Chapter 6
six
We escorted Jess into GSG and each claimed a seat in the waiting room to give our interrogation a more casual vibe. From the way Jess perched on the edge of her chair, muscles taut, ready to burst into motion at a moment’s notice, I got the feeling our vibing missed the mark.
“We apologize for the unexpected meeting,” Rían began, “but we have a few questions for you.”
“Yes.” Her gaze hit the floor and stuck there. “Of course.”
Uncertain if that meant she had expected us to question her at some point or if it was acquiescence, she was cooperating and not trying to murder us. Both good things. We were off to a solid start.
“What were you doing under GSG?” Sloane kept her tone polite. “I saw you exit the crawl space with a takeout container. You mentioned searching for more kittens that might have gotten separated from the rest, but something tells me there was more to it than that.”
“I…” Her fingers dug into the tops of her thighs. “You see…”
“It’s okay, Jess.” I rose slowly and crossed to her. “Just tell us the truth.”
“Ana, it’s not…” Her cheeks burned bright. “I never meant for you to know.”
“I can’t help if I don’t understand.” I silenced the negative voice in my head and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I need you to explain yourself.”
“You’re my friend,” she said softly, like an unanswered question.
“Yes, I am.” I dropped into the empty seat beside her. “So, spill.” I gave her a gentle shake. “What have you been up to?”
“There have been so many attacks on you, and you spend so much time at GSG. I know it’s weird for me to hang around all the time, and I didn’t want you to get tired of seeing me.
So, I made a pallet under the salon. That way I can keep an eye on who comes and goes, and if anyone moved against you while I was there, I could protect you.
” Her face glowed brighter and brighter.
“I’m not much of a fighter, but I am a polar bear.
I don’t have to be good to get things done in that form. ”
“What?” Sloane shot to her feet. “You’re a freaking polar bear?”
“I’m a creep who spies on people because they were nice to me.” Her shoulders bunched up around her ears. “No wonder I can’t make friends. I’m a freak. And now you know I’m weird, so I won’t come back.”
“Now that I know you’re a polar bear, you’re not going anywhere.” Sloane smacked a fist into her open palm. “Do you know how rare and awesome that is?”
“We’re here to determine whether Jess has shown any ill will toward Ana,” Liam reminded her.
“No.” Jess shot up straight in her chair. “I would never hurt Ana.”
“You understand, under present circumstances,” Rían said, smoothing over Liam, “we can’t afford to take any chances with her safety.”
“I understand.” Jess clutched at my hands. “I swear to you, Ana, I only wanted to help keep you safe.”
“I believe you.” I had remembered to dial in my heightened senses after Liam spooked me outside, and I could smell the earnestness behind her words. “But I have to ask you…” I wiped any censure off my face. “What’s the story with the box of rocks?”
“Oh.” Her palms turned sweaty. “I had already been under the house for about four hours when you and Sloane arrived, so I was stiff. I wanted to stretch my legs and help you, but I knew it would look suspicious if I kept showing up out of nowhere. I had a takeout box from yesterday’s dinner under GSG, so I put some drainage gravel in it to make it feel full then added some trash to keep it from rattling and give that food smell.
Then I climbed out and knocked on the door. ”
“So, how tall are you when you shift?”
“Sloane.” I elbowed her in the ribs. “Not right now.”
“Do you have some kind of polar bear kink?” Liam swept his gaze over her. “You’re getting very excited.”
“I grew up in Kaktovik, asshole.” She curled her lip at him.
“As in Alaska? I’ve wanted to cuddle a polar bear since I saw one break into Dad’s jeep to steal the granola bars he knew better than to leave out.
” She sighed. “Did I get to? Nope. My parents were all they’ll murder you and refused to let me even try. ”
“When you said a big cross-country move brought you here,” I marveled, “you meant it.”
“It’s not so much that polar bears are more aggressive than other bears, but they are more likely to view humans as food.
Their attacks are more often predatory than about guarding their territory.
” Jess smiled a sickly smile. “Most shifters are afraid of us, so I don’t advertise my nature.
I was driven out of my pack, who were arctic wolves like my mom, on my eighteenth birthday.
The Walshes took me in, but most of them have no idea what I am, and I would like to keep it that way. ”
“Your secret is safe with us.” I draped an arm around her shoulders. “We’re not going to judge you.”
“Though we might be forced to snuggle you,” Sloane murmured under her breath, eyes bright on Jess. “Oh.” She flinched under our stares. “Haha. Yeah. Sorry. That was an inside thought that escaped out of my mouth.”
