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
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.”
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.
“Clear,” Bjornolf said after several minutes, then ushered them inside. He took Anna’s arm and pulled her aside and whispered, “Gray wolves, old scent.”
Anna stared at him, uncomprehending.
“Don’t you smell it?”
She took a deeper whiff and frowned. “Man and woman’s.”
Bjornolf nodded.
“The safe is in the basement,” Jessica said as she walked into the posh kitchen, everything crisp, clean, and white—cabinets, ceiling, tile countertops, blue and white chairs—with a warm golden floor and table, and big windows overlooking a field of evergreens covered in white.
She led the way down the stairs. “It’s a rec room. Pool table, exercise room.”
A massive, gray slate fireplace took up one wall, sooty and full of ashes, giving off a smoky smell. Dark wood paneling covered two walls, the ceiling, and the floor. A large TV sat against one wall, brown leather couches configured around it. Two narrow windows were situated high above, evergreen shrubs blocking what little light might have come through the windows on a day that wasn’t overcast.
The smell of bleach and lemon-scented wax cleaner masked the odor of smoke from the fireplace that would have dominated the room.
Jessica headed past the billiard table, a rowing machine, and a treadmill sitting against the opposite wall. A dartboard in a cabinet took center stage against a corkboard wall, perfect for really lousy shots.
“Do you come down here a lot?” Anna asked.
Jessica shook her head. “I don’t like it.” She shuddered.
