Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
GAVIN
My office phone buzzes on my desk. I pick up the receiver. "Yeah?"
"Sheriff, Evan Durham is calling about a reference for Sasha Walker."
"Put him through,” I tell her.
"Evan, I have Sheriff Drake on the line."
"Thanks, Lacy."
"Have a safe trip, Evan."
"I appreciate that," Evan says.
"That will be all, Lacy. Evan, how can I help you?"
"I met Sasha Walker yesterday. She's the sweetest little thing."
There goes another pencil. I drop the two pieces on the desk.
I want to find him and squeeze the fucking life out of him. Sweetest little thing. So he's attracted to her too. What the fuck is going on?
"Again, how can I help you?"
"Yeah, yeah. She's renting my camper on lot forty-four."
His camper is almost in the middle of nowhere. I find myself grinding my teeth together.
"Uh-huh, continue."
"I know I'm doing a late reference check after giving her my keys. Does she work for you, Sheriff?"
"Yes, she's my secretary."
Evan blows out a breath. "Okay, great. I know if she's working for you, she's not a threat."
"She's a little pistol, but at the same time harmless," I admit.
"Your camper's in an almost remote area, Evan. Why do you think it's okay for a woman to stay out there alone?"
"She wanted to rent the camper. Was I supposed to tell her no?"
"Yes," I yell.
"She said the hotel was booked up."
That fucking festival. There's another hotel under construction. Won't be finished until the new year.
"There are a few families scattered about. She'll be fine," Evan says.
"I'll send a patrol car out there to make sure she's safe," I tell him.
"That will be mighty nice of you," Evan says. "Wait, you aren't nice."
"Evan, she's my employee. I'd like to make sure she makes it to work every day."
"If you say so, Sheriff. Oh, I heard you gave Everett a ticket for putting his hands on Sasha. Great call. I'd like to wring his neck for that shit."
"No one will put their hands on Sasha Walker," I growl.
Saying her first name makes my heart beat a million miles a minute.
"Safe travels, Evan." I slam the receiver down.
If one more man shows interest in Ms. Walker, I will wring their fucking neck.
Hopping up from my desk, I exit my office.
"Sanchez, I have to do a welfare check. Help Saunders with the phones. I'll be back later."
"Yes, Sheriff," he smirks, returning his attention to the computer.
Sliding my aviators over my eyes, I saunter into the garage. "Fitch, how's the detailing coming along?"
A half-smile kicks up at the corner of my mouth.
His head peeks out from the side of an SUV. "Good, Sheriff," he grunts.
He's dressed down in a white undershirt and tan uniform slacks.
"Sasha invited me to her place this evening. Figure I can take a look around while I'm there."
I move closer. I can feel a few other deputies watching me.
"It's so remote out there," he continues.
"Fitch," I grit out. "Do you like your job here?"
He stands to his full height of six feet and visibly swallows. "Yes, sir."
"Check out the camper and the grounds. Then you two can sit outside and talk," I growl.
My hand partially shifts — the change ripples up from my knuckles in seconds, human skin giving way to coarse gray fur, nails lengthening into black claws sharp enough to open a man to the bone. I place the shifted hand on his shoulder. Slow. Deliberate. Let him feel exactly what's resting there.
"Don't fucking think about touching her."
His brows lower and gold rings form around his brown pupils.
"Does your bear want to come out to play? We can do this after work," I tell him.
"Sheriff, I've never seen you behave this way over a woman."
I pat his shoulder twice. "Sit outside."
My eyes move around the garage. I point at the other deputies with my shifted hand. "Back to work."
They move frantically back to their respective stations.
Ipark near another campsite and walk to Evan's camper.
My eyes move around the area. Everything looks harmless because it's still daylight.
But when night falls and people get to drinking and hunting wildlife, things can go wrong.
So wrong. I try pushing down Lily's death.
Just because my mate rejected me, then was later killed on the campgrounds, doesn't mean that will happen to Sasha, my employee.
Gavin, she’s just in town over the summer.
