Chapter 5
five
An out-of-breath Liam waited on the sidewalk in front of GSG, and I could tell at a glance he’d lost the race with Sloane.
He stood with his arms folded over his heaving chest, glaring at us until we fell into position on the opposite side of the street.
We did our best to appear casual, not the easiest feat when we stood alone as far as the eye could see, but that worked in our favor.
So did the handholding. Which explained why neither of us were quick to release the other.
To maintain our cover. Not because finding a reason to let go would be harder than holding on.
Liam, after issuing one last glare, spun on his heel and marched around the back of the building.
Without peeking, I knew Sloane was already bellycrawling under the house without him.
“I thought she hated him,” I admitted, “but now I’m starting to wonder.”
“They’ve been playing tug-of-war with the clan bonds too.” He smoothed a thumb between his eyes. “I’ve got a headache from them yanking back and forth since yesterday.”
“I’ll talk to Sloane.” I frowned up at him. “They’re both adults-ish, so they’re free to do whatever as long as no one gets hurt, but they’re causing you pain. You have enough on your mind without them adding to it.”
A slow smile crept over his lips, and he ducked his head, failing to hide it from me.
“Do you not want me to talk to her?” I crushed the urge to take my hand back. “I won’t if you don’t—”
“You’re protecting me.” He couldn’t stop his grin from reaching his eyes. “Do you know how good that feels?”
“Yeah, well, I’m not the only one.” I awarded a nearby magnolia tree my full attention. “Liam and Fayne—”
“Are like the cartoon angel and devil on my shoulders. Except neither of them has wings.”
Snorting at the visual, I clamped a hand over my nose. “I can imagine that so clearly.”
“Then you know I’m right.” He used his grip to tug me against his side.
“They love me, and they do protect me in their own ways, but the good of the clan wins out. Always. As maguri, that’s their duty.
Just like it’s mine to put the clan’s needs above my own.
So, it’s nice. To have someone care about me, about the little things, the everyday annoyances, and not only focus on the big picture. ”
“Everyone deserves someone who puts them first.”
The attention he poured over me without expectation of reciprocation had softened the parched earth of my soul.
I had been thirsty for affection my entire life, but for the first time, I wasn’t a dried-out husk.
I had Sloane. And Fayne. And Goldie. Liam was iffy, but Rían…
I was starting to feel like he was mine too.
Before he could share his thoughts, a commotion from the backyard drew our attention.
We gave Liam and Sloane five minutes to come give us the all-clear, and when they failed to appear, we abandoned our posts and rushed to check on them. As soon as we rounded the corner, we got an eyeful of Liam rolling on the ground, kicking his feet, and clawing at the creature on his face.
“Is that a raccoon?” I dared a step closer then rocked back on my heels. “Definitely a raccoon.”
From its physique, it was clear it treated the neighborhood trash cans as an all-you-can-eat buffet.
“Get this thing off me.” He yanked it off, cocked his arm to throw it, but its fingers curled into his shirt. “Sloane.”
“Be right back.” I rushed into GSG and grabbed the leather gloves I used for yardwork and a blanket. Liam hadn’t made any progress since I left, so I waited for him to pry the animal free and hold it at arm’s length before scooping it up and bundling it tight. “I’ll go put him in a kennel run.”
We could lure him into a crate and drive him out to the woods to release later, but this was a quick fix.
At the side door, I found Sloane sitting with her tail thumping the porch planks.
“Liam is missing half his face,” I deadpanned. “Do you feel even a drop of remorse?”
The wolf cocked its head to one side then shook it hard while huffing a doggy laugh.
I wasn’t sure how she’d managed to orchestrate it, but the raccoon attack was her fault.
“Go change and then we’ll talk.” I finally managed to hold the animal by its scruff, making it possible for me to open the nearest run and toss in our temporary guest. Fur standing on end, he reminded me of a cookie. The chocolate ones with cream filling. “Oh no, you don’t.”
The little booger slammed into the mesh the second after I flipped the latch, but racoons were sneaky.
And dexterous. Already he was groping for the metal lever, trying to spring himself from jail.
Which meant I had to babysit the enclosure until Sloane padded in wearing scrubs from the laundry room.
Indicating the problem, I asked, “Can you get me a lock, please?”
