“That’s what we figure. Hunter said your team might have been set up. What if the evidence is in the safe?”
“All right. I’ll check it out.”
“We’re coming with you.” Nathan sounded both eager and adamant.
“No.” Bjornolf didn’t need the kids getting in trouble if he and Anna get caught trying to get into a safe in the Evertons’ home.
“We have to. Jessica’s the only one who knows where the safe is hidden. And I’m not letting her go alone.”
Bjornolf suspected that if she told him where it was located, he could find it. He couldn’t fault Nathan for wanting to help. Or be first on the scene if Bjornolf and Anna did learn the truth about Jessica. “Can she get into the safe?”
“She thinks so. You’re bringing Anna, aren’t you?”
Bjornolf would rather let her sleep, but he wasn’t leaving her behind. “Yeah.”
“We’ll meet you there in half an hour.”
“I’ll let Hunter give the family you’re staying with a heads-up that you’ll be meeting us there. If you get there first, wait for us before you enter the house.”
“Will do.”
They ended the conversation and Bjornolf called Hunter.
“Yeah,” Hunter answered the phone, sounding half asleep.
Bjornolf relayed the information to him, though normally he would have just done his job and not informed anyone he was doing it. He kind of liked the idea of having backup and not being out on a limb all by himself for a change.
Now, Hunter was fully awake. “Who do you need?”
“Jessica and Nathan are meeting us there.”
“I don’t really care for that setup,” Hunter said, but he didn’t object. He trusted Bjornolf to do what was right.
“I know. Me, neither. If she’s the only one who can show us where the safe is and can get into it, I’m going to let them go along to help out.”
“I’ll send Finn and our police officers for backup. They’ll keep perimeter watch in case anyone comes snooping around.”
“All right. We’re on our way.” Bjornolf ended the call, saw a shadow move into his space, and glanced at the entryway to the laundry room. He smiled to see Anna dressed all in black. Boots. Jeans. Turtleneck. And jacket. Her hair was tucked into a bun.
He took her into his arms and kissed her. “Good morning.”
She slid her hand down his naked chest. “Are you going as a wolf, or are you getting dressed first?”
“If we had time, I’d take you back to bed first.”
“Promises, promises.” She glanced at the mud left in the laundry sink. “Thanks for taking care of the rest of the clothes. I’ll just clean this out while you get dressed.” Then she looked at her sweater and jacket laid out on top of the dryer. She didn’t say a word, but he could see by her expression how disappointed she was. He wanted to tell her he’d bought replacements, but he also wanted them to be a surprise.
“Sorry for the late-night clandestine operation,” he said, trying to cheer her up.
“All in the job.” She smiled up at him. “We can make up for it when we get home.”
“Too bad we couldn’t get started on making up for it before we go.”
Chapter 21
When they reached the tree farm, Anna couldn’t help but look in the direction of the pit Everton had dumped her into. She’d felt the cold seep into her bones as soon as she and Bjornolf arrived.
“You alright?” Bjornolf reached for Anna’s hand, giving it a squeeze.
“Yeah. I’m okay. I worry about Jessica’s frame of mind, though. The only father she knows is in jail, and no one’s been able to reach her mother. Now she has all these other issues to deal with… I wonder how she’s handling it.”
“She’s lucky to have Nathan to help her through it. Can you imagine if we’d had each other when we were teens to deal with all our issues?”
Anna couldn’t even imagine having hooked up with Bjornolf as a teen. “We would have been a mess. Getting into all kinds of trouble.”
He laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. But we would have had fun. There they are,” Bjornolf said as Nathan and Jessica moved out of the darkness.
Except for their blue jeans, Anna noted, they were dressed in all black just like she and Bjornolf were, as if they were teen versions of undercover operatives.
Jessica was a pretty blonde with dark brown eyes, and Anna thought she looked sweet and innocent, except for the fact that she was a mated wolf and could be expecting.
Jessica was tucked under Nathan’s arm as if he was protecting her. Jessica’s gaze settled on Anna. From the intense look Jessica gave her, Anna knew she wanted to say something to her.
“Jessica,” Anna finally said, her voice hushed, as if giving her permission to ask whatever she wanted to.
“I didn’t… use it yet.” Jessica’s gaze remained steady on Anna. “The directions said to use it first thing in the morning.”
“Ah.” The pregnancy test.
Nathan took a deep breath.
“I want… I want you to read the results with me when I do it.” Jessica was still watching Anna, studying her reaction.
“Sure. I will.” Anna suddenly had a frog in her throat.
Jessica swallowed, her eyes shimmering with tears. “I… I can’t tell my mom about this. I mean, about any of this. Nathan, the wolf stuff. Not any of this.” She said it as though she was asking a question.
“No, you can’t. Do you have any clue where your mom would have gone?” Anna needed to have a heart-to-heart talk with Jessica. Having to keep the werewolf part of their existence secret from humans was essential.
“I think my Aunt Helen had to speak with her. But I called there and no one was answering the phone. I’m kind of worried about her. Nathan told me that he saw my uncle kissing my mom, and… I just figured it was family stuff. But… Nathan said it wasn’t that kind of kiss. What if Aunt Helen found out about it? I’m just glad my dad wasn’t here at the time. He probably would have killed Uncle William.” Jessica took a deep breath, thinking about how her father had tried to murder Anna.
“Hunter’s looking into it.”
Anna wondered how Jessica was dealing with her dad’s actions. In that instant, Anna saw herself as a teen again. No way did she want Jessica to have to carry this burden all on her own. She wanted Jessica to know she could speak with her about any of it. After what Anna had been through, if Jessica was pregnant, she’d refer her to Tessa in the matter. Gladly.
Jessica didn’t look happy, but nodded and then motioned to the house. “I’ll show you where the safe is. We’ll go in the back way through the kitchen.”
Anna’s phone rang, and when she answered it, Finn said, “We’re in place on the perimeter of the tree farm. Yale’s on his way to give us more backup if we need it, since he’s handling the case.”
“Good. We’re about to enter the house.”
Anna relayed the news to Bjornolf that backup was in place.
“Who is this Yale guy?” Bjornolf sounded very much like a jealous mate.
“He’s got a mate, Bjornolf. Don’t worry. I met him on an assignment in Washington, DC. He went to Yale, so that’s what we call him. Smart as can be.”
“Too bad he isn’t on Hunter’s team.”
“Some of us need to be in the field with humans. Like I was. Like you and Hunter and his team were.”
“Agreed.” Bjornolf unlocked the door to the kitchen with the key Jessica provided, gun readied, then pushed the door open with a squeak. “You stay here with the kids, and I’ll check the house out.”
Anna nodded. She could easily check the house while Bjornolf stayed with the kids, but she knew it wouldn’t have looked right. Nathan would expect Bjornolf to protect her and the kids. Even as highly trained as she was, the perceptions still reigned—big bad he-wolf protects she-wolf and offspring.