“On that note, I think we’re done here.” I walked Jess to the door. “For future reference, you’re welcome any time. You don’t need an excuse, and you don’t have to chill with the spiders. Just come on in, okay?”
“Okay.” She lingered on the porch. “I’ll just clean out my stuff then.”
“Leave it for tomorrow.” I waved her off. “It’s late, and we’ve all had enough excitement for one day.”
As soon as she hit the sidewalk, I turned to the others and stood in the center of the room.
“Well?” I scanned their faces. “What’s the verdict?”
“Innocent.” Sloane didn’t hesitate. “And I’m not just saying that because I want to pet her.”
“Innocent,” Rían agreed, eyeing Sloane. “I’ll send you a copy of our Bad Touches are Bad pamphlet.”
A wet chuckle spluttered out of me, the laughter made worse when I realized Rían was serious.
“Innocent,” Liam said, closing us out. “And I second Rían’s motion on the pamphlet.”
“You threaten to squeeze one polar bear,” she grumbled, “and you’re marked for life.”
“Polar bears are people too.” Liam clucked his tongue. “Maybe we should put you on probation.”
“Before this escalates any further, I’m taking my bestie, and we’re going home.
” I gripped her by the wrist, tugging her toward the door.
Had I not turned back to ensure she didn’t kick Liam on our way past, I would have missed the softness in Rían’s eyes.
“I’m going to reheat leftover pork stir-fry for dinner, Rían.
” I couldn’t get myself to leave without him. “Want some?”
“Yeah.” His voice came out rough. “Let’s go home.”
Home.
The word had slipped out without me noticing, but I didn’t correct him.
Morning came with a note from Fayne for me to practice energy exchanges.
With Rían. Goldie had spent the night with her, and they were too busy training for Fayne to accompany me to the park.
I reread it to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, like the results of yesterday’s challenge, but no.
Aside from nudging me to spend time with Rían, she had nothing else to share.
Sloane was already gone by the time I padded into the kitchen, dressed and ready to face the day. Fayne had sent her a note too, which Sloane had left on the counter, explaining her babysitting services wouldn’t be needed today.
“I got a note too.” Rían bustled into the kitchen with a paper bag tucked under his arm and two carryout drink cups smelling like dark roast in his hands. “Are you good practicing with me?”
“Do you have time for this?” I avoided the topic of the Sartoris. Again. “You must be busy.”
“I will always make time for you.” He handed over one cup. “And, really, you’re doing me the favor. Liam had me down for reviewing the quarterly finance report with Terese, our investment advisor. Now I get to spend the morning with you instead.”
“Anytime you need someone to rescue you from the evils of math, feel free to call me.”
Cracking the lid, I was delighted to find cocoa instead of coffee, complete with burnt marshmallow topping.
“I hope you don’t mind.” He nodded toward it. “I took the liberty, since Goldie isn’t here.”
“Not at all.” I sipped to test the temperature. “I wasn’t a big fan of cocoa, but once you have dragon-toasted marshmallows, you never go back.” I jerked my head toward the door. “You’re not going to make me sprint like Fayne, right?”
“I thought we could eat on the way over, so no. You’re safe from cardio with me.”
Sweeter words had never been spoken.
“I knew I liked you for a reason.” I licked marshmallow off my upper lip as we hit the sidewalk. “Have you seen Jess today?”
Yesterday’s spectacle would churn fresh anxiety in someone as antsy as she was on a good day.
“How did you know?” He passed a wrapped sandwich to me. “She was waiting for me at the curb.”
“Just a hunch.” I opened the paper to find a peanut butter and banana flatbread with a honey drizzle. “I hope she wasn’t waiting long.” I took a bite, surprised by a granola crunch. “How was she?”
“It’s common knowledge I’m up and about by six, so I think she had only been waiting for a few minutes.
She was nervous but determined to clear the air.
Mostly, she just wanted to make sure she wasn’t in any trouble for her actions.
” He bit into his breakfast, which looked like an omelet on a toasted bagel.
“She’s going to want to check in with you too, so I would keep an eye out for her later. ”
“Will do.”
Raised voices drew my attention to the front of the police station, where Old Man Jenkins was waving his arms and yelling at the officers.
I wasn’t sure if he had just been released or had circled back to plead his case now that the alcohol had left his system.
But his aggressive, fishlike hand gestures weren’t doing him any favors.
“Do you know him?” Rían watched me. “Should we intervene?”