Don't Moose With Her (Bearbank Book 1) (6 page)

“Do you know where we can find him?” Ethan asked. It didn’t seem likely that he was their killer. Why kill her when it was going well? Also, if he was local, he couldn’t have committed the previous murders. Still, it needed to be checked out. Perhaps he travelled often.

“I don’t know his address but his step-sister is Mandy Lockhart. She’d be able to tell you,” she answered.

“I know her,” Leo said in surprise. “I didn’t know she had a step-brother.”

Hazel shrugged. “It was a long time ago but they always got along well, so they stayed in touch. She’ll know where he lives and works.”

“Thanks, Hazel.” Leo smiled at her. “You’ve been a big help.”

“I heard rumours,” she said uncertainly, looking down at her feet. “That the Shifter Stalker is here. Is that what happened to Becca?”

“We think so,” Leo stated with a sigh. “If you receive any mysterious gifts or letters, you should contact the police immediately. In the meantime, be careful about going out alone and keep an eye out for anything unusual.”

“I’m always careful,” she stated. “But I’ll be extra cautious now.”

Thanking her, they walked back to the car, the silence awkward once more, now that they didn’t have their witness as a buffer.

“Mandy Lockhart will be at work at this time,” Leo said, breaking the silence. “She works as a secretary for a law firm. We can catch her there.”

Ethan sighed. “Look, Leo...”

“Unless it's case related, I don’t want to hear it,” Leo interrupted. He looked at Ethan, eyes narrowed. “I’m pissed at you right now. Dana is a sweet girl and you hurt her. Katie is furious and she’s been taking it out on me. By text messages. I'm not looking forward to the next time I see her. I’m not interested in your excuses. You need to get your shit together and fix this.”

“It’s for her own good,” Ethan insisted. Why did no one understand that?

“Bullshit,” Leo shot back. “You’re being a coward. You are scared and you’re running away. You’re so afraid of your demons that you’ll throw away something that most of us look for all our lives. If it was just about you, I wouldn’t care but you’re dragging that poor girl down with you.”

“I’m no good for her,” Ethan bellowed back. His fists clenched at his sides. He would not punch his partner.

“Right now? No, you aren’t,” Leo snarled at him, his lion peeking out from his eyes. Even the lion was pissed. “She deserves better but the universe gave her you. Now you have to grow a pair and at least attempt to be worthy of her. For fuck sake, man up already!”

Ethan opened his mouth to yell back when Leo’s phone rang. Still glowering, Leo answered the call, walking away a little.

“McKenzie,” he grunted into the phone. “Yes, boss.”

Even Ethan’s shifter hearing couldn’t make out the other side of the conversation. Leo made sure he remained out of earshot. He could, however see the expression change on Leo’s face. His partner shot him an indecipherable glance as he listened. Ending his call, Leo walked back to the car.

“I have somewhere to be,” Leo announced, as they got into the car. “I’ll drop you off at the station. Maybe you can call Mandy Lockhart and get her brother’s contact details.”

“What’s going on?” Ethan could feel his hackles rising. He knew that something was happening and that he didn’t like it. He particularly hated that he was being kept in the dark. His partner wouldn't shut him out of the case because of personal issues, right? Leo was more professional than that.

Leo shrugged. “Something came up that I need to deal with.” His expression was a blank mask, giving nothing away.

“What came up?” Ethan insisted.

“None of your business,” Leo said shortly, starting the car and pulling away.

Ethan fumed silently on the trip back to the station. Now his partner was lying to him. Call it wolf’s intuition but he instinctively knew that whatever was happening was something that he should absolutely know about. His wolf snarled in his mind, still angry with him and clearly unsettled. Did anyone not hate him today? Truth be told, he sort of hated himself.

At the station, he called the number Leo left him and spoke to Mandy, getting her stepbrother’s details. She also confirmed that her brother didn’t travel much. She could even provide an alibi for the time of one of the murders that occurred elsewhere. She had been staying with him for a couple of months, hiding from an ex-boyfriend. Still, they would need to speak to him, see if he could provide any more information on Becca and the last night she was seen alive. He was a poor suspect but he could still be a witness.

He killed some time with paperwork, waiting for Leo to get back. Where was he and what the hell was he up to? Mark, one of the human detectives, wandered over to his desk, coffee cup in hand.

