Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
GAVIN
Iturn onto my back and slide my hands over my face. Instantly, I remember eating Sasha’s pussy like a starved man. She rocked back and forth, giving me her slick.
I know I said I didn’t want a mate, but Sasha feels right. I find myself laughing at her jokes when I’m home alone.
I glance at the clock, then get up to get ready for my run with Tyson and Jax. I can’t stop thinking about how good she tastes and her come faces. They will be the star of my run this morning.
I don’t even think she realized I used my wolf nails to get rid of her panties that are scattered in pieces all over the bedroom floor. Another happy memory to keep close today. Ive been such a grumpy bastard I rarely allow myself good days.
I contemplate washing her natural scent off my skin, but I don’t want another man sniffing her. Mine.
My hand curls around the doorknob as I enter the bathroom. A strong sense of possession rises in my wolf.
Neither of us want mates. Could we exist happily together without the formal bullshit?
Thirty minutes later, I walk into the heavily wooded area.
“Jax,” I call out.
He turns from his conversation with my brother.
Jax embraces me in a bro hug.
“I’m ready for this run,” he tells me as he steps back.
“We all are,” I say. “Especially Tyson.”
My brother scowls at me.
“Are you still not talking to me?” I ask.
“You put me on trash duty because I told you that you like Sasha.”
“No, I put you on trash duty for gossiping around the office about her. There’s a difference,” I chuckle.
Tyson and my brother freeze staring at me with wide eyes.
“Brother, are you all right?” Tyson asks, placing a hand on my forehead.
“Get your fucking hand off me.” I push him away.
He and Jax laugh.
“You're back and better than ever, I see.” Jax smiles.
“Is Sasha really moving back to Charleston?” Tyson asks.
“Tyson, get your own business. I’m going on this run with or without you two.”
These assholes are getting a kick out of me possibly having someone in my life again.
“When do I get to meet her?” Jax asks as he starts to discard his clothes.
“At the festival next week.”
“Jax, she’s a total sweetheart. She’s too good for Gavin,” Tyson chuckles.
“Keep it up, Tyson, and you’ll be on trash detail for the rest of the year.”
He lifts his hands in mock surrender. “I won’t say another word about your mate.”
My smile drops. “We won’t be mates. But we will be together,” I say as I rid the rest of my clothes and take off in my wolf form.
Tyson and Jax join me. The forest floor feels good against my paws.
I take off faster, getting ahead of Jax and Tyson.
Jax’s wolf is almost as big as mine with his brown and white shiny coat.
Tyson’s black wolf is a little shorter than mine.
Together we run, releasing any tension and worries fall away.
This is the best way to clear my head. And the best time to get lost in the thoughts of my time with Sasha last night.
If she thinks she’s moving back to Charleston, she’s wrong.
The little omega is staying right here in Lupton with me.
Iamble into the smoothie shop near the lake.
“Hello, Margaret,” I say in a calming tone.
She checks her surroundings, then meets my gaze. “Yes.”
“I’m here to talk to you about what you know about the woman who almost drowned at the lake.”
I sit across from her at the table. “Take your time.”
She leans forward, her long dark curls framing her face.
“There were two slender men dressed in all black. One of them said something to the woman. She then put her head down. The other shoved her into the water. He was pointing at her like he was angry. She wouldn’t meet his gaze.
Then he grabbed her neck. The other guy looked over his shoulder.
I couldn’t be sure if he saw me. I panicked, locked the door, put up the closed sign, and hid in the back.
I didn’t want to come forward because I didn’t want him and his friend to come to my shop and hurt me for telling the police what I saw. ”
“There will be a cruiser parked outside. An officer will keep an eye on you around the clock. Do you think you could sit with a sketch artist and describe how he looks?”
She’s silent for a moment. “Yes, the sooner you get those two off the street, the safer we’ll all be.”
I stand and tip my hat. “Thanks for your time,” I say with a thick Southern accent.
I had assigned a deputy to drive by the camper. I was told Sasha’s car wasn’t there.
She was probably in town asking shop owners questions. Later that night, I drove out to the campgrounds to keep an eye on her. No sign of her car.
I called Fitch.
“Evening, Sheriff.”
“Fitch, have you talked to Walker?”
“No hello,” he mutters.
“Fitch,” I growl.
“Yes.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Enough with the one- and two-word answers. Where is she?”
“Sheriff, you’ve got it bad for her.”
“Fitch,” I warn.
