Darien glanced in the direction of the dead man and the deputy organizing a party to carry him. “Now that you mention it, Jake said he thought he smelled one near Lelandi. And we heard a couple of howls. Why didn’t Peter mention smelling any?”
“I was the only one who caught a whiff of it in the breeze. He discounted what I smelled. Said my sniffer wasn’t as keen as it used to be. I’ll give him that, but I know what I smelled.” Hastings shook his head. “Young whippersnappers.”
“Darien, wait up, boss!” Deputy Jorgenson shouted, chasing after him. “We’ve found evidence a red was in the area.”
Darien gave Hastings a knowing look.
Hastings snorted. “Yeah, my sniffer’s out of whack.”
Deputy Jorgenson handed a patch of red fur to Darien. “Found it stuck to some brambles and definitely smells like a red lupus garou.”
Darien looked up at his men. “It’s fresh. Hell, he’s got to be a royal.”
“Same one I smelled.” Hastings gave the deputy a pointed glower.
“Post guards for the woman around the clock. Darien said.
“Yes, sir.” Deputy Jorgenson took off running toward town.
“That young man’s got what it takes to be sheriff some day,” Mason said.
“Only if he listens to his elders,” Hastings clarified.
Darien continued toward town. “Another sixty or so years, I’m sure Uncle Sheridan will give up his job.”
Hastings shook his head. “He’ll want to retire once he learns all hell broke loose while he was on vacation for the first time in ten years.”
Mason snorted. “He’ll be in hog heaven—ordering folks around. We haven’t had this much excitement since that mental patient broke out of a loony bin, killed his family, then hid out here.”
“One reason not to allow humans to live in our town,” Hastings said.
Darien didn’t agree. “Keeps us on our toes. Otherwise, we’d get careless.”
A large gathering of men at the edge of town were talking about the crimes committed. Most lupus garou societies blended with human-run towns. Silver Town was different—run and controlled by lupus garous since its inception when the first settlers moved west, and Darien’s family had opted to keep it that way.
When they reached them, Mervin spoke to Darien. “The red sure stirred up this quiet little town. Don’t imagine it’s going to settle down none for a time, either.”
“The lady’s going home, soon as I explain how her sister died.”
Several cast sideways glances at each other.
“As soon as she’s well enough to travel,” he added.
Some nodded, but he could tell they didn’t believe him. The only way to prove his word was to send her packing, and he would, just like he said.
“See you boys later.”
Darien stalked up the street to his SUV. Lelandi hadn’t been in her grave three weeks, now this. But another thought puzzled him. If she’d cut ties with her family, how had Larissa learned about her sister’s death?
If she hadn’t been his soul mate, he would never have gotten involved with a red who had family, not without her parents’ and the head of her pack’s permission. He damn well suspected now she hadn’t been a loner, giving up her pack, like she’d said.
Climbing into the vehicle, he took a deep breath and smelled the new car leather. The vehicle was supposed to be perfect for a family, this one having four doors to accommodate the triplets. He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the steering wheel hard. Several had warned him not to take the red for his mate, yet he couldn’t get her out of his system, vivacious and spirited as she was. But he should have known she wouldn’t have been strong enough to be a pack leader’s mate.
When he parked at Silver Town Hospital, he noted the large number of vehicles there, Probably some of Sam’s kin come to check him out. And Uncle Sheridan’s sons, the twenty-four-year-old quadruplets, were there, too, probably looking in on cousin Tom. Darien blew out his breath. Keeping the community calm after the Incident was going to be some job.
He stalked into the hospital. With some reservation, several of the women and men greeted him in the waiting area. He could see he was going to be in the doghouse until he settled the matter.
Wearing hearts and flowers—decorated scrubs, Ritka glowered at him with her good eye. The other was half-shut and turning green and yellow. “That bitch is in room four. If Doc wants someone to take care of her, he’ll have to hire someone else.”
“What about Cecilia?”
“Off today.”
“Call her in.”
Ritka’s jaw dropped. “But—”
“Call her in, or I will. You don’t want me to have to do it.”
Snapping her mouth shut, Ritka shoved her brown hair behind her ears. “All right, but she’s not going to like it.”
Ritka grabbed the phone and hit a button, then tapped her long nails on the check-in counter. “Cecilia? It’s me. Ritka. Get your butt in here. We’ve got three patients with gunshot wounds, and the boss is calling the shots,” She tilted her head to the side and gave Darien another dirty look. “Yeah, no shit. Three gunshot wounds and Darien said to get in here now.” Ritka hung up the phone and folded her arms. “You can put up with her next, and believe you me, she won’t treat your new fancy any better.”
“Keep a civil tongue where the woman’s concerned. Ritka. She’s a patient under my protection.” Darien growled.
Her brown brows jerked upward.
“Yep,” he said for her ears only. “She’s one of ours until I can send her home to her own pack, so mind your P’s and Q’s. I won’t have anyone treating her poorly. You can tell your friends I said so.”
“Well, well,” Silva said, slipping in on the conversation. Darien swore she had hearing that beat anybody’s. “So she’s an official member of the pack already.”
“Unofficial. And you can spread the word.” If anyone could, it was Silva.
“Will do, boss.” Sliva winked. “She doesn’t look too good. Been asking for a Doctor Weber. Figure it’s her pack doctor. Kind of out of it. I don’t think she realizes she’s not back home, wherever that is.”
“Where’s Doc Oliver?”
“Stitching up Sam.” Silva glanced at Ritka. “Doc says if you want to keep getting a paycheck you’d better get into exam room number three, now.”
Cursing under her breath, Ritka shoved past her and stalked down the hall.
Darien shook his head. Silver Town wouldn’t be considered civilized by big town standards. He headed for room number four and glanced over his shoulder when Silva followed behind him. “Don’t need an escort.”
“Is that an order?”
Ignoring her, Darien walked into the white room, where the smell of antiseptic was overwhelming. Larissa blinked her eyes. The railings were locked in place to keep her from falling out of the bed, her wrists were restrained. Her face was ghastly pale in stark contrast to her black hair, stretching down to her waist over the white sheets. How could one little red lupus garou walk into town and turn it upside down?
“Why is she restrained?” Darien drew closer to the bed, wanting to touch her, to assure himself she was real and well on the road to recovery.
“Ritka said she tried to climb out of bed, but she might have restrained her out of spite.”
“Nope.” Doc Oliver said, walking into the room. “Little lady tried to leave when I showed up instead of some Doctor Weber.” He folded his arms and observed her. “She’s Lelandi’s twin, isn’t she?”
“Yeah,” Darien said. “By the name of Larissa.”
“She’s got tenacity. Even as bad off as she is, four of us had to restrain her. She’s on heavy-duty medication, and even so, she’s fighting it.”