Best Friends (New Species #15)(36)

“I don’t care about the attacker’s motives unless he’s found. Then I want him.” He’d kill the male for touching his female. “I am bringing Mel home with me.”

Tiger blinked a few times but then nodded. “Just get her permission, please. Don’t pull a Valiant. We need to keep the local humans on our side. It would look bad if you tossed her over your shoulder and carried her away while she protested.”

He didn’t care. Mel was in danger. A human had broken into her apartment. The scenarios of what horrible things could have happened to her played through his mind. She could have been killed! Humans were dangerous. “Where is the team to take me to her?” It was tempting to go on his own. The Jeep was close. “I need to see her.”

Tiger seemed to guess his intentions and moved between him and the Jeep. “Calm, Snow. I’m aware of how much your instincts will demand you reach her quickly, but you need an escort. Sheriff Cooper would have been honest if she were seriously injured. He swore she was fine. We’re not sure of what kind of threat we’re dealing with yet. It could have been as harmless as a robbery, or something far worse, like a hater targeting her because you went to her home.”

Snow needed to get to Mel. Before he could tear away from Tiger to get to the Jeep, he heard an SUV engine. Torrent and Brass sat in the front, and he could see the shape of another male in the back. He stepped around Tiger and rushed to the side door of the SUV when it stopped, opening it. Timber waited in the backseat.

They took off fast, Torrent driving. Brass turned his head, meeting his gaze. “Remain calm, Snow. I’m aware that the female Melinda is very important to you. We will go to the town, find out all the details, and take it from there.”

He saw another SUV waiting for them just beyond the gates. Three SUVs in all left Reservation. The NSO wasn’t taking any chances after the attack on the diner. He wondered if a task force team from Homeland would be joining them soon. He glanced at Brass. He would know.

“Did you contact Homeland?”

“Yes.”

“Are they sending a team of humans to us?”

“Not currently until we have more information.”

That soothed him somewhat. He liked the task force but he didn’t want them involved when it came to Mel. They’d already talked to her once before promptly returning her to her apartment, the day of the shooting. He’d been furious when he’d realized she was gone. That wasn’t going to happen again.

He was bringing his mate home and keeping her there.





Chapter Nine



Mel held the ice packs wrapped around her hands and shook her head at Deputy Dud as he offered her coffee. It proved he was a bonehead. She couldn’t exactly hold a hot mug. It once again reminded her of why she’d dumped him. A smart guy would have brought her coffee with a straw, setting it on the desk near her so she could drink it.

Her luck sucked. Dan had to be on duty when she’d rushed into the sheriff’s office. Things had been tense between them ever since she’d dumped him. Deputy Dud liked to ask her to give them another chance, regardless of how many times she’d turned him down.

Sherriff Cooper came out of his private office in the back and took a seat at the desk across from her. “Dan, I have this.” He waved the deputy off.

Mel felt gratitude as Dan walked away. “Did your other deputy get to my place yet?”

“Yes. I was just talking to him. Your apartment has been trashed. I’m sorry, young lady.” Sheriff Cooper had a kind expression and tone at the moment. “Whoever attacked you was gone. It looks like he got in through the bedroom window. The lock on it was broken and the screen was on the ground. Was it like that before?”

“No.”

“Tell me about this reporter again.”

“It wasn’t him.”

The sheriff frowned. “You can’t know that for certain. You said your intruder wore a mask that covered his head completely, even his eyes and mouth.”

“That’s true. But the reporter had a bad limp and was about seventy years old. He was thin and kind of frail. The masked guy was bigger and beefier. The size difference alone was very noticeable.”

Sheriff Cooper straightened in the chair. “Are you certain? You had to be scared, it all happened fast, and you were fighting to get away. It’s normal to be confused after something like this. You go into shock and it makes your mind fuzzy, remember things wrong.”

“I’m one hundred percent sure that it wasn’t the same guy. The old man did say someone gave him a tip. Maybe that was the person who broke into my place. Someone who knew about the shooting sent that guy to the diner.”

“Do you think the reporter believed you when you lied to him?”

She bit her lip and shrugged. “I hope so. I tried hard to sell the story about the fridge breaking down, and that’s why we were closed. I was glad I wore this baggy long-sleeve shirt, since he also approached Mitzy. Maybe he was looking at anyone who might have been hurt during the shooting to prove it happened.”

Sheriff Cooper glanced at her arm. “Is it still aching? Just because the stitches look fine and it didn’t start bleeding, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have it looked at.”

“I’m fine.” She unwrapped her hands from the long ice packs and checked out her knuckles. They were red but she hadn’t broken the skin. She moved her fingers, making fists. They were sore but nothing felt broken.