If I help her find who ruined her career, maybe she’ll leave sooner. I walk around the camper. I hear voices.
“That about sums up my life. And to top it all off, I’ve decided to work for that asshole sheriff. The man could win an award for the grumpiest sheriff. He doesn’t have a stick up his ass. He has a branch.”
They laugh. My brows lower. This woman is so infuriating.
“Evie, if he didn’t need a secretary, he would’ve made sure I left town.”
Damn right, I would.
“Wait, what?” the woman asks.
“I took a temporary job as a secretary at the Morgan County Sheriff's Department. I need to find out who ruined my life. This is the best way. Sheriff Drake is aware of what I’m up to. Girl, get this. The man is such an asshole; he refuses to call me by my first name. He calls me Walker.”
“Oh, little omega, do I have plans for you,” I mutter.
My brother meets me at our usual spot deep in the woods, not far from my cabin.
“Hey, bro.” Tyson grins. “You’re the talk of the office.”
I shrug. “What’s new?” I grunt as I undress.
“Let’s see,” he says as he removes his clothes. “You’re behaving like a possessive, overbearing beast when it comes to your new employee. Sasha.”
“I came here to run. Not to chat about her.”
He chuckles. “You’re in love with Sasha,” he says, before shifting.
The change takes me the way it always does — not gently.
A crack low in my spine, then my jaw splitting forward into a snout, teeth lengthening as my gums burn and reset around them.
My spine bows. Fur rips up through skin like something clawing its way out from underneath, gray and white, faster now, my hands folding into paws, claws punching through where fingernails used to be.
By the time my back legs finish twisting into shape, I’m already dropping into a run, four-legged and low to the ground, and the pain is gone the second my paws hit the dirt.
My brother’s black wolf is already ten yards ahead, tearing through the underbrush like the trees mean nothing to him.
I snarl and give chase, my paws slapping wet earth, ferns whipping past my shoulders, the whole forest a blur of green and brown and the electric smell of pine sap cracking under my weight.
He howls, delighted, and puts on speed. I match him stride for stride, muscles burning clean in a way nothing at the department ever does.
Can’t believe my little brother’s out here gossiping about me to the whole office.
Twenty-nine years old and still can’t help himself.
Our parents live in a big house on the other side of town.
Dad retired six years ago. Tyson had his sights set on the sheriff’s job, but since I had more experience, Dad recommended to Mayor Willard that I be appointed instead.
I always thought Tyson would go a different route—engineering, maybe.
After I became sheriff, Tyson decided to become a deputy.
He turned out to be one of my best, cracking two murder cases before he even turned twenty-seven.
Seems like it runs in the blood as much as the fur.
I got so worked up earlier, I showed my wolf eyes to Sasha. Whenever we’re close to each other, I want to take her by the neck and kiss her senseless.
Snap out of it, Gavin. You don’t do mates. The omega doesn’t even have a scent — not one I can catch, anyway. However it works, I’m still very attracted to her.
I put on a burst of speed and pass Tyson, paws slapping the forest floor, lungs burning good and clean. I’m happier out here than anywhere else. No talking. No thinking too hard about anything except the next tree, the next root, the next breath.
I come to a halt at the edge of the campground. Tyson pulls up beside me, ears swiveling forward, following my line of sight.
We watch Fitch and Sasha sitting outside the camper, talking.
Tyson howls. I don’t wait to see if Sasha and Fitch look up. My brother and I bolt back through the trees toward my cabin. I pounce on him, and we roll around in the grass.
My own brother betrayed me. He’ll find himself on trash detail.
As I stand at the podium briefing the team on the plan for today, in walks Ms. Walker.
She stands at the back of the room, just inside the door, wearing another one of those tight pencil skirts.
I didn’t know what the skirt was called so I looked it up.
This one is navy paired with a white button-up long sleeve shirt that brings every man’s attention to her breasts.
This woman is trying to send me on a killing spree early this morning.
Her gold and brown braids are twisted into some kind of bun on top of her head.
