said.
Ted quickly locked down the protest that wanted to spring to her lips. It was Alex’s job site. Alex’s employee. And Marcus and Alex had been friends.
“Shit,” she muttered.
She hadn’t been sleeping when she got the call. Thoughts of their fight the night before had filled her mind. Alex’s anger. His accusations.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve known in my life, Ted. And the hardest.”
It was true. She could be hard. She had to be.
Maybe he hadn’t recognized it at the time, but when they’d been together, she given everything to Alex. Every worry. Every fear. Every hope. She’d held nothing back. And when he’d left…
It was as if the foundation of her world crumbled. She’d given him everything, and he’d taken it all with him. It hadn’t mattered that she’d been the one to leave L.A. He’d left her first. She went home to lick her wounds and piece herself back together. And every time he came and left, the foundation she’d patched up crumbled a little more.
“What are you frowning at?” Caleb asked.
Don’t think about it. Think about anything but that.
“Maybe I’m frowning because someone I knew has been murdered, and I’m not quite as okay with it as you are.”
“Harsh.” Caleb’s eyes narrowed. He knew she was deflecting. “I called Alex because it’s his job site. Plus, he and Marcus were friends.”
“I don’t care that you called him, but if you want my professional opinion, the body was dumped here. There’s not enough blood.”
“I noticed the same thing, but we’ll look more when the sun is up. Hard to search right now, and the body has obviously been dragged.”
She couldn’t argue with that. The animals hadn’t done them any favors.
“Has anyone called Josie?” Ted asked. “She lives in Vegas with the kids, but I think she was coming down next week.”
Caleb’s face was grim. “Any of Marcus’s family live up that way?”
She nodded. “Call Old Quinn. He’ll know who to send. Those poor kids.”
Ted could hear Alex talking to Jeremy McCann, Caleb’s deputy and one of the higher ranking members of Alex’s pack.
Caleb spoke in a quiet voice. “I’m asking for your read on this, Ted. Accidental or criminal?”
She paused, but went with her gut. “Criminal. The bite wounds could easily be obscuring the cause of death, but I’m not going to poke around at the body until after I’ve documented the scene and have him back in my office. I’m betting I find something. Sudden death by natural causes like heart attacks are practically unheard of with our kind. Especially at his age.”
“Keep me updated. Let me know what you need.”
“The body will go to San Bernardino. I can’t do anything about that. If we can’t play this off as an animal attack like we did with Alma, then they’re going to want to do a full autopsy.”
“Will they find anything?”
“I hope not. But honestly? I have no idea.”
Caleb nodded before he walked away.
“You have got to be kidding me!” Alex had clearly lost it by the time Ted was finished examining the body. She needed Jeremy to help her bag it and transport it back to her office, but currently, Jeremy was holding Alex back from throttling Caleb. The chief of police, as always, stood nonchalantly, watching Alex lose his temper in front of the growing crowd of construction workers who had gathered for their morning shift.
They were all shifters, and aggression was scenting the air. Alex was the future alpha of the Springs, and Ted might not have been a wolf, like many of the work crew, but her lion could scent the rising tension. Workers shifted toward others in their clans. The birds had already disappeared, but wolves drifted to other wolves. Cats to cats. The few bears on site stood where they were: tall, wary, and waiting. And the reptiles drifted to the edges of the crowd, watching. Always ready to run.
“I have to question her. Just like I have to question
Ted quickly locked down the protest that wanted to spring to her lips. It was Alex’s job site. Alex’s employee. And Marcus and Alex had been friends.
“Shit,” she muttered.
She hadn’t been sleeping when she got the call. Thoughts of their fight the night before had filled her mind. Alex’s anger. His accusations.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve known in my life, Ted. And the hardest.”
It was true. She could be hard. She had to be.
Maybe he hadn’t recognized it at the time, but when they’d been together, she given everything to Alex. Every worry. Every fear. Every hope. She’d held nothing back. And when he’d left…
It was as if the foundation of her world crumbled. She’d given him everything, and he’d taken it all with him. It hadn’t mattered that she’d been the one to leave L.A. He’d left her first. She went home to lick her wounds and piece herself back together. And every time he came and left, the foundation she’d patched up crumbled a little more.
“What are you frowning at?” Caleb asked.
Don’t think about it. Think about anything but that.
“Maybe I’m frowning because someone I knew has been murdered, and I’m not quite as okay with it as you are.”
“Harsh.” Caleb’s eyes narrowed. He knew she was deflecting. “I called Alex because it’s his job site. Plus, he and Marcus were friends.”
“I don’t care that you called him, but if you want my professional opinion, the body was dumped here. There’s not enough blood.”
“I noticed the same thing, but we’ll look more when the sun is up. Hard to search right now, and the body has obviously been dragged.”
She couldn’t argue with that. The animals hadn’t done them any favors.
“Has anyone called Josie?” Ted asked. “She lives in Vegas with the kids, but I think she was coming down next week.”
Caleb’s face was grim. “Any of Marcus’s family live up that way?”
She nodded. “Call Old Quinn. He’ll know who to send. Those poor kids.”
Ted could hear Alex talking to Jeremy McCann, Caleb’s deputy and one of the higher ranking members of Alex’s pack.
Caleb spoke in a quiet voice. “I’m asking for your read on this, Ted. Accidental or criminal?”
She paused, but went with her gut. “Criminal. The bite wounds could easily be obscuring the cause of death, but I’m not going to poke around at the body until after I’ve documented the scene and have him back in my office. I’m betting I find something. Sudden death by natural causes like heart attacks are practically unheard of with our kind. Especially at his age.”
“Keep me updated. Let me know what you need.”
“The body will go to San Bernardino. I can’t do anything about that. If we can’t play this off as an animal attack like we did with Alma, then they’re going to want to do a full autopsy.”
“Will they find anything?”
“I hope not. But honestly? I have no idea.”
Caleb nodded before he walked away.
“You have got to be kidding me!” Alex had clearly lost it by the time Ted was finished examining the body. She needed Jeremy to help her bag it and transport it back to her office, but currently, Jeremy was holding Alex back from throttling Caleb. The chief of police, as always, stood nonchalantly, watching Alex lose his temper in front of the growing crowd of construction workers who had gathered for their morning shift.
They were all shifters, and aggression was scenting the air. Alex was the future alpha of the Springs, and Ted might not have been a wolf, like many of the work crew, but her lion could scent the rising tension. Workers shifted toward others in their clans. The birds had already disappeared, but wolves drifted to other wolves. Cats to cats. The few bears on site stood where they were: tall, wary, and waiting. And the reptiles drifted to the edges of the crowd, watching. Always ready to run.
“I have to question her. Just like I have to question
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