SEAL Wolf In Too Deep(27)
“You must have been in a bad way. They took you away in an ambulance, Rowdy said.”
“Just as a precautionary measure.”
“You wouldn’t have been lying around when armed men were shooting at you and the others.” Then she frowned a little. “Do wolves heal miraculously like vampires? No wounds left behind?”
“Absolutely.”
“Thought so. I’ll have to let Rowdy know. Did Paul see any of the ‘wolves’?”
“He was too busy trying to rescue Lori. She’d struggled with one robber and then both fell off the cliff. You know she was pregnant at the time, right? So Paul was concerned about her condition and was trying to reach her right away.”
“Yes, that was so awful. I was glad to hear she was fine. I realize she knows martial arts, but she’s seen these two bad criminal cases that must have really shaken her up. So in the bank robber case, she had been struggling with a naked man?”
“The police found his clothes in his vehicle. Maybe he was planning to dump them, afraid he’d been identified, or maybe he had blood splatter on them from shooting me. Anyway, we thought maybe he was high on something, but nothing showed up in his system during the autopsy.”
“That leaves only one real plausible explanation. He removed his clothes, shifted, and chased after Lori as a wolf.”
“She wouldn’t have been able to fight off a wolf.”
“Unless she had been a wolf too.”
“A female fighting against a male?” Allan shook his head. “I doubt a female would have survived a vicious male’s attack.”
“Unless Paul came to rescue her as a wolf. And then there would have been two wolves against one.”
“I see you have all this well thought out. Have you asked Paul about his role as a wolf?”
“Heavens no. I figure you and I are friends, and you’ll keep the others from turning me.”
Allan raised his brows a little. “What if I wanted to turn you to make you my mate?”
She smiled as if she rather liked the idea. “I might just bite you right back.”
“That’s all part of being a wolf.” Then he let out his breath. “About tonight…”
She knew before he said it that he wasn’t staying with her tonight. He was backing off from getting too involved, and she couldn’t help but be disappointed. “Yeah?”
“I need to stay closer to home, but I’m calling the sheriff’s office to make sure someone drives by to check on you every once in a while.”
“I’ll be fine, Allan. Really.” But she knew he’d call it in anyway. And she had to like that he still worried about her, even if things were cooling off between them again.
*
After ensuring some of his law enforcement friends would check on Debbie periodically, Allan drove to Paul and Lori’s cabin on the lake. He really hated leaving Debbie alone, partly because he wanted to be the one protecting her and partly because he wanted to just plain be with her. But despite how he wanted it, he knew this was the best for all concerned.
When he arrived at Paul and Lori’s cabin, Lori fixed them dinner.
“Rowdy told Debbie we were part of a werewolf pack,” Allan told them.
“How did he come to that conclusion?” Lori asked.
Allan knew Paul and Lori would take Rowdy’s claim seriously, even if most people would think he was just having some lighthearted, storytelling fun. If Rowdy mentioned it to the police, they’d rib him mercilessly. But it was still a concern for the pack. Allan explained all that Debbie had told him.
“He told Debbie, not you though,” Paul said thoughtfully, setting the table.
“Maybe he thought I’d turn all wolf and that would be the end of him.” Not that Allan was being serious about it.
“He had to know she’d tell you. He must have figured she’d get a kick out of it,” Paul said.
“Right, just what I had assumed. Which means he wants to see how we react to Debbie’s claim.”
“I wonder if he’s armed with silver bullets.” Lori served up the rolls while Paul dished up the bowls of chicken and dumplings.
Allan stoked the fire, thinking how nice it would be to have one going at his place while Debbie sat with him on the couch. “Ah, but he believes any bullets will kill us.”
Paul set beers on the table for him and Allan, then returned to the kitchen to get a glass of milk for Lori. “True. Just like silver bullets can kill humans. Your reaction to Debbie was fine. As far as Rowdy goes, I’d just ignore it. Just be your normal self around him and Debbie. There’s not much else we can do for now.”
Allan joined them at the table. “I agree. I was just a little surprised. Not often does someone believe the evidence points to werewolves.”
“I’m sure he’s just pulling our legs. Coming up with bizarre explanations for bizarre circumstances. But even if he did believe we’re werewolves, I’m sure he realizes we’re some of the good guys.” Lori took a roll and passed around the platter.
“True. I just wanted to make you aware of it to alert the pack members, in case we have any trouble with him. I can see him putting surveillance on us.” Allan eyed the roll. “Fresh baked.”
“Only for you,” Lori said.