Page 30 of An Unexpected Claim

There’s been a…development with the serial case, I informed him.I’ll meet you in your office.

I’ll be here. Still dealing with the effects of Dexter’s shitstorm.

I didn’t know if he’d even been home since then, so I made a mental note to kick his ass out when we were done sorting through everything and working out a plan.

Slipping my phone in my pocket, I left the office and went to my bedroom. After putting on socks and a pair of black construction boots, I picked up my keys and wallet as I passed my dresser on my way out of the room. It wasn’t until I was at the garage door that I thought about what Peyton would think when she woke up to find me gone.

I detoured to the kitchen and pulled a pad of paper and a pen from the junk drawer next to the refrigerator. I scribbled a note to let her know I’d gone to my office and wasn’t sure when I’d be back. I made sure to add that she should eat and to help herself to anything she wanted.

I wanted to make sure she saw the note, so I dropped it onto the coffee table in front of the couch where she was sleeping deeply. As I turned away, I spied the basket of blankets and the thought that she might be cold pushed me toward it. A soft, crocheted afghan from my mother sat atop the pile and I spread it over Peyton, then adjusted the pillow under her head so she looked more comfortable. Satisfied with my efforts, I went back to the garage and climbed into my SUV. My mind lingered on Peyton for the quick drive, but when I parked the car, I set her to the side and focused on the situation with the killer.

I found Tanner still in his office, glaring at his computer and typing furiously.

“Still finding holes in the system?” I asked with a deep frown as I took a seat on the sofa across from his desk. We’d long ago put sofas in our offices after spending way too many nights falling asleep in our chairs.

“No,” he growled. “You plugged them all, but someone leaked it to a few clients, so I’ve been on the phone non-stop trying to reassure people that we aren’t compromised.” His eyes darted to me and his expression was thunderous. “If that bastard’s mistake messes with any of our DOD contracts, I’m going to hunt him down and flay him alive.”

“Why haven’t you sent them to me, Tanner?” I asked him, my voice tinged with exasperation. I usually dealt with clients as I had more patience and diplomatic abilities than Tanner. He’d been my Beta for almost three hundred years, but he was still young and impulsive compared to me.

“Word is that you have a houseguest…a very attractive one.”

I growled involuntarily, my wolf and I both irked by the idea of someone ogling Peyton. Except the only person who’d met her…

“You’ve been talking to my mother.” It was a flat statement.

A grin split Tanner’s face and he relaxed into his seat. “Mama K might have called to grill me about your visitor and ended up telling me all about her.”

“When you aren’t gossiping like a schoolgirl, tell the clients to contact me,” I said firmly.

His smile faded as his mind returned to KBO. “You said there’s been a development?”

For some unknown reason, I felt a reluctance to discuss Peyton with Tanner, but I dismissed it because I wanted Tanner’s help. And that would require giving him details. “It looks like he went after another victim.”

Tanner’s lips pinched and he growled as he ran a hand through his short hair. “What the fuck are we going to do about this?”

“He was caught this time,” I told him. Tanner’s mouth opened, but I held up my hand, anticipating his question. “Not by the police. There was a witness. In fact, he only took off because of the police. Probably saved her life.”

“The witness’?”

I nodded. “His victim didn’t make it. But since he was interrupted, they didn’t recognize the kill as his at first.”

“I assume you have a plan? To find the witness and question her?”

I stroked my beard as I contemplated how to explain the situation with Peyton. “I’ve already talked to her.”

Tanner frowned. “I saw you less than forty-eight hours ago and, in that time, you found out about the murder, discovered there was a witness, found her, and questioned her?”

I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. “She came to me, actually.”

“Nathan,” Tanner snapped. “Spit it the fuck out.”

I stared hard at him and he bent his head, tilting it to the side to bare his neck in submission.

“Apologies, Alpha,” he grunted.

I nodded in acceptance before going on. “After I went home the other night, I went for a run and when I returned, she was out cold next to the river behind my cabin.”

Tanner’s eyebrows rose so high they disappeared into his hairline. “You can’t be serious.” I stared at him and he shook his head. “Of course you’re serious. Holy shit.”

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