The door once again flew open. Camden stalked inside, all menace and fury. Her snarling bearcat stopped pacing, glad he was here.
Aspen sighed. “I’m guessing you heard.”
“I heard,” he gritted out, his fists clenched. “And I doubt I’m alone in thinking that whoever sent those fake pictures is also the person who was harassing you via social media.”
Aspen tilted her head. “While I’m glad you know that they’re fake, how are you so sure?”
“I’ve seen you naked when you shift. I know what your body looks like. What I don’t know is who the hell got the insane, suicidal idea to pull this shit.”
Huh. She hadn’t thought he’d paid any real attention to her body. She wasn’t sure what, if anything, to think of his response.
“But I will find out who did this,” he added, his eyes flashing cat. “More, I will find them. And when I do, they’re dead.”
“As much as I long to pound my fist into their face until they choke on their own teeth, I’m not so sure their idiocy really warrants death.”
“This isn’t mere idiocy, Aspen. This isn’t simply someone hoping to annoy you. Their purpose was to hurt you. Humiliate you. Taint your place of work. You know the pictures are fake, but you also know that not everyone will buy that. Tell me that you don’t feel embarrassed and violated right now.”
She couldn’t, because that was exactly how she felt.
“Camden’s right, Aspen,” said Bailey. “This person set out to hurt you. My money is on Randy. He has a serious grudge against you. Not to mention a hate-on for women.” She looked at Camden. “Does he have the kind of computer skills that someone would need to do all this?”
Camden shrugged. “No idea. I made no effort to get to know him.” He licked the edge of one tooth. “I think it’s time I had another chat with him.”
Aspen stood. “I’m coming with you. Havana will understand. She’ll have one of the other enforcers shadow her until I get back.”
Bailey snorted. “Once she hears where you’re going and why, she’ll insist on coming along. She’ll also go ballistic.”
It turned out that the mamba was right.
Havana lost her shit in an epic fashion. No surprise. Being a devil shifter, she had the same notorious temper that full-blooded Tasmanian devils possessed.
“Whoever it is, I’ll kill him,” Havana declared, pacing up and down outside the rec center’s indoor gymnasium. “Seriously. I’ll kill him. With my bare hands.”
Aspen waited while her friend ranted, knowing it was best for Havana to get it out of her system. A silent figure of fury, Camden stood next to Aspen, the side of his body pressed firmly to hers in a way that felt both protective and possessive. Bailey stood on her other side, rocking backwards and forwards on her heels, clearly raring to get moving.
Finally, Havana turned to Aspen, an angry flush staining the golden-brown skin of her neck and face. “It has to be Randy. Only someone with a personal vendetta would go this far. Our keyboard warrior has invested a lot of time in his ventures—possibly even money, if he’s had to pay someone to help him hack into social media accounts, photoshop pics, and erase his digital steps so he can’t be traced. If you were Bailey, there’d be an endless number of potential suspects—she angers people like there’s a reward for it.”
“Their anger is my reward,” said Bailey.
Aspen exhaled heavily. “Well let’s go see what Randy has to say.”
His blood boiling, Camden stayed close to his bearcat as they strolled through the center. Some people glanced her way, whispering. Some offered her quick smiles of commiseration. Others avoided her eyes altogether. Aspen paid them little attention. She kept her chin up, a blank expression fixed on her face.
Camden didn’t ignore the assholes who smirked. He, like his tiger, gave them a look that promised retribution. They averted their gazes fast, knowing he lived up to his promises.
By his own admission, his emotional spectrum was a little limited, and his feelings didn’t have a tight hold on him for long. His anger could often be short-lived. He could breathe through it and remain in control. The ire would pass, leaving only a faint irritation in its place. But if there was no cool-down period and something else triggered the emotion in him, his rage could be a wild thing that threatened to shatter his composure.
When Aspen had earlier assured him that Grant was not her mate, Camden had managed to breathe through his fury. But the annoyance that lingered had kept a firm grip on him. So when one of his co-workers showed him the explicit photos, his anger had rushed back in full force. There was no breathing through it. No way to make it pass easily. Especially since, for just a moment, he’d thought the pictures were real.