“I see.” And he did. A goofy grin rose up on the inside.
Tameka really did want him.
“There’s really nothing I can do but give her fluids and keep her under until her body finished transitioning,” Alex was saying.
“Does that mean she’ll be a shifter when she comes out of it?” Chad wasn’t sure how he felt about it. He liked Tameka just fine the way she was.
Alex picked up her chart and made a notation on it. “I really don’t know. I’ve never heard of anything like this before. I didn’t even know this could happen. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Three days later, Chad was firmly ensconced in a chair by her side, holding her hand when his phone rang for the fourth time that day. They had moved Tameka to one of the few private rooms that the clinic possessed. Pack members had been dropping by and calling his cell phone, checking on him and his mate. Plants with cards and balloons filled every available corner.
“Yeah, Bull. What’s up?” Bull, especially, had been keeping in close contact, running by his place to pick up items and generally keeping an eye on things for him.
“I drove your mate’s car home like you requested. There’s something here you need to see. I’ve already called Rome.” Since crime in Refuge was almost non-existent, Chad wasn’t overly concerned. “What is it?” Whatever it was, he doubted it was serious enough to require his leaving. He hadn’t moved from her side since he’d arrived and didn’t plan to now.
“I know you don’t want to leave your mate, but this is important; not something to discuss over the phone.” Bull disconnected the call.
Chad cursed. If Bull says it’s important, then it was. He wasn’t one to exaggerate.
He leaned over and kissed Tameka. “I have to go to your house to check out a few things. I’ll be back as soon as possible.
You concentrate on getting better.” He didn’t know if she could hear him, but talking to her made him feel better. As a result, he’d talked so much his voice was getting hoarse.
Chad stopped by the nurses’ station on the way out to let them know he was leaving, but that he’d be back as soon as possible and to call him immediately if there was any change in Tameka’s condition.
It was twilight when he pulled into Tameka’s yard. He’d made a quick stop at his house to pick up some more clothing and personal items. The clothes Bull brought him needed washing. Bull, Rome, and the Crime Scene Technician van were there, parked off to the side near one of the trees in the yard.
Rome met him as he exited the truck. “How’s Tameka?”
“Still heavily sedated. What’s going on?” His wolf was crawling under his skin, demanding he get back.
“Someone left a little present for your mate. Bull, bring that letter over here.”
Bull took something from Chuck, the nightshift’s Evidence Technician, and came jogging over. He handed a sheet of paper, already encased in a gallon-sized plastic Ziploc bag to Chad.
“This was pinned to the tree.”
BEAST LOVER. GO BACK WHERE YOU BELONG.
It was spelled out in letters cut from a newspaper and glued onto the paper.
Chad handed it back to him. “Any prints, or recognizable scent?”
Bull shook his head.
“Whoever did this knew what they were doing, or what they were dealing with,” Rome informed him.
“I don’t like what this note implies, but I don’t see why you couldn’t just tell me about this over the phone.” He was impatient to get back to his mate; felt like his presence was somehow needed.
“If it were just this, I wouldn’t have called. I’d have taken care of it and told you about it later. It’s the other that has me concerned,” Bull assured him.
“What other?” He wished they would just get on with it. He wasn’t in the mood for a long, drawn-out game of Find the Clues.
Bull and Rome gave each other a look. “You don’t smell it?
It’s over here. We left it up so you could see.” They led him over to where the others were working.
As they rounded the van, what he saw was shocking enough to bring him to a complete stop. How on earth had he missed this? The smell of death was strong in the air. An Alaskan Husky, amazingly wolf-like in its appearance, hung from a tree in the yard with a noose around its neck where she’d be sure to see it. The thing had been maliciously gutted with a butcher knife, still embedded in its belly. Entrails were hanging from various spots. “Shit, the animal cruelty people would have a field day with this.”
The words “beast lover” suddenly took on a new and ominous significance.
“Has your mate been having any problems that you know of? Any enemies she told you about? This can’t be an isolated incident,” Rome stated.
Chad couldn’t pull his eyes away from the gruesome sight, while deep inside anger burned and began to grow. “Monday someone left a box of dead roses on her porch. No note. It’s in the evidence room at the station. A couple of mornings later, she had two flat tires, both rear. I took her to work and got them fixed. After everything that’s happened, I forgot about it, but Tucker said it looked like someone drove a small nail through the tire so the air would slowly leak out.” He could kick himself for forgetting.
“Sounds like someone’s taken a nasty interest in your mate,” Rome commented.
“When I stopped in to get her keys, Ms. Lulu mentioned that someone was trying to get Tameka to sell this property. Said Tameka was smokin’ hot because they wouldn’t take no for an answer. You think this is somehow related?” Bull questioned.
“She tell you about this?” Rome asked Chad.
“She mentioned that she received an offer and her parents were upset that she didn’t sell. But that was when Ms. Emma first died, months ago. There’s been nothing recent, that I can remember.” Of course, they’d had other things on their minds than talking.
“She got a call that morning. Was offered four hundred thousand. Turned them down flat,” Bull informed them.
Both he and Rome turned to him with questioning looks.
“Me and Mona hang out some times. She told me about the conversation,” Bull said with a shrug.
“You think someone’s trying to run her off, thinking if they harass her enough they might be able to get their hands on the property,” Chad asked Rome.
“If so, it’s not anyone associated with the pack. The shifters around here all know this is Raven pack land,” Rome informed him.
“But it’s obviously someone that knows about us.” Bull pointed toward the tree. “That was targeted directly at you.”
“Then it could be anyone. Everyone in the county knows what we are,” Chad said in disgust.
“Not everyone,” Rome corrected. “Just those who grew up here in Refuge and have reason to know. We don’t reveal ourselves to just anyone.”
“So we know we’re looking for a non-shifter who knows about you, and doesn’t like the idea of you and Tameka together,” Bull stated.
“That could just be because if Tameka’s involved with someone, she’s less likely to want to leave. It may not have anything to do with Chad being a shape-shifter,” Rome speculated.
Chad could feel his wolf stirring. “Someone’s targeting my mate, and the threat is escalating. I’m going to find out who it is and when I do…” He broke off as his cell phone rang.
“Wilson.”
“Chad, you need to get back here pronto. It’s Tameka.”
“I’m on my way.” He stuck the phone back in his pocket, pulled out his keys and headed for the truck. “I’ve got to go.
That was the clinic.”
Rome called to his retreating back, “I’ll investigate and see what I can discover. I’ll also inform Alex about what’s going on.