SEAL Wolf In Too Deep(50)
“Yeah, unfortunately. I was hoping I could positively identify that friend of Lloyd’s, Otis. The man was wearing a ski mask and a bulky winter parka so I couldn’t tell. He wore snow boots and he was dressed all in white—to blend in with the snow, I imagine. Zeta did say that Otis wore a white parka when it was snowy out.”
“True. It’s a wonder he didn’t get shot by a hunter. Did you see the color of his eyes?”
“His eyes were wintry blue. I didn’t remember until now, but we stared at each other for a moment before he shot me and I shot back. But they were icy blue.”
“Okay, I’ll let Paul know. And he can contact the police. In the photo, Otis was too far away and turned to the side a bit, so I couldn’t really see his eyes.”
“Me, either.” She stretched out in the passenger’s seat, pulled the blanket under her chin, and yawned. “Are you sure this isn’t going to be too much of an imposition?”
He’d already learned what she’d like to eat, so he had stocked the pantry and fridge at his cabin with her favorites. He’d asked her if he could pack her things and haul them to his place, but she had wanted to return home and pack for herself.
“No, not at all.” As much as he’d like to see this as a way to get to know her better, he knew things would change between them in a heartbeat as soon as she knew what she had become. It was his fault for not moving her so she wouldn’t see Tara change. Not getting there sooner so she wouldn’t have been shot in the first place. Not treating her wound fast enough. If Allan had confronted the shooter first, he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill the bastard and not waited for him to fire a round first.
“When do we start back on the case?” Debbie asked, as if she hadn’t just dealt with a life-threatening trauma of her own.
“When the doctor okays you going back to work.” He wasn’t sure how that was going to work out now. She’d have to take a leave of absence. He could just see her in a skintight wet suit trying to shift into a wolf. That would be a sight.
“She said you’ve been hanging around the hospital the whole time I’ve been there. Thank you.”
“I had to know you were going to be okay. Early on, you were sleeping nearly every time I came in.”
“Allan, you know none of this was your fault. I know you, and I know you blame yourself. I should have waited for backup. I’m so sorry. They said Tara went home today. She was going to be all right too. What…happened to the wolf? Did you save it? Everything was such a blur. I…I thought they were one and the same.” She laughed a little.
“Rowdy’s rubbing off on me with all his paranormal musings. And I watch too many paranormal shows. Anyway, I don’t know how I didn’t see Tara and how injured she was. Only the wolf. I wish I could have helped you more by assisting her and providing a better description of the shooter, but I guess I was fading fast. They say you saved both of us. When I asked about the wolf, they said they hadn’t seen it. So it must have been okay and run off.”
Nobody had told a lie. They’d seen Tara, but not in her wolf form. He really didn’t want to discuss this with Debbie right now. He could talk to her about everything at his place—with the cabin locked tight in case she tried to bolt.
“I was busy with Tara and you at that point,” he said again, not really lying.
“What about the red Camaro?”
“It was impounded at the scene. The serial number had been removed. License plates had been stolen from another vehicle.”
“Wow, okay. I called Rowdy’s office. What happened on that?”
Thankfully, Rowdy had been in the middle of another homicide case and wasn’t called until after Tara and Debbie arrived at the clinic. He’d dropped in a few times to see Debbie, but she’d been so out of it, he hadn’t learned anything from her. One of the nurses had always been present. At least Rowdy hadn’t let on that he figured anything was amiss. He had talked to the doctor and learned the seriousness of Debbie’s injuries.
“He came to visit you several times, whenever he could. I’m sure he’s still looking to date you. He sent roses.”
She smiled. “That was sweet of him.”
Debbie continued to chat away in a lighthearted and cheerful way, while Allan was feeling the onerous duty of speaking about all of this to her later and was in gloomy spirits.
When they reached her duplex, she waited for him to get the car door for her.
“Are you still tired?” he asked, concerned that she might have needed to stay longer at the clinic.
“I felt so good for a bit.” She sighed. “Maybe because I could leave the clinic. But yeah, I’m exhausted. I feel I need to sleep for a week to get over feeling this way.”
“Do you want me to pack for you?” He offered his hand to help her up. She relied on his strength, which worried him all the more.
“No, as long as you don’t mind me taking a while. I want to shower too. If you don’t mind, could you fix us something to eat? I’ve got an ice chest that we can fill with some of the food.”
He didn’t want to tell her they would be moving her completely out of her duplex. For right now, they’d left everything as it was. But once she was settled in with him or someone else who she trusted in the pack, they’d move everything that was hers. She might not want to stay with him once she learned about what she’d become, but she was going to have to stay with someone in the pack. No way could she live on her own until she had her shifting under control.