“I need to see the room where he was staying,” Sheriff Webb demanded.
Bruce Carter stiffened. “What exactly is this about? I told you he went home.”
“Colt Knight’s vehicle was found abandoned on the side of the road. If he’s not here, like you said, then we will be forced to open a missing person investigation. I need to see his room.” Sheriff Webb spoke sternly. “Unless you have something to hide?”
Bruce huffed. “Of course we don’t.” He opened the door. “Come along then. We are trying to spend time with our family. It is a holiday. This interruption is not appreciated.”
Savannah held in a snort. She followed behind as Bruce led the way, Rudy behind him and Sheriff Webb in front of her.
The halls weren’t in much better condition than the outside of the building. She could smell mould and dirt. If Colt had the same enhanced senses as the other shifters, she didn’t know how he had stood the stench.
They were shown a small, empty room. A bed, dresser and nightstand were the only things in the room. Savannah started opening drawers while the sheriff looked under the bed and in the closet. There was not one item left behind.
Sheriff Webb sent her a worried look. He turned back to the two other men. “I need to take your statements and anyone else who spoke to Colt night before last. Anyone who had contact with him the last few days.”
Bruce sighed. “Fine.”
They set up in what Bruce called the sanctuary. The sheriff took half the members while Savannah took the others. Everyone had the same story. She heard the words repeated time after time, the answers rehearsed and planned.
She finished her list and saw Rudy standing at the edge of the crowd. “I would like to ask you a few more questions.” She motioned him forward.
He looked over at Bruce Carter, who was frowning at him.
“Now, please,” she demanded.
Rudy nodded and took a seat in front of her. She asked him the same questions she’d asked the others, not surprised that his answers were the same.
That just pissed her off. They could have at least tried to cover up better. But the fact that it could work if she and the sheriff didn’t find any evidence really had her furious.
“You were friends with Colt,” she said softly. She needed to get through to Rudy. He was nervous, edgy.
Rudy’s head bobbed up and down. “He was my friend.”
She reached over and grasped his hand. “Then help me.”
He looked up at her and she saw in his gaze that he wanted to.
“Are you finished, Deputy?” Bruce Carter asked, walking up to them.
Rudy yanked his hand away and stood.
Damn it
! She just needed more time.
“We’ll leave for now. We may need to ask you more questions.” Sheriff Webb joined them.
Bruce Carter sneered, “Please call ahead next time.”
Chapter Six
Kurt’s phone rang and he picked it up without taking his eyes away from his monitor. “Yes?”
“Sir, this is Wes at the guard station. I have a Sheriff Jim Webb and Deputy Savannah Conley asking for entrance.”
That grabbed his attention. To his knowledge, the sheriff hadn’t been at the compound before. “Let them through,” he ordered the guard. He stood quickly and headed out of his office to meet them.
Ryan was just opening the front door as Kurt reached the entrance. Sheriff Webb stepped inside and Kurt waited.
There
…
Savannah followed the sheriff inside and looked up. Their gazes locked and she smiled.
Kurt’s heart sped up and he licked his suddenly dry lips. Inside he felt his wolf scratch and claw to be let out. His skin felt tight and his teeth ached, about to lengthen. It wasn’t a reaction he was used to. He’d always had absolute control of his animal. This was different. He had to shake his head when he realised Ryan was calling his name.
Ryan grinned at him when Kurt was able to focus back on him. Shit, he needed to get his act together.
He walked over to join the group. He made sure to brush against Savannah as soon as he was close enough. That seemed to calm his wolf some.
“We just came from the Church,” Sheriff Webb told him. “You have someplace we can talk?”
“Yes, sure,” he said and turned to Ryan. “Can you find Tony? He was going to make some calls, probably in his office. We’ll be in my office.”
“Sure thing,” Ryan replied and hurried away.
Kurt placed his hand on the small of Savannah’s back and steered both her and the sheriff to his office. He ushered them to his empty guest chairs before starting a fresh pot of coffee.
Tony and Ryan came back in just as the coffee was done brewing. Ryan helped him hand out hot cups then they gathered around his desk to hear what the two had learned.
