Dreaming of the Wolf (Heart of the Wolf #8)(81)

“When did he get it from you, Miss Greiston?” the chief asked.

So that was the crux of the matter. If she hadn’t actually seen him, hadn’t been able to enter the condo to speak with him because he was already dead, how did he manage to get hold of her driver’s license?

“Where did the police find it?” she asked, her voice dry.

The chief tapped one boot on the tile floor. “The Denver police wouldn’t say.”

“If you’re done with Alicia…” Jake let his words trail off, not wanting her to be subjected to any more of an interrogation when the chief had no business asking her questions concerning the crime scene in Denver.

The chief straightened a bit and looked sympathetic. “They found blood on the sheets, Miss Greiston. And in a couple of other unspecified locations. I’m sure the Denver police will want to take a sample of your blood. Did he hurt you?”

Alicia had to have bled when the bastard Massaro bit her, Jake suspected. Hell. The only good thing in the whole matter was that forensics couldn’t determine her werewolf changes. But poor Alicia. Her face took on a whole new shade of white.

“Do you mind?” Jake asked the chief, as he leaned in to help Alicia up from the couch. “We’ll be headed back to Silver Town. If you have any further questions…”

“They found your fingerprints on the inside front doorknob, so they know you’d been in the condo,” the chief said to Alicia and added with a nod to Jake, “My son gave me the information of where she’ll be staying. Thanks. And good luck, Miss Greiston. We want to solve your mother’s murder as quickly as you do. Let us know if you learn anything further, won’t you?”

She halfheartedly nodded.

“Good. Then we’ll be seeing you.”

Jake wrapped his arm around Alicia’s waist and helped her out of the bank and to the vehicle while Tom and Peter followed, and their guard detail reloaded into the SUVs.

“Drive, will you, Tom?” Jake asked, his voice terse as he pondered what they were going to do about the Denver police.

Chapter 18

Jake helped Alicia into the backseat and went around the vehicle to join her while Tom settled into the driver’s seat and Peter rode in the passenger’s seat. Their guard force led the way again. Jake hoped to assuage her concerns at once. Although the problem of her connection to Massaro’s murder wasn’t going to be easy to explain to the police.

“Oh, Jake,” Alicia said on a moan, as soon as he shut his door, “the Denver police will learn what I am as soon as they analyze the bloodstains.”

“No, don’t concern yourself.” He took her in his arms as Tom drove back to Silver Town. “Our werewolf genetics are such that as humans we have only human DNA. As wolves, only wolf DNA. Now, if they found both, blood from when you were a wolf and from when you were human, it’d make them believe a wolf and a human were in the room.”

She melted against his chest and sighed heavily. “Then if they do discover wolf’s blood in the condo, they’ll assume I lied about having a wolf at the Crestview Motel. I’m just getting myself deeper and deeper into this. And dragging your family into the whole mess. Before long, don’t you think they’ll get a warrant to search your place to see if I’m hiding a wolf there?”

“They won’t find any.”

“But what if I shift? I thought I was controlling it, but anytime now I could just, poof, turn into a wolf. And if I do it in front of a bunch of police officers—”

“We’ll deal with it, Alicia. You’re one of us, part of a pack. We’ll take care of this in any way that we have to.”

Tom said, “You want me to take her home.” But the tone of his voice was more of a question—did Jake want to take her to see Doc Weber instead?

Of course the doc made house calls when necessary, but in Alicia’s case, Jake assumed he’d need blood work, a urine sample, and a proper physical exam to tell if she was pregnant and make sure she and the baby would be all right. At least he thought that’s what was needed. He was certain that if he proposed it in front of Alicia with Tom and Peter listening in, she’d be upset with him. On the other hand, he didn’t want to take her to the hospital under false pretenses.

“The hospital, Tom.”

Alicia tried to pull away from Jake, her spine stiff, her whole body posture saying she was mad at him for even suggesting such a thing, but he held on tight, forcing her to remain in his arms until he felt the tension drain from her. She relaxed again, but not of her own accord, he felt. Rather, she just wasn’t feeling up to fighting him.

He kissed the top of her head and enjoyed the feel of her soft supple curves, her feminine fragrance, and her thick silky hair beneath his cheek. He wanted to give her a life free of worry by sequestering her from the interrogations, taking care of Mario and his bastards, and showing Alicia the way of their people until she felt comfortable being one of them.

But now they had a new dilemma. Who was Alicia’s father? And why had he and Alicia’s mother died?

Jake expected Alicia to say something about the visit to the hospital, but she didn’t voice a word. He felt guilty for forcing this on her, but they had to know. If she was pregnant, she needed to be seeing the doctor anyway.

“Call ahead to the hospital, will you, Peter, and make an appointment?” Jake said to the sheriff. He didn’t want to let go of Alicia for a second to try and fish his phone out when she seemed content enough to relax in his arms.