Page 14 of Secret Wolf Baby

He shrugged. “Why else would you be here? I can also guess what you’re looking into. I rule with an iron fist. Some people don’t like that. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone complained to the council.”

“You’re not helping your case here, you know,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

Reacher held up his hand and gave a warm politician’s smile. “I want to assure you three that you have nothing to worry about here. I run a tight ship, certainly. But that doesn’t mean we’re doing anything unlawful.”

I didn’t believe a word spewing from this guy’s mouth, and the longer I stood here talking to him, the harder it was for me not to take a swipe at him.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Reacher,” I said, stuffing my hands in my pocket, “but your assurances don’t exactly mean much. We’re here to look into things, not take your word for it.”

He chortled. “Naturally, and fine operatives such as yourselves would naturally want to do some in-depth searching to make sure everything is aboveboard. But we also know that doing that is a bunch of wasted effort. So, let me propose a solution that will make both of us happy.”

He pushed himself to his feet, walking around to stand in front of me. “As a show of… let’s say goodwill… I want to giveyou something. Anything you want. That way, you can see I have nothing to hide, and we can all go back to what we really want to be doing. Me running this town, and you three enjoying your retirement. So, what do you say? That sound of any interest to you fine fellas?”

It sounded like a load of bullshit. My wolf thrashed, irritated with the alpha, his instincts screaming at me that there was more going on in this town than met the eye. There was a reason Reacher wanted us gone. If he had nothing to hide, then he wouldn’t be trying this hard to get us out of here as quickly as possible. And he actually thought he could get us to leave on a bribe? I couldn’t think of a single thing he could offer that would stop me from investigating this guy, especially when he was trying this hard to get rid of us.

I opened my mouth to say just that, to tell him there was no way in hell I was going to take a bribe. But before I could say a word, there was a knock on the door, and it swung open. A scent of jasmine and honey wafted up my nose. It was vaguely familiar, like I had smelled it a long time ago.

Reacher’s eyes flashed as he looked behind me, his face contorting in anger. “Just because you knock first doesn’t mean you can enter without permission,” he barked.

I barely heard him, too preoccupied with the new (was it new? Why did it seem so familiar, then?) scent. My wolf stirred, intrigued by the scent, pulled to it in a way I hadn’t experienced before.

No, that wasn’t true. I had experienced this pull once before. Years ago. With…

“I’m sorry,” a voice said, one I hadn’t heard for years but one I would recognize in a heartbeat.

My head whipped around in disbelief.

A small woman stood just inside the room, her hand still on the doorknob, clutching it so hard, her knuckles had turned white. Her blue eyes were wide with something akin to fright as she stared at Reacher in stricken panic.

“In case you’re too dim-witted to notice, we’re in the middle of a meeting,” Reacher snarled. I imagined him gesturing with a hand at the room at large, his face contorted in a dismissive sneer, but I didn’t turn to look. All my attention was focused on Audrey.

Reacher’s words pierced through my consciousness. Dim-witted? Audrey? He had to be stupid to even consider calling her that to her face. I expected her eyes to blaze with anger and for her to fire back a retort the way she always did. Instead, to my surprise, she lowered her head, breaking eye contact with Reacher.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered to the floor.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you,” he barked.

She raised her head, but her gaze darted all over the place.

I stared at her, unable to tear my gaze away. It was Audrey. Same pointed chin, same auburn hair and blue eyes, same petite frame. She looked as gorgeous as she had all those years ago.

Except, there was something off. She was still beautiful; I doubted anything could ever change that. But there was something haunted about her. She looked more gaunt, as if she didn’t eat enough, and her shoulders hunched slightly, as if she was perpetually nervous. And there was a hollowness in her face and eyes that hadn’t been there before.

She didn’t act like Audrey, either. There was a wild, caught-prey look in her eyes, something I never would haveexpected to see on the spirited woman I used to know. And the Audrey I knew wouldn’t be taking any of Reacher’s bullshit lying down.

“Now, what the hell was so important that you couldn’t wait?” Reacher sneered.

“I—” Her eyes found mine, and she stopped speaking abruptly, as if the words had lodged in her throat. She gasped as she stared at me, her mouth working silently.

An overwhelming need to protect her, to have her near me again, washed over me. I wanted her again the instant I saw her. But seeing her like this, meek and frightened of her own shadow, made that need to save her even stronger. I couldn’t let her stay here, not with how beaten-down she looked.

I knew what I was about to do. I knew I was risking the mission for selfish reasons. But I had lost her once before, and I wasn’t going to let her get away again.

I turned back to Reacher. “I changed my mind,” I said, jerking my head back toward Audrey. “I want her.”

Chapter 4 - Audrey

“I want her.”

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