As the sheriff filled them in, Kurt stood beside Savannah’s chair, running his fingers over her shoulder. He liked just being able to touch her.
He absorbed what they were told and it worried him. Colt had been headed to the compound, but he hadn’t shifted, hadn’t called. Why hadn’t he called?
“I had Colt’s car towed in. There were no personal items in Colt’s vehicle,” Sheriff Webb informed them.
“And his room was completely empty,” Savannah added.
Tony shuddered and Ryan clasped his hand on his shoulder in support.
“Rudy knows something,” Savannah told them. “He wants to talk. We need to get him away from there.”
Sheriff Webb grunted. “Not going to be easy.”
“I’ll order a guard watch,” Kurt told them. Clint was in charge of the guards and could schedule a routine. “If Rudy does leave alone, we can pick him up.”
“That’s a good idea,” Sheriff Webb agreed.
“I’ll get it set up,” Kurt assured him. The phone rang and Kurt excused himself to answer. “Hello?”
“Kurt, sorry to interrupt.” Alpha Babcock’s strong voice came through the line. “I was hoping to catch the sheriff while he was here.”
“Yes, sir,” Kurt answered. “He’s still here.”
“Could you ask Tony to bring him into the conference room?” Alpha Babcock requested.
“Yes, sir.”
He hung up the phone and relayed the message to the men. The sheriff stood and Tony took him out of the room. Kurt glanced up at Ryan.
“I’ll just go check on the guards,” Ryan said rocking back on his heels. “Give you two some privacy.”
Kurt scowled after the other man, but Ryan ignored him. Ryan had been hanging out too much with Clint, obviously, picking up Clint’s bad habit of teasing Kurt.
The office door clicked shut.
“Alone at last,” she said rising to her feet and wrapping her arms around his neck.
Kurt took her lips in a deep, passionate kiss while running his hands down her sides. “Yes, we are,” he whispered the words against her mouth. “Wonder how long we’ll have?”
“We better hurry,” Savannah said and dropped her hand and rubbed at his erection.
He groaned. God, he was so hard for her.
She started to fumble with his button and he placed his hand over hers. He darted his gaze around his office. There wasn’t really a comfortable place to do this.
Savannah laughed. “Kurt! Come on!” She dragged him over to his desk and pushed him into his chair. He blinked in surprise when she dropped to her knees in front of him.
Her eyes sparkled as she reached to unsnap his jeans. He lifted his hips and helped push his pants and boxers down his thighs.
Savannah grasped his cock and stroked him. He dropped his head back. Her hand was warm against his already heated flesh.
When she bent and licked at the tip of his cock, he gripped the arms of his chair to keep from grabbing Savannah’s hair. She teased him, licking the bottom of his cock head, before blowing her breath across the slit.
“Jesus,” he gasped out.
She hummed as she engulfed him. Kurt bit back a curse. Holy hell! It felt so good to be inside her mouth. Warm, moist heat surrounded him. He pumped forward gently before withdrawing slowly. So very slow. It was torture. It was wonderful. He pushed in deep again and she swallowed around him. Oh, this was going to be embarrassingly fast.
Savannah kept sucking and taking his cock as Kurt thrust over and over. Her hand wrapped around the base of his cock and moved over him each time she lifted her mouth. She ran her tongue under the sensitive skin of his head and that was all he could take.
He moaned out his release as she continued to pump his cock. He was still half hard when she rose and started to unbutton her khaki uniform top.
He dropped his hand and stroked himself back to full hardness as she removed the rest of her clothes.
She placed her hands on the back of his chair and started to climb onto his lap. He helped position her, and she slid down, impaling herself with his hardness. She shuddered, arched in his arms.
They found a quick tempo to make love. Their hands slipped against sweaty skin, their breaths came in huffs, their flesh slapped together. Savannah rode him thoroughly—took from him, used him—and he loved every second of it. When she clamped down and cried out her climax, he let himself go.
He stood, gripped her hips and turned. He was still buried deep inside when he laid her back on the top of his desk. He spread her thighs wider and pulled out before slamming inside. Her breasts swayed with each snap of his hips.
“God! Kurt! Yes!”
