Page 70 of Claiming Ours
Memphis’s worried gaze scanned my face before dipping to my legs. “Fuck, Kitten,” he murmured while examining a deep cut. “Did you get into a fight with a mountain lion?”
“Who the fuck is Hank?” Liam growled.
Before I could respond, a rustle from the underbrush had us all turning to find the large husky making his way toward us. He paused several feet away and growled, clearly not expecting the guys to be with me.
“Hank,” I said calmly and grabbed Memphis’s hand, extending ours and the one holding Liam’s toward the dog. “They’re friends. They can help.” Out of the corner of my mouth, I said to Memphis, “Get down low so he doesn’t see you as a threat, like Liam is.”
Moving slowly, Memphis did as instructed. For several seconds, Hank studied us, more so the guys, before he approved of the addition to the recovery team.
Tapping both men on the shoulder, I moved to follow Hank only to be held back by Memphis.
“Let Liam go check it out. I need to dress your wounds.”
My wild hair shifted, floating in front of my face with the quick headshake. “No. He trusts me, and….” I swallowed hard to keep the tears from falling again. “I think it’s his owner, the body.” I met both of their gazes. “It’s a woman.”
Liam’s brows shot up. “Fuck.” He pulled his gun free and palmed the grip. Instantly, Hank released a dangerous growl and crouched low, preparing to attack.
“He apparently doesn’t like that,” Memphis whispered. “Put it away. I don’t want to get attacked by those teeth. I’ve seen enough dog bites to know they shred skin and are dirty as hell. You’re almost guaranteed a nasty infection if you’re not treated with heavy antibiotics.”
I blinked at Memphis while Liam holstered his gun, grumbling his displeasure about the situation. “What did you say?”
Memphis studied me. “That I don’t want to get bit by the dog?”
I shook my head. “About dog bites being dirty and needing antibiotics.”
He repeated what he said with a questioning tone, clearly not understanding where I was going with this. Honestly, neither did I, but him saying that triggered something in the back of my thoughts. It was like a tickle or an itch I couldn’t quite reach.
“Come on, let’s follow the dog,” Liam grumbled. “I’m not leaving you two alone out here, so we’re all going on this hike.”
“Don’t be so grumpy,” I snapped. “I’m the one who found the dead body?—”
“Exactly,” he shouted before closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. When he opened them, they were filled with regret and something else I couldn’t read. “Sorry. I’m not grumpy. I’m fucking pissed. Memphis and I were fucking beside ourselves when we woke up and you were nowhere to be found. And now I find out it was because you took off following a fucking dog.” He ran a hand over his head and looked at the treetops. “We’re not done talking about this.”
“Or punishing you for this,” Memphis added, heat to his tone. “You can’t be doing that, Baylee. It’s not safe, even if there wasn’t some fucker out there taking women. What if you’d fallen, or an animal attacked you? Everything out here is dangerous.”
Crossing both arms, which got tangled up in the massive shirt, making the frustrated move lose all effectiveness, I glared at the men.
“I’m not defenseless or helpless. Now come on. We need to follow Hank.” I looked over my shoulder where he waited for us, panting. “I think he’s hurt,” I whispered, arms falling to my sides. “That was all I cared about, okay?”
Strong arms engulfed me and pulled me against a hard chest.
“Okay, Little Bit. But we’re still not done talking about this.” Turning me to face Hank, Liam urged me forward a step but kept close to my back. “Come on, let’s follow him and see what’s going on.”
Steeling myself with a confidence-boosting breath, I nodded.
I didn’t want to go back there, see that lifeless face again, but she needed us, and so did Hank. We would do everything we could to find out what happened to them. Though, based on the other tragedies over the past year, I’d bet my life that whatever happened to her wasn’t a freak accident.
Someone caused it.
Hopefully, this would offer the clues needed to help us uncover who.
23
LIAM
Careful to keep my distance to not disrupt any remaining evidence, I slowly circled the body for a third time, hoping to notice something I didn’t on the two previous passes. I glanced over to where Baylee sat on a rock with Memphis kneeling in front of her, tending to the scrapes and other wounds that marked her legs.
A rumbling growl vibrated in my chest. The dog, watching my every move, shifted at the sound, the fur along his spine standing up. I huffed and shook my head, running a palm down my face, and refocused on the body.
