Chapter 16 #2
And when she was gasping and clutching at him, he let his body take over. He stroked her one last time, loving the sound of her climax. And then he pounded into her. Harder and faster until his mind whited out and his body exploded.
He released into her so many times while her body greedily milked him for more. And when they were done, he pressed his lips to hers and nearly said the words out loud. They came to the tip of his tongue, but he held them back.
It was too soon to tell her. It put too much on her when they’d only known each other for a short time. And he didn’t want to admit to feelings that meant he would center on her for the rest of his life. That was too scary a thing to say out loud.
So he held them back and stopped himself from even thinking the word, “love.”
And this time when he woke up from his doze, she was still in his arms. She lay sleeping tucked up against him and he pressed his nose to her skin right below her ear. And he stayed there until she finally stirred. And even then, he held her, pressing kisses to her neck until she murmured.
“Is that my cell phone?”
It was. Out in the kitchen, her phone was buzzing.
“I’ll get it,” he said, but she was already out of bed and rushing naked into her kitchen. He followed because it was her. And because she was naked. He watched as she snatched up her phone and thumbed it on.
“Yeah? This is her. Yes, he’s here. I’ll tell him. Yes, I’ll be sure to tell him.” There were more words, each becoming more clipped than the last. And when she finally clicked off her phone, her expression was grim. “That was a Detective Phillips. He wants us to give our statements in an hour.”
Simon frowned. “We already gave our statements to Kennedy.”
She snorted. “Yeah, but Ryan’s in the gang unit. Phillips is from vice. He wants to talk to us alone.” Then she sighed. “We need a lawyer.”
He nodded. “The Gladwins have one. I’ll call…” His voice trailed away. Where was his phone? How did he call? “Damn it, I need to remember.”
“It’s in here,” she said walking into her second bedroom.
She’d converted it into an office with two desks, a corkboard covered with articles he couldn’t read, and a complete computer setup.
His laptop sat on the second desk and his cell was right beside it.
Nanook’s computer was still in her car. She grabbed his cell and tried to thumb it on, but it didn’t work.
“It’s dead. I should have realized you needed to charge it. ”
Obviously, she was accustomed to thinking ahead for other people. “That was my responsibility,” he said as he held out his hand. Except where was his charger?
“I’ve got one,” she said, answering the question he hadn’t asked out loud. She pulled one out of a drawer. “I upgraded last year, so you can have this.”
He took it, taking a long frustrating moment to remember how to plug it in to his phone and then again into the wall socket.
“It’s really dead,” she said, “so it’ll take a few to even start.”
“I know how my phone works!” he snapped. Then at her raised eyebrows, he took a deep breath. Damn it, he wasn’t used to being this ill equipped to handle his life. “I need to call Alan. He’s the lawyer. But his number is in my phone and I can’t read to recognize his name.”
She nodded. “I’ve got that figured out, too.” She tapped on her laptop, which came to life on a Sesame Street program. “It’s just a matter of remembering things. I figure you start with the basics and build up until it comes back. It shouldn’t take you long.”
It shouldn’t, but even a few minutes was too long to remember something he’d been doing since he was five.
And they didn’t have the time. They were supposed to go to the police station, but the cops would likely put them in separate rooms. She couldn’t cover for his lacks.
And without time to find a lawyer, who knew what kind of legal hot water he could land in?
It was just too complicated and he wanted to slam his head against the wall until his stupid brain worked.
And just when his frustration was growing into epic proportions, Alyssa touched his arm. “Hey, you haven’t eaten anything. Want some breakfast? Or at least coffee?”
“Coffee. Definitely coffee.” That way he wouldn’t just be stupid. He’d be alert and stupid.
“Coming up.”
She went back into the kitchen and he followed like a damned puppy dog. He watched as she pulled down a coffee mug and poured. And he lingered as he took it from her so he could stroke her fingers and not think about the disaster lurking ahead.
“Drink,” she said. “I’ll make us some eggs.”
“Thanks.” He drew the mug to his lips and inhaled.
Taint.
The scent was subtle, akin to bacon sizzled too long, and it made him wrinkle his nose in disgust. But it had been a long time since he’d had coffee, and God knew he wanted the caffeine, so he took a sip despite the smell.
