Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
ZANDER
The doorbell jingled as I entered the bakery and I’d started to draw in a lungful of sweet-scented air when Danny raced out of the back room and nudged the woman at the counter aside. I came to an abrupt halt. This was uncharacteristic behavior.
“I can deal with this,” Danny said, urging her toward the coffee machine. She raised an eyebrow but went without argument.
“I didn’t expect you to be so excited to see me that you’d barge poor Skye out of the way,” I said with a grin, even though I was slightly unsettled by his urgency.
Danny huffed. “I need to talk to you, that’s all.”
Immediately, I dropped the playfulness. “Is something wrong?”
Danny shouldn’t be having any more troubles now that he was mated to Knox and his violent ex was locked away, but Gods only knew that chaos seemed to have descended on Grizzly Ridge recently. Perhaps something else had gone awry.
Danny’s eyebrows knitted in thought. “Tell you what. I’ll take your order and Skye can put it together while I talk to you out the back.” He turned to his coworker. “Is that okay?”
She nodded, although she looked slightly exasperated. She wouldn’t stay annoyed with him for long though. No one ever did. Danny was simply too loveable.
I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and reeled off the list of coffees and snacks the other staff from the police department had given me. Gods knew when the sheriff had become their designated gofer.
When I was finished, Danny grimaced. “Are you sure I can’t tempt you into something more interesting than a chamomile tea?”
I just looked at him.
He smirked. “I thought as much, but I had to ask. Come on back.”
I followed him through to the kitchen, making sure to stay clear of the counters so I didn’t bump or contaminate any food.
Danny leaned against the counter near the sink and crossed his arms over his slender chest. “So, I heard from Milo that Reid is refusing to leave the Omega House.”
Guilt curled in my stomach. While I’d been patrolling near the Omega House at night, making sure there was no one unfamiliar in the area, I’d only visited once, reluctant to push his limits. I’d hoped that he’d come to me when he was ready to see each other more.
It would seem I’d been remiss. I should have noticed that my mate had effectively put himself under house arrest.
I rubbed my chest, hating the thought that Reid might be too scared to venture out. “That’s… not great. That said, the Omega House is relatively secure with the new measures in place, so is there any reason to worry if he wants to stay somewhere he feels safe?”
Danny’s expression said he thought I was an idiot.
“He was held prisoner for months, Zander. Months. Then he was finally freed and came here, where we basically treated him like a prisoner again until we were sure he wouldn’t hurt anyone.
He should feel free to explore. It isn’t right for him to continue to behave like a prisoner when he isn’t one. He deserves better.”
My insides twisted. “You’re right. Reid deserves everything.”
Danny nodded. “Then you’ll make it right? You’ll make him feel safe enough to leave the house?”
“I’ll try.”
Reid had been through a lot though. I wasn’t sure my efforts, no matter how heartfelt, would be enough to soothe his fears.
“Thank you for letting me know,” I added, making a mental note to pay closer attention to Reid’s comings and goings. It was good that Danny had alerted me to what was going on but he shouldn’t have to. I should be aware of the situation myself.
“Your order is ready,” Skye called through the doorway.
I tilted my chin at Danny, acknowledging the conversation, then headed out. The order was waiting for me, the drinks carefully arranged so that I’d be able to carry the holder with one hand and the food bag with the other.
“Thanks, Skye.”
She grinned. “You’re welcome, Sheriff. Say hello to Angela for me.”
“I will.”
“So cute,” Danny mouthed from behind her.
I hid my smile. Angela was a badass mountain lion shifter and a member of the search and rescue team. She and Skye had been dancing around each other for a while now. They weren’t fated mates but they were, in my opinion, well suited to each other.
I took the goodies back to the station, handed them out, and passed along Skye’s message to Angela. That done, I retreated to my office and paced the length of the room as I dialed Dad’s number.
“Good morning, Zander,” he said upon answering.
“Hey, Dad. How did you get on with your contact who specializes in magic? Can he help us?”
“He might be able to,” Dad said, switching from friendly to businesslike as he noticed my tone. “He used to be employed as an investigator by the PBI.”
“Is he retired?” A retired federal agent definitely sounded like someone trustworthy. He’d presumably have had to go through all the rigmarole of background checks already.
“Yes, he retired a few years ago after an injury left him unfit for field work. He’s an independent contractor now.”
“That’s a shame.” Not uncommon, though. Working for the PBI was dangerous. They investigated some of the most powerful paranormal criminals and underground organizations in the country.
“It’s good for us,” Dad said. “I’ll give you his contact details.”
“Thanks.” I dropped onto my chair, grabbed a notebook, and jotted down the name and phone number he read out to me. “Is he expecting a call?”
“Yeah, I haven’t explained the full situation, but he knows someone will be getting in touch.”
“I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“You do that.”
I ended the call and immediately plugged the new phone number into my mobile.
“Birch speaking,” a male voice rasped.
“Nathaniel Birch?” I clarified, pen in hand.
“This is he.”
“I’m Sheriff Zander Blackwood from Grizzly Ridge. I believe you’re acquainted with my father, Clan Alpha Aaron Blackwood.”
There was a rustle as Nathaniel Birch moved on the other end of the line.
“Yes, I know your father,” he said, his tone impossible to read. “He’s a good man. He said to expect a call but not much else. How can I help you, Sheriff?”
I explained the situation, making sure to emphasize both that I wanted him to confirm whether there was some kind of unfamiliar magical residue in the area and that we had a warlock who might require training.
Birch sighed. “I hate to delay, but I’m currently on a job. I can be there in about a week. Is that acceptable?”
I grimaced. Waiting for a week wasn’t ideal if Reid was refusing to leave the Omega House, but it also wasn’t too long, all things considered. “That will be fine. Thank you, Warlock Birch.”
“Just call me Nathaniel. I’ll sort out everything on my end and let you know when I’m on the way.”
We hung up and I wandered out of the office and into the bullpen, the open-plan area where most of the officers were based.
“Has anyone seen unfamiliar paranormals around town?” I asked loudly enough that they all stopped what they were doing and gave me their attention.
“No, sir,” Hawk said.
“Do we have any leads on the omegas?”
They all exchanged unhappy glances but no one spoke. I pressed my lips together and suppressed a surge of frustration. It wasn’t their fault that we weren’t getting anywhere.
“Keep trying, everyone. Sooner or later, something will come up.”
It had to.
I strode back to the office and made yet another phone call. “Hamish, can you ask Reid if he’d like me to visit later today?”