we dig up happen to have a pet whose fur matches the samples taken from your apartment exactly?” Nick chuckled. “Ray’s not going to back off that easily. I’m sure he’ll be lurking in your hallway for the next year until this is solved to his liking. He’s a bloodhound. You haven’t given him a whiff of anything in five solid years, and now you just dumped the best load of crap
ever
into his lap.”
“Ugh, I know.” I gave Nick a sideways smirk. “But if he doesn’t back down eventually, I can just beat him up with my new guns.” I brought my arms up and flexed my biceps. They didn’t seem any firmer than usual, but I knew they’d inflict a hell of a lot more damage now if applied correctly—and I planned on applying them very correctly. “Or I could grow some fur, or take a swipe at him with my new, handy-dandy claws.” I wiggled my fingertips. The claws weren’t out, but it was cool to know they were there somewhere.
“Those would be … effective tactics.” Nick chortled. “If you were insane. And I’m sure there wouldn’t be
any
consequences if you chose to go that route.”
I sighed. Of course there’d be plenty of repercussions, but the real problem was none of them would really affect me in the long run. Now that I was Pack, I had a secret to guard and Pack would enforce it without thought. If Ray kept digging his nose where it didn’t belong, the Pack would have no problem taking care of him—permanently.
I hated the guy, but I wasn’t ready to sign his death warrant.
“I’ll just have to soldier on without my new muscles,” I said, reconciling myself to my boring fate. “I’ve got the camping bags and the passes. It’s weak, but it should hold and cast enough doubt into my involvement, which is all I’ll need in the end. I’ll just have to find a scorned lover who has a penchant for big dogs.”
Nicksmiled wryly at me. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem, Jess. It just so happens we have a lot of big dogs to choose from.”
Now it was my turn to snort. “We can’t frame a werewolf, and none of them would cooperate on their own anyway. They’d just as soon have me thrown behind bars so they didn’t have to deal with me. Not that a jail cell could hold me anymore.” I grinned. That was pretty sweet.
I picked up my phone and dialed Ray. It was better not to put off the inevitable. It went to voicemail, which was a small victory. “Ray, I’m on my way back into town. Should be hitting the city in two hours,” I said. “See you then.”
I had no doubt he would be waiting in my hallway in one and a half.
5
Ray Harthad one shoulder braced against the wall, both his arms loosely folded in front of him like he didn’t give a shit how long he had to wait. To a passerby out on the street, he would’ve appeared to be waiting patiently for his wife to finish up her shopping so they could catch a movie.
Except, of course, he wasn’t married and probably hadn’t seen a movie since
Rambo
hit the big screen.
I wasn’t fooled.
Ray was just under six feet tall with a full head of steel-colored hair. It was cut close to the scalp in a style that would’ve been military if he’d ever joined up. He had mean muscle, the kind that looked beefy and aggressive. His square jaw matched his thick eyebrows perfectly. He wore plain clothes, a pair of dark khaki pants, and a blue dress shirt, and his hazel eyes bored directly into mine as I walked down the hallway.
I had to hide my grin, since Ray’s easy stance was in direct contrast to the foul odor he was emitting. If the strong scent of leftover curry, the garbage that needed immediate emptying, or the stale smell of uncirculated air wasn’t enough—the smell of Ray could’ve knocked me over on its own.
Hereeked like a potent mix of satisfaction laced with heavy aggression, and it blew into my nose like a leaf blower aimed straight at my face. This man was not going to accept any of the bullshit I’d planned to dish
ever
into his lap.”
“Ugh, I know.” I gave Nick a sideways smirk. “But if he doesn’t back down eventually, I can just beat him up with my new guns.” I brought my arms up and flexed my biceps. They didn’t seem any firmer than usual, but I knew they’d inflict a hell of a lot more damage now if applied correctly—and I planned on applying them very correctly. “Or I could grow some fur, or take a swipe at him with my new, handy-dandy claws.” I wiggled my fingertips. The claws weren’t out, but it was cool to know they were there somewhere.
“Those would be … effective tactics.” Nick chortled. “If you were insane. And I’m sure there wouldn’t be
any
consequences if you chose to go that route.”
I sighed. Of course there’d be plenty of repercussions, but the real problem was none of them would really affect me in the long run. Now that I was Pack, I had a secret to guard and Pack would enforce it without thought. If Ray kept digging his nose where it didn’t belong, the Pack would have no problem taking care of him—permanently.
I hated the guy, but I wasn’t ready to sign his death warrant.
“I’ll just have to soldier on without my new muscles,” I said, reconciling myself to my boring fate. “I’ve got the camping bags and the passes. It’s weak, but it should hold and cast enough doubt into my involvement, which is all I’ll need in the end. I’ll just have to find a scorned lover who has a penchant for big dogs.”
Nicksmiled wryly at me. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem, Jess. It just so happens we have a lot of big dogs to choose from.”
Now it was my turn to snort. “We can’t frame a werewolf, and none of them would cooperate on their own anyway. They’d just as soon have me thrown behind bars so they didn’t have to deal with me. Not that a jail cell could hold me anymore.” I grinned. That was pretty sweet.
I picked up my phone and dialed Ray. It was better not to put off the inevitable. It went to voicemail, which was a small victory. “Ray, I’m on my way back into town. Should be hitting the city in two hours,” I said. “See you then.”
I had no doubt he would be waiting in my hallway in one and a half.
5
Ray Harthad one shoulder braced against the wall, both his arms loosely folded in front of him like he didn’t give a shit how long he had to wait. To a passerby out on the street, he would’ve appeared to be waiting patiently for his wife to finish up her shopping so they could catch a movie.
Except, of course, he wasn’t married and probably hadn’t seen a movie since
Rambo
hit the big screen.
I wasn’t fooled.
Ray was just under six feet tall with a full head of steel-colored hair. It was cut close to the scalp in a style that would’ve been military if he’d ever joined up. He had mean muscle, the kind that looked beefy and aggressive. His square jaw matched his thick eyebrows perfectly. He wore plain clothes, a pair of dark khaki pants, and a blue dress shirt, and his hazel eyes bored directly into mine as I walked down the hallway.
I had to hide my grin, since Ray’s easy stance was in direct contrast to the foul odor he was emitting. If the strong scent of leftover curry, the garbage that needed immediate emptying, or the stale smell of uncirculated air wasn’t enough—the smell of Ray could’ve knocked me over on its own.
Hereeked like a potent mix of satisfaction laced with heavy aggression, and it blew into my nose like a leaf blower aimed straight at my face. This man was not going to accept any of the bullshit I’d planned to dish
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