Clarkson’s scowl morphed into surprise. “Well, I don’t know if that’s necessary. Our team has been making great progress…”
“Frosted fairy wings, Jack. Take the man up on his offer,” Mason insisted. The image from the other side knocked back and forth as he wrestled to regain control of the mirror. “Now, give me some privacy to talk to my friends.”
After the other detective left in a huff, Mason ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know what happened to him. He used to be a stand-up guy, but I think his obsession with this case has changed him over time.”
“Do you want me to contact the packs up there? I can’t promise it would do any good, though,” Dash admitted. “I just wanted to give your friend a hard time.”
“He deserved it.” Mason nodded at the wolf shifter. “But yeah, if you can find a way, I can stay here to help facilitate their help with the wardens.”
Big Willie cursed under his breath. “How much longer would you need to be there?”
“Only long enough to make sure that the right people are working together,” the detective said. “We don’t want someone like Jack trying to order shifters around. No good could come of that. So, the quicker you make your calls, Dash, the sooner I can return.”
“I’m on it,” the wolf shifter grunted, waving at the mirror.
“You have Charli get in touch with me if your colleague gives you any more guff,” Big Willie insisted. “Y’all ain’t the only ones with connections up there. I might have to flex my own friendships and teach him a lesson.”
The sheriff handed me the mirror, wishing me luck with Nana and giving me a little privacy to end the call.
“I wish you were already here,” I whined. “Maybe things would have gone faster if I’d stayed.”
Mason shook his head. “It would have been too dangerous. Some wardens have already been hurt, and yet Jack keeps pushing. If he’s not careful, he’ll find himself the only one left.” He breathed out a long breath. “Tell Dash I appreciate any help he can give. I’ll see you soon.”
“I love you, Mason.” My throat tightened with the threat of tears.
He kissed his two fingers and pressed them against the reflective surface. “Love you, too.” With a wave, his face disappeared from view.
Needing a quick moment to recharge before going back upstairs to Nana’s bedroom, I stepped outside onto the porch and found Dash pacing in frustration.
“Did what the other detective’s prejudice bother you?” I asked.
He scoffed. “I’ve heard much worse.” Dash did his best to hide his emotions, but the slight inhuman gleam in his eyes gave him away.
“I don’t know why you stopped by my grandmother’s house today, but I’m really glad you did,” I said, trying to calm him down.
The wolf shifter sighed. “I wanted to see if you’d heard anything from Ben. If what we’d found was worth anything. And I came by here because you weren’t at home and this was the most likely place you’d be.”
Of course Dash would want to know about the town covenant. He’d been integral in helping to retrieve it in the first place.
“Ben woke me up this morning,” I started.
Dash’s eyebrows raised. “He did, did he?”
I hit his arm. “Not like that. He was just so excited, and I’d been so knocked out after my magical efforts that I didn’t hear him knocking on my door. Anyway, he said that from his first cursory inspection, any change in town council positions forces a vote by all citizens. So, it looks like we might have found a very nice counterclaim to anything my aunt tries to pull.”
“Which means your Uncle Tipper was shrewder than people gave him credit for.” Dash tapped the side of his head and winked.
I chuckled. “He had his moments. So, what’s the plan? How are you going to contact the pack leaders up North?”
The shifter pointed at his motorcycle parked nearby. In all my worry for Mason, I’d never heard him approach on his noisy vehicle.
“Lee says we can still use our phones outside of Honeysuckle. I’ll drive out and see how far I need to get away before I can make a call. That will also give him some useful data,” Dash explained.
I leaned against the doorframe. “You’re such a good guy.”
“Don’t say that,” he growled, bounding down the stairs and trudging toward his bike.
“Why not?” I asked, confused at his vehement response.
He stopped in his tracks and said in a low voice, “Because there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to hurry.” Turning his head to the side so I could hear him, he pointed to his ear. “Shifter hearing.”
It took a second for his meaning to sink in. Not only did he take Mason at his word that the quicker things got going, the faster he could come home but he’d also heard our goodbye declarations to each other.
A deeper realization hit my heart, and I held my hand over it. “Oh, Dash.”
Dash made his way to his motorcycle and threw his legs over the machine. “Don’t worry, I’m going right now. We’ll get your boyfriend home soon enough.”
Before I could say another word, he kick-started his bike, throttling the engine and letting it roar. Gravel kicked up as he revved his way down the road, swerving once to miss the car headed in my direction. I stood on the porch, wrestling with my sympathies for him and my own defense of my emotions.
Lily and Lavender climbed out of the car and pulled several dishes out of the back seat. They walked up the porch steps and stopped to interrogate me.
“Where’s Dash going in such a hurry?” Lily asked.
I could have told her that he