“Ethan, I’m surprised to see you here,” Mark said. “I thought you’d be out at the latest scene.”

“What scene?” Ethan asked, looking up from his work. What had happened?

“Your stalker killer has been sending gifts to another victim. She called in this morning when his gift turned nasty. I thought that was your case.”

“It is,” Ethan ground out. “Who and where?” Damn Leo. Why hadn't he been told?

Mark sat at Leo's desk and picked up a piece of paper. “45 Livingstone Avenue. Name is… Dana Roberts.”

Ethan felt his blood freeze in his veins. No. The universe could not be that cruel. Claimed or not, she was his mate. Fate could not throw his mate at him and then take her away at the hands of a psychotic killer. One that he happened to be trying to find. He stared at Mark and then stood abruptly, grabbing his jacket.

“Ethan.” The boss had arrived. Alex looked at him. “She specifically requested that you do not attend.”

Ethan stared at him. She what? Every part of him was desperate to check on her. To reassure himself that she was okay. He needed to be there. His wolf was going crazy inside his mind, demanding that they protect their mate.

Alex fixed him with his steely gaze. “I have no idea what is going on and I don’t care. Just remember that you are a professional and I don’t want to be fending off any complaints about your behaviour.”

Ethan nodded, grabbed his keys, and left. This was his mate and his case. He needed to be there. His wolf snarled at him to go faster and he broke into a run. Arriving at his car, he threw himself into the driver’s seat and drove as fast as he could without breaking any laws or endangering anyone.

A short drive later, he pulled up at the house, left the car, and burst through the front door. The first thing he saw was Dana’s shocked face. He watched as the expression hardened and she deliberately turned her gaze from him. Ouch.

Dana was having a bad day. Ethan storming into the house was not helping. Part of her, a part that needed slapped silly, desperately wanted to go to him and snuggle into his arms. Stupid mating instinct. She needed comfort from her mate. Except, he wasn’t really her mate, didn’t want to be her mate. So, what the hell was he doing here?

Turning away from him, she saw Katie glaring at him and could actually hear her growls. Leo was likewise staring at Ethan, his expression not pleased. The first two police officers to arrive had been a leopard shifter female and a wolf shifter male. They looked puzzled as the atmosphere thickened and darkened.

“What happened?” Ethan barked at them. Great. Looked like pretty much everyone was pissed off.

The leopard female pointed over to the box in the corner. “This arrived this morning. Dana has been receiving gifts from a secret admirer. All pleasant enough until this morning.”

“What changed?” Ethan asked, looking into the box. His jaw was clenched and his fists balled tightly. Clearly he was struggling with his temper. He wasn't the only one.

“Gee. What do you think?” she asked. She didn't even attempt to stifle the sarcasm dripping from her voice. She was angry too. How dare he come here? She was struggling today and she did not need a repeat of last night on top of it all.

He blanched a little as realization set in. The gifts had been thoughtful and pleasant, if a little creepy, until he had spoken with her at the bar. For all it hadn’t ended well, to an outsider, they would have looked pretty cosy at times. Her stalker was jealous. Hah! Jealous of a man who didn’t even want her. Perfect. Katie’s arm tightened around her in support and she looked up to see her friend glaring at Ethan.

Leo snorted and returned to looking through the other gifts and letters. Dana shuddered and leaned closer to Katie.

“There’s no one new in your life?” Ethan asked, his eyes still on her.

She looked pointedly at him.

“Other than me,” he sighed.

She shook her head. “No. No one that stands out. I don’t recognise everyone who comes into the café though. We have regulars but we also have new people coming in all the time. I didn’t notice anyone unusual.”

“It’s him, isn’t it?” Katie asked quietly, looking at Leo. “The Shifter Stalker.”

Leo sat on the coffee table across from them, shooting a glare at Ethan’s irritated growl. “Yeah, he’s claimed two victims in this area already. It follows the pattern. I’m sorry Dana. We’ll do everything we can to keep you safe.”

More growls came from across the room. Ethan stalked over and sat himself next to Leo on the coffee table. Sadly, the table was not designed to take the weight of two large adult male shifters. It suddenly gave way, splintering into pieces and dumping both men on the floor. At the look of surprise on their faces, Dana couldn’t suppress the laughter bubbling up inside. She giggled hysterically, tears running down her face. At some undefined point, the giggles turned to sobs.

