Chapter Eight
There wasn’t any lingering fog from his unconscious state this time.
Luca’s eyes snapped open like a shotgun blast. His shoulder throbbed, reminding him of Gilmore’s fucked-up treatment.
Luca wanted to gut the son of a bitch, but he’d spent the entire time fighting to keep his lycanthrope leashed.
Even one second of distraction and it would’ve burst free.
His mouth tasted like cotton and antiseptic, and memories came in fragments—Gilmore's hands, the crack of his skull against pavement, Darcy’s voice cutting through everything else.
Darcy!
Panic flared before he could stop it. Where was his elegido ? Had Gilmore arrested him too? Luca tried to sit up, muscles protesting, but gentle pressure on his chest held him down.
“Easy, hermano .” Santiago’s voice, calm and steady. “You’re safe.”
But Luca wasn’t listening. His eyes searched the room frantically until they found what he needed. Darcy, curled up in the chair beside the bed, fast asleep. Relief flooded through him so completely his vision blurred.
Even though Darcy was sleeping, stress lined his features. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his clothes were wrinkled like he’d been there for hours. One hand hung over the chair’s arm, fingers still reaching toward the bed.
Luca had never seen a more beautiful sight.
“How long?” His voice came out rough.
“Six hours. Dr. Martinez stitched you back up, gave you something for the pain.” Santiago followed his gaze. “Your mate hasn’t moved from that spot. Wouldn’t let anyone take him home. Had me return the dogs. Told the owners Darcy had a medical emergency.”
Fragments of memory surfaced—Darcy standing between him and Gilmore, voice fierce despite his size. Deflating the deputy’s tire, fighting for him when Luca couldn’t fight for himself.
“He called me his boyfriend,” Luca said, the words tasting strange and wonderful.
Santiago’s mouth quirked. “Yeah, he did. Told Lenny to watch the dogs because he had to ‘rip an ape off your back.’” He chuckled. “Human’s got more backbone than I gave him credit for.”
Warmth spread through Luca, having nothing to do with the medication. Darcy had fought for him. Actually fought, not just with words but with action, putting himself at risk for a man he’d known three days.
He’d claimed Luca publicly.
Darcy had shocked the hell out of him. He was like a raging storm, going up against a guy twice his size.
Jesus.
“Gilmore?” Just saying his name made Luca’s beasts snarl. While Darcy had run the dogs to the shop, the deputy had told him, “One way or another, I’ll rid this town of the scum infecting the good folk.” Then he punched Luca in his shoulder, causing his wound to start bleeding.
Luca wanted him dead so badly he could taste Gilmore’s blood in his mouth.
“Told Matias he got a call about a shootout yesterday on Hawk’s Ridge. Found a dead body half-hidden in some brush. That car you got a call about towing? Belonged to the dead guy.” Santiago rubbed his eyes. “Your tow rig is parked right behind it, bullet hole in one tire.”
“So Gilmore assumes I killed the guy?” Luca slid a hand over his bearded jaw, which was long overdue for a shave. “Because I’m dumb enough to kill someone and leave my truck at the scene of the crime?” Technically, Luca had killed someone. But wrong body. Or bodies.
“Same thing Matias said. Asked for evidence, but all they have is your truck in the middle of a crime scene. Circumstantial. That doesn’t prove you killed anyone. Just proves you got shitty luck where you left your rig.”
“Do you know who the dead guy is?” If he was gonna be accused of murder, Luca at least wanted to know who the victim was. Couldn’t have been a hyena. Their pack didn’t do sloppy clean-up. They wouldn’t have just removed the bodies. Pack members would’ve wiped away every speck of blood too.
Even before the cops arrived not long after.
Santiago leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “Mike Simmon. Has a rap sheet, mostly minor offenses. The only major one is for not understanding what no means. Did about a year for it and got out about a month ago.”
None of it made sense. Luca didn’t know anyone named Mike.
As if reading his thoughts, Santiago said, “It’s not who he is but who he associated with.”
“Gonna make me ask a million questions or put me out of my misery?” Luca was already stressed. He wasn’t in the mood for guessing games. Not when he’d nearly gone down for something he hadn’t done.
“Grant was his drug dealer.”
Luca’s gaze dropped slightly, searching his mind for the connection, but coming up blank. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“Jamie’s brother,” Santiago supplied. “The gunfight at the barn. Cesar said there were three guys. We know two of them were Grant and Rowan. Mike must’ve been the third shooter.”
The barn incident was only two weeks ago. Rowan was dead by Cesar’s hands, and Grant was in a secured psychiatric facility because he couldn’t stop babbling on about a werewolf creature that killed his friend.
Grant had knocked his brother around his entire life, causing brain damage. Turnabout was fair play. Grant wasn’t suffering from head trauma, but now his brain was scrambled.
