Chapter27
1718 Words
After briefing my cousin, Dylan, and his mate about Cole Grayson’s new–how can I put this–condition, I also informed them of his possible direct link to the missing items from the building site.
“Thanks. I’ll alert Isaac and have him monitor any strange activities from there,” Dylan replied. “We wouldn’t want to tip Cole off, now would we?”
“How’s the internal audit coming along?” I inquired, being my nibby self.
“Slow…” Dylan let out a long sigh.
“But it needs to be,” Hanna reminded her mate. “We need to have every ‘t’ crossed and every ‘i’ dotted.”
Dylan pulled Hanna closer to him, kissed her temple, and said, “I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. I was too worked up to notice you.” And the atmosphere became A.W.K.W.A.R.D.
“We’ll continue this conversation later…after Sergeant and his daughter leave,” Hanna assured her mate, looking lovingly into his green eyes.
“Okay,” he whispered in her ear.
“Ahem,” I coughed, alerting them to my presence. I shifted awkwardly on the bed.
“Sorry, Mike,” Dylan apologized…sort of. He smirked. Asshole.
“Sergeant, what else is going on? Are you okay?” Hanna asked me with concern on her face.
“Nothing’s going on. I’m fine,” I lied.
I stood from the bed and walked near the windows. One hand ran through my hair and the other one scratched the back of my neck. When they dropped to my sides, I let out a long, hard sigh and began pacing the room.
“You wanna try that again, Sergeant…but with the truth this time?” Hanna pressed.
She’s getting too good at this interrogating stuff. Of course, she learned it from me. Wink. If you believe that I have a bridge to sell ya.
“Seriously, Mike, what’s bothering you?” Dylan asked while digging his phone from his back pocket.
Rubbing my hand across my mouth, I grumbled, “I don’t even know where to start.” I plopped down on Hanna’s bed, causing her to bounce slightly. Sorry.
“The beginning usually works,” Hanna smart-mouthed, readjusting herself.
“Ha-ha,” I sarcastically laughed. “There’s too many to list.”
“Well, cuz, just give us the top ones,” Dylan advised me. “Whatever gets mentioned here will stay here, between us.” Hanna nodded, nestling herself closer to her mate.
“Okay,” I sighed. “Someone’s been watching my house… AndIthinkIsawmydeadmate’sfaceinapuddle.”
“You what?” Hanna and Dylan asked in unison.
My nervous tick resumed as I rubbed my face and scratched the back of my neck.
“Someone’s been watching my house,” I answered the easier one.
“Would you like our guys to watch your place for you?” Dylan offered.
“No,” I abruptly answered. “PD’s been notified about it.”
“Good. I’m glad Uncle Fenton knows about that,” Hanna chimed in.
“Yeah… I’d like to stick around for my daughter.”
“About that, Sergeant. I’m sorry for how I reacted,” Hanna apologized. “I wasn’t expecting her to be—”
“Like me? Yeah, I was shocked too when I first met her,” I spoke, interrupting her. “Poor kid.”
“Not exactly what I was going to say” she muttered silently. The next sentence she directed at me. “And the jumbled words were about what?”
“I’m not sure. Truthfully,” I uttered. “But I’m feeling like I’m losing my mind.”
“Finally—”
“And what the hell was that remark supposed to mean?” I asked them rather offendedly.
“Well…”
“Um… You haven’t been acting like yourself lately,” Dylan explained.
“What the hell are you talking about, Dylan?” I ranted. “There’s nothing wrong with me. All I said was that NOW, I’m feeling like I’m losing my mind. Keep up.”
“Our apologies, Sergeant. Please, continue,” Hanna instructed.
“Okay, so what’s gotten you so riled up?” Dylan added.
“IthoughtIsawmydeadmate’sfaceinapuddle,” I mumbled quickly.
“You saw who in what?” Dylan asked, picking up on the important parts.
“My ma…Jewel’s mother…Amber’s face in a puddle,” I struggled to get out.
At the sound of my dead mate’s name, Hanna stiffened up again, grabbing both Dylan and her blankets. The color quickly drained from her face. Dylan let loose a low growl, showing his canines. Eh, I can’t blame him. I unintentionally upset his mate. Sorry. Thank the Moon he hasn’t kicked me out yet.
“Sissy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” I apologized.
“I’ll be okay, Sergeant,” she whispered, getting her breath back. The natural pretty pink of her cheeks slowly returned. “It’s okay, Dyl. I’m okay.” He pulled her tighter and kissed her temple again. “Thank you.”
