Kayla emerged from her bedroom.Just her presence took my breath away.
“Sweet moon, I’m so excited to finally get to meet you.”Tegan gushed.“I was hoping to have a chance to hang out on the Fourth, but fate had other plans.I’m such a huge fan ofThe Wolf’s Moon.Are you a hugger?”
“I am.And I was rooting for you on Moonlight Mates,” Kayla said as they embraced.“I might have cheered out loud when Barrett bearnapped you.”
“Working with Sawtooth Security changes your life in the most unexpected ways.”Tegan winked at me.
“The ladies have been helping us with the case,” Barrett said gruffly.The announcement wasn’t a huge surprise.Tegan had been working with us in the office, doing admin, and assisting on some of the lower stakes jobs while she learned the ropes.She was human, but had tons of experience with shifters.And Clover had gone all in on learning magic after discovering she had it.In her spare time, she was busy opening a spa.
Still, I felt like I was out of the loop, and the case was moving on without me.
Bellamy cleared his throat.“I’ve watched as many surveillance videos as I could.I have it set up to alert us to any activity on the property.All I’ve picked up is you on walks with Gigi.”
“We found the paper in a pretty remote location.”I slid the evidence across the island toward the guys.
The ladies were still fawning over Kayla.I had to trust that this wasn’t just a distraction.They were both clever, smart women, and they were probably doing their own version of an investigation.
“We’d love to see where you found it, and check for any clues left behind,” Barrett said.“Right now, we’re operating under the assumption that a shifter left this, and that’s why we didn’t detect any unusual human activity.”
I nodded.“That would make sense.Gigi probably freaked out because they marked their territory.”
“Let’s go,” Bellamy said.
The ladies joined us.
“I can take Gigi,” Kayla said as I hooked her leash onto her collar.
“You sure?”I asked, but Gigi had already gone over to her.
“Yeah.You can concentrate on the investigation.And Gigi and I can spend some quality time together.”
Fuck, she was thinking the same thing I was—that this could be it.That we could wake up tomorrow morning and never see each other again.
Our hands brushed as I handed her the leash.Another one of those exhilarating bolts of electricity charged through my body on contact.
I could not lose this woman.
If I was taken off this case, I’d protect her no matter what.Even if it meant going rogue.
She’ll need more than just protection, my bear argued.You need to apprehend these bastards and set her free.
Kayla trailed slightly behind us, stopping to give Gigi treats.My girl only had eyes for my mate.And I was feeling pretty enamored, watching Kayla bond with my dog.
But those loving feelings didn’t last as we came closer to the post where we’d found the paper.Gigi freaked out all over again.
“Definitely marked the spot,” Kayla said, waving her free hand.“It stinks of wolf.”
I inhaled deeply.It wasn’t sweet honey like Kayla.It was earthy wolf, and I’d missed it completely the first time I was here.In my defense, I had been blindsided by the message they left behind.
Everyone was staring at the ground, combing the area, looking for moon only knew what.
“I found something,” Kayla exclaimed as she crouched down and produced a soft peach disk.“It’s a makeup puff.The artists on set use these for powder.It’s covered with… I think it’s my lipstick.”
“Or blood,” Tegan said.
She poked it tentatively.“It’s more the consistency of makeup.”
“Makes sense,” Barrett said as he took the puff from her.“You were in disguise, and the note referred to your character, not your real name.So whoever was here either has a connection to the show, or they’re obsessed with the show.”
