Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,39
his breath. This was getting him nowhere, except frustrated. Jim retreated to the main room of the suite and took a look at the guidebook to the town. He needed a few things if he was going to be here a while, so he set about identifying the local businesses that might have what he needed.
That occupied his mind well enough that he was able to answer the door without embarrassment when someone knocked. He found a tall man in a police uniform on the other side, carrying a shopping bag.
“I’m the sheriff. Sorry I couldn’t meet you at the airport. Joe had me collect this and bring it over.” The big man handed the shopping bag to Jim. “I think it’s clothes,” he added.
“Thanks. I’m Jim Hanson.” Jim offered his hand for a friendly shake.
“Shane McClure,” the sheriff responded, taking Jim’s hand for a firm shake. “I just wanted to come by and let you know that I’m available for backup, should you need it. I’ve talked to Joe about your mission here, and he’s concerned that this may impact the town, so he’s given me wide latitude to assist as needed.”
“That’s great,” Jim replied. “I’m not sure what I’ll turn up, but I’ll keep you posted if I find anything you should know about. So far, all we have is one of my target’s aliases showing up on some of the paperwork associated with that old mill just beyond the town limits.”
Shane nodded. “Understood. We don’t have a big department, but I have a couple of deputies who could help out if you want to set up surveillance or anything like that.”
“Thank you. I’m not sure yet, what we’ll need, but I will be checking that place out. Some of my contacts are still tracking down the rest of the paperwork, so they might come up with some new leads as well,” Jim told him.
“Those contacts of yours wouldn’t happen to be on the Washington Coast, would they?” Shane asked, a glimmer of laughter in his eyes.
“As a matter of fact, some of them are,” Jim replied, nodding.
“I’ve heard a lot about the bear town out there. Big John and his guys were approaching legendary status before they retired,” Shane observed.
“That they were,” Jim agreed. He knew all about Special Forces legends, considering his uncle, but he wasn’t going to volunteer that information if Shane didn’t already know.
“Good group of men,” Shane summed up his feelings. “Let me know what you need. Here’s my contact info.” He handed Jim a business card with the sheriff’s office logo emblazoned on it, along with Shane’s name, title and phone numbers. The handwritten number on the back was for his cellphone.
“Thanks,” Jim replied. “I’ll keep you in the loop. So far, it’s observe and assess. If I go active, I’ll try to give you some advanced warning.”
“Good enough.” Shane nodded and left.
Jim closed the door and took a peek into the bag. It was a change of clothing—things that would actually fit. Jim would have to remember to thank the Alpha for arranging this so he could at least go shopping in town today without looking like a vagabond.
Jim went back into his bedroom and changed into the new clothes. They fit well enough, and he didn’t look like a bum. That would have to do. He had his wallet and phone, which was all he needed to resupply with the other things he’d need. He just had to go out and get shopping while everything was still open. Hopefully, he could pick up a few things before dinner.
He didn’t hear any more noise from inside the bathroom, so Helen was probably done with her shower. He went back out to the common room of the suite and knocked gently on her door. She opened it a moment later and took his breath away with the fresh scent of her skin.
She’d put on a slinky cobalt blue dress she must’ve had in that ginormous bag of hers, and she looked like a million bucks. At this point, if she pulled an entire wardrobe out of that bag, he wouldn’t be surprised, but this dress had the look of something that would fold down to almost nothing. It fit her curves faithfully, in a way that made his mouth water.
“You look…” He had to clear his throat before continuing. “You look amazing.”
She smiled brightly at the compliment. “Thank you. I’ve never worn this before, but it’s specially designed for travel.” She modeled