She hung up and met Ronan's expectant gaze. “The IIS are here."
He swore, long and loud.
"Yeah,” she said. “Exactly. I'm heading down there. I'll get Ike to meet Carson, and he'll have to assist you here."
Ronan nodded. “He's damn good with the cameras, so he can take over that job."
"Just keep an eye on him—with the IIS here, we can't afford any of his exuberant mistakes."
Ronan nodded and began taking photos of the body and the ceremonial ring of small stones surrounding it. She cast one more look at the victim, her gaze resting momentarily on the severed genital area, noting once again the lack of blood in the dirt beneath the body. She shivered and turned around, making her way back down the hill.
If history was repeating itself, she just had to hope that everything about that time of her life wasn't about to make an appearance. Because there were some sections she had no desire to revisit in any way, shape, or form.
"Ike,” she called, once she'd reached the clearing. “I want you to go down to the main road and wait for Doc Carson. Bring him up here and take him to Ronan. You're to help Ronan after that."
The young deputy's eyes lit up. “Really?"
"Really.” God, was she ever that enthusiastic? Probably not. By the time she'd applied for the deputy position, she'd truly seen the darker side of human and wolf nature. She'd known all too well the full extent of damage some people could do to others—physical or emotional.
"Matt, you want to ride back to town with me?"
The teenager nodded and climbed into her truck. She glanced back at Ike. “Do what Ronan tells you to—nothing more, nothing less."
Ike grinned and gave her a thumbs up, his carrot-bright hair glowing like a beacon in the morning sun. Savannah shook her head, climbed into her truck and headed back to town. By the time she'd dropped Matt off and talked briefly to his parents, thirty-five minutes had come and gone.
Kel looked up as Savannah opened the front door of their little section of city hall, her expression a mix of amusement and annoyance. “Our dear IIS officer is not impressed with tardiness. Or so he's said every five minutes for the last fifteen minutes."
"One of those, huh?"
"Yeah. All looks and no charm.” Kel placed a mug on the counter, and the rich aroma of cinnamon coffee teased Savannah's nostrils. “Here, take this. You're going to need it."
Savannah grimaced and picked up the steaming mug. “What excuse did you give him?"
"I didn't. He's not my boss and he certainly wasn't polite, so he didn't deserve an update."
She couldn't help a grin. “So did he get that coffee?"
"Machine blend, not the good stuff."
Meaning he'd really pissed her off. “Could you take all my calls while I deal with this fellow?"
"Will do."
"Thanks, Kel."
Savannah sipped the sweet, aromatic liquid, fortifying herself as she walked around the counter and trundled down the long hall to her office. The door was shut, and the blinds shuttered, affording her no glimpse of the grump who'd manage to annoy their usually jovial administration assistant.
She grasped the handle with her free hand and pushed the door open. “Sorry to keep you wait—"
The rest of her words died as the man inside turned around.
Shock and something else, something she couldn't quite define, rippled through her. The man standing so calmly in the middle of her office was the one man she'd hoped never to see again.
For too many minutes, all she could do was stare. This man had haunted her dreams for nigh on ten years, yet except for the crow's-feet near his eyes, his too-handsome features showed no real sign of aging. He was a big man, just over six feet tall, his build lean but powerful, like that of a sprinter. His hair was dark brown, but the mahogany highlights she'd so adored now contrasted with the flecks of silver that gleamed in the sunlight streaming in through the window behind him. Once upon a time his hair had been long and tied back carelessly in a ponytail—a ponytail she always used to undo, just so she could run her fingers through those gloriously silken lengths. Now it was short, barely even brushing the shoulders of his starched blue shirt.
Her gaze finally, inevitably, locked with his. For several heartbeats she couldn't think, was barely able to breathe, as the navy blue of his eyes all but consumed her.
Heat prickled across her skin and ignited a familiar ache deep inside. She knew she had to move, had to do something other than simply stand here and let him consume her like this. Yet, she couldn't tear herself away from the power of that gaze. From the memories she saw deep within it.