Page 20 of Alpha Wolf Bodyguard

“Okay, lead the way.”

He followed us back. Dread filled my belly, being back where we were already once discovered. But this was the right thing to do. The best thing to do. The only thing to do.

“So, this guy here, he came and tried to break in. He had a gun and, well… my mate has teeth and…” The gun was still there. We’d moved nothing.

“Do you think he was a squatter?”

Nate shook his head. “Remember on the news, when they talked about how witnesses keep showing up dead from the murders in the city? I’m the only one left.” His face turned an almost hue of green.

“So this was...” The officer crouched down to get a better look.

“Yeah,” I said. “I think they found him. We were hiding here to keep him safe, but that didn’t turn out.”

“We’d best be getting this paperwork done quickly.” He stood up and brushed off his pants. “Animal attacks happen now and again. It’s a shame.”

It took a second for my brain to catch up to what he was doing. The policeman was helping us.

“And what do you know, I think the hub’s down, so this probably won’t even be in the computer until the morning at best, whenever the tech guy rolls in.”

He didn’t even intend to make it sound realistic, he wanted us to know he had our backs, that he was covering for us. He was one of the good guys.

We filled everything out, the paper feeling quite light. I wasn’t complaining. The less time we were there like sitting ducks, the better.

“Probably should find someplace else to stay… in case the animal comes back.”

“We’re gonna do that. Thanks, Officer.” Garin already had his keys in hand.

“Anytime.”

We didn’t know where we were heading, but we knew one thing for sure—we were gonna keep our omega safe. We didn’t find him just to lose him again.

I refused to let that happen.

Chapter 17

Garin

Whenever I passed one of those little rundown motels from years gone by—the ones with ten or fewer rooms, dilapidated roofs, and a sign missing a few letters—I always wondered, who stayed here? Like, how were they still in business? Were they a front for some money-laundering business or something even more sordid? Because obviously, you couldn’t make a living at it, right?

Well, today I discovered exactly who stayed at places like that: Me.

We had headed west for a few hours before finding a motel with no cars in the parking lot. I looked around and was unable to see any cameras, and when I used my phone, I couldn’t even find any wifi for anybody to pick up on. This was old-school, in the middle of nowhere. It was probably filled with mold, dust, and had a nineteen-inch television in its fancy room. Best of all, they had cash-by-the-hour kinds of vibes and that meant no digital footprint. It was perfect.

We went into the small building which, from the looks of it, doubled as the owner’s home. Once inside we were slammed with the scent of cigarette smoke, and an older man behind the counter was the source of it. I didn’t know people did that anymore in public spaces, but apparently, when you’re in the middle of nowhere in a place no one goes to, all bets were off.

“We’re looking for a room.” Nate put a pile of cash on the counter. Safe to say, that caught the man’s attention.

“We don’t want trouble here.” He crossed over to the counter and counted the money, and when he saw there were hundreds in the mix, he added, “Good thing you don’t give off trouble signals.”

We one hundred percent did.

“How long are you here til?” He shoved the cash directly in his pocket. The man wasn’t even going to try and pretend this was a legit transaction. Thankfully, Nate had money.

“Not sure. Maybe a week.” Nate shrugged.

“What you gave me will cover that.” He opened a drawer, and it was full of keys with big plastic keychains attached to them. He fished one out and read the unit number off of it. “No one delivers here, but about two miles up the road, there is a sign for the national park. Turn right there instead of left and you’ll hit a gas station that sells some convenience foods. If you want real food, it’s about fifteen miles to the grocery store.”

Nate put a few more hundreds on the counter. “Do you know anyone who can go to the gas station for us?”

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