Ethan reached forward as though he would touch her and she flinched back. Pulling out of Katie’s arms, she fled for the bathroom, locking herself in. She huddled on the floor, leaning against the bathroom door and sucked in deep breaths, attempting to calm herself down. Could things get much worse? She was being stalked by a serial killer, her mate had rejected her, and now she’d broken down in front of him. It was all just too much.

A knock sounded at the door, she could feel the vibrations through her back. She ignored it, stubbornly concentrating on her breathing. In and out. She would calm down if it killed her.

The knock came again. “Dana?” Ethan’s voice called.

She continued to ignore him. She had dealt with far too much already and she just couldn’t add anything else to it. She needed a time out, dammit. Was that really too much to ask? Just five minutes to fall apart before she pulled herself back together.

“Dana?” This time it was Katie’s voice. “Can you let me in? Just me. If The Jerk tries anything, I’ll gut him myself.”

One growl was answered by another.

“Please make him go away,” Dana called softly.

The growling stopped abruptly. Maybe she’d hurt his feelings. You know, if he’d had any to get hurt. She heard Katie call her cousin, then the sound of a brief struggle and more growling.

“He’s outside, sweetie,” Katie called through the door. “You can come out now.”

Dana sighed. “I really don’t want to.”

She reached up to unlock the door and then scooted away to lean against the bath, allowing Katie to get in the door. The blonde lioness simply sat on the floor next to her, saying nothing for a while. Eventually, Dana looked at her friend.

“I’m sorry,” Dana said.

“For what?” Katie shrugged. “Being stalked? By a creepy serial killer and an asshole mate who won’t claim you or leave you alone. I’d have flipped out way before you did. Of course, I’m a lion so I’d probably have ripped off his limbs and beat him with them. You’re just a little more restrained than I am.”

Dana smiled weakly at her. “I just can’t be around him. Especially when I already feel vulnerable. It hurts too much and I can’t deal with him while fighting off a serial killer.”

“Absolutely,” Katie agreed. “And not being butchered is the priority.”

“Gee, thanks,” Dana said wryly. “Don’t play it down to avoid alarming me, or anything.”

“No problem,” Katie said cheerfully, waving a hand in the air. “But seriously, Dana, you’re not alone here. We won’t let the maniac get you.”

“Which maniac?” Dana asked with a smile.

“Well, I was talking about the psycho killer but we can keep The Jerk away too. As long as you want us to. Leo says to make sure that you’re never alone. We can take it in turns to stay with you. You’ll be safe at work, so you just need to not wander off anywhere by yourself. Just until they catch this guy.”

“I guess,” Dana sighed. “As long as Ethan isn’t one of my bodyguards.”

“Please,” Katie snorted. “The man is clearly lacking a brain. I’m not trusting him with my bestie’s safety.”

***

Please make him go away.

Dana’s words span around in his head. Over and over. When Leo had been sitting close to her, promising to protect her, he had seen red. She was his mate. His to protect. Before he knew what he was doing, he was sitting next to Leo, staking his claim. And breaking Dana’s table. Her laughter had been unnatural, hysterical, and he had worried over her state of mind. When she had cried, he felt himself reaching for her, needing to comfort her and make everything okay. Except... she had pulled away. The sight of her flinching from him drove his wolf crazy. Even worse, she ran from them.

His wolf nature drawn to the chase, he had followed. She refused to acknowledge him, only answering her friend. With a request to make him leave. He had done this. He had rejected her as a mate and now she rejected him too. This was what he wanted, right? His wolf snarled at him.

If this was what he wanted, then why did he feel as though he’d been punched in the stomach? Why did he feel such gut wrenching misery? Why was everything so fucked up?

“Stay away from her,” Leo stated, his face grim. They stood outside Dana's house where Leo had dragged him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ethan demanded. He faced off against Leo, fists clenched tightly. “I had a right to know.”

“Because it’s your case or because it’s your mate?” Leo shot back. “Either way, it makes no difference. When she called it in, she specifically asked that you not attend. Don’t you think she’s been through enough without you forcing your way in, making it worse for her?”