“That’s not your first time having that reaction, is it?” I asked, concerned.
“No…it’s not,” she replied.
“Yeah, I saw her freak out the day you were shot, and that”— He carefully chose his next word. — “Cop carried her away from me.”
“George. His name is George,” Hanna reminded her mate.
“Right. I knew that Lil Bet,” he bragged.
Hanna gave her signature look– “Are you an i***t?”--to her mate. And my mind immediately went back to that fateful day. I was lying on the ground with my blood oozing from the gunshot wound. Hanna tried to help remove the bullet. And the wonderful scent of orange blossom, soft musk, and ginger…her cousin, Tiffeny! She’s my—
“Ugh!” I yelled, gripping my forehead. Sharp pains pounded inside my brain, blacking my vision again. Here we go, again.
“Sergeant!”
“Mike!”
“Dylan, scoot me closer to him. He needs my help.”
My cousin helped Hanna reach me. Her small hands glowed with a soft light, mimicking the moonlight. I guess that this glow protected her against the silver bullet. She placed her hands on my temples. The warmth gently permeated my head. It grabbed the pain and forced it to stop throbbing. It felt like she was battling something in my head. And don’t you dare say it was my stubbornness. Unfortunately, Hanna could only get the pain to ease up, but could not remove it. Yay, me.
“Now do you understand why we’ve been asking you if you’re okay, Mike?” Dylan insisted. “The look on your face said you experienced a memory.”
“What memory? All I have is this migraine,” I griped, rubbing my eyes.
“Asshole,” Hanna whispered.
Thanks, Hanna. I love you, too.
“Thanks for helping Wolfdale City PD out again, Miss Grimm,” I stated, removing myself from the foot of her bed. My cousin and his mate gave me strange looks again. Was it something I said? Before I could say anything else, Henry poked his head through the doorway.
“Luna Hanna, it’s time for your protein shake,” Henry announced.
“I’m not drinking it,” she protested, crossing her arms.
“Lil Bet! You can’t get stronger, if you don’t drink it,” Dylan insisted and pressed his mate.
“You drink it then,” she kept on. “It’s disgusting!”
Dylan waved Henry over so he could try the infamous disgusting protein shake. This was the perfect opportunity to leave, but my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know how disgusting that shake was.
Dylan’s face scrunched up immediately after taking a sip. “Ugh…what the hell is in that thing?! Lil Bet’s right. That is disgusting,” he balked.
“Duh! Are you even making it correctly? Uncle Mac left specific instructions on how it should be mixed,” she inquired. A low growl rumbled from Dylan’s chest upon hearing the familiar name given to a Montgomery. Hey, give him a break. Old habits die hard.
“I’m sorry, Luna,” Henry began. “I haven’t found any instructions. I assumed it would be fixed like any other protein shake mix.”
“Do you know if any of the boxes were tampered with?” Dylan inquired.
“There’s a good possibility they may have been,” Henry confessed. “Everyone has access to the kitchen.”
“Then get either Luna Tiffeny or Dr. Montgomery to order a new batch and let them know why it’s needed,” Dylan instructed his butler. “Let’s start keeping them under lock and key.”
And there’s that name again—Tiffeny. Her alpha is an asshole for leaving her…but I do recall promising to find that asshole for her.
“Well, thank you again. I’ll collect my daughter, and we’ll see our way out,” I inserted, dismissing myself from the present conversation.
Dylan and Hanna looked at each other with worried looks on their faces.
“Uh…”
“Henry, quick! Follow him. He’s had another spell,” Dylan commanded.
Thanks for the shadow I didn’t need.
Henry kept a respectful distance behind me. If I were smart, I would’ve asked him where Luna Tiffeny had my daughter, but I didn’t. Instead, I followed the wonderful scent ever—orange blossoms, soft musk, and ginger. After many twists and turns through the indoor foliage, I found them in a large dining area. The afternoon sun shone through the large windows, creating a halo effect on both girls. The sight of them together took my breath away.
“Sergeant!” my little gem called out. “You surprised me,” she giggled. Crumbs covered her face.
“She had a snack. I hope that was okay,” Luna Tiffeny explained.
“Thanks. She has a bottomless pit for a stomach,” I replied with a goofy grin.
“Like someone else I know,” Tiffeny silently muttered.
“She didn’t give you any trouble?” I asked worriedly, knowing that Jewel could be a handful.
- Writer