Nausea roiled in his gut and he spit out the brew straight into the sink. He dumped his mug, too, while Alyssa stared at him in shock. And then he backhanded the faucet to kick it on, but the spray held the same smell. Stronger even, and he slammed it off as quickly as he could.
“What’s wrong?” Alyssa gasped.
“Did you drink that coffee?” he asked.
“Yeah. Some at least.”
He grabbed her mug and sniffed. Sure enough, the same taint was there. He dumped it while she sputtered her protest.
“It’s bad,” he said. Then he pulled her over as he turned on the water again. “Smell that. Can’t you sense it?”
She inhaled, but then shrugged as she straightened up. “It’s Detroit. Who can tell what’s in the water?”
“And you still drink it?”
She opened her mouth to argue, but then bit her lip. “I guess I didn’t think about it.”
He’d been a bear for the last ten months, but even he’d heard of the water disaster in Flint, Michigan. “No more water,” he said. “You don’t drink this at all.”
“Um, okay. We’ve got a few more bottles of your special water. Is it okay to wash the dishes?” She looked to her bathroom. “And what about the shower? You’ve been here a couple days now. Are you just now noticing this?”
He pursed his lips. She had a point. “Hold on,” he said as he crossed to the bathroom and flipped on the shower.
It didn’t take more than ten seconds for him to smell the taint in the steam.
It was thick enough to make him choke as he turned it off.
“That wasn’t there yesterday,” he said. “Whatever it is, it’s new. ”
“Oh goody,” she drawled as she plopped her hands on her hips. “Look, it’s impossible to function without using the water. Are you sure—”
He cut her off. “I’m sure.” He kept his voice firm, though inside he was questioning.
The UP had beautiful water and besides, he’d been a bear.
What did he know about crappy city water?
Except he couldn’t bring himself to change his mind.
That water was bad. “We’ll mention it to Kennedy—” He cut off his words as an electronic chime sounded from the office.
And continued to sound, along with a steady buzz. He looked to the room with a frown.
“That’s your phone,” Alyssa said. “Sounds like you’ve missed a few calls.”
He nodded but he didn’t move. Damn it, he might remember how to answer the phone, but he couldn’t read to figure out how to get his messages.
“I got it.” She went back into her office and again, he followed her. “What’s your phone code?”
Numbers he could remember, so he told her and within a moment, she was scrolling through his messages.
“Do you want the oldest or the newest?” Then before he could answer, she snorted. “They’re both from a guy named Carl. I’m guessing he’s that alpha you mentioned. He’s left about a dozen—”
“Call him back.”
Carl Carman was his alpha, or had been his alpha before he’d killed Nanook and taken over the Griz.
Either way, Carl should have been his first phone call after he woke up.
And after his fight with Nanook. And maybe first thing this morning.
So it was no surprise when the man came on the phone practically vibrating with fury.
Alyssa had put him on speaker, so Carl’s voice filled the space with booming threat.
“What the hell, Simon! What the hell are you doing?”
“Hello, Carl,” Simon said, his voice deepening at the sound of aggression. He deserved it, he knew, but that didn’t stop his grizzly from growling deep inside him. “I’ve been busy.”
“Busy? Busy taking over Detroit?”
“Yes.” And fighting Vic and making love with Alyssa. And a host of other things that flashed through his mind.
“Don’t you think you should have talked to me first?”
“There wasn’t time. Nanook was trying to murder a cop. It was the only way to…” Keep Alyssa alive. “To calm things down.”
“Violent overthrows don’t usually quiet things down.”
“It has for the moment.” He hoped.
“Fine. You calling about the Detroit Flu? I’ve been watching the news and that video from the hospital looks awful familiar.”
Simon frowned. “I haven’t seen—”
“I have,” Alyssa interrupted. “It was someone changing. Just like Vic.”
“Who’s that?” Carl abruptly demanded. “Identify yourself!”
“She’s my assistant,” Simon said, a growl coming through his tone loud and clear. He did not like anyone talking to Alyssa with anything but respect.
“Assistant? Just how long have you been in Detroit? You’re supposed to check in with me once a month, and it’s been—”
“Ten months. Yes, I know.”
“Ten fucking months! What the hell were you doing?”