tiger shifter was very, very happy to see me. In spite of the crazy hair and morning breath.
This relationship had potential.
Wait. Relationship ? Okay, now might be the time to panic.
Just then, a man’s voice bellowing through a bullhorn sounded from the front porch.
“TESS CALLAHAN, OPEN THIS DOOR AT ONCE OR I WILL ASSUME YOU ARE IN DANGER AND BREAK IT DOWN.”
Jack snarled and headed for the door, shifting into his tiger form between one footstep and the next.
I’d been wrong, before.
Now was the time to panic.
Chapter 8
I n a letdown of titanic proportions , it was only Deputy Kelly on the porch. By the time I got there, Jack had the poor guy treed on the porch railing.
“Jack! Let the nice man down.”
Jack turned his giant tiger face to me, and I swear he winked. Stupid cat. I pushed past him and held my hand out to the deputy.
“Come on down, he’s not going to hurt you.”
Jack shimmered back to human and gave Kelly an unfriendly look. “Not that you don’t deserve it. What the hell are you doing banging on Tess’s door at this time of morning?”
Kelly, to his credit, didn’t back down. “I might ask you why you’re here this early, too, preventing Miss Callahan from answering her door, when she’s in this state…this state…”
He looked at me, obviously baffled as to how to phrase the “state” I was in.
“State of bedhead? State of morning breath? State of just woke up to all my phones ringing and somebody banging on the door? What’s going on, Deputy Kelly?”
He blushed, making all those cute freckles glow. “It’s Andrew, ma’am.”
I winced. Not the dreaded “ma’am.” I was too young for this.
“Call me Tess, please. Now, why are you here, with your bullhorn, assaulting my poor door?”
Andrew held out his phone, and his voice dropped to an awestruck whisper. “Special Agent Alejandro Vasquez would like to speak to you.”
“I’m going to kill him,” I grumbled, taking Andrew’s phone, but being careful not to touch him. I did not want to know how sweet Andrew died.
“That might be a federal offense,” Alejandro said into my ear, laughing.
“Any female judge in the country would consider it justifiable homicide,” I told him. “Now I’m going to give the poor deputy his phone back, walk inside, get more coffee, and answer my cellphone, which you’re going to call in three minutes. Is that okay with you, or do I need to call your wife and describe your actions to her?”
Jack whistled. “Bringing out the big guns.”
Over the phone, I could hear nothing but silent panic, or so I imagined. Then the click of the call disconnecting.
I gave Andrew back his phone. “Thank you. Hey, what did you find out about Chet? From the RV park?”
He paused and then shrugged. “I guess it’s no secret. The blood on his shirt was from his own hand, not anybody else’s.”
Jack nodded. “I tried to scent the area, but there had been far too many people there, and I’m no wolf or bloodhound.”
Huh. I hadn’t even noticed him leaving yesterday. He saw my surprise and shrugged. “Ned was opening bottles of wine and telling you something about five o’clock. I took a few minutes to smell what I could smell.”
“Okay, well you should probably go talk to the P-Ops agent, ma’am, um, Tess,” Andrew said, blushing again.
“I will, and thank you. I’m sorry for Alejandro’s control freak tendencies.”
He nodded, but then glanced at Jack. “Um, do you need me to stay and protect you from anything else?”
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “Kid, do your worst.”
I jumped between them. “No, no, no. No worst, no nothing. I have a strict no-aggression policy on my porch. Cut it out, Jack.”
I all but shooed the deputy off the porch and waved, then dashed back inside. I could at least get another cup of coffee before—
The phone rang.
Stupid Feds.
“Okay, what? I have you on speaker phone, not that Jack needs it,, Alejandro. What’s going
This relationship had potential.
Wait. Relationship ? Okay, now might be the time to panic.
Just then, a man’s voice bellowing through a bullhorn sounded from the front porch.
“TESS CALLAHAN, OPEN THIS DOOR AT ONCE OR I WILL ASSUME YOU ARE IN DANGER AND BREAK IT DOWN.”
Jack snarled and headed for the door, shifting into his tiger form between one footstep and the next.
I’d been wrong, before.
Now was the time to panic.
Chapter 8
I n a letdown of titanic proportions , it was only Deputy Kelly on the porch. By the time I got there, Jack had the poor guy treed on the porch railing.
“Jack! Let the nice man down.”
Jack turned his giant tiger face to me, and I swear he winked. Stupid cat. I pushed past him and held my hand out to the deputy.
“Come on down, he’s not going to hurt you.”
Jack shimmered back to human and gave Kelly an unfriendly look. “Not that you don’t deserve it. What the hell are you doing banging on Tess’s door at this time of morning?”
Kelly, to his credit, didn’t back down. “I might ask you why you’re here this early, too, preventing Miss Callahan from answering her door, when she’s in this state…this state…”
He looked at me, obviously baffled as to how to phrase the “state” I was in.
“State of bedhead? State of morning breath? State of just woke up to all my phones ringing and somebody banging on the door? What’s going on, Deputy Kelly?”
He blushed, making all those cute freckles glow. “It’s Andrew, ma’am.”
I winced. Not the dreaded “ma’am.” I was too young for this.
“Call me Tess, please. Now, why are you here, with your bullhorn, assaulting my poor door?”
Andrew held out his phone, and his voice dropped to an awestruck whisper. “Special Agent Alejandro Vasquez would like to speak to you.”
“I’m going to kill him,” I grumbled, taking Andrew’s phone, but being careful not to touch him. I did not want to know how sweet Andrew died.
“That might be a federal offense,” Alejandro said into my ear, laughing.
“Any female judge in the country would consider it justifiable homicide,” I told him. “Now I’m going to give the poor deputy his phone back, walk inside, get more coffee, and answer my cellphone, which you’re going to call in three minutes. Is that okay with you, or do I need to call your wife and describe your actions to her?”
Jack whistled. “Bringing out the big guns.”
Over the phone, I could hear nothing but silent panic, or so I imagined. Then the click of the call disconnecting.
I gave Andrew back his phone. “Thank you. Hey, what did you find out about Chet? From the RV park?”
He paused and then shrugged. “I guess it’s no secret. The blood on his shirt was from his own hand, not anybody else’s.”
Jack nodded. “I tried to scent the area, but there had been far too many people there, and I’m no wolf or bloodhound.”
Huh. I hadn’t even noticed him leaving yesterday. He saw my surprise and shrugged. “Ned was opening bottles of wine and telling you something about five o’clock. I took a few minutes to smell what I could smell.”
“Okay, well you should probably go talk to the P-Ops agent, ma’am, um, Tess,” Andrew said, blushing again.
“I will, and thank you. I’m sorry for Alejandro’s control freak tendencies.”
He nodded, but then glanced at Jack. “Um, do you need me to stay and protect you from anything else?”
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “Kid, do your worst.”
I jumped between them. “No, no, no. No worst, no nothing. I have a strict no-aggression policy on my porch. Cut it out, Jack.”
I all but shooed the deputy off the porch and waved, then dashed back inside. I could at least get another cup of coffee before—
The phone rang.
Stupid Feds.
“Okay, what? I have you on speaker phone, not that Jack needs it,, Alejandro. What’s going
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