“It was. We found her brother alive, and I think she learned more about us,” Liam said.
“I could tell she liked us. Why else would she be willing to sleep between us?”
Liam chuckled. “Because she was cold?”
“There is that.”
They slipped into Liam’s truck and waited until the ambulance, the cruiser, and one other vehicle left the parking lot before taking off.
“What are we going to do about Tawny?” Alex asked.
“In regards to what?”
“You saw the carving on her brother’s back. That really looked like a warning to me.”
“I thought the same thing.” Liam pulled out of the lot. “There are a lot of bad werewolves in the world. We’ve met a few, like the Franklin Clan.”
“If not them, then who? And why harm a Granger?”
“That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out. My best guess is that these hunters—assuming that’s who did this to Zach—were told the Grangers were corrupt and needed to be eliminated.”
Alex dropped his head back. “Regardless of the reason, we have to protect her.”
Liam’s gut soured. “I know, but she has a big family. Do you really think she’d agree to let us watch over her? She barely knows us.”
“What if we tell her she’s our mate, and we can’t let anything happen to her?” Alex suggested.
“I don’t see Tawny believing she’s in danger. She’ll say a human wouldn’t harm her because she can’t shift.”
“She might be right, or they might not care. She has werewolf blood in her. You saw how determined she was to do things her way. All I know is that I can’t just sit by idly.”
That was for sure. “We’re stealthy. We can keep an eye on her without her knowing it,” Liam said.
Alex grunted. “That won’t go over well if she finds out. Starting a relationship based on deceit isn’t the way I want to go.”
“Neither do I. Then how about we check up on Zach and Tawny at the same time. I don’t see her leaving his side for a while.”
“Maybe we should speak to her dad. I bet he can talk some sense into her about needing protection.”
Liam’s mood lightened. “I knew you were my friend for a reason.”
CHAPTEREIGHT
Tawny hadto wait in her uncle’s living room while David, her emergency room cousin, did who-knew-what to Zach. What frustrated her even more was that no one would tell her anything. Had her father not threatened his brother-in-law with something, she bet he’d have been kicked out of the operating room.
Liam had said that both bullet holes had mostly closed up, and for that she was grateful. It meant Zach’s werewolf healing powers were working somewhat. It was the carving on his back that still haunted her. Not only would the pain be excruciating, but whoever did it left him in the cold to die. Why? Zach was gentle. He loved animals, respected the forest, and was willing to risk his life to help others.
While neither Liam nor Alex would say for sure what they thought, she suspected they believed it was a hate crime against her family. Maybe she was naïve, but the Grangers were upstanding community members. Hell, when a fire broke out in the city hall last year, who paid for it to be repaired? Her family did. Heaven only knew how many charities they’d contributed to.
Then again, if the Franklin Clan was behind this, they wouldn’t care about that. Two of their own had died on Uncle Josh’s ranch.
Tawny dropped her face in her hands, but she wouldn’t cry. She had to be strong for her twin.
The door to the back room opened, and she jerked up. Her dad came out. His shoulders were slumped, but his face seemed relaxed.
“How is he?” Her voice cracked.
Her dad sat next to her. “He’s going to be okay. David said it was touch and go since one of the bullets almost hit his heart.”