“This is a funny way to show it,” I said, nodding toward the truck where Ollie lay hurt and knocked out. I pushed myself backward, trying to put room between us.
Rick winced in irritation and pounded a fist into his thigh. “No! That’s not what this is. I’m not the one trying to hurt you. I’m protecting you! Keeping you safe.”
“Fromwhat?” I shouted, heedless of the danger I was in.
“Form yourself. From that filthy lone wolf you’ve been hanging around with from–”
“Theferal, huh? The fucking feral you sent after me? If you’re protecting me, why send that psycho to try and kill me, you bastard?”
The manic and angry expression vanished in an instant, replaced by an entire litany of emotions that flitted across his face in seconds. Shock, shame, guilt, anger, then the telltale look of a man trying to come up with a good lie. After that, his face turned stony and cold. The face of a man who felt completely justified in his actions.
For the first time in our entire relationship, we were on even footing. I knew what he was and what he’d done, and heknewthat I knew. This was the moment we’d been moving toward since the moment we met at that party all those months ago.
Rick opened his mouth to say something, some lie or some sort of explanation, but he never got that far. In a blur of motion, Ollie appeared, shifting in mid-air and tackling Rick. He was hurt, but not as bad as I’d thought if he could still shift and fight.Thank God. He and Rick rolled across the ground, throwing punches and growling.
The fight didn’t last long. Ollie was injured, and Rick landed a kick to his stomach that sent the other man rolling away with an agonized yelp of pain.
Rick scrambled to his feet, glaring at Ollie as the other wolf writhed on the wet pavement, back legs kicking out convulsively. Rick must have kicked him hard enough to break his ribs.
“What the fuck?” Rick said, panting heavily and glaring at Ollie. “You should have stayed in the truck!”
Rick took two quick steps backward, gaze bouncing from me and back to Ollie. He gave me one final glance before letting out a low growl of frustration. In the next instant, he bolted for the woods, shifting as he did.
Ollie shifted back, holding his side. “Fucking coward.”
As hurt as he was, Ollie didn’t look afraid—if anything, he looked more furious than I felt. He glanced at me and tossed his phone in my direction. I snatched it out of the air before I even had a chance to think.
“Call nine-one-one,” Ollie grunted. He stood shakily and took a few steps toward the forest after Rick.
“No, Ollie, you need help,” I protested. “You’re hurt.”
“I’ll be fine, but Rick won’t be when I’m done with him,” Ollie said. “I’ve got to catch him before he gets away. If he’s resorted to trying to kill a shifter cop, then he’s escalating things.” He eyed me carefully. “Call them.”
“What if he comes back?” I asked, my heart still thundering.
Ollie winced, pressed at his side, and took a step toward the forest. “He probably won’t. He tried to get the jump on us and failed. If I had to guess, he’s running.” Grimacing in pain, he wiped the smear of blood from his forehead. “If he does come back, you run your ass off. Got it?”
“Got it,” I answered.
Without another word, he shifted and took off into the woods. I stood there for a few minutes, shaking and growing slowly more and more soaked. Finally, shaking my head to get my thoughts in line, I ran back to the truck. It was the only shelter around, and I had to get out of the storm to make the call.
As I yanked open the driver-side door, I kept glancing behind me, scared Rick might reappear. Every sound was his footsteps, every flash of lightning was another explosion from a gun. By the time I slammed the door behind me, I was shivering, and it wasn’t from the rain. Terror had rooted itself deep in my heart and mind. With a start, I realized I was repeating a single word over and over in my mind.
Nate.Nate. Nate…like some strange prayer, it echoed through my head. I wished, more than anything, that he was here.
Another peal of thunder made me flinch, and I scanned the surroundings for any sign of Rick. I still couldn’t fathom how things had changed so fast. In less than ten minutes, he’d gone from my crazy ex-boyfriend to a nightmare vision. I didn’t even want to think about what he’d do if he somehow managed to take me. Would he hurt me? Kill me? Drag me away and lock me in some room where he’d keep me as some twisted version of a mate to birth heirs to his family’s empire? Every option was equally horrifying.
“Focus,” I muttered as I forced myself to dial the emergency line.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?” the operator intoned.
The businesslike and calm tone threw me for a second. Didn’t she understand what was happening? Why wasn’t she as freaked out as I was?
“Uh, yes, I, uh…” I trailed off, unsure what to say. Did I give her the honest truth? Did I lie? I hadn’t thought this through.
“Miss? Are you all right?” The operator sounded more empathetic now, which helped kickstart my mind.
“Yes, sorry, I’ve been in a car accident. I need help.”
