Page 83 of Meant for Her

“From what you’ve told us about Pete, and those men who were at his house when you visited him, we can either assume he’s innocent or guilty of the thefts.”

“Way to go, Trevor,” she said.

Her brother smiled. “Hear me out. Pete falsified their father’s death certificate. That much we know. It might have been to protect the existence of werewolves, but that would only have been the case if a wolf had ripped out their father’s throat. A bullet through the heart has nothing to do with being a werewolf—or so a human would believe.”

“You’re leaning toward Pete either being the killer or knowing who did?” she asked.

“Yes. I don’t think it would be smart to withhold the information about their father’s real cause of death from the sheriff. It makes Luke and Ryan look guilty if they hold on to the bullet for too long. I say let the sheriff handle it.”

“Then what?” Ryan asked. “If Pete is in jail, how does that help us find the cows?”

Seth tapped his forehead. “I see where Trevor is going with this. If—and that is an if—Pete is behind the cow theft, how happy will the six rustlers be that Pete’s in jail?”

“What are you thinking?” Luke asked. “They’ll come after us for getting their leader arrested?”

“It’s a thought,” Trevor said.

Malia was having a hard time sorting through all the facts. “Let’s say these men come after Luke and Ryan. What’s to prevent them from killing them this time? Six against two isn’t fair.”

“Malia, Malia,” Seth said. “Do you really think we wouldn’t help? Luke and Ryan are family.”

Her muscles relaxed. “What are you thinking? That you’ll hide out at the Circle L Ranch for days on end, hoping someone stops by? If they do, are you planning to kill them all?” She shuddered at the thought.

“I didn’t say our plan is perfect,” Trevor said.

“What if we tell Sheriff Hanson everything?” Ryan said. “Well, not that we’re werewolves. Once Pete is in jail, he’ll get a phone call. It might be to his lawyer—though I doubt he has one—or it could be to one of his henchmen. I imagine they’ll want to take care of us before long.”

“We need to think this through,” Luke said. “I do like where you’re going with this, though. I think we should take the bullet to the sheriff’s office and do a tell-all. See what he says.”

“The sheriff will probably talk with Pete first. If he isn’t happy with the answers, he might get a warrant to search the place, though I’m sure Pete will ditch the rifle if he still has it.”

“He won’t know we have the bullet,” Luke said.

“In case he does, Pete might send his men to steal the rest of your cows. Pete might think he can beat whatever crime he’s accused of,” she said.

“My sister has a point,” Seth said. “Let me speak with a few of our other family members who are good at fighting. They might have an idea.”

She liked that.

Luke stood. “I really appreciate your willingness to help.”

“Of course,” Seth said.

Both he and Ryan shook their hands. On their way out, Dad was closing the door. His friend had left. He turned to face them.

“We need to talk,” her dad said.

Malia stilled.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

“Let’s sit in the living room,” Malia’s dad said.

She looked at Luke and Ryan but both kept their expressions shuttered.

Her father motioned they have a seat while he remained standing. “Kathy—my wife—accuses me of being stubborn,” he told the men.

Malia was certain her mom said a few more things—like he was a bit arrogant at times, as well as a snob. Though of late, her mom hadn’t been any better since she didn’t seem to want to see the men for who they were. “Go on, Dad.”

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