"Colton."
"Just give me one second sweetness." He winced and shifted his weight in his seat.
"I'm stuck."
His eyes opened and he turned to her. "Say what?"
"I'm stuck. That damn case in my pocket is stuck on the wheel and I can't turn back."
Colton reached between her and the steering wheel and dislodged the case. She turned and collapsed back into her seat. She looked over to him, he had a thoughtful look on his face.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Bench seats."
"I'm sorry?"
"I'm buying a truck with bench seats."
She gaped at him and then realized what he was talking about. "If we had a truck, where would Penny sit? She needs a car seat."
"It'll be our special date night truck."
"You're having a sexual fantasy right now about fucking me in a truck aren't you?"
Colton raised an eyebrow at her. "Did you really have to ask that question?"
"I guess not."
"Can I interpret your silence as consent for a later date when I have said truck?"
She looked at him frowning. "You were going to wait until you had that truck?"
Colton leered at her. "Well, if you put it like that ..."
She opened her door and got out. "Come on, Balto."
Colton got out and closed his door. "Technically, Balto was a dog."
Rheia shrugged. "Close enough."
"No seriously, there's a huge difference. I'm not a dog."
"But you're so fluffy and cute," she protested.
Colton grimaced. "Please, never, ever say that in front of the guys."
"I make no promises," she teased.
Colton opened the clinic door and they walked down the long hallway.
"Seriously Rheia, those guys have memories like elephants. We're still giving Sascha shit about the time his horse kept running from him because it hadn't been broke in to ride paranormals. I think he may have a complex."
"When was that?"
"Not long, maybe like three hundred years ago, give or take."
She stopped and turned to face him. "Three hundred years?"
Colton nodded emphatically. "And we still crack jokes about it."
Rheia started walking, making a left down the hall leading towards the morgue. "I thought you said he had a complex?"
"And?" Colton asked before he stopped dead in his tracks. He grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall.
"Colton?" she asked confused.
Colton stood with his back to her, looking up and down the hall. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. "Aiden, I need units Alpha, Gamma and Beta at the clinic, ferals are here and I'm by myself with Rheia."
"On our way. Any way you can get out?" she heard Aiden ask.
"No, their stench is all around us, I don't want to walk into a trap. We're in the hallway down from the morgue."
"My brother?"
"No sign of him, he may have gone to your parent's house for lunch. You may want to give them a call to make sure he's okay."
"Calling now. ETA is less than five minutes. Don't die," Aiden commanded.
"Now that's an order I'll happily follow." Colton ended the call and pulled out his sidearm, constantly scanning the halls.
"Are they here?" she whispered.
"I don't think so, but I'm not taking any chances with you."
Rheia grabbed the back of his coat and buried her face between his shoulder blades.
"We should have stopped to have car sex," she muttered.
"Don't distract me," he said. She lifted her head and peeked around his shoulder. He was grinning from ear to ear.
It seemed like forever before they heard the sound of heavy boots running towards them.
Aiden and Gavriel stealthily approached the morgue doorway on either side. Aiden signaled to Sascha and Gavriel before they flooded the room. Gamma and Beta units moved carefully, doing a full sweep of the clinic, while Darian and Keelan helped Colton guard her.
Aiden and Gavriel came out of the morgue frowning. Rheia stepped from around Colton. "Well?"
Gavriel looked at her. "The body's gone and the entire place has been trashed."
Aiden turned to them. "Get her home."
Colton wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Adam?"
"On his way, you were right; he was at my parent's house."
She felt Colton release a relieved breath.
He looked down at her. "Come on Rheia, let's head back so these guys can concentrate on collecting evidence."
Rheia looked around and realized that every man in the hallway had subconsciously positioned their bodies to protect her. She was about to start walking when a question struck her.
"But Colton, why would they want the body now, after all this time?"
"I don't know, but whatever the reason, it can't be good."
CHAPTER EIGHT
The afternoon was crawling by for Rheia. Colton dropped her off and headed back to the clinic. His parting kiss had scorched her, sending shivers of excitement through her. Grinning like an idiot he got back in the car and drove off, leaving her to feel frustrated and on edge.
She was now relaxing with Meryn and Beth in the family room as Penny worked on her letters, when the doorbell rang. Looking at each other, they all got up and followed Meryn out into the foyer. Meryn opened the door and an irate stranger shouldered his way inside.