“Sure thing.” She hurried off, doing a poor job of hiding her amusement. “I hope you’ve got a key.”
Dogs were few and far between that required us to secure their runs, but we did harbor escape artists from time to time, so a drawer full of locks was a must.
“The key should be in the lock.” I caught what she tossed me then checked it twice. “Good deal.”
“That’s smart.” She crouched beside me. “The key thing.”
“There are also two pairs of bolt cutters in the potting shed, if that tells you anything.”
“Tell the truth.” She examined our captive. “How much face did Liam lose?”
“Less than one percent.” I heard a thread of worry but not remorse. “Better luck next time?”
“Ah well.” She gripped my elbow and tugged me to my feet next to her. “Let’s go talk crawl spaces.”
The guys were waiting for us inside the front door, and Liam’s glare promised Sloane retribution.
Scratches slashed his cheeks, and his bottom lip was bloody from a bite. His left eye was swollen, and his right ear was clotted in places. For his sake, I hoped his rabies shots were up to date.
“What did you find?” Rían sank into a chair in the waiting room. “Anything promising?”
“There’s a nest under there.” Sloane flapped her hand. “And I don’t just mean the raccoon one.”
“We found a duvet spread out and tacked down. There’s a cooler, a rechargeable fan, and a few other small electronics.
The scent belongs to Jess, and she’s spent a large amount of time there for it to be so strong.
There’s no indication she’s done anything wrong, but we have to confront her. Get some answers.”
Hmm. Maybe I had been too quick to blame Sloane. Even Liam hadn’t pointed a finger at her.
Unsecured food would attract wild animals. Maybe it simply attacked to protect its den.
Or, based on the cold calculation in Liam’s eyes, he had other ideas about how to get even with her.
“The area stinks like fear and anxiety,” Sloane added, careful to keep her distance from him.
“Granted, she’s an anxious person, but this felt like overkill to me.
She’s afraid. Not sure why she’s camping out, but she’s not acting in a professional capacity.
No spy that twitchy would have survived this long in any organization. ”
“Carmichael might have leverage on her,” Rían suggested, mirroring my thoughts.
“She has no family and few friends.” Liam pursed his lips. “No pets or dependents.”
That left one option, another favorite exploitation tactic. “How are her finances?”
“She doesn’t go anywhere or do much of anything. Her job pays well, so she lives comfortably.”
“That leaves sex.” Sloane squinted her eyes at Rían. “Anything you want to confess, Legs?”
A sharp pinch in the center of my chest curled my fingers into fists down by my sides.
“I’ve never had sex with her.” He shook his head. “She’s never shown any interest in me.”
“Jealousy is a classic. Unrequited love too.” Liam mulled it over. “Jess could be keeping tabs on Ana in the hopes of wrecking your relationship.” He caught Rían’s eye. “Wanting to be in bed with you would be better than her being in bed with Sartori.”
“Do you hear yourself?” Sloane popped him upside the head. “Ana is right there.”
“Ana is fine.” I heard the growl in my voice and ignored it. “Rían is a grown man. He has a right to a past. That’s not up for debate.” Mostly because I couldn’t dismiss the certainty growing in my gut that I would maul anyone he mentioned as a past lover. “Let’s find Jess and question her.”
“With the challenge happening today,” Sloane agreed, “we need to act fast in case she has orders.”
With that decided, we elected to wait for her to finish her run and return to her apartment.
Liam went to grab an SUV while Sloane locked up GSG, leaving Rían and me alone in the yard.
“For the record,” he said after a few awkward minutes, “I’ve never slept with a clanmate.”
“You don’t have to tell me.” I squashed the urge to cover my ears. “It’s not my business.”
Hands sliding into his pockets, he nodded then aimed for the sidewalk where he waited for Liam.
His leaving without taking my hand carved me hollow, and I realized my mistake too late.
I didn’t want to hear the gory details of his romantic life before me, but I should have listened to what he wanted to say.
It wasn’t like I had expected him to be a monk.
I hadn’t been chaste either. But the idea of him with anyone else made me want to scour my brain with bleach.
Arms folded across my stomach, I approached him, careful to stay behind him. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” He stared down the road, his shoulders tight. “Don’t worry about it.”