“And he didn’t offer to help you?” Tessa asked, frowning, not believing someone could be that horrible.
“Some people are afraid of dogs,” Hunter said.
Especially when it was a wolf. But still, couldn’t he have done something to help Hunter? “So what did his truck look like? Who was he?”
Hunter shrugged his good shoulder. “I didn’t get much of a chance to look. Phone lines were down or I’m sure he would have called for help.”
“I saw another wolf on the back patio last night when I was getting a glass of water for your fever. He wasn’t the one I’d hit with the fireplace tongs though.”
Hunter frowned. “Can you describe him?”
“Darker gray and beige, white mask, no blood on nose. He was sitting, watching me as I looked out the window. That’s it. I didn’t see any wounds on him, but he might have had some somewhere. Where he was sitting was dark. Oh, and he was a little smaller than the one who bit you. Was that what the wolf looked like that fought the other?”
Hunter nodded. “Yeah.”
But she could tell by the way he seemed to puzzle over the matter that he didn’t think so.
“Lunch ready soon?” Ashton asked. “We’re going to install the new doorknobs next.”
“As soon as you’re finished, the sandwiches will be ready,” Tessa said.
“I’ll help you in a minute, Ashton. Be right back.” Rourke went out back and Ashton hurried to join him.
Hunter ran his fingers over Tessa’s hand with a reassuring touch. “So where and how did Bethany die?”
“Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know. Like you, she was pushed off a cliff. Right beside a burned-up pine tree, about six or seven miles north of here. But of course, she didn’t survive the fall.”
Hell. The same place the grays had thrown Hunter off the cliff?
They would probably come in a pack the next time. He didn’t want Tessa out of the house, ever, until he took care of the menace. Now with this newest revelation about Bethany, he again wondered if the stalker, Yoloff, had something to do with her death to get Michael out of the way so he could go after Tessa.
“You look pale. Are you all right?” Tessa touched Hunter’s forehead. “No fever, thank goodness.”
“That’s the same place where I was shoved from the cliff.”
Her eyes grew big and her lower lip quivered. “No,” she whispered. “Do… do you think the same guys who pushed you could have killed Bethany? We’ve got to tell the sheriff.”
“No, we can’t.”
“But we have to so we can free Michael.”
“They may not have been the ones who’d thrown her from there. Besides what would I tell the sheriff? That everything I’ve said is a lie?” Hunter ran his thumb over her hand, trying to pacify her, wishing he could reassure her. “Then what would he believe? Maybe I did it.”
“But Bethany’s murder happened months ago.”
“Yes, and then here I was at the same crime scene months later. Who’s to say I wasn’t the one who did it, and then like murderers will often do, I came back to investigate the area where I’d committed the crime?”
“You couldn’t have done it. You didn’t.” Her eyes filled with tears and his stomach clenched.
“You’re right, I didn’t. Three men pushed me off that same cliff. But I don’t know who they were, where I’m really from, or what my last name is even. How will the sheriff believe any of it?”
She stiffened her back and folded her arms. “Why did you and Rourke lie about the wolf?”
Hell, what was he to say now?
“I’m an advocate for wolf rights. They cull out the weak and old, unlike human hunters who target the biggest and healthiest elk or deer. Humans kill the prime stock that would provide for more offspring. Wolves go after the easier prey.”
“Like me? You?”
“That’s different.”
“But this one’s so dangerous.”
“Tessa, hunters won’t discriminate. Believe me in this. They’d come here in droves, killing anything that moved, hoping to get a chance to take down the devil wolf. I’ll take care of it.”
“A Rottweiler.” Tessa shook her head. “Dumbest story Rourke could have made up. He should have at least thought of a dog that looked more like a wolf—that had fur even! Let me finish making lunch, but we’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do about clearing Michael so we can get him released from prison.”
“Did Bethany have a cabin near that burned-up pine tree?”
“About a mile north of there.”
“Rourke and I’ll check it out. But I mean it, Tessa. You and Ashton have to stay here in the house at all times when we go.”
“All right.” As long as the two of them were together, Tessa figured they would be okay once Hunter had healed up.
She returned to the kitchen and finished the sandwiches. Looking out the window, she saw Rourke and Ashton talking and examining the ground. So much for replacing the back doorknob.
