top of her dark red hair. Taking a deep breath of the tart apple and tasting the
sweet vanilla of her on his lips Kian felt the tension rachet back to a manageable
level."Missed you today baby. What did you do?" Kian asked as he set her down and
took the chair next to her.
"Laundry mostly, oh I had Kole pick up the rest of my stuff from the rental on his
way here too. When this stupid danger passes I can move back in there, but I am
sick of having half my stuff where I can't get to it, ya know."
"You don't have to do that. I'd like it if you stayed here. Permanently, with me."
Kian gave her a lopsided grin as everyone sat around the table, "how did I get so
lucky?"
Emma shook her head and stood up and dished out heaping portions of
the fragrant spicy chili into deep bowls. Kayla passed the plate piled high with
warm yellow cornbread muffins around.
"Don't you want to move in with me for good Emma?" Kian asked, his voice
tinged with fear.
Looking into his eyes as if he was the only person in the room, "No, Kian, oh
baby, no, thats not the part that bothered me. I would love to live here with you,
forever if you wanted." Now Emma looked away, staring down at her food, "but
I'm the one who got lucky Kian. You all wouldn't have to guard me twenty-four
seven if I had a wolf like you guys do."
"He would have us all here even if you had a wolf Emmmmmmmma." Kole said
around a mouthful of muffin. The rest of the table nodding their heads in
agreement.Nobody said anything else after that until after dinner was all gone,
everyone having second helpings of the delicious chili. Needing something to do
Kian got up to clear the table. While he was loading the dishwasher Kole wet a
wash cloth and wiped down the counters, stove and table. Lex wandered out and
with a back slap Kian knew was an apology for earlier started some coffee for
everyone. Walking back over to the table it hit him anew that these people here
were his whole world. The rest of the pack mattered to Kian, and he had always
given his all as their second, but he was positive losing the four people here right
now would kill him.
"So, Lex what were you able to find out?" Kian asked after everyone had
their cup of coffee.
"OK, the call was made on a burner cell, as far as I can tell only used that one
time. Probably purchased specifically for anoymity. So, unfortunately I won't be
able to tell you who the caller was. But I was able to ascertain the phone was
purchased from a gas station in northern Georgia. I doubt someone drove from
out of state to buy the phone. So I'm thinking maybe the caller lives in the area.
You're from there right Emma?"
"I lived there from 12 to 18, yeah." She nodded.
"Were any of your foster parents shifters?" Kayla asked.
"No, none of them. I knew better that so say anything about it too. That was my
Dad's number one rule." Emma answered."What if they don't live in the area, but are only there right now doing some
digging?" Kole asked.
"Into her father's disappearance, yeah, that would make sense." Lex nodded.
"What about her father? Were you able to find anything out about what may have
happened?" Kian asked Lex.
"There were no bodies found matching Patrick Lowe's description, but from the
file on his disappearance it seems the police down there believe he just ran off.
Since an adult has the right to do that, they didn't do much looking for him. But,
shit, I'm sorry Emma, there were remains found just across the South Carolina
border a few years later. The medical examiner estimated male mid 30's, dead
less than 5 years, but due to the condition of the body that was about it. That
case is still open."
"What is it about that particular body that makes you think it could be Emma's
father?" Kayla asked.
"Call it a gut feeling. The body had no clothing on it, had been burned before
being buried deep enough to never surface. The only reason it was even found
was a new housing development was put in. Every thing was done to make sure
it wasn't found. Oh, and that development, was miles of deep forest a few years
prior."
"Ok, your gut is enough for me Lex. That was probably Emma's father. Why was
he killed?" Kian asked, his hands steepled in front of him, elbows resting on thetable.
"That's where it got complicated. He didn't leave much of a trail for me to follow
back. But I did find a Beth Lowe killed in a single vehicle accident up in Vermont
years prior."
"Had to have been bad to kill a shifter like her." Kole added.
With a dirty look in Kole's direction, "it, ah, shit Emma, it was. She went off the
road into some trees. Apparently the impact was enough to sever her spine,
internally decapitating her. It would have been instant, but she would have known
it was coming."
"It's ok Lex, I don't remember her at all. Don't hold back for fear of hurting my
feelings. I would really rather be informed than protected." Emma told him.
"Ok. Weather wasn't a factor, and neither was alcohol. Best they could figure is
she swerved to avoid something in the road, an animal probably. But to me,
looking at the pictures in the file it looked like there was a car behind her. The
back drivers side corner of the vehicle was dented. The investigators who
handled it noted that was probably from a nearby tree as the car flew off the
road. There was also a skid mark heading away from the scene. The report said
the skid mark was probably there prior to the accident and unrelated.."
"But...." Kian prodded.
"But to me, it looks like she was run off the road. That is the way I would have
called it had I been first on the scene. And that patch of burnt rubber on the road,I would bet my badge whoever ran her off
