Page 12 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Tate glanced over and stopped me. “Don’t leave yet.” He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Are you guys okay?”

So far, I’d known two sides to Tate. A guy hot enough and charming enough to get me to throw caution to the wind for a one-night stand, and a paranoid, irate, and angry neighbor. But this side of him was different. There was concern in his voice. I could tell that he really did care whether we were fine.

Before I could answer, he added, “My life shouldn’t touch you or your girls. I’m sorry. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

His words bothered me. I didn’t want to be totally shut out. At best, we would be neighbors, and it would be nice to have a cordial relationship. At worst? He was the father of my unborn baby, and… well. Making sure my feelings weren’t written all over my face, I took another small step toward my front door.

“Thanks for handling all that,” I said before turning and stepping into my house. I shut the door, but glanced up right before it closed. Tate’s eyes were locked on mine.

The next morning, Tate’s truck was gone. Which was strange since he’d gotten home so late, and I’d woken up around six-thirty. Had he even slept before leaving again? I doubted I would get an answer to that. I had no clue how long he’d be gone. Not with the type of work he did. Each day, I’d look out the window and rub my belly absently. I was three months pregnant and still not showing. What would I tell Tate when it became obvious I was pregnant?

FIVE

TATE

I feltlike shit. I’d been away from home for about two weeks, ever since that ridiculous performance Britt put on at Harley’s house. I’d been so embarrassed by her behavior that I’d headed out without sleep, just dropped my dirty clothes in the hamper, and packed fresh, then I was out the door. It was good to leave again, but now? I was miserable.

It had started a couple of days after I arrived in Toronto to do security for a hedge-fund guy. What started as a melancholy sort of depression had morphed into an ache that wouldn’t quit. The only thing I could associate it with was homesickness, which I’d never had before in my life, not even as a kid––there had maybe been a little of that when I got kicked out of my pack.

All I did was think about going home and being back in Lilly Valley. It got to a point where I was struggling to concentrate on the job. The Fourth of July weekend started in a few days, and that also had me on edge. Back home, the little town of five thousand would balloon up closer to ten thousand. Tons of people came to swim in the lakes and rivers, go hiking and camping—all the fun outdoorsy stuff. That also meant a ton of new and strange faces in town. The fact that hunters mayhave been active near town made the thought of thousands of strangers almost panic-inducing.

Thursday night, Miles called me. I was still on duty, but my client was in a penthouse suite with three or four high-end working girls. I was blessedly out in the hall and didn’t have to witness the disgusting debauchery.

When the phone buzzed, I answered eagerly. “Miles? What’s up?”

“Hey, Tate. I have a question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“Do you know anyone who could take over for you on the job you’re on?”

“I know of one guy who’s probably free. I saw him yesterday. He’s a professional. We had a drink last night after I got off duty. Why?”

“Well, there’s been another disappearance?—”

“Steff and Blayne?” I asked, panic rising in my chest.

“No, no, no, another pack about an hour outside town. It’s got us more on edge than before. You know how the Fourth can get out here. Too many faces, too many scents, not enough of us to keep track of everyone. We all want you back, at least until the holiday is over. I know you wanted to be away, but?—”

“I’ll fly out tonight,” I cut in.

“Wait, seriously? Can your guy get there that soon?”

“I’m sure he can. He’s… well, he works for a competitor. Hope that’s okay.”

“Dude, I couldn’t care less right now. Get a hold of him and get back home. I’ll see you in the morning.”

I hung up and dialed my buddy Darren, an ex-Army Ranger, and a good dude. We’d worked together twice before on big security jobs. Ten minutes later, after a quick negotiation on price and an info dump on the client, he was on his way.

While I waited, I shot him a secure email with all the itineraries and files he’d need for the job. He arrived less than an hour later. From the sounds coming out of the penthouse, he had a while yet before the client would be done. Dude must have taken a Viagra or something. I left Darren once he was settled in and confident with the assignment.

I got to the airport less than an hour after that. There was only one seat open on the flight to Colorado—first class, something I never splurged on, but I considered it a good investment. Otherwise, I would have had to wait until the following morning.

I became more and more antsy as I went through security and waited at the gate. It was like I couldn’t get home fast enough. The homesickness had started fading as soon as I realized I was going back. So weird.

After a four-hour flight and an hour-and-half drive from the airport, I was home. Pulling into the driveway, I couldn’t help but glance over at Harley’s house. I didn’t like how I’d left things with her, and I was a little ashamed for having Miles dig up dirt on her. It was pretty obvious she wasn’t a hunter, or working with hunters. Somehow, someway, her arrival in Lilly Valley had been a total coincidence. As strange as that was, it was the only explanation. She’d come here to get away from her psycho, mob-connected boyfriend. And me, being the gallant gentleman I was, had treated her like shit the moment I saw her. God, I was such an asshole sometimes. Deciding it was probably better for both of us if she just ignored me, I went inside and collapsed in bed.

The next morning, I met the guys at the office. None of them looked very laidback. Steffen and Blayne looked tense and more serious than usual. Yeah, they were all on edge.

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