He snarled, unable to keep the animal reined in completely. His canines grew and scraped against his lower lip. He wanted to bite, to claim her. Instead he ploughed on and took his woman—marked her with his scent, and when he came, marked her with his seed.
Savannah gasped trying to draw full breaths into her lungs. Kurt was still collapsed on top of her.
Damn… Hell, that had been absolutely thrilling. Never had she experienced such…raw hunger.
And she wanted more.
Kurt lifted his head, his eyes filled with worry. He cupped her chin ever so gently. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
She smiled. “No,” she assured him. “That was wonderful.”
Satisfaction replaced the worry in his gaze. “Good… Good.”
She started to giggle. She couldn’t hold it back. She had seen his face when she had first stepped into the compound. The pleasure and need in his gaze had caused her body to tingle with awareness. She’d practically vibrated while the sheriff had filled the men in on what they had found out at the Church.
When they had been left alone, she had thought they could have a quick roll in the hay. But what had taken place—that had been so much more.
“We need to get up,” she told him when she got control of herself and stopped laughing.
Kurt grunted as he lifted off her. “Jeez.”
“Yeah.”
They dressed slowly, stealing kisses every few minutes, sharing little touches. It was nice. This relaxed time while their bodies still hummed with from their lovemaking.
Just as they had finished dressing, a knock came from the office door. Kurt grinned when Savannah jumped.
“The sheriff’s ready to leave,” Ryan told them through the door.
“On our way!” Kurt hollered back. He reached forward and straightened Savannah’s collar. “I still want to see you tonight,” he said.
Savannah lifted a brow. “Try to keep me away.” And she meant that. She wasn’t nearly finished with Kurt, may never let him go after what had just happened. She gave Kurt a quick kiss and headed towards the door. She glanced over her shoulder with her hand on the knob. “You might want to take a nap before tonight. You’ll need your energy.”
Kurt’s chuckle followed her through halls as she made her way to meet the sheriff at the front door, where he stood talking with Tony and Ryan. Ryan winked at her when she joined them.
She refused to blush. No way was she going to be embarrassed. She stuffed her hands in her pant pockets. Damn it, she knew her face was red.
Sheriff Webb patted Tony’s back and waved her on. They exited the large beautiful compound and hurried through the cold air to their vehicle.
“Alpha Babcock asked that we handle any contact with the Church. He doesn’t want the shifters involved. Openly, anyway.”
“Okay.”
“Colt’s boss is headed up here. As soon as he gets here he will come down and file a missing persons report. He’s listed as Colt’s next of kin on all paperwork.”
“So there’s no way that his dad called him home?” she asked him.
“No, Colt is estranged from his family. Colt’s dad lives overseas, so we know Bruce Carter’s statement won’t hold up when we push,” Sheriff Webb confirmed.
“They messed up.”
“Yeah, but unless we find Colt or any evidence, we have nothing to charge them with. We work this unofficially for now.”
“No problem.”
“I want you to patrol around town. Continue your regular duties checking on residents after the storm. If you happen to ask any questions about a car found off the road”—Sheriff Webb shrugged—“you’re just trying to help.”
“Got it,” she told him.
They drove the rest of the way to town in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. By the time they pulled up in front of the old brick structure that served as the Sheriff’s office, Savannah had come up with her plan. She climbed out of the sheriff’s vehicle and waved. He honked and backed out of the parking space.
Savannah pulled out the keys to her department-issued SUV and climbed inside. When she started the engine, a cold blast hit her with the heater fan on high. She quickly switched it off, cursing. Damn, that had sent a chill through her entire body.
But she knew just the place she could warm up and question the residents. Carefully she pulled out and headed down the street. Stores were open and there were even several of the town folks out walking, carrying shopping bags.
Black Friday. That was what they called the day after Thanksgiving—the busiest shopping day in the United States. Savannah snorted. She hated to shop—did all she could online. There was absolutely nothing that could get her up and out in the cold to run around with crowds looking for sales.
She pulled into a parking space two stores from the coffee shop since there was no space available any closer. She hurried inside and sighed in relief when the warmth of the shop surrounded her.