Ollie winced and shook his head. “Bro, I can’t imagine what your life is like without a pack. I like you, always have, so why not let me help you out? You’d get fewer dirty looks from shifters if you were in a pack. Not everyone will believe you can keep the wild animal side of yourself at bay. When they find out you’re a lone wolf, everyone will be waitingfor the day you turn so they can rip your throat out.”
I eyed Ollie and smiled grimly. “Is that what you’re waiting on, old friend?”
He let out an exasperated breath. “Goddamn it, dude, you know that’s not true. I know you’ve got a handle on it. I’m talking about dumbasses who don’t know any better.”
I chuckled. “If they’re dumbasses, then what do I care what they think?”
Rather than go on and allow the natural prejudices that had been ingrained in Ollie to foul up our meeting, I decided to get out before things took a turn. The bar wasn’t as busy as it could have been, and it seemed like the sexy server’s shift was ending. She was untying her apron and gathering some things. Every few seconds, she turned and sent me a furtive glance. I could smell her arousal from here. She was hot, that was for sure, but she’d already had one guy try to take advantage of her tonight. I’d be damned if I’d be the second.
“I’m heading out,” I said to Ollie. “Can you get me the files? Copies of the crime scene photos and whatnot?”
Ollie nodded, though he looked a bit crestfallen that the conversation had gone sideways. “Sure. Drop by the precinct tomorrow.”
The server vanished through anEmployee’s Onlydoor, but emerged again holding a jacket and purse. She locked eyes with me and smiled. Her gaze slid down my body, and she bit her lower lip. A slight blush crept into her cheeks.
“Do you know her?” Ollie asked.
“No,” I admitted and grinned. “I think she wishes I did. I’m going to see if she wants a ride to her place. She might be a little freaked about what happened with that douchebag earlier.”
Ollie watched in delighted envy as I walked over to the young lady at the bar.
“My name’s Nate, by the way,” I said to her.
Her blush deepened. “Uh, yeah. My name’s Monica. I wanted to thank you for what you did earlier. Do you…” She looked away. “Oh, shit,” she muttered to herself, then looked at me again. “Ineverdo this, but would you want to come over to my place?”
“I would usually say yes, but unfortunately, not tonight. I could offer you a ride home, though? Can I at least do that for you?”
Her look of disappointment and embarrassment made me wince inwardly.
“Sure,” she said, with as much confidence as she could muster. After she mumbled a few words to the bartender, I put my arm around her shoulders and guided her to the door. As we passed the booth, Ollie shook his head in awe. He probably didn’t believe me about not taking the woman to bed.
I’d let him have his fantasy. I knew myself better, though. Lone wolf or not, I wasn’t a scumbag.
3
Cameron
“How can I help you, ma’am?” the woman behind the desk asked.
“Yes, I…” I cleared my throat, unsure what to say. “I was attacked a few days ago. The officers on the scene said I should bring a full written statement in.” I held up the typed sheet of paper I’d brought along.
“Who was the officer who took your initial statement?”
“I think it was an Officer Banks. Does that ring a bell?
She nodded and handed me a clipboard. “That’s Bobby. I’ll get a hold of him. Fill this out real quick, and someone will be with you soon.”
Taking a seat at one of the three plastic chairs in the small waiting area, I quickly filled out the form, then sat back to wait gingerly. After three days, my bruises were an ugly yellowish-green, but my arm still hurt. The scratches and scrapes were nothing but small scabs. The bite or cut on my neck was still sore and tender. It was hard to get a good look at it in the mirror. TheEMT who’d arrived on the scene had forced me to get a tetanus shot to be safe.
The precinct was fairly busy for a weekday morning, and soon my reporter’s instinct and curiosity got the better of me. Rather than sitting still, I got up and paced, peering into the main office area. A dozen or so low-walled cubicles filled the main room. Honestly, it looked more like an accounting office than a police precinct. Nothing like it looked in the movies.
An officer at one of the desks close to the door was on the phone.
“You said he was last seen at nine p.m. last Saturday…” he said. “Yes, Ms. Carter, I understand that, but I’m trying to figure out why you’d wait a week to report your husband as missing… sure… okay… ma’am, I’m not sure how the nighttime activities of your neighbor have anything to do with your husband being missing… no, I’m afraid we can’t just arrest her… no, ma’am, even if she was walking around inside her house naked, that’s her right. It’s her house. In fact, you watching her through her window is actually the part that’s illegal... you think he left you for her? Well, have you askedherif she’s seen your husband?”
I smiled a little and stepped over to the entry desk. “Miss? Where’s the bathroom?” I asked the receptionist.
“Down the center of the bullpen, dear. Take the first right when you get to the hallway,” she answered, pointing me in the right direction.
