“I want to hear your side of the story.” The deputy folded his arms across his chest, settling back into his chair.Look at me. I’m not going anywhere.
Might as well tell the whole story. “He found me as a kid. Raised me.”
“There’s no record of you having attended school.”
“He homeschooled me.”
“You’ve no medical records or much history at all. You’re not sure if Noah is your real name or not. Or are you?”
“No. I don’t know my real name, okay? He found me when I was little. I didn’t know who I was or where I came from.”
“So he raised you and left?”
“He went to find… to see if I had family somewhere.”
“He couldn’t use the phone or Internet?”
“He didn’t like phones or the Internet. And he didn’t know how to get in touch with them anyway.”
“Too easy to track, right? Wouldn’t want anyone to get in the way of his drug business.”
Fuck! So hehadknown of Paul. Noah shot to his feet, knocking the discarded paper bag to the floor. “What the fuck do you want from me? Either arrest me or let me go.”
“Shhh… shhh…” The deputy held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Sheriff Mac always said I’m not good at questioning folks.”
“Who is Sheriff Mac?”
“Me.” A big man walked through the door, taller even than Slade and more solidly built. Though he appeared fiftyish, no gray showed in his black hair. He nodded toward the open windows. “Did letting some air in help?”
“A little,” the deputy said. “I’m afraid I’m botching this a bit.”
The big man—the sheriff—gave a lazy smile. “You always do. I’ll take things from here. You go keep his friend company. When I passed through the lobby, Mr. Slater looked ready to tear down a few walls.”
“Yes, sir.” The deputy met Noah’s eyes one last time. “This is Sheriff McKinzie. Mac, to those who know his secrets. They call me Buddy.” He winked. “You’ll be in good hands.”
Sheriff McKinzie waited until the deputy left, sank into his chair, not speaking, just… sniffing with his hawk’s beak of a nose.
Then the strange scent from earlier made sense.
Another wolf.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
ThesheriffstaredatNoah a few moments with squirm-inducing regard. “Sorry if Buddy scared you a bit. He’s the best at figuring out human crime scenes, but doesn’t know how to handle our kind, gets a bit protective of the people he claims.”
Had Noah slipped into an alternate reality? Best to play dumb for now. “Our kind?” The sheriff appeared to be of Native American ancestry.
“Don’t lie to me, boy,” the sheriff growled. “I know a wolf when I smell one. You should, too, out of survival instincts, if nothing else. We’ve been following you and your friend out there since you hit this state.” He nodded in the direction of the waiting area. “Wondering where you were going, what you were up to, whether you’d led any hunters here. Don’t get me wrong. We’re not afraid of them. We know how to take care of our own.”
“And?” There had to be an “and” coming.
“We think you were absolutely fucking clueless of how to find us if that’s what you intended. Thosewereyour intentions, right?”
“Yes. Slade’s been trying to find me a pack.”
Mac rested his elbows on the desk, steepling his fingers. A silver pendant hung from his neck, too hidden in his shirt to make out the image. “Why? Humans don’t help shifters, except maybe to quit breathing. How did he even know about us?”
“As I told your deputy, sir, he found me wounded. Hard to miss how fast I healed. As for why he’s helping me, he’s got a witch in the family who threatened him if he didn’t.” Please, let protecting his ears from a vindictive auntie not be the only reason Slade kept Noah around.