He sighs. “I don’t think she’d like it if I told you her business.”
“Do you enjoy washing police vehicles every day?” I ask in a low, menacing tone.
He grunts. “No, boss.”
“Tell me where she is.”
“She said she was meeting Jenny at Torpedo nightclub.”
My brows lower. “Did you tell her that’s a sketchy side of town?”
“Yes, and I told her to be careful. Watch her surroundings.”
“Fitch, I swear, if something happens to Sasha, my wolf and your bear will have it out.”
“Boss, it’s clear you’re in love with Walker.”
“We have two suspects on the loose, Fitch. They tried to kill one omega. We can’t have them trying to hurt others.”
A beat of silence.
“I want to keep my little omega safe. And yes, I know I said she’s mine,” I roar.
Captain Connor Nez and I have kept this attempted murder under wraps.
We’re gearing up for the festival. It’s an annual staple in our town.
Small business owners depend on tourist traffic to boost their income before Christmas.
I’d like us to catch the bastards as soon as possible.
The captain and I are working with Captain Carlos Lopez from the Lunnerville Police Department, the next town over.
He’s sending officers to increase police presence.
I’ll have another talk with Brooke. I have plainclothes officers watching her to see if the two suspects try to make contact.
“Also, she still works for the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department. I have deputies on high alert, watching over the omegas who work in our department, and also patrolling the streets, protecting the omegas in our town.”
“I understand, boss.”
“Good.”
I disconnect the call, not bothering with a goodbye.
Later that night, I stand at the trunk of the SUV and change into a green button-down collared shirt. I’m wearing dark jeans tonight so I can blend in with the crowd.
Pulling my dark cap low, I approach the back entrance.
“You’ve got to go around to the front,” the guy guarding the back door tells me.
I lift my head and meet his gaze.
His brows lift. “Shit, Sheriff, I didn’t know that was you. How are you?”
“I’m doing all right. Jason, keep an eye on the women going to their cars.”
I didn’t realize it was Jason, the club owner, guarding the back door. Must be short-handed tonight.
“I will, Sheriff.”
The boisterous music pulses through my body as I get deeper into the nightclub. She’s here with a woman named Jenny. Who is she? And how does Sasha know her?
I take in the people dancing on the floor. I also don’t miss the couple snorting lines off the back of their hands.
I flash my badge at the couple. “Get out of here with that before I charge you both with possession.”
They scurry out of sight.
My gaze moves over the people in the club. It’s almost wall-to-wall packed. Bet Jason didn’t want me in here tonight. He better stop letting people in or I’ll send for Fire Marshal Thompson.
Beta and omega scents hit me as I move closer to the floor.
The only omega I can’t smell is mine. She has to stop taking those pills.
Isn’t she supposed to go into heat and nest?
If she thinks I’ll let her go to a fucking heat camp, she’s wrong.
My eyes fall on the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen.
The smile on her face is infectious. She’s the only woman who can pull a smile out of me.
I feel the grin lift the corners of my lips.
Jenny smiles from ear to ear, too. Her look is genuine.
While they stand at the bar, Jenny’s eyes move around the club.
She stares in one direction for a while.
I follow her line of sight. A man wearing a dark cap sips a whiskey neat.
I can’t see his eyes. I want to see who he is.
It’s suspicious to wear a cap in a nightclub.
It usually means you’re trying to keep a low profile.
Like I’m doing tonight. He’s up to no good.
My gaze moves back to Sasha, who’s now on the dance floor with Jenny.
Sasha’s eyes move around the club, like she’s looking for someone.
I ease back into the crowd so she doesn’t notice me, the six-five wolf shifter watching her.
I will do whatever it takes to keep Sasha safe.
A guy approaches her. I look back to see if the guy is still at his small table.
Nope, he’s disappeared. The asshole on the dance floor grinds against what’s mine.
A loud rumble kicks up in my chest. Other shifters notice and move away from me, not wanting any trouble.
I’m ready to rip his arms out of his sockets.
After their dance is over, he asks her something.
She turns to leave, and he grabs her elbow.
“Motherfucker,” I growl.
The asshole is going to jail. I wait a little while, then catch him talking to another woman. I grab his arm, pushing it upward. He howls out in pain.
“Shut the fuck up,” I bite out.
“You touched her. You fucking touched her,” I growl, pushing him toward the exit.
“Damn, you’re putting me out for touching who?”
Once out the back door, I wave goodbye to Jason. I toss the asshole into the back seat.