sandwich. He was pretty sure he had leftover casserole his mother had given him as well.
He was hungry enough to eat just about anything, honestly. What he didn’t want to do was go home to a dark, empty home.
He went into the bathroom. It was a nice, functional space as of three days ago, ready for the grand opening even when everything else wasn’t.
He washed the drywall mud off his hands so he wouldn’t get it in his truck.
It was bad enough that his clothing had white splotches all over it, but it couldn’t be helped.
He hadn’t planned to mud the drywall. It was just the next step.
He hadn’t thought about the amount of work when he'd started.
It was as he was cleaning up that the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He was still inside the main bakery, unplugging any power tools and cleaning up the scrapers he’d used, when he realized he was being watched.
He went about his business, pounding down the lid on the bucket of mud, but he felt as though he was an animal in a zoo.
He’d locked all the doors, including the front entrance. With the unrest of the pack and helping to keep the peace at meetings, he’d stopped taking chances with his safety. But he checked the lock on the front door to make sure it was flipped.
He shook his head. Fortune Falls hadn’t been the same sleepy small town lately.
He hoped they would come out of all the mess better.
He honestly thought the pack would recover, but it would be a long road before they did.
Being the sheriff’s kid put him in the middle of something that shouldn’t have been his problem, but he wouldn’t change anything.
Riley was happy for the first time in his life.
And his dad hadn’t smiled as much as he did since mating with Marric.
Griffin wondered if he’d be as happy with his little wolf shifter.
Toby had walked away after the run with just a wave. Griffin couldn’t help but take that as a sign of rejection.
Maybe his destiny didn’t include happiness with his mate. Maybe Toby would reject him after all.
Griffin finished securing the lid and then pulled his phone out of his back pocket.
He called his dad, who answered on the first ring. “I think I’m being watched.”
His dad didn’t question him or make him feel as though he were crazy. He valued his own intuition too much not to take Griffin seriously. He’d taught Griffin how to tap into his. “Where are you?”
“At the bakery.” Griffin winced.
Dad would, however, have a few things to say about Griffin working so late and skipping dinner.
“You’re still working. Griffin. It’s after ten.” Griffin could hear an engine start up, so he knew his dad was on the way.
“I got caught up in something and lost track of time.” It hadn’t been the first time he’d lost himself in his work.
He wasn’t behind schedule, but he might be if he had to spend the day drywalling tomorrow.
Since Toby hadn’t shown up for work that afternoon like he was supposed to, Griffin would have to work on his day off.
“Did you eat?”
“Like I said, I lost track of time.”
“Do you want to come back to the house?” His dad’s love language was feeding people. Griffin bet he would message Marric and ask him to cook.
“Sure.” Griffin wouldn’t turn down a home-cooked meal. If he went home, he’d make himself a sandwich and go to bed. He needed the downtime and to get Toby out of his head.
“I’m pulling up.” His dad cursed. Griffin wasn’t sure why until Dad came to the door, knocking.
Griffin could see him through the glass. Dad had a key, but he waited for Griffin to unlock the door.
He held an envelope in his hand.
When Griffin unlocked the door, Dad entered, telling Griffin to lock it behind him again. And then he stared at the envelope with Toby’s name on it.
“I found this on the sidewalk.”
The envelope was sealed, so Iven didn’t open it. He also wore gloves.
“Did you see anyone drop this?”
“I haven’t been outside the bakery since around seven. I went to my truck to get a tape measure. My old one broke, and I had a spare in my toolbox.”
“Do you know who this is?”
Griffin nodded. He refrained from saying Toby was his mate. He wasn’t sure if things would work out between them, and he didn’t want to hurt Riley and Toby’s friendship if it didn’t. “The only Toby I know is Riley’s friend.”
“Was he here today?”
“No. Although he was supposed to work this afternoon.” That was when it occurred to Griffin that Toby might be injured or that something might have happened.
Griffin’s heart pounded in his chest, and for a moment, he forgot how to breathe. But he pulled out his phone and called Toby.