I know she’s wearing more of those fuck-me heels.
I’ll be in the field today. I have to avoid this woman at all costs.
If I didn’t need her secretarial skills, I would’ve made sure she left town.
Last night, I beat off in the shower and then in bed.
Then this morning it was rinse and repeat.
The last time I beat off this much I was fifteen years old.
Fitch notices Ms. Walker, too. Smiling back at her.
“Sanchez and Blake, you’re on traffic. Check the board for the locations.”
My large hands grip the sides of the podium as I read from the sheet of paper. “Tyson, you’re on trash detail.”
“What?” he blurts out.
I meet his angry gaze. “For one hour. Want to make it two?”
“No sheriff,” he grits out.
“Fitch, in between check-ins you’ll clean the muddy patrol vehicles in the garage.” I smirk.
Whispering kicks up around the room.
“Sheriff, you can’t be serious?” Walker pipes up.
“Little omega, shut your mouth.”
Saunders gasps in the seat in front of me.
“Is there a problem, Saunders?”
Her eyes widen. “No sheriff.”
There’s not another peep out of Walker during my meeting.
“Officers, check the boards and get to work,” I order.
My secretary tries walking out with Fitch.
“Walker, over here, now,” I bark.
Arms folded over her ample breasts. She glares at my chest. The woman looks like she wants to bury me six feet deep.
“My eyes are up here,” I tell her.
Her amber eyes lock with mine, and I can feel a bead of sweat trickle down from my hair—this woman unnerves me like nothing else. I loathe how deeply she gets under my skin.
After everyone has left the room, I say, “This is your one time to speak freely.”
“You are a fucking asshole,” she roars.
I’m sure officers looked back to witness our exchange.
I walk toward her until her bottom hits the desk. My hands land on the desk on either side of her, caging her in as I hold her gaze.
“You're free to leave. Right out of my town,” I tell her.
Her lips part and I swear I want to push my tongue between them and taste her.
“You know I need answers, Sheriff Drake.”
“In that case, don’t speak up for your friend.” I put emphasis on the word friend. “In my meeting.”
“You’re only punishing him because he’s my friend.”
“I will help you find the perpetrator who tarnished your name.”
Her lips curl into a smile. “That’s great. Thank you.”
I notice her fists curl and uncurl like she wants to touch me.
“Don’t even think about touching me, little omega. I’ll have you in some very compromising positions all over this room.”
She visibly swallows. Then blinks. “Like I’d ever fuck you. Grumpy sheriffs aren’t a turn-on.”
“But the bear shifter is?” I step back, running a hand over my hair.
She’s sending me over the edge.
Walker pinches the bridge of her nose briefly. “I’m not interested in Fitch, you-”
I cut off her words, “Evan.”
“He’s sweet, but I’ve sworn off men.”
“I thought you had a boyfriend,” I blurt out and mentally curse myself.
She smiles again. “Dug pretty deep while doing that background check, huh?”
“It was a thorough background check. He attended your gallery opening with you.”
“Again, I’m only interested in finding the perpetrator.”
“It’s not safe for you to stay in that camper way out there alone,” I tell her.
“Sheriff, I can take care of myself.”
“It’s not safe,” I say again.
She pats my muscled chest and I almost lose it. Almost.
“Don’t worry, big guy. Fitch will watch out for me.” She turns on one of those fuck-me heels and struts out of the room. My eyes fall on all that ass.
I’d have to hook up with one of my regular omegas soon.
A few minutes later, I place a gigantic pile of papers on Walker’s desk that’s right outside my office.
“File these alphabetically.”
Her eyes widen. “Sheriff Drake, you aren’t serious? This will take all day.”
“Very,” I smirk as I walk away.
“Asshole,” she growls.
I halt and peer at her over my shoulder. “What’s that?”
She shut her pretty lips.
“I have a branch stuck up my ass.”
Gasps fall around the office.
Walker stands and begin working the stack.
Guess there’s nothing to say when you know you're busted.