Page 22 of Secrets at Dawn
Toby got as close to the dome wall as he could without touching it and then bared his teeth. “I’ve been through this type of thing before. They’ll use you to get to me. That can not happen. Not this time. Not with you. So please. Please. I’m begging you. Stay out of this.”
Maybe it was the emotion laced through Toby’s words. Toby was on the verge of tears. But Griffin took down the dome, so Toby took down his.
The sheriff handed Griffin the envelope, saying, “Keep that safe”, before ushering them onto the sidewalk and then inside the bakery.
The sheriff then spoke into his mic, reciting a couple of codes Toby didn’t understand, then said, “Requesting backup.”
Griffin protested immediately. “I can help, Dad. I’m deputized. Remember.”
“Toby’s right. If you’re a target and there really is someone on the rooftops, then things could go south for both of us. It’s best to stay inside. You and Toby need to protect each other. Not go off half-cocked.” The sheriff met Toby’s gaze. Clearly, that last part was meant for him. “Got it?”
Toby nodded and shifted into his human form. “Got it.”
Griffin sighed and went down the hall. He heard a door click, and then Griffin came back carrying a duffel bag. He rummaged through it and handed Toby a pair of sweatpants.
“They’ll be big on you, but they’ll be warmer than your torn pants.”
Toby didn’t know what Griffin was talking about at first, but he felt a breeze on his thighs and realized his pants had ripped at the seams along with his shirt.
Toby felt heat climb from his chest to his cheeks, but he took the sweats from Griffin. “Thank you.”
Griffin smirked and shook his head. “You were bold enough to call me a stubborn warlock and make a ton of demands a second ago. But now you’re all shy.”
Toby didn’t want to find Griffin’s assessment of him endearing. He didn’t even know why he did. It made little sense except for that smirk, which created a dimple in his right cheek. “You were stubborn. And you might want to get used to the demands. I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
The sheriff walked out the front door when he saw police lights flashing. And then Riley’s mate came into view. The sheriff and Cass headed across the street.
All they could do was wait and lean into a silent, but probably temporary, truce.
Chapter Eleven
Toby wasn’t the meek and mild person Griffin took him for. That much was apparent. And Griffin didn’t know how to navigate having a mate. Not to mention one who was as protective as Toby. He never expected to find a mate. But he always imagined being the protective one. Not being on the receiving end.
He had protective parents. It came with the territory with a sheriff for a dad. His mother wasn’t a meek and mild person either. Hell, in some ways, his mother was even more protective. She was always giving him herbal remedies and making sure he took care of himself. She had also held a gun on someone she thought was threatening Griffin. It had been a false alarm, but none of his friends played rough with him after that day.
But a mate? He was a fish out of water when it came to Toby.
“Is there a bathroom I can use?” Toby held the sweatpants to his chest.
Griffin pointed toward a hallway. “On the left there.”
Toby smiled and headed that way. He stopped after a few steps and then turned, making a beeline for the front door. Griffintook a step towards him. He sucked in a breath, thinking he was going out there, but then Toby just flipped the lock. Griffin sighed in relief.
Toby met his gaze. “Don’t leave.”
Griffin shook his head and smiled. The protectiveness was growing on him, but only because Toby was on the smaller side compared to Griffin. Griffin remembered how small but solid he felt when he held him.
His fierce concern for Griffin’s safety said a lot about the kind of wolf shifter he was. Someone so protective, even when it wasn’t warranted, meant Toby was an alpha. He had a third form, and he had magic. Yeah, Griffin could see why he might draw attention to the packs in the area. That it took so long for any of the packs to notice Toby’s presence spoke of his ability to remain under the radar.
Griffin had a few questions for Toby, and he would ask them just as soon as he got out of the bathroom.
Griffin stared at the roof Toby had pointed to earlier. That Dad checked it out without question meant his dad knew something that Griffin didn’t. Was it about Toby, or did Dad know something about the envelope? Or was it another case that was connected?
Dad didn’t question Toby very much either, and he usually would have. Griffin had seen his dad work a case more than once. Iven Palmer questioned everything. Except this time, he kept it to a minimum.
A shot rang out. It sounded close. Like on that roof, Dad and Cass had climbed up to. Did that mean there was someone on the roof after all? Was Toby right?
Griffin moved away from the window, flicking the lights off as he made his way behind the counter.
