Before she had the chance to ask any more questions, he hurried to his bedroom. In case his curious mate decided to check out his body for other injuries, he closed the door. He wouldn’t lock it, but hopefully, she’d understand that he wanted some privacy.
Needing to repair, he spent a fair amount of time under the soothing water. When he finished, he dried off, and then checked his injuries. The only one that was remotely visible was the scratch on his stomach.
Wanting to cover it, he actually located an adhesive strip and placed it over the cut. Benson was well aware that not telling the truth about his werewolf abilities might jeopardize their relationship, but he couldn’t chance her freaking out and running away. He just hoped she’d forgive him when she learned the truth about him and Preston.
Once he dressed, he headed out to the main room.
Ariel looked up. “How are you feeling?”
He smiled and sat down next to her. “Good as new. I even found a bandage. I bet you won’t be able to tell by tomorrow.”
“Good. Now tell me what your uncle said.”
This would be difficult since Ariel would want to run to the hardware store and confront Walter Winston. Good thing she couldn’t run and didn’t have a car.
“The DNA test came back regarding the paternity of Sam’s baby. It was Walter Winston’s.”
She sucked in a breath. “Does he know?”
“Uncle Adam is telling him now. I know he denied having sex with her, but he can’t claim that now.”
“He lied on the stand. Can’t you do something?”
“If there is a new trial, I will definitely ask him about it.”
Ariel sat up. “Can one of you drive me to the hardware store?”
“No,” they said in unison.
“Why not? You could come with me so you know I’ll be safe.”
Preston placed a hand on her arm. “What do you hope to accomplish beside putting another target on your back? He’ll just say he had sex with her one time, and it made him realize how important Peggy was to him.”
Ariel said nothing for a moment. “Then I’ll go into Peggy’s nail salon and ask for a mani-pedi.” She held up her hands. “I could use one.”
“I think you should wait until Walter tells her the truth, assuming he does. Or are you thinking that Peggy drugged your brother, entered his house, and stabbed Samantha?”
Ariel sat there a minute. “I never really liked Peggy. She wasn’t exactly nice.”
“But is she a killer?” Benson asked.
“Are you just trying to convince me to stay here and never leave?”
Was he? “I’d like nothing more for you to stay put, but that’s not reasonable. For now, how about keeping a low profile and let my uncle see what he can learn?”
“Fine, but I don’t like it,” she said.
“Understandable.” Benson’s cell rang. “Maybe that’s my uncle calling back.” He checked the caller ID. “It’s the man I sent the stalker photos to." He swiped the button on his phone. “Hey, Mick.”
“Benson. I was able to trace where the photos were sent from.”
His pulse raced. This might identify the picture taker—who also might be the killer. “Where?”
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
“The pictures sentto Ariel were from Pauline’s Coffee Shop and Internet Café,” Mick said. "They were taken around five o'clock yesterday."
That was a smart choice on the sender’s part. “I appreciate you checking this out. It might be hard to find Ariel’s stalker though. A lot of people use those computers.” Benson tried not to let Ariel hear the disappointment in his voice.