Head Hunter (City Shifters the Pack #3) - Layla Nash Page 0,73
or enough evidence to get a warrant for someone’s arrest, but...”
When she trailed off, my stomach sank.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” Deirdre said quietly. “And we all know what Bridger is capable of.”
I gripped the edge of the table, my breakfast forgotten. What the hell did that mean?
Chapter 28
Dodge
Dodge didn’t like that Persephone was uncomfortable following their morning nookie, and would have started a brawl if it would have made her feel better. He figured she just wanted to hide out for a second to regain her composure, so he dragged her into the kitchen for some space and quiet. But they had to face the crowd eventually, since the only reason they’d bothered to leave his bedroom was for her to talk to the detective. Dodge’s thoughts drifted to the long night they’d spent together, the smell of her skin, the way she’d sighed and moved against him...
He almost missed O’Brien saying they couldn’t decisively pin the murders on Bridger or guarantee Persephone’s safety. His hackles raised immediately at the thought of the lingering threat to her. He didn’t like the tension that vibrated through her, right next to him, and the fact that she’d stopped eating. “Why don’t we just go kill them all?”
It was an elegant solution as far as he was concerned. Bridger and her people lived by the sword, it was only fitting they died by the sword. It was a very simple calculation.
The detective shot him a dark look. “Do not give me any reason to suspect you of premeditated murder, wolf. I’ll not hear another word of this, except to say you should all be very careful. I’m calling in assistance from one of the financial crime specialists to dig into her series of companies. We might be able to arrest her for tax irregularities or something like that. In the meantime, Percy, I strongly recommend you hunker down.”
“But...” Persephone glanced at him and then back to the detective. “I have to work. I mean, obviously not at the sanctuary, but there are other jobs that I’ve sent sketches for, and my apartment... My whole life stops for this?”
Dodge squeezed right where her shoulder met her neck, wanting to massage the tension out of her. “Babe, it’s just a pause. Just short-term.”
“And if you don’t do it, your life stops permanently,” Evershaw added, rather unhelpfully as far as Dodge was concerned.
Dodge scowled at him as Persephone sucked in a deep breath. She wasn’t from their world, she didn’t understand how serious the danger actually was. Murder and hitmen existed in a movie world kind of reality, not the reality that meant it could reach out and hurt her. He loved that innocence and bright optimism and the sweetness she had, but it terrified him to his soul that she would trust the wrong person or assume good intentions when the world was full of awfulness.
O’Brien lay her hands flat on the table and didn’t look at the alpha. “As I said, there is no specific threat against you, Percy. There is no contract out on you, we’ve seen no indications that she’s hired anyone to deal with this particular problem. That doesn’t mean everything is fine and you can go back to your normal life. It means I recommend being overly cautious in everything you do. If you don’t want to stay with the pack, I can have you placed into protective custody, and –“
“No,” Dodge said, shaking his head. The very thought of not knowing where Persephone was made the wolf claw his way to the surface, seeking reassurance that their mate was still theirs to protect. “It’s safer here.”
Deirdre leaned back in her chair and arched a dark eyebrow. “It’s her choice, wolf.”
He tensed, but knew she spoke the truth. If Persephone truly wanted to go back to her normal life and avoid any links to the supernatural, she might have been more comfortable in a safe house with a bunch of human cops. Even if he knew they couldn’t protect her the way he could. His skin prickled and a growl started, too low for a human to hear, though Evershaw and Todd gave him hard looks.
Persephone took a deep, somewhat shaky breath, and tried to pick up her fork. It was a testament to how freaked out she was that she dropped it twice before succeeding. “I think – I think I could stay here. But I need clothes and my laptop and things from my apartment.”