Page 50 of Squatch Out!
“Oh, my God!” she sobs against my chest.
“It’s alright, baby. I’ve got you. You’re alright now.” I’m probably holding her too tight, but I can’t loosen my arms. I need to feel her heartbeat pounding against mine and hear each shuttered breath, so I know she’s safe.
When her pulse has calmed a bit, she looks up at me with brown eyes that are wide and worried. “I thought—I was so scared that you might…” She glances around and then presses her face back into my chest.
My arms tighten around her. Leave it to this woman to worry about me, when she was the one in danger.
“That was never going to happen,” I lie, because it was close. Too close.
Her head snaps up again, and this time she is glaring at me. “I saw your hands, you idiot!” she hisses at me, then pinches my side.Hard. “You sprouted claws.”
I can’t help laughing as I pull her back against my chest. “It’s okay. No one noticed.”
She scoffs. “If I noticed your hands, then it’s probably on someone’s recording,” she whispers into my chest.
I glance over my shoulder and see a couple of the elders with the cameraman. One has his camera, and I suspect any footage will be erased when he gives it back.
The officers have Darren cuffed and are dragging him out of the restaurant when Owen comes rushing through the doors. His eyes are worried as he looks around. When he finds me, his whole body sags with relief, and he pushes through the mingling cops to get to me.
“I called for help as soon as I got your message and then got here as fast as I could.” He’s out of breath, and his eyes are looking everywhere at once, taking in the aftermath. “What the hell happened?”
It’s been less than an hour since I messaged him, and it takes twice that to drive down from the mountain. “How did you get here so fast?”
“I was already in town.” Over his shoulder, I notice Jenny from the general store standing quietly against the back wall, taking everything in. She’s wearing jeans and a black t-shirt witha red and black flannel tied around her waist. Her black hair is pulled up into a high ponytail, and her arms are decorated with colorful full-sleeve tattoos.
Wait, does this mean he was with Jenny last night? How often does he do this?
“Is there something you’d like to talk to me about?” I ask when Jenny pushes off the wall and comes over to join us.
“Nope,” Owen tells me before he turns to the woman. “Jen? You’ve met my brother, Sean.” She smiles and nods. “And this is Olivia, Sean’s… er…”
“Girlfriend,” Olivia answers for me.
Her proclamation makes my heart twist, and I can’t stop staring down at her and replaying the easy way she just announced herself as mine.
Jenny holds her hand out to me and then to Olivia. “Nice to meet you.”
“Sorry about all the craziness,” I apologize.
Owen drapes his arm around Jenny’s shoulders and pulls her against his side.
“No need,” Jenny scoffs, letting her head rest against my brother’s shoulder. “This kind of thing never happens around here. You just gave everyone enough tea to keep their cups filled for the next year.”
“Hey, Sean, sorry to interrupt,” the officer who tased Darren says as he ambles over to our group. “I need to get some statements from you, then you’ll be free to go.”
Owen steps back, and I don’t miss the way he keeps Jenny pressed into his side. “Come up to the house tonight for dinner,” he says before turning and leaving.
I watch them for a moment, then introduce Olivia to the officer. “This is officer Sanchez,” I press my lips to her temple and add quietly, “He’s an elder of our tribe and knows our secret.”
Sanchez is older with more silver than black in his hair. He’s a little overweight but has a friendly face. Leading us past where Tony and Brian are being questioned, he pulls a chair over to a table that isn’t being used. As soon as we sit down, he leans across and asks me pointedly, “She knows?”
I nod.
His thick brows shoot up into his hairline. “Do the others?”
Olivia and I both shake our heads.
“Okay.” He relaxes again. “Alright, so tell me what happened. The unedited version, please.”