His dad raised his eyebrows. He knew who Griffin called without being told. He was the sheriff after all. He seemed to read people’s thoughts, including Griffin’s.
Griffin would have to explain himself, but it took a backseat. Making sure Toby was safe was more important.
When Toby answered, he sounded sleepy. “Griffin. What’s wrong?”
Griffin tried not to let Toby’s worry go to his heart, but it warmed him like a soft blanket. “I’m fine, baby. I’m making sure you’re okay. You didn’t come into work today.”
Toby sighed. “Yeah, sorry about that. Something happened and I… Anyway, that’s a conversation we should have face-to-face. While I’m not half asleep.”
Dread twisted his stomach in a knot. Griffin was pretty sure he knew what conversation they needed to have face-to-face.
Instead of dwelling on it, he got to the point. “Someone dropped an envelope off here with your name on it.”
Toby sucked in a breath. “Where are you?”
“At the bakery. With my dad. Who now knows we’re mates. Just a heads up.” Griffin thought he’d kill the curiosity within his dad and tell Toby what was going on, too. Two birds, one stone.
“Did you open it?” Toby must have been getting dressed, because Griffin heard rustling on the phone.
“It’s sealed.”
“Ask him either to come here or we’ll go to him. But either way, I want to talk to him.” Dad wasn’t talking to Griffin like a father. Rather, he was acting like a sheriff. Thank the gods for that.
“I heard. I’m on my way.” Toby ended the call.
Griffin put the phone into his pocket and met his dad’s gaze. “He sounded scared.”
“Yes. Which tells me he knows who dropped it off. But they didn’t care about him finding it. They cared about you seeing it. The question is why you and not him.”
“Maybe the person who sent it knows we’re mates.
” The only problem with that theory was that Griffin couldn’t see how that was possible.
They had given no sign, at least not in public, that they were anything to each other.
“But we just met. And we haven’t spent more than one night together.
And even then, it was just talking. We haven’t bonded. ”
“It could be a jealous admirer or even a lover.” Dad had to know what it did to Griffin to think that Toby had a lover somewhere.
It took everything he had not to let the green monster take over his thoughts. “Maybe. We don’t know each other very well yet. Anything is possible.”
“When he gets here, I’ll question him. But this is most likely a threat to you, so I want you to be extra careful from now on. No more working into the night.”
“Then, I seriously need to hire someone. Someone who will show up because I have more than I can handle here.” Griffin thought about who he knew with the skill set to help.
“What do you know about Toby, Griffin?”
“He’s a friend of Riley’s. They met at the college.” Griffin shrugged. “He’s a wolf shifter and probably a warlock or witch. He's definitely got magic.”
“Did he show it to you?”
“I can sense it.” Griffin had said nothing to Toby about it, and Toby hadn’t brought it up.
It hadn’t been important enough to talk about, but Toby, being both a wolf shifter and having magic, did set him apart.
But only as much as it had set Marric apart, who was also a wolf with magic.
And Riley had rare magic, which made him special, too.
“He hasn’t mentioned it. I get the impression he wants to keep it a secret, even from me. I’m not sure why.”
“Probably for the same reason, Marric wanted to keep his abilities hidden. A lot of wolf shifters are prejudiced against those with magic.”
It couldn’t be that abnormal. Could it?
“It makes Toby special, and some people don’t like that. Magic makes wolf shifters stronger.” Dad met Griffin’s gaze. “Does Riley know?”
Griffin knew Dad was asking about his and Toby’s mating. “No. And I’d like to keep it that way. For now. I’m not sure if it’s going to work out between Toby and me. I’d rather not be the cause of Toby and Riley ending their friendship.”
“Why do you think it won’t work out?”
Griffin’s gut clenched at saying it out loud.
Admitting it might send it into reality as though it were a spark come to life.
He shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it even though the thought of it ending brought tears to his eyes.
“I don’t know. He’s acting weird, avoiding me. Seems like something is up.”
Dad held the envelope up. “Something definitely is. And it involves you, too, now.”
Anything that involved Toby involved Griffin. It didn’t matter if Toby rejected him. They were mates. And Griffin would always protect Toby.