“After we eat, I’ll look at your injury and see if the bandages need changing yet,” she called out to Hunter.
He didn’t answer. She peeked into the living room. The front door was wide open, letting in the frigid air. He was gone. Her heart in her throat, she rushed to the door and looked outside. Hunter was examining the work Ashton and Rourke had done on Michael’s window.
“Jeez, Hunter, you about gave me a heart attack.”
He smiled. “They did a super job.”
“Come in here before you get sick again.”
He saluted her.
“Wrong hand,” she grumbled.
“Can’t use the other. Shoulder’s too stiff.”
“Oh. I was afraid you’d forgotten how a Navy SEAL salutes.”
“Navy SEALs don’t salute. Not while they’re on a mission and undercover.”
“Ha! Like you’d know. So what are you, really?”
When Rourke and Ashton came back inside to eat lunch, Hunter could tell Rourke had some news for him. Somehow he had to slip away to speak to him in private without Tessa fussing about his injury. But after a nap. He was feeling weary again. Another nap with Tessa would definitely help.
“Find anything?” Tessa asked as she set out the sandwiches.
“Gray fur,” Ashton said. “Rourke’s got great eyesight. He ought to go into the Navy SEALs.”
“Where had they been?” She sat down and everyone followed her lead.
“Everywhere. He found fur down on the beach clinging to driftwood, on the back porch, front porch, by the shed. Just everywhere,” Ashton said.
Hunter finished off his food in record time and scooted his plate toward Tessa. “Got any more?”
“Why don’t you let her at least eat her food first?” Rourke asked.
She smiled. “While Hunter’s incapacitated, I don’t mind babying him. But after that…”
Hunter gave Rourke a satisfied smirk.
Tessa glanced at Rourke’s hand. “Your bite. It’s all healed up.”
“Guess it wasn’t as bad as it appeared. The antibiotics helped, too.”
She stared at his hand and then got up from the chair. “It looked terrible before.” Taking Hunter’s plate, she made him another sandwich and returned to the table.
Hunter gave Rourke an irritated look. Keeping a new lupus garou in line was a chore. He would have to tell him everything he could and couldn’t do. Like remove a bandage only after a sufficient amount of time had passed to give the illusion the injury was still healing when around humans. Of course, the bandage scenario was sure to come up with Tessa again where Hunter’s shoulder was concerned, but he would handle it with a lot more finesse.
Rourke looked a little sheepish and continued to eat in silence.
Ashton said, “We went to the cliff where you pushed the wolf off, but didn’t see any sign of it.”
“Tide had to have washed it out,” Hunter said. “We’ll take a look north of here and see what we can find.”
“You’re not thinking of exploring with Rourke this afternoon, are you?”
“Another storm’s coming in,” Rourke warned. “We’ve got to look around before that happens.”
“When did you watch the weather report? I haven’t heard a thing about it.” Tessa finished her sandwich and sat back against the chair.
“At my place. Anyway, you can feel the air growing colder again and smell the wintry moisture in the air.”
Hunter gave Rourke a warning look, but he wasn’t paying any attention to him.
“I’d say we were going to get sleet and snow before nightfall.”
“Now you’re guessing?” Tessa began clearing away the dirty dishes. “I thought you got this from the weather report.”
Hunter finished his lunch. “Why don’t you show me what you found, Rourke? Ashton can stay with Tessa and change the door locks.”
“I want to go, too.” She shoved the plates in the dishwasher.
“Later, Tessa.” Hunter left the table and grabbed Michael’s field jacket. But when he couldn’t put it on by himself, Rourke helped.
Tessa watched, her arms folded, her mouth a thin grim line. “You shouldn’t be going out there.”
“Come on, Tessa. You can help me with the doorknobs.” Ashton grabbed a paper sack and headed for the front door.
“You got one for both the front door and back? He only seems to have a key to the back door.”
“Just to be safe. And we bought security glass for the window in Michael’s room. The guy won’t be able to break it again. We can replace all of them with that glass if Hunter thinks it’s a good idea, and you want to foot the bill.”
Hunter figured once he got rid of the stalker menace, she wouldn’t have any more trouble. He went outside with Rourke while Ashton occupied Tessa.