Good.
“Since the cops found a body, I’m guessing that was Grant’s way of tying up loose ends after the barn incident.
” It was downright ironic that Luca had gotten into a shootout with hyenas, only to be blamed for a dead body he hadn’t created.
“Wait.” He glanced at Santiago. “It’s too much of a coincidence that I was lured to the exact spot where the dead guy’s car was parked.
Those hyenas set this up. They had to have put Mike’s car there then made the call to my shop. ”
“Those mutts must’ve found the body and decided to pin the murder on a wolf.
” Santiago cursed. “I have to let Matias know.” He glanced at Darcy.
“ Jefe had to stop him from punching Gilmore. Your mate was about to commit a crime to protect you. Never left your side in the restaurant, holding your hand while he waited on Martinez. Your wolf chose wisely.”
“Thanks.”
“By the way, Matias talked with Darcy’s boss at the pet store. She said he can come back when he’s ready.”
As Santiago walked out of the room, Luca glanced at Darcy’s sleeping form. How did someone who couldn’t control four dogs stand up to a corrupt cop who was much bigger than him?
His mate was full of surprises.
Carefully, Luca propped himself up on his good arm and then shoved against the mattress to sit up on the side of the bed, gritting his teeth the whole time to stop from shouting.
Gilmore’s bullshit had just set back Luca’s recovery.
And you’re about to add to that time. He didn’t care. Darcy deserved more than a chair to curl up in. The male belonged in Luca’s bed, no matter if that was here or at home. He never wanted to fall asleep again without Darcy in his arms.
Taking a deep breath, Luca used his good arm to ease under his mate, lifting him from the uncomfortable position.
Holy. Hell. Darcy weighed nothing, but his head dropped against Lucas’s shoulder.
Maybe he should’ve thought this through a little better. It felt like hot coals were pressed into his left side.
Suppressing the shout trying to escape, Luca eased them down onto the bed then yanked the covers over them before he could finally take a decent breath.
Don’t ever do that kind of dumb shit again . You trying to permanently damage your shoulder?
“You did not just pick me up and carry me,” Darcy growled, his eyes still closed. “Tell me I just dreamed that.” He opened his eyes and glared at Luca. “I did not just sit vigilant at your side, waiting on the doctor to work his magic, only for you to purposely put your recovery at risk.”
Getting chewed out by his mate was hot as hell. Luca was turned on while fighting a smile. “How’re you gonna punish me, carino ?” he asked huskily, rubbing his nose gently against his mate’s.
Darcy stilled, his breathing growing shallow. His gaze dropped to Luca’s chest as his eyes darted around frantically.
Luca eased back, searching his mate’s face. “That’s the second time you’ve reacted this way,” he said slowly, his voice a quiet hum. “If I’m causing a trigger, you gotta let me know, hon.” He ached to pull his elegido into his arms but gave Darcy the space he clearly needed.
Not comforting his mate hurt worse than his wound, but this wasn’t about Luca.
It was about grounding Darcy and helping him through this.
“He used to say that, only it was the other way around.” Darcy placed his palm on Luca’s chest, as if he needed the connection.
“My uncle. Weird how trauma that’s not even yours can plant triggers in your brain.
He hurt my aunt, yet I’m the one who glitches when.
..” His mate ran his fingers over the edge of Luca’s bandage.
“You were just teasing me. I know that, but that switch inside of me didn’t care. ”
Luca rested his hand on Darcy’s hip, brushing his thumb in a gentle motion. “It was still traumatic for you, even if you weren’t the one being abused. A loved one was suffering, and you were powerless to stop it.”
“I was fourteen when my mom got the call.”
Goddamn. Luca had no idea what to say. His mate had lost a family member to violence, by her husband no less. How in the hell did someone respond to that? Any thought that came to mind felt inadequate.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Darcy.” He slid his arms around his mate. “I’m sorry any of you had to, especially your aunt.”
Although Luca’s upbringing was its own kind of violent, most wolves’ lives were, it had never entered his mind to take out his pain on someone else.
Especially someone weaker than him.
And then Darcy had to watch the way Gilmore physically dominated him, uncaring how much pain he’d inflicted on Luca. No wonder his mate had been ready to commit a felony. He was watching someone else he cared about being abused.
Thank god he hadn’t been there when the deputy had Luca alone. But after what Santiago just told him, what Gilmore said now made twisted sense.
“What’s up with that bandage peeking out from under your shirt? He fight back? Try to defend himself? Your truck got a bullet. Maybe you did too.” There was no way the dumb son of a bitch hadn’t known the dead body had been decaying for two weeks.
Then he slammed his fist into Luca’s chest. The pain had nearly brought Luca to his knees. That was how his wound had reopened.