Page 76 of A Wolf's Wound
“What happened?”I ask, crouching down next to her.“Are you guys okay?”
“There was a man,” she gasps.“He started talking to me and then it got creepy.”
“Where is he?”I ask, looking around.The scent is so thick it feels like a solid object, and I’m astonished that neither Hannah nor Shadow seem to smell anything.
“I don’t know.”She runs a shaking hand across her face and sniffles.“He just ran off.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“No,” she says, her voice a little calmer.“But he kicked Shadow.Are you okay?”she asks the raccoon, and he nods.
“I think he’s just shaken up,” I say.
“Yeah, me too,” Hannah says.“He seemed like a nice guy, and then all of a sudden, he got really intense.When I tried to get away, he followed me and then grabbed me.I didn’t know what he was going to do.”
“Are you okay to stand?”I ask, glancing around.The street is empty but I don’t like the idea of staying here.Hannah nods, and we begin walking back to my car, Shadow still in my arms.
The scent is the exact same odor as what was on the notes.I’ve been assuming it was the particular scent of the stalker, but now I’m not so sure.If this guy Hannah’s talking about is the stalker, why run away?He had Hannah alone.Isn’t that what he’s been wanting all along?
And if the guy isn’t the stalker, why am I smelling the same scent?Could the stalker have an accomplice, and that’s why the scent is the same?
Or maybe it’s more innocent than that.Maybe this guy just came into random contact with the stalker.Maybe they live in the same building or work in the same office, and that’s why the scent is so strong.
Then what?Hannah just happened to run into some random creep that just happened to have some connection to the stalker?That feels too coincidental.But the stalker running away seems too out of character.
I hate that I have all these questions.I don’t like second-guessing myself.I’m not used to it.
At the car I see my phone lying on my seat.“Hold on,” I tell Hannah, picking it up.“I’m letting Gavin know I found you and he can call off the search,” I explain as I type out a brief text.
“What search?”she asks, leaning against the car.Shadow hops out of my arms and stretches out on the hood.
“The search for you,” I say and she looks surprised.
“Why is there a search for me?”
“Because you left!”I say, trying not to sound frustrated.“You can’t be that naive, Hannah.”
“I’m not naive at all,” she says coolly.“But I also wouldn’t think that me leaving would cause you to put out an APB.”
“You were under the pack’s protection,” I point out.“You disappeared when you were on our land, on our watch.”
“I didn’t disappear,” she argues.“I went home.”
“Without telling me.”
“You were asleep,” Hannah shoots back.
“You could have woken me up!”
“I didn’t want to!”Hannah snaps.“I wanted some space to think.”
“That seems to have worked out great,” I say sarcastically.“What do you think would have happened if I hadn’t found you?”
“I was about to use some of the moves you taught me,” Hannah says.“So I think I would have been fine.”
“Really?Against some stranger who had already hurt Shadow?”
“I could have at least tried!”she says, her eyes flashing.
